Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Bibbity, Bobble-y, Boo!

Bibbity...

There are those who swear by charted instructions and will not use a pattern that only provides written instructions. Then there are  those who swear they can't follow charted instructions and will only work a pattern with written instructions. Then there is me, and I suspect a larger number of those like me, who are pattern method agnostic and will work a pattern regardless of how it is provided.

That said, there are times when a charted pattern is so much easier. Like now.

Bobble-y...

 I've got Denise Augostine (Owens) Summer Splendor on a hook now. One of several doilies I have on the hook. (Doilies are a peculiar addiction of mine.) Summer Splendor is a beauty consisting of concentric rings of dc bobbles, chain loops, and rounds of dc/basic filet rounds. When I saw the pictures of it on Ravelry, my hook began to sing, and once started progressed nicely through round 21, or so I thought. Take a look at all of the lovelies on Ravelry.

Boo!

While beginning round 22 I noticed that my bobble cluster repeat had changed. In a doily this isn't unusual, especially this close to completion. However, in a pattern this easy it heralded that something was wrong somewhere. So I began frogging, round by round to see where my work went astray. Ripping out rounds and rounds of size 20 thread was painful but instructive. My entire final bobble section was off! Sigh.

To Chart, or Not to Chart...

While it is one of the easiest patterns to work - all simple stitches and short repeats, it made me question whether or not I could still read.  This brings us around full circle to charts or written instructions.

Here's the round that I misread:

Rnd 17: Sl st in ch-1 sp, (beg bobble, ch 2, bobble) in same sp, ch 3, skip next dc and next ch-1 sp, sc in next dc, ch 3, sc in next dc, ch 3, skip next ch-1 sp, * (bobble, ch 2, bobble) in next ch-1 sp, ch 3, skip next dc and next ch1sp, sc in next dc, ch3,sc in next dc, ch3,skip next ch-1sp;rep from* around, join with sl st to top of beg bobble. 

Rnd 17:
Sl st in
ch-1 sp, (beg bobble, ch 2, bobble) in same sp, ch 3, skip
next dc and
next ch-1 sp, sc in next dc, ch 3, sc in next dc, ch 3, skip next
ch-1
sp, * (bobble, ch 2, bobble) in next ch-1 sp, ch 3, skip next dc and
next
ch-1 sp, sc in next dc, ch 3, sc in next dc, ch 3, skip next ch-1
sp; rep from *
around, join with sl steg bobbl
Rnd 17:
Sl st in
ch-1 sp, (beg bobble, ch 2, bobble) in same sp, ch 3, skip
next dc and
next ch-1 sp, sc in next dc, ch 3, sc in next dc, ch 3, skip next
ch-1
sp, * (bobble, ch 2, bobble) in next ch-1 sp, ch 3, skip next dc and
next
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/summer-splendorch-1 sp, sc in next dc, ch 3, sc in next dc, ch 3, skip next ch-1
sp; rep from *
around, join with sl seg bobbl
In all fairness to Ms. Owens, the pattern is correct. When written out, it is unfortunately dense and easy to get lost in. Which is what happened to me.

Here's my chart of the same section. Please forgive my poor art skills and even worse handwriting.

Rounds 16 (bottom) and 17 (top)

 In this instance, one picture is worth a hundred words. Far less dense, and everything I need to know about round 17. Ahhh, clarity, I'd omitted the middle ch3, sc on my first attempt.

I first saw this type of chart in a Russian crochet magazine, Duplet. It's brilliant, showing the previous round and current round as a function of their repeats. This is a fabulous blend of the old (written) and the new (charted). For me, there's no better way to not get lost in a pattern.

Back to round 17...Happy crafting, y'all!



Monday, June 12, 2017

Sewing for a teenager

Much of the past few months has been occupied by my search for the appropriate quilt top for my teenage granddaughter. I queried her dad, and she liked birds, wanting to be an ornithologist (really?) and blue, preferably royal blue.

In this quest, I finally developed some smarts( hard to believe, I know), by testing squares before cutting the entire quilt.

 At first, it would have 8" squares of embroidered birds in a modified Log Cabin pattern.

Now, in this process of testing designs, I learned a couple of things. First, I don't mind stitching the occasional machine embroidered design, but the thought of cranking out enough 8" blocks for a quilt top made me twitch severely enough to require seizure meds.

Next, it was 10" squares of embroidered birds set on point with blue corner triangles. Big blocks means fewer embroidered squares right?

The second thing occurred to me at this stage. She's never once mentioned birds or ornithology to me in any way, shape, or form.

Birds, really? What was that all about? But, she talks of her cats constantly.

Oh ho! Here we go! Something I can work with that she likes. Design 3 was an appliquéd cat head square. Adorable, but too cutesy for the teenage granddaughter. And machine appliquéing hundreds of wee bits of cat faces would be a torture worthy of Dante's 9th level of hell.

I pressed onward, because a Nana is NEVER deterred by setbacks. Design 4 is a pieced cat square. The test sewed up beautifully, and the cats are all different colors. Blue is incorporated in several cats, and I'll likely bind the quilt with a patched binding of blues. It's old enough for her now and later in life, but not too old fashioned.

I knew I'd find the right design for her. The cutting of half of the squares is done, maybe more. I like to break up big cutting jobs so that I have a kitchen table in-between cutting sessions. My family likes it too. Off to the sewing room!

Now what to do with those damnable bird squares? Give me time...