Tessellating Fish Blanket Finished

It's been a long time since I last posted, and the only thing in my defense is that tax season started out hot and heavy.  The last week of the year was all classes about the final versions of new laws and the changes in our computer systems.  Even though I keep being told our numbers are down, you couldn't tell it by me.  I've had days of getting to work at 7:30 in the morning and getting home at 9 that night.  Add in the time before and after for caring for the animals and I was falling asleep in my dinner.  And then there is the getting the house ready for sound proofing. I'll write about that later.
At last, and just in time for Christmas, I finished the grandson's afghan..  It was greeted with wonder by his father, who though he had seen me working on it, still couldn't believe things like this could be made by hand.
One year old Anthony, of course, took it in stride, fingered it a moment, commented ooooh, then went on to his next gift.  But he did sleep with it Christmas night and nights since and uses it in the morning when watching sesame street.


  Below is the dark side.

Tessellating fish

Having seen plenty of knitted fish designs, but no crochet ones I liked, I fiddled around and came up with my own version.  The top one is single crochet.  Ok, but I wanted larger motifs and something I could make an afghan of quicker and with a little less strain on the carpal tunnel.  So I tried double crochet.  Ahh, quick and easy to work up.  I fiddled with the number of rows until I liked the proportions.  Then I thought, maybe I should add some details like fins?  No, I decided, keep it simple, because Anthony's mom wants something not too fussy and not too baby, not too bright, but not dull, and not boring.  Then I needed to decide orientation.  Each row swimming the same direction?  That might work, but the design I finished on works well nose to nose, tail to tail.   You can see that if you just continued with one strip you could have a pretty cute fashion scarf.                                        

This is the color Ressa chose for her one-year old son.  I have made two motifs, nose to nose, and will keep going next with the tail, then then nose again until I have the width I (and Ressa) want. 

The yarn is Red Heart Kids, worsted weight 4     4oz/113g 232 yd/212m and the color is 2940 Beach.  I used my favorite Provo Craft hook with a number 6 tip.

The motif pattern is very simple, something I felt necessary so I wouldn't have to keep looking at the directions for every step.  Once you get the rhythm you can put the directions away.
  for your base start with a chain of 26.  Skip the first three stitches and double crochet in next strip and across.
*decreasing two in the row (one at beginning and one at end of row), double crochet across*
repeat between * and * until you have 10 stitches.
work even until you have 6 rows of 10 stitches.
*increasing two in the row (one at beginning and one at end of row), double crochet across*
repeat between * and * until you have 20 stitches.
work even until you have 6 rows of 20 stitches.
*decreasing two in the row (one at beginning and one at end of row), double crochet across*
repeat between * and * until you have 6 stitches.
*increasing two in the row (one at beginning and one at end of row), double crochet across*
repeat between * and * until you have 20 stitches.
work even until you have 6 rows of 20 stitches.
*decreasing two in the row (one at beginning and one at end of row), double crochet across*
repeat between * and * until you have 10 stitches.
work even until you have 6 rows of 10 stitches.
*increasing two in the row (one at beginning and one at end of row), double crochet across.
repeat between * and * until you have 24 stitches.

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T-Shirt yarn rug

Well, I finally finished my back hall rug made of t-shirts. Because it was going to be used for a utility area where the big dogs thunder through to go outside, I didn't bother cutting the t-shirts into nice strips, I just tore them into about 1 1/2 inch strips. First, though, I cut off the bottom edges and set them aside. I pulled off any peeling plastic from iron-ons that I could, those that I couldn't I cut the shirt off even below. I left stains that didn't come out in the laundry, paint, printing, bleach marks, and any color unevenness, they just added to the design as far as I was concerned. I didn't worry about the weight of the shirts, I figured it would be pummeled so much a few ripples wouldn't matter.
To keep it from having huge ripples from uneven "yarn" sizes, every so often I added a row of two of a stretch double knit salvaged from an old stained house coat of my mother's (the light blue in the closeup) as well as a few other double knits. Those I cut into roughly 2' wide strips because they were so light. I just cut the material in spirals, and if there was a corner, I didn't bother rounding it. I also fudged the number of stitches, adding one here, or skipping one there. I didn't mind ripples, I didn't want waves. I used a single crochet and a Q hook. When it was as big as I wanted, I used the set aside bottom edges of the shirts for an edging all around.
It took a lot more t-shirts than I thought it would, in order to finish it and keep it a free project, I had to beg for stained and tattered tees from co-workers. That worked too well I fear, because now I have a stash of tees to make something else out of. It seems that everybody has tattered and stained tees laying about, and this way they can get rid of them guilt free.
If you decide you want to make a rug out of t-shirts, and you want it to lie flat, you need to cut your yarn evenly. There are several ways to do this, and some good video tutorials on the net. The way I do it if evenness matters is to use a quilting guide , the kind with the square measuring marks, and a rotary cutter. First cut off the bottom hem and across the chest just below the arms to make a tube. Slip the guide into the tube and line up the bottom edge of the material with one of the lines. Make an angled cut across 2-3 squares and up to the width you want your yarn so that your leading edge has an angled point. then cut across at the measure you want, 1, 1 1/2, 2 as many times as you can fit. Turn the tube of cloth and continue the lower cut around, angling it at the ends to join with the next strip so that you have a continuous strip. With careful cutting you can have very even yarn. Roll it into a ball, giving the yarn a good yank to stretch it. As it rebounds, the edges curl in, making a very neat, round yarn. When you have finished your rug, paint the back with latex to make it slip resistant, or you can coat it with rubber cement. Because nothing short of gluing the rug down will hold it in place with these dogs, I did neither, but it really doesn't slip underfoot at all.
BTW, the cut off parts of the shirts shall not go to waste, I am cutting them up to make a rag rug. When I get that done (in however many years from now) I'll let you know how that works.

MORE exciting yarn news

While at the thrift store finding the future dog blanket (below post), I found three other afghans and instantly knew that I wanted to use them for a wedding ring afghan. The top picture shows the balls of yarn I ended up with once I frogged (ripped it, ripped it), or unraveled it for those non-crocheters out there. The afghan they are sitting on is another buy at $1.50. Large enough to completely cover one and in perfect shape. I never liked harvest gold and avocado before, but this one I like. I think I will keep it. The other three afghans were $1, $3 and $.75. Now if I ever finish my UFOs (UnFinished Objects) I'll make me that quiltagan. Of course, if I make it, I'll probably just have to give it as a Christmas or wedding present, it would be too pretty to suffer the slings and arrows and other unmentionable onslaughts of living in a rescue household. At least if the picture in my mind is the quiltagan that I make it will be.



While frogging the one with the fringe, I learned a new stitch. It works up very quickly. I have seen it before, but I had no concept how it was done. I'll set it down here, and if anyone knows the name of the pattern, please let me know. If there is a designer out there who deserves credit, let me know so I can give due credit for this simple, quick and pretty pattern.

for pattern stitch using american convention: foundation chain multiples of 20+ 13 *double crochet 10, chain 10* repeat from *to* across, always start and end row with 10 double crochet. Repeat rows til desired length, single crochet down closest side, don't cut yarn and secure stitches so they don't pull out.
Now the tricky part to explain. I wish I had thought to take pictures, but it was only by taking it apart that I understood it. The chain 10s make a ladder of chain 10 rungs. Starting at the bottom rung on the first ladder, pinch the center and pull it up behind the 2nd rung . Pinch the center of the 2nd rung, bring it through the pinched center of the 1st rung, bringing it behind and behind the 3rd rung. Done right, it twists them all together and the top one holds the lower ones together. If you let go of the top twist, the whole thing falls apart quicker than a run in a cheap pair of nylons. At the top of the ladder pin or tie the last twist so it can't come loose. Do all the ladders this way. Pick up yarn, single crochet in 10 foundation chains, *[single crochet in 3 foundation chains, skip 4 foundation chains (which forms the loop), single crochet in 3 foiundation chains], single crochet in next 10 foundation chains * Repeat from*to* across. Single crochet up side. Single crochet in tops of 10 double crochet, *[single crochet in1 chain, flatten pinched loop with finger, single crochet in 2nd chain while also going through 5th chain (near side top of loop) single crochet in 6th chain (far side top loop) also going into 9th chain, single crochet in 10th chain], single crochet in tops of 10 double crochet*, repeat from *to* across. Fasten off.
I hope I described the stitch well enough for someone to try it. If anybody tries it, let me know how it works.