So www.poetryinyarn.com is in the works. I have some content up already.
I’m on twitter now. Check out the latest yarny happenings (i’m poetryinyarn).
Ridged Whirl Hat Pattern Available! February 9, 2010
The pattern is finally available.
You can get it on ravelry, or, if you don’t have a ravelry account, you can go to www.PoetryinYarn.com to purchase it.
The website is still under construction, but the purchase links for the Ridged Whirl Hat pattern are working.
Just keep stitchin’… January 5, 2010
So I’ve been working on several projects lately that I hope to be able to unveil in the next month or so.
The Ridged Whirl Hat Pattern should be available by the end of the month. It will be in my new pattern layout, complete with symbol diagrams.
I’ll also be rolling out another hat pattern about the same time. Tisha is a fantastic, sleek hat that can be worn beret style as well. It’s quick to stitch and the use of mercerized cotton means it’ll transition well into Spring and Summer.
Crochet Stitch Diagrams Using Open Office Part II October 7, 2009
So your first decision is whether to use a crochet symbol font or create your own.
Font Pros:
1. Has a finished look with curved edges instead of squared ones
2. Takes less than a minute to type the symbols you need
Font Cons:
1. Costs money (although not necessarily a lot)
2. Font symbols must be converted to individual objects . This is only a con if you’ve never done this before and have no clue how to – in which case look forward to part III of this series.
Do-It-Yourself Pros:
1. A HUGE sense of accomplishment
2. You can save every symbol you create in a file to create your own stitch library – professional tech editors maintain a file with their own personal stitch symbol library so they don’t have to redraw everything all the time.
Do-It-Yourself Cons:
1. The learning curve – unless you are already proficient with programs like illustrator or draw, it is going to take you a while to get the hang of things. You CAN curve the edges of your symbols to give them a more finished look – it just may take you a while to figure out which of the ten billion dialogue boxes lets you do that.
As a final thought: Check any fine print associated with the font. If the font designer requests you credit them on anything you produce with their font, then do so. In fact, send them an e-mail showing them where you used their font and credited it. It’s a nice thing to do.
Crochet Stitch Diagrams Using Open Office part 1 September 24, 2009
Crochet stitch diagrams are fantastic, but creating them (especially professional looking ones) can give designers major headaches. Many professionals will use Adobe Illustrator. Illustrator is an expensive program and that tends to discourage a lot of newer designers. I have had success using Open Office Draw. While Draw may not have all the bells and whistles of Illustrator, it has worked just fine for me. Besides, it’s free.
To create the stitch symbols you have two choices: draw them each yourself or use a crochet stitch font as a basis. (Ok the third choice is to pay someone else to do it, but I’m assuming you are reading this because you want to learn how to do it yourself). I’ve used StitchinCrochet with great results and the $3 price tag makes it a no-brainer.
Over the next few posts I’ll show you how to make stitch diagrams in Draw using both the drawing tools and the crochet font. Stay tuned.
For the love of yarn… September 17, 2009
Over the past week or so I’ve been opening up packages of yarn that came in the mail. There is something fantastic about opening up the package and peeking at the little goodies inside. The perfect, whole ball or skein just sits there with it’s picture perfect label ready to be made into something fantastic.
An unwound hank of yarn has unlimited potential just waiting to be released. It has the capacity to become anything, and we know that it holds within it the excitement of starting a new project, the frustration of the frogging, and the glory of a finally finished item. It is the start of a journey…
Save the Crochet! August 19, 2009
I’ve spent the past couple of Sundays going to tag sales. What better way to spend 4 hours and only spend $3? Well, I keep coming across lots and lots and lots of crocheted items. What really gets to me are the thread pieces. One estate sale had a pile of crocheted thread doilies, and I mean BIG doilies. These pieces took someone hours and hours to make and they were being sold for $1.
Part of me wants to buy up all these homeless crochet bits. I want to save them from whatever fate awaits them if they don’t sell (shudder). But where would I put them all? What would I do with them?
Any ideas?
Charity Crocheting and a Free Pattern August 13, 2009
At this year’s CGOA Professional Development Day we had the chance to make items for Knit for Needs (http://knitsforneeds.blogspot.com/), a charity that distributes knitted and crocheted items to those in need across the United States. Lion Brand provided a variety of yarn for us to work with. I made up a premie sized hat with a small flower on it, and grabbed a snap shot with my cell phone before turning it in. I’ve decided to share my pattern on-line for all of you who take the time out of your busy lives to stitch for those in need.
If you do make this hat, please feel free to send me a picture or post a link to a pic of your finished item in the comment section. I’d love to see your work!
Premie Hat
(c) Lindsey Stephens 2009
This pattern is provided for personal and charity use only.
Skill Level:
Easy
Finished Measurements:
12 inches circumference; 5 inches tall
Materials:
Lion Brand Jiffy; Bulky; 100% Acrylic; (3 oz/85g; 135 yd/123m)
1 skein #150 Pearl Grey
1 skein #145 Plum
J/6.0mm crochet hook or size needed to obtain gauge
Tapestry needle
Gauge:
12 sc and 12 rounds = 4 inches
Stitches and Abbreviations:
Ch – chain
Sc – single crochet
St(s) – stitch(es)
Sl st – slip stitch
Spike – spike sc – insert hook in st one round below, yo, pull up a loop, yo, pull through 2 loops on hook
Premie Hat Pattern
Hat
Round 1: With Pearl Grey, ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook, join to 1st sc with sl st. (6 sc)
Round 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each sc around, join with sl st. (12 sc)
Round 3: Ch 1, (sc in sc, 2 sc in next sc) around, join with sl st. (18 sc)
Round 4: Ch 1, (sc in 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc) around, join with sl st. (24 sc)
Round 5: Ch 1, (sc in 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc) around, join with sl st. (30 sc)
Round 6: Ch 1, (sc in 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc) around, join with sl st. (36 sc)
Round 7: Ch 1, sc in each sc around, join with sl st.
Rounds 8 – 14: Repeat round 7.
Round 15: With Plum, ch 1, (sc in sc, spike in sc, sc in sc) around, join with sl st.
End off.
Flower
Round 1: With Plum, ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook, join to 1st sc with sl st. (6 sc)
Round 2: Ch 1, (hdc, dc, hdc) in each sc around, join with sl st. (18 sts)
End off.
Flower pattern shown using standard crochet symbols.
Finishing
Use tapestry needle to sew flower onto side of hat.
Designer’s Wish List June 14, 2009
I love to shop, and as a designer there are certain items I would enjoy adding to my collection. Here’s what I would purchase if money was no object.
1. dress form / model
2. 12 mpixel, optical zoom digital camera
3. itso lidded bins (lots of them for all my yarn)
4. really nice office chair (husband reclaimed his)
5. walls (my craft office is in the unfinished basement. i want walls to hang stuff on)
