Making Progress

Okay, it seems that I will have enough yarn to crochet the collar and bottom band of my Bike Chain Car Coat. I’ve now finished the sleeves, woven in all the ends and the individual pieces are in the process of being blocked.

The Bike Chain Car Coat Pattern will be rated as skill level “ intermediate”.  The actual pattern and the shaping of the pieces is not difficult, in fact, I would rate that portion of the project on an “easy” level.  What becomes a little more unusual is the blocking process.  Whenever you have a crochet pattern where every 2nd row is identical (headed in the same direction) you end up with a fabric that is very skewed to the right or the left. 

It may not seem obvious in this photo but the body of the coat is stretching toward the left.  The pattern rows are flowing on the diagonal instead of vertically.  This also causes a slight ripple along the edges.   In the photo below, you will note that one side of the sleeve is almost straight even though both sides were increased every 4th row.   All of this can be fixed with blocking.

I like to use the daybed in my guest room to block my projects.  First I covered it with white towels.  Then I laid my coat body wrong side up and poked stainless straight pins directly into the fabric to secure it to the mattress.  I measured carefully to make certain that all edges conform to the measurements in my sketched diagram ( to be provided with the pattern).  I actually had to smooth the rows of the pattern to make them vertical and line up with the underarms and the front edges.  The bottom of the coat had a bit of a ruffly edge so I squeezed the rows together and pinned them here and there.  After the entire project was fastened down, I misted it lightly with water and patted the ruffled edges with my hand.  I will let this coat dry overnight.  In the meantime, I will come up with a stitch for the collar and the band and finish the rough draft of the free Bike Chain Car Coat pattern.

I am going on vacation next Friday and hope to have all of this done before then but if I don’t, it will have to wait until I return in early November.

 

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.