How to Create a Bolder Crochet Bobble

These bobbles, were my favorite element in the "Shades of Grey" freeform necklace I posted about recently. I love them so much, I decided they needed their own post!

This is a technique inspired by the fascinating craft of Romanian Point Lace. It is a nice way to make a bolder bobble, and it is especially effective when done in more than one color. I think they look a little like mini pumpkins or something you might find in an undersea garden.

Make the bobble as follows:

Round 1: Chain 3, then make 8 double crochet stitches into the beginning chain. Slip stitch in beginning double crochet to end round.

Round 2: Slip Stitch in every other stitch around to close up the dome. Fasten off. (This is the bottom of the bobble).

Thread a yarn needle with desired color. Insert needle in the bottom of a bobble, then wrap around a double crochet stitch from bottom to top, making sure the double crochet is completely covered.

Wrap around next double crochet from the top to the bottom, making the same number of wraps as you did around the previous double crochet. Continue in this manner, alternating working from bottom to top and top to bottom of a double crochet, until all double crochet stitches in the bobble are covered. Neatly weave in all ends.

Announcing the Winner of the Chinois Scarf Patttern

Thank you to everyone who visited my blog, and entered to win a copy of the Chinois Scarf pattern. I had my daughter draw the winning name, and that name was: knittinggirl. Congratulations! Since I have your Ravelry ID, I will gift you the pattern there. Thank you also, for the lovely feedback you all have left in the comments about the scarf. I hope everyone has a crochet filled weekend!

A New Pattern Release: The Chinois Scarf

I would like to introduce you to my latest scarf pattern, the Chinois Scarf. This design was inspired by my love of using chunky yarn in a delicate way. I love the juxtaposition of the strong chain links with the lacy motifs. I think it creates balance in a unique way. I named it the Chinois Scarf, because it reminds me of beautiful Chinese silk fabrics like the one pictured below.

I learned a very important design lesson with this scarf. Always wear your creations in an everyday setting to test them out, and see where any improvements can be made.  I wore this scarf to pick up my daughter from school one windy day, and I found out that the motifs needed to be reversible, so the scarf can move with you and look great at all times! So I devised a way to make the motifs look virtually the same on both sides. It is a great project for that beautiful variegated yarn you have been saving or wanting to buy!  A stitch diagram for the motif is included in the pattern, along with the written instructions to make the pattern as clear as possible.

Skill level: Intermediate

MATERIALS

Yarn: 
Schachenmayr nomotta “Boston”, in Gelb #00021 & Billardgrun # 00070 (1 skein each)

King Cole “Riot Chunky”, in Seashore #653 (1 skein)

Hook sizes: L/12 (8.00mm), and H/8 (5.00mm), or size to obtain gauge

Notions: Yarn needle, rust-proof pins, blocking board

If you would like to purchase the pattern, it is available as a pdf download for $3.95.

In honor of the release of this pattern, I would like to give a copy away.  To enter to win, please leave a comment on this post, and the winner will be chosen randomly. Entries will be accepted for one week, and I will announce the winner next Friday (March 16th)!

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"Shades of Grey", A Freeform Crochet Necklace

I made this necklace as a thank you for a friend, and fellow freeform crocheter. I asked her what colors she would like the necklace, and she surprised me by saying black, grey, and silver. I was surprised, because her favorite colors are in the teal and purple family! I wear black practically every day, but I had never done a freeform project that wasn't full of color.  It was a new challenge, and I wanted it to be like nothing I had ever made before!

About the time I was beginning this project, I was at the hardware store with my husband. We always say that we wish the yarn store and the hardware store were next door to each other. Unfortunately, they are about a 25 minute drive apart. I really wanted to go to the yarn shop, but since we were in the neighborhood of the hardware shop, it won. I decided to make the best of things, and see if there was anything I could use for the necklace. It was fortunate that I was using black and silver, as there are many items in those colors in the hardware store.  I bought some black plastic screen, and some washers. At least I think they were washers. Anyway, they were round metal things with a hole in the middle! They ended up looking great with silver embroidery thread, buttonhole stitched around them. I also made some interesting looking leaves with the plastic screen, but didn't end up using them in the necklace.

I went through my stash to find all the yarn possibilities for the black, grey, and silver color palette. Then, I set to work making several small scrumbles. I never plan my freeform, I just crochet shapes, and let the hook take me where it wants to. After that, I pin them on my necklace form, until I am happy with the arrangement. I might end up making double the amount of pieces that I actually need, but I like to have lots to play with. The leftovers never go to waste, as they will be used in other projects down the road. I used two types of nylon cord to add different textures. I liked the sheen they had, in contrast to the wool yarns. This necklace turned out to be an experimental piece, that my friend liked enough to include in a special freeform exhibition she organized at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, in California.

Since this experiment, I have gone on to find freeform crochet supplies in unusual places such as: the beach, antique stores, sporting goods stores, and the park. Crochet inspiration can strike anywhere!

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Contemplating Yarn Storage Ideas

Although I have had a studio space for a while, I still store my yarn in Ikea cardboard boxes that I keep up above my wardrobe cupboard. Not ideal as I can't see what is inside, and I keep pulling the wrong boxes down! I was reading one of my daughter's favorite stories to her the other night, and the characters, Topsy and Tim, had to help out in a haberdashery shop. I love the way the yarn is displayed in pull out drawers under the counter. You can see it but it is out of the way, and you would have a wonderful workspace on top! I have been researching, and trying to decide how I want my yarn to be displayed. I dream of having my yarn accessible and displayed in an attractive manner.

If I had a bit smaller stash, I might be able to go for some fun quirky ideas for storage like these sheep shelves.

I love this gum machine ideas as seen on One Late Night's Blog. I would love to find a cool antique piece to display some of my most beautiful skeins.

Being more realistic, I am hoping to get my handy woodworking husband to make me some shelves that resemble yarn store displays. I am very inspired by these handmade shelves below, as seen on Easy Makes Me Happy's blog.

I also love the idea of this cabinet, made by Couch's Little Workshop, where I could put all the best looking skeins in the shelves, and store the odds and ends in the drawers below. It would be neat if the doors could slide into the cupboard like some TV cupboards do, so if I want to keep the shelves open, the doors won't be in the way.  

I am still assessing my space to see what will be the best option. When I decide what that is, I will be sure to do a blog post about my yarn display!

A Needle Book...Something I Never Knew I Really Wanted!

I was taking a break from work the other day, which means I was allowing myself the pleasure of a few minutes on Pinterest, and came across a photo of some gorgeous felt needle books. I had never in my life thought of possessing one, let alone making one.  But suddenly, I was so inspired that I felt compelled to make one!  First, I decided to make one as a gift for my friend's daughter's first sewing basket.  Then, while I was cutting the pieces, my daughter told me that she desperately wanted one to put in her sewing basket, "when she gets one someday".  So I cut out a second one with a butterfly theme for her.  Since I was already making 2, I thought I might as well make one for myself as well!  It was easier to make 3 at a time, then to make them separately some day down the road.  It was a little needle book factory around here!

They were so fun and amazingly simple to put together.  Thanks to this wonderful tutorial I found!  I was happy to get to finally use some velvet. leather, and felt appliqués that I had bought years ago at VV Rouleaux, one of my favorite shops in London.

Since I finished mine, I have used it every day.  Usually, I can never find a needle when I need one, and I thought the wonderful Chibi would solve that problem, but then I lost it, so the needle book is helping me to keep track of the needles in a beautiful way.  Hopefully, I will find my Chibi one day, and incorporate it into the needle book with a loop of elastic.  Now, I am thinking of making a larger version to put crochet hooks in for traveling!  

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The Modern Jabot Chunky, an Adventure with Variegated Yarn!

Since I always like to have multiple uses for any pattern, I decided to rework the Modern Jabot I designed for the Fall issue of Interweave Crochet.  This time, I decided to try it in a chunky yarn.  I thought it might appeal to those who want something warmer and more like a scarf.  The main changes I made were; reducing the stitches in the neckband to 65% of the original, and making the first loop in the fringe half of its original length, and then increasing the length of each loop by the same amount as I did in the original pattern.  I also made the loops wider by making single crochet stitches in the ridges on the underside of the chains.  I am very pleased at the fullness achieved by using a chunky yarn, and that the Jabot pattern has been made more versatile.  You could make one in sock yarn for the fall, and a chunky version for those cold winter months! 

I have noticed that the way the jabot is tied, makes a big difference as to how it looks.  If you like the way it is tied in the above photo, you cross the two ends, and the end that is UNDERNEATH, is wrapped over the top of the other end and neckband.

I particularly like using a variegated yarn for this pattern, because I really think the varied colors give it character.  When I was searching for a chunky yarn to make this sample, I didn't have a lot of choice at my local yarn store.  It was between this colorway and another one in shades of royal blue.  I wanted a mix of colors, so I chose this one.  I was really unsure how it would look, because the orange and black didn't seem to belong with the purples and magenta.  I even considered cutting the orange and black section out, if it didn't look good.  To my surprise, the color mix grew on me, and I really like the touch of orange in the finished Jabot.  The neckband looks quite different on the "right" and "wrong" sides.  On the "right" side, the colors came out in near perfect stripes, but on the "wrong side" the colors are more blended.  So I say there is no right or wrong side, they are equally beautiful and one side may look better depending on what you are wearing with it.  I think crocheting with such a wild mix is like a mystery. You can't predict how it will turn out, but you hope for the best!

"Right Side"

"Wrong Side"

Here is the end of a brand new skein of the once questionable variegated yarn; King Cole's "Riot" Chunky,  in Wildflower #654.  Now that I have completed the project, I look at this yarn with new eyes, and the formerly obtrusive orange and black somehow looks harmonious with the other colors, and I can see the creators color story vision.  I will never again judge a variegated yarn until I have crocheted with it!

This pattern is now available for individual sale as a pdf download, from the Interweave Store.

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