Crochet / Diary /  Cardigan No.4

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Cardigan Projekt-in-the-making No. 4 / Variation of crochet #brickwork pattern / learn how to crochet #Freestyle / Blog No. 4/I

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Thought it would be nice to keep a diary about all my works, in order not to loose track, and as some sort of documentation for the future.

I’m publishing the first part here, up to the actual start of crocheting the Brickwork Cardigan.

Later on I described my progress and the how-to-do’s, which I will publish as soon as all the preliminaries are finished - and there are still several Blogs about them, which I cannot do on a daily basis, because they require very much work.

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10/2/22

Crocheting away on my Houndstooth-cardigan, is a little boring since I finished the two-colour-work, so watching youtube, like always do when working on something that does not require to think about a lot.

Lately had searched for circular interchanging knitting needles online, et voilà they are proposing me handcraft videos. Vaguely knew that they were there, remember having seen some, years ago, but as I always make my own designs only occasionally refer to others, usually to my stock of books and magazines, to search for techniques or measures.

Watching them in German, as that’s the language I grew up with and understand instructions in best. Came about ‘PetersCrochetArt’ and his showing how to do a two coloured Brickwork pattern, which reminded me one done in Tunesian Crochet, many years ago. Down goes the Houndstooth, with no remorse,  immediately have to retry this pattern. Am all excited, start swatching with the first two balls of yarn I get hold of.

Tunesian is my all-time preferred crochet technique, but as now do nearly all my cardigans with the whole body in one piece, it’s difficult to pull through, especially as still haven’t got a hook with an extension cord (note to myself - go and get one, and the two-sided one too, which - didn’t know that before - allows you to crochet in the round).

Nah, don’t like it too much, it’s too regular for me, looks old fashioned, going to try it in normal crochet.

Hmmm, still looks very 1930s…..

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Houndstooth is going to profit from that.

Or, maybe going to start a Facebook Group showing my progress while trying to teach how to work Freestyle?? Didn’t I start one many many years ago? Still remember which pictures I posted then, find them in my archive - but the group is gone, maybe closed down for ten years of inactivity……

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11/2/22

Not seen much yarn today, having to catch up with lots of housework due to frenetic crocheting activity lately

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12/2/22

ok, Houndstooth the same as before, but finally opened ‘Crochet and Knitting Showcase’ Group and invited my two friends I know being fond of handcrafts. Who knows if someone else will join sooner or later? 

Found password of IG account, too - with no pictures in it….maybe after all it was me who cancelled everything in a fit of ’no internet anymore, because it’s insane????’ Have had one or two of these, sustaining that instead of easing life in reality it complicates it….

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13/2/22

going on with sleeve of Houndstooth, as having started describing it in the Group and can’t already put it down for good (like the other 15 or something works that wait to be finished), watching some more Youtube Vlogs, but really, don’t need inspiration for a new pattern, still want to try the Brickwork one to find a way that makes it look more contemporary.

But that’s incredible how many men crochet and knit here, or describe what’t they have crafted, which wool they bought, and their knitting-related life in general.

I’m over to English now, as most of them make their films in that language. Marvellous new yarns with seventies vibe - skeins in shading, unspun wool, triangular and fancy shawls like we did back then. And a new thing, ‘knit along’, never heard of that one!

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14/2/22

How on earth do I put the pictures published before in an album on FB? Managed to create the album, but that’s it……maybe the system on my Mac is too old….no desire to update it, the last time I did  that lost lots of pictures.

Some progress on Houndstooth, tried to explain how to do the pattern picture per picture, no idea if others can understand it

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15/2/22

Trying out methods to sew the shoulders, think I managed. Going on well with second sleeve, but man is this boring, will dive into my yarn stashes for some distraction, to get a refreshed  visual of what is there.

Working several variations of Brickwork, shifting the pattern. Actually, it’s the same basics as Houndstooth, noting it only now. 

Starting a new garment usually goes like this for me - there’s some idea in my head of a pattern I’d like to do, so go through my mood board hoard (magazine clippings, colour charts, really everything that attracts my fancy reminding me of some handcraft, and books and magazines) whilst laying out all the bags with wool I associate somewhat with this idea - and, normally, at some point it clicks and I know which yarns to choose.

The exact model  (of usually a cardigan) then depends on the amount of yarn I find for that particular pattern I envisage, - and before thinking twice made some swatches

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16/2/22

Working on the second Houndstooth sleeve to calm my bad conscience, but grabbed by excitement to do some more planning for the Variation of Brickwork cardigan. Choose three Mohair qualities: light blue, vanilla yellow and greyish blue; a ball of Shetland wool in the same shade as the blue-grey Mohair that has to be divided in 2 threads as it is too thick, but will be squishier and thus better fitting then; and - to be sure to have enough yarn for the long cardigan I envisage, a very large cone spool of deep sea blue fringed cotton-viscose mix.

Some more swatches done, in other yarns too to show the pattern and instructions better in the pictures, as the Mohair actually is very hairy - it’s in the word, really - and makes the pictures look blurred.

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18/2/22

Yesterday was another day mainly for housework, sigh……apart from some Houndstooth, which is good, because the second sleeve is in a quite advanced state  now.

There’s a beautiful sun outside, but it reaches my terrace only for an hour and a half at noon in this season, so seize the opportunity to take a sunbath and have the yarns have one too, to chase away the mites.

Occupying lots of time to write the pattern instructions and taking pictures to post, but simply HAD TO START my new cardigan in the Variation of Brickwork pattern I like most. It’s a loooong chain, nearly 300 stitches 🙀

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19/2/22

Brickwork looking really lovely in shades of blue and light yellow. Discovered that done in only two colors it looks like a stepped gable - which still is made out of bricks 👻 - or a staircase.

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20/2/22

Crocheting of the Houndstooth Cardigan all done, hurrah!! Sewing together and refining can wait 😉.

Working out how to diminish and increase stitches without disturbing the pattern too much.

This one is a classic example of my preferred method to work - choose pattern and wool, and the overall idea of style, then let the result be determined by the amount of yarn I prepared (and sometimes frenetically searching for another one that could fit in because the stash was not enough).

Call that the ‘Colour-as-you-go’ and ‘Model-as-you-go’ methods, and in this case ‘Pattern-as-you-go’ too, as the shifted Brickwork is one that changes appearance with width and colour combinations (not all patterns do that).

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21/2/22

Once again housework is calling.

Am blessed with a really lovely, always purring cat - if only she wouldn’t consider the whole house her cat litter box. One day without cleaning and it stinks like a men’s loo….or am I not allowed to call it like this any more in this not-so-brave new world? Don’t understand how things really function nowadays, having been mainly confined to home by two years of quarantine, and still feel a little outlandish outside.

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22/2/22 - what a unique once-in a lifetime-date it is today!! Really, a once-in-a-thousand-years’ one!!!!!!!!

Crocheted evening until late into the night on the whole body part of Brickwork, going on slowly but well, like the outcome!

Never imagined it was so difficult to write pattern instructions 😼

Well, published them, but maybe in the next days will try to do the pattern following these instructions 🤣