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...

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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 4^th st, CH 1, [SK next ST, DC in following ST,

CH 1] x 8. Join with SL ST

to 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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.

Marashino Fingerless Gloves

I have been working on designing my own fingerless gloves pattern for a bit now and have finally completed my first pattern. It is really easy and a lot of fun to make and works up really quicky, only takes me a couple of hours to make a pair.

Maraschino Fingerless Gloves

Yarn Used: Phentex Dynasty (Worsted / 10 ply (9 wpi) ) in Red

Hooks Used: 4.5 mm and 5.0 mm

Other Items needed: Yarn needle to weave in ends

Stitches used: Chainless DC foundation, V-Stitch (DC, Ch1, DC), FPDC, BPDC

Foundation:

With 4.5 mm hook, create a 27 stitch chain less DC foundation then join together to form ring. Leave tail long enough to sew gap together and weave in once completed.

Row 1: Ch 3 then skip next 2 stitches (DC, Ch1, DC) in 3^rd stitch. *Skip next 2 stitches then (DC, Ch1, DC) in 3^rd stitch*, repeat 6 more times. DC in base of beginning Ch3, Ch1 then join with Slip Stitch to top of Ch3. (9 v-stitch clusters)

Row 2: Ch3, *(DC, Ch1, DC) in Ch1 space* of next v-stitch cluster. Repeat from * to* in next 7 spaces. (DC, Ch1) in last Ch1 space then join with sl st to top of Ch3. (9 v-stitch clusters)

Rows 3 – 4: Repeat Row 2

Switch to 5.0 mm hook

Row 5: Ch3, (DC, Ch1, DC) in next 2 Ch1 spaces, Ch5, skip next v-stitch cluster. *(DC, Ch1, DC) in next Ch1 space*, repeat in next 3 Ch1 spaces. (DC, Ch1) in last Ch1 space then join with sl st to top of Ch3. (8 v-stitch clusters)

Row 6: Ch3, (DC, Ch1, DC) in next 2 Ch1 spaces. Skip next 2 Ch then (DC, Ch1, DC) in 3^rd Ch, skip 2 Ch, (DC, Ch1, DC) in next 5 Ch1 spaces, (DC, Ch1) in last Ch1 space then join with sl st to top of Ch3. (9 v-stitch clusters)

Rows 7 – 10: Repeat Row 2.

Switch to 4.5 mm hook

Row 11: Ch3, DC in each stitch around, join with sl st to top of Ch3. (27 DC)

Row 12: Ch2, FPDC in 1^st DC, BPDC in 2^nd DC, continue

in pattern around. Join with sl st to top of Ch2.

Rows 13 – 15: Ch2, FPDC and BPDC in each corresponding FPDC and BPDC around, join with sl st to Ch2.

Fasten off after Row 15 and weave in end. Use tail to sew gap closed on finger end and then weave in end.

Just Starting Out

Hmmm, dunno what to say or do...will get back to this...