Bead Picots

Bead Picots

Bead picots are a beautiful way to give you work a neat border.
I was therefore glad to find this tutorial on how to make bead picots tutorial on how to make bead picots.
On the photo you see a freeform bead embroidered pin I made; I worked the bead picots all around the pin.
I also made once a little book (given away without taking a photo ;-(), where I used the bead picots to border the paper pages – it look great, too.
Next time I’ll make an Artist Book, I will use bead picots on the paper, as well as on the next crochet purse I will make (but no one knows when this will be ;-)), perhaps even the next greeting card I’ll create and who knows what ideas I’ll get by then ;-)


Links:
Bead Picot Instructions
The original site doesn’t exist any more and is now available through webarchive: Bead Picot Instructions

Here at unikatissima:
Freeform Bead Embroidery
Artist Book

Organic Stripes

Organic Stripes

Note: the Random Stripe Generator doesn’t exist any more, but you can find two new links in my entry Random Stripes Generator.

While knitting or crocheting you sometimes want to stripe your workpiece. I find it difficult to design organic looking stripes.
Math can help here (although I’m not a very mathematical woman ;-)): At Fuzzy Galore you can find an article about the Fibonacci sequence which sounds perhaps difficult, but is quite easy.

And those who don’t want to figure out their stripes themselves can use the Random Stripe Generator. (I just tried the generator, but it didn’t work properly. Hopefully it will ‘recover’.)
(It did work properly, but I didn’t know how to use it ;-)
My problem was, that I entered a stripe width and thought, that this was the max. width.
But for the stripe width selection, it requires that you specify exactly which widths you want. So if you want widths of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 rows, you need to select all five of those check boxes, rather than just the box next to ‘5’.
Try it and you will get wonderfully striped patterns. :)))


Links:
Article about the Fibonacci sequence
Random Stripe Generator

Here at unikatissima:
Random Stripes Generator

Clothesline Crochet

Clothesline Crochet

I mentioned the clothesline crochet before when I described the Simple Cro-Tat.
But because I find clothesline crochet a handy technique when I want to work something stiff (for a little bowl e.g.) I wanted to present the tutorial on how to make clothesline crochet in the round with its own entry (tutorial see links below).
Priscilla Hewitt has also other clothesline crochet tutorials and tipps about what yarns and what clothesline to use (see links below).

On the photo you see my attempt on crocheting such a little bowl.
I used quite a thick string and crocheted with crochet cotton, which is rather thin.
Because I’m always working very loosely, I could never have created a bowl with this yarn.
The clothesline crochet technique made it possible.


Links:
Tutorial on how to make clothesline crochet in the round
Other clothesline crochet tutorials and tipps

Addendum of February 2009: The links above don’t work anymore, you can find the instructions for the clothesline crochet now as PDF (about 540 KB) at Priscilla’s Crochet – Free Pattern Index, check there for ‘Clothesline Crochet’.

Here at unikatissima:
Simple Cro-Tat

Simple Cro-Tat

Simple Cro-Tat

There is a technique called Cro-Tat, which is a technique between Crochet and Tatting: the item it is crocheted, but looks like tatted. For tutorials look beneath the Links.
I don’t have a straight steel crochet hook and so I figured out how to do this in another way.
It is a kind of clothesline crochet: I am crocheting a simple chain that I ‘decorate’ with single crochets.
I once wrote a (German) tutorial on how to make a Mother’s Day card with a Simple Cro-Tat Ornament. It is heavily illustrated ;-)
Anyhow: ‘Luftmasche’ is chain, ‘feste Masche’ is single crochet and ‘Kettmasche’ is slip stitch, the actual row is red, the previously worked rows are in black.


Links:
Tutorial on how to make a Mother’s Day card with a Simple Cro-Tat Ornament (German)
Tutorial on how to make another Simple Cro-Tat Ornament (German) (‘Zusammen häkeln’ means join)

Cro-Tat
Cro-Tat Instructions (English) The link isn’t available no more. Try instead to find an appropriate tutorial in this list of Cro-Tat Instructions.
Cro-Tat Instructions (German)

Here at unikatissima: Clothesline Crochet

Crochet Chamsa

Crochet Chamsa

I always liked the Chamsa (English Wikipedia entry for ‘Chamsa’) because it seems to me to be a sign of peace and friendship.

One day I crocheted a Chamsa to use it on a card.
Have fun with my original crochet pattern (and if you use it, please give credit).

First you work three rounds, then you continue in rows.

(Instructions on how to crochet with a magic ring and how to crochet the double treble crochet: see Links beneath)

Click picture to enlarge
Crochet Chamsa

Links:
Crochet Chamsa pattern

English Wikipedia entry for ‘Chamsa’
German Wikipedia entry for ‘Hamsa’

Magic ring
(Google results)
The Magic Adjustable Ring: A Better Way to Begin Crochet in the Round (English): very good illustrated instruction
Häkeln lernen: Der Fadenring (German)

Double Treble Crochet
(Google results)
Tutorial Double Treble Crochet (English): very good illustrated instruction
Tutorial Double Treble Crochet (German)

Translations of Crochet Terms

Translations of Crochet Terms

To read foreign-language crochet instructions one needs translations of the relevant terms.
I found a site with translations in several languages:
Crochet Terms in Six Languages (English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Polish).
Happy crocheting! :-))


Links:
Crochet Terms in Six Languages (English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Polish)

The Crazy Stitch

The Crazy Stitch

I found the Crazy Stitch mentioned in several crochet instructions. Therefore I wanted to know how to crochet it ;-)
At about.com:Crochet I found a good tutorial on how to crochet the Crazy Stitch (with explaining photos which I find always a great help).
On the photo I used the stitch to crochet a short scarf with a thick crochet hook and several yarns put together. It become very thick and thus a little stiff. Next time I’d use a little less yarns.


Links:
about.com:Crochet A website with lots of information about crochet
Instructions on how to crochet the Crazy Stitch

Crocheted buttons

Crocheted buttons

I find it often difficult to find the right buttons for my needlework. At Univers du crochet d’art I eventually found an instruction on how to crochet (and embroider) buttons. It is written in French, but the tutorial is illustrated so that I could easily understand what to do.
On the photo you see my self-made button, it is worked in crochet and then embellished with embroidery.

Addendum of June 23, 2010: The Univers du crochet d’art moved and I didn’t find the instruction there and nowhere else in internet.
But there are many instructions for crocheted buttons, you simply have to choose another one ;-)


Links:
Univers du crochet d’art: A french website on crochet
Page moved to: A french website on crochet

Crocheted buttons (French) (with explaining pictures)
The link doesn’t work anymore, try the Google search result for ‘crochet button’

Tapestry Crochet

Tapestry Crochet

Finding these instructions on how to crochet with two colours was immediately trying it out ;-))
And it worked!
On the photo you can see my UFO (unfinished object) on this technique (yes, it is still unfinished, I only said that I tried it ;-))).


Links:
Tapestry crochet for right-handers
Tapestry crochet for left-handers (a service I have never seen before!)
More crochet instructions (also on tapestry crochet)

Crocheted Hats

I always wanted to crochet hats, not the beret-like but really hats (although I never ever wear hats ;-))
Then I found the Yarn Lover’s Room with so many interesting crochet and knitting patterns.
They also have a so-called Antique Room with crochet and knitting vintage patterns.
There I found eventually the Antique Hat Patterns.
I did not yet find time to crochet them (in fact, I don’t know what to do with them when I ever find time and finish them ;-))
But I loved to bookmark them – just in case!


Links:
Yarn Lover’s Room: The name says ist all
Crochet Patterns
Knitting Patterns

Antique Room: Vintage crochet and knitting patterns
Vintage crochet patterns
Vintage knitting patterns

Antique Hat Patterns