Small size soap saver or bath scrubber

This is the original size I made with a very simple loop as the handle. Please do not reproduce the pattern elsewhere.

Abbreviations
Ch = chain Sc = single crochet St = stitch
Material: 100% Cotton yarn, worsted weight. I used less than 1 ball of Peaches & Creme by Elmore-Pisgah
Crochet hook size: 4mm
Finished size: about 4¼" x 6½" excluding the handle loop

Front piece
Cast on 16 ch
Row 1: sc in second ch from hook, and SC in each ch to the end (15 sts)
Row 2: ch 1, 2 sc in first stitch, sc to across to last st, 2 sc in the last st (basically increase 1 st at both ends of the row, 17 sts)
Row 3 – 4: repeat row 2
Row 5: ch 1, sc evenly across the row
Row 6: repeat row 2 (23 st)
Row 7 – 12: ch 1, sc evenly across the row
Row 13: ch 1, sc first 2 sts tog, sc across to last two sts, sc last 2 sts tog
Row 14: ch 1, sc evenly across the row
Row 15 - 17: repeat row 13
Row 18: ch 1, sc evenly across the row. Fasten off.
Place markers at row 2 counting from top and from bottom row and one marker at row 9. (3 markers all together)
Back piece: Make one same as the front but do NOT fasten off.
Putting the pieces together
Working on back piece only, sc the edge, 1 sc per row, to the second marker, ch 50 (ch 40 or less if you want a shorter loop as a handle), slip stitch to back piece at the same marker, sc along the edge of the back piece to the 3rd marker.

At the 3rd marker, put the front piece on top of the back piece, sc through the two pieces together along the edge all the way around until you are back to marker 1 (make 2 sc in the corners of the soap saver if you feel that it needs the increase).

At marker 1 work along the front piece only, sc to marker 2 and ch 6, slip stitch to front piece at the same marker, sc on front piece along edge across to 3rd marker, fasten off. Thread the larger loop through the smaller loop.

Blocking with a Hula Hoop

When it comes to blocking, the books will tell you to pin the finished item on to a board. I used to do that too. But after moving so many times, my blocking board was long gone; I still have loads of pins though.

Few years ago I needed to block a doily. I was looking around the house for something to use when I had a light bulb moment. I remembered reading a book about the history of Shetland lace and how the islanders made size specific square frame to block their knitted shawls. How about stretching the doily like my embroidery onto a round frame with thread? The hula hoop was the only thing I had that was big enough to use as a frame.

Well, I need to block a new doily and have to wash two old ones, I thought I would take some pictures to show you how I block using the hula hoop.

First thing I did was to soak the doilies in Oxi Magic (a stain removing solution with no bleach) for 10 minutes. I put them in an old pillow case that has a zipper to make sure they all stay inside the case during washing. They went in the washing machine with the rest of the laundry. These are the three doilies after the wash, still damp.

I put a clean bath towel on the floor; place the hula hoop on top of the towel and the doily in the centre of the hula hoop. I used a waste yarn and threaded it through an edging loop of the doily and tied it to the frame at 12 o’clock, stretching a little but tried not to move the doily from the centre.

Then work the opposite end at 6 o’clock. This is an important step: this sets the size of the doily.

You should have an idea about the finished size from the pattern if you use the suggested yarn and crochet hook size. My pattern said that it should be 16 inches. But I used a finer thread and a smaller size hook, so I stretched mine out by feel but still knowing that it should be smaller than 16 inches.

As I pull the thread at the 6 o’clock position, I use my right foot and put my big toe on the thread to keep the thread under tension while I use a measuring tape to determine the diameter of the doily from point to point. I set mine at 15 inches and knotted the thread securely at 6 o’clock. It would be great if you have a friend to help you with this.

I moved myself to work on the 9 o’clock side, followed by 3 o’clock. Again, I measured the doily diameter while I held the 3 o’clock thread under tension with my toe. I would release more thread or pull the thread tighter and would only tie the thread securely when the diameter is exactly 15 inches.

I moved around the doily to work on the major points, always working one end and then the opposite end and measuring each time. Now the frame work of the doily is set, I don’t need to measure any more. I use these major points as a reference to tie the other threads. Also I am now able to lift and move the hula hoop rather than moving myself around to work on the doily.I was about to work on the little doily using an embroidery frame when Poppy came in to check on me and to let me know it’s break time.

I don't normally use starch but one of the doilies is so fine I decided to use it this time; leaving them outside to dry.

Poppy is smelling the starch.

Hula hoop is not ideal because it is flexible; a rigid frame is better. Still it works. The doily might be off centre of the hula hoop, but provided that you stretch the doily to measurement, the doily blocks out good. Just cut the thread to remove the doily. You could recycle the used waste yarn as toy stuffing.

Wheat & Grape Doily...all done

I omitted linking up a chain loop in round 24, and didn't realise that until I nearly finished round 25. So I had to undo a round and a half, corrected the error and crocheted round 25 all over again.

To learn from my mistake, it would be a good idea to count the number of loops in round 24 before moving on. You should have 96 loops in total. Crochet hook size: 0.75mm

Pattern: Wheat & Grape Doily on page 125 from Heirloom Doilies - A Collection of Favorite Crochet Patterns. Or free from http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtsvintagecrochet/

Large size soap saver or bath scrubber

I normally use shop purchased soap saver, but my local shops have stopped selling them, so I start making them using some cotton yarn. This is a large size, I also make a smaller one with a different handle, I will post that at a later date.
This is my own design, I would like to share it with you but please do not reproduce the pattern elsewhere.

Abbreviations

Ch = chain
Sc = single crochet
St = stitch

Material: 100% Cotton yarn, worsted weight. I used Peaches & Creme by Elmore-Pisgah

Crochet hook size: 4mm
Finished size: about 5" x just over 7¼" excluding the handle loop

Front piece

Cast on 20 ch
Row 1: sc in second ch from hook, and SC in each ch to the end (19 sts)
Row 2: ch 1, 2 sc in first stitch, sc across to last st, 2 sc in the last st (basically increase 1 st at both ends of the row, 21 sts)
Row 3 – 4: repeat row 2
Row 5: ch 1, sc evenly across the row
Row 6: repeat row 2 (27 st)
Row 7 – 16: ch 1, sc evenly across the row

Row 17: ch 1, sc first 2 sts tog, sc across to last two sts, sc last 2 sts tog
Row 18: ch 1, sc evenly across the row
Row 19 - 21: repeat row 17
Row 22: ch 1, sc evenly across the row. Fasten off.

Place markers at row 2 and 7 counting from top and from bottom row.

Back piece: Make one same as the front but do NOT fasten off.

Now putting the pieces together

Working on back piece only, sc the edge, 1 sc per row, to the second marker, ch 40, slip stitch to back piece on the third marker.

Slip stitch along the 40 ch all the way back to the second marker.

Slip stitch to the back piece and then carry on sc along the edge of the back piece to the 4th marker.

At the 4th marker, put the front piece on top of the back piece, sc through the two pieces together along the edge all the way around until you are back to marker 1. (make 2 sc in the corners of the soap saver if you feel that it needs the increase)

At marker 1 work along the front piece only, sc to marker 2 ...

...and ch 6

wrap the 6 chs around the handle, slip stitch to front piece, sc on front piece along edge across to 3rd marker, ch 6, wrap chs around handle, slip stitch to front piece, sc to marker 4, fasten off.

I kept the markers on to show you the handle and the two loops. I normally take the markers off as I crochet pass them.

The handle and the two loops also act as a lock to stop the soap coming out from the pocket.

These soap savers are handy to have when you travel especially for those hotel size soap.

Wheat & Grape Doily

I have been good, working methodically through my patchwork. I want to finish the top end of the quilt, so I have been doing some half hexagons.
These half hexagons have sharp corners and are fiddly to do. To give myself a break with hand sewing, I started crocheting a doily.

This Wheat & Grape Doily has 30 rounds and I am on round 15 at the moment. I picked up a second hand book called Heirloom Doilies - A Collection of Favorite Crochet Patterns by House of White Birches and the doily pattern is on page 125.

You can also find this pattern free on-line when you join the Celt's Vintage Crochet and here is their web address http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtsvintagecrochet/.

Florida summer

Before we moved to the US, I would think of Florida in terms of the sun, sands and sea, Mickey Mouse and Disney World. Now that we are living here, I would add a few more words like rain, hurricanes, bugs and snakes to describe the Florida summer.

The official hurricane season runs from June to October. So far so good this year, no hurricane, just a few thunder storms and rain more or less every afternoon. We are managing with the bugs. Hubby sprayed the yards with bug killer a couple of times and we could go outside now without feeling we are the walking blood bank for the mosquitoes. But I am seeing more snakes this year. Two have actually come inside the garage and we have to use a broom to chase them out.

My husband and I were doing some gardening last weekend. I was weeding around the flower beds. Hubby was on the ladder trimming back the vine on the garage wall. He called me to go over and have a look. High up on the wall, there was a shed snake skin threading through the vine, all in one piece.
It was like not to be outdone by my husband, Poppy signalled me to take a look at the base of a hibiscus tree, there it was, another perfectly discarded snake skin winding through some lower branches.

I didn’t take photo of the shed snake skins but uploaded two earlier pictures I took of these snakes instead.

These are rat snakes, pretty harmless, nothing like the Burmese pythons that are taking over the Everglades. Florida government is having such a problem in eradicating these predators; this summer they introduced a new hunting season for pythons. It began about three weeks ago on Friday 17th July. A local newspaper reported that the hunters have captured and killed 6 pythons. 150,000 is estimated running loose on the glades, so just 149,994 to go now.