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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.

Here is another crochet project made possible by Duplet crochet fashion magazine. The lace for this cuff is an antique design found in Duplet 127. The issue is quite impressive with many lace trimmings charted from the antique version published by the DMC Library.

Antique Lace Cuff in Baby Camel Yarn

I’ve written the pattern down with some modifications, particularly, I tried to make the cuff seamless – so it is done in only one piece. The buttons are stuffed balls, which can be worked in a different material, perhaps cotton, so it is smaller and can fit in the holes of the lace. If the holes in lace are too large, you can make them smaller by running the same yarn through the edges of the hole with a needle.

Antique Lace Cuff in Baby Camel Yarn

Hook: Size 4/0 (Japan) (2.5mm)
Yarn: Lotus Yarns Baby Camel 4 (DK weight yarn)

Instructions:

The cuff is crocheted in rows from the narrow end so you can decide how long it should be to fit your wrist. Standard women’s size is 7 inches. Then work continues around the cuff to make the lace edging. Buttons are crocheted separately and sewn on.

Antique Lace Cuff in Baby Camel Yarn

Special Stitch:

Picot: Ch 4, sl st in 3rd ch fr hook, ch 1.

Cuff:

Ch 15.

Row 1: 2 dc in 9th ch fr hook, dc in next ch, ch 2, sk next ch, 2 dc in next ch, ch 2, sk next ch, 2 dc in next ch, dc in last ch; ch 5, turn.

Row 2: I ch-2 sp make (dc, ch 2, dc), ch 2, dc in next dc, ch 2, dc in next dc, ch 2, in next ch-2 sp make (dc, ch 2, dc); ch 5, turn.

Row 3: Sk first ch-2 sp, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 2, 2 dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 2, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp; ch 5, turn.

Row 4: In ch-2 sp make (dc, ch 2, dc), ch 2, dc in next dc, ch 2, dc in next dc, ch 2, in next ch-2 sp make (dc, ch 2, dc); ch 8, turn.

Row 5: Sc in ch-5 loop of previous row along the same side, (ch 3, sc in ch-8 loop) 3 times, ch 3, sk next ch-2 sp, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 2, 2 dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 2, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 5, turn.

Next rows: Rep rows 2-5 to desired length, ending with row 3 or 5. Do not turn.

Edging:

Row 1: Ch 3, sc in first ch-5 loop, *ch 5, sc in next ch-5 loop, rep fr * on all ch-5 loops; ch 4, turn.

Row 2: Sc in ch-5 sp, *ch 3, sc in same ch-5 sp, ch 3, sc in next ch-5 sp, rep fr * on all ch-5 sps up to the turning ch of the previous row. Ch 4, turn.

Row 3: Dc in first ch-3 loop, *ch 2, dc in next ch-3 loop, rep fr * on all ch-3 loops, make 2 dc in last st; ch 1, turn.

Row 4: Sc in first dc, ch 3, sc in ch-2 sp, *ch 3, sc in next ch-2 sp, rep fr * on all ch-2 sps, ch 3, sc in last dc; ch 1, turn.

Row 5: Sc in first sc, ch3, sc in first ch-3 loop, *ch 3, sc in next ch-3 loop, rep fr * on all ch-3 loops, ch 1, sc in last sc, ch 1, turn.

Row 6: Sc in sc, ch 3, sc in first ch-3 loop, *ch 3, sc in next ch-3 loop, rep fr * on all ch-3 loops, ch 1, sc in last sc, ch 1, turn.

Row 7: Sc in sc, ch 3, sc in first ch-3 loop, *ch 3, sc in next ch-3 loop, rep fr * on all ch-3 loops, ch 1, sc in last sc, ch 1, do not turn. Continue to end of cuff as follows:

Hdc evenly across the narrow end of the cuff (this will be the placket for the buttons), 5 hdc in ch loop at the corner of the cuff, picot (see special stitch instructions above), 3 dc in ch-3 loop, *picot, 3 dc in next ch-3 loop, rep fr * to the last ch-3 loop, picot, 5 hdc in last ch-5 loop of cuff.

Now work (3 sc, ch 3, sl st in sc at base of ch-3 just made) evenly across the other end of the cuff. Join with sl st in sc at corner of cuff. Fasten off.

Buttons (make 2):

Make a magic circle.
See this previous blogpost for a video tutorial.

The cuff in detail.

Rnd 1: 6 sc in ring, sl st in first sc to join. Ch 1. (Pull the tail end of the yarn to tighten the ring and close the hole).

Rnd 2: 2 sc in each sc all around, sl st in first sc to join (12 sc made). Ch 1.

Rnd 3: Sc in each sc around. Ch 1.

Rnd 4: Sc2tog in first 2 sc, *sc2tog in next 2 sc, rep fr * to last sc (6 sc made). Stuff button with same yarn used or with polyester filling. FO with long tail and use tail to sew hole of button shut.

Use long tail of button to sew to the cuff.

Antique Lace Cuff in Baby Camel Yarn

More possibilities

This amazing bit of antique lace presents lots of other possibilities. It would be interesting to try it in different weights and fibres of yarn. I can see it lending itself well as a scarf or a necklace, with buttons or flower and leaf motifs. It will curve if the top ending is crocheted together as if to gather the lace.

Flat view of the cuff.

If the 3-ch loop section of the cuff was made longer, it could be shaped into a long fingerless glove. If it was wider, then the lace can also make up a skirt with the scallop as a lace edging.

Keep experimenting! Start easy then move on to more complex applications.