Tutorial for Gem Star Square by Chris Simon

2012.04.28

Photo Tutorial for

Gem Star 6 in Square by Chris Simon

This is the 6 in square for the 2012 BAMCAL Group on Ravelry for May.  It is an easy hook, but with the diamond shapes, just different enough from some of the other patterns we have used.  Chris has more really nice designs, so please check her out at YarnCrazy.com.   This pattern is available for free.  And Chris has generously allowed me to do this photo tutorial.  If you have any questions, comments or corrections, please leave me a comment here, or message me on Ravelry (I'm f1bercat) and I will get back to you ASAP.  The original instructions are in black; anything I have added is in blue.

H hook

Stitch Guide:

Small Cluster - holding last loop of each st on hook, dc in next 3 sts, yo, pull through all 4 loops on hook

Beg Large Cluster - ch 2, holding last loop of each st on hook, dc in next 4 sts, yo, pull through all 6 loops on hook

Large Cluster - holding last loop of each st on hook, dc in next 5 sts, yo, pull through all 6 loops on hook

V-st - (dc, ch2, dc) in indicated sp

Round 1

Ch4; join with slip st to form ring.  

 Ch 3, 15 dc in ring.  

Join with sl st in 3rd ch of beginning ch 3. 

Round 1

Round 2

Ch 3, 4 dc in same st.  

*# ch 2, small cluster, 

 

ch 2*  

5 dc in next st.  

 

Repeat from # twice,  

 

 then from * to * once.  

Join with sl st in 3rd ch of beginning ch 3.

Round 2

Round 3

Beg large cluster, 

 

ch 3, V-st in next ch 2 sp,  

 

 *# ch2, V-st in next ch 2 sp, ch 3 *

 large cluster,  

 

ch 3, V-st in next ch 2 sp.  

 

Repeat from # twice, 

 

then from * to * once.  

Join with sl st in top of beg large cluster.

Round 3

Round 4

Ch2, 3 hdc in next ch 3 sp,

 

3 dc in next ch 2 sp,  

 

*# (2 tr, ch 2, 2 tr) in next ch 2 sp, (corner made)

 

3 dc in next ch 2 sp,

 

3 hdc in next ch 3 sp, *  

 

hdc in large cluster, (middle of side)  

 

  

3 hdc in next ch 3 sp, 3 dc in next ch 2 sp.  

 

 

Repeat from # twice,

then from * to * once.

(attach in 2nd ch with ss) Finish off. 

Final Round

Here is the multi colored one I made:

I will try to post a round and color change photo blog of the multi-color one tonight.  I am going out to dinner with 2 good friends to celebrate their birthdays.

My son, J the dancer, is home for the summer.  I am so happy to see him.  He looks wonderful.

Stay safe and healthy.

Yours,

f1bercat

shaping the planet one Gem Star at a time.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! F1BERCAT!

2012.04.25

HAPPY BLOG ANNIVERSARY TO ME!

Wow, who would ever have thought I could actually write a blog for a whole year?  Not me!  that's for sure.  And how wonderful that my one year blogiversary fell on an Eastside Stitchers meet up at Crossroads Mall. 

All the regulars were there, and that was great.  We have had some flu, and well, life, making attendance a bit spotty.  Some of our friends  (SeattleAmy, BrainLady, AmiGirl,  I mean you), were not there.  But it was a fun group, as usual.

Who was there and what were they working on?

In alphabetical order...

Allifer brought her latest placemat and some yarn for me!  We are going to hook a set of these placemats together (each making 4) as a housewarming gift for my sister, K, who has bought her first house.  Allifer chose the colors and the pattern.  We wanted something fun and summery, as K lives in Texas, and she has a much longer summer than we have up here in the Pacific Northwest.






Chockelet brought a few goodies!  The first is this fab dog sweater.  It was actually knit for her by our own MsWiz.

Keeping with her tradition of bringing cool fiber tools (remember her drop spindles?)  Chockelet brought this Kumihimo Disk.  It is for making round braids.  It reminded me a bit of lanyards, but with fabric cord instead of the plastic. 

And finally, Chockelet brought the beautiful lace scarf she is knitting in Noro.

Cleothyla brought her newest Illusion piece.  She is just at the beginning so you can't really see what the illusion will be.


Shhh!  It's Draco Malfoy.

Colleen brought an almost finished, just one more skein, baby blanket.

Ellyol wore her Rainbow Scarf

And worked on a wine colored crocheted hat.

GwenS was just about finished with her beautiful beaded cowl.  Once again, I can only apologize for how horrible this photo is.  We meet at night, and without natural light I just can not do this beautiful shade of blue justice, or really capture the beads...

Jenknotsed8 has just about finished the gussets on her first pair of 2aaT Toe Up Socks!

MsWiz was knitting her "green blob"  (this is her name for this project, not mine.)  She needs to get to the good part soon,  or I think she will go crazy from all that stockinette.
















No Where in the World is f1bercat again.

Thank you all for reading these f1ber memories.  Why is sharing my crafting so much fun?  I have no answers, but, writing this blog for a whole year has been so satisfying.  Thank you to my 5 followers!  Thank you everyone who pops in for the tutorials and round photos.  Thank you everyone who visits randomly.

Yours,
f1bercat
shaping the planet one full year of blogging at a time!

Here's to a great 2nd year.

Schoharie Spring Square Multi-Color Color Change Rounds

2012.04.24

These are the photos of the color change rounds of the SchoharieSpring 12 in Square by designer Mary McKnight.  This very cool square was published in FroggieDezines.  I would like to thank Mary McKnight for designing this square, and for making the pattern free. 

This square is the April "filler" 12 in square for the 2012 BAMCAL Group on Ravelry.

I really loved my original hooking of this square, 

but I just had to try it again and see if I could make each section of the swirly part change color.  Well, of course I could do it if I cut the yarn after each section, but I just did NOT want to  do all the weaving in ends that would result from all those cuts.

I decided to try it again, holding the yarn together for the chains, and hiding the unused color inside the sc's.  This worked fairly well.  I am not sure I like the look of the chains.  But, then again, very little weaving in!

I do not have photos for every round, if you want to see those, please check back on my blog post from 2012.04.21

So this is what I do have:

Round 1

Round 2
Blue and Red yarn held together as I chained and sc'd

Round 3
In the beginning of this round, I just used the Red yarn and wrapped the blue yarn inside each sc, then holding the yarns together for the ch 4.

Round 3 finished

Round 4
I continued with this technique on Rounds 4 -8.

Round 4

Round 6
By this round, I was having a bit of trouble remembering where the beginning was, so I used a removable stitch marker.

Round 6

Round 8
At the end of this round, I cut the yarn.

Round 9
Color change to White

Round 10
After this round, I cut the yarn

Round 11
Color change to red.

Round 12
After this round I cut the yarn.

Round 13
Color change to blue.

Rounds 14 and 15
For these rounds, I used hdc as I was having trouble keeping the square at 12 inches.

Round 15 Final Round

So, I don't really like the flecky, multi-color chains between the pinwheels, but I DO like the different colored pinwheel sections, and of course, I DO like not having to weave in a gazillion yarn ends.  Also, I do like this square pattern.

Where in the World is f1bercat?

Sitting at home on the couch feeling vaguely crappy all day.

Poor me.

Yours,
f1bercat
shaping the planet one less woven in end at a time