Berroco Free Pattern: Innsbrook Tunic

 On Friday, Berroco Knitbits released the next crochet pattern of mine, Innsbrook Tunic. This sweater has been quite the hit with me from its first swatch.

The stitch pattern is a modified berry stitch with its arches highlighted using post stitches. The use of the post stitches transforms the stitch pattern from background to foreground and makes the arch pop off the fabric.  The greatest part is that since its still a lacy berry stitch the drape is lovely.  Sometimes post stitches can make my swatches get too bulky, but not here. Ultra fine Alpaca also does quite its share, making the sweater drape in all the right places for you.

The sweater is marked as advanced, but PLEASE do not let that stop you from giving it a go!  Honestly we marked it for an experienced crocheter just for the stitch pattern.  So give it a swatch and see what you think.  The tunic is worked in the round from the bottom to the top of the body, and then divided in 2 for front and back panels. Shaping on the bottom of the tunic and sleeves are created by adding or subtracting one chain space between each arch for a smooth transition. Stitch pattern is not altered other than this additional (or not) chain space.  So even though the schematic shows lots of shaping, the "shaping" is done by adding more or less space between the arches.  The sleeves are set-in sleeves that you seam separately.  The sleeve shaping, collar shaping, and more are all drawn in stitch diagrams to help you with every step along the sweater.

It is one of those sweaters that would look great as a tunic over leggings and tall books or shorten to fall at your hips and worn with a skirt.

I want to thank the wonderful Diane for crocheting the bulk of the sweater for me.  Over the years, I have become allergic to alpaca and her hands have really helped me more then I can say.  Plus, I think she makes neater post stitches then I do anyway.

Enough rambling, Robyn, they want the link!  Here it is.  Hope you enjoy!

Oh, and if you are interested Ashley from Berroco interviewed me for their Knitter's Spotlight series. Give a bit of thoughts behind the whole collection Norah and I collaborated on for Berroco.

Unexpected Afghans Celebration Weekend

Today kicks off the Weekend Celebration of my new book, Unexpected Afghans: Innovative Crochet Designs with Traditional Techniques.

I was lucky enough to work with not only friends by my crochet favorites in my new book.  I asked them all to envision their main crochet passion and have it come alive in the form of an afghan.  All the projects are unique and really speak to me about the designer behind each one.  The book is divided into 5 chapters, one for each crochet technique (lace, cables, motifs, color, Tunisian).  Every chapter starts with a pillow I designed for you to test out the technique, and some words of wisdom from me and the designers on how to take your crochet to the next level.  The introduction has other crochet tips and some insight into all the designers first crochet projects (just because I am super nosy).  I am really proud of this book.  It was a joy from concept thru editing.  I can not tell you how fun it is to collaborate with your friends whether you are picking out colors or fine tuning a crochet diagram (oh, yeah- there are TONS of diagrams- I mean it is my book afterall!)

So this weekend I have bribed a number of the designers in the book to blog, tweet, facebook about their design in the book.  I was going to tell you what I thought of each one, but I would rather let them tell you.  Keep in mind I just told them to go crazy on each of their afghans, it could have really been uh, "interesting"; but instead their projects are some of my favorite crochet projects out there.  I truly hope you enjoy the little tour this weekend.  At each stop (including over at Interweave), you will be able to win a free eBook copy of the book.  For me, go check out the preview (below) and let me know (in a comment here, in an email, over at facebook or twitter) what project speaks to you the most.  I will let CJ pick her favorite from the book on Monday and announce a winner on Tuesday.

Here are all the projects over at Flickr with each designer labeled.  Please go check out these designers, you never know, you might find a new favorite or two!



Meet Some of the Designers (in alphabetical order):

Annette Petavy - Annette Petavy Design

Annie Modesitt - Modeknit

Carol Ventura – Tapestry Crochet

Diane Halpern -Three Rivers Crochet

Dora Ohrenstein - Crochet Insider Newsletter

Doris Chan - Everyday Crochet

Drew Emborsky - The Crochet Dude

Edie Eckman – Edie Eckman   

Ellen Gormley - Go Crochet        

Jill Wright – Wool Crafting   

Kim Guzman - Wips N Chains

Kristin Omdahl - Styled By Kristin

Linda Permann - Lindamade         

Marty Miller - Not Your Granny’s Crochet

Mary Beth Temple - Addicted to Alpaca 

Megan Granholm - Loop de doo

Simona Merchant-Dest - Stylish Knits

Tracie Barrett – Tracie Barrett

Weekend Crocheting

I get asked all the time what I am crocheting for CJ. And my immediate response is NOTHING. Na da. Zippo. Zero. I am way too superstitious to allow too many baby gifts in the house, let alone crochet her something yet.

Luckily, cousins on both of our sides are having babies and I get to work out my baby crochet fix that way. This weekend was my cousin, Rebecca's*, shower. (yes the same cousin that helps me crochet.) And I wanted to make something special for her.

Our grandmother always made every baby a granny square blanket, so I knew I wanted to honor her by doing something along the same lines. Here's a shot of the baby blanket she made me when I was a baby. I also knew I wanted to use a mix of yarn from my stash, grandma's stash, and Rebecca's stash. (purely so that it can be said "that a village made this blankie for you peanut") I was asked at the party how long it took me to make it and I stalled a bit. Mainly because I didn't crochet those blocks this year. Actually I crocheted them 4 years ago for a different WIP, and stole them for the blanket (knowing that I would never finish that other WIP). So actually I only crocheted the blocks together and added the border this time, and I did that in the car trip. Here's a more Detail shot of the blanket. I think it turned out pretty well for being a hodge-podge of sorts. Hopefully baby will like it too!

*What makes it super special is that we are actually due only about 2 weeks apart. So besides getting to share our love of crocheting, we'll be new mom's at the same time too!

Symbols - criptic or logical?

There is no denying it, I love crochet symbols and diagrams. They just make perfect sense to me. Where the abbreviations for crochet sts can leave me a bit lost, the symbols immediately click in my brain and let me know what to do.

There is no magic to them, all they are are little drawings of the stitches. Let me walk you through some.

Starting with the beginning, the chain stitch is a simple oval symbol. Think about making a chain stitch, all it is is an oval inside of another oval. Moving up the slip stitch is a filled in dot, it is little and almost invisible just like the stitch. The single crochet is a squat cross, again just like the stitch. The half double crochet is slightly taller then the single crochet. The double crochet is taller then the half double, and has an extra cross in its middle. The extra cross represents the extra yarn over the double crochet has. The treble is taller yet with 2 crosses. The double treble is the tallest with 3 crosses. That little cross is a lifesaver for me, since I never really have to remember the difference between a treble and a dtr since the little bars will tell me exactly how many yarn overs they each have. The fancier stitches are no different. Look at the double crochet cluster, it shows 3 double crochets in one stitch bowing out slightly just like the stitch does when it’s crocheted.

To read granny square diagrams (like in the Maggie Wrap Pattern), you need to start in the center just like you would to crochet. Following the symbol key, crochet the stitches you see. There will be numbers at the beginning of each round so you can keep track of where you are. On my diagrams, I also like to color each round different so again it’s easily to see what round you are on.

And that's it. Hope that helps a bit next time you see one of my patterns or any other crochet diagram.

Finished

My Cardi
Originally uploaded by rchach

Comfy Cardi from Crochet Me

Designed by me
Tweaked by me for me

Started in January, finished lace in a few days, put it down for a long while, then finally finished the ribbing the last few days. Would have finished earlier, but it rained during almost the entire Reds Game, and I just could bear getting it even a little wet. I'm really happy with how it came out. As you know, I made the large size in the chest and small size in the arms. Plus I shortened it to elbow length. All the details of that are here. Pretty amazed that I finally have something for me! Can't wait to wear it, too bad it was 70 here today.

Yarn: elann.com, Pure Alpaca Fina, 5 skeins

Hook: F Clover Hook

Notions: Large Mission Falls Button

Winners and Gift Stories

Knitspeak Winners!

I would like to congratulate...

Samantha and Ellen who both will be receiving a copy of Knitspeak. Please email me your address and I will get these in the mail today.

Samantha's favorite gift- I think one of the favorite things I crocheted for a gift was little purse and stuffed doll for a friend of my sons. He contributed lots of the ideas that made the project extra special.

Ellen's favorite gift- I'm having a hard time thinking of "the best" gift I have given, because it really has nothing to do with the gift itself and everything to do with the 'Thank you'. I have kept every 'thank you' I have received, either in written form, or engraved on my heart from people who have received a gift. And when people tell me years later, what my gift meant to them, I am aglow all over again. It happened just today, when I ran into a neighbor at a store and she said that her son loves the blanket I made for him (5 years ago) and it is "his" blanket. That kind of story makes my day.

Thank you everyone for your stories! I really enjoyed reading each one that came in. Here are some of my favorites:

Deneen says "My favorite Christmas gift I have given are my annual NICU donations to the hospital where my daughter was born and where she stayed for a week. My daughter was the bruiser of the NICU and when I saw how small and alone (big city hospital)so many of these babies were, I decided we would make donations every year for Elena's birthday, which happens to be 12/21-so we go as a family and make the donations."

Sara says "My favourite gift was a backwasher I made for my 96 year old dad who is in a nursing home in England. He was complaining that he could manage to wash everything except his back so when I got home I made one and sent it. The cost of postage far exceeded the cost of the gift but for my dad it was priceless."

Kate says "My favorite gift was a baby blanket I crocheted for my sister when she was born. I was 16 at the time and it was a granny square pattern in rainbow pastels."

As for me, my favorite gift was the very first item I have ever crocheted. It was a mini-sampler afghan. Each block I learned a new skill and technique, which was very challenging but super fun. But that is not why it is so special to me. See I learned to crochet to make that blanket for my newborn niece. But even more special was that I got to stay with my sister and help take care of them for a week when she was born. So really we learned together. I crocheted while she napped in my arms. She was so tiny and so sweet. I will never forget that time, and neither will she; since five years later that blanket still sits on her bed.

Dreidel Softie

Happy Hanukkah, everyone!

While I was home sick today, I crocheted this little cutie dreidel. Which was inspired by the sight of Faye playing dreidel when I walked in from work, too funny right? And since its a holiday, here's the pattern.

Dreidel Softie

finished measurements
approx 1” by 2”

YARN
Rowan Cotton Glace, approx 50yd (100% Cotton), any color, I used raspberry and aqua

CROCHET HOOK
· Size E/5 (3.5mm) crochet hook or any size to obtain correct gauge

NOTIONS
· Yarn needle
· embroidery floss for decoration
· handful of polyfill

BODY
Ch 5 with E hook, Sl st to first ch to form ring.
Rnd 1 Ch1, 8sc in ring, sl st to first sc, do not turn.
Rnd 2 Ch1, *sc blo in sc, 3sc blo in next sc, repeat from * around, sl st to first sc, do not turn. (16 sc)
Rnd 3 Ch1, *sc in next 2sc, 3sc in next sc, sc in next sc, rep from * around, sl st to first sc, do not turn. (24 sc)
Rnd 4 Ch1, sc blo in ea sc around, sl st to first sc, do not turn.
Rnd 5 Ch1, sc in ea sc around, sl st to first sc, do not turn.
Repeat rnd 5 5 more times
Rnd 6 Ch1, *sc in next 2 sc, sctog over next 2 sc, sc in next 2 sc, rep from * around, sl st to first sc, do not turn. (20 sc)
Rnd 7 Ch1, sc in ea sc around, sl st to first sc, do not turn.
Rnd 8 Ch1, *sc in next 2 sc, sctog over sctog and next sc, sc in next sc, rep from * around, sl st to first sc, do not turn. Fill body with polyfill (16 sc)
Rnd 9 Ch1, *sc in next 2 sc, sctog over sctog and next sc, rep from * around, sl st to first sc, do not turn. (12 sc)
Rnd 10 Ch1, *sc in next sc, sctog over next sc and sctog, rep from * around, sl st to first sc, do not turn. (8 sc)
Rnd 11 Ch1, *sctog over next sc and sctog, rep from * around, sl st to first sc, fasten off, weave end through last sts to secure. (4 sc)

STEM
Join yarn with sl st to rnd 2 flp.
Rnd 1 Sctog over next 2 flp, repeat around, do not turn. (4sc)
Rnd 2 Ch1, sc in ea sc around, do not turn.
Repeat rnd 2 2 more times, fasten off, weave in ends.

finishing
With yarn needle and embroidery floss, stitch letters on to sides.

Moravian Star

Moravian Star
Originally uploaded by rchach.

Every year I make one new ornament for the tree. This year I was totally inspired by Norah Gaughan's blog, and made a Moravian star. Crocheting it was easy. photographing it a pain. You can see my other crummy shot on flickr.

The grannies got me.

Progress of afghan
Originally uploaded by rchach.

So while checking out all my WIP this weekend, one in particular kept calling my name.

The old granny square afghan for dad. It wanted to be done. May be it was because it uses my Grandma's old yarn, may be because its in bright colors. Who knows, but I was sucked in and it started to work on me. See I thought, "well lets just see how many grannies I still need, that will not be too dangerous". 16. "Only 16!, that's not much at all". "I bet I could finish this in a month"

What was I thinking. Why did I let it lure me into its cuteness? I do have a ton of other crocheting I need to do. Yet instead of worrying about neck openings and waist shaping, I'm pondering "should I join this with DC or SC, should I do a big or small border, lacy or plain?". On and on, my brain churns this all night long. Oh you granny, you got me. I don't have the strength to fight you.

Alternative Coasters on CRAFT

With the warm weather turning up all over, the need for outside coasters is in effect for patio lounging. Over at CRAFT they have my little pattern on how to make some outside friendly coasters from garbage laying around your house.

Mail Call

Got to love coming home from work to a fanastic package like this: 300 Crochet Motifs and 300 Crochet Stitch patterns

I have been looking forward to these coming for a month, now. And I can tell you they were worth every penny and every day I waited. I can not tell you how impressed I am with the layout of the stitches and clear diagrams. Every motif has a stitch diagram, but then they go on to show some different ways you can join the motifs together. No translating from Japanese needed, the layouts are just that clear. As you know, I love playing with motifs- and the joining can have just as cool effects as the motif.

Speaking of, this weekend the wedding bolero will be making its first appearance with the bride. Lets all hope that she gives it the 2 thumbs up and we can be covered at the wedding!

I ordered the books from yesasia.com. Their price was reasonable with free shipping. But it does take about a month to come. I can not tell you how jealous I am of people that have local markets that they can get their hands on Japanese Craft books in person. SO jealous!

Off to the airport. Do you think I need clothes for the weekend? All I packed was a carry-on bag full of yarn, these books, and hooks. I hope my friends brought extra toothpaste.

SOAK, My Hero

SOAK
Originally uploaded by rchach.

Here at Crochet By Faye we took our 3-day weekend and turned it into experiment time. Our current project is a fun sweater made from Mohair and Linen. Its going to be a great fall/ winter sweater, but we really wanted to add some extra loveliness to it. So when a sample packet of SOAK, fell from the office shelf, it was fate.

The experiment:
2 crochet swatches about 4"x4" made of Linked Double Crochets
1 tiny sample packet of SOAK
1 gal cold water

We decided to crochet our samples in the most tight crochet stitch, the linked stitch. (we really wanted to put the rinse to the test) The swatches were lovely, pretty lines on the fabric with the crazy halo of mohair. We dunked one swatch into a bath of SOAK and water. We violently scrubbed (b/c come on we have to try it all right?). Let them sit for 10 minutes or so. Rinsed them with cold water. Rolled in towel to squeeze out water. Then let dry.

Results
Soft fabric with the same nice halo of mohair. The lines of stitches were defined the same. The best is the drape. The first cup has the SOAK swatch hanging so nicely. The second cup has the original swatch, and its literally floating on the rim. SUCCESS!

This sweater not only will have a cute shaping, clean stitch lines, fuzzy mohair; but it will be soft and drape fantastic too. SOAK you are my hero.

Next Verse, same as the First

Bolero Progress
Originally uploaded by rchach.

I also made quite the headway on my bridesmaid bolero.

I crocheted while waiting for the paint coats to dry. Well it must have been the fumes, because I went a bit off of track.

Now, Suzie is smaller then me, but not that much smaller! I managed to crochet most of the motifs together and it is about 6 inches too big (and this is without the elastic). See, the yarn is really elastic which will give a great snug fit, well it will, if I stop making it huge. I see quite a lot of frogging in my near future. Plus- holy cow, do I need blocking!

So yet again, 2 steps forward and one step back.

Crystal Lace on CRAFT

Today's CRAFT: Pattern Podcast is our very own Crystal Lace.

So for all of you out there who wanted an easy PDF to print out.

Here you go.

Book-centric

Needless to say, I have been a bit book obsessed lately.

I am half-way through writing my book proposal and coming up with all the designs. (Which I am so excited about! Each design is a little baby of mine. I tend to want to obsess over every detail of very project, but that just makes me dizzy with plans dancing in my head. So I have to literally stop myself, and say "this is only schematic, there will be time for that later, little girl".) Now I'm on the age old question. Why would a crocheter buy your book? That's a bit hard to answer right, without sounding a bit lame and ego-centric? "Because they want to be nice to me", doesn't sound real compelling.

So I dived into my collection and the collection at the library to see if I they could inspire me, and realized one huge problem of mine. I love books. I totally let myself get lost in their uniqueness and totally forgot why I was doing research in the first place.

I started by raiding the UC DAAP library. (The hubbie is a grad student there and they have a great selection of fashion journals. I might have to keep him in school to get to use the library more. JK honey!)

I found some really neat ideas in some of the books. Granted the books were old and the styles out-dated, but I don't care about that. That gives me a chuckle and I dive in more.

Here are some of my favorites over the past few days:

Shanie Jacobs- Super inspiring designs. She learned to crochet on a commune and applied really neat techniques to clothes that were in fashion at the time. So ok, I would never crochet a leotard like she did. But her idea of the Victorian shirt (left in photo) could totally be valid today.

New Design in Crochet- this one first makes me chuckle, then think "yeah we could do that, if we..."



The Mask- I love, I don't know why- but he makes me chuckle-




The sculptures- we could definitely tweak, and I can see them being very contemporary and maybe even functional.



Luckily, after a very long detour. I did find some inspiration to help me answer my question. I see it as a two parter. The one side I know right away- and its a big secret- really its the whole concept of the book. But the other is my design aesthetics (my fashion and design sense) and that's a lot harder to explain why people would like it (b.c frankly I have no idea if people like my designs). You know? Any ideas for me?

New Flickr Group Alert

rock granny
Originally uploaded by rchach.

This one's just for us...

The swatching crocheters. I think its fabulous. We needed a place to show off our swatches, right? Now we can show off, and ask questions. Fun!

Come check it out.

(Oh and that's a granny swatch from Vickie Howell's ROCK line at SWTC)

Snowflakes

Snowflakes
Originally uploaded by rchach.

There's nothing like a good snow.

Unfortunately, for me and Faye, Cincinnati doesn't get much of what the locals call "white death". Shame, b.c we LOVE it!

As I write this watching the snow fall (if we are lucky we should get 5 inches-- keep those fingers crossed!) and commuters freaking out trying to get home and kids skipping around home from school, I get so happy. It must be the little touch of home (I'm from PA originally). The mixture of other people's anxieties and kids' excitement, it just makes me grin really big.

Well I must have been channeling this snow this weekend. Instead of doing sensible things, like taxes or cleaning or actual work, I started crocheting these snowflakes from some DK alpaca yarn. I have no idea it they are going to be a cardi or shawl or something else entirely, but for right now they make me smile.

Henry's Vest

Henry's Vest
Originally uploaded by rchach.

I may be biased. But I think I got one darn cute nephew!

Crochet Unraveled

Crochetville has a new Podcast called Crochet Unraveled.

I found it really informative about Crochetville and Crochet News.

If you got some time, check it out.

The cat's out of the bag...

Kim Werker, Lily Chin, and Me


Taken after our busy day of taping.


Taping what? Well just this fabulous new knitting and crochet show on PBS.



(AHHHHHHHHH.) I can finally spill the beans! And they are juicy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Candi Jensen, yes my crochet hero, asked me to be on her new knitting and crochet show. (BTW, she is great. If I could pick a crochet mentor/ mom, I want it to be Candi) Its called Knit and Crochet Today. It will be on PBS in the fall. (How cool is that? No cable needed!, And no I don't know any concrete times yet, but be sure that I will share when I know more.) Its sponsored by Coats and Clark, and will feature products that we all can get really easily. There will be tons of neat projects, tips, and just plain old good fun in it.



Its hosted by Kassie Depaiva. She's Blair on One Life to Live. She is super nice, and I am not just saying that. I was a sweaty basket case before each taping. But as soon as I was on set, she'd make me feel like the star. She's make me laugh and just feel at home. She's fantastic.


Some of the other fiber guests on the show were that I got to chat up were:

Lily Chin, who I do not need to introduce to you all. And gave me some great advise on steaming a garment I am working on.

Kim Werker, of Crochet Me and Interweave Crochet which I am so excited about I could faint. I can hardly wait to see all the funky fun stuff that will come up with her in the drivers seat!


Carla Scott, the editor of Vogue Knitting and Knit Simple, and all the fabulous stuff at Soho that we all go gaga over. (Which by the way, did you see the new VK? Totally inspiring right?)


Brett Bara, the editor of Crochet Today of who I adore. She is great, that's it. She has this
great vision, and really loves the craft; and with those two focuses she is just going to make everyone love crochet (even the muggles)!




So my last two days were wonderful. Almost a dream really. I got to hang out with people I love talking about my favorite subject! What could have been better?