Colour Crochet Unlocked

Jane Howorth, Dawn Curran

Sujets

• Crochet

Informations

• Publié par: Search Press
• Date de parution: 05 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781781269718
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 211 Mo

Extrait

COLOUR CROCHET UNLOCKED THE ULTIMATE HOW-TO GUIDE

Jane Howorth & Dawn Curran

SEARCH PRESS

Jane Howorthis an internationally recognized knitwear and crochet designer whose work has been extensively published. She focuses on creating garments, accessories and homewares with a strong sense of style and a contemporary feel. Jane also loves to share her passion for handcrafts with others and passes on her knitting and crochet knowledge in classes and workshops. Find her on Instagram @janehoworth

A self-described crochet addict, Dawn Curranis a designer who specializes in colourwork techniques. Passionate about doing things better, she has developed her ‘smart charting’ tips for success in crochet, which make her work unique. She has contributed to several collections while working with a number of magazines and yarn brands, and her designs have been published in print and online. Find her on Instagram @thealmondsnug

COLOUR CROCHET UNLOCKED

First published in 2023 Search Press Limited Wellwood, North Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR

Text copyright © Jane Howorth and Dawn Curran 2023

Photographs by Stacy Grant: 5, 119, 121, 123, 125, 126–127, 129, 131, 133, 135, 137, 139, 141, 145, 147, 149, 151, 153, 157, 158; Jane Howorth: 31; all other photographs by Phil Wilkins.

Photographs and design copyright © Search Press Ltd. 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this book, text, photographs or illustrations may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means by print, photoprInt, mIcroilm, mIcroiche, photocopIer, vIdeo, internet or in any way known or as yet unknown, or stored in a retrieval system, without written permission obtained beforehand from Search Press.

ISBN: 978-1-78221-977-4 ebook ISBN: 978-1-78126-971-8

The Publishers and authors can accept no responsibility for any consequences arising from the information, advice or instructions given in this publication.

Readers are permitted to reproduce any of the items/ patterns in this book for their personal use, or for the purposes of selling for charity, free of charge and without the prior permission of the Publishers. Any use of the items/patterns for commercial purposes is not permitted without the prior permission of the Publishers.

Suppliers For details of suppliers, please visit the Search Press website:www.searchpress.com

Publisher’s note All the step-by-step photographs in this book feature the authors. No models have been used.

AcknowLedgements We would like to thank Lovecrafts for their generous support in supplying all the yarns used in this book.

Yarn Lîst The yarns used throughout this book are:

• Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino • Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran • Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky • Debbie Bliss Merion • Debbie Bliss Rialto DK • Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran • Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran • Willow and Lark Ramble

Jane Howorth & Dawn Curran COLOUR CROCHET UNLOCKED

THE ULTIMATE HOW-TO GUIDE

SEARCH PRESS

CONTENTS

 INTRODUCTION

 1. GETTING STARTED

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT

READING A CROCHET CHART

ABBREVIATIONS HANDLING MULTIPLE YARN STRANDS HOW TO CHANGE COLOUR

WORKING WITH COLOUR

COLOUR THEORY

6

8

10 14 17

18 20 21 22

32  2. STITCHES IN COLOUR

3  . COLOUR CHANGES

MOSAIC CROCHET

TAPESTRY CROCHET

FAIR ISLE CROCHET

INTARSIA CROCHET

CHARTING FOR CROCHET

SMART CHARTING

94

96 104 108 112 114 115

 4. THE PROJECTS 118

1

Erskine hat 120

6

Hera blanket 140

2

Buchanan table runner 124

7

Trinity baskets 144

CHART PAPER 160

3

'Moseying on down' scarf 128

8

Zahra hat 148

4

Tweedy shopper 132

9

Zahra mittens 152

5

Forth Bridge blanket 136

10

Love pillow 156

6

INTRODUCTION

Colour brings so much joy into our lives that we wanted to share our love and understanding of it with you. Our aim in this book is to unlock the secrets of choosing and using colour so that you can make colourful crochet creations with conîdence.

The practical application of colour is at the heart of what we do, so as well as discovering theoretical ideas about colour, you will also înd lots of examples of colour combinations within these pages. You can use these for inspiration, but you’ll înd that this book is designed to equip you with the tools to make your own successful colour combinations, too.

The book has sections on working colour stitch patterns and on working colour stitch techniques, so whatever your preferred approach is, you will înd something useful here.

About us Jane Howortha knitwear designer whose work has been published is extensively in print and online. She focuses on creating knit and crochet designs with a strong sense of style and a contemporary feel. Jane worked as a university lecturer for many years, and has also taught knitting and crochet classes. These experiences have helped her to share her knowledge and love of colour in a simple, straightforward and accessible way.

A crochet colourwork specialist,Dawn Currana designer whose is innovative ‘Smart Charting’ method makes her work unique. She shares her method for the îrst time in this book, enabling others to successfully chart for crochet. She has contributed to several collections while working with a number of magazines and yarn brands, and her designs have been published in print and online.

7

1 GETTING STARTED

10

GETTING STARTED

GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT

The two basic items you need for crochet are a hook and some yarn.That sounds simple enough, but which yarn should you choose, and which hook will work best for you?

In this chapter we are going to introduce you to some of the dierent types of yarns and hooks on the market, so you can choose which are right for you. We will also be sharing our ‘must know’ information on readingpatternsandcharts(see pages 14–16), and the essential skills for successfullychanging yarn coloursas you work.

This is, of course, a book about crocheting in colour, and we are passionate about the need to equip every reader with the ability to make successfulcolour combinations. It’s easier than you might think! We will be taking you through the colour concepts you need to be aware of, showing you examples of combinations you can use and, most importantly, enabling you to make successful colour choices for your own projects (see pages 22–31).

All about yarn

There are so many dierent types of yarn available today. Dierentthicknesses, dierentîbresdierent and construction methods combine to produce almost limitless possibilities. The following information will help you make good yarn choices when working colour stitches.

≥ A good yarn To get good results with colour crochet, we advise that you use smooth, strong yarn. This type of yarn is usually made from two or more thinner lengths of yarn that have been twisted together. Untwist the end of a ball of yarn and you will see what we mean. The good news is the majority of yarn available to buy has been made in this way, so if it looks like regular yarn, you should be good to go. Avoid anything that îts into the ‘novelty yarn’ category, such as bumpy or uy yarns, as it could throw up some unforeseen problems.

≥ Animal îbres Yarns containing wool or other animal îbres are usually easy to work with. They naturally possess a degree of elasticity and bounce – they stretch a little when you pull on them, before returning to their original length, and are squishy when you press them between your îngers. These are great properties when it comes to working any kind of patterned stitch, because it helps to overcome any unevenness in your work.

≥ Synthetic îbres Acrylic, nylon and other synthetic yarns can look similar to wool yarns, although they have a smaller amount of bounce, and are not stretchy. These are also suitable to use, although the înished work might not look quite as neat as work made with natural îbres because synthetics don’t have the same forgiving nature.

≥ Plant-based îbres Cotton, viscose and other plant-based yarns are generally much denser and hard-wearing than wool. They also lack the bounce and stretch of wool. These two properties make them very suitable for tapestry and similar types of crochet because of the need to pack the stitches very closely together.

11 GETTING STARTED

12

Choosing the hook that works for you

Hooks come in dierentmaterials, with or withouthandles, in dierentlengths and with dierentcoatings, or no coatings at all. It might take you a while to înd the right hook, so be prepared to try dierent types until you înd the one that suits you best. We want to introduce you to the main types of hook available, to help you to make an informed choice.

≥ Straight hooks Hooks can be made of metal, plastic and natural materials, or a combination of these. The most basic hooks consist of a straight shaft, and maybe a attened piece partway along for the thumb to rest on. This type of hook is usually made in aluminium, wood, bamboo or plastic; very small hooks are made in steel. At the other end of the scale, some large plastic hooks have a light inside them, to help you see your stitches more clearly.

≥ Hooks with handles If you do a lot of crochet, a hook with a handle can be GETTING STARTED a good choice, as it can be less tiring to use. Some brands have shaped handles, which have been ergonomically designed to ît the hand and reduce strain. The handle can be made of plastic, silicone, elastomer or a combination of these. Plastic is rigid, but silicone and elastomer are softer to the touch and have more ‘give’. Wooden hooks can have a one-piece design where the hook broadens out at one end to form the handle. It is also possible to buy handles separately to ît straight hooks into.

≥ A word about coatings Some hooks have a smooth coating to make the hook glide, so you can work faster. They can also be useful if your tension/gauge is on the tight side. For some people this makes the hook too slippery, and they prefer the ‘grip’ of natural materials or an uncoated metal hook.

≥ The business end Be warned that the shape of the hook’s tip can dier. Some are fairly pointy, while others are more rounded. Pointy tips are good for working with well-twisted yarn and closely placed stitches, while more rounded tips are less likely to split the yarn. As ever, the ‘right’ tip is the one that works best for you.

TIP At crochet cLasses we have seen so many peopLe struggLîng to use the onLy hook they own, and oten they teLL us that ît’s one that beLonged to theîr grandmother! I thîs sounds Lîke you, we recommend you try a dîferent type o hook – you mîght be amazed at the dîference ît makes!

Other equipment

Additional equipment for colour crochet is minimal, although there are a few other bits and pieces that you may înd useful: •Scissors •Tape measure •Yarn needlewith a large eye and a blunt tip. • Arow counterto help you to keep track of more complex patterns. •Stitch markers: the removable kind that have a clip or hook that can be inserted into a particular stitch and, most importantly, removed again. You can improvise with paper clips, hair clips, safety pins or short lengths of waste yarn. •Yarn bobbins (not shown): these are used to keep control of multiple lengths of yarn when working colour crochet patterns (see page 19). •Pins •Pompom maker