Yarn storage

 How do you store your yarn?

This was my solution.

A wardrobe in my craft room was converted to storage space for my yarn.

Builder was my hubby.

 This was my previous yarn storage solution.

Check out this link for further yarn storage solutions.

The Troublesome Shell St Afghan

In Progress

There is a real beaut story behind this Shell st Afghan. Firstly a face book friend (Debbie) found a photo of a similar one on the internet some where and said she wouldn't mind the pattern for it and after much searching, we could not find one, so another face book friend (Lisa) took inspiration from the pictured shell st Afghan and came up with a pattern of her own and good for her for working it out. But some times a patterns instructions can have 2 meanings and I took the other meaning to what Lisa meant. But the pattern stitch still looked the same making it by either meaning, only that my way I had to carry the second color yarn through out the pattern, which did cause me some loose yarn showing here and there if I did not carry it firm enough. Then I went ahead and made some video demonstrations with my meaning and it was not until after I had up loaded them, that we both realised we had made it differently to one another...but who was right and who was wrong?...neither I would think, the stitch still looks the same. So thus far the pattern is written for the beginning of the shell st Afghan and following soon will be the written instructions for the decreasing. Whilst I made my shells st Afghan I took lot's of pictures and  will put them on this post for you to see, I will also include the video tutorials for more information and I suppose the written instructions will help also, ha ha ha.....

Pictures begin from row 1.

Row 2.

Row 3.

Row 4.

work 1 sc in the 4th dc of row 2

you could call this the dip part.

Row 5.

Row 6.

Row 7.

The view for the 1 sc in the 4th dc of 2 rows below.

Pattern Instructions by Lisa (AKA CrochetQuackers), but some changes are made by me to follow the method in which I made mine.

Matilda’s/ Lisa's Shell Afghan

8 ply yarn, mint and white, or your choice of colors, (US yarn = baby).

4 mm crochet hook (US hook size G)

If using thicker yarn use larger hook

US terms used

Special instructions:

Pattern begins at the bottom corner of the afghan and is made in a triangular shape.

Odd rows are worked using white, even rows are worked using second color, the shells increase in every odd row.

Always carry yarn that is not in use, when carrying yarn on odd rows, keep it loose as this yarn will be picked up in the next row when making the new space for the next set of shells.

The shell is made up of 7 dc and is always worked in the back loop only.

The chain 3 is not counted as a st through out the pattern.

Begin Pattern:

R1. Using white yarn, ch 4 (not counted as a st), work 7 dc in 4th chain from hook, change colors but do not end yarn (7dc = 1 shell)

R2. Ch 3, work 1 dc in each dc across, change color (7 dc)

R3. Ch 3, work 7 dc in back loop of first dc, work 7 dc in back loop of last dc, change color (14 dc = 2 shell)

R4.Ch 3, work 1 dc in next 7 dc, work 1 sc in the 4th dc of row 2, work 1 dc in next 7dc, change color (14 dc and 1sc)

R5. Ch 3, work 7 dc in the back loop of first dc, work 7 dc in back loop of the sc, work 7 dc in the back loop of the last dc, change color (21 dc= 3 shell)

R6. Ch3, *work 1 dc in next 7 dc, work 1 sc in the 4th dc of row 4,* rep from *to* once, work 1 dc in next 7 dc, change color (21 dc and 2sc)

R7. Ch 3, work 7 dc in back loop of first dc, *work 7 dc in back loop of the 1 sc * rep from *to* once, work 7 dc in the back loop of the last dc, change color (28 dc= 4 shell)

R 8, Ch 3, *work 1 dc in next 7 dc, work 1 sc in the 4th dc of row 6,* rep from *to* twice, work 1 dc in next 7 dc, change color (28 dc and 3sc)

Continue on with pattern for length required, then begin decreasing.

Decrease notes:

The shells of this pattern increase at each end of every odd numbered row, there fore they will also decrease in the same manner, at each end of every odd numbered row.

Decreasing is achieved by not making a new shell on either end of the row, you just go straight in and crochet the shell st in the space provided on each end. Do not make a new shell on either end, on the dc rows continue as normal.



Border notes:

At the moment there are no instructions for a border.

I carried my yarn on every row, I did think that it was possible to use 2 skeins of the secondary color, but when I did try that it would not work, take a look at this picture it explains it all. Both of the secondary colors are on the wrong end.

The picture below shows Lisa's technique. The 2 rows that form the pattern are actually made on the one side in the same direction. You crochet across with the white from right to left and leave the end loop, then with out turning your work you go back to the right of the row and crochet with the alternating color across to the left, now it is time to turn your work and repeat the above process. This ensures that you never have to carry any yarn and gives the same affect too. Silly me for not understanding Lisa's way, but I have made so many rows of my Afghan I do not want to frog it now.
I cannot get the decrease to work neatly with this method.

                                    

You will find 6 video tutorials for the beginning of this Afghan on my you tube channel, here is the first of the 6.

There is now a video tutorial for decreasing
This is the introduction


This is the video tutorial for decreasing.



I was able to put together a short tutorial on the alternative method of no carrying yarn for this pattern, see below.

Crochet Heart Squares

 I found this heart graph on the internet and thought it would make a nice baby blanket, I will alternate the heart square with a plain square, I had to make sure that the plain square would be the same size as the heart square and it is, so now I just have to make enough for a baby blanket. Will upload picture when finished and the amount of squares I used too.

Moving along nicely with the heart square baby blanket.

This video tutorial may be of help too :) Thanks Beth...