Tag: Yarn

Freeform CAL

unikatissima Freeform Crochet Along

Links of entry

A ‘Freeform CAL’ is a ‘Freeform Crochet along’, viz., everybody works following the same specification and see, how (different) the results can be.

And I liked this Freeform CAL especially, because I find it often difficult/exhausting to think of a new stitch every time while working freeform.

 

Here are some specifications:

  • “DC an amount of stitches equal to the number of letters in your full name”
  • “…please do a cluster for each pair of shoes you own” (therefore the photo ;-))
  • “Let’s play. Take a breath, how many times can you say the phrase ‘floppy fluffy puppies’ before you need to take another or you trip over your tongue? That many shell stitches please “

I find it great: this way you have a ‘pattern’ you can follow even when you work freeform and when you look at the pictures at the Freeform CAL thread you will see that every item looks different from the others.

I’m amazed!


Links:
Freeform CAL at craftster.org

Here at unikatissima: Freeform Needlework

Weave a Ring

unikatissima Weave a Ring
As said before, I like to play around with weaving.
The other day I thought: Why not weave a ring?
I think that it worked out amazingly good ;-))

 

unikatissima Weave a Ring
Material:

  • Yarn
  • Needle
  • Finger replacement ;-)
    That is a roll of firmly rolled paper, it must be a little broader than your finger.
 

What to do:
unikatissima Weave a Ring
Wind the yarn around the finger replacement and knot.

 

unikatissima Weave a Ring
Then wind the next round, in doing so pass the yarn under itself.

 

unikatissima Weave a Ring
Repeat the last step as long as you reach the ring’s width.

 

unikatissima Weave a Ring
Now begin to weave: pass the yarn over and under the threads.

 

unikatissima Weave a Ring
And that’s how the rings can look.
You have now a ring that you can embellish, e.g. with buttons or beads.

 

This technique surely can be enhanced, but it is fun already :)
Have fun!

Coil a Basket

unikatissima Basket Coiling.jpg

Links of entry

I find another interesting technique basket coiling, where a long thread from (nearly ;-)) any material is to be wound around a curled up thread (also from nearly any material).
It is similar to the clothesline crochet that I presented before, but the thread is to be wound, not crocheted.
On the photo you see my first attempt: I wound plastic raffia around package string.
Actually it should have become a basket, but then I lost my patience ;-)

I followed two tutorials that I find very good, not least because they are heavily illustrated: Pine Needle Baskets (there is also a second part (for the new links see the links below) (and How to coil a basket. In a second entry: More coiling fun… she presents pendants made with the same technique – and which are muuuch more faster;-))


Links:
Pine Needle Baskets – part I
Pine Needle Baskets – part II
The original site doesn’t exist any more and is now available through webarchive (I’m not sure whether some of the illustrations have disappeared?!):
Pine Needle Baskets – part I
Pine Needle Baskets – part II
or here:
Pine Needle Baskets – part I
Pine Needle Baskets – part II

How to coil a basket
More coiling fun…

Here at unikatissima:
Clothesline crochet

Roll or Bullion Stitch

unikatissima Crochet Bullion Stitch

Links zum Beitrag

This stitch is beautiful, but it needs getting used to ;-)
I like it especially in freeform needlework.

Fortunately it is (theoretical) learnable, e.g. in this tutorial on how to make the bullion stitch.
The description sounds easy, doesn’t it? ;-)
I break my fingers and knot my thread in any case ;-)

There are much more instructions (perforce ;-)), by googling for the bullion stitch e.g. you get lots of help.
Unfortunately you still must crochet it your self ;-))


Links:
Roll or Bullion Stitch
Google search result for ‘how to crochet bullion stitch’
Google image search result for ‘how to crochet bullion stitch’

Here at unikatissima:
Freeform Needlework

Shoe-torial

crochetme Shoe-torial

Links of entry

I always like to crochet, best not too large projects (because of the patience ;-))
The Shoe-torial therefore hits the mark: it is a tutorial on how to revamp shoes with crochet.
Great!

I think that it should work also by knitting, but anyway that’s not my cup of tea.

At the next opportunity I will check my shoes if they can be revamped that way ;-)


Links:
Shoe-torial

Spool Knitting

Project Gutenberg Spool Knitting

Links of entry

I’m browsing from time to time Project Gutenberg and found last time a book about spool knitting from 1909. They have mittens, bed shoes, a baby ball and much more, all made from I-cords.
It feels to me like a book from the 70th’s ;-))

Perhaps I do a little rummage to play with my knitting spool once more ;-)


Links:
Spool Knitting, by Mary A. McCormack

 

Center Pull Yarn Ball

Center Pull Yarn Ball

Links of entry

As I said before, I mostly knit/crochet with the yarn end that sits in the skein to prevent the skein to roll all over.
Sometimes I must roll my yarn ball myself and I found that the tutorial on how to make my own center pull yarn ball is really a help.
It works great!

 


Links:
Center Pull Yarn Ball

Here at unikatissima:
Detangling Yarns

Hiragimi

Hiragimi

Links of entry

Once I found a tutorial on Hiragimi braid, but not only can’t I find it back, while googling for ‘Hiragimi’ I dind’t find anything.
Strange!
But at the tutorial the diagrams weren’t so good, so I sketched the diagrams again for myself.
And so you can download them now from here ;-))

Hiragimi braid is similar to Kumihimo braid, but the braid won’t be round but flat (see photo).
When making my braid I found it most difficult to get the tension right, I always pulled more to one side than the other so that the braid became curved ;-)


Links:
unikatissima’s Hiragimi (PDF, ~460 KB)
The PDF includes a template for a cardboard disk respectively card (at the end of the file) and a description for braiding the pattern that you can see on the photo

unikatissima’s entries:
Kumihimo
Kumihimo Beads
Kumihimo Edo Yatsu

Clothespin bobbins