Tip- Rein in That Unruly PC!

Maire Treanor recommends using no more than a couple feet of PC at a time, because longer lengths can get in the way of your work.  I agree, but sometimes I find that even 2 feet of PC can be unruly!  Sally has given us a wonderful tip to quickly contain your pesky PC.  Thank you to Sally!  You are a genius!  She uses a small hair clip to keep her PC in order.

Use a hair clip to contain your PC.

If you don't have a clip, you can tie a little skein.  I think some people call it a butterfly.  Not as easy as Sally's method but it works too.

Wind yarn around fingers.

Here is your wound PC, a baby skein.

Place working thread behind skein, leaving a loop.

Using working thread, pull up a loop over front of skein and through loop just made.

Pull this thread UP to tighten.  Not the working end.

Tah-dah!  Pull the working thread to un-do.  It's basically a slip-knot over the skein.

Do you have a tip or trick to make your IC work go more smoothly?  Let us know!!!

Antique of the Week--Gorgeous Gown

I love Pinterest!  I found this gorgeous gown there, and traced back to the original website:  antiquedress.com .  I'll definitely be back on that site for an extended visit!  The gown is dated at 1910, and, according to the site, has been sold.  I'm guessing it's made of cotton.  It is nice how they showed it with white underneath, and also with black, so we can really see the pattern.  The more I look at this gown, the more I am amazed!  There are so many great design details in this one dress.

Front and back views

This bodice is what first drew me to the dress.  I love symmetry, which is not always a feature of Irish Crochet.  I also was really intrigued by the use of the square motifs down the front of the bodice.  These are usually seen sewn together in a row and used as a long piece of lace along a hem or perhaps put together for a collar or cuffs.  I've not seen them integrated into a garment in this way.  I love it!  The long leaf stems that extend down both sides of the bodice would be quite slimming, and are a lovely detail, speaking to my need for balance.

Bodice detail

The neckline on the dress has small flowers with dangling beads hanging from the center of each flower.  Beautiful!  And no need for a necklace.

Neckline detail

The skirt of the gown is equally as beautiful as the bodice.  It features an overall lace pattern, divided by the long leaf stems that come down from the shoulders.  There are some large flowers at the center of the skirt, below where the square motifs end.

Bottom of skirt

Hem detail

More skirt detail.  There are three-dimensional motifs throughout the dress.

Detail on skirt

I keep seeing more and more elements of IC that I would like to use in future projects.  How about a modern-day sweater with the beaded flower neckline?  Or a t-shirt style top in IC with the square motifs set down the center?   Needless to say, I love this gown!
~Kim
direct link to more photos of this gown