Sunday, 20 January 2013
Nothing says knit faster like a looming deadline!
This week I mostly knitted my hypernova scarf, one of the few things I've declared wollmeise worthy! I had been about half way done at the start of the week but cast off late last night (photo to follow, I procrastinated all day, blame baby..) and hope to get it blocked at some point this week, can't be bad!
Took the decision to frog another project as well, I'm being realistic in what I'm actually going to finish, and whilst I loved how it was going (convertible from knitty in malabrigo) I just couldn't see my self actually using the shawl properly once it's done. I use my ordinary shawls, gloves, socks yet but this one was meant to be worn in lots of different ways and what ever I might have had a vision of when I started it, it's not the same one I have now! So it's now several balls of yarn again, more stash hehe
My wip list is starting to look more normal! I've a few projects I don't mind being long term, such as my hexipuffs or my crochet blanket, but every thing else I'm determined to get done, next on my hit list is a sock and a sleeve, sleeve first, I could probably get that done this evening if I stop fading around on here! Bests get on!
Sunday, 13 January 2013
Thingies completed!
After my blog post last week, I decided to tidy up my corner, yet again! I put alot of yarn away, bagged up all my wip properly, and sorted my patterns out.
I rescued three wip from the wicker basket, one shawl, one hooded scarf (which had been intended as a new pattern..) and a circle cardigan for me.
The shawl was my memories of spring shawl that has been on the go for nearly two years, but I was finding the pattern tough going, not because it was overly difficult, it was the fact it has two stitch patterns of different counts running concurrently and I was finding it hard to keep both tracked, I usually make marks on a piece of paper but it was just doing nothing for me, so I made the decision to frog what I'd done, I wasn't even half way finished, so no big loss!
Washed and reskeined the yarn (it was one of those preknitted blanks) so its all ready to go for a new pattern, some day!
The hooded scarf, I had intented on making a new pattern, with some yarn I bought from aldi, but at some point I lost my focus and it lived in my basket for a while, didn't even count it as one of my wip, as I'd forgotten it was there! I was going to frog it back to salvedge the yarn but decided the length I had knitted before the hood increases would still make a good cowl, so sat on my kitchen floor (!) I ripped it back, returned stitches to a needle, bound it off and made a cute cowl for Neala!
Don't think its some thing I'll wear out of the house, and it could still do with a soak and pulling in to shape, but its great for lounging on the couch, very snug! Just glad I found the inspiration to carry on with it! Still a lot of the yarn left too, so all in all, not a bad yarn trip!
Lanesplitter has returned to my hands for the time being, its coming along nicely, just wondering if I should tackle some thing smaller (I've got some socks and a glove waiting) instead of getting bigger stuff done. Not that it matters, but my lanesplitter is good for tv watching as its dead easy to rattle off, I've got a glove to do that are slightly more (read as really really more) complicated, should really thinking about doing that too!
Till next week..
Sunday, 6 January 2013
2013 Starting as I mean to go on!
My wip list is reaching epic proportions, I've single socks, half made blankets, short scarves and other things that if I spent just some of my time on (instead of browsing ravelry all day..) I could get them finished. But I don't, I browse all the stuff I,d love to make, dream about yarn I could use to make them, and I either cave in and cast on some thing new, or forget all my plans on what to knit! It's not like I don't want to finish my items, I do, I just lack incentive.
So, new year, new start. Blog, once a week, Sunday is good, to talk about what I've done this week, and if I force my self to blog, I've got to do some thing during the week to show off right? Well it's a plan....
I've currently got 15 things to finish. That includes 3 I've not listed on rav, and my hexipuff blanket which is a long term thing any way which I shouldn't be too hard on my self about, but you know, getting mini skeins for it every month and not knitting them is a problem too!
My current project is one I've not out on rav, it's a lane splitter skirt from knitty, cast on at a whim, well not so much a whim, I actually unravelled my noro jumper that I don't wear at all to do it, as I thought I'd wear this skirt more, I don't think I'll have quite enough yarn to finish it from what I got from my jumper, but the colourway is still out there, and it's noro, so dye lots.. No one will notice! Good chance I'll stop knitting this when I run out of yarn as I'll stall on buying more, but if I get a good way in to it, its a good excuse to keep going!
So that's me for this week, let's see if I can keep this up!
Monday, 7 February 2011
The Rolly Bag!
Inspired by a bag I saw at a recent craft fair, this bag is made from a new yarn called Hoopla, made from selvedge material from t-shirt making. Its a very stretch jersey type material and is surprisingly easy to work with and lends its self to crochet very well!
Download the PDF version of this pattern here
You will need:
2 cones of Hoopla yarn (I used Key Lime Pie and Purple Nurple) or any bulky yarn (approx 200 yards) in two colours
8mm and 6mm crochet hooks.
Stitch marker.
Two safety pins
Instructions:
DC= Double crochet
(Please note this pattern uses British crochet terms (DC=SC in US terms))
Main body
Using the 8mm hook, chain 50 stitches in your main colour
Row 1) DC in 2nd stitch from end and continue to end, chain one and turn
Row 2) DC in the back loop of the stitch (as you look at the V, dc in the leg furthest from you!) This will give the raised up edge you can see in the picture. Continue to the end, chain 1 and turn.
Repeat row 2 16 more times and fasten off at the end of the last row.
End pieces (make two)
Using the 8mm hook and your contrast colour, chain 4 and join to form a ring (use marker to note start of ring)
Round 1) 2DC in every stitch (8 stitches)
Round 2) *DC in next stitch, 2DC in the next stitch, repeat from * until end
Round 3) *DC in next 2 stitches, 2DC in the next stitch, repeat from * until end
Continue as set, increasing the space between the 2DCs until you have reached 6 spaces in between the 2DCs and fasten off.
Bag Handle
Using 6mm hook, chain 4 stitches
Row 1) DC in second space, and work unil the end, chain 1 and turn.
Repeat until bag handle is desired length and fasten off.
Making up
The main body piece has a natural curl, so we are going to exploit this some what! Roll your body piece to make a tube, leaving an overlap of about 3 inches (this is for your bag flap) and pin in place on both sides. Take one of your end pieces and your contrast colour, use slip stitch to join both pieces together, but leave the overlap hanging free.
One you have done one side, repeat on the other, attach the handle on either side of the tube in your desired place, weave in ends and you are done!
This is my first crochet pattern and the making up has been hard to explain, so if you have any questions or suggestions, please get in touch!
Naturally this is a free pattern, and you are free to use it for your own personal use, but you are not allowed to sell any finished items, or distribute the pattern without prior permission or crediting the work to my self!
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Seed Stitch Socks
Any way, once again, I bring a new pattern to make up for it!
Download a PDF version of the pattern here
You will need:
Fingering/4ply sock yarn, 100g solid colour (A), 30g contrasting variegated colour (B)
(yarn I used isn't available any more, but its Middlearthknitter yarn, in Not Just for Goths (B) and Jet (A) )
2.5mm dpn needles
Waste Yarn
Tapestry needle
Pattern will assume that you basically know how to knit socks, but I'll link to any thing unusual!
Stitch pattern is in multiples of 8.
Cast on 64 stitches with colour B and divided over 3 dpns
Knit 2 purl 2 rib for desired length, I usually do approx 1inch
Switch to colour A
Row 1 K4, P1, K1 ,P1, K1. Repeat to end of round
Row 2 K5, P1,K1, P1
(I arranged my stitches so I wasn't purling a stitch at the start of a row, by splitting up a K4 in to two knit stitches over two needles, but this is personal preference, I just don't like purling at the start of a needle, I get ridiculous ladders! You do what is comfortable!)
Continue repeating Row 1&2 until leg length is desired length (pictured sock is 5inches.)
When you have reached your desired length, you need to take your waste yarn and knit 32 stitches with it (or approx half of your total number of stitches) This is for your afterthought heel. Do not break your working yarn (A) as you'll be using it again in a moment
The 32 stitches you have knitted with waste yarn, are now the bottom of your sock, you'll need to jig it a bit, but divide these 32 stitches up between two needles, whilst having the other 32 stitches on one needle. This is so you are keeping your pattern stitches and sole stitches separately, and makes decreasing at the toe stage easier!
Go back to your working yarn (A) and carry on knitting as follows
Needle 1 k16
Needle 2 k15, P1
Needle 3 Repeat rows as established in leg section
Repeat until desired foot length is reached (for my size 6 (US9) feet, this was 36rows)
Switch to colour B and start decreases for toes, continue until 28 stitches remain and graft toes using Kitchener stitch
Now for the heel. Lets call in the expert with pictures, the Yarn Harlot (in this she didn't use waste yarn and cuts the the yarn where she wants the heel, that scares me slightly and my waste yarn bit works just as well!)
Basically, you unpick your waste yarn, catching the now live stitches on two needles (one top one bottom) and then using colour B, you knit another toe! I decrease as for a toe until I had 30 stitches remaining and then grafted together.
Weave in ends, make another to match, and you are done!
Even now there are things I would change about the sock I did, the purl stitch on needle two is to seperate the pattern from the foot, if I thought about it more, I would have jigged the pattern round so it looked better, but thats hind sight etc
I do feel I could have written this a touch better, but if you come across any problems, please give me a shout and I'll do my best to help as much as I can.
Naturally this is a free pattern, and you are free to use it for your own personal use, but you are not allowed to sell any finished items, or distribute the pattern without prior permission or crediting the work to my self!
Friday, 9 October 2009
The Neala Hood
So I give you....
This is designed to fit a 4/5 year old child, tho I did try it on my 6 year old and it fit him too, so it will fit a few, best thing is to try it on the recipient as you go along!
Download a PDF version of the pattern here
You will need:
100g Sirdar Click Chunky in Bloom
4.5mm 24inch circs (yes I know this is small for the yarn, it give a nice dense fabric and is actually quite a nice feel!)
1 Stitch marker
Tapestry needle
Spare circ for grafting
4.5mm Crochet hook (optional)
Gauge er... well I tend to knit loose, so if you are a tight knitter go up a needle size lol
The Pattern:
Cast on 80 stitches, place marker, join in the round, careful not to twist
Row 1 Knit
Row 2 Purl
Row 3 K2tog 3 times, K1 (YO K1) 6 times, K2tog 3 times, K1
Row 4 Knit
Repeat these 4 rows twice more (3 times in total)
Knit until piece measure 5inches from the cast on (from the bottom of a wave if you catch my drift lol)
Cast off 24 stitches and knit to the end of the row
You'll now be working the piece flat
Row 1 K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, purl to last 5 stitches, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1
Row 2 K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, knit to last 5 stitches, K1 P1, K1, P1, K1
Repeat these two rows until the piece measures 14inches in total from cast on edge
Place 28 stitches on a spare circ and graft the two sides together using Kitchener stitch
Weave in your ends and you are done!
For the sake of looking neat, on the cast off edge, I did two rows of double crochet (american single) with a 4.5 hook, to stop the edge from curling over and used a couple of stitches to attach it to the sides of the hood but this is entirely optional and purely for aesthetic reasons, if you don't mind the curling edge then leave it!
If there are any problems in the pattern or you have any questions, give me a shout and I'll do my best to sort it out!
Hope you enjoy the pattern!
Naturally this is a free pattern, and you are free to use it for your own personal use, but you are not allowed to sell any finished items, or distribute the pattern without prior permission or crediting the work to my self!
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Must be time for another blog post!
I've actually been quite busy recently, I finished my wollmeise clapotis (which is going to be the subject of another blog post when I've actually taken decent photos of it, watch this space!), started another one involving beads (I swear its going to be worth it, even if it is lace weight and I have to stop every few stitches..) and done a bit of crochet for birthday pressies and my self, and done a pattern from the new Knitty!
The crochet first! Every few days I get one of those emails from Knitting Daily, most of the time I give it a cursory look over as mainly its patterns they are trying to sell, but some times it contains free patterns and useful hints and tips. This pattern caught my eye. Hmm stripy! And I decided I must give it ago, and made one for my lovely friend Kirsty for her birthday.
I really enjoyed doing it, and me being me and having a slight bag fetish, I stared at my sorbet yarn, wondering what colour combo to use, until it occurred to me, didn't have to follow their stripe pattern (yeah some times I'm not that quick off the mark!) and using the general bag construction, I made this:
I mentioned knitting some thing from the new Knitty, now its not often I see some thing and I think omg I have to knit that right now this moment, but this one really inspired me!
(and please meet my new model Martin hehe)
A word about the pattern tho, the way it is written on Knitty is that you start with a provisional cast on and start on the upper neck and go back and do the bottom later, which is a huge faff, and ultimately pointless, luckily I had a look at other project on Ravelry before I started mine and noticed people mentioning not doing it the way it was written, so I took a closer look, and if you swap the two row patterns from the lower neck around and cast on the 78 stitches and knit those two rows, it makes no difference to the over all look, and saves much messing around later! Can't argue with that! My only problem is that Neala wants one, so I've got to work on scaling it down for her. I'm too good to my kids..
Oh oh and I've been fiddling with some script and came up with my finished object gallery! Check it out! Tis very cool :-D (obviously if you are viewing this from Facebook, you'll have to come and visit my actual blog to see it ;-) )