a new baby crochet pattern: florette

In my last post, I was talking about crocheting with cotton, and that I would soon share with you my projects. Here is the first one. It is the sweetest little baby sweater, a true heirloom.
I was inspired by the shapes of vintage "tulip" baby sweaters, and the soft colors of roses. Even though, the tulip sweaters were my starting point, I was never really fond of their exaggerated shapes, and the slightly odd fit at the shoulders. So instead of working a chevron to get the tulip shape, I discretely placed increases on each side of the post stitches. The post stitches accentuate the tulip shape.

I placed my increases carefully to guarantee a good fit at the shoulders and around the arms, and a graceful bloom of the body of the sweater. I actually crocheted the sweater in all the sizes offered to make sure the pattern's appearance would stay true as the sizes increased.

Three buttons keep the sweater closed. A delicate scalloped edging completes the petal touch.

I crocheted the sweater in many different wools before settling on cotton as my favorite. For my final choice I used Sirdar Snugly cotton DK for the body of the sweater, and rowan revive for the edging.

A lot went in the design, accurate sizing, minding proportions, design placements to insure a truly graceful garment, that will become a family heirloom. The pattern is offered in 5 sizes, from preemie to 2-3 year old. The directions are written in full for each pattern which will make it very easy to follow. No confusion at all, rather a smooth crochet experience. I am offering this pattern for purchase as a PDF on Ravelry and on Craftsy. I hope you will join me in making some florettes of your own.

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in love with a new yarn

My two latest crochet projects which I will soon share with you have been crocheted with cotton or cotton blends. So when I went to my local yarn store, the Quarter Stitch in Wilmington NC, I went to find more of the great Cotton Fleece yarn I had just used, and loved, but the even though there were some great color choices, none quite matched what I had in mind.

Then I saw Berroco's Maya yarn. A soft blend of cotton and Alpaca in a nice range of colors. I fell in love with the muted tones of some of them. I picked a muted taupe, a pale muted lavender, and a slightly darker muted lavender.

I got home and started working with the yarn and I just love it. It is a worsted weight which is great if you want your project to grow fast. The yarn is very soft, and has an amazing drape, no stiffness, but not floppy either, and best of all, the cabling of the yarn means it does not split nor snag at all. It crochets up like butter!

I just love it when I discover a new yarn, in particular a great new yarn. I cannot wait to share my project with you. For now here is a little bit of yarn porn!

 

 

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