A year in stitches week 3

Knit week 3

This is a study of the most basic lace stitch pattern. Faggotting. It biases terribly to the right until blocked.  Do you see a difference when the yarn over is after the decrease?  Do you see a difference when row 2 is purled,  knitted, or is a repeat of row 1?  The photo shown is with r2 purled as written.

This is a multiple of 2.

Cast on 20 stitches.

R1: k1, * yo, k2tog. Rep from * to the end of the row.  End k1.
R2: p.

Do you want this to bias left instead?  Try yo, ssk. This variation is called the Turkish stitch.

Crochet week 3

Let's do another basic.  Plain mesh. Many types of stitches are based, in part, on mesh.

Ch 20.

R1:  dc in 8th ch from hook,  * ch 2, sk 2, dc in next st.   Rep from the * to the end.

R2: ch5,  * dc in dc,  ch 2. Rep from the * to the end. End dc in 3rd ch.

Rep r 2 to the desired size.

Another option is to make the mesh larger or smaller.  

For a smaller mesh, use hdcand ch 1 space.

For a larger mesh,  use tr and ch 3 space.

a Year of Stitches Week 52

Well, we made it to the end of the year.  Here is our last post in 2017 for a year of stitches.  Let's use these.  There should be something fabulous to meet your fancy here.  Enjoy these.  They offer a variety of looks.  The traditional winter and Christmas specific motifs and then things that can stand the test of time for the whole year.  Done in heavier yarns, there are afghans and pillows.  Done in finer yarns, sweaters or accessories.

This is only a quarter of the pattern.  Mirror image in each direction to form the whole.  This would be stunning worked in silver or gold thread in filet crochet or as a pillow.  For the pillow, sew the pocket for the stuffing in line with the points where the two scallops meet.

Christmas in July day 7

Today is all about shawls.Whether they are triangles, rectangles, squares, circles or half circles, they are incredibly useful and stylish.  They can be just for show or keep you warm as well.

Here are links to just a few

Lacy Shawl

Square in a Square shawl

Here is a link to the Patons Yarn company list for shawls

Getting ready for Open House

Open House  September 9

11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Come meet the instructors!

As the knitting and crochet instructor, I know I will be there all 4 hours to talk to anyone and everyone who wants to discuss classes.  I know someone will be available to discuss the Wilton Cake Decorating, Grumbacher Art Painting classes, Bead Corner Design Academy classes, Paper Ed classes, Spotted Canary School, Martha Stewart classes, kid classes, birthday parties, and more.  Come check out what we have available.

My display will include projects from all available classes.  I start with the basics of knit and crochet and offer classes in some of the advanced techniques, such as loom knitting, sock knitting, double knitting, broomstick lace, intarsia, mosiac crochet, filet crochet, beaded crochet and knitting, and how to work with some of the newer novelty yarns.  If there is something you want to learn and don't see an offering for that class, let me know and I can tailor a class for you and any interested friends.  

My classes include individual attention and learning the basics of the stitches and pattern reading.  There is also a yarn department tour where a quick discussion about the variety of yarns and tools available take place.  We will also cover gauge and gauge swatches and their uses during classes.

Crochet Classes start with the basics of chaining and how to do the foundation stitches that all crochet is built on up to and including the common shells, clusters and granny square.  More advanced Crochet classes are available after the basics are learned and textural stitches, working in the round, natural folds, construction, reading charts and lace are tackled.  

Knit classes start with the basics of casting on and how to knit and purl and move through patterning and cables in the beginner classes.  The more advanced classes include learning more about shaping, working in the round, touching on fair isle, charted knitting and mitered knitting.

I even offer ideas to get you started on how to take the most basic pattern and change it so you have something completely different looking but still stay within your skill level.  Discussions can take place about trying new techniques you want to learn and how to incorporate them into something smaller to test.

Bookmark Patterns

As promised, here are 2 bookmarks.  The first is a knit Christmas tree.  The lace pattern is taken from Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knit Patterns.  Her books are a gold mine of patterns that seemingly never end.  Even if you run out of actual patterns to work with, your imagination can take those patterns and combine them in ways that many have not seen before.  The second is a double pineapple bookmark in crochet.  Pineapples in crochet have been around for a very long time.  They can be added into patterns, stand alone, created circles or squares.  They are an amazing motif.  In my research of pineapples, I have even seen a pair of earrings made from crocheted pineapples.

Knit Christmas Tree Lace Bookmark

Gauge:  Not important for this project

Finished Size:  2" x up to 6" long

Materials needed:  Size 10 Crochet Cotton Thread, I used DMC Baroque in Christmas Green

                             Size 7 steel hook

                             Size 0 needles

                             Tapestry needle

Stitches used:  K - knit, P - purl, k2tog - knit 2 together, ssk - slip stitch knitwise, slip stitch knitwise, put both back on the left needle and knit them together through the back of the stitch, 

Cast on 25 sts.

Knit in garter stitch up to 4" in length.  For the lace section, keep first 4 and last 4 sts in garter.  End with 3 - 6 rows more of garter stitch.

Lace Panel Directions

Row 1 wrong side (and all wrong side rows):  K 4, P to last 4 sts, K 4.

Row 2:  K 10, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k to end

Row 4:  K 9, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k to end

Row 6:  K 8, (k2tog, yo) twice, k 1, (yo, ssk) twice, k to end

Row 8:  K 7, (k2tog, yo) twice, k3, (yo, ssk) twice, k to end

Row 10:  k 6, (k2tog, yo) 3x, k 1, (yo, ssk) 3x, k to end

Rows 12, 14, 16, 18,  20, 22, 24,  and 26:  Rep Rows 8, 6, 4, 6, 8, 6, 4, 2

Row 28:  K 11, k2tog, yo, k to end

Row 29: Rep Row 1

For this pattern I used a light pencil mark to keep track of where I was in the row count.  Also this will need blocking.  Use a burst of steam and a light pressing for this.  The garter will need stretched a bit around the lace panel and the stockinette background will need the steam to help the stitches to line up.

Pineapple Bookmark

Materials needed:  Size 3 thread, I used Aunt Lydia's Fashion Crochet Cotton in Scarlet

                             Size B hook

                             Tapestry needle

Gauge: Not important in this project

Finished Size:

Stitches used:  Ch - chain, sc - single crochet, sl st - slip stitch, dc - double crochet, sp – space, dc3tog – double crochet 3 stitches together

Note:  Ch 3 at the beginning of a row counts as a dc throughout this pattern.

Ch 5, join with a sl st to form a ring.

R1:  ch 1, 9 sc in ring, join with a sl st in top of first sc.

R2:  Ch 3, 3 dc in same st as join, * 3 dc in next st.  Rep from *. Turn

R3:  Ch 3, dc in next st, ch 2, * dc in next st, ch 1.  Rep from * to the last 2 sts.  End ch 2, dc in dc, dc in top of ch 3 of prev row.  Turn.

R4:  Ch 3, dc in dc, ch 3, sc in ch 1 sp, * ch 3, sc in next ch 1 sp.  Rep from * across.  End ch 3, dc in dc, dc in top of ch 3 of prev row.  Turn

R5:  ch 3, dc in dc, ch 3, sk first ch 3 sp, * sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3.  Rep from * across skipping last ch 3 sp.  End ch 3, dc in dc, dc in top of ch 3 sp of prev row.  Turn

R6:  ch 3, dc in dc, ch 3, sk first ch 3 sp, * sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3.  Rep from * across skipping last ch 3 sp.  End ch 3, dc in dc, dc in top of ch 3 sp of prev row.  Turn

R7:  ch 3, dc in dc, ch 3, sk first ch 3 sp, * sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3.  Rep from * across skipping last ch 3 sp.  End ch 3, dc in dc, dc in top of ch 3 sp of prev row.  Turn

R8:  ch 3, dc in dc, ch 3, sk first ch 3 sp, * sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3.  Rep from * across skipping last ch 3 sp.  End ch 3, dc in dc, dc in top of ch 3 sp of prev row.  Turn

R9:  ch 3, dc in dc, ch 3, sk first ch 3 sp,  sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, dc in dc, dc in top of ch 3 sp of prev row.  Turn

R10:  ch 3, dc in dc, ch 3, dc in dc, dc in top of ch 3 of prev row.  Turn

R11:  ch 3, dc in next 2 sts, dc in top of ch 3 of prev row.  Turn

R12:  ch 3, dc3tog.  End off.

Turn upside down so the sc ring is at the top.  On the right side, sk 2 sc.  Join thread with a sl st in next sc.  Start with R2 from the other side and make the other half.

Again blocking with a shot of steam will help this to lie flat. 

You can embellish these as you see fit.  Just remember to keep beads away from the main body of the bookmark so as to not break the spines of the books these are sure to be used in.

Merry Christmas!

An idea for Christmas Crocheting

This idea came to me a few years ago.  I decided that our new house, which has a lot (every room at that point) of paneling, would look ever so nice with Christmas tree type garland around each doorway in the kitchen (2 doorways), living room (1 doorway) and hall hall (3 bedrooms, a bathroom, a closet and the double wide opening between the living room and kitchen/dining area) and the plain non-branching garland around the ceilings of the hall, living room and kitchen/dining area..  All this was put up using cup hooks that never left the walls unless the walls were removed.  Some have been since that time.  It did look nice.  It also looked rather dark with all that wood, dark green garland and doors closed to keep heat where we wanted it and pets out of the rooms.  To remedy this I decided to add white snow flakes to each garland around each doorway and around the ceilings.

Each branched garland was 9 feet long and I had the bright idea to put a flake every foot on each one (to help brighten the dark areas).  Each garland around the ceilings was 50 ft each.  I lost count of how many feet of this I put up each year.  Needless to say, I started crocheting snowflakes.  I gave myself a year to make them all.  I was hoping to have around 300 I think at one point.  I really have no idea how many ever did get made.  It was a bunch.

I collected patterns from the internet the summer of 2005.  I bought snowflake crochet pattern books when I found them.  I wanted one of each pattern.  After all, snowflakes in nature are all different, so mine had to be too.  There are very large 12 inch flakes on down to 1 inch flakes.  Some are beaded.  Most are not.  Most flakes I tried to keep in the 3 inch - 5 inch diameter range.  I still have the printouts in a 3 inch binder and the books.  I got a third of the way through them.  Some day I will go back to them.

The flakes when done look absolutely terrible until blocked and starched.  The terribleness could have something to do with me crunching them up to stuff into the cardboard tube in the center of the white mercerized cotton thread.  To get them in the shape I wanted, I took a piece of foam core board and made 6 pointed shapes on them 6 inches long.  I covered this in waxed paper.  Now I could soak my flakes in glue and pin them out.  Each flake to a shape with really small ones in the spaces in between.  I have tried differing strengths of glue to water ratios, from 1/2 and 1/2 to full glue (white school glue).  The half and half gives a nice starched appearance but doesn't really hold up.  Points started drooping.  The full glue, depending on the brand, would give a look of plastic to the flakes, but they held their shape.

If I find the pictures again, I will post them.  A computer malfunction wiped out a lot of my pictures, I think I had some of these printed off.  However, every year since I started this, the flakes and garlands go up first thing.  The cup hooks remain in most places year round and have tarnished so that they blend in with the darker wood paneling.  In places where walls have been replaced, we opted for lighter and brighter wall treatments and sadly the flakes don't show up on these walls.

The snowflakes would also make nice package ties, ornaments for the tree or jewelry if you use the very small ones.  Some people I have heard about leave the flakes in the unstiffened state and lay them on the branches.  You could even use them to embellish some everyday wardrobe items with either a few stitches on the points to hold them on or use some of the tacky quilting spray to hold them on for just a night.

Christmas in July continues

I've been giving some thought to this once again as I listen to podcasts from KnitPicks.  One episode was geared to what one book has patterns that would satisfy most if not all of your holiday knitting.  I think you would have to know what you are planning to do in the general for each person you are knitting for before you can start pinpointing patterns.  One of the people quizzed said that she kept her knitting for holidays simple.  Choose basic patterns that you can do easily but with enough variety to prevent boredom and let the yarns you choose carry the project.  Another people quizzed said that you should pick projects based on the recipients.  In other words don't give something lacy to a person who really only likes and wears tailored items, a bulky wool sweater to someone who lives in the tropics.  However, you can give finger-less mitts to people who work in offices that are not heated as warm as our homes or feel so due to the sedentary nature of their jobs.


Today's patterns are all about finger-less mitts and mittens.  You can choose patterns that use yarns as fine as fingering weight (sock yarn) on up to patterns that use super bulky.  They can be knit or crocheted.  Mittens are appreciated by almost everyone and they can keep your hands warmer than gloves by keeping the fingers bunched together.


Some choices for easy patterns would be 


http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/cozy-knit-wristers   K

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/lacy-bobble-scarf-and-wristlets   C

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/really-easy-wristers   K

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/twin-cables-wristers   K

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/crochet-mittens-all   C

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/mittens-all   K

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/winter-crochet-wristers-0   C

These are all from Red Heart.  However, they were chosen for being easy to knit or crochet and allowing the yarn to give emphasis to the mitts or mittens.  Any pattern you choose can be done in any yarn as long as you remember to check the gauge of the yarn recommended and match that up to the gauge of the yarn you want to use.  As your math skills get better you can pick any yarn  to go with any pattern.

New Classes Scheduled

Well, Lent and Easter are over.  I hope everyone had a nice holiday vacation.  I know I did.  Even though I cooked for the family like I do every year, I got to spend a lot of time with my husband and son that I don't normally have due to work conflicts.

Festival season will be starting soon.  I co-chair my church's festival each year.  During that time for set up, festival week, and clean up, I will not be running classes.  You will notice a gap in the class line up from the middle of June until the end of July.  This is why there is a gap.  I look forward to doing more blogging in the future.

Here is a schedule of my beginner knit classes.  Below you can find the advanced knit classes and both beginner and advanced crochet classes.  I look forward to each one of these classes.

Discover Knit Stitch Class

May 24  6 – 8:30 pm

July 26  6 – 8:30 pm

August 23  6 – 8:30 pm

Discover Purl Stitch Class

May 31  6 – 8:30 pm

August 2  6 – 8:30 pm

August 30  6 – 8:30 pm

Discover Pattern Stitches Class

May 10  6 – 8:30 pm

June 7  6 – 8:30 pm

August 9  6 – 8:30 pm

Discover Cables Class

June 14 6 – 8:30 pm

August 16  6 – 8:30 pm

Discover Single Crochet

May 21  6 – 8:30 pm

July 23  6 – 8:30 pm

August 20  6 – 8:30 pm

Discover the Tall Stitches of Crochet

May 29  6 – 8:30 pm

July 30  6 – 8:30 pm

August 27  6 – 8:30 pm

Discover Textured Stitches

June 4  6 – 8:30 pm

August 6  6 – 8:30 pm

Discover Granny Squares

June 11 6 – 8:30 pm

August 27  6 – 8:30 pm

Discover Baby Knits Class

May 25  6 – 8:30 pm

July 31  6 – 8:30 pm

Discover Mitered Knitting Class

June 1  6 – 8:30 pm

July 27 6 – 8:30 pm

Discover Fair Isle Class

June 8  6 – 8:30 pm

Discover Advanced Knitting Classes

May 11 6-8:30 pm Intarsia

June 15 6-8:30 pm  Beaded Knitting

August 3 6 – 8:30 pm  Socks Pt. 1 – Example sock

August 10 6 – 8:30 pm Socks Pt. 2 – Cuff, Leg and Heel

August 17 6 – 8:30 pm Socks Pt. 3 – Foot, Toe and Graft of Toe 

Discover Baby Crochet Class

May 23  6 – 8:30 pm

July 25  6 – 8:30 pm

August 22  6 – 8:30 pm

Discover Throws and Wraps in Crochet Class

May 30  6 – 8:30 pm

August 29 6 – 8:30 pm

Discover Crochet Gifts Class

June 6  6 – 8:30 pm

Discover Advanced Crochet Classes

June 13 6-8:30 pm Beaded Crochet