Lavender Bolero with Flower Motifs

Posted on January 22, 2012 by fats

With Dora Ohrenstein’s “Glitter Girl Bolero” (in “100 Crochet Projects”) as basic shell, I completed this flower trimmed bolero in cotton thread size 8. This is in size Medium for my mom.

The finished bolero as to be worn with a dress underneath.

Project Notes:
See New Paths with new crochet materials
Jan 5: I am working on a size M now using cotton 8 thread. I increased by adding the next multiple. For example, the pattern starts with ch 92 (110, 128) which are sizes S, M, L in increments of 18. So for cotton 8 thread that’s 128 for small, 146 for medium and 164 for large.

At row 3 the patterns says V-st in next V-st 14 (17, 20) times. Those are repetitions in multiples of 3, so for cotton 8 thread that should be 23, 26, 29.

In the original pattern, there are two additional rows for sizes M and L (starting at Row 10). I am tempted to add rows in multiples of 2 for cotton 8 thread but I’m not sure if that’s correct. That would probably need working out by actual measuring rather than adding rows. But I’ll need to double-check when I get there!

Finished the motifs and trimmings around the sleeves then ran out of thread to finish off the bottom hem.

Jan 7: Continuing my work on the bolero in size Medium and lavender colour.

So far I am at the back section of the bolero and I have been taking measurements as I work. I base my measurements on schematics in some knitting magazines that I got a few years ago. I don’t knit and these back-issue magazines were cheap, and they have proven their usefulness in terms of a chance to study garment sizing through the schematics.

I also found out that “The Glitter Girl Bolero” pattern has a rather tight armhole. When I worked in size Small I added two extra rows at the shoulders. This time, working in size Medium, I added one extra row at the lower section of the garment and then two extra rows at the shoulder to increase the armhole size. At the moment, I am confident that this will be the right fit for my mom.

The shops didn't carry any of the lavander thread anymore so I used variegated ochre-white thread for the bottom edging which matches the color of the ribbon and some of the flowers.

The shops didn't carry any of the lavender thread any more so I used variegated ochre-white thread for the bottom edging which matches the colour of the ribbon and some of the flowers.

I have done this bolero earlier in size Small, as shown in Crocheting in 2012 and http://crochetology.net/2012/01/first-fo-in-2012/

Detail of the ribbon and motifs.

New things learned while working on the lavender bolero:

Some of the flowers at the back of the neck tended to fold over. One way to stiffen them was to sew nylon thread through the edges of the motifs. I learned this method while washing a chiffon dress (beach dress) which used nylon thread along the hem to give it weight and keep the dress from being blown up by the wind.

Perhaps next time, I can make a bolero made entirely of flower motifs.

The use of tailor’s patterns for crochet is not such a bad idea. It provides a basis for shaping into what they call “tailored” or “tailor fit” which can be rather nice with certain garments. I would like to try this some time with skirts since crocheted skirts tend to hug the body in unflattering ways.

Running out of thread meant implementing a new design feature. This happened to the bolero in a small and simple way. The shops didn’t carry any of the lavender thread any more so I used variegated ochre-white thread for the bottom edging which matches the colour of the ribbon and some of the flowers.

Crocheting in 2012

Posted on December 31, 2011 by fats

My first WIP (work in progress) to welcome the New Year 2012 is an experimental bolero design based on Dora Ohrenstein’s “Glitter Girl Bolero.” Dora’s bolero comes from the book “100 Crochet Projects” which I bought from National Book Store several years ago for PhP550 (more or less 10euros).

The bolero, a work in progress.

I selected this bolero as “base” for my motif experiment because it is a simple but elegant construction and looks easy to modify. There is also ample trim space around the sleeves and around the neckline and edges of the bolero where I may do my work of incorporating Irish crochet motifs.

This deep purple color of cotton thread in size 8 is not my color choice but it is available in my (dwindling) stash, just about enough to complete a base bolero with short sleeves. I have less than 3 balls (total of 150 grams) of this thread.

To work with cotton thread 8 for my size (32-34) using the pattern, I use a hook 3mm (for lower half) and a larger hook, 3.5mm (for upper half). I use different hook sizes because I want the lower section of the bolero to be smaller and closer to the body to make a nice shape, and the upper section to be a bit loose.

I don’t sew the shoulder seams until I am sure of the fit: I tie the seams with yarn and wear the bolero. I see that the armholes will be a little bit tight, so I add 2 extra rows at the shoulders.

For the sleeves, I used 6-ch meshes, a total of 18 loops all around the armhole. The loops are joined to the armhole with sc in every space, rather than in the stitches. By round 5 I switched to the smaller hook. I also thought that 6 rounds was enough and let the rest be made up of joined motifs.

Working on this tonight, I have thought of two directions for crochet this coming new year: first is modifying existing garment patterns that call for DK, worsted, aran or sport weight yarn into designs that use thread of size 8. I find it rather exciting trying to figure out sizing for cotton thread and I think this helps me understand gauge and garment contruction a bit better.

Second is to use a base garment mesh for experimenting with joined motifs for garments. I think that this might be a reasonable alternative to the lack of a tailor’s dummy which I will definitely need should I decide to go seriously into constructing crocheted garments from motifs ala Irish crochet or Ukrainian crochet as those seen in Duplet magazines.

I also have another batch of WIPs – these crochet finger puppets for my nephew. I have made them in two strands of cotton 8 thread, and so they are rather small and making up the eyes, noses, ears, etc is quite fiddly and detailed.

Crocheted finger puppets

I wondered if I should’ve made them bigger as my sister suggested – larger faces, that is – but for now I have opted for smaller but more detailed. They are quite cute and fun to play with, but making them isn’t easy with so may small parts!

Well what the heck – this is good distraction from the bolero!

And yet another good distraction is New Year dinner – learning to cook chicken and shrimp congee.

Happy New Year, fellow crocheters!

Comfort Crochet

Posted on December 12, 2011 by fats

I completed another mesh and motif purse a few days ago. I used a strip of brugge lace for the rim of the purse, then a mesh for the purse body. I followed one of the mesh patterns on Duplet 127.

Plenty of mesh patterns to choose from and to improv in Duplet.

This time, I sewed the brugge lace to the zipper first, then made the mesh all around. Here is the purse with the completed mesh body.

The mesh body of the purse.

I made several flower motifs all of them from Duplet 112 (pages 10-11), and sewed them onto the mesh. I tried adding acrylic pearl beads (with a very light golden tinge) to the purse, and here is the finished item.

The motifs-on-mesh purse decorated with pearl beads.

After that, I made several more motifs and joined them together by crocheting with a thinner thread. Below it is possible to see the difference between the thread sizes as well as the color: the motifs are in natural cotton thread size 8 and the joining mesh is in white crochet cotton thread size 10.

I was able to finish this purse but I'm not happy with how it turned out.

This purse took much effort to finish and I don’t feel very happy about it. I feel that I am employing a particular technique not suited for the purpose. That is – I seem to be using a wholly free-form method to make a fixed and pre-determined shape.

For some reason I have always detested the use of the basting board for joining motifs with the free-form mesh. Here certainly, the basting board would make certain that I have that degree of control over determining where motifs should go and in which shape the piece should take.

Until I learn to feel better about working with a basting board or a similar set-up, I should take into account the advantages and disadvantages of the various crochet techniques I have been exploring.

To get over the frustration, I started working on some coin purses last night, having in mind my sister and my nephews. I finished two purses last night – one with Edward’s face on it and the other with Kitty 2. The faces close the purse with a velcro.

My comfort crochet in yarn.

I am making more to give away for Christmas. Whenever I feel frustrated in crocheting with thread, I always find comfort when I turn to acrylic yarn and make fun things like this. So I feel better now.

Motifs on a mesh

Posted on December 2, 2011 by fats

Two weeks ago, I started working on a purse and left it in this state (photo below).

Start with a zipper and a lace edging.

My intention was to sew the two lace edgings onto the zipper and then build up the body of the purse by joining flower motifs of various sizes either by crocheting or by sewing.

When I returned home from Manila four days ago, I took some time browsing the two other Duplet Magazines that I ordered and had shipped in Manila several months earlier.

Duplet Crochet Magazine Issue #127

From one of the magazines, I found several wonderful mesh patterns and decided to use one. On page 47 of the magazine is some photos and charts for bruge lace. I am experimenting with bruge lace now but for the purse, I decided to use one of the mesh patterns used with bruge lace.

Page 47 of Duplet Crochet Magazine Issue #127

And here is my finished purse!

The finished purse.

I am very happy with the result of this experiment. Although I intended to crochet the motifs together, the shift to sewing the motifs onto a mesh worked very well.

The finished purse.

The hardest part in completing this purse had to do with design decisions – the arrangement of the motifs on both sides of the purse.

The zipper is sewn by hand.

Technically, I also had difficulty sewing on the zipper. I don’t have a sewing machine (which will definitely make life easier) and so I do all of the sewing by hand. I have been thinking of getting a sewing machine but perhaps later when there is much greater need for such.

The purse holds a small notebook and a mobile phone.

Here I use the purse to hold a small notebook and a mobile phone.

The purse is not lined. I couldn’t find the suitable lining for it. Nevertheless, the purse is to be used for keeping larger objects and not for tiny things that can fall through the lacy holes.

Here is one side of the purse.

One side of the purse showing the motifs.

The other side has a different arrangement of motifs.

The other side of the purse showing an arrangement of flowers with leaves.

I enjoyed sewing the motifs onto the mesh. It can be a bit hard and the mesh needs to be blocked into shape before sewing.

Also, how the motifs are sewn determine the appearance and texture of the fabric. If sewn too flat, the fabric can look dull and uninteresting.

I was tempted to cover the entire purse with motifs since that would also cover the holes of the mesh, but I decided not to do this for now. I wanted the mesh to show through since it has a very pretty pattern.

I will try to make another one later, this time maybe with color.

Crochet flowers in color

Posted on November 24, 2011 by fats

Focussing on natural and neutral colors for the past few months, I turned back to bright colors recently, in particular, for some crocheted flowers. It was also the opportunity to use the multi-color threads in my stash.

I’m quite surprised at how well the multi-color threads worked out. One way I used them is in combination with lighter solid color threads for the flower center.

Another way is to use a combination of different multi-color threads, for example, variegated orange and variegated red with berries in variegated violet.

Following these simple rules for combinations, I made several crochet jewellery. Many of them are all-fiber jewellery, that is, they contain no metal findings or plastic or stone beads. There are, it seems, quite a number of people who have allergies to metal and therefore can only wear fibre jewellery.

The strap for most of the crochet jewellery are based on patterns I’ve just learned to make from the Swimsuit #3 issue of Duplet magazine. I usually work the straps in natural, beige or other light or neutral color. I also crochet any number of flowers and berries, focussing more on the flowers themselves rather than on their arrangement on the necklace (or bracelet).

Only later do I arrange the flowers, berries and leaves on the strap, every now and then wearing the necklace to see how the flowers lie around the neck. The weight of the flowers affect the appearance and comfort/wearability of the necklace, especially when I lean forward and move around. Often, I need to add extra crocheted flowers and berries to complete the piece.

Here is a necklace that I made using a metal button.

Summer flowers necklace in green and yellow

I like the color combination of this necklace, and didn’t expect the green and yellow multi-color thread to work so well. The flowers and berries are all made with the same thread but the flower centre uses a thread of the same hue but lighter than the color of the strap. I think that lighter color gave the necklace a kind of focal point. I’m very happy with the result and have also discovered that the color combination is very flattering to the skin.

Here is a similar design using the same combinations of threads but this time using a crocheted berry for button. I have also decided to add a couple more flowers and berries around the necklace to make a more asymmetrical design.

Green and yellow color combination

This necklace uses a lavender color strap and flowers in red and orange variations. The berries are in violet multi-color thread. I used violet to match the hue of the necklace strap. I also love the result of these color combinations!

Violet is the focal point of this necklace.

Usually, I try to choose a hue as focal point and reflect it in other parts of the necklace. The focal color need not be the most dominant color in the piece but it’s role is to balance the visual design of the piece.

For the green and yellow necklace, I realize now that the hue I used as focal point was beige although the dominant colors are green and yellow.