Tag: quickposts

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I Fixed Adjustable Straps of a Bra Top with Crochet

This easy crochet fix for adjustable straps wins a five year test.

The adjustable straps of my bra tops usually loosen. They should just stay where I put them! Some of these straps are slippery or satiny. My thinking was to use crochet to add more friction to the strap, but still be adjustable when and if I choose. Can I have it my way? The answer turns out to be YES!

I took the first two photos in December 2008 – over five years ago. (I thought I might want to blog about it.) These were a few hurried shots with my new camera, while also making Christmas and Hanukkah gifts. In the holiday rush I forgot about the photos until…yesterday. Meanwhile, I wore this hard working garment almost daily for about five years.

After these three photos (click each to enlarge and see more info) I list the steps of how I did this fix.

The simple steps I took to improve these adjustable straps with crochet:

I chose a size #10 cotton crochet thread in a matching color. In this case, a light blue Coats Opera thread. You can see it in this photo.

With a #7 steel crochet hook, I chained about 50 and then fastened off.

Applied a layer of any fabric glue to the relevant area of the strap. Before it dried I arranged the crochet chain in the wavy pattern you see here. Note: it stays in place best if the bottom of the chain stitches is facing up. The top loops of the chains form the flattest side of the chain. So if you look closely at these strap photos, you might see that you’re looking at the “bump” loops of the chain stitches (At this blog it’s called the “back ridge.”)

When dry enough, I sewed along each edge of the strap with the zigzag setting of my sewing machine. Using the glue first made this step super quick and low-stress. That’s it!

The zigzag stitch is very important. You need to include flex in your stitches because the straps need to retain their elastic range. Otherwise you risk breaking the sewing thread during wear.

This is another benefit of using crochet chains. The crochet stitches build in just a bit of flex, especially when arranged the way they are here.

I’m 100% pleased with this diy crochet fix. I would do this again with the adjustable straps of my other tops. (Did you notice the paws of my kitten in the first photo? I didn’t until today.)

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More on Double Strand Crocheting

Still quite inspired by the whole double strand crocheting topic.

It’s way too big for a measly newsletter issue! Double strand crocheting is a whole world of fun. It tames wild yarn textures. It welcomes glitzy bling threads. It speeds up big projects, recycles yarn scraps, and adds warmth to winter accessories. All this, plus it comes with its own specialized gadgets and filaments. You can get exotic reeling stands to manage multiple threads. Reflective filaments can turn a crocheted beanie into nighttime safety garb.

If you’re just coming in on this topic, be sure to also see the newsletter issue that launched it, “Fun With Double Stranding.” Then see the gallery of overflow images I blogged here yesterday.

In the past 24 hours I created a new Pinterest board.

I’m so glad I did. It already has 55 pins! (I’m holding myself back from pinning everything I see.) Visit it here: “Double Strand Crochet.” Also, here are a few more images I found today in my hard drive. They would have been included in yesterday’s overflow gallery:

It’s really the perfect way to do lots of timely things:

  1. Double stranding says, “I’m ready for the fall crochet season!” Hats and scarves are instantly thicker and warmer.
  2. I’m thinking multi-strand slip stitch crochet could be pretty interesting.
  3. My old yarn stash is too big. As mentioned in the newsletter, tinting and “upcycling” a plain yarn with a fancy one is a creative way to make old stash new again. Crocheting two or more strands of yarn together is a classic way to use up scrap yarns.
  4. Double strand crocheting is perfect for winter holiday BLING! I can’t imagine an easier way to throw in all kinds sparkle. Some of the fanciest yarns are designed to be carry along threads. They may be unpleasant to crochet with by themselves, but dreamy to crochet along with another yarn.

 It makes sense that double strand crocheting is lighting up my weekend, now that I think about it.

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Tunisian Lace Crochet Pattern Test

Filet lace crochet pattern for summer top
My son and me, circa 2003. I love green and lilac together! He loved fiery tie dye.

About twelve years ago I crocheted myself a top in an easy lace crochet pattern.

It was in Sandra, a European pattern magazine. I used apple green sport weight cotton yarn from my stash. These are regular ol’ double crochet and chain stitches. See next photo below for close up view. My sparky son there in the photo with me was probably four or five years old (he’s fifteen now!).

The double crochet stitches  [abbreviated dc, or tr in the UK] are grouped into three-row blocks of six stitches each. These are alternated with lacy spaces (i.e., eight-chain bars, to use another Filet Crochet term). For a fun texture change, some of the solid blocks alternate with “blocks” of V-stitch instead. In this case, the V-stitch is [dc, chain 1, dc] in the next stitch twice. (Some V-stitches don’t have a chain-1 between the two dc; you might like this popular newsletter issue, “Unpacking V-Stitches.”)

Personally, I consider this lace crochet pattern to be based loosely on a filet crochet structure. It uses the same logic of double crochets and chain spaces. It’s easy to memorize and feels like filet crochet to me while crocheting it. I like the lacy gingham plaid effect!

Tunisian Lace Crochet Pattern vs Regular Crochet
Tunisian crochet (red), regular crochet (green)

Now for the Tunisian Lace Crochet Pattern Version.

Now compare the dark red Tunisian lace pattern swatch. I crocheted this a few months ago for my class on Tunisian Filet Crochet technique. Like the earlier green swatch, I used a sport weight cotton yarn — a test of the DesigningVashti Lotus yarn in Grenadine.

I used Tunisian double crochets (Tdc) in place of the regular dc, and Tunisian yarn overs (Tyo) in place of chains.

One interesting difference is how rope-like the Tyo bars are, compared with the chain-8 bars in green. They look a lot like very tall stitches running horizontally, don’t they? Like double treble crochet stitches, perhaps.

Another difference is how much taller the Tdc blocks are. Here’s an important thing to keep in mind, though: twelve years ago I was still making my dc stitches kind of short and compact. In other words, I used to be a “Rider.” Since then, I’ve gradually altered my crocheting style to be more of a “Lifter.” This is such an important thing to keep in mind about double crochets! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, please see this post.

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Crochet Swatch Puzzler

Most of the time I can pick up a crochet swatch and identify its top (last row crocheted) and bottom (foundation row). I save crocheted swatches for reference, so it’s important to me to be able to do this confidently and accurately.

Here’s a swatch that puzzles me at first, each time I see it. Then I remember helpful identification clues.

A crochet swatch that's not easy to "read"
Is this crochet swatch right side up?

The swatch in hand puzzles me almost as much as this photo of it.

Being able to quickly identify how a crochet swatch was created is a special skill. It may take many years of crocheting to develop it.

This is true for images of crochet (photos and drawings) as well as for the actual piece.

The single most helpful clue about this swatch is that it’s Tunisian crochet.

This means it’s likely that we’re looking at the right side of the stitches. Tunisian stitches usually all face the front, and look distinctly different on the back. Usually.

I can quickly make sense of a new-looking Tunisian crochet swatch if I can identify where the return row stitches line up. The return row is when the loops are worked off of the crochet hook. If I know whether the crocheter is crocheting leftie, then I know which direction the return row stitches should be traveling. They go toward the right edge if crocheted right-handed. (I’m right handed.)

Thirdly, I know two basic ways to make Tunisian crochet lacy. You can:

  • Use the Tyo (Tunisian Yarn Over stitch), and/or
  • Add chain stitches during the return rows.

This issue of my Crochet Inspirations Newsletter briefly contrasts the two kinds.

I’ve started a project page for this in Ravelry. I’ll add updates to it as the project takes shape.