Crochet yarn for alphas
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Arkengheis
Bracelet King
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2 months, 3 weeks ago by Arkengheis
Hi 🙂 has anyone ever tried using (cheap) cotton yarn for an alpha wall hanging ? I want to make one but bigger than with embroidery floss, and I have lots of yarn
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lynx123
Bracelet King
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2 months, 3 weeks ago by lynx123
I use cheap crochet cotton for all my bracelets, you can look at my photos and see if you like the look of it
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Arkengheis
Bracelet King
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2 months, 3 weeks ago by Arkengheis
@lynx123 they look beautiful, but your yarn looks much more like embroidery floss than the stuff I'm using ^^ I decided to try anyway so we'll see how it goes !
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emiliecw
Professional
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2 months, 3 weeks ago by emiliecw
I have tried with both worsted (weight 4) and DK (weight 3) cotton. I didn’t like the results. The slant of the knots is much more pronounced, resulting in a herringbone effect, so that the design is not as clear. And the stitches are longer than they are wide, so the design is stretched out. If you figure out how to make it look good, I want to know because I also have tons of crochet yarn and want to make bigger hangings. Note: fingering and sport weight mercerized cotton work great.
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emiliecw
Professional
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2 months, 3 weeks ago by emiliecw
I just realized that this could probably be done using thicker yarn very nicely using a vertical clove hitch macrame technique. I am going to try this as soon as I finish my current project.
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Arkengheis
Bracelet King
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2 months, 3 weeks ago by Arkengheis
@emiliecw i'm now about 2/3 through my alpha with yarn, and it's not as bad as i feared. I used 2 strings for each base string, and it resulted in (for the first time!) actually square sized knots ! my work is not elongated. The knots are slanted though, but they always are for me. One drawback is the lack of colors I had. I made due but it could be better 🙂 I should be done next week and i'll update then !
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emiliecw
Professional
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2 months, 3 weeks ago by emiliecw
I am actually partway through my vertical clove hitch project (also using double string as the base) and I realized something: The reverse side of an alpha is vertical clove hitch, and vice versa! The reason my last projects were turning out with out-of-proportion stitches is that I was using a single strand. That being said, I am really digging the vertical clove hitch. Color changing is easier than on flat alphas. I hope to see your project when it is complete!
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Arkengheis
Bracelet King
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2 months, 2 weeks ago by Arkengheis
@emiliecw i finished my yarn wall hanging ! here is it : #174838 Overall, knotting it was nice, it was the first i did not use the clean back alpha technique (since it goes against a wall, it doesn't really matter, compared to my usual keychains). I did try at first and it made awfully big knots so I gave up. I like that the finished result is super sturdy, and the slant in the knots gives it character 🤪I checked your pics and the christmas tree seems to be the project you were talking about ? Looks great ! makes it look like pixel art way more than normal knots, love it 🙂 |
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emiliecw
Professional
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2 months, 2 weeks ago by emiliecw
@Arkengheis - It looks great! Yes, the Christmas three was what I was talking about. I used a worsted weight cotton. I am now working on a calavera/sugar skull (my own design) using DK weight cotton. I am extremely pleased with using these larger yarns for wall hangings and decorations. I am also not bothering with carrying the yarns across the back for wall hangings, but I might for smaller Christmas tree ornaments. What kind of yarn did you use?
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Arkengheis
Bracelet King
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2 months, 2 weeks ago by Arkengheis
@emiliecw I used this super cheap coton yarn, so cheap it doesn't say anything other than cotton on the package haha. And all the colors didn't have the same weight, but it still worked outHere's a link if you want to see : https://www.action.com/fr-fr/p/2542587/fil-de-coton-alison-mae-essentials/ |
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emiliecw
Professional
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2 months, 2 weeks ago by emiliecw
@Arkengheis Wow - that is a really good price! Even pricier yarn has differences in thickness due to the dyeing process. They all start out the same, but the darker and brighter ones soak up more dye. So white and light colors are almost always a bit thinner.
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emiliecw
Professional
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2 months, 2 weeks ago by emiliecw
@Arkengheis - just finished my second "alpha" using cotton yarn and the vertical clove hitch - see #174935. My new favorite method for wall hangings!
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Arkengheis
Bracelet King
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2 months, 2 weeks ago by Arkengheis
@emiliecw wow that looks amazing ! and pretty big, how big did it end up being ?
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Arkengheis
Bracelet King
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2 months, 2 weeks ago by Arkengheis
and interesting about the yarn, i had no idea 😲 and yup you can't beat that price, but it's pretty shit, doesn't feel great yk
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emiliecw
Professional
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2 months, 2 weeks ago by emiliecw
@Arkengheis - yeah, some of the cheaper cotton feels pretty stiff. Although it softens over time, working with it can be tough. The pattern part of the skull wallhanging (excluding the rod and the fringe) is 11x14cm. I used DK (weight 3) yarn, which is thinner than normal worsted (weight 4). Still, a really nice size for an alpha with 37 strings!
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Lupa
Bracelet King
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2 months ago by Lupa
@Arkengheis Very often I am knotting with "Capri". There u get round about 100 meters for 1,50 € - 1,70 €.
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BabyWren12
Bracelet King
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2 months ago by BabyWren12
@emiliecw @Arkengheis so I just popped in here and am pretty new to alphas so are u guys talking about string for base strings or string for tying string? also after u have done this "experiment" what is ur overall choice?
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emiliecw
Professional
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2 months ago by emiliecw
@BabyWren12 - I am talking about both the base strings and the tying strings. In my experience, the base strings should be about double the size of the tying strings - otherwise the pattern becomes elongated. You can either use a thicker yarn for the base (see my photo from #38694 for an example) OR use the same size and tie around both strings from your lark's head (see my photos from #174935 and #158675). On #111046, I actually used a slightly thicker string for the base AND doubled it up. I personally prefer to use yarn over embroidery floss. And, as you can see, I am not tying the traditional alpha knot, but rather doing a vertical clove hitch (also called a double half hitch) knot - which I also prefer. |
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Arkengheis
Bracelet King
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2 months ago by Arkengheis
@BabyWren12 yup, we were talking about both. For all of my alphas I use yarn as the base (#174837 #175668) but for this one I used double strands for the base strings and one yarn strand for the leading string (#174838)
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BabyWren12
Bracelet King
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2 months ago by BabyWren12
@emiliecw @Arkengheis thanks! What kind of string do u prefer for the base?
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