There is More then One Way to Join a Motif Together

ScannedImageWhen the average non-crocheter thinks of crochet, often one of the first thoughts is the classic granny square. This motif has become a historic staple, however working any motifs worked in crochet can have a fun, stunning, and classic appeal. The draw back? Stitching them together.

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Remove hook from working loop, insert hook into stitch to be joined to and re-insert into working loop.

I have stated it before, but I am a crocheter, not a seamstress. So join-as-you-go has been a savior of sorts for me. It has allowed be to work various motifs without having to stitch them together, but simply work a stitch into the adjoining motif and they are now connected.

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Pull working loop through stitch

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Complete the stitch, and continue.

There are various applications that can be used in join-as-you-go, but one that I have been enjoying recently, has a finish that looks like I’ve spent time whip stitching the pieces together, without ever picking up a needle and thread (or yarn). To work this Joined Whip Stitch, or Braided Join, is actually pretty easy. When you are ready to join to the adjacent motif you simply remove your hook from your working loop, insert your hook through the stitch you wish to join to, re-insert into the working loop and pull it through the stitch, then begin and complete the stitch you wish on the motif you are working on. Essentially you are bringing the loop through another fabric and then completing your work, there is nothing fancy, nothing difficult, just a simple way to weave the fabrics together.

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The finished look of the Joined Whip Stitch or Braided Join

The look that this technique creates has a hand sewn appearance to some, and a braided effect to others. It is a little slow, and only a little, as removing your hook and getting it placed and then reworking the stitch can take a little time, not to mention a little fear of the working loop being pulled out. However the technique is simple and can be worked with any motif pattern without having to change the stitch structure. So give this method a try next time you have a motif to put together, you may find that it makes your project a little more enjoyable, with no needles required.

Something Special…Do Not Wait for the Moment

ScannedImageI had a moment of clarity and awaking the other day when going through my yarn stash; I treat special as something cherished and don’t indulge in it very often.

I actually have a couple of stashes around the house; one closet that houses most of the yarns I do work with, current yarns of large yarn companies, then I have a large tote that is filled with yarns that are discontinued of inherited from the stash of others that get used for charity projects (this is also the only stash the kids are allowed to go through to make their own projects). There is the little desk (that I can easily forget about) that houses yarns that I use for class instructions. Then there is last stash, a cabinet that houses those “special yarns”, ones that I have purchased of the years, ones that are beautiful to me, or one skein luxury gifts in a sense.

This cabinet is a little hodge podge of different fibers, some I have even hand dyed, some handspun, but they are all yarns that evoke some kind of memory or feeling. I keep them in a “special” category; someday I will find the right pattern for that “special” yarn. It always gets put off to tomorrow as I work on today.

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one corner of one shelf in my “special” cabinet

Yes, I attempt to save the best for last. A good bottle of wine can live decades in my house as I find the best moment to drink it, my strand of pearls gather dust in my jewelry box as I wait for events special enough to wear them to, heck even at a good dinner my favorite dish on the plate has to be my last bite saving it to be cherished longer before moving on to the next thing.

I have always been like this, but as I was going through my cabinet, I realized that some of my “special” yarn had not seen the light of day in years. A little collection of merino yarn that I created at a dying workshop that was…oh, at least 5 years ago, but no more then 8, has been sitting in little cake balls waiting to be made into anything. Some little skeins of silk I got at a show a few years ago, and a few skeins that I spun myself on my own wheel (considering that I have a layer of dust on my wheel, and it has not spun anything since 2011, I know those have been there a while) easily dance in the foreground.

Time does pass in odd ways like this, waiting, waiting for something special. I recognize its passing in everyday life, all the things I need to get done, the deadlines before me, but I seem to neglect the “special”, waiting for the moment.

I hope that with this epiphany that I can at least attempt to “make a moment “during the week to address something special. Bring more of the richness life has to offer into the every day, at least I hope that I can keep this as a conscience goal and that it does not get eaten up by time…but only time will tell.