I’ve enjoyed doing the Thermal Stitch for quite a few years now. Last month, Heather (on my YouTube channel) asked if I could make a video showing how to do a potholder in Thermal Stitch with 2 different colored sides. I thought about it and I’ve been playing around with it for a few weeks now. However, I took it to another level! I’m happy to introduce the marriage of Tapestry Crochet with the Thermal Stitch in my new YouTube video and my new Tapestry Thermal Stitch Potholders and Coasters patterns!
If you’ve ever done the Thermal Stitch, you know that you insert your hook in a completely different place than in regular crochet. And if you’ve ever done Tapestry Crochet, you know that you carry the unused yarn under the stitches you’re working and change colors across the row, as needed. So when I thought about doing color changes in Thermal Stitch, I immediately thought about using the Tapestry Crochet technique! And it works!!!
If you’d like to take your Thermal Stitch projects to the next level with designs on one or both sides, watch my YouTube video.
And if you’d like to give Tapestry Thermal Stitch a try, check out my new Tapestry Thermal Stitch Potholders and Coasters patterns on the crochet patterns page.
If you enjoy crocheting projects with the Thermal Stitch, but don’t know how to change colors and carry them up the side edge when you use more than one color in your project, check out my new YouTube video demonstrating how to do this. It’s much better to carry the yarn up the edge until you need that color again instead of cutting the yarn each time you change colors and weaving in all of the extra ends (and who likes weaving in ends anyway?).
If you haven’t learned the Thermal Stitch yet, check out my YouTube video to learn this fabulous technique, which is great for making thick potholders.
I’ve been playing around with Mosaic Crochet for many years and I have a new technique for Overlay Mosaic Crochet to share with you. I call it “Back and Forth Overlay Mosaic Crochet”! With this technique, you’ll ELIMINATE virtually ALL of the ends that you usually have with traditional Overlay Mosaic Crochet, since you start and stop every row, working all the rows on the right side of the project.
In my new “Back and Forth” technique, you’ll ONLY have a FEW ends to weave in (instead of dozens or hundreds) because you’ll work half of the rows from the wrong side, but you’ll work the stitches “backwards” on these rows, creating ALL “right-side” stitches in your project! If this sounds intriguing to you, check out my new YouTube video where I demonstrate my new “Back and Forth Overlay Mosaic Crochet” technique!
If you watched my video on doing Tapestry Crochet with some backwards rows, this may look familiar to you. But Tapestry Crochet and Mosaic Crochet are done totally different. Tapestry Crochet involves working color changes across the row and carrying the non-working yarn under your stitches. Mosaic Crochet is done with the same color yarn across the whole row (there are no color changes made in Mosaic Crochet).
There are a few other crochet designers who have done something similar to my “Back and Forth Overlay Mosaic Crochet” technique, but they don’t work “backwards” stitches, so you see the “wrong side” of those stitches on the “right side” of the project.
So what are backwards stitches? They involve inserting your hook into the stitch “backwards” and yarning over “backwards” to form your stitches. You also hold the yarn in front of your work instead of behind it. If you’ve never seen this done before, check out my new video demonstrating this backwards technique!
I hope you’ll give crocheting “backwards” a try, and specifically my new technique for “Back and Forth Overlay Mosaic Crochet”! Please let me know what you think about this technique. I know it’s not going to be for everyone (just like my COM technique for Overlay Mosaic Crochet isn’t for everyone). But I know there will be some of you who will say “Wow! Why have I never seen or thought of this before? This is a game-changer!!!”
Happy “Back and Forth Overlay Mosaic Crocheting” to you!
Have you ever wondered if there are more techniques to learn in crochet? Have you ever wished you could work all right-side rows, but you’re not ambidextrous? I’m not, either. But I learned to crochet backwards so all the rows in my crochet project will be right-side rows.
You may ask “Why would you want to do that?” Well, I found a fabulous Tapestry Crochet potholder pattern by Raffamusa that I wanted to crochet, but I didn’t want the jagged edges of the design on the potholder. I wanted more smooth design edges. So I decided to give backwards crocheting a try! And I’m so glad I did! Here’s a look at this fabulous potholder pattern:
Nana’s Kitchen Potholder pattern by Raffamusa Designs
Here’s the potholder I crocheted with this fabulous pattern:
My Nana’s Kitchen Potholder
What do you think? Isn’t this a wonderful crochet pattern? You can find this pattern on her website here or in her Ravelry store here.
Anyway, I decided to do a YouTube video demonstrating how to crochet backwards. You can watch that video here.
I think this is a great technique to have in our crochet tool boxes! I wasn’t great at crocheting backwards when I started. But I improved with practice! And boy, did I ever get lots of practice! The first time I crocheted this potholder, I ran out of the blue yarn just 11 stitches before the end of the edging! I wasn’t that happy with my tension in the project because it got tighter towards the top and was loose at the bottom. Since I had this yarn in my stash for probably 10 years or so and couldn’t find the same dye lot, let alone the same color, I decided I’d better frog the whole thing and start again. But I decided to use 1 size smaller crochet hook the 2nd time so I wouldn’t run out of yarn. And it worked! I’m very happy with the finished potholder and I think it looks fabulous on the tile in my kitchen!
What are your thoughts on crocheting backwards? Have you seen it done before? Do you regularly crochet backwards because that’s how you learned? Did you know there was a difference in how you can insert your crochet hook (from front to back or from back to front)?
Please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts on crocheting backwards.
Do you love the look of Mosaic Crochet, but wish it was reversible? Well now it is, with no extra work!
I’ve been having fun with a hybrid style of Mosaic Crochet using Spike DC stitches (SPdc for short). With this style of Mosaic Crochet, you still work 1 row of each color and each row on the right side, like Overlay Mosaic Crochet. You work chain spaces, like in Inset Mosaic Crochet, but you only work 1 row of each color. Instead of working your dc, drop down dc, Anchored dc (or whatever you want to call them) in front of the other stitches, you work your Spike DC stitch “around” the other stitches, which makes your projects reversible!
Reversible Sashiko Mosaic Crochet Rug
I also have a brand new Mosaic Crochet pattern using the Spike DC Mosaic Crochet technique. This pattern is my Reversible Sashiko Mosaic Crochet Rug. It uses some Lion Brand Thick & Quick yarn, along with some Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn that I’ve had in my stash for several years.
When I saw this Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn in the Hudson Bay color at my local Walmart store, I knew I had to design something special with it. I used this yarn, along with 3 coordinating solid colors of Lion Brand Hometown USA to design and crochet my Reversible Sashiko Mosaic Crochet Rug pattern. This pattern shows the contrast between the solid, dark colors and the lighter, multi-colored yarn perfectly!
You may ask me why I used the word “Sashiko” in the name of this pattern. Well, I’ve been looking at and playing/designing with Japanese Sashiko embroidery patterns for several years now and I LOVE them!!! They’re mostly geometric, which I LOVE! I’ve got more Sashiko crochet patterns in the works, so stay tuned for those in the near future. I’ve even started learning to do Sashiko embroidery! What fun!!!
So back to my new rug pattern. It’s made with 5 skeins of yarn: 2 skeins of the LB Wool-Ease Thick & Quick and 3 skeins of the LB Hometown USA (1 skein in each of the 3 solid coordinating colors). I used a size “N” crochet hook, which is 10 mm. I started and ended each row, turning the tails into fringe after crocheting all the rows of the rug. I absolutely love this rug being reversible!
To learn this technique, watch my new YouTube video, where I demonstrate the Spike DC Mosaic Crochet technique.
I also created a FREE download for a Spike DC Mosaic Crochet swatch that I demonstrate in the YouTube video. You can download the free chart, along with instructions for working the swatch with either my COM technique (with very little tails) or with traditional Mosaic Crochet, starting and ending each row (with 2 tails for each row).
I hope you’ll give this Spike DC Mosaic Crochet technique a try very soon. It’s a fabulous technique for crocheting reversible Mosaic Crochet projects with no extra effort!
Did you learn any new crochet techniques last year? Are there any crochet techniques that you’d like to learn this year? I love learning new techniques/skills and passing along what I’ve learned along the way to the students in my classes, whether that’s in person or through videos!
I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be teaching 2 crochet techniques at the annual IOLI Convention (International Organization of Lace, Inc) in Mesa, AZ in July of this year! I’ll be teaching a 12-hour class on Irish Crochet and another 12-hour class on Bruges Lace Crochet! I’ll also be teaching a 6-hour class on Irish Crochet. This all takes place the week of July 17 – 22, 2022. For more information about this convention, check out the IOLI website here. There are lots of teachers and lace techniques being taught. It’s going to be a fantastic convention!
Registration for the convention opens in just a few days, on February 15. Classes fill up quickly, so get your registration completed and submitted right away if you’d like to attend one or more of these fabulous lace classes!
Here are photos of the projects in my 12-hour Irish Crochet and Bruges Lace Crochet classes at the IOLI Convention:
Irish Crochet is a fabulous technique. It is made with separate textured flower and leaf motifs that are joined together by various methods. I’ll teach you 3 ways to join your Irish Crochet motifs together in my 12-hour class and the 2 easiest ways to join them together in my 6-hour class. A padding cord is used to add more stability and thickness to the pieces.
Bruges Lace Crochet is made with narrow strips of crochet “tapes” that are joined together to form intricate shapes. You’ll learn to make several basic tapes, then jump in to making 3 gorgeous Bruges Lace projects in my 12-hour class.
Since I learned to do bobbin lace 4 years ago, I’ve been even more fascinated with all kinds of lace techniques: crochet, knit, bobbin lace and more! I’ve gone to several Lace Days that the IOLI Lacey Ladies Guild puts on in Phoenix, AZ and I’ve begun to learn a needle lace technique called Aemilia Ars. This is my first attempt at making that lace:
My first Aemilia Ars needle lace piece
It’s by no means perfect, but it’s a start! I have a long way to go in improving my needle lace skills, but at least I’ve made the initial jump into learning how to do this gorgeous lace technique! It’s challenging to learn a new skill or technique, but it’s a great way to keep our brains active!
I’ve also made my first piece of Romanian Point Lace. The cord for this lace is made with a small steel crochet hook. The lace areas are made with a needle. Here’s that piece for you to see:
My first Romanian Point Lace piece
I hope you all have a great time learning new things and improving your skills this year. I look forward to meeting some of you at the IOLI Convention in July!
If you’re wondering if you can make your Overlay Mosaic Crochet projects reversible, then wonder no longer! They absolutely CAN be made reversible with REV-COM (Reversible Continuous Overlay Mosaic Crochet)! And the results are stunning!
I’ve been playing around with Mosaic Crochet for several years and learning more about the characteristics of this fabulous crochet technique! I have a new YouTube video to teach you how to make your Overlay Mosaic Crochet projects reversible. In this reversible technique, I’ve tweaked my Adc (Anchored double crochet) stitch a little. This small tweak has allowed me to make my Overlay Mosaic Crochet projects reversible! And I’d like to share what I’ve developed with you so you can make your Overlay Mosaic Crochet projects reversible, too!
Persimmon Flower Scarf
I also have a new Reversible Continuous Overlay Mosaic Crochet (REV-COM) pattern that’s completely reversible. It’s my “Persimmon Flower Scarf”, made with DK weight yarn and a size F/5 (3.75mm) crochet hook. This scarf is worked in short rows (the width of the scarf) so it’s easy to learn this technique with a minimum of mistakes along the way. Who wants to go back hundreds of stitches to correct a mistake in a scarf/project? Certainly not me!
I find that the reversible projects are thicker than one-sided projects, so I used a thinner yarn and a smaller hook to compensate for the additional thickness. This scarf is adjustable in width and length, so you can make your reversible scarf any size you want.
The pattern includes instructions for how to adjust the size of your scarf, full written instructions for each row of the scarf, a chart to use if you prefer working from charts, as well as instructions (and step-by-step photos) for making the FLdc, AdcRS, AdcWS and using the Continuous Overlay Mosaic Crochet (COM) technique.
I’d like to tell (warn) you that when you’re making a reversible project, there are more opportunities for making mistakes. Therefore, I’m making a separate video to teach you how to correct some of the most common mistakes you can make (like me) in your REV-COM projects! That video will be coming out soon!
Obviously, making your project reversible will use more yarn than if you made it one-sided, with stripes on the back, instead of the mosaic pattern on the back. I’m estimating that this reversible technique uses about 15% – 30% more yarn, depending on the number of FLdc (front loop double crochet) or Adc (anchored double crochet) in the pattern. I think the extra yarn is well worth it because both sides are beautiful instead of just the front!
If you’re an intermediate to advanced crocheter (or an adventurous crocheter), watch my YouTube video to learn how to make your Overlay Mosaic Crochet projects reversible today!
I’m very excited to reveal a new, revolutionary crochet technique that I developed several years ago. I call this technique “Continuous Overlay Mosaic Crochet”, or “COM”, for short! If you love the look of Overlay Mosaic Crochet, which has a gazillion ends to weave in, make into fringe or cover with a double border, you’re going to go crazy for this new technique! There are virtually “NO ENDS” to deal with in my COM technique!
I have a new YouTube video where I’ll teach you all you need to know to successfully crochet your Overlay Mosaic Crochet projects with my COM technique to eliminate all those pesky ends!
I also have 2 new Overlay Mosaic Crochet blanket patterns using my new, revolutionary COM technique: my Wedding Ring Blanket (below left) and my Dueling Diamonds Blanket (below right)! These comprehensive patterns include full written instructions for each row of the blanket, a mosaic chart (if you prefer to use charts), instructions and step-by-step photos for my Anchored dc stitch (Adc) stitch and for using the COM technique, a check list to keep track of which row you’re working in the pattern, as well as the full yardage needed to crochet these blankets (including the little bit of extra yardage needed for making the blankets in my COM technique, WITHOUT ALL THOSE ENDS!).
Mosaic Crochet Blanket patterns using my Continuous Overlay Mosaic Crochet technique
In my opinion, the extra yardage that this technique uses FAR outweighs the fact that you eliminate virtually all of the ends in your project! In fact, I only had 30 ends total to weave in on my Dueling Diamonds Blanket instead of over 250 ends! That’s a huge difference!
If you’d like to use this technique in an Overlay Mosaic Crochet pattern that you’ve already purchased somewhere else, check out my Continuous Overlay Mosaic Crochet video to find out how to calculate the extra yardage to use the COM technique in that pattern.
The inspiration for my Wedding Ring Blanket came from the lampshades in my master bedroom. I’ve admired this geometric pattern for years and now I have a crochet blanket pattern with this lovely design in it! Here’s a photo of one of those lampshades:
My revolutionary COM technique for having virtually NO ENDS only works with my Anchored dc stitch and “Overlay” Mosaic Crochet, which is worked with all right-side rows, alternating color every row. This gives you 2 yarn ends for every row you crochet (one at the beginning of the row and one at the end of the row). That’s a lot of ends to deal with in the regular method of Overlay Mosaic! Who wants all those ends? Certainly NOT me!
“Inset” Mosaic Crochet doesn’t have all those ends to deal with because it’s worked with 2 rows of each color and the yarn is carried up one side of the project to be used again. Inset Mosaic Crochet doesn’t have as crisp of a design as Overlay Mosaic Crochet, so it’s not quite as popular as Overlay Mosaic.
If you’ve never worked either method of Mosaic Crochet, check out my Overlay Mosaic Crochet video and/or my Inset Mosaic Crochet video on my YouTube channel to learn how to do these 2 fabulous crochet techniques! There’s no changing colors across the rows of either Mosaic Crochet technique, which makes them much easier to do!
I hope you enjoy my new Continuous Overlay Mosaic Crochet technique. I also hope it saves you lots of frustration and time in your Overlay Mosaic Crochet projects by eliminating all those pesky ends!
I’d love to hear your comments about this new crochet technique. Is it helpful for you?
There are several styles/methods for doing Mosaic Crochet. In my previous Mosaic Crochet video, I taught you how to do Overlay Mosaic Crochet. In my new video, I’ll teach you everything you need to know to successfully do the Inset Mosaic Crochet method.
Inset Mosaic Crochet video
Inset Mosaic Crochet differs from Overlay Mosaic Crochet because Inset is worked with 2 rows of each color instead of 1. Because of that, you won’t need to finish off each row, creating tails/ends to deal with by weaving them in, turning them into fringe or crocheting a double border.
Both Overlay and Inset Mosaic Crochet are worked with 2 contrasting colors of yarn. You can use a DK weight, worsted weight or whatever weight yarn you desire.
This is a fabulous method of Mosaic Crochet! So if you’d like to learn it, check out my YouTube video. I also have a FREE download for the swatch charts that I used in the video, along with written directions for the swatch. You can find that download on my free patterns page.
When I saw Sue Perez’s new crochet book, “Live Loop Cables in Crochet” online a few months ago, I knew this was a crochet technique that I wanted to try! With this brand-new crochet technique, you can make cables that look like knit I-cords on the surface of your crochet project. Who would have thought you could do that in crochet? Certainly not me! But Sue has done it!
Sue is a brilliant designer who came up with a technique for making knit I-cord with a crochet hook several years ago. Sue has a series of blog posts about crocheted I-cord that you can read here. Here’s Sue’s YouTube video for making a crocheted I-cord edging. Sue even has a video for Live Loop Crochet Stitches and Cables here.
Now back to Sue’s new book! When I first starting looking through this book, I noticed that there are 174 pages in the book. Holy moly! That’s a lot of pages for a crochet book! Sue has self-published this book, so it includes everything she wanted to put into it about this new crochet technique. The book was professionally edited, so there is a minimum of errors in it. There are 21 pages of instructions for this technique, including lots of diagrams to illustrate these instructions.
Sue has included a practice swatch to learn the technique before jumping into a project. There are instructions for 25 blocks, each with a different cable (from simple to complex), and 11 projects in the book. I chose 2 projects to make after doing the practice swatch: the Chattermark Bag and the Ropeway Headband.
Chattermark Bag
Ropeway Headband
I have to admit that I wasn’t quite sure how to do this technique until I watched Sue’s YouTube video on “Live Loop Crochet Stitches and Cables” that I linked to above. That video helped a lot, in conjunction with the extensive instructions in the book. I learned this technique while taking a 4-week motorhome trip with my husband last month, so I had a bit of “vacation brain” going on (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it)! Plus I’m no spring chicken anymore and my brain isn’t as fast as it once was! But I stayed with it, learning this fabulous technique and finishing my 2 projects, as you can see:
Live Loop Cables Bag
Live Loop Cables Headband
I think they turned out quite well, don’t you? I lined the bag with fabric, following the instructions in the book, so it’s very functional. And I added some cute buttons to the headband to give to my granddaughter.
I’m so glad that I persevered and learned this fascinating crochet technique! Way to go, Sue, in bringing this wonderful technique to life in your new book! I look forward to crocheting more projects and/or blocks from this wonderful book!
I hope you’ll give this new crochet technique a try. You can find Sue’s book on Amazon here.
