crochet Archives - Page 33 of 46

More gifties

My sister requested a crochet Pi for her office, and since the very few versions I found online (for pay or free) did not excite me, I decided to make my own.

This is big little pi and little big Pi. I haven’t totally worked out the pattern for big little pi, but here’s the other.

Little Big Pi

Top bar:
1. Sc 6 in magic ring.
2. 2sc around (12).
3-5. Sc around (3 rnds).
6. Ch 3, sk 3 sts, sc 9.
7-8. Ch 3, sk prev chs, sc 9.
9. Sc into each ch and sc of prev rnd, leaving a lp of each ch exposed to sc into later (12).
10-14. Sc around (5 rnds).
15. Sc 2, ch 3, sk 3 sts, sc 7.
16-17. Sc 2, ch 3, sk prev chs, sc 7.
18-20. Rep rnds 9-11.
21. Dec around (6).
Cut, leaving a tail for finishing, and pull end through last stitch, but leave open for now.

Legs:
These are crocheted directly onto the top bar, beginning in rounds 6 and 15 of the top bar. Be warned that it is very easy to add a stitch in rounds 1 and 2 – when you are done with round 1, count to 12 back the way you came to make sure you’re stitching into the correct loops.
1. Place sl kn on hk and sl st to join to middle skipped sc in rnd 6 or 15. Sc in same st and next sc (2), in ends of rows once before, between, and after the chs (3, 5 so far), in each rem lp of the chs of rnd 8 or 17 (3, 8 so far), in ends of rows as before (3, 11 so far), and in rem skipped sc of rnd 6/15 (12).
2-14. Sc around (13 rnds; sk sl st of rnd 1!).
15. Dec around (6).
Stuff and FO. After both legs are done, stuff and FO top bar.

Gifties!

I can only do this because I have some confidence the recipients of these gifts won’t be looking at my blog on Christmas Eve. As usual, I made a few Christmas gifts in crochet.

For Mama (said with the accent on the second syllable, of course), a couple more potholders.

The triple-lobed one I freehanded, making the initial shape via stitch height and then continuing it by increasing around the lobes and decreasing (often via skipping a stitch) in the corners. The other is stitch pattern 421 from Linda Schapper’s Complete Book of Crochet Stitch Designs. It alternates double crochet with front post double crochet around a previous row’s double crochet, offset so you get a sort of checkerboard. Here’s a close-up:

If I were doing it again I would change the outermost double crochets into half double crochet or even maybe single crochet, because the edges are taller than the middle with the pattern as written. I still like how it came out, though. I should have written down what I did around the edge, because I can’t remember. I think it was single crochet around and then double crochet with a chain in between each, but I wouldn’t swear to it.

For Grandmother, a fluffy white scarf with gold snowflakes, to wear with her stylish white dress coat. Here are a picture before washing and a snowflake close-up after washing:

The diagonal stitch is just double crochet, increased at one end and decreased at the other. I ended up designing three more snowflakes at the last minute, which I haven’t had the chance to write up formally yet. I think my favorite is the one that looks a bit like antlers. After washing the fluffy white yarn was less fluffy, so I used my pet slicker brush to comb out the mats.

I also made my own chocolates, the easy way: three high quality chocolate chips in a candy cup, microwave in short intervals until soft, press a nut or two on top, add five or six more chocolate chips and repeat. Use the tip of a butter knife to get rid of the chip-shaped bumps once the chocolate is fully soft. You can make peanut butter cups as well, with one or two more chocolate chips on the bottom to give a sturdy layer. The disadvantage to this method is that cocoa butter soaks the candy cup and when it cools it is stuck to whatever it’s sitting on. I also made “mini turtles” with chocolate chips, half a caramel, and a broken-up pecan half, but if I were doing that again I’d cut the caramels (standard Kraft ones) into thirds and be more careful about getting chocolate between them and the cup on all sides – they stick! Those I did in the oven at about 200F, because I was worried enough time in the microwave to melt the caramel would scorch the chocolate.

More gifts will be revealed in later posts…

Snowflakes for you

In the spirit of my emergency pumpkins, I have a brief seasonal pattern for you today.

You like the fancy picture?

The pattern! Abbreviations and links to general instructions here.

Quick Easy Snowflake
Ch 4 and join with sl st into ring.
Ch 1. *sc into ring, ch 3* three times (3 sc, 3 ch sp made).
Join to first sc with sl st; ch 1. In each ch sp: sc, ch 2, sc, ch 2 (6 sc, 6 ch sp made).
Sl st in first sc to join. Sl st into next ch sp, ch 1.
*Sc in same ch sp; ch 8, sl st in 4th ch from hk. Ch 4, sl st in same ch as previous sl st. Ch 3, sl st in same ch as previous sl st. Ch 3, sc in next ch sp.* around (6 points made).
Last sc will envelop the sl st that preceded the first *…*; sl st into the ch 1 immediately after that sl st. FO.

[pardon my edit, here and below. that last ch 3 used to say ch 4; that was in error from a previous version of the pattern. the legs decidedly lean if you ch 4. apologies for the error!]

I like to pull that last yarn end to the back of the snowflake through the chain space that those first and last single crochets were made into. Weave in the ends, yank on opposite pairs of points to straighten them, tug the side nubs of each point apart. Sometimes the points want to lean a bit, which can be helped by holding down the beginning chain of each point while tugging the first side nub away from the center of the flake. If your snowflakes want to curl up, iron them (all snowflakes above were ironed). You can stiffen them like thread crochet snowflakes, if you want to hang them.

The yarns used above were Lion Brand Vanna’s Glamour (gold), Red Heart Holiday (off-white), Caron Simply Soft (light blue), and Lily Sugar ‘n’ Cream (variegated). All were made with an F/5 hook (3.75mm).

“But, Reve,” I hear you saying, “one of these things is not like the others!” I applaud your Sesame Street reference and reply with another pattern!

Quick Easy Snowflake – Variation
Ch 4 and join with sl st into ring.
*Ch 8, sl st in 4th ch from hk. Ch 4, sl st in same ch as previous sl st. Ch 3, sl st in same ch as previous sl st. Ch 3, sl st into ring* six times (6 points made).
FO. That’s all!