Reconstruction

 

While I was updating Ravelry today, I remembered I hadn't shown you how this lace crochet sample dyed up last week. This project goes back a bit, to the end of last year in fact where I was deconstructing a lace pattern I liked that had no instructions to follow so I thought I'd have a go at writing one out for myself. The aim was to design and make my own lace crochet parasol inspired by these images here,  here and here.

I'm quite comfortable with crochet and the general construction of stitches but I've had less experience with the more complex crochet lace designs. So last year, I was sampling a few out and getting the hang of how pieces increased in the round and how to build the complexity of structure and pattern into a design. There are some amazing patterns out there that are dismissed because they look too 'doily'- like, but I've learned a lot from my doilies! 

Working out the lace pattern design

I learned how to increase evenly around the circumference, and that the tension is sooo important. If you mess this up then your whole pattern can go out of shape, even with strenuous blocking and pulling back into shape when it's wet at the end. I also got the feel of when that was happening before I got to the end which helped a lot!! There was a lot of crocheting and ripping back as I went so this little sample has had a time of it:) 

But once I understood how to make an increasing circle regardless of the complexity of the stitches, I could then become more free with the pattern. As I was following an existing piece rather than designing from scratch, it was quite easy to place the pattern elements into each portion of the circle. This sample uses a filet stitch and chained threads so it is easy to see how it grows as you crochet.

I originally decided to use a silk/wool undyed yarn instead of cotton as I wanted a softer edge to the design. I'm not convinced that this is the best yarn for the job but the sample certainly does have a 'soft focus' look to it! It handled the wear and tear of sampling well but it you can see the slight wool content giving it fuzzy halo - slightly.

Saying that, it isn't as noticeable now it's been dyed. Being mostly silk it has taken the acid dyes well but not as intensely as the sock yarns. The dyeing was another tester to see how well the colour took and how easy it would be to hand paint a pre-crocheted sample. Very easy! In fact it absorbed the dye quicker than the wool and the colours bled into each other for quite a ways. Less is more in this case!

So it's answered the question of  'do I dye the yarn and crochet, or crochet then dye?' Crochet then dye!! As much as I love dyeing yarns, I can get much more control over the colour gradations this way and as the circle gets bigger and bigger, the colour proportions would stay the same width. A pre-dyed yarn of equal colour blocks - like a graduating yarn - would make smaller and smaller bands the wider it got. Not what I want myself but cool if that's the look you're going for:)

Well, that's the testing all done. So am I ready to design and make that parasol? :)

Deconstruction.......

I've been exploring the world of crochet lace a lot recently, looking at their structure to learn how the complex patterns are actually constructed. It has a rhythm, a balance to its composition which is innately satisfying to me and somehow, don't ask me how yet, I want to translate the essence of this into my work.

I like how the negative space is just as important as the lace pattern  - an equal integral part, yin and yang. Not that I'm going to launch soley into doily making but it's an interesting challenge to take something so obviously traditional visually and translate it into an unexpected contemporary outcome. Just thoughts, no final fixed idea in mind as yet:)

Deconstructing the pattern from photos also made my obsessive, perfectionist side very happy! Everything in its place, logically perfect and exact. To be honest, just drawing the pattern out was becoming a work of art in itself and I had to remind myself that a working diagram was the original intention and my time would actually be better spent crocheting!!

So the yarn has been chosen - a nice silk/wool mix this time instead of the sharp contrasts of mercerised cotton - and I am ready to go. I have had a little trial run to work out the tension of the pattern as this is the one thing that I can't judge perfectly as yet with crochet lace, and it seems good to go if I move down a needle size or two. This could be an unmitigated disaster:)) but hey, you have to start somewhere! So fingers crossed and off I go.......

Baby Knitting progress....

Some baby knitting progress for you. A lot has been going on unfinished behind the scenes over the last few days but now I have managed to snap a few pics for you to see. Just as well I took advantage of the sun as the heavens opened just after I finished and we are back to dull, heavy rain forecast for the whole weekend - sigh! Not quite the start to April I was hoping for weatherwise. But on to the knitting!

First pic is the lovely baby booties - pattern is Saartje's booties. These were a very quick knit and with very simple shaping, you sew these together into booties. I love the crossed strap detailing and I got a chance to use those lovely green apple buttons I've been saving too. I used the fairytale DK 100% wool for these for a sturdier and more durable knit -I'm hoping. The colours were chosen to match a  little dress I've already bought and also to match the lily cardigan I'm knitting.

Progress on the lily cardigan so far.....

This little bolero styled cardigan is based on a magazine pattern but I have modified it heavily substituting their stripes for a lacy pattern and dumping the original frilly edging. So far, I have sewn all the seams and now need to choose an edging that suits this style. I'm thinking a little crocheted scalloped edge all the way around and then a nice button to finish.

I also modified the pattern to knit the body in the round rather than have side seams - as you can see from the blocked pieces. I only had to sew the top seams and inset the sleeves. In theory if this were a solid piece of knitting, this works well but it also means I couldn't mirror the lace patterning for the two front panels so they don't look as symetrically pleasing as I would have wanted.  But maybe it's not too noticeable to everyone else and you know how much of a perfectionist I am!

The lace pattern is a quatrefoil eyelet pattern which is nice and soft, not too lacy and just enough detailing for a solid shape. I stretched this out for the photo so you could see the pattern better but I did relax it a bit when blocking to the right garment measurements, don't worry!! I had fears of stretching this too big and ending up with  6-12months size:-) Lace is so stretchy and I had to remind myself this shouldn't be stretched as much as a lace shawl - habit!

So minus the edging for now, this is what the cardi will look like with the little dress. Now add the booties - all a matching set!

Now, off to finish the edging and then plan a dress or two.....:-)

Leafy lace cowl

My new Manos silk blend yarn arrived a few days ago. Isn't it nice? This colourway 6461 is called Taurus and it's a 100gm skein - 30% silk and 70% merino - yum! Although the recommended needle size is 3.5-4.25mm /US 4-6, it knits up more like a worsted/aran weight and I found 4.5mm's about right for gauge. Yes, of course I've already started knitting with it!

I hadn't any knitting plans when I bought it except having a really nice skein of manos to 'own':-) I rarely fall for the labels but I do like to indulge now and again. And I can see why people do. Lovely yarns are sooo addictive! Alpaca and silk blend in the same month! But its an expensive addiction at £12 a skein. But, I tell myself, this could make a shawl, a pair of gloves or a beret and there you have a lovely present for little more than you could buy something. Or maybe with inflation, its a bargain:-)

But on to important things like what have I been making with this lovely yarn?

Well, I've been designing myself a lacy cowl to wear that matches my cranberry/pink coat. After knitting the lovely snuggly alpaca cowl, I thought this yarn would be lovely and soft around the neck too and it is definitely my colour.

The Manos has a slight variegation which I like but it doesn't get in the way of the lace pattern too much. The pattern is a double leaf motif I found in a stitch dictionary and as I was working out the repeats for the cowl, I realised how familiar this seemed. Very similar to the lace border on the Veylas mitts! It's not exactly the same but there seem to be lots of traditional variations out there in patternland. I could spend ages looking for new structures to try.

It's knitting up very quickly and I love the way the bottom edging curves due to the shaping of the leaves. The top edge should curve too - in theory! I'll tell you when I get there. I'm about halfway so far and just knitting along happily enjoying the softness of the yarn, the way the lace leaves 'appear' as I go and thinking how the choice of a yarn can really 'make' a pattern - as well as a gorgeous snuggly cowl:-)