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Washing, Blocking & Drying your Crochet Swatch – Why it’s Important

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Why do you need to wash, block & and allow your crochet swatch to dry before you start making your sweater?

Swatching

Making a crochet swatch (at least 4 joined motifs) and then washing and blocking is a crucial step when making garments.

  1. Checking gauge – everyone’s gauge is different. Each student in the class could make the same motif with the same hook size and yarn and you could end up with 5 different sized squares. Even a slight difference in size, such as a mere 5mm extra per motif, can end up making a big difference overall. Imagine your sweater is 6 motifs wide… that’s and extra 3cm front and 3cm back and your sweater is suddenly 6cm larger.
  2. Making more than one motif is necessary because the size of the motif and how it behaves will change once it is joined to another motif.
  3. Very often, a yarn will change size after washing. Especially natural yarns such as wool and silk. A yarn with a wool blend will grow after washing. Imagine you have made a sweater with the most perfect fit… after the first wash however, it grows all over by 10cm – it’s now too baggy with excessively long arms!
  4. After your swatch has been washed, blocked & dried, you will probably find that your yarn has “bloomed” and even relaxed a little, into a drapier fabric. Again, this will give you a true idea of whether you will love the fabric that the combination of yarn, hook and motif create.

Blocking

There are many different ways to block your crochet swatch, such as spraying, steaming with an iron etc. For clothing, I prefer a full soak and wash in a mild detergent as this give the truest indication of what will happen to your sweater after its first wash.

Tip: Measure the crochet swatch and make a note of the size before washing & blocking.
It’s good to know how much the size has changed. Knowing this will help during the making of your sweater, especially when you are checking sleeve lengths etc.

Method

What you will need:

  • Clean towel*.
  • Blocking mat or clean towel.
  • Stainless steel dress-makers pins or blocking pins (they must be stainless steel or you will risk staining your swatch).
  • Ruler or tape measure.
  • A mild detergent or shampoo.
  • A suitable space.

*some hand dyed yarns can “bleed” the first time you wash them… I avoid using my best towels, in case they accidentally get stains!

Setting up the Space

Let’s talk about the suitable space. Your piece will need to blocked somewhere where it can be left to dry. Depending on your yarn & the atmosphere of your house, this could take 12 hours (for cotton) to 3 hours (4ply wools). I often block on the carpet in a spare room, somewhere people aren’t going to be walking through and inadvertently stepping on your pins! If you have a blocking mat (these are sometimes foam or like mine, felt) you can do it on any clear surface that fits your mat. I have also blocked with just a towel on the mattress of the bed in the spare room.

Some ideas:

  1. Custom blocking board – no towel needed.
  2. Folded up towel on the carpet.
  3. Folded up towel on a mattress.
  4. Felt blocking board – I like to use a towel, or in this case a flannel as it’s only a small swatch.

Wash

Use a sink or bowl and fill with lukewarm water. Water that is too hot could shrink and even felt your yarn if it has a high wool content.
Use a small squirt of mild laundry detergent, a sprinkle of non-bio powder, soap flakes or shampoo. Mix in well.
Add your swatch and make sure all parts of the fibre are soaked through. Do not rub the fabric together. Just swish it around and gently squeeze for a minute or so.
Rinse in cold water.
Squeeze out excess water – DO NOT WRING.
Roll up the swatch in a clean towel to remove some more moisture. We want the swatch damp, not sopping wet.

hand washing a crochet swatch

Block

Straighten out your swatch as much as possible on your chosen surface, evenly distributing the motifs. This will give you a rough idea of the size of each motif. Expect a bit of trial and error. Use a ruler to block to uniform sizes.
I initially tried blocking to 10cm per motif (figs 1 & 2). As you can see, this was a bit severe. We want to pin out the motifs to their full size, without overstretching the yarn.
I eventually settled on 9.5cm per motif.
Starting with the corners, I carefully went around, pinning and measuring. Once I was happy they were as “square” as possible, I proceeded to pin the edges too, using the ruler as a guide.

blocking crochet motifs made from cotton

Dry

Then I left it to dry. This will probably need to dry overnight as it’s cotton which takes a while to air dry.
You should generally allow at least 12 hours for your swatch to dry.

pinning out crochet motifs to block and drape after blocking and drying

Relax

Once dried, unpin your swatch and give it a couple of hours to relax into its final shape and size.

Ready to Measure

Now your swatch is ready to measure!

Claremont Crochet Motif

The motif used in this tutorial is the Claremont Granny Square.

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Crochet a Stretchy Rib Cuff

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Crochet Ribbed Cuff

These instructions are for making the ribbing first and then sewing onto the sleeve afterwards. There are methods where you attach the ribbing directly to the garment as you make it, but in this instance, because the sleeve is considerably wider and I wanted the cuff to be a specific fit around my wrist, I chose to make the ribbing independently.
The ribbing is created sideways, i.e. worked perpendicular with the edge of the sleeve, with slip stitch rows, where each stitch is made in the back loop of the slip stitch from the previous row.
You can make the ribbed cuff as wide as you like, in this case my cuff is 8cm with 22 sts.

The sweater I have made the ribbed cuff for is the Claremont Sweater. You can find the pattern for the motif and join here : Claremont Granny Square with Join

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Tools & Materials

You can use any yarn weight and corresponding hook size but for these instructions, I am using a Light DK / Sport weight yarn in one colour (Paintbox DK in Champagne White) with a 4mm / G hook – this is the same size hook that I crocheted the rest of the Claremont Sweater with.

Crochet a Stretchy Rib Cuff Instructions

Scroll down for video tutorial and downloadable pdf version of the instructions.

Key (US crochet terminology)
 
beg – beginning
ch – chain
sc – single crochet
sl st – slip stitch
sk – skip

Starting chain : Leaving a long tail (for seaming the edges of the cuff together later), start with a slip knot loop on your hook and chain the required number of stitches and add 1 chain as a turning chain – I chained 23 for 22 stitches.

Note : you’ll need a nice, neat and even chain that isn’t loose as it will end up making one end of your ribbing wider. If you struggle to make a tighter chain, go down a hook size, just for the starting chain.

Row 1 : sk the 1st ch, work 1 sl st into the back loop of each chain (see fig.1).

Note : you will need to crochet the sl sts quite loosely or you will not be able to work into them again on the return row. Practise pulling up the loop a little higher through the stitch than you normally would. One way to do this is to tip the back end of the hook down towards the ground as you pull the loop through the st. (see fig.2).

Tip : To keep the edges of your ribbing looking neat, you’ll need to make sure you turn the work in the same direction each time you start a new row. I am turning my work clockwise. (see fig.3)
three images showing a crochet chain in white cotton

Row 2 : ch1 (see fig.4), do not sk any sts, sl st into the back loop of each st, bearing in mind you may need to tilt the back of the fabric towards you to see the back loop as this stitch sits very flat to the fabric and therefore the loops are only visible when you tip the top edge of the work towards you (see fig.5). Take care not to miss the last stitch (see fig.6)! This can often be smaller and is sometimes accidentally missed. If you are unsure whether you need to crochet into what’s left of the row, count the stitches you have already made! Remember to crochet loosely by opening up the loop you create when you pull it put through the stitch.

a collage of three images showing slip stitch ribbing being crocheted in white cotton

Repeat Row 2 as many times as needed.

Finish with an even row. Fasten off leaving a nice long tail – you’ll use this to sew the cuff to the sweater sleeve.

Keep Going!

This stitch may require a new bit of muscle memory for you so don’t be disheartened if the first few rows seem difficult – keep going, keep the stitches relaxed, keep the pulled-up loop nice and open… after a while it will start to come easily and you’ll be able to work the stitch much more quickly and neatly.

You need to make at least 12 rows before you can experience the stretch effect of this slip stitch ribbing.

For my Claremont Sweater, I have crocheted 60 rows of sl st, giving me an 18cm strip of ribbing.

Seam the Cuff

Using the tail you left at the start (see fig.7), seam the edges of the cuff with a whip stitch through the back loops only of the starting ch and last row made – work front to back, matching stitch for stitch (see fig.8). Sew a double stitch for the first and last whip stitches made for security (see fig.9). Fasten off and weave in the end (see fig.10).

two images showing crochet stretch rib in white cotton
a collage of 3 images showing the seaming of stretchy crochet slip stitch cuff

Attaching the Ribbing to the Sweater Sleeve

selection of tools and materials required to sew a crochet rib cuff to a lacey white sweater - scissors, pins, thread

You will need:

  • Wool needle.
  • Dressmakers’ pins.
  • Scrap yarn for tacking (either 4ply or sewing thread in a different colour to sweater).
  • Scissors
Note: the edge of the sleeve has been prepared with a single crochet border to attach the cuff to. Please see separate instructions for this.

Turn the sleeve inside out. Insert the cuff, with right side facing, inside the sleeve. Line up the seam of the cuff with the inside seam of the sleeve. Pin in place (see fig. 11). Locate the middle of the sleeve edge – in this case, as the sleeve is 3 motifs wide, the middle is the starting ring of the 2nd motif. With the cuff folded at the side seam, match up the fold of the cuff with the middle of the sleeve edge and pin in place (see fig. 12).

two images showing a crochet cuff being pinned to a sweater ready to be sewn on

Gather the Sleeve to Match the Cuff with a Running Stitch

Starting close to one of the pins, attach the tacking thread in the sc border row on the sleeve. Make a double stitch to secure the tacking thread (see fig.13). Make a simple running stitch through the sc border of the sleeve (you’re not attaching the cuff yet, this stitch is ONLY going through the fabric of the sleeve). Stop when you reach the second pin. Carefully pull the tacking thread so that the sleeve fabric gathers (see fig.14). Once you’ve pulled it in enough to match the width of the cuff, make a double stitch to secure the gathers. Massage the gathers to distribute evenly and pin to the cuff (see fig.15).

Now do the same for the other half/side of the sleeve. Cut the tacking thread.

a series if 3 images showing the gathering of a white cotton sleeve with blue tacking stitch in preparation for sewing on a stretch rib crochet cuff

Sew the Cuff to the Sleeve

Thread the extra long tail from the cuff onto the wool needle. If you’ve ended up the long tail at the wrong end/side of the cuff, simply start with a fresh piece of yarn, ensuring it’s about 5 times as long as the circumference of the cuff and secure near the inside seam of cuff.

Whip stitch the cuff to the sweater – insert the needle through both loops of the sc border on the sweater (same way as you’d insert a hook) and then sew to the part of the ribbing that’s directly adjacent, making sure to catch 2 “strands” of yarn from the ribbed edge (see fig. 16). If you only catch one strand it will not be very secure and can also create holes where the loop you’ve caught on the ribbing pulls open.

Remove pins as you go. Finish with a double stitch. Before securing and tying off, carefully remove all tacking, turn the work inside out and check you are happy with your work before you commit to tying off and sewing in ends (see fig.17).

two images showing a stretch crochet cuff with a woman's hands, being added to a white cotton sweater

Crochet a Stretchy Rib Cuff – Download pdf Instructions

Click on the image below – opens in a new window.

Crochet ribbed cuff in white cotton - part of a lacey sweater. Woman's hand with crocheted ribbed cuff holds pot with cactus

Crochet a Stretchy Rib Cuff – Video Tutorial

Best used in conjunction with written instructions!

Did you crochet it?

I hope you like my Claremont Granny Square Pattern – if you give it a try, please let me know!

Connect with me!

You can often find me on Instagram. Please do follow and tag me @mezzamay if you make one of my patterns, use one of my tips or stitch patterns. I really love to see what you’re making.

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First name or full name.

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How to dtr3tog Across 3 Stitches – UK/British Crochet Terminology

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In this post I will go over how to dtr3tog across 3 stitches … i.e. double treble 3 stitches together across 3 stitches. This stitch can be used as a decrease – you’re turning 3 stitches into one and therefore decreasing 2 stitches. Alternatively, it can be used as a decorative stich which forms a triangle shape. If used decoratively, you’ll need to ensure you make up for the decrease stitches by making a ch1 before and after each dtr3tog (this equates to a ch2 between each stitch if you are working them consecutively.)

Please note, these instructions are for British crochet terminology. In US crochet, the stitch I am demonstrating is a tr3tog.

How to dtr3tog – Instructions

I have written up 4 sets of instructions, in this post I cover the version where you make crochet the 3 double trebles together over 3 stitches. I have written a separate post for the cluster/into 1 stitch version, but you can access those instructions via the links below:

  1. dtr3tog cluster – at start of the row/round… click here.
  2. dtr3tog cluster – mid row/round… click here.
  3. dtr3tog across 3 stitches – at start of the row/round… see below.
  4. dtr3tog across 3 stitches – mid row/round… see below.

How to dtr3tog across 3 sts/decrease 2 stitches

If required, join new colour. I do this by holding the yarn at the back (fig. 1) and pulling up a loop (fig. 2); chain 3 (fig. 3); yarn over twice (fig.4);

step by step images showing how to make a dtr3tog - hands crochet with a dark brown wooden hook and cream wool

insert hook into the next stitch (fig. 5) & pull up a loop (fig. 6); yarn over & pull through the first two loops on the hook (fig. 7); yarn over & pull through the next 2 loops on the hook, you should now have 2 loops on the hook (fig. 8);

step by step images showing how to make a dtr3tog across 3 stitches - hands crochet with a dark brown wooden hook and cream wool

yarn over twice (fig. 9); insert hook into the next stitch (fig. 10) & pull up a loop (fig. 11); yarn over & pull through the first two loops on the hook (fig. 12);

step by step images showing how to make a dtr3tog - hands crochet with a dark brown wooden hook and cream wool

yarn over & pull through the next 2 loops on the hook, you should now have 3 loops on the hook (fig. 13); yarn over (fig. 14) & draw off all 4 loops on the hook – dtr3tog across 3 stitches made! (fig. 15). See how multiple stitch combinations look with a ch2 separating them (fig. 16).

step by step images showing how to make a dtr3tog across 3 stitches - hands crochet with a dark brown wooden hook and cream wool - finished crochet trim shown with blue border

How to dtr3tog mid row/round

yarn over twice (fig.17); insert hook into the next stitch (fig. 18) & pull up a loop (fig. 19); yarn over & pull through the first two loops on the hook (fig. 20);

step by step images showing how to make a dtr3tog - hands crochet with a dark brown wooden hook and cream wool

yarn over twice (fig.22); insert hook into the next stitch (fig. 23) & pull up a loop (fig. 24);

step by step images showing how to make a dtr3tog across 3 stitches - hands crochet with a dark brown wooden hook and cream wool

yarn over & pull through the first two loops on the hook (fig. 25); yarn over & pull through the next 2 loops on the hook, you should now have 3 loops on the hook (fig. 26); yarn over twice (fig.27); insert hook into the next stitch (fig. 28)…

step by step images showing how to make a dtr3tog across 3 stitches - hands crochet with a dark brown wooden hook and cream wool

… & pull up a loop (fig. 29); yarn over & pull through the first two loops on the hook (fig. 30); yarn over & pull through the next 2 loops on the hook, you should now have 4 loops on the hook (fig. 31);  yarn over & draw off all 4 loops on the hook – dtr3tog made! (fig. 32)

step by step images showing how to make a dtr3tog across 3 stitches- hands crochet with a dark brown wooden hook and cream wool

Summary of a dtr3tog across 3 sts: make 3 partial double treble crochet stitches, each one in the next free stitch, and then finish them all off in one go.

Tools & Materials Featured in this Post

The green & teal yarns are Falkland Poldale DK 100% Wool by WitchCraftyLady.

The cream yarn is Rare Breed Wensleydale & Bluefaced Leicester DK in Cotswold Stone by Home Farm Wensleydales.

The hook I’m using is about 7 years old and it’s handmade by Furls. It’s really nice to work with. I remember it cost me a fortune at the time. They seem to sell mass produced hooks now which are much cheaper. Can’t vouch for the quality of those as I have not tried one.

Connect with me!

You can often find me on Instagram. Please do follow and tag me @mezzamay if you make one of my patterns, use one of my tips or stitch patterns. I really love to see what you’re making.

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How to dtr3tog Cluster – UK/British Crochet Terminology

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A lady on a Facebook crochet forum asked how to dtr3tog so I made a video showing the two possible ways you can make this stitch. Please note, these instructions are for British crochet terminology. In US crochet, the stitch I am demonstrating is a tr3tog.

What is a dtr3tog & when would you use it?

dtr3tog is short for “double treble crochet 3 together”. Sometimes it is also written as dtrc3tog. The stitch consists of 3 double treble posts but has only one stitch at the top.
This stitch combination can be used as a decorative, cluster stitch, for example, to emulate a petal or leaf. Alternatively, when worked across 3 stitches, it can also be used as a decrease.

What are the Symbols for dtr3tog?

I’ve made a few quick drawings of both versions of dtr3tog, including how they are worked for the start of a new round or row.

symbols for dtr3tog - including at the start of a row/round - British UK crochet terminology

How to dtr3tog – Instructions

I have written up 4 sets of instructions, in this post I cover the cluster stitch. I have written a separate post for the decrease/across 3 stitches version, but you can access those instructions via the links below:

  1. dtr3tog cluster – at start of the row/round…see below.
  2. dtr3tog cluster – mid row/round… see below.
  3. dtr3tog across 3 stitches – at start of the row/round… click here.
  4. dtr3tog across 3 stitches – mid row/round… click here.

How to dtr3tog at the start of the row:

If required, join new colour. I do this by holding the yarn at the back and pulling up a loop (fig. 1); chain 3 (fig. 2); yarn over twice (fig.3); insert hook into the same stitch & pull up a loop (fig. 4);

first four steps of making a double treble three together - hands crocheting with cream wool

yarn over & pull through the first two loops on the hook (fig. 5); yarn over & pull through the next 2 loops on the hook, you should now have 2 loops on the hook (fig. 6); yarn over twice (fig. 7); insert hook into the same stitch & pull up a loop (fig. 8);

steps 5-8 of making a double treble three together - hands crocheting with cream yarn

yarn over & pull through the first two loops on the hook (fig. 9); yarn over & pull through the next 2 loops on the hook, you should now have 3 loops on the hook (fig. 10); yarn over & draw off all 3 loops on the hook – dtr3tog made! (fig. 11)

Last three steps of making a dtr3tog - woman's hands crochet with cream wool.

To make the stitch mid row/round :

yarn over twice (fig.12); insert hook into the next stitch & pull up a loop (fig. 13); yarn over & pull through the first two loops on the hook (fig. 14); yarn over & pull through the next 2 loops on the hook, you should now have 2 loops on the hook (fig. 15);

making a dtr3tog mid row - woman's hands crochet with cream yarn.

yarn over twice (fig.16); insert hook into the same stitch & pull up a loop (fig. 17); yarn over & pull through the first two loops on the hook (fig. 18); yarn over & pull through the next 2 loops on the hook, you should now have 3 loops on the hook (fig. 19);

hands crocheting with teal and cream coloured natural yarn

now yarn over twice (fig.20); insert hook into the same stitch & pull up a loop (fig. 21); yarn over & pull through the first two loops on the hook (fig. 22); yarn over & pull through the next 2 loops on the hook, you should now have 4 loops on the hook (fig. 23);

crocheting double treble stitches in wensleydale wool

yarn over & draw off all 4 loops on the hook – dtr3tog made! (fig. 23)

Summary of a dtr3tog

Make 3 partial double treble crochet stitches in the same stitch and finish them all off in one go.

Tools & Materials Featured in this Post

The green & teal yarns are Falkland Poldale DK 100% Wool by WitchCraftyLady.

The cream yarn is Rare Breed Wensleydale & Bluefaced Leicester DK in Cotswold Stone by Home Farm Wensleydales.

My hook is about 7 years old and it’s handmade by Furls. Not sure if they still sell the handmade hooks – they seem to be selling mass produced ones these days.

Connect with me!

You can often find me on Instagram. Please do follow and tag me @mezzamay if you make one of my patterns, use one of my tips or stitch patterns. I really love to see what you’re making.

Newsletter

Why not sign up to my newsletter to receive news about my latest patterns, tutorials and giveaways! First name or full nameEmail By continuing, you accept the privacy policy.

Support me!

If you have enjoyed my free content or have found my tips and techniques useful, please consider making a small donation by buying me a coffee via Ko-fi.

Baby Suri Alpaca Yarn – Tips for Crochet

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Crochet Tips for Baby Suri. I’m going to talk about crocheting with this lovely, fluffy yarn! Baby Suri is a yarn that’s similar to Mohair. Here I’ve got a yarn with Baby Suri Alpaca 74% and 26% Mulberry Silk by Lottie Knits. This is comparable to Kid Silk Mohair yarn. It’s a lightweight yarn which is classed as a heavy lace weight. So, you’ll need a hook size between 3 -5mm depending on what type of fabric you’re aiming for. Baby Suri is often suggested as an alternative to Mohair for people that find Mohair irritating next to the skin, but it has got Alpaca in it, and I know that that is an issue for some people. However, it is an option worth trying if you know you don’t have an allergy to Alpaca but find that the Mohair is too irritating.

Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the matching YouTube video.

Baby Suri V Kid Silk Mohair

I’ve got some work here, my “Cowl Island” pattern, which is made in Kid Silk Mohair, also by Lottie Knits in the colour-way “Oil Slick Rainbow”. Next to it, I’ve got a little sample that I’ve crocheted up in Baby Suri in the colour-way “Lichen”.

So you can see the difference, there’s slightly less of a halo with the Baby Suri but overall it has got quite a similar look. In regards to texture, I would say although the Kid Silk Mohair is very soft, the Baby Suri this has got a softer, slightly plumper feel. Lottie describes it as “kitten soft”. It reminds me of the “Teddy Bear” fabrics you can get. It feels like the yarn is a little bit denser – probably because the Mohair is laceweight and the Baby Suri is a heavy-lace but also because the core of the yarn seems to be more voluminous.

The other thing I would mention as a difference between the Kid Silk Mohair and the Baby Suri is, the distribution of fluff along the yarn strand. It is quite uneven, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it slubby, but you will get areas where there’s less fluff than others, and because this yarn has been hand-dyed is quite attractive because you can see some of the inner core of the silk coming through, which does give the stitch quite an unique texture with a slight variance of color.

As mentioned, with Baby Suri yarn, the distribution of fluff isn’t as even, however, the overall effect once crocheted up, this isn’t really noticeable as it does even itself out across the stitches. The other thing I would say that I noticed about working with this yarn is that, there’s actually very little shedding. When I’ve worked with Kid Silk Mohair in the past, you do get an awful lot of little bits of fluff coming off as you’re crocheting, they float into the air, they can get into your eyes, on your clothes and you notice as well on the work surface little fibers that have shed off. With this Baby Suri, even as I’ve been frogging, there is very little coming off it. So this might be another reason why it’s more suitable than Kid Mohair for some people because you get less chance of these particles coming off and irritating your skin, your eyes, and your nose.

Crochet Tips for Baby Suri

Swatches

I’ve crocheted up some swatches and I’ll show you those first, before I go into talking about how easy it is, or how easy it isn’t to crochet with this kind of yarn – maybe dispel some of the myths about that.

I think this kind of yarn is best worked up in a slightly larger hook size because you’re probably going to be making garments, scarves or shawls out of it so you don’t really want the fabric to be too stiff.

Single Crochet (UK Double)

So here is a little swatch that I’ve crocheted up in single crochet (UK double crochet), and I’ve used a 3.5mm hook. It does create quite a nice floaty fabric which would be great for a top. Usually, a sc crochet stitch generates quite a stiff fabric which is why it’s more commonly used in toymaking and homewares as opposed to garments.
Gauge (after washing & blocking) : 18st & 21 rows to 10cm with a 3.5mm hook.

a swatch of fabric in single crochet made with baby suri alpaca yarn in lichen green
Extended Single Crochet (UK Extended Double)

Here is a sample in extended single crochet which in my opinion is underused and underrated stitch.
Gauge (after washing & blocking) : 16st & 14 rows to 10cm with a 3.5mm hook.

a swatch of fabric in extended single crochet made with baby suri alpaca yarn in lichen green
Half Double Crochet (UK Half Treble)

And then I’ve got a half double crochet sample here (UK half treble), which is really nice. Hdc is a really useful stitch for making garments because it’s a quick stitch that’s not too open.
Gauge (after washing & blocking) : 18st & 11 rows to 10cm with a 3.5mm hook.

a swatch of fabric in half double crochet made with baby suri alpaca yarn in lichen green
Double Crochet (UK Treble)

And then here I’ve got double (UK treble) crochet. Generally, double crochets are such long stitches that they can make quite an open fabric, especially if you’re using slightly larger hook than recommended. However, you can get away with it with this Baby Suri because the halo of fluff does fill in some of these little gaps, and helps to mesh the fabric together which I think would make it really good for a scarf, wrap, or floaty top.
Gauge (after washing & blocking) : 17st & 8 rows to 10cm with a 3.5mm hook.

a swatch of fabric in double crochet made with baby suri alpaca yarn in lichen green
Honeycomb Mesh Stitch

Here’s a more lacey and open stitch. I just used to kind of v-stitch which creates a nice meshy fabric. This would give you really good yardage of this precious Baby Suri yarn if you wanted to make a wrap, or even a kind of a throw over top.
Gauge (after washing & blocking) : 10st & 7 rows to 10cm with a 4.5mm hook.

a swatch of fabric in honeycomb mesh crochet stitch made with baby suri alpaca yarn in lichen green

Stitch Visibility

There is quite a widespread belief that crocheting with this kind of yarn is quite tricky. So, whilst I wouldn’t deny that it’s not as easy as crocheting with a nice smooth yarn, I also don’t actually think it’s as bad as we’ve been led to believe, especially if you are using open stitches or maybe working into spaces. If you do think you’re going to struggle with stitch visibility, you might be better off going for a stitch pattern where you are crocheting into spaces, like a mesh or shell stitch. I found that, the core of silk in the middle and with the fluff not being too dense, it wasn’t actually that difficult to spot the stitches. I didn’t have any problems at all crocheting my samples of single, half, double and treble crochets. Overall, with this Baby Suri, I don’t think stitch visibility is a particular issue.

Frogging or Ripping Back

There’s another belief that frogging this kind of yarn is really tricky. So again, I would say from my experience having sampled this Baby Suri yarn with crochet, that frogging isn’t as difficult as you may think.

The trick is to just unravel it quite slowly and gently. And of course, remembering to wind the yarn you’ve frogged back onto your ball otherwise you will end up with a big tangled mess. Every now and again, I’d get a little snag, but if I look closely, I could see that it’s just where the fluff is meshed together and if I pull that gently, it will actually come apart. So the trick is once it snags, loosen it up, pull it again, and loosen it up, pull it again. Frogging isn’t a major problem for me, as long as I was careful to not just rip, rip, rip quickly but do it quite carefully and slowly, stitch by stitch and look to see what’s caused the snag.

Having said that, occasionally, you might come to quite a badly stuck together part, especially if the yarn has previously been crocheted and frogged multiple times which seems to increase the likelihood of running into problems when fogging. Sometimes the halo of fluff can form a kind of noose around the yarn. If you look closely, you might see that there’s a little loop around the two bits of yarn which is not actually any part of the stitch. Sometimes you can loosen this by gently pulling it apart in different directions or you can actually just snip the noose with a small pair of sewing scissors.

I’m actually in the process of designing a top with this particular stitch, and I will also be using this exact yarn from Lottie Knits. If you’d like to see how that turns out and you’re interested in the pattern, please subscribe to my newsletter and YouTube channel so that I can keep you up-to-date with my latest designs. Thank you!

Accompanying video for : Crochet Tips for Baby Suri

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You can often find me on Instagram. Not exclusively crochet or knitting related posts because I don’t separate my life from my craft and my passion. Please do follow and tag me @mezzamay if you make one of my patterns, use one of my tips or stitch patterns. I really love to see what you’re making.

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This post : Crochet Tips for Baby Suri

How to Make a Mini Skein – No Calculations!

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mini skein of hand dyed yarn from Lottie Knits - purples, blues and greens

I’m going to show you how to make a mini skein – no calculations, measuring or complicated maths. You’ll just need a swift and a set of reasonably accurate scales.

I’m taking part in the Posh Yarn Advent Swap 2019. This is a really fun swap that takes place on the Posh group on Ravelry. Each participant winds 24 x 10g of Posh 4ply/Sock yarn into balls or mini skeins, wraps them up (preferably in a festive fashion) and sends them off to the organiser. Each participant then receives a delicious parcel with 24 little packages of beautiful, hand dyed yarn which can be opened, one each day, just like an advent calendar.

I took part last year and I thoroughly enjoyed it, however, at the time, I didn’t know how to make a mini skein so hand winding 24 little balls of yarns was a real bore.

This year, I decided to get to grips with making mini skeins. As we all do, I had a quick look on you tube… it seemed so complicated to get a specific weight and yardage. In the end, I came up with this simple method for making a mini skein – no calculations involved!

How To Make A Mini Skein

You’ll need:

  • A swift. Any kind of swift will work – I have a simple Sunflower Swift (no longer made). An umbrella swift is also good.
  • A set of accurate scales (I’m using my digital kitchen scales).
  • Scissors.

Before you start, you’ll need to make sure that your hank of yarn has been wound into a cake or ball. If you’ve wound it into a ball, you’ll also need a bowl to put it in, so that it doesn’t roll off the table and bounce round the room!

Instructions

  1. Place your cake (or ball AND bowl) on your scales.
  2. Tare the scales, i.e. set to zero. On mine, I have to hold the “on” button down for a couple of seconds.
  3. Set your swift to the desired size – this will effect the length of your mini skein. I’ve set mine with a radius of about 10″/26cm.
  4. Secure the end of the yarn to the swift.
Three images. First image - scales, ball of yarn, scissors and swift. Image two - scales set to zero with yarn on. Image three - end of yarn attached to swift

5. Start winding the yarn onto the swift, keeping an eye on the scales.
6. When the scales are minus the desired weight (e.g. 10g), stop, ending at the point where you secured the end of the yarn.
7. Cut the yarn, wrap the two ends around each other and then wrap one end around all the strands and fasten off.

Swift with yarn, yarn cake on scales, tying off yarn.

8. Carefully remove the yarn from the swift, making sure the strands are kept together, using your index fingers.
9. Extend your arms and start to twist each end in opposite directions, being careful that the yarn doesn’t slip off your fingers!

Woman in white crochet top, twisting yarn

10. Twist until it’s quite tight. I needed to twist 11 times. If it’s too loose the skein ends up looking messy and if you over-twist, you could accidentally damage the yarn by overstretching it. You might need a few goes to get this just right.
11. Draw your hands towards each other. The yarn should naturally start twisting together.
12. Transfer the loop off yarn off one finger to join the other.

woman in white top twisting a mini skein of hand dyed yarn

13. Gently pull and massage the twist to make the “twizzle” uniform.
14. You might need to give each end a couple of extra twists if they are not as tight as the rest of the mini skein.

woman twisting yarn into mini skeins

15. Now you’re going to tuck one end into the other.
15. That’s it! You should now have a cute little mini skein!

woman's hands holding a mini skein of yarn

Need to SEE this being done?

I also have a You Tube video “How To Make A Mini Skein” :

Disclosure : I sometimes use affiliate links for my favourite yarns and other accessories!

Crochet Lucet Cord Tutorial

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Throughout the years I’ve taught crochet , there have been many projects where a cord is required (e.g. the mesh soap bag). There are many options for making cords and having tried various methods, I’ve found that the Crochet Lucet Cord or Four Sided Chain is my favourite option for the following reasons:

  1. You don’t need any special equipment – yes, you can make a lucet cord without a lucet!
  2. You can use the hook you’re already using for your project.
  3. The technique is easy to memorise.
  4. Once you get a rhythm going, the cord works up pretty quickly.
  5. It makes a firm and thick cord.
  6. The finished cord is flexible yet strong.
  7. It’s very attractive – it looks like a four sided chain.

Materials

  • Yarn – thicker is better for a good effect. I’m using a DK weight yarn doubled up (Paintbox Cotton DK in Melon Sorbet).
  • A crochet hook – in this example I’m using a 3.5mm hook (Clover Amour). Use a slightly smaller hook than you’d normally use for the yarn thickness otherwise the stitches in the cord can end up being too slack.

How much yarn will I need for my cord?

You’ll need about 9 x the finished length of your cord.
E.g. desired cord is 30cm /12 inches long, so I’ll need 2.7 m / 3 yards of yarn or 2 x 2.7 m / 3 yards if you’re doubling up.

Crochet Instructions

  • Wind off a separate ball of yarn from your main skein to make a double thickness thread – tie the ends together to keep them together to start with.
  • With the tail end to the left, lay the yarn on a flat surface in an “arc” shape (fig. 1).
  • Fold over the top of the arc (fig. 2) , to make 2 “loops”.
  • Insert the hook into the right loop, from above, then, coming from underneath, bring the hook up through the left loop (fig. 3) .
orange cotton dk yarn showing steps to making a crochet lucet cord
  • Pull the loops tight on the hook (fig. 4).
  • Rearrange the yarn – move the working end of the yarn over the left and hold the tail end as if to make a chain (fig. 5).
  • Yarn over and pull a loop through the first loop on the hook, i.e. ch1 with the left loop (fig. 5).
red crochet hook and orange cotton yarn showing how to make a crochet lucet cord
  • Carefully remove this loop from the hook (fig. 7).
  • Pinch this loop between your thumb and middle finger (or forefinger if you use your middle finger to feed the yarn) to stop it coming undone when you work the next stitch (fig. 8).
  • Ch1 with the right loop (fig. 9).
  • Replace the left loop on the hook (fig. 10)…
  • …and ch1 with the left loop (fig. 11).
  • Continue in this way, i.e. drop & hold left loop, ch1 right loop, replace left loop; ch1 left loop…until the cord measures desired length (fig. 12).
  • To finish off, after a ch1 left loop, yarn over and pull the yarn through both the left and right loops (fig. 13).
  • Cut the yarn, yarn over and pull through the loop on the hook and all the way out. Pull tight (fig. 14).
  • Tie a tight knot in each end and trim, or as in this example, you could also add a bead at each end for a decorative effect (fig. 15).
hands crocheting a lucet cord using yellow cotton yarn

TIP : To even out the cord, roll it between your fingers and pull it gently all along is length. This makes a big difference to the look of the cord – making it firmer and smoother.

You can also find a video of this technique on my YouTube channel:

Disclosure

I sometimes use affiliate links to my favourite yarns, hooks and other craft materials.

Perfect Crochet Picot Stitch – Tutorial

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I’ve put together this tutorial showing you how to get the perfect picot stitch. When I first started crocheting, I struggled to get my picot stitches looking right… they didn’t stand up straight and they weren’t symmetrical. There are quite a few different ways to make a crochet picot stitch – you’ll be especially aware of this if you have ever made Irish Crochet. Eventually, after much trial and error, I started making them the way I’ll describe below – this method consistently gives me a satisfying, even, symmetrical and upright set of picots!

In the following crochet tutorial, I am adding the picot stitch trim to my “Mesh Soap Bag“, which is a free pattern.

3 Single Crochet & Chain 3 Picot Stitch Pattern

This is a simple stitch pattern of 3sc, ch3 picot. In the round it’s a 3 stitch repeat and worked flat it’s a 3 stitch repeat + 2.

The stitch pattern looks like this, in a chart format:

crochet chart showing symbols for a chain 3 picot stitch pattern

If you’re unfamiliar with crochet charts : the crosses are the single crochet stitches & the three loops and dot represent the chain 3 and slip stitch

chart showing 3 single crochet & chain 3 picot with the picot highlighted with a red circle

Instructions

Make 3sc and then make the picot as follows: chain 3, then hold the chain at the back of the work and into the last sc made FROM THE BACK OF THE STITCH, TO THE FRONT – slip stitch, pulling the slip stitch tight before proceeding with the pattern repeat, i.e. 3sc, ch3 picot … as many times are required!

I have also made a “Perfect Crochet Picot Stitch” video tutorial, which you can find here, on my Mezzamay YouTube channel:

Project Info

Disclosure

I sometimes use affiliate links to my favourite yarns, hooks and other craft materials.

Sewing In Ends Of Crochet Projects

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I often get asked how I weave in my ends and what is the best way to sew in ends of crocheted projects so that they don’t come undone or look messy. I’ve put together this post to show you how I’m weaving in the ends of a project. The project features solid granny motifs and the traditional granny stitch. It also deals in particular with very short ends which can be difficult to handle. It’s not a definitive guide – I’m just sharing with you how I do it.

Projects using multiple motifs are a great favourite of mine. I know other crocheters also love making motifs but are put off by all the ends that need sewing in. This is a time consuming task which is made all the more daunting when you are not really sure how to do it.

How do you make sure it’s secure?

In my experience, the key to a securely hidden end is to sew in one direction, then back on itself in the opposite direction, whilst making sure a stitch is caught or sewn over so that you’re not just undoing the stitch you’ve just made. I use a standard wool needle for knitters. It has a large eye and relatively blunt tip. Specifically, I use Pony Gold Eye Sewing Needles.

To start with, I always make the first step of securing the ends while crocheting. I.e. when I actually join the new yarn colour to the project. I do this by crocheting over the tail end for 3 or 4 stitches. Initially this doesn’t seem a very secure start. Worry not, as the final sewn step keeps everything in place. This works well with solid stitch patterns and clusters but is often not possible when you’re making a lacy or very open pattern. In these instances, you’ll need to employ other strategies.

If you’ve managed to catch the end in during crocheting, you only need to sew it back on itself again. Remember to catch in or skip over the first strand so that you’re not undoing the stitch.

How do you deal with very short ends?

When you have a short tail to sew in, start with the needle in the fabric/stitches where you want to sew and then thread the needle. I tend to use my thumb nail to push the yarn through the eye.

In most cases, sewing in one direction and then the other is enough to ensure the work doesn’t come undone. Don’t forget to skip a strand of yarn when you change direction (see second image above). However, if you’re making something for a baby, or a gift or a paid commission, you may want to add an extra step. I.e. change direction and sew back again before trimming the yarn. If you’ve got a very short tail, carefully pull the needle through, without un-threading it. Then use the eye of the needle to sew back on itself. This technique is not advisable if your needle is sharp!

How do you ensure it looks neat?

I always try to sew the ends into a congested area of stitches, such as a corner or cluster. I find this offers the most secure spot and the tail end finds it difficult to wriggle.

Sometimes, such as here, where the corners of the four motifs join, there is no congested area to conceal a tail end. Instead I make a running stitch into the post of an adjacent stitch – here it’s a double crochet, until I came to a denser area suitable for sewing into.

For both methods, I find it best to work from the back of the fabric. I check the front occasionally to make sure I haven’t left any visible stitches that might blemish my work on the right side. It is also important to ensure your sewing matches the gauge of your crochet pattern. After each sewn stitch, I gently pull the fabric to make sure my weaving in isn’t creating any pulls or puckering.

Lastly, I like to use a small pair of sewing scissors to CAREFULLY snip off the remaining tail end. Sadly, I have had disasters in the past. Once, coming to the last few threads, I managed to cut a hole in a project when I was rushing and excited to finish!

Project details:
  • This is a large wrap made using a modified version of the Blue Buoy Blanket pattern.
  • The pattern for the three row solid granny square can be found here.
  • The traditional granny stitch border an join can be found here.
  • KnitPro Zing Hook – size 3.25mm.
  • Yarn is sock weight/fingering yarn from Posh Yarn …25 different hand dyed shades in total!

And here’s a video.