Sunday, April 4, 2010

Mini Muk Luks ~ Crochet-Along ~ Part II


Hi! Welcome back and welcome new people to our Mini Muk Luk Crochet-Along!

How are those squares coming? I know some of you are just getting started and others are ready and waiting for Part II. I've decided to post on this project every other day. New friends seem to be finding us all the time and I want them to have a chance to catch up. I also know that many of you are crocheting around work schedules and kiddos and other interests. I'm hoping every other day will be a good pace. Of course this is a blog and these posts aren't going anywhere, so you can crochet at your leisure.

By now you may have figured out that these Mini Muks are basically made out of squares and triangles. We are using the modular crochet technique for fashioning our boots. I have spent the past 24 hours debating with myself over how to present Part II. You see, you can make this design with fewer breaks and loose ends to weave, but I'm afraid it would start to sound pretty confusing. We would have to spend a lot of time thinking about right sides and wrong sides and keeping track of the angles and squares. I have chosen to present this in a more straight forward way even if it means more loose ends to weave.

Speaking of loose ends or tail ends, I do have a method for eliminating a few of them. I will write these instructions in blue ink. If you don't mind sewing in a few extra loose ends, you can just ignore the parts in blue. If you like the idea of saving a little time, go for it!
Pictures - You should be able to click on the pictures to view a larger image.

A couple more Abbreviations:
∆ - triangle
SQ - square
hdc dec - half double crochet decrease

To work hdc dec: YO, insert hook into st, YO, draw up a loop, YO, insert hook into next st, YO, draw up a loop, YO, draw hook throuh all 5 loops on hook.

Part II


Today we will be adding ∆s to our SQs. We have a total of 6 SQs. That's 3 SQs for each leg. Today we'll still be preparing for both legs at once, but in the future we'll take it one leg or Mini Muk at a time.

Two of your SQs will have a ∆ on each side or 4 ∆s. Two of your SQs will have 2 ∆s on adjacent sides. Two of your SQs will have no ∆s. They are ready and waiting for Part III. You can set them aside and give them the day off.

We will be joining our ∆s with the right side of our SQs facing us. You should be able to tell the right and wrong side (front and back) of a square by looking at it. The right side is the side that was facing you as you made the SQ. If you're not sure, lay the SQ on a flat surface. If the edges curl up slightly like a cup, that is the right or front side. If they curl down like a dome, that's the wrong or back side of your SQ.


Joining a ∆ to a SQ
Leave an 8" tail and join Yarn B with a sl st in the st just left of the center st of a corner of your SQ. Ch 1

Row 1: (Carry the tail along through the sts as you work this row.) 2 sc in same st as joining, sc in next 8 sts, 2 sc in next st (total of 12 sc) (Take your remaining tail end and carry it over your working yarn passing it between the working yarn and the hook. This will raise it up to the next row.) ch 2, turn
Row 2: (Con't to carry along the tail end until it runs out.) hdc dec over first 2 sts, hdc in next 8 sts, hdc dec over last two sts. ch 2, turn



Row 3: hdc dec over first 2 sts, hdc in next 6 sts, hdc dec over last two sts. ch 2, turn
Row 4:
hdc dec over first 2 sts, hdc in next 4 sts, hdc dec over last two sts. ch 2, turn
Row 5:
hdc dec over first 2 sts, hdc in next 2 sts, hdc dec over last two sts. ch 2, turn
Row 6:
hdc dec over first 2 sts, hdc dec over last two sts. ch 2, turn
Row 7:
hdc dec over first 2 sts, ch 1, cut yarn leaving a 5 foot tail for use later in our project. Draw this tail through the loop of your last ch 1 st to form a slip knot. It's handy to butterfly this length of yarn so it stays out of your way until you are ready to use it.

To make a butterfly, wrap the yarn around three fingers starting with the end close to the ∆. When you have just a few inches left, remove the loops from your fingers and wrap the remaining inches around the middle of the loops to form a butterfly shape. Tuck the end of your yarn under your last wrap and give a little pull to secure. You just made a butterfly! The cool thing about butterflies is that you can draw from them just like a center pull ball of yarn.


*Note: On SQs with 2∆s, only one of the ∆s needs a butterfly, but the length of that piece of yarn should be longer; approximately 7 feet.

Follow these same directions to make all of your triangles. The center st of each corner is left unworked. We'll take care of them later. Remember, you should have 2 SQs with 4 ∆s, 2 SQs with 2 ∆s and 2 SQs with no triangles.


That's all for Part II. I'll be back with Part III on April 6. Don't be alarmed if you see me post unrelated items between our project posts. I'm a typical Etsy~aholic and I'm always dyeing and making things for Wind Rose Fiber Studio
. I absolutely will not forget about our Mini Muks!

5 comments:

jmk said...

Done! And ready for Part III.

roseworksjewelry said...

Great tutorial! Do you sell tutorials on Etsy? I bet you could make some good money off of 'em...

Jenn said...

Wow, thanks Ruthie!

I've recently begun writing and selling patterns. I have quite a few original designs that I've never published and plans for more.

I do like to give one away from time to time. It's really fun doing crochet-alongs like this one and just sharing with other crocheters.

Anonymous said...

I don't like videos. I prefer patterns.

Suzanne said...

I love the videos, I'm a beginner and it's great to go and make sure I'm doing the stitches properly!