Hip belt in nylon cord

Posted on January 15, 2012 by fats

Just finished a new belt made from 4mm nylon cord. This is a test for when I try to make a wider belt and a corset. Nylon cords are cheap and come in various colors, about 33 meters per spool. I used a 7/0 (4mm) hook for this. The nylon cord is rather stretchy so I am not so sure how well it will work for a corset. The material seems okay for a hip belt.

The finished belt.

Here I will share with you a description of how I made the belt, together with some pattern instructions for some sections of the belt. This is really more a pattern description rather than a precise pattern since I think that this method makes crocheters alter patterns and make their own designs. Plus the fact that I enjoy crocheting so much more than writing patterns!

I used three colors of nylon cord for this: brown, beige and blue. I also used (invisible) nylon thread to sew the loose ends of the belt as I fasten off.

I statred by making two of the panels for the front section of the belt in brown nylon cord. Here is the pattern for this section:

The belt in progress, showing the two front panels in brown cord as joined to the main belt body worked in hdc worked in back-loops only.

Panels for Center Front Section (Brown nylon cord):

Ch 23.

Row 1: Dc in 4th ch fr hook and in next 3 ch, ch 5, sk 4 ch, sc in next ch, ch 3, sk 1 ch, sc in next ch, ch 5, sk 4 ch, dc in next 5 ch, ch 3, turn.

Row 2: Sk 1st dc, dc in next 4 dc, ch 3, dc in ch-5 sp, ch 1, 3-dc-cluster in ch-3 sp, ch 1, dc in next ch-5 sp, ch 3, dc in next 4 dc, dc in t-ch, ch 3, turn.

Row 3: Sk 1st dc, dc in next 4 dc, ch 5, sc in next dc, ch 3, sc in next dc, ch 5, sc in next4 dc, dc in t-ch. Finish off.

The back section of the belt showing the back-loop hdc.

After this, I join the beige belt to the side of the panel with 2 sc over the stem of each dc (on the wrong side). This makes 6 sc and this establishes the width of the belt. The rest of the belt is worked in beige nylon cord with back-loop hdc. Establish the length of the belt at this point, making it slightly shorter than hip measurements since the belt will stretch.

Then the other panel is joined with sc as in the first panel.

Again, finish off by sewing ends with nylon thread.

Detail of the flower.

Then I make the flower. The flower starts with a ring with a dc in the middle of the ring. The ties are going to be passed through the sps in the ring of the flower. Here is the pattern for the flower.

Flower (Blue nylon cord):

Rnd 1: Ch 4, dc in 4th ch fr hook, ch 3, sl st in same ch.
Rnd 2: (Petals) *Ch 9, sc in sp in ring, rep all around to make 8 petals.

Detail of flower and the ties.

Finally, I make the ties, three pieces of beige nylon cord folded in half and slipped though the gaps between the dc at the end of the belt. Make sure the ties as folded in half are long enough to tie into a knot and to slip over the body for wearing. The ends of the ties are ties inserted into the sps bet dcs at the other end of the belt and tied in a knot.

The handmade gift

Posted on December 20, 2011 by fats

A pouch full of crochet gifts are now on their way to family in Manila: coin purses, hairbands, hairclips, bracelets and necklaces. Each one is labelled with Christmas greetings.

Here is one of the items in the pouch, a pair of hairclips with Edward’s face on it. This one is for my sister and I’m going to challenge her to wear this to work.

Edward and a Flower. I used snap hairclips for this.

And here are two of several hairbands that I made out of my obsession with the crocheted Irish leaf. Of course, these leaves are not done in the traditional Irish crochet method, but these are done in simple chain and single-crochet stitches with acrylic yarn and wool.

Two of the leafy hairbands I made for my family.

I love these hairbands and they work – they hold back the hair in a way that hairbands should, thank goodness. I used 1 inch wide garters for these.

I used 1-inch wide garters for the hairbands - in black color, and in white color for older family members with lovely white hair!

Last night, I tried making the leaves with fingering weight acrylic-mohair yarn in pink and gray. Here are the leaves while I was working out a way to arrange them to make a necklace.

Trying out the leaves in mohair-acrylic yarn. I promise to try luxury yarns next year!

The leaves are joined together with silver craft wire and in between are beads in clear and pink pearl colors.

Roadtesting my new necklace.

It wasn’t easy figuring out what kind of closure to use. I had though of buttons and beads and wire, then settled for this frosted organza ribbon with pink beads. I love how it turned out!

An idea to develop further next year.

Now if I were to do this necklace again I would like to get a higher gauge of wire so that the leaves will hold together stronger and can be shaped as one pleases.

An old belt buckle and some nylon cord.

Then this afternoon I finished a belt for my husband. His old belt had just broken off the buckle. Now that’s an emergency situation!

Belt in progress.

So I took the buckle and started crocheting on it with some nylon sash cord that I got from the hardware store in Manila more than a year ago.

The finished belt - yet to be roadtested.

I was meaning to use the nylon cord to make a bag but here it works perfectly for a belt! I was so excited that I finished this belt in less than an hour! I used a aluminum hook size 6/0 (3.5mm).
If you have an old belt buckle then you can easily make this. I used this pattern:

Row 1: Sc, ch 1, sc, ch 1, turn. (This first row is worked on the belt buckle)
Row 2: Back-loop sc in sc, bl sc in ch, bl sc in sc, ch 1, turn.
Row 3: Bl sc in sc, ch 1, sk sc, bl sc in next sc, ch 1, turn. (Repeat row 2-3 to desired length)

The back-loop sc gives the belt reasonable stretch, so you can use normal sc if you want a taut belt. However, the bl sc makes quite a nice ridge pattern, and the ch 1 creates a pretty dot across the length of the belt.

Now this gives me new ideas for gifts next Christmas.

My family is now so used to me giving them handmade gifts and they love it. It is not typical, I suppose, since I myself have never received a handmade gift for Christmas. All the gifts I’ve received from family were bought. But you know I would really love to receive a gift that my own family made!

Sometimes, I wonder if people appreciate handmade gifts … It is probably quite a novelty. But it is more than that. I have, of course, received things that were hand-crafted by the person giving them and such things have a peculiar value. The person and thing are linked together in a way very different from something that came from a store.

Strangely, I usually give handmade gifts only to family and not to friends.

One-Ball-of-Yarn Slim Belt

Posted on July 7, 2010 by fats

From the One-Ball-of-Yarn Challenge!
The One Ball of Yarn Slim Belt
Crochet Pattern PDF available for Download

Worked with a single ball of yarn, this belt is very easy to make.

Work this belt in desired size, for adult or child, by simply varying the number of rows. A plus size belt may require more than one ball of yarn, and longer leather cord. Model shown (small size) measures 26 in long x 1 in wide excluding ties.

Now includes crochet symbolcraft!

This belt, worked in single ball of yarn and strengthened by synthetic leather cord, is intended less as a belt for style or decoration but more as support for trousers or other articles of clothing.