Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
We’ve got a great contest running on Facebook right now. Visit our Facebook page and click on the “Win $100 to LionBrand.com!” tab. All you have to do is select your favorite LB yarn and post it to your Facebook feeds, and you will automatically be entered for your chance to win $100 to shop at LionBrand.com. It’s that simple! While you’re there, be sure to become our fan to keep up with our most recent offers and updates.
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At the Lion Brand Yarn Studio, we’ve been making scarves for the Partnership for the Homeless, an organization here in NYC, as well as collecting scarf & hat donations from local yarncrafters. We’re having so much fun knitting and crocheting for charity in our window, we thought we’d share some of our patterns. Each one of us gets to make whatever we want. Sometimes we use the StitchFinder, and sometimes we make it up. In the next few weeks we’ll share some of the staff’s scarves.
Each one of our window scarves is one ball of Vanna’s Choice, but you can make a longer scarf by using two balls. The recommended needle size for this yarn is US9 and the hook size is J-10, but as always, adjust up or down depending on the feel if your own fabric and your tension. With all of the scarves, you would bind off when you have yarn about 4 times the width of the scarf left. Then just weave in the ends, and you have a great scarf!
Will’s Garter Stitch (shown in Antique Rose):
CO 24 stitches
Knit every row
Will’s Crochet Scarf (show in dusty blue)
Ch 21
Row 1 - 3: Sc across row.
Row 4: Dc across row.
repeat all 4 rows
Michelle’s Basketweave Scarf (shown in Taupe Mist)
CO 24.
Row 1: *K4, P4* repeat from * to end of row.
Row 2 - 6: Knit the knits and purl the purls.
Row 7: *P4, K4* repeat from * to end of row.
Row 8 - 12: Knit the knits, and purl the purls.
Repeat rows 1-12.
Michelle’s V-Stitch Scarf (shown in Dusty Rose)
Ch 21.
Row 1: Dc into 6th ch from hook, ch1, dc into same ch *sk 2 ch, (dc, ch1, dc) into the same ch. Rep from * 4 times. dc into last ch.
Row 2: Ch 3, turn. (dc, ch 1, dc) into each ch 1 space (5 times total). dc into the top of the turning ch of the row below.
Repeat Row 2 to desired length.
Are you in the NYC area? To find out more about how you can help us by donating knit & crochet hats and scarves, please click here.
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A British artist will spend the next two years crocheting two giant lions for the London Olympics. The creation of the lions will be available for viewing on a webcam.
Posted in Community, Crocheting, Yarniverse | 2 Comments »
A few weeks ago, our friend, artist Travis Meinholf wrote about his new installation at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art. Now, you can watch him talk about the show while people interact with it!
See the show from now until January 24th in San Francisco, CA, and help Travis weave!
Related links:
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Afghans for Afghans needs help filling 30-40 cartons with wool blankets, sweaters, vests, mittens, socks, and hats. There is just over a week left until the October 29 deadline for their campaign to warm the youth of Afghanistan! A week is just enough time to whip up a hat, scarf, or mittens (for ages 7-14) and send them to the afghans for Afghans’ San Francisco collection center. The packages must arrive at the collection center no later than October 29 so that the donated items get to Afghanistan in time for winter. Challenge yourself to finish a garment for Afghan youth!
Click here for more information about the afghans for Afghans Youth Campaign. For general guidelines and the mailing address please click here.
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We’re almost there!
I’ve finished making all my motifs and, since I was joining them as I did the last round of each, I don’t have any additional joining to do. However, many of you chose to wait until now to join your motifs, a method I often choose. Since I know at least ten ways to do so, I have a choice of options at this point. Sewing motifs together with a tapestry needle and whip stitch is a non-starter for me. Meaning: I never do it. Waaaaaaay too slow and finicky.
Single crochet seam
This seam can be done either on the wrong side or the right side of the piece. It is a sturdy yet flexible join. It makes a nice ridge, which can be used as a design element to frame the motifs. Some people think the ridge looks “wrong”; I think it’s a lovely three-dimensional element that adds interest, and I often choose to put it on the right side. I’ve used a contrasting color yarn so that the seam shows up.
To work a single crochet seam on the right side, hold the motifs with wrong sides together and sc through the adjacent stitches and chain-spaces on both motifs.
In this design, I would probably work a bunch of short seams to create long strips of hexagons, then join those long strips with long zigzag-shaped seams lengthwise down the afghan. You’ll have to figure out the best way to handle the corners when 3 motifs meet.
On my sample, I joined the 3rd motif to the 2nd one from chain-spaces to chain-spaces, then chain 1, and joined the same chain-space of the 3rd motif to the next chain-space of the 1st motif, continuing along that edge to the next corner. (This will make more sense when you have a lot of pieces in your hand and you try it yourself!)
Here’s what the sc seam on the right side looks like:
Here’s what it looks like on the wrong side:
Note that this last photo shows more or less what the seam would look like if you worked it on the wrong side. To work a single crochet seam on the wrong side, hold motifs with right sides together and sc through the adjacent stitches on both motifs.
Single-crochet/chain seam
This join is a bit looser and more flexible than the single crochet seam. Again, it can be done either on the right side or the wrong side of the work. Instead of working into every stitch and chain-space as shown above, join with a sc at the corners, *ch 1, skip 1 pair of stitches, sc through next pair of adjacent stitches; repeat from * across the edge to the corner. As for the single crochet seam, you’ll have to experiment a bit to figure out how best to handle the corners where 3 motifs join. It may require a chain 1, 2 or 3 at the corner to lie flat.
Single Crochet Join on Final Round
My final suggestion is a hybrid of the join-as-you-go method that I showed you before. In this method, add an additional round of single crochet around each motif, joining as you go.
On the first motif, work a complete round of single crochet, placing 1 sc in each dc and (sc, ch 1, sc) in each corner space. Fasten off.
On the second motif, work a round of sc to the next-to-last corner. Sc in corner, ch 1, join that chain in the adjacent chain from the first motif (as described here), sc in same chain-space of current motif, join that sc to the adjacent sc from the first motif, and so on.
As you work, you may find that you need to put 2 or 3 chains in the corner to make the corners tidy—don’t be afraid to play around with it to get the perfect technique for your situation.
Which of these (or any other methods) is best? By now (hopefully), you’ll know what my answer is: only you can decide what’s best in your situation. Play with variations on these joins and decide which one you think is just right for your needs. For example, you may find that the join-only-in-the corner method that I showed you in a previous post is quick, but not sturdy enough for hard use, or you may think it gives the perfect lacy look you prefer.
Weaving in ends
Everyone has just been itchin’ for me to talk about weaving in ends. Your time has finally come. In an earlier post, I wrote about working over yarn ends as I create new stitches. I will do often do this, but I find that in an item that gets handled a lot, like an afghan, the worked-over ends are not secure enough. I prefer to weave in all my ends with a tapestry needle for the final finish.
Yes, this is tedious. It’s not nearly as much fun as stitching cute little hexagons. However, it IS a critical part of the afghan-making process. A couple of nights in front of the TV should do it.
I use a blunt-tip tapestry needle with a big enough eye so that I can easily thread it, yet not so big that it has trouble fitting through the stitches. You do know this trick for threading a tapestry needle, don’t you?
Weave the yarn tail in a couple of different directions through the back of the same-color stitches. The more different directions you go in, the more secure your tail will be.
Some people choose to use a sharper needle and actually skim through the back of the stitches, splitting the yarn. If you have a latch hook, you might find it easier to use it to weave in your ends.
A Finishing Round
Once I had all my ends woven in, I used a steam iron to carefully block the entire afghan. You may have heard that blocking is not necessary with acrylic yarn, but I find that blocking gives a finished look to any crocheted piece. I was careful to use the lowest steam setting on my iron, and I NEVER touch the iron to the fabric, as it it is possible to “kill” acrylic yarn and thus alter its drape. I just skimmed the iron over the afghan, keeping it about 2″ above the fabric.
Then I decided that a final round of single crochet would be a nice touch and would help strengthen and secure the edges. I worked 1 sc in each dc around, putting (sc, ch 1, sc) in each “outer” chain-space corner, and 1 sc in each “inner” chain-space corner.
Final Results
Can you see where I threw in a few off-pattern motifs to keep it interesting? Adding another color would have been fun, as well.
The finished size is about 37″ x 53″. That’s reasonably close to what I predicted. It is a bit small for a traditional-sized afghan, but I could easily have added motifs to make it larger. As it is, I decided it’s a perfect lap-ghan size to throw over my legs while I’m crocheting.
Also as predicted, the weight of the finished afghan indicated I used a total of about 8 balls of yarn. The breakdown of colors was about 5 balls of Taupe, 3 balls of Linen and 2 balls of Cranberry. (Yes, these add up to more than 8 balls, because the final ball of each color was not used up.)
It’s Just the Beginning
Those of you who have stuck with me this far, congratulations! I hope I’ve been showing you things you didn’t know before, and that you have been having fun and gaining confidence while working along with me. I haven’t been able to share half of what I know and love about crocheting; if you want to learn more, read more here at the Lion Brand website, refer to The Crochet Answer Book and Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs, and take classes. All my fellow crochet teachers and I are anxious to share our love of the craft with you.
I hope you’ll keep stitching and striving to grow your knowledge while enjoying what you are doing. No stress, no “wrongs”, just opportunities to learn. I’ll be hanging out here at the Lion Brand Notebook for another week or so to answer questions and respond to comments. After that, you’ll still be able to find me on the Ravelry CAL group or on my website.
Stitch On–and HAVE FUN!
Related links:
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In honor of Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change, we want to share eco-friendly yarns and projects with you.
With the recent concern about climate change, Lion Brand has come out with several eco-friendly options, including organic and recycled yarns. Our LB Collection Organic Wool is a worsted weight 100% organically produced wool dyed with low impact dyes. Low impact dyes require less water to rinse and less dye bleeds into the water. Lion Brand also has two organic cottons-Lion Organic Cotton and Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton. Lion Organic Cotton is not dyed, but is available in naturally occurring shades, while Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton’s dyes are certified according to the Global Organic Textile Standard by the Institute of Marketecology. Another great option for the eco-conscious crafter is Recycled Cotton, which is spun from cotton fabric clippings that would otherwise be discarded when fabric is cut to produce tee-shirts.
There are a lot of great ways that knitting and crocheting can be used to make your life more eco-friendly. By using a market bag you can prevent plastic bags from ending up in landfills. Even though some bags are recyclable, the recycling process still polutes the air, unlike knitting and using your own reusable bag. Scrubbies and dish cloths are also eco-friendly projects. Instead of throwing away sponges and paper-towels, wash and reuse your scrubbies and dish coths!
Posted in Community, Crocheting, Knitting | 3 Comments »
1. Meet people who will really listen to what you want to talk about.
Ever try to have a conversation with your husband about the hat you are knitting? Can you talk to your friends about the fact that you have 2 bags of yarn under your bed and a secret stash in the back of the closet in the basement? It’s hard enough to find people to talk to (and to listen!) but on our Facebook page you’ll have a forum for your thoughts and people who take you seriously, support you, and debate you in a friendly way on the craft that means something to you. If you’re the quiet type, just hit the “like” button, but you’re free to say more comments and tell us and your yarn-loving friends what’s on your mind.
2. Find out about our sales.
If you subscribe to our weekly newsletter, you’ll get an offer for a kit sale each week, but on our Facebook page, we will alert you to free shipping weekends and 24 hour sales on really yummy items that you won’t find anywhere else. As long as you are checking Facebook regularly anyway and finding out that your old friend from high school had pancakes for breakfast, why not check in to see if we have any goodies for you?
3. Change the world.
O.K. maybe not the whole world, but you can change our world because we listen to what you say on Facebook. We look at the conversations and comments on Facebook to see what you like, what you want more of and what we can do better. We asked you what would be the perfect yarn and many of you said superwash merino. What we didn’t know was that you didn’t know that we offer this yarn, exclusively on our site and in the Lion Brand Studio. So hint, hint, if you join Facebook, you might find out about a 24 hour sale near the end of this week.
4. Explore and discover.
Stay on top of what’s good in the yarn-loving universe. New fashion trend on knitting from the New York Times Style section? We’ll let you know. The knit-along or crochet-along is starting on our blog, and you’ll know the minute it does. When we announced that all our patterns were free, we did it here. Contest announcement — Facebook! New yarn coming into your local stores — Facebook! New video on how to knit socks? You guessed it.
5. Who couldn’t use more friends?
Over 36,000 of them, and they all have something in common with you.
Posted in Community, Crocheting, Knitting | 2 Comments »
Liz & I love writing/recording/producing the YarnCraft podcast — it’s a fun activity on top of our regular jobs here at Lion Brand, and it’s always great connecting with you, our customers and listeners.
If YarnCraft is a podcast that you love, help us show the world what knitters & crocheters are all about! You still have 5 days to nominate us for a People’s Choice Podcast Award! Nominations are open until Oct. 18, and if we make the cut, we’ll let you know when official voting begins!
Nominate at: http://www.podcastawards.com/
How this works: You can write us in for EITHER People’s Choice OR Best Produced, PLUS one other category (Cultural/Arts probably makes the most sense). Simply type in our podcast name: YarnCraft and our URL: http://yarncraft.lionbrand.com in those fields — then fill in your info at the bottom, and click “submit.” It’s just that easy!
And as always, share your thoughts, questions, suggestions, and more — we always love getting your feedback!
And of course, join us next Tuesday (and every other Tuesday) for a new episode of YarnCraft!
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Let me welcome those of you who have joined this crochet-along already in progress. Rest assured that you are not behind, and you can do this at your own pace! As a matter of fact, even if you started with my first blog post, I hope you feel that you are working at a pace that is comfortable for you.
This week I’m going to answer some questions that you’ve been asking, and show you a couple of new tips. First, however, I’m going to give you a little pep talk. At least, I hope it seems like a pep talk!
At many times in our lives, we run across people who correct us—tell us we are doing something “wrong” and show us the “right” path. Sometimes, this is a good thing. Our parents and school teachers guided us to learn and grow. We come to depend on the feedback we get from these mentors, and we seek their approval. At some point, however, we must grow up and decide for ourselves what is right for us.
Relax. Breathe.
This is crochet. There are no tests, no final exam, no grades. There is no “right” way or “wrong” way to do something, only things you don’t know yet. Fear and trepidation should not be in your vocabulary.
Are you having fun?
YOU are the person who must be happy with your work. If you are happy with the way your project looks—and it functions well— then it’s right. If you are unhappy for some reason—you don’t like the way the stitches look, the joins fall apart—then take action to figure out what is going wrong, and fix it.
As a teacher, I can suggest ways to improve the look and function of your work. You must take ownership and responsibility for the results. Solicit opinions if you must, but be confident that you can and will make the right choices for you.
Whether you are a newbie or an experienced crocheter, branch out! I’ll bet you don’t even know what you don’t know! Read crochet books, explore new techniques, search the internet, take classes. I’m always seeking to learn new and interesting techniques, and most of these I learn from other people. Don’t get so frustrated that you give up. So-called “experts” are only experts because they had an inquiring mind and the desire to learn more. With perseverance, anybody can be an expert.
Relax. Breathe.
OK…are you feeling more confident? I hope so.
Weaving in Ends as You Go
One of the main questions I’ve had is about weaving in ends. I tend to do a combination of weave-in-as-I-go, and weave-in-later. If I have a slip knot from beginning the round, I might just pull it tight and weave that end in, tiny knot and all, or I might unpick it so there is no knot at all. It depends on my attitude at the moment.
If I have enough solid stitches in a row, I’ll hold the yarn to the back and work around it over several stitches, as shown here.
Even when weaving in as I work, I still leave a short tail to be woven in another direction later.
However, if I’m skipping some stitches, as on Round 3 of our motif, I tend to save that end to be woven in later. I usually don’t cut off my ends until I’m doing the finishing, just in case I have to rip out a motif for some reason. You can see the results of my mixed efforts (so far) here.
You can see that I have finished off some of the ends in the center “stripe” of the afghan.
More on Join-As-You-Go
Last week I showed you how to join all along one edge. Here is an example of how it might look if you joined just at the corners.
Some of you have asked about the order in which I’m joining. Because the join is done on the final round of the motif, I need to join each new motif to the previous one(s) on the final round. I can do it in any order I choose, as long as I don’t forget and leave out an edge that needs to be joined. I use my planned sketch (or the diagram from week 2) to remind me how they fit together. I’ve been doing it more or less in strips–one length of 9 motifs to start, as shown here.
By the way, I think I’m going to add another 2 “stripes” to my afghan, to make it wider. I have enough yarn. Guess it depends on how much I get done between now and next week, right?
I have decided that my afghan looks best if I join at the corners AND all along one edge. While you can begin Round 4 at a corner, I prefer to begin it in the middle of one of the edges, because I prefer to end a round with a dc-to-dc instead of a ch-to-dc.
Work up to the first corner to be joined. Dc in that corner, ch 2. You are now at about the center point of the corner, as shown:
Drop the stitch from the hook, insert the hook from front to back into the first corner space to be joined, then back into the dropped stitch. Pull the dropped stitch through the chain-space.
Ch 1 to complete the ch-3 corner of the current motif, then dc in the same corner ch-space and join that dc and the remaining dcs along the edge to the afghan, as I showed you last week.
At the next corner, you have to join to chain-spaces from 2 different motifs. Ch 1, drop the stitch from the hook, insert the hook from front to back into the next adjoining corner space, then back into the dropped stitch. Pull the stitch through the chain-space.
Ch 1, then join in the corner of the next motif.
Ch 1, complete the dc in that corner and join along the edge, into the next double corner, and into the next edge as before. On the final corner, ch 1, join to the chain-space of the other motif, ch 2, complete the dc in the corner, and work to the end. Here’s what you have done:
Relax. Breathe. Unhunch your shoulders.
Are you wondering how I learned to do this join? I started with a problem: how to create a strong, flexible, nice-looking join that could be worked on the last round. I also had a deadline: when I started this Crochet-Along I didn’t know what joining method would work and I knew I had to come up with something to share with you! Then I experimented with several different techniques until I “unvented” one that worked in this situation.
It isn’t the first or the second or even the third thing I tried, but eventually I discovered what I think is just the right join for us. I don’t say this to make you feel bad, but instead to encourage. You, too, can use your brains and problem-solving skills to create new (or new-to-you) techniques to improve your stitching!
Are you having fun?
Reader challenge: As I’ve worked on this afghan, I’ve decided that I get the best results by beginning with a standing double crochet not started with a slip knot on my hook. That is not within the scope of this blog, but I’ll bet you can figure it out yourself. Take the bull by the horns and figure out how to do a standing double crochet without a slip knot!
Please don’t be intimidated into keeping your own cool techniques to yourself. I want to learn from you! Share with all of us your favorite tips, especially those that will help in this project. You know more than you think…
Related links:
Posted in Community, Crochet-Along, Crocheting, Tips & How To | 14 Comments »
