Advanced Crochet Techniques: Lace, Colorwork, and Cables

Hello, everybody. Welcome to day two of the maker's palooza. I'm so glad that you're here. My name is Brenda Kb Anderson and I am a crochet instructor um on the creative crochet corner as well as here as on Craft Sea. Um And I'm very excited to be sharing with you guys some advanced techniques for crochet.

So we're gonna be talking about a little bit of lace and some color work using the extended single crochet. And we're also gonna be uh I'm also gonna be demonstrating how to make some cables. Ok. So I'm very excited to teach all of these things. I of course love crochet.

Um And I love dabbling in lots of different styles, lots of diff different techniques and I hope that you guys are excited to learn about these too. Um I do wanna mention before I forget, make sure if you want a chance to win a Crafty Gold membership for a whole year that you get out your phones and you text palooza to 52056 by September 24th. And you will be entered to win a one year Craft Sea Gold membership, which is awesome um there's just so many, so much information, so many classes, you have access to everything. It's really, really wonderful. Trust me.

I have one and I love it and I use it all the time. So um you will also, if you are the winner, you will also get this cute little notebook. It says live life creatively and it has all these cute little windows that have different colors and then when you open it up, it's, it's got these little post it notes that you can put. So you can make tiny little notes to post on the rest of your notes. So you can be like a really awesome note taker.

Plus it has this little ruler on the side which I love any, any chance for extra rulers. I love it. Um And speaking of that, you would also win this cute little crafty tape measure. Isn't that awesome? And it has this itty bitty little carabiner on it like a baby *** to hook it to your craft bag or your purse or you know, wherever you find yourself wondering, where did I put my measuring tape?

I need one of these for sure. All right, good luck to you guys. All right. So um I do wanna mention of course this is live. So if you have questions, please drop them in the chat box.

So make sure you're scrolling down to find the large orange chat box on the page and don't be fooled. There is a little tiny gray box that says chat, but that is for customer service. Ok. So don't be tricked by that. Make sure you go down and look for the large orange chat box and put your questions in there so that I can get them and try to answer them um during this session here.

All right. So first we're gonna go through, well, actually let me mention um that this the lace color cables, advanced crochet techniques. This is a little packet that is found within the larger download for the entire craft sea maker. Uh the entire maker's palooza. So um you can go ahead and down that load that.

Now, if you were interested in just printing out this section just for this session, um If you haven't printed out other things before and you just wanted to quick print it out. Um Look for pages 19 through 29 that's what this section is. But I, I do wanna mention too, I did this last night I printed out just that section. Um And I got a little confused because on my printer or on my computer, it said um page 19 was actually, I think page 17 of this because it's labeled um because there's maybe a cover sheet, you know, the beginning of the whole document, those aren't numbered pages. I'm talking about the numbers that are actually printed on the pages.

So make sure that you look at that when you're gonna go print that out. All right. So 19 to 29 I'm gonna be teaching from this. There are written instructions for all the stitch patterns that I'm gonna be working up with you guys today. And there are also charts.

I am definitely a chart person. I'm a very visual learner and it really, really helps me to have a chart. Um If you've never worked with a chart before, that's OK because I'm gonna be talking a little bit about how to read a chart during event today um to get a little bit more comfortable with that. But I really like to teach from a chart because um especially because when I'm talking, I can't read at the same time, but I can look at pictures at the same time. So it helps me keep my place.

Um But it also just when I'm working on other projects and I'm not teaching. Um I really like uh learning stitch patterns from charts. It really helps me and hopefully some of you guys will like it too. All right. So, oh, we have a bunch of people who have joined us today.

I'm so excited. You guys are all here. Um We have the frugal frontier saying hi, viewing from Northern New Mexico. I love New Mexico. I like to go camping there.

Um And let's see. OK, we have a question that's for the number for international audience. I think our, our group here will answer that in a little bit. OK. All right.

So let's get started. We're gonna start with the lace pattern. This is called the spider web lace stitch pattern. Um And I chose that because, you know Halloween's coming up. But also because I think it's so pretty.

And a actually to me, when I look at the stitch pattern, it looks a little like to me, I think of flowers more than I think of spider webs. I do see the spider webs though. I actually didn't know what the stitch pattern was called for a long time. And it's honestly because it's crochet, it's probably called different things and different books. Um But the book that I found that had a name for it, it would called it the spider web stitch pattern.

I was like, OK, yeah, I see the spider webs going on there. Um So we're gonna start out with this stitch pattern here. Let me just pull out my chart and of course, like I mentioned before, all of the instructions are written out. I'm gonna be showing you how to do all the steps. But if you uh are a crochet person who likes to just read, you know, read the, the instructions written out, that's all included in your packet.

So don't worry. Um You know, if seeing this chart is making you feel like, oh, I wish I had all the information you do have all the information. I'm just gonna be teaching from the chart. OK. So to work in the stitch pattern, you're gonna start with a multiple of 14 plus three.

So what that means is you will have, you know, 14 plus 14 plus 14, however wide you want it to be and then once you've added up all your fourteens, you will add three more stitches on to that. And I am going to start by chaining 45. And I think I actually, I, I think I might have actually undone a little bit of this chain. So I'm gonna just check it really quick here. 10 11 12 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 1920 21.

22. 23. 24. 25 26 27 29 33. 13233 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45.

0, I guess I didn't, I have the correct number. Um One thing though that I, I could have done, um sometimes this will happen to me if I'm doing a starting with a longer chain and I'm not really sure. I can't really remember for sure how many stitches, but I'm pretty sure it's pretty close. Let me just chain on some extras and, and when I work my way across the next row, I just unravel the extra chains that I didn't need. So that's another trick too.

Or you can use uh foundation crochet as well if you'd rather do it that way. All right. So we're gonna start out here working row number one. So when you look at a chart, you can see there are all these little symbols all over the chart. So what those are, is, is basically a representation of a stitch.

So all these little tiny ovals going across the bottom, those are your foundation chain and then there's some little ovals going up here. Those are your chain stitches that are going be counting as the first double crochet. OK. So when we start working in the stitch pattern, we're gonna skip the first three chains and then we're gonna work a double crochet, stitch which looks like this little t with a little line through it. That's a double crochet.

We're gonna work that into the fourth chain from the hook. Now, I always prefer, pretty much, always prefer working into the bottom of my chain. Some people call it the back bump, um the bottom bump or just the bottom. Um or sometimes people even call it the back. It's confusing and crochet where there's names that mean the same thing.

Um But what I mean is instead of working underneath these vs here that you can see, I roll those down to the table. So that's upside down. And then there's all these little tiny horizontal dashes that's where I insert my hook as I'm working across that first row because uh it's easier for me to get my hook in there. And I also really like the edge that it leaves on the bottom with those little vs. So I'm gonna start by doing a double crochet in the fourth chain from the hook.

So I will yarn over and go 123 and then here's the fourth chain, insert my hook yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through two yarn over, pull through two. I should mention too just for this uh demonstration for this lace piece. I'm using a G hook with a worsted weight or actually more, maybe more of an air and weight yarn. Usually that's a little bit small for me. Usually I go up to, you know, an H or an I or I mean, really, there's no wrong answer.

It's whatever hook you wanna use to get the fabric you like. Um I'm crushing it up at a little bit of a firmer gauge just so that it's a little bit easier to see um the solid areas in my lace pattern. And also, um I will show you when I'm finished with the lace. What happens when we block it and it'll make a much bigger difference if I'm crushing it at a tighter gauge here. All right.

So I've already got my first two double crochets. So the first one is created by those chain that chain three. And then the second one is right here. That was in the fourth chain from the hook. Then we're gonna chain three stitches and skip three stitches.

So you can see here's my three that I chained and here's the three that we're skipping over. All right. So let's do that. We'll chain 3123 and then we're gonna skip 3123 and then, and then the next stitch, we're gonna work a single crochet. She'll be right here.

We'll insert our hook yarn over, pull up the loop, yarn over, pull through two. There's our first single crochet. So you can see the single crochets in the chart are represented with this little plus. So all of the stitches in the chart, there's really only three. They're down here and I tell you what they mean just in case.

Um You forget. All right. So I've worked the first single crochet. I'm going to work four more single crochets into each of the next four chains. So one to three, whoops and four.

And then we're gonna chain three. Here. We are in our pattern chain. Three, skip three, 123, we're gonna skip 3123. And then we're gonna work three, double crochets into each or one, double crochet into each of the next three chains.

So here is one to and three. OK. So you can see our, what we have so far is starting to match up with this. Actually, I'm gonna show you um, what this looks like when I put it on my little chart keeper, I have this handy little chart keeper. You don't need to have a chart keeper, of course to do this.

Um What I suggest is using post it notes or a piece of paper to just block out what's going on above the row you're working on. So you could just even just use, you know, another sheet of paper above there so that you're not looking at all of these little symbols because that can be kind of overwhelming. Sometimes when you look at the chart, it's like, uh, too many things. Um, but if you just only concentrate on the row you're working on because that's, that's really what matters. You need to be able to see the row you're working on and whatever came right before that row.

Ok. That's all you need to see. All right, we've got some more people dropping in here. Oh, how exciting we've got. Um, let's see.

And Een Sala, I'm sorry, if I'm butchering your name. I am joining from the Netherlands. Hello, welcome. And Lewin from High from Canada. And let's see, Corey is saying hello from British Columbia, Canada.

And Robin is saying hi from Raleigh, North Carolina. Angela is saying hello from mckinney, Texas and Sahara Myers is saying hello from Louisville, Kentucky. Awesome. Oh, and more people, Brenda is saying hello from South Carolina. Nice name.

Um, Sarah saying good morning from Florida. Nancy says hello. Joyce says good morning from Kansas City. There's lots of people joining us. This is exciting.

Uh, let's see. Oh, somebody is asking if, do you think that it would look more like a spider web if you did it in a lace or a sack weight yarn and a smaller hook? Well, I'm gonna have a little, um, spoiler here. This is what I wanted to show you at the end. I actually designed this little kerchief in a lighter weight yarn.

So you can see it does look a little more spider webby. Um Yeah, but I guess to me, I still see the negative space as the flowers but I mean, it's very pretty and a little and if you did it in like black or gray and very wispy yarn. Yes, a lace. This is, I don't think this is quite a lace weight. I think it might be like a fingering weight.

Um I can't really remember but yeah, it would definitely look a little more spider worthy. All righty. So here we are back to the pattern. We've already done these three double crochets. We're gonna skip three chains and chain three more.

So we're gonna chain 3123, skip the next 3123 and then we're gonna work five single crochets again here. So one, two, 34 and five, we're gonna chain 3123 and then we're gonna skip three. We're skipping those three and then we're gonna work three double crochets one two, three. So this is a repeat already of what we've already done. We're gonna chain three more 123.

Skip 3123. And then we're gonna work five single crochets one two, three, four and five. And then we'll chain 3123. We're gonna skip 3123. There's only two chains left and we're gonna work a double crochet into each one of those chains.

One and two. All right. So you can see here, this is what our pattern looks like so far, just like that. And then we're gonna work on row number two. So I'm gonna move my little magnet up so I can see the next row or maybe it's casting a shadow, I'll move it up just a little higher so that you guys can see a little better here.

So I will start right here on row two. So we're gonna be worked this way on the chart. So we're gonna chain 3123. We'll turn our work to work across and then we're gonna work three, double crochets into that chain space. OK.

So one, two, three, there's our three double crochets into the chain space and then we'll chain 3123. And then we're gonna work three single crochets into the center of these five. That's how I like to think of it. So we're skipping the first one, working single crochet, single crochet, single crochet, skipping the last one. Yeah.

So one, 23 and we'll chain 3123 right here on the chart. Then we're gonna work three double crochets into that chain space. Then we'll do a chain one and three double crochets into the next chain space. So here's our two chain spaces one, two, three and then we'll chain one and then we'll work three, double crochets here into the next chain space 12, three. OK.

And then we're gonna chain And we're gonna work three single crochets into the center of these five single crochets. OK? So what that means is we skip the first single crochet and then we do single crochet, single crochet and single crochet and chain 3123. We're already repeating what we did. Here's our next two windows.

So we're gonna do three double crochets. Chain 13, double crochets, one two, three, chain one one, two, oops and three. And we'll chain three and do three single crochets 123. Remember we're skipping that first single crochet, single, single, single in the next three. OK.

One here, one in the next stitch and one in the following stitch and we chain And then we do three double crochets into the next chain space. So in this pattern, most of the time you're gonna be working into the chain spaces that you create. But there are these sections in the middle where it's a little more solid where you're working into your single crochets. OK. So in the middle here, you're actually working into stitches, but most of the rest of it, you're working into your chain spaces.

I find that when I'm looking at a co uh I mean, this isn't super complicated. It's actually pretty easy when you break it down. But when you're looking at kind of an overall lac stitch pattern, it really helps to just look all the way across the road and see what the pattern is that's happening. So, for example, you know, if you just take a look at this, you can see there's, you know, your eyes can kind of group things together. You're always gonna be placing those three single crochets in the middle of where those five single crochets are OK.

And then you're connecting that to the next stitch with three chains, there's three chains, you know, connecting all the way across, except for there's one chain in between these two groups of um three double crochets. So three double crochets here in that chain space, three double crochets here in that chain space and a chain one. So the reason I'm telling you this is because I find that I, I make a lot fewer mistakes and it's a lot easier, like quicker for me to work across my row when I actually just take a second at the beginning of working that row and just sort of look at the pattern that's happening and look at, um, you know, groups of stitches and you can remember that group work that up and go to the next group if that helps. But everybody works differently. So, you know, you gotta find your own way to do it.

But this, the, that is what helps me. All right. So we've done our last three, double crochets of the row which are right here. Then we're gonna do one more, double crochet into the top of that turning chain into the top of that chain. Three right there.

So that's over here. There is our last double crochet of the row. OK? Then we're gonna start on row three. Move the marker up a little bit here.

Row three starts with a turning chain of three and then three more chains. OK? So this turning chain of three is gonna count as a double crochet. So we do 123, we'll turn our work and then we're going to do three more chains, And then we're gonna do three, double crochets into this chain. Three space right here.

So that's our chain three space one, two, three. And then here we have that little clump of that solid stitch pattern where we have the single crochets in the top of that, we're gonna place a double crochet right in the mid in that center of those three single crochets. OK? Before we do that, we're gonna chain 3123. Then we're gonna place that double crochet right there in the middle.

There's a double crochet and we'll chain 3123. And now here we have the next window is three double crochets. Then we'll chain three, do one double crochet in this little window and then we're gonna chain three and do three double crochets in this window. So 31, then three with three, double crochets between each of those. All right.

So we've already done our three sorry three chains between each of those um stitches. So here's our three chains and then we're gonna do three double crochets in the first window. One two, three and chain 3123. And then we're gonna do one double crochet here and then chain 312, oops 23 and then three double crochets in this window. One to three.

All right. See, now we're at another section of that solid, single, single crochets. So we're gonna chain 3123 and place a double crochet right in the center of those three single crochets right there. And then we're gonna chain 3123. And here we are the next group of windows.

So we'll have three double crochets here, one, double crochet and three double crochets here and with chain threes in between each of those once again. So we've got 12, three and then chain 3123 and then one, double crochet here, chain 3123 and three, double crochets here one two, three. Then here we are at one of those more solid sections with the single crochets again. So you guessed it, we chain 3123 and we place that double crochet right in the center of the 123, single crochet. So we're placing it in that second one and then we're gonna chain 3123.

OK. So we're right here. We're gonna do three, double crochets in that last chain. Three, window one, two, three. And then we're gonna chain 3123.

And we're gonna end with a double crochet in the top of the turning chain. So here's our turning chain. There's the top of our, uh, the top stitch of that turning chain, the top chain. Sorry. There we go.

And we'll finish up with that double crochet or that double crochet right there in the end. All right. This is what our piece looks like so far. That was after working row three and we'll move up to row four. Looks like we have a few more.

Hellos there. We've got, uh, hello. Hi from Boston. Hi, Louise. And Iris is saying hello from Springfield, Massachusetts, Kin from Raleigh North Carolina Francis.

Good morning from New York. Good morning. Uh Virginia is saying hi from mcchesney Park, Illinois. And Sharon is saying good morning, good morning everybody. Thank you guys so much for joining.

Um We have a question Jennifer is asking, can you explain the reason why the mosaic swatch in the frame with the current lace project? Why the mosaic swatch is in the frame with the current lace project that is currently being worked on? Are there? Oh, so are you, I wonder if you're looking at this? So this is what we're gonna get to later.

Um This will be our last project that we work on during this session here. Ok. So I'm do this isn't mosaic though. Actually, this is um, this is just tapestry crochet. Um But we are gonna be doing uh Yep.

So the lace will be first and then we'll do the cables and then we'll do this tapestry crochet after that. Ok. Um Julie is saying hi from the Bay area in California. Hi, Julie. And Beth is saying hello from South Florida.

Hello, everybody. All right. So we've finished up working row number three and now we're gonna be working on row number four, which starts on the chart over here. So we're gonna start off with a chain and this turning chain is not gonna count as a stitch. So what that means is we are not gonna work into that on our way back across the next row.

We're not, we're not counting that as a stitch. So we're also going to be working into this very first stitch here. So this is gonna be a single crochet in the top of that double crochet. So it starts out with a single crochet and then there's gonna be another single crochet into this chain space right next to it. OK.

So we have two single crochets so far, this is the beginning of row four. Now we're gonna chain 3123 and then here we have in the next two windows that we have coming up. We've got a three, double crochet and then a chain one and a three, double crochet. So let's do that. So we're gonna do one, two, three and a chain one and a one, two, three.

All right. And then we're gonna chain 3123. And then we are going to skip to the next window and put a single crochet there and then a single crochet and the double crochet and then a single crochet into the next window. So we have a single crochet here and then a single crochet into that double crochet and then a single crochet into the next window right there. Now we're gonna chain 3123.

And now we have the next two windows here, we're gonna do three double crochets. Chain 13, double crochets. So here's our one, 23, double crochets and then we chain one and go to the next window and do three double crochets. One, two and three. OK.

And then we will chain 3123. And now we have two more windows here. We're gonna do single crochet into this window. Single crochet into the double crochet, single crochet into the next window. So this is a repeat of what we've already done here.

Single crochet, single crochet and single crochet. And then we do chain 3123, moving on to the next two windows. And we're gonna do three double crochets into this window, one chew and three a chain one and one, two, three. And then we're going to chain 3123. And then we are going to finish with a single crochet into that chain space at the end and then we're gonna single crochet into the third chain that when we made that chain space.

OK. So the third chain up. So there's our last single crochet there and we'll move on to row number five. So we'll chain one and turn. Let's see.

Uh uh And is Sala is saying when I noticed this lace pattern you're working on? I couldn't help but think of shawls. However, I'm quite intrigued. Are there any other creative projects that could be crafted using this captivating stitch? Yes, I love this stitch so much.

Oh, yeah, you can make all kinds of things. I mean, you can, I mean, obviously you can make things like scarves um or garments out of it. You can definitely make the, this little kerchief which I showed you guys earlier, but also you can use the same kerchief pattern to make a shawl. So, um this actually comes from a pattern. I've actually linked it in the download.

Um It's called the Lacy Kerchief. And what you can do is you can just follow the chart and keep increasing. So you start on one end and then you work back and forth and you, I teach you how to do your increases here and then you're gonna do decreases there to shape this side of the kerchief. Um, but you could do the exact same stitch pattern and make a really pretty shawl out of it, especially in like, you know, a nice lightweight yarn like this. Oops.

Um, but yeah, there's, oh, I mean, it just has such lovely drape. I really wanna make a top out of it. Yeah, there's lots of uses for this stitch. Oh, I think you make really pretty curtains with the light coming through. Um, let's see.

Yep. And Kaine is saying when making a lace top and using cotton yarn, what would be the best to use? So I'm guessing you're, you're talking about making like the best weight to use. Maybe, um, I would use a lighter weight cotton, like even a crochet cotton like a, a number three or number 10 would be really pretty. Just depends on how I, I'm guessing that's what you're asking.

What would be the best to you. I'm guessing you mean the yarn weight or the type of yarn um kin if you want to pop back in here and clarify if I didn't answer your question, let me know. OK, so here we are at row number five. All right. So we're gonna, we did our turning chain.

Yeah. So we do a chain one at the beginning of row number five and we turn it, then we're gonna do three single crochets. So one single crochet into each of the first two stitches and then a single crochet into this chain three space. All right. So we've got three single crochets right there.

Then we're gonna chain 312 and three. And then our next little window is right here. It's this little chain one space right there. So we're gonna place three double crochets into that chain one space one, two, three. And then we'll chain 3123.

And now we have come across to the beginning of another single crochet solid stitch pattern. OK. So we had one over here. Now we're gonna have one over here because if you look at this, if you look at the way this chart is, actually, if you look at the swatch, we'll just pull this out. You can see that there's sort of like a diamond shape here and there's one staggered here.

So here we have three diamond shapes going across and then we have diamond shapes kind of nestling in amongst those So they're shifted by half of a diamond basically in this next section here. So we're really just doing, I mean, you've already learned basically all the combinations you need to, we're just kind of shifting things over a little bit in this row. Um So now we're gonna have this sort of solid single crochet stitch pattern right there and right there and it kind of fills in that little dip. And as you work on the stitch pattern, it's one of those things where after you've worked it for a while, you'll start to be able to read your stitches and see where things need to go. Um You may need to look at the chart for quite a while before like your brain.

It, it, it kicks in and you're like, oh, I, I know what to do next. Um But you will get there. All right. So we've chained three, here's our little solid single crochet section that we're coming to, which is right here on the chart, that little section. So we're gonna do five single crochets.

So we only have three single crochets here. So we start the first of the five in the chain space right before those three. So there's the first one and then we do one in each of the next 3123 and then a single crochet into the next uh chain space right there. Then we're gonna chain 3123 and we'll put three double crochets in that little chain, one space there, one, two, three and we'll chain 3123. And here we are at the sort of solid single crochet section.

And we're gonna start in the window before with a single crochet and then single crochet, single crochet, single crochet and then another single crochet in the next chain space. So we have five right there. Then we chain 3123 and then we're gonna place three double crochets in this chain one space one, two, three and we chain And now at the end, we have two single crochets. So we're gonna add one single crochet right here in this chain space. And then we're gonna do a single crochet into each of the last two single crochets right there.

OK? Just like that. So now we're gonna do row number six, we'll chain one in turn. Uh Bookkeeper 73 is saying this looks so confusing until you do it. It's true though.

That's like kind of how it is with crochet is, you know, really helps to watch someone do it. But then you learn the most when you actually start to do it. And the great thing about this platform is that you can go back, you know, even this conference, you can go back later and watch little parts of it over and over and slow it down and stop it. You can stop me mid word and I won't even get mad and then you can make me do the same thing over and over until it makes sense. All right.

So row number six, we're starting out with two single crochets. So there's one and two and then we're gonna skip that next single crochet and we're gonna chain 3123. Then we're gonna come across here to these two windows that we see here. So we're gonna do three double crochets. Chain 13, double crochets, one, two, three, double crochets.

And then we're gonna chain one and then we're gonna do three double crochets into that next window there. 12, three. And then we're gonna chain 3123. And now we've come across to that little solid single crochet stitch section there and we're gonna skip the first of the five and then single crochet into the next three. So one chew three.

And then we are going to skip that last single crochet. OK. We're just doing three centered in the middle of those five. That's basically what we're doing there. So we're gonna chain 3123 and then we'll come across to the next two windows and we'll do three double crochets, chain 13, double crochets one to three, double crochets, chain one and then three double crochets here.

One, two, three. And then we'll chain 3123. And then we're gonna repeat the same thing making those three single crochets into the middle of those previous row of five single crochets if that makes sense. So we're skipping the first single crochet and then we're going single crochet, single crochet, single crochet, skipping the fifth sing uh single crochet. Then we're gonna chain 3123 and we get to the next two windows and we're gonna do the same thing we did before.

So we're doing three double crochets here. Chain one and three double crochets here. Oops, that was covering up my chart a little bit there. Then we are going to chain 312 and three. And we're gonna place two single crochets into each one into each of the last two stitches.

So we're skipping that single crochet. We're gonna work a single crochet here and a single crochet here. All right. And we're gonna do row number seven, starts with a turning chain of three. So 123, that's gonna count as a double crochet.

We'll turn our work and then we're gonna chain three more that counts as this chain space right here. So 12 and three, then we're gonna place three, double crochets into that first chain space right here. One, two, three. And then we're gonna chain 3123. And then here's a little window that's created by a chain one space.

That's where the double crochet is gonna go. And we're gonna chain three and do three more double crochets over here in this window. So here's our double crochet and we'll chain 3123 and then we're gonna do three more double crochets over here. One two, three. Ok.

Now we've gotten to that little solid stitch pattern and if you look here in our chart, you'll see the very center, the center of those three single crochets we did in the last row has a double crochet sticking down into it. So we're gonna chain 3123 to get over there. And then we're gonna make a double crochet in the middle, single crochet down there. OK. So, into the center one, now we're gonna chain 3123.

Here we are in the chart and then we're going to do uh three double crochets into that this uh chain three window. So one, two, three and then we'll chain And then we're going to do a, a double crochet into that chain one space right there. And then we'll chain 3123. Here's where we are right there. Three double crochets into the next chain three space one, two, three.

And here we are in another one of those little solid areas where the single crochets are. So we're gonna place that double crochet in the middle one of those three. OK. So we're gonna chain 3123 and then we're gonna place a double crochet right in the middle of those three single crochets. And then we're gonna chain three again, 123.

All right. And we're gonna place three, double crochets here into this window. Then we'll chain three and place one double crochet here. Chain 33, double crochets here. So here's our first set of 312, three.

And then we'll chain 3123. Here's another double crochet just one in that chain one space and then 123 and then three double crochets into the next chain three, space there 12, three. All right. And then we're gonna chain 3123. And then we're gonna end with a double crochet into the last stitch.

There we go. All right. So that was row seven. We have two more rows to go and then we've done all the, that you need to know for the repeats. So we're gonna chain three to begin row number 812 and three.

We'll turn our work and we're gonna do three, double crochets into that first chain three, space 123 and chain And we're gonna do a single crochet into the chain space, a single crochet into the double crochet and a single crochet into the next chain space one single crochet there, one, single crochet into the double crochet and one single crochet into the next window there. So we're gonna chain 3123. And here's the next two windows. We're going to do three, double crochets here chain 13, double crochets here one two three. Chain one one two three.

Ok. That's what it's looking like so far. And we're going to chain 3123. And then here we get to those two windows separated by a double crochet. So we're gonna do a single crochet in the first window.

Single crochet in the double crochet, single crochet in the second window. And we're gonna chain three 123. And then the, the next two windows, we're gonna do three, double crochets, one, two, three, a chain one and then three double crochets one two, three. And we'll chain 3123. And then here's the next two windows.

We're gonna do a single crochet, single crochet on top of the double crochet, single crochet into the next window. There's her single crochet. Here's our second single crochet and here's our third single crochet. Now we're gonna chain 3123. And in our last chain space, we're gonna place three double crochets.

So one, two, three and then we're gonna end with a double crochet in the top of the third chain. So this is 123 and we're gonna place a double crochet right there and then we can chain and turn. So we're gonna work on row number nine. This is our last row that I'm gonna show you 123 for a turning chain, turn our work and we're gonna place a double crochet into the same stitch. OK.

So this counts as a double crochet. But we are also placing a double crochet into that very first stitch. OK. So we have two double crochets there. Then we're gonna chain 3123.

And here's our group of three single crochets. We're gonna do five centered over that. So we're gonna start one here in this chain space and then 234 and then the fifth one will go into the next chain three space. All right, here's one single crochet, single crochet, single crochet, single crochet and then another single crochet after that. So we've done five single crochets in a row.

This is where we are at right here and we'll chain And then we have this little chain one space OK. That's our next space is a chain one space and we're going to place three double crochets into that chain one space one, two, three. And then we're gonna chain 3123. And again, we've come across to the that solid section of single crochet. So we're gonna place a single crochet in the window before and then a single crochet into each of the next three, single crochets 12, three and then oh single crochet into the window after.

So that makes five, then we'll chain 3123. And then we're going to place three, double crochets here, one, two, three into that chain, one space. We chain three. And then here's our next little section of single crochets. We're gonna place a single crochet just before those three and then one into each of those 312, three and then one single crochet after.

All right, then we're going to chain And we're going to end with two double crochets into the top of our turning chain. So there's a double crochet and there's a double crochet. All right. So we have learned all of the stitches and the combinations that you need to know to be able to work this up. This looks very rumply, right?

You're probably noticing that it does not look as pretty as this lovely pink one where the holes are very distinct and that is because I have not blocked it yet. So some of you may be thinking to yourself, she using acrylic yarn. How is she gonna block that? How can that look good? Um I have a suggestion and um if you've never blocked with steam before and you're using acrylic yarn for something, definitely try it.

You know, you may wanna do a little tiny swatch sample just to see what it does first before you go ahead and block your piece. But I have had so much good luck blocking acrylics um with steam. Usually, you know, if I'm working with wool, I almost always wet block that so that um and if we're newer to blocking what that means is you're basically using steam or water to help shape your piece. It gets rid of any of the kind of inconsistencies in your stitching. It also really helps lace patterns shine.

I mean of all the types of things to block, I feel like lace and color work a benefit the most from blocking. So you can see as I'm pinning this out, it's starting to look a little better, right? It's kind of starting to look like that pink swatch that I had. Um, and I am putting a little tension on this. I'm not crazy stretching it or anything, but I am pulling on it a little bit to open it up to just kind of get that those open spaces between my stitches and you don't, you know, the surprising thing is you don't absolutely have to pin it.

You can steam it and then just sort of the yarn will relax a little and you can stretch it with your hands as long as it's not under your iron and then you can steam it again once it's in the shape that you want it to be. Um, but I like to pin it out just so that I can see what I'm doing. Um And I it just helps, it just, it just makes things a little bit easier. Ok. All right.

So now I'm gonna give this some steam from my iron here. Well, maybe my iron has gone cold, maybe. Ok, we're gonna wait for a minute. I'm gonna leave you guys in suspense because I don't want to waste any time. We're gonna come back to this in just a little bit after my iron has heated up.

All right, I'm gonna move this up here and we'll come back so I can hear it heating up right now. So the next thing we're gonna be working on is this cable stitch pattern here. Um Oh, let, let me just check in here real quick. It looks like uh we have, we have Ola from Puerto Rico. Hello, Mayra.

Nice to, nice that you're here. I'm glad that you you've joined us and Kin is saying the weight. Ok, so she was talking about the weight of the yarn. So for a top, I mean, really it just depends on what kind of hook you wanna use and what type of overall look. I mean, this is a, this is the worst of weight yarn it hangs and drapes really nicely.

I do think that you could make a cute top out of this, but if I were working on it and I had lots of time and didn't mind using a thinner weight yarn, I would use a fingering weight. Um because I just feel like it would have such nice, I don't know, just such nice strait, but really for me designing things and you know, which just basically means you're choosing the yarn weight, you're choosing the stitch pattern or whatever. Um, it just depends so much on what you're inspired by and the tight, you know, maybe the yarn that you have on hand already, you know, really, you could make this top out of lots of different weights. But I would, I don't, I wouldn't say probably not if you want it to be a top. Probably not something, uh, thicker than a worst weight because it's gonna start being a little bit heavy even though it's a lace weight yarn.

Ok. So, oh, my iron is hot already. Let me just, at least I think it is. It sounds like it is. There we go.

So, what I'm doing and I am just holding the iron over my swat and giving it as much steam. I have it on a high heat setting and high steam, but I am not actually touching my iron to my project. It's very important that you do not actually touch your yarn to your project, especially if it's a synthetic or a wool. Could you, you could damage the fibers. Cottons are a little bit more resilient to heat.

So I, I would still would just steam it, but um I have on occasion actually ironed my cotton projects before. Not very often. Just give it a little bit more and just kind of pat it into place. And the thing, usually I like to wait until it completely cools off. We'll just give it a second here before I remove the pins because that way, um, when you're, when you're using heat to block your acrylics, it will, uh it's basically like you're your heat, treating it to take a different shape.

So you're warming it up and the fibers get kind of relaxed and then whatever shape it's in while it's cooling off, that's the shape that it's gonna wanna stay in after that. All right, feels a little bit cooler. I'm gonna start taking the pins out. So I just wanted to add this in there. Normally, I don't, I don't always block my projects, especially when I'm doing a live like this.

But for something like this lace, I mean, it makes an enormous difference, especially because I crocheted at kind of a tighter gauge and um I'm using an acrylic yarn that isn't, it isn't one of the most drap yarns. It's a little bit more of a challenging yarn to work with and get things to look nice and drap. But see what a big difference that made, made a huge difference. Now, it just wants to be in this pretty lace shape. All right.

So it looks awesome. All right. So we're gonna move on to the next thing. Let's talk about crochet cables. Ok.

So we're gonna be working up the swatch here. And um when I came up with this, this particular cable pattern, I wanted to showcase what happens when you work in front of post stitches that you just made and when you work behind post stitches that you just made and if you're thinking like Brenda, what are you even talking about? Don't worry, we'll get to that. But for those of you who are, are a little bit more advanced, uh, crocheters and you know what I'm talking about, um, you might know that people have, you know, lots of questions about how you can work a front post stitch behind your stitches. And that's one of the things that I wanted to go through today.

All right. So to work this pattern up, oh, I'm let me just show you first of all. Ok. So we have worked this in the round. This particular cable pattern needs to be worked in the round in order to have these um stitches turn out like this.

Ok. So this needs to be an in the round project like a hat. You can make a tube scarf and a lighter weight because this makes it, this is a, this is a bulky yarn just so you have a little bit of a reference and I'm using um AJ hook. Um But you could even really go up a hook size here. One thing that I really love to use in when I'm working with cables is a one ply yarn.

I'm not doing that today, but here's a one ply yarn. So this, this type of yarn, it doesn't have that sort of shadow that you get from the two, the multiple plies twisting around each other. So when you work up your cable in a one ply yarn it, um, I just feel like it looks, I don't know, like just, uh, it's just easier to see the cable. It looks much more distinct than, um, a yarn with Plies, which is what this is, but of course you can work it up on a yarn with Plies. This looks very nice, but I'm just pointing this out in case you were thinking about trying something out and are interested to get a nice crisp cable.

Here's my suggestion for you. Definitely try one ply at some point. All right. So we are going to be um working up this cable pattern and you may have noticed in your download that there are actually two charts here. The only reason I put both in here, we're, we're just gonna be working from this one today.

The only reason I put two in here is so I could just sort of talk about how to change a cable pattern in order to fit in, make say you're making a hat and you work up this cable pattern and then you realize it's not working for like it's giving you the wrong size. Um It's giving you a hat that's too big or it's not, you know, you or it's too small. But if you add one more hold repeat of this, it's gonna be not the right size. Um so you can kind of mess around with things by adding extra um extended, single crochet stitches before and after you work the cable sections. So that's why I, I just placed it here so that I could kind of talk about that.

Um In case there are some people who are wanting to use this cable pattern and other things. Um All right. So, but we're just gonna be working this 14 stitch repeat instead of a 13 stitch repeat. Um Just because it's a little bit easier to show you um how my cable can fold on the table and you can see both sides. All right.

So this stitch pattern is a multiple of 14. Um And the way that I like to work in the round, usually I should say pretty often is I start out with the, with the foundation with just like a setup row. OK? So I'm not working in the round right away and I'll show you what that looks like. So I'm gonna chain on 28 stitches.

So that's 14 times two. So it's 28. So 123456789, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 2021 22 23 24 25 26 27 and Then I'm gonna add one more stitch because this is I'm at this point. If you were just gonna start working in the round, you could just turn this into a loop and just start working it around. You could do a slip stitch and then a chain one if you like to start that way.

Um But I like to start with a setup row and I wanna show you uh how I do that. So I just add one more chain and then the first round of your cable pattern, you can't have any post stitches in your first round because there's no post to work around. And if you're like, what the heck is a post stitch, I'm gonna get to that in a second. But um we're gonna start out the first row, making extended single crochets, stitches. So we're gonna skip that first chain that's gonna count as just a turning chain.

It's not gonna count as a real stitch or anything. We're just gonna ignore that again. I'm working into the back bump or the bottom of my chain. Like I, I usually do, I'm gonna slide my hook underneath that, that second bump, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through one loop and then yarn over and pull through two loops. That is an extended single crochet.

It's similar to a single crochet, but you have this extra loop kind of at the bottom that makes it a little taller and it has a different look to it. And it also has more drape which I love. All right. So we're gonna do that again. Insert yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through one yarn over, pull through two.

That's your extended single crochet. And we're gonna work that all the way across our first um across the foundation chain. And one of the things that I really love about working in extended single crochet, I use this a lot you'll see in our next uh session that we're working on. But I love the stitch because it stands straight and tall. Like usually when you're working in the round, if you're working in single crochet or double crochet or one of the usual suspects, you, the beginning of your round will start to drift off to the right.

If you're a right hand crochet or if you're a left hand crochet will start to drift off to the left. So with every round, when you're placing your stitch in the round before it shifts the stitch over just a little bit because our single crochet, stitches are pretty much not a, they are not, they don't have bilateral symmetry. OK? Meaning that they're not the same on both sides of the stitch. They're asymmetrical little things.

So that does some unexpected things when we're, when we're stitching. Um And one of those things can be that it makes you the beginning of your round kind of torque off to the side. And so one thing I discovered when I first started working in cables, when I tried to work them in the round because I really liked how they looked. Um, it was difficult for me because the cables wanted to just sort of drift off to the side and I just, it just really bothered me. Like, I don't, I don't mind it if it's a design feature, if it's an element, you know, to have a cable going off to the side, that can look really cool.

But if I wanted to have my cables go straight up, it was driving me nuts. So then I started experimenting with other stitches that would keep my cables aligned and going straight up. And this was the first one that I came to that. I actually was very, very happy with. All right.

So I've worked my extended single crochet all the way to the end of my setup row. Ok? And now I'm gonna just take this and turn it into a loop. All right. So we're just looking at that here.

Let me get this out of the way. Ok. That was the foundation chain there. We're looking at the bottom of it and we are just gonna start with working in this very first extended single crochet. Ok.

So we're just bringing the first ditch right up next to our hook and we're gonna begin working our pattern from here. So now we can start working from our chart, this weird little teardrop kind of shape with the plus on it. That's my symbol for extended single crochet. So we're gonna start with that and then the next 12 stitches are all gonna be front post, double crochets. OK?

So we're gonna do an extended single crochet into this extended single crochet. So there's the first one and now we're gonna work around our posts. So this top of the stitch is shifted off to the right a little compared to where the post is just. So, you know, so when we're working around a post, we're not gonna work around this post that stitch has already been worked, we're gonna work around this post. So to do that, we're gonna yarn over and we're gonna insert our hook around the back of that post.

OK? So if you're right handed, you go right to left, right around the back there, we'll yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through two, yarn over, pull through two. OK? Let's do that again. So we yarn over, insert around that post, you're an over, pull up a loop, you're an over, pull through two, you're an over, pull through two and we're gonna do that 10 more times.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and 10. All right. So we've worked all of these post stitches all the way across and we're gonna end with an extended single crochet right there. So there is our extended single crochet and because we're working it around, this is just showing one repeat. So we would start right over here still working from round number one and work the exact same thing across the back.

All right. So we start with that extended single crochet and then we're gonna do t uh 12 front post, double crochets across three. So, like I mentioned before, the reason that I like to do that set up, bro, um when I start these kinds of things is because I really like to have that nice V shaped edge on the bottom of my work, which is right here instead of just the one loop. That's why I normally like to start things out with that set up pro but you can start however, you like, you might say to yourself. Well, that seems like a bunch of nonsense.

I'm just gonna go ahead and join in the round and that is completely fine because you are driving this crochet bus, you can do what you like. All right. So we've made it to the very last ditch of the round. Oops one more front post, double crochet here and ending with that extended single crochet. And now we're gonna start on round number two.

So round number two has got all this fun stuff happening here. OK. So we're gonna start out with something we know we're making that extended single crochet into the first stitch. OK. So we're always gonna be making extended single crochets into the stitches from the row before.

OK. So that is gonna make columns of extended single crochets. So right here, we're gonna be working a bunch of post stitches, but they're all jumbled up out of order. So I'll show you what this looks like. These post stitches actually are front post treble crochets.

So we're gonna yarn over twice, yarn over two times before we start, we are gonna skip the first three posts. So the darker post stitches here that I'm showing you, here they go right here, here and here. The darker ones are the ones that lay on top of your work and are the ones in front. The lighter blue ones that are back here. Those go behind your work and I'll explain a little bit more about that as I, as I work this up.

So we're skipping the first three posts. 123, they're gonna work this front post Treble crochet around the next post. Ok? So there's the next post, we're gonna complete our front post Treble crochet. So you can see it's reaching way over there.

We're gonna do another front post Treble crochet in each of the next two stitches. So yarn over twice and complete our front post Treble crochet, yarn over twice. Insert, you're an over pull up loop, you're an over pull through two, you're an over pull through two, you're an over pull through two. All right. So now we have three front post Treble crochets leaning way over here.

Now we are gonna go back and get these three stitches. So the tricky part, we're gonna start out with the, the, the harder kind of cable. The tricky part is that we are working these behind the stitches we made. So that, that means these three stitches, we're gonna work behind that, but we still need to work into the front of these posts. So what we're gonna do is we're gonna yarn over twice and we're gonna insert our hook, basically, we're going right underneath here.

But to get over here, we have to go underneath these three and on top of this post right here. So we're going to pull our hook through, see how I can kind of just push that out of the way. We're going behind that. And I'm going to put my hook through that very first post. I know this looks kind of July and it's hard to look at, I'm going to take my hook up to the top here.

I just kind of pulled that, that post through, that's still just the post I inserted under. Then I'm gonna yarn over, pull up a loop, you're an over, pull through two, yarn over, pull through two, you're an over, pull through two and I'm gonna do the same thing yarn over twice. And now I'm gonna go in through the next post and now that I've crocheted through that post, I can just sort of pull these up and access them this way. Otherwise it's kind of hard to see these stitches unless you actually look at the front of your work, especially when you're doing this for the first time. So I wouldn't recommend just pulling these up right away.

Um, I would recommend, you know, sliding your hook through to grab that. I'll, I'll show you that's kind of hard to explain, but easier to show. So I'll, I'll show you that again when I get to the next one. All right. And here's that next post that we had skipped.

12 and three. All right. So, and then after you do that, you kind of have to sort them out a little bit just like that to make them lie flat. Ok. So you can see all of our posts are going in this direction and we just worked some post underneath, but they are on front on the front of this surface here, but they went underneath these three stitches.

All right. And so now we're gonna get across here in the chart to this section. But before we do that, we're going to make one little slip stitch in between our posts. So in between the posts, we just worked and in between the next post. After that, we're just gonna make a slip stitch.

And the reason we're doing that is so that we don't get a giant hole right in the middle of our cable because that is one of the problems with crochet cables. Um is it leaves large holes where the stitches kind of move away from each other. You kind of get a big bald spot there. So I like to try to avoid those. All right.

So here we have three posts, 12 and three, we're gonna work a front post, travel crochet around the fourth post and around the fifth post and around the sixth post right here. Ok. And so before we went behind our stitches, but we want this part of the cable actually to slant in the opposite direction. So we're gonna work in front of our stitches, which is quite a bit easier. Ok.

So before we went back here behind those three and underneath that post and then we pulled it up here. So this time we're gonna go in front. So we're just going straight over here right in front, we're gonna go underneath that post. You're always inserting your hook. If you're right handed, you're always gonna insert it around the post from right to left.

If you're left handed, it's gonna be from left to right. All right. We're just gonna complete that front post. Treble crochet. And if you are a left handed crocheter, speaking of left-handed crocheters, I know your job is always harder when you're learning things because there's so many right-handed crocheters that are teaching it.

Um But if you are a left-handed crochet, if you wanna see what it looks like when I crochet, left-handed, just watch me in a mirror and I'll look just like how you crochet it as a, as a left handed person. So, or you can flip your screen um, horizontally from side to side. Um That's just sometimes it just makes it easier to watch it in a mirror so that you can actually, um, you know, picture doing it yourself. All right. So now you can see these two sections of the cable are going away from each other and then we are going to skip past all these posts because we already worked into those.

And here is my extended, single crochet. We'll place an extended single crochet right at the end. OK? And then we repeat that one more time. I'll do it a little quicker this time.

So we're going to skip the first three stitches, make a front post treble into each of the next 31, two, three. And then we're gonna make front post trebles behind the stitches we just made. So we're gonna go under that first post, we skipped and the second post we skipped and the third post we skipped. OK. So we've reached the end of that crossing section and now we're gonna do a little slip stitch right here between and then we're gonna skip the next three posts and work a front post treble into the following 31, two and three.

And now we're gonna work in front of the stitches. We just made. Ok? So we're gonna come back here to that first post, we skipped one and two and three. Ok.

And then we're gonna skip over all this post stuff and place an extended single crochet in the very last stitch. And I'm gonna kind of sort this out. You just sort of need to look at the top to see which stitches come first because after you make that crossing, especially at the very beginning, when you first start making your cable, it can look kind of jumbling and confusing looking at first and you just sort of have to sort it out with your fingers. All right. So then on the next, for the next three rounds, you're just gonna be working even, meaning you do an extended single crochet into the extended, single crochets and then you're gonna do a front post, double crochet into each of your post stitches, ok?

So this can be a little bit tricky when you get to that point where your stitches are crossing over. So those three were pretty easy to see, but now you really kind of have to dig in here and make sure you're not missing any of the, the next three posts, ok? So it's really a good idea if you can count your stitches as you make them and make sure that in each half of the cable, you are actually making six post stitches, ok? Because there's three crossing over three and then you don't have to work into that slip stitch. That was just there to anchor it.

We're ignoring it now and then we are gonna work into the next three posts and these are kind of hiding. So you kinda have to dig them out a little bit here. The ones that are behind are always a little bit tricky on that first round. After your cable crosses, you gotta just take your time and make sure you're finding all the right posts to work around. Ok?

So these are all just front post, double crochets. And so usually when I make cables, I will make the crossing stitches a little longer because they have to reach further and I'll make the other post stitches a little bit shorter, comparatively. Ok? So that's what it looks like. And after you keep on working and repeating, so you would do two more rounds of just working.

Even your piece would look like this. Ok? So it's just kind of getting along a lot longer since that cross and then you can do another crossing ro round. So you would be repeating round number two and then your piece will look like this if you keep going. Ok.

This one is a fun one. It's nice and squishy. It's a good, good squishy cable. All right, let me just check in here. Looks like, oh, somebody is asking how to steam block cotton pieces, ok?

Um Usually I just, usually I just steam them just like I did the acrylic. Um But you can also wet block cotton. That's no problem too. Let's see. Yeah.

And don't, don't touch your iron to your fabric. I mean, I have done that on cotton before but you, you're gonna wanna test it if you actually do want to iron your cotton. Um, do a little test somewhere just to make sure it works out. Ok. But really steaming from above.

That's all, that's really all you need to do. Um, how to block a large object. So you can put out, you can block it on a bed or something. You can get large blocking mats to pin into. Um, also big stacks of towels you can pin into.

Um, let's see. Uh Asana is saying hi, Melinda. I usually use a play mat to block my blankets, but I'd love to hear Brenda's way of blocking large projects. Yeah, for me, when I'm blocking a blanket, I usually use a table. Um, and then some towels on top of it and I steam if I'm steam blocking it and I steam block it and then move it and then steam block it and move it.

I usually don't, aren't, I, I don't have a space in my house that I can spread the whole blanket out and steam block it like that. Um Usually I'm kind of shifting it as I go, maybe it's not the best way. I wish that I had a big gigantic table to do that, but I don't. Ok. Virginia is wondering if the workbook has the patterns I'm using.

Yes, it is uh, on between pages 19 and pages 29 of your pattern packet. All right. So let's get on to our very last piece, which is this color work. So, for color work, I love color work. You guys, it is one of my favorite things to do because you can make all kinds of cool pictures and patterns.

Um Oh, you know, I forgot to show you if you guys are interested in using this, this cable pattern here. There is a free pattern download. It's called the Glacier Cable beanie. I linked to it in your um in your pattern packet as well. But that's what this looks like.

This is a little baby size. I think this might be a toddler or child size. Um But it does come in large adult even like larger sizes than that too. But it's a good use of this very cable pattern that you guys just learned. All right.

So we're gonna be working on this color work section here. Um And what I did in the pattern packet, I do have one repeat of the color chart which is right here. Sometimes when I'm working up color color chart. If it's something that's not super huge, sometimes I will make, I will go into a program called Stitch Fiddle, which is a free um way of basically making a color chart. I will go into that and I will um make all the repeats that I need to.

So this is representing this entire piece right here with all the repeats in it. Sometimes that's just easier for me. Um But you don't have to have that. You can just have this one little section right here and just know that you repeat, you know, after you go from across row one, you repeat it as many times as however many stitches you have and then you move on to round number two. All right.

So I just, I just wanted to explain a little bit about why there's two charts in here. So, um I'm gonna be working off of this chart and we're gonna begin by working up. OK? So I'm gonna be working again with a worst weight yarn and I'm using an H hook. And also I started out already.

I did this for you because we just learned this in our last lesson, how to make extended single crochet. OK. So what I did here is I chained 31 stitches skipped the first chain and then I worked an extended single crochet in each stitch across. OK. So we just worked up this exact same thing when we started doing the cable.

So I'm not gonna show you that again. Um But this is how I uh when you're working in cable in a cable or sorry, in a color work stitch pattern, you can start out right away right after that foundation chain working in color work if you want to. But if you're newer to color work, I definitely recommend having one row at least of just working without changing your colors first because then it just then you have less to think about and less to fiddle around with. It's just easier that way. All right.

So this type of color work is called tapestry crochet. Um which means that you are always working at, working on your project from the right side in, in the round. So you're gonna be this, this will be a tube when you crochet it up. OK. So you're just gonna be going around and around and around and around in a tube.

Um I cut this open so that you guys can see what it looks like when it lays flat. So when I did that on another video one time and I got a lot of questions about how I just cut through my work. It was a little shocking to people I think to see me do that. Um But you need, if you're go, if you wanna make a piece that's flat like this and it's not a tube shape. So you're not making a hat or a sweater in the round or something like that.

If you wanna make a blanket or a scarf, you can definitely do that with this technique. What I would recommend is you just, you're always gonna work with the right side facing and then you fasten off and have yarn tails at the end and then you start at the beginning again, leave a little bit of a yarn tail stitch your way across, fasten off, have a yarn tail at the end. So basically what you're going to end up with is fringe on both sides. OK. So you can either encase that fringe or you can just tie that fringe and make it part of the scarf or the blanket um or whatever you're working on.

I am actually in the process of working on a, a video class that's all about crochet, color work and sting. So if you've never heard of sting before, sting is just a way of making a planned area that you're gonna cut through your work. This is much more common in knitting. Um I haven't seen anybody else seeking crochet, but I've been doing it for a few years now and I've written a couple of articles and there's information in my book, it's called the hu um About Seeking, but I'm gonna be teaching a video class coming up. Um Pretty soon actually about that's all about Seeking.

So if that's something that interests you, that is a way to create something in the round, which is how we're gonna be working this up. But to be able to have it lay flat, you can cut it open and it will not ravel and you don't have a million ends to weave in. So, um, look forward to that. That's gonna be a fun class. Um, but in the meantime, we are just going to be cutting through.

I mean, you don't need to do this, but I'm gonna be cutting through what I crochet up just so you can see it when it lays flat. Ok. And I did actually use a sewing machine to kind of zig zag this edge before I cut it just so that it wouldn't unravel um for this session, but it actually stays kind of, well as long as you're gently handling it, but it's nothing that I would recommend. I would not recommend doing that. You need to make a plan stick if you actually want to use this in a project like a for real project, not just a swatch.

All right back to this. So we've worked extended single crochet all the way across. Um, we have 30 stitches as you can see in my chart. I'm gonna be working across 30 stitches here and now we're gonna start working in the round. So this is exactly the same way as when we worked that cable swatch, we're just gonna bring the stitch right up next to where our hook is and I'm gonna add the second color of yarn.

So when I do that, I'm just gonna lay it right on top of my piece, just laying it right on top right on those little vs, it's just gonna hang out there for a second and I'm going to make an extended single crochet into this very first stitch. So this whole stitch pattern is done using extended single crochet. Um For various reasons, I like how clean it looks. Um I like how vertical all the the pieces are. So, you know, like I said before, even though this was worked in the round, you can see these lines are all going straight up.

They're not veering off to the side. That's another reason I really like using extended single crochet. Also, it is, has a nice drape to it more so than um you know, a split single crochet. Although I, I'm not saying it's better than that. I do.

I love using split single crochet as well. There's lots and lots of different ways of making your stitches when you're working in tapestry crochet. All right. So we're gonna do that first extended single crochet stitch. And before we do our last yarn over to complete it, we're gonna switch to the blue color because we've worked our very first.

Um This is a white square right here, but it's representing the yellow. We've worked that stitch and now we're moving on to the blue stitch. So on the last yarn over of the stitch before is when you change color. So we're gonna yarn over to complete that first stitch and pull through. And what we've done here is we've created a hat for the next stitch.

OK. I like to think of my stitches as having hats and you make the hat for the next stitch like before you make the stitch. Um, this is something I didn't realize, I think until I was working in color work that you're actually creating the loop that sits on top of the next stitch. All right. So now we're going to make the next stitch in blue.

So, um, insert a hook you an over, pull a bloop, you're an over, pull through one and we're gonna drop this color and pick up the yellow color because our next two squares are yellow and then we're gonna finish our stitch. All right. So we're gonna work into the next two stitches with this color. So, extended single crochet is still throughout this whole prog uh process throughout the whole project, I should say. All right.

So we're gonna yarn over and pull through one loop and now we're ready to change to our next color yarn over and pull through two. OK. So here is our blue stitch and right after that, we're changing to yellow. So, right where we're right here, that is our fifth stitch of the round. We're changing to yellow right there.

And if you always drop the darker color to the back or always drop the darker color to the front, you just have to decide before you start on your project which way you want to do it. If you always do that, then your yarns won't tangle. It is, it is hard to do that, especially when you are talking like I am. So I'm sure I'm gonna mess that up at some point and then there's going to be a twist in it, but I will show you how to untwist it. OK.

So basically this is all you need to know. You're just working extended, single crochet, stitches and you are just following the chart. And every time you, you know, we've just worked stitches eight and nine and we have changed to blue and we're gonna complete that and we're gonna go back to yellow on that last yarn over. So there it is and now we're changing back to blue. We're working um stitch number 12.

And at the end of that, we're gonna change to yellow and we're doing 13 and 14 in yellow. And so this is kind of like the lace chart in a way where it's much, much easier to follow if you cover up what's coming next and you only see where you've been and the, and the role you're working. I definitely recommend getting some kind of piece of paper or post it, you might think to yourself. Oh, come on, I can keep track of my robe, Brenda. I don't need that.

But you know what? If you make a mistake in color work, there are ways to fix it. Um But most of them involve doing a duplicate stitch or a stitch on top. Uh, and it doesn't ever, it is, you know, can be a little bit disappointing. So it's better just to avoid that mistake altogether if possible.

All right. So let's see where we at here. We've got that set of two, that set of two, that set of two. Ok. So what I'm looking at, if I completely cover up that row, I've got, I think about these as in groups.

So here's a group of two with one space between them and then there's two spaces on either side. That's how my brain kind of keeps track of where I'm at. This very first row is always the hardest because you don't have, you, you know, you can't check the surrounding color work because there isn't any, um, to see if you're on track or not, but that's OK. All right. And so, you know, there are other ways there, there are many, many, many other ways of working in color work.

You can use different stitch patterns. You can choose not to crochet over. See, I'm always crocheting over that strand because I lay it on top each time. Um, you can choose not to do that and leave a strand just hanging across the back. Um In that case, if you have long stretches where you're doing lots of stitches, you're gonna wanna catch that.

It's called a float. When the, when your yarn sits back there, you're gonna wanna catch that every once in a while. Um, but in this stitch pattern there aren't, uh, there's actually only a couple of places like right here, there's a big, big long stretch. So you probably wanna catch it right in the middle and by catch it, I mean, you wanna lay it on top and stitch over it just one time. Oops, I made a mistake here.

So I'm gonna undo that and place another yellow one. There, there we go. And we're coming to the end of our round here pretty soon. Oops. All right.

One yellow stitch and I've got two more yellows and a blue left one and two. All right. So we've reached that very last stitch and now we are gonna continue with round number two. So round number two, starts with the yellow. So I am going to switch to the yellow on my very last stitch of the round there so that I can start with that yellow sti or that yellow color on my first stitch.

And you can see we have two blue ones next one and two and here's a yellow and a blue. And so what you can look at too when, when you look, when you, this is similar to what I was saying on that lace chart, you're, you're gonna wanna look at where you've been and you can look at what stitches you have to do and how they compare. So if you take a look at this, you can see. Oh, ok. Every once in a while I have two next to each other.

But these ones, it's exactly the same stitch from, you know, down below. So if you just kind of have that idea in your head, when you're working at crossroad two, it gets a lot easier to see when you're making a mistake and then you can fix that. It looks like we've got question here. Um Asana wants to, I want to know while working on the same side is a good technique. Is it going to be so much work after?

Do you have any techniques to make, hiding the yarn tails easy? And what are the disadvantages of working on both sides? Ok. So for this particular, for tapestry crochet, the reason we always work so that you can see the color work that you're working on is because it makes a cleaner picture. Um So it's not in mosaic crochet, you work back and forth in rows, but in tapestry crochet, you're working around and around and around.

Um, it, if you are making a, a project in the round, like a sweater in the round or a hat in the round or Mittens socks, things that are a tube, then you have no problem. And um, it makes it really easy to go around and around and around. That's kind of what it's made for. But the whole thing, what I was saying, if you want to make a flat piece, um, like a blanket or something like that. It's best if you want to have the fringe hanging because that will make it so much less work than you just tie some extra fringe on and you're good.

You don't have to weave in any ends and it's awesome. But if you don't want to have fringe on your piece and you want to have a flat piece, like, say, for example, you want to make sweater with, that's a cardigan. So you want to crochet it in the round and then you want to cut it open, then you need to do, make a steak and we don't have time to get into that in this session. But you can, there is a way to crochet basically a seam allowance and a place to cut it and a way to finish it, um which doesn't take that much time. Uh Especially if you use a wool yarn, which is traditional in sting projects, especially in knitting.

It's something that's kind of grippy. Um It's actually a pretty quick fix, but we, we don't have time to get into the Seeking here. But um I am going to be working on a class in that in the near future. So if you're interested in that check back for my seeking class, but yes, Seeking is a way to create when you're working in the round to create something that will lay flat and will be a flat piece without dealing with a million ends to we because that would be just a big headache. Um And without having a bunch of fringe.

So I hope that I answered your question. Um Oh, ok. And she also wants to know the advantage of using extended single crochet over extended single or oh extended single crochet over single crochet. Sorry if you covered this already. OK.

So the reason that I really like using extended single crochet is because it creates these very straight vertical lines. Um If you're using a regular single crochet to go around and around, your picture will start to, to sort of torque off to the side. It'll make diagonal lines instead of vertical ones. Um It also helps your, your stitches all line up very neatly. Um So you have crisp edges.

So it, you know, depending on the type of graphic design that you come up with or, you know, something that you're maybe you found a knitting chart. Um But whatever the design is, there are different types of stitch patterns, meaning like extended single crochet or in this project, I used single crochet through the back loop to create it. Um Or in this project, this I used center single crochet or it's also called split, single crochet or the waistcoat stitch. Um So there are different ways of making stitches when you're using the same kind of technique where you're going around and, and around and around and crocheting over your strand. Um And they give different results for the picture itself.

So just depending on the type of picture how the lines are, if they're thick or they're thin, large sections of color, um some kind of organic shapes, you may wanna think about trying a different stitch pattern out. Um I chose extended single crochet because I wanted to show these really nice bold vertical lines. Um So that's why I chose extended single crochet. And it's also not quite as prevalent as some of the other stitch patterns um yet in crochet. But I think that once people start using this, they'll start realizing that has lot, there's lots of opportunities to use the stitch pattern and lots of different kinds of things.

All right. So let's see. I'm just gonna check and see. OK, looks like this is much neater on the back of the work than the knitting color work. Yeah.

So invisible floats. Could you flip over to the wrong side? Absolutely. Yes, Rob. And that was a great suggestion.

Um So here this is what the back of it looks like. And so you don't have those floats, those strands I was talking about because you're just crocheting right over them. You just lay them on the top of your work and you're just always encasing them every time you're making your stitches. So it is very neat and tidy on the back. You don't have any of those little loo strands hanging out anywhere.

You don't have to worry about those. So that is one really nice thing. I actually really like using the stitch pattern for something like a scarf, like I was saying before and just like leaving long fringe on the sides because, because of that reason, because, I mean, it doesn't look quite as perfect and lovely on the back side, but it does look, I mean, it's pretty darn close that compared to this, it's, you know, if you saw the back of the scarf, it wouldn't, it wouldn't necessarily look like the wrong side scarf if you saw this side. So, I mean, and actually I had a project that I sent to a yarn company one time and they photographed the scarf backwards. Um, they, they had this be the side out and I thought, oh my gosh, that I should have marked that I should have told them that this is the right side.

But to me, I, I thought, oh, ok. You know what, if they couldn't tell the difference between the right side and the wrong side, then I guess that's a good thing because this just looks good. So, so there's the bonus there. All right. So, um basically this is all you need to do.

You just keep going around and around and around and just looking at your, the colors that as they come up, um, and switching colors on that very last yarn over before you make the stitch, just, you know, you just kind of have to get into a little bit of a rhythm. And one thing I did wanna mention too when you're crocheting over these floats, um, it's good to kind of pull on the float. Just a little. See here, I'm switching so frequently. I didn't even need to do that.

But if I was going, for example, let's say that I had a bunch of stitches here in a row where I'm crushing over that float. So we've got just a, you know, six or seven stitches in a row where I was crocheting over that float when I'm done with that. Now, see, you can see them kind of poking through because it was kind of loose here. So you're gonna wanna pull on that float strand, the one that you weren't using just a little. So you can see those kind of disappear.

So that, you know, it's kind of nice and tight and then you can stretch your stitches out just a little bit just to make sure that you didn't constrict your fabric by pulling on the strand here. Ok. So that's something that I just do without thinking about it. If I'm going for longer stretches, I'll pull on the, the non working strand and then I'll pull on my fabric just a little bit to kind of make it to make sure that it's hiding in there very well. And it's not constricting my stitches and it's gonna look really nice.

So that's my little tip for you on just kind of making everything look even. All right. So um OK, that is just about all I have for you. I did wanna mention to one more thing. So um I hope you guys are enjoying your day too so far.

And next session coming up, I'm gonna be teaching a class on how to make this bag. This is like a, a reusable produce bag. So if you go to the grocery store, instead of using all those thin plastic bags, you can use, use this little produce bag. It has a little clasp so you can tighten it up and you might be thinking, well, that's very small. How can I put anything in there?

Um But you can put lots of things in here. You can fit like at least five large peppers. It's the cool thing about this stitch pattern is it just kind of stretches out and it kind of goes back to shape. Oops, I just hooked those little balls in the wrong spot, but that's OK. See how, see how much I'm able to put in here.

Let's see, what else can I shove in here this? So there's a lot, you can put lots of stuff in here and it's pretty sturdy. It can take quite a bit of weight. So, and it doesn't weigh very much, which was the whole point. This is made using um a really cool stitch pattern and it's, it's kind of uh an unusual one.

So stay tuned for that, that's coming up next. So, thank you guys so much for joining me. I really appreciate all your thoughtful questions. I just appreciate you guys being here and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day at the maker's palooza. Bye.

Thank you.