Wednesday, December 14, 2011

day 1 of 12: crochet baubles tutorial

on the 1st day of Christmas ...
there are just 12 days until Christmas
not a partridge or a pear tree
but
how about a little look at some 
Christmas-sy decorations
that i've made
some recently & some favourites from the past?
all true loves ... 

this is the new-to-me
crochet baubles garland
that i've been working on just lately
(in-between event management!)
as mentioned, i've fallen for the 
feel of yarn through my fingers again
& am really enjoying the crochet process
think in the new year i'm
going to ask a yarn-y friend of mine
to teach me a few more crochet tricks!!!


here's a little "how to"
what means what ... or what i understand it to mean ....
chain = ch = one loop on hook, yarn over & pull through first chain
slip stitch = slst = insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through (2 loops on hook), then through the loop on your hook.
double crochet = dc = yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (3 loops on hook), yarn over & pull through the first 2 loops on the hook (2 loops remaining on hook), yarn over & pull through last 2 loops.
half double crochet = hdc = yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull the loop back through the stitch (3 loops on hook), yarn over & pull through all 3 loops on hook

what to do ...
chain stitch 4 & join into a ring
first round is worked into the ring
round 1 - chain (ch) 2, then double crochet (dc) x11 times
then join with a slip stitch (slst) = 12 spokes on the wheel


 



round 2 - for this round you're working into the gaps between the stitches ...
join a new colour, i just tie a knot & the ends can be short because they will just be hidden & you won't need to sew them in ... nice huh!
pull the new colour through to the front
ch 2, then half double crochet (hdc) into every space x11 times
then join with a slst = 12 sections, creates a star affect with the first colour



round 3 - again you're working into the gaps between the stitches ...
join a new colour ...
pull the new colour through
ch 2, then half double crochet (hdc) into every space x11 times
then join with a slst = 12 sections
you'll notice with this round that the outside starts to curl up ...
this is what helps to create the rounded ball effect of a bauble
(Note: if you prefer them to be less bauble-y & smaller then leave them this size & skip to joining the 2 halves together)




round 4 - again you're working into the gaps between the stitches ...
continue in 3rd colour
ch 2, then half double crochet (hdc) into every space x11 times
then join with a slst = 12 sections
this round will definitely pull the circular shape into being more 3d sphere like





you of course will need to make x2 of these half shapes ... matching colours or not ...
i have then made a set of 12 of these & joined them together as I have joined the halves together ...

join in the 4th colour (i've used an off white)
hold the two halves wrong sides together
hide all the ends, sandwiched between
with the yarn, pull through & then slst through a stitch on both halves on the edge... (2 stitches on hook)
then slst through the next stitch & repeat
continue all around the bauble shape
at the end join up the joining yarn ....
at this point you can make a loop for a single decoration
for this i have done 40 slst .... seemed like a good number at the time!!
or
if you wish to join them into a garland like i have here then you make a chain, again i did 40 slst
between & then join in the next bauble ....









 i've enjoyed making cute flowers in the past
with the help of this excellent tutorial
so i can tell you that these
Christmas baubles were also inspired by lucy's style ...
with the help of her crochet definitions too!
um ... & if any of this does not make sense then ask me as
this is the first time that i've ever tried to write down a crochet pattern!!!

stay tuned to see what crochet goodies
i've been making for the Surrey Hills market this Saturday ...

3 comments:

Lotti said...

Very pretty and very easy .... I have found so many new ideas for next year.

Cas said...

omg wendy they are adorbale! you don't need any tips girl, youre a pro :)

Anonymous said...

OMG!!! A tutorial from the most creative person I know!!! How exciting!!! Thank you Wendy!!! sam xxx