One of the simple and at the same time spectacular ways to design the edge of the product is to decorate it with a crocheted border or border. Properly selected threads and a hook will allow you to give a finished look to both a knitted product and clothes sewn from fabric.
Knitted border application
An excellent decoration is a knitted openwork border for shawls (crochet), patterns for creating which are found in abundance in magazines. Traditionally, sleeves and hem of clothes, towels and napkins, towels and bedspreads, rugs and other interior items were decorated with such decoration.
Apply a knitted border in a more extravagant way. For example, they make out the edge of a leather product, and also decorate furniture. The lace border also finds its application in such a form of needlework as scrapbooking.
Ways to connect the border to the product
A crochet knitted border product, the patterns for which are very diverse, can be joined in several ways.
- As a rule, to the knitted products the border is attached directly using a hook. The loops of the main thing serve as the basis for it, and it is tied as a continuation of the main canvas. So, for example, a hem for shawls is crocheted. Patterns of such finishes can be part of shawl patterns, but can also be selected separately.
- The same method can also be used for bordering fabric products, such as napkins. In this case, a small hook (No. 0.3, No. 0.5 or No. 0.75) and thin threads, preferably suitable in composition to the fabric of the product to be formed, are taken. The hook is pierced directly into the fabric, and the fabric is tied around the edge with columns without a crochet. Next, the crochet border is crocheted, the scheme of which the needlewoman liked.
- But you can go the other way: the edge of the fabric is sewn with a sewing sewing needle into which the thread is threaded, intended in the future in order to perform crochet. Border patterns are randomly selected. In this case, the stitches of the seam will be the basis, and the canvas will be tied to it.
- The following method seems the simplest: a crochet border is separately crocheted, the scheme of which is suitable for designing a particular product, and then sewn to the fabric with an overlap on a sewing machine or manually. But this method may turn out to be much more complicated in practice than the previous ones. The fact is that the crocheted border has more elasticity than the fabric, so when sewing it can stretch somewhat so that the length of the edge of the product and the border itself do not match. In order to prevent this from happening, it is recommended to knit a border sample and accurately calculate the knitting density, i.e., calculate how many loops per 10 cm of the product, and then make the necessary calculations.
Crocheted border, the pattern of which you liked, can be created in two ways: along or across.
Border tied across
The hem, tied across, is made in a circle (if it is necessary to tie a sleeve, hem of a dress or a napkin) or in rotary rows until it reaches the required width. The simplest type of finish is the so-called "step of the dog". A simple crochet with single crochet, with a crochet or several crochets can also be considered a border option. Even a beginner needlewoman, who only masters such a technique as crochet, can handle this design method. Border patterns are not required in this case.
Border tied along
You can also knit a border along the crocheted fabric. The width of such a border is set by the scheme, and the length can be adjusted during the knitting process. At first glance, it is easier to “guess” the necessary length of such a border than the transverse dimensions, but still it will not hurt to tie the sample and calculate the knitting density. This is necessary so that the border during the design of the product does not end “suddenly” in the middle of the rapport, which will negatively affect the appearance of the finished product.
Openwork border
Perfectly complements the product knitted openwork hem crocheted. Schemes and description of such needlework is easy to find. Such a border looks very impressive. The crochet hem is especially beautiful, the scheme of which contains a pattern of various types of “shells”, “pineapples”, festoons. Such a border may consist of one row of “shells” or other elements, or maybe quite wide - it depends on the chosen option.
It is simply amazing how crochet lace can be connected in different ways. The schemes for its implementation are found both as the simplest and those that only an experienced knitter can do.
Laminated lace border
Openwork border can consist of both one row and several dozen rows, which is especially important when knitting skirts, flounces on a sleeve or on trousers. In order to get a wide crochet border connected in several tiers, the most common schemes are taken. Then they proceed as follows: they knit the first tier according to the scheme, then from the wrong side they tie a dense fabric to it, consisting, as a rule, of columns with one or two double crochets. In order to save thread and in order to facilitate the product, a dense cloth is often replaced with a sirloin net. The width of such an element is made slightly less than the width of the openwork shuttlecock. Next, the next shuttlecock is pulled over it. If you knit a fabric with increments, then each next tier will be more magnificent than the previous one.
Fillet rim
Borders made in sirloin technique are traditionally used to decorate textiles: napkins, towels, curtains. But even as a finish for clothes, such lace looks very attractive, especially in combination with loin inserts that make up the product itself.
There are many patterns of patterns for creating a fillet border. Some of them are specially designed for knitters. But the crocheted knitted sirloin border will also look good, the schemes of which were originally intended for embroidery, especially monochrome.
Ribbon Border
Using ribbon as a border also seems like a good idea. It looks impressive, especially in combination with a simple viscous or fabric. In addition, when making clothes, it will look organically, for example, the bottom of the product, decorated with a hem from ribbon lace, in combination with a belt made in the same technique.
Knitting ribbon lace is not as easy as lace, but as a result a truly unusual and original crochet border is created. Patterns and descriptions, as well as workshops on knitting lace, can be easily found.
Irish Lace Border
A special place is occupied by borders created using elements of Irish lace. They knit when using the technique of continuous knitting. But you can make a border of flowers and leaves, traditional for "Ireland", connecting them together using an irregular grid or coupling method.
For example, kitchen towels or curtains decorated with a border with elements of Irish lace and knitted elements sewn onto the fabric that do not contradict the style of the border look advantageous. Crocheted border with patterns of this kind, of course, is found, but you can do without a specific description, showing imagination.
The role of color in creating borders
Traditionally, the border is knitted in plain color. Color can either match the tone of the main product, or be combined with it or contrast - it all depends on the taste and imagination of the knitter. But the use of various shades when creating a border is also not forbidden. On the contrary, the monophonic things decorated with a multi-colored border look cheerful and bright.
And, of course, the multicolor border will look spectacular if the needlewoman decided to decorate the product not only with a border, but also, for example, with knitted applique or volumetric elements crocheted. The same colors used to create such ornaments and borders create a holistic image, and the finished thing becomes more attractive and interesting.
The following are a few simple descriptions of crocheting the hem.
Shell
This is a simple lace border, tied in a row. It consists of single crochet, half crochet and double crochet. In order to carry out this binding, turn the product with the front side, perform 1 lifting air loop, knit a single crochet in the next loop, then a half crochet in the next loop, then 3 crochet stitches in the same base loop and then half crochet again with a crochet. In the next loop, a single crochet is knitted again. Then continue in the same order.
There is another way to knit a border in the form of shells. This finish consists of 3 rows:
- 1 row: 3 lifting air loops are knitted, 1 loop of the base is skipped, then a single crochet is knitted in the next loop. Then the rapport is performed: 1 air loop is knitted, 1 loop of the base is skipped, 2 double crochets are knitted in the next loop, etc.
- 2 row: knitting rotates and knits 5 air loops (3 lifting loops and 2 air loops), then 1 single crochet on the air loop of the previous row, 4 air loops and again 1 single crochet on the air loop of the previous row. At the end of the row, 2 air loops are knitted; in the last loop of the previous row, 1 single crochet is performed.
- 3 row: knitting is rotated, 1 air loop and 1 single crochet are knitted. Further, in the arch of 4 air loops of the previous row, a shell is executed in the same way as in the previous sample: single crochet, half crochet, 3 double crochet, half crochet and single crochet. Shells are knitted in this way to the end of the row. The row ends with a single crochet in the third loop of the chain of 5 air loops of the previous row.
Fringe
The border in the form of a fringe looks original. You can also knit it in several ways:
- A number of single crochet stitches are crocheted. The next row is performed as follows: 1 air loop, 1 single crochet at the beginning of the row, then rapport is done - 1 single crochet, a chain of 15 air loops and a connecting column knitted in the same loop of the previous row as previous single crochet.
- The fringe in the idea of “springs” is carried out similarly to the previous one, but after creating a chain of 15 air loops, they continue to knit on it. 1 air loop is skipped, then in each air 2 stitches are crocheted. The finished "spring" is attached to the base with a connecting column, as described in the previous version.