| How to Crochet the Abstract Cat Stitch Posted: 04 Aug 2017 05:00 PM PDT The abstract cat stitch is a fun crochet design that creates cat-like shapes using a series of shell stitches, double crochet stitches, and drop stitches. As long as you have some knowledge of how to crochet, you can learn how to create this design. Try making an abstract cat scarf, blanket, or washcloth as a gift for a cat-loving friend or for yourself! EditCreating the Foundation - Chain a multiple of five. To start your project, you will need to chain a multiple of five stitches. You can make your chain as long or as short as you would like it to be as long as it is a multiple of five.[1] For example, you could make a chain of 25, 50, or 100 stitches.
- To chain, yarn over twice, and pull the first loop through the second loop. Yarn over your hook again and pull through. Repeat until your chain is the desired length.[2]
- Count to the fourth chain and then double crochet twice. Skip the first three chains and then double crochet once into each of the next two stitches.[3]
- To double crochet, loop the yarn over the hook, insert the hook through the chain, and then yarn over. Pull the yarn through the first stitch, and then yarn over. Pull through the next two loops and yarn over. Then, pull through the last two loops on the hook.[4]
- Skip four chains and double crochet twice into same stitch. For your next stitch, you will need to skip the next four chains and double crochet twice into the fifth chain of your last double crochet stitch. Double crochet into this chain twice.[5]
- Chain one and double crochet twice into the same chain. Next, chain one stitch and then double crochet into the same stitch that you were just double crocheting into. This means you will have total of four double crochet stitches in the same space.[6]
- You will be working into the single chain space in your next row, so it is very important to chain one between the two sets of two double crochet stitches.
- Skip four and repeat the process. After you finish your last two double crochet stitches in the same space, skip four and repeat the process of double crocheting two (DC2), chaining 1 (CH1), and double crocheting two again (DC2) into the same space. Then skip four and do it again. Keep repeating this process until you get to the second to last chain in your row.[7]
- Double crochet once into the last two chains. To finish your foundation row, double crochet once into each of the last two stitches in the row. This will complete your foundation row.[8]
EditWorking the Second Row - Chain two. To begin your next row, chain two stitches. This is your turning chain, which will provide some slack to begin working your first double crochet stitch.[9]
- Double crochet into each of the next two double crochet stitches. Work a double crochet stitch into the third stitch from the hook and the one after that one.[10]
- Make a shell. Next, you will begin your first shell for this row. Skip over to the first chain one space from your previous row. Work two double crochet stitches into the chain one space. Then, chain one and work two more double crochet stitches into the chain one space. [11]
- After you finish this shell, move over to the next chain one space and make another shell. You do not need to chain any stitches to move over because the shell will provide enough slack.
- Keep making shells until you reach the second to last stitch. Keep repeating the process of double crocheting two (DC2), chaining 1 (CH1), and double crocheting two again (DC2). Always work this pattern into the chain one space from the previous row.[12]
- Double crochet once into the last two double crochet stitches. To finish your row, double crochet once into each of the last two double crochet stitches.[13]
EditWorking the Third Row - Chain two. Start your third row with a chain of two stitches to provide enough slack to begin your work.[14]
- Double crochet into the next double crochet stitch. Next, double crochet one time into the next double crochet stitch.[15]
- Do a dropstitch. Follow the double crochet stitch with a dropstitch. This is a stitch that requires you to stretch the yarn out and make the loops longer than you normally would.[16] You will be working this drop stitch into the space between your first two shell stitches from the first row. To work the drop stitch:[17]
- Yarn over.
- Insert the yarn into the space between the two shell stitches you made two rows ago.
- Yarn over again and pull up the loop.
- Repeat this four more times so that you have a total of five stitches on the hook.
- Make a shell in the next chain one space. After you complete your first drop stitch, you will need to make a shell in the next chain one space in row three. Move over to the chain one space, and then double crochet twice into the space. Chain one and then double crochet twice again.[18]
- Repeat the sequence to the end of the row. Continue to work a dropstitch into the space between shells from the first row and then work 2DC, CH1, and 2DC, into the next chain one space. Do this until you reach the second to last stitch in the row.[19]
- Finish the row with a dropstitch. Your last stitch for the row will be a dropstitch. Work this last dropstitch before the last two double crochet stitches from the previous row.[20]
EditWorking the Fourth and Fifth Rows - Chain two. Your fourth and fifth rows will follow the same pattern. Start your fourth and fifth rows with a turning chain of two chain stitches.[21]
- Double crochet into the next double crochet stitch. Work one double crochet stitch into the first double crochet stitch from the previous row.[22]
- Make a shell. Follow the double crochet stitch with another shell. Work this shell into the first chain one space from the previous row.[23]
- To make a shell, work 2DC, CH1, and 2DC into the next chain one space.
- Repeat the process. Keep repeating the process of making shells in each of the chain one spaces to the end of the row. Do this for rows four and five.[24]
- Double crochet once into each of the last two double crochet stitches. When you reach the end of the row, double crochet one time into each of the last two double crochet stitches.[25]
- Repeat rows three through five until your project is the desired length. To finish your project, keep repeating rows three, four, and five in sequence. Do this until your project is the desired length.
- Make sure that you change colors after every fifth row to differentiate the abstract cat design.
EditThings You'll Need - Yarn in at least two different colors of your choice.
- A crochet hook that is appropriate for the type of yarn you are using. Check the yarn label to be sure.
EditSources and Citations
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| How to Debone a Chicken Breast Posted: 04 Aug 2017 09:00 AM PDT Boneless chicken breasts can be very expensive at the grocery store, but with a little practice, you can debone them yourself at home! Whether you need to make boneless skinless chicken breasts, debone skin-on breasts, or debone an already-cooked chicken breast, you can quickly and easily learn this skill in your own kitchen. EditRemoving the Bone and Skin - Thaw the chicken. Deboning a frozen or partially-frozen chicken breast is very difficult. Make sure your chicken breast is entirely thawed before beginning to de-bone. You can thaw your chicken by putting it in the refrigerator overnight, putting it in a bowl of water, or using your microwave's defrost setting.
- Put the chicken on a cutting board skin side up. Make sure the cutting board is clean and that the chicken breast doesn't have wings or leg meat attached to it. If it does, cut it off.[1]
- Cut lengthwise into the thickest part of the chicken. This will prepare it for splitting and help you find the breastbone quickly. Use a chef's knife to get the cleanest cuts.
- Peel the skin from the breast. Slide your fingers into the cut you made and pull the skin off the entire chicken breast. You should be able to simply pull it off by hand, but cutting is okay too.
- Find the bone. Look inside the cut to locate the breastbone. Most chicken breasts will have only one bone, which runs lengthwise down the middle of the chicken breast. Sometimes the ribs will still be attached, but you can ignore them--the chicken will come right off the ribs when you cut it away from the bone.[2]
- Cut along one side of the breastbone. Slide your knife into the cut you already made so it's between the meat and the breastbone. Using a scraping motion with the knife, cut along the bone so that the meat separates from it.[3]
- Cut along the other side and pull the meat off. Repeat the same scraping motion along the other side of the breastbone. If any part of the chicken is still attached to the breast, pull or cut it off. You now have two boneless, skinless chicken breast halves![4]
- Remove extra skin, fat, and other unwanted parts. If there is any extra skin, fat, tendons, or cartilage remaining on your chicken breast, cut it off. You can throw them away, or keep them along with the bones for homemade chicken stock.[5]
EditKeeping the Skin On - Put the thawed chicken on a cutting board, skin side up. Check to make sure the skin doesn't have quills or tears. You can pull quills out using tweezers or pliers. If the skin is torn, be careful as you work so you don't enlarge the tear.
- Locate the bone. If you are keeping the skin on, you need to find the bone by turning the chicken over, skin side down, rather than by cutting through it. Find the ends of the breastbone. You can start deboning from either end--whichever end has more bone visible from the outside.[6]
- Slice horizontally between the bone and the chicken. Slide your knife above the breastbone, between the bone and the meat. Work your knife as deeply along the bone as you can, pulling up on the meat with your other hand. Be careful not to slice through the meat![7]
- Pull the meat off the bone. Use your hands to pull the entire breast off the bone. You can use the knife to help, but pulling will prevent you from cutting through the skin. You should have an entire single breast with the skin on.
- Remove any unwanted parts. Cut off any gristle, tendons, or excess folds of skin.[8]
EditDeboning a Cooked Chicken Breast - Allow the chicken to cool. Don't start deboning until your chicken is cool enough to be handled. You can be burned by fat or grease if the chicken is too hot.
- Cut the breast in half lengthwise. Cooked chicken doesn't stick to the bone as much as raw chicken, so simply cutting the breast in half is sufficient to locate the breastbone. It may simply fall off the bone as you cut![9]
- Trace the knife along each side of the bone. If there is still meat along either side of the breastbone, cut lightly along each side. Don't cut too hard--if your knife is sharp enough, it could cut right through the bone.
- Pull the meat off each side of the bone. You can use your hands to pull the chicken off in most cases--you'll get more meat. Using a knife is fine if you need it.[10]
- Be careful how much meat you throw away with the bone. If you are throwing too much meat away, then buying deboned chicken breasts may be just as economical.
- Save the bones, skin, and other waste products in a plastic resealable bag in the freezer. You can boil them to make homemade chicken stock.
- Debone raw chicken breast as soon as you get home from the grocery store. Then, you can freeze the breast portions or refrigerate them if you plan to use them immediately.
- Always wash your hands after handling raw chicken.
EditRelated wikiHows EditSources and Citations
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| How to Taper Jeans Posted: 04 Aug 2017 01:00 AM PDT As trends change, you might want to keep up with them without buying a whole new wardrobe. Tapering your jeans can completely alter their style, and you don't have to be a seamstress to do it successfully. First narrow the lower leg and then make a new hem to convert your flares to a straight or skinny jean. EditNarrowing the Lower Leg - Put on your jeans inside out. Before you start making permanent changes to your jeans, put them on inside out and pull and pinch the excess fabric around the inner calf and ankle area that you'd like to make more narrow. Doing this while the jeans are inside out is best because you'll need to alter the inside seams to taper the jean correctly.[1]
- Mark the area you want taken in. Using a washable fabric marker or chalk, mark small dots in a straight line where you're pinching the fabric. These dots should start right below your knees and continue down to the very bottom of the pant legs.
- Give yourself just a little extra room around the thicker part of the calf. You don't want to make them too tight to put on and take off.[2]
- Pin the bunched material together. After you've taken the jeans off, use sewing pins to pin together the fabric at the dots you marked. The pinning should simulate the pinching you did while you were wearing the jeans. [3]
- Sew and cut excess fabric. Using a sewing machine, sew along the dotted lines that you created on each pant leg from below the knees to the bottom of the jeans. Once you do this, use scissors to cut off the extra fabric, including the old seams. Make sure not to cut any closer to your new seams than ¼ inch or ½ inch.[4]
- Sew the fabric together where you just cut off the old material. At this point, the raw edges that are exposed will need to be secured. In order to prevent fraying, sew the raw edges together using a zigzag stitch pattern. It may be difficult to make this look attractive, but that's okay because this stitch won't ever be visible while you're wearing the jeans.[5]
EditMaking a New Hem - Put your jeans back on and cuff your preferred new hem length. Put your jeans back on, but the right way this time. Your jeans should now be much more fitted from your knee down, but the very bottoms of your jeans are most likely still too wide. Cuff your jeans so that the old hem is where you want your jeans to end. This decision will depend greatly on exactly what kind of jean you're aiming to create.
- Skinny jeans should end at the top of the ankle.
- Straight leg jeans should end at the bottom of your ankle, just before your foot.
- Ankle jeans should fall at the slimmest part of the ankle.[6]
- Pin your cuffs. While keeping the jeans on, use sewing pins vertically to mark where you'll sew, making sure that the vertical pin tops all line up evenly and are equidistant from the bottom of the fabric.[7]
- Sew across the pin tops and then cut off excess fabric. Take your jeans off and sew horizontal lines where your pin tops are. Once you're done, you can cut the bottom of your pants off, leaving about a quarter or half inch of fabric below where you just sewed.[8]
- Zigzag stitch the edges to keep them from fraying. Just as you needed to create a zigzag stitch along the inside of the raw edges running vertically, you'll need to do the same horizontally on the bottom of the jeans.[9]
- Flip right side in and iron smooth. Turn the edge back under so that you can see the original hem and iron over the bottom of the jeans to smooth and flatten them out.[10]
EditThings You'll Need - Sewing machine
- Sewing pins
- Thread
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Fabric marker or chalk
- Iron
EditSources and Citations
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