Monday, January 26, 2009

2004 Was A Busy Year






This stack of blankets was a pretty ambitious goal for the year, since they all had to be done by Christmas. I don't have photos of all of them, but I have sent out word, and they trickle in from time to time.



There was this one for David. I didn't yet understand how to do Tapestry Crochet, much less that it even had a name, and so the change in color for the lettering was not done strictly the way it should be done. In true tapestry crochet, the color that does not show gets carried, unseen, through the fabric of the other color, and serves to strengthen the piece. I hadn't yet figured that out, so instead of carrying the inactive yarn across several feet of blanket, I carried it far enough to anchor it, then snipped it off. I wonder how long those blankets will hold up under this less-than-optimal workmanship. But I was getting the hang of it, and the technique would continue to develop over the next few years. Remember, I was not taught how to do Tapestry Crochet. As far as I knew, I had invented it. People who knew knit and crochet would comment on how even and tight my stitches were, but they all said they had never seen anything like this.



The big red M with the hearts for the Milner family had me tearing my hair out. It is a combination of two techniques: Tapestry Crochet and the funny double crochet stitch. Either one of these stitches is tricky, but by this time each had become relatively doable. What made doing both together crazy-making was trying to figure out when in the course of the individual stitch to change color! I swore I would never attempt this again. Until this year, I remembered that promise. Then menopause memory caught up with me and I tried it again. That attempt was all I needed to remind me of just how nutty this was.


Which brings us to Steven. He was kind enough to send me several photos, including close-ups of some sections. This zig-zag section was one that I had tried on the experimental blanket, and so I decided to try it once again. I like it! This is another reason to keep photos of what I have done before - so I can do it, or a variation, again.



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