Year of the Stitches Week 49 – Fancy Picot

Fancy Picot Stitch 

Well hello my lovely ones. How are we all? Anyone starting to panic somewhat about Christmas presents, whether they be making or buying?!?! Ekk!! I am starting to get a little panicky about finishing projects! I have 4 main projects to finish and 3 other smaller ones to do too, so definitely up against the clock some what. I’m sure I have spoken about this before, but every year I say I will start early and get things finished, but once again having to rush, rush, rush!! Not good! It doesn’t sit well with me as I always have some mega last minute idea moment and then I don’t get to finish them. Heyho. Next year – you never know!!! 

One thing I did want to show you, was this year’s Christmas cards!! Haha! So I’m on the hunt for the usual annual charity Christmas cards and I come across these beauties!!! I mean look at them – Yey!! Crocheted Snowman & penguin!!! Wow!! I just had to have them!! Now I could only see 2 packs, so I had to ask the lady to help, which was a little bit of a mistake as she thought I was bonkers!! Don’t judge, but I may have bought them out! So If you are one of the lucky ones who get a Christmas card from me – you maybe getting the same one next year!!! Sorry!!

So I made this little guy this week for one of my daughter’s dear friends. He’s made of 3 multi strand DK yarns, but you can easily make him in Aran or chunky yarn for a similar effect. Hope he’s behaving himself in his new home. Free patterns in the pattern section, if you’d like to make him. 

Right then, we had better get onto this weeks stitch. So seen as we are leading up to Christmas, thought we had better get a little fancy with this Fancy Picot Stitch. It’s a lovely delicate stitch and would give you a little bit of texture in clothing or even a mandala. I thought that the little delicate bumps of stitches look like rows of tiny baubles!! Haha, Christmas is everywhere!! 

Supplies – 

So this week I have used a beautiful baby pink colour from the magnificent Sublime range. It’s such a lovely colour and so peaceful and calming! Decided we all needed a little bit of soothing colours in our lives, as everyone seems to be rushing around like crazy dudes with all their Christmas shopping madness. As usual you will need about 30g of double knit yarn, a 4 mm crochet hook, some scissors and a blunt ended taperstry needle. 

Stitches – 

Slip stitch (ss) – This is where there is no height to the stitch. It’s usually used to join rounds. So insert the hook into the front of the stitch you are joining to. This is usually the first stitch you made in that round/row. So yarn over hook and pull through that first stitch then also through the loop on your hook.

Chain (ch) – To make a chain, place the yarn over the hook then pull it through the loop on your hook.

Treble (tr) – To make a treble crochet, firstly yarn over your hook, insert through space/stitch, yarn over your hook, pull back through space/stitch. There should now be 3 loops on your hook. Then yarn over hook and pull through the first two loops, yarn over hook and pull through the last two loops.

Picot Stitch – For this Stitch, you need to chain 3 then slip stitch back into the stitch that you have just worked.

Ok so let’s go …

1 – Start by attaching your yarn onto the right side of the blanket and chain 3. Then work 1tr in the same stitch. Now work 1tr in the next 2 stitches. Now work a Picot Stitch. So to do this chain 3.

Now join with a slip stitch by inserting your hook, front to back, into the top of the stitch that you have just made. Can you see where the arrow is pointing in the photo above – this shows where your hook needs to go. 

So the photo below, shows how the hook has been inserted into the top of the treble stitch.

So you just need to yarn over and pull through the stitch and then through the loop again to complete the slip stitch. 

*Now chain 1, miss 1 stitch and work 1tr in the next stitch and then work 1picot Stitch on top of that stitch.* (Remember a Picot Stitch is when you chain 3 and then slip stitch back into the tr stitch that you have just worked.)

Repeat this ** twice. Now chain 1, miss 1 stitch and work 1tr in the next 2 stitches. 

Ok so *Chain 1, miss 1 stitch, work 1tr in the next 2 stitches. Now work 1picot Stitch on the top of the tr stitch you have just worked. Chain 1, miss 1 stitch, work 1tr in the next stitch. Work 1picot Stitch then again chain 1, miss 1 stitch, work 1tr in the next stitch and then work 1picot Stitch on top.  Now chain 1, miss 1 stitch and work 1tr in the next 2 stitches.* 

Repeat this ** across the row. 

At the end of the row for the last section of stitches, chain 1, miss 1 stitch, work 1tr in the next 2 stitches. Now work 1picot Stitch. Chain 1, miss 1 stitch, work 1tr in the next stitch. Work 1picot Stitch, chain 1, miss a stitch and work 1tr in the Stitch. Then work 1picot Stitch, chain 1, now don’t miss a stitch so work 1tr in the last 2 stitches. (200)

Now fasten off and sew in those ends. 

And there we have the wonderful Fancy picot Stitch. I hope you have enjoyed this one. You can have lots of variations of the Picot Stitch. One is where you can work a Picot Stitch in each stitch. You can also have a 5 chain Picot, which is obviously bigger. 

Well anyways. Hope you’ve enjoyed this weeks instalment of Year of the Stitches. Not long now till the end of our stitch journey. Wow. Ekk!! 3 more to go…

Happy hooking everyone.

🌈Xx 


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Year of the Stitches Week 47 – Marguerite Stitch

Marguerite Stitch 

Well hello my wonderful ones. How are we all? I hope you have all had good weeks!! It all seems to be getting a bit christmassy here. Just seen all the Christmas lights go on which was lovely!! It’s definitely getting colder though isn’t it!! Snuggles under blankets and hot chocolates are of the order of the day!! I am rather pleased with my growing yarny pile of blanket loveliness!! It’s a sight that makes you feel all warm inside!! Hoping to add to the collection next year!!

So Friday night was date night in our house this week and oh how good was it to be out!!! It’s strange how you jump on to some kind of treadmill with day to day activities at home. Especially when it’s cold and damp outside. I don’t know about anybody else, but these early dark nights have thrown me some what! It gives you that feeling of hunkering down, shutting all the curtains and getting those woolly slippers out!! Truth be told, I think we are becoming hobbits! Maybe everybody does! I don’t know, but we definitely are. So when we have a rare occasion of a babysitter, then off we go, out to wherever!! It doesn’t matter where we go or what we do, just feels so good to be out. It seems to start you off on the right track again! Definitely felt like it did on Friday!!

As most of you know, this week has been hat week in my house!! I seem to have had some kind of hat extravaganza!!! We’ve had the Simply Snuggly Hat.

The Unicorn hat.

The Weekend Hat.

The Monster hat.

And my pom pom hat.

Phew – that’s a lot of variations of hats!! Well, all can be found one way or another in the pattern list, either to the side of this or below if you are on a smart phone/tablet. Really hope you enjoy them. My husband’s ordered a hat for Christmas with stripes, so that’s gonna be fun. Better get cracking!!

So onto the blanket and this weeks stitch. It’s called the Marguerite Stitch. It’s quite a delicate stitch and also has quite a few variations. This one uses a 3 spike cluster method, where as another could use a 5 spike cluster method. Hope you like it. It’s a little fiddly, in the sense you have to get to grips with where each one goes. But once you’ve got going, you will be fine. I have tried to make the pics quite clear with numbers, so you know exactly what I mean. Have fun chaps!!

Stitches

Chain (ch) – To make a chain, place the yarn over the hook then pull it through the loop on your hook.

Double Crochet (dc) – Insert the hook through the stitch, front to back, then yarn over hook and pull back through stitch. You will have two loops on your hook. Then yarn over your hook and pull through both loops.

Treble (tr) – To make a treble crochet, firstly yarn over your hook, insert through space/stitch, yarn over your hook, pull back through space/stitch. There should now be 3 loops on your hook. Then yarn over hook and pull through the first two loops, yarn over hook and pull through the last two loops.

Marguerite Stitch (Mc3) – Yarn over your hook and insert into the closed stitch of the previous Mc3 stitch, yarn over your hook and pull through. Then insert your hook into the base of the previous stitch, yarn over your hook and pull through. And then miss a stitch and insert your hook into the next stitch, yarn over your hook and pull through. This will give you 5 loops. Then yarn over your hook and pull through all 5 loops. Then chain 1 to finish then stitch.

Supplies

So this week I have used a stunningly deep turquoise blue from the King Cole Merino range.

As always you can use any kind of double knit yarn. You need about 30g/40g of wool. Don’t forget your 4mm crochet hook, blunt ended tapestry needle and some scissors.

Ok so here we go…

1 – Attach your new yarn on the wrong side of your blanket. Chain 1 and work 1dc in the same stitch.

Then 1dc in each stitch across the row, finishing with 1dc in the last stitch. (200)

2 – Ok so now turn your blanket and chain 3. Now you are going to work your first M3c Stitch. So to do this you are going to yarn over your hook and insert into the second chain (No1 in the photo) yarn over your hook and pull through.

So you should now have 3 loops on your hook.

Then insert your hook into the 3rd chain (No2) yarn over your hook and pull through. Then you will have 4 loops on your hook.

Ok so now miss the first dc stitch and insert your hook in the next stitch (No3) yarn over your hook and pull back through. Now you have 5 loops on your hook.

Then yarn over your hook again and pull through all 5 loops.

Ok so now chain 1 to finish the Mc3 stitch.

Right then so we are now ready to start the next Marguerite Stitch (Mc3.) So first things first we are going to *yarn over your hook and insert your hook in No1. This is the closed part of the previous Mc3 stitch.

Then yarn over your hook and pull back through. (3 loops on your hook.

Now insert your hook into No2, which is the bottom of the previous stitch, yarn over your hook and pull through. This gives you 4 loops on your hook.

Finally miss a stitch and insert your hook into the next stitch. (No3) So yarn over your hook and pull back through. You should have 5 loops on your hook.

Now yarn over your hook and pull through all 5 loops. Finish the Mc3 stitch by chaining 1.*

Now repeat this ** across the row.

At the end of the row after the last chain 1, work 1tr in the last stitch. (201)

3 – Right then so turn your work and chain 3. Now you are going to work a Mc3 in the second chain, third chain and then miss the first and second stitch in the row. Then finish the Mc3 stitch in the third stitch in the row. This is the top of the first Mc3 stitch.

Ok so to work your a Mc3 stitch, firstly yarn over your hook and insert into the second chain from the hook. Then yarn over your hook and pull back through. Insert your hook into the third chain from the hook, yarn over and pull through and then miss the first and second stitch and insert into the third stitch, yarn over and pull through. Now yarn over your hook and pull through all 5 loops.

Finish off the stitch by chaining 1.

Right so now work your next Mc3 stitch. *So yarn over your hook and insert into the closed stitch of the previous Mc3 stitch, yarn over your hook and pull through. Then insert your hook into the base of the previous stitch, yarn over and pull through. And then miss a stitch and insert your hook into the next stitch, yarn over your hook and pull through. This will give you 5 loops. Then yarn over your hook and pull through all 5 loops. Then chain 1 to finish then stitch.*

Repeat this ** across the row.

At the end of the row, work the last Mc3 stitch and then instead of working 1 chain stitch, work 1treble in the last stitch, which is where the last Mc3 was worked in the previous row. (200)

And there we have the wonderful Marguerite Stitch.

Really hope you have enjoyed this weeks instalment of Year of the Stitches. Not long now chaps. Only 5 more balls of wool left!!!! Crikey!!!

Happy hooking everyone!!

🌈Xx

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