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Making The Most Of Your Crochet

November 7, 2013 by jd wolfe

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.

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Comments

  1. RonnieT says

    November 7, 2013 at 5:58 am

    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.

  2. dj says

    November 7, 2013 at 11:55 am

    Yeah Ronnie!
    It’s so great to see your work getting wider attention than the oohhs and aahhs at club.

  3. Sheri *¿* says

    November 7, 2013 at 8:25 pm

    I am waiting for my stash bucket to get bigger!

Have you read?

Crochet Christmas Hat and Mitten Ornament

This tiny crochet Christmas hat and mitten set is such a sweet little holiday make. It works up in festive stripes and looks lovely as a tree ornament, package topper, stocking decoration, or tucked onto a wreath. It’s also one of those fun small projects that uses up leftover yarn, which is always satisfying around Christmas.

Materials

  • Red Heart Super Sport or 3 ply sport yarn in Christmas colours such as: 
    • Blue 
    • White 
    • Green 
  • Size 1 steel crochet hook 
  • Yarn needle for finishing 

Finished Size

  • Hat: approximately 1½ inches long 
  • Mitten: approximately 2 inches long 

Abbreviations

  • ch = chain 
  • sc = single crochet 
  • sl st = slip stitch 
  • st = stitch 
  • sts = stitches 
  • tog = together 
  • rpt = repeat 
  • rnd = round 
  • lps = loops 

Pattern Notes

  • Unless otherwise stated, work in the back loops only. 
  • Join rounds with a slip stitch. 
  • The mitten is worked from the cuff upward. 
  • The hat is worked from the cuff upward. 
  • For a more traditional Christmas look, try red, white, and green. 

Christmas Mitten Ornament

Cuff

With mitten colour, ch 6.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of the remaining 4 ch. Turn.
(5 sc)

Rows 2–12: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn.

Row 13: Hold the first and last rows together, matching stitches. Working through both thicknesses, ch 1, sl st in each st across to form the cuff. Do not turn.

Hand

Rnd 14: Working in the ends of the cuff rows, ch 1, (sc in next row end, 2 sc in next row end) around. Join with sl st in first sc.
(18 sts)

Rnd 15: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join. Fasten off.

Rnd 16: Join stripe colour with sc in first st, sc in each st around. Join. Fasten off.

Rnd 17: With mitten colour, repeat Round 16.

Rnd 18: Join stripe colour with sc in first st, sc in next 10 sts, 2 sc in next st, leaving last 6 sts unworked. Join. Fasten off.
(13 sts)

Rnds 19–21: Repeat Rounds 17 and 16 alternately, ending with Round 17.

Rnd 22: Working in both loops, ch 1, sc in each st around. Join.

Rnd 23: Working in both loops, ch 1, sc in first 2 sts, sc next 2 sts tog, (sc in each of next 2 sts, sc next 2 sts tog) 2 times, sc in last st. Join.
Leave an 8 inch tail and fasten off.

Thread the yarn tail through the stitches of Round 23, pull to gather, and secure.

Thumb

Working in both loops, join mitten colour with sc in the first unworked st of Round 17.

Thumb Round 1: Sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in last st. Join with sl st in first sc.
(7 sc)

Thumb Rounds 2–3: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join.

At the end of the final round, leave an 8 inch tail and fasten off. Thread yarn through the stitches, pull to gather, and secure.

Christmas Hat Ornament

Cuff

With hat colour, ch 4.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of the last 2 ch. Turn.
(3 sc)

Rows 2–32: Working in back loops only, ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn.

Row 33: Repeat Row 13 of the mitten pattern to join the cuff into a ring.

Hat Body

Rnd 34: Working in the ends of rows around the cuff, ch 1, sc in each row around. Join with sl st in first sc.
(32 sts)

Rnd 35: Working in back loops only, ch 1, sc in each st around. Join.

Rnds 36–38: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join. Fasten off at the end of Round 38.

Rnds 39–44: Working in back loops only, repeat Rounds 16 and 17 of the mitten alternately for festive striping.

Rnd 45: Ch 1, sc in first 2 sts, sc next 2 sts tog, (sc in next 2 sts, sc next 2 sts tog) around. Join.
(18 sts)

Rnd 46: Repeat Round 45.
(12 sts)

Rnd 47: Ch 1, sc in first st, sc next 2 sts tog, (sc in next st, sc next 2 sts tog) around. Join.
Leave an 8 inch tail and fasten off.

Thread yarn through remaining stitches, pull to gather, and secure. Turn cuff up.

Tie

With mitten colour, ch 20. Fasten off.

Sew one end of the tie to the mitten cuff and the other end to the centre top of the hat on the wrong side.

Hanger

With mitten colour, ch 18. Fasten off.

Tack both ends of the hanger to the centre top of the hat on the right side.

This tiny Christmas set is adorable worked in classic holiday shades, and it would be very cute hanging on the tree beside handmade stockings and mini crochet candy canes.

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