Warp Speed: Weaving on a Twig Loom

Sunday was an all-about-weaving day for me. First, in my Religious Education (Sunday school) class, we did a lesson on the Gaia creation story and talked about how the goddess Athena taught weaving to the ancient Greeks, from harvesting, spinning, and dying flax to weaving. Then I showed the class my two looms, my 16-shaft Purrington tabletop loom and my child-friendly Harrisville rigid heddle loom, on which I let them all do a few picks of weaving. Next, they got to work on their own weaving project, which I'll call weaving on a twig loom. Following an example I found on the internet, but adapting it to my class and another project I had seen, each child received a loom constructed of two horizontal approximately 8" long sticks from my backyard with 10 pieces of yarn tied vertically between them (next time, I'll double the number of "warp" threads in that space). Then using their fingers as the shuttles, they wove "in front" and "behind," changing colors as the spirit moved them, packing the yarn, or beating, with their fingers. In true Unitarian Universalist fashion, one boy never altered his back-and-front pattern so that he wasn't really weaving but, despite our suggestions, kept to his plan--we do grow independent thinkers! They each took extra yarn home to finish up and then hang them on their walls. Next time, I'll know to leave long ends on each warp thread both to tie them in bundles of 3 or more (I guess a kind of hemstitching) and to leave decorative tassles. All in all, though, it was very successful--even my kiddos wove on a twig loom and had fun! But they liked the big rigid heddle better . . . .

Later in my afternoon weaving class, I had a "midterm": making another warp. It was an excellent refresher and actually made more sense to me the third time around! I even had an observer asking all sorts of questions, most of which I couldn't quite answer, but which led us both to find the answer. As a reward, we all got a few back issues of Handwoven magazine. There is a "final" in two weeks, covering everything, including actually dressing another loom. Should be very helpful.

The only downside is that I have not had a chance to work on Mama's scarf much, because of the sickness in the house and no school/babysitter for weaving time. And her scarf is due, ideally, in two weeks at the final exam. I doubt I'll finish but that's okay. All these tests are in good fun. And I'm definitely having more fun this time around.

Carousel

I love riding carousels. There's a wonderful scene in the movie Parenthood, where Mary Steenburgen talks about life as either a roller coaster ride or a carousel--she prefers the excitement of the roller coaster, though her nervous husband Steve Martin doesn't. I always thought, despite it being a great film and dialogue, that carousels got a bum rap. They're beautiful, historic, and, if you ride the one at Central Park which goes a wopping 8 mph, even fast and fun.

My kids love them now too (and not just because they haven't been on a roller coaster). They've ridden them at Beardsley Zoo, the Bronx Zoo, and Day out with Thomas--they love choosing their animals and they, as DS says, going "up and down and round and round." They talk about those rides--on the bugs, on the tiger, on the little carousel--quite a bit. And every morning when they see a picture of me in the hallway, they say, "Mommy likes to ride on carousels."

Because I love carousels (and am hoping to catch the exhibit at the Folk Art museum when we go into town to see the Rockefeller Tree), I am calling my first weaving project my "carousel scarf." That's right, I have just completed a weaving course. I can cross stitch, quilt, crochet, and knit, as a beginner. When I finished that Ph.D., I gave up reading and writing for handicrafts and the needle and fabric arts. Not that I get much time for those either now (especially quilting and cross stitching which are nearly impossible with babes around or in short batches of time). I do crochet quite a bit--I am on baby blanket number 5 of 11 (yes, most people I know are pregnant. It's a quick blanket in Red Heart Baby Cloud of the appropriate color--pink or blue with a white border if I know, white if I don't with an added border of color. Chain about 2 1/2 feet, single crochet with size M hook until blanket reaches a good size, then do a border of 3-4 rounds).

But being a living history museum aficionado, I have always been curious about spinning and weaving. And so, I signed up for a weaving class this fall. And it was miraculous. Literally. With no knowledge and little skill, I have made fabric using, essentially, two strings. We used a 4 shaft table loom to make a standard twill. I choose pink and green, or cassis and sage Jaegerspun yarn. We wrapped our own warp--and now I know the difference between the warp and the weft (the former is dressed on the loom, the latter is what you pass back and forth with your shuttle). We dressed our looms, threaded the heddles, and began to weave. First a sampler--oh, history buff cup runneth over--and then worked on our scarves. I had some starts and stops--lots of my warp broke on the warp board and later I broke a warp thread on the loom, plus had trouble with edges. I messed up some of the picks, or passes, in my patterns and was obsessed with these flaws. I was discouraged. I also missed a few classes due to illness--we're all better with those colds--well, not all, DP finally got it. Again. But I knew I wanted to finish (I've always been a better starter, which I realized this week, this self-revelation I'll write about some other time) and so I worked on it all week, weaving stockinette, herringbone, old rib, all these wonderful old patterns in 2-2 and 1-3 twill. I finally got into a rhythm with changing the heddles, beating, and picking, not worrying if I made an error with my edges or misread the pattern. And as I sat on the couch, talking to DP, sometimes sipping tea between picks (passes of the shuttle), I felt this continuum of women and men making cloth--colonial dames, Navajo women, men in sweatshops during the indurstrial revolution, Egyptians making cotton and linen that mummies were wrapped in, Chinese silks, Ikat fabrics of the middle east.

And so as I was weaving the idea of the carousel came to me--the up and down of the heddles, the back and forth of the shuttle, the circular nature of twill (which my teacher noted, and which I'm just beginning to understand), the up and down of my experience with the class and the project, the shimmering fantasy-like quality of the pink and green.

I finished the actual weaving of the scarf last week and took it to class during the weekend, where I hemstitched it and finally had it cut (I watched my teacher do this) off the loom, the birth of my scarf. It really was miraculous. I hadn't seen it all together--you can only see a few inches at a time--had no idea of its length. And it's just amazing. I couldn't help wearing it for the rest of the evening, stroking the cloth, even though I have to finish the tassles and then wash it, so that right now it's not quite finished. But I love it.

And I can't wait to start the next one, on the rigid heddle loom I got for Christmas last year (thanks, Mom). And thanks, DP, for encouraging me to take the class and making it possible for me to go each week and then work on the scarf at home. Yours is next!

Warp Speed: Starting Mama's Scarf

After a two-week absence, I was back in weaving class today, but not too far behind because some people started late. My teacher examined my sample--my beating is good but I need to pay attention to my edges (a trick with that magic weaver's angle--hold it in place; also, she told us that everyone has a better edge! Mine is the right edge.), and she likes my color combo. She also looked at my loom and didn't see that collapsing it to travel was causing too much change in the tension. But I'll still be glad that we'll be taking the next few weeks "off" to weave at home (though next week is our "midterm"--we have to make a new warp, just a few inches, to practice).

So, after everything checked out okay, I put in a cardboard spacer between my sample and my scarf, which saves room for tassles later. And I hemstitched it altogether to hold it in place. I actually really like to hemstitch--it looks so neat and tidy when you basically tie down the bottom row of your weaving to keep it from unravelling. It almost makes these tiny little tassles (later, we'll do a twisted tassle, which takes forever). (Note to self: I put in 12 picks of plainweave after the hemstitching; my other teacher said to pick a number that I can remember and that would be it).

We talked a little about patterns and drafting. She suggested getting something like cash register/adding machine ribbon to pin into your fell, the edge of your weaving, to track which patterns you do for how long so you know without having to unwind it what your scarf looks like. I wrote it all down on a sheet of paper the first time but that got very messy (though, Mama and I did manage to read it and match it to my scarf so that I could identify some patterns). And she talked about ways weavers organize their pattern, particularly Fibonnaci numbers. In case you aren't up on your mathematical theorems, Fibonnaci numbers go 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144 . . . etc etc etc. Just adding the "last" two numbers to get the next one. Fibonnaci numbers are often found in nature, including:

Fibonacci sequences appear in biological settings, in two consecutive Fibonacci numbers, such as branching in trees, arrangement of leaves on a stem, the fruitlets of a pineapple,the flowering of artichoke, an uncurling fern and the arrangement of a pine cone.

Apparently, the sequence can also be found in chambered nautilus shells and the seeds of sunflowers. Weavers often then incorporate the numbers into their patterns, for instance doing one patter for 3", then another for 5", and maybe another for 3", using some combination of the numbers in or out of sequence (see here for an example). Of course, weaves are inspired by many things, apparently, in drafting patterns: from letters in a name (each one getting a color) to musical sequences (ditto with notes) to astrological signs (as described in this month's Handwoven magazine).

Of course, I'm not worrying too much about that because Mama has selected her pattern, which will basically be a series of alternating weft- and warp-faced horizontal stripes (I think that is how you would describe it). I had considered changing color to do a few other stripes but I think that might be a bit too complicated (or something; my teacher wasn't that jazzed on the idea). Besides, Mama likes simple.

And so the weaving begins. Or will. After all that, I had to head home for tuck-in instead of weaving a few inches. There will be lots of that, though, in the weeks to come.

Warp Speed

Today's weaving class found us winding the warp on a large pegged warp board with the color of thread that would form the warp of our scarves (this means the color that becomes the tassles/fringe at the end, not the weft, which is on your spindle during weaving). Wrapping 120" of warp in each pass from the top of the board, around numerous pegs, to the bottom, changing my pattern slightly every 20 passes (or "inch" because my SETT is 20), to create 10 inches for Mama's 8 inch wide scarf (taking into account 2" of draw) meant that I did 100+ squats.

That's the important part (and I don't even fully comprehend why I do what I'm doing).

Yep, weaving is good exercise.

Next week, dressing the loom--sleying reeds, threading heddles, tying onto lease sticks.

Then, weaving!

Warp Speed: Dressing the Loom and Off We Go

It always takes longer to dress the loom than I think it should, which is probably just beginner's impatience. But

• putting end stick through end loops and securing
• placing lease sticks in raddle cross
• placing the raddle between both sets of sticks and spacing out the bundles
• attaching end sticks to loom end stick
• winding warp onto loom
  
• placing paper bags between layers
• moving lease sticks from inch-by-inch cross to thread-by-thread cross
• cutting the front end loop
• tying warp into bundles
• tying lease sticks up for threading
• threading the heddles
• sleying the reed
• tying onto front apron stick
• adjusting tension
  

. . . . all with special knots--surgeon's, lark's head, slip, overhand, choke ties . . . .
. . . . all while you count and recount, tie and untie and retie bundles . . . .
. . . . all while everyone asks why you haven't started weaving yet . . . .

Well, it's no wonder it took more than 3 weeks of class! And I'd even done it before, two years ago. But the repetition was good. Besides, Albus the cat watched me from the wide castle of my 16-shaft loom the whole time I threaded those 200 heddles! And then sleyed the reed, again, with 200 threads.

I just wish I'd remembered to take pictures of all the steps as I did it.

Now my loom is finally dressed, with its indigo Jaegerspun warp. And I have a shuttle full of plum weft. It's time to start weaving, but only my practice swatch (think of it as checking the gauge in knitting). I started with several rows of plain weave (1-3, 2-4) and then experimented with a few patterns. Mama checked in as I went along--it's her scarf, after all--and chose a horizontal stripe pattern (4, 3, 2, 1, 2-3-4, 1-3-4, 1-2-4, 1-2-3) for her scarf. My first scarf is much more of a sampler, with about 20+ different patterns separated by bands of plain weave. But I wanted Mama's scarf to be more composed, if you will, than that. I think it will be pretty, showing off both the indigo and the plum well.

I wove about 4+ inches tonight and will do the same tomorrow night, just to get the feel for it again--remembering to go over and then under my selvage thread, how to keep the special weaver's 45-degree angle to make my sides as straight as possible, establishing a routine for when to beat (after a pass, generally, but before I change my shafts), how hard to beat, when to advance the warp (mind you, I'm still practicing doing it all and am not sure of the exact phraseology). And then, hopefully, on Sunday, I'll put in a spacer between my sample and my "real" scarf (probably a piece of chip board, at least for awhile) and start working on it. I just have to remember that even though it is my second scarf, it is still only my second scarf and I'm still learning. I'm kinda thinking of it as my second "first" scarf!

Besides, experience tells me that many of the mistakes are so much less obvious once there are tassles and the scarf has been washed (which seems to help the uniformity). Besides, once you wrap it around your neck and tuck it in a coat, whose looking at each row of weaving??

So, let the fun begin!

Warp Speed: Weaving Meeting

Yesterday, I attended a meeting of the local weaver's guild, where I had lunch with the woman who had sold me her loom, met up with a fellow museum educator and local weaver, and reconnected with a few of my weaving classmates. Best of all, not only did I pick up my warping board, which allows me to begin my next, and first solo, weaving project, I was inspired by the guild's friendship exchange. Apparently, way back when, they decided to exchange kitchen towels and devised a system to determine what they would look like: several patterns, colors, techniques, textures, etc. were written on pieces of paper and placed in a hat and each weaver picked out a few which they had to include, excepting one, in a kitchen towel (apparently, they've done scarves, handbags, and a "monster in the bag" where they exchanged scraps and had to make something). Yesterday, they all came together, showed off their towels, and exchanged the finished products by flipping a coin and passing them to the left. There were several lovely towels--something called a waffle weave that they all labeled a "thirsty towel" because it would absorb a lot, another towel with a lovely sunrise palette of orange, yellow, and red that somehow resulted in a light grapefruit pink too, (I think it was) Bronson lace inlaid on a plaid pattern, a pretty cream towel with embroidered pansies. Just so many different combinations, so many individual ideas. Made me want to make a bunch of hand towels! Excepting I have Jaggerspun cotton/silk not the kind of cotton/linen they mostly used, and mine wouldn't make a good towel. Next time . . . . adding to my list of placemats and tablerunners and scarves that I want to make!

What A Week, So Far

• The weather: Connecticut can't decide--is it summer or fall, rainy or dry, cold or warm? We had downpours last night and wind warnings today, but beautiful weather yesterday after a 44F morning.
• Health: Sis had her follow-up after being sick and on antibiotics--she's fine. And we got some advice for heading into all of the swine flu in Texas--vitamin C and osccillconium, just to support immune systems. Fine. Can't hurt. Though, I was a bit disturbed to read that the latter comes from a muscovy duck (which we saw at the farm yesterday, more on that soon)--a single duck for millions of doses, meaning there isn't any duck in my pill just some sugar, as is the way with homeopathic remedies. Still, I'm a bit down about the duck. Otherwise, I've had a stomach bug which has kept me close at home the last few days as I begin to feel better.
• Pumpkin Farm: We went on a pumpkin farm field trip yesterday, seeing ducks and a calf, taking a hayride, and best of all for the kids jumping around a huge hay maze. And Mama came with us. Bud also liked the scarecrow that they each got in their goodie bags. And, of course, the pumpkins.
• Church Festival: On Sunday, we spent half the day at the church festival, which for the first time in a few years enjoyed good weather. We mostly perused the book sale, picking up a few kids' books and cookbooks, and played the children's games. Sis chose brownies from the bake sale that ended up being burnt on the bottom; I had promised her we'd make an apple pie at home to avoid having to pay for our own pie, which they'd priced at $8. I hope they got it. Not sure if any of our breads or pies sold. I did find a doll at the tag sale table, a rag doll based on Joan Walsh Anglund characters, like one I've had for years, which I picked up for $3. I used to have a light-blue lined sleeping bag with all the little girls having tea and such on it--the big eyed, otherwise featureless, vaguely historically girls in dresses that I really liked. The look has been, since then, corrupted by Precious Moments, which I find too precious and not at all endearing as Anglund's drawings. Anyway, I was giddy about finding the doll.
• Weaving: After several classes, my loom is dressed and I can start weaving, first my sample, and then later the scarf for Mama. It took awhile to thread all those heddles, especially because the castle on my loom is so big--Albus would sit on top and watch me thread!--but luckily sleying the reed was fast and then it was just tying it on and getting started. No problems yet, after all the problems--broken threads on the warp board, skipped heddles, miscounted inches, and broken warp threads on the loom--that I had last time. I should have the scarf done by Christmas and I'm definitely looking forward to the process.
• Trip Preparation: As I've mentioned, we're going to Texas for more than a week and excitement is definitely building over here at the Hungry household. The kids can barely tell time and so keep wondering when we're going. And then, oddly, they forget and think Gommie is coming here. Sis keeps talking about "Gommie's candy" (hint, hint: have some with you at the airport!) and she woke up this morning talking about all the toys Gommie said she got. Bud, on the other hand, wants to go fishing, saying that we always fish with Pop. That wasn't on our list . . . but everything else is: Texas Renaissance Festival, Chinese warrior exhibition, International Quilt Festival, trip to Rockport to see my aunt and uncle, trip to Pop's cabin to have a campout, and I realized this morning we could perhaps catch a football game with my high school team and that we really should go to the half priced bookstore! Plus, of course, seeing Gommie, Pop, Aunt Banana, Uncle Soccer, Granny Q, and others . . . . And I don't have a thing to wear. My summer wardrobe is worn out but there aren't any summer clothes really available up here now--and it is going to be 90F in Houston today. Oh, well, it's more about the kids anyway. Mama and I are, as usual, highstrung about traveling with the kids, worrying about logistics and such--not just how well they'll sleep and what we need to pack but also swine flu and plane crashes (yes, we are worriers). I know we'll have fun and that Gommie and Pop have gone out of their way to get ready for us (the unparalleled excitement on both sides of the country making me feel extremely guilty that we don't get down there more). It'll just take a bit for Mama and I to settle in and relax (well, for me; I don't know if she will).
• Etc. But before all that, the kids have school; I have a dental appt to check my nightguard which is actually coming off at night which is a choking hazard; we have playdates; and errands to run, from getting our farm box to dropping off the cats at "kitty camp." And so I haven't blogged much and probably won't until either we get there or get back.

Details, Details

Saturday

Cloudy, cooler.

Breakfast in Union, Ct at the Traveler's Resturant--get 3 free books with every meal.

Bread and Jam for Frances, a book on the solar system, Where's the Me in Museum?

Extra sweet pancakes unliked; carrot Glorious Morning muffin devoured.

Sis really reads the word "zoo" on her coloring placemat!

Fifes and drums at Old Sturbridge Village.

"Simple Gifts."

One Civil War corps, playing "Battle Hymn of the Republic"

Scary loud musket.

Two new calves.

Gingerbread.

A little wooden fife. And a little plastic pig.

Learn about baking bread in old ovens.

And weaving wool into yarn.

Head home late, sleep all the way.

Sunday

Homecoming Sunday at church.

Bake Swedish Apple Pie and heat 3 boxes of macaroni and cheese for potluck lunch.

Sharing of Water & Earth from all over Ceremony.

Kids head to class; I head to class, with the 2nd-5th graders, to discuss important questions.

New game, 2 Falses and 1 True. Can you guess? I was a competitive ice skater in high school, an archaeologist in Tunisia in college, or a Disneyland cast member after college.

Garlicky pasta with broccoli, curried broccoli cheese soup, salads, our apple pie.

Sis likes chicken and rice; Bud likes barbecued drum sticks. Note to self about new meal ideas.

Home for rest--more "Dinosaur Train."

I go to weaving class, excited about my new loom.

Indigo and plum Jaggerspun for Mama's scarf.

Home in time for dinner (noodles, eggs, soybean stir fry)--the kids love the 2 False and 1 True game--and tuck-in (after playing "Rocks-Paper-Scissors" to see who gets a ride usptairs first!)

Make first day of school poster, notecards for the whole year; stuff "school cones" with pencils, calculator, sticky notes, stickers, and stuffed critter.

Go to bed really late.

And nobody really sleeps.

Monday

Kids up early, so excited.

Open schultute, eat breakfast, wear matching school shirts, pack new lunch boxes with grapes and pretzels/cereal (dino for Bud; Hello Kitty for Sis, who wrote her name on it by herself!), pose for pictures, leave so we can be there first, at Sis's request.

Kids excited and hardly notice we leave.

Sign up for parents committee.

Repeatedly browse book orders!

Mama and I go to bookstore for coffee and browsing--chapter books for the kids, squash cookbook for me; home store for mattress cover and pillows; library to return books and get new books (Lahiri's new collection Unaccustomed Earth) and a few CDs--Madame Butterfly with Freni and Carreras for $1!! And the new Zoe Lewis.

Kids on playground with yellow paintings hanging from the fence--Bud wrote his whole name on his, a first!

Ready for lunch at the sticky pancake place. Pancakes and bacon. BACON!

Spell, spell, spell. We spend the whole lunch sounding out and spelling words.

Mama has gone back to work; kids are resting to "Clifford."

Afternoon plans to play, play, play.

Warp Speed: Halfway Done!

I have passed the halfway mark on weaving Mama's scarf! I was very excited to remove the thin strip of paper pinned to the fell, or edge of my weaving, where I've been recording the patterns and marking where I start and stop them, and flip it around so that it is my guide for the "downhill" part of the scarf, thereby making the scarf symmetrical. Even though the scarf is very regular and I've recorded the pattern elsewhere, I really like the visual, physical record of what I'm creating.

All of which means I think I'll be finished with it in time for the last class next Sunday. If I run down there now, I should be able to add a inch or two before I have to go get the kids!

Warp Speed: The Final Frontier

Just try to find regular, original unscented Dawn dishwashing liquid these days. There is super scrubber, antibacterial, special scents, and a special "natural" one with no dyes. But I needed the regular ol' Dawn, with its neutral ph-balance. I didn't know the ph of my green stuff or my Dr. Bronner's soap and wasn't sure I could trust random blogs on the internet. And my teacher said Dawn.

It's for washing the scarf, actually, fulling it, which is a step or so below the intensity of felting. And Woolite, apparently, despite its name, is too acidic for wool and silk. So, I washed my scarf in bubbles from a bottle of vivid blue Dawn, rinsing it until bubble-less, and then soaking it for a bit in white distilled vinegar to bring out the shine in the silk. Then I laid it on a towel and stepped on it--the kids' favorite part--and finished it off about 30 minutes later by ironing it.

And it was done. Softer and shinier than it had been before its bath, so much more like fabric. Beautiful. I took it to class and we all oohed and aahed over our creations, amazed that we had actually made these things from cones of thread and complicated loom contraptions we received at the beginning of class. I understand the process so much better than I did the first time around (even ace-ing the "final" exam!). And I liked the camaraderie of making the scarf, of weaving, with the other women, receiving the knowledge from other women, in this millennias-old craft tradition.

Best part? It looks glorious on Mama and she really likes it.

And so, I've ordered a warping board for my birthday and am deciding on yarn colors. Because this isn't the end of the weaving journey but just the beginning.

An Historic SuperBetter Day

It probably should have been my SuperBetter Epic Win, it was that big a day on Thursday:  I gave a tour at the historic house!  In my costume!  To Sis's Girl Scout troop!  With Bud there, too!  Yep, a very special day.  And it went something like this . . .

After welcoming them to the house, I told them we would be traveling back through time and that I was dressed to take them through my 350-year-old house.  I let them point out what was anomalous about my outfit and they eventually spotted my therapeutic sneakers (a big docent no-no!  But this was unofficial).  Bud also said that my eyeglasses were wrong, since Ben Franklin invented them, which he'd read recently in a book (and it's partially true--Franklin did invent bifocals, but glasses had been around, but not common, for hundreds of years).

We went inside to help the kids make their own mop caps (appx 18" diameter muslin circle with slits about 1.5" from edge and a few inches apart gathered with yarn) so they'd feel dressed for the period.   While they worked, I talked about my costume--my layered skirt (and how I'd wear  more and heavier layers for winter), my separate pockets ("Lucy Locket lost her pocket"), my always-covered head, how they had few outfits and only washed the layer next to their bodies (and usually only took sponge baths!), how clothes were not purchased ready-made but sewn out of purchased fabric by tailors or the women in the family (except during the war) and that clothes were patched and passed down because they were valuable, how boys wore dresses until they were "breeched" sometime in young childhood, and how girls never wore pants.  This last fact shocked the all-pants-wearing troop the most.  But that's because we didn't talk about how they didn't wear underwear!

Appropriately covered, we headed into the kitchen to talk about other aspects of colonial life:

• lighting by candles, oil lamps, firelight, increased by reflections off pewter plates or mirrors, but especially sunlight--how they woke with and went to bed with the sun
• heat only by fireplace, compounded by lower ceilings, smaller windows, heavier clothes and blankets, and foot- and bed-warmers
• transportation by foot because only the rich had horses or carriages
• sleeping altogether, with parents and siblings, in rope beds or pallets
• children's chores:  sewing, helping with the cooking, cleaning (with a broom made of sticks), feeding the livestock, fetching water, carrying wood, gathering eggs (eggs were more seasonal then, with chickens not laying in cold months), making butter (another seasonal food because cows didn't give milk in winter)
• food harvesting (and the long tradition of harvest festivals, even before the official Thanksgiving holiday in 1863) and preservation, especially the popularity of drying apples and making pies to eat at every meal (and why you just couldn't leave whole apples in the cellar--rot, mice, thieving kids!).  Also how the big meal was in the middle of the day.
• how water was not the drink of choice because it was easily contaminated and could make you sick; they drank cider and hot tea, often made from leaves broken from bricks of tea from China

Then, in the waning afternoon light, without turning on any electricity, they kids worked on weaving projects.  I showed them all the tape, or ribbon, in my clothes--my cap, shift, and gathering my skirts--and demonstrated how it was woven on my replica colonial tape loom.  Then they did some decorative circle weaving on paper plates (notch a plate with an uneven number of slits, set "warp" by crossing through center and passing to next slit, weave over-under in a circle, changing colors whenever), similar to the woven rag rugs they were all seated upon.  

After everyone had left, while Mama and I were cleaning up, Sis and Bud played house in the enormous fireplace--sweeping, baking, stirring the kettle, churning butter, fetching wood and water.  Watching them bring history alive for themselves is why I love being a docent.  

Definitely a "Power Up" moment.

Happy 35th Anniversary, Bloodroot!

I've posted many times about our favorite restaurant, the legendary vegetarian-feminist Bloodroot (that's a flower here in New England and on the Eastern seaboard).  We knew of Bloodroot even before moving to Connecticut, having found their original cookbooks The Political Palate in Women and Children First bookstore in Chicago.  When we moved to Connecticut, we realized Bloodroot was near enough to visit and so we made our first pilgrimage.

You arrive at the low, eclectic building on the back waters of Bridgeport through the winding residential streets led forward only be clear directions or awareness of the tiny little signs at critical turns.  Outside there is often one of Bloodroot's resident Maine Coon cats lounging on the patio.  Inside, the space is divided into a few different areas:  the entry where you place your order, the small bookstore with lesbian/feminist/green/liberal/food texts as well as weaving supplies and a few looms out (they offer weaving classes, which I've taken twice--search "warp speed' posts), and the dining room, with its wonderful wall of old photos of women (some are relatives and relatives of friends; others are just there), mix-and-match old tables and chairs, and weavings hung from the exposed wooden rafters.  All along the wall to the restroom and around the serving window are opinionated posters, both theirs and others.  I love the one about being kind to our sisters of size by not discussing calories while you eat!  The one about children--unruly ones won't be tolerated--kept us from bringing the kids there for years.

Bloodroot grew out of the lesbian-feminist movement of the 1970s and sought to eliminate inequality in its restaurant:  there is no serving (and no tips).  We had heard, even back in Chicago, that Bloodroot was severe in their rules and beliefs and were a bit nervous during our first visit.  Now, co-founders and owners Selma Miriam and Noel Furie are nothing if not committed to their ideals (which are outlined in the introductions to their new cookbooks), but they are welcoming to all and will walk newcomers through Bloodroot's unusual ordering structure, in addition to answering questions about the menu and chatting tableside midway through your meal (it's usually Selma and we've talked about homemade Chinese food in Mama's family, labor and childbirth, books to read, lesbian theorists, places to eat in Washington DC, and so much more).  Once inside, you place your order with the person, usually Selma, at the desk after consulting the day's seasonal, local, international vegan/vegetarian menu on the chalkboard.  There are always soups, salads, entrees, bread, and desserts, plus some fruity sodas, herbal teas, and now wine.  Then you pay, give your ticket to the person at the window (often Noel), choose your table, pick your silverware, even pour your own water and scoop your own butter as you wait for your name to be called.  You fetch your food in courses and bus your items when you're done into waiting receptacles.  It was this that caused us the most anxiety because rumor had it that they'd get snippy if you did it "incorrectly," for instance mixing forks and spoons.  That, of course, is hogwash.  You toss the trash and extra food, put silverware down below but not segregated by type (I've asked!) and plates and glasses in the big tubs.  Done.

Besides, it's all well worth the food.  We almost always each get one of everything so that we can try two soups, two salads, two entrees, and two desserts.  I couldn't even begin to list favorites having had some many different things over the almost ten years we've been going.  Well, I do have a few that appear regularly enough:  the open-faced grilled cheese sandwich available at lunch with the simple side salad dressed in fruity oil and  . . . something else, maybe lemon, that is so refreshing; the rich and smooth cream of mushroom soup with Sherry; the hearty oatmeal-sunflower bread always available and best with the soft butter; the off-menu brandied fruit over ice cream that they "feed" each week and have for years so that it is a strong alcoholic treat; the blueberry tofu mousse (or pumpkin) that is substantial in its creaminess and not too sweet (similar is the cranberry kissl).  There are numerous other dishes that I annotate in my complete set of their cookbooks--yep, almost every dish they serve has an available recipe (and those that don't will be in the upcoming calendars!).  They want you to love their food and make it yourself.  Food is community.  And the best food isn't trendy--not raw, not foam, not low-fat or low-carb or what have you--but the kind of foods that people all over the world have been making at home for centuries.

Which is exactly what Selma said last night in her annual speech to the gathered, adoring friends of Bloodroot in celebration of their 35 years, after thanking patrons, staff, and Noel.  She talked about their trip to Istanbul (they go away for two weeks at the end of February every year) and the amazing food they found (you can read her post here).  Noel talked about how travelling expands our understanding of others and thus ourselves.  We all clapped for them and their achievement of creating such a wonderful place that, as one long-time friend said, was sacred for us and them.  I am so grateful to have found them, not even mainly for the food, though it is through their inspiration that I became a vegetarian and am now mostly vegan (not that you have to be; they love omnivores, too!), but for the space, the community, the home, they've cultivated and created.  It's like nowhere else I've ever been.

Then they had their usual anniversary raffle--famous Chocolate Devastation Cake, pan of lasagna, cookbook set--and I actually won my own anniversary t-shirt.  I'm so excited.  And will wear it proudly!

-=-=-=-=-=-
Bloodroot's 35th Anniversary Menu

March 21, 2012
[dates are keyed to cookbooks]

Soups
Fassoulada 1980
Mulligatawny 1984
Lemon Lima Bean 1993
Escarole and Garlic 1997

Salads
Shredded Root Vegetable 1980
Caesar’s Wife 1993
Marinated Tofu 1984
Spinach Salad 1993

Entrées
Noodle Souffle 1980
Eggplant Spinach Lasagne 1993
Tempeh Stuffed Baked Potato 1984
American South
creole/curry spiced “chicken” casserole
created for our 35th Anniversary

Desserts
Queen of Sheba Cake 1980
Chocolate Devastation Cake 1993
Brown Rice Pudding 1980
Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream 2007


Most of these recipes appeared in print in one of our cookbooks:
The Political Palate, 1980
The Second Seasonal Political Palate, 1984
The Perenial Political Palate, 1993
The Addendum to the Series, 1997
The Best of Bloodroot, Volumes One and Two, 2007/2012 which gathers all
our favorite, now corrected recipes.

Warp Speed: Patterns

I had a wonderful weaving session this evening, my first really long one since I set up in the basement. The table height is good; the lighting is perfect. And I can leave the loom up all the time, which beats storing it under a table on the first floor and then rearranging the living room to get anything done.

I also really got into a rhythm with my loom and the pattern, noticing patterns within the pattern. I'm weaving Mama's scarf in indigo and plum Jaegerspun wool/silk blend, with the indigo as the warp and the plum as the weft. The color combo is wonderful. And the pattern, which Mama chose, is striking: contrasting horizontal bands of chevrons (sort of). For you weavers out there, the pattern is:

4
3
2
1
2, 3, 4
1, 3, 4
1, 2, 4
1, 2, 3

And I realized as I wove that the levers made a pattern as I changed shafts. In the first half of the pattern, that number lever is thrown and appears alone down below. In the second half of the pattern, the "missing" number lever is the only one not thrown and appears alone up top. So it goes down 4-3-2-1, up 1-2-3-4, sort of (and of course, that's ignoring shafts 5-16!). Okay, it makes sense to me, but maybe you have to see it to understand. I'm very visual so memorizing numerical patterns just by the number wasn't working for me. But this does, so now I don't have to keep consulting my draft (though, I'm keeping a running register of the pattern, too, on long, thin paper like an adding machine strip, just like our teacher recommended).

Otherwise, I've worked out a great Fibonnaci pattern for Mama, particularly because she said that a Fibonnaci sequence was the focal point of one of the first computer codes she had to write. So, I'm combining art and science, with a little bit of mysticism, which is the perfect description of Mama. The scarf will look like this:

1" plainweave
3" XXIX (so called because that is the label of the horizontal stripe pattern in my class notebook)
1" plainweave
5" XXIX
1" plainweave
8" XXIX
1" plainweave
13" XXIX
1" plainweave
8" XXIX
1" plainweave
5" XXIX
1" plainweave
3" XXIX
1" plainweave

Which makes about a 53"-long scarf plus tassles.

That leaves me about, oh, 46" left to weave. At about 4" an hour. Well, let's just say I have a lot of work to do before Sunday in 10-ish days! But it's wonderful, beautiful, relaxing, mesmerizing work . . . and if all goes right, I'll have her (not much of a surprise) Christmas present done early!

Warp Speed: Unweaving

I had about 20 minutes of weaving time this morning and about 4" to go to my next scarf pattern change, with no real intention of getting there today. But I must have been in the zone because I got very close. Then I realize that I had made a minor mistake--I'd started my warp-faced stripe without finishing my weft-faced stripe (I think those are the right terms). So I had to unweave three rows, which doesn't sound like a lot, but a). I couldn't quite tell which three rows I had done and needed to do some trial and error to figure it out and b). I was disappointed to realize, having gotten closer than I expected, that I wouldn't get to the next section--I know it shouldn't matter but these little milestones are important. Except that I did. I was closer than I thought, but also had misread the clock by a few minutes. So, after carefully unweaving (and getting on the right side of that hanging selvage), I did about 12 picks and was done! That leaves about 21" left to go! YAY!

Crocheting All Along

In honor of Crochet (or Craft) Month, I'm posting my favorite crochet patterns, the ones I've used most often and one that I designed myself.  The last year has been a great period of learning for me (see my post last summer)--I've added stitches (half-double crochet, increases, decreases, foundation single and foundation double crochet) and other skills (like better weaving in, Magic Ring and the Invincible Knot, new borders) many of which I learned from Craftsy.com  I've also picked up new ideas from the Crochet Crowd, Attic 24, and the Daily Crochet FB page.  I'm even branching out from Lion Brand Homespun and experimenting with different yarn weights, including DK or sport weight for a huge Sunny Granny Stripe blanket.  So, right now, it's my Crochet Golden Age (thus far) and I'm enjoying every minute of it.


(Only downside:  we still haven't made any Amigurumi!)

The Original Prayer Shawl
*my adaptation
I have made these for friends in crisis and grief, as well as for our church pastoral care committee and my hospice organization.  I made my first prayer shawl back in 2005,  having attended a workshop with the original founders of the ministry.
approx. 1,000 yds yarn (I use 5-6 skeins Lion Brand Homespun)
I use hook size M
ch enough to equal desired width (I usually measure on my arms, wrist to wrist, between 60-70")
do first row of sc, then three rows of dc, then repeat 1 sc/3 dc row pattern
work shawl until it is desired length (usually about 24-36")






Victory Shawl
I like the "v-stitch" and have used it for shawls and blankets.
approx. 600 yds chunky yarn (measures approx 20 x 60"
ch 132 (multiple of 3 + 6)
Row 1:  Work V-stitch in 6th ch from hook.  *sk 2 ch, dc, ch 1, dc in next ch.  Rep from * to last 3 ch, sk 2 ch, dc in last ch.  Ch 3, turn (42 V-stitches + 2 dc)
Row 2:  Work dc, ch 1, dc in each ch-1 sp across, dc in top of t-ch.  Ch 3, turn.
Repeat for 20+ rows or desired width.

(I recently made this with M hook and Lion Brand Thick and Quick Homespun, for which I ch 66+6 or 72.  It used 3 1/2 skeins, with shell border, for a nice sized lap afghan.)

Take-Away Afghan for Mama Teacher
I made my first take-away afghan for us, working on it during our commute to NYC in 2003 or so.  Ours was teal and magenta, took me forever.

pattern by Donna Kooler, with adaptations in yarn and hook size (and thus gauge and stitch count)

6 skeins Lion Brand homespun in one color A
3 skeins Lion Brand homespun in another color B
Size M hook

Ch 15, sc in 3rd ch from hook.  *Ch 1, skip 1 ch, and sc in next ch*.  Rep across ending in top of ch 2 turning st:  7 sc and 6 ch 1 spaces.  *Ch 2  Turn.  Sc in first ch 1 sp, ch 1 and sc in each ch 1 sp across ending in top of ch 2 turning st*.  Rep until you have 52 row or strip measures 44".  Make 15 strips altogether.

Assembly:  Align bottom edges of two strips with WS tog ad attach Color B to bottom row with a sl st.  Sc in next st, *ch 1, skip 1 st and sc in next*.  Rep to top of strips, cut yarn and weave in ends.  Rep until all strips are joined

Edging:  Attach Color B yard at any outside point with a sl st and *ch 1, skip 1 sc and sc in next st*.  Rep all around afghan.  Put 3 sc in each corner so it will lay flat.  After completing Color B edge, join with a sl st, cut yarn, and FO.  Weave in ends.

My Simple One-Skein Scarf

With M hook, ch 10

Row 1: sc in 2nd stitch from hook and in each ch across

Row 2: ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across,

Row 3 etc.: repeat Row 2 until scarf is the desired length, fasten off and weave in ends.

Mommy Hungry


My Standard Baby Blanket
(about the size of a small receiving blanket)
Usually, I do an all-white blanket before the birth and add an appropriately-colored edge afterwards (because most people like pink or blue but don't find out the sex in advance). If I know the sex in advance, I sometimes add extra stripes.
Size M hook
2+ skeins of chunky yarn (I'm using Baby Cloud)

Ch enough to make about 2' or desired width
Sc until desired length
Either sc edging (making 3-4 laps) or shell (Attach yarn with sc at beginning of row. *Skip 2 sts, work 5 dc in next st, sk 2 sts, work 1 sc in next st. Repeat from *).

Plain Blanket

Left:  Just plain double crochet in Lion Brand Wool-Ease until it was the right size, then edged in same stitch of differently-colored yarn.

 Large Granny Square Afghan

This was my blanket du jour for most of 2015.  I gave several away and donated some as raffles to the historic house, including the one on the right.  
adapted from Knitterly Arts

I've removed the ch 1 sp between side sets of 3 dcs.

Rnd 1: Ch 4, join with sl st to first ch made to form ring. Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc + 2 chs),

*work 3 dc in ring, ch 2, rep from *twice more, work 2 dc in ring; join with a sl st to 

3rd ch of beg ch-5. (four ch-2 corners) DO NOT TURN WORK.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *ch 1

(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp, rep from * twice more, work 2 dc in final ch-2 

sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5.

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *work 3dc in 

next sp (side), work (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp (corner), rep from * 

twice more, work 3 dc in next sp (side), work 2 dc in final ch-2 sp 

(which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5. 

*Continue working rounds like Rnd 3 until afghan reaches desired size.  Edge as desired.

Giant Mitered Granny Square Afghan

This was a variant on the regular giant Granny Square, but I wasn't pleased that it didn't "square up," not sure why not. 
I'm not great at writing patterns, esp Round 3, 4, and 5.
K hook
Lion Brand Homespun Ocean

Rnd 1: Ch 4, join with sl st to first ch made to form ring. Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc + 2 chs),

*work 3 dc in ring, ch 2, rep from *twice more, work 2 dc in ring; join with a sl st to 

3rd ch of beg ch-5. (four ch-2 corners) DO NOT TURN WORK.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *ch 1

(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp, rep from * twice more, work 2 dc in final ch-2 

sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5.  Ch 3.

Rnd 3:  3 dc in same space; 3 dc in the space between the 2 groups of 3 dc of the previous row; 3dc, ch2, 3dc in next ch 3 corner space; 3 dc in the space between 3 dc; dc and then ch3 in the next last space.  Turn.

Rnd 4:  3 dc in space between 2 groups of 3 dc of previous row; 3 dc in each space until corner; in corner space, 3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc; 3 dc between groups until end space between 3 dc; and then ch 3 in last space (between chain and 3 dc below).  Turn.

Rnd 5 etc:  Work Rnd 3 and 4 repeatedly as if these are rows, turning at ends with ch 3 and working 3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc at corner.  Finish off.

Edge:  Work 3 dc in every space on all four sides.  Then work sc in every space on all four sides.  Work SHELL (*sc, skip 2 sp, 5 dc, skip 2 sp* repeat).  Then edge with chain stitch (or whatever you want to call it--not quite a sc:  insert yarn in sp, pull through, yo, pull through both stitches)

Adapted from Crochet Again

My Granny Ripple Lap Afghan
I should've made this wider, with one more point, so maybe chain 105.

Lion Brand Homespun

K hook

Ch 79 (or a multiple of 26 + 1; each set of 26 gives you another peak)

Row 1:  Ch 4 and work 3 dc in 5th ch from hook.  (*ch 1, sk 2 st, 3 dc* twice; sk 2 st.  Work peak:  3dc, ch 2, 3dc in same st.  *ch 1, sk 2 st, 3 dc* twice; sk 2 st.  Work valley:  3dctog, sk 3 st, 3 dctog)  Work entire pattern inside () to end of row (ending on halfway up "peak.")  Then ch 1 and dc, turn.

Row 2:  Ch 4

Repeat  to make afghan.

Granny Rectanglar Afghan

M Hook

Thick and Quick Homespun

Chain 25, 4th Chain from Hook, DC 3 times into the same stitch, *Skip 2 chains, DC 3 times into next. Repeat * to the 3rd chain before the end. Slip Stitch to the 1st chain to create a loop at the end. Middle section of your afghan is now ready to begin doing the regular granny square concept.

Chain 3, 2 DC into the ch-2 gap (partial 1st corner made), Ch 1, (3 DC, Ch 2, 3 DC) into the same ch-2 gap (1st side and 2nd corner made). *Ch 1, 3 DC into the next gap. Repeat from * all the way to the end ch-2 gap (2nd side). In the end gap, 3 DC, CH 2, 3 DC, Ch 1, 3 DC, 2 CH, 3 DC (3rd side and 3rd & 4th corners made). *Ch 1, 3 DC into next gap. Repeat from * along the same side (4th side).   My transitions to the next row ended up differently.  I would finish the 3DC in the ch-1 sp before the corner, ch-1, slip stitch to next 3DC in corner, ch-1, skip 2 stitches and slip stitch, ch 3, 2DC, ch 2, 3DC and keep going (the way I work mandala rounds.)

When you get to the last corner, (partial 1st corner), finish the corner with 3 DC, CH 2, and then slip stitch to the top of the chain 3.  

With each round, the middle sections between the corners get wider. In any Ch-1 Gap Space between the corners, we will always put in 3 DC followed by a Ch 1. Follow the same concepts in step 2 for beginning your round and handling your corners.

Finish your afghan when you get to the size that you desire.

Edging:  With edging color, slip stitch into corner ch-2 space, *ch 4, attach to next ch-1 space with slip st.*  Repeat **.  Treat corners like ch-1 spaces.

adapted from Crochet Crowd

6-Day Ripple Child's Blanket

I'm working on this one right now, with Caron Cakes and an I hook.  See pattern here.

Outlander "Sassenach" Cowl

Best with chunky yarn, I made this pink one for a friend's daughter and then made two for me:  one plain cream one for my Outlander cosplay and one with a variety of colors for birdwatching.
from Polly Foo Foo on Ravelry

I foundation double crocheted 50 stitches to make mine wider.  Then I worked the pattern till it was about 12" high.

Crazy Stitch/Shell Stitch

This one was for Mojjito the cat.  I find that I can make small receiving blankets for him to try out new patterns.

From How Do I CrochetBegin with a chain, in multiples of three, plus one extra. For example, 15 plus 1, or 18 plus 1, or 21 plus 1. Make 3 double crochet in the 4th stitch from the hook.

Skip the next 3 stitches, single crochet in the next stitch.
*Chain 3

Make 3 double crochet in the same stitch, skip the next 3 stitches, single crochet in the next stitch.

Repeat from * across the row. End with a single crochet.

2nd ROW:
Chain 3 and turn. Make 3 double crochet in the single crochet of the previous row. (The same stitch as the chain 3 just made.)

Single crochet in the next chain 3 space. (You will find it on the opposite side of the next double crochet cluster of the previous row.)

*Chain 3, make 3 double crochet in the same chain 3 space. Single crochet in the next chain 3 space.

Repeat from * across the row.
3. Repeat the 2nd Row until your achieve the required size of your project.

Corner to Corner Crochet, from Red Heart
I like the diagonal stripes and how quickly it works up in chunky yarn.  If using Lion Brand Thick and Quick Homespun, you need M hook and 5 skeins for lap afghan with picot or shell edge (about 1/2 skein will be leftover.)

To change color in dc: Work last dc before color change until 2 loops are left on hook, drop color in use, with
next color to be used draw through 2 loops on hook and continue with new color.
With CA, ch 6.
Row 1 (Right Side): Dc in 4th ch from hook and in next 2 ch; turn – 1 block made.
Row 2: Ch 6, dc in 4th ch from hook and in next 2 ch, (slip st, ch 3, 3 dc) all in ch-3 space of previous row changing to CB in last dc; turn – 2 blocks made.
Row 3: With CB, ch 6, dc in 4th ch from hook and in next 2 ch, [(slip st, ch 3, 3 dc) all in next ch-3 space of previous row] twice; turn – 3 blocks made.
Row 4: Ch 6, dc in 4th ch from hook and in next 2 ch, [(slip st, ch 3, 3 dc) all in next ch-3 space of previous row] 3 times; turn – 4 blocks made.
Continue in in this manner, increasing 1 block on each row until there are 96 blocks across AND working Stripe pattern as follows: 2 more rows CB, 2 rows CA, [7 rows CC, 2 rows CA, 2 rows CB, 2 rows CA, 7 rows CC, 2 rows CA, 4 rows CB, 2 rows CA] 3 times, 4 rows CC.
Now work in decreasing rows as follows:
Row 97: With CC, slip st across first 3 dc, * (slip st, ch 3,
3 dc) all in next ch-3 space of previous row; repeat from * to last ch-3 space; slip st in last space; turn, do NOT make a block in last space – 95 blocks.
Repeat Row 97 for decreasing block pattern and work
2 more rows with CC, [2 rows CA, 2 rows CB, 2 rows CA, 7 rows CC, 2 rows, CA, 4 rows CB, 2 rows CA, 7 rows CC] 3 times, 2 rows CA, 2 rows CB, 2 rows CA, 2 rows CC –
1 block remains. Fasten off.
Edging: With right side facing, attach CA in same ch-3 space as last slip st; ch 3, 4 dc in same space, * sc in center dc of next block, 3 dc in next ch-3 space or over dc; ch 3, slip st in top of last dc –picot made; 2 dc in same space, sc in center dc of next block, 5 dc in next space; repeat from * to corner; (4 dc, picot, 3 dc) all in corner space; repeat from * around, adjusting if necessary at corners and end of rnd; join with a slip st in top of ch-3. Fasten off. Weave in ends. 

Alternate PICOT:  Worked over: Any number of stitches, depending on how you want to space the bumps (picots).  Finish it: Treat this like a row of SC. After the first stitch, Ch 3, 4, or 5 and slst into first ch (picot made!). Work two, three, or four stitches, then make another picot. Continue working as such, ending with a picot over the second to last SC.

For a 3' x 3' lapghan perfect for hospice or similar facilities, make the Corner-to-Corner pattern with an I hook and 3 Caron cakes.  Each side measures 40 rows to meet size.

Rectangular C2C 

Steps to make a square C2C into a rectangle:

1. Crochet your corner-to-corner square until one straight side is the same length that you want the shorter side of your rectangle to be.
2. Continue crocheting, but alternate increases and decreases each row, always increasing in the same direction and decreasing in the same direction. This keep the straight side the same length that it was while increasing the length of the other side.
3. When your long side has reached the length that you want it to be, decrease as normal.

Granny Diagonal Stripes

Another "Granny" design, essentially three double crochet together, this was for a high school friend and her new bride.

I need to work on this pattern (which is derived from two posts on Zooty Owl Cards.)  I made three rows of each color before changing.

Start with:  5ch
Row 1:  Into 5th ch from hook - 3dc, 1ch, 1dc (first corner formed)

Begin Increasing: 
Row 2:  4ch -  turn; 3dc into 1ch sp; 3dc, 1ch, 1dc into corner space

Row 3:  4ch - turn;   3dc into 1ch sp, 3dc into space between clusters; 3dc, 1ch, 1dc into corner space

Repeat Row 3, increasing on both sides until the outer edges of the triangle are the length and width you desire.  Then decrease on both sides until your last  3dc.

Row ? (begin decrease):  4ch turn; 3dc into next sp between clusters (decrease), 3dc into each subsequent sp up to 2nd last sp; 1ch, 1dc into last sp (decrease - 3rd corner formed)

Repeat until second last row = 1sp, 1 cluster, 1 sp

Final Row:  4ch turn 1dc into sp at end of row.

Fasten off

Rectangular Granny Square Lap Afghan 

Using 5 skeins Lion Brand Thick and Quick Homespun and M hook, ch. 13 for beginning.  I've also started one using Caron Cakes and I hook.  No photo yet.

Making the Core:

Chain 13, 4th Chain from Hook, DC 3 times into the same stitch, *Skip 2 chains, DC 3 times into next. Repeat * to the 3rd chain before the end. Slip Stitch to the 1st chain to create a loop at the end. Middle section of your afghan is now ready to begin doing the regular granny square concept.

Chain 3, 2 DC into the ch-2 gap (partial 1st corner made), Ch 1, (3 DC, Ch 2, 3 DC) into the same ch-2 gap (1st side and 2nd corner made). *Ch 1, 3 DC into the next gap. Repeat from * all the way to the end ch-2 gap (2nd side). In the end gap, 3 DC, CH 2, 3 DC, Ch 1, 3 DC, 2 CH, 3 DC (3rd side and 3rd & 4th corners made). *Ch 1, 3 DC into next gap. Repeat from * along the same side (4th side). 

When you get to the last corner, (partial 1st corner), finish the corner with 3 DC, CH 2, and then slip stitch to the top of the chain 3.

Doing the Rounds:  With each round, the middle sections between the corners get wider. In any Ch-1 Gap Space between the corners, we will always put in 3 DC followed by a Ch 1. Follow the same concepts in step 2 for beginning your round and handling your corners.

Finish your afghan when you get to the size that you desire.

from the Crochet Crowd

Rose Crochet Pattern (for the rose on the upper right)

I love these three different little roses, all made in a variegated Patons yarn.  I can't recall where I found the patterns, except for the rose on the upper right, which I include here.

Using crochet hook size I and worsted weight yarn, chain 51.

Row 1  In second chain from hook sc. Chain 2, skip next chain, sc in next chain.  Repeat  sc, chain 2, skip sc, sc in next chain across.

Row 2  Turn, chain 1. In chain 2 space 3 HD crochet, chain 1, slip stitch (all in chain 2 space). Slip stitch in next chain 2 space, chain 1, 3HD, chain 1, slip stitch. In next chain 2 space, slip stitch, chain 1, 3 HD crochet, chain 1, slip stitch. In remain chain two spaces alternate 4 HD crochet and 5 HD crochet across until end of row. Fasten of and weave in ends.

Crocheted Rainbow Granny Square Minister's Stole

I made this for a friend who was ordained as a UCC minister last weekend.  I tried to find a crochet pattern online but only found some photos.  So I made up my own, with Mama's help with the structure of it (my spatial reasoning is weak sometimes--and this has to drape over shoulders.)  Please note:  I don't usually write patterns, but since I couldn't find one for a stole myself, I wanted to share what I came up with;  this is more of a suggestion of how I did it than an exact pattern. You can use your favorite Granny Square.

skeins of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black worsted weight yarn (I used Caron Simply Soft)

H hook

Granny Squares (make 3)

With red yarn, make a magic ring and chain 3.

Round 1 (red):  2dc, *ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2* 3 times, connect with sl st to first dc.  Fasten off (change colors.)

Round 2 (orange):  Attach new color (orange) in ch 2 sp with sl st, ch 3, 2dc, in next three ch 2 sp *3dc, ch 2, 3 dc*, in original ch 2 sp 3 dc, ch 2 and connect to first dc with sl st.  Fasten off (change color.)

Round 3 (yellow):  Attach new color (yellow) in ch 2 sp with sl st, ch 3, 2dc. In spaces between 3dc clusters, 3dc.  In each corner *3dc, ch 2, 3 dc*.  When you return to original ch 1 sp,  3 dc, ch 2 and connect to first dc with sl st.  Fasten off (change color.)

Round 4 (green):  repeat Round 3

Round 5 (blue):  repeat Round 3

Round 6 (purple):  dc in each stitch, and dc, ch2, dc in corner sp.

With one Granny Square (for the back/corner), begin crocheting along one side of the square in black to make the length of the stole (I attached the black with a slip stitch.)  I used a Trinity pattern--3 rows of sc, 1 row of dc--and repeated until I reached the desired length.  Do this twice, using adjoining sides of the Granny Square, so that it forms a "V" or "L" shape.

Attach each of the other two Granny Squares to the other end of the stole lengths using a slip stitch.  Be sure they are facing the correct direction; when the stole is laid flat, the right sides of the all Granny Squares face the same direction so that they drape correctly (in the photo, the stole "arms" have been twisted so that the end squares face front.)

Border the entire stole in black using single crochet.

Weave in all ends and block appropriately.

Mommy Hungry

Three embroidery-hoop mandalas
(the small one actually has 6 rounds, to get that light blue in,
but it is a little loose.)

Tonight's big mandala!

My Embroidery-Hoop Mandala 

inspired by Crocheting with Raymond

·      any size embroidery hoop (wooden or plastic)

·      medium-weight (4) yarn (or any yarn with comparable hook)—I tend to use cotton

·      H hook

This pattern is for variegated yarn, with no yarn changes at each round. 

NOTE:  If you want to change colors with each round, instead of “sl st across dc cluster and sl st into ch 1 sp”, join new color with a sl st into a 1 ch space from previous round and proceed as directed.

Size suggestions:

Small embroidery hoop:  5 rounds

Medium embroidery hoop:  8 rounds

Large embroidery hoop:  11 rounds

When you have completed your desired number of rounds:  Do NOT finish off.  See directions below to attach to hoop

US crochet terms

sc single crochet

dc double crochet

ch chain

sl st slip stitch

dc2tog  double crochet two together

yo yarn over

sp space

FO finish off

Round 1:  Make a magic ring. 3 ch (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc, *ch 1, 2 dc* repeat **  5 times (6 pairs).  Join with a sl st to 3^rd chain of  first 3 ch.  Tighten magic circle.

Round 2: :  sl st across tops of stiches to next ch 1 sp and sl st into ch 1 sp.  Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc, ch 1, dc2tog (same space), *ch 1, in next space dc2tog, ch 1, dc2tog* repeat ** in each ch 1 space until end of round, then ch 1 and join with a sl st into 3^rd ch of ch 3. (6 pairs)

[dc2tog:  yo, insert hook, pull through a loop, yo, pull yarn through 2 loops, yo, insert hook into same stitch, pull through one loop, yo, pull up 2 loops, yo, pull through 3 loops]

Round 3:   sl st across tops of stiches to next ch 1 sp and sl st into ch 1 sp.  Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc in same sp, *ch 1, into next sp 3dc* repeat ** until end of round, then ch 1 and join with a sl st into 3^rd ch of ch 3. (12 sets of 3 dc)

Round 4:  repeat round 3. (12 sets of 3 dc)

Round 5:  sl st across tops of stiches to next ch 1 sp and sl st into ch 1 sp.  Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc, ch 1, 3 dc in same sp, *ch1, into next space 3dc, ch1, 3dc* repeat ** until end of round, then ch 1 and join with a sl st to 3rd chain of original 3ch. (24 sets of 3 dc)

Round 6:  repeat round 3. (24 sets of 3 dc)

Round 7:  repeat round 3. (24 sets of 3 dc)

Round 8:  sl st across tops of stiches to next ch 1 sp and sl st into ch 1 sp.  Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc, ch 1, 3 dc in same space, *ch 1, into next space 3dc, ch 1, then into NEXT space 3dc, ch 1, 3dc*, repeat ** until end of round, then ch 1 and join with a sl st to 3rd chain of original 3ch.  (36 sets of 3 dc)

Round 9:  repeat round 3 (36 sets of dc)

Round 10:  repeat round 3.  (36 sets of 3 dc)

Round 11:  repeat round 3.  (36 sets of 3 dc)

Round 12:  sl st across tops of stiches to next ch 1 sp and sl st into ch 1 sp.  Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc, ch 1, 3 dc in same space, *ch 1, into next space 3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc , ch 1, then into NEXT space 3dc, ch 1, 3dc*, repeat ** until end of round, then ch 1 and join with a sl st to 3rd chain of original 3ch.  Pattern goes 3 dc-ch 1-3dc, ch 1, 3dc, ch 1, 3dc, or increase (3dc-ch 1-3dc), ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1, increase . . . 

Round 13:  repeat round 3.

Round 14:  repeat round 3.

Round 15:  repeat round 3.

Round 16: repeat round 12.

To make an even larger mandala (like in a hoola hoop), do three rounds without increase and then increase the next round like round 12.

To attach to hoop:

When your mandala is the size of the inside of your hoop by stretching it a little bit,  it is done (if the mandala is too close to the edge or overlaps the hoop, it will not be tight, leading it to sag or flop.)  It will be harder to crochet around the hoop than a regular row; be patient.  Your mandala will stretch as you go and you can adjust by sliding stitches around to make it more even.

Separate your embroidery hoops and use only the inside hoop (you can do both; I like the look of doing just one so that the outside edge is just wood.) Hold mandala near the hoop and then insert the hook through a ch 1 space under the rim of the hoop, as if you are treating the hoop as the top of the ch 1 sp.  Then sc by drawing  up a long loop over the top of the hoop and completing the stitch.  Then ch 1.

*sc, ch 1* around the hoop and repeat until end of round. 

Loop:  Then ch 10 or 20 and sl st to first ch stitch to create a loop.  FO.

Mommy Hungry

Waffle Stitch Blanket

Waffle Stitch Blanket (using American crochet terms)

I Hook

Worsted yarn

dc: double crochet

fpdc: front post double crochet (yo, insert front to back around whole stitch, pull through, yo, pull through 2 on hook, yo, pull through rest on hook)

Chain 137 (or any multiple of 3+2)

ROW 1: dc in 3^rd chain from hook and all the way across. Ch 1 and turn.

ROW 2: dc in first stitch. *fpdc, dcI in next 2 st * until last stitch.  Work FPDC in last stitch and dc in ch.  Ch 1 and turn. 

ROW 3: dc in first stich.  *dc, fpdc in next 2 st* repeat to last two stitches. Work dc in last two stitches.  Ch 1 and turn. 

Repeat ROWS 2 and 3 until blanket is desired length. Be sure to end on a row 2 for a neat edge.

Tulip Stitch Blanket

Ch a multiple of 4

Row  1: Dc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 2, sc in next ch * skip 2 chs. 2 dc in next ch, ch 2, sc in next ch. Repeat from * across. Turn

Row 2: Ch 2, Skip 1st st. (2 dc, ch 2, sc) in ch 2 sp. *Skip 3 sts. (2 dc, ch 2, sc) in ch 2 sp. Repeat from * across. Turn.

Repeat row 2 until project is desired size

http://theunraveledmitten.com/2017/05/19/tulip-stitch/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes

COMING SOON:

  Granny Mandala from Crochet with Raymond

12-Round Mandala by Marinke

 Ellipse Blanket by Mitt Livsverk--making another blanket for our cat Mojito.

 Sunny Granny Stripe CAL with Attic24--I loved doing this blanket, with its lovely colors (Stylecraft DK)--and it's for me!  It's an easy 3dc stripe, with a lovely Spot On border.

Cosy Stripe--Another Attic24 blanket, which I did in spectrum order, not her more random order.  It is a series of alternating stripes--in double crochet (treble in the pattern, because she's British) and in granny clusters of three double crochet

6-Day Kids' Blanket

This is OTH ("on the hook")--a WIP ("work in progress")--from Betty McKnit on Ravelry.  I'm using Caron Cakes, with 139 chain (136 + 3) and an I hook.  Picture coming soon.

My Paternal Grandmother's Rainbow Afghan

Each Granny Square:

Rnd 1: Working in rainbow variegated yarn, ch 4, join with sl st to first ch made to form ring. Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc + 2 chs),*work 3 dc in ring, ch 2, rep from *twice more, work 2 dc in ring; join with a sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5. (four ch-2 corners) DO NOT TURN WORK.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *ch 1(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp, rep from * twice more, work 2 dc in final ch-2 sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5.

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *work 3dc in next sp (side), work (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp (corner), rep from * twice more, work 3 dc in next sp (side), work 2 dc in final ch-2 sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5. 

Rnd 4: Working in black, Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *work 3dc in next sp (side), work (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp (corner), rep from * twice more, work 3 dc in next sp (side), work 2 dc in final ch-2 sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5. Finish off.

Make as many squares as needed for size desired.

To put together:  

Arrange squares on a diagonal, so that there is a zigzag edge.

I believe it is pieced together with a sewn seam (essentially, lay with squares right side facing and lace up like shoes, working through the stitches back to front.  Pull to draw together.)

Edging:  *Work 2 dc in each ch-2 sp, ch 3* repeat, (work 6 dc in corners)

My Maternal Grandmother's Gray Scrap Granny Square Afghan

Each Granny Square:

Rnd 1: Working in colored yarn, ch 4, join with sl st to first ch made to form ring. Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc + 2 chs),*work 4 dc in ring, ch 2, rep from *twice more, work 3 dc in ring; join with a sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5. (four ch-2 corners) DO NOT TURN WORK.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *ch 1(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp, rep from * twice more, work 2 dc in final ch-2 sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5.

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sl st into next ch-2 sp, ch 5, work 3 dc in this ch-2 sp, *work 3dc in next sp (side), work (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp (corner), rep from * twice more, work 3 dc in next sp (side), work 2 dc in final ch-2 sp (which is right beside the beg ch-5); join with sl st to 3rd ch of beg ch-5. 

 Rnd 4: (This is confusing) Working in gray, dc in top of first and third dc, ch 3, and repeat.  Finish off.

Make as many squares as needed for size desired.

 To put together:  

Afghan is a giant rectangle.  I believe it is pieced together with a sewn seam (essentially, lay with squares right side facing and lace up like shoes, working through the stitches back to front.  Pull to draw together.)

Traditional shell edging (*sc, skip 1 sp, 4 dc, skip 1* repeat, with a ch round outlining (around shell:  begin in any space, sc with chosen yarn, ch 3, sc in next sp, repeat until end, sl st together and finish off.)

Other Edgings (see here):

CRAB:  The crab stitch is utilized as a corded edging. It’s a subtle and sophisticated finish that will be the easiest to memorize and use.

Worked over: any number of stitches
Finish it: Work an odd number of rows (at least one) of single crochet. At the end, do not turn — CH 1, skip the stitch directly to the RIGHT and reverse single crochet (rev SC*) into each SC, ending with a sl  st in the turning chain of the previous row. Fasten off.

Worked in the round: sl st into first SC, Ch 1, then continue as for working flat, ending with a slst into first rev SC.

*rev SC (worked from left to right): Insert hook in next stitch to the right, yarn over, pull loop through, yarn over, pull through both loops on hook.

BLANKET:  This stitch is called the blanket edge because it resembles the blanket stitch in embroidery. It’s a simple stitch that looks best in a contrasting color.

Worked over: Any number of stitches.
Finish it: This stitch utilizes the spike SC. Space them to suit the number of stitches you have in the row or round.

For example (multiple of 4 stitches + 3):
Ch 1, SC in first 3 stitches, *1 SC in next stitch by inserting your hook about 1/4″ below the edge, 1 SC in each of the next 3 stitches; Rep from * to end. Fasten off. You can make the spikes longer by inserting your hook lower in the main piece.