Spinning Yarns

Too Hot To Handle Bag

October 17, 2021 by Liz-DVD

A blond woman in a white sweater is holding p a blue crochet purse and is looking through the hole made by the handle

Too Hot To Handle Bag Crochet Pattern

Meet my newest crochet pattern, the Too Hot To Handle Bag! I went full out, no holds barred with a lacy, shell pattern to make it All. About. That. Handle.

The body of the purse is just straight single crochet until you turn and work the shell pattern to create the handles. It’s an intermediate crochet pattern, but if if you’re a adventurous beginner, I say go for it! You’ll need to know how to single crochet, double crochet, and slip stitch.

Materials

Size 3.75 mm / Size F crochet hook (or size to meet gauge)
450 yds MC / 60 yds CC (or 510 yds of a single color for a monochromatic look) DK or light Worsted weight yarn
Two 12” x 1/4” dowel rods
1/2” D-rings
Purse strap

Yarn

I used Hobbii Amigo XL in Dark Blue Melange for the body of my bag. The CC is Hobbii Starlight Soft in Seafoam. The Starlight yarn is an acrylic yarn with reflective thread worked in. I thought having a reflective element made for a fun detail for a purse!

Accessibility

You know it wouldn’t be a Different View Design pattern if it didn’t have a little some special and fun to make it usable and accessible for many different people!

This purse has 5 different, interchangeable strap options!

Clutch (no strap)
Crossbody
Shoulder Bag
Backpack
Wheelchair bag

Instructions for making your purse in all 5 configurations are included in the pattern!

A manual wheelchair is shown from the back. A blue crocheted purse is hanging from the back by an olive bag strap

A blonde woman stands looking out at a nature walk. She holds a blue crocheted purse with the handle in the crook of her elbow.

I love to see what you make! Tag @differentviewdesigns and use #TooHotToHandleBag on social.

Too Hot To Handle Pattern Videos

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Abstractions Shawl

June 19, 2021 by Liz-DVD

Purchase the PDF Patern

Pattern On Ravelry

Pattern On Lovecrafts…coming soon!

Pin for Later

A blue and green shawl is draped over a wooden fence. Some evergreen branches are in front of the shawl on the right side.

Abstractions Shawl Inspiration

It’s confession time for me friends! ….I have yet to fall in love with the traditional shawl.

Let’s break it down, shall we…shawl we? #knittingpun

I love scarves! I continue to make and buy more of them. I have waaaaaayyyyyy too many. Can’t stop, won’t stop. Even with the plethora of scarves, I’ve been looking for a piece I could easily throw over my shoulders. Not draped as a triangle scarf in front, but something that sits well across my shoulders with minimal adjustment. Triangle shawls have a long, straight top edge that tapers to a point. That straight edge just doesn’t lie nicely when draped over a 3D body.

So I started researching other shawl types. I was drawn to Faroese shawls, with their center panel and shoulder shaping. That got me thinking, why not just shape a shawl like you would shape a sweater? Raglan shaping is one way to take a 2D fabric and make it 3D. So why not use this technique to make a shawl?

Note: I am not the first person to use raglan shaping for a shawl. Far from it! I wanted to lay out my design thoughts so you could see if this shawl would be something you would want to make and wear.

Abstractions Shawl – What’s in a Name?

The name for this shawl was drawn from the yarn I selected. The MC is a yarn dyed up by the talented Odd Knots and Threads inspired by the Van Gogh painting Starry Night. Starry Night was painted from Van Gogh’s memory or imagination. This is contrasted against how he typically painted, by painting what he saw. Abstractions vs Realism. I paired this yarn with a CC from Montana Crochet (and OOAK yarn) that I thought mimicked the colors in the tree in the painting almost perfectly!

Wear it multiple ways!

This shawl pattern also includes an option to turn your shawl into a shrug! I realized since I loved the drape of this piece so much it would look super cute as a shrug. I love for all my pieces to wearable and customizable!

Abstractions Shawl Tutorials

I wanted to add in a section for tutorials. This is an intermediate knitting pattern but I think it’s totally doable for beginners that like a challenge and want to learn new techniques!

Note that I am a “left handed knitter” (I hold the yarn in my right hand and knit continental style) so my videos may look backward to you! But the technique is the same, just flipped if you are a “right handed knitter”

Crochet Cast-On

M1L, M1R

Right Leaning Double Decrease

Specifically Version 2 in this tutorial, starting at 1:33.

Pick up and knit stitches

Make sure for this pattern that you are picking up stitches under both bars of the stitch. This will ensure that you get a nice edging before you add the I-cord bind off.

I-cord bind off

Open Knotwork Pattern

**NOTE! This stitch in the Abstractions Shawl pattern is a bit different to take into account the increases and decreases!! To note here is how the knots line up diagonally. This is the effect we want for our shawl. If you are working the pattern and are ever confused about how your knots are lining up, here’s a good way to check. The YO of the knots should fall in between the 2 stitches from the knot below.

Conference Call Cardi

May 1, 2021 by Liz-DVD

A blond woman wearing a black dress and green knit cardigan is walking toward the camera.

ALS Auction Participants:

Read through this blog post to learn about the Conference Call Cardi! The listing on the auction site is for a finished cardigan, not just the pattern. Together we will select the perfect yarn color and fiber for you and I will hand-knit the piece to fit you (or your recipient)! This Cardi is available to fit bust sizes 30 – 62 inches! Lead time for me to produce the finished piece is 3-4 weeks.

The Conference Call Cardi is designed to be comfortable for individuals in a wheelchair (read more below) and could be an amazing gift for someone battling ALS!

Questions about the Conference Call Cardi? Drop me an email!

Interested in purchasing a finished Conference Call Cardi, knit specifically to fit you? Head over to the ALS Auction to bid!

Buy the Intermediate Knitting Pattern

Pin for later

Buy the pattern on Lovecrafts

Buy the pattern on Ravelry

Hi Friends! I’m excited to introduce the Conference Call Cardi. This piece has been in the works for a while. It took multiple frogged attempts but it turned out so super cute…in my humble opinion, haha!

Conference Call Cardi

The Conference Call Cardi is a piece I designed after almost of year of working from home due to Covid. I was privileged enough to have the ability to WFH, and I’m not gonna lie, it been amazing! (Introverts Unite…Separately! In your own homes!). Throw on comfy jeans or leggings with a t-shirt and I’m ready to work! Of course every now and then I need to turn on my camera for a video conference call. On each video call I caught myself wishing I had a quick top to throw on that would look professional but still be comfy! Enter the Conference Call Cardi! She’s cropped, so it doesn’t pool at your hip when seated. She’s got little shorty sleeves, cause let’s face it, we don’t need more heat during stressful meetings!! I didn’t put any closures on this piece. I always think that cardigans, jackets, and blazers look nicer unbuttoned when seated anyway. That’s why men always unbutton their jackets when they sit down, right? It’s more comfortable and look better. If you prefer a closure, try a cute shawl pin or even a magnetic closure for a clean look!

Accessibility

Each of my designs is designed to honor my mom and her battle with ALS. She loved looking put together but always comfortable. I remember her rocking beautiful scarves as a way of self expression. I want each piece i make to be something she would wear and love!

This piece is particularly cute for anyone in a seated posture. A few years after my mom’s ALS diagnosis she was mostly seated in a wheelchair or in a recliner when at home.

Regular cardigans could be a bit too long for people who spend most, or all, of their time in a seated posture. I designed this piece to be just cropped enough to hit right at the hip crease when seated. No pooling fabric as the hips ensures the stop lies flat and looks amazing!

The short sleeves also mean no sleeve cuffs to get in the way of manual wheelchair operation. This piece is easily layerable for more warmth, but no worries messing up beautiful hand-knit cuffs on wheelchair wheels. It also can provide a bit more mobility than longer, bulkier sleeves.

No closures. For anyone that experiences limited hand mobility or dexterity, buttons and other traditional fasteners can be hard to manipulate. So the Conference Call Cardi has a simple, open front design.

Pattern Specs:

Fit: Designed to fit with 3-5 in of positive ease.

Sizing: XS (S, M, L,XL) (2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL) to fit a bust size of 30 (34, 38, 42, 46) (50, 54, 58, 62) in or 76 (86.5, 96.5, 106.5, 117) (127, 137, 147.5, 157.5) cm.

Materials:

Approximately 595 (705, 785, 860, 920) (1050, 1085, 1230, 1300) of worsted weight, category 4 yarn.
Size US 10 / 6mm knitting needles
Tapestry needle and scissors

Styling

Keep it Casual

Wear it with PJ bottoms…cause let’s face it, we all know that’s what’s going on when we’re working from home!

Pair it with Jeans

Jeans are a staple in my closet. And you know what, I’m rocking my skinnies no matter what someone says on TikTok. Since the Conference Call Cardi is cropped and short sleeve it pairs well with any style of jeans. Wear a simple tank or a long sleeve shirt if you want to layer.

Liz, a blond woman is standing in her backyard wearing jeans, a green knit short sleeve cardigan, and black flats.

Or Shorts

The Conference Call Cardi is short sleeved so wear it with ease even when the weather is warmer. Paired with shorts and sandals, its an adorable spring, fall, or even summer look!

Liz, a blond woman is looking into the camera after flipping her hair. She’s wearing a green short sleeve knit cardigan, white tank, and white shorts with pink flowers.

Wear over a dress or maxi skirt

A piece like this is the perfect topper for a dress or maxi skirt. It can break up a monochromatic outfit with a perfect pop of color. Works with a belt too! Since it’s cropped, wear a stand out belt or other statement piece!

Grab your pattern today!

And don’t forget to Pin this for later!

CI Hat FAQ

November 22, 2020 by Liz-DVD

A woman looks off into the woods. She is wearing glasses and a navy blue cochlear implant hat. She has a CI with an earpiece shown in a pocket on the hat and the transmitter is on her scalp under an opening in the hat.

What are the size options for CI Hats?

I can make hats sized for Children, and Adults.
Child size: Unstretched 16.5 in/41.5 cm, Stretched 21 in/52.5 cm
Adult size: Unstretched 19.75 in/49cm, Stretched 24 in/60cm

What CI options are available?

Single ear CI (left or right), bilateral CI

Can get a “Mommy and Me” set with one CI Hat and a matching hat with no CI adaptations?

Yes!! I got you! Reach out to differentviewdesigns@gmail.com for a custom order!

What kind of CIs do these hats work with?

I designed this hat to work with the CIs with a separate sound processor earpiece and transmitter. I have gotten feedback that the opening also works for the single sound processor types as well! A woman looks off into the woods. She is wearing glasses and a navy blue cochlear implant hat. She has a CI with an earpiece shown in a pocket on the hat and the transmitter is on her scalp under an opening in the hat. A toddler looks away from the camera. She is wearing a pink hat with an opening for her cochlear implant sound processor.

Will the CI be secure in this hat?

CI types with an earpiece sit inside a pocket. There is a removable loop that can fit over the front of the earpiece. There is also an option for a small safety pin or lobster clasp that can attach to the cord to add extra security.

So these are hand made. How long do they take to make?

I can make a hat in a few hours. If I could do nothing but knit all the time I could crank out lots of hats. I’m juggling my full time job on top of this amazing gig!

Can I wash the hats?

Oh yes! I believe anything that can be worn by a child should be washable!! Pop them in a lingerie bag and wash in the washing machine on Gentle. Or wash by hand in the sink. Always lay flat to dry!

What kind of yarn do you use? Any allergy concerns?

I use acrylic yarn. Acrylic yarn eliminates any issues with wool allergies. Often acrylic is more washable and forgiving than wool yarn. But don’t worry about quality! I only use the softest yarn for my hats. My rule is that if I can rub the yarn against my cheek and I like how it feels, it makes the cut. If it’s scratchy, it’s rejected.

How can I keep up with pre-orders and new info:

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