I have some new projects that I want to work on, which obviously means testing techniques and patterns! Top of my list right now is this interesting semi-circular pattern which looks simple at first glance.
Can you see the tricky part?
I do like working up patterns that don’t look like anything much unless you really know crochet, and this one is special (while looking quite pedestrian) because I’m working all the rows facing forward. Yes, I’m working back and forth as normal, but I’m working the left-to-right row with my left hand – which means the front of the row faces the same direction as the right-to-left row! The mirrored stitches produce the lovely curved V you see in the middle.
The other thing I’m working on with this swatch is figuring out a way to give it a straight edge on either side. Obviously the centre of the semi-circle needs increases to shape the rows, but I don’t want it to expand forever. I need the sides to work straight, and that means shaping and moving some stitches there as well. I’ve tested some different variations, but I think what I’ll likely go with is stopping the row early, then adding a half-double, single, and then some slip stitches to smooth out the corner before slip-stitching up into the next row. More testing is needed there!
I’m also testing these very tall stitches. The final row here is a set of trebles with an additional interlock to the previous stitch in the middle. I’m not sure if it works, though. The effect is interesting but I haven’t quite managed to keep the interlock consistent across the row, so this could be a bust.
Crochet testing is always fun, and always worthwhile!