Saturday, October 18, 2008

Autumn colours and chain-free crochet

I started this post yesterday, and then forgot to send it, so this is a retype!

Autumn is definitely upon us now - fantastic clear sunrises, and beautiful foliage. I keep seeing beautiful trees, that seem to be trying to best each other with their colours. Alas, I am usually driving when I spot these things, so no pictures (so far!).

The Autumn Flare skirt is on the 6th flare, so about 50% done if you don't count the waistband. Ironically, I picked a different shade other than that given in the pattern, so I think I should possibly re-christen it the Spring Flare - there's shades of peacock blues and greens, pale greens, raspberry and orange in there.




Took my linker to the knitting group on Wednesday, and S sewed up all of the cardigan she had brought with her - a grey cardigan with attached scarf. Recently saw something very similar in the Birmingham Post's colour supplement, only this was in cream and with a hefty price tag - and it could be worn 12 ways. It was DKNY or somesuch (when a price tag is 3 figures I tend to gloss over details, ya know?!). I love multi-purpose garments! I have an MK pattern somewhere for a cardigan knitted in two halves, and you make the halves in different colours, and then you can mix and match. Not sure how I feel about buttons down the back, mind you - although, it would force you to sit up straight, huh?!

I think S was quite taken with the linker, she even carried it back to the car for me. It's not for sale, sorry - I think it may have gone on her christmas list though!




Demoing mk'ed socks today all day, I hope my machines behave. Made some "sock bunting" last night from mk socks and some crochet chain, I plan to drape it over the machine or me, whatever works. I hit on a great cheat to make DK thickness chain that would also go through 4ply knitting - when I got to the point I wanted to attach a sock, I used a small hook, and pulled half of the ends through, then carried on with the full thickness (I was using about 6 strands of industrial yarn).




Started a baby crochet cardigan for charity, in a shell pattern. I am making it up as I go along (I don't have many crochet patterns). I started it with foundation double crochet (sc for the non-UK), ie the first row is the foundation and the stitch at the same time. The first row in ordinary crochet is usually a great big long chain that is (a) hard to count and (b) tighter than the rest of the work - so I always get a piece that is arc-ed, visibly tighter at the start. The traditional way around it is to use a larger hook, but guess who always forgets? Chain-free crochet comes in at least two flavours: Foundation single crochet and double base chain - thanks to lauria of the Crochet Liberation Front on Ravelry for these two links. I've been doing fsc, but only through the front loop. Yeah, I know, can't follow simple instructions without I have to modify them, haha!

I love the fact that, despite having learnt to crochet 28 years ago (sheesh!), I am still learning new things - and fsc/dbc eliminates the misery of the starting chain, too! I feel a Cov Knit Wits workshop coming on! Nurse, the screens! :)

Further reading: Chain-free crochet


Current mood: happy

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