Crochet for Pine Ridge Reservation

This has been a busy few weeks with the hook flying so to speak.  I am working on a care package of items to go out hopefully soon to the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota. I still have space in my box for a few more items so I need to get back to work. I have found so many free patterns on the internet that just beg to be used and what better way then to use them to help another person. There are at least a few clothing drives each year for the reservation where winters are harsh and income is severely lacking. It is my hope that someone out there encountering my blog will see this post and will decide to take a stand and aid these people as I and many others working with the "Friends of Pine Ridge Reservation" are doing.  You can learn how you too can help by clicking on this link. Clothing and Winter Gear Donation Drive for the Community of Red Shirt

On a much sadder note, the reservation is suffering with the loss of life from this summer. Over the course of seven weeks there were seven suicides among it's people. I have been told the oldest was age 30 and the youngest was only a 12 year old child. For those  of you who are people of faith I ask that you keep those families held up in prayer.

Just another update

I thought I would try and do a quick update. It has been a busy two weeks. Lots of different projects were worked on. The first item I want to share with you though is a long term project I have been working on since 1999. I started this quilt using Moda Marbles in the sashing and Oregon Trail II fabrics collection having fallen in love with this color scheme. The problem as to why this is such a slow moving project (11 years into it) is that I made the blocks 6 inches and each block has 24 parts to it. I will never do this on a small scale block ever again, lol. It is turning out lovely but it does take some time and patience to sew together each block. I think I have enough blocks made over the summer that I can finally add one more row.

"Clay's Choice"

I also recently made a crochet lace edging and have added this to an old tea towel I sewed a few years ago.  The lace pattern came from the book "Our Best Thread Crochet" By Leisure Arts Leaflet 2889 Copyright 1996. I really love this book.

The last item I am including in today's update was a lot of fun for me. I saw some water-bottle totes photos and thought to myself, I bet I can design a pattern for one. So that is exactly what I did. I sat down with hook, yarn and pencil and paper and I created my first pattern.  I really love it too. After I made the first one, the brown one in Red Heart super saver acrylic yarn, I made a second one with the Peaches and Cream cotton yarn in shades of cream and blue. I am sharing not only the photos of the drink totes I made but I am sharing the pattern I designed for them. I hope you will be able to follow it since I have never written out a crochet pattern before. I would appreciate any feedback regarding issues or ease is using the pattern.

"Ann's Nifty Drink Totes"

Pattern:
Supplies: Red Heart Super Saver Acrylic worsted weight or Peaches and Cream Cotton
Size I crochet hook

Abbreviations:
Slip Stitch  SS
Single Crochet  SC
Double Crochet  DC
Treble Crochet  TR
Beginning Cluster  BC  = chain 3 and two TR into same stitch of previous row.
Treble Cluster  TRC = 3 TR into same stitch of previous row


Beginning round: Chain 5and join in 5th chain form hook with a slip stitch (SS) forming a ring.

Round 1: Chain 3. Double Crochet (DC) 15 times into the chain 5 ring.
Round 2: Chain 2. Single Crochet (SC) into the first DC of previous round. 2 SC into next DC. Repeat pattern of 1SC into DC and 2 SC into next DC all around. Join to beginning of round with a SS.
Round 3: Chain 2. Work this round as a pattern of SC, SC, then 2SC in into next SC so it will be SC, SC, 2SC repeated all around.  Join to beg of round with a SS.
Round 4: Chain 2. SC through the BACK LOOPS only all the way around. Join with a SS. This will begin to cup shape the sides of your piece.
Round 5: Chain 2. Sc into each SC all around. Join with a SS.
Round 6: Repeat round 5.
Round 7: Chain 2. SC in the first 4 SC of previous round. Work a decrease in the next two SC of the previous round. Repeat this pattern of 4 SC and one Decrease all around. Join with a SS.
Round 8: Chain 2. SC in each SC around. Join with a SS.
Round 9: Repeat round 8.
Round 10: Work Beginning Cluster (BC){ chain 3 and two TR} into first SC or previous row. Chain 1 and skip the next 2 SC of previous row and work a Treble Cluster (TRC) {3 treble crochet) into next SC of the previous row. Repeat pattern of Chain 1, skip 2 SC and make TRC all around ending with a chain 1 and join with a SS into the top of the BC with a SS. You will have 10 clusters in total from this round counting the BC.
Rounds 11: SS into the first chain 1 space of previous row. Work BC into this chain 1 space. *Chain 1. Work TRC into next chain 1 space of previous row.  Repeat from * around and end with a Chain 1 and SS to join. 10 Clusters in total.
Round 12: Repeat round 11. 10 clusters in total.
Round 13: Chain 2. Work two SC into the first chain a space of previous round. Work 1 Sc into top of cluster from previous round. Repeat this pattern around and join with a SS.
Round 14: SC in each SC of previous round. Join with a SS.
Round 15:  Forming the drawstring row. Chain 4. Skip 1SC and DC in the next SC of previous row. Now work pattern of Chain 1, skip 1SC and make 1DC all around. Join with a SC to the beginning chain 4.
Round 16: Chain 2. Work 2SC in first chain 1 space and in each chain 1 space around. Join with a SS.
Round 17: Chain 2. SC in each SC of previous round. Join with a SS.

Beginning straps

Row 1: Chain 2. SC in the next 3 SC of ROUND 17.
Row 2: Chain 2. Turn and work SC across 3 SC of row 1. You are now starting to make short rows to form the shoulder strap.
REPEAT row 2 until the strap measures 46 inches.
Be very careful not to twist the strap when you begin to attach it. Attach the strap to the other side of drink tote bag using a single crochet stitch and ties off. Weave ends into the piece.

Drawstring Chain 70 and work slips stitches along the chain back to the start and tie a knot. Cut 1/4 inch from knot. Weave the drawstring through the DC drawstring row. This will help secure the bag around the neck of your drink bottles.

Enjoy!

Ann Heslin

©Copyright 2010 Andrea C. Heslin

A Blues Melody.....

I really love this afghan! Rarely do I say anything like this about my own work but in this case it really is true. I have loved every stitch I put into this. I made this afghan for my 18 year old son, Jared. It is a reward for his attempts over the past 4 to 6 months of trying to keep his room tidy on his own initiative. He has made so many changes in his maturity of late. For those people who aren't aware, Jared is one of the many that have been diagnosed to fall in the PDD Autism spectrum. When I was first told of his Autism, I was told he would never read, write or do even simple math calculations oh and that he had no consciousness to him. Jared has consistently proved just how wrong that statement was. Not only can he do all those things, but he does them extremely well and is a very bright, verbal, creative and compassionate young man that also happens to be fully main streamed in school and an honor student.  Anyhow, Jared's new found love for keeping his room tidy has greatly impressed me with his moving maturity in the right direction. So since he is making this effort, I felt it would be good to make him something that would be just for him and enhance his room, his personal space. This blues themed color selection is perfect for him and matches the colors of his room perfectly. Jared absolutely loves music of all types and to me the colors moving up and down in value made me think of music notes dancing up and down the scale something which Jared immediately could see when he first saw me working on this afghan. The entire pieces is worked using the half double crochet stitch using a size "N" hook and each color was worked in rows of 6. I added in some white and amethyst as separators for the color repeats. I am not a huge fan of fringe but Jared asked me several times to add the fringe to it and I have to say once I added it, I decided I liked it. I hope you enjoy this afghan as much as we do.