Monday, October 26, 2009

Snowflake/Sniezynka



















Making crochet snowflakes for Christmas has become a bit of a tradition in my house. They're addictive, easy, fast to make and look cute, especially en masse. I usually use ready patterns found in various books and on the web and this year I have done so, too. However, as I was browsing the web one day, I found a photo of this cute snowflake and decided to try to replicate it in crochet. Well, maybe not replicate it, but at least get the gist of it. To my surprise, this specific snowflake was relatively easy to design and execute, although a bit fiddly due to the thinness of the yarn. A little further in this post, you'll find the recipe for this snowflake. Please, keep in mind that I am not a professional crochet designer/pattern writer. If you find any glaring mistakes in the pattern instructions, please let me know. Enjoy.

Robienie sniezynek szydelkiem jest od jakiegos czasu tradycja w moim domu. Trudno im sie oprzec bo latwe, szybko sie robi i fajnie wygladaja, szczegolnie w duzych ilosciach. Przewaznie robie z gotowych wzorow w ksiazkach, albo z internetu. W tym roku tez tak jest, z tym, ze pewnego dnia, bladzac po internecie, natrafilam na zdjecie takiej oto sniezynki i postanowilam sprobowac ja odtworzyc na szydelku. Nawet latwa byla w projekcie i wykonaniu, tylko ze troche zmudna, bo i nici dosyc cienkie, i powtarzajacy sie wzor. Zalaczam ponizej przepis na te sniezynke, ale po angielsku. Jezeli ktos by chcial po polsku, to poprosze do mnie napisac - chetnie sproboje przetlumaczyc indywidualnie.















Click on the above photo to enlarge.


Recipe for Maggie's Snowflake 1

NOTE: This pattern is for your personal use only. Please do not sell it, or snowflake(s) made from this pattern.

Materials:

I used size 20 cotton crochet thread
Crochet hook size 1.5 mm
Commercially available fabric stiffener

Resulting snowflake is 5 1/8" in diameter.

Abbreviations and additional instructions:

ch - chain(s)
sc - single crochet
hdc - half double crochet
dc - double crochet
tr - treble crochet
sk - skip
sl st - slip stitch

***Make Picot = chain 4, slip stitch into 4th chain from the hook

Please click on the photo of snowflake with explanations drawn on it, in order to enlarge it.


Make a base adjustable ring. Here are instructions on how to do that, from Stitch Diva Studios.

Round 1
Ch 2 (counts as 1 sc + 1 ch), (sc, ch 1) 11 times, slip st to 1st chain of the round. You just completed a base circle, and you should have 12 ch1 spaces.

Round 2
Ch 8 (first 3 chains count as 1 dc), * # hdc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 9, make picot, ch 7, make picot, ch 7, slip st into 7th ch from hook, make picot, slip st into the 3rd slip st from hook (see Fig. 1A [you just made a picot cluster - Fig.1], (ch 3, make picot, ch 7, slip into 7th ch from hook, make picot, slip st into the 3rd slip st from hook) twice, ch 3, slip st into 3rd chain under the 1st picot cluster (Fig.2), ch 4, make picot, ch 4, slip st into 4th ch under the first picot (Fig. 3), slip st into next 5 ch, ch2, slip st into base of hdc cluster, slip st into next 3 chains;

ch 3, sk next ch 1 space of base circle, tr in next sc of base circle, ch 10, slip st into 3rd ch from hook, slip st into next 5 ch, ch 9, slip st into 3rd ch from hook, slip st into next 4 ch, ch 8, slip st into 3rd ch from hook, slip st into next 3 ch, ch 5, 2 dc into 3rd ch from hook, make picot, ch 4, slip st into base of 2 dc cluster, slip st into next 2 ch, ch 6, slip st into 3rd ch from hook, slip st into next 5 ch [two of these ch are part of the "stem" of the "branch" you're making], ch 7, slip st into 3rd ch from hook, slip st into next 6 ch, ch 8, slip into 3rd ch from hook, slip st into next 7 ch, ch 3 # , sk next ch 1 space of base circle, dc into next sc of base circle, ch 5 *.

Repeat all steps from * to * 4 times more. Then repeat all steps from # to # once. Slip st in 3rd chain from the beginning ch 8 of the round. Tie off, break yarn, weave in ends.

Saturate finished snowflake with fabric stiffener of your choice. Block/shape into desired form. Enjoy.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Kapeluszowo Szydelkowo/ Hats, hats, hats...















No, OK, wiec mam fizia na punkcie kapeluszy. Nic na to nie poradze. A jesli chodzi o kapelusze robione wlasnorecznie, to jak znajde jakis fajny wzor, ktory mi sie naprawde podoba, i nie wygladam w nim jak ostatnia sierota, to od razu robie kilka (w roznych kolorach, ma sie rozumiec). Tak bylo i tym razem. Znalazlam ten oto wzor na Modest Cloche. No i musialam go miec. Koniec. Kropka. MUSIALAM. Pewnie, ze moglabym usiasc i rozpracowac ten wzor na podstawie fotografii, ale mi sie nie chcialo, wiec zakupilam. Jak sie latwo domyslic, wzor jest niesamowicie prosty, latwy w wykonaniu, szybki, az milo siegnac po szydelko. W oryginale uzyto jedwabnej wloczki, ale ze na takowa nie bylo mnie stac, wiec uzylam Sublime Yarns Cashmere Merino Silk DK. O ludzie! Jaka puszysta, mieciutka, poemat w palcach! Jest to mieszanka welny Merino, jedwabiu i kaszmiru. Nic tylko siedziec i gniesc motki w palcach dla czystej przyjemnosci. Wracajac do kapelusza, to czuje, ze jeszcze nie wyszlo mi z systemu, czyli, ze prawdopodobnie zrobie jeszcze jeden. Tylko kiedy? Chcialam coreczce zrobic na prezent Gwiazdkowy taka oto sukienke (ale nie z ciapkowatej wloczki), a to zajmie troche czasu. Zobaczymy... Dziekuje Gosciom za odwiedziny na blogu. Uwielbiam odwiedzac Wasze blogi i cieszyc oczy Waszymi robotkami. Pozdrawiam.















OK, so I'm crazy about hats. I can't help it. When I find a pattern for knit or crochet hat, that I really like (and one that won't make me look like a total dork), I have to make several (in different colours, of course). So, that's what happened with this pattern for Modest Cloche, by Jennifer Hansen from Stitch Diva Studios. As soon, as I saw it, I knew that I had to make it. The pattern itself is very easy, straightforward, quick to execute - pure crocheting pleasure. Now, the original called for 100% silk yarn, but since it was too pricey for me at this time, I used Sublime Yarns Cashmere Merino Silk DK. No, it's not dirt cheap, but I got it at a good price. Oh, man, is this yarn ever sooooooft, squishy, buttery - a total yarny poetry. For a while, I just sat there and squeezed the skeins. However, if you can make the cloche from the suggested silk yarn, go for it - it will result in a gorgeous hat. I think that I will make one more of these in Sublime yarn. The question is when? Christmas is approaching fast and I wanted to make this dress as a gift for my DD. We'll see...
To my blog Guests - thank you for visiting. I love visiting your blogs and seeing all the knitting, crochet and other crafts that you make. Have a super day.