Multiple Yarn Over Stitches: Double Triple, Treble Triple....

These are speciality stitches, not used in many projects. I had rarely seen or used them and didn't really like the way they usually looked, too loose.

Then, I found these flute playing angels. My orchestra friends loved them.

DTR (double treble crochet) ch 5 to begin a row. To make the stitch, yo (yarn over) 3 times, insert hook in st indicated, yarn over, pull up loop, (yo, pull through 2 loops on hook) 4 times.

Tr tr (triple treble crochet) yo 4 times, insert hook in st indicated, yo, pull up loop, (yo, pull through 2 loops on hook) 5 times.

These directions are usually found in each pattern's stitch guide because they're so rarely used. I was quite surprised to read the stitch guide for these angels and see: quadruple treble crochet, yo 6, yo 7, yo 9 and yo 10!!

 10 yo on hook.

 Starting to be loose.

Well!! I really wanted to make these angels, so I wondered if there were some way to make these stitches tighter. I seems that as a loop is pulled through 2 loops on hook, the thread is thinner than the hook had been, so each loop had more extra thread.

I found that if, after the 10 yarn overs, I laid the piece down on a table, and keeping the thread tight, I rolled the piece down to the base of the next stitch, some of the slack was taken up.

It looks tighter, better.

I want some of these angels for myself, but I have to finish that capelet!

Cloche hat and wrist warmers

This is another Pinterest inspired project.

 I used my hat pattern, only with more rows and increased more in the last few rows because I wanted the brim to flip up.

 The "ribbon" and the wrist warmers are done in v-stitch. To make the thumb space, I chained 6 in the v-stitch instead of ch 2. (Dc, ch 6, dc. Instead of dc, ch 2, dc, for the v-stitch where I wanted my thumb space.)

 I worked a row of sc around the hat for the foundation of the ribbon.

 One row of v-stitch under the sc.

Then, I worked another row above.

Then, another row above. I liked the width of the ribbon with 3 rows, so I stopped there.

 The flowers are from this afghan pattern.

The hardest part of this rose pattern is rolling them tightly enough.
Now I feel elegant and warm. Time is getting short to the wedding. I really must finish that capelet!

Even on vacation...

...I crochet.

Well, maybe not all the time! I'm just back from visiting my son and his fianceé in Florida. I flew down and had no car, so I knew I'd go stir crazy while they were at work. However, if I'm crocheting, I don't notice the time. So, I pinned lots of afghans on Pinterest and told Diana to pick one, and colors for it.

That's 2 weeks of crocheting!
At first glance it looked easy, then I actually read what was said about it. "I don't have the pattern, but it's very pretty." AARGH!!!
I was determined to make it because that's the afghan she wanted and James had already bought the yarn. Luckily, the pictures were good enough that I could enlarge them and count stitches and rows. I'm thinking that this afghan would also be pretty done in shades of pink for February. Eventually, I want to have a different afghan for each month.
It was a lovely vacation for me. I could sit on his porch and crochet.
Except, I like to have more than 1 project going at a time..... So I told Diana to collect plastic bags for a plarn project. She wanted a beach bag.

 She had a few for me. Even with all the different colors, it wasn't enough.

I started it. 7 inches wide. I didn't get far because I was concentrating on finishing the afghan. She's going to ask coworkers for more bags, so I hope that by next year, she'll have enough for me to finish her bag.

 This is a "life hack" someone posted on Facebook:
Fold the bags in fourths length wise.
Place the 2nd one on the first one, up a couple of inches from the bottom.

 Start at the bottom of the first bag, roll up.

 Keep adding bags and rolling.
You can cut the handles off or leave them on if you might have other uses for the bags beside making plarn. If you leave the handles on, alternate which side they'll be in the roll so one side isn't thicker.

 Keep rolling.....

Air is squeezed out as you roll. This is a space saving way to store bags.
That's 2 projects for Diana. What did James get? Besides cooking and clean laundry? Another Pinterest project. Swiffer covers.

 Most of his floors are tile. He uses lots of disposable covers. These crocheted covers are washable and reusable.

 After I had made a rectangle to cover the bottom, I made end pockets to hold the ends on. His swiffer has an extra long base.

Finished, with ties near the middle so it stays in place during use.
So, I had a relaxing (and productive vacation). I got to enjoy James and Diana's company and some Florida warmth. Now I'm back in the cold and it's time to go back to working on my capelet.

More Future Heirlooms

 

This was a high school prom dress. I made lace trim for several dresses back then, when I had lots of time. I doubt any granddaughters would want to wear the dress, but maybe one of them might want the trim for something else.

Here's a close up to show the glass beads in center of each flower.

This is the v-stitch skirt and vest. The skirt was lined and I had a blouse made of the same material.

Vests/bolero jackets were popular in the early 70s, so I made several.

I had a red slip/lining for this dress.

This was another prom dress. One of my daughters decided to be a princess for Halloween. She wanted to wear this dress, so it already has had some extra wear. I joked that it fitted her better at 11 than it fitted me at 17.

One spring, I made these hooded capes for my daughters. They were sad when they outgrew their capes.
These are just some of the projects made between 1970 and 1990. I think they still look new and could have more years of wear left in them for someone to enjoy.