Crochet Journey

The fourth Monday of every month is my Crochet Clinic class.  This is an unstructured class with no set lesson plan, where everyone can bring in their questions and projects they may need help with, or request a stitch or technique demonstration, and that's what we go with.  It's also a good time for students to catch up with any classes they may have missed, and is a stand-alone class for anyone just wanting some face-time with an instructor who can offer some guidance. Got a project in the closet that you just haven't been able to finish?  Stumped by a crochet pattern?  Unfamiliar with a technique you need to know for the project you've chosen?  The Crochet Clinic is the place to be!  Join us the fourth Monday of each month at 10 a.m.!

The graph and resulting C2C sample look simple, right?  Not so fast; there's a good amount of planning and attention to detail that goes into every crocheted graphic design.  With practice and skill, plus the help of software designed to produce ready-made graphs of any photo, the sky's the limit as to what images can be reproduced with yarn! There are three ways to stitch C2C, or corner-to-corner crochet:  cutting and weaving in ends when changing colors in each diagonal row (slow and tedious, but looks great when completed, and is completely reversible), cutting the ends and tying them on the back (when creating a wall hanging or pillow, where the reverse side will not be seen), or by "carrying" the yarn, crocheting over the strands of unused colors to keep them at the ready for the color changes (efficient, but there are a few "floats" or short strands of yarn that can be seen, especially on the reverse side).  None of these methods is particularl...

Today's lesson was an introduction to corner-to-corner crochet, or C2C, as it is more popularly known.  C2C involves crocheting many small boxes of 4 double crochet or 4 half-double crochet each, starting in one corner and working across in diagonal fashion.  The stitch works up fast and easy and is terrific for shawls, scarves, household decor, bath and spa accessories. The stitch itself is fairly simple, and then comes learning to make color changes and working from a chart where each block on the page corresponds to a stitch block, enabling the crocheter to create unique designs, even reproducing photos to make a wall hanging or a "graphgan."  The possibilities are endless! Yarn used in this sample is KnitPicks Dishie worsted weight in Begonia and Creme Brulee. Want to increase your crochet skills and learn new-to-you techniques like this?  Join us Mondays at 10 a.m.!

The first Monday of the month is Square of the Month day in our intermediate class.  Last month we did the Elizabeth, or "mini-bean" stitch for our square; today we started our square with the Webbed Lace stitch.  Like the Elizabeth stitch, the Webbed Lace also is good for scarves, shawls, blankets, and afghans, wherever crocheted fabric with a good drape is desired.  It also looks exactly the same on both sides and, of course, lies flat.  Being an openwork stitch, it also works up quickly and uses less yarn than solid fabric.  Other than a slightly tricky foundation row, the stitch pattern is easy to learn and relaxing to do. Yarn used in this photo is Knitpicks Brava Worsted Yarn  in Fig.  Next week we will be embarking on learning corner-to-corner crochet, or C2C, a popular and fun technique of making small diagonal squares to form a fabric on its own, but also to incorporate pictures and designs in crocheted fabric.  We'll all be th...