Is it Knitting or Crochet? (by Debbie Stuckey)

This form of crochet is called broomstick lace. Having been around for many years this technique was originally done using an actual broomstick handle and a crochet hook.  That’s obviously how it got the name.

By using the broomstick lace method of crochet a project can be completed in no time at all.  Today you have a much more practical option than using a broomstick- a large knitting needle is used.  I typically use a size 19 knitting needle.  I find it even better to use a lager size needle like a 35.

It helps to have some basic knowledge of crochet such as knowing the chain stitch and double crochet.

In most crochet projects you work a row, then turn your work and then go back down the other side.  With broomstick lace you work on the same side throughout the entire project. Using a large knitting needle you can make quite an eye catching item in little or no time at all.

 

A basic pattern for a small scarf (using the broomstick lace method) is as follows:

Abbreviations 

Chain = ch

Double Crochet = dbl

Supplies

Size J crochet hook

Size 19 or 35 knitting needles (you only need 1)

Yarn of your choice.  The gauge of the yarn is not important for a broomstick lace project.

 

Chain 17 – Work a single crochet back across and you should have 16 single crochet. Do not turn your work.

 

1. Place your hook into the first single and pull up a stitch, place the stitch on to the knitting needle.  Do this across placing every stitch you pick up onto the knitting needle.  By the end of the row you should have 16 stitches on the knitting needle.

2. Slide 4 stitches off your knitting needle and place your crochet hook into these 4 stitches. Take and make a loop pulling yarn back through all 4 stitches and chain 4 (counts as your first dbl work).  3 more double crochet in the same stitch.

You should have 4 stitches worked.  Slip 4 more stitches off and work 4-dbl crochet into the loop.  Repeat this across and you will have 4 sets of 4 going across.

Do not turn your work.

3. Repeat row 1

Do not turn your work.

4. Repeat row 2

Do not turn your work.

Continue until you achieve the desired length for your project.  Finish it off as you would any crochet project by weaving in your ends.

Weaving is fun! (by Pamela Kelly)

Start by tying a slip knot in the end of a skein of yarn and secure it to the corner nail on the left side of the top rail.  Then carry the yarn under the nails to the right corner of the frame.  This horizontal line of yarn is the first or top warp.

At the corner nail on the right, make one counter clockwise turn around the nail,  carry the yarn down and under the first nail on the right side rail and head back over to the left side.  This is the second horizontal line of yarn and the second warp.

Back at the left side of the loom the yarn is brought up and around the second nail on the left side rail and brought up and over the first warp.  The line of yarn going straight up leads back to the skein.

The loom is now primed for weaving.

Simple or plain triangular loom weaving consists of snaking a crochet needle over and under the horizontal warps, snagging the loose line of yarn going back to the skein, pulling it down to create a loop of yarn, dragging this loop through the warps, hooking one side of the loop on the next nail down the side on which you are working, widening the loop by dragging ti to the other side letting yarn pull from the skein as you do so, and hooking the second side of the loop on the next nail down on the far side of the loom.

Here is what it looks like in pictures:

Reaching up through the warps to snag the loose yarn

Hooking the right side of the loop on the next nail down on the right side of  the loom.

Pulling the yarn down to create a loop and dragging this loop through the warps

Pulling the loop forward to the other side, drawing yarn from the skein to widen the loop.

Hooking the left side of the loop on the next nail down on the left side.

Notice in the last picture that the loose end of the yarn is again going up and out of the picture.  For the next weaving, the same process is repeated except this time the loop is started on the right side.  Weaving is simply a matter of repeating the process of dragging loops down from one side, hooking them on a nail, widening the loop as it is dragged sideways across the warps, and hooking it on the next nail down on the opposite side.

Instead of plucking at the warps one at a time to weave the wefts through several of them at once, hook the loop , than draw it down.  Make sure the weaving hook went over the warps that the previous weft pushed up and under the warps it pushed down.

All that is needed to do now is continue weaving loops down through the warps until the triangle is full.

Once your triangle of woven cloth is complete, remove it from the triangle loom.  The ends that remain can be woven back into the edge or converted into fringe.

To create a project, simply create several triangles of woven cloth and stitch them together into various shapes as desired.

A basic shawl pattern might include triangles arranged like this.

Jelly Yarns (by Kathleen G)

 

Jelly Yarn®

• 100% vinyl

•  Fine Jelly Yarn 85 yds , Bulky Jelly Yarn 65 yds,  Super Fine Jelly Yarn 50 yds

•  Waterproof

•  Glow in the Dark, Black Light Reactive neon colors

• Gauge:

New Super Fine (thread weight)

Knit Gauge: (ktbl) 28 sts and 64 rows = 4″ – US 6 (4mm)

Crochet Gauge: (sc) 22 sts and 10 rows = 4″ – F (3.75mm)

Fine Jelly Yarn (sport weight)

Knit Gauge: (k) 24 sts and 40 rows = 4″ – US 6 (4mm) needles

Knit Gauge Double Strand: (k) 14 sts and 33 rows = 4″ – US10.5 (6.5mm) needles

Crochet Gauge: (sc) 16 sts and 10 rows = 4″ – US H (5mm) hook

Bulky Jelly Yarn (worsted weight)

Knit Gauge: (k) 14 sts and 32 rows = 4″ – US 10 (6mm) needles

Knit Gauge Double Strand: (k) 10 sts and 8 rows = 4″ – US 13 (9mm) needles

Crochet Gauge: (sc) 12 sts and 14 rows = 4″ – US J (6mm) hook

If you’re looking for something fun, colorful and unique to knit or crochet, think outside the yarn box with Jelly Yarn! But what exactly IS Jelly Yarn?

Jelly Yarn was developed by Kathleen Greco while writing her first knitting book titled, Yummy Yarns (Watson Guptill). She had an idea for a purse that when knit, resembled glossy black patent leather. Using her background in plastics, she was able to develop and produce the yarn she envisioned, and Black Licorice Jelly Yarn was born.

Bright colors named after candies and ices soon followed: Hot Pink Candy, Blue Taffy, Lemon-Lime Ice, Raspberry Sorbet, and Pink Peppermint Glow, just to name a few. There now are 13 neon, opaque, metallic, and glow-in-the-dark colorways.

Jelly Yarn is a 100% vinyl, solid round strand. It’s very flexible, waterproof and is formulated for knitting and crochet. This contemporary glossy yarn is ideal for fashion-fun knitting or crocheting for adults and kids. Patterns are available for accessories including: purses, handbags, beach bags, belts, bracelets, ornaments, hair accessories, toys, and coral reef projects.

Tips For Knitting or Crocheting with Jelly Yarn

• The best knit stitch for creating a flat texture in Jelly Yarn is the Knit Through the Back Loop stitch. 

• Metal needles or hooks are recommended when working with Jelly Yarn. Susan Bates® Silvalume® metal needles or hooks are preferred well because of the smooth satin surface, but any metal will work.

• To make your knit or crochet fabric more durable, carry along a strand of Fine Jelly Yarn with your fiber yarn.

• If your tension is too tight, your stitches may not slide on the metal needle easily. To help make the stitches glide easily, we recommend using a little hand lotion, Burt’s Bees Hand Salve, or Vinylex, vinyl protectant applied along the stitches on the needle or hook.

• Knitting or crocheting with Jelly Yarn is a little different then fiber yarn. Instead of weaving ends, make a double knot (square knot) to prevent the stitches from unraveling after the 1st cast on stitch, when joining yarns and, after binding off.

• Blocking Jelly Yarn is easy. Heat the piece, with a hair dryer on low, for a few seconds. Place the piece on a flat hard surface and make the sides even. Tape the edges of the piece to the surface (optional). Place a weight such as a dictionary or phone book on top overnight. Assemble as instructed in the pattern.

Jelly Yarn 20 Cool Projects for Girls to Knit & Crochet (Krause Publishers) features an amazing array of purses, jewelry, belts, pet collar, and other fun projects crafted with Jelly Yarns. http://www.jellyyarns.com/books.html

Bonus: The bright neon and glow colors are idea for kids to learn how to knit or crochet!

Burt’s Bees Hand Salve, or Vinylex free sample is included with Jelly Yarn purchase. There are many knit and crochet free patterns available on the Jelly Yarn website.

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I’ve never met a skein I didn’t like! (by Debra Stuckey)

I have never met a skein of yarn I didn’t like! There are so many beautiful yarn textures and colors.  I very much enjoy dyeing my own yarn if the situation dictates.

When crocheting keep in mind a couple of things while making your yarn and stitches choices.  If you are using a fancy, frilly yarn keep your stitches basic.  The stitches will be lost in all the glamour of the yarn so all that work will be in vain.  Save those fancy stitches for a plain wool or acrylic yarn so you can show off the detail. 

The thing I really enjoy about crocheting is the ability to take out and redo your stitches.  I find this to be a little more difficult when knitting.  When the fury yarns first came out we were all excited about working with it but noticed quick when crocheting how easy it was to tangle.

The solution is to work with another yarn and a larger hook such as a size N or P.  Holding 2 yarns together makes working with furry or eyelash yarns much easier and please remember to keep to basic stitches like a double crochet.

How to Single Crochet (video by Carissa Haning)

Do you crochet?  Do you want to learn more about crocheting?  This instructional video was created specially to teach those Naughty Knitterz who want to learn the single crochet stitch.

This easy to follow video is only one in a complete series of videos created specially for the Naughty Knitterz website.  This and the other videos have been posted under the Happy Hookers (crochet) category to help you learn the art of crocheting.  You will soon be dangerous with that crochet hook of yours.  

Thanks for watching and learning with us.  Please let us know what you think about our instructional videos on how to crochet or any of our crocheting and knitting articles.  Enjoy all you Happy Hookers!

 

Knitting A Baby Sweater – Part Two (by Robyn Devine)

Here we go with the second half of our Knitting A Baby Sweater post.  Hopefully you’ve completed part one and you’re ready to finish your sweater. 

Now that you’ve got the yoke of your sweater done you’re ready to start working on the sleeves and the lower body.  As tricky as some of these instructions may seem I promise they’ll go just as fast as the yoke part of the sweater.

First up is dividing for the sleeves and body. What I love about a pattern like this is that you knit the sleeves in the midst of knitting the body so there’s truly no seaming to be done. According to the directions you knit through the first 22 stitches and then put them on a spare needle, a stitch holder or some yarn. For this I just leave the stitches on the needle.  Once you start working on the sleeve it’s pretty clear which stitches are which and then you don’t have to futz with any extra tools.

Follow the directions for the sleeve: knit a row, purl a row, continue along until you decrease.  You already know how to do this thanks to the first half of the sweater!   Then knit seven rows in stockinette stitch. Bind off to the last stitch leaving the loop free for seaming up the sleeve.

It should look something like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now fold the sleeve in half, as seen in the photo below, with the right sides together. You’ll be grabbing a crochet hook (I use size “I” for this) to slip stitch up the sleeve.  To slip stitch in crochet, insert your hook through one stitch on either side of the sleeve and wrap the yarn around the crochet hook, from back to front.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pull the hook (with the yarn wrapped around it) through all three stitches you now have on your needle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and you’ve got yourself a slipped stitch!

Continue like this all the way down the side of the sleeve, until you come to the armpit of the sleeve. You should have one stitch left on the crochet hook and see a bit of space between the needles and where the arm should join the sweater.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To get rid of what will end up being holes in the armpits I simply pick up a few stitches before I move on.  This isn’t in the instructions but it helps get rid of those holes that will otherwise show up and we’ll get rid of those extra stitches later on! 

To pick up stitches, simply insert your right needle into a free spot between it and the sleeve. Do this twice and then slip the stitch off the crochet hook and onto the right needle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pick up two more stitches between the sleeve and the left needle (using the right needle again) and then knit across the back stitches. Repeat this same “sleeve making process” for the other sleeve and finish knitting across the row.

The rest of the sweater is easy! You simply knit a row, then purl a row, until the sweater is long enough that you want to add the bottom edge on. If you want to get rid of those four extra stitches under the arms simply knit two together four times around each armpit on your first knitting row after adding the sleeves.

The bottom edge of the sweater is simply a few more rows of garter stitch which should seem like a cake walk compared to all the new stitches you’ve now mastered.   All that’s left is to weave in the ends and you’ve got yourself a great new baby sweater!

Now if you’re anything like me you’ve already gotten addicted to it and you’re about to cast on another!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget to make one or two and donate them to your local hospital – the babies will thank you!  You can also send your sweater to the Knit for Needs charity and Meridith will make sure it gets to a baby that needs a warm sweater.