Crochet Flowers and Hearts Make Great Test Shapes!

Back-loop Slip Stitch Heart & Front Loop Slip Stitch Heart
Update: Slip Stitch Heart pattern at my new blog!

I'm testing shaping methods for my upcoming Slip Stitch Crochet Shapes FX class. 

A sweet surprise is that heart shapes, roses, and other flowers are especially useful ways to try out shaping methods!

Different Slip Stitches in a Variety of Rose Petal Shapes

Not only are hearts and flowers distinctively shaped, they can also be: 

• Scaled up or down to the swatch size I prefer,
• A two-dimensional rendition, or as 3-D sculpted as I wish,
• Recycled later into appliqués, jewelry, patch pockets, pincushions, coasters, etc.
• Practice for sleeve cap shaping and other useful applications.

I've also been curious about how different kinds of slip stitches respond to the shaping methods. Below are hearts in four different slip stitch patterns.

Four Kinds of Slip Stitches, Crocheted Diagonally and Vertically

The heart in the lower left corner is the oddest-looking one, and retains a slight curl even after blocking. I'd need to tweak the starting row of this one also. Some of them have a strong natural curl or textural grain. 

This same inverse slip stitch type - which doesn't work so well for heart shapes - is perfect for the special kind of curling that a rose petal does! 

In this blog post I'm using newer photos taken after I sent out the most recent Crochet Inspirations Newsletter issue #53. It includes a free crochet pattern for a simple slip-stitch-strip rose. See photo of wee cashmere roses below!

These rose petals have a natural
curve, thanks to slip stitches.

Socks, hats, mittens, and bags as shapes for testing are certainly useful. They're also more time-consuming. So, I start with a heart or a flower swatch that shows promise, and then I try applying the shaping method to a sock heel, or toe, for example.

Miniature Cashmere Roses

Right now I'm looking for the best class projects and swatches for students to experience. After that, I'll be able to turn some of the new designs for socks, hats and mittens into crochet patterns for my site. Flowers designs too.

Quick Update: Crochet Ribbing Comparisons & More

Naturally biases!
Alternating rows of slip stitch
and single crochet.

Hdc in lower third loop;
simply alternate the colors!

I'm buffing and polishing this blog a bit. Isn't the new color scheme refreshing? It's as if I spritzed some tangerine-vanilla room spray.

I'm also trying to figure out how to reproduce my newsletters here. In the meantime I've created a special tab for them (see tabs above this post). Importing the content, especially with the newsletter columns preserved, is surprisingly complicated.

So: crochet ribbing. I have more photos of ribbed crochet stitches that I didn't have room to include in the latest Crochet Inspirations Newsletter issue (#36). 

Another slanter.
Half double crochet (hdc; UK: htc
or htr) rows in different loops.
Good to know about ribbings that
 bias, no?

Here's the photo set I've created for them so far. 

UPDATE: See the follow up newsletter issue #37: "When Stitches Lean."

Isn't slip stitch ribbing amazing?

Undaria Flutter Scarf, New Short Row Design

Check it out: I've just done a whole new kind of blog post, right at my DesigningVashti.com website, and it was easy! It's about my newest crochet pattern coming out very soon, the Undaria Slip Stitch Flutter Scarf. 



You can see a gallery of TEN ways of wearing it over there. 

I'll have more links created after Thanksgiving. For now, here's its Ravelry project page, and its online photo set.


Edited on Dec. 3, 2011 to add: 

• I blogged the story of the "Undaria" name here. 
• You can now download the final pattern at DesigningVashti and in Ravelry.

Being able to blog right from my website is making me irrationally happy and kind of wonderstruck. I've had that website for a little over a year, and it's been slow-going for me to remember how to update it. (I'd rather be designing...) Meanwhile, I know how to blog and enjoy it, and how to create colorful newsletters. 


Wow. A Wordpress-driven website is going to be FUN! 

I'm Crocheting Slip Stitch Short Rows...

...and I hope every crocheter will try it. I now have a free pattern for you: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/slip-slope-scarf-free-pattern 

See the bumpy short row ends along the top edge?
You can make them melt (as they did in the 2nd photo below), or you can emphasize them as a decorative texture (see 4th and last photo below)

called "Slip Slope Scarf." Even if you've already tried crocheting short rows with other stitches like single crochet (sc or UK: dc) or double crochet (dc or UK: tr), give my slip stitch way a try. 

First set of short rows completed. As you can see in the top photo, they melted in nicely
as more rows were added. I should create a mini-video to also show how thoroughly
stretchy it is: not lumpy or tight where the short rows end.

I can't stop! It's an irresistible combo of: 

I love this color effect.
I think it'll become a design
called..."Slippery Fingers"?

• Fabulous fabric: solid - warm - soft - thin - extra-stretchy - reversible
• Fascinating color and texture effects
• Fun stitching progress: I get to stop in the middle of a row and turn around (instead of always going all the way across to the end). And it's easier. I don't have to manage lumps in my fabric like I do if I use taller stitches (by tapering the stitch heights or messing with the turning chains, for example.) I don't have to stop and figure out which loops to work into when I crochet over a short row (like I do when I've tried tapering rows of taller stitches). 

I just plain enjoy the look and feel of these crochet short rows as I go. Is it like this for you too? I hope you'll try it and let me know.

Slip Tectonics, a neck warmer using two kinds 
of slip stitches to create a self-shaping cowl.

See also my newsletter issue about crocheting slip stitch short rows. 


After I write this, I'll go over to my Crochet Pattern Companion blog and create a photo tutorial for the short row basics.


After Slip Tectonics, I have another pattern coming out using crochet short rows, so if you like the free pattern, keep an eye out for "Thaxton Hood."

Slip Stitch Crochet Lace Possibilities

Woke up this morning and saw this:

It could only mean that fairyfolk got into my yarn stash while I slept. 


I don't know if they forgot to take this swatch with them, or what. Maybe they're hinting at something. I'm not even sure what the fairies mean it to be, but get this: 


These are slip stitches. I can see why the wee folk favor slip stitch lace--slip stitches being all about small and all. 


I'm seeing a wide shallow triangular wrap. I hope I can figure out how they made slip stitches look like that.


Full moons embolden fairies, and we just had that super-full moon the other day. If I've noticed that moonlight makes my yarn stash glow, surely fairies have too. Seems to make linen yarn magnetic for them too. Luckily they left my beaded silk and glittery mohair alone! (Wouldn't be easy to rip out fairy crochet swatches with those yarns.)

Update on Slip Stitch Crochet Sweater Design

Would you like a sneak peek? Well, I'm the publisher, so we don't have to sneak around anymore*, right? I should call it a preview. This "Eva Shrug" crochet sweater pattern is so close to becoming a proper downloadable PDF.

*still breaking that old habit from freelancing days, when a designer had to be careful what s/he said about a design, months before someone else did the big reveal!

You're looking at the final draft of the cover page. I'll probably make that 3rd photo a bit smaller and make room for more text.

What do you think? I'm excited about the Eva Shrug because this big experiment worked out! I wanted to make a sweater by starting with the ribbing and then filling in the rest. That's like crocheting the edging, then filling in the middle to make it 3-D. Or it's like drawing something and then coloring it in.


Turns out this new experience is fun and it works and it's easy. Not to mention that this is one shrug that stays on my shoulders without binding anywhere.


Something else happened too. I'm more deeply hooked on this slip stitch ribbing than ever. It takes me by surprise because I didn't like wearing the knitted ribbed tops of the 1980's! I always wanted to cut off the ribbing. This crochet ribbing is different. It feels luxurious to make and wear, and cozies up to you without being annoying.

Isn't it beautiful when combined with other crochet stitches?


I want to design some summery things next, and am actually considering ways to use slip stitch ribbing in summery ways. That's how hooked I am. I don't know yet how plant fiber yarns like cotton, linen, or bamboo will work for this ribbing. I might look into those cotton yarns that have some lycra content. We'll see.


One thing I've noticed as I swatch this ribbing with a range of crochet hook sizes: there comes a point when my hands sigh blissfully and melt into the fabric. That's when I know the crochet hook is large enough. Until that happens, the slip stitches can feel unremarkable, like generic machine-knitted ribbing, or even feel a bit tough. Trying larger crochet hooks is important because slip stitches are passionately responsive little creatures. Each pairing of hook size and fiber blend is unique. I can't rely on traditional yarn weight and hook or knitting needle size guidelines.


Another thing I've noticed about this slip stitch crochet is that I need a good number of rows before I can see and feel the ribbing accurately. I need at least 6" of stitches x 6" of rows to judge the optimum crochet hook size.


I titled this post an "update" because this design was first mentioned in "Slip Stitch for Style" (issue #9 of my newsletter): Vashti's Crochet Inspirations . You can subscribe here if you haven't already (it's emailed every other Thursday.) It's an easy way to be alerted when I add new crochet patterns to my site.