Last year, as usual, I had my annual break-down in the local Phildar store during the summer sale. Among other things, I brought home large amounts of the ribbon yarn Rivage, which was discontinued.

So – what to do with it? I swatched and I swatched. Ribbon yarn behaves differently compared to other yarns. It is flat and, as it turns around in the crocheted stitches, it creates unique effects.

It is very difficult to make a nice crocheted fabric in ribbon yarn that ends up neither stiff nor see-through. Therefore, I decided to combine knit and crochet in my garment. The body, where I sincerely believe I need some coverage, if only to spare the people around me, is knitted. The sleeves, where a little peek-a-boo won’t scare anyone off, are crocheted. To give the garment better unity, I added a crocheted bottom border to the body.

The crocheted parts of this summer pull-over are in simple half-double crochet in the frontloop only. In ribbon yarn, this technique creates an unexpectedly lacey effect. The knitting is all stockinette stitch.

• Yarn: Ribbon yarn working up at the gauge specified below. I used Phildar’s Rivage (50% viscose/50% polyamide, 103m/112yds per 50g/1.75 oz ball). As indicated above, this yarn is discontinued. Googling efforts have lead me to believe that Crystal Palace Yarn’s Mikado Ribbon might work well as a substitute. Yardage: approximately 1100 (1200, 1500) m [1200 (1300, 1650) yds].
• Please note that the pattern will work with a more traditional yarn, as long as the gauge is the same. The resulting fabric will look different, though, and this difference will be most noticeable in the crocheted parts. Swatch and see if you like it!
• Crochet hook: 6mm (US J-10)
• Knitting needles: 6mm (US 10)
• Tapestry needle to weave in ends and seam pieces together
• Smooth, thin yarn in matching colour for seaming – I used a light blue crochet thread #5.

S (M, L).

Finished bust size: 89 (100, 115) cm / 35 (39, 45) in.

Crochet: Hdc in front-loop only – 14.5 stitches and 10.5 rows = 10 cms [4”]

Knitting: Stockinette stitch (st st) – 19 stitches and 24 rows = 10 cms [4”]

All hdc stitches are worked in the front loop only (flo).

Special knitting stitches:

st st: Stockinette stitch. Knit right side rows; purl wrong side rows.

DVD:  double vertical decrease: Put the right needle into the next two stitches as if to knit them together,and slip them to the right needle. Knit the next stitch on the left needle. Using the left needle, pass the two slipped stitches over the knitted stitch.

M1R: With the left needle, lift the strand between the needles, inserting the needle from back to front. Knit the lifted loop through the front (the stitch will be twisted to avoid a hole).

M1L: With the left needle, lift the strand between the needles, inserting the needle from front to back. Knit the lifted loop through the back (the stitch will be twisted to avoid a hole).

Single decreases:

Left-slanting (used at the beginning of a row):

    K2togtbl:   knit two together through the back loop.

Right-slanting (used at the end of a row):

    K2tog:   knit two together.

Pattern

Back

With knit

I learned to crochet because my college roommate returned from fall break one year with a really cute hat she'd just crocheted. I was jealous and told her I wanted the hat for myself. I begged. I pleaded. She refused, but offered to teach me to crochet so I could make my own hat. I've been making hats ever since.

I like making hats because it's a good way to try out a new kind of yarn, it only takes one or two skeins, it's a fast project, and if I don't want the hat for myself I can always give it to one of my friends.

This hat comes in two sizes: Regular head (will fit most women), and big head (for those of you with above-average sized craniums -- this size fits my husband nicely). The yarn is stretchy, too, so it will fit comfortably and you will have less of a chance of getting hat-head.

• Louisa Harding Fauve yarn, (100% Nylon, 127yds/116m per 50 g), 2 skeins, shade 06 (Note: I made the big head version with 2 skeins, but I had less than a meter of yarn left after making the hat; you might want to have a third skein on hand just in case.)
• 5.00mm (US H-8) hook
• Stitch marker (I find a dangle earring works well in lieu of a proper stitch marker)

Regular head: 7" (18cm) from top to brim, 24" (61cm) in diameter at the brim

Big head: 8.5" (22cm) from top to brim, 26" (66cm) in diameter at the brim.

18 sts x 16 rounds of sc (blo) = 4" x 4" (10cm x 10cm)

All stitches are worked through the blo (back loop only), except where noted.

The hat is crocheted in a spiral, so you will not make a join at the end of every round. To keep track of rounds, place a marker in the first stitch of the round; work in pattern, moving the marker with each round.

This lacy summer skirt was inspired by a gorgeous vintage bedspread pattern. I would never have the patience to crochet hundreds of tiny little squares out of thread to make an entire bedspread, so I designed this skirt as a way to capture the beauty of those patterns in a less painful project. Granted, this is still not a project most could do in a weekend, say, but as you complete each square you get a little thrill of accomplishment to string you along. With a slip or hand-sewn liner, you can wear this beautiful skirt anywhere, or pull it on over your bathing suit for a sexy cover up. Either way, you'll look gorgeous on those hot summer nights.

• Approximately 6 (7, 8, 9) 123yds (112m) / 50g balls sport weight cotton. I used Paton's Bumblebee 100% cotton, Apple Blossom.
• 3.75mm (US F-5) crochet hook
• Yarn needle
• Pre-made slip, or ½ yd (46cm) white cotton fabric and 1 yd (91cm) elastic for lining

small (med, large, x-large)

Hips: 38” (40”, 42”, 44”) [96.5cm (1.02m, 1.07m, 1.12m)]

Length: top of zig zag - 19” (20”, 21”, 22”) [48.3cm (50.8cm, 53.3cm, 55.9cm)], bottom of zig zag - 24” (25”, 26”, 27”) [61.0cm (63.5cm, 66.0cm, 68.6cm)]

Ed. note: See comments at the bottom of this page for tips on how to adjust the pattern for smaller sizes.

Daisy Square: 12 st = 4” (10cm)

Stretchy Square: 7 patterns and 12 rows = 4” (10cm)

Edging patterns present us with the opportunity to transform a garment into something unique and extraordinary. The crocheter is free to decide how edgings will be placed when they are completed. It's fun to piece the elements together and watch them slowly grow into a lacy texture, like stars appearing in an evening sky.
    
I’ve always loved fancy lace edgings. I have updated the classic white cotton T-shirt by adding a lacy collar and bottom trim. The circle motifs recreate this shirt as more delicate, hip and beautiful. I named this the Galaxy Top because its crocheted motifs remind me of a cluster of stars.  

Crochet thread is a great material to work with. It’s inexpensive. It’s small and easy to stuff into your travel bag. It will sometimes even get you a “wow” from someone observing how tiny your project is. Keep in mind that delicate crochet is also incredibly time consuming and will require some patience.

• Mercerized cotton crochet thread, size 10. I used 1 ball in white made by Coats & Clark (325 yds / 297 meters).
• 3.25mm (size D-3) hook
• Fabric scissors
• Sewing needle that fits your cotton crochet thread
• Cotton T-shirt. It should be 100% cotton in order for it to have the same washing properties as your cotton crochet thread. Make sure it’s a T-shirt you like and that it's in good enough condition to justify spending a lot of time making pretty.  
• Straight pins
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Dress form for shaping.  (This is not absolutely necessary, but definitely helpful. I am thankful that I bought mine last summer at a yard sale!)
• Iron (optional)

I used a Medium T-shirt (size 10 from H&M).

Motif measurements are:

Small:  1 ½” (approx. 38mm)
Medium: 1 ¾” (approx. 44mm)
Large:  2” (approx. 51mm)

Gauge is not critical for this pattern. Sizing will vary with the size of your T-shirt. You will use the top half of your shirt as a template for your motifs. For smaller and larger T-shirts just adjust the amount of space between motifs.

A note of caution for beginners: This shirt is made by connecting circle motifs to the body of an existing shirt. There is a freeform aspect to connecting the motifs.

Washing instructions: This garment should be hand washed and dried flat.

Special Stitch:

Overcast stitch: Working over the edge of your shirt, insert threaded sewing needle into fabric and bring back through to the front. Keep the height of your stitches consistent and the tension even as you work your way around the shirt.

Circle Motifs

The top part of the shirt requires 40 rings: 23 small, 11 medium, and 6 large. The bottom trim of the shirt requires 20 rings: 13 small, 5 medium, and 2 large.

At my latest attempt to organize the odd-balls-and-left-overs part of my stash, I realized that I had quite an impressive collection of orange yarns in different kinds of summer materials, especially for someone who rarely wears orange. That pile of orange skeins tickled my imagination, until I finally realized what they were meant to be – an orange stole, inspired by the Irish crochet technique.

• Yarn from your stash, or odd-balls from the yarn store. This is a stash-busting project, and its size and style will depend on what you have at hand. Color consistency (all oranges, all pinks, all blues, all greens) and seasonal consistency (summer materials for a summer stole, winter materials for a winter stole) are more important than quantities and yarn weights. You will, however, need enough yarn of the same weight to make the base mesh (see below).
• Hooks in various sizes to go with the different yarns
• Tapestry needle(s) to weave in yarn ends
• Sewing thread in matching color and sewing needle to sew motifs to mesh

Custom

Varies

Dtr: double treble crochet (also called double triple crochet), yo three times, insert hook into next stitch, yo and pull yarn through st (5 loops on hook), [yo and pull yarn through first 2 loops on hook] 4 times.

Dc2tog: yo, insert hook in next st, yo and pull yarn through st (3 loops on hook), yo and pull yarn through first 2 loops on hook, yo, insert hook in next st, yo and pull yarn through st (4 loops on hook), yo and pull yarn through first 2 loops on hook, yo and pull yarn through 3 loops on hook.

Base Mesh

This is the foundation of your stole – or scarf, or whatever shape you want to give your project.

I am a mother of 4-year-old twin boys, and boy are they ALL BOY. They don’t go for  finger puppets, frilly hearts, or anything girly. I made this project with them in mind. The frog’s mouth opens up so you can put “treasures" inside. Prevents many treasures from ending up in pants pockets and ruining a batch of laundry -- trust me, I speak from some experience here!

I also home school my boys, and often look for fun things to use as math manipulatives. So inside this frog are some flies: you can make as many as you want and then count them, add and subtract them, and so on.

And finally, with summer holidays coming up, this is a nice little toy to pack in a suitcase.

If you really have adventurous little ones, they could put real bugs inside the frog since it does provide some air holes, yet most insects can not get out. I don't encourage the capturing of creeping, crawly things but it could be done…

• Approximately 50 yards (about 46m) of a green worsted weight yarn (I used Red Heart) (MC)
• Small amounts of red (A), white (B), and black (C) worsted weight yarn.
• 5.0mm (size US 8-H) hook
• Yarn needle for weaving in ends

Gauge is not critical.

Due to the small size of the flies, this toy is not recommend for children who may still put things in their mouth. Please use common sense and your best judgment when making this, or any, toy for young children. Adult supervision is recommended.

For me, inspiration comes from literally everything I touch. This bolero is all emotions.  See, my best friend recently moved to Phoenix and since I live in the east coast, I definitely had mixed emotions. On one hand I was jumping for joy, because it was their dream move, and really, a perfect city for them. But on the other hand, what on earth can you crochet for your biggest supporter when she moves to the hottest city in the US? So Crystal’s lace was born. It all started with the notion of hot weather crocheting.  You want something that is small and very portable… Hmm, obviously it must be a granny square. Now for fiber, yes cotton is great, but where’s the elastic in it? And Phoenix does have cool nights… Ah, a light wool/nylon blend. And presto!, the bolero was born. So watch out, you never know when your emotions are going to challenge you to crochet!

Ed. note: Robyn has written a blog post to address common questions about the bolero.

• Softwist by Berroco, #9467 Amethyst, (41% wool, 59% nylon), 100 yds (91m): 5 (7, 9) hanks
• 5.50mm (US size I/9) hook
• Yarn needle for weaving in ends

Yarn for this project was generously supplied (and wound beautifully) by Dream Weaver Yarns.

Small, (Medium, Large)

To fit bust sizes 28”-32”, (33”-36”, 38”-44”) and upper arm circumference 9” (12”, 15”).

4” x 4” (10cm x 10cm) = 1 granny square

Special Stitches:

Cluster (CL): Yo, *insert hook into ring, yo, draw up loop, yo, draw through 2 loops on hook,* repeat from * to * twice more, yo, draw through remaining 4 loops on hook.  

• 
• Please watch size as you join granny squares. Softwist is very elastic and will stretch, so if you plan on using a different yarn, check fit often. Fit is intended to be relaxed.
• Keep in mind that you can easily alter the garment by changing the layout of the granny squares. For example, if you would prefer cap sleeves, leave off the grannies at the arm. Or if you want a shrug; leave off the grannies at the front panels. The options are yours, enjoy exploring.
• Written instructions are provided along with diagrams. Click diagram thumbnails to enlarge.

Granny Square: Make 10, (22, 36)

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