Crochet Test Lab

So this week in crochet land, I went a little bit scientific and decided to embark on creating a load of swatches to test yarns, stitches and hook sizes (all in different combinations) in aid of learning a lot more about the properties of all the stated variables. The catalyst for this was me being slightly disappointed in how my last jumper turned out in terms of how it hangs/ fits- I figured if I knew a lot more about the craft itself, then perhaps I would have known not to have used such a tight stitch or used a bigger hook size and therefore had a garment I was much happier with. Don’t get me wrong- I do absolutely LOVE the creation and have been wearing it a LOT, but deep down I am aware that the hang could be better. And since washing it and with wear, it has definitely improved and with time, I expect it to do so further, but there’s zero harm in learning about the materials you’re working with- something I’ve not looked at in much detail since starting in autumn last year.

Suppose though as a beginner, maybe learning all that stuff from the off wouldn’t have been appropriate and be too much of an info overload. Plus, I likely wouldn’t have really understood what I would be looking for in my experiments anyway. I think now is a perfect time to familiarise myself with all the above, because I know what I want from crochet and how I want my finished objects to look and feel, as well as my curiosity getting the better of me. And if you’re a regular reader here, then you will know that it’s no news that I like learning and improving all the time, so here we are. My crochet laboratory is well and truly open!

I managed to make 10 in total for this round of testing. Some were stitches I’ve been curious about for some time, some came from when working in one stitch, leading me to try other ideas and sort of seeing- ‘well what if I did it this way’, or ‘what if I add an extra stitch here’ etc. I actually had an extremely fun time doing all these swatches and I learned a lot.

I do have notes attached to them all (the pink tags on the above photo), but I wanted to have them in here as well, to go into a little more detail and also so that my notes are in one place. OK, here goes, on to the results… I’m using USA crochet terminology by the way, because that’s the one which feels more universal.

Granny Stitch

4mm hook, Women’s Institute DK Premium Acrylic yarn

Time taken: 1 hour 40 mins

Amount of yarn used: 10g

Foundation chain is multiples of 4, plus 6

I thought this one worked up really nicely in this specific acrylic. It’s still a fairly stiff feel result, though I expect that to soften up when washed. It would definitely work well for some kind of top, which I expect to create at some point. I also would like to try this with a 5mm hook, which I feel it’s screaming out for me to try! I think it might appear a little more flow-y in a larger hook size. I am looking to make something using this stitch, so do watch this space.

Granny Stitch

3mm and 2.5mm hooks, ‘Hello’ 100% cotton amigurumi yarn

Time taken: 1 hour 15 mins

Amount of yarn used: 8g

Foundation chain is multiples of 4, plus 6

I wanted to try the same stitch in cotton, as I thought it would be well suited to a summer style top. Cotton is a lot lighter material than acrylic, though the only cotton I had at that point was amigurumi cotton- a kind which I quickly realised wasn’t especially appropriate for garment creation. It formed a quite heavy/ bulky fabric, more suited to something such as a homeware item rather than a wearable. I tried with two hook sizes on this- the 2.5mm working slightly better IMO, but obviously depends what sort of look you want to go with. I’ll save the rest of this cotton for amigurumi, or indeed other items that I’m not planning on wearing…

Filet Crochet Mesh Stitch

4mm hook, Women’s Institute DK Premium Acrylic yarn

Time taken: 1 hour

Amount of yarn used: 6g

Foundation chain is an even no., plus 6 for DC, or 5 for HDC

As a continuation from the Granny Stitch, I wanted to try other stitch patterns with holes in, to see how they work up, especially as it’s coming to spring now and jumper season is, unfortunately, slowly on its way out. Don’t worry, I still very much dislike the cold weather, but I do enjoy a good jumper(!), which is why I say ‘unfortunate’. I do really like the look of this one and the smaller holes make it feel slightly more modest than the aforementioned Granny Stitch- I don’t know if I’m brave enough to wear a top with that amount of holes in! But you never know… And to be honest, I’m just thinking of how much sun cream you’d need to put on for this sort of garment!! That’s something I’d not be looking forward to. Some of the mesh style garments I’ve seen online do look amazing though, so I’d potentially want to try a creation using this.

Filet Crochet

4mm hook, Women’s Institute DK Premium Acrylic yarn

Time taken: 1 hour 10 mins

Amount of yarn used: 8g

Foundation chain is an even no., plus 6 for DC, or 5 for HDC

Continuing from the previous two stitches, I decided I’d want to try filling in every other hole of the mesh stitch, which I’m assuming is Filet Crochet. It gives a similar feel to Granny Stitch, but I don’t think the pattern/ structure is quite as appealing as the former. It does feel lighter than that one though, so there is that, but if I were to choose between the two, Granny Stitch would be my pick.

Half Double Back Loop Only

4mm hook (first 8 rows), 5mm thereafter, Women’s Institute DK Premium Acrylic yarn

Time taken: 55 mins

Amount of yarn used: 9g

Foundation chain is to the required size, plus 1 for HDC

Going back to basics here! As I purchased this yellow yarn with the intent of making a ribbed sweater vest, I wanted to create a swatch to see how it would work up. And I think it looks lovely! It also feels super nice to touch and is really stretchy- I really can’t wait to get going with this one. I’ve rarely used my 5mm hook, so after doing 8 rows in my standard 4mm, I decided to switch out of curiosity. I really like the chunky ridges that the 5mm creates, but the tightness of the 4mm is simultaneously desirable. I still can’t decide which one to go with and for that reason, I purchased a 4.5mm hook, which might just be my Goldilocks moment! We shall see…

Almond Stitch

4mm and 5mm hooks, Wendy Supreme DK Premium Acrylic yarn

Time taken: 55 mins each

Amount of yarn used: 5g and 6g

Foundation chain is multiples of 8, plus 5

Very early on in my crochet ‘career’, I had this idea to make a cable style cricket vest. I love, love, love cricket and used to play and every now and again cricket vests/ jumpers come into fashion. This used to annoy me because not a lot of people I knew liked cricket, but they were happy to wear one of these garments! I was always disappointed when I eagerly asked them if they liked cricket, though said they didn’t. Anyway, regaling stories from my youth aside, I’ve been wanting one of these vests for some time, but never bit the bullet, because the legit ones for cricket are either pretty pricey and/ or have giant logos on, as is the nature of lots of sportswear these days. Oh capitalism… The one I have in my head is a simple off white affair, with a couple of dark green stripes on the ribbing to represent my beloved Worcestershire County Cricket Club. So, now I’m able to crochet, I will be making it and there will be zero sponsors or logos!

Once I found the Almond Stitch, I knew that would be the perfect one for this garment and it really does work up nicely. It’s so textural and comfy looking, I honestly can’t wait to make this one. I tried two swatches here, though only one photo will be sufficient, because from the pictures, they do look very similar. The 4mm works up quite tightly, though the 5mm is much too loose in my opinion and will definitely go looser after washing. Perhaps this will be one for the magic 4.5mm hook as well. I definitely need to put that into practise…

Granny Stitch

4mm hook, Women’s Institute That’s So Cotton DK

Time taken: 1 hour

Amount of yarn used: 9g

Foundation chain is multiples of 4, plus 6

After using the amigurumi cotton yarn and disliking the properties for garment making, I wanted to purchase some cotton more suited for clothing. I saw a few nice ideas for some crochet shirts I’d like to try, so these next few tests are with the purpose of that in mind. Because the previous cotton test was for the Granny Stitch, I wanted the first swatch I made out of this cotton to also be Granny Stitch, so I had a direct comparison. And as expected, this one worked up so much softer and could definitely be something one could wear. It feels really lightweight and flow-y.

Filet Crochet

4mm hook, Women’s Institute That’s So Cotton DK

Time taken: 40 mins

Amount of yarn used: 8g

I chained 22 plus 3

Continuing in the same cotton, I wanted to make something with less gaps in, as I knew this would likely be the yarn I use for when I make my shirt. I didn’t want to use the previous stitch and a shirt tutorial I found on YouTube used a similar stitch pattern to this one, so I thought I’d give that a go to see how it worked up using this cotton. I really like the result in terms of look, and it feels super light with a nice drape, so perfect for a shirt. It’s safe to say I’ve already purchased the required amount of yarn ready for this project!

Filet Crochet

4mm hook, Knitcraft Cotton Blend DK

Time taken: 45 mins

Amount of yarn used: 9g

I chained 22 plus 3

And lastly, (wow this has been a wordy post- I think I’ll post after each 5 swatches in the future, as opposed to 10, because it is quite a lot otherwise) I wanted to try some 50% cotton, 50% acrylic blend, out of curiosity. I found myself in a quite fortunate position with all this, because I was gifted a Hobbycraft card at Christmas, so felt like I had the means to purchase yarn types I wouldn’t usually, with intention of having a good play. This yarn really does feel like a cross between the two, but works up a slightly heavier feel fabric than the 100% cotton yarn above. I used the same stitch pattern to act as a direct comparison. I won’t use it for the shirt I’m planning on making, but it might have its uses at some point down the line, though I can’t think for exactly what at this point. Perhaps some amigurumi, or more swatches just for the fun of it- I do have 91g left to mess with!

Right, leaving this here! See you next time xo

Ground 850 (and photos)!

As the title suggests, Saturday (21st Feb) was my 850th football ground visited! Which is a lot of grounds to be fair. Actually quite mad when you think about it. I obviously wanted to head somewhere picturesque, so we headed down the M1 straight for Milton Keynes (as you do) and landed at the modestly named New Bradwell Recreation Ground. The game was New Bradwell St Peter 4-2 Shefford Town & Campton, in the Spartan South Midlands League Division 1.

I'm absolutely loving being out and about with my camera again at the moment, kind of like how I used to do it several years ago- pick out a scenic non league ground and take my camera. So, there will be plenty more from me this year, I should expect- watch this space...

Crochet Jumper #2

So progressing from my previous jumper, I had this mad idea for my next one: a pink and black checkerboard style piece. I got this idea from the (failed) hat I made, because I thought the pattern would look really cool as a jumper, plus the fact that all of my current jumpers are pretty plain. And I wanted to change that! Thus beginning this long and arduous journey into the unknown. Ok, yes, admittedly I am being a little dramatic there, but it did take 97 hours to complete and it definitely felt like a slog at times.

the finished piece

Mainly just for my future self (and of course anyone else who is interested), I’m going to sort of write down the pattern/ process, as well as things I learnt etc. I pretty much used a similar pattern to my last one, because I really liked how that one ended up. Though, I learn quite swiftly that not all yarn is the same.

Despite using many of the identical variables, such as a 4mm hook and acrylic DK yarn, the garment felt very stiff as I was crocheting it. And during the test fittings it appeared quite blocky, as opposed to a more draped feel, which you’d expect from a piece of clothing. I used half double crochet for this one, whereas in the previous, I just used double, but I felt that was a little too stretchy/ hole-y after a few wears. So I thought by using a stitch with a shorter height, it would have more of the look/ feel which I wanted.

The yarn brand was also different, too. I used Women’s Institute Premium Acrylic Yarn, which I felt was quite soft, though is perhaps a little more dense than the Wendy Supreme yarn I used in the last jumper. Perhaps a 5mm hook might have been better suited to this project. I do feel this yarn is of good quality though (I mean come on, I created all the Christmas stuff out of this yarn and there was no issue) and doesn’t appear too stretchy, unlike some acrylic yarns. So I hope I can learn from this and find a way of manipulating it so I can have a better time using it. You live and learn. The more I do, the more info I have to make better stuff.

I think because of the lack of stretch in the yarn, combined with the fact that I carried the yarn colour throughout the project and also using a 4mm hook with a tight tension (I wanted to hide the carried yarn well inside the stitches), I do feel this is why is turned out a little blockier than what I was hoping. Anyway, with wear, the blockiness should likely decrease and soften.

the beginning...

So, the method:

Starting with the front body panel, I chained 90 to begin with, thinking it would stretch when I added rows into the chain like the previous jumper, but it did not and ended up being 19 inches. I wanted 23in across, to give it the cropped boxy look, so I redid it and ended up chaining 120 stitches (needed it to be multiples of 5, so could get the checkerboard style) to get to the desired 23in. Luckily I had only done a few rows so I didn’t waste too much time redoing it, but nevertheless it was still frustrating.

Once I sorted the above, it was pretty much plain sailing, just following the pattern repeat. I did this for 45 rows (measuring 13.5 inches in height), changing colour every 5 stitches and alternating that every 3 rows. This seemed to take forever though, because the amount of colour changes- it’s safe to say I will not be doing this again! She says, likely already embarking on an equally ambitious make. I began decreasing on the 46th row, leaving 26 stitches in the middle (4.5 inches). I did 9 rows of decreasing on the front (approximately 3 inches).

The total time taken for the front panel was 30 hours. I used 77g of the pink yarn and 81g of the black. The back panel took quicker (19 hours) and I used 75g of the pink, with 81g of the black. So almost the same, but there were less decrease rows on the back panel, so it must have been less dense than the front panel. Interesting to note, well at least for me anyway!

test fitting, sans sleeves

For the back, I did 49 ‘normal’ rows, then decreased on row 50 onwards- starting the decrease at stitch 43, so it would line up perfectly with the front panel when it gets to the top- which the opening was 7.5 inches. I think 6 decrease rows on the back might have been better though, which would have enabled it to hang nicer, especially after the neck ribbing was added.

neck before ribbing

neck after ribbing

Once I had created the two panels, I stitched up the shoulders using single crochets and a 3mm hook. I then stitched up the sides, leaving 9 inches for the arm holes. Oh yeah, before this, I added the bottom ribbing on both panels, which again I used a 3mm hook (used this for all the ribbing because I felt it looked a bit neater), also using single crochet back loop only to achieve the rib effect. I did all the ribbing right side facing out. For the cuff ribbing (both sleeves and body panels) I did 12 stitches in height and for the neck ribbing, I used just 5 stitches, because I didn’t want the neck ribbing looking weirdly tall! The total yarn used for ALL the ribbing was 63g.

bottom ribbing angle 1

bottom ribbing angle 2

While we’re on yarn weights, I used 597 total grams of yarn for the full garment, plus a little extra for sewing it all together. The sleeves took up 220g of that. I find it’s nice to know all these weights for future reference, I’m not just a numbers nerd!

I also had a yarn running out emergency and I could no longer find the correct dye lot for the black yarn (looked in several Hobbycraft branches with no avail and they don’t offer a dye lot option for ordering online which is pretty annoying), so ended up having to try and find the closest match. Which I feel I did, because to be honest, you can’t really notice the variation in the yarn shades. And that’s coming from me, who sat there creating it for almost 100 hours, so if anyone should notice a tiny colour variation, it would be me!

The sleeves were next, which took a while in themselves, because they were a fair size! And the maths for the decreasing wasn’t especially straightforward. If you can read my scrawls on the above image (click to enlarge), it says the rows which I decreased on (de). It was a bit uneven at the start, because I was making it up as I went along, but then I got into a rhythm with it and decreased every other row for a lot of it. It’s sort of hard if you don’t have an exact end point in mind, regarding height or width, meaning you’re sort of just winging it. But I felt the winging it paid off and I’m extremely happy with how the sleeves turned out.

the sleeves

Then the sleeve ribbing was next- which I attached separately after having finished the sleeves. I did 39 rows of the ribbing in total, but no idea on the measurements, because I didn’t actually measure those! But, it was enough so it could fit round my wrist with a bit of give, should I want to roll my sleeves up at any point whilst wearing it.

And after that, it was attaching the sleeves to the main garment. The body needed to be turned wrong side out, with the sleeves the right side out, then putting the sleeve inside the body and crocheting it together around the top opening. So you’re essentially crocheting both the wrong sides together. Anyway, I’ve likely explained that terribly so just use YouTube tutorials for this bit if you are trying to actually follow what I’m doing here!

perfect pattern matching

I must admit I was particularly pleased with the pattern matching on the sleeves especially, as per illustrated in the above image. I was sure to pattern match throughout, because I didn’t want two of the same yarn colour touching, say on the sides for example, or it would have just looked weird. So I was pretty adamant to be careful surrounding this. And my pedantic self paid off. I think the fact that the checkerboard design runs throughout the full piece works really well.

before washing- zero shape/ hang

Finishing the garment was originally a little anticlimactic. Despite loving the design of the piece, I was a little disappointed with how stiff it felt on first fitting (see above image- apologies for my extreme pyjama bottoms and dirty mirror). It didn’t drape well and felt really heavy and thick. I therefore decided to wash it, because that’s what the internet hive mind seemed to suggest! I hand washed it, as I was too scared to put it in the washing machine incase it came undone, though I’m sure it would have been fine. But, after almost 100 hours on the job, it’s not something I wanted to test out, at least not right away. So hand washing it was!

It took forever to dry, because I find it quite difficult to drain/ rinse hand washed stuff for some reason. Maybe I just don’t put enough elbow grease into it or something! It would have helped if it wasn’t 4 degrees outside either and I could have put it in the yard in the sun. But no, it was 4 degrees outside, so I had it hung over the bath for a full day, before transferring it to dry beside a radiator for another 24 hours. So all this extra waiting time to see whether all the work I put into creating this jumper would pay off was pretty excruciating! I was excited to see how it would turn out and whether washing it would make any difference.

It’s safe to say it did!

I love, love, love how it looks. I think the design is super cool and it definitely fills the ‘less plain jumper’ hole in my wardrobe. It still feels a little blocky, but the washing 100% helped with that and if you see me over the next few weeks, I will likely be wearing this jumper!

Right, onto the next project, see you next time xo

Fenton United Photos

I didn't end up taking a full set (long story, don't ask!), but wanted to share a few of the photos I did take at Lockwood Park, near Huddersfield, on Saturday (14th Feb). As you'll see, the ground boasts an impressive backdrop in the shape of Lockwood Viaduct. Thought it might be nice to highlight it here for any groundhoppers and football enthusiasts alike.

The game I attended was in the Huddersfield & District Amateur Football League, Division 4, Fenton United 11-2 Cumberworth 'A'. Despite the scoreline, the game was played in good spirits and was nice to watch a game in the sun, at long last!

I Wish I Was There- more screening announcements!

Super pleased to announce another couple of screenings for 'I Wish I Was There'. I'll do them in order of appearance(!), so firstly, on Saturday 14th of March (2pm), it will be playing at Chester Animation Festival. The screening is part of the wider event that is Chester International Film Festival, which all takes place at Storyhouse Cinema, Chester. I am stoked to be part of it! You can see the full line up (I'm in good company) and buy your tickets (at the ridiculously good value price of £3!) by clicking HERE!

And then later in March (Weds 25th), it will be playing as part of Screener Short Film Night, in that there London! It will be at 93 Feet East (150 Brick Ln, London E1 6QL) doors open 6:30pm and there's no need for tickets- just turn up ready to enjoy a great selection of short films!

I'll be in attendance at both of them- be lovely to see some familiar faces. Really looking forward to the events and checking out different cinemas/ community screenings around the country and seeing some amazing short films.

Despite all this positive news, I have had a fair amount of rejections: I've had 5 'no's' and 4 'yes's' up to now. Probably right messed up my apostrophes there, but whateves, it's my blog, I'll do what I want! But, I will do a longer post about that I expect, perhaps when it comes round to putting my film on line or something. Anyway, we shall see. Just thought I'd quickly add this note at the end for balance and so no one thinks it's all going swimmingly for my film! xo

AFC Bournemouth Women Photos

Sunday 18th Jan had us head to the south coast for AFC Bournemouth Women, as they were pitted against Man City Women in the Women's FA Cup fourth round proper. The game was controversially played at the Snows Stadium, home of AFC Totton, a 25 mile drive away from Bournemouth's Vitality Stadium. A kick in the teeth for the fans and women's football in general. Despite this, the game sold out (2,089 attendance) and it was a good atmosphere. Though pretty wild to see the likes of Lauren Hemp, Bunny Shaw, Viv Miedema and Alex Greenwood in such an intimate setting.

Man City won 0-6, as one may expect for a game where the current WSL leaders are drawn against a club who are in tier 3 (FAWNL Southern Premier). But, Bournemouth did themselves proud and were a great advert for the National League. Let's hope some of the supporters who watched them on Sunday convert to loyal fans...

Ten photos below, full set on my Flickr HERE!

Crochet Scarf

Now the recipient has received it, I can now share the final instalment of my Christmas crochet! I created this 'Hot Fudge' Robbie Williams inspired scarf for one of my brothers:

I love how crisp the text looks and think it appears really smart with a white background. The yarn used is Women’s Institute Hobbycraft exclusive, 100% premium acrylic DK yarn. Using a 3mm hook, single crochet, yarn under/ yarn over technique. This was 11,400 stitches in total and took 31 hours to complete. The gift was thankfully well received... Now off to crochet something for me again!