Granny Square Spiral

youtube nadelspiel_com Granny Square Spiral

I once wrote a tutorial for a crochet spiral and I find such a Granny Square Spiral also great :)

 
    The video is in German, so here some explanations that may help:

  • For the parts that get broader/smaller she’s using sequences of single crochets (“feste Masche”), half double crochets (“halbe Stäbchen”) and double crochets (“Stäbchen”), she ends every colour with a slip stitch (“Kettmasche”).
  • At some points she’s crocheting more than one stitch in one stitch.
  • After the Granny Square is actually finished, she adds a round of single crochets in the last colour to make the border more beautiful.
  • The Granny Square spiral can always be made larger by crocheting more rounds.
 


Links:
Häkeln: Granny Square Spirale * Granny Square mit Ringelpietz (German)
English Wikipedia entry for ‘Granny Square’

Here at unikatissima:
Crochet Spiral

Shortrow Spiral

knitting-and Shortrow Spiral

I like spirals – now I like rectangular ones, too ;-)
What I like especially at the short row spiral is the fact that you never have more stitches on the needle than the width of the stripes.
I can make it with normal double pointed needles (which I own in all sizes) and additionally I find the frequent back and forth less boring than knitting those immense long rows.
Here the spiral is part of an afghan but you can work it larger to make a (square) afghan from.
And personally I find the stripes a little too narrow, I’m sure that they can be knitted wider.
Well, let’s see.
;-)


Links:
Shortrow Spiral
via: Shortrow Spiral

Here at unikatissima:
Entries with the tag ‘Spiral’

Beaded Spiral Button

beadwork about_com Spiral Button

While surfing I found a beautiful spiral button.
I have to give it a try ;-)

If I don’t like it, I can still come back to my own spiral beads ;-)
Or to the folded spirals.
Or the crochet spiral ;-)))


Links:
Spiral Button Free Bead Pattern

Here at unikatissima:
Beaded Spiral Beads
Folded Spirals
Crochet Spiral

Tealight Wire Spiral

unikatissima Tealight Wire Spiral

I browse sometimes at WigJig University – Jewelry Making Designs and found once the Wire and Beads Christmas Tree.
It wasn’t Christmas time then, so I used the wire Christmas tree as inspiration and made me a tealight wire spiral.
It doesn’t look as beautiful as I thought with the tealight lit, because the light shines upwards and the spiral lies in darkness, but I still like it.
I suspended it on a thread and sometimes I let it turn slowly (and carefully!) with the flame burning, that looks lovely.


Links:
WigJig University – Jewelry Making Designs: a fantastic compilation of wire jewelry projects!
Wire and Beads Christmas Tree

Folded Spirals

Folded Spirals

As I saw this tutorial on how to make vellum spirals I was amazed: such beautiful paper spirals and so easy to make!
On the photo you see my spiral with changing directions.
It looks so frail against the light.

The tutorial is in German, but there are explaining pictures (you must look at the PDF file!).
What you have to do is basically:

  • Take a piece of vellum paper (I used some sandwich paper).
  • Cut a triangle from the vellum paper.
  • Cut a narrow, right-angled triangle from cardboard (best look at the explaining pictures).
  • Lay the cardboard triangle on the vellum paper triangle as described by the explaining pictures and fold the paper along the cardboard triangle. Then turn the vellum paper triangle and fold the paper again.
  • Continue as long as you like/as possible.

They suggest that you begin to experiment then:

  • try broader or narrower triangles for the paper
  • try broader or narrower triangles for the cardboard
  • use a narrow cardboard triangle for left folds and a broad for right folds
  • divide in halves every second fold after having finished etc.

I had a lot of fun and I hope so will you :-)

I intend to use those spirals in the future on cards, tags, in altered books and so forth.
I’d love to know about your experiments with folded spirals.


Links:
Tutorial on how to fold paper spirals:
(Download the PDF file)

Crochet Spiral

Crochet Spiral

Sometimes you want to crochet not only a spiral, but a multicoloured spiral (beautiful in Freeform Needlework!).
I once found even two tutorials for crochet spirals, but the links don’t work anymore (I put them to the Links below in case you like to try them).
But because I didn’t found no more instructions I wrote a tutorial myself based on the previously found tutorials:

You will need 3 skeins of yarn in matching gauges.

Work in spirals, though NEVER JOIN!

st = stitch
sc = single crochet

1st row: work 6 sc on magic ring
2nd row: work 2 sc in each st = double each st = 12 st
work the 1st 4 st in colour A, the 2nd 4 st in colour B and the 3rd 4 st in colour C
3rd row: work * 1 sc, 2 sc in next st *, repeat from * to * = double each 2nd st = 18 st
work the 1st 6 st in colour A, the 2nd 6 st in colour B and the 3rd 6 st in colour C
4th row: work * 1 sc, 1 sc, 2 sc in next st *, repeat from * to * = double each 3rd st = 24 st
work the 1st 8 st in colour A, the 2nd 8 st in colour B and the 3rd 8 st in colour C
cont.


(Click picture to enlarge)
Crochet Spiral Hints:

  • At the colour change pull the loop of the ‘old’ colour into a large loop that you lay aside until you pick it up for the next round (see detail photo with loops).
  • The spiral gets hexagonal when worked this way. If you want to avoid this, move the place where you work two stitches in one stitch a little around (see photo above).
 


(Click picture to enlarge)
Crochet Spiral


Links:
Both links didn’t work when I tried them:
Crochet Spiral
Crochet Spiral


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

Here at unikatissima:
Freeform Needlework