Dear Crochet lover,
Have a Heart -- Crochet a Pretty Coaster!
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and if you're in need of a quick gift for someone special, our Floral Heart Motif is just the thing to stitch up as a lovely coaster. Give it along with a pretty mug and a few packets of the recipient's favorite tea, coffee or cocoa mix for an extra-special, heartfelt gift. It's sure to be much appreciated!
Back to top The Art of Embellishment -- Cross Stitch on Crochet
Cross stitch is a style of embroidery that is the perfect accompaniment to crochet. The designs that can be created range from simple geometrics to florals to elaborate scenes that depict stories. Cross-stitch embroidery on crochet is done much the same way as counted cross stitch on woven threads. The rows of crochet stitches form a grid-like fabric that can be used to anchor the diagonal straight stitches used to create cross-stitch designs. Single crochet is best suited for the foundation fabric because of the almost square symmetry of the stitch. The palette of colorful yarns, threads and flosses available today allows us to be as elaborate as our imagination permits. Usually, same or similar fibers are used to embellish a crochet piece. For example, worsted yarn cross stitches are worked on worsted yarn crochet. When combining different types of fibers, such as floss on cotton thread or perle cotton on yarn, experiment with a swatch of the two together before starting the project to become familiar with how to handle the different textures together.
The tool needed to work cross stitch on crochet is simple -- just a tapestry needle in the correct size needed for the type of yarn or thread you are using. Needle sizes 16 to 18 are best for worsted and sport weight yarns. Smaller needle sizes like 22 to 24 work well with cotton threads and flosses. It is important to keep an even tension on the embroidery yarn or thread as you work to prevent warping and other distortions in the crochet fabric. The stitches should blend and lay smoothly over the surface of the crochet work. Stitches that have been pulled too tight will make unsightly holes in the finished piece. If they are too loose, the piece can become snagged more easily and damage your beautiful handiwork. In working cross stitch, it is important to make sure that the direction of the stitching is done the same throughout for a consistent look to your stitch work. In the illustration below, you'll see that, in the correct version, the stitches are all crossed in the same direction. In the incorrect version, the stitches vary in the directions in which they are crossed.
It is best to work with a length of yarn or thread that is no more than 18 inches long. Longer lengths are difficult to handle and tend to tangle and knot up as they are pulled through the work. Also, as you work, the movement of the stitching can make the strand over-twist. It is best to stop periodically, release the strand and allow it to unwind. Cross stitches can be worked in two ways. The first half (the bottom stitch) of the crosses can be stitched in a row, and then the second half (the top stitch) of the crosses can be worked on the return pass for the same row. This method works well when you have a group of stitches to work using the same color of yarn or thread.
Cross stitches can also be completed one at a time. This method works best when the stitches of the design are scattered over the piece.
To begin, using the "knotless" method, leaving about a 2-inch end on the wrong side of the work, bring the strand through to the front of the crochet piece. Hold the 2-inch end along the back of the piece and cover it as you make the first several cross stitches. This secures and hides the end at the same time. Trim away the excess end. When the last stitch is made, bring the strand to the wrong side of the work and weave it through the back of several stitches with a tapestry needle before cutting the excess end.
For a durable anchoring method on items that may receive more wear and tear, make one or two tiny tacking stitches as you weave the strand through the back of the crochet stitches when you begin and also when you end.
Back to top A Pretty Pot Holder With Cross-Stitch
In keeping with our Valentine's Day pattern theme, our lovely Heart Pot Holder is a great project for crocheters who are not familiar with working cross stitch on crochet. You can practice the technique and create a lovely gift at the same time! Discover how much fun doing cross stitch on crochet can be. It will open up a whole new world of decorative possibilities in your crochet projects!
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CROCHET TALK I love getting great crochet tips or questions about crochet concerns from our readers. I recently received the following letters that I'd like to share. Remember, if you have a helpful suggestion or question you think would be of interest to our readers, please write me, and I will try and include as many as possible in upcoming issues. Cay e-mailed with the following tip in response to our article in the Dec. 9, 2008 issue on making safer, longer-lasting crocheted toys and dolls.
"I have a suggestion to add to the article on toy making. A couple of years ago I made a crocheted mermaid for a 3-year-old, and I used knee-high stockings inside the doll before adding in the stuffing. The stockings are lightweight, easy to wash and keep the stuffing securely inside the doll with no bits and pieces poking out between the stitches." In the Nov. 18, 2008 issue, we included a couple of additional suggestions for making heated neck warmers for people suffering from arthritis or stress-related shoulder and neck pain. Dottie B. wrote the following in response to Joy Gay's suggestion to fill a stretchable sock with inexpensive rice:
"Instead of using just one sock, use two, with one placed inside the other. The outer sock can be removed for washing without dealing with grains of rice. It's simple and hassle-free!" Wendy R. sent in this question about substituting yarn from her stash for a sweater pattern.
"I have a crochet pattern for the cutest little cropped cardigan that I can't wait to make. The pattern calls for a worsted weight yarn, but I would love to make the sweater using some gorgeous silk-blend yarn that I got on clearance. The problem is that the yarn is sport weight. Will it work to hold two strands of the sport weight together for worsted weight? I was able to purchase two dozen skeins of the silk yarn, but how will I know if I have enough to make the project?" Two lighter-weight yarns can often be held together to make a heavier yarn. Here are some general guidelines for substituting different yarn weights: 2 strands fingering weight (#1) = 1 strand sport weight (#2)
2 strands sport weight (#2) = 1 strand worsted weight (#4)
2 strands worsted weight (#4) = 1 strand bulky weight (#5) However, yarns in the same weight category are not always equal among yarn manufacturers. One company's "sport" yarn might actually be more similar in weight to a DK yarn, while another company's sport-classified yarn could, in reality, be closer to a sock (fine) weight yarn. The only sure way to know if using any of these substitutions in your patterns will give you satisfactory results is to crochet a swatch using two strands of your substitute yarn. You'll be able to determine if you get the same gauge that's stated in your pattern, and you can also see if the resulting fabric resembles the look of the original. Sometimes substituting two strands of one yarn for one strand of another can create a fabric with a completely different look and feel that you may not like. It's easy to find out if you have enough of the sport weight yarn to make your sweater. It's likely that the yardage per ball in your sport weight yarn is different from that of the worsted weight yarn called for in your pattern. Just follow these easy steps:
| 1. | Calculate the total number of yards of the worsted weight yarn used in your pattern by multiplying the number of skeins called for by the number of yards per skein. Example: Your pattern calls for 9 skeins of XYZ brand worsted weight yarn that has 185 yards per skein. The total yardage for the pattern is 1,665 yards (9 x 185). | | 2. | Likewise, multiply the number of skeins of your substitute yarn by the number of yards per skein to determine how many total yards you have. For this sweater project, you have indicated you have 24 available skeins. As an example, let's say each skein has 142 yards, so you have a total of 3,408 yards (24 x 142). But remember, in this particular case you are doubling the strands of your sport weight yarn, so you actually only have half that amount to work with, or a total of 1,704 yards. So, based on this calculation, you would have enough sport weight yarn to make your sweater (as long as you make sure you are matching the pattern gauge). | These simple calculations can be used to help you determine if you have sufficient quantity whenever you want to substitute one yarn for another. Just remember to check your gauge! Back to top |  Crochet Trivia Revisited
I admit it. I'm a trivia nut, especially if it pertains to entertainment (TV, movies, music, books and hobbies, for example). I particularly enjoy interesting historical bits about crochet, and the role it played in people's lives in the past.
In a 2005 issue of Talking Crochet, I included some interesting musings about crochet -- and needlework in general -- that I happened upon while doing some online research for a book. Many of our readers wrote to tell me how much they enjoyed the feature. Since that original issue is no longer available (even in archives), I thought it would be fun to re-visit those bits of crochet trivia for our readers who have joined Talking Crochet in the past three and a half years. Many of you may already be familiar with some of these historical happenings, but I hope you'll find something of interest in the following bits and pieces of the past.
| • | The American Civil War caused devastating shortages of all types of supplies used in normal day-to-day life before the war. The lack of Southern cotton and other textile products from the North created a nationwide shortage of dress and household goods of all types. There were often severe shortages of adequate clothing, warm blankets and even bandages, especially in the South.
Southern women searched out and used up every piece of textile they could find. They tore up their silk dresses, petticoats, extra curtains and bed linens to make simple, serviceable clothes for their families. They unraveled wool blankets or worn clothing to knit or crochet warm mittens, socks and hats.
These industrious women transformed items such as animal skins, blanket scraps and pieces of canvas into shoes. They also learned how to weave and spin, even using the cotton stuffing from their mattresses to spin into yarn, which, low grade and poor quality though it was, became knitted or crocheted items that helped their families survive.
| | • | During the same period, decorative trims such as braid and tape were not available, and women found it difficult to weave these types of trim narrow enough to be suitable for clothing. They discovered that long, crocheted chains of thread worked well for braid, applying it in a variety of ways from single chains to wider "tapes" made by sewing several chains of the same or different colors together.
| | • | In the 19th century, before printed crochet patterns were widely available, a valuable teaching tool and source of creative inspiration were crochet samplers. These decorative pieces were handed down through the generations to become not only treasured family heirlooms, but important sources of crochet instruction. They were often added to, joined together into impressive collages or simply preserved in family albums.
| | • | Young girls of this time period were taught to sew, knit and crochet. Needle cases were often the first item they made, as they were small, simple projects to complete and they made appropriate gifts for family and friends.
| | • | In 1840, to assist in raising funds to erect a monument to the Battle of Bunker Hill, New England women held a fair to sell their handmade items. Young and old alike, those who rarely worked and those who toiled daily, joined together to crochet, knit, sew and embroider a variety of useful, attractive items that could be sold for the purpose of building the monument. The women raised an astonishing $33,066 in several days -- more than enough to pay for the monument. This is a great testament to "woman power," well before it became a socially conscious issue!
| | • | Silk has long been a favorite luxury fiber in fabrics, and in more recent times, yarns as well. Few fashion items or home accessories -- whether sewn, crocheted or knitted -- feel more exquisite than those made with silk. Here is some interesting trivia on how silk came to be introduced to the Western world in the first place. We certainly owe a big debt of gratitude to two very brave people!
Nearly 3,000 years before Christ, the silkworm was bred exclusively in the great empires of the Far East and throughout the Orient. It was considered a national treasure and a closely-guarded secret for generations. Through six major Chinese dynasties, anyone caught giving away the silkworm secret for making the fine, luxurious threads was tried, publicly disgraced and executed. In fact, there are many stories of attempted smuggling in China that span history for more than 3,000 years.
It is recorded that two Christian missionaries, who were in China from their native homeland of Persia, hid silkworm eggs in their hollow canes as they boarded a ship for their home church in Constantinople. Managing to pass safely through frequent rigorous inspections, they were able to return home and breed their own silkworms to produce silk in Turkey, Anatolia and other parts of Asia Minor. This theft of a Chinese national treasure introduced silk to the Western world for the first time. |
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PAS (Pattern Acquisition Syndrome) Alert! Annie's Attic Has New Digital Crochet Pattern Downloads Available!
Annie's Attic has long been considered a leader in providing the best in today's popular crochet patterns. Now, Annie's Attic online has gone one better by offering you two convenient ways to order your favorite crochet patterns. You can still order them with regular shipping, or now you can easily download them instantly to your computer in a new digital PDF format, saving time and shipping fees! It couldn't be easier or faster (and who doesn't love instant gratification, especially when we simply have to satisfy a bad case of PAS?).
Click here to begin checking out all the fantastic crochet patterns you can now purchase with our easy digital downloads. Your crochet hooks are waiting! Back to top |
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