Where have I been?
Last time I wrote, I was in Quito. I had just seen the Mitad del Mundo, where the Ecuador line is. Today, 22 days and 1,671km later, I’m writing from Nazca in Peru. On my Instagram I’m still in Trujillo, that’s our secret. I leave my posts scheduled to make sure I can post one everyday.
Since then I’ve seen foggy forests, beaches, deserts, canyons, a beautiful lake between giant rocks, an oasis, the Andes. Went from sea level to over 4,000 meters high. I hit some really bad roads but enjoyed great views everywhere.
Head to my Instagram to see all the places I’ve crocheted along this trip. Stick around until the end to see the final result.
I finished the front panel by the Sausacocha Lake, about 1,200km ago. I started the back panel the next day, in Trujillo behind a Moche temple. I should have written this back then, but here we are.
Let’s dive into the back panel
As I mentioned last time, on Crocheting on two wheels (Part 2), the back panel is just a little more complicated than the front.
For the front panel, I made 18 increases over 9 rows, evenly spaced across 45 total rows.
For the back panel, we repeat that process with extra increases to account for the difference between our Cf and Cb measurements.
You might ask: Where? Along two lines, like the darts in pencil skirts.
To do this, calculate how many stitches it takes to go from measurement Cf to Cb. In my case, a 10 cm difference equalled 28 stitches with my gauge.
We have two darts, so each increase row adds 2 stitches. Therefore, I need 14 increase rows (28 divided by 2).
I’m placing those increases every other row because I want it to grow faster, than the sides. That gets me to 28 rows, the side increases (which are the same as the front panel) are done over 45 rows.
Quick tip to track your rows
To track my rows (regular ones, dart-only increases and combined increases), I noted every 45 increases rows on my phone.
This way I don’t lose track of what I should do next, especially when it’s very hard to see this black yarn.
Now, where to place those “darts”?
It’s simple: we started the panel just like the first, with regular rows (no increases) from point A to B. Same number of rows and stitches. I then began dart increases after two rows of the increase section. As you can see in the previous picture.
Future Angela will make an appearance here too. Just a reminder that the previous paragraph was a mistake, so go back to Part 2 if you need. But you should have done the first panel already, just repeat the correct way of doing it here too.
Then divide the number of stitches you ended up by three, if it’s uneven, put the larger section in the middle. In my case I had 118 stitches, divided by 3 it’s 39.3333. So that allows me to divide my stitches as 39 | 40 | 39. I’ll be placing my stitch markers on the 39th stitch from each edge. After each dart increase, shift the marker inward: the first increase adds a stitch before the marker, the second adds one after.
With that all figured out, crochet until you have the same amount of rows as the front panel.
Six-Week progress check
I feel like my speed got a bit better, I’m used to the routine now, after six weeks on the road, it was about time! During this time I’ve launched a pattern, boosted my Instagram activity, and i have had a sale going.
I hope to keep up this momentum, the second panel should not take as long as the first one, even with more crocheting to do. Soon enough I’ll have part 4 for you, where we can join the panel, add a little something and maybe talk about the top portion.
Also if you have any questions (crochet or travel) leave them in the comments. And if you’re planning to make this dress, show me your progress with a view! It could be a mountain, a window, your favorite person, or just a cozy corner outside. Wherever you crochet, I’d love to see it, tag me and use #CrochetingWithAView so I can cheer you on and share your vibe.
Leave a Reply