a grateful nod to the book Modular Crochet

Years ago I took a book out of the St. Catharines library called Modular Crochet by Judith Copeland.
It was a revelation to me. Judth brilliantly illustrated sideways garments using  ridge stitch . the vertical line of the stitching coupled with only using the back loop of the crochet stitch is really flattering. Let me show you with some small samples of the beginning.

You start a garment by making a simple chain and measuring it against your desired length, which in the case of a pullover is from your neckline to the desired bottom edge of your sweater.

The garment builds from the center outwards,  so here is the first side started with the extra chain showing.

you can easiily unpick the excess chain once you are confident your length is correct. I like to wait until after a few rows have been worked.

 

Here are a few rows of the ridge stitch on one side. The fabric is really very flexible.

More ridge stitch on the other side, in a contrasting colour for clarity. I think this technique would work great for those poncho/blanket like cardigans and vests that are so popular right now. I would love to give it a try as a jacket.

For this scarf I used only the starting principle, which means, rather than counting the number of chains, I make a scarf length of chain, which is my height; 5 feet, 6 inches. I worked a chevron pattern.  Lucy of Attic 24 has a very nice tutorial on chevron crochet, which she calls ripples. This project is so suitable for those dear scraps of yarns I have stashed away. Just a few yards makes a row.

I started with a hand painted  fingering weight cotton yarn I made years ago. The beginning chain is made with a 5mm hook, I switched to a 4.5mm for the rest of the scarf. I often use a hook one size larger for the cast on chain.

The bigger hook helps to allow changing yarns types/thicknesses frequently, and still keep the integrity of the fabric.

Kim uses the same strategy in knitting to great effect with her lovely colour your own throw.