Crochet to Go

I have a new trick for grouping multiple images: Mosaic Maker. It's fast and easy tool. And if you're interested in cataloging and grouping in general, this article from Evil Mad Scientist Labs is worth a read.

I'm finding more and more crocheted clothing and accessories out there - the trend definitely isn't dying. Clockwise from upper left:
- Dress from baby gap
- Crocheted clutch from Banana Republic
- Dress from Forever 21
- Top and blanket from Free People
- Bikini from Free People
- Cardigan from Free People
- Top from Forever 21
- Dress from Forever 21

Did you catch The Knitting Circle Shows Its Chic article in the NYTimes last week? It's definitely worth a read. I particularly like this acknowledgment of the power of craft bloggers:

“I do think the runways were inspired by people doing crafty things at home and by how inventive this generation is,” said Ruth Sullivan, an editor at Workman Publishing, which publishes large numbers of crafts books. She added that designers may also be looking at the Internet, where rafts of people are designing their own patterns and posting them on blogs."

It was love at first sight when I spotted Fia Lotta Jansson's top tutorial (thanks Craft Mag for the link). Fashion-forward, crocheted, obviously fairly simple...a perfect weekend project. The tutorial isn't actually that helpful, though - she repurposed "lace trim" for the crochet portion. It also doesn't address how the strapless top stays up, or how you get it on. For all of you crafters out there, here's a complete pattern.

Crocheted top:
Starting chain: multiple of 10 sts + 2
(Mine was 172 chs using a 3.5mm hook and baby weight yarn. Make a chain and wrap it around under your arms to determine your chain length - it should be an inch or two longer than your actual measurement. )

Row 1: Work 1 sc into 2nd ch from hook, 1 sc into each ch to end, turn.

Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), ship 1 sc, 1 dc into each of next 3 sc, *ch 3, skip 3 sc, 1 dc into each of next 7 sc; rep from * to end, omitting 3 dc at end of last rep, turn.

Row 3: Ch 1, 1 sc into each of 1st 4 dc, 3 sc into next 3-ch-sp, *1 sc into each of next 7 dc, 3 sc into next 3-ch-sp; rep from * to last 4 dc, 1 sc into each of next 3 dc, 1 sc into 3rd st of ch 3 at beginning of previous row, turn.

Row 4: Ch 1, sc into 1st sc, skip 2 sc, 1 sc into next sc, ch 6, skip 3 sc, 1 sc into next sc, * ch 5, skip 5 sc, 1 sc into next sc, ch 6, skip 3 sc, 1 sc into next sc; rep from * to last 3 sc, ch 2, 1 scinto last sc, turn.

Row 5: Ch 1, sc into 1st sc, 12 dc into 6ch arch, * 1 sc over next 5 ch sp into center st below (from row 3), 12 dc into next 6ch arch; rep from * to last ch 2 sp, 1 sc into last sc, pause.

Take a break and wrap the piece around you again. Work several rows of single crochet along the short edge (as many as you need for a comfortable fit), ending with a button hole. Use pins to mark where shoulder straps should be placed. Turn.

Row 6: Sc across entire top. At marked shoulder strap locations, work 6 sc up first half of arch, ch 75, sc back down ch, and continue working sc along your path. Fasten off. Sew button at opposite end of button hole.

Be sure to not sew your button hole tab to the tshirt portion to allow a little extra wiggle room when putting this on. Knot your shoulder straps. You're done!

I finished the blanket last night. It turned out beautifully - the worsted weight yarn creates a very different looking pattern, almost floral in appearance (you can see Poppalina's original and the pattern here). I kept the border simple, just a series of single crochet rounds. I've decided to not give it as a baby gift after all - it will make a nice reading blanket/couch throw for an adult.

All told, this project took about 3 weeks. The pattern is varied enough to not get tedious, and it's a great way to use up leftover yarn.

Next up: a couple of hats for charity and a felted pillow case for my living room.

Remember this pattern from back in April? I finally got around to making it. I love it - it took just under 3 hours total (perfect for a plane ride), would work in a variety of colors, and is easily customizable for different animals. I'm thinking I'll try a teddy bear version next.

I made this for a coworker, whose wife is due in about 2 weeks. I don't think I've talked a lot about work here (personal life usually only makes the other blog), but I work at a pretty cool design firm in San Francisco. Despite being almost entirely male, everyone is very supportive (often surprisingly so) of crochet and crafting in general. It's great. We're hiring a lot of people right now, so get in touch if you're interested and qualified (designing, programming, copywriting, project management, hr, interaction design): jobs@method.com, or alicia@method.com.

It's a beautiful, sunny day, I have a wedding to go to in a few hours, and I just found a picture of a project made from the Crochet to Go Deck! I don't know if it gets much better than this. Fern commented on the blog recently, and I just spent the last hour reading through her posts (great blog, Fern!). She made the cupcake for mother's day. I made all of these projects at least once (most many, many times), but it's still a huge relief to see that they work for other people. Thanks Fern! You made my day.

Did you catch this post on Whip Up a few weeks ago? This wonderful creation is hand crocheted and then covered with plaster and paint. By a guy, no less. He has a fairly diverse selection of work available in his Etsy shop. Check it out.

(And if you're wondering, like I did, the size of this is about a foot long. It would be amazing if he made a life-size one.)

Threadbanger has a great post on the above topic. Katamari hat, anyone? I take issue with them, however, for not including Monster Crochet's golem hat. It's truly a masterpiece.

My computer died last week, necessitating a fairly long break from blogging. Everything is almost back to normal, but it's been a harrowing ordeal. If you're not already backing up your files, please do so! External harddrives and online storage are quite cheap these days.

I've been on hold for what seems like hours trying to make changes to a plane ticket. So...crochet finds!

For adults, I'm in love with these lamp shades. They're so simple - I'd love to have a set for stringing in the back yard at night. Or a row of them along the wall, spotlighting art.

For children, wouldn't crochet letters be a great learning tool? They'll double as pillows.

I'm busy with baby presents these days. I have several pregnant friends, most of whom aren't planning to find out the gender of the child in advance. I think I've said before that I generally find crochet to be a girly medium - patterns that work in fabric, or even knit, often look overly feminine when worked in crochet.

I'm pleased with this latest effort - it's completely gender neutral. The pattern was found in Simple Crochet for Cherished Babies (I simplified the front closure, otherwise it's exactly as written). The styling is very simple, and it should fit for quite some time, depending on how much you roll up the sleeves. I like the slightly open-weave feel of it - I think I might try to modify this into a hoodless cardigan for myself. It would be the perfect coverup for wearing around the house.

Other projects I have going on:
1. A worsted-weight baby quilt based on this pattern. I have neither the time nor the incredible patience needed to pull of the exact result, but even in a looser weave it's looking pretty good.
2. Final modifications on this hat (the brim will stay the same, but the overall hat will be deeper.

IMG_2209.JPG
Originally uploaded by aliciamalia.

I survived the Maker Faire. As you can tell from this picture, it has a carnival-ish air about it. Lots of burning man art, some bands, and building after building of robots, electronics, and models. The craft component was surprisingly minimal. I imagine it was an absolute dream come true for a 13-year-old boy. From what I gather, the event was significantly larger than last year, and I hope it continues to grow. There's certainly something for everyone, but it doesn't yet feel like a cohesive whole. Certainly interesting, though.

The Craft Blog ran a post on the toilet paper wedding contest recently - did you check out the photos? I absolutely agree that this first example should have won. Can you believe all the detailing? I'm quite fond of this second dress, too.

If you have a lot of time - and toilet paper - information on entering the contest is available here.

Robyn of Crochet by Faye has a very interesting post this week about her design process - I'd definitely recommend checking it out. I was especially intrigued with how she multiplies crocheted samples in photoshop (like this example) to find interesting patterns. Very clever. I must refine my photoshop skills.

Here's another major find from my Grandmother - dozens and dozens of crocheted flowers. My Grandma Welch (my great-grandmother) made them; my mom remembers her making one after another when she was a kid.

I've always thought that these were used as doilies, or possibily as coasters. My grandmother writes that they were starched and used as Christmas ornaments. I imagine that's quite beautiful - I'll certainly try to do that this year.

Being several years (at least) from having a house big enough for a full-sized tree, I've been trying to think of other things I could make the extras in to. Ideas so far:
1) scarf
2) shawl
3) placemats

It's only days away! It's like burning man, without the dust. And with more clothes.

I'm signing at the Chronicle Books booth on Sunday at noon. I'll have some crochet projects along, and would love to talk to YOU about everything you're making right now. Stop by! You can see first-hand the weird way I hold a crochet hook (a result of being left-handed and self-taught). There's a lot of other really cool stuff happening too. Won't you be crushed if you miss power tool drag racing? Haven't you wanted to learn how to make your own cat furniture? Seriously - they have everything.

Learn more about Maker Faire is right here.

I'm drowning in printouts of adorable amigurumi projects these days. Here are a few of the best:

Happy eggs.

Toy airplanes, with pattern for sale.

Birds and a platypus in crochetroo's etsy shop (and lots more).

Raindrops in mochimochiland.

Bjork by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin
Originally uploaded by the adventures of hori hara.

One my surprisingly observant coworkers stopped by my desk the other day and said, "Whenever I hear Bjork I think of you." I was flattered and flumouxed, until he said, "You know, that outfit she's wearing in the posters on the street outside."

I had never noticed, but look - it's crochet! Quite a spectacular collection of crochet ruffles.

I finished this a few days ago. It's getting a little late in the season for a heavy scarf, but my mom spends a lot of time up in Oregon, where it's still fairly cool at night. It's my first project from the 2007 Crochet Pattern-a-Day Calendar. I don't like 90% of the patterns in it, but I really enjoy thumbing through it and seeing all the interesting, odd, and funny things you can crochet. I'll definitely buy it again next year.

This is the "Cluster Craze Scarf", from 2/8/07. I'd recommend increasing the initial foundation chain (it's a little short), but otherwise it's a fine pattern. You can find it online here.

Wedding season is upon us, eating up all of my crafting time. I was in San Clemente for a shower this past weekend. Adam and I took Monday off to make it a mini-vacation, and spent two days hiking around Julian, CA and the Anza-Borrego State Park.

These pictures are from Anza-Borrego. The size of this cactus is unusual (most were about 1 foot tall), but it certainly wasn't the only large one. The needles were nearly the length of my hand. I was really tempted to break off a few and see if they'd work as sewing needles - I bet they'd be perfect. I didn't, though, so the next hiker can see the plant intact.

My grandmother recently unearthed these from her cedar chest: hand crocheted dishcloths, made by her mother. I'm curious - was this a popular style at one time? A google search turned up only a few hits, including this free pinafore dishcloth pattern. As soon as I get through my project backlog, I'll try to develop patterns for how to make these two.

Craft magazine posted a feature on the Crochet to Go Deck! You can check it out here. The editor, Natalie Zee Drieu, did a beautiful job. There's a link to a free pattern (the cover wrap top), too. You'll also find an interview with yours truly, with everything you ever wanted to know about the first project I crocheted, favorite patterns, and what I'm making next.

Some projects just don't work out. I was sure this was one of them - the yarn wasn't draping well, the shape looked all wrong, clearly the directions were for a project other than the one pictured. The pattern is the little yellow dress pictured in the upper left corner (Coats & Clark's Book for Babies, Book No. 510, 1956), made to fit a 1-year-old.

I've suffered along on this pattern for a month. That's really long for me - generally I try to move on to something new every two weeks or so. But we've been traveling, I've had some freelance work, the weather's been improving, etc. I definitely can't say I've put in a lot of hours on this project lately. I finally finished it in 2 back-to-back bursts this weekend, sewed it together, and... Wow! It's not quite what I set out to make, but it's rather cute. It's also adjustable at the shoulders and waist, and buttons up one side, so you don't need to struggle to get it over the baby's head.

Moral of the story? Don't give up, even if success seems impossible.

The pattern is available online here.

Here's my favorite easter project. The pattern is available for purchase here.

Thanks for Whipup for unearthing this post on the Poppalina blog - made from yarn remnants, it's a spectacular example of why experimenting with color can be a really good thing. It reminds me of the ripple blanket that Alicia of Posie Gets Cozy has blogged so extensively about.

It makes me want to organize my pile of scraps and make something!