Tunisian Crochet - A Tale of the Hat

I've made the All American hat from the 1960s Hats Bucket, Flower and Brimmed Hat plus 2 Purses - 5 Crochet patterns before - several of them in fact. But, the first time I made it, I didn't realize that the afghan stitch was Tunisian or Tapestry crochet. With the second one I made, I figured out that there was a difference between crochet and Tunisian crochet but the adjustments I made to the pattern were to make it a little more fitted and the fabric more dense.

This time around, I got a wild hair and decided to try my hand at Tunisian crochet/afghan stitch. I had to buy a hook in order to start the project. You know how it is when you get a wild hair! You have to start now, and there's no time to wait for an online order to be delivered. The big box stores do not carry double ended crochet hooks or Tunisian crochet hooks - sets or singles. On a whim I ended up at a little local fabric store that has one spinner that holds all of their knitting and crochet supplies. They had a double ended hook. I was in business!

Close-up of the stitch patterns.

I went with the blue yarns because they were in my stash. I used two colors to make it easy to tell which direction I was supposed to be working. The lighter (more royal) blue is the main color that I worked the forward stitches with. The darker blue was used for the return pass.

I watched a lot of videos on Tunisian crochet in the round. The one I found most helpful were from the Stitch Diva tutorials. She has a wealth of information on her website. Also helpful and informative were the following: Tunisian Crochet sampler & stitch dictionary at AmbassadorCrochet.com and the stitch guide at tuncro.blogspot.com.

Happy crocheting!

Hairpin Lace Jabot is Finished!

I finished the Hairpin Lace Jabot. And it's really cute. Unfortunately, I don't yet have a pic of a real person wearing the jabot, so until I can find an outfit to wear with the jabot - and then convince my 10 year old to take a few pics of me, the jabot on a stick will have to suffice.

The yarn I used was larger than that called for in the pattern, as was the crochet hook. I think it worked out okay though. Modern neck sizes seem larger than those of the 1930s (like most of our other measurements). Next time, I am going to use a smaller yarn and hook.

A close-up of the hairpin stitches.

Overall, I liked working with hairpin lace. It's a nice project to have going when you don't really have a lot of time or energy to pay attention to your project. I could make the loops on auto-pilot once I got the hang of it. 

Next time I would use crochet cotton to group the stitches in packs of 10, 20 or 25 stitches. I found a pic of someone using that method online, and it looked so much easier to keep track of the stitches. Periodically it seemed like I would place a marker incorrectly. If all of the stitches are tied together, there is less chance of losing track of them.

The pattern for the Hairpin Lace Jabot can be found in this ebook.

Happy hairpinning!

Spinning Wheel / Tumbling Blocks / Illusion Afghan - a Finished Afghan

We have a picture of a finished afghan made from the Spinning Wheel / Tumbling Blocks / Illusion afghan pattern.

Nicole Bush sent us pics of her son's new afghan:

From Nicole:

It took me just under 3 months to make (between work and meetings). I had to read the pattern a couple of times to get the diamond just right (my first two diamonds were wonky!) and in the end I drew a hand diagram of the stitches to make sure it was even, then it was smooth sailing....

My tips:

• Read the pattern carefully as it can be tricky,
• If you follow diagrams better, sketch the diamond while you read it, and
• Be patient.

The pattern charted out.

(Due to camera and lighting weirdness, the colors are different on some of the pics.)

Motifs joined.

My son picked the colors, the walls of his room are orange and chocolate brown, and the inside of his closet and furniture is the beige. His floor is chocolate brown wood and the same color chocolate shag carpet beside his bed. The search was on for the right colors. I used almost 2 of the large balls for each color and it fits a twin size bed.

I did NOT block the blanket or any of the motifs.

Row complete.

Our thanks to Nicole for sending us her pics. Her afghan is a work of art. 

It can sometimes be difficult to picture what a vintage pattern will look like when made with modern yarn. Generally, the vintage patterns uses teeny tiny yarns because that was what was available. We have heavier yarns that work up faster. The difference in color choices also makes a difference in how the patterns look. The colors of Nicole's afghan give a retro look to a vintage pattern. 

We love seeing what people are making with our patterns. So send us your pics of completed projects.

Happy crocheting!

A Little Cowl/Big Swatch - Using the Black Evening Blouse Stitch Patterns

I will be the first to admit that this little cowl is far from my finest knitting. But I was impatient to start the sweater....

I made this cowl using the stitch patterns from the Black Evening Blouse pattern. I cast on about 147 stitches. I used the gauge measurement of 7 stitches per inch to determine the number of stitches needed to pull the cowl over my head or about 21 inches. I didn't want to mess up my hair when I put on the cowl. Vain, I know.

The pattern calls for a 2 inch section of stockinette stitches before starting the Hive pattern. You can see from the pics that I wasn't completely successful in maintaining the pattern throughout the Hive stitch section. I thought about ripping it out, but then I decided that the cowl wouldn't show the stitch problems because it will probably be scrunched down around my neck or under a jacket. It most likely will not be visible all at one time unless it's laying on a table and I'm showing it to someone.

The middle section is the Lace pattern, which is used for the ruffles around the sleeves and neck. I wanted to see what that section would look like as well. I didn't worry too much about the holes in the lace work. The cowl will be scrunched down when I wear it.

I knitted in eyelets to weave I-cord through. I thought it would be nice to be able to pull the cowl close to my neck and keep the wind from blowing down my coat. And, if necessary, I can cinch up the I-cord and wear the cowl as a hat.  A lesson learned after I had finished the hat and was threading the I-cord through the eyelets was how to determine the correct number of eyelets. I had an odd number of eyelets so I have one eyelet that isn't threaded. An even number of eyelets would have allowed both ends of the I-cord  to pop out the front of the cowl. 

The cowl is finished. I learned that the acrylic/nylon yarn was a little too soft, stretchy, and fuzzy for the sweater. While I still love the feel of the yarn, it just wasn't going to work for this blouse. That meant I had to buy some new wool yarn. I had to buy a pair of size 1(US) circular metal needles, too. The new yarn is a beautiful juciy wine color, but the color is too dark for me to easily see the individual stitches on dark wood needles. My eyesight is not great right now, working on the sweater would blind me. The metal needles will provide a nice contrast to the yarn color and allow the wool to glide freely across the needles.

I will be posting updates on my progress for the Black Evening Blouse as I go along. Stay tuned.

Happy knitting!

And the Swatch Continues - Black Evening Blouse

We are continuing on with the growing swatch for the Black Evening Blouse. The original post can be found here. I should have included a pic of the blouse in the original post, but it didn't even occur to me until after the post  went live on the blog.

This is what the sweater looks like:

I am finding that making the swatch is helping with my tension. My tension was all over the place when I made the first, little swatch. I am used to working on heavier weight yarn.. I usually work with worsted weight yarn, so everything knits up fast. My first original swatches were small - I cast on 30 stitches on size 3US needles. The swatch was about 2.5 to 3 inches wide. 

The info that we could find on the Botany Saxatones yarn is for the 1 ounce size skeins. The 1-ounce skeins contained about 170 yards. The yarn is 100% wool. The pattern calls for 4 or 5 of the 2 ounce skeins of yarn.

The pattern can be found here.

Happy knitting!

Hairpin Lace Jabot - An Update

I am almost finished with the Jabot Collar. In the meantime, I am posting an update.

This project has been a learning experience. I've discovered that hairpin lace is easy and pretty relaxing, and that I really like the process of joining the strips. I've also discovered that tiny yarn is probably the most difficult thing to use when learning a new technique. Not just tiny yarn, but hairy tiny yarn means some extra work when ripping out a mistake.

Making the Strips.

• I used a stitch marker to hold a scrap of paper with the width of each strip, along with the number of stitches. This meant I didn't have to spend any time wondering if I was using the correct strips, and I didn't have to count the loops each time. 
• When completing each strip cut the thread or yarn, and pull it through the working loop to finish off the strip (just like crochet).
• I used a US size B hook to make the strips and a US size D to join the strips.

All of the strips have been made and are stored rolled up.

Guidelines.

• I knew they would be important, but I didn't realize how helpful they would be. On one of the 240 loop strips, I wasn't paying close attention and let the strip get twisted and wonky after I had moved it off the loom pegs. The picture shows how useful it was to have the guidelines keeping the loops straight when the strip was twisting.

Top strip was twisted and messed up.
The guidelines made it easy to untangle.

Joining the Strips.

• I found that using a hook larger helped me keep the loops under control when joining the strips together. The loops had a tendency to slip off the hook that was used to make the strips.
• When joining the strips to make the jabot part of the pattern, the starting sides for the joins should be alternated so that the  finished piece doesn't slant off to one side.
• The pattern calls for holding the two strips between your fingers of your non-dominant hand when working the joins. Most modern patterns call for laying the strips flat on the table. I used a combination of the two methods to join the strips. It was easier for me to work an inch at a time while holding one strip between my thumb and forefinger and the second strip between my forefinger and 2nd finger, then lay the strips flat to check for non-joined loops.
• Make sure you look over your work every few inches or so when joining. I would find non-joined stitches every so often. That meant I had to undo the joined stitches back to the non-joins and work forward again. Once I got better at checking my work, it wasn't a bad process.

The collar portion of the jabot.

Single crochet edging - top of strip.

The pattern booklet can be found here.

Happy hairpinning!

A Big Swatch - Black Evening Blouse

I found a lace weight yarn I wanted to try, but I didn't have a pattern to use it on, until Alison sent the Black Evening Blouse pattern to me.

The yarn I wanted to use is an acyrlic/nylon blend, and not very expensive, but is so soft. I had to go buy a pair of metal needles size 1US at a local yarn store that sells the needles I like to use. The owner suggested that before putting in the work with this tiny yarn, that I knit up a large swatch and run it through the washer ten times to see how well it holds up.

I definitely don't want to do all of that knitting only to have the sweater pill on the first few washings and wearings. I really really dislike swatching. But I could see the sense in creating the large swatch. As I made peace with the idea of swatching and washing, I realized this could be the perfect opportunity to show the stitch patterns that are used in the pattern. The patterns aren't completely visible in the picture of the sweater. This first pic of the swatch shows the Hive Pattern from the pattern.

 


I have to use a lifeline (the peach colored cotton thread running through the swatch). I forgot to add it when I switched from stockinette to the pattern and ended up having to rip out about 10 rows of the hive pattern (unknit is the new term for ripping out stitches, I think). I decided that I was tired of unknitting and that a lifeline would save me time in the future. We were camping and I was so excited to be knitting by headlamp light that I wasn't paying as close of attention to the pattern as I should have been. I guess that makes me a nerd knitter.

I found that placing a stitch marker on row 1 of the pattern repeat made it easier to figure out where I am in the pattern when I pick up after setting it down for any length of time.

I will be posting more pics as I get further along in the swatch (or cowl).

Happy knitting!

1940s Jiffy Raglan Sleeve Sweater - A Quick and Easy Knit

I thought I had posted pics of the 1940s Jiffy Raglan Sleeve Sweater Button Front (knit) a while back, but that was not the case. So, without further ado, are pics of the sweater.

We posted this pattern quite a while ago, and I had always been intrigued by the "Jiffy" part of the title. It turns out that this really was a quick knit. I know I have mentioned that I may be the world's slowest knitter. I am always hopeful that my knitting speed will increase, but it has not yet happened, so I was amazed at how fast I was able to knit this sweater.

I used some "vintage" Lion Brand Wool Ease that I had purchased years and years ago to make my husband a sweater vest. The yarn is a navy/light blue twist - an acrylic and wool blend.

The vest didn't happen because he thought I was a little nuts to be making him a sweater vest. So, the yarn sat in my stash, maturing like a fine wine, waiting for the perfect project to come along.

It can be difficult to find vintage patterns that use worsted weight yarn. That's why I like this pattern. Large yarn, easy directions.

The pic on the left is a close-up of the lacy, yarn-over stitch used for the majority of the sweater. 

I found the use of stitch markers invaluable when it came to working the yoke. The raglan increases were easier to see when I used the markers. The button band was crocheted on, and so much easier than I expected. 

In vintage terms this is a 16-18 sized pattern. I currently wear a medium or large in sweaters. That would put this sweater more in the 12-14 size range, depending on how aggressively you block the sweater.

Happy knitting!

Hairpin Lace Jabot (An Ornamental Frill for us Modern Times People)

I decided to try my hand at Hairpin Lace. I wanted a small project to learn on, if it turned out that learning hairpin lace was harder than it looked. Turns out, hairpin lace is easy, easy, easy. Making the lace strips is repetitive and doesn't require a whole lot of attention. The real work begins when the strips are sewn together to create the garment or whatever project is being created.

The Jabot Collar No. 953 was the small project that was calling out to me. It wanted to be made.

What I discovered in my first attempts with hairpin lace:

Casting On 

There are a few different methods. Try them out, find out what works for you. I tried two methods for casting on.

• For the first method I started by making a slip knot and placing it on the left loom pin. I found the tutorial for this method Stitch Diva website. She has some terrific tutorials for making hairpin lace. I think this was a great way to start. I only had to worry about my hand movements. The slip knot was anchored to the loom pin so it wasn't going anywhere. As I went on, I found it to be a little more difficult to use when I added in the guide lines.

• The second cast on method I tried was from SheruKnittingcom on Youtube. She shows how to cast on using a slip knot that is worked into the loops without having to be anchored to the loom pin. I'm glad I waited to try this method. I was more comfortable with the hand movements and working around the guide lines when I started using this cast-on method.

Guidelines

Use guide lines. It looks like the guide lines help keep all of the loops going in the same direction. This will make life easier when stitching the strips together.

I tried several different types of yarn and thread to figure out what worked best for me. Crochet cotton was the clear winner. It had body so it wasn't flopping around when I turned the loom, and, it was small enough not to be in the way when I was making the lace.

Guideline for a short
hairpin lace segment.

Guideline secured to the bottom
of the loom

• 
  

I tied the guidelines to the top of the loom on the outside of the loom pins to keep the from moving around too much. I pulled the crochet cotton tight at the bottom of the loom, then wrapped it around the loom base. The wrapped cotton was secured by a rubber band and kept everything from moving around while I worked the lace. Once you get going with the lace, and move it down the loom, the lace keeps the guide lines from coming loose.

Close up of guideline anchored at bottom of loom.
I used a stitch marker to keep the guideline
to the left side of the loom.

The extra thread for the guide lines should be at the bottom to allow the work to drop below the loom if you have too many stitches for the loom to hold. You can remove the bottom pin holder and release the stitches to hang down from the loom to free up space in the working area of the loom.

Yarns

Yarn type really matters. This project is being made using a slubby, super-thin boucle type yarn. It is not ideal for learning how to work hairpin lace. The hairy texture of the yarn would periodically get stuck on the crochet hook, making it nearly impossible to remove the loops from the crochet hook. Did I mention that the crochet hook is microscopic? Maybe not truly microscopic, but it's a steel hook size 3. I needed really bright light to help me navigate my way around the loops and hook.

Determining working side of loom

Figuring out where you are when coming back to the loom. This might be obvious to you, but it took my 2 1/2 strips to figure it out. When you pick up the loom after a time away from it, it can be difficult to figure out where you are in the loop making process.

• If the yarn has been connected to the loop through the back, you are ready to flip the loom and start a new stitch.

• If the yarn is coming around the right loom leg, but is not attached to the loop in the middle, the stitch needs to be made on that side.

It sure sounds basic and easy to figure out, but there is new stuff to be learned as you are creating the first strips that it's easy to miss that little nugget.

More info

Look online for more tips and videos. There is so much information available online for hairpin lace. It is truly amazing. I didn't realize so many people did hairpin lace. Maybe it isn't a lost art.

The Hairpin Lace Creations Booklet can be found here.

Happy Crocheting! Happy Hairpinning!

The Garden Party Hat - Adventures in Crochet

Check out our new hat...

I started this hat several years ago, when we first started our store. The hat was so pretty and lacy, I just wanted to make it. I was still fairly new to crochet at that point. I had taken a class (which had resulted in me pinching a nerve in my neck from sitting stock still for long periods of time). I was a tense crocheter.  Not exactly what I was hoping for when I re-learned crochet.

I decided that size 3 crochet cotton was going to be my challenge for the Garden Party Hat project. It wasn't exactly smooth sailing. I was used to working with worsted weight yarn so it seemed like I was never getting anywhere when I spent time crocheting the hat. I set the hat down and it sat in its project bag for 2+ years.

When I found the hat, I had completed most of the single crochets of the crown. The experience I had under my belt along with a change in my mindset made this a completely different project to work on.   Not everything has to be made at lightening quick speed, and progress happens whether its big or small amounts. I really like size 3 crochet cotton these days. 

The pattern calls for millinery wire. We found ours on Etsy. I did a little research on the wire size that we needed and decided to go with size 19 wire. I didn't want that hat brim collapsing from the weight while it is being worn. There are two rows of millinery wire in the brim of the hat. The first bit of wire is about 1.5 inches from where the brim meets the crown. The second bit of wire is 2 rows from the edge.

 There is a separate lace chain that is made and then added at the base of the crown. I could not figure out how to make the lace chain so it came out looking even and nice. Finally, I had to contact my friend who figured out the pattern and made a really nice looking lace chain. Thanks Debbie! If you have any questions regarding the chain, let us know and I will check with Debbie on how she made it. Really, you could find any sort of lacy bit and make it to fit around the hat.

The 1930s Garden Party or Wedding Hat pattern is available in our Etsy store.

Happy Crocheting!

Another Apron Post - Jump on the Apron Band Wagon

We have another apron to show - the 1950's Sewing Apron, complete with a built-in pin cushion and scissor holder, and a large pocket to hold all of the tools needed to complete your sewing project. This is an easy project and pattern. It doesn't take a lot of fabric to make something cute.

Come on, jump on the apron bandwagon....

Alison found this cute cotton fabric. It's very similar to ticking with the different sized stripes. The fabric is tightly woven, making it great for the pin cushion and to ensure that sharp tools don't poke through the apron pocket.

This little guy took no time at all. In fact, it took longer to convince my son to take the pics than it took for me to make the apron. He decided to chop off my head in the picture and focus completely on the apron. I had to beg him to get one full-length picture of me. Unfortunately the only one that turned out was one that makes me look like I am in a police line-up. Fortunately, the apron is really cute.

You can find the pattern in our Etsy store.

Happy Sewing!

Mitzi the Daschaund - Sew Cute

We have the cutest little sewing pattern.... Introducing Mitzi the Daschaund. She's a cute little thing designed to be made of felt.

For our project I made Mitzi out of muslin. We made her for my fourth-grader's teacher. She was retiring and I wanted to make her a cute little something that we could personalize from the class. We had the class sign the dog and gave Mitzi to her on the last day of school. I wish I had taken a picture of Mitzi full of names. She was so cute.

You might be wondering why Mitzi has big green button eyes. My little guy wanted Mitzi to be wearing sunglasses, so he found those fun buttons in my button stash and decided those were her glasses.

For her collar (which shows up a little bit in the pics on the left side of the collage) I used some double fold bias tape through which I hand sewed a decorative stitch with metallic silver thread. My little guy got his sunglasses, and I got my sparkle on Mitzi.

Happy Sewing!

"Hairpin Lace Creations" Patterns For Sale

Alison found a few great books from the 1930s and 1940s for hairpin lace. I have a hairpin lace tool/loom, so it looks like work is piling up for me.... The original name of our store was "My Sister's Sweatshop" because Alison was always (ALWAYS) finding patterns that she wanted me to make - either for her or just because.

This is one of the cool new books...

Vintage hairpin pattern booklet taken from a 1936 booklet, called "Hair Pin Lace Creations Made in a Jiffy with Bear Brand and Bucilla Yarns, Volume 89" 11 Designs are in the book.

Includes Ladies Dresses, Blouses, Cuffs and Collars, Purse, and, Girl's Dresses.

Hairpin Lace work is an old art revived but there is a new twist to it now for fashion tells us to use it for making smart wearing apparel and accessories--grandmother used it for making edges and insertion.

Materials required: 

Yarns - Glossilla Bouclette, Bear Brand or Bucilla French Zephyr, Glossilla Petite Bouclette, Bear Brand or Bucilla Twinkle Crepe, Adjustable Hairpin Lace Loom Bone or Bucilla crochet hook

  

To see the individual patterns, just click on the links: 

• Girl's Dress
• Girl's Cape Collar Dress 
• Frill Blouse
• Back Button Blouse 
• Purse  
• Cuffs and Collar  
• Shirtwaist Blouse
• Cape or Bed Jacket  
• Puff Sleeve Dress  
• Cover Dress

I guess this means I have to try one of these patterns, unless I can sweet talk one of my friends into learning a new craft. 

Happy hairpinning!