New Book of Crochet Patterns

I'm popping in from my other crochet blog with a crochet yarn & pattern update.

The new Delicate Crochet book is out! It has 23 new crochet patterns designed by ten different designers in a lovely range of projects. Our Lotus yarn is featured in the book along with two new Tunisian crochet designs: Yveline Wrap and Ziggy Vest!

☛ Sharon Silverman did a superb job creating stitch close ups and photo tutorial steps.☚

Using This Book in December

I have December versions of Yveline and Ziggy in mind, see below. December is the perfect time for a crocheter's first browse through this book. Some projects could actually be finished in time to give as gifts, and some are perfect for relaxing amidst the busy holidays. I also see projects in this book that I'd enjoy trying just after Christmas.

For Post-Christmas Crocheting

Every year, from January and into February, I crave delving into a clever new crochet skill. (I know I'm not alone in this because of emails I've gotten over the years from crocheters. In fact maybe there's the seed of a newsletter topic here...)

Yveline

The Yveline Wrap is crocheted in simple offset rows, then surface-crocheted with love knot frills. It may be the first time I've seen love knots (lover's knot, Solomon's knots) with Tunisian crochet in the same project!

What could be breezier than little love knot bubbles? (Faster to crochet, too.) Unexpectedly, they also give a lean, urban chain-link look to a frill embellishment.

I tried single crochet stitches to make petite ruffles for Yveline's earliest swatches but they kept coming out too heavy for the light Tunisian net background. For example, see light green photo here.

A December Yveline Idea

During December I'm going to try a smaller cowl version of Yveline in fine wintery yarns. Right now I'm eyeing a buttery merino wool-silk blend for the background, and lace weight mohair for the surface-love.

This way the mohair is not actually against my skin but still traps warmth! Also, love knots in mohair have always made me swoon. When it's underway I'll add a link to it here.

Pre-frills Yveline.

Pre-frills Yveline.

Another December idea for Yveline is to do just the full-size background for a quicker sleek wrap—oh my gosh try a soft color-shifting yarn! Every row is the same so it's a good TV (mindless) crochet project. It's a versatile shape with lots of drape no matter what yarn you use.

You can always add the frills later (in January?).

A December Ziggy?

The Ziggy Vest is a simple rectangle of an airy Tunisian ripple stitch that I love. Create the armholes after the rectangle is done. (This kind of vest, which can be draped and worn several ways, is often called a "slitted stole" or "waterfall vest".)

Widthwise.

Lengthwise.

I'd love to see this stitch pattern as a warm scarf. This is what I'm musing: if I do the rows lengthwise and change colors for stripes, I can fringe the scarf ends: zero ends to weave in.

I love the pearly sheen the Lotus yarn gives Ziggy's stitch pattern so that's making it hard for me to picture it in warm wools. I guess this means I need to sit with my yarn stash and start swatching.

Since Ziggy's stitch pattern is self healing, I can decide later (after December) whether to turn it into a keyhole scarf. Or even a pullover shrug! (Fold in half lengthwise, seam at each end for sleeves, and cut a head opening slit in the center. Without the head opening it would be a standard shrug which is cool too.)

A Powerful Tunisian Crochet Stitch to Love

Neck Lattice (1 skein!) 
photo ©2011 Vashti Braha

Neck Lattice 
photo ©2011 Interweave Press

I'm giving away a full downloadable edition of the new Simply Crochet   book! 

If you don't know about the main stitch used for Neck Lattice (just published by Interweave Press) and all designs shown in this post, please read on. 

It's one of the two stitches that have liberated my Tunisian crocheting.   (See "Breaking Out of Tunisian Ruts," issue #10 of my Crochet Inspirations newsletter for the other one.)


This amazing Tunisian stitch:

A Shakti Scarf (new design)
shows both sides of fabric

• Conserves yarn. Neck lattice uses ONE SKEIN. So do my other designs based on this stitch. 
• Loves every Tunisian crochet hook size.
• Loves a wide range of yarn weights, thicknesses, and textures.
• Is reversible: looks fabulous on both sides (not always the case with a Tunisian crochet stitch).
• Is fast to crochet (not always the case with a Tunisian crochet stitch).
• Singlehandedly creates a sheer, breezy, weightless Tunisian crochet lace. Not only that, it can be stretchy.

[Have you ever used this stitch? Leave a comment on this blog post about it and you'll be entered to win the Simply Crochet e-book. 
You have until tomorrow, Fri. Dec. 9 at 10pm EST to enter.]

Notice in these photos how different the Tunisian crochet stitch can look depending on fibers, yarn weights, hook sizes, and degree of laciness over the years. (I know the photos are arranged weirdly in this post. It's just the way Blogger is sometimes.)



When Interweave Press published the new Simply Crochet book this month, I took stock of my design journey with this unique Tunisian crochet stitch. Neck Lattice, included in this book, was a pivotal discovery for me as a crocheter. 

Same Neck Lattice pattern and hook size, thicker yarn!

I released my early photos of it (including a prototype) this week, and I remembered the exhilaration of discovering its edge-as-you-go latticework. 

And, the wonder of using the yarn that book editor Robyn Chachula chose for me to use--it's the mottled red alpaca one in the two uppermost photos. 

I had only used fingering weight yarn (sock yarn) for it until she sent me a lace weight yarn. I worried at first, but then I loved seeing the design take shape from only one skein. It grew quickly because I used a big Tunisian crochet hook.

A Shakti Scarf (new design)

For all its power, this Tunisian stitch doesn't seem to be one of the basic stitches one learns after the Tunisian Simple Stitch (Tss), even though it's easy to do! It's not standardized: it goes by more than one name, and explanations for how to do it vary widely. I've seen it called Extended Knit Stitch, Corded Stitch, Tunisian Knit Single Crochet, Tunisian Shaker Stitch, and "Tunisian Knit Stitch with a chain-1."

Here are my other experiments with this stitch over the past year or so. NOTE: several of these are "Shakti Scarves," which are all versions of the same Tunisian Shakti design. 

A Shakti Scarf (new design)

Update:
Tunisian Shakti Scarves crochet superpattern is now available in my DesigningVashti pattern shop, and Ravelry store. 

A Shakti Scarf (new design)

Islander Wrap

A Shakti Scarf (new design)

A Shakti Scarf (new design)

We Have a Winner of the Crochet Tote Book Giveaway

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this blog tour giveaway. I'll have to come up with more reasons to do giveaways because it's really fun. It's like hosting a party at my blog! (In fact, if you have a creative idea for one, let me know.)

Using a truly random number generator to select a commenter on my previous blog post, I discovered our winner: 
Congratulations CATLADY, it's your lucky day! 
I hope you enjoy your goodies. I've accumulated a few things from yarn conferences I've attended, so I'm including these in your package: a Della Q project bag with Lorna's Laces pin; samples of different stitch markers; new Eucalan fabric wipes; and crochet hooks from Boye, Susan Bates, and Lion Brand's commemorative pink hook for women's health awareness. I even scrounged up a Leisure Arts pen that I forgot I had! 


The white hang tags have a special significance. Marty and I found out that we both love using them for our crochet projects. I'm sending you two sizes, in case you've never used them. We like to attach the larger size to a swatch so that we can record notes about it; the smaller size is perfect for noting just the hook size used, or page number of a stitch book, or part of a sweater ("left sleeve" for example), etc.


Catlady's comment was: "I generally use a cotton for totes - my "go to" brand is Bernat Handicrafter. And my "go to" colour is pink. :) But, I may try a felted wool tote - I've knit some, but want to see how some crochet stitches felt up for totes. I bought some feltable dk weight wool in pink and grey, that I thought about trying for a tote..."
I wish I had some pink yarn or some Bernat Handicrafter to include! Pink is my "go to" color too, and I need to get more. Maybe Catlady can somehow use two skeins of a rich red Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece yarn, or knows someone who likes red.

Chance to Win: Marty Miller's TOTES FOR ALL REASONS

This is no ordinary book review here at ol' DesigningVashti! I've always wanted to do a giveaway on my blog. 

In honor of Marty Miller's new crochet tote book, Totes for All Reasons, I'm giving away a copy of the book plus some fun crochet swag to a lucky commenter on this blog post. In your comment, please describe the yarn you would use to crochet your next tote (for example color, fiber, brand). Winner will be randomly picked at the end of this Monday Sept. 5 and announced Tuesday morning, September 6. 

Congratulations to Marty on her new book! These crochet totes were carefully designed for this collection to be fun to crochet and to use. I can see Marty's personality all over it and I know it was a blast for her to design these totes. 

When I see this I think YES. I need more fresh flowers
 AND a way to tote them!

I've been yarn shopping with Marty in craft stores and in yarn shops. She has this knack for seeing the tote that a new yarn wants to become. It's remarkable. I've also crocheted with her side by side, and you should see how fast and enthusiastically she can whip up a new tote, right off the top of her head.


Come to think of it, at conferences I've helped lug her crochet class materials to her classes--USING HER TOTES--and I can attest to the strength and comfort of the tote handles she designs. I can't imagine a better designer for a book of crochet totes. Period. 


Also, the photography is beautiful. This is a 24-page Leisure Arts publication, so you can expect clear images, clean layout, and easy to follow instructions. You can expect accuracy because Marty's an expert technical editor of other designers' crochet patterns, including mine. 


After me, there's one more stop on the blog tour. Please visit Kate Steinke's blog tomorrow (Sunday). And also see Marty's blog tour post about the totes she crocheted. She made me want to go and pick up a crochet hook and find a good tote yarn in my stash! Here's the complete tour schedule:


August 29: Marty Miller
August 30: Ellen Gormley
August 31: Drew Emborsky
September 1: Kimberly McAlindin
September 2: Doris Chan
September 3: Vashti Braha (c'est moi)
September 4: Kate Steinke


DON'T FORGET to leave a comment for a chance to win this book and some extra goodies. What yarn would YOU use to crochet your next tote?

Crochet, Socks, and Karen Whooley

If you're visiting my blog for the first time because you're touring blogs with my friend Karen Whooley, welcome and thanks for stopping by! I chatted with Karen about her new book,  I Can't Believe I'm Crocheting Socks! and you can see some of our conversation below. I love what she says about socks and her school uniform, lace crochet, and what she imagines her Nonna would say about her book.

The #1 reason I wanted to be a part of Karen's blog tour is: Knitters have been having so much fun with gorgeous new sock yarns, comparing the virtues of toe-up vs cuff-down patterns, how to "turn a heel", etc. Making socks that fit is a whole art form. There's not nearly as much information out there for crocheters as for knitters....until lately.

In Progress: Nice fit!

Even though I learned to crochet over thirty years ago, I only recently crocheted my first pair of socks. You can see a view of them finished here. 

Whose crochet sock pattern did I carefully choose for that first crochet sock experience? KAREN WHOOLEY's. I was hooked! I bought so much sock yarn LOL. Now that Karen has written a whole book on crochet socks, we have everything we need to enjoy crocheting socks in the style and size we please.

Vashti: When I think of you, Karen, I think about how you learned to crochet from your grandmother when you were 7, and how much your love for crochet shows in your commitment to it over the years. I also identify with you a bit, because we both learned to crochet in the 1970's as young girls. I learned from my Mom when I was 9. 

Karen: A lot of my students tell me that I give way too much credit to Nonna for the crocheter I have become.  And I have to agree that yes, I have learned a lot on my own over the last 12 years as a designer and instructor.  

Karen's Nonna. Photo taken in the late 1980's

I lost Nonna in 1992 and sold my first design in 1998.  But, if it wasn’t for Nonna, I probably wouldn’t have learned to crochet to begin with.  I owe my love and passion for crochet to her. And I can honestly say that as I am working, she comes to mind, and a lot of her words spill from my heart when I get frustrated with a design. 

Vashti: Back then, I never imagined I would one day be a professional crochet designer. I knew only a little about patterns and different kinds of projects. I did try many kinds of crochet, but strangely was also completely unaware of many other kinds--such as real crocheted socks....the kind that you wear comfortably in shoes....to school!! 

Imagine wearing real crocheted socks to school in the 1970's! Did you imagine them or try them, Karen? Which of the socks in your book would you like to have crocheted for yourself and wear to school, at what age? In a color, or for a specific outfit? In high school I would have wanted PURPLE. Purple with deep red. I would have worn them with fringed moccasins.

Karen: I never, ever thought I would be a professional designer back then.  My Nonna spoke very broken English, so I learned all my stitches in Italian.  After learning all the basic stitches in Worsted Weight and an H hook, I was given a size 6 steel and bedspread weight cotton and for about 5 years, I did a lot of lace.  I don’t think I ever would have thought of socks until I was in my late teens/early 20s.  But I can tell you I did do a lot of slippers, so maybe if I knew then what I do now, socks would have been on my agenda! 

I think in High School I would have worn the ripple socks just as they were designed.  Blue has always been a favorite color, and I used ripples a lot. But then of course ripples were very popular back then.  When I first learned to crochet I think I may have made the Lace socks, but in PINK!  I was such a pink girl.  I might have made the Tube Socks in Navy, Hunter Green and/or White because I went to Catholic School and wore only knee socks in those colors with my uniform!

Vashti: I find that often, while I design something, I'm picturing the crocheter I was. Sometimes I have a sense of contrast with the crochet I started with and crochet as I know it now. (Other times I have trouble remembering what I knew or experienced about crochet back then; for example, I recall no specific opinion of hdc, whereas now I think it's a distinctly cool stitch!) Sometimes I'm still amazed that I get to design crochet professionally, and the "I" that is amazed is my young crochet self. I love crochet as much as ever and am honored to add to the designs.

Karen: Many times I do think back at what I used to do. For example, since Nonna couldn’t read an English pattern, she taught me to “read” a picture.   Until I was in my early teens, I couldn’t read a pattern very well, but boy I could copy an item from a picture. I am self-taught in reading patterns. Now I am almost fanatical about being sure my patterns read right for the crocheters who may purchase them.  A lot of times I think back to when I couldn’t read a pattern, and I think that is why.  I was determined to make my projects look exactly like the one pictured, and by gosh, I want my fans to be able to do the same. 

Like you, I am amazed I get to design professionally!  My Nonna told me that she had given me a skill, and that I needed to do something with it.  Mom tells me she meant crocheting items for the family or for charity. But I know she would be proud of what I am doing now. I am doing a lot of techniques I am sure she may have seen, but I don’t know that she had ever done. (I wish now that the younger crocheter in me would have asked!) But I think the part that amazes me the most is that as much as I got tired of lace back in the day, I have come full circle, and I am bringing more and more lace into my work, and into my classes that I teach. Of course, now it is with more lace yarns and larger hooks than with size 6 steels and cotton! And the even more amazing part?  I LOVE IT! The inner young crocheter still is not quite sure about that every time I decide to go for lace.

Vashti: Something I wonder, how does it feel to you to look at your new sock book through the eyes of your inner young crocheter? Which socks do you think your younger crochet self would like the most or want to make first, and for whom? What step in the sock crocheting do you think your young crochet self would be most hooked on? What do you think your grandmother would say?

Karen: Looking at my book as my inner young crocheter, I would have to say, “WOW, did I really do that?”  I always experimented with ideas, and my stuffed animals and my younger sister were the not always willing recipients of the end results.  From a young age I have always been a perfectionist in my work.  And I can’t tell you how many items were ripped out time and again because of that.  So my inner child looks at this book and really is amazed I could do what I did, and have it turn out even better than I had planned. 

My younger self would have made the two learning patterns first.  I know that because of the perfectionist in me would want to learn the ins and outs first. And after that, I would have made any of them, but I would have made them uniquely my own by changing something.  I don’t know what exactly, but as I would crochet them, something would change!  I know I would have been hooked on toe up socks.  To this day, sewing seams is not my favorite thing to do, so the toe-up method would be my favorite even then.

What would Nonna say?  I wish she was here to actually tell me, but, I think she would say, “Caterina, Hai fatto un lavoro meraviglioso. Il tuo lavoro è pulito e raffinato. Dovreste essere orgogliosi. Ora vediamo cosa si può fare il record.”  (Karen, You did a wonderful job.  Your work is neat and fine. You should be proud. Now lets see what you can do to top that.)

That's Karen with both of her grandparents. Karen writes, "It was taken in 1990, 2 years before I lost her. She is holding the basket she decorated for my wedding favors. It is the same basket used for my mom’s wedding in 1963 just different lace. Nonna was big on all sorts of crafts from Crochet and embroidery to having the skills to be professional seamstress."

Doris Chan's Crochet Lace Innovations

Crochet Lace Innovations by Doris Chan 2010.

Shiver Me Timbers!

Crochet Lace Innovations is simply gorgeous--the photostyling, the layout, the production values. Potter Craft (publisher) pulled out all the stops on this one! Each page showcases the sophistication and elegance of Doris' crochet designs with lovely lyrical typefaces, chic photography, and refined color palette. This means I pick it up just to leaf through it for a hit of pure beauty. I get a delicious shiver, and then it happens again:

I take the long-range point of view about crochet's past and future, and I've got a thing about crocheted fashion. After the 1970's crochet somehow went from uber-trendy to fashionless--even anti-fashionable--in American popular culture! This isn't true in many other countries. It also isn't true in haute couture or in Hollywood. Yet even today, there's a big market in the USA for crochet patterns of non-fashion projects. For example, crochet designs for baby items and for home decor are in constant high demand; whereas crocheting modern fashion statements is low on the list. For some weird reason it's the opposite for knitting patterns. I like all crochet, I just don't know why there aren't more fashion crocheters in this country.

Crochet Lace Innovations doesn't just suggest some general wearable crochet style. It confidently, triumphantly presents crochet in the larger modern fashion context with a specific sense of style--and this gives me delicious shivers as a crocheter.

Shivers aside, I consider Crochet Lace Innovations to be an important contribution to crochet. It's not just daydream material, or a succinct answer to crochet's critics. It's also a friendly reference. It's one of those rare books that is as strong on clear, basic instructions of new techniques as on fashion context. I've seen knit pattern books that are so focused on conveying a fashion viewpoint that the hands-on how-to teaching side of pattern publishing is shortchanged. For me, those books are great as inspirational gallery-like coffee table books, but might not clarify new techniques.

Some crocheters seem to assume that Doris' crochet patterns must be challenging because they're beautiful. I hope people don't assume this about the patterns in Crochet Lace Innovations. Each crochet technique--Broomstick, Hairpin, Tunisian--has step by step tutorials, expert diagrams, and tips for success, all in a warm conversational tone. There's also a separate chapter just on the basics of garment construction. 

You can sign up here if you'd like to receive alerts from Potter Craft about any forthcoming books by Doris Chan. See more information on her first book, Amazing Crochet Lace, here; and Doris' book #2, Everyday Crochet, here.

I have to say one more thing. I felt beautiful when I wore three of the garments in this book: the Bozena Dress (p. 96) at a CGOA/Crochet Guild of America conference, a hemp yarn version of Rohise Skirt (p. 41), and a platinum-colored satin Inara Scarf (p. 21) at a TNNA/National NeedleArts trade show.

Celebrating Drew Emborsky, The Crochet Dude (r)

Today's post might normally be a book review (because I get to be part of a blog tour event this month), except that my reaction to Drew's new book Crochet It. Love It. Wear It! goes beyond the usual bounds of book reviewing! So I'm just going to lay it all out there. I get to build on what other bloggers have already said over the past few weeks.
 

Laurie Wheeler, me, Drew, Portland OR 2008

Drew is a dear friend and is one of the amazing people I've gotten to know while being a part of today's crochet world, and why I feel so lucky to be designing. We would be good friends even if neither of us crocheted, but then how would we have met? (photo was taken when his previous book, Crochet Dude's Designs for Guys, had just come out)

I toasted Drew the day Crochet It. Love It. Wear It! arrived in the mail. I remember when he talked about the process of choosing a book title for it that will pull him forward like a beacon through the long solitary process of hammering out that final book draft. It was once just a great idea and now I hold it in my hands.
 
As a fellow designer I love to see how Drew explores crochet stitch textures for fashion. It's interesting what he said about this over at Marty's blog stop a few days ago. He gives post stitches a new language and this makes them fresh for me (not an easy feat--I'm one of those "seen it all" crocheters--and there are so many of us....). 
 
 A perfect example is "Investing": check out how he used the post stitch texture as a fashion fabric. Also in "Hesperas" and the texture-virtuosic "Budapest Nights," both of them getting raves on many other blogs. (Clicking on these links go to Drew's Flickr set where you can enlarge the photos much more.) 

A few bloggers mentioned being a bit nervous about learning post stitches; I hope that newer crocheters will just jump in and use Drew's book as an opportunity to try them. Some crocheters find them to be easier than regular stitches. This is my favorite Drew quote from Stefanie's blog: "I want the crafter's experience to be fun and enjoyable from beginning to end. Let me do the hard part and figure it all out, you just relax with your project and enjoy yourself." 
All right, I'm ready to address the Matter of the "Vashti" Skirt. Drew went and named one of the designs in this book after me. It's not a coincidence, he comes right out and says it, and frankly, it's like getting a spectacular valentine. Especially because it's awfully pretty! It's made of linen, one of my fav fibers! I wear that color a lot! Enough about me except to say that it's awesome to have a design named after you and I can recommend it with no hesitation. None.

One more thing about the skirt though. It's constructed in long strips, and the seams are the airiest laciest part of the design. Isn't that cool? This skirt is full of crocheted seams, people. Who thinks of seams as ethereal? Check out the enchanting thing these seams do at the bottom hem.
If you've read this far, you deserve a secret clue, so today's mystery word is lacy seams.

First Crochet Book Review of 2010

I'm turning over a new leaf (so to speak): among my usual designing life posts I'll be sprinkling in a crochet book review here and there for 2010 (I'm not being compensated for this, not even through Amazon). If you've been visiting this blog for long enough to remember my reviews of '70's crochet books, well, thank you for being here over the years!

It's been awhile since I reviewed crochet books here and for CGOA. There was quite a flood of new crochet books, many of them by friends of mine. I didn't want to pick and choose among them and leave someone out! Recently,
Amy O'Neill Houck invited me to join her blog tour with a book review and it feels like a fresh plan for a new year.

Crochet for Bears to Wear by Amy O'Neill Houck, published by Potter Craft, 2010.

I use a formula for reviewing crochet books: I pay attention to how I feel as a crocheter paging through it and how much the author's voice is present (especially if s/he's a friend of mine). I read it cover to cover because I've noticed that the initial impact a crochet book has on me can be very different from the longer-term impact. I also like to let readers know the range of crochet skills, yarn weights, fibers, and techniques covered.

Crochet for Bears to Wear is delightful to flip through. It's lighthearted and whimsical--but of course! it's about crocheting for teddy bears! To see what I'm talking about, check out what Drew said. (He and Robyn appear in the book as guest designers.)

Well, get this: it turns out that this cute book has impressive scope. Crocheting clothes requires a different skill set than crocheting, say, afghans for example. Amy's book makes it so accessible and charming that I expect readers to acquire valuable new skills without even realizing it.

Some of these skills are:

• how to crochet a Fair-Isle style sweater (stranded jaquard in the round)
• classic ('70's) modular construction a la Judith Copeland
• how to construct a raglan garment from the top down, seamlessly
• side-to-side construction (worked in vertical rows)
• a dress of lacy motifs the easy way: joined as you go
• with the aid of handy sidebars, how to customize any of the above (Julie's review elaborates on this nicely; and PlanetJune's in-depth post about it is not to be missed!)
• pleating....patch pockets....armhole shaping....ribbing....

 Amy's voice shines through in her step-by-steps and in references to life in Alaska. I see her designer sensibilities in yarn and stitch combos. Yarns range from fingering to worsted weights found in yarn shops and craft store chains; a nice range of fibers and blends too--wools, cotton, alpaca, bamboo, soy.

I salute Amy for the work that must have gone into making the building blocks of fashion crochet this clear, simple, and entertaining. It's a valuable contribution to learning different ways to crochet real clothes that fit.

p.s. I'm with Natalie at Craftzine on how expensive doll clothes can be. My son orbited the Build-A-Bear phenomenon years ago and I wanted to crochet the accessories I saw in the 'Workshops'.
p.p.s Free pattern from Crochet for Bears to Wear is at the above Craftzine link.

'70's Crochet Book Review Update

Welcome Interweave Crochet readers! If you are looking for my reviews of '70's crochet books, just click on "70's Crochet Read-Along" in the right hand column of this blog (it's the 3rd clickable link down from the top).
I have one more crochet conference to attend this year and then I can get back to reviewing '70's crochet books. In the meantime I've read a few 21st century books on yarn and color: The Yarn Book by Penny Walsh (read an excerpt here), and Color: A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay. (You can read an interview with the author here.)

You can also read CPer JD Wolfe's reviews of some '70's crochet books here.

'70's Read-Along Book #6: Adventures in Crocheting

[W]hen clothing is made from some of the very unusual and interesting pattern stitches herein, the pattern stitch itself becomes the style, and it should not be obscured or belabored by complicated styling known as high fashion, which usually enjoys so short a period of popularity that it is often out of style before it is finished. Most certainly an item lovingly made by hand over a period of weeks or months, and with it a joyous anticipation of the item finished, should be of such simple lines that it will stay in style until it has worn out.
Barbara Aytes, 1972

It is with regret that I return this book to the public library. I hold pretty much the opposite position toward fashion crochet than Ms. Aytes does in the above quote but it won't stop me from adding a copy of this book to my collection when I get a chance. The content is solid, accomplished, and well-rounded. The author certainly met her stated goal: to "strike a happy medium between those books which are full of pattern stitches and nothing to make, and those which are full of items to make and few or no pattern stitches".

Maybe now would be a good time for me to state a personal bias: I'm not interested in making or wearing timeless fashions. I don't shop for them and designing them is not a meaningful career for me. Designers who appreciate timeless fashion are the ones who do it the best and so I'm happy to leave them to it and remain impressed from afar.

The opposite is what I buy, wear, crochet, and design: trendy. I think the world can never have enough trendy crochet patterns and I'd produce far more designs than I do if I humanly could. I even teach a class on designing trendy crochet at the CGOA conferences. Contrary to what timeless crocheters say, I think crochet is well-suited for trendy projects because:
- crochet itself continues to be a trendy look in the larger fashion world (yay)
- the internet offers a whole new opportunity for trendy crochet patterns to reach the widest number of crocheters a.s.a.p.
- you can crochet it with plenty of time to wear it, and make more for your friends and relatives too! The amount of time it would take me to sew a garment is roughly comparable to how long it would take me to crochet it. This is the exact opposite of what Ms. Aytes says--that by the time you put in all that work crocheting something fashionable, it's out of style. This is the amazing versatility of crochet: both Trendy and Timeless crocheters can be right!

Back to the timeless book: Ms. Aytes' designs have the kind of simple lines of good proportion that I admire in timeless designs. This is one reason I want to own the book. She offers a range of slippers, for example, that are great to have on hand as templates if nothing else. Remarkably, I can imagine wearing many of these designs even though:
- they are photographed flat in black and white;
- they are intended to look timeless, and did I mention timeless is not my thing?;
- we're talking 1972. (I think of myself as 1970's-friendly, yet so far as I review these books I often cringe.) Compared to many early '70's crochet books, the photos are high-quality, the projects are well-finished and blocked, and the overall selection of projects is sound.

Viewed within the context of my project of reviewing pioneering 1970's crochet books, the author's goal is not exciting enough to justify having the term "adventures" in its title. I was a little disappointed in this respect, but the book makes up for not delivering a promised adventure in other ways. Besides offering a thoughtful collection of timeless designs, the stitch patterns are thrilling! Each crocheter is probably unique when it comes to what counts as thrilling stitch-wise. For me, it's how uncommon it is, how difficult it is for me to figure out how it's done by looking at it, and if the solid-vs-open shapes the stitches make are distinctive. Out of about 65 stitch patterns provided, only about 5 appear in every crochet book ad nauseum (plus another 5 or so motifs); the rest are unusual somehow. A few are downright alien to me {{said with shiver of delight}}.

When I began this '70's book review project, I envisioned zipping through what I had on hand in Jan-Feb'07 while taking a vacation from design deadlines. As people emailed me titles of books to add to my reading list, and as I immersed myself in reading them, I stopped expecting to skim and gab, and instead, ponder and savor and try to give each book its due. Now it's mid-April and I have design deadlines and then prep for conferences to do. So the bad news is that these '70's book reviews are going to slow to a crawl; but the good news is that I'm in it for the long haul--I'm NOT stopping. It's way too rewarding. Heck, I haven't even gotten past 1973 yet!

'69 Iris Rathbone Followup; other news

In my review of Iris Rathbone's 1969 book, I mentioned a stitch pattern that caught my eye.The purple and red swatches on the left only are the Rathbone stitch pattern in two very different yarns. I can't show more of the swatches because then we get into confidential designing information.... It's basically clusters of chain-3 loops so that they look like a cross between picots and a shell or v-stitch. Works up fast, faster than the picot-laden stitch pattern on the right (also shown in two very different yarns. You can can see the instructions for this one here.)

My left brain says these 2 stitch patterns have nothing in common but my right brain says, "I'll always love the look of the picot one even though it's kind of slow-going. When I want the same picot effect but fast, Rathbone's could do the job." (By the way the lefthand swatches look flatter than they really are. The free ch-3 lps form lacy nubbies.)

In the same review I also mentioned that I might find a photo of my attempt at safely removing previous rows from crocheted fabric. Does this old photo make sense? The stitch pattern is double-treble (dtr) filet. First I threaded a contrasting cord through the feet of the dtr that would become the new bottom row. Wherever the dtr were connected to the dtr below it, I wove the cord. That way, when I cut through the middle of the dtr row below and removed the remnants, the cord gave the dtr's of the next row something to hold onto.

So in the photo you can see that 4 dtr have been freed from the row below it (click on it for a closeup). It was so scary at the time that I took this picture. I suspect it's as terrifying for a crocheter as steeks are for knitters!

Then you just make a new foundation chain for the feet: In the case of this filet pattern, slip stitch into the feet of the first dtr, (chain 1, sl st in the feet of the next dtr) across. It looks 100% like it has always been the foundation chain.

Sorry it's novelty yarn but the open filet pattern helps make the photo informative. If have time someday I'll do this to a swatch of smooth yarn for a better pic.