It is with a heavy heart that I bring you this blog. My Abuela, Yolanda Olguin, passed away earlier this month. This has been a devastating blow to myself and my family, as she was our family's rock. She will be missed tremendously, and I want to say a sincere thank you for the well wishes that have been sent to me and my family during this trying time. Over my extended stay in Odessa last summer, I had many amazing days with my grandma. I will be eternally grateful I was given that time. One of those days, my grandmother and I worked on a special spur-of-the-moment project. I've named this vase cover Las Alabanzas de Yoli.

My grandmother was a true creative and enjoyed many hobbies including floral arrangement. Together, she and I created this piece as a representation of our two creative outlets together. For her part, my grandmother selected and arranged the flowers. For mine, I knit the vase cover. This pattern wasn’t intended to be released, but I have decided to publish it to honor her memory and legacy. My work and style have always and will continue to be influenced by my Grandma Yoli. To Grandma; this is for you, thank you for all you have taught me. I’m only just getting started down this road, and a part of you will forever be with me as I travel it. Like you said; atras del miedo esta el dinero. Te amo mucho, Yoli. ​

These patches have been created as a way to show your stance on the current happenings of the world. Breonna Taylor, and everyone effected by police brutality deserve justice. The charts to create these patches will remain free in perpetuity. In lieu of payment, please consider donating to the Louisville Community Bail Fund, or similar funds to assist jailed protesters near you. For the patches themselves, I recommend 14 count Aida fabric and heavy weight floss, or fingering weight yarn. Look for a tutorial for finishing patches from me in the coming weeks. Stay safe, and stay activated. 

 If you missed my blog over on the Clover Needlecraft website yesterday, be sure to check it out! I will be referring back to it once we begin the process of actually creating the "Eco-Fur" In this post, I will be going over the base fabric pattern. What is Eco-Fur? It's a new technique I've been developing to create an authentic fur fabric that has less of an environmental or ethical impact than acrylic faux fur or authentic traditional fur. This process can be  utilized on Knit, Crochet, Woven, or Felted fabrics! The possibilities and applications of this process is endless. Now let's get into the project. 

Epaulette Base Pattern
Chain 20
Rows 1-16: Ch 1, sc in next 20 sts, turn. - (20 sts)
Fasten off, Weave in ends.

Pom-Pom Base  Pattern
Ch 3, sl st to 1st ch to form ring, ch 1, turn.
Round 1: Hdc 6 into ring, sl st to first st to join. -(6 hdc)
Round 2: Ch 1, [hdc 2 into next st] six times, sl st to first st from beginning to join. -(12 hdc)
Round 3: Ch 1, [hdc 1, hdc 2 into next st] six times, sl st to first st from beginning to join. -(18 hdc)
Round 4: Ch 1, [hdc 2, hdc 2 into next st] six times, sl st to first st from beginning to join. -(24 hdc) 
Round 5: Ch 1, [hdc 3, hdc 2 into next st] six times, sl st to first st from beginning to join. -(30 hdc)
Round 6: Ch 1, [hdc 4, hdc 2 into next st] six times, sl st to first st from beginning to join. -(36 hdc) 
Round 7: Ch 1, [hdc 5, hdc 2 into next st] six times, sl st to first st from beginning to join. -(42 hdc)

Fasten off leaving 6” tail.

​

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Knit and Crochet:
Width of Bands = 1.5’’
Circumference of Bands:
Cuff- 9.5’’ (10, 10, 10.5, 11.5, 11.5, 12, 12.5)
Neck- 21’’ (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
Waist- 36’’ (40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64)

MATERIALS AND TOOLS

• Sample uses 1 skein Knit Picks Swish Bulky (bulky weight, 100% Fine Superwash Merino Wool; 137 yards/100g) 
• Crochet hook: K/10½ (6.5mm) or size to obtain gauge
• Knitting Needles: US 11 (8 mm) 24’’ circulars and DPNs or size to obtain gauge
• Yarn needle
• Safety pins (300+), locking stitch markers, or additional yarns for seaming

BLOCKED GAUGES
Crochet: 5 stitches = 1.5’’, 12 rows= 4’’
Knitting: 12 stitches= 4’’, 5 rounds= 1.5’’

INSTRUCTIONS

Crochet: 
Cuff 
Chain 5, turn.
Row 1: Ch 1, sc across, turn. 5 sts
Rows 2-28 (30, 30, 32, 34, 34, 36, 38): Ch 1, sc blo in next 4 sts, sc 1, turn.
Fasten off, leaving 4’’ tail. Whipstitch ends together and weave in ends

Neck
Chain 5, turn.
Row 1: Ch 1, sc across, turn. 5 sts
Rows 2-64 (66, 70, 72, 76, 78, 80, 84): Ch 1, sc blo in next 4 sts, sc 1, turn.
Fasten off, leaving 4’’ tail. Whipstitch ends together and weave in ends

Waist
Chain 5, turn.
Row 1: Ch 1, sc across, turn. 5 sts
Rows 2-108 (120, 132, 144, 156, 168, 180, 192): Ch 1, sc blo in next 4 sts, sc 1, turn.
Fasten off, leaving 4’’ tail. Whipstitch ends together and weave in ends

Knitting: 
Cuff 
Cast on 28 (30, 30, 32, 34, 34, 36, 38) sts in the round. 
Rounds 1-5: K 1, P 1 to end of round. 
Bind off, weave in ends. 

Neck
Cast on 64 (66, 70, 72, 76, 78, 80, 84) sts in the round. 
Rounds 1-5: K 1, P 1 to end of round. 
Bind off, weave in ends. 

Waist
Cast on 108 (120, 132, 144, 156, 168, 180, 192) sts in the round. 
Rounds 1-5: K 1, P 1 to end of round. 
Bind off, weave in ends. 

Joining Sweater:
There are a few different ways in which you can join a SWATCH sweater. You will start by laying out swatches on a flat surface to your general measurements in a jigsaw formation. Forming the front, back, and two sleeves in pieces, then joining those pieces together is the simplest way to do this, however you may find that placing pieces around a dress form is easier if one is available. The stretch and give of crochet and knit fabric allows it to have more room for shaping to its required measurements. Look to the provided schematic for a general guide. Do not forget to add the bands you have created along the outer raw edges. Once the swatches are placed in the general area of where you like them, move on to joining. Here are the three I have found that works the best.

Pins- As my personal favorite, this is the most punk-rock and intuitive of the joins.  All you need to do is pin all the correctly placed swatches together. Traditional safety pins work great, however my favorite are 'bulb' (sometimes referred to as gourd) safety pins. These can be found online in shops like Amazon in bulk. I recommend getting a pack of 1000. You can never have too many safety pins! 

Stitch Markers- Along the same lines as pins, locking stitch markers are also a viable option for securing swatches together. The limits here are accessibility and cost.  Do you have hundreds upon hundreds of locking stitch markers like I do? Great! Go for it! You can always buy more as needed, but pins are the more cost effective option in that case. If you only have a handful, think about using some sparingly, and in strategic areas, like the neck band join.

Seaming- If you don't have either of the two above options in excess, and aren't keen on hunting some down, this is a perfect option! Grab a skein of a high contrast yarn and a yarn needle. Black will look great no matter what, but don't be scared to step out of your comfort zone with garish and bright colors. If there was ever a project to use them, this is the one! Instead of joining swatches by pinning, take your yarn and whip stitch the sides of swatches together. Your whip stitching need not be perfect. Pay no attention to things like stitch length, depth, or how tight they are. Your goal isn't the perfect invisible seam on a sweater you've been working on forever, its to stick some kitschy swatches together and call it FASHION DAHLING!

Using any of these three seaming techniques separately or in tandem, will get you well on your way to your very own SWATCH! I can't wait to see what all of your minds come up with. Be sure to get your entries in by midnight on March 22nd using #SWATCHMAL!

Above all else, break the status.

Some of my favorite projects are the ones that I just grab some needles or a hook and a skein or two of yarn. I  go with the flow, and let the project design itself. There are no plans, no ideas of a finished design, and sometimes no idea of what it will even be when all is said and done. Seriously, one turned into a knitted vase (but that's for another day).

Anna of Moon Tower Dye Works is one of my nearest and dearest, and out of the kindness of her heart, sends me yarn on occasion, just because. This yarn was one of those, the aptly titled ''Meme Queen" on her Io Sock Base, and its been just dying to become one of my free-for-all patterns! 

This slouchy knit hat is a fun break from routine that is a perfect way to test out yarn color theory, lesser-known increases, and top-down hat construction. Pair a neutral fingering yarn with two crazy mohair colors, or a vibrant fingering yarn with two subdued mohair selections and see just how much that lace weight add-in changes the color of your project!
​
An ad-free paid for version of this pattern is available on Ravelry

​Gauge
22 sts by 33 rounds = 4” in stockinette 
(size 4 needles)

Notes
Change mohair color every 8 rows.

Stitch Guide
K- Knit
P- Purl
CDI- Center Double Increase; Knit into back and the front of the next stitch on left needle, then insert left needle behind vertical strand that runs between the two stitches just made and knit strand through its back loop.