My first pattern for sale!

Well, I've finally uploaded my first ever pattern for sale!

Source: Everyday Things - Can Cozie via amkb on Craftsy

You should be able to click on the above to get to my new Get Crafting! Craftsy store.  Purchases can be made through Paypal.

This pattern is the first of a series of patterns I've been working on called Everyday Things; because useful things should be beautiful, too!  I had originally intended these for publication as an ebook but have not had the time to put it all together, so I'm releasing them one by one, instead.

With each of the patterns, I will put up two version  The first, lower cost, version will be the written instructions plus a photo.  The second, higher priced version will include step by step photos and modification ideas and suggestions.

Purchasers of my patterns have my permission to sell the items they make with them, so long as credit for the pattern is maintained; my name or the name and URL to this blog is sufficient.

I hope you enjoy this pattern!  If any problems are noticed, or if there are any questions, please feel free to pass them on to me.

Step-by-step, tunisian in the round

For my second experiment with a Tunisian in the round can cozie, a made only one minor change for the base.  This time, I worked in a spiral from the start.

I also decided to do with one in stockinette stitch.



Where the simple stitch is worked from right to left around the front vertical bar, the stockinette stitch is worked from front to back, in between the front and back vertical bars.  The finished result looks very much like the knit version.

To work in the round, only a few loops of yarn A are placed on the hook at a time.





The work is then turned and slip to the other end of the hook.  The loops are then worked off the hook using yarn B until only 2 or 3 loops of yarn A are left on the hook.







The work is then turned again, slid back to the opposite hook, and yarn A is picked up again to work several more loops back onto the hook.  In this photo, you can see the front loops of the last round of sc in the base.




As the piece is worked, the first few rounds seem very wide and bowl like.  After an inch or so, it starts to take on a more upright shape.  The vertical rows created by the stockinette stitch give it a bit more structure than the simple stitch did.



A view of the inside.



Another view of the outside.  Note the distinctive Tunisian crochet curl at the top.



I used a can to determine when to stop.  For this project, I stopped just a bit short of the final hieght I was after.





An inside view of the last round, uncurled as much as I could.





This time I did a round of sc at the top, working the stitches in the same space I worked the stockinette stitch through, using only the primary colour yarn.




Which looks like this on the inside.





The final round of sc was done using both colours of yarn on the hook.





Which looks like this on the inside.






Then I flipped it inside out to sew in all the loose ends.










The finished cozie. 


Final conclusion: For a can cozie, there are a couple of things I might do different.  I would probably stick with the 6.00 mm hook for the body, but the top is a lot looser than I like.  If I did it again, I would use a smaller hook for the last two rounds at the top.  I might prefer to do the whole thing in a smaller hook, as the cozie is more flexible than I like.  It's more likely to collapse when putting a can into it without using a second hand to hold it open.  On the other hand, this makes it more versatile for use on drinking glasses, which might flare wider at the top or be slightly wider and a pop can, or for small water bottles.


The finished fabric is quite a bit thicker than using a regular hook.  Which would be a plus (better insulation) or a minus (uses quite a bit more yarn), depending on what you're after. 


I do like the look of it, and working in the round does eliminate the lean to one side Tunisian usually has.  It does still curl, but not as much as flat work, and can be easily remedied without blocking.


There is a finicky factor when working in the round, since only a few stitches can be worked at a time before it has to be flipped to the other end of the hook.  This would be less of an issue if doing something larger, like a cap, since more loops can be worked onto the hook.


I like it.  Enough that I'll probably make more of these, or try some other experiments.

Experimenting; tunisian in the round

For some reason, I'm increasingly interested in Tunisian stitch.  I'm really enjoying the double hook crochet, but I don't quite know what's attracting me about Tunisian.  The stitch's habit of leaning way off to one side and tendency to curl irritate me.  The double hook technique eliminates that.  Yet, I can't help wanting to explore the method.

Which lead me to working on Tunisian in the round.  A double hook is required, but the piece isn't turned like double hook crochet.  Here's my first experiment.  A can cozie (because even in experimentation, I must make something useful... *L*) done in Tunisian simple stitch.  (I'll be posting a step-by-step with a different stitch later.)





In picking the yarns, I just grabbed two of the same type of yarn - some Handicrafter Cotton - that wasn't being used for something else, which had me using a variegated yarn with a yarn made up for 4 different coloured strands.  I thought it would be pretty horrid, but the nature of the stitch seems to have made it a lot nicer than I expected.

The cozie is topped with a round of slip stitch worked into the same vertical post that the Tunisian simple stitch (tss) is worked into.  Aside from giving it a more finished look, it got rid of the curl.







I started by making a simple disk to the size needed.  Usually I make my cozies with a 3.50mm hook, as the small size makes for a strongly self-supporting shape.  My double sized hook (I only have the one) is a 6.00mm  Starting from 8 sc into a 4 ch ring, getting the size I needed meant increasing to a round of 32 stitches, instead of my usual 40 stitches with the smaller hook.  When it came time to work up the sides, I used the back loops only to get it started. 



I worked the sides up in a spiral.  Here, the top of the cozie is flipped to show what the inside looks like.

I was rather pleased with how it turned out.  The resulting cozie is a lot softer and floppier than I like for the use I'm putting it to.  For that, I'd go with a smaller hook and the same yarn.  I just don't happen to have one.

With this one under my belt, I decided to make a second one and take photos as it progressed.  Time to go start on that. :-)

More inventory

Here are a few more items I made to build up an inventory for this weekend.



I finished a couple more tawashi, with more in the works. 



I've got a few java jackets ready, and will be able to do more tonight.  They're very quick and easy.  These were made using some worsted weight acrylic yarn and a 4.25mm hook, and sized to fit some Tim Horton's take out cups.  I played around with different patterns, and will post instructions for them another time.



I've also been playing around with cup cozie designs. 



A few last can cozies for the collection - with the rainbow one, I was experimenting with a way to make a flat, slightly wider, base.  The others were worked in a spiral, but that one was worked in rounds.



Finally, a few last dishcloths and another double-ended hook potholder.

I think I've got a decent amount of items for tomorrow's garage sale.  I'm quite curious as to what kind of feedback I'll get with them.  We never really found anything else for the sale - one of the side benefits of moving so often, I guess. *L*  My older daughter has done some baking for her contribution.

Should be fun. :-)

Building inventory

Our co-op has an annual spring garage sale. We hadn't been living here long when the first one happened, but have signed up for a table this year. With the feedback I had during our Christmas Craft Sale last year, I decided to test the waters a bit and include some small crocheted items, plus a couple of bigger pieces.

Working on those has kept my hands nice and busy. :-D

Most of what I'm doing are quick, useful things like dishcloths, pot holders and can cozies in Handicrafter cotton. Here are some of the pieces I've got so for. There are a few others that I forgot about when I took the photos, but I'll do those another time.






The cloth is done in tunisian stitch. I started off doing single stitches, as I had been with the double ended hook technique, but found the fabric curled up quite a lot. I didn't want to have to block a dish cloth, so I switched to double stitches. I ended up blocking it anyway, as tunisian tends to slant to one side quite a lot.

So far, this is the only tawashi I've done, but will be doing more with multiple colours when my skeins of yarn start getting too small to do full sized items.




I started getting tired of doing simple squares and rectangles, so I did my first ever filet crochet, finding a heart motif in one of my craft books, and a star motif using only single crochet and chain stitches that I found in another of my books. I just made it bigger than the pattern in the book, then finished is with a single crochet edging, adding picots to the tips to make them ore defined.



This herringbone pattern is from working in the back loops only. It's a bit like working a single ripple of a ripple afghan, without reducing at the ends of the rows.

 

I'll be making more of these potholders with the double ended hook. I've made a variation of these that resulted in a MUCH thicker fabric that I'll be giving more info about in its own post.



Just some simple dishcloths using double crochet stitches.



The basketweave pattern makes this ideal for potholders, while still being flexible enough to be a nicely textured washcloth.



The texture on these was created by alternating sc and dc stitches all the way across, then working sc into the dc of the previous row and dc into the sc of the previous row.



More can cozies! I love these things. I've been experimenting with textures, which serve as extra grip when being held.

Here is a more intricate piece I want to try out; a Moebius shawl (also spelled Mobius and Möbius) in fingering weight yarn. Usually when joining a long chain into a loop, great care is taken to ensure there are no twists. Here, a single twist is deliberately introduced to create a one-sided form.




This is less than half the width it will be when it's done. I spent quite a bit of time flipping through my pattern books to find something that was lacy and open enough to wear in the summer, yet dense enough that it wouldn't be too fragile. It's meant to be worn with the twist in the front, around the shoulders as a shawl, or as a cowl or neckwarmer.

Blitz - Can Cozies

I have made a lot of these in various shapes and sizes, including variations for small, handle-less teacups. Those do double duty - they insulate the cup, keeping the tea hot longer, and prevent burning your fingers when handling it.

I made these three in one evening.



As you can see, they're not just for pop cans, even though they're all the same size. :-D




These can be made in any material you'd like, but my preferance is for Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Ultrasoft, which is often marketed as dishcloth yarn. It's 100% cotton and machine washable and dryable. Though the label recommends a 4.5mm hook, for these I use a 3.5mm hook. This makes them better able to hold their shape when they're empty.

For a cooler that fits an ordinary pop can, using the yarn and hook size I did, this is how.

Start with 8sc into a magic ring. DO NOT JOIN. The rounds are worked in a spiral.

Increase each consecutive round to make a flat disc as big as the bottom of a pop can. For these, that worked out to 16sc, 24sc , 32sc, 40sc in each consecutive round.

After this, you can just keep working 40sc rounds, but I like to do the first side round in the back loop of the last disc round. You can see that round in the second photo. I find this gives a more defined crease between the base and side rounds. Either way, just keep going until the cozie is the height you want it to be. Feel free to change colours and add texture stitches as desired. As you work up the height, put a can (or whatever you're making the cozie for) into it every now and then to check height and fit.

If you find that the fit is a bit snug, making it hard to put the can into the cozie, try doing 1sc, 3ch, 1sc in one stitch, evenly spaced around the top of the cozie. It gives a slightly fancier looking cozie, but it also flares out the top row enough to make it easier to put a can in, while still keeping the rest of the cozie snug enough not to fall off too easily when the can it picked up.

The first one of these I did was the dark blue with light blue stripes and textured stitches. I was just playing around as I worked. I got positive responses from the family over it, but my personal preference is for simpler designs, so for the others, I stuck to the basics.