OOPS!! Stuff Happens!

Well, it was bound to happen sometime.  How did I know?  Because it happens to everyone at some time or another.

You get this far into a project and realize you have to scrap the whole thing because you miscounted.

I'll be honest.  I noticed it a few rows ago, but there was that little part of my brain that tried to convince me "It'll work itself out eventually."  Uh ... no, it doesn't.

So what happened here?

At the very beginning, after I made the initial "ch 6 and join",  I miscounted.  Instead of starting row 2 (yes, it goes all the way back to row 2!), with 16 total dc's, I ended up with 17.  That resulted in me creating 17 of those "spokes" instead of 16.  That extra spoke gave me my little tunnel that you see in the photo. That one single extra dc in the original circle caused all of this trouble.

Why did it take me so long to notice?  Familiarity.  I make this same pattern so often (see my earlier blogs on making bowls using this pattern) that I no longer need to look at the pattern.  I just happily crochet away, almost absent-mindedly, while watching television and before I know it, I have an extra spoke that just won't fit into the design of the circle.

So as soon as I post this, I'll be spending some quiet time unraveling this so I can start over.

Lesson learned!  No matter how familiar you are with your favorite patterns, it is a good idea to to stop and then to count your stitches and make sure you are still on track!

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Crocheted Bowls

No matter how many years I have under my belt in the crochet world, it is always fun to try something new.  Here's a first for me: Shaped crocheted bowls.

Start with a basic doily pattern. I like the one used in this blog article (http://debiscrafts.blogspot.com/2014/10/spoke-doily-variation.html),  The reason I like it is that is works up pretty quick, it has nice open spaces but is solid enough to function as a bowl without most things falling through the traditional doily loops.

Here is the flat doily I made using the pattern in the above link.  I used standard size 10 crochet thread and size 7 crochet hook.  The width is about the size of my hand from palm to fingertips.

Using a product called "Stiffy", I coated the doily and placed it on a saran-covered overturn bowl.  Smooth the doily out flat and smooth over the bowl and let it dry.  It takes about 45 minutes (but I just do mine and then go to bed).





The finished bowl is a great candy dish.  I took this one to school and keep it on my desk with paper clips in it.




This Victorian Pink bowl is made with size 3 crochet thread and a size "1" crochet hook.  It turned out a bit bigger.  I think with this one, I would stop at the white stripe at the top or make a different border ... and by "different" I mean "smaller".



I can whip one of these doilies out in about three to four hours, a nice evening project while watching TV.  These make great gifts for teachers, casual friends, gift exchanges at work.  


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