Wednesday 13 October 2010

Geometry and inspiration... and bunting

I love looking at crochet blogs and web-sites for ideas, reading what people have done and how or why... seeing the amazing things people can make. And these ideas all mull around in my head...

And sometimes - not often, but every now and again - some ideas merge. Combine into something new.

And tonight something came together in a way that surprised me. My easily distracted and wandering mind put two things together and any other day I wouldn't have seen them as similar.

Let me explain the wanderings of my mind... if you could humour me...

First, I was admiring bunting. Yes, bunting. In my last post I explained that I really quite like bunting, and I recently received some as a little gift in the post from Sue at The Quince Tree, and this cheerful bunting had gotten me all inspired about making my own.

So I was looking at granny-bunting, which is basically a granny triangle. And thinking about how it is so very... even-sided. Equilateral, if you want to get technical! :-P And the thing is, I'd like to make my bunting a little more long-sided... a little more ... isosceles!

But how could this be done? Can it be done with a granny triangle?

I love the bunting that Alice created over at Crochet with Raymond. She has two bunting patterns, and I really like her first one. The frilly sides make her bunting quite pretty and also a little more isosceles-like. (I'm not sure they really
are isosceles triangles, but they just look more longer-sided.) And the picot stitch at the bottom of each triangle stretches it all out just a little more. Very clever indeed.

Lovely bunting from Crochet with Raymond!

Anyway, then I put my love of bunting aside, and started browsing for Christmas ideas.

I was thinking of maybe making some Christmas Granny Trees following the pattern on The Royal Sisters, maybe making a garland or some-such. And that was when it happened. I was looking at the (very clear and helpful) photo-tutorial that Michelle has for her trees and suddenly I saw it.

Grandma Tree from The Royal Sisters

Her trees, with their bumpy sides but straight bases, were rather isosceles-looking! In truth, they were very similar to Alice's bunting triangles - just with four-treble groups instead of 3. And the bumpy sides were similar, but just a slightly different way of doing them. Hmmm... I thought to myself, I quite like these tree-y triangles!

What if - what IF - I made Michelle's tree, but didn't add the stump? And what if I added Alice's picot droplet at the tip of the triangle? Could this become the ultimate bunting pattern - the shape I was looking for?

I tried it - and I LOVE it!


So basically, what you do (would you like me to explain how I combined them?) is: follow Michelle's tree pattern (at the Royal Sisters) until the last round, BUT when you reach the tip of the "tree" (or the bottom tip of the bunting flag), do the four trebles as you start the corner, then chain four and make a picot by slip-stitching into the fourth chain from the hook (that's the idea I got from Crochet with Raymond), then do four more trebles to finish that corner, then continue on as per The Royal Sisters' pattern. And stop at the end of that round - before you make the tree stump. Obviously. :-)

Did that make sense? Visit their websites - I'm sure it will make more sense once you do! :-)

And that's it! Like I said, not that clever really, but, boy, does it feel good when something in my mind just "clicks". I have looked at The Royal Sisters' Granny Trees so many, many times, but never before saw a bunting triangle.

Many people say I have a strange mind ;-) but sometimes it just WORKS. Hee hee. :-)

I'm off to make some more bunting now! And, um, then get back to those other projects! :-)

Happy hooking,
Caz :)

Editor's note: Since writing all this, I have come to the realisation that there are many ways to make long, thin, crochet bunting flags. Simply doing stripes of single (double) crochet with decreases at the end of each row, something like that would probably work, wouldn't it? And no doubt there are patterns out there following that idea. But I was looking at granny-triangle bunting, and that's why they were equal-sided, and that's where my thinking started. I may or may not go and look for other options, but this Granny-tree-triangle combo has left me feeling so pleased that I think it will do, for now, in my quest for the perfect bunting. :)

12 comments:

  1. Love it when an idea in our head comes together by melding what we see. I have been interested in bunting too, but don't think I will use it, but I am still open

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  2. phew, I do that with stuff sometimes and then i just hide in my bedroom (for quietness) until i work it all out. good on you for finding the perfect way for you to make the triangles.

    x

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  3. It's gorgeous! I have never made a bunting, but seeing yours is making me want to not go to work today so I can make one (-: Thanks for posting about it, I will try it one of these days!
    Have a great day!
    Annemarie

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  4. Hello Caz, I've just been reading and catching up with your blog, your crochet and your UFO/WIPs! It's all so familiar! I'm working on crochet bunting at the moment too, having had fun using up mt leftovers with pompom bunting. Pop over to Planet Penny if you are curious.
    Penny
    P S I love your Rainsong Blanket. I would have given it first prize!

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  5. It's just so lovely to see a new way of converting the good old granny tree...
    I will say I do use a version of this when I make my own bunting...But I end up forgetting how I did it each time and making every garland slightly different...
    I love that you came up with such a pretty design...Great idea with the picot on the end...
    Can't wait to see a whole garland...

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  6. Thanks for the lovely and thoughtful comments, everyone!

    Michelle - thanks so much for stopping by! So glad you approve of the way I've used your pattern! :-)

    I have come up with an even more inventive idea tonight - again combining your patterns - I'm working on the blog post right now, so stay tuned! :)

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  7. Lovely!! a great post by the way.
    I myself have been looking at bunting alot lately.
    I have made one lot of small heart bunning which was fun to make, and I plan to make more.
    I was also planning to make a christmas bunting also using the patterns over at The Royal Sisters.
    I did try out a tree and a star (from royal sisters) back in march when I first dicovered them. (LOL trying out christmas stuff in march, but that was when I first discovered them and I just had to try them out).
    I posted a post on my blog last friday about bunting and there is a link there to Carina's blog.
    She as a two tutorials one about making the granny triangles and another one about making them into bunting, I love the why she joined them together to form the bunting it simple really but a great method.
    I am posting the link to my blog to my post and there are links in the post to Carina's blog.
    http://gettinghookedagain.blogspot.com/2010/10/some-weekend-inspiration_08.html

    I love your blog and all the things you are doing.
    And to think you have only been crocheting for about a year and a half, it's amazing.

    Best wishes

    Chris

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  8. Lovely!!! A great post by the way.
    I have also been looking at bunting alot lately.
    I have made one lot of small heart bunting which was fun to make.
    And I am also planning to make some christmas bunting from the royal sisters patterns.
    I posted a post on my own blog last friday about bunting in it there a couple of links to a blog I discovered just last week.
    There are two lovely tutorials on the blog (carina's Blog) too.
    Here is the link to my post on my blog the links to Carina's blog are in the post.
    http://gettinghookedagain.blogspot.com/2010/10/some-weekend-inspiration_08.html

    I love your blog and your work ,and I think it is amazing that you haven't been crocheting that long.

    Best wishes

    Chris

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  9. I just found your blog today and enjoyed looking through it. Love your bunting idea! And I love your weaved blanket too. You must have a lot of patience to do something like that!

    Come visit me if you get a chance.

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  10. Chris, I was over at your blog the other day and followed your links to Carina's Granny Bunting - it was because of that visit that I got all motivated and wanted to try the bunting! So thanks for those links - sorry, I should have left a comment to let you know how much I appreciated it.

    I've been enjoying following the process on your big Grey Blanket - it will look beautiful when it's all sewn together (which will be a big job, I'm sure! but it will be worth it).

    Thanks for stopping by.

    And hi, Pammy Sue, thanks also for visiting! I'll pop over to your blog sometime soon for sure. :)

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