Comments on: Beach Cardi Crochet-Along: Shoulder Seams and Sleeves in the Round

By: Bennette Brou

Bennette Brou — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:03:39 +0000

I don’t feel so bad about being behind, I’m now attaching at the shoulder & will start my sleeves, short sleeves.
I’m really enjoying this pattern & can’t wait until it’s done. It’s not for a beach wear but for a cover for the lite spring evening.

Thanks

By: Beach Cardi Crochet-Along: Hood or Collar? You decide! | Lion Brand Notebook

Thu, 06 May 2010 13:01:52 +0000

[...] Beach Cardi Crochet-Along: Shoulder Seams and Sleeves in the Round [...]

By: Bennette

Bennette — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:06:32 +0000

Hi,
I’m at the Arm hole shaping and finishing off the right side, what roll should I end with when I get to the 12″ length, Row 1 or Row 2?

Thanks

By: Supercraftygirl

Supercraftygirl — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:00:04 +0000

This is going to sound like a silly question – but what brand and color nail polish are you wearing? I love it!

By: Kit

Kit — Mon, 03 May 2010 21:42:17 +0000

For those of us who are a whole lot slower, will there still be help available for a little while after the CAL leader Kendra has finished? How long? I know I can read the blog in the archives, but what if I have a different question?

I have heard about making swatches before, but not about washing and blocking the swatches. Does it matter whether you wash or block the swatch first? When doing swatches, if I wash and block the swatch then I can’t take the swatch apart and reuse the yarn anymore, can I? It will no longer crochet the same as unblocked yarn, will it? Wouldn’t it make sense to at least make it big enough to use as a pot holder or a wash cloth or something, so I don’t waste the yarn? How many swawtches does it usually take to get guage right? Isn’t there a lot of difference between one hook size and the next? What if one hook size is too small and the next is too big?

Zontee says: Hi Kit, as with any Lion Brand pattern, you can ALWAYS e-mail our pattern support team at support@lionbrand.com for help with your questions anytime. We try to get back to you within 24-48 hours. And you are correct that the archive will still be up.

Swatches should be washed and/or blocked in the exact manner that you plan on washing/blocking your garment so that you know what it will look like afterward — how you do this and in what order will depend on your yarn and how you plan on doing it for the entire garment (some fibers like acrylic just need a run through the cycle and may not really need to be pinned out, depending on the project; others like cotton, you will want to wash and then pin out or steam like Kendra mentioned).

Yes, many people save their swatches for reference or to use as a potholder; bigger is always better when it comes to swatching (a bigger swatch is more likely to be consistent in the manner a garment would be because there’s less turning of the work); if you’re going to save your swatch, you may want to buy an extra ball of yarn so that you don’t run short. Alternately, since washing a yarn won’t change its properties, you could always rip out the swatch to use–or if you’re uncomfortable using it in your fabric for whatever reason, you can use it for things like seaming.

Everyone is different when it comes to gauge and how many swatches it takes; if you’re very consistent and know how you crochet in relation to recommended gauge, it may only take you one or two tries to get gauge. If you’re new to it, it may take you a couple of tries. If you’re finding that one hook is too big and the next too small, try changing the type of hook (metal vs. wood vs. plastic) — that often changes your tension as well.

Keep in mind the fact that learning in crochet is all about experimentation. Take it one step at a time and you’ll find what works and what doesn’t. Hope that helps!

By: Carol

Carol — Sun, 02 May 2010 03:39:10 +0000

Thank you for showing us the 2 different sleeves. I already knew I did not want the full length ones. I was thinking about elbow length too so seeing how yours turned out helps with my decision!!

Kendra says: Great to hear! I’m really happy with the change myself, and sometimes it just helps to be reminded that patterns can be changed to suit your likes and wants – it is your garment creation after all!

By: Joyce T

Joyce T — Sat, 01 May 2010 23:29:27 +0000

OK, i took a closer look. not sure where i went wrong. but i had to pull out all the way back to the first row of the right side shaping armhole. so off and running i go.
kendra i like the short sleeve too.

Kendra says: Thanks! I’m happy with them Sorry the armholes are giving you trouble but hope they work out the second time around!

By: Joyce T

Joyce T — Sat, 01 May 2010 01:18:55 +0000

i started my left front shaping of the arm hole last night and its not the same size as the right side…..back to the drawing board……..

Zontee says: Hi Joyce, sorry to hear about that. Your gauge may have changed from the beginning of your right piece to the end of it. You may want to re-swatch and adjust hook size accordingly.

Also, if the difference is relatively minor, it should be able to be corrected with blocking (when the fibers are wet, it’s easy to shape them to specific dimensions if they are already pretty close), so keep that in mind.

By: Jill A.

Jill A. — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:38:59 +0000

Hi Kendra,

I am a week behind. So, I am working from the previous blog (Armhole Shaping). I do not understand your clarification on the right and left fronts Row 2. “Ch 2, hdc in same sp. . . . .” I have no idea where the same space is located. I put that hdc in the last ch-1 of the previous row. Is this correct?

Kendra says: In the same space refers to the same space as where you are working out of for the ch 2, in this case the top of the turning chain from the previous row. Sounds like what you did was right. Hope this helps!