Crochet Techniques

I've been doing much experimenting with crochet this past week - and over the weekend I was looking around for inspiration for a craft fair - I wanted something a little different and eye catching. I'd been having a go for a while at trying to create spirals and ruffles but was never completely happy with them. So I decided to try google images and see what I could see. Sometimes I find it easier to search that way as you can actually see what you want. With the help of some fab pictures and the odd blog I finally cracked them both! As you can see from the pics the majority are still WIPS - mainly needing some ends sewn in and the bag of course needs to be lined.

I started off making some very simple spirals in 2 colours - just to see what would happen:

Decided that they looked like treble clefs if you joined 2 together so have started on a shabby chic musically inspired brooch

Some edging, crochet net and a suggestion from a friend and a simple spiral can easily become a retro snood...

Thought hmmmm what about bigger and invented a coin purse, complete with safety strap - am going to have a go at a few more colour combinations and also write up the pattern for this one.

Then a bag, very 70's retro but ideal for the minimalist!.....

And am itching to get commissions finished so I can do a scarf and a blankie..


As for the ruffles, I came across an entry for "hyperbolic" scrubbies... I knew what a scrubbie was but had no idea what hyperbolic meant... but it turned out to be "simples" - its basically when the circumference of a circle doubles or more in size with each row you add to it. The edges then start to "run away" from each other producing a lovely waved effect. The more rows you add the crinklier your work gets.

I also found that thicker yarns (DK) on thin hooks (2mm) upped the "crinkle factor" whereas 4ply yarns on the same size hook made for a smoother curve. Have started on brooches but also have some other ideas such as ruffly hats if I can sort out how to join the basics pieces together.... I do love playing with freestyle crochet so am sure there's a solution somewhere!

My 4ply ruffle is one of my favourites and has made it into my Folksy Shop as a very pretty brooch. I went out into the New Forest on a cheer me up mission with a lovely friend a few weeks back. She's a camera nut and helped me take some sunset pics

The one above is a favourite and very atmospheric. Whilst I was odds and ends hunting to have a go at ruffles, I came across a range of 4ply yarns in "sunset shades". With this pic in mind, plus many other beautiful Hampshire sunsets - across the Solent as well as the forest and even from my very urban back garden, I created this lovely little brooch. Its an ideal way to take these bright and hopeful colours wherever you roam:

Tequila Sunset Brooch - Bits and Bobs Crafts

Charting Progress with the Pink Ladies, Folksy Friday

I've been given a commission to produce a lace crochet wall display for a local shop. I love experimenting with lace so I grabbed the opportunity.... and then came the moment of fear!!! The patterns they wanted me to use were in the form of crochet charts - you can see an example HERE.The DMC America Site also has a gorgeous heart pattern - but you do need to remember that the abbreviations are written in "USA Crochet" I've seen charts in books alongside written instructions many times, had a bit of a brain melt down whilst looking at them and returned to the conventional written word.... but this time I had no choice....

So having waded through the booklet and found the pages where the chart symbols were explained in English I decided I needed to give it a go. But.... I didn't want to mess up the lovely anchor cottons I'd been given to work with, so I ripped out a baby hat I'd been given as a "spare wool" item by a friend and had a play with larger hooks and conventional yarns first. And discovered it was quite easy once you understood the code. As a result of my experimenting I created a few flowers and decided they'd look good as hair barres. So I unpicked the work again, added some clear reflective beads to the yarn and got going, the end results being ( please click on the photo's to visit my store):

 PINK LADIES FOLKSY FRIDAY

Anyway as I'd mastered charts I decided to have another attempt at mastering spirals. My first attempt wasn't 100% right but with some stuffing materials and a bit of floral inspiration, it did form the perfect centre for a flower brooch. Rewatching the Grease DVD whilst in a "pink mood" then provided the inspiration for my Pink Ladies Folksy Friday :

Bits and Bobs Crafts - Pink Floral Brooch

1. Squintissential     2.CraftyBitz                             3. Aunty Joan Crafts
4. Pants and Paper   5. Be Beautiful Again Trinkets    6. Jessica's Jotters

Fileting Crochet

I've been listing a few filet crochet items in my store recently as I've developed a bit of a love for it. So I thought I'd share the basics and feature some of my favourite places for inspiration.
As a cross stitcher filet crochet appealed to me as I can use my cross stitch design software to design the filet work. And essentially its similar to cross stitch but with a crochet hook.

Stage 1 is to plan out the design - what do i want to feature?

Is it a name?

If it is, how many letters? What size does the finished piece need to be?


A symbol?

A Covering?

 

Once that's decided, the next step is to work out how big it needs to be and to consider the thickness of crochet cotton to use. Crochet cotton comes in sizes 10 to 30 - the smaller the number the finer the the cotton and hence the hook. 1 - 1.75mm hooks are best for filet as they produce a denser fabric. But filet can be worked on larger scale items too, e.g. scarves and wraps to produce beautiful effects - so if you don't enjoy fine work, you can still grab a hook and get going.

I then plot the item on my cross stitch program but graph paper works just as well. Once that's done its time to get going...

The principle behind filet is to work an open net, but where you want the pattern to appear you fill in the gap. 

For a simple motif

you would make 15ch. Rows 1-3 - Miss 4 chain, 1tr into 2nd stitch from hook, *1ch, miss 1 ch, 1tr. Work from * to end.

Row 4, you would work as row 1 but where you have a coloured in square on your graph paper - for example 10 squares from the edge, you would then work 3 tr into that stitch. You then continue working a mixture of netting stitches and solid stitches until you have completed your design.

The antique pattern library has some amazing patterns that you can use to create beautiful pieces of work. It contains knit and crochet magazines from the late 19th / early 20th century. Filet crochet was really popular then so the majority of the books contain some patterns and examples.

Here are some beautiful lace inspired makes from the fabulous makers at Folksy:

1. Laura's Jewellery   2. Swings and Roundabouts   3. Gimme That Spin 
4. The Crafty Bride    5. Milly Mooshu                    6. Lynwood Crafts

Please click on the image to visit their shop

Joining the A-Listers

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What's in a Heart? = Folksy Friday

For today's Folksy Friday, I'm featuring hearts as my theme. So I got to wondering what the heart symbolises, is the meaning the same now as in the past. What about if hearts are different colours than the traditional red. So I spent an hour or so wandering the internet reviewing info on a wide range of sites - some very informative and interesting and others as clear as mud and gleaned the following info:

What do hearts mean?

We use the heart in many ways to act as a symbol for many words, even though in modern times it is often a symbol for the commercialism of St Valentine:

 

The simple heart says "I love you" or "I love this" or "Sending you lots of love". Its originis come from ancient times when the heart was thought to be the centre of the soul and controller of all emotions - that's why we "give our heart" to someone or "Put heart and soul" into something.

However change the colour of the heart and you change its meaning:

Black  -  hard heartedness or evil intent


Yellow hearts - lack courage


Purple hearts in America are a symbol for bravery - an award for valour in wartime


White hearts  - purity and innocence


Whilst many believe the green heart is a symbol for envy, in ancient cultures green is the colour of nature, of balance, unconditional love, forgiveness.

The heart with the arrow is taken to mean "love struck", you've been hit with one of "cupid's arrows". However the original symbol has Christian origins - the heart pierced was an ancient symbol for Christ - who gave his heart by chosing to die on the cross. There are many instances where new cultures adopt symbolism from others and perhaps this is one , maybe the heart pierced had a pagan meaning - or perhaps we've taken a Christian symbol and brought it into modern popular culture and changed its meaning? 

Finally this is the broken heart - a sign of sorrow, adandonment, the end of a relationship. Its a powerful symbol that says a lot without words about our state of mind.

What else do hearts say about us?

Doodling hearts is a sign of being in love or having a romantic nature

Dreaming of hearts can be sign of love or stress - it depends what your heart is doing in the dream - racing hearts mean stress. This is giving me images of hearts with trainers on going for a jog lol!

Adding flames to a red heart and gives a symbol for passion


So next time you're doodling a heart...... will you think about what it really means?


I crocheted this heart as a way of acknowledging the work and progress made by myself and a group of other ladies across Hampshire. We did a confidence building course and ended it off with a Gala Night, which we organised. Each lady had a goodie bag - and I crocheted and knitted keyrings. I'm now selling off the surplus ones in my Folksy Shop - to purchase a keying, please click on the photo:

What do you think the Fabulous Folksy Makers are saying with their hearts?

1. Polly Krafts                2.Clarkie Designs         3.Pants and Paper
4. Sow's Ear, Silk Purse    5.Murano Magic           6. Photography by Gail Griggs

A bit of sunshine!

For most kids the school holidays have finally started today but although there's none of the dreaded wet stuff down in Hampshire, there are no reported sightings of the rare yellow disc in the skies. It seems to be hiding under its big grey duvet again. Its really muggy and humid today and totally energy sapping. I feel I would be much happier laying on a beach somewhere being fanned and served cocktails by a George Clooney lookalike - can't afford the real thing lol!

But the skilled gang at Folksy have been working hard to create all sorts of lovely things that remind us of the sun (click on the photo to visit their shop):

Bits and Bobs Crafts - Sunflower Brooch

 

 

Bedecked Beads - Fimo Sunflower Necklace

Blooms Art - Spring Daisies Print

Today's lack of sun has at least meant I've been working hard - got lots of research sorted this morning that I've been putting off, taught a 1 to 1 lesson and have been off browsing in yarn shops - red yarn for a commission, which lead to a bargain ball of a soft green denim knit yarn. I then wandered into a couple of charity shops and after being fleeced by my daughter for a dress I now have to let out - they never listen do they! - I found a tunisian crochet hook and a technical knitting manual and all for £2.50 total so am quite pleased with myself there. Next step is to start covering some caravan cushions before getting the needles out and starting on the red bolero!

Folksy Friday - "The Wild"

Yesterday I was driving home from a fair and noticed that our local council had left over half of each verge at the roadside "wild" - but had cut a strip of grass along the roadside I assume to improve visibility. It was really beautiful seeing the wild flowers and grasses - very meadow like. Having grown up in the country and spent many an hour picking flowers - when it was still legal, seeing this natural abundance gives me alot of pleasure. And brings back lots of lovely memories of walks with Mum and Dad - many of which ended up with Dad being sent up hedges to pick the "perfect primrose" for Mum.... am sure it was some cunning plan of hers lol. But apart from gathering the flowers my brother and I really learned to appreciate the natural world - as well as picking flowers, we were taught about what they were, were always encouraged to leave some behind for the next person etc. And of course there was the rest of nature to enjoy - birds, the joy of being lifted up to peer into a nest! Hunting for small mammal tracks, pond dipping, hanging over bridges to find fish, wandering across Dartmoor - Dad knew all the local tracks really well so we rarely went to anywhere touristy unless there was a need for icecream... mmmm! Swimming in local rivers in the summer was another pleasure. I remember taking my daughter in a few times when she was small and I could still manage it. And I hope I've passed some of this down to my daughter by taking her out into the New Forest and around the local trails. i know my nephew spends alot of time out on the moors cycling with my brother too. Looking back although we never had all the electronics our kids have today, I sometimes think our childhoods were much richer for it.

Having crocheted and listed this lovely camomile brooch in my Folksy store:

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I'm featuring items inspired by "The Wild" for my Folksy Friday. Please click on the picture to visit the makers store

1. Violetta Handmade 2. Nofkants Curios 3. Blooms Art 4. The Whimsical Wren 5. Bedecked Beads 6. JewellFelt