Crochet-Along Clue 7 (Week 8)

[snirdlinger]

Finally started seaming my afghan together. Thank you, tjwjlove!! I'm modeling mine after yours and I love it this way. I realized after I had laid all my pieces out that I also wasn't happy with how it looked so I had set it aside and made a couple of ponchos for my neighbor's granddaughters, a cardigan for another neighbor's daughter, one of my fiance's nieces and 2 for my fiance's daughter while she was here visiting for spring break last week. I even made some matching headbands and a new clothespin bag. I realized Wednesday that I was procrastinating and when I saw tjwjlove's afghan I realized that I really liked the way she had laid hers out so I did mine similar. It's gotten me motivated again. The only question now is how to do the border when I'm finished. I really like mlmgates' border but who knows.

Suzanne

[linda2012]

Ok, this is not mattress stitch, but after trying both for my afghan I much prefer this one! It did take longer but I imagine the more seaming I do the faster and better I will get at it
http://doyoumindifiknit.typepad.com/do_you_mind_if_i_knit/2010/02/joining-up-with-an-invisible-stitch.html
This stitch truly made a flat seam, where the mattress stitch left a bit of a ridge (then again, maybe I just did the mattress stitch incorrectly! - anything is possible)
[/color]

If you go to the link above and scroll down to a blog on the left called "crochet with raymond" she has a ripple blanket with a lovely edging incorporating almost all of the colors in her blanket.....and includes instructions! Or you can go directly to that page here: http://crochethealingandraymond.wordpre ... -revealed/

[singtring]

Okay, I have hit a mental block!!! I am having a hard time with this mattress stitch...does anyone know of a good video showing this? Many of the videos show knits. I am probably over thinking this...my neighbour just called, I am going to take the dogs for a hike and hope that while out there the walk will help me re focus....

Ok, this is not mattress stitch, but after trying both for my afghan I much prefer this one! It did take longer but I imagine the more seaming I do the faster and better I will get at it
http://doyoumindifiknit.typepad.com/do_you_mind_if_i_knit/2010/02/joining-up-with-an-invisible-stitch.html
This stitch truly made a flat seam, where the mattress stitch left a bit of a ridge (then again, maybe I just did the mattress stitch incorrectly! - anything is possible)

Thank you sooo much! I just got back and bathed the dogs and attempted the first square again, her pictures were very helpful.

[singtring]

It's been awhile now since I looked at videos but I think the ones I saw were knit too, and I don't knit so don't know how many "layers" you have to work with. But for crochet, take the two motifs right sides up and place them next to each other. Secure them in the corner, then go up thru next stitch on the bottom loop only, then on other motif, go up with needle through corresponding bottom loop, then go up thru bottom loop on next stitch on the first motif, and zig zag back and forth like that. If your stitch count is off between the two motifs, you can easily fudge it by doing the same thing , (going up through one bottom loop at a time) for two of the bottom loops on whatever side you have too many stitches on. Then every so often you need to gently pull on the working yarn to tighten up the seaming. I used this mattress seaming for a lapghan I made. The yarn I was using pulled so much when I tried to tighten up the stitches so I switched to Caron Simply Soft and it slid through them very nicely.
After I got the hang of it, I held the two pieces with fronts sides facing together and just flew through it. But to begin I did place the two motifs side by side front side up and worked back and forth. Hope this helps. I was so happy to learn this joining technique and it took me a while to figure it out too.

I think I need photos...I will read this again and try it. thanks for the quick reply

[dcrozier]

Okay, I have hit a mental block!!! I am having a hard time with this mattress stitch...does anyone know of a good video showing this? Many of the videos show knits. I am probably over thinking this...my neighbour just called, I am going to take the dogs for a hike and hope that while out there the walk will help me re focus....

"Dogfoster" did a great job of explaining one of the easiest seaming methods. There are photos for this method with the instructions for the Bernat 2010 CAL but I don't have the link. I know I have seen it on one of the Bernat Blogs. I use this method all the time and no longer dread seaming. I have found that seaming the 2012 CAL is kind of like a maze and I try to find the best way to stitch around motifs using the fewest number of cut ends. I am only half finished with the seaming because there have been too many other things to do lately. Good luck to you and if I come across the link, I will post it on this thread.

OK, I think it is here at this link: http://blog.bernat.com/2010/11/17/myste ... -assembly/

[tjwjlove]

Oh, Thanks soooo much. I really couldn't use the flowers, this afghan is for my 7 year old grandson. He thinks it's AWESOME, and can't wait to take it home. I think I am going to add more to the border and trying to decide what I want to do. I see you stay busy all the time, doing projects for everyone. I tell everyone (I will teach you to do it.) Except family. They are special.

Finally started seaming my afghan together. Thank you, tjwjlove!! I'm modeling mine after yours and I love it this way. I realized after I had laid all my pieces out that I also wasn't happy with how it looked so I had set it aside and made a couple of ponchos for my neighbor's granddaughters, a cardigan for another neighbor's daughter, one of my fiance's nieces and 2 for my fiance's daughter while she was here visiting for spring break last week. I even made some matching headbands and a new clothespin bag. I realized Wednesday that I was procrastinating and when I saw tjwjlove's afghan I realized that I really liked the way she had laid hers out so I did mine similar. It's gotten me motivated again. The only question now is how to do the border when I'm finished. I really like mlmgates' border but who knows.

Suzanne

[karenarp]

Okay, I have hit a mental block!!! I am having a hard time with this mattress stitch...does anyone know of a good video showing this? Many of the videos show knits. I am probably over thinking this...my neighbour just called, I am going to take the dogs for a hike and hope that while out there the walk will help me re focus....

"Dogfoster" did a great job of explaining one of the easiest seaming methods. There are photos for this method with the instructions for the Bernat 2010 CAL but I don't have the link. I know I have seen it on one of the Bernat Blogs. I use this method all the time and no longer dread seaming. I have found that seaming the 2012 CAL is kind of like a maze and I try to find the best way to stitch around motifs using the fewest number of cut ends. I am only half finished with the seaming because there have been too many other things to do lately. Good luck to you and if I come across the link, I will post it on this thread.

OK, I think it is here at this link: http://blog.bernat.com/2010/11/17/myste ... -assembly/

i did it in long strips, seamed together a 4.5" side using the tail we left one (if you didn't tuck them all in) then I seamed the next motif opposite edge on using that tail, I ended up with 6 long strips, which I then seamed together using one very long yarn strand and I started in the middle so I had less to pull through every time. This helped very much. I measured the yarn to my edges that needed seaming (15 in a strip) and added about a foot to get the right length and using the invisible stitch I had left over yarn!

[fersquyres]

I'm still working on sewing mine together. I don't care for needles, so I'm slip stitching. I'm fixing to go back & read recent comments, but I'm having the worst time sewing it together. The stitch numbers don't match up between the motifs. Not liking to sew things together already...and then having to problem solve where I already have problems is very frustrating. I loved the project & will do another, I'm sure. That's really my only whine.

[snirdlinger]

I'm still working on sewing mine together. I don't care for needles, so I'm slip stitching. I'm fixing to go back & read recent comments, but I'm having the worst time sewing it together. The stitch numbers don't match up between the motifs. Not liking to sew things together already...and then having to problem solve where I already have problems is very frustrating. I loved the project & will do another, I'm sure. That's really my only whine.

I'm right there with you on sewing them together. I made 6 strips and have put all but 1 1/2 together. I've been procrastinating on the rest. AND then there's the edging and the tucking of the ends. BLECH!!

Suzanne

[Jcrochet]

Yippee for me, finally finished seaming this weekend and then had to go back to tuck in my ends which I just finished last night. I started my border last night as well. Progress is being made