Dress Yolk DIY

I love making summer dresses with a little crochet top piece.  Here is an easy way to make a dress like this yourself!

You will need:
-About a yard of fabric, OR BETTER YET - an old midlength skirt that has a really cool pattern on it and is loose fitting... I found mine at Goodwill... I feel like there are cooler fabric prints on pieces of clothing in thrift shops than anything you find in the craft store these days...
-2 skeins of Aunt Lydia's Crochet Thread size 3 OR a light (3) weight yarn... Patons Grace Cotton is great also.
-A small crochet hook like an E
-A needle and thread
-Pins

Begin with ch a multiple of 10 plus 2.   The amount you chain should be long enough to fit approximately halfway around you just under your arms and above your bust. (I chained 92, but I have super teeny shoulders and bust - you might want longer for yours.)
Row 1: 1 sc in second ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn.  (Making 91 stitches for me total.)
Row 2: Ch 1.  1 sc in each sc of previous row.  Turn.
Row 3: Ch 2.  *1dc in first  st of previous row.  Ch 1 and skip the next stitch.  Repeat from * across ending with a dc in the final st.  Turn.
Rows 4 - 8: Then I made the filet crochet pattern pictured below.

Make 5, 7, or 9 more rows just like Row 3, depending on the length you prefer your yolk.  I made 7, and wish I had made 5 because the yolk goes low enough that my undergarments show under the crochet piece... which is a little more scandalous than I like.
Then Repeat the Filet Crochet pattern you made in rows 4-8.
Repeat Row 3 once more.
Now repeat Row 2 twice more.
Now you can create a neck opening.
This involves a little math.  Take the original # you chained and subtract 51.  (So for me... 91-51 = 40.)  Divide that # by 2.  (For me, 40/2 = 20)
Neck row:  Ch 1.  1 sc in each of the next 20 (or whatever number you ended with) stitches.  Chain 51 and skip the next 51 stitches creating a large opening for your head.  1sc in each of the remaining 20 stitches (or however many you made at the beginning).  Turn.

Now Repeat what you just did, up until the neck piece, back down the other way to make the back piece.
(2 sc rows, 1 dc/ch row, 5 rows of filet crochet pattern, 5/7/9 dc/ch rows, 5 rows of filet crochet pattern, 1 dc/ch row, 2 sc rows.)

Now make the triangle edging pattern pictured below going up and over each side of the piece you have just made so this pattern will go up and over the shoulders.  For this pattern described in writing, check rows 9-12 of the LBD DIY.

I also added some little side panels to go under the arms.  I made 2 rows of 10 single crochet and attached them across the bottom so the made armholes on each side.

THEN...  I chopped the waist band off my old skirt.  I pinned the old skirt/fabric onto the crochet piece.   Since the skirt is very loose, I kept the fabric even by pinning it on one side under the arms, then stretching it out in half and pinning on the opposite side under the arms.  Then pinned it with little pucker folds starting from each side and moving toward the center on both the front and back pieces.  I sewed this on by hand so I wouldn't have to battle the puckers with my machine. 

And that's it!  Cut and weave in all loose ends of yarn and thread, and you have a super cute dress!

TRENDING!!!

Holy Cow!  My email exploded yesterday!  Pineapple Robe started trending on Craftsy!  What a treat!  Thank you so much everybody!  Can you tell by all my exclamation marks how excited I am???!!!

I hope there will also be a lot of new followers for this blog!  We have a lot of fun on here!  Thanks for stopping by and reading!

IF you are a new reader, and you are working on the Pineapple Robe,  you might want to check out THIS POST that helps with the side panel section and THIS POST that gives you a way to alter the pattern to save a little time and yarn! Also THIS POST about working with cotton!

HOPE ALL NEW BUYERS HAVE A FANTASTIC STITCHING WEEKEND!  Thanks so much for brightening mine!!!

COTTON

It is summer.  Yesterday's high was 89.  If you are stitching anything right now you are probably reaching for your cotton, because that is the only crochet fiber we can even imagine wearing right now, am I right?

Summer school finance is over and now I'm taking an intro to textile science class.  Besides my brief panicking moments when I can't get my microscope to focus or can't get my nose to recognize the celery burning smell of nylon... I'm having a great time... and learning a lot.

Worsted Weight 100% cotton

Mercerized Cotton

Why do we love cotton?

It's abrasion resistant, so if you are using a nice cotton yarn it shouldn't pill (although some of the "I love this Cotton" yarn I don't actually love so much because it really does pill a lot... boo).  It takes to dyes really well if you're into that kind of thing.  BUT MOST OF ALL, it is super comfortable in the summer time and has a weight to it that makes it drape so nicely in skirts and dresses.

Why do we not love cotton?

Well, because like your favorite pair of non-stretchy jeans it can sag and stretch with use.  BUMMER.  I made my mom the Pineapple Robe for Mother's Day in the larger size because I wanted it to be loose and comfy for her to wear around the house.  My mom is a pretty petite woman and after wearing the robe for a week, it was dragging on the floor.  She looked like the queen of the house with a train running along behind her... but I don't think that's the look she was going for...

So, simple solution?  Wash that sucker.   Cotton is actually stronger when wet!  Pretty cool, huh?  So you don't need to worry about your yarn breaking in the wash BUT since we are human, and I don't always trust the strength of my stitches,  I hand wash anything I have made.  Then I pop it in the dryer for a bit.  AND BOOM... it's right back to the size it should be.

Why do I REALLY love Cotton/Acrylic blends?

A lot of times when I say to use cotton, I'm really using a cotton acrylic blend like Cotton Ease.  This yarn has all the benefits of cotton (nice drape, breathable in summer weather) without any of the drawbacks (the acrylic makes it light so it doesn't STRETCH so much and is less likely to vary in size when washed).  Now if we could just convince Lion Brand to make that stuff come in one pound discount balls, we could all save a ton of money because Cotton Ease ain't cheap.

What are the benefits of MERCERIZED cotton?

Mercerizing is a finishing process done to cotton.  It's a really cool coating that gives it some extra super powers.  It makes it a little shinier (more lustrous) which is sometimes nice.  It also gives your yarn a brighter more vibrant color, and increases its strength and resistance to mildew.  So if you are making the Sweetheart Swimsuit... it is worth it to have your cotton mercerized.

Why does all this matter?

When I first started stitching... I really didn't care what kind of yarn I used - I picked whatever was cheapest.  BUT the whole goal of Sans Limites Crochet is to enable y'all to make things that you actually want to wear... that look fashionable, NOT crafty.  Crafty is not always bad... but it's really fun to wear something and have somebody say, "Where did you get that?"  and you can respond, "I MADE IT!"  If you make a nice maxi dress out of a cheap, stiff, scratchy looking acrylic, it's not going to hang well, you won't feel awesome wearing it, and everyone will know you made it...  yarn choice isn't everything, but it sure does help!!!

Hope you are stitching happy!

Extra idea for The Pineapple Robe

You may have purchased the pattern to make the pineapple robe... it has been pretty popular which is pretty awesome - it's my favorite too!

So say you don't want to invest ALL that time and ALL that yarn...  Make a shorter version!

Repeat the pattern for the body pieces 3 times total on the back piece,  once to establish the collar for each of the front pieces, and then 2 repeats of the normal pattern after that, and two repeats of the pattern for the sleeves.  Now you have a nice short summer sweater instead of a robe!  YAY!  Stitch happy!

LBD DIY

You always need a cute little black dress.  Grab a plain looking mini dress (or make one yourself, if you're a sewer) and add this border to the bottom to make it look extra styling.

I'm going for the more delicate look so I'm using size 3 crochet thread and a D hook.  You will also need a needle and thread.

Start by chaining a multiple of 10, plus 2 that will cover your chosen dress hem.
Row 1: 1sc in second ch from hook and in each ch across.  Turn.
Row 2:  Ch 1.  1 sc in each sc of previous row.  Turn.
Row 3:  Ch 2.  *1 dc in first sc.  Ch 1 and skip the next stitch of previous row.  Repeat from * across.  End with 1 dc in the final stitch.  Turn.
Row 4-5:  As Row 3.
Make the filet crochet pattern that appears in the below diagram.  The pattern spans over 10 stitches.
Or, read the following instructions...
Row 6:  Ch 2.  *1 dc in each of the next 2 dc.  (1dc in next dc, Ch 1 and skip next st of previous row) 4 times.  Repeat from * across.  End with a dc in the final stitch.
Row 7:  Ch 2.  *1dc in each of the next 2 dc.  (1dc in next dc, Ch 1 and skip next st of previous row) 2 times.  1dc in each of the next 4 stitches.  Repeat from * across.  End with a dc in the final stitch.
Row 8:  Ch 2.  *1 dc in dc of previous row.  Ch 1 and skip next st of previous row.  1 dc in each of the next 8 stitches.  Repeat from * across.  End with a dc in the final stitch.
Row 9:  Ch 2. *1dc in each of the next 3 dc.  Ch 3 and skip the next 3 stitches of previous row.  1 dc in each of the next 4 dc.  Repeat from * across.  End with a dc in the final stitch.
Row 10:  Ch 2.  *1dc in each of the next 3 stitches.   Skip the next 3 dc of previous row.  (3dc, ch1, 3dc) in ch-3 space of previous row.  Skip the next 3 dc of previous row.  Repeat from * across.  1dc in final stitch.  Turn.
Row 11:  Ch 1.  1sc in first st.  *Ch 2 and skip 3dc of previous row.  (1Dc, Ch1, 1Dc, Ch1, 1Dc, Ch1, 1Dc) in ch-1 space of previous row.  Ch 2 and skip 3 dc of previous row. 1 sc in center dc of next set of 3dc of previous row.  Repeat from * across.  Turn.
Row 12:  Ch 1.  Make 1 sc in each stitch of previous row.  In the center ch-1 space of the pointed part make (1 sc.  1sc, Ch3, and sl st into the top of the second sc you have just made.  1 sc).

Now cut, bind off, weave in loose ends.  Sew this crochet piece you have just made to the bottom of your little black dress!

Stripes and cool stuff

Hi all.  So, it's been a while since I have been in this spot, but I'm running low on little crochet project ideas to include as a FREE DIY on this blog.  BUT I do have lots of ideas that are little alterations to a pattern you may have already purchased...  So I'm going to include these ideas in the EXTRAS page up top.

So first...  I love the clothing I am seeing  made from Peruvian and Mexican style colored blankets.  If I had a Mexican blanket on hand and was a better sewer I would make myself a jacket STAT.  But since I don't, I've incorporated the idea into a crochet piece, and you can too!

I've incorporated these colorful Mexican blanket stripes into the Boho Jacket Pattern, but you can add it to any pattern you have that is made from plane old single crochet stitches.  It's a great way to use up extra yarn you have sitting around... start playing with some stripes!  Hint:  have 2 rows as a minimum for each stripe, 1 row will look more like stitches than a stripe.  If you like that look, go for it, but it won't look as much like these Mexican blanket jackets.

Check out the images below to see how I incorporated this idea into a jacket.  And check the images below that for the jackets from Free People that inspired me for ideas on striping and colors.  Play with it, and have fun!

Extras! Extras!

Hi all!  I have some new projects I wanted to get started on this summer.  These are things I wanted to share with you that are not really new patterns (but might build on one you have already bought), not quite DIY's, and more than just my ramblings.

They are things you will want to know, maybe some tutorials, maybe some pattern modifications... so I have added a new tab up there with the different pages where these lovely "EXTRAS" can be found.

Crochet Math from yesterday is in there!  

Happy stitching!

Crochet Math

Hi all.

So I'm in a finance class right now and getting lots of math practice in.  Then I realized... there is actually a lot of math involved in crocheting... and since I am not a math lover... it took me many years of crocheting before I figured it out.

These are tricks you math lovers might know already.  BUT - if you are like me and math rarely consumes your mind, these tricks might come in handy.

FIRST ---  some math to figure out yardage.
It can be helpful to keep your yarn wrappers if you don't remember the kind of yarn you are using, and this is why...  there is some kind of useful information on them.  Here is an example:

The pieces of info you will need are Ball Weight (2.5 ounces) and Length (120 yards).  Now you just need a scale (I use a food scale) and you can figure out about how much yarn you have left in a skein OR how much yarn you used for a project.

So say you weigh your project and it weighs 5 ounces.  (This one is easy)

120 yards  x  ?????yards  =    
2.5 ounces   5 ounces

So do some cross multiplication.  120 x5 = 600   Then 600/2.5 = 240 yards.  You used 240 yards.

Here is a harder one.  Your project weighs 13 ounces.

120 yards    x    ?????yards  =
2.5 ounces      13 ounces

120 x 13 = 1,560   Then 1,560/2.5 =  ABOUT 624 yards.  (Allow for some rounding in the weight unless you have a really fantastic scale!)

SECOND - some math to figure out size.
To figure out the size of something you need a really accurate gauge.  So when you read a pattern and the gauge says:  13 stitches and 16 rows of sc = 4 inches with an H hook, you need to make a swatch with an H hook and your chosen yarn and make sure 13 stitches of single crochet across and 16 rows up really equals 4 inches.  If it is bigger than 4 inches, switch to a smaller hook like a G.  If it is smaller than 4 inches switch to a larger hook like an I.  For this math to work, your gauge has to work.

OK so now, say you are making a piece that is  55 stitches.  You can figure out how many inches across that will be.   Because you are dealing with stitches across, you will use 13 as your number.

4 inches       x     ????inches  =  
13 stitches            55stitches

4 x 55 = 220    Then,  220/13 = 16.9  or about 17 inches.  So when you make the 55 stitches across it will be about 17 inches.

The same works if you are dealing with rows.  So now say you are making a piece with the same gauge that has 80 rows in its pattern.  You can figure out how many inches long it will be.  Because you are dealing with rows, you will use 16 as your number.

4 inches        x     ????? inches   =
16 rows               80 rows

4x80 = 320  Then, 320/16 = 20 inches.  So when you make 80 rows with this gauge it will be about 20 inches.


WOOHOO!  Good job with your math!  These are two tricks that are so incredibly useful as a stitcher, and it took me an long time to realize them... hopefully they will help you out in all your stitching adventures!!!  (And this works with knitting too!) 

Time to say Thank YOU!

Dear Friends, Customers, Crafters and the like,

One year ago, I was packing up my life and shedding some tears saying goodbye to Krochet Kids, some of the most amazing and brilliant women interns around, my great California family (CONGRATS ON GRADUATING, Michael Burke!), and life living a block from the ocean.  I was thinking, crap... what now? and dreading returning to an uncertain life plan.

BUT - the last year has been completely awesome.  I've been getting some really sweet and supportive comments on the latest patterns and realized the last time I said THANK YOU was far too long ago...

In the last year...

I finally got the hang of Tapestry Crochet and had a ton of fun making new patterns.  One of the tapestry crochet patterns was even featured in the recent release of Simply Crochet!

My very first book of patterns was released in November - Hooked on Hats II!  And it has actually been pretty popular!  (And my Grandma actually brags about it at her needlework groups - which is
kind of cool!)

The picture of the Beach Sweater that was taken my first week working at KKi and even appeared on the KKi intern blog recently appeared on the cover of Inspired Crochet magazine.  It captured a really fun pattern and a time in my life where I could actually walk to the beach!

A hat I made was worn by super star athlete Julia Mancuso in the Spotlinght on Skin Cancer  campaign - an issue close to the hearts of my pale skinned Irish family that has an affinity for sailing and the sun...

I have gotten to watch KKi slowly release each of the designs I helped work on during my time there.  I love (I MEAN REALLY LOVE) the idea that women on the other side of the world are making, with their own two hands, something I helped design and it is empowering them to rise above poverty.  It makes the world feel small and connected through craft, which is pretty fantastic!

I started graduate school and in my first semester got to work on a product development project for a nonprofit company called Aspen Pointe that works to help American veterans and their families.  And the products we made were entirely of recycled army parachutes- we made hammocks and camping gear... pretty cool, huh?  More than just a school project, we got to help people and learned a whole lot along the way.

And I sort of settled on my thesis research - which I'm sure you will read more about over the next two years - but I'm researching how craft contributes to community and belonging through a design line that is incorporating crochet designs (duh) and African craft and symbolism.  I think it has the potential to be pretty cool (and so much fun).

AND I started my no new clothes Clothing Challenge - and it is almost over.  I have made it almost one full year with no new clothes (OK, there were a couple exceptions in there...) BUT for the most part I've thrifted to sooth any shopping cravings.  I'll have to write more about this at a later time, but the whole experience has been tremendously awesome.

AND NONE of this would have been possible without the love, kindness, support, and words of encouragement from all of you.  I have loved all the experiences of the last year.  And most of all I have loved making things.  Thank you so much for sharing in this journey with me and making alongside me!  Crafters are truly incredible, and you all prove that to me everyday!

A very sincere thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Happy stitching!
Love,
Sara

The Boho Jacket

I love this jacket.   And you can make it yourself!

Get the patterns on Etsy, Ravelry, and Craftsy.

Stitch happy and email me with any questions!

Help with the Pineapple Robe

Hey all!  I haven't had any questions on it yet, but I'm already anticipating some possible confusion with the side panels that are part of the Pineapple Robe pattern.  If you've made it through already, you are a steller crocheter!  If you need some more help... here you go!  (Click on the photo to enlarge it a little!)