Archive for the ‘Pattern Hacks’ category

Layered scallops necklace

April 2nd, 2010

This necklace is made with crochet cotton thread size 8.

The Layered Scallops Necklace is a variation of the Crocheted Lace Necklace using the Shell and Bobble Trim that I made last year. These projects are based on the simple idea of turning crochet edgings and trimmings into jewelry using lace weight cotton thread, beads, sequins and other notions.

The Layered Scallops Necklace pattern can be downloaded as a PDF file here.

CAL: Black lacy triangles

March 30th, 2010

Today, I finished writing the pattern for a new crocheted necklace, Black Lacy Triangles. You may download the pattern here. The pattern now includes crochet symbolcraft.

If you downloaded the earlier version of the pattern, please take note of this errata (below), or you can download the corrected version thru the link above.

Errata: At Rnd 3, do not fasten off. Continue to rnd 4:
Rnd 4
: (Picot round) Ch 1, *sl st in first ch sp, ch 3 repeat from * to last ch sp, ending with sl st. Fasten off.

Inspired by antique edgings, this lacy necklace is quite easy to make.

This black lacy triangles necklace is inspired by one of the antique edgings in the book “Edgings in Crochet, Book no. 4″ by Adeline Cordet which you can find at the Antique Pattern Library. For this project, you will need some sewing thread, needle (with very small eye), some gold cup beads and gold flat sequins. You will also need a bead (for enclosure) about 1cm in diameter.

I used a steel crochet hook size 6 (1mm) and black Hamanaka Lacy Crochet thread (cotton).

Edgings and trimmings in crochet make great sources of ideas for crocheted jewelry.

If you would like to do a CAL on this project, please let me know. I am interested in making another necklace this time using Philippine-made cotton thread in light color.

Crocheted lace necklace

March 24th, 2010

I started work on it yesterday and finished today a new crocheted lace necklace.

Crocheted lace necklace: cotton thread and various glass beads, pearls and sequins.

This is based on the crocheted lace “Shell and Bobble.”

Here is a closer look at the clasp of the necklace, with a wooden bead and a crocheted buttonhole.

The crocheted clasp of the necklace with a wooden bead.

The sequins, pearls and beads are sewn in by hand after the crochet lace is completed. The detail of the bead work is shown below.

Detail showing bead work on the crochet lace.

This crocheted lace necklace is very easy to make but you need to be very patient with beading. I made some lace necklaces earlier using rayon.

The crocheted lace necklace - a gift for my sister!

Below is an earlier version of the crocheted lace necklace. This was made using glitter cotton thread.

The crocheted lace necklace in glitter cotton thread.

CAL: A hat pattern-making exercise

March 18th, 2010
Using openwork and texture for a two-tone hat.

Using openwork and texture for a two-tone hat.

Several days ago, I was able to finish crocheting another hat. I am not a hat-wearer but I have started giving hats some thought and consideration after seeing a friend wearing a finely knitted bucket hat at the baluarte in Baclayon, Bohol. She was from Pamilacan Island and she uses the hat when travelling by boat from the island to the mainland.

In Baclayon, I also noticed that a lot of people use umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. Only a few people use hats, more for fashion purposes rather than for protection from the elements. But our friend from Pamilacan certainly wore a hat for protection and at the same time looked rather pretty. And because she was carrying a lot of things to the boat, it was indeed also more practical and convenient to wear a hat rather than carry an umbrella.

Though never a hat wearer before, this time, I think I am going to need to wear a hat when we return to Baclayon! So, now I am trying to look into the anatomy of a hat, some different styles of hats and the basic pattern for a crocheted hat so that I can later on design and make new types of hats for myself and for others who need them.

The Anatomy of a Hat

The anatomy of a hat.

Illustrated here is the anatomy of a hat.

A hat is generally of four parts: (1) The crown; (2) The Peak; (3) The brim; and (4) The Headband/Puggaree.

The crown is the portion of the hat covering the head. The crown may be flat, straight, pleated, tapered, center-creased or open.

The peak (or bill) is a stiff projection at the front of the hat, to shade or shield the eyes from sun and rain.

The brim is an optional projection of stiff material from the bottom of the hat’s crown horizontally all around the circumference of the hat. The brim may be wide, curled or rolled.

The hatband (or Puggaree in English/British) is a ribbon or band that runs around the bottom of the torso of the hat. While the hatband is located outside the hat, a feature called the sweatband is located on the inside of the hat touching the skin.

Symbol chart for a hat.

Pictured on the right is a hat pattern. Observe the increase of stitches (crown and brim) to create the shape of the hat. To make a larger hat, you will need to add more increasing rows for the crown (and consequently, the brim).

CAL: A hat pattern-making exercise

I would like to make a new hat using cotton thread. I would like it to be a colorful hat, with a slightly loose crown, a fitting brim and a foldable peak (perhaps resembling a casquette?). It should provide protection from the harsh summer sun and keep the head cool. I would also like the hat to fit both men and women, drawing inspiration perhaps from the Philippine “salakot” or woven conical hat – not so much the conical shape but rather the decorative elements of the more intricate renditions of the “salakot.”

If you are interested in this CAL, I will be posting a draft pattern within the next 1-2 weeks, as well as some information about hat measurements, the “salakot” and possibilities for more radical designs for crocheted hats.

Spiral Hats and Crochet-Along with Crochetology.net

March 15th, 2010
Crocheted hat made with two strands of cotton thread in different colors.

Spiral pattern hat crocheted with two strands/color cotton thread.

This hat is based on a women’s cloche pattern. I was particularly interested in the spiral design of the hat’s crown which is developed from the shell pattern. The design is fascinating, simple but can be quite confusing when it comes to joining rows. I made several errors following the pattern and find it easier to use a stitch marker (a colored thread or safety pin will suffice) to indicate the beginning of a row.

A few modifications were made in this project: one relating to the number of stitches, the other had to do with the shape of the brim.

I had to change the number of stitches to reach the desired size of the crown because I used cotton thread instead of the bulk yarn called for in the original pattern. I also decided to use two strands of cotton thread  – one in brown and the other in beige color – to create a tweed color and texture of reasonable strength and thickness.

The brim of the hat is also modified. Instead of a long straight brim, I made the front section short sloping along the sides towards a longer back section. I shaped the brim with increasing/decreasing sc, hdc and dc stitches, experimenting with inserting the hook in the front loop or back loop of the stitches.

If you would like to learn more about crochet chart symbols, please visit the page on Crochet Symbolcraft.

"Symbol craft" pattern for the spiral hat.

I have seen other spiral (or swirl) designs constructed with other stitches such as the simple block of dc stitches to the more complex fpdc. Some free crochet hat spiral patterns I’ve found are:

  1. Lace Cap by Kim Werker – This is a simple lace/openwork pattern.
  2. Divine Hat by Rheatheylia – This is a good pattern using the fpdc (front post dc) with the spiral design coming out best in single color yarn/thread
  3. 3-color Spiral Hat – This hat includes a tutorial on crocheting a 3-color spiral.
  4. Spring by the Pacific – Suitable for summer or spring, the spiral design of this hat is created by an openwork pattern.
  5. Anupriya – A thick, simple hat that uses the puff stitch to create the spiral design.
  6. Mimi Hat by Mari Gutierez – The spiral pattern for the crown of this hat can be extended into other hat styles such as the cloche or the tuque.
  7. The Spiral Octagon Hat – A very simple spiral pattern in hdc stitches.
  8. Crocheted Abba-Hat – Although this is not a hat in spiral design, I added it here as pattern basis for a spiral design. This can be done by offsetting the alternating dc blocks along each row.

Below is another “symbol craft” pattern for a hat with a spiral design. This one is done in fpdc. You can see how the spiral design emerges from the alternates and offsets of blocks (of dc sts) and spaces (of ch sts), with the textured blocks made by fpdc sts.

Another spiral pattern.

Another spiral pattern.

While making this spiral hat, I have thought of putting up a Crochet Along (CAL) section on Crochetology.net, with the purpose of modifying patterns to create new ones, and keeping track of the entire process. CAL projects can range from the simple to the more complex. If you are interested in a CAL, please send me an email or post a comment on this blog with a pattern and/or project suggestion.

I will be putting up the first CAL project soon.

The crocheted long rectangle

January 11th, 2010

These are two of three Tropical Scarves designed by Mimi and may be found on her website (thanks, Mimi!). I finished crocheting these scarves a few weeks ago and have thought of the possibility of designing dresses based on scarf patterns and designs. The scarf, basically a long rectangle, presents a good and simple springboard for new designs and ideas. Ensembles also provide an opportunity to explore and expand a particular pattern or design.

Summer Shells Scarf in cotton thread.

Summer Shells Scarf in crochet cotton thread.

Beach Pebbles scarf in crochet cotton thread.

Beach Pebbles scarf in crochet cotton thread.

Crochetology problem: Start with a simple scarf pattern, such as Mimi’s Tropical Scarves, and experiment with color. Then extend the pattern by visualizing the shape into other objects such as a belt, a stole, a shawl, a collar, hems of a skirt or dress, a table runner or a wall-bound artwork.

The usefulness of the crocheted long rectangle is that the shape lends well to testing its texture, the direction that it stretches, how it looks in color combinations and how it might work out with other materials.

A Cardigan which I made a few months ago is an example of work that was developed from a scarf pattern. The sleeves and upper section of the cardigan draws from a scarf design, in combination with a number of other patterns and stitches from a crochet stitch dictionary.

You can also extend any design by applying the pattern across an ensemble of objects, for example, a scarf, a bag, and a blouse.

» Read more: The crocheted long rectangle

Skirt in Filet Crochet and borrowing from antique yoke designs

January 3rd, 2010

Antique crochet patterns can serve as sources of new ideas and inspiration for new crochet work. A particular book of interest is “The Priscilla Yoke Book, 1916” which may be found in the Antique Pattern Library.

An excellent book on the "yoke".

An excellent book on the "yoke".

Using a corset-cover yoke design from page 13 of the book, in combination with filet crochet, I made this white skirt using white rayon thread.

Skirt crocheted with white rayon thread.

Skirt crocheted with white rayon thread.

The hem of the skirt is based on the crocheted medallions from the yoke book. I added little blue glass beads along the hemline to add weight to the skirt, since rayon is such a soft and delicate material.

The Yoke design which I used for the skirt's hemline.

The Yoke design which I used for the skirt's hemline.

» Read more: Skirt in Filet Crochet and borrowing from antique yoke designs

Multi-color-texture Wrap-around Skirt

January 1st, 2010

A garden of color and texture.

A garden of color and texture.

Crochetology problem:

Using some basic textured stitches:

Ribbed stitch
Make a row of single crochet. Turn. Make another row of single crochet but this time pass the hook through the back part (or back loop) only of the stitches of the preceding row. Use different colors for each row to emphasize the effect of the stitches.

Raised treble
Start with a row of simple treble stitches. The row with the raised treble stitches consists of three simple treble stitches, then one double treble connected with a loop trough the stitch of the previous row. Continue with three simple treble stitches then one double treble, and so on. Use different colors for each row so that the raised treble stitch is more visible.

Shell pattern
The pattern is made up of three rounds of stacked shells that area laced together with chain stitches in the third round of the sequence. Each shell is made by working (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the same stitch or space.
Row 1. (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next stitch, ch 2, skip next 2 stitches; repeat from * to end. Turn.
Rows 2 and 3. (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in ch-2 space of first shell, *ch 2, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in ch-2 space of next shell; repeat from * to end. Turn.
Row 4. (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in ch-2 space of first shell, *ch 3, sc in ch-2 space between 2 shells two rounds below, ch 3, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in ch-2 space of next shell; repeat from * to end. Turn.
Row 5-7. Repeat Rows 2-4.

Make a wrap-around skirt of at least 4 colors.

» Read more: Multi-color-texture Wrap-around Skirt

The Calico Bag

December 11th, 2009

Update: The pattern for The Calico Bag is now available for download as a PDF file.
See The Calico Bag Free Pattern.
There is also a Crochet-Along for The Calico Bag at CAL: Calico Bag (Turning chains and changing color)
and CAL: Calico Bag (The handle, assembly and finishing).

Nature is an important source of techniques and ideas for patterns and color schemes. Here, I turn to my calico cat, Kitty2, for inspiration. She is now over a year old. We found her in early October last year under a tree outside our apartment, apparently abandoned. She was was inside an open plastic bag indicating that someone had thrown her over the fence and fell right under the tree.

My dear calico cat Kitty2.

My dear calico cat Kitty2.

Now, Kitty2 is a gigantic cat! I took several photos of her and turned her coat markings into a pattern for a crocheted bag. Below is a photo of the finished bag.

The pattern on this side of the bag is based on Kitty's face.

The pattern on this side of the bag is based on Kitty's face.

The body of the bag is made from two sections, front and back, of the same size but different markings. The bag is worked in single crochet, except for a small section where the ginger and white colors mesh (as shown above) where I used front post double crochet alternating with single crochet. It is also possible to make the alternating colors in sc stitches only.

» Read more: The Calico Bag

Bag in acrylic and fur yarn

November 30th, 2009

An easy project for Christmas is this bag which is a modified version of an existing pattern. I used two different types of yarn: acrylic (multi-color and purple) and fur novelty yarn. Also, instead of a normal bag handle, I used a simple dog chain.

Bag in acrylic and fur yarn.

Bag in multi-color acrylic and fur yarn. A small dog chain was used as strap/handle.

The photo below shows the furry yarn that my mother bought from the Ukay-ukay shop. (“Ukay-ukay” (literally “dig-dig”) are bargain shops where second-hand or surplus clothes, bags, shoes, books and other items are sold.)

» Read more: Bag in acrylic and fur yarn