Pi for Pi Day

Today is Pi Day, 3/14 (at least in the US).

Big and little pi, a crochet pattern from ReveDreams. Get it at revedreams.com/shop/.
Big and Little Pi Pattern

You saw a Pi and pi I made for my sister back in late 2012, with the pattern for little Big Pi. That version of big little pi required sewing to shape the curved foot. (The little Big Pi shown also had one leg longer than the other, due to a counting error.)

This version is sewing-free! The pointed foot and “horn” of the top bar curve through a combination of increasing/decreasing and a method I developed to collapse pairs of rounds into single rounds on the inside of the curve. The stitching takes some paying attention, but it isn’t difficult and all stitches are common (very common, in fact: slip stitch and single crochet).

But enough about that. I was fortunate enough to capture some pictures of Pi and pi in their usual haunts…

Big and little pi watch the pendulums for relaxation. Get the pattern at revedreams.com/shop/.
They love the soothing motion.

Big and little pi play their favorite game. Get the pattern at revedreams.com/shop/.
I think they’re gambling?

Big and little pi float peacefully in their favorite spot. Get the pattern at revedreams.com/shop/.
Where they go to relax!

Their individual beauty shots are on the pattern page.

How to embroider on crochet

How to embroider on crocheted items, start to finish. A four-part tutorial series at revedreams.com/.

Welcome!
If you like this, you might like more crochet technique posts.

I am very excited to announce a blog post series I have been wanting to do for quite some time: an in depth study of embroidering on crochet. In particular, we’ll discuss embroidery on closed crochet pieces such as amigurumi, where you don’t have access to the interior of the piece.

The series will be in four parts, two in the next few days and two in a week, divided as so:

How to embroider on crochet from the very beginning, including satin stitch, cross stitch, and some weaving. The start of a tutorial series on revedreams.com/. 1. Basics and freehand stitching.
Covers securing ends, working on crochet fabric, running stitch, backstitch, cross stitch, satin stitch, and freehand weaving.
How to embroider lazy daisy, fly stitch, French knot and bullion knot on crocheted items. Part of a tutorial series at revedreams.com/. 2. Separated stitches.
Covers lazy daisy, fly stitch, French knot, bullion knot, and some variations.
How to embroider the chain, blanket, and feather stitches on crocheted items. Part of a tutorial series at revedreams.com/. 3. Linked stitches.
Covers chain stitch, blanket stitch, feather stitch, and some variations.
How to weave, thread, whip, and couch. Part of a series on embroidering on crochet at revedreams.com/. 4. Weaving, whipping, and couching.
Covers threaded and whipped backstitch, Pekinese stitch, spider wheels, couching, and detached woven picots.

There will be many progress photos, links to alternate instructions for various stitches, and all the tips I can muster about neat and easy embroidery on crochet. Please do let me know if you have questions or would like to see more details or additional variations. Until tomorrow — happy stitching!