Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
This CAL has just flown by! This jacket has been fun and challenging at the same time for myself and many of you. Last week I worked the collar, and I’m glad I used markers to help me evenly space the stitches around the neck. After I worked the collar, I wove in all my ends and washed it inside-out, on gentle cycle, in my washing machine. I just let it air-dry and I’m amazed how much nicer a garment looks after it has been washed — after you finish any project, it’s always a good idea to wash it, since it’s been handled a lot during the making process. I used Vanna’s Choice and Vanna’s Glamour which I could easily wash in my machine. Just make sure to always check the label on your particular yarn for washing and drying instructions so that you may “ooh” and “ahh” after you clean your jacket for the first time!
While the jacket was drying, I decided to make the buttons. Below are the three types I made before I decided on which one to make 2 more times. The button on the bottom is one strand of each of the yarns I used with the size J hook called for in the pattern. You can see the size of these buttons compared to the quarter. Depending on what yarn you used for your jacket, the self-made buttonholes created by the ch-1 spaces are going to be larger or smaller than the same fabric created with another yarn.
I tested my button with my jacket and realized that the buttons would be a tight fit to get through the hole. So, I made a smaller button (in the middle) with 2 strands of Vanna’s Glamour and an F hook. This button fit through the hole, but I think it would have “popped” out while the jacket was being worn – and it looked a little small. I then made a button with 3 strands of Vanna’s Glamour and the original J hook creating a larger, and very shiny button! This seemed to go through the hole with a little squeeze, but my daughter almost always wears her jackets open. So, we decided on the “glam” button on the top.
Of, course you have all sorts of options when it comes to buttons. If you want the fabric buttons, but can’t get them through the hole, you could sew them to the front of the right side of your jacket and sew snaps on the fabric underneath. Or you could purchase buttons and if you want to make the buttonhole more apparent and reinforce it, you can just stitch around the openings of your buttonhole with a single strand of yarn. Remember the swatch you made in the beginning? I always keep mine nearby while I make a project, but you can also use it to practice stitching to make a buttonhole, rather than practicing on the jacket. That way you can see if you like it, and if your button will fit through the hole.
Well, the only thing left to do was to get my youngest daughter to try it on! The jacket shimmers — and she shines, too!
I have had a great time making this jacket with so many of you and I hope you have enjoyed making it as well. Remember that you can still read all the posts, questions and responses to this CAL on the “Crochet-Along” link on the right side of the Lion Brand Blog. Thank you all for joining and keep those updates and pictures coming!
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Posted in Community, Crochet-Along, Crocheting | 14 Comments »
I have really enjoyed all the comments and questions many of you have posted during this CAL of the “Moderne Jacket” and although it is wonderful to hear that some of you have finished, I know that many of you (like me) have been “in pieces”! This week I finished the sleeves and made sure to keep the first sleeve I made close by for the second, to make sure the shaping and length turned out the same.
Luckily, they did turn out the same – although I had to keep track of my stitch count every row. I found myself writing down the number of stitches I should have at the end of a row, just in case I was called away from my jacket.
So, after I finished my back, fronts and two sleeves – I laid them out to see if they all would fit together and in the correct order:
Since this jacket is a raglan, I needed to sew the sleeves to the front and backs before I can work the collar. I wanted to make the seams as flat as possible, so with the right side facing me, I sewed the seams going through the edge of the stitches on each side. I thought I demonstrate with some red yarn to show you the path of my stitching:
The resulting seam was nice and flat which is good for a jacket made with a thick fabric. I also used stitch markers to hold my pieces together, so that one side wouldn’t be longer than the other. Then I was “on a roll” and I sewed up the sleeve and side seams the same way. I wove in ends and wow, a jacket!
It’s hard to believe that all that is left is the collar and the buttons! For the small size, I have to work 57 sc evenly around the neck, starting and ending 1 1/2” from each edge. I’ve already evenly spaced markers to divide the collar into 4 even sections – so I will work 14, 14, 14 and 15 stitches in these sections to get to my 57 stitches. I’m really getting anxious to see this on my little (5’9”) girl!
What about you? Tell us how you’re project is coming along! Don’t forget to share your photos either on our Flickr group (see the link below) or in the Lion Brand Customer Gallery.
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Posted in Community, Crochet-Along, Crocheting | 22 Comments »
This weekend was a pretty productive time for me and my Moderne Jacket – and I found out that this is a very portable project. I’ve been a “swim mom” for more than a few years and this weekend found me on bleachers with my CAL jacket during a 3 day meet. I always like to look around and see what the other knitters and crocheters are working on – there was sock, poncho, afghan and a dog sweater in the making at that meet!
Even though I had finished the back and was starting work on the left front, I didn’t leave that jacket back piece out of my yarn bag. I’ve found that one of the worst mistakes I can make “on the road” (or on the bleachers) is to leave at home the rest of my project. Although I’ll follow the pattern of my project and take notes, it’s helpful and reassuring to have other pieces as reference for the piece I’m working on at that moment.
So, when I was working on the left front, I kept my back nearby to check measurements to the underarm, and the raglan shaping. In my last post I talked about “lining up” the stitch pattern while working the decreases in the pattern. Besides counting my stitches after those decrease rows, I laid the front on the back to make sure the shaping was going along well. The left front actually turned out nicely and so I used the left front as reference for the right front.
Many times the instructions for the second front says to work it the same as the first front, reversing shaping. I know as a teacher that the term “reverse shaping” can seem rather daunting – but here’s something that I always do to make sure the fronts are the same, but reversed. When I finish my first front, I lay it upside down while I am working the second front. Then as I work the second front, I lay it on top of the first and this helps to make a perfect “mirror image. So here are both fronts “reflecting” each other!
(Click the photo to see it enlarged.)
Oh, and here’s one more thing that makes this pattern easier to shape for the second front — the crochet stitch pattern that is used in this jacket is reversible. So, if you don’t mind the bottom edge of your fronts looking a little different you can actually make two left fronts and just turn one around for the right front! What’s not to love about reversible stitch patterns?
Now that I have started a sleeve, I’m making sure to keep one of the fronts in my yarn bag, and I will make sure the raglan sleeve shaping will be the same length as the fronts. I’m betting that you see where I’m going with this, because I will definitely keep that first sleeve around when I make the second! Doing all this will make sure I won’t have any unpleasant surprises when I go to sew all these pieces together.
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Posted in Community, Crochet-Along, Crocheting | 43 Comments »
I have been just so amazed this last week at the number of you responding to the invitation to join our CAL for the Moderne Jacket! For those of you who are just joining in on the fun, make sure to print your pattern soon as it will only be free especially to all the CAL participants until March 23rd.
This last week was a time for many of you to decide what yarn to use, making that swatch and starting work on the back. In my last post, I discussed what types of yarns would probably work best and decided myself to work with yarns that were different from the ones used in the pattern. The pattern calls for two different colors of yarn–but I decided to work with two yarns that were very similar in color. The two yarns I chose were “Vanna’s Choice” in Beige, and” Vanna’s Glamour” in Topaz. I liked the bit of glimmer that Glamour gave to my project, and so I chose a smooth, golden look to the jacket I am making my daughter.
So, how did my back turn out? Well, much to my surprise (and to some of you!) I found that after working my decrease rows, the 2 stitch pattern “shifts” by 1 stitch. Now, for many of you, this won’t be apparent at all – especially if you are working with two tones, or darker yarn, or a yarn with a texture, like Homespun. It is always amazing to me how the same pattern can look so different with a change of yarn!
Again, for many of you – this won’t even be an issue…but here is how I kept the pattern in line. I noticed while working this pattern stitch, that the first stitch I work into for the sc2tog was different in appearance than the second stitch I worked. (One is the stitch resulting from the sc2tog on the previous row, and the second is the ch1 done after the sc2tog). Keeping that in mind, on the rows that were “off” from the pattern, I did a sc at the beg of the row and an extra sc at the end of the row to make sure the stitch pattern lined up on itself as it did in the beginning. It was a little trickier for the raglan shaping as I was trying to line it up every row. I like how my back turned out, but it did take some forethought. I’m already thinking of doing this jacket again – but maybe a two- tone next time!
I’ve already started my fronts and keeping the pattern stitch “lining-up” will keep me busy. Next week, we’ll see how they “shaped-up”!
For CALers in the NYC, stop by the Lion Brand Yarn Studio to see the original jacket LIVE.
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Posted in Community, Crochet-Along, Crocheting | 59 Comments »
Show your CAL pride and let everyone know that you’re part of the CAL community with your very own CAL badge!
Download the Moderne Jacket CAL badge and put it on your website, blog, or Ravelry page!
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Posted in Community, Crochet-Along | 2 Comments »
Welcome to all of you crochet-lovers who have been patiently waiting for your time to crochet together again. I am very excited to host this “adventure in crochet” with all of you! I had such a great time hosting the Cable Luxe Tunic Knit-Along a few months ago, that when I was asked if I wanted to host a crochet-along (CAL) – I couldn’t say “yes” fast enough! As a teacher and designer, I enjoy this camaraderie of our craft, and I know this CAL will be a lot of fun.
I was also thrilled to see which design the majority of you chose –- the Moderne Jacket. This is a great design that I think many of you will enjoy making and adding to your wardrobe. In my case, I am going to make this for my younger daughter, Caroline. My oldest daughter, Lizzie, was the lucky recipient of the knitted “Cable Luxe Tunic” and so I was hoping her sister might like the style of the “Moderne Jacket” – and she does!
OK, so before we go into the yarn I chose for the jacket, make sure you all print off the pattern for the “Moderne Jacket.” You can print this pattern for free until March 23rd! With the pattern in your hands (or yarn basket), let’s talk about what yarns would work well for this project. Actually, this pattern lends itself to a wide choice of yarns. The original pattern calls for a strand of Lion Wool and Lion Cashmere Blend to be worked together. Both of these yarns are worsted weight (category 4) yarns –- but when they are held together in a pattern, they are the same weight as a super bulky weight (category 6) yarn.
So for this pattern you can either work a super bulky yarn (like the beautiful and easy-care Wool-Ease Thick & Quick), or two worsted weight yarns held together (like two strands of Cotton-Ease for a spring jacket or LB Collection Organic Wool that’s perfect for fall), or a heavier worsted and a sport weight together.
I went to my stash of yarn and pulled out a variety of yarns to see how they would work with this pattern. I decided to try a skein of beige Vanna’s Choice (heavy worsted weight) along with topaz Vanna’s Glamour (sport weight). Vanna’s Choice and Vanna’s Glamour are also great, affordable yarns, and in this economy, they are a wonderful budget-friendly option. The results were beautiful as the Vanna’s Glamour gives a subtle shimmer to the fabric. On my tall, blonde daughter – I think this will be one “knockout” of a jacket!
Lucky for me, the size N crochet hook called for in the pattern was the right size and below is a picture of my swatch (note that each “bump” in swatch is 2 stitches):
Now that I know what yarns I will use, I made sure to order enough of each yarn to make the entire jacket. For the 5 sizes of the pattern, you will need approximately 900 (1000, 1100, 1200, 1300) yards of each of the yarns you will use. For my jacket (which will be a small) I will need 6 skeins of the Vanna’s Choice and 5 skeins of Vanna’s Glamour. Now it is your turn to pick out a yarn and swatch away! For your swatch, make sure to start with an even # for your chain (I chained 18 to get a nice size swatch). I’m going to get busy on the back of the jacket now, but I’m looking forward to your questions and comments!
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Posted in Community, Crochet-Along, Crocheting | 125 Comments »
Last week, almost 12,000 of you voted on the pattern for our NEXT crochet-along! While people loved the Lush Lace Pullover and the Circular Motion Sweater, we’re happy to announce that we’ll be making the Moderne Jacket (available as a FREE download until March 23). Click here for the pattern!
Our CAL host will be Heather, a great freelance designer and teacher, who you might remember from the previous knit-along of the Cable Luxe Tunic. Please say hello and introduce yourself!
Heather’s first post will be next Thursday, but in the meantime, go get your supplies, make your gauge swatch, download and/or print the pattern (available for FREE only until March 23rd ESPECIALLY for CAL participants), and get ready to crochet with us!
No need to sign up or anything! Just follow along with the blog, and leave comments here, chat on our Ravelry group, or on our Flickr group. We’ll be working through April, but you can work at your own pace and follow along!
We look forward to having you join us!
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Posted in Community, Crochet-Along, Crocheting | 590 Comments »
How do I join the crochet-along (CAL) or knit-along (KAL)?
Just download the pattern, pick up your supplies either at your local store or on our website, and start knitting! No need to sign up or anything. Just read the posts and share your thoughts with other participants.
How often will you update?
Generally, we will post once a week, but you can crochet or knit at your own pace! The posts will STAY on the blog, so you can always come back.
How do I share my thoughts or questions?
As you’re working, share your questions with other crafters by adding a comment (click on the “comments” button at the bottom of each post), and if you have an answer for someone else, a suggestion, or just an anecdote, share it with us, too! If you’re responding to someone else’s comment, it’s helpful to include their name and/or comment number, so we know what you’re referring to.
Please read others’ comments! Someone might have already asked/answered the question you have, or maybe you can answer someone else’s question. It’s all about helping each other!
And of course, before you comment, please read our Rules of Engagement — the blog is a safe, positive space for yarncrafters to share their thoughts. Please help us keep it that way.
How do I share photos of my progress?
If you have a blog or an account on a photo service, feel free to store your pictures there and just include a link to your photos in a comment. If you are a Flickr user, tag your photos “lion brand” and the name of the pattern, then join the Flickr pool! Flickr has a great explanation of how to add your photo to a photo pool. (Note: all links appear in orange on the Lion Brand Notebook, so if something is orange, you can click on it!)
Can I invite my crocheting or knitting group to join?
Absolutely! CALs and KALs are all about building community. Feel free to invite your friends. If you have a blog, save the CAL/KAL badge we will provide (Right-click the badge and “Save image as” to save it to your computer — Ctrl+click and “Save image as” on Macs) and add it to your blog, so that your friends can see it, too.
What’s the most important part of the CAL/KAL experience?
For some people, the projects will be relatively easy, and we hope that they share their expertise. For others, it’s about the challenge and pushing through the difficult parts for a really wonderful end result. But in the end, it’s important to remember to just have fun, learn, and make new friends! CALs/KALs are all about pushing your boundaries, trusting in yourself and the community, and having a good time.
Posted in Community, Crochet-Along, Knit-Along, Tips & How To | 92 Comments »
I’ve used two different seaming methods for my two different blankets.
For “Dolly” the doll sized blanket, I chose to simply sew the 9 little blocks together. I usually use a simple seam that goes like this:
Lay the pieces on a flat stable surface either face up or face down, I often try out a few inches of sewing to see which side is hiding the seam better and then start over with the pieces arranged accordingly. The rows of the 3 different blocks can match up nicely with 2 single crochet rows matching to 1 row of double crochet from another block and of course, one row of single crochet matching up to a row of single crochet. (When planning how many rows I would use in the blocks I took this into consideration) Having these rows of single crochet in every other row of Blocks 2 and 3 really helped me keep track that my seaming matched up as I went along.
There’s really nothing to do, but “thread” your needle with your yarn and get started! I simply **start running the needle through the side of a stitch in one corner, work straight into the side of the stitch in the corner of the other block, insert the needle into the side of the stitch in the next row of the same block and then work straight across into the side of the stitch in the matching row of the other block.
**I leave about 6″ of tail. I don’t secure the seaming yarn to start, this allows me to adjust the slack in the seam if I need to. After all the seams are tidy I secure each with whatever extra seaming or knotting seems best.
There are many ways to sew a seam, this way just always gives me a result that I like. You can also try whip stitch, back stitch and using single crochet or slip stitch. I used slip stitch to seam my full sized version of this blanket.
Because this blanket is doll sized I was able to lay out the entire thing on a fabric covered cork board. (I love portable work surfaces like this! It allows me to move the project from the table to the couch when I need a change of posture.) I worked the two longer seams first and then worked the 3 shorter widthwise seams. Before I secured the seaming tails I tugged and pulled and shaped the blanket, making sure each seam was “just right” not too loose or too tight. You can tie a little knot here if you feel you must or simply make some secure backstitches and weave in the rest of the tail, trim and your done!
I had intended to do something frilly with the border, yet the blanket seems just right with this simple border.
First I worked single crochet along the sides and around the corners, working 1 sc in each sc , 2 sc in the side of each dc row and rounding the corners with 1 sc, ch 1, 1 sc worked into each corner space. In the photo below the blue dots represent single crochet:
For each following round I worked 1 sc, skipped the next sc, ch 1, sc in the next sc across the round and worked sc, ch 1, sc in the corner spaces. Changing colors with each round helped tie in all the colors used in the blocks and the stitch pattern of alternating single crochet and chain stitches softens the stripe pattern.
For the Purple Monster (this is what I’m calling the full human sized version I’m soooooo close to having completed) I worked a border on each block before working slip stitch seams to join everything.
I used the same 1st round border I used to border the dolly blanket and for the second row I worked a single crochet in each single crochet from the previous round and 1 sc, 1 dc, 1 sc in the corner chain spaces. I like the even tailored feel the two rows of well behaved single crochet gave these rather stretchy loopy blocks. Once I had them bordered, the different block patterns were much more similar in size.
Once again, I made sure that the rows in the blocks could match up evenly, 25 sc in block 1 and 17 rows in 2 and 3: matching 2 rows of sc from 1 to 1 row of dc from 2 and 3. This made it much easier to make borders for the blocks with the same number of stitches on each side. The number I should have on each side of a block was repeated in my head like a little mantra and I was as meticulous as possible, counting and recounting while I crocheted. That said, I still found a few missed or added stitches when seaming…. oh well!
I put a sheet down on the floor and arranged my blocks in this “cat fur free zone”, sat down in the middle and got moving with the slip stitch seam. For this, I placed two blocks right side together and worked into the outside loops only. This leaves a nice little ridge on the “right side” and creates a seam that lays nicely in the fabric.
Posted in Community, Crochet-Along, Crocheting, Tips & How To | 1 Comment »
Hey All!
I’ve done some serious crocheting this weekend to catch up with some of you, but in the meantime, for those of you who are newer to the crochet-along, I’ve decided to give y’all a rundown of stitches to try if you are so inclined:
First an easy alteration to make to any of the 3 existing blocks in the pattern is to simply try a different stitch. Try half double crochet in Block 1 for example.
And have you seen the Stitchfinder? There are quite a few fun patterns to try out!
Here are a few to take a look at:
Lacey Stripes:
Textured Stripes
Crochet Cable
If you’re using one of these alternate stitches, don’t forget to do a little gauge swatch and see how big each repeat of the pattern is, so that you can chain the right width for your block.
What alternative stitch patterns have you added to your sampler? Please tell us all about it, right here in the comments to this post!
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Posted in Community, Crochet-Along, Crocheting, Tips & How To | 11 Comments »
