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CONTEMPORARY CROCHET

July 11, 2009 by jd wolfe

contemporary-crochet-0709

Here’s a new book by Sys Fredens.  I was not familiar with this designer/author, but I sure do like her designs!  I am currently working on one of the pullovers in this book for my daughter.  Not only did my daughter approve the design and yarn I chose, the sweater is actually fitting her nicely!  A win for me as my daughter is not generally fond of my crochet.

Great thing about this book – the sweaters are constructed from the TOP DOWN.  Hooray!  A designer who finally listened to me (us??);-)  Top down is such a great way to crochet a sweater as one can try it on throughout its construction to be sure it fits.

The book includes numerous color photos, often showing the design from more than one angle, and with simple schematics for each.  There are sweaters, shells, bags, hats, mittens, and shawls.  The shell I’m making is the Summer Top with Shoulder Bands on pages 44 and 45. With 37 designs included, there’s a good selection included.  Yarn selections tend to be generic too – so no high end yarn prices to contend with.

The patterns are very basic, assuming a knowledge of and experience with garment construction.  This can be a problem for beginners, but the schematics and photos will help as the designs are not terribly complex.  I believe this book would be a great addition to anyone’s crochet library with the exception of a rank beginner.

Published by Martingale Publishers, 2009

94 pages

$21.99 (well less than $1 per design!!)

ISBN 1564778975

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Have you read?

Stitch Your Favorite Fruit on a Sweater

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.” 

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them. 

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits. 

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves. 

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit. 

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy. 

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]

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