Archive for: March 2007

One of the first things a beginner to crochet should learn how to make is the ever-versatile crochet granny square. Variations of this pattern appear in just about any type of crocheted items – from sweaters and ponchos to bedspreads and tablecloths. It is an especially popular pattern for afghans and baby blankets.

The best thing about a granny square is that it will teach you three of the crochet stitches that you will use extremely often in your crochet projects. The stitches are the slip stitch, which is used most often to finish rounds of crochet; the chain stitch, which is the foundation row for nearly every crochet project; and the double crochet, which will give you the basic idea for how to do a number of other crochet stitches.

A crochet granny square can be worked to any size and with as many colors as you would like to see in your finished project. You can work from a pattern to create an item, or use your imagination to fashion your own individualized piece.

Crochet Granny Square 101

The basic pattern for a crochet granny square is very simple. Chain six stitches, and slip stitch together to form a ring. Make three chains that will act as your first double crochet on this round. Stitch two more double crochets into the original ring you made, and then make three more chain stitches. Next, stitch three double crochets into the ring and make three more chain stitches.

You will repeat this process two times more, and then finish off your first round with a slip stitch in the top of the chain three at the beginning of the round. Pat yourself on the back! You just completed the first round of your first crochet granny square. This process is repeated for as many rounds as you choose to add to your square. You can make many little squares and sew them together to make an item, or you can make a blanket or throw with one square that simply grows in rounds until it is the desired size.

Attaching Your Crochet Granny Square

If you choose to make a number of smaller squares for an item, you will need to sew them together to create your finished piece. Some crocheters prefer to do this as they complete squares, and some will wait until all the squares are finished to assemble the item all at once.

You can join your squares by sewing them together with a simple whip stitch, or you can actually crochet your outside rounds together by slip stitching through the back of each stitch on the last round. The second option will give you a ridge between squares along the back of your piece, and may be more durable on items like blankets that might go through the wash frequently.

A crocheted granny square is a great way for a beginner to try her hand at a crocheted creation. So grab a ball of yarn and a crochet hook, and start crocheting!

Crocheting has always been regarded as a thing for the elder folks, but in the past years it has made a comeback in the fashion industry and is being added to almost any item to enhance it and/or add a touch of elegance.

Crochet adds elegance and sophistication, but also fun and spontaneity, to any item. For example, if you have a normal winter woolen scarf you can add a crochet flower and make it elegant and trendy; the same goes for almost anything from handbags to hats, dresses, skirts and even overcoats. A crochet flower can have a safety pin attached to it on the back and then used as a broach on dresses, suits and, as observed above, even on overcoats.

Crochet flowers can be made from different colors in order to match your clothes or handbag, and even shoes, and then attached when and as desired.

Other Uses for Crochet Accessories

A crochet flower can also be made to be used in flowerpots and/or in a vase to form artificial, yet elegant, flower decorations for the house; again you can crochet with different colors in order to make a pretty bouquet. A crochet flower can even be used in greeting cards, appliqués for any of your clothes or for household items such as the curtains, tablecloths and so on.

If you crochet already, you will know that it is a relaxing and rewarding hobby. However, if you don’t, you may want to give it a try and see how you can make your surroundings beautiful with just a crochet needle and some yarn.

Where Can you Find Crocheted Items?

If you don’t have the time to crochet and yet want to benefit from the classy and elegant touch of a crochet flower on your items and clothes, you can find them ready made in department stores as well as online. They cost almost nothing compared to the labor that goes into making them and the effect they will have on anything that you attach them to in the future.

Helpful Tip

In order to keep an item elegant, you don’t want to overload it with crocheted stuff; one or two crochet flowers will do the job of keeping it looking sophisticated enough without being too crowded. You may want to try crocheting in your free time and discover why your grandmother was so addicted to it in the first place.

For those women who enjoy crocheting, chances are that they have already gone through many of the projects that can be made in such a manner. After all, you can only crochet so many doilies, tablecloths, or hats. For the woman in search of a new crochet project, perhaps it is time to expand a bit and crochet a dress.   

An appealing reason to crochet a dress is that it would make for a lovely gift for a new granddaughter or a small child. Crocheted dresses for babies and small children are generally white, but they can also be many different colors according to the seasons - for example, you can use pastel colors for an adorable sundress.   

For those younger people who do not have children yet, they could always make a lovely child’s dress and save it for when they had their own children. Such a crocheted dress could also be saved to give an expectant loved one as a baby shower present.   

Dolls   

For those who collect dolls, a wonderful hobby would be to crochet dresses for them. These lovely dresses can often be purchased at craft fairs, and are fun to make because they take less time to create.   

The most popular kind of crocheted dress is for a baby doll. With the many different occasions there are to celebrate, these dolls are often used as decorations for various holidays or given as presents, so the ideas you can implement to crochet a dress for them are quite diverse.   

Fashion Statements   

For the especially ambitious crochet enthusiasts, a great idea would be to crochet their own dress. Depending on the style that is chosen, crocheted dresses can be worn at both dress or casual events.   

It is important to note that while it will be less expensive to make your own dress, it may take a considerable amount of time to select the right yarn, color, and to get measurements right, in addition to the actual crocheting process. Thus, patience is a must for people who choose to make their own dress in this manner.    

For people who lack the patience or the necessary crocheting skills, you can always find a lovely crocheted dress online or at a local department store. Prices will vary according to the design and manufacturer. However, regardless of their origins, crocheted dresses are indeed lovely and creative works of art.

Crocheting is one of the oldest practices by humans and that may be the reason why it is always associated with elder people. Today, however, crocheting is widely practiced and worn on anything and everything you can possibly think of from dresses to curtains.

Crocheting is just a hobby like any other but this particular hobby can actually create something to show for your work as well as making others happy. One example of this is crochet doll dresses and, indeed, any other item of a doll’s wardrobe, which would make your daughter or granddaughter extremely happy.

Crochet doll dresses are a bit tricky and if you have not done any before, I suggest you look in stores or online for directions, since you need to follow exact measurements and patterns in order to make the crochet doll dress look good.

Due to the fact that crocheting and crocheted items are back in style, you will be able to find with ease crochet doll dress kits and even crochet doll kits as well. On such a project you can work with your daughter in crocheting and in due course teach her how to make her own crochet doll dresses too. Crocheting is not easy and definitely not fast, so you will need all the help you can get. What is more, your daughter will love learning something as complicated as crocheting.

Once you have made the first crochet doll dress, you can then make several more in different colors and styles to make a whole wardrobe for your or your daughter’s doll.

Helpful Tips

Depending on your daughter’s age, you may not want to leave her unattended with the crochet needles or other materials that may be of danger to her. Also you need to be very patient and watch what your daughter does because in crocheting any mistake will need to be undone and the job restarted from where it went wrong. And that can get very frustrating especially if you have already been working on the crochet doll dress for a while.

Crochet dolls and crochet dolls’ dresses can be made out of any type of yarn, but if you make them out of cotton, ensure that it was preshrunk or else you will have a miniature dress after the first wash.

Crochet is a wonderful hobby, which can work as a stress reliever and relax you every time you pick up the yarn and crochet needle, irrespective of what you are about to do. Crocheting together with your daughter can be a unique experience, which you both will treasure for years to come.

Now that crochet is popular again, some of the traditional projects are also popular again. While there is no practical use for doilies, they are great to make and very nice to display with pride. Of course, there was a time when doilies were useful. Back when everything had to be washed by hand, doilies could be placed over the spots that were expected to become soiled frequently.

The little doilies were very washable and many of them could be kept on hand to make a clean, attractive area until laundry day. Now that frequently-soiled areas are pretty much made of plastic, which means they can be wiped clean, doilies are simply a pleasant reminder of the bad old days. Still, those lacy little bits are challenging to make and should be displayed with pride. And the best way to do that is to stiffen your crochet doilies.

Traditional Stiffeners

There are many choices of modern stiffeners available. The reason that there is a choice is because there are different needs to meet – believe it or not. Most crochet doilies look best if the stiffener allows the stitches to show clearly. Different types of stiffener offer different finishes and, for example, you can choose shiny or matte.

If you want to stay with the traditional techniques, there are many kinds of stiffeners to choose from for your crochet doilies. An early recommendation from an old magazine suggests using gelatin dissolved in hot water. It’s a little complicated. More modern solutions include hairspray or spray starch. Either can be washed out easily and reshaped if you like. Always use rust proof pins to hold the shape until the crochet doilies are dry. Be sure to keep them clean while they stiffen. Anything that can stiffen crochet doilies is sticky.

A bit more traditional is liquid or powdered starch. These have the advantage of being adjustable from soft to stiff. You can dissolve either cornstarch or Epsom salts in boiling water to soak your crochet doilies before shaping. Remember that if you soak your crochet doilies in any stiffening liquid, the excess liquid has to be removed without twisting the doilies.

You don’t want to stretch or severely wrinkly them just before they assume a semi-permanent shape. A half-and-half mix of white glue and water is a popular choice. Surprisingly, the stiffener most sworn by is a solution of sugar and water. The look of the crochet shows through, it’s easy to remove, and insects aren’t interested. However you stiffen your crochet doilies, display them with pride. You earned it!

Crochet has truly taken over the fashion world with assault; you can find it today in anything and everything that has elegance and class attached to its tag. The trade of grandmothers has become the desire of any major fashion house. You too can have it in your home today by continuing your grandmother’s trade.

Do it Yourself

Crocheting is a lot of fun but it is not easy, at least not in the beginning when things go very slow and you may feel like you are never going to finish any project no matter how small. But don’t worry - that just isn’t the case. Crocheting can be learned only with practice and a lot of dedication. If you remember your grandmother, or whoever was crocheting in your house, used to spend hours on end in order to create anything at all.

If you are a beginner you can start with a small item until you learn the trade and then move on to a larger project. But, if you are a professional or a crochet passionate you can start making your own crochet blanket as well. The most popular crochet blanket today is the one done with mixed color and crochet yarns in order to add personality and warmth.

The Crochet Blanket Project

First and foremost you must decide on the size of the crochet blanket and then on the different colors and materials you are going to use for it. Last but not least you will need to draw a plan so you will know when to change yarns.

Making a crochet blanket is challenging but at the same time satisfying and rewarding. Whether you do the blanket for yourself or as a gift you are sure to get a lot of praise and pleasure out of it.

This project may take a few weeks, if not even months, for you to finish, depending how much time you dedicate to it or how many people are working on it - you can always have a family member join in and help, thus also making the crochet blanket project a bonding device from which all of you will learn and have something to show for it.

Helpful Tip

Don’t rush when on a big project such as making a crochet blanket. If you make a mistake you may need to undo your work and start all over again, which is time consuming and very disappointing as well, no matter who is working at the project.

Remember you can add different patterns and make the crochet blanket as unique as you and your family are; you may have even started a tradition, which can be continued by mothers and daughters for generations to come.

Well, for good or ill the crochet bikini is back. Anyone who remembers its last incarnation in the 1970s is, unfortunately, unable to wear one today. However, many lessons have been learned along the way and can now be put into practice.

Itsy-Bitsy, Teeny-Weenie

The stitches called for in a crochet bikini are tight rather than lacy. The stitches that made a good crochet bikini in the 1970s are still the stitches that make a good one today. The advance of technology, however, can be seen in other ways. Most obvious is the new kinds of yarn available today. There are many kinds of novelty yarn that can make a darn good crochet bikini.

When looking for an adventurous bikini yarn, remember that it shouldn’t be stretchy, should be waterproof and shouldn’t have holes or nubs. It should also be uniform enough to avoid unintentional gaps. Waterproof yarns are usually synthetic. The other advance in technology is the new world of free patterns available on the Internet. While simple stitches are just fine for a crochet bikini, you might like to enlarge your bikini wardrobe by adding a crochet bikini with fancy stitching techniques.

For security, comfort and some protection from the sun, you can add some fabric to line the crochet bikini. A lightweight cotton or synthetic knit jersey is good for the job. Cut the material to the shape of the bikini but about 3/8 inch smaller all around and sew it to the inside of the suit. If nothing else, it will help the crochet bikini keep its shape. When making a crochet bikini, use a bikini that fits well, or good-fitting underwear, to dictate the shape. If it goes wrong, tear out the stitches and try again.

If you like, you can add a bit of elastic to the top of the panty. Just crochet the last row of the panty around a length of elastic. Try it on to get the right length, cut and sew the ends together. Don’t be afraid to embellish your crochet bikini, especially if it’s not meant to go into the water.

Beading can be worked into the stitches as you go, or added later. Ribbon can be used for straps instead of lengths of chain stitch or you can chain stitch thin ribbon. Crocheted flowers or other motifs can be added separately or in bunches wherever you like. If you do intend to go into a pool, check your materials to see if they can stand up to chlorine. The crochet bikini is meant for fun - both while making it and while wearing it.