Dolly is about to Depart.

                                      SOLD
Yes it was inevitable but ‘Dolly’ has found a new home. I’m sure she will be loved, cherished and treasured. I’m sure she will become as much a part of the family as the faithful dog, the tatty old slippers and the ticking clock. I will miss her though I spent many hours creating her and loved working with this colour combination.

From humble beginnings………

I would still make Dolly again despite the hours and hours of work involved, by private commission or custom order, contact me for further details.
If you fancy making Dolly yourself then the pattern is available  on ravelry and in my Etsy store.

The Butterfly Project

Hello Everyone,
I hope you are all well today. I’m somewhat tired on account of staying up way past my usual bedtime last night in order to make another butterfly and to write a pattern to share with everyone.
In an earlier post I did say I would let you have more details about The Butterfly Project sometime this week. well here are the details.

In an effort to remember them, Holocaust Museum Houston is collecting
1.5 million handmade butterflies.
The butterflies will eventually comprise a breath-taking exhibition, currently scheduled for Spring 2012, for all to remember.
As of Summer 2008, we have already collected an estimated 400,000 butterflies.
You can find the full details at http://www.hmh.org/minisite/butterfly/
You can handcraft you butterflies from a variety of media but the organisation states the following.

• Butterflies should be no larger than 8 inches by 10 inches.
• Butterflies may be of any medium the artist chooses, but two-dimensional submissions are preferred.
• Glitter should not be used.
• Food products (cereal, macaroni, candy, marshmallows or other perishables) also should not be used.

I think this is a great project to get involved in and I hope that all of you will too. I have created a Flickr group for everyone to post their butterflies on here http://www.flickr.com/groups/1194157@N20/

I have also written the following crochet pattern for a butterfly which I hope will be useful to fellow crochet chums everywhere. Of course you don’t need to stick to crochet any craft will suffice. This is a tremendous project for children to participate in and express themselves.
The Butterfly
The last, the very last, So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow. Perhaps if the sun’s tears would sing against a white stone....
Such, such a yellow Is carried lightly ’way up high. It went away I’m sure because it wished to kiss the world good-bye. For seven weeks I’ve lived in here, Penned up inside this ghetto. But I have found what I love here. The dandelions call to me And the white chestnut branches in the court. Only I never saw another butterfly.
That butterfly was the last one. Butterflies don’t live in here, in the ghetto.
Pavel Friedman, June 4, 1942
Born in Prague on January 7, 1921. Deported to the Terezin Concentration Camp on April 26, 1942. Died in Aushchwitz on September 29, 1944.
I have posted the crochet pattern on a separate page so that people can link directly to it. http://www.goodtimesithinkso.blogspot.com/2009/09/holocaust-butterfly-pattern-crochet.html

Authentic Crochet Rag Rug Patterns Circa – 1930/40’s

Rug Making by Penelope

A comprehensive instruction book covering all types of Rug Making

I managed to get hold of this book via the library but it is so old it has no date reference or ISBN number etc. I have researched it on the internet but can find no history of it. What a find.

The earliest library stamp on the book is 9th October, 1941 but the photographs and pictures would suggest that it was compiled and created at some point in the 1930’s.

I am fairly certain that there are no copyright laws that might prohibit it from being documented here it is obviously out of print at this point. . The book covers a multitude of rug making techniques and traditional latch and hook dominates, but here I am interested solely in the crochet rag rugs.

All of these rugs have been produced using rug wool, unlike my rugs which use recycled household fabrics. However the basic pattern and instructions should apply, with necessary adjustments made, regardless of the media used.

Foreword

Throughout the centuries our women have plied the needle in one form or another. In medieval times while the menfolk were away at the crusades, tapestry work held sway and beautiful woven hangings and embroidered tapestries were created to add decoration and warmth to their rather bleak homes. It is an interesting reflection that such things of beauty should be the outcome of war and even in our own times many lovely pieces of embroidery and exquisite rugs were made by bedridden and convalescent ex-servicemen.

There is a special fascination and satisfaction in rug-making, for with the completion of each row and the gradual growth of the pattern, one finds it hard to put it on one side, in fact it is a pleasant recreation at which the whole family can join. Practically every one is born with a desire to create something beautiful and lasting, but in this modern world of rush and bustle it is not possible for many of us to find the time to make our own designs and indeed many have no aptitude for this. With this in mind our little book has been compiled, and a glance at the following pages will convince the most expert and critical observer that there are rugs to suit every taste.

Note: This page has now been rescanned so the instructions are clearer.

If any of the instructions are unclear please email me and I will try my best to clarify.

Penelope was original part of WM BRIGGS & CO Ltd, 34, Can more Street, Manchester, UK

Here are the embryonic beginnings of my most recent crochet rag rug. Here made using a 15mm crochet hook.

The rug has grown considerably since these picture but isn’t yet complete. You can see my other rag rugs through out my blogs here http://goodtimesithinkso.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html and here http://goodtimesithinkso.blogspot.com/2009/08/crochet-rag-rug.html

I will document more of the patterns and other techniques of rug making in the future.

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Holocaust Butterfly Pattern - Crochet

Holocaust Butterfly Pattern - Crochet

This pattern is relatively simple but you will need to work in reverse for the opposite wings, otherwise they will both be the wrong way around, hopefully this makes sense. One of the wings will be the correct way up and the opposite one will be upside down, if you don‘t work in reverse. The butterfly is a great stash buster and you can use a variety of oddments to make it up.

This pattern is offered and made available for personal use only. If you wish to reproduce this pattern any way please contact me or make sure that reference is made to the original author’s blog http://www.goodtimesithinkso.blogspot.com/ Thank you

Materials:
10 different colours in very small amounts - DK was used here.
(approx. 25g weight)
Hook 4.5mm US G or 6/7
Darning Needle
Stitch marker or safety pin if required.

C1 - Dusky Pink
C2 - Aqua
C3 - Baby Pink
C4 - Mauve
C5 - Lavender
C6 - Blue Tweed
C7 - China Blue
C8 - Aubergine
C9 - Aqua Mix
C10 - Jade

Stitches:
Ch - chain
SC- throughout (UK) dc - throughout (US)
SL ST - slip stitch
inc - Increase - by crocheting 2 stitches into 1 st.
dec - Decrease - by crocheting two Sts together.

Body
The body of the butterfly is worked in a continuous oval, work around the oval.

Using C1 - Chain 15, turn to begin.

1St Round - SC into second ST in chain, SC x 12, SC three times into next ST, x12, SC twice into next ST.

2nd Round - Changer Colour C2, place a stitch marker in at this point, if required. SC into next ST, SC twice into the next ST, SC x 11, SC twice into the next ST, SC x2, SC twice into next ST, SC x11, SC twice into next ST, SC x2

3rd Round - Change colour C3, SC twice into next ST, SC x13, SC twice into next ST, SC twice into next ST, SC x 14, SC twice into next ST 2

4th Round - twice into the next ST, SC x15, Sl ST, Fasten off. Leave a tail and sew in.,

Wings

Both wings are alike. Begin with the right side wing and work in colour changes as shown. When you complete 1st colour on the right hand wing then work that row/s on the left hand side in reverse. For example - Rows 1 & 2 same colour. Once complete transfer yarn to opposite sides and work Rows 1 & 2 reading the stitches in reverse order. This seems complicated but isn’t really once he pattern starts to take shape.

Row 1 - Join new colour of yarn C1, on either side. SC x 14, Ch 1, turn

Row 2 - SC x 4, SC twice into next two ST (inc.), SC x3, Skip next ST and SC 2nd ST (dec.), SC x2, double SC into next ST (inc). 1 SC,

Now working on the opposite wing fasten on colour 1 and work the above rows in reverse.

Row 3 - CC C4, Ch 1, SC x 10, SC into second ST, (dec). SC x3, SC twice into final stitch (inc), turn

Row 4 - CH 1, SC x 5, (dec) 1 (SC into second ST), SC x 4, (Inc) SC twice into next two stitches, SC x 2 Ch 1, turn

Now working on the opposite wing fasten on colour 4 and work the above rows in reverse.

Row 5 - CC C5, SC twice into next ST (inc), SC x 3, SC twice into next ST (inc), SC, SC twice into next ST (inc), SC x 4, SC twice into final ST (inc), turn.

Row 6 - CC C6, SC twice into next 3 Sts (inc), SC x3, (dec) x 2, SC twice into next four Sts (inc), SC x4, SC twice into next ST (inc), Chain 1 turn.

Now working on the opposite wing fasten on colours 5 and then 6 and work the above rows in reverse.

Row 7 - SC x 16, (dec) 1, SC x 8, SC three times into next ST (inc), Ch, Turn.

Row 8 - CC C7 - SC X7, SC twice into next two Sts (inc), SC X2, (dec) 1, SC X3, SC twice into next five Sts (inc). SC X7, SC twice into next ST (inc), Ch, turn.

Now working on the opposite wing fasten on colour 7 and the 8 work the above rows in reverse.

Row 9 - SC x 20, (dec) x 2, SC X11, Ch1, turn

Row 10 - CC C8 - SC X11, SC twice into the next two Sts (inc), SC X7, SC twice into each of the following five Sts (inc), SC X6, Ch1, turn

Now working on the opposite wing fasten on colours 8 and then 9 work the above rows in reverse.

Row 11 - SC second ST in (dec), SC X21, (dec) 1, SC X1, Slip St, bind off - mid wing.

Row 12 - Join new CC C9 at bottom of the wing - SC second ST in, SC X10, (dec) x 2, SC X20, Ch 1, turn

Now working on the opposite wing fasten on colour 4 and work the above rows in reverse.

Row 13 - SC second ST in (dec), SC X18, (dec) 1, SC 1, SL ST, Bind off

Row 14 - Join CC C3, Ch 1, SC into second ST (dec), SC x 21, (dec) 1, SC X5, Ch1, turn

Row 15 - SC x4, (dec) 1, SC X21, Bind off.

Now working on the opposite wing fasten on colours 9 then 3 and work the above rows in reverse.

Before completing last row sew all ends in.

Row 16 - CC C10, SC around the entire butterfly use SC twice into a stitch at all turns on the wings.

* Please email me any corrections that you may discover.

Find my Handmade Silver Crochet or Knitting Stitch Markers here

Crochet http://goodtimesithinkso.blogspot.com/2009/09/crochet-stitch-markers.html Knitting http://goodtimesithinkso.blogspot.com/2009/09/knitting-stitch-markers.html