Tag Archives: Double crochet

Two Christmas Placemats

Crochet, Holidays, , , , ,

The second of a two place-mat set is on the right, and the one photographed before is on the left.

DSC08538 Each placemat took about 10 hours to make, and I enjoyed crocheting them while I watched (listened) to TV, or listened to music.  I used the same pattern, varying the location of some of the color blocks.  Both were done with three strands  with three strands of size 10 crochet cotton and a Boye size 00, 3.5 mm steel needle.The only downside to this activity, is that one sits while doing it.

They are about 15 inches by twenty inches by 20 inches. The one on the left is a little larger, and I attribute this to the fact that one of the strands in the border was a Herrschner’s size 10 cotton.  It is very slightly thicker than the other size 10 cotton, which could have been one of several other brands.  I needed to use the cotton of which I had enough to finish the color blocks, because if you use a different yarn, the color will vary, and the effect will be a bit different.

The gauge of a four inch by four inch square is about 19 double crochets by close to 10 or 11 rows

Not only are the dark green borders different here, but the one on the left is a bit more even, probably due to the slightly heavier cotton.  Not only is Herrschner’s size 10 cotton a little thicker, it has a little less of a shine.

One of the joys of working with this size 10 mercerized cotton is the slight shine and drape of the products.

In contrast, kitchen cotton has a rather matte outcome, and is often stiffer.

Both of these cottons are machine washable, cool, gentle cycle, with flat pieces best dried flat.

January 6, 2016 update.  Feedback was that somebody would have liked them better if there were four.  I’ll make two more.

 

 

 

 

Christmas Marl Crocheted, Cotton, Trimmed Coasters

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Here is a set of coasters which I just made, because I wanted to try out some marl crochet cotton.  This is kitchen weight ( similar to worsted weight, or #4; it does have four different colors twisted together as plies).

DSC08471 The green and the red looked the best in person, with the deeper green trimmed one being the best.  The next best was the red trimmed one.  These are done in double and single crochet.    I trimmed one of each of the four in a color similar to one of the marl strands with the chain stitch.

DSC08473 In person these two looked less good than the first two, and the white one was the least good of all.

From this project I learned:

That the marled cotton does not look muddy, as I thought it might.

The darker contrasting colors (the Christmas-y green and red) look better than a same toned color trim (the sage green trim).  The least good trim on this marled background was the white with its strong contrast, but lighter color.

Fall Textile In Double Crochet

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This textile can be used on a table alone or on top of another compatible table cloth, made into a pillow, or even hung on the wall.

DSC08159 Three strands of number 10 crochet cotton, worked together in double crochet, give a rustic, drapeable  textile.  This piece is about 18 inches square.  The three strands together cause a tweed-like effect when I use different color combinations.  They also permit one to modulate the colors.

I learned that black thread as one of the three gives a dark value.  Totally different threads can come out  very similar in effect.  There are two axes available with which to play.   I started out with one idea in mind, which I modified according to my available thread colors.

The log cabin pattern is a very versatile , and can give larger patterns in combination.  Try searching “log cabin crochet”, and you can see many examples.