Free Vintage Crochet

I just happened upon this site today (while trying to figure out what size crochet hook to use for a pattern I'm planning to work in laceweight yarn), and I thought it seemed worth bookmarking.

Free Vintage Crochet is just exactly what it sounds like-- free vintage crochet patterns.  Of course I like the free part. ;o)   The vintage aspect is also very appealing to me:  1) because I like things that are a little (or a lot, sometimes) old-fashioned (& thus it gives me a thrill to think of working and wearing a design from 1916 or whenever), and 2) because "vintage" means that they're (probably) not very common these days, so your crochet creation will stand out from the rest.  (I don't mind using a pattern that practically everyone who crochets is doing, if it's something I really like, but it is nice to be unique every now and again.) 

I haven't looked through all the categories yet, but from what I can see, there are some nifty patterns available there-- all for free!  The only downside (so long as you aren't concerned about not being able to find the exact yarn called for in some-- all?-- the patterns) is that some of the photos are a bit small.  It's always nice to get a really good look at what the finished project's supposed to look like, and some of these require a little squinting and faith.  If you're experienced with crochet, you can probably get a good mental image just by reading the written instructions, but that's trickier for a newbie.  But again-- they're free, so you can't complain too much.  ;o)

P.S.  There are a quite a few doily patterns on the site, and I find myself thinking more and more about giving doilies a try.  I know they're definitely old-fashioned, but I like doilies.  My mother-in-law (Britt-Marie) crocheted some doilies while she and my father-in-law were here on vacation a couple years ago.  Her speed and skill was amazing.  She whipped out one after another-- little works of art.  Before they left, she gave us some of the pieces she'd made.  I don't think I'm up to the type of delicate and elaborate stitchery in those doilies, but I'd like to attempt something simple, one of these days.

My Next Crochet Project ;o)

I think I've figured out my next crochet project!  I can hardly wait to begin!!  

Now, which lucky person on my Christmas gift list is going to get this little gem. . .?  ;o)

Isn't that just incredible?

What were you supposed to do with this "Giant Floor Ball"?  (No, seriously, that's what it's called.  Look closely at the bottom right-hand corner.)  Is it for sitting on?  Decoration only?  Could it be a toy for the children?  Or is it strictly for leaning against, as the model demonstrates?  Don't you just love the look on her face?  There's nowhere she'd rather be than cozied up with her Giant Floor Ball.  It's her favorite place for romantic daydreams.  (Maybe this woman just has odd taste in home decor.  See that figurine on the table behind her?  Well, it's not my taste, at least...)

There are more yarn atrocities from the same source (a book) on this page.  

Luna Lovegood Scarf

Last time I wrote, I had decided to try a scarf that was basically a bunch of Solomon's knots (love knots, lover's knots). I gave it a try, and after the first or second row didn't know what to do next. It was night, and I was tired, so that may have accounted for it. Whatever the reason, I couldn't see where/how I was supposed to attach the next row into the previous one. I'm going to give it another try-- and maybe seek advice if I still can't figure it out on my own-- but in the meantime, I happened upon a different scarf pattern.

The Luna Lovegood Scarf (pattern by Melissa Helton) is so called because it's based on an accessory worn by a character of that name in a Harry Potter movie. I liked the looks of the scarf, and none of the stitches seemed too difficult for a beginner. The pattern uses chains, single crochet, double crochet, shells (multiple double crochets worked into a single stitch), and a simple picot edging. (The pattern is written in US crochet terms.)

Overall, I'm happy with how it turned out. It is a little wider than I pictured it, but that's not really a problem with a scarf. (This is also why I am making scarves instead of, say, sweaters. (g) With scarves, gauge isn't as much of an issue.)

I think my beginner status showed itself in a couple of spots. First, I ran into a little trouble with the counting by the end of the first side of picot edging. I went back and "shared out" the uneven count slightly, though, and I don't think it's immediately obvious. Then, for some reason, the last row of shells seemed to turn out a bit larger on the second side of the scarf. I wonder if that could be because I was crocheting that outside, on a rather humid morning. Of course, it could just be that my mood was different when I crocheted that. . . There are possibly other mistakes/weak spots, too, but in any case, I can definitely wear this scarf without wrapping it up to my eyes to protect my identity. ;o)

Here's a photo (there are a few more on Flickr, if you'd like another look):

Oh, and this was also my first attempt at blocking. I still don't know if I did it perfectly, but I do think it made a positive difference in the shaping and arrangement of the stiches, so that's good. At least I have a little blocking experience under my belt, now.

Scarf stats:

Yarn: Red Heart Sport, "Aran Fleck"
I used a little less than two 2.5 oz (70g) skeins.

Hook: G (I think...)
That's not what the pattern called for, but I knew it didn't really matter that much, seeing as it's a scarf, and I didn't have whatever hook the pattern did call for.

Time: I don't know. I don't really time my crafty pursuits. It's supposed to be fun, and I don't like timing things. Makes me feel like I'm in a race. . . It probably took longer than it "should" have, but I'm still a beginner.

Dimensions:
Approximately 5.5 inches (14cm) wide and 78 inches (198cm) long.

I enjoyed this, and I think I'm now officially "hooked" on crochet (ha ha). I'm even considering making this pattern again to give as a gift. . . If you're looking for a relatively simple pattern that yields a lacy, timeless result, I think this is a good one!

Testing the Waters in Crochet. . .

A while ago, in an effort to re-acquaint myself with basic crochet, I crocheted several dishcloths. I still haven't woven in the ends and given them a whirl in the sink, but making them did the trick of getting me interested in crochet, again.

I spent part of the weekend (ok, way too much of the weekend) looking through free patterns online (and hoarding them away for future use), and I found a few that looked especially interesting. Now I just have to match the yarn in my stash to the patterns. Oh, and figure out how to translate the patterns into finished objects. My crochet know-how is still very limited, but the only way I'll learn new stitches is to try them.

I think I'm going to start with this scarf-- or this one, which is basically the same thing-- but that's only if I can figure out the "love knot" (aka "lover's knot" or "Solomon's knot"). I gave it a quick try last night, but I didn't quite get it. What I saw before me on my hook didn't resemble the illustrations in the pattern. However, after finding a video and that second pattern, which has more detailed instructions and photos instead of drawings, I feel more confident. I'm going to give it another try, tonight.

I hope I can get it to work. It looks like a fun, quick project, and it would be nice to get some instant gratification, after spending so much time researching patterns.

This is the yarn I'm thinking of using-- Yarn Bee's Sweet Delight Pomp in the Ladybug colorway:

That's the closest I got to representing the colors faithfully (on this monitor, at least). It's a mixture of pale pink, watermelon pink, powder blue, and dark grey.

I'm hoping I'll be able to see soon whether or not this yarn suits the pattern. I get the feeling that variegated yarn has limited uses, since so much of it doesn't look great in crochet (from what I've seen so far). Too much variation just distracts from the pattern. At least if this combination isn't satisfactory, I have an even simpler pattern I can try with it.

Rag-Quilted Pillows

After thinking about it for a long time (as usual), I finally got around to sewing a few rag quilt-style throw pillows. When I snapped these photos, the light was a little low, and they turned out a bit blurry. Maybe I'll take and post a few better ones, one of these days, but I thought I'd better share what I have so far, before I forget to blog about them altogether. ;o)

I used a variety of fabrics in colors and prints that coordinate with the colors in the rug and sofas in our living room. There's a lot of tan/beige, cream, and brown in that room, with accents in green and rusty red. The fabrics I used ranged from denim and flannel to cotton blends.

I followed the usual rag-quilting procedures. Each pillow is basically two (very) mini rag quilts sewn together around the edges and stuffed with fiberfill. You could get away with one mini rag quilt per pillow (using a single piece of fabric for the pillow back), if you wanted to speed up the process, but I thought it'd be nice if they were pretty (and raggedy) on both sides.

I considered making removable pillow shams, but in the end, I went with a sewn-shut design. (We'll see how they hold up.) If I have to, I can always rip the seams for laundering, but I'm hoping that vacuuming and spot-cleaning will suffice for a good long while.

They came out looking a little "rustic country"-- a little more so than I'd expected-- but I think they'll fit in with our decor. I would still love to see how a blue jeans rag quilt pillow would turn out, but the blue denim wouldn't match our living room. . .

I think a denim rag-quilted jumbo pillow would make a wonderful dog bed-- very durable, and cheap, too, if you used cast-off blue jeans as material. (You could sew in a zipper or use ties or buttons to make for easy laundering.) Unfortunately, my crazy Eskie, Trixie, would just chew and tear it apart (and likely eat a good bit of it, in the process!). Molly, our Cocker Spaniel, would probably be ok with one, but keeping it away from Trixie would be a constant struggle. Maybe one day she'll calm down enough to be trusted with a nice dog bed/blanket. . .

New Photos of Old Mice

Though I've posted a couple of videos featuring these felt mice pincushions, I don't think I've ever put up a still photo of the group.

Here are a couple:

(I've written before about making this type of pincushion. The mice in the tutorial from which I got the idea look a little different from mine. You can read more about the changes I made on this blog entry.)

Meanwhile... I've done the cutting for a new cover for a throw pillow. Yes, I'm finally getting around to making those rag quilt-style pillows for our sofas. I'll be sure to post photos once there's something to photograph. ;o)

Blogs of the Bizarre

A couple weeks ago, I actually went into a temporary sewing frenzy, whipping up six items for gifts in a matter of only a couple of days. (Three ragged denim and flannel totes and three plastic bag dispensers.) Unfortunately, because I was working on them literally until the very last minute, I didn't have time to take any photos. (That always seems to happen when I'm making gifts! A side effect of my dreadful procrastination.)

In better news, some time ago I came across a blog I deemed worthy of bookmarking: What Not to Crochet. As the title suggests, the blog features crochet projects that the author (at least) doesn't recommend. Mostly it's just bizarre or unattractive pieces of crochet-- and that's always fun to look at, right? ;o)

From there, I found a few similar blogs:

You Knit What??
Same premise, only with knitting instead of crochet.

What Not to Knit
Another blog about knitting disasters.

The Purse Blog, "Fugly" entries
This time, ugly bags have the spotlight.

Note: Please don't be upset if you actually like some of these so-called "ugly" creations. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. . . or creator! Oh, and I haven't read my way through all of these blogs. Any of them could possibly contain offensive language. In the little reading of them I've done so far, I've come across a few different instances of "I wouldn't want my (theoretical) kids reading that..." So proceed with caution, if you're careful about that kind of thing.

This makes me want to get out my crocheting and see if I've forgotten the very most basic basics I'd managed to pick up before I set it aside... Is it wrong that a "what NOT to crochet" blog makes me want to crochet? (g)