Edie Eckman - Around the corner crochet borders: 150 colorful, creative crocheted edgings with charts & instructions for turning the corner perfectly every time

150 COLORFUL, CREATIVE CROCHETED EDGINGS with charts & instructions for turning the corner perfectly every time

Edie Eckman

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Edited by Gwen Steege and Franny Shuker-Haines Art direction and text design by Cynthia N. McFarland Cover design by Alethea Morrison Text production by Jennifer Jepson Smith

Photography by John Polak Photography, except for pages 59, 147, 151, 159, 191, and 209 by Mars Vilaubi Crochet diagrams and technical edit by Karen Manthey

Indexed by Nancy D. Wood

2010 by Edie Eckman

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Eckman, Edie.
Around the corner crochet borders / by Edie Eckman.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-60342-538-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. CrochetingPatterns. 2. Borders, Ornamental
(Decorative arts) I. Title.
TT820.E346 2010 746.434041dc22

2010001461

To Bill

Twenty-five down, many more to go.

Colorful, lacy, plain or fancy, ruled or straight, small and delicate or large and bold crocheted borders can be all of these things and more. You find them everywhere: on towels, sweaters, afghans, and handkerchiefs, and, increasingly, on the fashion runways. A great border can fulfill a number of roles beautifully. Simple and purely functional borders tidy up an edge, hide yarn ends, control unruly selvedges, hold buttons, and provide button bands. On the other hand, a decorative edging can serve as a focal point of a design or complement the look of whatever it is attached to; a fancy border can make even the most basic afghan something special.

The law in many published edging patterns is that they assume youre working straight across, with no corners or other impediments, whereas, in reality, a right-angled corner is often involved. Think about it: An afghan has four sides, each of which is usually edged. What to do at the corners?

Corners demand special attention. Because they often act as the focal point of the border, they should be an intentional design element, not an afterthought. In addition, you need to consider the geometry of the corner by arranging for increases of some sort, so that the border lies flat. You now have no worries on that score all the borders in this book have had the corner turned for you!

Youll soon discover more ways to stitch a crocheted edging than youve ever imagined. Here, we present a variety of edging styles, all worked lengthwise directly onto an existing fabric. These edgings can be worked onto any kind of fabric: crocheted, knitted, or woven. Many are easy enough for even brand-new crocheters to accomplish; a few require a bit more stitching experience.

We present each pattern as both text and chart worked in the round from the right side, as well as alternate directions in chart form for working each border back and forth, omitting corner stitches (see page 16). If youre new to crochet, or new to chart-reading, dont be afraid! With a little bit of time, and with the help youll get in this section, youll soon be stitching like a pro.

Lets start by exploring some general rules for applying edgings on crocheted and knitted fabrics. (For working a crocheted edging on a woven fabric, see page 18.)

A good foundation is necessary for a successful edging. Working a base round stabilizes the edge and creates a foundation onto which to work the border stitches. A round of single crochet usually works well for this purpose. Take care to work the base-round stitches evenly. If you work the base round in the main color of the piece, any uneven spacing or stitching will be minimized (see example B at right). You can always add another round of stitches in a contrasting color before stitching the edging, if desired.

The instructions in this book give a stitch count for the base round, assuming that the base round is the round immediately preceding the border design you are about to stitch. The instructions dont spell out the base round or indicate where to start and end that round, but you can see the single crochet base round in each photographed sample.

Contrasting color base round (A).The single crochet base round in this example was worked in a different color from the main piece. While the second round of stitches is even, the initial round looks somewhat uneven due to the nature of working into the selvedge edge.

Main color base round (B).In this example, the single crochet base round was worked in the main color, allowing it to blend into the main piece. As in example A above, the second round of stitches looks perfectly even.

On a crocheted piece.Insert hook under both loops of stitches on last row of a crocheted piece.

On the bound-off edge of a knitted piece.Insert hook under both loops of bound-off stitches on a knitted piece.