Heads or Tails?! ~No Snip'n'Sew method~

One of my "pet hates" with crochet projects are TAILS! The endless hours having to sew them in makes me wanna' ...!!!.... I usually try and work over them whenever possible, but we all know the tapestry needle is one of the things in our tool kits :)

The Trip Around The World Entrelac (Tunisian Crochet) Afghan by Brenda Borg (http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/trip-around-world-throw) is a beautifully worked entrelac pattern. The trouble is all them fiddley little tails! At least there are with Mikey of the Crochet Crowds YouTube tutorial (love his tutorials though)... Kim Guzman has a Tunisian Entrelac pattern that is worked in straight rows too, its nice and can give the same "checkerboard effect" but sometimes all those beginning chains just make me wanna ...!!!... 

Anyway onto how i do this afghan without 100's of tails... This isnt a tutorial on how to complete the afghan plenty of other fantastic examples out there :)

Okidoki, here goes...

Once you have completed your first square, pull up the last loop big enough to pass your yarn ball thru

Then pull up, creating a slip knot

I like to join my second colour where the the first square tail is, so I can work that sucker in straight away hehe

Then, once you are doing the "7th stitch" lock the 2 tails in to it by yarning over with tails flat against the "7th stitch wall"

See? That 7th stitch locks the tails into the work :)

When you get around to where your first colour slipknot-tail is, you basically ignore it and carry on for the moment. 

The ignored blue tail (top right), and we have completed round 2 of the pattern. 

Do the same thing as you did with your first ball "Slipknot-Tail"

You could quite easy set this down SAFELY :)

Now onto round 3...

You want to move your starting point to the top right corner of the first square of the last round (whew what a mouthful!) then just draw up a loop. You dont want to make it too tight or too loose, you will be working over it at the end of the row. This does NOT count as a chain when you do the starting 7

This is what it looks like after starting row is finished. 

Once you have completed your first square it should look something like this, now you are going to work over that yellow tail to have it set higher ready for the next row. And don't forget, in round 3 and onwards, you will have inner worked squares (like this one is about to be) and outter worked squares like row 2. 

(Working over the slipknot-tail)

Once you have worked the 5th row, leave  the tail and continue around

This is what it looks like after completing the "slipknot-tail-lift" (woah cool terms huh? Hehe) and don't forget you have inner squares to work now... 

Once you get to the end, its the same again, SLIPKNOT-TAIL making. 

Pull up last loop on hook to pull yarn ball thru, then secure. 

This is what it looks like after round 3 and slipknot secured. 

Heres the back view...

YAY! No tails!!! Keep going like this for the rest of the pattern. Of course if you are using more than 2 colours, you will probably have tails still (if you don't work them in as you go)

Now onto round 4... 5... 6... Ahh?! You get it :)

Thats my way to do a two colour, "NO SNIP'n'SEW" method of the Trip Around The World Afghan :)

SLIPKNOT TAIL LIFT WORK OVER

Slipknot tail

Tail lift

Lift work

Work over

Over Slipknot

Slipknot tail

Tail lift

Lift work

Work over

Over slipknot...

Yes I'm getting carried away (should know me by now, thats MY normal hehehe)

Good luck with yours! 

Irish Rose Granny Square ~ by Leighla

There are a few different ways to do this, but here is my version. It sits flatter but still 3D and it is much neater than a few I have seen. 

START with Colour A, CH8, SS into first chain to form a loop

Step 2

CH6, *DC into loop, CH3* repeat 6 times and SS into the 3rd CH/DC (Makes 8 spokes) - bind off 

Step 3

With Colour B, SC join, CH2, 3 DC, CH2, SC in the same "spoke"

*SC, CH2, 3 DC, CH2, SC* in each "spoke around 

Join with a SS in the base of the first SC

Step 3

CH4, TURN, SS between the SC of each "petal"

*CH4, SS between petals* repeat around, SS join under first CH4, CH1

Step 4

TURN, *SC, CH2, 5 DC, CH2, SC in CH4 space* repeat 7 more times

SS join in bottom of first SC

Step 5

(Like step 3) TURN, *CH6, SS between SC of petals* repeat around, SS under first chain space made, CH1

Step 6

(Like step 4) TURN, *SC, CH2, 7 DC, CH2, SC in each CH6 space around, SS join in the bottom of first SC

BIND OFF

Step 7

TURN, SS join Colour C between SC's of petals, 

CH3, 2 DC in same space as SS, *CH 5, SC between next petals, CH 5, 3 DC-CH1-3 DC between next petals* repeat twice, CH 5, SC between next petals, CH 5, 2 DC in same space as starting SS, CH 1, SS join in CH3/DC, CH1, TURN

Step 8

SS into CH1 space, CH3, DC in same space, *DC in each of the next 3 DC, 4 DC in CH5 space, DC in SC, 4 SC in next CH5 space, DC in each of the next 3 DC, 2DC-CH1-2DC in CH1 space* repeat around and for last "corner"- 2DC in CH1 space, CH 1, SS join to CH3/SC

BIND OFF

COMPLETED :)

You could continue around with a DC in each DC and 2DC-CH1-2DC increase in each corner. 

Front view

Back View

Hope you enjoyed that :) 

~CrezzyCrochet~

LONG VERSION = Yarn Types / Weight

Decoding Series

With the majority of free patterns, tutorials, etc coming from US or UK and I'm in AU but MO from NZ (confusing? lol), I decided to make this reference series.
Even I have started using US terms though, like saying "Yarn" when we used to just say "wool" even if it was silk, or cotton, or whatever lol...

Yarn Types / Weight

If you belong to Ravelry, you may or may not know that there is a (?) link next to the Yarn Weight, which takes you to a conversion chart. But what does it mean? and how do I use those numbers and letters and gobbledygook when I go yarn shopping?

(IMG Source  Wikipedia)

Decoding The Columns

Standard Yarn Weight System

This is the system that the Craft Yarn Council (United States) has defined as "Standard" and includes symbols that can be seen on their yarn labels etc. Like this one...

 Nm (length per mass, SI (International System))

The answer to this column is a little tricky, probably irrelevant for shopping, and "geeky" but...

Nm stands for nanometer. Which is one billionth of a meter. It is used in conjunction with  manufacturing terms rather than on labels at your local yarn store. 

The SI unit of mass is the kilogram, a fundamental unit of the SI. The kilogram was once defined as the mass of one cubic decimetre of water. Since 1901 it is by definition the mass of the international prototype of the kilogram, a platinum-iridium mass which is stored at Sevres in France. The metric tonne is a common name for the megagram (Mg). Conversion factors between other units of mass and the kilogram, or its subdivision the gram, are:

1 unified atomic mass unit (u) = 1.66... yg

1 pound (lb) = 453.59237 g (exactly); 1 ton (short, 2000 lb) = 907.18474 kg (exactly); 1 ounce = 1/16 lb = 28.348523... g

Now we know that Nm/kg is what this column is referring to, lets convert that into Tex (another unit of measure used in textiles). 

1 Nm = 1000 Tex

or another way...

FORGET THAT lol

If you want to read about what I was going to waffle on about... 

Read Wikipedia's version its wayyy shorter hehe

Yarn Type (US)

This is much the same as the standard weight system

Ply (UK, NZ, AU)

This is the most important one...

Ply refers to the number of strands twisted together in yarn production.

It is wrong to assume that all ply sizes can be used for in this instance because, some manufacturers have a different standard strand Nm/Micron/Tex before these strands are twisted together.

I have brought 12ply yarn before (online) expecting it to be "chunky" and while it was 12 strands twisted together, its thickness was about the same as a light yarn. 

(Now I stick to brands I am familiar with or has a meterage measurement included because of this.)

Having said that, the conversion table and their respective terms generally relates to wool or wool blends. The synthetic fibres have a different micron (diameter) to start with and affects the overall thickness. Other fibres used, such as cotton and silk are different again. You can buy a 4ply cotton that has a relative "weight" to Sport or DK (5-6 ply according to the table).

Conclusion

Australia, New Zealand and the UK should think about adopting the "Standard Weight System" of the US or include "strand diameter" or such on the labels.

For those getting utterly disgusted by constantly hearing "copy the US", there are certain things that should be copied and others just wiped out!

(I was going to insert a picture here of a chicken imitating a US actor/singer, but oops FAMILY FRIENDLY PAGE etc etc...)

Well, that is my 5c on the yarn types etc... Shopping local and in person is always better than online browsing any day :)

((PS:- there will be more on this and other conversions later...)) 

Stitch Marker Tips

I am designing a project that has centre shaping and the best way to make it easy on yourself is by placing stitch markers. They are a great way to reduce your count-recount-recount-grr-recount time (STML has its difficulties in crafting lol)

Placement is important too! On this tunisian knit stitch I am working on (in the pictures) 

If you have a central section like me, then your going to need 2-3 markers.

The centre marker is best marking the stitch in the row directly below...

Thats the "easy marker". Of course you could mark all 3 stitches like this but it helps to make a slight change to the left and the right stitch markers... 

Insert the LEFT stitch marker in to the left side of the "starting" stitch and then in the previous row DIRECTLY BELOW the stitch on a / angle. 

The left stitch marker is the opposite of the right. So, place the stitch marker AFTER the stitch and in the previous row directly below the stitch on an \ angle. 

It makes seeing the "marked area" clearer and also the direction of the increase/decrease/pattern/whichever :)

Hope this helps!

Pineapple Hot Pants Pattern

I DID IT!

After a few days of scratching my head and late nights, I have made a pattern for sale on Ravelry!

HERE...

I actually found a "partial" schematic on Pintrest, edited it and then wrote out the instructions!

Oh I can tell you I thought I would not be able to finish this one!

When I found this schematic, I made it as directed and they turned out like SWIMWEAR! I mean, high waisted shorts was a serious understatement!

I removed a row of pineapples, added an extra repeat, got to work, frogged it a bit, and scribbled out what wasn't working and a few edits I had to make to the edging. 

(This partial schematic was probably one of 4 to complete it original)

Anywho! YAY! I hope you can buy, make and feedback would be most appreciated! I'm pretty sure I will edit and make another version that will have more sizes than just XS, but until then, I'm taking a break...

NAH! Just kidding! I have to make 2 pair of these to make, so thats what I will do now

Ka kite ano!

(Pronounced - Car key-tear ah-nor)

Maori for "See ya later"