Sew I See!

As the title suggests, most of the projects covered in this blog post are thread crochet, but I do have one non-thread WIP to share.  I decided not to put off joining and edging the Stardust Melodies afghan, so here's a little sneak-peek at my progress so far: I like the bobbles, but the bobble rounds do take a while to crochet!  I'm thinking I might do just three bobble rounds, but it depends on how that looks, how much yarn I have left, and how tired I am of "bordering", at that point.  ;o)  I'm not sure why, but borders usually take me a while and seem more tiring than "regular" crocheting.  I guess part of it is the repetitious nature of borders.  The object being edged is often a little unwieldy, too. That's it for the non-thread projects, this week.  On to the thread! The first thread project is one I started nearly a year ago, then set aside because I ran out of thread.  Fortunately, I was able to find another brand of thread in...

Here they are-- the final six blocks (two each of the last three patterns)! "Summertime" : I loved crocheting this one! The center is a little different from the average crochet block, but the video is helpful for seeing exactly where the stitches go.  The dc5tog isn't as difficult as it might look, either. Very nice layered textures! Is it just me, or does this one have an art deco vibe? "Dream a Little Dream of Me" : I tried the hdc method for the stars, but mine were coming out looking messy, so I went back and switched to the dc method.  The dc stars don't stand out quite so strikingly as the hdc would have, but they're still a nice texture. Like all the "solid" blocks, this would be easy to expand to whatever size you need. Simple, but pretty. "One for My Baby" : The raised texture on this block reminds me strongly of peacock feathers.  See them? ...

Here's my latest finished (and blocked and photographed) object ! Pattern:   "Evelyn" , by Grace Fearon Yarn:   Cébélia size 10 , color #745 What started as a CAL turned into a regular, "un-timed", solitary crochet project, once I fell behind the schedule-- but it was a very enjoyable crocheting experience, all the same. This pattern comes with photos with superimposed stitch diagrams, which I found very  helpful for quick reference.  I seem to recall that there were plenty of rounds where I didn't even need to read the written instructions, and that's just fine with me.  ;o)  I've come to prefer diagrammed patterns-- but best is to have both, like this one does-- so you can go back to the full, written instructions, if the need arises. (I could've been a little more careful with my blocking around the circle(s) in the center, but honestly, most of the time there's something on the middle of the doily, anyway, so I pro...

"It Had to Be You" . Another pretty block with an interesting diamond pattern of raised texture! I appreciated the inclusion (in the designer's notes) of an alternative to the "stretched" dc in this pattern.  Though the stretched stitches provide an unusual visual and textural effect, I find them less pleasant (and more difficult) to crochet than traditional stitches, so I opted for the substitutions.  Having the designer's own suggestions of which stitches to substitute was very helpful. The raised pattern on either side of each corner reminds me of wings... Pretty! "Someone to Watch Over Me" . This block (one of the freebies) has a great texture!  It works up very quickly, too. The pattern repeat is easy to memorize, so this would be a good TV/movie project.  And like all the other freebies, it would be simple to just keep going to make a larger block-- or even a whole blanket. The textur...