The Mega-Puff aka: "Croc Mod" or "Gladys' Crochet Lesson"
The story behind me working on this stitch is a little bitter-sweet. In June (2011), I sat down to see a little old lady called Gladys. I was there with a good friend as a temporary shift filler. She suffers with Alzheimer's, and has very few moments of clarity. I had taken my crochet work with me. She then began explaining this stitch she loved. I took very messy notes. I lost the notes somewhere in the panic of coming home from Uni, and now I remembered them (around a year later!). So after a little testing and some scribbles. I typed up the stitch pattern. So, I've typed this up in the hopes that it can be used to raise some money for Alzheimer's Research UK. I've set up a JustGiving page here: htp://www.justgiving.com/Gladys-Alzheimers. Hopefully this inspires you to donate... if not, then just enjoy the stitch! Feel free to use the stitch how you like.
| 000 L R | The premise behind this stitch is simple: two crossed puffs. If you have used the Crocodile Stitch, then you should have a fairly good idea what to do. So, here is the basic idea explained. I use the US terms, so US sc = UK dc, and US dc = UK tr. Sc into the next dc. Work a puff over the Left dc's post, secure with a chain, slip stitch back into the sc you made. Then, work a puff over the Right dc's post and sc into the Left dc, laying the second puff over the first. Doing this makes the puff on top stick out pretty far, and forms a smaller puff on the reverse. You'll have to keep the loops of |
| TT FF TT TEL +TI 0 x 00000000 | d o first properly. This is the background I use. The sc in blue are from the actual puff row; the next row of dcs are made into the sc and slip stitches. |
| The tops of the sc can be hard to see, so I recommend marking them until you get the hang of it. Symbols used: | |
| 十 = single crochet = chain |
Of course, this is just one style of working the background. It is easy to modify to offset the puffs; just put one of the dcs into the chain space and work the other dc between stitches. The puffs should then be staggered. There are other ways of doing it, though. And I'm sure someone cleverer than I can make it work in the round and work increases and decreases... W, some photos in action. All of these are done in DK weight yarn with a 5mm hoc
This is two rows of stacked puffs. The mega-puff size is easy to change; just remember to keep loops roughly constant, and make sure the second puff is large enough to cover the first. The mega-puff may need some rearranging; sometimes they won't lay nicely, but this is easily rectified afterwards. This is the reverse side. It's a lot flatter than the right side. The puffs on the reverse can be changed by making the first puff bigger.
First puff in process. First puff of a mega-puff complete. Preparing to do the second puff. The hook is under the right-hand dc.
