A Productive Month, or, Patterns! Patterns! Patterns!

June was a busy month here at Micawber Towers - a month in which I released not one, not two, but THREE new patterns. (Blogger pauses to breathe; wipes brow with back of hand.)

Jewelweed Shawl

The first is the Jewelweed Shawl, available in my Ravelry store here:

Jewelweed is a quick and lacy top-down shawl, featuring a single crochet v-stitch body accented with rows of chain loops and cluster stitches. A uniquely-constructed border evokes the shape of jewelweed blossoms.

You can easily customize your Jewelweed Shawl by varying the number and placement of accent rows. The pattern includes charts and an edging phototutorial (for you visual types), and suggestions for variations.

Jewelweed looks equally lovely in a gradient, tonal, or solid yarn. I used Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball for my peachy-pink sample; the turquoise-purple-citrus version was made from Omega Mimosa and Cascade 220 Fingering.

Bonus photo of actual jewelweed:

Night Garden Poncho

Next up is the Night Garden Poncho, published in Yarniverse June 2019, and available in my Ravelry store here.

Modelled photo (left) courtesy of Yarn Crush; used by permission.

Night Garden was worked in the softly glowing, deliciously squishy Red Sock Blue Sock Yarn Superwash Worsted, colorway Midnight Garden. (Can you sense a theme here?) The yarn, which looks blue from a distance, is highlighted with shadowy glints of purple and green:

Night Garden can be worn with the neck opening front-to-back, or side-to-side. The pattern is fully charted and includes tips for widening/lengthening your poncho, enlarging the neck opening, or working a smaller version as a scarf or wrap.

Sweet Rocket Shawl

Last but certainly not least is the Sweet Rocket Shawl, also published in Yarniverse June 2019 and available in my Ravelry store here.

Modelled photos (left and upper right) courtesy of Yarn Crush; used by permission.

Sweet Rocket is a curly-tipped crescent shawl. Like Jewelweed, Sweet Rocket is based on single crochet v-stitch, with eyelets that help form the shawl's curve. The shawl's name was inspired by Sweet Rocket, or Dame's Rocket, a gorgeous purple wildflower that blooms every June in Wisconsin.

The luscious sample shawl (which I can't wait to get back from the publisher) was worked in Red Sock Blue Sock Yarn Superwash Worsted, colorway Plum Pudding.

Fun botanical fact: Sweet Rocket is often confused with wild phlox. How can you tell them apart? Sweet Rocket blossoms have four petals each, and phlox blossoms have five. The Sweet Rocket Shawl's edging has four picots per shell to help you remember this important distinction. :)

Sweet Rocket: 4 petals per blossom

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To all you lovely readers: use code BLOSSOMS to enjoy 25% off any or all of my self-published patterns until July 3, 2019.

I've got a month's worth of June flower photos to show you, but I'm saving those for another post.

How was your June?

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Catching Up, a Coral Scarf, and a Winter Walk

February was an interesting month, in which we fell victim to what I think was walking pneumonia. Whatever it was, it lasted for weeks. And weeks. So persistent was my cough that I was tempted to name it, and dithered for days between George and Urk*. (Never did make up my mind.)

But March is here, and we're (mostly) through with coughing - hooray! Now we're trying to catch up on all the things we didn't do last month. For me, this includes blogging.

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A pattern of mine was recently featured in an online article over at I Like Crochet. The pattern is the Eden Eyelets Scarf, published in I Like Crochet's Ultimate Scarf Collection.

Left photo courtesy of I Like Crochet; right photo is mine

The Eden Eyelets scarf features alternating long rows of Y-stitch and granny clusters, and is trimmed with tassels at each end. A surprise edging technique ensures perfectly matching tension on the long edges.

The sample was made with KnitPicks CotLin DK, a pleasant cotton-linen blend that blocks to a beautiful drape and softness. The colorway, Conch, is perfect for spring, and also happens to be a close match for Living Coral, Pantone's Color of the Year.

Head over to I Like Crochet for this pattern and many more!

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Our weather over the last several weeks could be summed up as: snow a lot, melt a little, freeze, repeat. Sometimes, for a change, it would rain a little, melt a lot, freeze, repeat. The overall result has been ice - lots of ice - and less-than-ideal walking conditions.

But on Sunday the sun shone so brilliantly that I couldn't stay inside. Here are a few photos from that walk.

The snow was piled high at the start of the trail; my feet and lower legs disappeared at every step.

The sun shone through the branches of a favourite oak:

Animal tracks crossed and criss-crossed the fields:

After a few hundred yards of plunging and wallowing through knee-deep drifts (great workout, but very tiring), I reached the packed surface of the snowmobile trail. What a relief to be on firm footing!

After winding through a little wood, the snowmobile trail cuts across the prairie restoration project, between wide fields of winter-bleached grass and flowers. Goldenrod is a common sight there:

As is knapweed:

I followed the trail around a few corners to find a forward-thinking tree that had decked itself in buds in preparation for Spring:

The buds themselves were dressed (like me) in wind-proof jackets with fuzzy underlayers:

A little farther on, the snow was zebra-striped with tree-shadows:

And every tree stood in a little bowl of snow:

From here on, the wind became so icy that I had to pull my scarf up over nose and mouth. (Which caused my breath to steam up my glasses, making it hard to spot photo ops.)

A very cold walk, despite the brilliant sunshine.

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This is the time of year we start to feel slightly desperate for warm weather and cycling. But winter still has a firm grip here; night-time temps have been below zero all week. It's hard to believe that calendar Spring is only two weeks away.

I wonder when real Spring will arrive?

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*George, in parody of a classic Looney Tunes scene ("I will name him George, and I will hack him and cough him...."). Urk, after a character in Cold Comfort Farm, whose name sounds like a cough. :)

Syncline Hat ~ My First Self-Published PDF Pattern!

I'm very excited to announce my first foray into the world of self-publishing.

Meet the Syncline Hat:

Syncline features columns of single crochet worked in the front and back loops; edging options include a simple chain edge, a narrow band, or a wider band. The result is a stretchy, comfortable ribbed hat with clean lines and great texture that look good on any gender.

Syncline works up quickly in worsted weight yarn, but can easily be adapted to any yarn weight. Of the four samples shown here, two are worsted weight, one is bulky weight, and one is fingering weight. All are comfortable and fun to wear.

The Syncline Hat pattern comes as a downloadable PDF, available here in my brand-new Ravelry store. (You don't need to be a Ravelry member to buy the pattern.)

For you, dear readers, there's a 25% discount on this pattern through Sunday January 27, with code MMRFH. (To have the code entered automatically and be taken straight to checkout, click here.)

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I'm so grateful for all the readers who have cheered my design efforts over the years, or left encouraging comments in response to the patterns I've posted here. This isn't the end of free patterns on the blog; it's just the next step in my crochet career. Thank you for being part of that.

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Beesong Hat and Mitts + Pattern Giveaway from SweetGeorgia Yarns

Just in time for cooler weather, I'm happy to present the Beesong Hat and Mitts, a new pattern recently published in SweetGeorgiaYarns's first-ever fall/winter crochet collection:

Photo by Josh Yong for SweetGeorgia Yarns

The Beesong Hat and Mitts are richly textured and beautifully soft, with honeycomb-patterned center panels and slip stitch ribbing bands. The slouchy hat features a fun, flowery-looking chained pompom.

Both hat and mitts were worked in SweetGeorgia Yarns Superwash DK, a lovely sproingy yarn that crochets up beautifully. The colorway is called Apple Pie, and was specially dyed for this design; it's a gorgeous gingery shade that reminds me of molasses cookies.

I'm very excited to be part of Crochet Fall with SweetGeorgia, which also features amazing patterns by Elena Fedotova, Kirsten Joel, Nazanin S. Fard, and Jessie Rayot.

To see the entire collection, visit the lookbook, Ravelry, or SweetGeorgia's pattern page.

SweetGeorgia's dizzyingly delicious array of yarns can be viewed here.

Giveaway

SweetGeorgia Yarns have generously offered to give away a copy of the Beesong Hat & Mitts pattern. The winner will receive a free pattern download to their Ravelry account.

If you'd like a chance to win, leave a comment below that includes the words "bees", OR send me an email (see my profile for the address), with "bees" in the subject line.

~ Winner must have a Ravelry account. If you've never joined Ravelry, click here (it's free!).

~ If you leave a comment below, make sure your online profile is set up to receive replies. If you're a "No-Reply Blogger", or if your online profile does not include an email address, please include a way for me to reach you.

Giveaway closes on Thursday, October 11, at midnight (US Central Daylight Time). The winner will be chosen by random number generator.

The winner will be announced on Friday, October 12.

This giveaway is international and open to anyone with a Ravelry account. Good luck!

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Turning Wintry, and some Patterns Published

December doesn't seem like December without any snow.

It's been cold and clear - blessedly clear, after our murky November - but dry as a bone. Many Wisconsin natives seem to like it this way, but I've never lost my SoCal-bred excitement at the sight of white stuff falling from the sky and sticking to the ground. (Sticking being the key word.) I get a little antsy when Christmas decorations begin to appear, while the earth remains obstinately bare and the forecast is empty of flakes.

This week the temperatures dropped from autumn-ish 30s to winter-is-coming teens. And late last night, when Mr. M went to lock up the porch, I heard him exclaim in surprise. "You got your wish!" he called. He stuck his head outside and took a deep sniff. "It smells amazing."

Sure enough, the ground was covered in unexpected snow, all sparkling under the street lamps. The air smelt scrubbed and fresh, as if the snow had cleaned it on the way down. A soft silence lay over the land.

Today the forecast reads: "A period of accumulating snow is expected across southern Wisconsin from late afternoon Friday...."

Decorating for Christmas suddenly makes more sense.

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In keeping with the wintry theme, here are some recently-published patterns:

Love of Crochet Winter 2017

These lacy little Star Flakes are quick-to-work thread crochet, stiffened with a simple glue solution. (Fun fact: The star on the lower right is made in one continuous round.)

The Star Flakes look lovely hanging on a tree:

Next up, the Icicle Social Scarf:

The scarf's lacy end panels are trimmed with joined snowflake motifs, and its body works up quickly in easy offset clusters. The pattern could easily be widened to make a lovely stole.

This scarf was designed last winter, and submitted in the spring, so as you can see I have snow on my mind in other months than December!

Be sure to check out Love of Crochet Winter 2017 for many more beautiful wintry patterns.

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Interweave Crochet, Winter 2018

My original name for this hat was Twist and Shout, but Interweave slotted it into a fairy-tale storyline and changed its name to Grimm:

The Grimm hat is anything but, featuring a kicky two-colour, picot-edged, back loop slip stitch ribbing band, worked in offset rows for a visual twist. The hat's crown features an almost-lacy stitch pattern that marries well with worsted weight yarn while providing textural contrast to the stripes. The mini-sample I submitted to Interweave (right photo, above) sported a fun tassel. The tassel was not included in the final pattern, but would be easy to add for a whimsical touch.

Interweave Crochet Winter 2018 is full of stunning cold-weather patterns. You can scroll through the lookbook here, and order a copy here.

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There are lots of other projects on the Micawber hook right now, but most of them are book-related and won't be appearing for some time yet.

What are you crocheting? (Or knitting?)

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Introducing Live-Loop Stitches and Cables, and Two Published Patterns

"Live loop" has long been a term more common to knitting than to crochet - until now!

I'm very excited to announce a new technique that uses live loops to make amazing cables in crochet:

Live-Loop Cables in Crochet - a new technique by Sue Perez :)

The photos above are just a sample of cables you can make with the Live-Loop method.

Live-Loop cables are made by working a crochet stitch, pulling up a set of loops, then working a partial crochet stitch. The hook is then removed, and the two crochet stitches are linked together behind the cable loops. This leaves the cable loops free (or "live") on the front of the fabric.

On each succeeding round or row, a new loop is pulled up in each of the live loops from the previous row, and the crochet stitches on either side are again linked behind the cable. (If this sounds hopelessly confusing, see the video at the bottom of the post.)

The result is a flexible, I-cord-like cable that travels up the fabric surface without disrupting background texture or stitch count. Live-Loop cables can be made 1 or more loops wide (the more the loops, the fatter the cable). They can curve left or right, cross other cables, or individual loops can be crossed within a single cable. Fun fact: a Live-Loop cable can also be frogged and repaired while leaving the rest of the project intact.

If you'd like to try this technique right away, you can find a full tutorial in Interweave Crochet Fall 2017. Also appearing in this issue are two Live-Loop crochet projects: the Blue Spruce Hat and the Bristlecone Mitts.

The Blue Spruce hat is worked bottom-up and packed with fun details: a cushiony, lettuce-edge slip stitch band, Live-Loop cables both winding and straight, bobbles, and a unique slip-stitch crown finish:

Photos courtesy of Interweave Crochet and Harper Point Photography

I think the crown is my favourite part. :)

The Bristlecone Mitts are small bundes of cozy slip-stitch ribbing and cabled joy. Flat 4-loop cables travel up the backs, and the thumb gusset is set off by a tidy 1-loop cable:

Photos courtesy of Interweave Crochet and Harper Point Photography

Interweave Crochet Fall 2017 also features several other cable techniques, and many beautiful non-cabled projects. It's available in both print and digital editions here.

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If you'd like to see Live-Loop crochet in action, here's a video demonstration that explains the theory behind the technique, and walks the viewer through making a Live-Loop cable swatch:

The Live-Loop method has opened up a world of possibilities for cables in crochet. I've learned (and am still learning) so much while developing this technique, and I have a ton of pattern ideas. There's much more to be said on the subject than will fit into any magazine article or blog post - so I'm writing a book about it. :)

I hope you'll try the Live-Loop method for yourself. It's fun, it's fascinating, and it produces amazing cables in crochet.

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Thoughts and prayers are going out for all of you who are in the path of Hurricane Irma.

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Two Patterns Published, and a Tutorial for the Apple Dumpling Hat Join

It's hard to think about Autumn when summer is still at its peak - which is probably why I didn't blog about these patterns when they first came out last month. (It couldn't, surely, be anything to do with lack of organisation on my part. Oh no.)

Now, with goldenrod marching across the fields and September breathing down our necks, the time seems right to mention Love of Crochet's Fall 2017 issue, in which are appearing the...

Photo courtesy Love of Crochet

and the...

Photo courtesy Love of Crochet

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The Apple Picking Mitts feature double rows of mock cables at tops and cuffs, with back loop only, front loop only, and crossed stitches giving plenty of interest and texture. A simple hdc body with built-in thumb gussets makes this project quick, fun, and well-fitting.

The Apple Dumpling Hat uses simple rounds of extended hdc, worked in the back bar, for stretchy texture:

It's topped with a darn cute stem and leaf (though I says it as shouldn't):

Click here to check out all the lovely patterns in Love of Crochet Fall 2017. Both digital and print issues are available.

Image courtesy Love of Crochet

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And now, the Apple Dumpling Hat join.

Any variation of hdc worked in the back bar makes for a striking stitch - but how do you keep those raised ridges flowing smoothly at round joins? Visible seams are a pet peeve of mine, so I developed a special join just for this project. It's a hybrid of the Slipped Slip join and the Mock Invisible Join, with some travelling join vibe thrown in for good measure.

The magazine pattern calls it a "Modified Join". Here's how to make it:

1. Start with a round of hdc foundation stitch. (The first hdc made in each round will be called the "starting hdc", and the last one will be called the "ending hdc".) Bring the two ends together, RS facing outwards, to form a ring. Pull up working loop to about 3/8" tall and remove hook from loop. (The arrows in Photo 1 show where the loop is about to go.) 

2. With working yarn above and behind work, insert hook from WS to RS through top loops of starting hdc.

3. Place working loop back on hook and pull it through to back of project.

4. Drop loop again, turn work so WS is facing you, and insert hook from bottom to top through the back bar and back loop of the ending hdc. (I'm calling them the back loop and back bar because that's what they would be if viewed from the right side. Slightly confusing, I know.)
5. Place working loop back on hook, and ...
6. Draw it down through the other two loops.

 
7. Turn the work again so the RS is facing you. Pull the working yarn to tighten the join. The top of the starting hdc should "merge" with the top of the ending hdc as in photo below.

8. To start the next round, chain 4 (does not count as stitch), skip 1 stitch, ehdc in back bar of next stitch.
9. When you get to the end of the round, make the ending stitch in the back bar of the skipped stitch, keeping the ch-4 behind the work. The round start/end has now shifted one stitch to the left.
10. Ending stitch made and Modified Join complete.

This combination of sneaky join and shifting round start makes the seam much less noticeable. Here's how it looks after several rounds, wrong side (left photo) and right side (right photo):

Pretty subtle, huh? But all is not perfect. See the little arrow in the right-hand photo above? It's pointing to the last stitch of Round 3, which has developed a gap.

There are two ways to avoid a gap like that: pull yarn tail very firmly in Step 7, and make the first chain of the next round very tight to "lock" the join. (Be aware that if you pull things too tightly you can get a puckered seam. The road to perfect tension is not an easy one.)

The best way and time to tighten a chain stitch is after it's made: so chain 1, then press thumb against working loop to keep it from slipping. With other hand, grasp work just below the chain. Tug hook firmly upwards until chain shrinks to a fraction of its normal size (see photo below). Release thumb and gently pull yarn tail to snug loop on hook; work rest of chain stitches normally.

Whew! Making this join is much quicker and easier than writing it out. :) If you have any questions about the technique, feel free to ask in the comment section below.

I hope you'll find this join useful for making an Apple Dumpling Hat of your own, and for other projects too.

You may do whatever you like with objects made using this technique, but you may not reproduce or re-post the text or photos without permission. (Links to this post are welcome.) If you do reference this technique, please credit the author.

Thanks for viewing, and happy crocheting!

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P.S. Are you ready for Fall? Or (like me) still loving Summer?

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An Interesting May

May is to spring what October is to fall: over-the-top beautiful. (A niece of mine recently said: "Isn't it amazing to live in a world where trees turn pink for a couple of weeks every year?" Yes - it is.)

This most beautiful of months even had a most beautiful day: Thursday the 18th. The lilacs were in full bloom, flowering crab and redbud trees were miracles of pink and rose and red, creeping phlox spilled like pastel waterfalls over emerald lawns, winter cress shone like sunshine in the fields, and new-leaved maples and oaks sported every shade of green, all under a bright blue sky with just the right amount of slow-sailing, puffy white clouds. A day I wished I could package up and send to all my friends and loved ones (or, better yet, have them here to share the joy).

These glories were observed, I regret to say, not from the seat of a bicycle, but from behind the windows of a car, thanks to a surgery that happened early in the month. (Not major surgery - but even a smallish surgery, coming on top of flu, can really pack a wallop. Dang.)

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A quick look back at the last ride of April, when a lingering cough was my only lament:

Clockwise from top left: lichen, wild apple blossom,
wild plum blossom, pussytoes, baby maple leaves

A tom turkey strutting and displaying in the woods near the road

Then came May, and with it the joys of modern medicine.

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Why is surgery so depressing? Is it the after-effects of anesthesia, or simply a reaction to having one's innards pulled about by sharp tools and burned by lasers? Or a combination of the two?

And then there's the frustration caused by weakness. Knowing that wildflowers are out there blooming, and not being able to get to them, is (for me) like having really good friends in town for only a few days and not being able to see them.

One evening Mr. M drove me outside of town to a spot where I hoped this flower would be blooming:

Jacob's Ladder or Greek Valerian

The blossoms had closed up for the evening, but I was glad to have caught them before they disappeared. In all my rides, I've never seen them growing anywhere else, and they've become a favourite part of May.

We stopped by the marsh where the kingcups grow:

And on the way home caught this apple tree against the sunset:

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There was plenty of May beauty nearer at hand, too. Lilacs in the yard:

Pine buds glowing in the morning sun:

And wild columbine next to the garage:

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Two new patterns were published this month, in Love of Crochet Summer 2017:

The Sandbar Shawlette, a lacy, bead-edged, crescent-shaped shawl worked in a soft, almost flannel-like cotton yarn:

Photo copyright Love of Crochet

Below are the original swatch (upper left), and the completed project on the blocking board:

Also published was the River Rock Necklace, worked from chain-stitch and simple knots:

Photo copyright Love of Crochet

Here are the original sample (left), and the finished commissioned necklace before mailing:

These projects were worked last August and September, which seems like a lifetime ago.

Some newer commissions kept me busy in May, including a very exciting project that will debut later this year.

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Yesterday I could stand it no longer; I had to have a wildflower fix. Gingerly and with trepidation, after a month of no riding, I got back on the bike. It was probably the slowest ride I've ever taken, and certainly one of the shortest, but I ran into plenty of old friends.

Rosy wild geranium:

Tiny stitchwort:

Daisy fleabane - this one just three inches tall and almost hidden in the grass, but already blooming:

Buttercups:

Dame's Rocket, the glory of roadsides throughout late May and early June:

Black Medick, with its miniscule clover-like blossoms:

A wild berry vine in bloom:

Honeysuckle in several shades (here we have cream and rose):

Bonus photo of picturesque old shed:

Golden Alexanders, showing signs of spittlebug occupation:

And the final shot before I had to turn back - red-twig dogwood in bloom:

An uncomfortable ride, but worth it. :)

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And here we are on the cusp of June (hard to believe, isn't it?). The exuberance of early spring is past, and flowering shrubs and trees are settling into their workaday green. The beauties to come will be smaller and quieter, but worth seeking out nonetheless.

One last memory from early in May - young ash leaves glowing in the morning sun:

How was your May?

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