Spore

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Row Counter

I have been working on creating a needle work row counter. There are some lovely row counters out there such as the bracelet style and another style that works best with knitting that has multiple links on them...
I wanted something that would be easy to use with both crochet and knitting and could be contained with the project. I find bracelets cumbersome (I don't even wear a watch)
I came up with this...It is still in the prototype stages but I think that once I can get my friends at knitting night to give me some contructive critisism about it, I think I may have a winning pattern...

The basic premise is really quite easy, you move a small bead down every time you complete a row, then once you have all 10 small beads down you move down a large bead...then you either move all the small beads back up and start over or you can work in reverse for the next row and move a small bead up instead of down...

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Cocoa and Cream


My newest pattern, I have to admit I am kind of excited about it. This is the most complex pattern I have written out so far and it seems to be alright. I have had it tested by a few really awesome ladies at Ravelry and got some wonderful feedback and constructive criticism.

Cocoa and Cream



Yarn used: Red Heart McIntosh (peat) (colour A)

Bernat Super Save Solid (cream) (colour B)

Pattern uses less than 50gr of each colour of a worsted weight yarn to make a pair of mitts.

Hook: 4.5 mm

Stitches Used: Chain-CH, Single Crochet-SC, Double Crochet-DC, DC-SC decrease

Mitts are worked inside out, the unused colour carried on the 'outside' as you work then flipped right side out once ends are woven in and mitts are complete.

If I haven't described well how I invisibly carry the yarn through to the next row, it works just fine to just pull it up loosely to the next row it is needed at as well. (I do hope to add a tutorial here in the near future describing this technique)


Foundation: CH 30, join with SL ST to form ring.


With Colour A


ROW 1: CH 3, *1working in back ridge of foundation chain, DC in each stitch, joining with

SL ST to beginning CH. (29 DC + CH 3)

*1 Forms a strong, clean foundation that doesn't require a separate finishing row.

Pattern can be completed with no problems without using the back ridge, but you may want to do a finishing edge once mitt completed.


ROW 2: CH 4 (same as DC + CH 1), [SK next ST, DC in following ST, CH 1] x 14, Join

with SL ST to 3rd CH of beginning CH. (15 CH 1 spaces)


Join Colour B, do not fasten off Colour A


ROW 3: CH 1, *2 Invisibly carry colour A in beginning CH. [DC in skipped stitch from row below drawing loop up even with the row being worked, SC in next ST] x 14, DC in next skipped ST, join with SL ST to beginning CH. (15 DC)

*2 Wrap strand of colour not being used over strand being used before pulling through loop to make next CH repeating back and forth for number of CH required.


ROW 4: CH 4, *2 invisibly carry colour A for 3 CH

(same as DC + CH 1), [SK next ST, DC

in following ST, CH 1] x 14, Join with SL ST to 3rd CH of beginning CH.

Change to Colour A

ROW 5: CH 1, *2 Invisibly carry colour B in beginning CH. [DC in skipped stitch from row

below drawing loop up even with the row being worked

d, SC in next ST] x 14, DC in next skipped ST, join with SL ST to beginning CH.


ROW 6: CH 4, *2 invisibly carry colour B for 3 CH (same as DC + CH 1), [SK next ST, DC

in following ST, CH 1] x 14, Join with SL ST to 3rd CH of beginning CH.

Change to Colour B


ROW 7: CH 1, *2 Invisibly carry colour A in beginning CH. [DC in skipped stitch from row below drawing loop up even with the row being worked, SC in next ST] x 14, DC in next skipped ST, join with SL ST to beginning CH.

ROW 8: CH 4, *2 invisibly carry colour A for 3 CH (same as DC + CH 1), [SK next ST, DC

in following ST, CH 1] x 3, DC in next skipped ST, CH 4, skip next 3 stitches,

DC in 4th st, CH 1, [SK next ST, DC in following ST,

CH 1] x 8. Join with SL ST

to 3rd CH of beginning CH.

Change to Colour A


ROW 9: CH 1, *2 Invisibly carry colour B in beginning C

H. [DC in skipped stitch from row below drawing loop up even with the row being worked, SC in next ST] x 4, SC in each CH across and first stitch after CH (5 SC total). [DC in skipped stitch from row below drawing loop up even with the row being worked, SC in next ST] x 8, DC in next skipped ST, join with SL ST to beginning CH.

ROW 10: CH 4, *2 invisibly carry colour B for 3 CH (same as DC + CH 1), [SK next ST, DC

in following ST, CH 1] x 14, Join with SL ST to 3rd CH of beginning CH.

Change to Colour B

ROW 11: CH 1, *2 Invisibly carry colour A in beginning CH. [DC in skipped stitch from row below drawing loop up even with the row being worked, SC in next ST] x 3.

Work a *3decrease over next DC and SC, DC in skipped stitch from row below drawing loop up even with the row being worked, SC in next ST, *3decrease over next DC and SC. [DC in skipped stitch from row below drawing loop up even with the row being worked, SC in next ST] x 8. Join with SL ST to beginning CH.

*3Decrease over DC and SC – Start DC as normal drawing yarn through first 2 loops, leaving 2 loops on hook. Start SC in next ST leaving 3 loops on hook. Draw yarn through all 3 loops. Decrease complete.


ROW 12: CH 4, *2 invisibly carry colour A for 3 CH (same as DC + CH 1), [SK next ST, DC in following ST, CH 1] x 14, Join with SL ST to 3rd CH of beginning CH. (14 CH 1 spaces)

Change to Colour A

ROW 13: CH 1, *2 Invisibly carry colour B in beginning CH. [DC in skipped stitch from row below drawing loop up even with the row being worked, SC in next ST] x 14, DC in next skipped ST, join with SL ST to beginning CH.

ROW 14: CH 4, *2 invisibly carry colour B for 3 CH (same as DC + CH 1), [SK next ST, DC

in following ST, CH 1] x 14, Join with SL ST to 3rd CH of beginning CH.

Change to Colour B

ROW 15: CH 1, *2 Invisibly carry colour A in beginning CH. [DC in skipped stitch from row below drawing loop up even with the row being worked, SC in next ST] x 14, DC in next skipped ST, join with SL ST to beginning CH.

ROW 16: CH 4, *2 invisibly carry colour A for 3 CH (same as DC + CH 1), [SK next ST, DC

in following ST, CH 1] x 14, Join with SL ST to 3rd CH of beginning CH.

Change to Colour A

ROW 17: CH 1, *2 Invisibly carry colour B in beginning CH. [DC in skipped stitch from row below drawing loop up even with the row being worked, SC in next ST] x 14, DC in next skipped ST, join with SL ST to beginning CH.


ROW 18: CH 4, *2 invisibly carry colour B for 3 CH (same as DC + CH 1), [SK next ST, DC

in following ST, CH 1] x 14, Join with SL ST to 3rd CH of beginning CH.

Change to Colour B

ROW 19: CH 1, *2 Invisibly carry colour A in beginning CH. [DC in skipped stitch from row below drawing loop up even with the row being worked, SC in next ST] x14, DC in next skipped ST, join with SL ST to beginning CH.

Fasten off Colour B

Change to Colour A


ROW 20: CH 1, SC in each ST around, fasten to beginning CH with SL ST

Fasten off Colour A


Weave in all ends securely

Turn right side out

Make second mitt same as first.



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