Just Buy the Pattern!

You know, they say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. And sometimes life just makes sure I don't forget it.

I've been crocheting fairly consistently now for about 30 years and I consider myself at an intermediate level, although I've certainly not had much of any experience making clothing. You know, the kind that actually has to fit. So every now and then I'll be perusing Pinterest and I'll find a photo of an item that I fall in love with, but then I find out I'd have to pay for the pattern. Since I have a very small budget, I try to be frugal. And sometimes I'm arrogant (and silly) enough to think that I can just figure out the pattern on my own.

Such was the case of the Metro Kerchief by Yuliya Tkacheva. Even though I am a lace fan at heart, occasionally when I see a beautiful geometric pattern I fall in love. And I fell hard for this one. But since my budget is tight, I thought (after looking very carefully at the scarf) that I could figure it out on my own. HA!

Metro Kerchief by Yuliya Tkacheva

First off, you have to be careful to choose a yarn that has quite a bit of body to it because a soft yarn won't hold the design. That was my first mistake, so I had to start over with another yarn. Next, after you figure out how to do the pattern, you have to figure out the correct increases/decreases, otherwise you will end up with either a VERY long scarf, a very short scarf, or a very lopsided scarf.

I won't bore you will all the details, but this scarf took me almost a month to finally get right (and with a lot of mathematical help from my husband, too). Looking back on this now, that's totally insane. Of course, when I started out I had no idea it would be so difficult for me (that arrogance again!), but at least the experience has taught me a lesson. Unless an item is super-super easy, JUST BUY THE PATTERN!

                    The Urban Kerchief, now available in my Bonanza Shop

I have since completed my version of this scarf, and even though it took me forever, I am very happy with how it turned out. It is currently available for sale at my Bonanza booth - only $21.99 and free shipping! (Christmas is coming faster than you know....)

It's About Time!

I've been a little sluggish with my crocheting lately (and my posts!). I needed to take some pics too, and of course "sunny" California decided to be grey and drizzly for the past few days. However - TA DA - I have a few new things to show you. One item isn't totally new, but I've finally completed it and have the pattern available now in my store, which you can find here. This is the afghan I mentioned in an earlier post, and I've named it Aqua Dreams. The Caron Simply Soft yarn is so pretty and the sheen is really nice. I was very angry at myself for making my traditional mistake of crocheting the beginning rows loose and tightening my tension as I go along - yes, I did it again - but I was able to work it all out with the single crochet/crab stitch border, so everything is fine now. And I am very proud of myself for using up an additional 10+ skeins of my stash!

Aqua Dreams Afghan

 I was so happy with the way the Caron yarn looked that I decided to make another item with it - a long cowl with a lacy edging that you can double loop for added warmth. That's still on the blocking mat, so you'll get to see it in my next post.  I've also finished my version of the Metro Kerchief by Yuliya Tkacheva. I didn't design these two items, so they'll be going in my store as 'products for sale', a new category I'll be adding shortly. I've also designed a scarf/shawlette, I'm working on a summer cowl, and I've finished my mom's Mother's Day present, but I'll have more on those later. By George, i think I'm out of my slump!

My version of the Metro Kerchief

     Till next time, happy crocheting!                                

Not What You'd Expect

Normally I'd have a post with some wonderful photos of inspiration or links to patterns, especially for the holiday season. However, it seems that there is an overload of those types of posts, so I decided to do something a little different.

I have owned a small plastic semi-articulated skeleton for probably going on twenty years. He isn't anything super special, but I like him. (So does my oldest son. At one point we even had an argument because my son said I had given the skeleton to him and I said I didn't. I won.)

Since this skeleton has been a part of my family for so long, naming him only seemed appropriate, and I feel that Arthur suits him. Arthur normally spends most of his time in a ziplock bag in the Halloween decorations box, but somehow since our move to CA (8 years ago), he managed to find his way to the back of the entertainment unit's cabinet. And people talk about the Elf on the Shelf! I've also thought it's only right that a few photographic portraits should be taken.

Arthur is a handsome devil, and always has such a wonderful smile!

 

 

 Arthur normally comes out to decorate the entertainment unit in October, enjoying the company of a clay pumpkin made by my younger son's former high school sweetheart and an amigurumi pumpkin I made. But somehow Arthur always manages to stay out well past Thanksgiving and generally doesn't get back in the cabinet until Christmas is over.

 Arthur with his Halloween friends

 

 One day my younger son's new girlfriend was over and she inquired about having a skeleton for a Christmas decoration. I explained that Arthur enjoyed the holidays, but I felt he should have some Christmas/winter accessories. So she suggested that I crochet something for him. Imagine that! So this year I've given him a little scarf and hat, and maybe next year he'll get a sweater or jacket.

 Arthur sporting his new Christmas duds.

 

Arthur enjoying some Christmas Baubles I made - I think he's holding his favorite!

 As a matter of fact, there really isn't any reason Arthur couldn't stay out a little past Christmas. Wouldn't he be adorable as a Valentine's Day cupid? Or perhaps a new version of the Easter Bunny? By George, I may have caught on to something here, in a slightly twisted way. Oh, The Nightmare Before Christmas, what have you wrought?!!

The "Simple" Scarf

A little while ago I spotted a crescent-shaped scarf/shawl and fell in love; ever since I have been chomping at the bit to design one. This couldn't be all that difficult, could it? Little did I realize what I was getting myself into!

This adventure began at the beginning of March. I decided that I wanted to have a curved ridge to mimic the crescent shape and to give it a more modern look. Then, since I have also fallen in love with gradient color schemes, I chose to use Michael's Loops & Thread Woolike yarn in ivory, beige, and cool gray with just one row of charcoal to strongly define the edge. Seemed like a plan to me. Ha!

 

Gradient Color Bands

 

I am now on the third version of this scarf. (Amazingly, the yarn did hold up to all my frogging.) At first I tried to figure this out by myself and failed miserably. Then I found a free crescent pattern to give me some guidance, but after a few rows I didn't like the extreme "U" shape it was taking, so that was frogged. Then I tried my own version, but that turned out too straight. Finally I came up with what I have now, and I think it's going to be all right. Up to this point my designs have been very simple, so I just wasn't ready for one to give me such a fight!

There are still two problems, though. 1) It seems that when you start a crescent shaped scarf with a short neck row, you end up with a separately curved neckline from the body of the scarf (see photo below). This has happened to me three times now. I've seen a video where this was mentioned, but I also saw a photo of a full crescent shawl without this problem, so I'm not sure if it's just me or not. I am hoping that I can correct this with an inside edging of some sort. 2) I wasn't thinking clearly enough to realize that on some row ends I had three stitches and some I had four. The four makes a little bump-out that I don't want (see top of photo below). I can easily correct this in the written pattern, but I am hoping again that I can correct this with the inside edging of some sort.  (Insert deleted expletive of your choice here.)

Wonky neckline and end of row bumps

I have one or possibly two more sets of the three-color bands to go, and then to come up with my miracle edging. But I won't give up on the scarf/shawlette after this one is done, because I saw such wonderful designs while researching this project that I'll just have to keep on going!

P.S. - If anyone knows of a solution to the wonky neckline, PLEASE let me know. I will be forever in your debt.