FOR BELLA Holland Lop 2003 - 2013

Our darling Bella passed away Tuesday May 28, 2013.  He was 10 years old.

He was loving and he was loved by all of us.  We miss him

Crocheting a Granny Square - Tutorial

Ah, the Granny Square, simple to do,  very useful, and ubiquitous -  a great way to learn to crochet. This little square,  usually made one at a time  and joined to more granny squares can actually turn into something useful., like an afghan or blanket, if you work at it a bit. 

Granny Squares can be crocheted out of just about any kind of acrylic, cotton, or wool yarn of just about any thickness.   The thicker the yarn, the bigger the squares, the thinner the yarn, the smaller the squares.

The crochet granny square is primarily used for afghans and baby blankets now, which is really where it belongs.  The squares can be multicoloured - i.e. changing colour every round, using up scraps of left over yarns or yarns specially picked to match your decor,  or they can be made using all one colour. 

Traditionally granny squares are four or five crochet rounds each and then joined together.  However,  it is possible to make one gigantic granny square by repeating the pattern - just keep on going round and round, making sure you keep your corners square til your creation is the size you want.

  

 I guess it was in the 1970’s that granny squares went completely berserk and started showing up in all the wrong places.  Because they were so simple to do, and so versatile, and there was a whole new crop of crocheters learning the craft,  those granny squares were turned into hats, belts, purses, skirts, tops, and sweaters. You name it, the granny square was there, front and centre with some unfortunate consequences.  

 These images are from a 1974 copy of Family Circle Magazine.  As the accompanying story said brightly, Granny Squares were big news in the '70's.  I especially love number 24.

Things have calmed down slightly since then. 

And that brings us to the lesson.  

So, you want to learn to make a granny square.

The stitches are simple.  You need to know how to make a chain,, slip stitch,  and a double crochet stitch - that's it.

Match the yarn and hook size - check your ball band which is a font of great information - for instance, if you use heavy worsted weight yarn, your ball band will recommend a 5-6 mm hook. 

On to the instruction part of this tutorial:

Chain 10 and then join into a circle with a slip stitch.

Into this circle make three double crochets, chain three, three more double crochets, 3 chains, three more double crochets, 3 more chains, and 3 more double crochets, and 3 chains and join the last chain to the top of the first double crochet.  Your first round is complete - see how it looks like a circle?  That is about to change.

Your second round, which we are about to make, will start to shape your work into a square.  Here we go.

Chain 4, and now move your hook over to the next chain 3 space you made below going clockwise, and make 3 double crochets, three chains, and three more double crochets into that chain 3 space, chain one and move to the next chain 3 space. Repeat what you did in the first chain three space two more times which will bring you  to the last empty chain three space.

 In this last space, make 3 double crochets , chain 3 and make 2 double crochets.  Now slip stitch into the 3rd chain from the bottom on that first chain 4 you made at the beginning of the round to close this round.

You will have noticed that your double crochets are usually in threes, with chains between, and are always made in the chain spaces in the rounds below.  

Notice on the picture where we are - right in the middle of the round.  Make 3 double crochets in this chain one space and chain one.  This brings you to the corner where you will make three double crochets, chain three and then 3 more double crochets.  Repeat this around to where you started.  Chain one and join this chain one to the top of the first double crochet you did.  This round is complete.  

Now that we've established the pattern, it is a simple matter to continue on for one or two more rounds and complete the square.

 Note that the corners  always have two sets of double crochets with a chain three between.   The middle spaces have three double crochets and one chain.  Below is a completed granny square.

And that is all there is to it.  

Granny squares are fun and relatively easy to construct.  When you have made as many as you want, you can either slip stitch them together in the pattern of your choice, or sew them together.  Either method works.

This winter when the snow is blowing against your window, cozy up underneath your new crochet afghan and smile. 

Down came the wall!

It was a pesky wall that never seemed in the right place.   It stopped traffic flow, and cut air flow.  It was a wall we didn't like right from the beginning and it was a wall  we were determined at some point to tear out.   
We called it the non-wall. We refused to hang any art on it, and we took to knocking and banging on it when we walked by.
We made sure it wasn't structurally important, of course.  What could be more heart stopping than the sound of creaking beams indicating the ceiling about to come down on your head.    We did not want that for sure.

But it was a nothing wall.  It was just there, like a wart, something always being bumped into, a barrier that made for a dark hallway, and a puny dining room.
So, Saturday, we pulled it down.  I say "we" loosely.  Scott did the heavy pulling.  I carted drywall away, and spotted him in case of calamity.

First off came the drywall - this was the messy part.  My job was to cart the drywall pieces outside.  Scott was busy pounding and sawing. 
And then suddenly we were down to the studs, and it was time to snip the electrical wires.  The dye was cast, no going back now.  This was about to be a gone wall.

Down came the last wall stud.  The ceiling stayed up. 
 Last stud to be pulled down was the ceiling stud.
We did it...or rather Scott did it. 

The first stage is complete.  Look how much space and light and air we have now.  The rug piece is hiding electrical stuff.  Short wires dangle from the ceiling, but we love it already! 
Stage two coming up where the rug is repaired, the wires hooked up again, and paint is applied to the walls that are left standing. 
Scott is musing about removing the dated popcorn ceilings.  We're on a roll.  I'll keep you posted.

The Garden Apprentice, stage one

The 4 x 4 raised garden beds have been constructed, and layers of garden waste, newspaper, compost,and good garden soil have been laid in the best Lasagna tradition.   I have to inject a note of thanks to Bella and Midnight for providing most of the fertilizer.

They have done an splendid job, and continue do put out, so to speak.  They take their job very seriously.
But, back to the 4 x 4 garden beds.
Once the layering was complete, I divided the spaces into one foot squares

I was actually amazed to see the chive plant coming up.  This hardy plant survived  Calgary winter!  I am very impressed. 
Once the grids were physically in place, I pulled out pen and paper and  drew up a plan for what should go where.  Thank goodness for Google search.  There is ton of helpful information out there on planning and planting  raised garden beds which is great for an apprentice.
I made a plan, and changed the plan, and made it again, and changed it again.

Until ...finally... I stopped being indecisive and got on with it.  Potatoes and carrots are in.  Tomato plants are in. And, I did plant a potato barrel as well. You can just see it peaking out from behind the black compost bin. It isn't pretty but it works.  Garlic is in and sprouting - I know, I know...I should have planted the garlic last fall but we really didn't have fall.  We went right from Indian summer to winter without passing go, surprising all the trees, which were left shivering and frozen with their leaves still on.   Those leaves hung on all winter and had to be physically removed!
 But...we do what we can here and now we water and water and water because it is very dry.   This season we went from winter directly to summer without stopping at spring and we are pining for some rain.

 Meanwhile, the poor trees and bushes are trying to catch up to Mother Nature.  I would say everything is a good two weeks behind where it was last year at this time.
Now that I've got this far, it's time to take myself off to the nursery for some plant therapy.

Tutorial - handmade socks

For those of you who have asked, and who are curious about making socks, I've put together this tutorial on the fine art of making socks:   Now, this is not beginner knitting we are going for here.  In order to accomplish this you must know how to knit, purl, increase and decrease, and be at least willing to tackle knitting in the round from needle to needle.

Your supply list is as follows:  One 100gram ball of sock weight yarn and one set of 5 double pointed needles in size 2.5 mm to 3mm - depending on how tightly you knit.  You will also need scissors, and a tapestry needle for tailing in your ends once the sock is complete.

Stitches used:

 k1p1 – Knit one, purl one ribbing

                                St – stitch

                                St st – stocking stitch

                                K – knit

                                P – purl

                                Sl1 – slip one stitch

                                Ssk – slip one stitch, slip next stitch, knit together through the back loop

                                P2tog – purl two stitches together

                                K2tog  - knit two stitches together

Sl1k1 PSSO – slip one stitch, knit one stitch, pass slipped stitch over knit stitch and off needle

Note:  The rule of thumb for casting on stitches for socks is as follows:  Baby to toddler, cast on 40 stitches; Child size, cast on 48 stitches; Woman size, cast on 56 stitches; Man’s sock, cast on 64 stitches.  

For our purposes here, we will cast on enough stitches to make a woman's sock.  Are you ready?

Using the long tale cast on method (or the cable cast on method), cast on 56 stitches to make a sock sized for a woman.    The objective here is to have an elastic cast on for ease of getting the sock on when it is complete.

 

Divide the 56 stitches you have just cast on onto 4 needles as follows:  K1Pl for 14 stitches, now pick up a new needle, k1pl the next 14 stitches, pick up new needle, k1p1 next 14 stitches, pick up new needle k1p1 last 14 stitches.

Your stitches are divided onto 4 needles, and your fifth needle is empty

This is what it looks like:  

Making sure there are no twists and your stitches are hanging straight on the four needles, bring needle #4 around to meet up with  needle #1.  

Next :  transfer the first stitch on needle #1 onto  the end of needle #4, now take the last stitch on needle #4 over that transferred stitch, and put it at the beginning of needle #l.  You have successfully crossed these two stitches and joined your 4 needles into a square and in the process tightened up the join so there will be no annoying gap at the beginning of the rib.. 

So far so good? Let's move on.

Note: leave your cast on tale fairly long to mark the middle of the heel and for ease of darning it in later.  Laying your square flat, moving clockwise around it, needle #1 is always the first needle on the left of the tale, needles 2 and 3 hold the stitches for the front or instep of the sock, needle #4 makes up the other side of the heel stitches.

Keep in mind you are making a tube.  And now that you have closed the tube, even though it looks like a square at the moment - we are going to make the leg of the sock as follows:

Next row:  k1p1 around clockwise.  Continue K1p1 pattern for 2 inches, ending where your tail hangs at the end of needle #4.

  Begin  stocking stitch (St st) for 4 more inches to complete the rest of the  leg tube, ending with needle #4 again.   The length of your tube leg should be approximately 6 inches from the cast on edge.  And you are now ready to make the heel, starting with the back, which we call the flap.

Heel flap

The Heel flap is knitted on two needles back and forth

 Row 1, Knit across Needle #1, turn your work.

Row 2, Slip first stitch purlwise, purl across #1 to end , purl  all the stitches from needle #4 onto the same needle

You should now have 28 stitches on one needle, leaving needle #2 and 3 resting at the front of the sock, one spare needle stowed safely in your kit bag, and one empty needle ready to work with.  Don’t worry about Needles 2 and 3. Their turn comes later.

*Row 3, Sl1k1 across the 28 stitches, turn.

Row 4, sl1, purl across, turn*  Note the asterisks –  row 3 and row 4 make up the heel flap pattern repeat.

Repeat rows 3 and 4 twelve more times, ending with a purl row and ready to knit the next row.     Note:  You have actually completed 28 rows  and it should look like the picture.

You're now ready to take part in the magical part of sock knitting - turning the heel.  Suspend your disbelief, take a deep breath and go for it.

Turning the Heel 

The heel I’m going to teach you is called the Round Heel .  There are other heels.  If you enjoy Sock knitting, you’ll probably want to explore them, but this is a beginning.  Continue knitting back and forth on two needs for the heel turning.

 Knit 14 stitches, Knit 2, slip 1, knit one, pass slip stitch over, knit 1, turn.

Next row: slip one, purl 5 stitches, purl 2 together, purl  one, turn

Next row: slip one, knit 6 st, sl1, k1s1 psso, k 1, turn

Next row: slip one, p7, p 2 tog, p1, turn

Note:  you will notice a pattern here – you are knitting and purling to one stitch before a gap, then working over the gap by either a slk1 psso or purl 2tog.    This short row knitting shapes the heel, and will turn direction of the tube

Next row: slip one, k 8, sl1k1 psso, k1, turn

Next row: sl 1, p9, p2tog, p1, turn

Next row:  sl 1, k 10, Sl1k1 psso, k1, turn

Next row:  sl 1, p 11, p2tog, p 1, turn

Next row: sl 1, knit 12, sl1k1 psso, k1, turn

Next row: sl one, purl 13, p2tog, p1 turn

Next row: sl1, k 14, sl1k1 psso, , turn

Next row: sl1, p 13, p2tog, turn

You should have 15 stitches on your needle, and your heel is turned…congratulations!  You did it!

 You are now ready to pick up stitches for the gusset and get back to knitting in the round

THE HEEL GUSSET

Knit to the middle of the row – in this case, knit 7 stitches.  Now, using the spare needle which becomes needle #1, knit the last 8 stitches.  With this same needle pick up 14 stitches along the right side of your heel flap.  You will have 22 stitches on needle #1

                Big hint!   If you pick up one extra stitch right at the join before you start knitting across the instep stitches, you will eliminate a very annoying hole that occurs between needles at that spot.   So even though the pattern says pick up 14 st – grab that extra stitch at the bottom.  Your sock will look a lot tidier and you will be a lot happier with your work.

Next row – with your empty needle knit  st st across needles #2 and 3 - your instep stitches.

Next row – you are now ready to pick up the next 14 or 15 stitches and join up your round – pick up the stitches, and then knit the last 7 heel stitches onto that same needle.  You are joined up once again and ready to begin work on the gusset

SHAPING THE GUSSET

*On the next round, starting with needle #1, knit to 3 sts away from the end of needle #1, k2tog, k1.

Work st st across the instep stitches.

At the beginning of needle #4, k1, ssk, knit to end.

Next round:  knit st st around. *

Repeat these two rounds, decreasing at the end of needle #1 and beginning of needle #4, until you once again have 14 stitches on all 4 needles

You have now shaped the gusset and are ready to knit the foot of your sock and it should look like this.

Let’s take a minute to measure your foot –Remember you are knitting a custom sock for a particular foot, in this case, your foot.

Measure from the middle of your heel to the tip of your big toe.  Write down this measurement.

Now measure from the tip of your big toe down to just where the toe joins the ball of your foot .

  Subtract your toe measurement from your total foot measurement.   Write down this measurement. 

The length of your sock foot is from the heel to the base of your toes.

For instance – my foot is 9-1/2 inches long from the middle of my heel to the tip of my big toe.   My toe measures 1/34 inches.   Therefore I will knit the foot of my sock to approximately 7-3/4 inches before I start my decreases to shape the toe of my sock.

Once you have measured your foot and are back to having the equal number of stitches on each occupied needle, knit every round for the length you are making.  Once you are there.  It's time to shape the toe of your sock.

SHAPING THE TOE  - once the foot of your sock is the length you want it to be

Next round: * Work to 3 sts away from the end of needle #1, k2tog, k1

 K 1 SSK at beginning of needle #2, knit to end

Work to within 3 sts from the end of needle #3, k2tog, k1

 K 1 SSK at beginning of needle #4, knit to end.

Next round – work plain in St st around.*

Work these two rounds until you have 28 stitches  remaining, or 7 stitches per needle.

Next, work decreases as per first round, every round until 16 stitches remain, or 4 stitches per needle.

Next:  Hold sock so instep is facing you.   Knit 4 stitches from needle #2 onto needle #3 so 8 stitches are on front needle.

Turn your sock so the heel is facing you – Knit 4 stitches from needle #4 onto needle #1 so 8 stitches are on back needle.  The same number of stitches should be on each needle, in this case 8 stitches each.

Three spare knitting needles can go into your work bag.  You are ready to close up the toe of your sock and here is how you do it.

Closing the toe with kitchener Stitch

Hold the two knitting needles parallel to each other.   Cut your yarn, leaving a fairly long tale.

Your yarn should be coming from the first right stitch on the back needle. Thread the tail into your tapestry needle.

1.        Insert tapestry needle into first st on front needle as if to knit, pull yarn through,  slip stitch off needle.

2.        Insert needle into second st on front needle as if to purl, pull yarn through, leave this stitch on the needle.

3.        Insert needle into first st on back needle as if to purl, pull yarn through, slip stitch off needle.

4.       Insert needle into second st on back needle as if to knit, pull yarn through, leave stitch on needle.

Continue steps 1 to 4 until all stitches have been joined and are off the needles.

Pull the yarn through to the inside of the sock and weave in ends.  Weave in the end on the cuff of your sock .

Congratulations – Your first sock is complete!  On to the next sock in the pair.  After all – you have two feet.