Pattern: Star Jasmine (pattern is in progress) Yarn: Anderson Alpaca Farm "Louie," 150 yds Crochet hook size F/3.75mm
Reminiscent of how the earlier versions of this hat flew off my crochet hook and onto someone else’s head, I managed to finish a cap in Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton (color Bone) just in time for it to be whisked away to NYC. I did not get a photo. I’m now working on a beret version in Anderson Alpaca Farm "Louie" (a small Indiana farm – picked up the last skein on the shelf at Yarns Unlimited when I was visiting Bloomington in September). I think Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino might be a good choice for this; the wool would give it a bit more structure and memory. For this version, I plan to use an elastic cord in the brim to keep it wearable.
A reminder not to crochet while watching a movie, even if it’s a movie I’ve seen before and a pattern I’ve crocheted until I have it memorized. It’s an interesting variation and I might find a use for it, but today I’m going to undo two motifs and get back on track.
Guess who found a gently used Print Gocco set for sale? I’ve actually had it for a few weeks but haven’t had the time and space to use it until now. I printed up some tags for my handmade items; the printing isn’t perfect and I’ll need to play around with things to get a good feel for it, but I think it’s a good start, and
I like the imperfect look of the print on the tags. I’ve known for a while that I really ought to get some business cards printed, and I still will, but at least now I have something with my promotional info to attach to my handmade items for sale.
My basic crochet beanie starts with making a flat circle until the diameter x 3 = head circumference (or slightly smaller if you want a snug fit). Reading through the instructions, you can see that the increases for the crown form a pattern of one more stitch between increases. You can continue working increase rounds until the diameter is the right size for what you want to make, then stop working increases and just work evenly around until the sides are as long as you want them to be. For single crochet, start with 6 sts in the ring, and for double crochet, start with 12 sts in the ring (you may also want to chain 6 instead of 4).
Basic Crochet Beanie (Baby)
Size: 15″/38cm circumference, about 5″/13cm deep [I have to double-check these measurements]
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton, color A (Sky Blue), about 60 yards [worsted weight] Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton, color B (Sand), about 15 yards
Hook: US G/4.0mm
If you are working in a spiral, mark the beginning of each round with a removable stitch marker. The hat shown in the photos was worked in a spiral – you can see that the stripes don’t meet up at the back. If you are working in concentric rings, at the end of each round, join the last stitch to the first stitch with a slip stitch, and begin each round with ch 2.
With color A, chain 4 and join into a ring with a slip stitch.
Round 1) 8 hdc into ring (8 sts)
Round 2) 2 hdc in ea st (16 sts)
Round 3) 2 hdc in first st, *hdc in next st, 2 hdc in following st* (24 sts)
Round 4) 2 hdc in first st, *hdc in next 2 sts, 2 hdc in following st (32 sts)
Round 5) 2 hdc in first st, *hdc in next 3 sts, 2 hdc in following st (40 sts)
change to color B
Round 6) 2 hdc in first st, *hdc in next 4 sts, 2 hdc in following st (48 sts)
change to color A
Round 7) 2 hdc in first st, *hdc in next 5 sts, 2 hdc in following st (56 sts)
Round 8) 2 hdc in first st, *hdc in next 6 sts, 2 hdc in following st (64 sts)
Round 9-11) hdc in ea st (64 sts)
change to color B
Round 12) hdc in ea st (64 sts)
change to color A
Rounds 13 – 17) hdc in ea st (64 sts)
change to color B
Round 18) hdc in ea st (64 sts)
join first and last stitch of final round with a slip st. Cut yarn. Tail end of yarn from beginning can be threaded through first round of stitches and pulled tight. Weave in all ends.
Size H crochet hook oddball of ribbon yarn, no band
I went through my crochet stitch dictionaries and vintage crochet pamphlets and came up with nothing. Thinking back, I figured that if I couldn’t find it in my current collection, the motif probably came from a hippie-era book or Maggie Righetti’s Crocheting in Plain English. One thing about the way I move (I sell or give away most of my belongings, books included) is that my home library is not stable. I’ll check the next time I’m at the public library.
I’m going to get some prep work for tomorrow’s lunch done, and then I’m going to sit down with a skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton. This time around, I’m going to make sure I have the pattern written down and scanned into my laptop and saved to a flash drive along with photos of the finished items.
One of my nearest and dearest is home for the holidays, and we put in some serious eat-pizza-and-watch-Poirot-DVD time last week. While we were sprawled on the couch and I was hemming the Top-Down Ribbed Beanie I knit up for my BIL, she said "do you remember that hat you made me?" and I did, yes, because that was the year that I crocheted a beret with a spiral pattern of eyelets for myself, but had to crochet 8 or 9 of them before I got one for myself because people would spot them in progress and want one. It was one of the things that got me started on pattern writing, although I never did get around to writing a pattern down for the caps and berets I made with that pattern. I had it memorized. Or at least I had it memorized several years ago. It was based on an afghan motif, or maybe a doily. "Could you make me another one? I wear it all the time." She didn’t bring it with her. I can’t find mine, and even though I wore it frequently for a couple of years, I can’t remember exactly what it looked like. The spiraling eyelets are much like the ones in the Interweave Crochet Lace Cap by Kim Werker, but the center used a different motif and I think the base number was different. I did a few variations on it, with different shaping and yarns, yet I don’t have photos of any of them. It’s bugging me now.
I should be weaving in ends, washing and blocking, and instead I am sketching and swatching.
I went to Isle Knit* today and got things to tuck into a tote for Mom’s gift. Two skeins of Noro Silk Garden, one skein of Noro Silk Garden Light, two skeins of Reynold’s Mandalay, a pair of Addi Turbo US 8 16" circulars, and a Clover crochet hook, size G, the kind with the big cushy handle (no photos until after the gift has been opened). I think I maybe went a little over the $20 limit we all agreed to observe, and I’ve broken the Handmade Holiday pledge.
I am having the hardest time not handing it all over right now.
*Isle Knit sale alert: Sue has a table of sale yarns out until Saturday! She will be closing the shop after the weekend for at least a week to do inventory, so why not help her out and give her less to count?
How about a book geared towards the experienced and/or adventurous handknitter with knitting and knit design tips from knit luminaries including Lily Chin, Nicky Epstein, Deborah Newton, Nancy Bush, with photos, diagrams and tutorials on how to shape your knitting, making a garment from scrumbles, and adapting a sewing pattern for knitting, among other things? What if I told you it was published over 10 years ago? Great Knits is a collection of Threads magazine articles from the early 1990’s, aimed at the handknitting enthusiast. Currently out of print, it can still be found online and in public libararies. Some of the items shown look a bit dated (think big oversized entrelac sweater and teal angora and ribbon – on second thought, with a little revision I wouldn’t be surprised to see it as a retro look in Vogue Knitting International), but the techniques are ones knitters still look for today. This is a great addition to your knitting library if you are interested in designing your own patterns or at least customizing exisiting patterns to better fit your form and your taste.
Introduction, by Suzanne LaRosa, publisher
“You’ve got the knitting basics down and now you’re ready to expand your repertoire. Here, from the pages of Threads magazine, you’ll find the inspiration and techniques you need.
Take your favorite sweater pattern and create an entirely new look. Add subtle shading to a Fair Isle design. Create a graphic beauty one block at a time. Choose two colors you love and knit a warm, reversible sweater. Embellish a sweater with geometric designs.
Or create interest with texture. Experiment with new ways to build a fabric. Knit in a new direction. Drop stitches and weave into open spaces. You can even create a fabric from the center out.
With Great Knits, you’ll also learn basic techniques that will benefit every garment you knit. You’ll find advice on what yarns and needles work best, how to make gauge swatches, and how to shape and finish the garment. But best of all, you’ll create sweaters that you’ll wear and love for years.”
Contents:
Knit One, Weave Two
Linda M. McGurn
Dropped stitches create ideal spaces to weave color into your knitting
Sweaters Piece by Piece
Natalina Carbone
Working without a gauge, you can knit in all directions to create a unique fabric
Swatches for Sweaters
Deborah Newton
Your knitted samples can tell you a lot more about your design than just the gauge
Corrugated Knitting
Molly Gordon
Pull in those floats for a sweater that’s warm and toasty
Designing Knit Fabrics
Deborah Newton
A ready-to-wear sweater sparks ideas for combining strips diagonally
Design Knitwear from Sewing Patterns
June Hemmons Hiatt
The best part is there’s no need to calculate tricky curves or slopes
Reversible Knitting
M’Lou Linsert Baber
Double knitting creates two layers of stockinette with one pass of stitches
Knitting a Basketweave Look-Alike
Gwen Fox
Here’s how to work and shape entrelac on a circular needle
A Balancing Act
Alice Korach
Knitter’s guide to pattern and proportion (includes Aran cardigan with Fibonacci panels)
Knitting Sideways
Molly Geissman
Increase your garment design options and reduce the number of seams at the same time (includes article on Knitting Fair Isle sideways by Kate Barber)
A Patterning Primer for Custom Knitting
Nancy Bush
You can easily create geometric designs to embellish any simple sweater
Subtle Color Shading for Patterned Knits
Rebekah Younger
You can paint a knit fabric, then unravel and reknit for smooth color transitions
Knit In Blocks of Color – without Bobbins
Rick Mondragon
Adding color, one block at a time, takes out the headache of intarsia knitting
Light and Lustrous Boucle
Linda Welker
The textures and colors of this three-plied yarn make even the simplest sweater special
Designing with Spring and Summer Yarns
Deborah Newton
Challenging fibers reward knitters with fabulous color and texture (includes pattern for Sleeveless Ribbon Shell)
Design with Knitted Cord
Nicky Epstein
Complex-looking textures are a snap with separately knitted cord
Darts Add Shape to Knitted Garments
Lily Chin
Worked vertically or horizontally, darts can dramatically improve fit
Shirttails for Sweaters
Sally Melville
Here’s how to add a modest knit curve to a typical flat hem
Designing Knitted Hoods
Deborah Newton
Frame your face with snuggly warmth or sophisticated style (includes pattern for Chenille Topper)
When Many Yarns Make a Coat
Anne Clarke
Careful control of tension and floats is key to combining varied types of yarns
Mom decided that she’d like to knit up a couple of beanies for her friend’s grandkids, and cast a fuzzy acrylic yarn onto her vintage aluminum dpns, US 6. Now, I happen to think that any metal dpn over a size 2 is a waste for me because they slide right out of the work. That’s what was happening to Mom, and she told me she used to have a circular needle in that size, but she can’t find it, so could she borrow one of mine?
Mom has never used anything but aluminum and bamboo.
I lent her my Addi Turbos, the only one I had in the right gauge and length.
Do you think I’m ever going to get them back? No, I didn’t either. I haven’t been to an LYS for a while; perhaps it’s time for me to pop into one and put together a little gift bag for Mom. After all, she’s the one who was heavily pregnant and teaching 4-year-old me to knit (purling made me cry). As long as I’m turning her on to Addis, I might as well get her some nice yarns. Maybe some Noro? What do you think?
Edited to add: what kind of daughter waits a few decades before giving her mother – the one who taught her how to knit and crochet – Addi Turbos? She’s definitely getting some Noro and other stuff, like one of those handcarved wooden crochet hooks I got at Isle Knit, and I may even manage to call a truce with the sewing machine for long enough to make her a tote bag (she is using a battered old paper shopping bag). The more I think about it, the more I realize I have much to make up for. And maybe I should really get around to felting the pair of Fuzzy Feet I made for her last year. [hangs head in shame]
. One thing about the way I move (I sell or give away most of my belongings, books included) is that my home library is not stable. I’ll check the next time I’m at the public library.
