Unique crochet for boys - the making of a centipede crochet pattern

My son loves bugs.  My son loves science.  And he loves dragons too...  but what does that really have to do with crochet?  With a Mom like me...  everything has to do with crochet!

This year, my son asked me to make him a Centipede Dragon Scarf.  What!!  I immediately started looking for patterns - there are none.  None!  Well, that is not entirely true, if I want a cutesy quasi-centipede or a plushy dragon, I am set with lots of patterns.  And don't get me started on the Human Centipede ...  so not what I want to see...  ever again!

To the laboratory!  Recently, I learned the Crocodile Stitch - a great stitch!  And not too difficult, here are some links for creating your own crocodile stitch....  a personal thank you goes out to each one!

at Yarn Muse

at Lost and Found Lane 

From these tutorials and others I learned a great stitch!  And then I found this pattern... at Cult of Crochet.  Just what I needed to start a dragon pattern..  which I did and will post about those separately. 

From here - I went onto a great centipede pattern!  

Pretty in Pink Cowl - Finished!!

I finished my Pretty in Pink Cowl.  Here I am wearing it...  I can't believe it!!  A finished project?  In less than a year?  The world is coming to an end!

My cowl is quite comfy.  It is now May and I still wear it in the evenings...  it is in the 40's in Santa Fe at night.  A cowl is so cozy!!  

Plus - it is just awesome.  And I do have the pattern coming - I just have to finish writing it up!

Scrumbing Update

As my natural state of "creaivity" is some what manic - I circle around several modes of creating.  I have not posted a "scrumbling" post in months but that does not mean I have not been experimenting.  I have, in fact, made several yarn based goodies in my non posting time. Not all of them are scrumbles, not all of them are finished, but all of them are lovely workings....

At the moment I am working on building an idea - a crocheted ruana.

I have a few patterns working now and am trying to find the best one....  HOWEVER - I am also working on patterns based on "orbs".

This one I am having lots of fun with - making circles out of yarn.  The hard part is putting them together!  But I have come up with a few patterns for that as well...  

I will update when I am "able"!

Pretty in Pink Cowl

A new project.  I know, I haven't finished Scrumble Number One, but i am stalled a little.  I am not sure where to go with it.  So I am giving my brain a break ....  

I saw a Mobias Cowl design...  and wanted a cowl in pink.  I had some Bernat Handicrafter Twist yarn in a great pink,orange, white combo and went to it!!

I started with a ripple stitch, then added a crossed double crochet stitch and then framed everything up with a rib stitch. I found that the rib stitch that I am doing is a modification of a rib stitch that uses a slip stitch ...  

Rib Stitch = Row of single crochet, row of slip stitch in back loop, row of single crochet in slip stitch

My Rib Stitch = Row of single crochet, row of single crochet in previous stitch space, row of single crochet

Both stitches give a rib look...  but I prefer mine. (Of course!!!)  The ribs stand up straighter...

The color is working nicely.  It is a little busy in the photos but in real life, it looks great!!

And as always I LOVE the texture!!  

I think the rows flow with one another.  The ripple works into the crossed double stitch which breaks nicely with the rib stitch.

I will update when done.....

Building a Scrumble, adventures in discovering stitches

I have been working on  my scrumble for about two weeks now.  And though I am no closer to completing it, I find that my knowledge of crochet stitches is quite lacking.  So I though I would post where I am finding great stitches.

For me, I am interested in texture...  and this site (this page particular) has some great ideas...

New Stitch a Day Crochet Stitchionary

There are many more stitches, but these were a few of my favorites...

Crossed Double Crochet Stitch

Rocky Road Stitch

Star Stitch

Textured Comble Stitch

The bullion stitch is an elusive animal for me...  but by far my favorite.  I can see why it is used in many scrumbles.  I have been trying for weeks to get it right and I finally found a tutorial that helped me out.. How to Make a Bullion Stitch

Scrumble On!!  

Renaming my Stockinette Stitch to a Rib Stitch....

As I have been doing more research for the stitch I am writing up, I have come to the conclusion that my stitch is actually a Rib Stitch or maybe a combination of the two - a Ribbed Stockinette Stitch?  Wrong Side Rib Stitch?  What ever I name it, I still have to figure out how to write it out....  I am close.

In addition to working on the text part of the stitch,  I have also been playing with different ways to use the stitch...  and this is what I am coming up with ...

Different uses for the rib stitch, adding texture in different ways...

I first started by mixing the rib stitch with a fan stitch.

Rib and fan stitch

Rib and fan stitch

I like the way it came out.  The ribs adding structure to the whimsy of the fans.  I can imagine changing the colors, alternating the ribs with different shell or fan stitches....

Then I started to play with different lengths and combinations.

Different textures using my rib stitch 

Well I think my stitch is coming along, except for the writing it down.  I am still working with it, until I understand it...  hopefully that will help me to write it out.  (HOPEFULLY!)

The writing out of my Crochet Stockinette stitch or an Adventure in Creative Documentation.

Working from the right side of the stitch...

Hook goes through both loops

Then over the previous stitch and into the space between the previous stitches

This is what the stitch looks like at this point from the wrong side.  Which is actually an easier way to work this stitch...  from the wrong side.

Yarn over pull over the previous stitch (or under if you are looking at the stitch from the wrong side) and through both loops

From here... it is a matter of finishing the single crochet stitch.

Or from the right side.

The stitch is complete...  (if not a little blurry right here).  The next row is a normally worked single crochet stitch.  

Although the nomenclature isn't correct...  here is my stitch.  As you can see, completing the stitch over a previous stitch forces both loops of the previous stitch to sit up and face out.  

Now to create a pattern for it....  and take over the world!!

Please ask me any questions...  I am still working out the correct way to write this stitch down.