A remake of the Pastel dress, with a yarn that reminds me of the seashore — the different shades of blue in the distance, the greens of algae and seaweed washed up on the rocks.

Similar to the remake of the Ginkgo top, this sweater uses the same lace pattern as the top of the Pastel dress (which was a variation of the Ginkgo lace pattern), minus the armhole shaping and with a simpler boat neck shaping.

 

The yarn I used was Mary Maxim Prism in Still Waters. I love this yarn. It’s affordable, super washable, the colours are amazing, has a nice drape. I wish there is a Mary Maxim closer to where I live… *sigh*

It has a very simple shape and stitch pattern, so I imagine it would look nice with a variegated yarn like Noro, or a sparkly yarn for fancier occasions :)

I used:

Light worsted weight yarn, approx. 700 yards

5 mm and 4.5 mm hooks

Tapestry needle for sewing

Sweater measures: 34″ around, 19.5″ in length

Length is easily adjustable by working more or fewer rows. Width can be adjusted by adding or subtracting stitches in the foundation ch by multiples of 6.

6 stitches = 1 3/8”

Pattern:

Stitch pattern:
Fan = [dc, 2 ch, dc, 2 ch, dc] in same space

Front: 

With 5 mm hook, ch 85.

Row 1: dc in 6th ch from hook, skip next 2 ch, dc in next ch, [skip next 2 ch, fan in next ch, skip next 2 ch, dc in next ch] to end, [dc, ch 2, dc] in last ch, turn.

Row 2: ch 3, skip first dc, fan in dc between fans, [dc in 2nd dc of next fan, fan in next dc between fans] to end, dc in 3rd ch of turning ch, turn.

Row 3: ch 5, ch in 1st dc, dc in 2nd dc of next fan, [fan in next dc between fans, dc in 2nd dc of next fan] to end, [dc, ch 2, dc] in turning ch, turn.

Repeat rows 2 & 3 until there are 34 rows altogether, ending with row 2.

Neck shaping:

Row 35: work in pattern to the 4th fan of the row, dc in 2nd dc of the 4th fan, dc in next dc between fans, turn.

Row 36: ch 5, dc in next dc, dc in the 2nd dc of next fan, work in pattern till end, turn.

Row 37–38: work in pattern. Fasten off.

Attach yarn to the other corner of row 34, repeat rows 35–38.

Back:

Repeat pattern for front until neck shaping. Work 2 more rows so that there are 36 rows altogether, ending with row 2.

Neck shaping:

Row 37–38: repeat rows 35 and 36 of front. Fasten off.

Attach yarn to the other corner of row 36, repeat rows 37–38.

Assembly:

With right sides together and wrong sides facing, sew shoulder seams together.

With right sides together and wrong sides facing, sew side seams together, starting at the top of the 11th row from the top of the sweater.

Turn sweater right side out.

Edging: with 4.5 mm hook

Neckline: attach yarn to a dc (not part of a fan) on the back of neck. ch 1, sc in same dc, [sc in 1st dc of fan, sc in next ch 2 sp, skip 2nd dc of fan, sc in next ch 2 sp, sc in 3rd dc of fan, sc in next dc] around, sl st in beginning sc of found, fasten off.

Armholes: attach yarn to any space on the armhole. We will be crocheting into the side of the rows, or what I call “row-ends”. ch 3, work 2 dc in each row-end around, sl st in top of beginning ch 3, fasten off. Repeat for the other armhole.

Bottom edge: attach yarn to any ch 2 space, ch 3, work 1 dc in every ch 2 space, every base of a fan, and every base of a dc, sl st in top of beginning ch 3, fasten off.

Weave in all ends.

And it’s done! :D

Here’s an in-between shot in which I was caught adjusting the necklace, which I thought turned out kind of cool and stylish :D

 

Hope you enjoy the remake! Have a happy Saturday! :D

 

This shrug uses the same lace pattern as the ginkgo top (and almost the same stitch count!), but with much heavier yarn and larger hooks. Basically, a blown up version of the ginkgo lace pattern. And no neck shaping! Isn’t that nice? :D Such is the beauty of shrugs.

I thought it would make a nice piece for late summer nights easing into fall.

The shrug measures 38.5″ from cuff to cuff, and 20″ from neckline to bottom edge. It’s a very quick make, took me 2 evenings to finish while watching TV :)

 

What I used:

Worsted weight yarn, approx. 700 yards

6mm and 5.5mm hooks

Tapestry needle for sewing.

Pattern:

Note for size modifications: to increase the length from cuff to cuff, i.e. longer sleeves, add multiples of 6 ch to foundation chain. 6 stitches = 1.75″

With larger hook, ch 136.

Begin with row 2 of the ginkgo lace pattern (but slightly modified, because we’re skipping the first row of dc’s in the original pattern) as follows:

Row 2: 2 dc in 4th ch from hook, skip 2 ch, dc in next ch, [skip 2 ch, 5 dc in next ch, skip 2 ch, dc in next ch] across, skip 2 ch, 3 dc in last ch. Turn.

The rest is just the same as the ginkgo lace pattern. To make things easier I’ve pasted it below.

Note: shell = 5 dc in a stitch, or 3 dc in a stitch

Row 3: (WS) ch 5, skip shell in the beginning of row, dc in next dc, [ch 2, dc in 3rd dc of shell, ch 2, skip rest of shell, dc in next dc] across, ch 2, dc in top of turning ch. Turn.

Row 4: (RS) ch 3, 5 dc in next dc, [dc in dc, 5 dc in next dc across], dc in 3rd ch of turning ch. Turn.

Row 5: ch 5, dc in 3rd dc of shell, [skip rest of shell, ch 2, dc in next dc, ch 2, dc in 3rd dc of shell] across, ch 2, dc in top of turning ch. Turn.

Row 6: ch 3, 2 dc in same st, dc in next dc, [5 dc in next dc, dc in next dc] across, 3 dc in 3rd st of turning ch.

Repeat rows 3–6 until piece measures approx. 18″ from beginning, or desired length. Ending with row 4 or 6. Fasten off.

Finishing:

Fold piece in half lengthwise with wrong side facing out. Sew seam together, starting from the cuff edge, along the long side of the piece, sew 5.5″ towards the centre of the piece (about 3 and a half shells). Repeat on the other side. Turn piece right side out.

Edging:

Neckline/front/back: With larger hook and right side facing, attach yarn to any stitch along the last row crocheted, ch 3, dc in each dc except the 3rd dc of each shell. When crocheting along the bottom side of the shrug (i.e. along the foundation ch), work 2 dc in each 2 ch space, and 1 dc in the base of each shell, but skip the ch at the base of a dc. Crochet around until end of round, sl st in top of beginning ch, ch 3. Do not turn, dc in each dc around, sl st in top of beginning ch, fasten off.

Cuffs: With smaller hook and right side facing, attach yarn to any space on cuff edge. The stitches will be crocheted into the side ends of the rows, or “row-ends”. ch 3, 2 dc tog in each row-end around, sl st in top of beginning ch, ch 3. Do not turn, dc in each dc around, fasten off. Repeat on the other cuff.

Weave in ends.

Happy crocheting! :D

 

 

Today we’re going to make tiny nigiri :D

Here is my hand in the picture for scale…

It only consists of 8 rows altogether, so it’s a super quick make. The assembly instruction sounds more complicated than it actually is. I will be using some origami terms in hopes that it will make it a bit easier to understand, but as always please feel free to drop me a note if you want clarifications :)

I used:

A bit of light worsted weight yarn in white and other nigiri colours (I was using a variegated orange for salmon and yellow for egg)

3mm hook

A bit of black yarn (optional — if adding seaweed wrapping)

What I did:

*turning ch does not count as a stitch.

Row 1: with white, leaving 12″ tail for sewing in the beginning, ch 3, sc in second ch from hook, sc in next ch, turn.

Rows 2–4: ch 1, sc in each of next 2 sc, turn.

Rows 5 (this will be the right side): fasten off white, switch to nigiri colour, ch 1, sc in each of next 2 sc in back loop only, turn.

Rows 6–8: ch 1, sc in each of next 2 sc, turn. Fasten off at the end of row 8, leaving long tail for sewing.

Assembly:

Here’s where some origami moves might be handy… we’re just going to need valley fold and mountain fold:

 

 

(source)

So, we’ve crocheted a narrow strip. With right side facing, valley fold one of the short ends to the middle of the strip. The middle of the strip is marked by the “ridge” created by stitches crocheted in the back loops only (row 5). Using long yarn end, secure the fold by sewing the end to the middle and sewing the side seams together. Repeat with the other short end. Fasten off and cut the colour yarn tail, but don’t cut off the white yarn tail.

Then, still with right side facing, mountain fold the strip in half along the middle “ridge”. Secure the fold with a few stitches through all the layers of the nigiri with the white yarn tail, being careful not to let the stitches show on the egg/salmon side. Fasten off, weave in ends.

If desired, wrap and tie black yarn around the nigiri to imitate seaweed.

They make great earrings and magnet, and maybe miniature dollhouse food?

Have an awesome week, everyone!

 

Tiny and easy. Looks like I’ve got a bit of a theme going after the tiny donuts!

I have a couple of sweater patterns that I’ve been hoping to share, but I just haven’t had the time or energy to sit down and write it. So for now, tiny and easy it is :)

These are super quick to make! And they are very tiny. Here is my hand in the picture for scale. They’re about 7/8″ in diameter.

I just happen to have scraps of variegated green and orange yarn at home, they worked beautifully for avocado/cucumber and salmon.

The “pattern” is not at all original. A quick search on Ravelry would yield a couple of crochet sushi pattern made in the same method, like this one (ingenious! I actually made one for a sushi-loving friend years ago), and this one. But I suppose the stitch count that I came up with is particular to these tiny maki rolls, so I thought I’d share it. It’s also not so much a pattern but more like a recipe. One can easily adjust the length and width to include more fillings for the maki rolls.

I used:

tiny bits of black, white and other colours for desired fillings, in worsted or light worsted weight yarn.

3mm hook

tapestry needle

What I did:

Note: turning ch does not count as a stitch.

Row 1: Using filling colour yarn, ch 3, sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next ch, ch 1, turn.

Row 2: sc in each of next 2 sc, ch 1, turn.

Row 3: sc in each of next 2 sc, switch to white yarn, fasten off filling yarn, ch 1.

Rows 4 — 12 (9 rows): repeat row 2. At the end of row 12, switch to black yarn, fasten off white yarn, ch 1.

Rows 13 — 24 (12 rows): repeat row 2. Fasten off, leaving a 10″ tail for sewing. Weave in ends.

Assembly:

Starting from the end with the filling colour, roll up the strip tightly. Sew end of strip to the maki roll, then sew through the diameter of the maki roll in different directions a couple of times. Fasten off, weave in ends.

And we’re done! Easy, right? I found it pretty hard to stop making them :S But what can one do with so many tiny sushi rolls? They’re very light, so great for earrings! I’ve made these yam roll earrings for the shop :D

And I made a futomaki brooch sort of in a free-form style. It is listed in my Etsy shop — customizable and freshly made-to-order! :D

And here we have it, futomaki and friends :D

But wait, we’re not done with sushi making! In our next episode we will make easy nigiri! Stay tuned! :D