time for something new - crochet stuff

Well, I finally gave in recently and joined Ravelry. A fibre artist's hotspot, that's for sure. Addiction too, possibly.

While i was perusing their patterns for neck warmers and  cowls, i decided that none of them were 'perfect', so I made up my own.

the following is my own pattern. if you make this for gifting or sale, please include a tag with the original pattern web address. thank you.

under a fall coat

Buttoned Up Neckwarmer

 This pattern makes a close-fitted wool collar. It can be easily adjusted to fit. Original pattern makes a neckwarmer for a slender neck. I made this with a random skein of light wool yarn (kamb garn by Gefjun, apparently a defunct icelandic company that closed in the eighties, if i remember correctly) it was 100gr, and i used less than half of it, so i expect a 50 gram ball to be sufficient for most folks.

Materials needed:
1 ball 3ply or lace weight yarn, wool or natural fibres blend (mine was 17wpi, but 3 ply)
2.5 mm hook
wool needle
3-5 buttons of your choice

the neckwarmer, all buttoned up

stitches used and abbreviations:
chain (ch)
single crochet (sc)
half-double crochet (hdc)
double crochet (dc)
Treble-crochet (tc)

a note on gauge: initial 2 rows of pattern will be approx. 4 1/2 inches across. depth is somewhat unimportant, due to stretchiness of pattern.

the Pattern:

please note: work in back loops of the stitch for all repetitions of rows one and two! (this creates the ribbing effect)

chain 31.

row 1) ch 2*, hdc in next 20 stitches, dc in next 8 stitches, tc in next 3 stitches. turn.
* this will make 33 chain altogether. First hdc should be in the 3rd ch from the hook.

row 2) ch 4, tc in next 2 stitches, dc in next 8 stitches, hdc in next 21 stitches. turn.

Repeat these two rows until your pattern is 61 rows total, or to fit. (61 rows will fit a slender neck)

Next row) ch 4, tc across. turn. (this creates the 'button hole' row, allowing for flexible buttoning.)
next row) ch 1, then in both loops, sc across. turn.
next row) repeat sc row as above. finish off.

button flap:
This is worked in sc and in both loops to create a firm surface for the buttons to attach to.

on the initial chain, attach your yarn at the top (narrow end)
first row: ch 1, sc in next 23 stitches. turn
next row: repeat until flap measures about 1", or 7 rows total. fasten off.

finishing:
with yarn and needle, stitch the bottom 7 stitches of the neck warmer together. tack the button flap down on the inside of the neck warmer.
place then attach buttons.
weave in all ends.

open for putting on/removal. bottom is stitched together.

laying flat

if you have any concerns or questions with the pattern, feel free to contact me.

the long cold days, crochet, and clutter-busting

So. i look out my window this morning just as the sun is coming up (no, i'm not up at this time by choice). I see... not much. Looking again, i see.. fog? Oh, lovely.
I check the weather network online and see....yup. Fog. Ice fog, to be specific. and -15C to boot. whee...

and this is warm, and 'mild' for this time of year.

for those of you who might not live in such northern climes, this is a picture of part of my back yard, taken yesterday. see those two short pillars on the right side? those are the top of a 3-foot tall childrens 'castle' slide toy. yeah. lots of snow.
(the thing in the middle is a tripod for our living history group, used for cooking)
those drifts in the background against the brush are 5-6 feet tall.
that blown in path is just that.... a path towards our wood pile.

yay winter.

to keep myself from going insane, i've been spending lots of time with my hook and yarn

 

trying out a tapestry crochet un-pattern. .this is the beginning of a bowl/container of some sort. as you can see, i'm using two colors of worsted weight cotton, and a super-bulky acrylic hidden inside to provide bulk and stiffness.

this is the beginning of a tea towel pattern i'm trying. i like the way the fans look in the pattern.

and this

is a super-warm fast and easy pair of slippers.

the pattern is heavily adapted from a toddler slipper pattern. The original pattern is here.  It makes a great kids slipper, but when i made a pair adapted for myself, i found it too 'ridgy' using double crochet. Here is the pattern i ended up making that is more comfortable, and nice and stretchy to boot!

simple slippers

materials: acrylic worsted weight yarn (i used red heart  super saver)

              4mm crochet hook

note on gauge: i didn't test gauge for this pattern, but i tend to crochet close to most pattern gauge, so if you tend to crochet loosely or tightly, you may have to adjust your hook.

sizing: this pattern is designed to fit an average size 9 mens, or size 11 women's foot. (that'd be me)

i included one possible adjustment if you have very large/wide feet. this pattern was tested on four adults, ranging from size 8-10 mens, and fit all of them without adapting.

stitches used: 

ch - chain

hdc - half double crochet

ss - slip stitch

hdc2tog - hdc two together

st - stitch

method:

working in rounds:

round 1: ch3. ss into first stitch to form a loop. ch2, then hdc 9 into the loop, joining with ss to 2nd ch of ch-2.

round 2: ch2. turn. hdc in same stitch. 2hdc in next stitch, 1hdc in next, *(2hdc in next hdc) twice, 1hdc in next hdc. repeat from * once, then 2hdc in last hdc, ss to join.

round 3: ch2, turn. 1hdc in each of next 3 st. (2hdc in next hdc) twice. 1hdc in each of next 6 hdc. (2hdc in next hdc) twice. 1hdc in next 3hdc, join.

round4: ch2, turn.  1hdc in next 4hdc. (2hdc in next hdc) twice. 1hdc in next 8hdc, (2hdc in next hdc) twice. 1hdc in next 4hdc. join.

round 5: ch2, turn. 1hdc in next 5hdc. (2hdc in next hdc) twice. 1hdc in next 10hdc, (2hdc in next hdc) twice. 1hdc in next 5 hdc. join.

round 6: ch2, turn. 1hdc in next 6hdc. (2hdc in next hdc) twice. 1hdc in next 12 hdc. (2hdc in next hdc) twice. 1hdc in next 5hdc. join

(( bonus round for big feet: ch2, turn. 1hdc in next 7hdc. (2hdc in next hdc) twice. 1hdc in next 14 hdc. (2hdc in next hdc) twice. 1hdc in next 6hdc. join ))

round 7-18:  ch2, turn. 1hdc in each hdc around. join.

the joining point will be the top center of the slipper. 

from this point, work in ROWS, not rounds.

row 19-28: ch2, turn. 1hdc in each hdc across.

row 29: ch2, turn. hdc in next 13hdc. hdc2tog in next hdc. hdc in next hdc. hdc2tog in next st. hdc in next 14 hdc.

row 30:  ch2, turn. hdc in next 12hdc. hdc2tog. hdc in next hdc. hdc2tog. hdc in next 13 hdc. fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing.

finishing:  fold the last row in half, creating the heel. stitch along this to close up the heel. weave in ends.

decorating:  if you are so inclined, feel free to decorate with flowers, ankle pom-poms, or any other frou-frou bits you desire. i left mine plain as i like to be able to slip on my clogs while still wearing them.

this pattern was written down as i made it, but hasn't been tested by a separate set of eyes. if you find errors, or have problems, please let me know!

and in the on-going war against clutter and grime: clutter and grime are still winning. they have more warriors. However, i am waging battle with clutter by thinning the herd on my over-flowing bookshelves, and trying to re-organize them at least a touch. so far about 50 books have hit the bag. i actually have almost ALL my books on shelves now! crazy. Now to get those bags to a thrift shop..... that might be the tough bit.

for all my fellow winter-persevering folk, i raise a mug of hot chocolate to you, and hope you all keep warm.

And remember to bundle up, it's cold outside.

Works in progress

well, i actually got some things done over the past few days!
i completed my scarf project (YAY!)

 

this is a poor picture, i'll admit, but the scarf looks great peeking out of a winter coat  (i know, it's a gift, but i had to try it on!)

2-tone ruffled scarf

materials: 2 balls sport weight yarn, red
1 ball sport weight yarn, ivory
4mm hook, or as desired

row 1: ch203. Dc in 3rd chain from hook. Dc across. turn.
rows 2-6 : ch3, (Dc in next st, 2dc in next st) across. turn
row 7: finish off red, join in white, work as per rows 2-6. finish off. weave in ends.
enjoy!

note: i reserve no rights for this pattern, as ruffled scarf patterns are widely available. i simply provide the pattern in case you like this one in particular, and want to make one the same/similar.

also, i made a gift for a little boy. i hope he likes it.

 

isn't it cute?

 

and look, he fits inside!

the baby hedgehog is a slight adaptation of a pattern from the book Amigurumi World, and the Mushroom pattern is found here. (i used the larger adaptation of the instructions)

my next project is going to be for ME! i know... greedy, ain't i? i plan on making a lovely summery top to wear once it warms up!

i'm also slowly working towards getting ready to make a rug. i've been searching my house for scrap fabric, sheets and the like to make into yarn. not ready to actually start MAKING the rug yet, it's going to be a while until i have sufficient material stockpiled.

oh, and i was thrift shopping earlier in the week... picked up some nice finds, including a hemp blend shirt (gotta love hemp!) and a Woman's Day book on crochet patterns, published in the 80's. man, some of them are FUGLY! however, i think i might actually try a few of the salvageable ones, just to see how they turn out. time will tell.

Happy Imbolc everyone!