irish lace Archives - Hobbyist on the Road

Posted on August 19, 2020March 9, 2021 by Vytene — Leave a comment

Three Stylized Crochet Peonies

First things first, I am not really sure I should be calling these Stylized crochet flowers, Peonies. I only called them stylized Crochet Peonies after I’ve crocheted them and could not think of any other flower they resemble. So I went with the name of Peony because I managed to convince myself that they look somewhat like peonies. 🙂

But if you have any other suggestions, let me know!

At the moment I am developing a larger Irish crochet project, a dress.

Since I want to make this new dress completely my own, I have to create all design elements from scratch.

These stylized crochet Peony flowers are the first elements I have created for the new dress that’s currently residing in my head.

I thought I’d better share the pattern for the Stylized Crochet Peonies with you now since I have no idea when the completed project will see the light of day! I am sure though, it will take a while…

So if you are interested in these applique peony motifs I have the links to this pattern on Ravelry, Etsy and this website below.

Materials used:

For this flower, I am using thread 100g/ 450m approx. and a 1mm size hook.

I don’t have an exact thread brand, as it’s a thread I’ve had for years and the label has been lost.

You can use any size of yarn and hook, it all depends on what you want to use the flower for. Just keep in mind that the larger the hook and yarn size, the larger and chunkier the flower will be.

These stylized crochet peonies look really lovely with some color variations:

What can you do with your Peonies?

Here are some suggestions:

Frame them – it’s absolutely wonderful to have an original picture at home, brightening up a dull corner. Those pale pastel colours look really beautiful and go well with so many other interior decor elements.

2. Use the small Peony as an applique décor element on your outfits.

3. Incorporate the stylized peonies into an Irish crochet project – a napkin, picture with lace, cushion cover or a little handbag.

For the purposes of demonstration, I quickly crocheted some lace for the Peonies, so as to give you an idea of how they would look.

Ideally, I should have used a thinner thread for the lace, but as I am travelling at the moment, I have to use the materials I’ve got with me.

So the StylizedCrochet Peonies Flowers pattern is complete and I am off to create another element for my new Irish crochet project.

Get this Stylized Crochet Peonies Pattern:

Create beauty one stitch at a time!

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Posted on July 15, 2020July 16, 2020 by Vytene — 3 Comments

Irish Crochet Dress: Finished

Two and a half years since the start of the project, my Irish Crochet Dress is finally properly finished – done and dusted, completed, finito! 😀

And on a quiet Sunday afternoon, I was able to have a photoshoot I’d been looking forward to for quite a while now 🙂

One final consideration before wearing the dress was the colour of the undergarment.

Since this is a see-through dress, the colour of the undergarment has an important impact on the finished look.

As you are looking through the pictures below, notice how the look of the dress changes depending on the undergarment colour.

In some pictures, I am wearing a black undergarment, whereas in others, a light coloured one.

In the two pictures above the dress is worn with a black undergarment.

Two pictures below have light undergarment is the base for the dress.

As you can see from the pictures above, this question of what to wear under the Irish crochet dress is an important one.

For example in this case, the black undergarment lends the dress a more dramatic look, whereas the lighter one seems to tone down the details.

And to finish this series, here are a few close-ups:

One of those dark nights as I was completing the dress, I thought to myself this has been my first and is going to be my LAST Irish lace dress…

NEVER again!!! I thought to myself…

But now, as I’ve completed the dress, and have had a chance to enjoy it a little, I’m not so sure anymore…

…another Irish Lace Dress project just might happen at some stage in not too far off future… 🙂 who knows…

Create beauty one stitch at a time! (Even if it takes you over two years to finish!)

Previous posts in this series:

5 Irish Crochet Lessons for First-Timers

2. Irish Crochet Dress: Main Rose

3. Irish Crochet Rose Finished

4. Irish Crochet Dress: Elements Completed

5. Irish Crochet Dress: Design

6. Irish Crochet Dress: Lace

7. Irish Crochet Dress: Picture Emerging

8. Irish Crochet Dress: A Quick Update

9. Irish Crochet Dress: Trying It On for the First Time

10. Irish Crochet Dress: Working On Sleeves

11. Irish Crochet Dress: The Annoying Bit

Want to learn the Irish Crochet technique with an easy project?

Click HERE for a perfect starter project.

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Posted on May 12, 2020March 9, 2021 by Vytene — 1 Comment

Choker Collar – a Basic Irish Crochet Project

This crochet choker collar started out as a request from some crocheting friends of mine, who have never tried Irish crochet technique before. They asked for a small and simple Irish lace project so as to understand how this crochet technique works.

So after looking through the options available, I created a small basic Irish lace project – a crochet choker collar.

This project involves only a few basic Irish crochet motifs and, as Irish crochet projects go, is quick to make.

The skill level: elementary. All you need to know is Ch, SC, HDC, DC, and Sl St.

With this crochet choker collar project, I wanted to show you that even if you use the most basic of crochet motifs and stitches, you can still create something gorgeous in Irish crochet technique.

In fact, after looking through thousands of pictures online, I keep coming back to the same conclusion – more complicated motifs don’t equal better-looking items.

A lot depends on the materials used and the design decisions taken. Plus how you match your crochet accessory with other items in your outfit is also very important.

Materials I used for this crochet choker collar project:

0.6mm hook for the motifs (flowers, leaves, etc.)

0.5mm hook for the lace

You can buy small size hooks HERE

Yarn for the motifs:

N8 Retors d’Alsace DMC, you can get it from Casa Cenina

Threads & Yarns – DMC – Retors d’Alsace #8

Egypto 16 for rose variation 2, you can get it from MAFIL HERE

Yarn for the lace:

N12 Retors d’Alsace DMC, you can get it from Casa Cenina

Threads & Yarns – DMC – Retors d’Alsace #12

You can use any size of yarn and hook, but keep in mind that the larger the hook and yarn size, the larger and chunkier your choker will be.

Do you want a pattern tutorial for this choker collar?

This crochet choker collar will make a perfect accessory for your own outfits or a unique gift for those who appreciate handmade items.

Here are a few ideas on how to wear your crochet choker collar:

Wear it together with a pearl necklace or another color-coordinated piece of jewelry.

2. Wear it with a long string of pearls and turn the choker around so as your ‘back’ would become your ‘front’:

3. Wear it as a bracelet:

4. On a cooler day, you could also wear the choker on your shirt collar:

5. Another variation that could be possible but may require some adjustments is wearing it as a hairband. But for that, we would have to think of a way of fixing it to the hair.

To learn how to crochet this choker collar in Irish lace technique, get a downloadable PDF Pattern:

Create beauty one stitch at a time!

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Posted on April 30, 2020April 26, 2020 by Vytene — Leave a comment

Irish Crochet Dress: Trying It on for the First Time

Finally, I tried it on for the first time…

… as if by some sort of quiet magic, on a dark and rainy Saturday evening, I crocheted the last bit of lace, completing the main body of my Irish lace dress…

Irish lace dress - trying it on for the first time

…which means, almost 2.5 years after I’ve started working on it, I can finally try the dress on FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER and see what it actually looks like on me.

So here it is, the first proper glimpse.

To tell you the truth, I was a bit anxious for a few moments before taking a look at the mirror. After all, it could have been a total disaster…

As you will see, this is just a rough, unfinished ‘first draft’.

After that first time look at the mirror, the good news is, I didn’t see any major flaws which would require me to redo large sections of the dress. Phew…

But of course, there are a number of things that’ll need adjusting.

For example, some flowers and leaves are a bit stretched when on the body and got slightly displaced. So I will have fix that.

I also see that I’ll have to fill in the small spaces between some of the branches, which I originally thought would be nice to keep void. I just think it will look better if I filled those spaces.

As you can see in the pictures, some flowers and leaves are a bit wonky and loose (I didn’t connect them properly). They’ll have to be readjusted and then ironed when the dress is finished.

Also, when crocheting the lace flat on the table, I thought the dress was going to be a bit loose as I was quite generous with adding some extra lines of lace.

But it turns out the lace hugs the body and sits quite close to the skin.

I think this has mainly to do with the dress design I modeled the lace on, which is a classic fitted style. This basically means that putting on even a bit of weight would be a no no 🙂

So what else is there to be done?

1. Sleeves.

The moment the excitement of actually being able to wear the dress passes, I’ll crack on with the sleeves.

My plan is to crochet sleeves that would cover 3/4 of the arm, I find it a very elegant sleeve length.

I’m planning to use darker yarn for the sleeves the way I did for the sides of the dress, so as to achieve a slimming effect.

I absolutely adore that light green yarn colour I used for the middle of the dress and many background elements. The trouble is that if I used it for the sleeves, the arms would look larger, as light colours tend to give the illusion of a larger frame.

Although I’ll see how I go, I might add some light green lace towards the bottom of the sleeve.

Now as I am writing this, I’ve realized I’ll also have to make a decision whether to keep my sleeves detail-heavy or detail-light, where I’d have just a few details running down the sleeve and the rest would be lace.

Let’s see, I’m still not sure.

The original design I bought instructions for was sleeveless, so I have no guidance here, will just have to trust my instincts.

That’s the beauty of Irish Crochet, it’s a fluid process with no strict rules. This makes it easier to correct mistakes or readjust your design as you go along.

2. Sewing in the ends of the threads.

Once I’m happy with my sleeves and how the dress turns out, I’ll have to hide all those pesky ends of yarn – hundreds of them 🙁

I’m leaving them now because I want to know exactly where the end of a thread is if I need to redo a section. So they’ll be hanging around until I’m completely satisfied with the dress.

3. Sparkly beads.

When everything is finished and the dress is ironed, I’ll also add some sparkly beads around the neckline. After all, it’s a dress for special occasions where a bit of sparkle is always welcome 🙂

I’ve already added some beads to the main flower. I like that they are almost invisible in the daytime and will have that eye-teasing effect in the evening.

So that’s where I am and where I’m going 😀
Still some distance to go, but the end is in sight :-DDD

Create beauty one stitch at a time!

Previous posts in this series:

5 Irish Crochet Lessons for First-Timers

2. Irish Crochet Dress: Main Rose

3. Irish Crochet Rose Finished

4. Irish Crochet Dress: Elements Completed

5. Irish Crochet Dress: Design

6. Irish Crochet Dress: Lace

7. Irish Crochet Dress: Picture Emerging

8. Irish Crochet Dress: A Quick Update

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Posted on April 26, 2020April 26, 2020 by Vytene — Leave a comment

Irish Crochet Dress: A Quick Update

Quick update irish crochet dress back finished

A quick update on my Irish crochet lace dress in progress.

The back is finished! Yay!

Quick Update Irish Crochet Dress - the back is finished

As I’ve written before, I still have the sides and sleeves to crochet, but the encouraging thing is that I finally feel I am approaching the finish line!

Although somewhat slowly… 🙂

Quick Update Irish Crochet Dress - sides to be completed

This is a much happier feeling than the one I had when I finished the front of the dress, it was just so daunting to think how much I still have to do…

…and now I feel a rush of enthusiasm to keep pushing forward!

Create beauty one stitch at a time!

Previous posts in this series:

5 Irish Crochet Lessons for First-Timers

Irish Crochet Dress: Main Rose

Irish Crochet Rose Finished

Irish Crochet Dress: Elements Completed

Irish Crochet Dress: Design

Irish Crochet Dress: Lace

Irish Crochet Dress: Picture Emerging

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