Nothing excites me more then sharing the tips and tricks of the craft. One of my favorite segments on the Martha Stewart Show is when she takes the time at the end of the show to share the tips and tricks she shared in the show in one spot. So in this post I wanted to share with you a little bit about working in the round.
Why work in the round?
- Right side of your work is always facing out
- Minimizes or Eliminates timely seaming
- Totally fashionable right now- Cowls are the hottest thing
- Great way to make other accessories as well such as hats and bags
How do I start working in the round?
1- Working with a couple of chains ( we of course are partial to chaining two), you can either work into the first ch (if your chaining two) or join with a sl st to form the round. When it is this little it is usually called a ring
2- Start a long chain and then use a slip st to join to form the round
3- Use an adjustable ring (will discuss in a future blog post)
Pitfalls of working in the round:
1- Just like knitting once you join your ring you can not untwist it no matter how hard you try. There are ways to “jerry-rig” it but trust me beginners not a good idea. (However if you do it purposely you can create an infinity cowl or scarf that is oh so chic right now)
2- Counting your stitches- It is always good to count your stitches so that way you do not end up with a cowl with a wide opening and then one you can not get your head through. Again beginners this is a serious warning- so many times we say oh it will work it self out. Do yourself the favor
3- Gauge while worked flat is ever so different when worked in the round so make sure you check your patterns to make sure how they tested their gauge
Great projects to work in the round:
1- Cowls- We like the ones from our summer issue! The Lake Champlain Cowl, Stone Wall Cowl and the Infinite Sunshine Cowl are great suggestions
2- Hats- preemie hats are a great place to start
3- Capelets, ponchos and sweaters- again we recommend The Farmer’s Market Capelet
We would love to hear from you, your stories about working crochet in the round! If we get 5 comments we will post a pattern that is worked in the round for free!
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Chain 2 