Russian Crochet & Cake

Photo Link

Deirdre was kind enough to send me some Russian crochet magazines that we had talked about on Stitcher's Guild, and I spent last night poring over them. I actually went and found some thread and hooks at about 2am before realizing that it was a little late at night to begin to polish my rusty crocheting skills. I am still thinking furiously about all the things shown in these issues. (Click on the photo link above, and on Original size below the photo on Pbase, and you can see much more detail.)

The collar on the top at the far right is so gorgeous, and I honestly can't tell if it's crochet or needle lace or a combination of the two. The instructions show the outlines drawn on a numbered grid, unlike anything else in these issues. Perhaps it's done that way just to make sure the free-form shape is correct for a collar. There is some amazing needle lace and hardanger besides crochet in these, and most of the instructions are just charts of the stitch motifs with no indication of the garment shaping, unless it's in the short written parts. A challenge, to be sure.

I also really like the lace bodice of the dress in the middle. There are a lot of things shown with motif groups placed here and there on garments. I especially seem drawn to the things where they have a mixture of techniques, styles, or scale. All in all, they're very interesting and thought provoking.

When I got to the instruction part in the first magazine I looked at, I immediately wished my grandmother could have seen these. She was a prolific crocheter who loved the fine-thread crochet with tiny needles. I'm lucky enough to have a tablecloth she made for my mother, and I remember when she sent it to the State Fair by mail, and received it back afterward along with the ribbons and rosettes she had won. It was judged to be just about perfect. None of us were surprised, as she didn't stand for anything less, and would redo something until it was just right. In my mind's eye I can see her looking at these patterns and working them out in her head while her hand would be going through the motions necessary, like a violinist or pianist fingering in the air while reading a score. She didn't teach me to crochet, my other grandmother did that, but Grandma Bergman left me her work ethic when it came to needlework, and I'm very glad.

I'll leave you with what I hope is a mouthwatering photo of a wonderful dessert. I have found my favorite chocolate cake. A Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Golden Cake mix with 3/4 cup Baking Cocoa and 4tsp. Splenda added. It's so dark and rich. This was just a stopgap because I didn't have a chocolate cake mix, but now I'm doing it on purpose. The real find is Raspberry Ice Cream with it. Just delicious!

So Far So Good - Crochet Bag

I finished the shell stitch band for the crocheted bag last night, and this morning I took photos of the pieces pinned out the way they'll fit together. It's looking pretty good, and I want to make sure I put plenty of pockets, etc. in the lining. I haven't decided what to make the lining from, but I may end up making a double lining so I can interface it and not have the interfacing show through any holes in the crochet. It's pretty solid, but if you don't want something to show through, you know it will. Here's a close up of the crochet. I am hoping that if you click on these photos it will take you where you can see larger images if you want to really see the details. We'll see if my link works.

The other exciting news here is that the roofers came this morning, and we're getting a new roof! They're supposed to be done tonight, which would be great. I don't see how they can do it that fast, but there are guys swarming all over the roof. The cat is not pleased, to say the least.

We were also very surprised this morning after looking in the rain gauge and seeing that we only got .12", to find that north of town, where the farms are, they got between 2.75" and 3" of rain! Finally, it's going where we need it.

Crocheted Bag Progress

I fell in love with this crocheted bag from the August Burda World-of-Fashion magazine, which is evidently an almost exact copy of a Prada bag. I hadn't crocheted anything in a long time, but once I got past the first few inches, it became very automatic. The only thrill was the fact that the pattern was translated from the original German into British English, which changes the names of all the crochet stitches from what they are in American English. A little attention was necessary to make sure I was actually doing what was specified, but it worked out okay. I finished the main part of the bag this evening, which was all single crochet, and began on the shell pattern band. That's going really quickly, and I'd better hurry up and find some leather for the straps and bands. I hope to post photos tomorrow of the crocheted pieces. Mine is a dark chocolate brown in a linen/hemp/broom yarn. It should wear like iron, which for a purse is just about necessary.