Vintage Collar

Good Morning!  I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day.  I gifted the Purple Heart to my mother in law, and she loved it.  She framed it, and hung it on her living room wall.  I'm so happy that she liked it.

I did start another Irish Crochet project.  It's an amazing mix of traditional and modern, and I think my favorite thing about it is, the background netting.  It's a modern irregular background netting, but it has clones knot stitches incorporated into it.  It adds a lovely touch to the netting.  The pattern was designed by Larisa Chilton of Irish Crochet Lab, and it is just amazing.  It includes all of the motif patterns (videos included), instructions for the collar pattern, and instructions and tips on how to make the irregular clones knot netting.  A video is also included on how to incorporate the clones knot into the netting.  It can be purchased through her shop at www.irishcrochetlab.com, as a stand alone pattern, or it is included (along with a plethora of other projects) in the beginner video tutorials.

My collar will be a bit different than the pattern.  I used more silk in my interpretation.  It would have gotten a bit difficult, if not for my secret weapon. . .beeswax.  I used a bit when making the silk motifs, so as to have better control over the thread.  I must say it helped tremendously.  I used Purely Silk thread in ecru, size E for some of the roses, Valdani Pearl Silk in Herb Garden for the greenery, DMC Pearl cotton 12 in cream for the rest of the roses, and a bit of Valdani Pearl Silk in Subtle Elegance for the little rosebuds.  I think Subtle Elegance is my favorite of all of the Valdani Peatl Silk colors.  I will also use Valdani Pearl Cotton 12 in Subtle Elegance for the edging.  For the netting, I am using another favorite of mine.  Prescencia Fincrochet in Ecru.

When I first started the netting, it was very, very slow, but now that I've had a bit more practice, it's coming along a bit more quickly.  It is going to be a beautiful collar, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I will have to make another one, since I have two daughters.  Lol. Not that I mind, I am thoroughly enjoying this project.  Here are some pictures of what I have so far.

Well, I'm off to work on the collar.  I hope you all have a great day, and 

'Till next time

Happy Stitches,

Pinned Down

Good Morning!  The purple has been completed for a few days. . .I have it pinned, and on Sunday morning, I will unpin it, lightly steam it, and gift it to my mother-in- law for Valentine's Day.  I did put a simple edging around it, using DMC Pearl cotton size 12 in a silver color.  I also sewed some Swarvoski pearls onto it, and one large Freshwater pearl.  I also used some Ceylon white, size 15 delica seed beads, and crocheted them sporadically into netting.  I think they add a lovely touch to the silver thread.  Here a couple of photos:

I've also been working a bit on Reticello. . .just some practice.  It is very similar to Aemilia Ars, so I think sometime very soon, I will start a project.  To practice I'm using 32 count Belfast linen in cream, and for threads I used DMC Pearl cotton 12, and coton a broder size 25.  I'm enjoying the technique very much, and can't wait to start a project.  Here are a couple of snapshots of my practice cloth.

I'm also working on an Irish Crochet.cuff.  It is a bit more traditional looking, in color and style.  I don't have any photos of it, as of yet, but will take some very soon.  In the meantime, here is a picture of a pendant I made about three weeks ago,  I used Lizbeth thread, size 20, color Natural, and soft pink Toho seed beads, size 11/0, and a Rose quartz Briolette.  I like the way it came out.  It is not Irish Crochet, but a motif featured in a recent ebook I purchased.  I think the Octagon shape is interesting, don't you think?

I'm also planning some traditional Irish Crochet projects.  My eldest daughter decided that she would rather have a more modern bolero/ capelet, so all those lovely motifs that I was using are now up for grabs. . .and there are a lot of them!  I am contemplating on turning them into wedding items, such as handbags, maybe a veil, or bridal gloves.  A handbag would be easiest to start with and would still leave many lovely motifs.  I will keep you posted on this.  

Well I'm off to finish another heart, this time in blue and cream, to gift for Valentine's Day.  I hope you all have a wonderful day. 

'Till next time

Happy Stitches!

Modern Irish Crochet

Good Morning!  I hope you are all having a pleasant day.  So, let's talk about Irish Crochet. I became interested in the Irish Crochet Lace a few years ago.  I had crocheted for a long time ( since I was 6 or 7), and thread crochet had always been my favorite.  I just love lace. . .all kinds of lace.  It's beautiful, graceful, and oh so delicate.  Wearing a piece of fine lace just makes me feel sophisticated and refined - so that is why I preferred thread crochet.

Of course, Irish  Crochet is very different from thread crochet.  It is more intricate, and more difficult to make.  It is interesting to see how Irish Crochet Lace has evolved over the centuries.  The earliest Irish Crochet Lace was made to imitate needle lace - Italian needle laces.  And from there it took on a life and style all its own. . .and it is still evolving.  

Anything you can imagine can be turned into a modern Irish Crochet piece.

My latest imaginings have taken it into jewelry pieces.  Now these pieces aren't 100% Irish Crochet, but combined with Turkish Oya.   The necklace below was made using DMC Cebelia size 20 for the Irish Crochet flower, and size 30 for the beaded flower chain.  I strung some Swarovski pearls and bicones, and made a separate chain to hang just above it.  I really love how it turned out.

And, still,on the subject of Irish Crochet, I did finish the netting on the heart, and have added some pearls to the flowers.  I also plan to add an edging around it.  I will share pictures of this project as it continues to progress.  I think it turned out beautifully and kept it's shape pretty well, though I still need to block and lightly starch and steam it when it is finished.

I hope you all come back tomorrow, as I plan on sharing another jewelry piece, and hopefully, some Reticello.  Have a wonderful day and. . .

'Till next time

Happy Stitches!

Books, books and a couple more books

Good Morning!  It's been awhile since I posted, and I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. The Holidays are a wonderful, yet stressful time of year.  We also added a move into the mix, which added a bit more stress and chaos, but we are all settled in now.

I did receive some lovely Christmas gifts, . .one of them arrived yesterday from Italy.  They are Reticello books by Giuliana Buonpadre.  The best thing about these book is that they have written instructions in English ( as well as Italian and French). The works featured in the books are lovely, and inspiring.  I highly recommend them to anyone wanting to learn Reticello. 

I did start stitching a learning sampler yesterday, but I haven't gotten very far.  Iwill share its progress when I get more done.  :-)

I also ordered a few more books on Armilia Ars from Lacis.  I purchased Corso Due,  Corso Tres, and Fiore.  The books are very well illustrated, and feature beautiful designs.  I managed to stitch a couple of projects over the Holidays.

I also found two amazing Turkish Oya books on Amazon.  The books were used, but in excellent condition, and very, very inexpensive.  I've made some jewelry pieces combining the techniques from the books, and Irish Crochet.  This choker is my latest piece, and was made using Lizbeth thread in sizes 20, and 40.  It is adorned using size11/0 Toho seed beads and a small rose quartz Briolette.  I will share my other pieces with you throughout the week.

 And, in honor of Valentine's Day, I am making a modern Irish Crochet heart.  The pattern is part of the beginner video course by Irish Crochet Lab, but can also be purchased separately at www.irishcrochetlab.com.  Here are some photos of it's progress, and I will share the finished piece when it is done.  It's a really beautiful and fun project.

What projects are you working on?  I hope to see you all this week and 

'Till next time

Happy Stitches!