For my Feathered Friends

Since moving to Colorado, I've been enjoying all the "new" birds that show up outside my window. None terribly rare, but there's rather little overlap in the ranges of birds between here and PA! With spring finally here, bird feeders are in order.

This the first of two or three crocheted feeders that are going up outside the window in front of my computer - hopefully to attract many pretty birds!

Argyle Fans Wristwarmers

This pattern is worked in rows, but joined in the round at the end of each to make a seamless (hooray!) glove.

Materials:
1 skein worsted weight yarn
H/5.0 mm crochet hook
Yarn needle

Stitches & Abbreviations:
fsc foundation chain stitch
ch chain
sc single crochet
dc double crochet
sl st slip stitch
sp space

FSC 28 (multiple of 4), join w/sl st

Row 1: ch 3, 2 dc in same st, skip 3 st, sc in next st; *ch 3, 3 dc in same st, skip 3 st, sc in next st* repeat around; TURN - join w/sc in beginning sl st, ch 3, join w/sl st it 3rd ch, turn, sl st in ch-3 sp just made (note: this turn is covered by sc at end of each new row and will not be visible)

Row 2-11: ch 3, 2 dc in same ch-3 sp; *sc in next ch-3 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in same ch-3 sp* repeat around; TURN - join w/sc in same ch-3 sp as ch-3 at row start, ch 3, join w/sl st in 3rd ch of starting ch-3, turn, sl st in ch-3 sp just made

12th row (base of thumb) increase: same as rows 2-11, but opposite turns, add one pattern segment. After a sc in ch-3 sp, modify next pattern segment as follows:
- ch-3, 2 dc in same ch-3 sp, ch 2, sc in same ch-3 sp (the ch-2 and sc serves as the third dc in this pattern segment);
- ch-4, then 3 dc in 1st ch (adds a second pattern segment); sc in next ch-3 sp;
continue remainder of row the same as rows 2-11. Picture at right shows the two pattern segments of increase. Stitch diagram below shows the increase in symbols, with arrows showing the direction of stitching.

Rows 13-17: continue same as rows 2-11 (now with one additional pattern repeat in each row)

Row 18 (thumb space): skip the pattern segment directly above/between the increase and the pattern segment before it from row 12; to do this, work as follows after a normal pattern segment ending in a sc in the ch-3 sp prior to the segment to be skipped:
- ch 4, 3 dc in first ch; skipping over 1 pattern segment, sc in NEXT ch-3 sp and continue as with previous rows. This is the same stitch used for the increase.
(For larger thumb opening, substitute 2 dc and 1 tc for the 3 dc, and/or add 1 ch before the sc in ch-3 sp.)

Row 19: same as previous rows

Row 20 (final row): same as previous except: replace every ch-3 with a ch-2; 3 dc instead of 2 dc in first ch-3 sp; at end, sl st into first ch-3 sp and finish off.

Thumb: reattach yarn in ch-3 sp on whichever side of the thumb opening that will allow you to work around the outside of the thumb in the correct direction (see picture at right). Work 4 pattern segments around outside of thumb (remembering to use only 2 dc in first pattern segment), then across thumb opening as in row 18. Turn (as in regular rows) and complete a second row (modified as in Final Row of glove), then finish off.

Wrist edging: close up any gap in foundation chain with tail of yarn. Reattach yarn in foundation chain and work a repeat of row 1 around the edge, with dcs in same stitches as in row 1. Work so stitches are pointed in diagonally opposite direction as row 1 (see picture at left).

Second glove: so that the second glove will be a mirror image at the edges, and not identical, turn the work inside out after the first couple rows and continue on normally. This swaps the "right" and "wrong" sides. Note that it also means the thumb will be done in the opposite direction.

PDF pattern also available.

 © K. Frank, Handmade Gypsy 2010. All rights reserved.

Spring Break!

Spring break, at last, is here. This means I've finally gotten time to hit the projects all lined up waiting for me!

First one up today is a pair of wristwarmers for my chiropractor, who saw a pair I'd made myself and liked them enough to ask me to make her a pair. I didn't have a pattern I liked, so made this one up, using a stitch pattern from Super Stitches Crochet. The pattern requires you to turn at each row, but there isn't much I dislike more in crochet than having to stitch up a completed object - and not being able to try it on as I go. After a few blunders, I managed to solve that problem, and work this connecting each row before turning - best of both worlds!

This picture shows them about half-done, after I'd figured out how to make an acceptable increase :) Pattern and finished picture coming tomorrow.

2009's Oddest

I don't normally post news links, but this one's rather appropriate - 2009's Oddest Book Title's winners include, at the top a book on crochet - and geeky crochet at that :) Congrats to Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Plane on being stranger than anyone else!

Le Bouteille d'Eau

Finally replaced the old, beat up (and probably BPA-laden, though I'm still not sure it's much of a big deal) Nalgene bottle this weekend with a shiny new Sigg. Loving the pretty Moroccan design on the outside, but after dropping it on my foot once, then on the floor (denting the bottom quite nicely), I thought some sort of holder was in order. Pulled out a few of the stitches from Crochet Kitten's Josephine collection (which I already borrowed for my bellydance belt) and whipped this up in just a couple hours of multi-tasking.

I was working on this at school a bit, and a few of my girls were requesting one for themselves :) Handy, pretty, and lets the design still show through!

The strap was done in two pieces, and instead of sewing them together, I made a nice long chain on each side and laced them together for an adjustable strap.