Rayon – A Hooker's World

When I Come Around Romper

When I Come Around by Green Day is the name of this project. Ironic because January 2018 is when my great nephew is expected to come around. The other thing I noticed is that the romper is green and the name of the band is Green Day. My romper measures 9 x 14 (H) inches.

About The Pattern

Blue Orchid Baby Romper by Croby Patterns written by Doroteja

While I am not crazy about the trellis top I am glad to finally have found a infant romper for a boy. Either the pattern is written in shorthand or I did not read the entire pattern once again, experiencing difficulty starting each row. The larger sizes are available if you download the PDF, but I don’t trust their PDF method, which is more involved than necessary.

About The Yarn

Bernat Baby Coordinates (Fiber Content: 75.2% Acrylic, 22.2% Rayon, 2.6% Nylon; Yarn Color: 01012 Iced Mint; Yarn Weight: 3, DK)

I am not crazy about this yarn for the damn pile and that string that runs through the yarn. I have noticed it is easier to crochet with a Susan Bates versus Boye hook. I used a US F/3.75 mm hook. Otherwise, I am glad to have a baby to use this yarn up on.

Upside Down Blanket

Upside Down Blanket for Michael Kenneth Aguilar January 2018

I kept putting off infant crochet for my future great nephew, and the other day I realized I better start crocheting faster because he is due in January 2018.

I had been wanting to save the Wobbly Squares Blanket pattern for Bunnyland (a project in conception), but thought this would be a good place to try the pattern. OMG! The pattern is so simple and once you understand the repeats, it is not problem. Warning! Keep track, I lost count and almost ended up with a completely lopsided blanket due to wrong stitch counts: 48 on side one, 48 on side 2, 52 on side 3, 52 on side 4. I managed to catch this before the last eight rows and was able to conceal the mistake with only 1 adjustment row.

I had to dig up all my baby yarns and found a box of Bernat Baby Coordinates (Fiber Content: 75.2 % Acrylic, 22.2% Rayon, 2.6% Nylon; Yarn Colors: Lemon Custard, White, Blue/Green mix, and Green/Yellow/White mix; Yarn Weight: 3, DK), so I mixed them up and started. Unfortunately, I forgot to include the mint green and baby blue I had, but looking at the blanket now, I think it would have been too much. My afghan measures approximately 32 inches square. I chose not to put a border. Next is a blue and white striped sweater.

Ironically, the project name – Upside Down by Jack Johnson – is appropriate to the pattern, which appears to be v-stitches, but in reality are double-crochet clusters – the Upside Down of v-stitches.

I Say A Little Prayer Shawl

On da Hook: December 23, 2016
Off da Hook: January 15, 2017
Pattern: I Say A Little Prayer Shawl by Hooker Leo
Yarn: Newton’s Yarn Country Nevada (Fiber Content: 100% Rayon; Yarn Weight: 3, DK)
Hook: US F – 3.75 mm
Dimensions: 56 x 19.5 (D) unblocked; 68 x 23 (D) blocked
Price: USD $95.00

The project name – I Say A Little Prayer by Dionne Warwick – represents my hope that the shawl shape would be what I hoped it would be, and thankfully, I was successful.

This is the first time I have used the Moss/Granite Stitch and the use with this yarn created a fascinating southwestern feel to the woven-like fabric. I tried to use complementary colors from the primary gradient, and think I could have done better, but am happy with my results. My stripes consist of two rows and occur every twelfth row.

Bonus: Discovered that rayon can be blocked!

Project Change

I blame my meds and poor lighting for the constant fuck ups on International Bright Young Thing. It is simple knit: only garter, six increases every other row, three on each side. Yet I keep getting uneven stitch counts on either side. Aiyaa!

Maybe it’s time to do some crochet on I Say A Little Prayer. I am using – what I have come discover is called – Moss Stitch, also known as Granite Stitch, and I am loving it. It reminds me of knitted linen stitch, but much faster. By chance I happened to check inside the cone to see if I had stored the yarn label in there..voila! The yarn I am using is Newton’s Yarn Country Nevada (Fiber Content: 100% Rayon).

Second Opinion: Crooked Teeth Shawl Color Scheme

This is MY proposed color scheme for my next shawl: Crooked Teeth – by Death Cab for Cutie. If you would like to suggest a different color scheme please leave a comment with the numbers in your suggested order. I will be checking this post tonight before I go to bed, as I am due in the “dentist” office first thing tomorrow and will begin this shawl as I sit in the waiting room. I have a tooth that requires a root canal or extraction, a wisdom tooth that extraction is suggested, and the roots of a broken tooth that extraction is suggested.

Yesterday, I was going through some yarn on my shelf and noticed a layer of dust on the yarn. This was a clear indication to me that I need to address the yarn in this shelf immediately. Everything else is in bins and or covered, so it can wait.

The only identifiable yarns in the picture above are Pingouin Pingoluxe (Yarn #: 3; Fiber Content: 73% Acetate, 32% Polyamide; Yarn Color: 01; Yarn Weight: 3, DK) and Newton’s Yarn Country Nevada (Yarn #: 8; Fiber Content 100% Rayon).

Jesse’s Girl Shawl

On da Hook: September 26, 2014
Off da Hook: November 11, 2014
Pattern: Delightful Diagonals by Mona Modica from Crochet World Magazine, Spring 2014: Fun With Color in Thread
Hook: US G/6
Yarn A: Berroco Folio (Fiber Content: 65% Superfine Alpaca, 35% Rayon; Yarn Color: 4510; Yarn Weight: 3, DK)
Yarn B: Berroco Folio (Fiber Content: 65% Superfine Alpaca, 35% Rayon; Yarn Color: 4518; Yarn Weight: 3, DK)

I was honored by the commission of a friend to make this shawl for her. At the time she asked, I had to finish Cousins Afghan first; that explains the length of time between the start date and the end date.

This was a very simple shawl to make, but the pieces are so big and the stitch pattern so repetitive that the thrill was quickly gone. I did have one problem interpreting a pattern instruction and sent a message to Mona, asking for help, but she never replied. Fortunately, I was able to improvise and finished the shawl by the requested date. When seaming the pieces together, I did encounter a stitch number difference when attaching the triangles and I attribute that to my improvisation of the misunderstood pattern instruction. Additionally, I attached the triangles with the wrong orientation and then backwards, so pay attention to the diagram layout.

The shawl in the magazine is one color. Because I used two colors, I might have been short a skein of one color because I only had partial skeins of either color leftover to do the border. When I advised the client, she said to forget the border. I would recommend doing the border, as I notice that the points kind of curl, though a border might not resolve that issue. I will recommend to my client that she steam it flat.

The yarn is nice, but kind of splitty. I love the colors the client chose.

The client is expected to pick it up today. I hope she likes it. The name of the project comes from the similarity of my client to the name of the song: Jesse’s Girl by Rick Springfield.

Water From A Vine Leaf Shawl

On da Hook: before August 18, 2014
Off da Hook: September 11, 2014
Pattern: Accidents Never Happen Shawlette by Hooker Leo
Yarn: Interlacements Rick Rack (Fiber Content: 100% Rayon; Yarn Color: Scottish Lichen; Yarn Weight: 2, Sport)
Dimensions: 124 x 13-18 inches (not sure why there is a range; may update after I talk with her again)

The yarn representative for Interlacements asked me to crochet my Accidents Never Happen Shawlette from the Rick Rack. No problem. I just love her. The rest is history.

I believe this shawl is much larger than the one I made from Cascade Heritage Silk Paints, but won’t know for sure until I receive the dimensions from the yarn representative. The construction is Bruges Lace.

As for the yarn, Interlacements is my new favorite yarn manufacturer; the colors combos are divine and I love the fact that they actually name their colors instead of using numbers. By the time I finished this shawl, the beginning end had already begun to soften to a luxurious touch. The nubbies add a beautiful texture and it drapes wonderfully.

As for the pattern: I started to teach a class and discovered some wonkiness in the pattern, so despite the pattern being tested by a friend of a friend, I really need to make another to confirm the instructions are accurate. After making two of these, I have learned some very important tips for making this shawl and will try to incorporate them into the new pattern version.

Yikes! I just caught a big mistake: The name of this project was originally The Adventures of Raindance Maggie by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, but the yarn kept reminding me of water so I changed it to Water from A Vine Leaf by William Orbit.