Nicole's Crochet Projects

Ami's Scarf

2006-03-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

This is the window-pane scarf I made for my friend Ami. I got the pattern from www.crochetme.com and followed it to a tee (the only time I've ever done that). Basically you do three double crochets across then skip 1, dc 1, for two rows, and then switch which side the window goes on. Complicated at first (I screwed up a lot) but once you get the hang of it it's fun and quick.

It turned out really, really well. I hesitated big time on keeping it for myself! I'm happy Ami has it, though, and I can't wait to find time to make my own.

My sister's mittens

2006-02-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here are the mittens I finally finished after about five attempts.

This is the pattern I used: http://www.geocities.com/justme42uk/mymittens pattern.html. The British terms really threw me for a loop the first "attempt." I ended up with an oven mitt'esque monstrosity.

Several attempts later and voila, here they are. For fun, and to tie them into my sister's scarf, I embroidered using the leftover white wool from her scarf.

My mom's blanket

2006-02-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

Voila the blanket I crocheted for my mother for Christmas.
I used Homespun yarn in a raspberry colour (don't remember the official name). I basically crocheted a bunch of scarves, one skein each, then sewed them together. The tassles were hell. Homespun is the worst for fraying, which it does as soon as you cut it. I tried a fray-stopper solution, but it didn't work. In the end, my sister tied little knots at the end of each tassle (thanks Richelle) to stop them from turning into little afros.

A bag to lug around my crochet projects

2006-01-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make a big bag to hold my currently in-use crochet stuff because my yarn and various and sundry projects were all over the place.

Using Homespun yarn, which I don't think I'll ever use again because its durability is questionable, I crocheted the two rectangular panels in sc. Using the spike stitch I learned from http://www.crochetme.com, I spike stitched in some raspberry yarn leftover from my mother's Christmas present. I purposely didn't make the stripes on each side match for a custom look. The spike stitch usually looks crisper, but because Homespun is ruffled, it's not crisp. I like it anyway.

I picked up the long bamboo handles from Lewiscraft for about $6.99. So that they don't slip out of the loops, my father drilled holes through the wood and I ran yarn through the hole and fastened it to the loops.

If I were to do a bag again, rather than fasten the two side rectangular panels on the bottom to make the bottom of the bag, I'd crochet a bottom panel. I think the bag lost a lot of structure because I decided to forego the bottom pannel. I would not use Homespun either, because the stitches can't get tight enough for a well-structure bag.

So, it didn't turn out how I wanted it to: a well-structured, sturdy bag. Instead, it's more of a floppy bag. I guess I learned my lesson. It will still fulfull its duty of holding my future projects.

My sister's scarf

2006-01-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

This is the first wearable garment I ever made. Richelle picked out the softest wool in Michael's - a baby wool in white. I crocheted the entire scarf in the back, hence the ribbed effect. I'm happy with how it turned out. It's super soft; I wish I had my own.

My mother's beautiful stained glass

2006-01-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

What, you ask, does my mother's amazing stained glass have to do with my crochet projects? The answer, my friends, is plenty. When I sit on my couch, I face the mirror and the theatre masks that my mother made for me. A beautiful view that inspires me to to pursue my own artisanship. Merci Madre.

My father's Christmas present

2006-01-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

This is the blanket I crocheted for my father for Christmas. He put a lot of work into his room, repainting it and putting up new moulding. I made the blanket to match his new room.

I made up the pattern. I attempted the fan stitch, but it turns out I wasn't doing my double crochet correctly, and the fan ended up looking more like a popcorn stitch. Oh well.

The beige and burgundy were done with my incorrect double crochet. This is the first project where I switched colours and I'm happy with the results.

The piece probably took 30+ hours. I don't remember the hook size I used now, but it was quite small. I did it all as one piece, which I quite enjoyed because it meant not having to sew everything together at the end.

Silver wire necklace

2006-01-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

So, I got the idea for crocheting with wire from a crochet magazine. The pattern called for 28 gauge copper-coated wire. I found that and also bought 32 gauge. 28 was really hard to crochet with so I switched to 32 and spared my hands from arthritis for another month or two.

Using a 6 or a 6.5 hook (I don't remember), I just began to chain like you would with yarn. The initial slip knot/knot was definitely the most difficult. When I managed to make it tight, the wire snapped, so I left the end looser than I would ever leave a yarn end.

I did a few chains with no beads. Then on the last two chains I added clear glass beads with silver lined holes. I added a bead, pushed it down to the chain and chained one. Voila.

Last but not least, I attached the toggles. This sucks, basically. With a bead around all the loose ends, I found it easier to tie them together and slip them through the toggle hole. But it sucked, I struggled and I'm back to yarn until I get the energy to go back to finicky wire.

Adorable iPod cozy

2006-01-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

Here is the much-hyped iPod Nano cozy. The colours in the photos didn't turn out as nicely as I'd hoped, probably because I took them under florescent lights, but you can still tell it's great yarn.

The yarn has both faded and vibrant colours in it; it's very nice stuff. Nicole made this without a pattern or anything. She's brave. :) Maybe she can figure out how to convert my slipper knitting pattern into a crochet pattern....

A blog for Nicole

2006-01-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

Nicole would like pictures of her projects posted too, so I've made her her own little blog. She tells me she crocheted an iPod Nano cozy, which she will be bringing for me to photograph tomorrow. I expect it to be adorable. :)