I’m excited share my post today as part of the Inca Eco blog tour.  As you may know if you’ve been following my blog, I’ve been working with Galler Yarns, a third generation family owned yarn importer, since last fall.

I was attracted to working with Galler Yarns for a few reasons.  Their yarns are largely made with natural fibers, and I’ve been trying to be more thoughtful about the environmental impact of my crocheting and knitting.  Galler Yarns is a family business, a small business, and a woman-owned business.  All of these things are close to my heart since my mom is an entrepreneur and president of a certified women’s business enterprise.  Star Galler, the woman at the helm of Galler Yarns, spent plenty of time with her grandparents as a child, as I did, and her grandmother was a knitter as mine was.

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Inca Eco is one of the newest yarns in the Galler Yarns line, and I’ve had the pleasure of working with it for a few designs already.

Inca Eco is an organic cotton yarn that comes in 140 yard (128 m/100 g/3.5 oz) skeins.  All of the colors are dyed with low impact, eco-friendly dyes, except for Ecru, which is undyed.  I love the softness of the yarn as well as the thick and thin texture.  Inca Eco isn’t scratchy like kitchen cotton and looks almost handspun.  Inca Eco is great for baby projects, especially if you are gifting to a family worried about the environmental impact of acrylic or about harsh chemical dyes.  For the first time in a few years, I don’t seem to have any pregnant friends or co-workers, but I would love to use Inca Eco on my next baby blanket.

You could also make some great scrubbies and washcloths which could be part of a nice spa or pampering gift.  (Galler Yarns will be releasing one of my patterns on their blog later in April that is along these lines.)

As for my contribution to this blog tour, on Friday, I unveiled a quicky project I made for myself with some scraps of Inca Eco left over from a design sample.

This is a simple project that only uses about 1/10 of a skein of Inca Eco :).  You could easily make up a batch of these to give as gifts or to use on your own beverages with one skein.

Broomstick Lace Mug Hug

Crochet Pattern by Underground Crafter

This mini project is a great introduction to broomstick lace!

 

Finished Size: Approximately 2.5″ (6 cm) wide by 9.5″ (24 cm) long

Materials: 

• About 18 yds (16.5 m) of Inca Eco (colorway Sage is pictured), or equivalent length any medium weight yarn
• I-9 (5.5 mm) crochet hook and US 35 (19 mm) knitting needle or any sizes needed to obtain gauge
• Yarn needle
• 2 buttons (large enough to fit inside of broomstick lace loops)

Gauge:  9 sc = 2.5″ (6 cm)  Exact gauge is not critical for this project.

Abbreviations Used in This Pattern:

• 3 lp-sp – space created by 3 broomstick lace loops on hook
• blo – back loop only
• ch – chain(s)
• rep – repeat
• sc – single crochet(s)
• yo – yarn over
• * Rep instructions after asterisk as indicated.

If you haven’t made broomstick lace before, check out my tutorial here.  (Note that this pattern uses groups of 3 broomstick lace loops and 3 single crochets while the tutorial uses groups of 5.)

Pattern Instructions:

• With crochet hook, ch 10.
• Row 1: Turn, skip first ch, sc in each of next 9 chs.  (9 sc)
• Row 2: Turn, ch 1, sc in each sc across.
• Rep Row 2 until piece measures approximately 1.5″ (4 cm) from beginning.
• Row 3: Do not turn.  Pull up loop on hook and place it on knitting needle, skip first sc, *insert hook in blo of next sc, yo and draw up loop onto needle; rep from * across.  (9 broomstick lace loops)
• Row 4: Do not turn.  Insert hook under first 3 loops, remove loops from knitting needle, being careful not to unravel, yo, draw yarn through 3 lp-sp, ch 1, 3 sc in 3 lp-sp, *insert hook under next 3 loops, remove loops from knitting needle, 3 sc in 3 lp-sp; rep from * once more to end of row.  (3 broomstick lace groups/9 sc)
• Rep Rows 3 & 4 until piece measures approximately 9″ (23 cm) long.
• Row 5: Rep Row 2.
• Fasten off. Using yarn needle, weave in ends.  With yarn and yarn needle, sew buttons to single crochet area (Rows 1-2), using picture as a guide.  Slip buttons through broomstick lace loops as button holes.
• Tip: You could also make a broomstick lace bracelet (or choker) using this basic formula.  Adjust the length for the Repeats of Rows 3 and 4 to measure the circumference of your wrist (or neck).

© 2012, 2014 by Marie Segares (Underground Crafter). This pattern is for personal use only. You may use it to make unlimited items for yourself, for charity, or to give as gifts. You may sell items you personally make by hand from this pattern. Do not violate Marie’s copyright by distributing this pattern or the photos in any form, including but not limited to scanning, photocopying, emailing, or posting on a website or internet discussion group. If you want to share the pattern, point your friends to this link: http://undergroundcrafter.com/2012/04/01/inca-eco-blog-tour-day-14/. Thanks for supporting indie designers!