Two More Shawls

I finished two shawls in the last five days.  One is a simple V stitch which worked up very quickly. 

The other is partly granny square and partly granny stripe.  I discovered that granny stripe spreads out more than the squares do, so rows are wider than the squares.  I evened it out a little by adding a row of single crochet to the edge of the squares.

I hope to get pictures of the knitters in a couple of weeks and the crocheters after that, so we can post their projects as well.

Happy crafting,

Kathi





Another Crochet Project

I'm still working on shawls for hospice.  (Several more to come - I'm sure.)

This is the most recent work.  It's a soft ripple pattern done on an N hook made with a single strand of yarn.  That makes the work a bit lacier.

Happy crafting,

Kathi Linz

New Books

Looking for new ideas?  Here are a few new yarn art books that have come in recently:

Teeny-Tiny MochiMochi: More than 40 Itty-Bitty Minis to Knit, Wear, and Give by Anna Hracjovec
Crochet Master Class: Lessons and Projects from Today's Top Crocheters by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss  (Beautiful, but not easy)
Crochet Compendium: The Ultimate Collection of Crochet Techniques by Connie Ellison
Go Crochet: Afghan Design Workbook by Ellen Gormley  (Some very cool motifs and combinations)

And a couple for the KNOTTERS in the group:

Macrame Today: Contemporary Knotting Projects by Darlyn Susan Yee
The Weekend Crafter: Macrame: 19 Great Weekend Projects by Jim Gentry

Happy crafting,

Kathi

Honorable Mention

I started an afghan a number of years ago and tucked it away half done.  It is about to become my niece's Christmas present. Shhh, don't tell her.

As it is neither crocheted nor knitted, I'm adding this picture as an honorable mention.  The kind of mesh that is used for laundry bags, when cut in a good-sized piece and laid flat, can be woven in different patterns to make a light weight afghan.  It's very simple, requiring only a long yarn needle and strands of yarn. 

This is the simplest pattern.  The difficulty of the weave design progresses upwards from here, but none of it is terribly hard.

As usual, I have to fix the fringe before mailing it away, but you can see the general drift of the project.

If anyone is interested in finding some of the mesh, I'll be happy to point you in the right direction.  I'd love to see this craft experience a revival like spool/loom knitting and card weaving have.

Happy crafting,

Kathi

P.S. If this craft is calling your name, I have recently begun a new blog just for mesh weaving. Please see http://meshweaver7.blogspot.com/.  Thanks.

And One for the Knitters

I'm finishing up projects that were almost - but not quite - done.  6 inches left on one, one and a half squares left on another.  It's a mystery why I didn't just finish them to begin with, but you know how seasons change and the knitting needles suddenly turn into a garden.

Anyway, here is a pinwheel pattern that I made into a shawl.  If Iwere to make a few more squares, I could have a comfy afghan.  It is done with diagonal garter stitch. Very simple and very versatile.

Happy crafting,

Kathi

Ripples

  Thanks to Lion Brand Yarn for use of their photos.
This is called the Shaded Ripple Afghan.

I've been casting about looking for another easy but nice-looking project.  What about ripples?  They can be used for anything flat - scarves, lap robes, shawls, afghans - and several things that aren't flat.

I ran across a tutorial for an "easy wave" ripple.  It has peaks and valleys but isn't as pointy as a standard ripple.  If you check this out, please remember that it is written with English instructions.  Please use double crochet where the pattern says treble.
http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/neat-ripple-pattern.html

Red Heart yarn has a berry zigzag ripple at this address: http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/berry-zigzag-throw

www.crochetpatterncentral.com has at least 12 ripple patterns. 

www.ravelry.com has 37 pages under crochet ripple and 58 pages for knit ripple.

Lion Brand Yarn Berry Bright Ripple Throw


 Domestic Bliss Afghan by Lion Brand Yarn

And one for the knitters



Sumptuous Ripple Afghan by Lion Brand Yarn (It's chenille! Cozy!)

Happy crafting,

Kathi

Woven Crochet

This shawl worked up very quickly in nothing but dc and ch stitches.  (I fixed the fringe after I took the picture.)

Make the chain as long as you want it.  The turning chain will always be three or four chains, depending on how relaxed you want the end space to be.  After that, the pattern is a simple mesh of dc, ch.  You will end up dc in each dc below and ch above each ch below so that the result is a bunch of open squares lined up like skyscraper windows.

When the piece is as long as you want it, cut yarn strands about a foot longer than the piece.  You will weave 2 strands up each column of spaces.   You might want to punch up the fringe by adding more at each end.  You might want to either tie the woven ends to secure them or include them in the extra fringe clusters.

You can do it all one color, the background one color and the strands another, or any pattern of plaid that you like.  For plaid ideas, go to Google or other search engine images and put in "plaid" or "Tartan plaid". 

This is a good masculine pattern in case you need an idea for the holidays for that difficult-to-shop-for man on your list.

Happy crafting,

Kathi

Waffle Stitch Scarf

This is a waffle stitch scarf.  It is done completely in double crochet with three chains at the end of each row for turning.

The pattern goes like this:

Chain a multiple of 3, add 3 ch for turning

Row 1: Dc in 3rd chain from hook and each ch across.  You should have a multiple of three plus the turning ch you started with.  Ch 3 and turn. The turning ch always acts as the first stitch in the row.

Row 2: Front post dc twice. Dc in next st. Repeat to the end.  Dc in top of turning ch in previous row. Ch 3, turn.

Row 3: Dc in next two stitches. Front post in next stitch. Repeat to end. Front post around turning ch of previous row.

(You will be doing regular dc in each front post stitch of the row below and front post stitch in each regular dc of the row below.)

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until the piece is as long as you want it to be.

Plan on using more yarn than you would for a flat, untextured piece of the same size.

Happy crafting.