By Janel Laidman
http://electricladybug.blogspot.com

Roving is a hand dyed Blue Faced Leicester

Supplies:

approx 3.5 oz Blue Faced Leicester roving spun to 10-12 WPI

Crochet hook: Size F

This spindle carrier will easily accomodate a spindle and plenty of roving while nicely padding and protecting it as it rides along in a purse or tote bag. The color was a mistaken spac-dye job that ended up pink and blue rather than the pink and green I was looking for... so I separated the pink sections from the blue sections and spun them separately on two spindles. The pink incorporated a little blue from the pulled apart ends and likewise the blue incorporated a little pink, so they complemented each other nicely in the finished product. I finished this off by fulling so that it would be nice and tight, and the BFL bloomed and became a wonderfully soft cushiony fabric!

Carrier:

Starting with color 1, chain 4

Sl st to first chain in circle

ch 1, sc 7 times into circle, join to first ch with sl st

ch1, sc into 1st st, sc 2x into next st. repeat from * all the way around, join w/ sl st. you now have 12 stitches around the circle.

ch 1, sc 1, * sc 2x into next st, sc2. Repeat from * around circle, join w/ sl st. you now have 16 stitches around the circle.

ch 1, * sc 2x into next st, sc1. Repeat from * around circle, join w/ sl st. you now have 24 stitches around the circle.

continue around the circle, in this manner, inserting 2 sc at each of the 8 sc "corners" where you had 2 sc in one stitch the previous round. Your circle will become an octagon. continue until you have 48 stitches.

*ch 1, sc around circle, join w/ sl st. Repeat from * for 2 rows.

Break off color 1 and join color 2 w/ sl st.

ch 1, sc around in a spiral until carrier measures a half inch more than your spindle or until it is the size you want. join w/ sl st.

join color 1 w/ sl stitch. ch 1. sc crochet around for 3 rows. join w/ sl st.

ch 3, *dc, ch 1 skip one. Repeat from * join w/ sl st.

ch 1, sc in each dc and chain of previous row. join w/ sl st.

break yarn and pull through last st.

Flower motif.

ch 4, join w/ sl st.

ch 1 sc 9 times into circle, join w/ sl st.

ch 4, skip 1, sc, ch 3 skip 1, sc. Repeat from * around circle join w/ sl st to first chain st. You have 5 loops around the circle.

sc 6x into loop, sl st to sc. Repeat 5x around circle.

Break yarn, pull tail through last st.

sew motif to carrier.

Tie

ch stitch a tie that is the 1.5 x the length you want.

Finishing

Full carrier and tie in washing machine on a vigorous cycle. Check periodically for the amount of shrinkage you want. Note that most of the shrinkage is in the diameter of the carrier not the depth. When carrier is the size you want, spin out excess water and allow to air dry. Thread tie through dc row and knot the ends together.

Trim yarn ends.