Mug Mat Maybe?

 No it's not a crossword clue it's a mini mandala overlay pattern!

I've had two mini overlay patterns hanging around for sometime, which I've been intending to do something with. I've finally admitted to myself that I'll never get round to it. So I thought that maybe you could do something with them! 

I'm absolutely rubbish at naming patterns, but just as I started writing this the Chinese Meadow Rue came into flower in my garden. (Thalictrum Delavayi) 
Here is the white one nestling in the shade of an Acer. I've made the flowers look massive but the blooms on this incredibly delicate looking plant are only about a centimetre in diameter. So I'm naming this also for Ruby, my rescued Lurcher who is now old and doddery.

Made out of 4ply they are the perfect size for card toppers.

Made out of a thicker (DK maybe) cotton they make excellent mug mats. 

For the Mug mat I've used Scheepjes Softfun and a 4mm hook. I've gone with Scheepjes Sunkissed and Scheepjes Cotton 8 with a 3mm hook for the card toppers. Or for a really cute lighter weight motif you could try a crochet thread like Scheepjes Maxi. This one uses a 1.75mm hook.

Click here to open the Pdf Pattern. I've added a couple of links on the pattern which take you to two of my previous Blogs. If you're unfamiliar with these terms you might find them helpful. Normally I would start a pattern like this with a magic ring but instead I'm using the 'Chain 2' technique I told you about in the last post.

 I've given you two options for the final round, mainly because I hate making decisions!

To save your printer's ink I'm putting the round by round images here.

 The pattern comes with a diagram/chart which will hopefully make stitch placement a breeze. It's the first circular chart I've drawn all by myself. Actually that's not quite true I still had to get some help from Nick, acting as my technical guru! Hopefully the sister pattern to this one won't take as long now I've had some practise. I'm planning to have it ready in a fortnight.

Hope you enjoy using up some of your odds and ends.

Magic Ring Alternative

This week I promised you a free pattern. You know what happens to best laid plans?!  But in the mean time here's a little morsel or an update on my previous post about Magic Rings.

Last week was a pretty awful week and it's messed up my plans a bit. As my Grandpa, a seaman used to say, "worse things happen at sea"! Although my pattern is nearly ready to go, my dyslexic brain means I always check, check, check and check again. So sorry chaps but you will definitely have that in a fortnight come hell or high water!

So I've been having a Jen Tyler marathon. I hope you've heard of Jen Tyler from Hooks 'n Tales. She is both barking mad, amazingly sweet and ridiculously talented. She is currently embarking on a "Karoo Vintage Mystery-A-Long".  

Any hoo- I was doing one of her patterns the other day and watching one of her videos when she mentioned a different way to do the magic ring. She claimed to have learnt it from Esther Dijkstra, It's all in a Nutshell. (I can't find it on her Blog.) I know some of us struggle with the Magic Ring. Some of the instructions I've seen also make it look much harder than it is and have you doing some weird thing wrapping the yarn round your fingers!! This struck me as so sensible that I've been using it ever since.

Without a slip knot on your hook Chain one! That's it!

If you are going to Double Crochet (Sc) into the ring, 'Chain One' (that counts as your first stitch)

and continue to make your Double Crochets into the first chain.

If you are going to Treble Crochet (Dc-USA) then Chain Three (that counts as your first stitch)

and continue to make your Trebles into the first chain.

When you've completed your stitches, pick up that loose tail and pull tight!

 It's exactly the same as the way I told you before, but it's a much simpler way of thinking about it, and that's what makes it easier!

So come back in a fortnight and I will DEFINITELY have a freebie for you. Consider it carved in stone!

Herringbone Stitches

I am aware that it's a bit odd to be obsessed with the minutiae of crochet! Herringbone Stitch is one that most definitely rings all my bells!
This post is the sister of the last post where I talked about Extended stitches. I described these as a stitch standing on the shoulders of a Chain or Slip stitch. The Herringbone stitch certainly fits into that family. It's the slip stitch at the base that makes it lean to one side.
As usual no one in the crochet world can agree, so there are several examples of Herringbone stitch. The English being eccentric also call it Knotted Stitch! This is my blog so I'm going to decide what seems sensible to me!

I'm calling this Herringbone Half Treble.

 This is what it looks like when worked to and fro.

  This is worked on the right side only.

 Here are the instructions:

Ch2 to start a new row.

Yarn over hook and insert hook in first st,

Yarn over, pull thru st and 1st loop on hook,

Yarn over, pull thru both loops on hook. 
 

Let's call this Herringbone Treble.

First worked to and fro.

Followed by from right side only.

Here are the instructions:

Ch3 to start a new row.

Yarn over hook and insert hook in first st,

Yarn over, pull thru st and 1st loop,

Yarn over, pull thru 1 loop on hook,

Yarn over, pull thru both loops on hook.

If you look back at my book review of Edie Eckman's Crochet Borders you'll see an example of how she has used Herringbone.

Just a short and sweet post this week, but I hope you can find a use for these fabulous stitches.