Filet tutorials

[Alnee]

Hi Everyone!

 

Soooooo... in another thread everyone was telling me that if I can do the basic crochet stitches filet will not be hard at all. I resisted the urge to jump in because I just do not need another project with a new technique on my plate... that was until my husband stumbled across an afghan that is just GORGEOUS and of course done in filet! He talked me into buying the pattern and I now think I have made a huge mistake! LOL This is the pattern I bought: http://www.craftdesigns4you.com/crofiletlthouseafghan.htm and it looks like it may just kick my butt doing it! I would not need to have it done until Christmas so I can take my time, etc... but I need to find somewhere to start with the basics of learning this technique and maybe do a couple small sample pieces for practice. Any suggestions?

[joules]

try this one that someone on here linked .....

 

http://www.smartcrochet.com/tutorial.shtml

[happy stitcher]

The good news is that pattern looks much more difficult than it is. The directions below say that it's all half-double crochet, but what it really means is that it's chains and half-double. Each square in the pattern is a square in your stitching. It will be easy to follow, just remember to count and use the rest of the pattern to help you be certain you're putting the spaces in the right places. The tutorial Julie posted is the only one I know about, but there's a ASN book called "Learn to do Filet Crochet in Just One Day" that is very good.

[happy stitcher]

This might help: http://crafts.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Filet_Crochet

There are also some videos on youtube.

[Crochet_Gram]

This might help: http://crafts.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Filet_Crochet

There are also some videos on youtube.

 

Even Better might be the class that is being offered here on the ville by Kathy White. I have taken one of her classes before and the instruction is great. Of course now that I have seen the pattern, I am going to have to do it for myself. :yes

[Granny Square]

Take a deep breath. It is not much more difficult than doing a solid blanket in hdc (not to say that isn't a large volume undertaking in itself!)

 

The only difference is, assuming you are following a graph, each box on the graph is (guessing) either a hdc or a chain stitch. I doubt if this is traditional filet using such a short stitch.

 

You might be confused if you try to follow some of the tutorials mentioned above - in tradtional filet, US double crochet and chains are used, and there are 3 stitches per mesh (graph square). Though, when you go to do traditional filet, Smart Crochet and Haas Designs are good tutorials. Avoid the tutorials that say anything about sharing stitches, they are confusing and just plain wrong.

 

One thing to remember: when following the graph, you will read one row right to left, the next left to right. I like to pencil in the row number at the point I finished a row, which leaves me with odd numbers on 1 side and even on the other. This keeps my place and tells me which direction to work next if I put the work down. I also put a ruler ABOVE the row I'm working; example if I'm on row 4, I expose rows 1-4 of the chart and hide rows 5 and up. This helps cut down on counting squares all the way across, as you can follow the pattern with relation to other things - after the seagull wingtip, 10 solid squares then start the lighthouse for example.

[Alnee]

Thanks everyone for the links and information! And reassurance that this hopefully will not be too difficult of a pattern to figure out! I figure if I can do graphghans then I should be able to follow this pattern. I just feel in love with it when I saw it! I am going to wait for my book to arrive I think and then go from there. I have looked up the general idea as to what it is and the general idea of what is done but still have some confusion. I think it is something that will be worked out when I start doing it though. I plan to try some small projects tonight with some scrap yarn just to see how it goes.

 

I thought about the online class that is being offered. I just dont know how successful I will be in committing myself to it and the projects, etc. I am beginning my Christmas gift projects so it will be work on this one if someone is around, that one if someone else is near, etc so that hopefully no one sees the project I am working on for them... not sure that will be successful with hubby's!

[Alnee]

Just thought that I would post an update. My pattern arrived yesterday!

 

It is not written anything at all like I was expecting. It reminds me of the graphs I print out in PC Stitch... You literally start with a chain of like 150 or something like that and there are the same number of blocks on the graph. Each empty square is a HDC and each shaded one is a ch1 and skip HDC. It should be very simple to follow... although I have to admit that I am almost kinda sad that it is not a "traditional" filet so I will still be left learning the technique and reading the graph down the road. It will still be beautiful! I just wish it was not so far down on my list of projects right now... sadly I am stuck working on an afghan that I just really do not want to be doing...

[magiccrochetfan]

I think you could also use the chart for traditional filet, just do a solid block for the hdc, and an open mesh for the space. the proportions might be off, but you could try making the solid blocks with triple crochet sts instead of double. it would be interesting to swatch a bit of it with different size sts and see how it turns out. you would need to use smaller yarn though to keep it from being giant-sized, as you would have so many more stitches.

 

Maybe the afghan you don't want to do will accidentally get lost so you can move on to the ones you want to do!

[RoseRed]

I just took a close look at the ghan and I really don't think it's actually filet. It looks more like 1 st per block on the chart. Some people call anything charted and worked in a solid color is filet.

 

If it is 1 st per block then it's just a charted ghan. If it's 3 sts per block then it's filet but I've never heard of filet being worked with hdc.

 

What does the pattern say?

[Alnee]

The pattern calls it filet... but I agree it does not look like filet. It has a graphed pattern that has a a shaded spot in every other square where the pattern in... in that shaded spot you would chain one and skip a hdc to make the small hole... it is worked completely in hdc. Since it was listed as a filet pattern it just really caught me by surprise.

 

Either way it is a pretty pattern and I am looking forward to making it! I kinda like the idea it uses to do the pattern so that you do not get as much of the mesh look. I always think that the afghans with more mesh look more decorative (but gosh they are beautiful!)

[RoseRed]

Then it's not filet. It may have been made with a filet program but it's just a charted ghan.

 

This makes it much easier for you.