THE WARREN-WATCHUNG CONNECTION PAGE 58 JUNE/JULY/AUGUST 2022 theconnectionsnj.com I’m hooked. If you have never tried Tapestry Crochet you are in for a delightful surprise. Tapestry crochet uses simple stitches to make intriguing designs and patterns in 2 or more colors where the resulting fabric is reversible and dense. It is perfect for purses, wallets, cases, blankets, and even area rugs. I just finished 2 cases; one for phone cables in 2 colors and another for my laptop in 3 colors. Tapestry crochet is to crochet, as Intarsia is to knitting. It’s a method of introducing detailed design into the body of your project. In knitting, the design colors are carried in the back of the work creating floats. However, in tapestry crochet, the floats are not visible and a double sided fabric is generated. How tapestry crochet works: • All colors are carried along in every stitch and row throughout the project. • The working yarn color covers the other non-working colors hiding them with each stitch, making the fabric reversible. So if your project has 3 colors, 1 color creates the stitch and the remaining 2 colors are hidden. • Colors are easily transitioned from one to another according to the design. The most critical step is to switch colors with the last yarn over (yo) to complete the stitch. This makes an invisible transition between colors. See https://youtu.be/_ wGsqonucco for details on the transition technique. • All stitches are the same; either single, half-double or double crochet throughout the project. Single crochet is the most common. • The design is printed on a grid, like a graph paper. Rows are numbered and start with 1. The pattern design is read from the bottom to top and from right to left. Each box in a row represents one stitch and one color. This example shows a 2 color design. While working the white stitches, the red yarn is held in the back and covered by the white yarn. In the red sections, the red yarn is the working yarn and the white is held in the back and covered. It’s easy to mark progress with a sticky note along the active row. • Tapestry crochet can be worked in the round or in rows. For purses, wallets, and cases, I like using tightly spun mercerized cotton. This is especially helpful when using a small hook, 2.75 mm or C. This assures minimal yarn splitting and creates a smooth surface. For blankets, use any of your favorite yarns. There is no limit. It’s fun and easy to create your own designs. Just grab a sheet of graph paper or create a grid in Excel. Use colors or symbols to represent your design. Tapestry crochet works great for letterings, geometric designs, etc. Find lots of designs on Pinterest or full projects on Ravelry.com Some tips: - It’s tedious to work with designs that switch colors every 1 or 2 stitches. Beautiful, but slow going. - Always check progress against the chart. It’s easy to choose the wrong color or forget to change colors. - Don’t allow for too much slack with the carried yarns and don’t pull too tightly. Too much slack means that the carried yarns are visible on the reverse side. Pulling too tightly to remove slack will cause the stitches to compact horizontally making the fabric tight and causing the work to decrease in width. - Working in the round results in a cleaner design since the right side is always in the front. The cherry design above was worked in the round while the flower design is in rows. You can see that the stems of the cherries are more clearly defined than the flower stems. I’m onto my 3rd tapestry crochet project now; a wristlet with multiple pockets in a geometric design. This one is going to be an original in fuchsia and slate gray. Still gathering inspiration! Let me know if you try it. Carolyn Hanson is a local knitting and crochet designer, teacher, and fiber artist. She can be contacted at cchanson3@gmail.com. CROCHETING FROM A CHART: TAPESTRY CROCHET By Carolyn Hanson CREATIVE CORNER By Ellyn Mantell Readers of the SENIOR CORNER may have gathered by now that I am a firm believer in the importance of socializing as we grow older. It is my belief that stimulation and camaraderie lengthen lives, give purpose to the days, and continue to reinforce one’s value. Just as children thrive when spending time with their peers, adults do the same. Sharing stories, game playing, listening to music, exercising, dining and other activities keep our bodies and minds as sharp as possible. Additionally, in my opinion, the tendency toward sadness, negativity and depression are lessened. The aging sees others in similar situations, which potentially shows them coping skills, as well. I am noticing that there is a continuum to the aging process, and not all people experience it in the same way. Even long married couples may experience it differently, which may cause confusion and frustration in many cases. There may be subtle differences in the way one spouse is dealing with a situation that is eye-opening to the other spouse…perhaps an indication of what is to come. A change in the living situation may be in the future, but at this stage, simply having time apart has its benefits. Some Adult Day Care Centers will be open and available five days a week, whereas some may be three times a week. Some are full day, while others, a few hours; some may have transportation and meals, and be subsidized by the government, while others are self-pay. Additionally, aging baby boomers are challenging the medical community for more and more services! Adult Day Care centers focus on providing many of these services for chronic conditions, such as Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia, as well as physical disabilities. Many have a nurse on site, as well as some forms of therapy. These may include speech, physical, occupational, rehabilitation and emotional support therapy. The goal of graceful aging appears to be remaining a vital part of society, even if that “society” is one’s family and friends. Games and puzzles are wonderful for focus and the ability to concentrate and strategize and may be one of the keys to gaining confidence. Each level of achievement goes a long way to reintegrating into one’s community. Pulling up a chair and placing a piece of puzzle on the board may have been something that seemed banal, easy, requiring little thought at another time in life, but at this time of life, it may just be the best motivation possible! ADULT DAY CARE A BLESSING FOR SENIORS SENIOR CORNER It is my belief that stimulation and camaraderie lengthen lives, give purpose to the days, and continue to reinforce one’s value. Just as children thrive when spending time with their peers, adults do the same.
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