Wanna play with filet?

[ginamaria73]

thanks!

[Aussie]

I use a technique i learned when crocss stitch was my craft addiction of choice...i use a huighlighter to highlight each stitch (Block) with arrows in pencil to indicate which direction...that way you can still see the blocks, easily can see which row and can see it if you want to do it again. I used to color in with a pencil and erase when finished but that often erased the design as well or if it was my own hand drawn design it would erase the x's i used and bye bye design

 

What a great idea. I have been coloring in the row with pencil but everytime I go back to it I have to work out which way Im going and what part of the row Im upto. Thanks.

[eurolyons]

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8BZuHDlwyaqKOY

 

Okay one filet down, 2 more to go...this is a little sample of a bigger filet that I designed. It's done in #20 cotton and I'll probably make a pillow and sew this on it...

[HomekeepingGran]

Yay, more fileters while I was out this afternoon! Welcome, Birdlady, Patty (CrossB4Me), Cheeria, Patty (DesertCrocheter) and Aussie! I think this is going to be fun. CrossB4Me, I really like your filet doily. It's very pretty.

 

LeAnna, you're showing us so many neat things! I'm so glad you're here to help!

 

And thank you for the tips, LeAnna and Chrissy! I have one to add, too. On my chart I highlighted every 10 columns vertically to help me count the blocks. Then my brilliant husband suggested that I run a loose contrasting color thread through the crochet on those columns so that I have a key on the crochet itself as well as on the chart. It should be a huge help in keeping up.

 

One more idea. I've seen charts labeled on both sides. The right side will have rows with the odd numbers (1,3,5,7, etc.) and the left side will be labeled with even numbers (2,4,6, etc.). Odd numbers read from right to left. Even numbers read from left to right.

[Kaylana]

I just decided to do a large filet project for the "Greek Games" and since I've never done filet at all before I thought it might be a good idea to do something smaller as a warm up. I'd love to do a last name graph for my new inlaws (just got married) for a Christmas present. I've been looking but I haven't found any free instructions on how to make one. Of course I could always get out a pencil and graph paper.

[chrissyf]

I just decided to do a large filet project for the "Greek Games" and since I've never done filet at all before I thought it might be a good idea to do something smaller as a warm up. I'd love to do a last name graph for my new inlaws (just got married) for a Christmas present. I've been looking but I haven't found any free instructions on how to make one. Of course I could always get out a pencil and graph paper.

 

try this link. Celtic Cross stitch is a site that has a chart generator that makes very nice name filet. I used it before i bought my program.

[Kaylana]

Thank you for the link! That's much prettier than anything I could have done with plain old graph paper. I'm currently finishing up a birthday present for my Uncle for this weekend, but I plan on getting started on this not long afterwards.

[CrossB4Me]

Well, I have finished 5 rows on my filet doily and everything is going OK. My yarn/thread is hard to work with, though. It has a ribbon running through the plys of thread, so it likes to separate and pull.

 

One thing I am noticing is, with all of this open work, blocking is going to be a challenge. I've blocked squares before, but that's just at the corners. Do you experienced filet-ers block inside the piece to get the open work to lay so it is shaped properly? Also, I keep reading about using rust-proof pins for blocking. When I go to the craft store, I find steel and nickel-plated steel pins. Can I use one of those, or should I be looking for something else? Any blocking tips are appreciated!

 

I hope everyone else is doing well with their projects!!

 

Patty

[eurolyons]

Well, I have finished 5 rows on my filet doily and everything is going OK. My yarn/thread is hard to work with, though. It has a ribbon running through the plys of thread, so it likes to separate and pull.

 

One thing I am noticing is, with all of this open work, blocking is going to be a challenge. I've blocked squares before, but that's just at the corners. Do you experienced filet-ers block inside the piece to get the open work to lay so it is shaped properly? Also, I keep reading about using rust-proof pins for blocking. When I go to the craft store, I find steel and nickel-plated steel pins. Can I use one of those, or should I be looking for something else? Any blocking tips are appreciated!

 

I hope everyone else is doing well with their projects!!

 

Patty

 

I think the steel ones will work...I think there are stainless steel pins which don't rust...I think quilting pins might work...

 

I don't have any really good blocking tips...I just wet the piece and finger block for the most part...and with my filet pieces, after blocking that way, I'll press with an iron...but other than that, I probably could use some blocking tips myself...

 

Glad you doing fine on your piece...

 

I was working on the name and date filet last night and discovered a design error on my part...and had to do some edit work on the program...lost 3 rows of work...but it's okay, I've got time still before that has to be done and mailed to my brother...and the error is corrected, and that's the most important thing.

[Cheeria]

I also started on my filet crochet project last night but sometime today I have to make a copy of the pattern so I can keep track of which line I am working on for it is hard working from a booklet. I also did some reading to refresh my mind about filet crochet. I am only up to row 2 for row 1 consisted of 141 double crochet and trying to do that when it was time to go to bed was very slow going. Thank you so much for starting this CAL it was just what the doctor ordered. Hugs and blessings

[chrissyf]

Until Corchetville i never blocked... ok so how did I do it you ask..Here it is I just folded the piece and stretched to make the edges straight. Now I block on my cork covered walls... Wet piece and gently wring out. Start in the top corners pin one then make sure the piece is pulled so that the top row is straight then pin the other corner. Then pick a bottom corner pull until the side edge is straight then pin then pull and stretch the last corner until the edges and bottom are straight. The good thing about filet is that if the edges are straight/even the rest will square up nicely. You may find that in a large piece a pin or two might be necessary along the edges to keep it all lined up but you should not need to block too many of your individual squares.

[eurolyons]

Until Corchetville i never blocked... ok so how did I do it you ask..Here it is I just folded the piece and stretched to make the edges straight. Now I block on my cork covered walls... Wet piece and gently wring out. Start in the top corners pin one then make sure the piece is pulled so that the top row is straight then pin the other corner. Then pick a bottom corner pull until the side edge is straight then pin then pull and stretch the last corner until the edges and bottom are straight. The good thing about filet is that if the edges are straight/even the rest will square up nicely. You may find that in a large piece a pin or two might be necessary along the edges to keep it all lined up but you should not need to block too many of your individual squares.

 

Coolness...great tips!

[DesertCrocheter]

Chrissy, thanks for that link! Now I have a project to join the CAL with--a filet of my sis and bil's name for their Christmas gift this year. Thank you! I'm thinking the curtain may be my Greek Games sport, so I wasn't sure I wanted to do start it here. Now, do you edge a filet piece or just leave flat? What kind of edging would look nice on a name panel?

 

The blocking tips are helpful, thanks, but with 2 big dogs and 2 cats, there is no safe flat surface anywhere in my house. I'll figure out something, though. If I cleaned my kitchen, I'd have a counter I could use that would work for panels. If I cleaned my kitchen... <sigh> The counter is the hold all in my house.

 

Patty

[chrissyf]

Patty,

my cats get on everything i crochet. To avoid that i bought cork tiles at Walmart and put them on the wall in my room then to block i pin to the cork it is up on the wall away from evil kitties, has a background so that the filet will show for a picture and when not used as a blocking board can be used for notes.

Sometimes I edge sometimes i don't depends on the item. if i do edge i will use single crochet to help square it all up then it is 1 sc in each stitch across top and bottom three in each corner and two in each row then if you want to edge with fancier stuff you have a nice base to work on.

[eurolyons]

I use those cork tiles for blocking doilies...best investment ever!

[Krakovianka]

Well, thanks to this thread, I finally got out my neglected filet project and did 4 rows. I used the new hook, and even though it is the same size (1mm), the stitches don't seem the same. I'm going to use my old Tulip 1mm on the rest, and hope these rows don't look out of place!

 

My filet piece has increases and decreases, which means it is not a nice neat square or rectangle, and I anticipate blocking will be somewhat difficult.

[HomekeepingGran]

I haven't touched mine today. I caught a virus from grandbabies last week and although I am much better, I am still dragging my tail feathers. I did cut out some dinner napkins which I am sewing for someone to give as a gift. They should at least have the edges ironed down today preparatory to sewing tomorrow. Sigh. It will be nice when they are done and in the mail.

 

I've been considering turning my table runner into a kitchen curtain so that I only have to work one motif and some tabs instead of doing the whole thing twice. I don't particularly WANT a kitchen curtain but might enjoy one for a while.

 

I think I'm just tired.

 

Anyway, isn't it a CAL tradition to do a pictorial of your projects on Fridays? If you possibly can, post a picture of your progress on Friday of this week, although I'm sure no one would mind seeing pictures at any time!

[eurolyons]

I didn't work on any filet today because I was trying in vain to finish the Noah's Ark ghan that was featured on the cover of the recent Crochet! magazine...I'm almost done...so close...I was stitching all the pieces together to then stitch onto the ghan itself...and I added a lot more pieces to it than what was in the original pattern...

 

But maybe tomorrow when the Noah's Ark ghan is done, then I'll work on one of the two filet projects I've still got going...

[HomekeepingGran]

It's always amazing how many things you people work on at the same time. If I try that I don't finish anything. Anyway, I got a few rows of my runner/curtain/whatever-it-turns-out-to-be last night. I've really got to get onto those dinner napkins TODAY plus do a bunch of laundry so I don't think this is going to be a productive filet day. I'll try to pick it up at odd times, though.

 

Patty, how is your doily coming along? Karen, I'm glad this thread provided the impetus for you to start back on your project. Cheeria, it really helps to have a larger chart. I hope you've gotten yours blown up by now. Kaylana, have you started your name filet yet?

[Cheeria]

I ran into a stag in my filet crochet pattern. I am starting on a smaller filet project to refresh my memorty about filet crochet. Than I will attempt to do the praying hands. I do not know maybe I jumped into using size 10 thread to fast so I am going back down to a size 5.

[CrossB4Me]

Thank you for asking about the doily. I got 3 more rows done, then had to frog a row because I read the chart wrong. Filet isn't something to pick up when you're tired. The chart really gives my brain a workout (It could use that!)!! I'm hoping to figure out how to post a pic in the next couple of days. Got a busy weekend coming up, so I may not get much done.

 

Patty

[eurolyons]

Hey ladies...well try as I might I couldn't finish the Noah ghan the other day and yesterday, no Noah ghan, no filet and not much of anything got done...however, I'm bound and determined to work on some filet tonight...but the Noah ghan HAS TO BE DONE TODAY, because it's going out in the mail TOMORROW!

 

Happy fileting everyone.

[HomekeepingGran]

Cheeria, I'm sorry you're having to start over. It will be pretty in #5, though. Can't wait to see it!

 

Patty, tired is partly why I didn't work on mine last night either. Funny how the brain will just shut off when the muscles have had it.

 

LeAnna, you are one determined lady. Once your Noah ghan is done you are going to speed ahead, I bet.

 

Here is my small beginning. It doesn't look like much because it isn't much yet. You see the bottom border and a few rows. I think it's folded up but there are a few block filled to start the lower bit of flower bouquet. I'm still trying to get some sewing done and really didn't do much of anything yesterday but for a little laundry and cooking supper. Maybe this weekend?

 

[eurolyons]

Carla, really nice so far...thanks for sharing...I'll be taking pics later and posting sometime tonight my time...

[ginamaria73]

Looks like a lot to me!