Photo Tutorial: How to Complete an Invisible Join

Ever get sick of those little bumps that you get when fastening off a piece you've crocheted in the round?  Through trial and error, I've found a way to join that last round invisibly.

Note: this works best if you're joining each round with a slip stitch throughout the piece.  If you're working in a continuous spiral, it's tough to get a completely invisible join.  I've found that it helps me to place a marker in the first stitch of each round to avoid accidentally adding or dropping stitches along the way.

1.  Work the last round of your piece.  Do not join with a slip stitch.

2.  Fasten off by pulling the tail end of the working yarn through your last stitch.

3.  Using a yarn needle, thread the tail through the first stitch of the last round, from back to front.

4.  Here's what your piece will look like when you've pulled the entire tail through the first stitch.

5.  Using your yarn needle, thread the tail back through the center of the last stitch (the one you fastened off).

6.  Pull to secure, but not too tight.  When done right, your join will look exactly like any other stitch on your outside round.

7.  Weave in the tail end on the back of the piece, and - voila  - you have a completely invisible join!

Thanks for visiting...hope you found this helpful!

'Til next time,

OCB

Simple Round Coasters

Hey, y'all!

Okay, so I've been looking for multicolor round coasters, and I've hit a dead end.  All of the ones I find are either too spendy or not quite right as far as the colors go.

The solution?  Make my own.

I've had a lot of fun making these little guys in a ton of different colors, and I have ideas for rugs, blankets and other things using them as motifs...stay tuned for more on that.

These were all made using super-bulky yarn (Lion Brand Hometown USA, for the most part) and an aluminum N hook.  I'll be posting a pattern before too long, which I'm really excited about.  There are so many things scribbled on napkins and note pads around here, and I'm starting to take some time to compile them into something that's legible to people who aren't already inside of my head.  ;)


'Til next time,
OCB

Chair Arm Remote Caddy

Hey, y'all!

As part of the redecorating process in our living room, I decided our old over-the-arm remote caddy simply had to be replaced.  I already had the yarn from the Lancaster Quilt throw I made, and I borrowed a striped granny stitch pattern from Bobbi Anderson's Simone Scarf & Blanket pattern in the May/June 2013 issue of Crochet Today! as a basis for this:

I worked the pattern until it was wide enough for my 5 remotes, fastened off and created the five separate pockets by slip stitching through both layers in matching yarn.  It definitely goes much better with the new color scheme than the old blue-and-red one did.


'Til next time,
OCB

Lancaster Quilt from Crochet Today

Hey, y'all!

Crochet Today! is the one print subscription I receive, and it's more than just a subscription for me...it's an addiction.  Remember how exciting it was to get mail when you were a kid?  I literally do a happy dance every time this magazine shows up in my mailbox.

That being said, I tend to make a lot of projects out of this particular periodical.  Today's project is the Lancaster Quilt throw blanket by Katherine Eng, which was featured in the November/December 2011 issue of the magazine.

Believe it or not, I followed the pattern exactly on this one.  The only changes I made were the colors.  The finished throw measures roughly 48" square and makes a great lap blanket.

We've just redecorated our living room, and I wanted to make some throws and other small pieces to help tie in some of the colors we've kept from the old scheme.  The variegated Red Heart Super Saver yarn in "Autumn" happened to have all of the colors I wanted, and I love the way it turned out.

Oh, and for those of you who aren't already acquainted with Butterscotch, he's one of my daughter's best friends.  A beloved uncle gave Butterscotch to The Princess for Christmas this past December, and he has quickly become an integral part of the family.  The only challenge is getting him to give up my favorite chair so I can crochet comfortably.  ;)


'Til next time,
OCB