Paw Prints

This morning i determined that i should give my Golden fluid acrylics a try as a stamping ink for “block prints” with cork and eraser. I have the acrylics & glazing liquid, i like blending the colors…. All i need is a breyer. I can always give the Speedball block printing inks a try later. I am delighted to see a kit of six with primary red/yellow/blue plus white, black and bonus gold are available. This is in response to the continued nagging sense that stamping pad inks are a rip-off.

Meanwhile, i’ve been working on the Yellow/Blue Trefoil Stole and an idea occurred to me.

What if, instead of the trefoils, i had a beaded leaf? That introduces some issues: what one would string the beads on? Something thin enough for seed beads would be awfully slow to work up in a scarf. So, what if one ran a beaded thread along with a heavier weight yarn. Could one thien just do the leaf in the thread?

The answer seems to be yes! That’s about a foot of random seed beads on[Y5] DMC Traditions Ecru along with some natural colored Lion Worsted cotton from IrisDragon. The worsted i worked with G/6-4.25 mm hook (blue); the thread with US7/1.5mm (steel). I rather think i need more practice working with the beaded thread. My leaf pattern seems ok — the back view is pleasing. The beads down the center of the leaf work well. I wonder about using a high sheen floss that gets lost in the worsted weight but stands out well when worked into the leaf pattern.

Well, i would like to order the PhotoPOSTOS now, but there’s some problem with PayPal. And I’d like to order a brayer, but if i order online, i should pick out enough stuff to balance the shipping & handling. I’m off for business travel, so i’ll take my yellow trefoil net work for the plane. I might continue thinking a bit about 2.5″x3.5″ ATCs and some ideas around a “green fire” theme project.

I’ve started on the yoke of the Cinnabar but it kept looking wrong. I’ve ripped it out a couple of times. So, i started searching. This link suggested that there were errata, and i eventually found them:

Corrections to Doris Chan’s Everyday Crochet:

We make every effort to provide accurate patterns and helpful information to our readers. The following corrections are for the patterns found in Everyday Crochet. The corrections are listed by pattern, page number, and row number. Large areas of red highlighted text indicate a revision in instructions. We hope you will find this useful!

Tall Latte (Page 53)
First column, addition to line 34:
Size 36

Row 7: Ch 3, 2 dc in first dc, sc in next ch-sp of sh, work in pattern across, end with 3 dc in top of tch, turn.

CINNABAR, Page 66-67, corrections for Size 35 from Row 2
ROW 2: Ch 3, (dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in first V, V in corner ch-sp, SH in V, *[V in shell, SH in V] to next corner ch-sp, V in corner ch-sp, SH in V*; repeat from * to * 2 times, except omit last SH, instead (2 dc, ch 1, dc) in tch-sp, dc in third ch of tch, turn — 10 pattern repeats.

ROW 3: PATT ROW 2, fasten off, turn.

Add sts to shape front neck, increase corners as follows:

ROW 4: BASE CH/SC 6 (for front neck extension), V in first dc, SH in V, INC-V in next corner ch-sp, *SH in V, [V in shell, SH in V] to next corner ch-sp, INC-V in next corner ch-sp*; rep from * to * 2 times, SH in V, V in top of tch, ch 1, BASE CH/SC 6 (for front neck extension), turn.

Other help

Images of someone else’s yoke here.

Flatware box[1] covered with Loris of Florence “Ecological recycled paper” “Made in Italy” and weldbond glue. Crocheted strap and button. Button insert is modified beer bottle cap. Crochet is “Royale Fashion Crochet Thread Warm Rose” [Y4] and orange and yellow wool from a lot of crewel yarn bought on eBay. Hook: US1, 2.35 mm.

This project from yesterday evening and today.

[1] I’ve had the very sturdy silverware box for over a year. We refer to the flatware as “the heaviest flatware ever.” We’d gone through a number of purchases that had all demonstrated that no matter the price, the flatware was cheap. This purchase we inspected carefully, down to the beveling on the edge of the spoon and fork. Did we realize that it would be so heavy it would cause our drawer to start shedding sawdust? No. Oh, well.

It seemed a waste to just recycle such a strong box, so i reengineered the inset (to which the silverware was attached) to act as a lid, and then created the button and strap so one could open it.

Greycie Loo & Crocheted Collar

Originally uploaded by Elaine with Grey Cats.

One small project this weekend was cat collars. This six-stitch wide collar with single crochets in front loop (to make the ribbing) is her current collar. It is a bit wider than the usual cat collar, but she seems quite comfy with it.

From the hardware of the second salvaged collar, i made a more typical thin collar (two sc wide) for whichever cat needs a collar next.

I’ve eight sage green Lion Suede balls i picked up on clearance at $1 each (usually $6.99), and two Modea Dea balls that complement for trim. I’m following some patterns in Doris Chan’s Everyday Crochet and making my test swatch. First, i made her base chain/single crochet — which seems infinitely superior to doing a base chain and then doing single crochets in them.

Measured:

10 Base CH/SC = 3.5″ with I/9
10 Base CH/SC = 4″ with K/10

I then went with the K/10 hook (red) to make a 15 stitch wide swatch. As hoped, that’s 6″ wide. I used the shell-V pattern of the Cinnibar sweater (p 66) (I’ll probably make the shortie version “Soft Serve,” stopping at my waist and making the 3/4 length sleeves. Instead of a tie, i’ll make one of the in-line button sets.

My swatch is five V-shell rows high, and about 4″ high. MY ends aren’t perfect though, and those seem more like 3.5″ high.

This now joins a large number of half started projects…..

This was going to be a longer post, but i ended up posting it as a query to a Crochet Me forum.
(more…)

I came home last night and promptly began cutting up a dress that doesn’t fit me anymore. Equal parts shrinkage and weight gain, i suspect, compounded by the original bad cut of the dress. When i actually examined the dress, i determined it wasn’t quite as shapeless in its fashioning as i recalled: there were princess seam darts and a teensy weensy dart under the arm pit. I will add a real dart. The fact that that will leave more gappage in the front is fine. My plan is to crochet some gores in the front and sides to give more ease and some flair. I haven’t decided whether i will shorten the dress. If i really wanted to make the dress fit, i’d have to adjust for my rather wide but very sloping shoulders. However, this is a practice dress compounded by the fact i’ve no idea where i would wear it. The laundry in the complex?

I did cut away the modest neckline to make an exaggerated sweetheart neckline. I did a button hole stitch around my raw edges and have half completed a single crochet base chain around the entire neckline. I imagine creating a bit of a lace infill so the neckline is a little more modest while retaining the flirty curves. That lace infill will transition to a tighter crochet stitch and continue down the front of the dress as a gently widening panel, replacing the button front.

Once i open the side seams to make the bust-line darts, i’ll create similar panels down the side. I think this essentially adding gores to the skirt part of the dress. And i think i’ll move the buttons to the side. I’ve a dress with a side zipper and i love that fit. I probably even have a long zipper in my sewing stash, but reusing the buttons and crocheting the button holes appeals to me.

So, this project should take me a small eternity, and who knows, maybe by the time i finish one of my nephews (currently aged 3, 1, and 9 months) will have a sweetheart who will like to wear it. And then there’s the small problem that i don’t know how to do any of this. Whee!

Meanwhile, i’ve posted a call for pattern help for altering some other dresses.

crochet,altered dress,red calico altered dress

Crochet strap

Originally uploaded by Elaine with Grey Cats.

I have a long stalled project that required neckties — and so i have a remarkable stash of neckties available to me without risking the needs of the long stalled project.

I had an idea of crocheting a computer bag using neckties as a significant part of the structure and material. First, i’d need to make a test bag, and this strap is the beginning of the test bag.

It’s 28″ long, single crochet six stiches wide, then a long single crochet stitch edge, then little loops of five chains long slip stitched (roughly) every three stitches. The goal is to use this as the “base chain” for a much more bulky crochet of fabric strips from neck ties on the same carrier yarn. There are 72 loops on each side.

Most of the stitching has been done during landings and take offs, with a little bit while watching DVDs and during Meeting for Business. Yarn: Royale Classic Crochet Thread, size 10, Coats & Clark, Color 0486 (NAvy), 350 yds.

crochet