Category: Craft

1×1 color work

On By CarynIn Craft

I’ve been collecting patterns from Wool & Pine that use 1×1 color work. I put my toe in the water using scrap acrylic yarn: a variegated green/tan/black as the main color and then sun and sky colors (blue, white, gray, yellow, orange) for the secondary colors.

Photo description: cowl knit with 1×1 rib bands and 1×1 color work between.

I love the look of the broken horizontal stripes, it isn’t hard, but it isn’t fast. I don’t like the large number of yarn ends and dealing with them at the end of the project. Full disclosure, on this project I didn’t neaten them, just tied knots and left the fringe inside. I

t does make a thicker fabric, which isn’t ideal here in Texas. I do want to use the technique for a larger project, but ideas are still brewing.

Throwback Thursday: crochet cardigan

On By CarynIn Craft

In March of 2017 I was crocheting a yellow lace circle vest for my sister. The pattern included classic crocheted lace elements.

Photo description: yellow crocheted circle vest made with #10 cotton with slits between the center and edging for arms, shown after blocking
Photo description: lace circle vest on a red mannequin showing the fold down collar

My sister was visiting, so we did a fitting and she requested sleeves. By June of 2017 I had finished the sleeves by doing a simple net for the arms, and a matching edge pattern for the bell sleeves at the elbows.

Photo description: same vest, but now with bell sleeves
Photo description: side view of the mannequin with the bell sleeve spread out a little to show the pattern

Although it was pretty, the delicate lace was, well, delicate. It didn’t hold up well to use.

Crochet flower experiment

On By CarynIn Craft

I’m experimenting with crocheted flowers for my wreath. To make a mum-like flower I used four colors of acrylic yarn and made four layers of petals, each with the same type of “petal” but with different diameter centers and thus different numbers of petals.

Photo description: first three layers for the crocheted mum in shades of yellow and orange showing the difference in center size and petal count
Photo description: center layer in white acrylic yarn with no center and just three petals
Photo description: the assembled crocheted mum with four layers of color from white to yellow to
orange

To make the layers, half double crochet into a magic circle eight times, slip stitch to join.

Photo description: eight half double crochets into a magic circle, with the circle pulled tight and slip stitched into the first half double crochet

To make the petals, chain 9.

Photo description: yellow petal layer with the start of a petal with nine chain stitches

Skip the first chain and single crochet eight along the rest of the chain.

Photo description: single crochets along the chain to give the petal width

Slip stitch into the next double crochet on the round. Then make the next petal.

Photo description: four petals completed on the yellow round

For the other layers, add a round of half double crochet increases to the center before adding the petals.

I thought I counted

On By CarynIn Craft, Uncategorized

I finished nålbinding handles onto my loop-and-twist linen string bag.

Photo description: loop-and-twist bag made from twined flax and finished with nålbound handles

I thought I followed the pull strings that I installed originally, which split the top loops evenly. Hm. No. Not sure what happened, but the second handle had many more loops than the first.

Photo description: side view of the same bag showing the uneven split

The handles didn’t really work out like what was in my head either. The two handles work better as one handle, with access to contents from the sides. I actually think this would be lovely to hold my onions and garlic in the pantry. So while it didn’t fit my original vision, it still will have a use.

Note to my future self: a loose row of nålbinding as a top band, then two arced handles on the sides might work, like a tote bag.

Plying bracelet

On By CarynIn Craft

When spinning with my literal stick and my newly purchased Romney wool, I wanted to know how it would look plied, because this is the lowest twist I’ve ever put in making a yarn. This was a good opportunity to experiment with plying bracelets. A plying bracelet is made by wrapping the yarn around your hand (or other object) in a certain pattern so that when it is slipped onto the wrist, it is easy to ply from both ends without tangles. It is pretty magical, really, and worth exploring. There are several different ways to wrap a plying bracelet, here is the one I used.

Photo description: two plied yarn wrapped around my hand to form a plying bracelet
Photo description: plying from both ends of a plying bracelet to make a two ply yarn

The photos are a little out of order, I forgot to take a picture of the plying bracelet to make the two ply yarn, but then took that yarn and made another plying bracelet to make a four-ply cabled yarn.

This is an interesting technique and a nice little rabbit hole to explore.