QA: To answer another question...

I received this email on April 17th:

I just found your web site. I really like it. It seems real, not scripted. :+) I love your work also. :+) I was wondering if you could help me with a pattern in a book you have!!! I can't seem to find anything about it on the web, and don't know any one who crochets. LOL. It is in the crochet year book volume 2, the Granny Girl Purse and Headband. Here is what I am having trouble with..

RND 8: join black to any corner ch-2 sp; ch 1, 5 sc in same sp; *sc in next 21 dc, 5 sc in next corner ch-2 sp; rep from* twice more; sc in next 21 dc; join in first sc.

How do you do 5 sc in that same sp?? It creates a chain, is it supposed to be like that? Or am I doing it wrong? I am at a complete loss with it, and am trying to make this for my niece. I would really appreciate any help you can give me.

Forever,

Jo

I don't know how many have this book but lots make granny squares so here is my answer....
First, if you are not the person in question, I will not post the entire pattern as that would be infringing on the owners copyright. But for explanatory purposes of the question, I left what she had written about round 8 so we would all be on the same page which, in the book, happens to be pages 138-139, and 162-163. The book is from "American school of Needlework" Volume 2 book 1336.

Please excuse the dots of blue paint on my nails and under them; it is from making a floral arrangement yesterday and I have to wait till it wears off. See previous post about work fun.

Ok, on to the question...

First off, on the previous round you only have chains in the corners on the sides of the granny; there are no chains, just sets of 3 dc.

This is different from the previous rounds. Just making sure you have the previous row correct. For some reason for the set up of the edge the author has you sort of decreasing by removing the chains in the previous round. That is a side note back to question.

You slip stitch into the space that the two chains made on the corner; do not slip stitch into any of the chains.

Showing slip stitch to attach to work

The ch1 gets you to the right height for the row to begin and counts as nothing in your pattern; just a height thing.

Showing chain 1 to get to right height.Showing start of first sc in ch 2 space. Also showing crocheting over tail to encapsulate it into the work so you don't have to finish so many threads at the end of your work.

Now, in that same ch 2 space on the same corner where you joined, you are going to place 5 sc around those 2 chains.

Showing all 5 sc in chain 2 space, sorry bad photo.Showing the 5 sc in corner and the first 5 of 21 sc across side of granny square.

The next 21 stitches are in the top of the 7 sets of 3 dc between corners. then you place 5 sc around the next set of ch 2 in the next corner do this all the way around. It isn't forming a chain; it is defining your corners with 2 sc per side and 1 for your corner point.

QA Questions and Answers

I get lots of people who send me emails on how to do certain techniques or how to understand patterns. So I made a new label that is in my tags on the side bar labeled QA. As I get these questions answered, I will post them here so others can find them easily and so the person with the question can find it easily most of all. I went back into all my old posts and added the QA label to 15 of them to help people find answers from the past.
Thanks,
sunshine

(Hope this helps!)

Irish crochet bonnet

Progress on the back of the bonnet. There are a few more rounds for the back, and a round of roses (not totally made) for the back still, too, before I get to the brim. Pattern has been updated also.

To answer a question on Irish bonnet

I have had a lot of questions recently on an Irish crochet bonnet pattern I posted a long time ago. I have not ever made all of this pattern so I have not worked through all the nuances of it, yet. I am, as time allows, working through it and redrafting the pattern as I go. I was asked to post photos of the rose in the bonnet. Top photo shows front with the thread and hook I am using; the bottom two photos are showing the back of the rose. I am currently revamping the pattern; it is posted where I have gotten to on that project.

Post to answer another Question

There was a question on another blog that I read, and I am trying to answer the post here with visuals. This is sort of how it would be used because I am right handed. This should really hang from my right wrist so it feeds directly into my hand that holds my hook; I can crochet lefty, too, just don't do it much. Anyway, because of that I use my right hand to take photos, too, so it is on my left in the picture.

This is a wrist thread-ball holder. They where popular when crochet and knitting where in the height of fashion. I have patterns for these from 1880-1920. In the center is a cabone ring on each side (not always used). This is where the thread is fed through the item, so that when you are traveling your ball does not end up on the floor and get dirty. This was a common item in most ladies' traveling knitting/crochet bags. When a lady wanted to crochet, she would pull out the lace from the top of the bag and pull out her needle or hook that she had stabbed into the ball, and would start to work. When done, she would place the lace back into the top of the bag and re-stab her ball with needle or hook. This is also a bag that tatters would carry and do the same thing with it, except they wouldn't stab their work, they would just place the shuttle inside the bag. Of course, for tatting the ball bag would hang on the opposite wrist than it would for crochet. So when I tat, this is the wrist it hangs on. For any of these techniques it is best to use a center-pull ball, but it's not required.

The bag pictured above is not antique; it is one I made from an antique pattern.

Coming out of this is a piece of lace I am currently making. The pattern is from Leisure arts 111 Easy Edgings; in case anyone else wants to make it, pattern number 75. The hook size I am using is 10 this is roughly size 30 thread. The lace is actually a light khaki color and is a boil fast thread, meaning it is vintage to antique thread.

English Paper Piecing Question

This picture was posted in The English paper piecing group on flickr. A discussion arose about how to baste large hex pieces. My tutorial explained it, but visuals are better. I do have permission to show this example of how not to do it by its maker, Anne Brumley. Pictured are her first blocks; I actually think they are well made. I do not see the stitching between the blocks, her fabric choices are vibrant and lively. I just want it clear that these are well-made blocks, and the only thing I wanted to clarify was all the basting threads. All the threads you see have to be removed; there are also lots of them, which makes that time consuming and your fingers will hurt from going through the papers so much with the needle.

In the way I do it, all you have to do is cut six small threads; just six small nips of the scissors, then pull the papers out (which saves time) and just leave in the basteing threads.

So, you do a back stitch in each corner where the fabric folds over on top of itself. Then, in the middle of each side of the hex you do an ever so tiny stitch that goes through the fabric and the paper. I have made a few things with this technique, so I promise it is simple and not hard.

Go all the way around in this manner; cut thread when you get back to the beginning. I hope this helps whomever does bigger pieces in English paper piecing. Below are other examples of Anne's work; she uses silk in some of her work, and it is lovely. She picks very nice fabrics and has good hand piecing skills; she is a very nice hand seamstress.

pattern for the three bears

I have been asked by several people what pattern I used to make the bears. Here it is: I bought it at a thrift store for fifty cents; it looks to be from the 1980's.

Information on outside of pattern:

• Called Dream Spinners
• #118 ... and The Three Bears
• By Great American Quilt Factory, Inc.
• makes size 17, 20 and 24 inch patterns
  

There are three on ebay right now for about 5 - 13 dollars, counting shipping.

Obviously, I added faces and such to the faceless bears in the pattern, and I didn't use the fabrics they used. But then, I never follow a pattern 100% because there is no fun in that.

This is a good pattern and the pieces are a good size, making them easy to use. Looking at the picture on the package, I would have never purchased it in a store because it just didn't interest me. I originally purchased it because it was in a bag that had lots of taffeta pieces in it that I thought I could use for a crazy quilt. That never happened; I ended up using some of those pieces in these bears (pink, blue, and cream for the ears and paws). So, I ended up actually using the fabric for what the original owner intended: a fabric bear, not a quilt. I only remembered this pattern when my children started talking about the bears. I think I have had it for 5 years, just sitting in a box not knowing what to do with it; but I saw that the pattern had potential.

Flowers Abound

Picked up an old project over the weekend while I was still fighting the fever. Thought it might be of interest to some. The plan is to make 3 twin-size afghans for my three girls; I have quite the ways to go, still. The thread is antique thread left over from other projects, so I never know how many blooms I will get from one left over project. It may be as many as five or as few as one or none. If none, then the smaller scrapes go into these other two projects that I am working on. The second spare scrap project is using the pattern linked to with the word "project," but it is using thread, not chenille, and I think I am going to make a skirt out of it.

Once I make the blooms, I use left-over green to surround the flowers. After that, I use left- over cream and white thread to border the flowers. So, there aren't any two blocks exactly the same, color-wise. The blocks alternate, white and some form of cream/ecru. I am hoping my children like these when they are done. I am debating if I have to make five and not three because we have two bedrooms that have two twin beds in them. Then I would have to make one more so each daughter ended up with two blankets apiece. This project may be getting bigger than I want it. Who knows, maybe I will make 1 real large one for my king-size bed and forget the rest of the idea. I never know 'till I get done what I will actually do with some projects, and this is one of that type of project. These, of course, are a type of granny square.

The flowers are made out of size 10 thread and knit cro sheen and any other 100% type thread that is that type of weight; even pearl cottons are in the mix. The hook is a size 6 steel hook.

UPDATE:
I was asked for the pattern; here is where to find it:
The flowers are under copyright, still. They come from a book called "The Crochet Yearbook, Volume 2" by American School of Needlework, book 1336, page 135, ISBN 1-59012-003-5

The pattern calls for flowers ever other square and a solid colored background, not alternating cream and white. But that was just too boring and not enough color, so I threw out the blank blocks and made them all flower blocks.

Back of mini yo-yo quilt

back of mini yo-yo quilt, originally uploaded by sunshine's creations.

I have been asked what the stitches look like. When a yo yo is small, close to that of a USA quarter, then I do about 6 stitches (pretty much in one spot) and travel with needle and thread inside the yo yo to the next spot to stitch. That saves a lot on starting and stopping of the thread.

On bigger yo yo's, I stitch as I do when doing English paper piecing joins. This makes for a join that is anywhere from 1/4 and inch long to about 1 inch long, the size of the yo yo determines how long this seam is. I also like to go over the seam two or three times because the openings in between the yo yos mean they get snagged and pulled more and the stitches are more likely to tear out. See below pictures for examples.

Mini cd yoyos and Normal cd yoyos

mini cd yoyos and normal cd yoyos, originally uploaded by sunshine's creations.

I was asked what size the little cd yo yos are in comparison to ones made on a normal cd. I figured this is the easiest way to explain.

mini yoyo Quilt / WIP/256 yoyos

I am making a mini yoyo quilt for Suzyhomemaker over at MJF. She was in charge of the "4th of July Quilt Block Swap" over on that forum. If you remember, I was moving during the swap and she was kind to me and made blocks for me. She even sent me blocks when I wasn't expecting it. There where 13 blocks in the swap so I made 13 blocks in yo-yo + 3 as a thank you for her generosity.

I have one more block to finish, then I'll finish all the stitching between the blocks. I like to pin the blocks and yoyos together before I stitch so I can get a feel for what they will look like in the completed project. I used a mini cd as my template which I plan on sending to Clare (suzyhomemaker) with the mini quilt. Then, if she wants, she can make this bigger. She can easily put a border on it and use random yo-yos as the border so she doesn't have to follow the pattern I did. Clare is in the yo-yo swap at MJF that I am in charge of (side note: sign ups are still open), so when I am done swapping those out, this will be placed in her package.

Temp joins between two completed blocks.

Temp joins on uncompleted block.

Part 4: Butterfly Curtain Patterns

I have been asked where I got these patterns; most were sent to me by Diana from my CRAFT group. She got about 1/2 of them from knitting-and.com. So, if you would like to do something with butterflies on it too, please check out her site because there is a lot of stuff on it.

Update: as I find more, I will add them here for my future reference and yours.

I also found some here in this post and on this page. I also found some here , here, here and here.

Part1: butterfly 1
Part 2: butterfly 2 and 3
Part 3: butterfly 4 and 5
Part4: butterfly curtain patterns
Part 5: butterfly 6

whipup

Tatted Bodice

I was asked in some of my group/ forums what type of things do I tat. I have tatted lace gloves for a baby and a bonnet for a baby (same baby). I am currently tatting a bodice for a child's dress. It is in two different colored threads; one is variegated (a discontinued Manuela thread color) and the other is a discontinued color by Anchor.

Since most of you do not belong to the thirty-some groups I do on the internet, I thought this was probably the best place to post it. This way others could see it, too. I figured others, not just those in my forum/group, might like to see this as well.

When finished tatting the bodice, I will make the sleeves and the skirt. They will be crocheted, then I might put tatting around the hem of both sleeves and skirt. The buttons are mother of pearl.

Just in case you are wondering, I do not have a pattern to give you. I am making it up as I go along which I do for most things I make. It is in size 20 thread.

On the go with flowers

People always wonder how so many projects get done and posted. Well people on the Internet ask me; my family knows. I always carry some sort of project with me. I also have about 200 or 300 projects going at once in different stages of finished. So, it isn't hard to complete something that is already started.

If you have kids who love beads, or if you have a thrift store around, you probably can find one of these boxes. This one is from a thrift store; we actually have about three more of these in the house but they still have kids' beads in them so I wasn't allowed to have them. When the kids are done with the beads, like that will ever happen, then I can claim those boxes for more projects.

My family knows I love boxes to keep projects in. If a new type of cookie comes home in a metal tin, it is a sure bet the cookies are for the family but mom only wants the box. The kids always say, "Look, mom got a new box!" instead of "Look, cookies!" This is a sort of traveling sewing-project kit. At a moment's notice it is ready to go. It has a needle attached to a piece of paper so it doesn't get lost, a pair of scissors, thread and thirty flowers and papers, all set to go. It also has a section of green hexagons all ready to go to make into diamond shapes. There is also a big work area where the green is and a lid to keep it all safe while traveling and working on it in the car (while hubby is driving, of course). This is actually the start of two quilts. If you have read previous posts, you know I have made one a mini grandmother's flower garden with over 5,500 pieces. If you didn't know, I have three daughters; one is going to be made for each of them. That means I have two more to make; here is the start of both of them. One will be all flowers, and one will be diamond shapes. This way all three quilts are made in the same technique, but each has a look slightly different than the other two.

I have made large grandmother's flower gardens and doll-size ones as well. They also travel nicely like this. I have other quilts in the works as well.

English paper piecing:
This is a group about people who like to do hand piecing using the English paper piecing method or any other type of foundation piecing with a machine.

Vintage tea towles

I was asked to show a few vintage tea towels, flour sack towels, that I have from the ladies in the group "For the love of Tea Towels" at yahoo. So here they are; I did not make these, they were found at a thrift store at two different times.

This first pair have crocheted flowers and gingham trim with crochet edging on the gingham part; something I probably would not make. I like vintage Victorian-looking ladies on towels. They were very useful and inexpensive at 50 cents each.

This set is poodles doing chores. I am not sure if the one with no words is Thursday or Sunday or just one that is random from another set, but I don't have Thursday or Sunday either way. They were 50 cents each, also; can't even buy the towels at that price now. This is also a set I would never embroider myself, but it does have a nice vintage charm to it.

Up-date on hair style from hair wraps

I have been asked a few times what is the thing making my kids hair so neat in the picture. Funny; I was showing the hair wraps, the crocheted scarfs, and every one got fixated on the hair. I think her hair looks messy from playing all day. Oh, well, I guess you haven't seen it right after it was fixed.

Well here it is. She has two of the larger ones in her hair. I think they stopped making the little ones about 6 years ago. The big ones are still made. How to use: you place the hair in the middle opening then roll it up to the head keeping it taut. Then you bend it into a U shape and hook the two ends together. Done. We usually put a scrunchie at the base of each bun, just not in this photo because I wasn't taking pictures of scrunchies or hair styles but of the scarves.

They are made by Scunci, I think the same people that made the Topsy Tail in the 80's, and they are making it again, too. This item is called the "Scunci Magic Hair Bun". Here is a link to Walgreen's; I think they carry them, but I'm not sure if they're in the store. However, they have them on the Internet. I bought them at Albertson's and Smith's, both grocery stores in Utah. The entire hair style takes about 5 minutes, or less, from start to finish and stays in all day.

You can also as I stated before: make two pony tails and twist hair till it bunches up on itself, then tuck the ends into the elastics. This works great, too.

reverse engineered afghan pattern as seen at Garnet Hill

This was asked at MJF by Susan Kate

Okay here is a link to a beautiful lamb's wool afghan from the Garnet Hill catalog (really pricey but nice stuff)

http://tinyurl.com/y2kozf

My question (besides wishing that I had $328 to buy it):

I don't know anything about crocheting. Does anyone know what the pattern is? If I knew I could google it and see if I could find one cheaper. Or is this what one would expect to pay for something handcrafted? (it is imported).

I know some of you will say I could make this. Crocheting is not my thing at the moment but I guess there is always hope....

Here is my response

That is actually cheep (I would buy it instead of making it). If you want to go to their site, click on link or picture and you will go there. But if you want to make one similar here is my version of it below.

Name = hexagon grandmothers flower garden or you can call it a hexagon granny square ( even though it is not a square)

Looks like this would be a similar pattern I am drafting while typing and looking at zoom of the picture so forgive me.
key
sl st = slip stitch
ch = chain
dtr= double treble
sp = space
x = times
() = do all this together / also a type of repeat
* = start of repeat
** = end of repeat
nxt = next
j = join

Pattern
ch 6 close to form ring ( meaning slip stitch in first chain)

round 1: ch4 ( counts as first dtr now and through out pattern),dtc 2x in ring *ch 2 3dtc in ring**5x, ch 2, slip st top of turning chain ( in top of ch 4).cut thread and finish off
you should have 6 sets of 3dtc and 6 sets of ch2

Round 2: j new color yarn to any ch 2 space of previous round, ch 4, 2 dtr in nxt ch 2 sp, ch 2, 3 dtr in same sp, *(ch 2, 3dtr, ch 2, 3dtr) in next sp**5x sl st to top of starting ch 4. cut thread and finish off
you should have 12 sets of 3dtc and 12 sets of ch2

Round 3: j new color yarn to any ch 2 space of previous round, ch 4, 2 dtr in nxt ch 2 sp, *(ch 2, 3dtr, ch 2, 3dtr) in next sp, ch2, 3dtr in nxt ch 2 sp* around skipping last part in red the last time. J to top of turning ch. Finish off thread
you should have 18 sets of 3dtc and 18 sets of ch2

j to other blocks with needle and yarn back loop only of stitches

I haven't proofed this, meaning I didn't make it; I just looked at the photo link you provided and started drafting. So now if any of you wonder why I type a lot using parenthesis you just found out why. I write like I draft patterns. Since I draft patterns more than I write, my writing looks more like drafting not the other way around.


OK now you have a drafted pattern; I usually charge 30 - 50 bucks for that but here it is for free for who ever wants to use it. This one probably 30; if I had to make a sample 50. This is known as reverse engineering if any one is curious. Have fun ladies!

Update Nov 10

I looked at the photo again this morning and noticed a grey yarn shell boarder
so add this to pattern above

after all blocks are joined together
Special Instructions
shell = 5 dtr in one ch 2 space if useing the dc instead of dtr it would be 5 dcin one ch 2 space also you would only have a chain 3

Attach yarn in edge ch 2 space chain 4 form shell do the same in every ch two space that is not in the bottom most part of the V where two blocks join in this spot sc in corner ch 2 space ,sc in next corner continue in shell pattern do this all the way around. Join with sl st to top turning chain finish off threads done