Candy Cascade

And she’s done! Fortunately, my husband was able to buy additional skeins of the same yarn on a recent trip to Singapore 🙂

My daughter was initially ambivalent about it, the skirt does feel like it looks – frilly and bulky. But she got used to it after a while 😀 The challenge is that the drawstring type of belt loosens up while she’s active so I might have to experiment with something sturdier.

Meanwhile, I’m planning to make one for myself in a single color, maybe black or gray or deep red. This would be lovely worn over black leggings 🙂 As well, it is rather bulky and definitely has some weight, so I might experiment with lighter yarn next time.

Here’s the pattern link if you’re interested.

How about you? What loveliness are you crocheting?

 

Crochet Exercise #3: Palm Fronds

In a book bursting with intricate and beckoning lace patterns, this week’s practice piece could have been easily overlooked in favor of the more elaborate ones.

However, it reminded me of pretty palm fronds and the image of a breezy beach cover-up flashed before my eyes ❤

I just had to try it out! 🙂

Chain 30

1st row – dc in 4th chain from hook, dc in next 2 ch, chain 5, skip 4 ch, sc in next 3 ch, ch 5, skip 4 ch, 1 trbl in next ch, ch 5, skip 4 ch, 1 sc in next 3 ch, ch 5, skip 4 ch, 1 dc in next 3 ch, ch 5, turn

2nd row – sl st in base of ch 5 (to create picot), ch 3, 1 dc in next 2 dc, ch 5, sc in next 3 sc, ch 5, 1 sc in sp,  1 sc on top of trbl, 1 sc in next sp, ch 5, sc in next 3 sc, ch 5, 1 dc in next 3 dc, ch 5, turn

3rd row – sl st in base of ch 5, ch 3, 1 dc in next 2 dc, ch 5, 1 trbl in 2nd sc, ch 5, sc in 3 sc, ch 5, 1 trbl in 2nd sc, ch 5, 1 dc in next 2 dc, 1 dc under ch 3 of previous row, ch 5, turn

4th row – sl st in base of ch 5, ch 3, 1 dc in next 2 dc, 1 sc in sp, 1 sc on top of trbl, 1 sc in next sp, ch 5, 1 trbl in 2nd sc, ch 5, sc in 3 sc, ch 5, 1 sc in sp, 1 sc on top of trbl, 1 sc in sp, ch 5, 1 dc in next 2 dc, 1 dc under ch 3 of previous row, ch 5, turn

Repeat from 2nd row onward till desired length is achieved.

Create happy! 🙂

Crochet Exercise #1: Scallops Lace Insertion

The only way to learn crochet is to crochet 🙂 So I got hold of some old crochet books that are available online for free at the Antique Pattern Library.  They have some really beautiful antique lace designs that I can practice on and collect for future use.

This one is found on page 5 of the book Priscilla Crochet Book Edgings and Insertions, and is referred to as Figure 10 insertion.

What is an insertion?

Based on my understanding, it is a strip of crochet fabric -usually in a different, eye-catching design- that we can add to projects for added oomph.

The pattern I chose for this exercise is made up of scallops and is quite easy to make, there are only 3 rows and connecting the scallops is very simple. Give it a try! 🙂

 

The pattern is written in UK terms and, based on my execution, is as follows:

Chain 10 and join with a slip stitch. Chain 3.

Row 1 – 11 dc in ring (do not join!), chain 3, turn.

Row 2 – 1 dc in the next 4 dc’s, (chain 2, 1 dc in next dc) 6 times, chain 2, 1 dc on top of previous row’s chain 3, chain 6, turn.

Row 3 – 1 sc at base of chain 6 (forming a loop), *(chain 5, 1 sc in next dc) 7 times, chain 6, skip 3 dc’s, 1 sc on previous row’s starting chain 3, chain 3, turn*.

This finishes the scallop. Start back at the 1st row by making the 11 dc’s in the chain 6 loop.

 

To connect scallops:

Start at the end of the 2nd row of the 3rd scallop, as follows:

Chain 3, 1 sc in 2nd loop of previous scallop, chain 3, turn.

1 sc at base of chain 3 (on current scallop being worked), then repeat from * to *.

Continue happily along until desired length is achieved.

 

Do let me know how it turned out 🙂

I Made It! 🎆

Ta-daaaaaah!!! And my 1st ever wearable crochet project is done! 🎆

I wanted it to be a bit longer at the back, but I was scared I wouldn’t have enough cotton.  (I have to ride a ferry and buy them in Singapore ya know!)  🙂

I was ambivalent about the length of the sleeves.  When I fitted the shrug before I sewed it up, I felt it would look nicer with sleeves that came below the elbow.  Now however, I wonder if they could’ve been shorter 😀

But overall, I’m pretty pleased with the outcome ❤

And now onto my next crochet adventure!!! 😀

Oh and P.S., this makes 2 July goals down and, let’s see … 1 more to go? Stay tuned! 😉

Experimenting With Lace Granny Squares

Aloha beautiful people!  I’ve finally managed to pry myself away from my most recent addiction to post and say ‘hi’ 🙂 It’s a beautiful, mild-sunny and breezy day over here and although I felt tired & heavy during this morning’s power walk (my fitness challenge for June), a hearty breakfast quickly brought back my spirits.

So now let’s talk about g-squares 🙂

So I really want to start crocheting wearables with lace motifs as I mentioned here.  But I don’t have crochet experience other than doilies (yet) so I stayed within granny sqaure realm and found a tutorial for this lacy beauty online:

But when I joined the squares together, something just didn’t feel right.

I thought it looked rather ‘noisy’:

A bit downhearted, I was about to trash the squares. After all, if I’m going to invest time in making it and eventually wearing it, I must be 100% okay with the pattern to begin with, right?

But a friend encouraged me to ‘save the squares’ and try experimenting.  Which is what I did.  For almost the entire day last Sunday 😀

As you can imagine I came up with a handful of fails at first. This one was a finalist:

But I wanted something airy-er, so I finally settled on this:

And I think they attach rather beautifully now:

My vision was super blurry by the time I finished but I felt pretty good about the whole experimenting thing.  As a beginner in the (wonderful!) art of crochet, being able to modify like this already felt huge to me 🙂

I’m thinking this would look nice as a shrug.  We’ll see!

🌜My G-Squares Are Making Me Fall Asleep🌛

I am still fond of granny squares, and I’m still churning out mine like anything, but I do think they are just meant to be a side-project. They can get so monotonous that I really think you need another project to keep the motivation high.

I’m also getting scared of all those ends that I’ll need to hide and all that sewing together that’ll need to happen before the project is complete

I feel myself getting cold feet.  And I kill hours Googling swimsuit coverups, shrugs, vests, skirts and anything with a lacy design.

So for a while I briefly ventured into my favorite territory – pineapple country ❤

… Only to unravel it and include it in my g-square stash because I’m not so much into the pumpkin color.  (This one’s supposed to be a fancy scarf but if that’s to be then I want it in black).

On the sunny side, I do think the g-squares have instead helped me find what I’d like to focus my crochet energies on:  wearables. And I think a good place to start would be with a shrug – in granny squares! But I’ll look into lacy motifs because anything else wouldn’t look appropriate in a tropical climate like Indonesia’s 🙂

This is quite a tall order for someone whose only crochet experience has been doilies, but I’m excited to see where this will take me.

Meanwhile, I use my granny squares as a bedtime ritual right before I turn off the lights 🙂

Do you have a favorite type of item to crochet?  What makes it so enjoyable for you? And if you’re an advanced crocheter, any advice on how I can get from doilies to skirts and blouses? Much appreciated! 🙂