Punk's not dead- Including free pattern

I just finished reading  'Lonely Boy-Tales of a Sex Pistol,' a tell-all book by Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones (now a DJ in LA.- you couldn't make this stuff up!) 

It is going to be made into a mini series on FX (called 'Pistol,' out in 2022), a subsiduary of the Disney Channel- the mind boggles. But with Danny Boyle directing, chances are it will be as gritty and entertaining as this riproaring, laugh out loud, highly recommended  read. 

I was never a punk, but I knew people who were, and it was not easy being one, outside the North Circular. Basingstoke, for instance. If you don't believe me, check out this FB page by a chap who was at the same Comp as me:

https://www.facebook.com/The-Urge-Diaries-440575332795480

Available to buy, one off:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115217524286

I sense a massive trend a-coming.Here's my first attempt at a Punk jumper. I used chunky wool and a mixture of 25mm and 15mm knitting needles. The original punk jumpers were available at shops, 'SEX' and later, 'Seditionaries', on the King's Rd run by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm Mclaren, and by extension, grannies everywhere. In fact, I, (pictured here on the left, the original role model for Harry Potter) borrowed my boyfriend's grey mohair jumper, made by his gran, to wear when I was on a foundation course at Winchester School of Art. (Or Winchester School o Fart) as we called it. 

 The painting in the background is by Gillian Ayres.

The lady on the right sporting a funky hairdo is the artist Sue Arrowsmith, one of our tutors. I was designing and selling jumpers at the time, for beer money. She bought one off me for £10 which was a lot of money in those days. My first patron!

There is confusingly another artist called Sue Arrowsmith. The one in the picture did work like this:

Sue Arrowsmith Nine Accidents 1984.Charcoal on paper.

I like this jumper which John Lydon used to wear. Its  beige, green, black, red and white. Apparently his mother made it for him.Facsimiles available on the internet,here:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/705813153/johnny-rotten-mohair-jumper-replica-of

Without wishing to do a slavish copy, I made a jumper where each piece deliberately doesn't match the others. This is a great way of using up odds and ends of mohair, when you don't have enough for a whole garment.

 I just love randomness in design.The colours I chose were 2 shades of yellow, white, light blue, brown and a sort of aubergine colour. I enjoyed making it so much, I might make a few more for Lowie.

A still photograph of actors playing The Sex Pistols, from forthcoming FX TV drama 'Pistol' expected to air in 2022. I made some of the knitwear, though on close inspection, I don't think the one in the photo is one of mine. There were quite a few knitters involved in this project. Great fun.

6/5/21

Apparently John Lydon has got wind of this project and is less than impressed, and threatening legal action. He refers to it as  'Johnny Rotten vs Mickey Mouse,' with his usual ear for a soundbite.So as my son pointed out, I may have put a lot of effort into something which doesn't even get made! I don't suppose it would be the first time. Watch this space.

Here's a slash neck crop top version for a girl. Could not be simpler.

Very easy to make out of odds and ends of mohair in my stash.It is for a size 10.
6.5mm needles.
Back and front the same.
CO 50 sts, 1x1 rib for 12 rows. Change yarn at each end at random, knitting in stocking stitch to desired length. Work 3 rows 1x1 rib, cast off loosely.For slash neck join top rib side edges for about 4inches/10cm using mattress stitch.
Mark 9 inches down, or more if you want wider arms, either side from shoulder join. Pick up 50 sts(or more) from marker to marker and continue to knit in random stripes until desired length of sleeves. MAKE NO ATTEMPT TO MATCH STRIPES.
3inches or so from desired length, dec 10 sts evenly across the row(40sts). Work 12 rows 1x1 rib, cast off.
Turn inside out and sew side and sleeve seams, sewing in all ends neatly. Thats all folks !

The above jumper is symmetrical.If you have the skills, make decreases for front neck and then cast on stitches for the back neck and continue knitting, without a shoulder seam.

Making jumpers like this, all different, all one of a kind, for Lowie,18 Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill.

This one is not symmetrical!!

Designs in progress-including design work for Butterfly Bag, Inside crochet 136

 This post is about design ideas which I send out to magazines. Editors give a steer on what they are looking for. I come up with things which I'd like to make myself. I usually have a picture in my head, then when I try it out it doesn't work, or another idea pops up.I probably will make them myself, anyway, and put the patterns on this blog free.Here are a few sketches which didn't get selected. I don't take it personally. Magazine editors have to produce a balanced set of designs for each issue, have lots to choose from, and a lot of luck is involved, when the standard of crochet designing is so high and rising all the time.I recently made a Lucy George Technicolour Shopper from Inside crochet 132, a lovely pattern which I adapted as a stashbuster using yarns which I already had. 

So, here are some of my designs which didn't get chosen

Two designs for felted hall runners made using strips of Tunisian crochet joined together. I wanted to emulate the look of weaving.I've never really liked anything that I've made using this method- I thought long strips, sewn together and felted might change that.

I stumbled across an anchor design on graph paper which I made into a top for my son when he was a toddler.I thought it could be adapted to make a jolly corner to corner blanket. Corner to corner, as the name suggests, is where you work squares diagonally,copying a picture on graph paper.

Here's a design which would make an unusual, statement throw measuring about 4' square, the design  was inspired by a piece of printed vintage linen.

You can never have too many tote bags.

I have some ready made bobble fringe which I want to use or, the stitch used in the technicolour shopper at the start of this post would work. too. The motif might work felted then appliqued on.I considered using T shirt yarn for the bag base. The aloe plant motif would be made with wool, crocheted and appliqued on.

At school I envied people who returned from Greek holidays with these simple woven, over the shoulder strap bags. This is my attempt at a spike stitch version. I like the idea of making all the spikes the same height, to update the look-see sample, below. They are meant to be aloe plants growing in a desert landscape. I've an artist's temperament when it comes to technique; as soon as I learn a new one, I try to think of a way to put my own twist on it. You can do that in crochet. Who says, you can't?

Another version, this is meant to represent fireworks in the night sky.

 Pre- lockdown, I was inspired by an exhibition at The Dulwich Picture Gallery of art by 19th Century Norwegian artist, Harald Sohlberg, to create little coloured huts like those in some of his paintings.

I am not sure what to make with them, but getting close to a repeatable pattern. Individually they could be coasters.

Sometimes, my initial design gets accepted, but editors suggest a different colour palette.I am cool with this.In the creation of anything, there are lots of moments of decision, and to be honest, I quite like it when someone takes one for me. The design process can be a collaborative one and I like that.

For example, here's a photo of a hairpin crochet afghan which led to a commission with ilikecrochet.com.

Only the colours are going to be different!I'm going to be using hairpin strips with a wider crocheted panel in the centre. I am having a special loom made by a woodworker in Oregon, who also happens to be my brother-in-law.

There's a tutorial on the method, here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q9oHY7hjUs

Crocheted slides or flip flops are becoming 'a thing.' I've a couple of pairs of  flip flops bought new from a charity shop, which I plan to upgrade, this summer.I like to experiment a bit before actually coming up with a design.Also, to have some fun just playing with ideas.Here's a couple of pages from  my sketchbook.

The way I would tackle it would probably be, to crochet a kind of 'envelope' to fit the sole, with jute or something hardwearing underneath and something softer on top for comfort.The more decorative uppers can be attached to this.

Heres the design work behind a commision I did get, for a filet crochet butterfly motif bag. Very pleased with how the team at Inside Crochet have styled it in edition 136. It started life being in raffia, but that idea changed after some negotiation.

Swatch made using Scheepjes cotton, double.

The source was a precious file of old Australian Women's Weekly Crochet patterns which were sent from members descended from the Bodley family to a cousin of my husband's, Beryl, my Crochet Guru, now in her 80s. Proper kudos to the legendary and often anonymous women of the past who came up with designs like these. I panicked in case this design was already online, but although there are many butterfly patterns linked to Women's Weekly, I couldn't see this exact one. So I've added it to the archive! I love the idea of continuing in a tradition which has been going for so long. It could be nice on a top, repeated on  a curtain, cushion cover, anything really. I'm just a link in the chain.

Stir Craziness

 Today I present to you a problem. Family heirloom Travel Scrabble. Letter tile bag and box no longer fit for purpose.

Solution- why, crochet- of course! Drawstring bag with a flat base for letters and holders.

Next step- crochet cover for board, work in progress.

Getting there! With DK and a 3mm hook, it's taking a while.It stretches to fit the board.

At last! Completed cover with matching drawstring bag. Crochet is so versatile.

Don't stand still too long. I might crochet around you.

Space Invaders and Alpacas

 Sweaters with symbols on them are popular. Roy, one of the Computer Geeks in 'The IT crowd' wears a Space Invader T shirt. My son asked me to incorporate a Space Invader into a jumper. Only now I realise it differs significantly from the one worn by Roy in the show, but that's motherhood for you! My son likes it, anyway,

Alpacas must be a spirit animal for my son, as he has requested two sweaters featuring these amazing beasts.

I adapted this design from an image I found on the internet. I usually use graph paper to plot designs for knitwear. There is software specifically for designing knitwear, with rectangles rather than squares, this gives you a more accurate representation of how the image will appear, knitted.

Crocheted Lampshades

 In my archive, May 2014, I refer to the design known as paisley. Here is a glimpse into how my design process works. Some pages from my sketchbook, which led to the creation of the 'Polly' lampshade, of which more,later.

The finished article doesn't bear much similarity to the artwork which led to it, but that is not the point.

Its the process which is important.More about 'Polly' in archive under July 2014.

Photo courtesy of Inside Crochet magazine.

Crocheting lampshades has always been 'a thing' and is great fun.Many of the lampshades in my home are crocheted. You don't have to know how to crochet, to make one. This one was made from a charity shop bought cotton dress!

This one is my favourite, because it was the first  I made.

I pick up lampshade frames out of skips and so forth, but you can buy them new, as well. The first thing I do is crochet around the metal spars, so that there is something to attach the crochet to. I make a template of the panel shape, and work motifs to fit inside it, before attaching them to the frame. Sometimes there are holes in it which I work on 'in situ.'There is something magical about the effect when the light is switched on.

As a note of caution, I'd recommend the use of natural fibres as they are naturally flame retardant,LED bulbs as they don't overheat, and if you are really risk averse, there are fire retardant sprays available.

Flower Fairies revisited- Free Pattern, a year after their first appearance

 Through membership of 'Croydon Writers' I got to hear about an exhibition in Croydon Museum (upstairs at the Library) curated by local theatre company, 'Good Wolf People' called

 'Storytelling in Croydon.'

                                                      
I designed some finger puppets/dolls based on Cicely Mary Barker's wonderful Flower Fairy illustrations. My aim was to design a basic 'fairy' which was  relatively simple to make, so it could easily be replicated. Here they are at the Exhibition, posing with the books which inspired them. I made them in a variety of skin tones to reflect the cultural diversity of modern day Croydon.  Cicely was a member of Croydon Writers, which has been going since 1945, one of the cases in the exhibition showcases our history.

They are basically three lengths of crocheted (or knitted) i-cord,two long ones for arms and legs, joined to a smaller length in the middle for the body, with a bobble for a head.
The Lesley Stanfield book, 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet was helpful for some of them.
There are so many flower fairies, I'd love to see what other people come up with!

Beech tree, Cornflower and Narcissus Fairies

Shirley Poppy Fairy

Poppy Fairy

Speedwell Fairy

So excited! Three of the fairies have been selected by Croydon Museum to go in a Virtual Handling Collection. Full story, here:

https://museumofcroydon.com/storytellers-virtual-handling-box?fbclid=IwAR1Gk6cmCrUFIUikXGJXfP_u7NMwBtPq8iemWaXZlC7z_KWkwxU-mxhmXVE

My efforts at getting this pattern published did not amount to anything, so here it is, in case anyone would like to try it. I tried to make them as simple to make as possible- when I was a child, we used to make dolls out of pipe cleaners with wool wrapped around them- that could work, too.

Flower Fairies-Basic Body

The body of the fairy is made using i-cord- knitted or crocheted. I-cord can also be made using a knitting dolly, a cotton reel with 4 nails in the top, and is known as ‘french knitting.’

(There are many tutorials on youtube demonstrating various i-cord techniques.)

Make 2 long lengths of i-cord in flesh colour for arms and legs and sides of body, with a shorter piece with a bobble at one end for the head and the middle of the body,  By using a different colour yarn in the middle of the long i-cords, and for the smaller length in the middle, you can start to ‘dress ‘ the fairy. If doing this, leave long ends for sewing the pieces together.

Heres a sketch showing how the fairies are assembled

Materials:

Oddments of DK yarn, with a 3mm hook. Toy stuffing optional. Tapestry needle for sewing up.

To make crocheted i-cord

Make 3ch. Work into 2^nd and 3^rd ch from hook, but leave all three sts on the hook.(Do not do crochet stitches with them)

*Remove first 2 sts from hook and pinch them between finger and thumb. Make a dc with remaining stitch on hook, them work a dc into each of the two ‘pinched’ sts. You should have 3 sts on hook.

Repeat from * to desired length.

To finish, make 2 dc with remaining 3 sts on hook until there is only 1^st, pull yarn through to close it.

To make knitted i-cord

With a double pointed needle (dpn), cast on 3 sts.Knit all 3 sts

* Slide sts to right end of dpn and taking yarn around the back of sts from left to right,k3 sts again.

Repeat from * to desired length.

To make bobble head

With flesh colour, make a magic ring and work 6 dcs into it. Use a stitch marker for start of row if you find it helpful.

Rnd 1: 2dc into each st(12sts)

Rnd 2:Work 4 extra dcs evenly in next round.(16sts.)

Rnds 3-6 inclusive: 1dc in each st all around.(16sts.)

Rnd 7: (dec rnd): Dec 4 times evenly in next round (12sts.)

Stuff head, using toy stuffing or oddments of same coloured yarn.

Rnd 8: 2dc together all around(6sts).

Rnd 9: As Rnd 10 (3sts)

Commence i-cord body

 Follow i-cord instructions to desired length, doing a couple of rounds in flesh colour for neck before changing to bodice colour.

Finishing

Using long ends of yarns, sew three pieces together in the middle using mattress stitch. Sew in any ends.

With sewing thread, embroider features. For hair, make long satin sts, or invent your own way of doing hair.

Flower Dresses

I  referred to the Flower Fairy illustrations themselves, and Lesley Stanfield's book, '100 flowers to knit and crochet' was helpful, too. The flower dresses need not be crocheted- fake flowers and leaves can be adapted, as in the Beech Tree fairy (pictured above.) 

Butterfly Wings

There's a diagram for these, see below.I like doing them with variegated yarn. Although you could just as easily make your own with a piece of tulle or gauze.

This pattern is free, intended to spark creativity in others, rather than be slavishly adhered to.However, if its been useful, any donations to Chartwell Children's Cancer Lily Pad Appeal at Croydon University Hospital  would be gratefully received.