Free Crochet Pattern for Mothers Day

I awoke from a dream about crochet love knots (a.k.a. "Solomon's knots") covering two sides of a string of beads like airy cages or nets. As I went about my day I planned out the crochet yarn and beads for the experiment: wire would make the love knots stand out from the beads the most. I could use any beads I liked, even big heavy beads with little holes.

Here is today's result, which only took about a hour at most. I describe below how to crochet it, in case you wish to try it with whatever beads and wire or string you have on hand. It would make a nice Mothers Day gift. If your mother is a crocheter too, she would appreciate how the love knot stitch in wire has a fancy new look wrapped around special beads.

In appreciation of mothers everywhere, here is my....

Love Knot Embracelet

copyright Vashti Braha, all rights reserved

For this project you'll need to know how to crochet a love knot. (To learn how, google for a how-to video, such as this one. Try it first with smooth light-colored yarn before you try wire.)

Materials (and substitution tips)

• 26 gauge wire (I used a copper one from a craft store. You can find it in many colors. If 26 gauge is not available, I recommend 28 gauge, which is a little finer.)
• A 25-inch long piece of 22 gauge wire (I used a spool of copper from Radio Shack! 22 gauge is too thick to crochet but still easy to cut and bend. You can try using 20 of 24 gauge.)
• Wire cutters (I used kitchen shears from the dollar store)
• One steel crochet hook in the size range of #3 to #0 (whatever works best for you. Some folks crochet wire very loosely.)
• Any medium-large-sized beads (I bought mine at Michaels.)
• A hammer or pliers, for flattening and compressing the stitches of the hook and loop closure. (Or use a ready made bracelet closure of your choice.)

1. Loosely fold the 25-inch piece of wire in half so that the fold is a round loop. Do not string on the beads.

2. With the thinner wire, make a slip knot, place on hook, single crochet (sc) into the loop of the thicker wire piece so that the stitch is wrapped around the thick wire. *Make a love knot that is approx. one-quarter inch longer than the bead you're using, slide a bead onto both ends of the thicker wire and slide up so that it's snug against the sc, then sc around the thick wire on the other side of the bead. Repeat from * to * until 2.5 inches of thick wire remain.

If this is your first time trying wire crochet, don't worry about how your stitches look! Try to avoid crumpling up your stitches too much as you go, but a certain amount of crumpling can't be helped when you crochet with wire. It looks unsightly but you can spiff it up later. Notice in this photo that like ugly ducklings, the love knots look nothing like the swans they will become. (Actually, I was tempted to try leaving them as is, only twisted a bit. See what you think.)

3. Sc over the remaining thick wire ends, leaving one-half inch unworked. Then flatten the sc's a bit and fold that strip of sc's in half. Flatten and compress it. Wind the unworked thick wire ends around the sc strip and hide the ends so that they don't snag or poke when bracelet is worn.

4. Fold the sc strip in half again, loosely, to create a hook for the clasp. I like to fold it around the shaft of my steel crochet hook; then compress the stitches some more. (See first photo.)

5. Continue working along the other side of the thick wire: *make a love knot of the same size as the others, sc around the thick wire on the other side of the next bead.* You can scrunch the beads apart so that you can fit your sc in there. Continue from * to * until you reach the thick wire loop end.

6. Scrunch together the beads so that about one inch of the thick wire loop is free of stitches. Sc around this loop until it is covered. Fasten off and hide the ends. Flatten and compress the sc's.

7. Now you can coax your love knot strands into a pretty look. Each love knot has 3 strands, so each bead is enrobed with 6 floaty wire strands.

For more photos and comments, please look for this project in Ravelry. If you make your own version, I hope you'll upload a photo and let me know!

New Handbag Pattern in a New e-Book

I'm pleased to announce that my designing friends have done it again! 

My "Half Double Half Circle Handbag" crochet pattern is now available in volume three of our downloadable Strapped for Bags series.

Like our three other e-books, it is 100% designer-produced, and that's why we're known as.... Straight from Today's Designers. So many of us had a bag pattern to contribute that we divided them among 3 volumes.

About my pattern: 

What you see is the result of two goals. The first was to revel in the built-in drama of a self-striping yarn like the Noro Kureyon you see here. It's an easy stitch pattern of "half doubles" (hdc in the US, htr in the UK and Oz) so I zipped along in suspense as each new color bloomed. Suddenly I had a handbag. 

I love the fabric of it so much that a close up of it decorates my Twitter page background. I display the bag at home for daily eye candy.

My other inspiration has been a current fashion trend for garment and handbag construction in which the grain of the fabric is spotlighted as the primary design element. Crochet is great for this because you can easily emphasize row direction, as with this bag. 

This fashion trend inspired me see what the distinctive fabric grain would look like in a solid-colored yarn, and in cotton, which can result in a very different fabric from a wool yarn.

All of our books have Ravelry pages, where a wealth of additional information is available. Here's the page for my bag; the book page showing all seven designs; project page of the multicolored version of my bag is here and the solid cotton version is here. If you're not in Ravelry, check out my new crochet design photo galleries that I'm building in Flickr.

Designer's Pledge

I stand with Annie.

Friends, some of you may have noticed that over time, appearances of my new designs have dwindled. Something happened to my designing life last year: four years of selling all rights to my designs caught up with me and I couldn't bear it anymore. At first I wondered if I should stop designing altogether (horrors!). I actually tried that, but found out that I couldn't stop designing; I just stopped submitting proposals to print publishers.

Annie's pledge* is an easy one for me to make because I naturally made this pledge with myself in 2008, just so that I could enjoy designing again. I have so many fun new options for sharing my designs with you, so watch this blog!

*"Today I pledge that henceforth, I will only sign contracts that allow me the freedom of determining what happens to my intellectual property after the initial publication." Annie Modesitt's post is excellent reading for designers and their friends.

Crochet on the Runway for Fall 2009: The Links

Here are links that relate to last night's fashion crochet podcast.

(You can download it if you missed it; also scroll down to Comments, esp. if you are Eleanor in FL!)

The dress pictured here is by Wasson for RVCA and is a great example of the inky black crocheted lace looks for Fall 2009 (source): 

Check out Aquascutum's black Irish crochet lace stockings here. Another designer featuring black crochet lace textures for fall is A 

Detacher, and for 2009 Spring and Resort collections, see Just Cavalli and Diane von Furstenberg. You can find photos of these and many more crochet looks in this slideshow --Catherine Malandrino, Ports 1961, Nanette Lepore, Douglas Hannant, and more.

I also mentioned seeing freeform knit and crochet on the runway for 2009. I found both the more solid, classic scrumbling look (see Rodarte miniskirts) as well as in-your-face freeform crochet lace, for example Kenzo (Spring collection, see dress also; photo source). 

Very exciting! Of course I instantly thought of Myra Wood's new book--you're ahead of the runway designers, Myra! Maybe you inspired them or their contract crocheters?

I'm also swooning over Sonia Rykiel's deep-v black and white diagonal gown with colorwork virtuosity, and Alberta Feretti's pewter skirt of crocheted pineapples worn over the beautiful silver satin dress. (Silver/gray is my favorite neutral.) The traditional pineapple stitch pattern looks modern and chic; same with the examples of classic Irish crochet lace draped all over, sometimes in huge swaths reminding me of crochet's 

heyday with Queen Victoria. That's Aquascutum's coat you see here. Here's a classic gold crochet motif cardi with fresh styling by Dries van Noten. Don't miss Douglas Hannant's Spring '09 traditional yet over-the-top dress.

I mentioned PPQ's geometric crochet motif epaulets, but neglected to mention the accompanying ruffled crochet shorts!(same pic)

Last but not least, I tried to describe the unusual must-see crochet-covered ring embellishments that On Aura Tout Vu used on sunglasses and clothing. You just need to see for yourself. This blog seems to be the original source for the photos that I saw on other blogs.

Want to Talk Fashion and Crochet?

That's the topic I'll be discussing with Mary Beth Temple for her Getting Loopy podcast this Monday evening (you can download it if you missed it). Please feel free to call in any questions or comments you have during the show at this number: 646-915-8371. It is deliciously fun to join the chat room also, which is open during the podcasts every Monday. 

You're welcome to email me with any questions or comments: vashtiramaATgmail.com (replace 'AT' with @). And if you miss the live show, you can do what hundreds and hundreds of listeners do, they download the podcast from the archives.

I love talking with Mary Beth--years ago our very first phone convo was 4 or so hours long :-) -- and I love fashion and crochet. 

Please Help Indie Designers: Survey

Click
Here to take survey
When you have a moment, please add your comments to a survey created by Mary Beth Temple. It's short--it took me 2 or 3 minutes--and at the end you can also enter her contest on her next Getting Loopy podcast. The lucky winner receives a cone of the new LB Collection Wool Stainless Steel yarn in a pretty color.

Thank you! And now, back to my task at hand: rounding up years of my WIP's, PIG's, and FO's* to photograph and post on Ravelry. (Or, frog and recycle.)

*WIP (work in progress), PIG (project in grocery bag), FO (finished object), frog (to "rip-it" out).

Free Pattern: Draft Snake

If you landed here from The Daily Green, welcome! I hope all of my readers enjoy crocheting this draft snake as much as I did.  If you're wondering what to do with leftover crochet yarns or single skeins of pretties, this is your lucky day. This free 'n' easy pattern uses basic crochet stitches, yarns you already own, and is sure to lower your heating bills!

To get started, round up the yarns you'd like to use. (Yarn scraps should be at least 36 inches long.) If a yarn is thin, use it along with one or two other yarns. Furry, lumpy, and feathery yarns are fantastic for draft snakes because the extra texture blocks drafts under the door the best. If you use highly textured yarns like I did, crochet them along with a coordinating color of a standard smooth worsted weight yarn. The smooth yarn will make it easier for you to see where to place your stitches.

If you use all smooth yarns--for example, 3 worsted weight strands of Red Heart or Simply Soft acrylic held together--the snake will have a cool woven basket look instead. It will also be more stiff.

I glued big flat-backed acrylic gems for the eyes, and with thin red crochet thread I crocheted a forked tongue, which required heavy stiffener. For this pattern though, do yourself a favor: cut a piece of red felt into a long snake tongue shape and call it a day. In keeping with the snake's stylin' bling I edged the snake eyes with glittery gold 3-D fabric paint, and drew a gold vein on the tongue.

Scrappy Draft Snake, the Pattern

Please help me preserve Scrappy's copyright by referring friends to this DesigningVashti 1/29/09 blog entry instead of distributing your own copies. This pattern is intended for crocheters over the age of 12 who take full responsibility for using safe materials. Thanks!

Supplies:

• Your own special stash of yarns, some with high texture for EDP (enhanced draft protection).
  
• Size M/#13/9mm crochet hook or best hook size for you. The goal is a comfortably tight gauge; as long as the stuffing won't show, you're using the right hook for you and your yarns.
  
• A stitch marker
  
• Stuffing
  
• Fabric scrap (such as felt) cut into snake tongue shape
  
• Yarn needle that is sharp enough to sew through fabric scrap
  
• Flat-backed gems or googly eyes, and fabric glue for them (if children in the home are under 3, securely sewn-on eyes instead of glued are safer.)
  

Abbreviations:

ch = chain

sc = single crochet

sl st = slip stitch

st, sts = stitch, stitches

rep = repeat

rnd = round

RS, WS = right side, wrong side

Begin Snake at its tail end: Ch 2.

Rnd 1: work 6 sc into 2nd ch from hook (or use the method of your choice for crocheting in the rnd with a closed center hole). Place st marker in 6th sc. Rnds will be worked in a spiral without joining rnds and without turning after each rnd. Move st marker to the last st of each rnd so that you can count your rnds. The backs of the sts will be the outside of the snake (i.e. the RS) because high texture falls to the backs of crochet sts.

Rnd 2: (2 sc in the next sc, sc in the next sc) around, move marker: 9 sc.

Rnd 3: Sc in each sc around, move marker: 9 sc.

Rnd 4: (2 sc in next sc, sc in each of next 2 sc) around, move marker: 12 sc.

Rnd 5: Rep rnd 3. 

Rnd 6: (2 sc in next sc, sc in each of next 3 sc) around, move marker: 15 sc.

Rnd 7: Rep rnd 3.

Rnd 8: (2 sc in next sc, sc in each of next 4 sc) around, move marker: 18 sc.

Rnd 9: Rep rnd 3. Snake tail is complete.

Snake Body and Head: Rep rnd 3 until snake is as long as desired; I made mine to fit a 35" doorway snugly. Fasten off with a yarn tail about 12 inches long. Snake opening is the mouth.

Stuff snake.

Sew mouth closed: with yarn needle and yarn tail, sew snake mouth tightly closed around tongue so that seam creates a rounded snake's mouth. 

Glue (or sew) eyes securely.

Crochet and the Obamas

I'm watching televised coverage of the U.S. Presidential Inauguration Day. As the cameras scan the massive crowd, I notice crochet-textured hats and scarves. Occasionally I can identify actual crochet stitches, as in the case of the gentleman who salutes throughout President Obama's inaugural speech: he wears a heathery purple hat crocheted of stacked shells that changes to plain-textured stitches toward the crown. Someone else wears a cream-colored hat with widely-spaced vertical ribs of post stitches.

Like many people I've been enjoying First Lady Michelle Obama's fresh and adventurous fashion style and if today's inaugural dress is a signal, it is exciting for me as a crochet designer.

Mrs. Obama wears a sumptuous sheath dress and matching coat ensemble designed by Isabel Toledo. I thrill to the rich texture of the fabric, which is reminiscent of fine crocheted lace over a silk satin lining. It speaks volumes in subliminal texture-speak.

Crochet designing trains the eye to read textures of fabrics, not just their colors or fiber content or cut and shaping. This is because texture is one of the central defining elements of every crochet stitch; one can either design with it or around it.

I'm seeing more rich textures displayed by the Obamas and their extended family than in the rest of the politicians and audience at large. The lady whom I believe is Mrs. Obama's mother wears a chunky-textured red hat and scarf set that has a handknit or crocheted look. Another possible relative wears a dark red furry scarf that reminds me of a knitting and crochet yarn like Bernat Boa or Sullivan's Sashay. President Obama himself chose a solid red necktie with distinctive texture as its design statement, rather than the matte satin ties I'm used to seeing politicians wear.

Textures like these communicate on an emotional level because they are visually warming and cozy; they look (ideally are, as all crochet is) handmade, which conveys loving care. They reassure because they are visual reminders of traditional and practical basic skills that are used to build something new and real, stitch by well-placed stitch.

So far (the day is still young), comments about the inaugural dress have to my mind been texture-deaf. It is extraordinary that a solid lace dress ensemble was chosen for this day; even more remarkable is what it communicates. In addition to the usual constructive and nurturing messages that texture can signal, Mrs. Obama wears the power lace of queens: an assertive depth of texture and play of light created by the painstaking work of artisans. (See Isabel Toledo's description.)

Taken all together, it manages to empower the wearer, the role, and the country simultaneously.