Yarn Over, Pull Through

An Experiment in Worsted-Weight Cotton

A while back, like a couple of years ago, I purchased the Knitwear Knitting, Crochet and Machine Knitting Design software, thinking that I would use it to create patterns for crocheted garments.  The software is designed primarily for knitting, but you are supposed to be able to use it for crocheted garments as well.  I wanted to create a sleeveless top using the Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton I bought on sale.

The software lets you select a style of sweater (e.g., cardigan, pullover), the size (from a list of standard sizes, or you can input custom sizes), and the type of sleeve, collar and hem you want.  Once you have selected your stitch and input your gauge, the software spits out a pattern that you can follow to create the garment.  It also gives you an approximate amount of yarn that the pattern will require.  So you basically have everything you need to design your own stuff.

I started this project right after I finished the Spiderweb Cardigan, during the creation of which I learned  about the "Elmore" method of crocheting, aka extended single, double, or whatever crochet.  So I used an extended double crochet as the stitch pattern for this top because the swatch I made from it appeared to create a fabric that draped a little better than the regular double crochet.  The extended stitch appears to be a little less thick than the regular double crochet stitch.

The pattern instructions are not the kind of row-by-row, stich-by-stitch instructions found in the commercial patterns we're used to working from.  But you have more than enough detail to create the garment.  I found I had to make some adjustments because my original size calculations were off.  But I could make these modifications right on the printed pattern as I crocheted.  If I ever decide to publish the pattern, I have the original pattern plus the modifications on paper from which to create a commercial pattern.

The border was not a part of the pattern that the software produced.  After I finished the bodice, I went  through my collection of stitch guides and found the pattern for the border.  In selecting a stitch pattern, I had to make sure that the number of stitches around the bottom hem matched the stitch "multiple" that the pattern stitch called for.  So I worked the bodice from the bottom up and the border from the bottom hem down.  I could probably start from the border and work up, too.

The one thing I haven't learned yet is how to make adjustments for the different sizes (i.e., small, medium, large, etc.) that commercial patterns calll for.  Hmmm ... I guess I could use the software to create patterns for the other sizes and then combine everything into one commercial pattern.  I think I'll leave that for another day.

I hope that all made sense.  I like the final result with the only exception being that the cotton yarn I used is too thick.  Maybe I'll create another top in a lighter weight cotton.

By the way, I searched and searched for some information on the Elmore Method of crocheting.  I found a few references but not much.  The one book I found on Amazon is used and for sale for $180, so his works are out of print.  I believe William Elmore, the creator of this method, passed a way a while back.  I talk a little about the extended stitches in my post on the Spiderweb cardigan right below this one.

Love that bird of paradise!

Ain't She Sweet!

  Yes, that's "daughter dearest," Adrienne Neale, and she's my featured guest for this post.  Why?  Because she is carrying on the art and craft of crochet to the next generation.  I wanted to make sure I passed some fiber arts down to her, so I taught Adrienne how to crochet and knit.  Fortunately, she also inherited the "crafty" gene from me and the "artist" gene from her father, so she can essentially do anything she wants when it comes to fiber arts.

I remember one school year, she and her roommate, Kristina, didn't hav e a TV.  So they decided   to crochet and knit in the evenings.  I was pleasantly surprised and a bit amazed to hear that!  Then, a couple of Christmases ago, Adrienne decided to crochet Kristina a Christmas gift.  This was the year I was in Hawaii over the holidays.  So we sat down for a couple of evenings and came up with a cute little beanie hat.  Sorry the photo is so poor, but this was before either of us had digital cameras, and the cell phone camera had to suffice.  This was also when I was doing the Craft Yarn Council of America's crochet certification program, so we wrote a pattern for the beanie as well.  Hmmm ... I think I'll add it to my list of free patterns.   But maybe I should ask her first.  Yep, that's what I'll do.

Now, Miss A (aka "AJ') has gone off on her own to design and crochet two items; a camera case for the digital camera she got for her birthday and a case for her boyfriend Charles' mother to carry her knitting needles in.  She did both of these projectes "freehand," without a pattern!  She's supposed to be sending me a closeup of the stitch pattern she created for the knitting needle case.  When I get that, I'll update this post with the pattern.  Don't you love the surface crochet on the cameral case!!

Adrienne's going to be taking a basket weaving class to make up some credits she needs for nursing school (that's her on the right with a classmate taking a break during one of their clinicals).  The Smithsonian Institute's Folklife Festival this summer in DC featured an exhibit of Native American basket weavers from cultures across the U.S. and Hawaii.  The Hawaiian women had beautiful basket patterns, and they created the most spectacular woven hats!  Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me, so I have no photos of those wonderful pieces.  But I plan to display photos of the work Adrienne produces from this class at the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

So stay tuned.

Checking In

Ok, two weeks is long enough.  I just wanted to let you all know that I am still alive and kicking -- though just barely.  This work project is kicking me you know where!  I can't remember when I've worked so hard.  Almost done, though.  Three more weeks at the most, and I'll be finished the major development phase.

In the meantime, I wanted to add something to the last post I wrote on crochet design.  In step 4, I stated that I was using a template I created with Garment Designer.  I failed to mention that you could also use a sewing pattern as your template or create a template from a piece of clothing you like.  You would trace the outlines of the sweater, say, on paper and then cut it out.  The trick then is to create the written instructions based on your gauge, stitch, yarn, and template.  Can you tell I don't know a whole lot about pattern construction?   Oh well ... they say it's the journey, not the end result that counts.

I thought I'd add some photos of a walk I took at the National Arboretum a week ago, since I don't have any crochet-related photos to show you.  I snapped these photos the day after a very heavy rain.  The Thursday before was magical, the air crisp and scintilating, the azaleas at their absolute peak.  Of course, I didn't have my camera with me.  But these photos are lovely, if I must say so myself.  I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my walks.  And I like blogs that I include lots of photos that break up the text.  Makes reading so much easier. 

Just as I was leaving the azalea collection, a couple saw me, and the husband said I was as bright as the azaleas.  At first I didn't know what he was talking about, and then I realized he was referring to  my hot pink sweats.  The wife insisted on taking my picture.  Of course, I couldn't refuse.  Ok, I'm not at my neatest, but you get the picture.

Ok, back to the grind.  Glad I have a chiropractor's appointment on Wednesday.  My back is killing me!

A New Category - Crochet Design

All work and no play make Patty a dull girl!  Plus, I JUST HAVE TO POST!!!

Yep!  I'm still in the midst of the development phase of the "work-work" project I've been working on since the beginning of the year, so it's been full steam ahead to get it done.  Thankfully, I've received 2 emails in the past week in response to stuff I've posted on the Crochet Guild of America Yahoo lIst that remind me that "work-work" isn't everything.  I've got to take time out for the things I love - namely crochet (thanks Cookie and Veronica!!)

Because of these emails, I've decided to start a new category on this blog called "Crochet Design," which will document my attemps to design my own crocheted garments.  Actually, I've completed one  project (my adaptation of Lily Chin's "Central Park Coat") and began a new one last month. 

A little background -- I recently started buying "couture" knitting magazines, like Vogue Knitting to see if there are any patterns that I could adapt to crochet.  I figure this is a good way to get started designing my own stuff; plus, patterns in these magazines always include very detailed schematics which is a must if you're going to convert a knitted pattern to crochet.  Another thing I've noticed is that these mags are now starting to feature crocheted patterns.  The spring/summer 2006 edition of Vogue Knitting has two crocheted patterns - a cute sleeveless dress (see the "Spring Collectin") and a ripple-stitch "duster."

So I was perusing one of these magazines (I'm sorry I didn't save it or I would plug it here), when I came across this wonderful jacket that I just loved.  It's Chris Bylsma's Channel Style Crayon Box Jacket, which she describes at her web site as "a short boxy, Chanel-style jacket knit one (mitered) square at a time - but without seams - in a one-of-a-kind blend of colors and fibers." 

This patterrn is "free-formy" in that you can select your own yarns and colors to create a unique jacket.  I figured I could adapt this pattern to crochet, using the crocheted mitered square.  I decided to use my scrap yarn collection to create the mitered squares.  The big difference is that I would be making individual squares and sewing them together to create the jacket, instead of building on squares (there must be a way to do this in crochet; just haven't figured out how).  I'll need to create a pattern template and lay the individual squares on it to create the jacket form out of the squares, like what free-formers do with their little motifs.  And I'll probably make more squares than I need so I have some options for how I want it to look.

Fortunately, I invested a while back in Garment Designer, a computer-assisted-design (CAD) program that lets you create any kind of pattern, adjusted to your measurements, the pieces of which you can then print out in the actual size of the garment you're creating.  This is great software because, once you input all of your measurements, you can create patterns that fit you perfectly.  Here's the template for the jacket I'm creating.  As you can see, it's more or less unstructured, but I'm going to have to figure out how to get the squares to fit into the tapered sleeve.  I think I know how to do it -- add triangles along the edge.

Here's what my preliminary notes for this design look like.  I scanned the jacket from the mag and printed it out.  I then recorded some basic information about the jacket I'm trying to create, plus the patterrn for crocheted mitered squares.  I'll keep taking notes as I move forward, and maybe I'll be able to create a jacket pattern once I'm done.  I'll have to back-track and figure out the gauge if I'm going to do that.  One thing I haven't figured out is how to adjust the pattern for different sizes.  I plan to attend the Knit and Crochet Show conference this summer where I'll learn how to do this. 

To recap, here's the basic design strategy I'm using, a lot of which I learned in a Lily Chin design workshop I took last year at the CGOA conference in PA:

1.  Get an idea or inspiration.  In this case, it's the knitted jacket I saw in Vogue Knitting.

2.  Figure out how to translate the idea into an application (i.e., a crocheted jacket).  You do that by decidinig on the techniques and fiber that will let you do this; in this case, it's crocheted mitered squares which I will make individually and then sew together, using the Garment Design pattern template to lay them out on.  And I'm using yarn from my scrap stash (no use spending a lot of money on yarn until I'm sure this will work).

3.  Then you go from technique to application by making swatches. The swatches will let you see how the yarn and stitches you've selected work, what Lily calls "previewing the application."  Plus, you get your gauge from swatching.  Ok, ok, I admit.  I'm not exactly swatching.  I'm just crocheting the squares and hoping the end result will look half-way decent.

4.  Once you've selected your yarn and technique and done your swatches, you apply the technique to the pattern to get the final result.  In this case, my "pattern" is my Garment Designer template.  If you didn't have Garment Designer, then you'd have to do some math to figure out your pattern, based on your measurements and the gauge you're working with and create a schematic of the major pieces.

5.  Take copious notes throughout the process so you remember what you did, learn from your mistakes, and create a pattern for publication or just so you can make the garment again.

I'm leaving out a lot of what I learned in the class, and I'm sure this process will evolve over time, but I think what I have works pretty well to start off with.  I'll keep you up-to-date on how things go. Ok, now I'm off to respond to Cookie's email.