Victorian Flowers Friday: Eglantine Rose

This week’s Victorian Flower pattern is a motif that forms part of an 1888 Victorian era “Mat” or d’oyley.  I’ll rewrite the whole pattern, soon , and include it in a book of designs inspired by this Friday Flowers series.

As a motif the flower can be used to adorn hats, headbands, or bags; you can add crochet chains from each side and use them as a gift tie, as I have done on this crocheted lace washcloth.  They can be made with thread or with yarn–just use the hook that you’d normally use with the weight of yarn, remembering that you want the work to be quite tight so that the petals hold their shape.

Be sure to come back next week to see what the new Friday’s Flower will be!

Victorian CAL Cloth 2 ~ Crochet-Along Cloth of the Month

Tomorrow, on February 1st, the 2nd Crochet Cloth of the Month will be released.  It is a 1-Clue Mystery:  the mystery is that you will not know what the cloth looks like until you make it!  You can bring a little mystery and fun into your life, and look through a little window into the Victorian Era!

The cloths in the Victorian CAL Cloth are all inspired by stitch patterns, stories & poems I discover while reading Victorian books and magazines.  There will be a little ‘bonus’ pattern in with the cloth, too–last month there was a pattern for coasters to match the cloth, so it could be used as a table mat & coaster set.  What will the Bonus Pattern be for February?  It’s a mystery!

The February cloth is called Victorian CAL Cloth 2; you can pre-purchase now and receive an automatic update tomorrow with the full pattern.  You are welcome to join the West Coast Fibre Arts Group on Ravelry, to share comments & photos or ask for help if you need it.

For the first week, from now until 7th Feb. 2015 at midnight Pacific Time, the Victorian CAL Cloth 2 will be 50% off its regular low price of $1.95.

To make 1 cloth you will need: 

Worsted Weight cotton: 1 skein = 73.2 meters (80.0 yards), 50 grams

4mm/USG6/UK8 hook

The cloth only uses chain stitch, double crochet (Canadian/US terms used), and slip stitch.

It’s a Mystery: Victorian CAL Cloth

CAL: Starting on Thursday, January 1/2015 there will be a monthly
“Victorian CAL Cloth”
On Ravelry they will be called “Victorian CAL Cloth 1”, “Victorian CAL Cloth 2”, etc.

The pattern will be a mini-CAL with just 1 ‘mystery clue’ release.  Be sure to join the West Coast Fibre Arts Group on Ravelry to post comments, add your “spoiler photos” and make new fibre friends!

The first Mystery for January is FREE FOR THE FIRST 20 PEOPLE:  at the Ravelry checkout, use the coupon code

first20

But everyone will get a 50% discount for the first week the Mystery pattern is released–until midnight Pacific time on January 7th.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO PATTERN!

This is a wonderful way to explore stitch patterns from the past, using inexpensive worsted weight ‘dishcloth’ cotton–instead of just making a swatch, you end up with a useable item that makes a wonderful gift if you add a bar of hand crafted soap from your favourite local business!  I will also suggest other uses for the stitch pattern we explore in making the cloth.

If you knit as well as crochet–or knit but do not crochet!–you may be interested in the

“Victorian KAL Cloth of the Month”

which will be released on the 15th of every month!

Head over the Ravelry Pattern page to get the Mystery “Victorian CAL Cloth 1″…regular price is just $1.95, so until January 7th you can get it for less than $1

 

Myadora Cowl and Myadora Cloth

Tonight I added 2 new designs to my Ravelry Store:

Myadora Cowl and Myadora Cloth.

They are both based on a stitch pattern I found in a Victorian era women’s magazine.  The original design was for a very small d’oyley meant to be used on a ladies’ dressing or ‘toilet’ table, worked in cotton crochet thread.  My thread version, using size 10 thread and a 1.25mm hook , is about 4 inches across.

The cowls and the cloths both work up very quickly.  The cloths can be made either with the magic circle beginning pulled tightly closed or left loose as in the original design.  I have used it this way as a perfect eco-friendly paper towel substitute, as a stack of them fit onto a countertop paper towel holder–you just have to find one that doesn’t have a nob on the top!  You can make the cloths any size you like by working more or fewer rounds.  I used Bernat Handicrafter cotton for most of my cloths, with a 5mm hook.  A pair of cloths with a bar of locally made, eco-friendly artisan soap would be a very nice little holiday gift; so would a stack of them on a countertop holder for your eco-conscious friends or family!

The cowls I made are about 30 inches around the neck, and 7 inches deep.  Their size, too, can easily be adjusted.  To make them longer or shorter around the neck–or if you are using a larger or smaller hook than the 7mm hook I used–just start with more or less chain stitches:  just remember you need to start with a multiple of 4 stitches.  You can make the cowl longer by working more rounds.  They are so quick to make that you could easily make them as lovely gifts for Christmas.

If you make either or both of these patterns and need any help or find any errors, please contact me.  The quickest way to get in touch is usually a personal message on my West Coast: Super, Natural Facebook Page.

I will be adding several cowls on my Facebook Page that are ready to purchase. Please ask if you would like to order one in a certain colour, wool or acrylic yarn, etc.

 

Asphodel Meadows

Asphodel Meadows crochet design is offered free to thank all my Facebook fans and followers, to celebrate reaching the Milestone of 1000 “Likes” on my page, West Coast: Super, Natural.  If you look at the top post on my page you will find a link to a HUGE Giveaway that I am participating in; there are over two dozen vendors offering prizes to celebrate “Milestones Madness and More”…just click on the link and you’ll be whisked over to the page where you can enter!  You can also click right here:  Milestones Madness and More Giveaway

Asphodel Meadows was Inspired by:

Ode on Saint Cecilia’s Day

By the streams that ever flow,

By the fragrant winds that blow

O’er th’ Elysian flow’rs,

By those happy souls who dwell

In yellow meads of Asphodel,

Or Amaranthine bow’rs…

                             ~ Alexander Pope

This pattern is for a quick little flower motif that was originally used for a lamp cover in an 1861 French magazine, La Mode Illustrée. I think it would be lovely as a floral shawl or scarf—or, in worsted weight, an afghan. I have tons of photos in the pattern to help you make this 3-Round flower, and how to join the flowers as you go (you could sew them together after you make them if you prefer).  I also show how I made it into a pendant for a necklace.  While it would be nice made in one colour, I would love to see something made with either self-striping yarn or with flowers made in different colours. I hope that if you make something using this motif, you will share photos on my Facebook page, West Coast: Super, Natural, or link to the design on Ravelry: “Asphodel Meadows.”

FREE PATTERN FOR ASPHODEL MEADOWS IS ON MY RAVELRY PATTERN PAGE, CLICK HERE!

A Victorian Potpourri for Bed & Bath: Slumber Slippers

The latest design in this series is now available–a cute, adaptable crocheted slipper pattern that is sure to be a favourite with young and old!

BUY PATTERN NOW $1.95

These Slumber Slippers are adapted from an 1888 Victorian design, re-designed to be made with any yarn and in any size.  Directions are included so that you can easily make a pair using any weight of yarn with the appropriate hook, from baby to mens large size!

I made Women’s Medium size, with chunky weight acrylic yarn and a 6.5mm hook.  It used about 70g of the main colour (green) and 30g of the contrast colour (pink).  The second pair of slippers is a 1-3 year size, and used about 50g of yarn.  There are lots of photos so making these slippers is easy!  If you find any errors or need any help please write to me on the comment form or write a message on Facebook or Ravelry and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can–I check my mail boxes at least once a day.

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