Shell Stitches 00101 and 10100

It's been a bit crazy recently because I was moving.  Now that the move is complete, I can actually crochet and blog again, so here goes.  We have here on the left, the purple, stitch 00101, and on the right, the red, stitch 10100.  Once again, the yarn choice affects the look of the stitch.  Regardless, the overall effect of the stitches are the same: they create columns of partially filled in triangles mixed with columns of completely open triangles.  As before, I prefer stitch 00101 over 10100 because of the more filled in edges.

Here's how to do these stitches:
Stitch 00101:
Chain a multiple of 6 + 5
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, (sk 2, [dc, ch 1, dc] in next ch, ch 2, sk 2, sc) across, [dc, ch 1, dc] in last ch
Row 2: ch 1, turn, sc, ([dc, ch 1, dc] in sc, ch 2, sk dc, sc in dc) across, [dc, ch 1, dc] in last sc

Repeat Row 2 for pattern

Stitch 10100:
Chain a multiple of 6 + 5
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, (sk 2, ch 2, [dc, ch 1, dc] in next ch, sk 2, sc) across, (ch 2, dc) in last ch
Row 2: ch 1, turn, sc, (ch 2, [dc, ch 1, dc] in sc, sk dc, sc in dc) across, (ch 2, dc) in last sc

Repeat Row 2 for pattern 

Storytime: Stress Relief Gloves!

Got a story for you!  Last spring I decided to make a baby blanket for a friend, but I had to have it done in time for me to take it with me on the plane in less than a week.  I had been crocheting for about a year at this point, and wasn't as fast I am now, so this was a problem.  Another issue was that I was using a G hook for this blanket.  I use a J hook for just about everything, so this was a departure for me.  Added to that was the difficulty in the pattern I was using.  It was the Little Snowballs pattern and it has an odd stitch in it.  Anyway, all of this combined to make my hands hurt dreadfully.  It got so bad that even when I wasn't doing anything they still hurt.  Crocheting aggravated it further, but I just couldn't put down my hook long enough for my hands to heal.  This went on for a full month.

At this point I was willing to try just about anything, so when I saw these stress relief gloves I decided to give them a shot.  I didn't expect them to work; I still don't know why they work, but they do!  They had an amazing effect upon my hands.  Initially I slept with them on, and I'd wake up and my hands would actually feel great.  Not just not in pain, but noticeably good.  Within a very short time my hands were feeling good again, and I could crochet without pain.

I highly recommend these gloves to anyone with hand pain, or anyone in general because they actually work!  I wear them whenever I crochet because I want to prevent that horrible pain from ever coming back.  It's been over a year since I started using them, and I've not had a problem.  I'm also more conscious of when my hands start to hurt.  I've found that I can crochet about twice as long if I wear these gloves than I could without them.  However, they do wear out, and by that I mean, they stretch out, become looser, and aren't as effective.  I think I've gone through 3 pairs in a year, so they last for a while.  The more you use them the quicker they'll wear out, so if you don't crochet like crazy like I do they'll last longer for you. 

I know that Joanns and AC Moore sell these gloves: "Lion Brand Stress Relief Gloves".  Last I checked, they were $15 at Joanns and $22 at AC Moore.  With a 50% off coupon, they're only $7.50 at Joanns and they last for months.  You can of course buy them online, but you really need to get the right size.  There's a sizing guide on the back of the package that's really easy to use.

Since they are bright blue, fingerless gloves, they look a little odd to most people.  It seems like every time I use them around other people, I get asked about them.  People are curious about them.  There are of course, other brands of these gloves, but I have only tried Lion Brand's and I know they work.  Plus, the Crochet Dude's version make it look like you have tattoos of their logo on your hands, which I think looks tacky. 

I thought this was an appropriate time to bring these gloves up because making the Speedy Afghan in only 6 days was something I never could have done without these gloves.  My hands would have given out and made it impossible to do this.

Speedy Afghan

Have you ever looked at a ball of yarn and just seen what you should make?  That happened to me last week when I found some clearance yarn at Hobby Lobby.  I bought the yarn and planned out the afghan, which I was planning to keep for myself.  The next day I went to a friend's wedding and the colors I had bought were exactly the colors they had used.  The entire time I was working on this blanket I was thinking of them and I realized that this was really for them.  I would always think of them when I saw it, so when they get back from their honeymoon, I'll give it to them.

Anyway, I got carried away with this project and I completed the entire blanket in only 6 days!  I didn't think that was possible, but I had nothing planned for the weekend, and no other large projects I was committed to working on.  Additionally, the design of the blanket motivated me to do a little more than I normally would.  I did blocks of color that were 12 rows high.  Where normally I might have wanted to stop after doing 9 rows, I'd go ahead and finish all 12.  Also, since each of the color blocks is roughly 11" tall, I only needed to do 8 blocks.  So, I originally had planned to do a block a day and be done in 8 days, plus another day probably to add a border.  On the third day of this, I felt like doing more after I had finished my block.  That all contributed to this being done in record time.

So, here's the pattern:
Chain 182 in yellow, then work stitch 13 from the Triple Play Pattern Stitches book.


Color Pattern: 12 rows each of (yellow, white, gray, yellow, white, gray, yellow, white)

Then add this border in gray: (it's the same one I used for the Thin Mint Blanket, and the Oreo Blanket)
Round 1: sc around, 3 sc in corner
Round 2: dc around, 5 dc in corner
Round 3: sc around, 3 sc in corner
Round 4: (dc, ch 1, sk 1) around, (dc, ch 1, dc, ch 1, dc) in corner
Round 5: sc around, 3 sc in corner
Round 6: dc around, 5 dc in corner
Round 7: sc around, 3 sc in corner

I made this with I Love this Yarn in Buttercup, Antique White, and Graybeard yarn with a J hook.

Open Hexagons Baby Blanket

So, I tried out the Open Hexagons stitch, which is a combination of the simple shell stitch, and the 00100 shell stitch, by making a baby blanket.  I intended to make it an Aggie blanket by adding white in the border, but I decided to just have it be a solid maroon blanket.

Here's the pattern:
Chain 92, then work the aforementioned stitch until work is square. 
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, (sk 2, 5 dc in next ch, sk 2, sc) across
Row 2: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first sc, sk 2, (sc in dc, ch 2, sk 2, dc in sc, ch 2 sk 2, sc, sk 2, 5 dc) across, 3 dc in last sc
Row 3: ch 1, turn, sc in dc, (sk 2, 3 dc in sc, ch 2 , sk 2, sc, ch 2, sk 2, 3 dc, sk 2, sc) across, sc in last dc
Row 4: repeat Row 2
Row 5: ch 1, turn, sc in dc, (sk 2, 5 dc in sc, sk 2, sc in dc) across, sc in last dc
Row 6: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first sc, (sk 2, sc in dc, sk 2, 5 dc in sc, sk 2, sc in dc, ch 2, sk 2, dc in sc, ch 2) across, 3 dc in last sc
Row 7: ch 1, turn, sc in dc, sk 2, 5 dc in sc, (sk 2, sc in dc, sk 2, 3 dc in sc, ch 2, sk 2, sc in dc, ch 2, sk 2, 3 dc in sc) across, sc in last dc
Row 8 : repeat Row 6
Row 9: repeat Row 5

Repeat Rows 2-9 for pattern, ending with row 5.

Add the standard border:
Round 1: sc around, 3 sc in each corner
Round 2: dc around, 5 dc in each corner
Round 3: sc around, 3 sc in each corner
Round 4: (sc, ch 3, sk 1) around, (sc, ch 3, sc in same stitch) at corner

I made this with Bernat Satin yarn in Bordeaux and a J hook.

Open Hexagons Stitch

So, in my last post,  I observed that there are hexagons in fabric made with stitch 00100.  I decided to diagram it and figure out how it would end up.  That diagram is pictured to the right.  Note that the written pattern had to be tweeked a bit when I actually worked the pattern.  That was merely the first draft, but I thought y'all might want to see it.  It occurred to me as I was working on this, that this is similar to filet crochet.  There is a grid where you can have holes or fill them in to create a pattern.  This is simply a different grid, made up out of triangles.  In this case, filled in means 3 dc, and holes are just a ch 2 and a dc.  Unlike traditional filet crochet, diagonal edges are inherent in the grid.  To make patterns this way, I'd recommend using a more precise grid than I did.

In any case, I tried out this pattern and this is the result:  It is a pretty solid fabric done this way.  It would be a simple matter to make the inverse of this pattern: filling in the holes, and opening up the solid portions.  That might make the hexagons more readily apparent. 

Here's the complete pattern:
Chain a multiple of 6 + 2
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, (sk 2, 5 dc in next ch, sk 2, sc) across
Row 2: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first sc, sk 2, (sc in dc, ch 2, sk 2, dc in sc, ch 2 sk 2, sc, sk 2, 5 dc) across, 3 dc in last sc
Row 3: ch 1, turn, sc in dc, (sk 2, 3 dc in sc, ch 2 , sk 2, sc, ch 2, sk 2, 3 dc, sk 2, sc) across, sc in last dc
Row 4: repeat Row 2
Row 5: ch 1, turn, sc in dc, (sk 2, 5 dc in sc, sk 2, sc in dc) across, sc in last dc
Row 6: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first sc, (sk 2, sc in dc, sk 2, 5 dc in sc, sk 2, sc in dc, ch 2, sk 2, dc in sc, ch 2) across, 3 dc in last sc
Row 7: ch 1, turn, sc in dc, sk 2, 5 dc in sc, (sk 2, sc in dc, sk 2, 3 dc in sc, ch 2, sk 2, sc in dc, ch 2, sk 2, 3 dc in sc) across, sc in last dc
Row 8 : repeat Row 6
Row 9: repeat Row 5

Repeat Rows 2-9 for pattern, ending with either row 5 or row 9.

Here's a simplification of the pattern:
Row 1: shell across

Row 2: (filled, open) across
Row 3: repeat Row 2
Row 4: repeat Row 2
Row 5: shell across
Row 6: filled, (filled, open) across
Row 7:  repeat Row 6

Row 8 : repeat Row 6
Row 9: repeat Row 5

Quick definitions
Filled means either (sc, 5 dc, sc) for even rows or (3 dc, sc, 3 dc) for odd rows
Open means either (sc, ch 2, dc, ch 2, sc) for even rows or (ch 2, sc, ch 2) for odd rows
Shell and Filled are the same

Shell Stitch 00100

This stitch is probably the most commonly used of the variations, though it is probably not thought of as a shell stitch.  This is basically the backbone of the shell stitch: any stitch that wouldn't be crocheted into on the next row is replaced with a chain.   It's a lacy look, but also well defined.  You don't have to work a stitch in a space at any time.  The result is vertical stripes and diagonal lines.  It creates hexagons, which could be useful.  Imagine a swatch of simple shell stitch, with this variation used to put a hexagon in.  I'd have to diagram it to make sure I get it right, but it'd be neat looking.

So here's the pattern:
Stitch 00100:
Chain a multiple of 6 + 5
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, (ch 2, sk 2, dc, ch 2, sk 2, sc) across, dc in last ch
Row 2: ch 1, turn, sc, (ch 2, dc in sc, ch 2, sc in dc) across, dc in last sc

Repeat Row 2 for pattern

Shell Stitches 00011 and 11000

I'm back from vacation, and it was a great one!  Here's the next installment in this series consisting of stitches 00011 and 11000.  I worked these with different yarns and they came out looking remarkably different.  The purple yarn I used for 00011 was thinner, softer, and somewhat stretchy, so the definition of the stitch was lost to some degree.  The only difference should be the edges, like in previous stitches.  00011 has more solid edges than 11000.  The brown one is made from I Love this Yarn, which lets you see the zigzagging stripes inherent in the stitch.  I like both of the stitches, neither was particularly difficult or awkward.  I prefer the finished look of the brown one, but I think that is just due to the yarn I used.  Yarn choice does matter!  I like the more solid edges of 00011. 

 

Anyway, here's how to do these:

Stitch 00011:
Chain a multiple of 6 + 5
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, (sk 2, 2 dc in next ch, ch 3, sk 2, sc) across, 3 dc in last ch
Row 2: ch 1, turn, sc, (2 dc in sc, ch 3, sc in ch 3 sp) across, 3 dc in last sc

Repeat Row 2 for pattern

Stitch 11000:
Chain a multiple of 6 + 5
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, (sk 2, ch 3, 2 dc in next ch, sk 2, sc) across, (ch 2, dc) in last ch
Row 2: ch 1, turn, sc, (ch 3, 2 dc in sc, sc in ch 3 sp) across, (ch 2, dc) in last sc

Repeat Row 2 for pattern