Part 3: Wheels
Materials
- Notebook, pencil, eraser
- Measuring tape
- 5.5mm crochet hook
- Main Colours: SMC Schachenmayr Bravo in neon yellow (8232), neon pink (8234), neon green (8233), neon orange (8279)
- Contrast Colour: Red Heart Super Saver in Light Grey OR SMC Schachenmayr Bravo in silver (8205)
Abbreviations
CC - contrast colour
Ch - chain
MC - main colour
Sc - single crochet
St - stitch
Techniques
- Pretty Crochet in the Round (a faster, easier method)
- Seamless Symmetrical Crochet Circles (a flawless method)
Resources
Notes
- Alternate rounds of contrast colour (light grey) and main colour(s)
- Choose main colours randomly by using a random number generator (or a dice). Assign a number from 1 to 4 to each colour. If you don't like the results just click/roll again.
- If your circle is curling up like a bowl it means you need more stitches and you should work an increase round.
- If your circle buckling it means you have too many stitches and you should work a row without increases.
- As you come to ends, work them in under your crochet stitches. It's a lot easier than weaving them in later.
- When working with 2 strands together, take 1 from each of 2 balls. Don't bother trying to take it from the inside and outside of the same ball, you'll be using lots of yarn. To keep the yarn flowing well take each strand form the inside of the ball, and slip the 2 balls inside a yarn sleeve or the leg cut from a pair of panty-hose.
- In the notebook, make a crude & homely sketch of your bike.
- Measure the diameter of the wheels (right across from the outside edge of the tires) and note it in your notebook (right on your sketch). Your sketch does not have to be particularly accurate or to scale, you just want to get a feel for it's constituent parts.
- It's good to have an idea of how wide you need to make the wheel covers, but you should try the pieces on as you go to make sure they really fit.
Wheel Cover (make 4)
- With CC and hook, make an adjustable loop.
- R1: Make 9 sc into loop, join to 1st st of round with a Sl st. (10sc) Turn your work 90 degrees (1/4 of a circle) to the left, break yarn. (FYI: from here on I use the Pretty Crochet in the Round method because it is faster.)
- R2: With MC (colour of your choice), join yarn with a Sl st, ch 2, make 1 sc on same space as the ch2, 2 sc in each sc st around. Join to 1st st of round with a Sl st (20sc). (NOTE: the 'stitch' where that last round finished (with the yarn tail hanging off) is not actually a stitch, skip over it.) Turn your work 90 degrees (1/4 of a circle) to the left, break yarn & fasten off.
- R3 & all odd rounds: With CC, join yarn with a Sl st, ch 2, 1 sc in each st. Join to 1st st of round with a Sl st (20sc). Turn your work 90 degrees (1/4 of a circle) to the left, break yarn & fasten off.
- R4: With MC, join yarn with a Sl st, ch 2, * make 2 sc in next st, make 1 sc in next st, repeat from * to end of round. Join to 1st st of round with a Sl st (30sc). Turn your work 90 degrees (1/4 of a circle) to the left, break yarn & fasten off.
- R5: increaase round
- R6: With MC, join yarn with a Sl st, ch 2, * make 2 sc in next st, make 1 sc in each of next 2 sts, repeat from * to end of round. Join to 1st st of round with a Sl st (40sc). Turn your work 90 degrees (1/4 of a circle) to the left, break yarn & fasten off.
- R7: With MC, join yarn with a Sl st, ch 2, * make 2 sc in next st, make 1 sc in each of next 3 sts, repeat from * to end of round. Join to 1st st of round with a Sl st (50sc). Turn your work 90 degrees (1/4 of a circle) to the left. break yarn & fasten off.
- R8: With MC, join yarn with a Sl st, ch 2, * make 2 sc in next st, make 1 sc in each of next 3 sts, repeat from * to end of round. Join to 1st st of round with a Sl st (60sc). Turn your work 90 degrees (1/4 of a circle) to the left, break yarn & fasten off.
- Continue in this manner until work is wide enough to cover one side of wheel, ending with a CC colour round Do not break yarn. Ch 2, work 1 round Sc. Join with a Sl st, break yarn.
