Matilda and Wovember

This weekend, I went to see Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge Theatre in London with my family. It was my choice - I had heard that it had received lots of plaudits and when asked which musical we should see as a family (my family + my uncle, aunt and cousins) then I suggested Matilda. So I approached with some trepidation - I would feel responsible if it was dull, boring or 'unsuitable'.

Thankfully, it was none of those things. I loved the book by Roald Dahl as a child and identified strongly with the clever little girl who enjoyed reading books (mercifully, I didn't identify with the unappreciated, unwanted daughter aspect of the character). The musical really captured the spirit of the books - riotous fun and just a little subversive. Having entered the theatre not knowing any of the songs, I've been happily humming 'When I Grow Up' and 'Miracle' since we left. The set design is really imaginative - full of books, rising desks, swings and things to climb up, and had plenty to look at during the interval. If you can get to London, then go to see it! It really is good - as a group of adults, we thought that any children aged 8+ would love it. There are some loud bits, sudden flashing lights, cruel parents and a scary headteacher so younger children might not cope.


It's also Wovember, so my Google Reader has been filled with lots of pictures of sheep and woolen objects over the past week. Wovember was established last year to celebrate real wool and real sheep. Personally, I knit a lot with wool but wear little of it in bought garments (the jumper I'm wearing today is 60% cotton and 40% polyester). However, wool is so much more evocative and connected to the lives of real people and animals than polyester. As a knitter and crocheter, I'm a little more keyed in than the average person to the idea that different breeds of sheep make different types of wool for different purposes, but I can't tell you the last time that I actually touched a live sheep (I was probably 8 and at a Rare Breeds Farm) or really got up close to one. What I've really enjoyed from the Wovember posts is the opportunity to get closer (via the internet) to sheep and where my wool comes from.

Esmée in UK Terminology

I've converted the Esmée pattern into UK terminology (dc instead of sc, and tr instead of dc). It should be available to download alongside the US terminology pattern when you buy it on Ravelry. There weren't any drastic changes to the pattern aside from changing letters, but hopefully it will be easier for people who are fluent in UK terminology to understand! Please let me know if any parts are unclear, or if I accidentally left in a rogue 'sc' or changed some letters that shouldn't have been changed (eg dchematic rather than schematic!).






I'm not really working on any projects at the moment. I am awaiting some Quince and Co yarn from Loop, which I intend to make into some swatches to try and submit to various publications. However, most of my time is taken up with making notes for my Master's dissertation, which I am starting at the beginning of October.

Esmée Relaunched

I've been a busy bee the last couple of weeks, rewriting Esmée and then formatting the pattern, drawing charts and a schematic, and getting photos. But it is finally done and released!




The blurb from Ravelry:

The Esmée Cardigan is a shaped lace crochet cardigan.

The first version of this cardigan was published in Inside Crochet magazine in the January 2011 issue, which is available as a paper copy, a digital copy on yudu.com, or as a pdf from KAL media. This version is in UK terminology.

As there were considerable errata problems with the original published pattern, it has been completely rewritten in US terminology, with charts, a detailed schematic and measurements, and fit alterations. This version also includes instructions for a 54in size (as well as 30-50in as in the original pattern). This pattern is available to buy as a pdf download from Ravelry, and comprises 11 pages.

A sample was made in Jamieson and Smith 2 Ply Jumper weight in blue. Although aesthetically it is very similar to the original pattern, there have been several changes in the construction of the cardigan, to try and ensure a better fit - in particular, sleeve shaping and placement of neckline shaping.

Some other details that were too long/didn't really fit the Ravelry blurb:

If you're wavering between buying the Inside Crochet version or this new Ravelry download version, then I'd urge you to buy this new pattern. Not just because I get the money from it, but because I've put a lot of work into making this a really good pattern, with lots of features that weren't/couldn't be featured in the Inside Crochet version for various reasons (space, style, I hadn't thought of them at the time). There are also various errata in the Inside Crochet pattern which, though I think I've now written out corrections for all of them on the Ravelry pattern page, do change the flow of the pattern. These errata are also all numerical - in that they represent places where the numbers of the pattern were off. If you think of a pattern as a giant formula for making a cardigan, these were places where the formula was broken - where the numbers given would not work with the cardigan as made. With the corrections, you have the right formula and then create the cardigan

But what I've endeavoured to do with the rewritten pattern is fix areas where the cardigan didn't fit properly. This isn't a numerical errata problem- the numbers were all right, but there are places where the back was a bit wide or the cardigan fell off the shoulders. These are things that I only discovered once people started making the cardigan, and I made my own version. When I was setting out to publish the pattern, I thought that it would be a waste just to republish a pattern that evidently didn't work on all sizes - problems that are minuscule on the Size 34in sample size are much larger on the bigger sizes - such as falling off shoulders etc.

So I went back to the very beginning. I made gauge swatches, I made lots of schematics based upon the Craft Yarn Council's Women's Size Charts and I wrote out all of the body instructions as based upon the numbers that I'd come up with for the schematics. Then I held my breath and crocheted a 42in sample - one that would fit me. And it fitted, all the problems that I'd had before - the back being too big, the shoulders falling off, seem to be solved. I then worked on a new sleeve cap and sleeve shaping design, and added those on. These seem to work too.

I then drew lots and lots of charts to try and explain the potentially confusing parts. As a visual crocheter, I rely a lot on charts and was somewhat disappointed that Inside Crochet didn't include the charts that I'd sent with the pattern (although they were a bit rubbish). All the charts in the Ravelry pattern are hand drawn - I decided to do this rather than doing them on the computer as it was easier both to do and to correct mistakes. As I go along, I always draw charts for the tricky bits (neckline shaping!) and so I'm very fluent in hand drawing charts. I found some good felt tips to draw them out and I think what I've drawn is very clear - in an ideal world, of course I'd like perfect, computer drawn charts. But I couldn't find a way to computer draw them without them looking very pixelly, and being difficult to resize.

Anyway, this version of the pattern should be a big improvement. The sample is truly a joy to wear - it's possibly the first crocheted cardigan that I've made for myself where I don't sit and mentally edit what I would change with it while I am wearing it.

My Dad took the photos for me in the Isle of Wight. As you can see from the photos, it was very, very windy! In most of the photos, my hair looks awful, though my Mum was on hand with a brush every time it got too out of hand! It was a really beautiful location - near St Catherine's Oratory. There are lots more photos of the cardigan in a set I've made on Flickr.

I think that's all I want to say about the cardigan now! I'm planning a workbook/textbook/primer (?!) on crochet lace cardigans-  how to fit crochet lace into schematics, working out how to decrease crochet lace, that sort of thing. I've also got quite a few stitch patterns that I want to work with to explain all this. But it's very intimidating (the idea of trying to teach and explain something rather than just write a pattern), and I'm not sure if I have time to do it. However, it is the sort of information that I would like to be out there and available, and well, someone's got to do it!

Swatches

I've finished my exams and am proceeding through the curious Cambridge experience known as May Week. May Week is a deceptive title, as it actually lasts about ten days and is in June. It's basically the week between everyone's exams finishing and having to go home, and is full of lavish May Balls, garden parties, lying in the sun (or rain, as it has been this week) and spending time with friends. We went to see Trinity May Ball's fireworks last night - which were sublime with fireworks, coloured fountains and balls of flame set to music, but also quite obscene in the amount of money they must have spent on it. Tonight we're planning to go and see St John's College's May Ball's (their 500 year anniversary May Ball, no less) fireworks. These fireworks are as close as we can get to the May Balls (tickets are expensive and nigh on impossible to get hold of) so we're hoping that they're going to be good.

Aside from firework watching, on the few spare moments, I've been trying to update and alter my Esmée pattern. Crocheting from the pattern for myself meant that I've identified many areas where I think it needs altering, and thus have decided to start from scratch. I've drawn schematics for each size, and am working from them to try and get the right sizing. But in some ways, this is a bit of a headache - I'm changing the neckline decreases, and this seems to require different instructions for each size and ack! I'm still plagued by doubt that I will get it wrong again, but, I know that lots of people responded positively to the look of the pattern, so I'd love to get the pattern itself right for when I can self-publish it.




While I was revising however, I had put Esmée to the back of my mind, and my crocheting was focussed on the follow-on project for when I finish the Esmée pattern. I don't want to say too much about it now, but it has involved crocheting a lot of swatches.



I'm quite excited about it - but I know that the hard work of getting the written Esmée pattern right has to be done before it. As blogging about 'ack! neckline decreases' is a little boring, I thought that I would just post up some pictures of swatches to amuse the eye. And as the weather finally appears fine, and I and my friends now have lots of free time, I intend to get photographs of Esmée 2 and my Ashfield Cardigan in a lovely location.



And to keep working on those neckline decreases.

Flowers and finishing

On Tuesday, my friend gave me some yellow roses for having completed half my exams. I, similarly, had given her flowers a week before for her own halfway point. The flowers I gave (nearly two weeks ago now), are Sweet Williams. They were 2 for 1, so I took half (the bunches were huge) and have survived and thus are now mixed with the roses in two makeshift vases in my room. I'm not sure if I would have bought yellow roses and pink and red Sweet Williams together, but they do look lovely.





In less than a week, I will have finished my exams and thus all the work for my degree. The prospect is both terrifying and exciting.

In the spirit of finishing things, today I finished my 'Zany' tunic.



It's based upon a design by Robyn Chachula that was in Inside Crochet number 2. I started it in August 2009,  intending to make it as a tunic. I did most of the legwork then, but got distracted and bored and never finished it. My longest UFO - but as the yarn is Rowan Pure Wool DK - soft and luscious against the skin, I knew that it would be a waste never to make anything of it. Unfortunately, all the cut ends required to make the motifs meant that I couldn't unravel it. In April, as I was sorting out my project box to come back to uni, I pulled out the half finished tunic and looked at it, pulled it, and realised that if I unwound some of the motifs and rearranged them, then I could make a rectangular throw. I'm not really an afghan/blanket making person - but as this project was basically already done, I guessed that it wouldn't take me too long to rearrange the sleeve motifs into a rectangle. Except that I got distracted by Esmée 2 and the Ashfield Cardigan, and didn't actually get round to doing this until today.



It only took about two hours - one for reattaching the motifs, and another for sewing in all the ends that you can see in the first picture. It is now blocking on my bedroom floor - on the space between my bed and the chest of drawers. But I thought that I would post about it now, while I have the inclination and enthusiasm. Anyway, it's a project that I started after the summer of my first year of university, and have finished in the third and final year. Hooray for finishing!

Endellion Shawl

This is a project on a Tuesday. Not a tool.




It was a struggle to photograph the entirety of the shawl, but hopefully you can build up a patchwork picture from the photos that I post. I took lots of photographs of the edging, because I think that it is quite beautiful, less of the garter stitch centre.

The Endellion shawl is a hybrid project - a garter stitch centre, based on the centre to the Multnomah Shawl by Kate Flagg, and then a crocheted flowery edging based upon the edging to the Midsummer Night's Shawl by Lisa Naskrent. It used one skein of Posh Yarn's Pamela in a colourway which I think was called 'Writing My Memoirs', but I'm not quite sure. Suffice to say it is dark blue, with 5% Stellina sparkle incorporated into the yarn. Initially, I was somewhat wary of a 'sparkly' yarn (they seem ubiquitous in UK indie dyers at the moment), but the sparkle isn't very obvious - it just gives it something a little magical when it catches the light, rather than looking like it has an obvious plastic strand in the yarn.



The intention with doing a hybrid knit-crochet project was to get the most out of both crafts - I wanted it to be densely stitched in the centre - hence the garter stitch, but lacy at the edge. I also wanted to take advantage of the low yardage and easier drape that you can achieve with dense stitches in knitting, so that there was more yarn left for the lacy crocheted flowers at the edge. I also wanted something slightly mindless at the beginning.

If you want to recreate the Endellion Shawl, then this is a rough guide: you'll need to knit the Multnomah centre until you have about 220 sts, then switch to looking at the Midsummer Night's pattern. I did three rows (because I hadn't got enough sts, but just do as many rows as you need to get the right number) of dc, adding increases at the centre like on the pattern (the chart is super helpful). Then I did Rows 5-7 of the edging twice, if you look atht the picture above, then you'll be able to see how I added extra increases at the centre.



This was a fun project- slightly mindless with all the garter stitch, but a great piece of problem solving to work out how to make the edging work. It also reminded me how awful I am at guessing how much yarn is left in a ball - I only did the edging once as I thought that I was about to run out, so I bound off. Then I realised that I had a sizable ball left so I decided to keep crocheting until I ran out - which was almost exactly after I'd done a whole repeat of Rows 5-7. Perfect!

Kiwi Crochet Pattern

I agreed to crochet a kiwi (bird) for the college magazine, as kiwi is the magazine's mascot. I had to write out the pattern, so I thought that I would post it here as well. The head+body of my kiwi measures approximately 7in, but gauge is not particularly important.

Notions:

30g of brown yarn (I used Wendy Mode DK)

5g of golden yarn (I used Jarol Heritage DK)

4mm crochet hook

2 black beads for eyes, and a little bit of sewing thread to sew them on

Tapestry needle

Stuffing (polyester fuzz)

Skills required:
Single crochet, single crochet 2 together, crochet in the round, magic ring, slip stitch, sewing

Uses US crochet terms – ch=chain, sl=slip stitch, sc=single crochet, sc2tog= single crochet two stitches together, st=stitch. One stitch is placed in each stitch around unless indicated (such as by 2sc in nxt st).

Body:

Ch6, magic ring.

Increase Round 1: 2sc in each st 6 times round (12 sts total)

Rd 2: *1sc, 2sc in nxt st*, repeat *to* 5 times (18 sts)

Rd 3: *2sc, 2sc in nxt st*, repeat *to* 5 times (24 sts)

Rd 4: *3sc, 2sc in nxt st*, repeat *to* 5 times (30 sts)

Rd 5: *4sc, 2sc in nxt st*, repeat *to* 5 times (36 sts)

Sc around until body is 3 inches long.

Decrease Rd 1: *4sc, sc2tog*, repeat *to* 5 times (30 sts)

Rd 2: *3sc, sc2tog*, repeat *to* 5 times (24 sts)

Rd 3: 6sc *sc2tog, 2sc*, repeat *to* 3 times (18 sts)

Rd 4: sc2tog, 4sc, *sc2tog, 1sc* repeat *to* twice, sc2tog (12 sts)

Bind off

Head:

Ch4, magic ring

Inc Rd 1: 2sc in each st 4 times round (8 sts)

Rd 2: *1sc, 2sc in nxt st*, repeat *to* 3 times (12 sts)

Rd 3: *2sc, 2sc in nxt st*, repeat *to* 3 times (16 sts)

Rd 4: *3sc, 2sc in nxt st*, repeat *to* 3 times (20 sts)

Sc around even for 4 rounds

Decreases: repeat *3sc, sc2tog* until 12 sts remain

Bind off. Stuff head and body. Sew head to body.

Leg:

Ch3, join in 1^st ch

Sc round for 2.5 in. Bind off.

Claw: Repeat as above, but sc round for 1in. Attach to leg 1in up with sl sts. Bind off.

Repeat for second leg. Sew to body.

Beak:

Ch5, sc around for 3 in. Then 2sc in every other st until have 13 sts. Bind off. Sew to head.

Sew on eyes. Marvel at creation.

Crochet fashion and crochet patterns

Apparently, crochet is cool. At least, in the fickle world of fashion, it is getting a little more exposure than usual. Aside from my suspicion that a lot of clothes advertised as 'crochet' are not actually crocheted, and the concern about how if they are actually crocheted, how low the pay of the crocheters must be to produce a garment that sells for less than £30 as I am aware of the rudimentary mantra that 'crochet cannot be made by machine'. I am not going to go on such a rant, although be sure I will mention it to my friends if I notice them making crocheted clothes (after examining them to work out the stitch pattern), instead I am going to look at which patterns are available that conform to current shop-bought patterns, but have the satisfaction of being able to say 'I made it!'.

I haven't made any of these patterns myself, so cannot guarantee their quality during the creation process, I am only commenting on similarities with current fashions. All pattern links go to Ravelry.

Tanks are apparently big. See Topshop. Lots of openwork, as can be seen on Ananaskuvioinen toppi or Sawayaka Cotton Motif Vest or Doris Chan's Lapa or the Uzuri Summer Top.

The lightweight swing of Asos' Free People Crochet Cami and Topshop's Knitted Crochet Vest can be seen reflected in the Lacy Swing Top from Crochet Today!.

Many tops are incorporating a crochet edging, and so Berroco's Nell top, or Laura Nelkin's Summer Duet, or the Upcycled Tee from Crochet Today!, or the Floral Motif Yoke Top from Crochet Adorned seem appropriate.

Asos has various crocheted waistcoats. The American term is apparently 'vest' rather than 'waistcoat' and Ravelry is abounds with them, as well as the possibility of leaving off the sleeves of a cardigan pattern. The following are my favourite: Crocheted Openwork Vest, Robyn Chachula's Gladiolus Vest, and three patterns by DROPS.

Just a few buyable objects I've spotted that are reminiscent of a certain pattern (though that does not mean that there are other patterns that will not suffice as well!). This necklace featured in ELLE reminds me of this garter from Interweave Crochet. This headband from Topshop reminds me of the JuJu hairbands from Inside Crochet. This skirt by Oscar de la Renta reminds me of the amazing work done by Antonina.

I suppose I'll end this post with Interweave Crochet. The preview for the summer issue came out today, and there are several patterns within it that made me gasp. They may just be channelling my current love of lace and greeny-blue colours, but I love the Peaseblossom tunic, delicate Moth Wings shrug, the Mirth sweater and Puck tunic.

I'm also looking forward to going home next week, as the latest issue of Inside Crochet should have arrived. I think the Time for Tea set is adorable, and am interested about the stitch pattern of the Marabella capelet and Picnic wrap.

With all that crochet talk, I suppose it may be a surprise that I have been knitting this week. Truth be told, I just finished Mila - a version of Lila for my Mother, which took about 5 weeks of crocheting through revision and exams. I suddenly have free time to learn something and get to grips with a new skill so I am attempting lace knitting. But knitting makes me impatient, I long for the quick results of crochet, and so a long scarf pattern is becoming a small button-up cowl.

I will post about Mila soon, once I've given it to my Mum, and the days brighten up a little so decent photos can be taken! I'm intending to wear my small Seraphina shawl to a formal event tomorrow, so hopefully will get better photos of it than I did at Christmas!

Heidi Shawl

A flexible shawl, suitable for snuggling up on a cold winter's day, or covering the arms in the summer.
The example in the pictures was made under time-pressure, so acts as a small capelet or scarf, with the button anchoring the shawl in place. However, the pattern is expandable so that a larger shawl can be made, it could also act as a bolero if you sew up the underarms.

The shawl is made up of a dense stitch pattern at the top of the shawl, changing into a wider mesh pattern about halfway down.

The shawl can be worn with the button fastened at the top, making it a capelet, or more casually, with the button fastening into the fabric of the shawl.

Or with the fabric twisted and fastened by the button.

Heidi Shawl Pattern

Notions:

About 1 skein to 2 skeins of madelinetosh tosh DK in Jade (11wpi, 206 metres per skein). Pictured example used 1 skein.

5mm hook

Button

Needle to weave in ends and attach button



Pattern (uses US terms):

Special stitches:

Dc2tog: yarn over, insert in stitch, yarn over, pull over first loop, yarn over, pull through 2 loops on hook, yarn over, insert in next stitch, yarn over, pull over first loop, yarn over, pull through 2 loops on hook, yarn over, pull through all 3 loops on stitch.

The 3 ch at beginning of each round are counted as 1 stitch, as is each subsequent chain in pattern (so 3ch ch1 dc dc ch1 dc would be counted as 6 stitches). Chains in the first half of the pattern are counted as increases and should be stitched into in the next row (look at the loops from the previous row, not the stitches).

There are charts below the pattern for anyone who gets lost!

Dense pattern:

Row 1: magic loop, work 12 sc onto loop, and pull closed. Put finger in centre of loop so that it does not shut completely.

Row 2: 2 dc into first 6 stitches, turn leaving rest of stitches unworked (12 stitches)

Row 3: 3 ch, *ch1, dc into next 2 stitches*, repeat *to* 4 times, ch1, dc into last stitch, turn (18 stitches)

Row 4: 3 ch, *ch1, dc2tog, 2dc in chain space*, repeat *to* 4 times, ch 1, dc into last stitch, turn (23 stitches)

Row 5: 3 ch *ch1, dc into next 4 stitches*, repeat *to* 4 times, ch 1, dc into last stitch, turn (28 stitches)

Row 6: 3 ch, *ch1, dc, dc2tog, dc, 2dc in chain space* repeat *to* 4 times, ch 1, dc into last stitch, turn (33 stitches)

Row 7: 3ch, *ch1, dc in next 6 stitches*, repeat *to* 4 times, ch 1, dc into last stitch, turn (38 stitches)

Row 8: 3 ch, *ch1, dc in next 2 stitches, dc2tog, dc in next 2 stitches, 2dc in chain space* repeat *to* 4 times, ch 1, dc into last stitch, turn (43 stitches)

Row 9: 3 ch, *ch1, dc in next 8 stitches*, repeat *to* 4 times, ch 1, dc into last stitch, turn (48 stitches)

Row 10: 3ch, *ch1, dc in next 3 stitches, dc2tog, dc in next 3 stitches, 2dc in chain space*, *to* 4 times, ch 1, dc into last stitch, turn (53 stitches)

Continue this pattern of increases as long as desired, so that:

Even row: 3ch *ch1, dc in next (even number) stitches*, repeat *to* 4 times, ch1, dc into last stitch, turn (number8 stitches)

Odd row: 3 ch *ch1, dc in next (number of dcs in last odd row +1) stitches, dc2tog, dc in next (number of dcs in last odd row +1), 2dc in chain space*, repeat *to* 4 times, ch1, dc into last stitch, turn (number3 stitches)

Mesh pattern:

Row 1 (should come after an even row): 4ch,*dc, ch over next stitch* repeat *to* until reach ch space, 2dc in chain space, ch1, repeat this pattern until reach end. Do not do 2ch in final chain space but ch1 and then 1dc in last stitch, turn

Row 2: 4ch, *dc in top of previous row's dc, ch over previous row's chain* repeat *to* until reach previous row's 2dc increase – dc in first dc, ch1 and place marker over this stitch, dc in second dc, ch1, continue *to*, repeat until reach end, ch1, dc in last stitch, turn

Row 3: 4ch, *dc in top of previous row's dc, ch over previous row's chain* repeat *to* until reach marker placed in previous row – remove and 2dc in ch space, ch1, continue *to* and increases until reach end, ch1, dc in last stitch, turn.

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until desired length. There should be 4 places where increases are occurring.

Weave in ends. Sew button at the bottom of the dense pattern, or wherever is convenient for neck width.
Charts:

This chart shows the *to* units of the dense pattern. The arrows show the direction of working.



This chart shows the changeover from the dense pattern to the mesh pattern.

Adirondack Socks

If you can't tell by that picture, I am seriously in love with these socks. Or at least, I seriously enjoyed making these socks. It's a combination of lovely wool, interesting pattern and a sunny day.

I will start with the wool. It was much anticipated and initially somewhat disappointing, but crocheting with it was heaven. Much anticipated because I ordered it from USA (along with special Madelinetosh for Mum's Mother's Day present), and ordered it to college not home. It did not take three weeks to arrive, it took longer - I went home for the holidays, expecting to pick it up when I returned in the middle of April. Then college forwarded the customs charges for the package. Ah. Forgot about that. Mild panic as I thought that I would be unable to get to the post office in college town to pay. Then realised I could pay online. Thought nothing of it. Then the package arrived at home - I love college for forwarding it.

I thought I had ordered Schoppel Wolle Zauberball 1564 not Crazy Zauberball. So my immediate thought on opening the package was slight disappointment. This was not pure rainbows. This was 2 ply of rainbows, mixed together to make some lovely colours (see green, red, orange on left foot below) and other combinations that I am not so fond of (see the black mixes on the right foot below). I'm not sure what happened, but the online order was for Crazy Zauberball, so it seems like I was the one to make the mistake. Hmph.

However, crocheting with the yarn removed my misgivings. Oh so lovely and soft (my last project was with mercerised cotton, this wool-nylon was a blessed relief). And watching colours change is fascinating, especially at the end of left sock where it all became like a rainbow rather than a mix. So warm as well, to wear. Home is freezy at the moment and I've been wearing them all day and its kept my toes rather toasty.

Onto the pattern. Adirondack Socks by Patsy Harbor. I keep spelling Adirondack wrong. In my head, they are Rainbow socks because I can actually spell that. A quick explanation of what I think a good pattern consists of: easy to follow, good results, teaches something new. This pattern did all of that. In bucket loads. Very easy to follow, I ripped back once, and that was only because I had made right sock a little short to ensure that I had enough yarn for left sock. When I found that I had plenty left over from the second sock, then I ripped back the end of first sock and made it a little longer. So that ripping back was not the pattern's fault, but due to my own conservativeness. Teaches something new - this pattern actually taught me three new stitches - extended single crochet, back-post double crochet (that was really a duh! moment, seeing as I couldn't work out how front and back were different until watching a youtube video), and foundation double crochet - which I hadn't got round to learning through my own laziness. I made the middle size as I was using a 3mm hook (that was the only 3-- mm size that I could find in my special crochet hook tin), and had no problems.

Sunny day is somewhat self-explanatory. It's been raining for the past week, which meant that there wasn't enough light to adequately photograph my first ever pair of socks (not quite as pretty as these). I certainly took advantage of the sun, lying on the patio with my legs in the air to get these photos, and then pretending to take pictures of flowers when my neighbour came out her back door.

Apologies for not posting since December. I was making the mega-cardigan Lila, which I have yet to photograph, then a series of gifts for other people that were gone before photos could be taken.

Skaði Fingerless Gloves

Skaði is the Norse goddess and giantess associated with skiing, mountains and winter. These fingerless gloves are a snug choice for winter, using moss stitch to create a dense yet stretchy fabric.

Notions:

1 skein of Palette Vintage Worsted yarn (9 wpi) in Enamel

5mm (H) hook

Needle to weave in ends

Pattern:

Uses US crochet terms

Cuffs:

Ch 25

Row 1: Single crochet around back-loops only. Slip stitch to first stitch, turn.

Row 2-9: Repeat as above. This should form back-loop only ribbing.

Hand portion:

Row 10: Moss stitch around (switch to crocheting in the round). Moss stitch = *1 single crochet into both loops, chain over next stitch* repeat *to*

Row 11 onwards: * **Sc into chain space, ch over sc**, every 5 **to** inc by 1 (sc ch sc ch in 1 ch space)* repeat *to* 10 times

After: *Moss stitch around inc by 1 every 10 sts* repeat *to* 3 times

After: *Moss stitch around (no increases)* until the moss stitch fabric above the cuff measure around 2 inches.

Thumb hole: ch1, slip stitch into 7 moss sts before (14 loops – sc ch). Moss stitch around until measures 1 inch. Slip stitch and bind off.

Rest of hand: reattach at bottom edge of thumb hole. Moss stitch around until measures 2 inches from thumb divide.

Edging: *slip stitch in first loop, double crochet in next loop* repeat *to* until reach beginning. Slip stitch, bind off.

Weave in all ends.

Rapunzel again and the joy of having a finished object

Rapunzel has lain dormant in my cupboard since it was finished during the summer. It is now November. The problem was the sleeves. I tried to pull them up so that I would have something on my shoulders, which meant they were too tight, and fell down anyway. I thought the only way to fix it would be to rip the seams and make the shoulder part larger. Well, a few days ago, inspired by another Rapunzel FO, I decided it was time to pull my own Rapunzel out the cupboard and wear it to a lecture. Instead of trying to pull it into the shape Rapunzel is meant to be, with a U shape neck, I decided to wear it as a boat neck, with the sleeves falling off the shoulder. Perhaps it was months hanging up in the cupboard, but the sleeves fitted! Hooray! I realised that I didn't have to rip the seams at all, I could just add extra panels to make it fit the U neck that I wanted. So that's what I did, sewed up the seams on the arms which were quite loose, and then blocked it (wet blocked because I don't have a clue about blocking, so just dunked it in the sink and then pinned it to a towel). The sleeves were looser, it isn't a weird shape at the the top and it is so snug and cosy for winter, hurrah!

It's not quite Rapunzel as it is meant to be, but it works. And I've been working on two huge projects (Zany by Robyn Chachula and the unnamed cardigan of strange yokes) so has missed the satisfaction that comes with something actually being finished *happy sigh*

Now which hook was I using...

Had a very exciting arrival of a lot of Mirasol Cotanani (as well as more Sirdar Peru for the dyeing experiments), which I am making into a yoked cardigan. The problem? I started the yoke, ran out of yarn, put it down with hook. Hook became unattached. I have now picked it up a week later and am trying to work out which hook I was using! I'm making it up as I go along, so don't have a handy pattern to check from. At the moment, I think I was using a 4.5mm - I remember thinking that the hook was smaller than last time I made a yoked cardigan...but I'm not sure. I've been working on various projects with a 5mm hook this week, so the 4.5 feels weird in my hands. I've worked and reworked the same row with different sized hooks, but I honestly cannot see a difference between the 4.5mm and 5mm...so am going with my instinct!

Now some yarn:

This one is mainly black cherry kool-aid, with the end of ghoul-aid mixed in. There is some variation between the pinks, but it's a little too late to take pictures so the nuances don't quite show up.

Londesborough Hat Pattern

*This is my first pattern, any problems, mistakes or difficulties you find with the pattern, please do not hesitate to ask or inform me*

This hat is inspired by the 8-9^th century Irish Londesborough brooch. The hat comes up fairly large, so see the end of the pattern for some suggestions to make it smaller. The spirals are not an integral part of the hat, and do not have to be incorporated if not wanted.

NOTIONS:

1.5 skeins of Rowan Tapestry (approx. 180m/195yds) – this is a DK/8ply yarn, comes in 50g skeins

4.5mm and 3mm hook

Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Pins (at least 5)

GAUGE:

Hdc: 4x4 in – 9 rowsx15sts

PATTERN:

With 4.5mm hook

Ch 3

Rnd 1: sc 7 in ring

2: *2sc in first sc, 1sc in next sc* repeat around (14 sts)

3: *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 2 sc* repeat around (21 sts)

4: *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 3 sc* repeat around (28 sts)

5: *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 4 sc* repeat around (35 sts)

6: *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 5 sc* repeat around (42 sts)

7: *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 6 sc* repeat around (49 sts)

8: *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 7 sc* repeat around (56 sts)

9: *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 8 sc* repeat around (63 sts)

10: *2sc in first sc, 1 sc in next 9 sc* repeat around (70 sts)

11: Use stitch markers to divide circle into three sections. Put stitch marker at beginning, at 23 sts and 46 sts (dividing into 23, 23, 22).

Section 1: From stitch marker, 5 sc in ea stitch, turn

Row 2-18: Ch1, 5 sc, turn

Bind off

Repeat for section 2 and 3, but do not bind off after section 3

Hat should look something like this:

Ch 25 from section 3 to 2, 5 sc in bottom of section 2, ch 25 from 2 to 1, 5 sc, ch 25 from 1 to 3, sc 25. Bind off.

Like so:

In panel A:

Row 1: 25 hdc in ea ch across, sl in edge, turn

2-5: 25 hdc in back 2 loops of ea hdc across, sl in edge, turn

6: extra sl in edge, 25 dc in ea hdc across, sl in edge, turn

7: hdc2tog, 23 hdc, sl in edge, turn (24 sts)

8: hdc2tog, 22 hdc, sl in edge, turn (23 sts)

9-17: 23 hdc in ea hdc across, sl in edge, turn

18: turn to wrong side, sl together edge of centre circle and panel A, bind off

Repeat for panels B & C

Spiral:

Take 3mm hook, attach to panel A, 3 hdc down from top, 7 hdc in from left hand side, ch 50, attach other end to 3 hdc up from dc line, 7 hdc in from right hand side.

Pin into spiral shape

Diagram:

Picture:

Sc 50 along spiral and into back fabric, bind off

Repeat for panel B & C

Suggestions for making a smaller size:

Add a band at the bottom of the hat, *hdc2tog, hdc in next 4 sts* around, sc when reaching each 5sc section.

OR

Rnd 1 (at start): sc 6 in ring, so that you end up with 60sts in rnd 10. Divide into 3 sections, 20sts between each. Have 23 ch (or fewer) around bottom of hat.

OR:

Finish top circle at rnd 9, divide into sections of 21 sts. Have 24 ch (or fewer) at bottom of hat.

OR:

Use a smaller hook such as 4mm for main body of hat.

A Belated Rapunzel

I have put off writing this for quite a while. This is also a project that needs explaining as it doesn't quite look like it is supposed to. The pattern - Rapunzel by Aoibhe Ni Shuilleabhain has more of a u-neck, and I haven't yet decided whether or not I am going to add the buttons and ribbon next.

The pictures were taken the day after I finished stitching it all up, so the fit isn't quite there yet. It has stretched a little since then, the 'boaterish' neck has become more u-shaped and the sleeves no longer dig into my arms.

I made it in Sublime Kid Mohair, Smoke Blue, using a 6 and 3mm hook and made the medium size (possibly a mistake, I measured myself, and decided I was halfway between medium and large and plumped for the smaller option as I wanted a tighter fit).

I did back loops only, which was a mistake and possibly led to it coming up rather short (belly button length rather than the more comfortable hip length, and so had to add an extra 20ch round to the bottom to compensate and make it longer, luckily this doesn't seem to be too obvious. It did however stretch the neck into being too long (if I remember correctly) so I filled in with a row of dc (UK tc) in 6mm then the small 3mm pattern. I did it evenly all the way around, which led to the unfortunate loss in neck shape. As mentioned earlier, this has evened out a little with stretching. Probably my own fault for not following the stitch pattern properly. I'm still trying to decide whether to rip the collar part (an utter pain with mohair blend), or fill it in a bit more. I have however worn 'Rapunzel' a few times since the pictures were taken (on Lindisfarne, happy day) and it has been nicely warm enough for cool summer nights.

Did I mention Lindisfarne is radiantly beautiful? That arch is from the ruined medieval priory.



Lindisfarne Castle in the background. We walked there, but it was shut when we reached it :(

In other news, being the crocheter in the family, I have inherited a large number of needles from my grandmother. So many needles...

For a very small haul of crochet hooks! Most of them are plastic, which I am unsure about. But there are two 4.5mm, which is the size that was missing from my collection, as well as a tiny hook which I suspect might be a 2.75/2.5mm (it's smaller than the 3mm hook I own).

All these knitting needles have inspired me to try to knit. I've had several unsuccessful attempts over the years, but thanks to knitting tips by Judy and my Mum showing me you have to turn the fabric over when you purl so that you get stockinette, I think I have cracked it! Hooray! This may turn into less of a crochet blog, as I am already favouriting various knit garments on ravelry, although I'm not so keen on the slowness of the process.




I am currently making a hooded cowl in Noro Silk Garden on circular needles (much fun) - I am very much in love with the colorway of Silk Garden - each rib has ended up a different colour, which is a wonderful effect. Indeed, I wish that Noro made skeins in the blue, pink and purple colours separately, as they are so rich, glorious colours (did I mention before that I tend to fall in love with colours rather than patterns or texture? Seriously, if it wasn't for this Silk Garden then knitting may have been abandoned once again).

Yesterday we were clearing out the garden, ready for builders, and I managed to save three small bagfuls of petals from begonias and geraniums we were throwing away. Am trying to decide what to do with these delightful pinks and reds. At the moment, I think I will press them, and then decide what to do with them. Possibly use them on cards, possibly made some paper and incorporate them, possibly some kind of pot pourri...

Made this gorgeous Swedish chocolate cake (Kladdkaka) a few days ago. Very easy to make, if sticky and difficult to remove from the tin!