Moving Apace In Full Color

The second project from designer Linda Skuja is moving along quickly.  And it is in living color!

This crochet short row design is fun and eye catching.  The yarn makes me feel secure in my goal of expanding my palette into colors that are not my normal comfort zone.

Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball is a friend of mine.  This Crazy version is, however, new to me.  And it is fun!

The color repeats of Crazy remind me of the way that Noro is plied - with a whole lot more wool.  Even though this pattern is quite open (requiring full coverage underneath) and the design features cap sleeves, the wool of the Zauberball will provide much warmth.  I'm thinking that this one will be a great addition to my winter wardrobe.

Here is the back.  The short row sections are not for the beginner and many suggestions for success abound within the social media yarn world.  That part is great and one of the reasons that I am so active in following blogs, notes & discussion on Ravelry and face-to-face participation in both formal and informal knit/crochet groups.

What do I mean?  I mean all the free help, advice and tips that are to be had by reaching out and joining in!  I get free help, I offer input, the yarn spins, the hook & sticks move and projects are completed.  Right now, I personally know four others who are all working on this pattern.  We help each other, we offer up well deserved "Oohs and Aahs" and we agree when it is time to add that extra row* into the pattern.

*The Extra Row reads:  Rip back now.

So Happy Together

When the Spring issue of Interweave Crochet hit the store shelves, several of us drooled.  Don't worry.  We did not drool on the yarn in the store.  We drooled over the cover and the Convergence top.

Short rows mean that the Noro stripes are not quite horizontal which is a very good thing for those of us who provide our own horizontal-ness around the mid section.

We bought, we planned, we made a pact to all make this cotton summer top.   We even share our progress through the Facebook group for customers of The Knitting Tree, LA.

It is apparent that even though we are all doing the same pattern, the final result of each project will reflect the personal hand of the maker.  Switching yarn, moving to worsted weight, not getting gauge (and fudging just a little) and interpreting the look are providing great interest as our own little CAL moves along.

Here is my beginning.  This is the back.  Because I am between sizes (per the pattern, but my gauge is off*), I am making the back a smaller size - stitch count - than the front.  The front will be larger and that should make it converge on my body just fine. 

We are all learning & strengthening skills. 

• Foundation double crochet
• Linked double crochet at the beginning of a row
• Short Rows
• Counting

Yes, counting.  It turns out that working short rows that contain holes requires one to pay attention and to count accurately.  Notice that the word "accurately" is emphasized.  I can count.  I can count higher than the average person.  But counting stitches accurately is a skill that is several steps above counting to ten before yelling, "ready or not, here I come."  

Hey, Summer.  Ready or not, here come a whole bunch of women who Converge to crochet!

* My friends are not allowed to laugh hysterically about the public confession that "my gauge is off". 

Successful Test!

My opportunity to test a friend's short row crochet work has come to an end.  I'm a bit sad to see this one finished and blocked.  It was a joy to make and it provided the opportunity to learn a new little twist on the single crochet stitch.

This is my interpretation of How Deep Is The Ocean.  The stash did not include a skein of "ocean" shades, so I made do with this Lang wool that hints at sunset on the water.

Here is a close up of the short row work.  Crocheting the sections makes this pattern fun.   Since crochet is so quick to stitch (at least it is for me) the sections work up very fast.  Each short row section is a perfect stopping point.  And that makes this scarf pattern an easy travel project when interruptions are anticipated.

I love the way that stitching straight rows appears to make a curve.  I have mentioned this for knit projects in prior posts.  The illusion just makes me happy.

Congrats, Leo, on a great pattern!