TIPS

By Bonnie Pierce

Elegant Crochet Home

Blocking: Block lightly and briefly with a warm damp pressing cloth on the reverse side of the square w/ med-hot iron.

Bullion Stitches: I've picked up a couple of tricks for working with bullion stitches. 

• Making Bullions  first off... you have to be relaxed. I can't make them when I am tense at all. Now..... BELIEVE that you can do it!! :))) Make a foundation swatch... say 20 sts or so. Now make a couple of rows of hdc.  See how you are doing a final YO that you draw through all 3 loops on the hook? Add one more YO to your hdc (like a trc ) and insert your hook into the stitch, and pull up a loop. YO and draw that final YO through all 4 loops on the hook. Now get brave... when you are comfortable with drawing through 4 loops on the hook.... Try adding 2 extra YO's to your basic hdc... then insert your hook into the stitch, and pull up a loop. Now YO and draw that YO through all 5 loops on the hook... Presto!! You are making bullions.   
  
  

• Boye hooks seem to work really well, the space from the hook to the flat spot
  allows you room enough to maneuver.  

• Bates hooks aren't quite long enough.

• The key is to relax and yo loosely and evenly.  The wrapped yarns should
  slide easily on your hook.  

• Any distractions cause me to tighten up, and
  then I have to start over.  

• If you do need to start over.. smooth and twist
  your yarn a little to help your hook go through it easily.   

• Don't let your yarn split.  For the final yo that you pull through the other yo's, tuck the yarn fairly tightly under the hook and pull straight through the loops.  Wiggle the hook some, while holding the work with your left hand, pinching the base of the bullion stitch to steady it.

• Don't use a fresh skein of yarn to make a bullion stitch.  It is kind of
  crinkly and will just make you split a stitch.  

• Use yarn from the middle of a skein that is smooth.

• Some yarns lend themselves well to bullion stitches.  My all time favorite
  is Red heart Country Rose.  Country Blue works fairly well too.

• The best advice I can give you is to relax, and have fun with the bullion
  stitches.  They do get easier with practice. :)

• In an original 1920 publication the bullion stitch is called the roll stitch.  In a publication from 1895 the bullion stitch is called the rice stitch.
  

Joining Squares:

• Make sure before you join that this is where you want it... as this is almost 
  impossible to remove!!!
  

• I weave the loose ends in with a tapestry needle and working on the wrong side, in this same way, in a circle.
  

• It does seem kind of like a pain, but edging each square with a common color 
  will make your blanket blend so nicely! I usually use a size G hook, no 
  matter what size hook (s) I've used on my squares. I put 20 sc and 3 sc in 
  corners for 6", and 25 sc and 3 sc in corners for 7". I leave an end long 
  enough for sewing on each square.
  

• Here's what I do with my squares. It is a bit time consuming, but I am 
  always so happy with the results...
  

• After I edge each square with a common neutral color, I block each square. 
  Place the square face down on the ironing board, and lay a damp, warm 
  pressing cloth on top of it. (a thin old dish towel works well). Then I use 
  a medium hot iron, and just barely touch the surface of the towel (you don't 
  want to actually press down on it).  Don't press Bullion Stitches.  They will flatten out.  Press around them.  Let it steam for a few seconds. Quickly 
  lift up the pressing cloth, and arrange the square to the size that you want. 
  You can gently turn it over, and shape it, arranging flower petals etc. 
  Let it cool and dry. When I am blocking a lot of squares, I stack them up as 
  I work with them (a good way to make sure they are all the same size....) 
  and then lay them out to dry after they are cool.
  

• Then, I sew them together in a long strip, the length of the afghan. I use 
  a tapestry needle, and work back and forth on the back loops only, with wrong 
  side of squares facing each other. When I have the strip made, I block it 
  again, making sure the edges of the squares are even. I then put another 
  round of sc, with 3 sc in corners around the whole strip. 
  

• When I have enough strips made... I sew them together in the same way. I use 
  a crochet hook to hold the two seams together, weaving it in and out on the 
  matched seams. When I come to the corners, I work the yarn around in a 
  circle, in between the front side and the backside of the squares, and 
  catching all the corners and some of the yarn I am working with. I then work the yarn around in a circle again. You can adjust and correct any 
  minor problems (gaps in stitches, for instance) while you work in this way.
  

• When I have it all sewn together, I block it again, concentrating on the 
  seams!! Then I finish it with a few rounds of sc, with 3 sc in the corners. 
  As a finishing touch, and to help it keep it's shape.... I work a row of sl 
  st in each st around. 
  

Joining squares in columns, an alternate method:

• When you have the number of squares made that you want to have in your column, stack the squares right side up in the order you want them to be. Sc around the column working 3 sc in the four corners of the strip, start in the lower right hand corner of the first square. In the corners of the adjoining square, insert your hook into the upper corner of the first square, then in the lower corner of the next square, yo and sc. Continue around in this manner, until your column is all joined. Leave an end long enough to sew the columns together. Sew the squares together with the long tails you left when edging them. It seemed to work pretty good for me! If you try it sometime, please let me know how it worked for you, ok?
  
  

This page last modified on November 03, 2008 .

Back to Elegant Crochet Home