A Journey through Spirals: Summary

Well that's the end of my journey with spirals.  I figured out how to make the shapes that interested me in a satisfying manner.  The only thing still lacking is to figure out how to make the spirals wider without having to attach more balls of yarn.

I just had a thought about that!  Why not just make taller stitches?  Like instead of dc (2c), use 5c, or for even bigger ones 10c (these numbers are totally arbitrary).  The obvious problem is that there will be gaping holes.  That can be solved by using linked stitches.  The corners would be interesting to figure out, but probably doable.

Anyway, now that that rabbit trail is over, let's summarize what I've explained about spirals.

I've found or written up patterns for the following shapes:
Circles (really 12 sided polygons)
Hexagons
Rectangles
Squares

This is hardly an exhaustive list of shapes.  As I write this, I realized that triangular spirals are also possible.  Any shape, at least regular polygons, can be made with spirals.  Hopefully you can figure out how to make a heptagon spiral if you really want to by looking at the principles for the more normal shapes.

Modified Shell Stitch Summary

We've reached the end of the shell stitch series and I for one am glad.  Since most of these stitches are very similar, it wasn't all that interesting to do, and I'm guessing, not all that interesting to read.  However, I did find some great stitches through this process that I otherwise wouldn't have tried.  The best find in this series was 10001.  Basically, all of the palindromic stitches are worth looking at, and some of the others are neat too.  Here's how it all panned out:

00000 : open, lacy, stretchy
00001 & 10000 : grid of single/double thick squares, worth a look
00010 & 01000 : complex mesh, quintessential crochet
00011 & 11000 : neat: thick vertical columns separated by open triangles
00100 : grid of triangles you can diagram and fill in like fillet crochet
00101 & 10100 : vertical columns of triangles, filled and open, good for scarves
00110 & 01100 : thin vertical columns, simple and boring
00111 & 11100 : like Stitch 2 from Darla Sim's book
01001 & 10010 : lacy network, surprisingly pretty, good for scarves
01010 : light, simple, and easy, good for scarves and baby blankets
01011 & 11010 : small holes, not really interesting
01101 & 10110 : pretty, but nothing special
01110 : twin vertical columns, simple, lacy, and elegant
01111 & 11110 : solid and boring
10001 : awesome, grid of double thick squares, try it!
10011 & 11001 : interesting, diagonal line of holes through fabric
10101 : nice, you can actually see the stitches, will reuse
10111 & 11101 : solid and boring
11011 : solid, and easy, uses less yarn and is almost indistinguishable from the original
11111 : original shell stitch

An explanation of how to read these stitches is in the introduction to this series, here.

Book in Review

So, it has been a long journey through the book and I've tried 30 new stitches.  Hopefully, my comments on the stitches have been helpful, letting you get a better feel for the stitches.  Now that I have completed a baby blanket from each stitch, I can emphatically say that this book is worth buying, owning, and using.  Although not every stitch is one I want to reuse, there are many that I do.  My favorite stitches are 1 and 13. 

This book can be found at most craft stores.  Hobby Lobby in particular tends to put it on clearance with some regularity.  Whenever I see it on clearance, I buy it because I like to give it to my crocheting friends because I know it's great.  If you can't find it on clearance, Joanns routinely puts their pattern books on 30% off sale.  I know that coupons work on it at A.C. Moore, but not at Michaels.  I have not attempted to purchase pattern books with coupons elsewhere.  See my Coupon Guide on how to obtain coupons. 

Here's a quick overview of the book.
Stitch  1: Awesome checker pattern and would be great for any sized project.
Stitch  2: Elegant simplicity.  It's kinda lacy and works for any sized project.
Stitch  3: Very solid stitch, slight ripple.  Need lots of rows to keep it from twisting up.
Stitch  4: My go-to ripple pattern.  Nice squared off edges.  Great for any sized project.
Stitch  5: Thick fabric; kinda slow, great for dishcloths.
Stitch  6: Pretty hexagons, little bit lacy.  Great for any sized project.
Stitch  7: Light cabling, kinda tedious. I don't plan to reuse it.
Stitch  8: Modified shell stitch.  Quick and easy; works for any sized project.
Stitch  9: To this day I detest this stitch.  If you like the look, try stitch 24.
Stitch 10: Pretty and lacy.  Works for large projects.
Stitch 11: Very lacy with large holes.  I don't plan to reuse it.
Stitch 12: Lacy, complicated pattern.  Works for larger projects.
Stitch 13: Surprisingly wonderful, lacy cabled look.  Great for any sized project.
Stitch 14: Lacy and complicated; kinda stretchy.  I don't plan to reuse it.
Stitch 15: Disorganized look, but so simple.  Works for any sized project.
Stitch 16: Checkered look, nice and simple.  Works for any sized project.
Stitch 17: Very solid stitch.  Need to have lots of rows to keep it from twisting up.
Stitch 18: Lacy stitch.  Cross and puff stitches.  Works for any sized project.
Stitch 19: Simple lace stitch.  Easily modified.  Works for any sized project.
Stitch 20: Changing width stripes.  Attention required. I don't plan to reuse it.
Stitch 21: Masculine stitch.  Solid, quick, and easy.  Works for any sized project.
Stitch 22: Medallions, quick and easy.  Works for any sized project.
Stitch 23: Subtly elegant stitch. Diagonal hexagons.  Great for larger projects.
Stitch 24: Better version of stitch 9.  Slow and simple.  I don't plan to reuse it.
Stitch 25: Solid triangles. Need to have lots of rows to keep it from twisting up.
Stitch 26:  Very slow, complicated and difficult.  Textured.  I don't plan to reuse it.
Stitch 27: Complicated lace pattern.  Good for large projects.
Stitch 28: Modified shell stitch.  So very quick and easy.  Great for any sized project.
Stitch 29: Modified shell stitch and grid.  Fairly easy.  Works for any sized project.
Stitch 30: Puffy lace stitch.  Fairly easy to do.  Works for larger projects.