I haven’t posted much recently because I’ve been crocheting up a storm trying to get ready for fall. The weather finally turned chilly here a week ago, so I finished a few things just in time!
I will work on posting the patterns, but for now I wanted to give you a sneak peek and show off my latest creations!
Flower Stitch Top
First, I started a top using the flower stitch I’d been mastering for my crochet market bag pattern. I’d never crocheted a shirt before, so it took a lot of ripping out to get it right. I might still make a few changes, so I haven’t finished off all the ends yet. I worked this top from the top down, in the round.
March 2020 Update: I had a change of heart since I started this project in the fall of 2018. It sat in a drawer unworn, and I decided to unravel it and work it up as something different. Instead of a shirt/blouse, I thought the pattern was better suited to something more “throw over anything and go” so I reworked it as a poncho. Pattern details and video coming soon!!
Autumn Leaves
I decided that the flower stitch was rather springy, and I wanted to try something a little more autumnal. I had some nice earth tone yarn and flowers just didn’t seem to fit. I scoured the internet for fall and leaf patterns that I’d be able to do in the round, and finally came upon a pattern from Interweave Crochet, the Dunraven Lace Tunic. I mastered the motif, but unfortunately for me, their pattern wasn’t written in the round, it was many separate pieces. So to make my tops I had to do a little experimenting. These two tops I made in the round, but I worked from the bottom up. (I tried working top down like my first one, but reversing the leaves didn’t look right).
Brown Top
I made this one first using six skeins of Sugar n Cream cotton yarn. I worked from bottom to top in the round, and then joined on sleeves in the round.
Green Top
I had more of this yarn, also Sugar n Cream, so I made this one a little longer. I haven’t added the sleeves yet, but since I have plenty of yarn, I will probably make them longer than the brown top, too.
Granny Square Cocoon Shawl
While looking for winter patterns, I came across the granny square cocoon shawl concept, where you make a square, fold it in half, and stitch the sides together, leaving a hole for your arms. I wanted to give it a shot, but I only had six skeins of my next color yarn. I wanted to do something that was lacy and wintery because of the coloring of the yarn, and I came across this stitch:
There’s more pictures and video tutorials here: http://www.lanasyovillos.com/en/stitch/lace-star-flower-stitch (English)
http://www.patronarte.com/tutoriales/patron-punto-calado-en-estrella-de-crochet/ (Spanish)
http://www.patronarte.com/tutoriales/punto-calado-estrella-triangular-en-crochet/ (Spanish, showing how to do a corner)
I changed the pattern a little (mostly because I misread it at first and didn’t feel like ripping back), and added corner stitches so it could be worked in the round as a granny square.
And even though it is very lacy, I still ran out of yarn, so I did the trim in a solid gray. I think it turned out nice, but ended up being about 6.5 skeins of yarn all told, with some gray and some of the other left over.
Christmas Tree Top
I found a huge skein of Bernat Handicrafter cotton yarn at ScrapRVA, a creative reuse center, for just $2.50. It was super festive so I couldn’t turn it down. I used what I learned from the Autumn Leaves top to design the Christmas tree motif. This top is worked in the round, from the top down. I also worked in the round to add some length to the cap sleeves. I would have liked to make them a little longer, but I ran out of yarn, so this is what I got!
I’ll add links as soon as I get the patterns written and posted!
