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I have moved all my crochet related posts to my main blog shirleyearley under the category Crochet.

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Using a Tension Ring

I have started using my tension ring on my left hand, my first attempts were not successful and I pulled them out. But then I got more of the hang of it and made some sample squares (rectangles), and then moved on to start a sampler blanket.

The first few squares were still uneven, but I definitely improved by experimenting, with how to position the ring and feed the yarn through my fingers. For me it works best with the ring on my middle finger and the yarn feeding through under my ring finger.

I’ve tried comparing the later treble crochet samples with samples I made before, and they seem very similar, for instance with the tension ring:

• 4mm hook stitch height 1.00cm ~ stitch width 0.58cm

previously (holding yarn in my hook hand):

• 4mm hook stitch height 1.04cm ~ stitch width 0.57cm

The difference is within the accuracy of my measuring, so I have decided to move on to a “proper” project, making a blanket for my 4yo grandson who selected the brightest colours on the style craft colour chart.

Earlier posts about How I crochet and Changing Yarn Holding Hand

Changing Yarn Holding Hand

I have decided to change the hand I use for holding my yarn when I crochet, in How I crochet I explained that I hold the yarn in my right hand (the same hand as my hook) and wrap the yarn round the hook, in the same way as I wrap yarn when I knit.

Whenever I have tried holding the yarn in my left hand I haven’t succeeded, the yarn falls off my finger and loses its tension. Watching other people crochet I have worked out: they stretch the yarn over their first (pointer) finger, while I am used to using that finger to hold my work. And even if I start off intending to keep that finger in the air and holding the crochet with my other fingers and thumb, I forget and the yarn slips off the finger!

I have searched the Internet for a tutorial in how to change yarn holding hand but I can’t find any guidance. So I am writing up my approach in the hope someone else may find it useful.

On a crochet site I came across the term “Tension Ring” and I looked it up to see what it might be. My search led me to WonQiWorld on Etsy. it seemed that one of these tension rings may help me in changing my yarn holding hand.

I had a couple of crochet projects I was working on and I decided to finish these, and then set aside some time to experiment with the tension ring.

More about how this worked in future posts!

 

 

Crocheting together – an example of social learning

I have always enjoyed making things, and retirement means I have more time for doing things I enjoy, which is why I spend some of my time crocheting. But retirement doesn’t stop academic thinking, and so I have worked with Ellie Highwood on Crocheting together – an example of social learning. In which we present a brief history of crochet, its engagement with technology and show that Crochet Alongs are examples of mass social learning.

How I crochet

Long before the Internet, I taught myself to crochet: I hold my work in my left hand, while in my right hand I hold my hook and yarn, to create each stitch I take my hand off the hook and wrap the yarn over the hook.

When I was very young my mother taught me to knit, she didn’t crochet but had a crochet hook for picking up dropped stitches, so I borrowed this and tried crocheting. My first project was a blanket, made from chain stitches, joined occasionally, I used left over oddments of wool that my mum had lying around. I later discovered granny squares and sometimes made things with them,

Fast forward many years: and with grown up children and retirement approaching I had more time for myself and among other things I started doing more crochet and joined a local crochet group. At the group I discovered most people held their yarn in the opposite hand to their hook,

Looking round the Internet I have discovered it is a rarity to hold the yarn like this, for example Moogly asked how readers held their yarn, and say: “There were a couple who wrote in who hold their yarn and hook in the same hand! “

Asymmetric shawl/scarf

I have spent quite a long time looking for an asymmetric shawl/scarf that I could use some yarn I bought on holiday.
My aim was to have something that I could use as a scarf under a jacket, but that I could unfurl to a shawl if I needed a bit of extra warmth after taking my jacket off.
The yarn is King Cole Riot DK, but I couldn’t find a suitable pattern – so I decided to design my own, and here it is:

General Information

• I used a 6mm (~J/10) hook and Double knitting (8ply), but the pattern is flexible and you can use any yarn and any hook size – it will work best if the hook size is bigger than normally suggested for the yarn.
• All stitches are made in the front loop only.
• The turning chain does not count as a stitch.
• Turn work at the end of each row

Pattern (UK crochet terms)

Row 1: Chain 7, 1 tr in the 4th chain from the hook, 1 tr in each of remaining 3 chains.

Row 2: Chain 7, 1 tr in the 4th chain from the hook, 1 tr in each of remaining  stitches EXCEPT the last one (i.e. the stitch before the turning chain)

Row 3: Chain 3, 1 tr in each stitch (EXCEPT the turning chain)

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until the scarf/shawl if big enough, or you run out of yarn.

Pattern (US crochet terms)

Row 1: Chain 7, 1 dc in the 4th chain from the hook, 1 dc in each of remaining 3 chains.

Row 2: Chain 7, 1 dc in the 4th chain from the hook, 1 dc in each of remaining  stitches EXCEPT the last one (i.e. the stitch before the turning chain)

Row 3: Chain 3, 1 dc in each stitch (EXCEPT the turning chain)

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until the scarf/shawl if big enough, or you run out of yarn.

Note: The finished shawl is about 235cms (92″) on the longest side, with 155cms (61″) and 100cms (39″) on the other sides

It weighs ~225g (8ozs), there was some yarn wastage getting the colour pattern to match.

 

Sophie’s Universe

In August it will be my daughter and son-in-law’s seventh wedding anniversary. I read somewhere that that the seventh wedding anniversary is: Wool – I translated that to yarn, and decided to make them a big blanket.

I had previously bought Dedri Uys‘ book: Sophie’s Universe and my daughter liked the look of the blanket.

The book is written using Scheepjes yarn (Stonewashed XL in 50g balls ~75m), but I decided to use Stylecraft Aran (in 100g balls ~196m) instead.

I hunted round the Internet for colour suggestions and yarn quanities, nona made crochet had a post with suggested colours and amounts for Stylecraft Aran. She suggested Cream for the background but I thought Parchment worked better. She also suggested using Lemon where I preferred Pistachio, but otherwise I thought her colours spot on.

I wasn’t too sure about the suggested amounts of yarns, so I tried to calculate it myself, based on yarn lengths:

I had underestimated the Parchment – and ended up using 11 *100g. All the other colours I have some left but no whole balls, and on the other hand there was plenty left so I wasn’t worried I would run out. If I make it again I will buy 12 * 100g for the background and the amounts on the list for other colours. The blanket itself weighed 2.4 kg, so I guess I have some 600g left in a mix of colours. The size is about 1.7×1.7 metres (5’6″x5’6″) which is about the same as the book suggests.

Lesson learnt: if I had calculated the amount of yarn needed based on weight I would have been closer to the amount I actually used.

For a review of the pattern book see my other blog.

Broken Yarn

I am currently using King Cole Riot DK in a very bright colour combination called Neon.

The colour combination is fantastic, there are long runs of each colour, changing gradually into the next colour, going from the darkest indigo through to a light green and then gradually back to the darkest. I reckon a full colour change must take about half of the 100g ball.

I know it is not unusual to find a small knot in a ball of yarn where the yarn had broken during the production process and someone has tied it together with a neat knot. Normally I find this a bit annoying but it is easy to work around. With Riot it is much more challenging; the first break tied indigo to bright green, I had to discard 15g of yarn before I could match it. On the plus side when I came to join the 2nd ball of yarn I had only to discard a couple of grams before I had a match.

But now I have found a knot in the second ball, it looks as almost a full length of orange is missing. I do want to keep the colours consistent so it looked as though I was going to have to discard almost half the ball to get a match. Neither of the sections of yarn I had previously discarded included orange, which would have helped. Fortunately I have more of this yarn, and one of the balls starts with orange, so I am planning to take that and graft it in to the current yarn so my colours remain consistent, there will be a few more ends to sew in …

So the lesson from this is to allow a lot of extra yarn if you are using yarn with a long colour change.

Knitted Tank Tops

Previously I made the Sirdar Tank Top  for both my elder grandsons, but they have both grown. So I have made new ones for both of them, and the new grandson. When I originally made then I used the recommended yarn (Sirdar Snuggly DK), this time I used Stylecraft Special DK. Each one is a different size: The Matador red one is 4-5 years, the larger Denim blue is 2-3 years, and smaller is 1-2 years. I’ve weighed each finished top and they weigh: 126g, 129g and 95g, respectively. Now I would have expected the red one to be heavier as there are  a couple more stitches per row, and it is slightly longer. So I am now wondering if the Denim dye is heavier than the Matador? In which case I will need to revisit my earlier samples I crocheted.

Catherine Wheel baby blanket

I made this blanket for my neighbour’s new granddaughter. I love the pattern which needs a bit of concentration when starting, but once I get going it just flows.

I used 4 different colours, and the final blanket was 66cm X 53 cms and weighed 220g.

I had made a similar blanket last year for my grandson: