New Found Love - Bullion Stitches

The response to the Lily Pond Crochet Along has been incredible and there are people all over the world currently working through the project. I could never have dreamt what an amazing response we would have to the project or just how busy we are as a result of the CAL, however, in between all the pond related stuff I am working on new designs and of course teaching workshops. I started designing the Lily Pond CAL project more than 4 months ago and was working on it over Christmas so now I am working on designs ready for the late summer and autumn.

I love my design work, but also love getting out into the big wide world and teaching workshops. On Friday I was lucky enough to be invited along to assist on the Learn to Crochet workshop run by Woman's Weekly magazine (they are running more of these and you can find the details here) and on Saturday I tutored my 'Fun with Crochet' workshop at Herts Craft Collective. I love this workshop, which focuses on how to work in a freeform way, but one of the many techniques I show within this workshop, along with beading, making bobbles and textural stitches, always makes me feel a bit disappointed, not because of the way that it looks, but because of how hard it can be to complete in an effective way. I am talking about bullion stitch and those of you who have attempted this stitch will understand my frustration in relation to drawing a yarn loop through other loops on the hook in one easy manoeuvre.

A bullion stitch is made by wrapping the yarn around the hook, in the same way you would for a double treble stitch for example, but with many more yarn loops on the hook. Another yarn loop is then drawn through all the loops to create a stitch which I think looks a little like a woodlouse or a chrysalis. Sounds a bit odd I know, but it is a lovely stitch!

The problem is drawing the last yarn loop through all the others as the yarn always gets caught up on the second or third loop and I invariably end up picking the remaining yarn loops over with my fingers. Working in this way does not have an effect on the look of the stitch, but it does make it very time consuming to do, especially if you want to do a few.

Last week we received our first order from Hamanaka directly from Japan. I adore the products we ordered and was so excited when Andy started adding them to the web site and I have been carrying around my very own little set of hooks, stroking and purring over them ever since, but my like of them turned instantly to total adoration on Saturday when I discovered that not only is it incredibly handy to have a set of double ended ergonomic hooks in a smart plastic case, but that they are quite simply the PERFECT hook for making bullion stitches!

These lovely hooks have made me so happy over the past week and I thought I would share with you a quick tutorial on making bullion stitches in case you fancy having a go too. If you have any old crochet hooks in your collection you may find that you already have one that will work - the key is the shape of the shaft of the hook. If you look at the image of the Hamanaka hooks below you can see that the shaft of the hook is tapered from the handle down to the hook:

The bullion stitch I use takes up the same height as a treble crochet (US double crochet) so you will need to start with 3ch. Bullions work really well in a slightly hairy or soft yarn and I tend to use a larger hook than you would choose for the yarn. In my tutorial I have used Rowan Creative Focus Worsted, which is my absolute favourite yarn for bullion making!

Wrap the yarn around the hook 8 times, making sure that the yarn loops go up onto the thickest part of the hook, use your finger to guide them onto the hook and hold them in place if need be:

Insert the hook into your stitch, wrap the yarn round the hook and draw through. In my example I have inserted the hook into a chain ring, but it is the same method whichever way you choose to do it:

Make sure that all the yarn loops are on the widest part of the hook shaft.

Hold the stitches in place as in the image below:

Wrap the yarn around the hook again, making sure this time that the yarn sits in the crook of the hook as you turn it to catch the yarn:

Keep pinching the yarn loops on the shaft of the hook and draw the final yarn loop through all loops that are sitting on the shaft of the hook - you need to do this quite quickly and angle the hook vertically as you draw through:

Complete the bullion stitch by working 1ch:

The stitch doesn't look very impressive at this point, but once you have a few more in place they can look really effective:

If you fancy having a go at working some bullion stitches you can find loads of inspiration on the internet. I did a very speedy search on Pinterest and found these lovely ideas:

Beautiful Bullions by Prudence Mapstone - variegated yarns look so good in this stitch.

Bullions and Beyond - this is an image via Ravelry

You can make this lovely crochet floral fantasy Valentine heart by Cheri Mancini

The image above comes from canalblog which is a french site with lots of ideas and the amazing image below shows you just how creative some crocheters can be with their stitches - a link to the web site for the image below is here and there are many other really inspiring images on the same web site.

I hope my tutorial has inspired you to get to grips with bullion stitches. I haven't used them in the CAL and rarely use them in my design work because up until now I couldn't recommend a reliable hook. Who knows - now that I have discovered how efficient the Hamanaka hooks are I might just start to put these lovely stitches into some of my work!

If you would like to attend a Fun with Crochet Freeform workshop with me and learn some other techniques as well as bullion stitches the next one is at TAJ Crafts on the Isle of Wight on the 30th May.

Happy Hooking!

J x

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Lily Pond CAL - Block Two

Today sees the release of the second set of CAL patterns. You can download the pattern for free via the Stylecraft web site here.

The pattern this time is for a square block that is worked in the round. You will start by making a small flower, like a tiny new Lily, which you then add rounds of crochet to in order to make a square piece. The detail at the centre of the flower is added later on by sewing a few stitches in place.

Working in the round:
In the pattern for Block One you were instructed to work in rows, but this time you will need to work in the round. The first thing you are asked to do is make and join a chain to form a ring as in the images below. The chain ring becomes your basis for the next round and is covered up by your first round of double crochet (US single crochet):

You can choose whether you want to make the ring by working the chain method as shown above or by making a magic loop. If you are not sure how to make a magic loop I have pasted some images and a tutorial below to help guide you. You could also take a look on YouTube - there are loads of tutorials for this:

Take the yarn tail around your index finger from front to back

Cross the yarn over

Slide your hook under the loop on your finger and catch the yarn loop

With hook facing down, draw the yarn through the loop on your finger

Reposition the hook so that the hook faces up

Make a chain

Carefully remove the yarn loop from your finger

Make sure that the tail end of yarn sits to the left

Work your crochet stitches into the ring

Pull the yarn tail to tighten

Work your slip stitch to join

Joining in a new yarn when working in the round:

In the pattern for Block One I showed you how to change yarn shade on the final step of the last stitch of the row. When working in the round it is neater to completely fasten off one shade at the end of the row and rejoin the new shade at a different point. Working in this way means you get a much neater colour change, but it also means you have to check your stitch count after every round to be sure you haven't treated your slip stitch as a stitch.

Here is my instruction paragraph from the pattern:

Fastening off and re-joining yarn: You will achieve a much neater colour change if you complete rounds and fasten off the yarn, rather than joining mid stitch. When fastening off a yarn at the end of a round, the slip stitch that you have made to join can look like a stitch when you are working the following round. Make sure you count correctly and do not count the slip stitch as a stitch when working subsequent rounds.

The images below show the way to join in a new yarn:

The image above shows clearly where one yarn has finished and where another one is joined, joining in this way means that not all your yarn tails end up needing to be sewn in at the same place and thus makes it much neater.

Weaving in yarn ends:

Sewing in yarn ends can be a real pain, but you could choose to weave some in if you like. I tend to do this when Im working double crochet (US single crochet) as these are nice tight stitches and the yarn is less likely to work itself free. There are a few rows later on in Block Two where you could choose to weave in this way. I tend to weave one yarn end in at a time as 2 can be a bit bulky.

Once you have joined the yarn in, hold the tail end of yarn in line with the top of your work, making sure you are holding it to the back of the work

When you crochet the next st, work under the tail end so that it gets caught within the stitch

You can weave the yarn end in on every stitch until you are happy it is secure

Working into a stitch 2 rows down:

There are some images within the pattern to help guide you through working into a stitch a couple of rows down the work. I have posted the images below so that you can save them to your PC, laptop or note book and really focus in on the detail if need be:

Sewing in the details:

As with the above images I have posted the images I took of sewing in the stitch detail:

Tension:

There have been many questions and discussions about tension and I really don't want to spend too much time talking about it here, but you do need to be sure that this block is going to fit in with your other pieces, so please make sure you measure and check as you go along. This piece should block out to approximately 15cm square. If you have a measurement close to this then the chances are you will be fine, but a good way to check is to measure this piece against one of the first blocks (Block One) to check that everything is going to fit. You should be able to fit the equivalent of 3 of the small blocks along one of the Block One pieces. You can see more about tension and what we have called 'The Rule Of Thirds' in a previous blog post here.

Blocking and Pressing:

Blocking and Pressing is the term used to describe the process of laying out your crochet pieces and then either steaming or moistening them with water in order to make sure they look neater and more even before you begin the process of joining your pieces together.

I think the term ‘pressing’ is extremely misleading as it implies that you should put something heavy onto your crochet and smooth out your stitches, in the same way that you would iron a crease out of a cotton shirt. In my time as a consultant and tutor I have seen many examples of knitted and crochet pieces that have quite literally been pressed beyond recognition. If you are not careful, pressing a crochet piece with a hot iron will destroy the fibres within your yarn and make your stitches flat and your yarn shiny – in some cases (when dealing with man made fibres) you could even melt or burn your yarn. Once the fibres within your yarn are flattened they will not recover, much in the same way as you can’t un-shrink something that you have washed too hot.

Working through my Crochet Along project you will put a lot of time and effort into creating your crochet pieces in order to produce what I hope you will think is a beautiful lap blanket, which you can take pride in and others can admire. With this in mind I suggest that you take plenty of time to make sure that all your pieces are finished in the nicest way possible and so, once you have sewn in all your yarn ends, I suggest you use the following blocking steps.

Prepare a blocking board:

A blocking board can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be. You can buy special foam jigsaw blocking mats, or pick virtually the same things up in a toy store at a fraction of the cost. You can use the top of your ironing board or a bath towel. I use a folded towel on my work surface in the kitchen. I have a chequered tea towel, which I then lay over the top.

Pin out your pieces:

When blocking out a flat piece, such as a a granny square for example, I would lay my piece face down on the tea towel, however, because of the 3D nature of this project I suggest that you lay your pieces the right way up so that you can see all the flower petals and leaves.

If you have a clean chequered or striped piece of fabric or tea towel like mine, you can pin your crochet pieces out in line so that you ensure they are straight. Use a tape measure to ensure that you are blocking to the right size. If you have a plain background you can mark out the size with pins, or even sew in a tacked framework.

Use long, large headed pins to pin the crochet piece out. You should stretch the piece very slightly and put the pins in as flat as you can – I work from the centre out, marking the central point of each side first, then working towards each corner.

Using steam or a water spray:

If you have a steam iron that you know you can trust and that can produce steam without spurting boiling water, you can steam your crochet pieces, but be sure to hold your iron a few inches above your crochet to ensure it doesn’t get too hot.

I use a cold-water spray. I have an old pump action hairspray bottle, which is filled with clean cold water and I spray my crochet pieces until they are nicely damp, but not soaking.

Once the yarn has taken in the water I leave the pieces to dry completely before I remove the pins.

Note:

Crochet pieces love to curl up so there is little point blocking each crochet motif as you complete it because by the time you come to put your pieces together they will have curled up again and will need re blocking.

A note on washing:

Stylecraft Life DK is a fabulous yarn – it is hard wearing and easy to wash, however I would suggest that you avoid machine washing this project if at all possible. The tumble and spin actions on many modern day washing machines can be quite destructive to hand made products and, if you put your completed crochet project in with other wash items, you could find that you get snags and catches caused by things like Velcro fastenings or clasps.

Once your project has been put together you may want to wash it. I find that washing a completed piece can make a really big difference to the finished appearance of it. Seams become flatter and stitches become more even. I always hand wash my knit and crochet items in a liquid specially formulated for that purpose, such as woolite or soak. It is wise to avoid biological liquids or powders as they can contain brighteners, which can destroy the yarn fibres, cause bobbles and shade changes.

Once the piece is washed I place it in a tied pillow case and give it a short spin in the washing machine to remove as much water as I can – don’t use a really fast spin as this can cause the piece to stretch and throw in a couple of bath towels at the same time to minimize the amount of movement the project will have, the towels will also help absorb water. Remove the project from the pillow case and lay your crochet project out on bath towel or large soft flat surface to dry. Don’t place in direct sunlight or over a radiator and do not tumble dry. If you have a trampoline in the garden this is an excellent drying place, so long as you keep your pets well away!

And Finally….

I hope you enjoy making these Tiny Lily blocks. I think they are really sweet and would look lovely all on their own in a project. I really like adding detail with sewn stitches; you could always sew the detail onto your lilies in different colour yarns or add some french knots of beads to make them look even prettier.

I am really enjoying seeing all the different colour ways and ideas for additions to the design that you are all coming up with. I'm so pleased that my design has captured the imagination of so many of you and I hope you will continue to send me your lovely images and comments. In the mean time, keep up the good work and happy hooking!

Janie x

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Q&A time on Twitter

Earlier on this evening I took part in a question and answer session on Twitter. the focus of the chat was all to do with the CAL project and I had a busy hour or so answering questions and attempting to give a little more of an insight into the project.

Over the course of the last week Stylecraft put together a list of the most commonly asked questions regarding the Lily Pond project and this evening we answered them alongside the other questions that came in over the course of an hour.

Below you will find a list of the questions asked, my Twitter answers and a slightly more in depth answer for some of the questions, given that I don't have to limit my letters and spaces here on my blog!

If you want to see the discussion on Twitter search for #LilyPondCAL

@Jane Crowfoot
Between 6 & 7pm today you can take part in a Q&A session with me & @StylecraftYarn here on twitter. Use #LilyPondCAL to tweet or follow x

@StylecraftYarn
Tonight at 6pm we are having a questions and answers session with @JaneCrowfoot. Send your quetsions in using the Hashtag #LilyPondCAL

@StylecraftYarn
Welcome to our live Q&A session with @JaneCrowfoot Do you have any questions about our #LilyPondCAL?

***

Gail:
#LilyPondCAL thank you from all of us for making this, laughed when I realised the flowers were LAST..

@JaneCrowfoot
the lilies are not all made at the end. A little lily features in the patterns for next week and another one a fortnight later

***

Alicia:
I'm really curious which method will be used when it comes to putting it all together?

@JaneCrowfoot
I can give you a hint that it will be crocheted together rather than sewn! ;)

Alicia:
brilliant! Even better sewing is not my strong point :) thank you for answering loving the cal so far!

***

Hilary:
#LilyPondCAL There is a lot of confusion as to which is the right and wrong sides. Is there an easy way to tell?

@JaneCrowfoot
best way to tell is by looking at the remaining side of the foundation ch. RS you should see a little wave

Robyn:
good question Hilary! I was starting to get confused myself :-)

Additional Answer:
The foundation chain is not so clear on the back, but actually the easiest way to tell which is the front is to look at your yarn tail at the beginning of the foundation chain - if it is on the left then you have RS facing. 
Image above is RS facing - notice the little wave running along the bottom?

***

@StylecraftYarn
Should I block before or after sewing ends in?

@JaneCrowfoot

I sew yarn ends in before I block as less danger of unravelling. Leave longish yarn tails & oversew more than once on last st #LilyPondCAL

Additional Answer:
I will add some more information about the way I block my pieces next week when the new pattern is released for Block Two

***

@StylecraftYarn

Should I block each piece individually, or as a whole? #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot

If you block before joining pieces you will probably find they have curled up in between pieces #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot

I block the completed project once it has been joined together. I don’t use an iron, but wash gently by hand & lay out to dry #LilyPondCAL

***

@StylecraftYarn

Why do we change needle sizes so frequently? #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot

Yarn tension changes depending on st - sts with long posts create spaces so work gets wider if hook not changed #LilyPondCAL

Additional Comment:

Should say hook size not needle size!

@JaneCrowfoot

Other sts can make work tighter e.g. when ch is used in place of a st, hence larger hook on skipped st #LilyPondCAL

***

Janice:

I have tried so very hard to get the right tension but as a novice its difficult, should I abandon the project? #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot

have you taken a look at my blog post? If you are consistent & not far off the tension you should be ok

Janice:

Thanks Jane, this is my first project I hope to finish it

***

@StylecraftYarn

Can we sew our ends in as we go, or will it affect the tension? #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot

Sew in as you go! Paragraph for help at beginning of the pattern under the heading ‘dealing with yarn ends’. #LilyPondCAL

Here is the paragraph:

Dealing with yarn ends: I tend to sew yarn ends in as I go along – doing this makes the finishing process much easier as you will have less to do. Sewing yarn ends in as you go along also means that you are less likely to loose stitches or make errors with your tension.

I have posted the images above to give you an idea of how I sew my yarn ends in - these are not image of the CAL!

***

Julie:

Hi I am using the DK special instead of Life. Length of block is longer so not sure if its right to drop a hook size

@JaneCrowfoot

depends upon how much longer it is. If only minimal don't worry. Look at my blog post re tension #LilyPondCAL

Additional Answer:

Stylecraft Special is a true DK weight the same as Life DK, it can feel a little thicker than the life when you are using it, but tension wise it should come up almost exactly the same. We did a test to check!

***

Deborah:

Do you have to fight the urge to tell people to just keep going, you're going to love it and have fun? #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot

they will love it and have fun! Natural to worry at first to be sure things are right ;P

***

@StylecraftYarn

How come I change colour at the end of a row, rather than at the start of a new row? #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot

If you don’t change on final step, loop on hook at end of row will be in shade finished with therefore visible #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot

If you change yarn shade after completing the row you will see the ch is in same shade as previous row #LilyPondCAL

***

Colette:

No one is managing to achieve the tension that you have achieved. do you have any advice on how to achieve it?

@JaneCrowfoot

everyone has different tension & may not have realised. In depth post about this on my blog & film of FB

Additional Answer:

It can feel like a lot of people are not achieving the correct tension, but that might simply be because you are aware of lots of conversations about it within discussion topics on line and within forums. There are thousands of people globally working on this CAL and many are getting the tension correct - understandably they just don't appear to be as vocal as those who need help!

I wrote a long piece about tension last Friday and you will find it below this post. 

I have also been sent a link to great tutorial which has been doing the rounds within some of the Facebook Groups, there is a link to it here.

There is also a link here to a tutorial on the Woman's Weekly web site

***

@StylecraftYarn

Jane is tapping away furiously next to me - she is getting to your questions as fast as you can #LilyPondCAL

JC - Just want to say I wasn't furious - just typing fast!

***

@StylecraftYarn

Would you recommend using the magic knot, to avoid lots of ends? #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot

I don't use it as I would not trust it not to come undone once the project washed and used repeatedly #LilyPondCAL

Additional Answer:

The magic knot is a way of joining yarn together in a way that leaves really short yarn ends. It is a nifty way to achieve a quick yarn change, but needs to be used with caution. especially when using slightly slippy yarns such as silk, bamboo etc

***

@StylecraftYarn

When will the bag pattern be released for sale? #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot

Bag patt is a free gift for those who purchased yarn kit via my web site or those attending CAL workshops. #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot

@StylecraftYarn I will be tutoring CAL workshops at your Mill & @BlackSheepWools in July #LilyPondCAL

Additional Answer:

We still have some customers waiting for their yarn kits to come back into stock (as we are still selling kits through our web site on a pre order basis). Once all our customers who are waiting for their kits and their free pattern have been looked after we might consider issuing the pattern for sale. Depending on demand the release date for sale would be the end of July once the CAL project finishes. 

***

Judy:

I'm a beginner managed to get the blocks finished to the right size. Wondering how this is sewn together? Mattress Stitch?

@JaneCrowfoot

you can choose joining method, but I have written pattern using crochet st to join. Full instructions will be given #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot

hope you are enjoying your new hobby! #LilyPondCAL

***

@StylecraftYarn
When it comes to Lily motif do you do a chain loop or magic loop? #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot
I write the patterns for ch to form a ring as this is what most people do, but you can choose to use magic loop #LilyPondCAL

Additional Answer:
You will find loads of tutorials for the magic loop on line and on Youtube. It is a way of making a tighter ring at the beginning so that you get less of a hole at the centre of your ring. I personally like the effect a larger hole gives you, but can understand why some people would want to achieve a smaller hole. The method is almost always used in Amigurumi (Japanese origin - crochet creatures/small animals)

***

Julie:
how long should each piece take to crochet roughly?

@JaneCrowfoot
depends on so many things, like how you feel & where you are. Block one may take a few hours but you will speed up

Additional Answer:
Please don't feel disheartened if you feel that others are working through this project faster than you are. The important thing is to enjoy it and get it right. Everyone crochets at a different speed, the same way that runners all run the Marathon in different times, except that this isn't a race and you don't have to leave your sofa!

***

@StylecraftYarn
Thank you too @JaneCrowfoot for answering all those great questions. More answers on Jane's blog and our web site tomorrow #LilyPondCAL

@JaneCrowfoot
Thank you too! I'm off to do a spot of crochet! #LilyPondCAL

Barbara:
@JaneCrowfoot @StylecraftYarn must be a #LilyPondCAL for lots tonight good way to unwind after a day at work

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