Back to the Drawing Board

Autumn Rose Cardigan

This cardigan, one of the first patterns I ever wrote, is still in style and has a beautiful stitch pattern.  The stitch is a simple shell and very easy to work.  I wanted the cardigan to have some slight shaping at the waist but shells can sometimes be a bit tricky to decrease.  So instead of doing decreases, I changed to a smaller hook two times when working the waist area.  Switching to smaller hooks is a great way to decrease when doing shells.  The change in size of the resulting smaller shells is just barely noticeable.  After the shaping, I gradually changed back to the original hook size.

But my brainstorm had a drawback.  I wanted the sides to nip in a bit but I wanted the center fronts to remain straight.  Therefore, I had to revert back to the original hook size midway through each row when making the fronts.  This is not a difficult maneuver but you need to stay focused as you are working this portion of the pattern.

Unfortunately, changing to smaller hooks was not an option when doing decreases for the neck and armholes.  My original pattern had klunky decreases that really didn’t follow the stitch pattern very well.  In addition, I decided to add 23 additional chains to the starting chain to keep the hem a bit looser to accommodate the airy pattern.  Other little nips and tweaks make this new version error-free ( I hope!) and much easier to understand.

Neckline

Since I had to re-create the cardigan to edit the pattern, I worked another one in Naturally Caron Country.  This yarn is wonderful to work with!  It virtually slides off the hook and makes the whole project  go very quickly.  It also has a beautiful sheen.  However, the gauge is a bit different than with the original rayon so I am writing up a new pattern for this cardigan.  I will call it the Come Again Cardigan.  It is exactly like the Autumn Rose Cardigan except for the yarn and gauge.  The hook sizes are larger and you have to work fewer stitches.  I also changed the size to a 46″ bust because I have added a few pounds in the last  six years!

Watch for these two patterns to appear soon.  I am taking extra care to be sure that the patterns are correct.  As always, I appreciate any feed-back you might have about possible errors or omissions.  You are really my only testers so I need your help in keeping my free patterns accurate and easy to read.

Hat for Charity

Uncle Max, my father’s uncle was a veterinarian and taxidermist in Germany.  My father had a very close relationship with Uncle Max.  When my father retired he pursued his love of woodcarving.  One day when he and my mother were hiking, they came upon a huge tree that had been felled and cut into chunks.  Between the two of them they lugged one of the chunks of wood home to the workshop.  There my dad began a characterture of his favorite uncle.  Here you see “Max” modeling the hat I made for charity.  The pattern is from the book Chemo Caps and Wraps by Annie’s Attic.

 

Bike Chain Car Coat Pattern

 

This coat is worked from side-to-side beginning with the left center front.  The shoulder seams are crocheted together, the collar and bottom bands are worked and then the sleeves are seamed and set in last. Although the stitch pattern and basic construction for this coat is easy, the blocking  and addition of a zipper makes it more difficult so I am assigning it an “intermediate” level of difficulty.

Size: 50″ at Bust and Hips

Materials: 17 sk Naturally Caron Country 185 yds, color 0017 Claret,  Crochet hooks sizes B and G, 25″ zipper (or length of your choice to conform to length of  center  front ),  (2) 17/16″ buttons, stitch markers, yarn needle, sewing needle, matching thread, stainless steel straight pins.

Gauge:  18 sts equal 4″ in bike chain pattern, 16 rows = 4″ in bike chain pattern

Stitches used: chain (ch), slip stitch (sl st), single crochet (sc), single crochet 2 tog (sc2tog), front post single crochet (fpsc), double crochet (dc)  

Bike Chain Pattern: 

Row 1:  Dc into ea st across, ch 1, turn.

Row 2:  Sc into top of 1st dc. *Sc around post of next dc (fpsc), sc into top of next dc*. Repeat from * to * to end, placing last sc into top of tc from previous row. Ch2, turn. Ch2  counts as a dc here and throughout the pattern.

These 2 rows make up the bike chain pattern henceforth called a “pair”.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Left front

With G hook, ch 94 ( not loosely).

Sc into the top 2 loops of 2nd ch from hook and ea ch across. (93 sc) Ch 2, turn.

Work bike chain pattern. Mark 1st dc row as right side of fabric. Work a total of 5 pairs.  You will have a sc row as your last row.  Fasten stitch with a stitch marker.

Increase for Shoulder

With another ball of yarn, attach yarn with a sl st at 1st sc of last row ( opposite end from your stitch marker). Ch 15. Fasten off.

Next row: Go back to the stitch marker and insert your hook into the last stitch you worked and continue in the bike chain pattern by working your next dc row. Dc into ea sc and into the top 2 loops of ea ch to end of row (increase made–107 sts total)

Continue to work the bike chain pattern until the front piece measures about 11″ wide or 21 pairs total rows.  Make sure you end with a sc row. Fasten off.

Decrease for Armhole

Turn. Sk 44 sts. Join yarn with a sl st at 45th st.  Dc into same place as joining.  Work a dc row. (63 sts)  Continue in bike chain pattern until piece measure 2″ from beginning of armhole ( your 1st dec. row).  End with a sc row. Do not fasten off, secure your last st with a st marker.

Increase for Back

With another ball of yarn, attach yarn with a sl st in first st of row just worked (opposite end from your st marker). Ch 45. Fasten off.  You will have 44 chs.

Go back to your secured st and work a dc row across all sts and all chs (107 sts).  Continue to work in bike chain pattern until the back measures 22″  between the back edges of the armholes or you have completed 42 pairs. Work one more dc row.

Decrease for Armhole

Continue to work in bike chain pattern, working the next sc row over 63 sts. Ch 2, turn. When armhole is the same width as left front, end with a sc row and secure your last stitch.

Increase for Shoulder

Attach another ball of yarn at  the 1st  st of the sc row just finished (opposite end from your secured st). Ch 45. Fasten off. You should have 44 chs.  Go back to your secured st and work a dc row across all sts and all chs. (107 sts).  Work in bike ch pattern until you have a total of 16 pairs. Work one more row of dc. Fasten off.

Shape Neck

 Turn. Sk 14 sts. Attach yarn at 15th st.  Work bike chain pattern until center front section measures the same as for left front.  Fasten off. Weave in all ends.

Sleeves (make 2)

With hook G, ch 54 ( not loosely) Sc top 2 loops of ea ch across. Ch 2, turn. (53 sts)

Work a sc row in bike chain pattern.

Work a dc row in bike chain pattern.

Work a sc row in bike chain pattern.

Inc. Row:  2 sc into top if 1st dc. Fpsc around post of next dc.  Work in pattern to last 2 dc.  Fpsc around post of next dc. 2 sc into top of last dc. ch2, turn.

Continue to work in bike chain pattern working an inc. row ever 4th row ( every other sc row).  I like to mark my inc. rows with a st marker so that I can see where my last increase was made.  Work 33 pairs or until sleeve is the length you desire.  End with a sc row.  Note: If you like your sleeves longer and want to work more rows, do not work any more increases.  Fasten off and weave in all ends.

Blocking

It is now time to block your work.  The blocking process is necessary because this pattern causes the fabric to skew to one side.  Please refer to this post  for more detail about how to block your coat.  DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!

Once your coat has been blocked you can join the shoulders.  Place the body of your coat on a table, right sides together.  I like to take some scrap yarn and separate it into 2-ply strands.  I knot the ends together and wind it into a ball.  Now I will use this thread to crochet the shoulder seams together.  You will note from the photo that I have used little girls’  hair clips to keep the pattern pieces from shifting.  Attach your yarn at the end of one shoulder and with hook B, sc across shoulders making sure that you catch both pieces with your hook,  that your rows match and that your work lies flat.  Do the same with the other shoulder.  Weave in all ends.  You can also sew your shoulder seams together if you wish.

Bottom Band

1)   Attach yarn with a sl st on wrong side at bottom right front corner. With hook G, Sc in same place as joining. Sc across bottom of coat placing 1 sc into the end of ea sc row and 1 sc into the end of ea dc row. Work about 186 sts making sure that you end up with an even number. Do not fasten off. Ch 8, turn.

2)   Dc in 3rd ch from hook and into top 2 loops of ea ch and into ea st across (193 sts).  Make sure you have an odd number of stitches.  Ch 1, turn.

3)   Work a sc row of the bike chain pattern to last dc. 2 sc into last dc. Ch 2, turn.

 4)   2 Dc in next sc, dc in next 2 sc, ch 3, sk 3 sc, dc to end of row.

5)   Work  a sc row to  ch 3 sp, 3 sc into ch 3 sp, to last 2 sts. Sc2tog over last 2 dc.

6)   Work 2 more rows of the bike chain pattern ending with a sc row. Do not fasten off. Sc 10 sts around end of tab. Join with a sl st in corner where tab meets body of coat.  Fasten off.

Collar

1)   With G, ch 7. Join chain with a sl st to corner st on wrong side of  left front neck edge. Sc in same st as joining. Sc around neckline placing 1 st in the end of ea sc row and 1 st in the end of ea dc row. Sc 2tog at corners. Ch2, turn. (7 chs plus 68 sc)

2)   Work dc row of bike chain pattern across 68 sts and 7 chs. (75 dc) Ch 1, turn.

3)   2 sc in 1st  dc, fpsc around post of next dc, sc in next dc.  Continue in pattern to end of row. Ch2, turn.

4)   Dc across row to last 6 sc. Ch 3, sk 3 sc, dc in ea of next 2 sc, 2 dc in last sc. Ch 1, turn.

5)   Sc 2 tog over 1st two dc. Fpsc over next dc.  Continue in pattern to finish the row.

6)   Work a dc row. Fasten off.

7)   Turn. Attach yarn with a sl st on wrong side at bottom corner of buttonhole tab where the tab meets the body of the coat.  Sc in same place as joining.  Work 11 sc around tab to last row worked. Sc in top of 1st dc, fpsc around next dc, continue in bike chain pattern to end of row.  Fasten off.

Zipper and Joining Sleeves

With zipper closed, place bottom plastic end of zipper under center front edges having front edges meeting in center of zipper.  Make sure that plastic selvage at bottom is not visible  from the right side.  Pin in place.  Open zipper and hand-sew to coat with matching thread.  Turn upper edge of zipper under and stitch in place. 

With right sides together, center underarm sleeve seam in bottom of armhole.  Clip or pin in place.  Continue around sleeve, clipping it to the armhole  and making sure that it is lying flat.  Crochet through both thicknesses using the size B hook or sew sleeve seam being careful not to make seam too tight.  Repeat with the other sleeve.

Finishing

Sew buttons in place on front band and collar under buttonholes.

Note:  I  promised to include a diagram but am having trouble with my drawing program. Below is a small graphic of the body of the coat.  If you click on the drawing, you will be able to see the dimensions.

Copyright: Carol Wolf November 2010

 

Finished!

Hand sewing the zipper took a little time.  I take many small horizontal stitches through both thicknesses and place them one on top of the other.  This results in a row of slanted stitches running down the zipper tape.

Turn the coat inside out.  Keeping the sleeves right side out, tuck a sleeve into one armhole with the underarm sleeve seam centered in the 2″ decrease area in the armhole.  Center the top of the sleeve on the shoulder seam.  Make sure you have the two pieces right side together.  Clip the sleeve to the armhole edges and crochet or sew around the edge.

The above photo shows the sleeve seam crocheted together.  Weave in all ends.  Sew the buttons under the buttonholes on the front.

I will post a modeled photo soon but now I am going to sign off for a couple of weeks and to take a vacation with my children and grandchildren.  When I return, I will provide the free crochet Bike Chain Car Coat pattern.

 

Bike Chain Car Coat in Progress

Here is a portion of the car coat that I started before I made the Bike Chain Hat and Scarf  for Paul.  This pattern is taking a while to complete.  The nature of the bike chain stitch is such that every other row is single crochet.  Since I am working side-to-side, each row is very long and I am using a fairly small hook (G).

In this pattern, the sleeves will be worked separately from the bottom up starting with a ribbed cuff.  I intend to use a zipper closure, something I have never done before on any of my designs.  I also plan to include a stand-up collar as well as a band across the bottom.  At this point, I’m not really sure how those two things will work out but I’ve been experimenting a little with my original swatch to see what type of stitch will go well with the bike chain stitch.

Working this way results in a bulky fabric.  Despite the fact that I am using Naturally Caron Country, which is a light worsted weight yarn, the front post single crochet stitches are creating a ribbed effect which is perfect for a coat.  It should hold its shape well and will be toasty warm in the winter.

Progress is slow because I am having a problem with my wrist again.  I try to work at least three double-rows each day so that I can eventually see an end to this project, have a nice new winter coat, and offer another free pattern on my blog.

In the above photo, you will note that I have left a rectangular area open for the sleeve.  Unlike most designs, this coat will have sleeves that will be set in after the shoulder seams have been sewn together.

Above you can see a close-up of  what I call the Bike Chain Stitch.

 

A New Crochet Project In The Works

Okay, this is the yarn.  I was going to make the Copenhagen Jacket but after making a 6″ piece, I decided that the cables made the fabric too thick.  Now I have 18 skeins of Naturally Caron and it seems to be plenty for a car coat.  This will be a free pattern but I am still working on it and the going is slow.  I’ve injured my wrist again and the cortisone shots are no longer working so the next option will be surgery.  Just bear with me while I do a few inches of this every day.  Eventually I’ll end up with a finished product and a pattern!

I snagged a couple of great finds at a yard sale last week.  One was a book that I have been meaning to read but somehow forgot to buy.  It was quite a bargain at 50 cents.  The other was a small metal magazine holder that is just the right size for my bathroom.  I paid $3 for that one.  It needs  a coat of green paint to add that unexpected splash of color in an otherwise neutral enviornment.

 

Summer is almost over!  We had the opportunity to take a little camping trip one weekend but we are saving our big vacation for the last week of October.  For two years we’ve been planning a Disney World getaway with the kids and grandkids.  Paul and I will be taking our RV and the rest of the family will be staying in a friend’s timeshare. Can’t wait!

 

Copenhagen Jacket

Tammy Hildebrand designed the Copenhagen Jacket, a free pattern on the web.  This jacket pattern requires a familiarity with making cables, something I have never attempted.  The pattern is rated as suitable for experienced crocheters.  Teresa on Crochetville started a crochet-along using this pattern so I decided to join.  I had seen several finished projects on Ravelry and figured that I wouldn’t have a problem.

Alas! Almost immediately I ran into trouble making the zig-zag stitches on the edges.  They looked droopy and misshapen.  After experimenting on some scrap yarn, I was able to come up with a very mediocre swatch.

As you can see, I crocheted right over my zig-zags on the 2nd row!  After fighting with it for a while, I asked Teresa for help.  She gave me some good advice and immediately things started to turn around.  I picked up my chosen yarn, Naturally Caron Country, a blend of merino wool and acrylic, and started on the jacket.  This time things were a bit better.  Here is the result after about 20 rows.

This jacket is a modular garment and consists of long rectangles joined together.  Despite the very simple and basic tailoring, I know that this project will take me long time to finish.  Stay tuned…