Today is Hump day and I've been "Hookin".  In fact I am combining "Hookin on Hump Day" and the 52 week crochet challenge.  this week's challenge is to take a work(s) in progress and either finish it, work on it or rip it.  Since I am the queen of WIPs I have plenty to choose from.  I have finished a drawstring bag that I have been working on.  You may have seen some of my posts on Interlocking crochet.  This purse is Interlocking crochet in the round.  It is my first one, no pattern yet but I really like it.  I had two small balls of novelty yarn, not enough for anything big but plenty for this design. I started with a standard circle increase with one yarn.  Then, using both the red and the gold I built up the sides.  I finished off the top working the two colors together and then added the casing and shell border in the gold.  The drawstrings are just a chain stitch.

Interlocking Crochet in the round

These are my other WIPs that I am hoping to finish this week.  I have been making amulet bags and these two are my own designs.  The gold one has a clear glass "worry stone" with a spiral sun design on it which is encased in beaded crochet and then the flat background is worked around it, like a beaded cabochon.  The long oval bag will be hung from a small, sort of dumbbell shaped bead that I got at a trunk show in California several years back.  Supposedly it is from Afghanistan.  Both need to be assembled and have straps added.  The back of the gold bag needs to be finished.  The gold bag also will have a fringe.  I promise to post the finished bags when they are done.

Interlocking Crochet by pcooper

Another process I have been working with is Interlocking Crochet.  The stitch patterns are in Interlocking Crochet by Tanis Galik.  The book has a lot of stitch patterns and some projects to use those stitches.  There are a few mistakes in the version I have, but the project directions seem to be accurate.  The process provides a dense complex fabric.  I have used the process with several different weights of yarn and thread and I love the results.

A small "spirit bag" using #10 cotton crochet thread.  Some of the stitches display different designs on opposite sides of the fabric.  You can see that above where the flap is open to show the alternate pattern.  The strap is a crocheted beaded strap with size 11 beads

Using #10 light and dark gold metallic crochet thread, again the designs are different on opposite sides of the fabric. 

The project in the book is similar but it uses nylon cording and the finished project is bigger.  These bags are about 3 inches square.  I still need to work on a strap for this one.

This is a cowl crocheted with a combination of dark brown lace weight mohair and camel colored alpaca.  I love the combination it is very light but very warm.  I wore it in NJ this March (we had some 20 degree days) and I was toasty.  This pattern has the same design on both sides.  I plan to do more projects with this technique and I am currently working on a drawstring bag done "in the round" with this technique.  No directions, I am making this up as I go along.  I will post it when it is finished.

Cuff Bracelet Examples

Hopefully my Amethyst chip cuff bracelet will be published in Crochet magazine this Spring.  The pictures below are a few other ides for cuff bracelets that I have crocheted.  I used Conso cord and a mixed 6/0 bead mix for the early ones.  Conso cord is an upholstery thread, nice and stiff but I do not like the way it looks after a year or more.  It starts to look faded (unless I go for a denim look, hmmmm have to think about that).  I prefer using cotton cord, it gives a softer finish, it is easier to find and there is a wide range of colors and sizes.  For most chips I need a 40 weight, chips tend to have smaller holes and they abrade the thread somewhat.  The lighter weight makes it easier to string the beads and move them along.  Below are some of my other designs.

 

These are silk embroidery ribbon with 6/0 seed beads as the background.  The "paddles" are vintage beads.  Instead of snaps I used loops and the vintage paddles as the closure (bottom view).

 

 

 

This is Conso cord again with 6/0 seed beads as the base.  I made the charms from leaf shaped beads.  the charms are attached to jump rings.  I tried crocheting soldered jump rings in to the design but I find that the weight of the dangle pulls on the thread and I have had much more success using split jump rings placed through the 6/0 seed beads and attaching dangles to that.  I have used buttons, charms, anything that can be put on a head pin really.

 

 





This is conso cord with a leaf design crocheted as the pattern.  The leaves have 3 seed beads (11/0) on each side to make the dangle.  the flower beads were attached by sewing them to the thread using a 15/0 seed bead as the center.

I have several other examples, but they seem to have disappeared into my studio "black hole".  I will post them when the gremlins decide to let them surface.  All of these use a basic "cuff cover" adapted for the width of the blank and the weight of the thread or ribbon.  New cuff pattern coming in the next post using ribbon instead of beads!