Category Archives: Knit & Crochet

I am facing one of my blind spots regarding knitted color work, the problem of yarns that bleed when washed. Dark and intense colors are the worst, and some of my favorite color work sweaters have become dull over time.

I have tried color catchers, but they can’t handle the intense concentration of left over dye in some yarns. I realize now that I need to check all my yarn before I knit color work. You might even consider testing your single colored projects since any color can fade with time. I wish I had checked my cardigan knit from Malabrigo Rios in the Archangel color way. I feel a little sad when I see fresh balls of this yarn and notice how pale my sweater has become over time. If you feel resistance to trying this process, think about how many hours you will spend knitting a project, and then all the years you will wear it, and then how many times you will wash it. I’m an active, messy person and I wear my sweaters constantly. They need to be washed a couple of times a year, and I can’t afford to get them dry cleaned, so any effort to extend their life is worthwhile.

To test for colorfastness, I place about a yard of yarn in very hot soapy water to see if it changes color. All of the yarns in the quadrant above bled a little, but the black yarn was like ink. I washed all the yarn with a little shampoo and water and I tried purl soho’s recommendations for fixing dye with amazing results. You can see how much the black dye bled in the upper right hand corner, but the dye bonded completely to the yarn after I added the citric acid mixture. The yarn was dry in less than an hour thanks to my trusty food dehydrator. Please note that these tips are for acid based dyes and wool. Natural dyes and cellulose fibers will need different treatment to prevent bleeding.  If you sew intensely colored ribbon onto your cardigans, they may also bleed onto your knitted fabric. I recommend pairing ribbon with a similar or darker colored yarn so you can’t tell if the color transfers on to the sweater.

Happy Knitting!  

Once upon a time, before there was acrylic, crochet was done with tiny hooks the size of sewing needles with cotton thread. It was very lacy and was used to make decorative collars, covered coin purses and elaborate tablecloths. Here’s an example of filet work by my great grandmother.

Some people still crochet this way, but it’s painstakingly slow and those stitches are tiny. Here’s a coin purse in progress by a friend of mine that I photographed over a year ago. I’m pretty sure it isn’t finished yet.

Things got a little more fun once more colorful dyes became available, but it was still mostly tiny lace. My great aunt made this doily.

Most people imagine the acrylic granny square afghans which were so popular in the 1970s when they think of crochet. There were some ugly, itchy blankets, but I blame the yarn, not the technique. Here’s a lovely granny square afghan a friend made.

My first crocheted afghan was a collaboration with my mother. She started this project, realized that it was a bigger task than she anticipated and enlisted me to help her finish it. I crocheted half of the hexagons and we sewed them all together and wove in a ridiculous number of ends. It was a massive undertaking even for two people with years of experience. This is a message to all the overenthusiastic new cr0cheters who want to make a king sized blanket for their first project. Do yourself a favor and start with a hot pad or a pillow cover.

My favorite crochet projects are shawls made in lightweight, drapey fibers. This one is made in a cotton/silk blend and is based on the very popular virus shawl, which is a free pattern. You will need to scroll down a little to upload this pattern.

The next shawl is one of my all time favorites. The yarn is a wool/llama blend, so it’s super cozy as well as colorful. The pattern is Lost In Time, and yes, it’s another free pattern.

This year my challenge was to make a flattering crochet cardigan. Crochet can be thicker and less drapey than knit material. My solution was to do the rabbit hole cardigan, which is knit similar to a granny square, in a silk/alpaca blend. This pattern is basically a giant granny square, but the super soft, drapey yarn couldn’t look less like grandma’s afghan.

I tried this pattern again, this time pairing a fuzzy mohair with lace weight alpaca yarn. I crocheted this with a V stitch instead of shell stitch. It’s quite warm in spite of the open, lacy structure. 

So there’s a tour of fancy crochet by my friends, family and myself. In spite of the intimidating examples I’ve shown here, most people agree that it is easier to learn than knitting because you only have to manage one loop at a time. And if you ever see something in a store that you recognize as crochet, remember that somebody made it by hand. There are no machines that can crochet.