Carried away by inspiration... (Clothing Projects Part 3)

Here is a more recent clothing story, one that I am really excited about.

Since my shracket and shroat projects back in February and March 2010, I haven't dabbled in the clothing side of crochet at all (unless you count scarves and hats?). It all seemed a little too tricky, a bit daunting, really.

But a couple of weeks ago that changed - when I saw something that inspired me so much I just knew I had to give it a go.

I was following links on blogs and came across this beautiful clothing item - a sweet top for a little girl. Please follow the link and check out all the photos and details of this lovely top.

When I discovered that it was actually a pattern for a baby, I became most intrigued. The blog post provided a link to the original, free pattern (in English, which was great, because the blog is in French). It was first published in 1950 and is designed for ages newborn to 6 months. But, with a bigger hook and heavier yarn - no other alterations needed - this clever French blogger had managed to convert it to 6-year-old size!

I have been thinking about making my own daughter (also 6 years old) a poncho. But the whole arm-less thing about ponchos always bugged me. This pattern, I think, still has that lovely swing-look of a poncho, but with sleeves. Perfect!

So I decided to give it a go. I was so excited I couldn't wait. I put all other WIPs aside, and dug into stash that had been reserved for a blanket (not yet started), thinking that can be replaced eventually (if need be). My daughter, Rosie, is currently crazy about blue, so I chose blue shades and white. And I just got stuck into it. Followed the pattern exactly, but with the thicker yarn (Moda Vera Cupcake - I love it, it's so soft!) and a 5mm hook. It's basically a ripple, so it was all pretty easy to work out...

That was on a Saturday morning, a couple of weekends ago. By Sunday night, I had done everything except the sleeves. I couldn't believe it - a top in one weekend. I did crochet like a woman obsessed, almost all weekend, but (for me) this was still very speedy work.

So, as you can see, here is the top without sleeves. I love it like this, but in our climate it is just way too impractical. Maybe I will make another some time using cotton thread, and then I could go the sleeveless idea. But not in this thicker, warm yarn.

Over the week I added the sleeves. Then there was the endless end-weaving. (I hate that part!) And an edging - I just did sc (UK dc) around the neckline and fronts. And also the buttons. My daughter chose them herself (of course) and she does love everything "fancy" - glitz, sparkle, shine, frills, lace, ruffles. So, after much consideration, she chose these pretty purple crystals.

And then we were finished! From idea to complete in a week. I am feeling rather amazed, to be honest. And very chuffed indeed. :-)

I'm not sure that the stripes were a good idea. It makes the top look very, very retro, which isn't, personally, my thing - I'm not trying to deliberately create a retro look. Of course, it's hard not to with crochet, but a single colour may have reduced the granny-factor. Then, again, maybe the stripes are okay ... I do look at my work with a very critical eye. I also think wool would work better in this design (but wool is waaaay too hot for us up here in the north!) and I could have probably gotten away with a bigger hook - it might have ended up in a looser drape.

So, while I love my creation, I think the original inspiration is better and I am already thinking of making another in a single colour.

Miss Rosie wore it for the first time tonight - to a local restaurant and I found that I couldn't stop looking at her in it. Maybe I am being too critical about the stripes. The top looked so beautiful on her - and I kept thinking: I can't believe I made that. It doesn't look so retro to me now... Or maybe I'm losing perspective... but in a good way?

So, what do you think of it? - I would love to know! And if anyone wants to try it, please don't hesitate to give it a go. The pattern is dead easy, and can be found here. Please contact me (comments below or email) if you have any questions at all - I'm only too happy to help you out if I can.

Until next time,

Have a happy hooky day,

Caz :)

Crochet Clothing Projects Part 2 - My "Shroat"

Okay, so as I mentioned in my last post, I took the plunge last year and attempted some crochet clothing. It was this pattern on Ravelry that made me decide to give it a go.

Making a "shroat" (shrug/coat) for me was going to be a bigger investment in time and money than the little one I had made for my daughter. I finally decided to get some Paton's Washed Haze Aran (since I was enjoying using it for Oliver’s Rainsong Blanket – which wasn’t finished at the time, by the way!) and, I'm not sure how, but I worked out that I’d need 10 x 50g balls. I got a great deal on ebay for $30. I finally settled on a 10mm hook. I tried with my 16mm one (the pattern calls for 15mm) but the stitches it produced were just ridiculous. Too loose, too hard for me to manage. (In hindsight, though, looser stitches may have been better in the end...)

Okay - so this is how you make it:

The idea is that you start with a shrug. That was really easy - just a rectangle that you fold in half, stitch up the sleeves, and slide in your arms.


Hard to take photos of myself wearing it!

Then you run stitches in a circle around the back-of-the-neck and around and down to the bottom at the back, and back again. This adds a collar and a ruffle on the bottom - a "shracket" - a shrug/jacket.

Okay, you with me so far?

THEN (if you still want to keep going!) you can add more to the back (and a little at the front - that was the confusing part for me!) and you end up with a "shroat" (a shrug/coat).

AND/OR you can add more length and add ties and make your "shracket" into a "shrap" (a shrug/wrap).

For mine I went with the shroat idea and decided to keep going until I'd used up every ball. I really like the length.

These next few photos were taken a couple of days ago - more than a year after the photos above!

I was having trouble taking photos of myself... ha ha... not my best photo...


So Miss Rosie took this one for me...

And this one...

I hope this gives you and idea of the finished item!
 

The pattern is okay but a little confusing in places. An ol’ crochet pro would probably have no problems following it, but not me. More than one time I wasn’t sure what they meant, and so I panicked and just... stopped making it for a while! I ended up sending messages to a couple of fellow Ravelers asking for help, and they kindly replied. (If they are reading this – thank you!)

In the end I just had a go, and it worked out. And the other Ravelry-ers were right - it IS very quick. And it is VERY easy.

Only problem is... Rosie was right! It doesn't keep you warm because of all the holes in it - unless I wear it with something long-sleeved underneath! And with the yarn I used it is actually quite a warm coat so it ends up all a bit hot-cold if you wear it just with a cami underneath.

I know, this is such a terrible problem! ;-) It is too WARM up here for me to wear it very much! Oh, how awful to live in a place where the average maximum temperature in winter is 25 degrees! :-) The evenings can be cool, but, like I said, not cool enough for the long-sleeve top and shroat combo, and too cool for the shroat on its own. :-P

So, a bit of a silly project then? Not necessarily. It was still a really great learning experience. I never, ever thought I'd make my own crochet clothing. And now I have. So, it's all good. :-)

Now about the pattern... Ravelry provided a link to the pattern, but the link no longer worked. I then googled and searched and googled some more and eventually found a link that sort-of worked. The website is a bit dodgy - sometimes it will load up for you, other times it says it can't access the webpage. If you want to try the website, follow this link here. Let me know if it doesn't work and I will try to track it down for you.

I have also just found out that the pattern can be purchased here.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post today. My first two crochet clothing items have now been shared on this blog - only a year after I made them! :-P

Till next time, have a happy, hooky day,
Caz :)

Crochet Clothing Projects Part 1 - A "Shracket"

Okay, this is long overdue. I have wanted to write about my attempts at crocheting clothing for AGES. In fact, this post has been in draft for so long, it has been hard to put it all together today. (So my apologies if it's all a bit ... bitsy.)

But I really do want to document what I've done so far... and try and keep it into some sort of chronological order.

So here goes, with the very first crochet garment I ever tried - way back in February 2010 (yes, more than a year ago!).

So, this is a “shracket” – a shrug crossed with a jacket – that I made for my daughter. I found the pattern while browsing on Ravelry and was most intrigued – mainly because everyone kept saying they found it amazingly quick and easy. That’s my kind of clothing project – quick and easy. :-)

So I dabbled with it and modified the size and I came up with this one for my daughter. By using 8ply yarn and a 10mm hook, it worked out to be just the right size for her. I was particularly chuffed because I made it in just 2 days and with one ball (100g) of yarn, and the yarn was from a discount shop and cost only $2.50. A jacket for $2.50 – how cool is that. And my first ever crochet garment to boot.

My daughter liked it but her first comment was, "Mum, it won't keep me warm, there are holes all over it!" She is, in fact, correct, and it only really works with a long-sleeved top underneath. (And where we live it is rarely cold enough to need more than a long-sleeve t-shirt!) :-) I really liked the pattern and enjoyed making Rosie's, so I decided to take the plunge and make a grown-up one for myself.

I'll tell you more about that one next time - stay tuned for "part 2"!! :-)

Caz :)

Happy Bloggiversary To Me!

It occurred to me the other day that my blog is a year old. What a quick year that has been!

Me aged 1. Seems appropriate!

My personal, non-blogging life has been busy and eventful over the past year (generally, it's all been good, but it has been busy!) and this has made regular blogging quite difficult for me. I really do enjoy writing on my blog, though, so I try and find time whenever I can.

I Never Knew how much I would enjoy it! It feels great to have a place where I can record and document my crochet projects and my crochet journey. I enjoy writing it and I love hearing back from people. I Never Knew and Never Expected that so people would comment on my posts or follow my blog. I am amazed, flattered and thrilled by the response I have received over the past year. I'm quite stunned to see today that I now have over 150 followers! Amazing, and wonderful, and all I can say is thank you so much for showing such an interest in the crochet that I have shared.

And I Never Knew that I would "meet" so many amazing people in Blogland! I honestly didn't realise that people "follow" blogs and that through regular reading and comments, people can actually build up connections and relationships with each other. I really didn't expect that. I thought my blog would be this simple little web-page, floating all alone in cyberspace, unconnected to anyone or anything else. I thought people might just stumble across it through a google search, and that's it. Blogger.com is so much more than I realised - I had no idea that it would help me find other crochet-lovers and how our blogs keep us all connected.

Basically what I'm saying is I Never Knew there was a Blogging Crochet Community out there - but I'm so glad I've found it and that I'm connected to it. I love visiting and reading all the great blogs I have found (I read blogs far more often than I post on my own). And I have met some really wonderful people. We may not be "real-life" or "face-to-face" friends, but I feel a real connection with many of you. I don't know ANYONE else in "real life" that is my age and loves crochet. It makes me feel very lonely at times, so I have come to feel that I don't know what I'd do without you, my blogging/internet friends. You live far away, and are busy living your own lives (as am I!) but you are still very "real" to me. :-)

Awwwwwww! That's getting a bit sentimental! LOL But it's true. :-)

I guess what I really want to say is THANK YOU so much for visiting this little blog, whether it's only been the once or if you visit regularly, you are all welcome and I love having you here. Please never hesitate to leave a comment, ask a question, or send me an email. I love to hear from you!

So, here's to my next year of blogging!

See you around in blogland!

And again THANK YOU for making this so fun. I really Never Knew.

Caz :)

More crochet gifts...

Following on from my last post, here are some more gifts I gave at the end of last year.

My daughter's teacher was about to go on leave and was heading for the UK and Europe as soon as school ended... hoping for a white Christmas and I'm pretty sure she would have had one. So with her bottle of wine she got a scarf, and a block of Toblerone. (Just 'cause she likes them. :-) )

The scarf is lovely and soft, but there are a few things about it that I wasn't happy with.

For starters, it took more wool than I expected; that's why it has black rows either side of the purple. (I had more black than purple. I used purple as this particular purple is this teacher's favourite colour and she wears this colour somewhere on her person almost every day. But I thought the black would work okay with it.)

Also it's a bit too short; I was worrying about the amount of yarn I had. It's the sort of length that will work tucked into the front of a coat, but it's not the sort of length for multiple-wraps-around-your-neck or tossing-over-your-shoulder stuff.

I'm 99% sure that I used this pattern. (It was a few months ago and I was pretty busy - I didn't note down anywhere what I was using!) The pattern is simple, but a little bit different: all you do is US dc, US sc, all the way along. Then, on the next row, do a dc in every sc from the row before, and in every dc from the last row, do a sc. Make sense? The pattern explains it better than me. :-) It produces a nice bumpy texture and helps the yarn to drape softly. I liked it and will probably use it again, next time trying a more chunky yarn like the pattern suggests.

I'm not even sure of the hook size any more, but I think it was a 5 or 6mm (bigger than recommended for the yarn to help the scarf to drape). The yarn I do remember, it is Moda Vera Cupcake. A nylon/acrylic blend, it is sooooo soft. Lovely to touch and work with.


And here is one more thing I made last year. I found this great pattern over at Tangled Happy. Tangled Happy is a great new blog absolutely choc-full of crochet ideas. I absolutely LOVE it! If you haven't visited it, please do - it is such a beautiful place to browse and get ideas.

Anyway, this "ear-warmer" pattern - I thought - was also a great headband pattern. I made these for two sisters, aged 2 and 5. The red one is for the little girl, so it is a bit smaller and one row thinner. The pattern is dead simple and sooooo quick! I used 8ply cotton/acrylic yarn and a 4mm hook. Such a quick, easy gift.

To attach the flowers, I used an idea from Little Birdie Secrets - I sewed a button on to each headband, and the flowers are attached to the hat using the button and the centre-loop of the flower. This means the flowers can be swapped over if the girls want to, or they can be left off the headband altogether for a simpler look. I really liked doing the flowers this way and think I will use this method a lot in future, as my own little girl often changes her mind about what she likes!

As for the flower patterns... I'm pretty sure the first flower I did (the red one) was from a link provided by Tangle Happy (pattern can be found here). But I found this pattern to be a little to open/loopy, so I got some ideas from patterns here and here, and modified my second flower a bit so that the petals sat a little closer to each other and to the button. I wish I'd taken more note of what I did, because now these have been gifted, I can't look back at them at all. Sorry! But if you try those links, you'll get some great ideas for layered flowers.


Well, that's all I have for my "show and tell" today! :-) But more to come soon as I had a very productive Christmas holiday.

Have a happy, hooky day,
Caz :)