A few days ago, I got a new Japanese pattern book, a book of Autumn-Winter crochet clothes and accessories. There are a few lace scarves in that book and I decided to appropriate them to make a skirt.

Crochet skirt in progress.

How do I know which pattern to appropriate?

There are lots of simple scarf patterns. These generally use only one block of design. However, what I wanted for a skirt was something that presented more than a single block of design since a skirt is not as flat as a scarf. A skirt has shape and volume. What I needed was a scarf pattern that presented at least two blocks of design that work well together.

My selection consists of one block of design made up of square motifs. The other block of design is made up of dc meshes. The dc mesh is also made more visually interesting by alternating rows of slanting tr’s and vertical dc clusters.

At the moment, I am very happy with this design that presents the lacy uniformity of square motifs and the variation of alternating meshes. I am also quite pleased with the way a line is made vertically on the skirt – that line where the block of motifs and the block of meshes join.

Materials

I am using dk weight baby camel yarn. Now this is not very stretchy yarn and the stitches I am using are not very stretch either. The resulting fabric will not have a lot of give which is why it is important to treat this fabric as if it were woven.

So I decided to look at some sewing patterns to see how skirts may be shaped.

Looking through various skirt styles, I am beginning to love the skirt again. I have pretty much neglected myself after getting married, not minding much my clothes or little pretty things such as make-up and accessories. It is sad since as a teenager, I was quite fond of fashion, design, and such things. Now I feel quite old and miss the brightness of my younger days.

The skirts I see while browsing through the Internet make me feel happy.

I hope to finish this crochet project soon. I also have that summer dress to look forward to finishing.

I gave MOD Zhurnal a try and last week, the magazines arrived in the post! I got the two all-crochet issues, No. 533 and No. 524.

My new Russian-language crochet fashion magazines: MOD Zhurnal 524 and 533, and Duplet 124.

The MOD Zhurnal magazines are rather different from the Duplet magazines. While the colour model photos in Duplet are not accompanied by the actual patterns for making them, the MOD Zhurnal models have patterns. However, one must bear in mind that the patterns are in Russian language and in crochet symbols.

To show you how the MOD Zhurnal models and patterns are presented in the magazines, I will provide here one example.

Here is model no. 4 from MOD Zhurnal 533.

Model no. 4 from MOD Zhurnal 533.

And here (below) is a snapshot of the pattern for the modelled top. I have edited this image so that the texts and charts from the other models are not shown on the page. This will make the patterns less confusing.

Pattern instructions, charts and schematics for model no.4.

The above pattern includes the written instructions (in Russian language), the symbol crochet chart for the motifs, and a schematic showing the measurements for the top (left, right from and back sections) and the sleeves.

If you don’t read Russian, you will have to rely mostly on the photos and crochet symbols charts and schematics to make this top. You should be able to crochet the motifs and have some knowledge and experience of joining the motifs together with crochet netting.

Often, I use the motifs in Duplet and MOD Zhurnal for making my own designs of clothes and accessories. Here is an example where I used the motifs shown above to make a choker. It is a fairly simple appropriation of the motifs.

The choker is tied at the back with simple crocheted string with beads.

I finished this choker in one evening. I used a crochet hook size 1mm and dk weight baby camel yarn. The motifs consists of: (1) large lacy leaf, (2) small lacy leaf, (3) normal leaf, (4) large flower with curled and flat petals, (5) small flower with curled petals.

Here is another view of the choker showing the motifs and their arrangement (below). As you can see, there are two large lacy leaves, two normal leaves, one large flower and one small flower. Plus a chain with beads for ties.

Here is how I arranged the motifs together to form the choker. Experiment with other arrangements.

To read the crochet symbols, you must become familiar with what the individual symbols stand for. Refer to this chart from Duplet magazine, and a previous blog post, Learning to Read Crochet Symbols the Duplet Way.

Luckily, some of the models in MOD Zhurnal magazine are accompanied by detailed photographic step-by-step. For example, the same MOD Zhurnal 533 include a netting join tutorial of this beautiful dress designed and created by Olga Krivenko.

Modifications

Did I make any modifications to the patterns in the magazine?

Yes, but only very minor ones. I omitted the dc’s for the stem nearest to the lacy leaf so there is a small hole there. I prefer this to a solid stem.

The finished motif choker.

Anyway, I am very happy with this new piece of crochet jewellery and there are many more motifs and inspiration from MOD Zhurnal.

If you would like to make this crochet jewellery using a written version of this pattern, just let me know so I can try and write down the pattern. Nevertheless, I consider it best for crocheters to start reading both written and symbol patterns and to get right into modifying as the first step to making your own designs.

This morning, I took some photos of the finished hairband. It is an example of the simplest modification of a hat pattern. The hat pattern is drawn from the Japanese-language magazine Ondori issue number 2342.

The hairband is made by simply working half-way through the hat pattern which starts at the base. You finish when you reach the desired width of the hairband. My hairband is worked in worsted weight yarn and a 2.5mm crochet hook. The resulting width of the hairband is 3 inches with 10 rounds.

The finished hairband is worked in the round.

Here is a closer look at the hairband stitches.

The finished hairband.

The finished hairband here shows 5 pattern repetitions, with the last 2 reps in decrease stitch to taper the hairband. The upper edge of the hairband is crocheted with simple picots.

Pattern

Foundation chain starts at the base of the hat/hairband. Chain a multiple of 6 stitches +1.

(The average circumference of hats is 22 inches. You may wish to make a half inch or so smaller for a hairband)

Interlocking shell pattern:

Sc in 2nd ch fr hook.

Rnd 1: Skip 2 ch, 5 dc in next ch, skip 2 ch, sc in next ch, rep fr ending last rep with sl st in first sc to join.

Rnd 2: Ch 3, sc in middle dc of 5-dc shell, in next sc make (dc, ch 3, dc), rep fr ending last rep with ch 3 and sl st in first sc to join.

Rnd 3: Ch 3, 2 dc in same sc, sc in 3-ch sp, 5 dc in next sc, rep fr ending last rep with sc in last 3-ch sp, 2 dc in first sc, sl st in top of ch-3 to join.

Rnd 4: Ch 1, sc in top of same ch-3, in next sc make (dc, ch 3, dc), sc in middle dc of 5-dc shell, in next sc make (dc, ch 3, dc), rep fr ending last rep with sl st in first sc to join. (This completes 2 rounds of the basic interlocking shell stitch pattern).

Rnds 5-6: Rep rnds 3-4.

To make the first shell pattern decrease, you make a 4-dc shell instead of 5 (in the first round), and a 2-ch sp instead of 3 (in the next round). Thus:

Rnd 7: Ch 3, 1 dc in same sc, sc in 3-ch sp, 4 dc in next sc, rep fr ending last rep with sc in last 3-ch sp, 2 dc in first sc, sl st in top of ch-3 to join.

Rnd 8: Ch 1, sc in top of same ch-3, in next sc make (dc, ch 2, dc), sc in 3rd dc of 4-dc shell, in next sc make (dc, ch 2, dc), rep fr ending last rep with sl st in first sc to join.

Rep rnds 7-8 to complete the hairband. End the round with a simple picot edging, for example 3 sc, picot, 3 sc …

To make the second shell pattern decrease, you make a 3-dc shell (in the first round) and a 1-ch sp (in the next round). This will radically decrease the circumference of the piece to form a hat.

To end the hat, a closing round of sc in each ch-1 sp is made. In the original Japanese design, the hat has a small opening on the top where a tuft of hair extenders is attached, as shown below, the hat in navy blue colour. The other hat is a knit version.

These two hats have small holes at the top where you can stick your hair out or - as in this case - embellish with hair extenders.

Now maybe we can try other hat mods or try embellishing the hairbands.

Last night, I decided to make myself a kind of hat. I have a Japanese magazine Ondori 2342 bought from the National Book Store many years ago for only PhP85.00 (that’s about 1,5 euros).

Ondori magazine no 2342

The pattern I chose is fairly simple and easy. The basic stitch is a kind of interlocking shell stitch. The interesting thing about this stitch is that it can be decreased within each stitch consisting of 2 rounds: the first round is the dc shell and the second row is a ch loop between two dc’s.

The pattern starts with a 5-dc shell and a 3-ch loop. The first decrease is a 4-dc shell and a 2-ch loop. The second decrease is a 3-dc shell and a 1-ch loop.

The basic stitch pattern (Interlocking Shell Stitch).

Halfway through the pattern, I tried on the hat and thought that might actually look better as a hairband.

A small lacy edging can be done on both edges of the hairband. A flower or other decoration can also be sewn onto the hairband.

The resulting hairband is actually quite nice because it doesn’t need a tie or elastic and tapers a bit so it fits around the head really well. The only important thing when making it to determine the right size – not too tight and not too loose – as well as the type of yarn for the purpose (good stretch for good fit).

Finishing

I finished the hat anyhow and here it is.

Finished hat. I ripped this this evening and turned it into a hairband.

But tonight I decided to rip it and turn it into a hairband. It is summertime now and a crochet hat could be too hat. What I really need is a wide hairband to keep my thick short hair from poofing!

Looking at more crochet hats

Apparently, many hat patterns can be modified to make a hairband, particularly patterns that start work at the rim/base of the hat although those that start from the top can also be easily modified. So I had a look at some hat patterns and imagined how they might look as hairbands, some with added embellishments, others just simple. Here are some free crochet hat patterns that I found on the GarnStudio website:

Crochet DROPS hat in "Alaska." The crocheted ribbing with buttons is a nice idea.

Crocheted hat with pompoms in "Eskimo" and "Vienna." The pompoms are so cute and the scalloped edge a pretty feature.

DROPS Crocheted scarf in Ull-Bouclé and Hat in Tynn Chenille. Using motifs is also a nice idea.

Princess Leiha by DROPS Design. A simple dc pattern in two colours with a pretty flower embellishment.

If you’d like to give this a try, let me know how it all turns out!

Next, I’ll share here the pattern and photo of my finished hairband.

Yesterday, I started working on a revision of the Square Motif Belt with Pineapple Fringes. I used worsted weight yarn and a 3.5mm crochet hook. Originally, I used two strands of cotton thread size 8.

Square Motif Belt with Pineapple Fringes.

This time, I was determined to make a bulkier belt, with no fringes, and styled like a corset. I finished work on the belt this afternoon and am very happy with the result.

I started by crocheting the motifs and joined them together to make a strip. The strip is 5 motifs long, just shorter than my size which is good because the belt will stretch and I want this to have ties in the front.

C.D. testing the belt.

Then I crocheted a round of sc’s all around the belt. I made a second round of [3sc's, picot] along the sides of the belt but not along the ends of the belt. The ends of the belt, I reinforced with some plastic corset bones. I did this be holding the plastic bones next to the sc’s and made sc’s around it. I also had to sew the ends of the sc rounds in order to keep the plastic bones in place.

Plastic bones for corset.

Looking at the belt with the bones at the ends, I decided to add vertically next to the sides of the waist. I did this by first crocheting a narrow strip (ch 3, sc in 2nd ch fr hook, sc in next ch, ch 1, turn, sc in each of 2 sc, ch 1, turn …) and leaving a long tail for sewing. I used this tail to sew the strip over the plastic bones. Two of these went to the two sides of the belt and prevented the belt from narrowing as the belt is pulled taut.

Plastic corset bones are covered in a narrow crocheted strip and sewn over the belt.

Next are the rings for the belt ties. The rings are made as such: ch 5, sl st in 5th ch fr hook to form ring, ch 1, 12 sc in ring, sl st in first sc to join, ch 1, 12 sc over the first round of sc’s, sl st in first sc to join. Fasten off.

Make 6 crocheted rings for the ties.

I made six of these rings, fastening off with long tails for sewing onto the belt. Then I sewed the rings onto the ends of the belt, leaving the outer half of the rings un-sewn as this is where the ties will pass through.

The rings sewn along the end of the belt. Leave outer half of the rings free.

Although the belt looked quite nice with the crochet-covered bones showing on the sides, I decided to make some crocheted leaves to cover the bones and decorate the belt. I made size leaves, two large ones and four small ones. The pattern for the leaves are:

Small Leaves

Ch 17, sc in 2nd ch fr hook, sc in next ch, hdc in next 2 ch, dc in next 8 ch, hdc in next 2 ch, sc in last 2 ch, ch 1, now working along free loops along other side of foundation ch, make sc in next 2 ch, hdc in next 2 ch, dc in next 8 ch, hdc in next 2 ch and sc in last 2 ch. Ch 1 and sl st in ch at tip of leaf to join. Fasten off with long tail for sewing.

Crocheted leaves to go over the side bones of the belt.

Large Leaves

Ch 21, sc in 2nd ch fr hook, sc in next ch, hdc in next 2 ch, dc in next 2 ch, tr in next 8 ch, dc in next 2 ch, hdc in next 2 ch, sc in last 2 ch, ch 1, now working along free loops of other side of foundation ch, make sc in next 2 ch, hdc in next 2 ch, dc in next 2 ch, tr in next 8 ch, dc in next 2 ch, hdc in next 2 ch, sc in last 2 ch, ch 1, sl st in ch at tip of leaf to join. Fasten off with long tail for sewing.

Arrange the leaves over the bones and sew in place.

I arranged the leaves over the bones of the belt and sewed them in place. I sewed only along the midrib of the leaves.

And finally, I took six strands of yarn to make a braid about 24 inches long. I used this braid as ties for the belt, criss-crossing over the front as shown below, the finished belt.

The finished belt.

Here (below) is a view of one side of the belt, showing the leaves over the bones.

Side view of the belt showing the leaves.

And here (below) is the back view of the belt. The finished belt measures approximately 5.5 inches wide along the bones.

Back section of the belt.

This Corset-Style Motif Belt is relatively easy to make, and the motifs work up quickly with worsted weight yarn. The hardest part in making the belt was crocheting over the plastic bones.

Below are the instructions for the motifs.

If you make your own version of this belt, please let me know!

Motif:

Ch 5, sl st in fifth ch fr hook to make ring.

Rnd 1: Ch 3, 2 dc in ring, *ch 5, 3 dc in ring, rep from * twice more, ch 2, tr in top of ch-3.

Rnd 2: *Ch 5, with one loop of each remaining in hook dc in next 3 dc, yo, and pull through all loops on hook (3-dc-cluster made), ch 5, sc in 5-ch loop, rep from * 3 more times ending last rep with ch-5 and sl st in base of first ch-5.

Rnd 3: Ch 3 (count as 1 dc), 3 dc in same st, *sc in next 5-ch loop, ch 5, sc in next 5-ch loop, 4 dc in next sc, ch 3, 4 dc in same sc, rep from * 2 more times, sc in next 5-ch loop, ch 5, sc in next 5-ch loop, 4 dc in next sc, ch 1, dc in top of ch-3.

Rnd 4: Ch 3, 3 dc in same sp, *sk 4 dc, dc in sc, ch 4, sc in 5-ch loop, ch 4, dc in next sc, sk 4 dc, 4 dc in 3-ch loop, ch 3, 4 dc in same loop, rep from * 2 more times, sk 4 dc, dc in sc, ch 4, sc in 5-ch loop, ch 4, dc in next sc, sk 4 dc, 4 dc in 3-ch loop, ch 3, sl st in top of first ch-3 to join. Fasten off.

Second motif:

Ch 5, sl st in fifth ch fr hook to make ring.

Rnds 1-3: Same as motif above.

Rnd 4: (Joining) Ch 3, 3 dc in same sp, sk 4 dc, dc in sc, ch 2, with wrong sides facing each other sc in first 4-ch loop of previous motif, ch 2, sc in ch-5 loop of current motif, ch 2, sc in next 4-ch loop of previous motif, ch 2, dc in sc of current motif, sk 4 dc, 4 dc in 3-ch loop, ch 1, sc in ch-3 loop of previous motif, ch 1, 4 dc in same loop of current motif, sk 4 dc, *dc in sc, ch 4, sc in 5-ch loop, ch 4, dc in next sc, sk 4 dc, 4 dc in next 3-ch loop, ch 3, 4 dc in same loop, rep from * ; dc in sc, ch 4, sc in 5-ch loop, ch 4, dc in next sc, sk 4 dc, 4 dc in next 3-ch loop, ch 1, sc in ch-3 loop of previous motif, ch 1, sl st in top of first ch-3 of current motif to join. Fasten off.

Join more motifs in the same manner until you reach desired length.