a cajube

I've just finished the shawl I was working on as part of a French Crochetalong, except I didn't make a shawl (God I cannot make myself follow a pattern!), I crocheted in the round and made a kind of capelet.

I call it my cajube :

• CA stands for CAPELET,


• JU stands for JUPE (the french for skirt),


• and B stands for BUSTIER (which is the French for tube top)

When doing so I thought to myself hey! this would be another cool way to use a doily pattern!

What is a cajube?

Well it's just a tube with a kind of closing in the front (draw string or buttons or whatever you fancy)
that you can wear either as

1. a capelet, or "poncho" (the dreaded one),
2. a skirt,
3. a strapless top, or even strapless mini-dress,

If you choose a lacy stitch pattern you might just have to provide a lining for the sake of decency.

How to do it?

Change a doily pattern

• Select a doily pattern, remember you'll need lining if the stitch isn't solid enough, and keep in mind the length of the finished object you want to achieve... this one comes from True Love Treasures.


• 1. Make a chain long enough to circle your waist, make the number of chain stitches match a multiple of the chain starting the doily (for exemple, if the doily starts with a chain of 8, your cajube chain should be a chain of 64, 72, 80 or 88, etc... ), don't close the chain, crochet the first rounds of the doily in rows.


• 2. Check regularly to see if the row you're crocheting is wide enough to fit your pelvis, if it is, close this row and start crocheting in rounds.


• 3. Finish the "doily" as the pattern states. Add a draw string, buttons and button holes, velcro fastener, etc..., add a lining if necessary and wear..

Freehand it
Here you can either crochet a tube or a cone. Both are quite easy to implement.

1. Tubular cajube
   
   
   • 1. Make a chain long enough to circle your waist, don't close the chain, crochet in rows on the first 10 to 15 rows and make regular increases (i.e. two stitches in one stitch).
   
   
   • 2. Crochet in rows without increases. Check regularly to see if the row you're crocheting if wide enough to fit your pelvis.
   
   
   • 3. When the row you're crocheting is wide enough to fit your pelvis, close this row and start crocheting in rounds.
   
   
   • 4. When the project reaches the desired length, stop crocheting, weave in ends Add a draw string, buttons and button holes, velcro fastener, etc..., add a lining if necessary and wear.
   
   




2. Conical cajube
   
   
   
   • 1. Make a chain long enough to circle your waist, don't close the chain, crochet in rows, make regular increases (i.e. two stitches in one stitch)and check that if the borders of the first rows were sewn together, the project would lay flat (or almost).
   
   
   • 2. When the row you're crocheting is wide enough to fit your pelvis, close this row and start crocheting in rounds, add regular increases and check regularly that the project (or at least the 20 last inches of it) lay doily-like flat.
   
   
   • 3. When the project is about to reach the desired length, double increases (i.e. two stitches or more in one stitch)to create a nice ruffle.
     
     When the project finally reaches the desired length, stop crocheting, weave in ends Add a draw string, buttons and button holes, velcro fastener, etc..., add a lining if necessary and wear.
   
   

It doesn't get simpler than that!

: ! :
Things you need to keep in mind
when turning rounds into rows :

the height of the first stitch of your row must equal the height ot the others, so

• if the basic stitch of your stitch pattern is a single crochet, the first stitch of your row will be a chain stitch
  
• if the basic stitch of your stitch pattern is a double crochet, you must start your row with 3 chain stitches
  
• etc... see this picture for reference.

I hope you found that tute useful, let me know if you try it!

A Cool Hat To Do With A Doily Pattern

This is for my daughter.

I couldn't find any of her summer hats and it's starting to be hot out there.... So I made this hat modifying the pattern of a doily.

It's quite easy:

• you start the doily as explained in the pattern,


• then, when you reach the width you need to engulf the head, you just repeat one or two rows according to the shape you want to obtain (1 row to make a tube, 1 row - let's say row 5 - twice, then the following one - row 6 - for a bowl),


• and then you just finish the doily as the pattern says to obtain the brim.

I tried blocking-stiffening with sugared water, it didn't work (obviously). I'm going to wash it and try again with plain starch, it should work then.

I'll use one of those methods:

• StarGazer's


• Crochet Memories'


• Almanach de la servante chrétienne (an ancient guide about cloth care for XIXth century house maids )

Yarn : 100% cotton (made in Brasil) from Pernelle (a French brand), "tropique", 140 yards for 1oz 3/4, color : fushia. I used 1 ball and a half.

Crochet hook : recommanded : 4.5mm (US: 6), used : 3.

Time : less than 4 hours I think, I needed to think the new design out, next time it will be quicker.

This is to mark as ONE COOL THING TO DO WITH A DOILY PATTERN.

I'll try to post about other things to do soon!

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Update, May 24th

It worked!

• half a cup of corn starch,
  
• half a cup of cold water,
  
• half a cup of hot water,
  

worked through the fiber and pinned to block!...

is white, the color is paler... never mind, it's still pink!

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Last Update, May 29th

This time, it's perfect

I knew the head would be too small, but I tried to force it on her and bam, it was limp again, so I stiffened it again, adding more starch, just in case (eh! it's for a four years old girl, she won't treat it like it were fragile or like mummy put a lot of time in it ).

Rebelotte!

This time I used my two biggest bowls to shape the head and I used a big plate to shape the brim and have a smoother look.

And... it works ! ! ! I am delighted!

Since this picture was taken, I added a lace for her to tie the hat under her chin (it's getting windy out there).

Somebody suggested I use gelatine instead of starch
to avoid fading the color or the yarn, I might try that one day...

I'm writing down the pattern of this hat, it should be ready shortly!

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Just an update to show a picture of her wearing it :)

Spinning - part 2 - the choice of the victim...

I've been thinking of spinning my own fibers to crochet, and I was hesitating between growing gossypium barbadense (Egyptian cotton bush), litter training a home angora rabbit or buying a cat. This is part one of the saga " the choice of the victim", but I haven't translated it yet... sorry folks!

So, part 2 : I was washing my hair in the bath tub, thinking of nothing special (except that my bathroom is really cold) and collecting the hair that was brushed away, to avoid having it clogging the tub, and then ...

the penny's dropped!

I looked at the ball of hair patiently gathered by my side and I thought... why not...

Why should I go seek further? I don't need a cotton bush, I don't need a cat, I don't need a rabbit, I can produce my own fiber!

readily availabe, lovingly groomed and home grown, the perfect fiber.

Ok, but how? Is it even possible to spin human hair?
Ok, let's check google... wow, there's almost nothing on it but I manage to learn that :

1. Yes, it is possible, most likely with hair that aren't smooth (lucky kinky-haired napptural me)


2. Most people think it's gross or creepy...

Huh? What?
WHY?

Ok, there's something you need to explain to me 'cause I don't get it.

really
I.JUST.DON'T.GET.IT

On tv commercials (that I can only watch at the theatre as I no longer watch tv) you see vibrant blond manes being swept away by the wind alongside magnificient beaches (this and a few tits) all the time, you see praise for this or that shampoo or conditioner that will turn your reluctant unbehaving hair into the most somptuous crown of glory, thus making your seduction power soar 10, no 100 fold
but spinning that mane is creepy?

We are told from an early age that the beauty of a woman and her feminity dwell in her hair, that it's the jewel we are born with...
but once it's shed it's just crap?

The most romantic takes in romantic movies show us young men longing to plunge their fingers into the mane of their beloved ones, willing to caress it, touch it, inhale it's perfume, or better steal a lock from it to hide under their shirt, on the bare flesh that throbes with their heart bit...
but this stuff is just gross, isn't it?

I.DON'T.GET.IT.

It's ok to spin the hair of a dead sheep, it's ok to boil a worm to his death and unwrap a thing it had benn profusely spewting, it's ok to gather goat's hair, lama hair, rabbit hair, alpaca hair... but human hair is gross?

My own hair, the hair I've been lovingly (and sometimes expensively) caring for, and my mother before me, that hair that I groom every day, wash patiently, that i'm so proud of, that hair that gives me that liitle bit of something in my attitude that noone can duplicate, that thing that makes me me, my mane, my crown of glory, my cloud of tightly coiled afro hair...

If I spin it it's gross?

Would someone please enlighten me?

Swedish people made ornaments from hair (and still do in places like Vamhus), aborigenes spin and make clothes out of hair, in Victorian era Britain, hair was woven, crocheted, made into jewels to recall beloved ones, in China embroideries were made out of young ladies hair...

How creepy is that? did you know there were so much gross traditions on Earth?

May be you know Paul et Virginie, it's a French classic by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre.
Virginie embroiders a monogram on a purse to be presented to Paul, she does it with "the gold of her hair" says the novel. In 1788, Monsieur de Saint Pierre didn't think it was disgusting... and nobody I know ever complained about that being "gross", I even heard it was romantic.

So how did the "romantic" become "gross"?
Were they more open-minded back then?

I don't think so... So what's the problem?

I don't know. I really don't. I can't see what's wrong with spinning my hair.

My problem is I don't know how to do. I suppose I'll teach myself on the process.

Now what do you think? I would apreciate if you were kind enough to tell me what you think about Human Hair as a fiber : Spinning, crocheting, weaving... Is human hair gross? Why? A - Yes, it is. Creepy and plain GROSS! B - No, it is not. It's been around since before I was born! C - I dunno and I do not care Use the poll here if you wish, but most of all post your deepest thoughts in a comment, I need to understand, I would be glad to know what you think...

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Update May 22nd

Many thanks to all those who kindly answered my questions and took the poll. It occured to me that this matter is very personnal, I mean every individual has a different reaction to it, not necessarily according to his/her culture or knowledge of textile crafts.
For thze moment I am gathering shed hair during when I wash them, I dry them, keep them clean and I wait until I have enough to start spinning. More info to come, I hope ...

Phildar!

Phildar has released it's new Crochet catalogue, and are there nice and sassy models in it? I bet there are!

I am also very pleased with the "ethnic" flavour they gave the magazine and some of the patterns, this black model is gorgeous, and there are too few of them modeling crochet, while many of us black women appreciate that particular craft...

I'm bidding on one copy on e-bay (well I could just cross the road and buy one, but I like e-bay better!) I can't wait to have it!

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Update, May 22nd

I won the auction and already started two projects : the green alter top and a cute tank for my daughter, with a strawberry and a pear as motives... Stay tuned!