-
Tutorial – Basic Filet Crochet
Filet crochet can look intimidating, but it’s really an easy technique and can be used to make just about any design! You can make something simple, like this Heart Filet Block by I’m Hooked, or something more complex, like this Four Rose Doily by Elizabeth Ann White. There are even filet versions of the Last Supper and the signing of the Declaration of Independence! Below is a filet crochet chart for a small motif. I’ve also included a traditional crochet chart version of the exact same design. See how clear and easy the filet chart looks in comparison? For this tutorial, we’re going to ignore the traditional chart and focus on how to read the filet chart. Each…
-
Loving lover’s knots!
Have you heard of lover’s knots or Solomon’s knots in crochet? I’ve been coming across them a lot recently, and decided to try them out. I’m officially in love. Basically, this stitch is made with very long chains and single crochets. You can adjust the size of the chains to get the look you want, though the key is consistency within a project. This great video tutorial got me started, and then I picked up some stash yarn and started playing. Here’s how far I got last night: I love how quickly it works up – the stitches are so big and open. Once you get the hang of it, you…
-
Kids Sweaters for Charity Projects
This summer, my LYS will be doing a charity project involving sweaters and cardigans for children. As a resource for that project, I have made this list of free sweater patterns that I think would be great for charity. I have tried to include knit and crochet patterns in varying baby and children’s sizes. Some of the patterns are really basic and great for beginners, while others are just complicated enough to keep an intermediate level crafter interested, without taking forever to make. I looked for patterns that use DK or worsted weight yarns, and without too much tight shaping so they are likely to fit a growing child for some time.…
-
Pattern Review – Knitapotamus by Heidi Bears
I’ve had my eye on Heidi Bears’ crochet patterns for a while now. It’s so creative, the way she takes all different regular polygons and magically creates wonderful creatures with them. But at $6.50 each, I always hesitated to try one. I didn’t really have any NEED for a stuffed dragon, after all… 4 of my friends are having babies this year. I was browsing through Ravelry hoping to find inspiration to create some new, fun baby designs, when instead I stumbled upon the Knitapotamus. This is the knit version of Heidi’s Happypotamus, and appears to be the first knit version of one of her polygon motif animals. I could…
-
So how do you hold it? (Part 2)
Earlier this week, we talked about how different people hold and tension their yarn for crochet. It was so much fun to see all the different styles! That discussion led to the related question – how do you hold your crochet hook? In general, there are two ways to do it, but there are many variations of each. One way is a pencil or underhand hold, where the hook is held the same way you would hold a pencil. That’s how Janaya from Charmed by Ewe does it: Tamara from Moogly does it that way too, but the position of her hand is much further from the end of the…
-
So how do you hold it?
I mean your yarn, of course. Specifically, how do you tension your yarn when crocheting? I’ve always done it the way my mom first taught me. I mostly control the tension between my pinky and ring finger, while my index finger positions the yarn. This leaves my thumb and middle finger free to grip the project: I know everyone does it differently, and I was curious, so I asked some other crochet designers to show me how they do it. As expected, the results were quite varied! Lorene of Cre8tion Crochet and MandaLynn of MandaLynn’s Crochet Treasures both hold it the same way I do: Kati of KatiD Creations does something similar as well,…
