Crochet

Patterns, projects and techniques

Making The Most Of Your Crochet

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cro ronnie afghan 1013

 

My friend Ronnie is a very talented crocheter.  She can glimpse a pattern and almost instantly see where a mistake might crop up.  She can look at my work and find where I’ve gone wrong right away – after I’ve counted each row a gazillion times.  She is a very prolific crocheter, turning up at our monthly crochet club meetings with a staggering number of FO’s that put the rest to of to shame.  I mean – Really!  When does she sleep?

I might also add that when I have yarn that won’t tell me what it wants to be when it grows up, it often winds up in the hands of Ronnie or DJ, both of whom are very talented at turning cast off yarn into works of crochet loveliness.  Several time, I have gotten my cast off yarn back int he form of a scarf or even an afghan!  That’s quite a trade!

That’s why I wanted to show off one of Ronnie’s latest projects.

This afghan is a generous TEN  feet by ? feet – just huge!  It’s title is Klimt Afghan.  If you are familiar at all with the work of artist Gustav Klimt, you’ll know why the afghan is so named.  Here’s one of his most famous works.  Check out those rectangles of many different sizes.  Clear inspiration for someone like Ronnie who took the original pattern and turned it into something uniquely hers.

cro klimt 1013

So, when Ronnie began this afghan, she put out a call to her crochet friends to bring their leftovers to her.  I did my share!  Others did too.  She was neither demanding nor picky.  She took all she received and turned them into this masterpiece.  Then, THEN, she had to join them all with black yarn.  That’s a hard chore for those of us with eyes over thirty or forty years of age!

The result is this lovely afghan.  The interplay of colors the way Ronnie has placed them, brings out the best of each group of colors.  She made the most of each partial skein or few yards of each yarn she used.  The picture does not do it justice.  Fortunately, I was able to see the afghan in person.  It’s a truly masterful piece.

PS – You may have seen this afghan as an entry in last month’s themed Giveaway on my blog.

Comments

  1. Thank you for your very nice comments.

    I hate to see/have those odd leftovers that take up space in my stash. It’s fun to take the different colors and simply “mix them up”.

    I might get lucky and get another project showcased by jd in the future.

Have you read?

Free Purple Witch Hat Keychain Crochet Pattern – Cute Halloween Bag Charm

If you love those tiny crochet projects that use hardly any yarn but still look ridiculously cute, this little witch hat is worth adding to your Halloween list.

The Free Purple Witch Hat Keychain Crochet Pattern on CraftBits is worked from the top down in one main piece, so there is very little sewing together at the end. You start with the pointed purple hat, add a black band, work the brim, then finish it off with a tiny gold buckle and that classic crooked witch-hat shape.

It is exactly the sort of project I like for leftover yarn. You only need small amounts of purple, black and gold, which means those odd little yarn balls we all refuse to throw away finally have a purpose.

The finished hat can be attached to a keyring or bag clip, but you could also use it as a Halloween tree ornament, zipper charm, gift topper or even string several together to make a spooky little garland.

I also love how easy it would be to change the colours. Try orange and black, green and purple, or cream and dusty pink for a softer cottage-witch look.

If you are in a Halloween crochet mood, you might also like our roundup of Free Halloween Crochet Patterns You Can Make in a Day or these 15 Spider Web Crochet Patterns for Halloween.

This is a quick, beginner-friendly Halloween crochet project that would be especially cute for party favours, market stalls or little handmade gifts.

Grab the full pattern here: Free Purple Witch Hat Keychain Crochet Pattern – Mini Halloween Bag Charm.