MULTIWHIRL Motif

In my search for whirling/pinwheel doilies, I put in an ebay search which sends me an email whenever it has something I seek. Unable to find this design online, I bought the tear sheets. They arrived yesterday and I made the motif this morning. It went far faster than I thought it would, but i was disappointed with how it looked. Then I iron blocked it and the pattern that had called to me, emerged. The pattern is a chart with a few words about hook and yarn size. The most words are about joining motifs -- which is the easiest and most apparent part of the whole thing.

This set up another little voyage of discovery. The pattern noted the designer ( the tear out had three other designs “Fine Art Crochet” Floret Lace, Curlicue Lace, Scallop Lace -- with charts, written directions and no attribution). This designer Elizabeth Hiddleson has a ton of work in the library, many collections and many works in magazines. This particular design was not listed, so I’ve added it.  Her motifs are many, complex, varied and impressive.  They are published in the 80s and 90s. What has become of her? Has she retired?

Well thank you, Ms. Hiddleson.  I was glad to make your acquaintance.

Food Mourning Scrumble

 

The day's prompt at the NatCroMo Freeform CAL was about food.

I’ve been a nonmeat eater for 41 years, now. I’ve been vegan, vegetarian, macro, lacto-ova, pesco-veg. Sadly, I haven’t had ice cream for 15 years, when I became lactose-intolerant. Since I’m from NYC, I’ve enjoyed expresso/cappuchino/lattes from teenage onward. My great treats were to go to Greenwich Village and sit in the beautiful Italian cafes, write, watch, muse, flirt. The grandchild of West Indian immigrants, avocados, mangos, plantains and bananas are part of my soul food. We are rice people – my first potatoes were sweet and plain yams. My other starch — boiled green bananas —are an unexplored taste treat. And as a child of the great metropolis, I’ve eaten outside our root cuisine all my life as monthly treats included Chinese food, Italian food, or trips to the Jewish deli.  My high school sweetheart and I discovered Indian cuisine and came to love falafel, stuffed grape leaves, moussaka, hummus, tahini at our favorite haunts. I cooked to earn money in college, both freelance and as the cook for a house.  My Algerian friend taught me cous-cous – now a part of my staples. I love Pad Thai as much as sushi and miss injera and wat, foo-foo and jook, sfogiatelle and hammentaschen, West Indian bun, rotis and gazadas –  delights that none of my neighbors know. Though the mega grocery store now has a sushi stand, so something has reached these hinterlands and they import panettone in season.  Still no mooncakes, rugelach, or decent cannoli, no  place to order blackbeans and rice with kingfish, no service, codfish and ackee, or revoltillo bacaloa, until I get a care box from the city.  So, loving so much so widely, I decided to hook about loss.

This piece is about the hole in my heart when goat milk turned on me last month as have caffeine-coffee, soy, nuts, and  raisins. It is about bereavement missing long-lost cheese, whipped cream, fondues, grilled cheese sandwiches, omelets. No more the joy of dark brewed liquid swirled with light.


 

Serrato Purse in Crochet One Skein Wonders

Hip, hip, Hooray! After two years, the book is here! And my pattern Serrato Purse is in it!

Named for its serrated appearance achieved by the use of the crocodile stitch, this small bag may be dressed up or down depending on the yarn used.
It may also be sized up or down depending on the yarn and hook combination used.

The body is worked flat and then seamed with a slip stitch, then the circular bottom is crocheted. The top flap is made as a separate piece and attached, as is the strap.

 

 

Stumbling Into Discovery: Venetian Lace

Looking at one thing led to another, and a site where motifs  and their symbol charts were displayed: http://www.otiskyprstu.ic.cz/minidecky.htm

One in particular caught my fancy and I made it as part of my do-something-daily for National Crochet Month and the Party , Crochet Along (CAL) in Freeform (FF) at Ravelry.

Seems it caught the eye of another crocheter, too.
http://gmaellenscraftycorner.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/crochet-diagrams-i-figured-this-one-out-now-what-to-do/

When I shared my effort, a couple of partygoers mentioned Venetian Lace.  Knowing an opportunity to learn when I see one, I did another google surf of images and saw what I would describe as file squares framed by picoted arches. I had tried picot arches last year, after becoming infatuated with them last year from a Duplet magazine.

Here’s a link to an about.com article from 1999 that tells you how, step by step, to make Venetian Crochet: Patterns For 1915 Motif, Collar and Lace Edging

http://crochet.about.com/library/n061999.htm.  The modern directions give you clues, but it still goes astray in terms of sequence of events.  I gave up on the sequence as written ,and made the loops, then covered them, using this process for both levels and made a Venetian Square:

 Loren Gaggini, one of the wonderful creators on Ravelry, very kindly shared this gorgeous image of a piece made by a family member. 

She writes "It was cool to see an (almost) duplicate in the magazine: Crochet Traditions, Fall 2012, p. 48-49 titled “A Vintage Venetian Border”. The article is not credited but the source of the original pattern is: “An Embroidered Teacloth, with Border in Venetian Crochet” by Anna Hapgood, originally appearing in the December 1916 issue of Needlecraft Magazine. Whitney Dorband is credited with crocheting the sample in the photo on p. 48"