Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Linked Treble Crochet Squares

[caption id="attachment_30" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Linked Treble Crochet"][/caption]

In the last episode of the Shorty's Sutures Crochet podcast I mentioned a couple of charitable projects I wanted to participate in through Ravelry. One of the groups is collecting 4 x 4 inch crocheted squares and the other group is collecting 8 x 8 inch crocheted squares.

Over the weekend I began working on the smaller squares and decided I would use a stitch that I learned in April from a class taught by Robyn Chachula. Go here to see her instructions! The stitch is called Linked Treble (ltr) crochet and it creates these distinct lines that run horizontally across the square. I'm alternating one row of linked treble crochet with one row of single crochet in the front loop only to create the lined pattern I learned in class.

Its really a fast moving type of stitch that lets me create a lot of fabric in a short period of time. The only thing I'm not enjoying is the type of yarn I'm using. I'm attempting to de-stash a bit and use up some acrylic yarn. Working with this yarn just hasn't been fun. I'm a much bigger fan of cotton blends. Hopefully once the squares are blocked they'll be a bit softer and more likable.

Are you working on any new projects this week? I'd love to hear about what you're working on and what kind of yarn you're using. Share in the comments section below.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Shorty's Sutures on iTunes

It's official... you can download my Shorty's Sutures Crochet podcast through iTunes! It took what seemed like an eternity for me to get everything figured out, all because of my lack of techy-speak, but now all is well!

I would be honored if you took a few moments to listen and subscribe!  Your review of the podcast is also welcome.

Have a great weekend!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Episode Two

Check out the latest episode of the Shorty's Sutures Podcast! In the show notes you'll find pictures, descriptions and links to all of the topics I talk about in the show.

What do you think of my finished Sequoia Shrug?

Episode Two: The Nook Pouch and More

Thank you for joining me for the second episode of the Shorty’s Sutures Podcast! Notes and links from the episode are found below.

Episode Two

The podcast began with reminders from the last episode of all the free resources that are available to crocheters everywhere to broaden the total crochet experience!

  • Ravelry

  • Twitter

  • Facebook

The Sequoia Shrug is finished!Sequoia Shrug

Finished the chemo cap, Red Heart pattern with Simply Caron yarn! My apologies but no pictures were taken before I mailed it out.

My question for all of you:  Do you ever feel awkward about things you make for friends or family? Are you unsure about your gift or your talents? Please share your thoughts or comments at the end of the post or in the ShortysSutures Ravelry group.

What’s new in my bag?

  • Working on top secret Father’s Day Gift for Hubby, The Nook Cover

    [caption id="attachment_26" align="alignright" width="300" caption="The Nook Pouch after seaming the sides together."]Nook Pouch[/caption]

  • Using Tunisian Simple and Tunisian Knit Stitches from MBT's class at the DFW Fiber Fest in April 2011

  • Frog Tree Meriboo yarn (70% merino wool/30% bamboo, color #45 greenish gray)

  • DK Weight/Size 3


What’s new in my library?

  • [amazon_link id="1440209073" target="_blank" ]Go Crochet: Afghan Design Workbook by Ellen Gormley[/amazon_link]

  • [amazon_link id="1594742324" target="_blank" ]Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden[/amazon_link]

  • [amazon_link id="1564778479" target="_blank" ]Amigurumi World by Ana Paula Rimoli[/amazon_link]

  • CrochetLiberationFront.com

What’s in my ears?

What’s new in my stash?

  • Churro Wool Yarn & Buffalo Hair Yarn spun by Liane Brown

    [caption id="attachment_27" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Hand-wound center-pull ball"]Center-pull Ball[/caption]

New to crochet, or new to trying something new:



  • Check out the Charity Crochet links through the ShortysSutures group discussion thread

To see more pictures that correspond with this episode just click over to my Flikr page.

Thanks so much for joining me and I do hope you’ll join me again next time. Please leave your questions and feedback in the comments section or send me an email at shortyssutures(at)gmail(dot)com. Until then, keep those hands stitchin’!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

A Quick Project for Father's Day

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="320" caption="Nook Pouch Cover"][/caption]

This week has been quite productive with regard to crocheting my husband's father's day gift.

I gave him a [amazon_link id="1400532655" target="_blank" ] NOOK Color [/amazon_link]for Christmas, and thought it would be nice if I made him a little storage pouch for it. What's kind of funny is that Hubby is out of town and he took his Nook with him. So, I had to look up measurements online and now I'm having a bit of difficulty knowing exactly how I should make the top section. I'm thinking of a fold over top with a two-button closure. Do you think Barnes & Noble would let me test one of theirs out?

In April I attended a class by Mary Beth Temple of Getting Loopy on Tunisian Crochet. This is the technique I am using to make the Nook Pouch. I started with Tunisian Simple Stitch for the first row, then switched to the Tunisian Knit Stitch for the remainder of the project. I finished up the top with a row of slip stitches so it would match the bottom row. If you're working with Tunisian Crochet, it's worthy to note that I stitched my first row in 'the bump' of the chain (instead of through the loop of the chain) to give a neat, slip stitch effect to the bottom row. This was recommended in the class I went to. Try it out if you haven't already, I think you'll really like how it looks.

Another thing I think worth mentioning about utilizing the Tunisian Knit stitch for this project is that the inside of the pouch (the purl-looking/wrong side of the fabric) will give a bit of extra padding to the Nook for protection. I thought that was important since Hubby will most likely be toting his Nook around when he travels.

The Frog Tree Meriboo yarn is a wool/bamboo blend that is so soft. (The color is #45.) I absolutely love the way it feels when I run my hand over the fabric. I talk more about the brand of yarn and fiber content in Episode Two of the Shorty's Sutures Podcast. I hope you'll check it out when it's available later this week.

To make the Nook Pouch simply chain 25 loosely, Tunisian Simple Stitch the forward pass of the first row and make a standard return pass; for the second row Tunisian Knit Stitch across and keep using the standard return pass. Repeat the Tunisian Knit Stitch until your fabric is approximately nine inches long, and repeat the process to make a second piece of fabric the same size. I'll update my instructions once I finish the entire project and have the top completed, but you could make a drawstring closure for the top, or a fold over button or hook/loop closure. Embellish with an applique if you'd like and there you have it!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Up and Running

I can finally make the announcement that I've been chomping at the bit to make... the Shorty's Sutures podcast and blog is ready to share!

As you know, one of my passions is to crochet and to make things with my hands. That's what Shorty's Sutures and the new site is all about. It'll take me a bit longer to achieve the Website look I'm really going for. If I were more knowledgeable in html and graphic design I would have it all knocked out, but that's not the case.

Please hop over and check out the introduction and the first episode Welcome to the Shorty's Sutures Podcast! I would really love to get your feedback.

Episode One: Welcome to the Shorty's Sutures Podcast

Thank you for joining me for the first episode of the Shorty's Sutures Podcast! Notes and links from Episode One are found below.

Episode One

The podcast began with a bit of history on how Shorty's Sutures came to be, my original blog Securityville and my little Etsy shop. Not familiar with Tim Burton and the type of suture style stitches I reference in the Podcast? Click here for some examples.
Other types of  hand stitchery that I enjoy, and a Website called Sublime Stitching always brings me inspiration. I also mentioned other types of stitching that I can get absorbed by: quilting, both machine stitched and hand quilted, and a bit of tatting.



What’s in my library? [amazon_link id="0823099083" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Super Stitches Crochet[/amazon_link], [amazon_link id="0307451968" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Crochet Adorned[/amazon_link] and [amazon_link id="0740797581" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Twinkie Chan[/amazon_link].





What’s in my bag? Finished the chemo cap, Red Heart pattern with Simply Caron yarn; Sequoia Shrug pattern on Lionbrand.com, with Sprout organic cotton yarn by Classic Elite (Verde Collection) in Natural and Summer Rain

What’s in my stash? Malabrigo worsted in Sealing Wax, Madelinetosh in Tomato, More Sprout organic by Classic Elite, and other misc yarns I’ll share more about later.




If you’re new to crochet, or new to trying new crochet techniques, I recommended the following resources:




· A stitch dictionary that includes diagram symbols and examples of swatches/stitches




· Join Ravelry




· Stick with simple, light color non-variegated yarns to learn what your stitches should look like




· Check out Stitch Diva and the Art of Crochet on YouTube




· Immerse yourself in free resources to learn what is going to be most appealing to you, then invest in buying

Where can you find me: on Ravelry, Flikr, Etsy, Facebook and Twitter as ShortysSutures, or send me an email at shortyssutures(at)gmail(dot)com.  And you can always return here to my blog at www.shortyssutures.com.

Thanks so much for joining me and I do hope you’ll join me again next time. Please leave your questions and feedback in the comments section or send me an email at shortyssutures(at)gmail(dot)com. Until then, keep those hands stitchin’!

Make This for Father's Day

Yesterday ended up being quite the productive day when it came to crocheting Hubby's father's day gift. 

I gave him a NOOK Color for Christmas, and thought it would be nice if I made him a little storage pouch for it. What's kind of funny is that Hubby is out of town and he took his Nook with him. So, I had to look up measurements online and now I'm having a bit of difficulty knowing exactly how I should make the top section. I'm thinking of a fold over top with a two-button closure. Do you think Barnes & Noble would let me test one of theirs out?

In April I attended a class by Mary Beth Temple of Getting Loopy on Tunisian Crochet. This is the technique I used to make the Nook Pouch. I started with Tunisian Simple Stitch for the first row, then switched to the Tunisian Knit Stitch for the remainder of the project. I finished up the top with a row of slip stitches so it would match the bottom row. If you're working with Tunisian Crochet, it's worthy to note that I stitched my first row in 'the bump' of the chain (instead of through the loop of the chain) to give a neat, slip stitch effect to the bottom row. This was recommended in the class I went to. Try it out if you haven't already, I think you'll really like how it looks.

Another thing I think worth mentioning about utilizing the Tunisian Knit stitch for this project is that the inside of the pouch (the purl-looking/wrong side of the fabric) will give a bit of extra padding to the Nook for protection. I thought that was important since Hubby will most likely be toting his Nook around when he travels.

The yarn is a wool/bamboo blend that is so soft. I absolutely love the way it feels when I run my hand over the fabric. I'll talk more about the brand of yarn and fiber content in an upcoming podcast episode. I hope you'll check it out when it's available.

To make the Nook Pouch simply chain 25 loosely, Tunisian Simple Stitch the forward pass of the first row and make a standard return pass; for the second row Tunisian Knit Stitch across and keep using the standard return pass. Repeat the Tunisian Knit Stitch until your fabric is approximately nine inches long, and repeat the process to make a second piece of fabric the same size. I'll update my instructions once I finish the entire project and have the top completed, but you could make a drawstring closure for the top, or a fold over button or hook/loop closure. Embellish with an applique if you'd like and there you have it!

Thanks for reading, friends! Happy Monday to you!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Delays to the Third Power

If I could blink my eyes and become a Web guru I would do it in a flash! I'm trying so hard not to get bogged down by not having my site changes in place, but the fact of the matter is I just can't do it on my own. And I hate that.

I'm waiting for help to arrive. I know my knight in shining armor is almost available to help me. My apologies for announcing last week that changes were looming, which they are, but I was hoping to share all the new stuff this week.

What's that line about best laid plans?

Go Crochet! Afghan Design Workshop: 50 Motifs, 10 Projects, 1 of a Kind ResultsSo, I'm going to talk about more exciting things for the moment. I won a new book! Go Crochet! Afghan Design Workshop: 50 Motifs, 10 Projects, 1 of a Kind Results by Ellen Gormley. It's been awhile since I've participated in any giveaways, but I came across one about a week ago and just couldn't resist throwing my name in the hat. What's funny is I had a good feeling about it, too.

I'm going to review the book in detail soon, after I've had a chance to try out some of the motifs, but I wanted to send a big THANK YOU to Karen Ratto-Whooley from KRW Knitwear Studio for hosting the giveaway and sending me the wonderful prize so quickly! I can't wait to dig in!

Happy Friday to all of you. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and are able to make some time for being creative!