Pom Poms and other Projects

When was the last time you made a pom pom?  Have you ever made one?  Homemade with Love magazine has an article which tickled my twirly girlyness and so I thought... why not?!  The more I thought about it the more I loved the idea and so did one of my daughters.  We gathered some scraps of wool and together we created this...

 

Word:  Happy or

       Tuttifruity?

 

It's mainly her work but when her fingers got tired, I took over and at the end when it was time to snipping around the edge and tieing it... the cardboard ripped and it nearly exploded on me.  So by shear determination, inner swearing and a sweat on my brow I fudged it and managed to hold it together. I breathed a sigh of relief as it had taken allot of hard work to make.  Tip: use strong card when making large pom poms.  Word: Happy or Tuttifruity?  I'm going to make some more... why?  For a pom pom blossom festival of course!  Yes, but why?... I hear you cry again.  At the end of the project, all pom poms will be sold to raise money for charity.  Read the blog on the previous link and you'll see why.  On a more personal note, for me, it's about connecting with other pom pom people (smile), creating something larger than it's smaller parts and yet each small part is an important part of the whole.  It's about sparking an idea with a 'word', what does the word mean to you?  It's contemplation, creation for creation sakes (and not for vanity or to line our own pockets) with strangers and with loved ones if you so wish.  Pom poms rock!

 

I must say, once I got thinking about the projects in the Homemade with Love mag, I wanted to make alsorts!  Inspirational.  I've just finished decorating my living room and am seriously thinking of using the 50's scientific stencil for my kitchen (maybe with blue walls).  It would work perfectly.  I'm also wanting to use felt for some sewing projects too as that would be a great start for a beginner hand sewer.  I haven't got a sewing machine so the Flower Girl Hoop project is another possibility (though I may choose an illustration to suit my mood).  I love the washi tape article... some other designs can be found here and here oh and here.  Oh the possibilities!  But I best get some of my other projects finished first.

 

I'm presently making a baby blanket to measure 18" x 24" for charity.  I didn't know where to start.  I searched and searched for alsorts of patterns and nothing really clicked with me (or was the right size) so whilst flicking through The Knitting Answer Book by Rita Taylor, I came across instructions on how to do Domino knitting.  With this in mind and 2 donated balls of wool... one cream, one white I decided to alternate the colours for each square made.  With a set of 3mm needles and the double knit yarn, I made a start...

 

I've calculated 5 squares across, 7 squares up will work and with a moss stitch edge to make it up to the correct size will complete the blanket nicely.  It's definitely one for doing whilst telly watching or having a good natter to (craft groups are ideal).  I will include full instructions in my next blog.

Another project under way is a pair of socks.  I picked up some double knit yarn (£2.59 for 100g) which is self striping, found an excellent free beginners pattern at Canadian Living and I made my very first sock...

Instead of 4mm double pointed needles (dpn's) I used 3mm as this was at hand plus my knitting is slightly loose, followed the 2nd size and ended up with a really nice size 5 (uk) sock.  I've just got to knit the other one now! giggle.  I am so chuffed!  The instructions were easy to follow and you can see the detail in the heel...

and the decreases in the toe

If knitting with dpn's are new, just make sure you divide the stitches as instructed, pull taught/close between each needle (comfortably not like you're strangling a cat... not that I would strangle anything but you know what I mean), and for the toe the following youtube clip will help you in the kitchener/grafting stitch (I was mighty impressed with how mine turned out).  There is a little mistake in the instructions which states....

 

 

TO SHAPE TOE:
Rnd 1: First needle: Knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. 2nd needle: K1, sl1, k1, psso, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. 3rd needle: K1, sl1, k1, psso, knit to end of needle. Knit.
Rnd 2: Rep last 2 rnds 4(4,5,5) times more. 5 sts now on first needle, 10 sts now on 2nd needle, 5 sts now on 3rd needle. Knit sts from first needle onto 3rd needle. Break yarn approx 30 cm/11-3/4 ins from last st.

MY CORRECTION

TO SHAPE TOE:

Rnd 1: First needle: Knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. 2nd needle: K1, sl1, k1, psso, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. 3rd needle: K1, sl1, k1, psso, knit to end of needle.

Round 2: Knit.

Rep last 2 rnds 4(4,5,5) times more. 5 sts now on first needle, 10 sts now on 2nd needle, 5 sts now on 3rd needle. Knit sts from first needle onto 3rd needle. Break yarn approx 30 cm/11-3/4 ins from last st.

As you can see it's just a simple mis-type of where the 'knit' goes.

 

Just pick up a cheap ball of wool, some dpn's and give it a go!

 

My 3rd project is another pullover, slightly more complicated than my last and this is definitely for me!  Another pattern from Simply Knitting which can be found on The Making Spot by Amanda Jones.  I got a little bit scared about button holes but after placing a query on the Ravelry Simply Knitting group, Amanda Jones helped me out and from that I was able to figure out that I could make the jacket with 6 buttonholes instead of the 5.  I've also chosen a much cheaper yarn... it cost me £10 for 800g... is that wrong?  I don't know but it seems to be working out...

 

Bright and cheery for spring!  Once completed I'll strike a pose.

Oh my such allot to do.  I've also enrolled in a Craftsy course on how to design jumpers.  Looks fab.  So when I can make the time, I will be creating my ideas onto paper and taking it from there.  It was a birthday treat in February.  My daughter made me an on-line voucher for me to spend how I pleased.  Sweet!

I will now end with a story about a badge... or rather the story behind a badge.  It has been made my Dean Bradshaw, who, with enthusiasm and a bundle of care about a boat called 'Framar London' hopes to raise some funds to maintain and make repairs to a 1930's boat.

Even if it's not your thing, I was moved by how much this means to Dean and how much he wants to share the skill, workmanship and care with others.  Such allot is meant by a little badge which he has crafted himself.  You can check out his blog on http://ourlittleship.blogspot.co.uk/ and if you need to check out the youtube clips, you can mute the music on the right side widget (though it suits the style of the boat).

 

I hope not to leave it so long until my next blog and maybe make more bitesize pieces rather than a large chunk like this.  Catch ya later alligators. 

 

From Winter to Spring

I can't believe that the first few months of 2013 have past!  So, as I munch away at an egg sarnie, I  shall type up my first blog since Christmas.  I am shockingly bad at keeping everything up-to-date. Tut tut.

 

I've discovered since Christmas that I can't stop knitting.  It's an addiction I'm sure!  The love of knitting is due to it's technical and design variations that spark the creative side of my brain.  It's about small achievements which roll over into other small achievements which in turn, lifts confidence and happiness levels then become a heady high.  When the harsh realities of life keep head butting you in the face, it's sometimes nice to sneak away into la la land. 

 

I have my local craft group to thank for the encouragement and friendship they've given as I've pearled where I should have knitted and nattered when I should have slip one pearled one, giggle.  Mostly I have to unravel what I've created so the moral of that story is is don't take anything too complicated to a craft group! 

 

One such project I've completed over the first few months of the year was another simple, first pullover project.  It's the same pattern as a previous pullover (which was too big so went to a sister) but with smaller needle size and I used a cream 100% acrylic, brand Stylecraft (Baby) which was super smooth as opposed to a superwash merino (my favourite).  It's worked out a treat....

The Twist

 



 

In the blue superwash merino

 

 

 

See my Ravelry projects for more.

 

 

Another project which I've completed in the first few months of the year is a set of dog coats.  Previous dog coats have gone to the charity shop due to not fitting my sister's Jack Russell.  So I tried again but this time I've followed a pattern that fits over the head of the dog (called Maggie).  It's from Complete Guide to Knitting & Crochet by Nicki Trench which doesn't have a great review on Amazon but because it had a pattern (the book was a gift so pattern was free for me) on dog coats I thought I would give it another go.  I'm sure if Maggie had skinnier legs it would have fitted wonderfully but unfortunately, Maggie is a little rotund and therefore I could have done with extra space for the legs.  Hurrrumph.  I made a small and a medium size and converted a snowflake pattern from a bag.  Here's the result...

 

So someone, somewhere may have a dog who may have worn these little dog coats.  The idea makes me chuckle for at least someone's dog/s will be warm and benefit from such a striking pair of dog coats!

 

And finally, I am still making the springtime blanket but it may be finished in Autumn at this rate.  It's such a long project with a few mistakes in the pattern from the Simply Knitting magazine.  I will get it finished.... eventually.



 





 

Finished Projects

I love a finished project - it makes room for some more possibilities! The snowflakes have worked well.  I managed to do 16.  It took quite alot of patience but I think they were worth it...

A closer look...

 

and I've made smaller versions for my front door with 2 colours of ribbon twisted into a bow inbetween each snowflake...

I've also finished a dog jumper...

pattern to follow at some point.

 

 

 and finally I've created some Christmassy mittens for one of my daughters...

with very long sleeves...

The original pattern can be found at  http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L20103.html?noImages=which is a free pattern.  I've alternated 'twinkle' in white and a pink, added a picot row and chained 50 to make the arms longer.  I'm in the process of making some more in a fuzzy black and knitted for my other daughter.  Will upload when I've finished.

Finally, if I don't get another chance to blog before Christmas, wherever you are, whoever you're with and whatever may be, I send lots of well wishes for all.

 

 

Simply Knitting Patchwork Blanket - Patch 18

I'm making this entry simply because when following the blanket pattern in Simply Knitting mag issue 100 for Butterflies and Crocuses pattern for patch 18, I couldn't make sense of the pattern.  There may be en error as I tried several times and it still didn't make sense.   

Based on the previous patches in the pattern which allowed the position of Butterfly stitch B to latch onto the previous line of Butterfly stitch A, I drew rows 1-4 and 7-10 on graph paper as per the pattern and then arranged the stitches A and B (the directions of how to make these are in the magazine) in the positions that made most sense.  What follows are written directions of how I made patch 18.  You will need to have the subscribers edition of Simply Knitting Issue 100 or at some point the magazine may reprint the blanket in its entirety at www.themakingspot.com and the list of abbreviations found on p92 of the magazine.  The designer is Louise Butt and it's an interesting and varied pattern to do.

Cast on 60 and pearl a row as per directions in magazine.

Row 1 *k10, k2tog - yon - k1 - yon - sl1pwise - psso, k5* repeat from * till end of row.
Row2 P7, sl1pwise, p19, sl1pwise, p19, sl1pwise, p12
Row3 As row 1. Row4 As row 2
Row 5 *K15, Butterfly A* repeat till end of row.
Row6 *Butterfly B, p15* repeat till end of row.
Row7 *k5, k2tog - yon - k1 - yon - sl1pwise - psso - k10* repeat till end of row.
Row8 p12, sl1pwise, p19, sl1pwise, p19, sl1pwise, p7.
Row 9 As row 7 Row 10 As row 8
Row11 *Butterfly A, k15* repeat till end of row.
Row12 *p15, Butterfly B* repeat till end of row.

Repeat rows 1-12 till patch measures 20cm.

I've accidentally placed one of the holes made in the wrong position because I counted incorrectly - oooops.  I'm a beginner in knitting so it was a challenge to work out where each stitch would be but I am really happy with the outcome.  I only hope that it helps anyone who has come across the same issue.

Purple Felt, Finished Hat and Cowl and Goodbye Nikon D60

Happy seasons's greetings!  It's nearly the end of November so I think I can be a little bit Christmassy (even though I have done no shopping as yet).  I've nearly finished my snowflakes and will upload when I get some ribbon to hang them up onto the windows.  In the meantime I've reloaded my bamboo pad onto my computer and have had a little experiment with the art program to design a couple of backgrounds for this blog... feel free to use them if you wish.

 I'm sure in the months to come I will come up with some other appropriate designs for the seasons.

What else have I been up to?  I've finally tried my hand at felting!  I am a great procrastinator... mainly due to being afraid in getting something wrong and it turning out disastrous.  What a silly thing am I!  My washing machine is new so obviously I didn't want to stuff it up.  I have got extra insurance on it but I think I can risk a felt project or two :)  I set it on a Time Saver (a quick cycle make and model of machine is Beko WMB 61431W) and I am able to change certain settings on my machine.  Temperature at 60 degrees, I switched the spin to off, added a little softener, placed my knitted rectangle (100% wool and not mercerised/treated to withstand washing) into a pillowcase, a pair of jeans to encourage precipitation and set it on it's cycle.  After 20 min, I paused the cycle, switched it to spin and drain making sure the spin was off and after 2 minutes I could get my felt out and check it on the draining board.  It is obviously hot but nothing that I can't withstand.  I didn't think it was ready so all in all I ended up felting for about 50 minutes.  It was an experiment and I enjoyed the end result.

 And then I pinned it out onto a towel and it's drying as I type.

I would have been happy to felt for 10 minutes more to give it even more fuzziness but wasn't necessary.  The dimensions hardly shrunk at all.  The finished dimensions at it's smallest area is 14" x 13".  Enough to work with to make a pencil case/project bag/needle case.  I am rather chuffed with this but if I were to do it again, a would probably sew a few stitches to seal up the pillowcase so the material didn't fall out (only happened once).  I would definitely recommend an experiment!

 

I've also knitted my first hat with some free dpn's from Simply Knitting magazine issue 101 (January 2013).  Crikey I do do alot of advertising for Simply Knitting chuckle.  Well, when they give you free stuff and some worthwhile projects, I am likely to mention them.  As you can see...

 

 

As usual, I've opted for a different yarn (not only because I'm a cheapster but because I wanted a cream to go with my scarf and mittens) which was in my stash.  I have also added a crochet brim which I'm still not sure about.  I've used cornflour and water mix to starch the brim and placed over a glass bowl overnight...

 

 

And here I am with the finished article.

 

 

 



Not too bad for a first attempt.  I've also finished the Lisa Van Klaveren Cowl in King Cole Splash.

 

 

I promise no more photos of me for today lol.  You can find the cowl pattern above on my Ravelry projects http://www.ravelry.com/projects/TopazRiver/knit-look-crocheted-cowl-scarf-2.



 

Busy busy busy but nearly finished... I'm currently working on a springtime patchwork knitted duvet and the pattern comes in 4 parts with each month of Simply Knitting.  The first pattern is for 'Butterfly's and Crocus'

 

 

which is in issue 100 (December) and once I've finished the selected amount and sizes of this pattern I'll be able to start the 'Diamond Trellis' pattern.  I'm also doing another experiment.  I joined Knitting Paradise and someone was querying how to go about a fluted edge to a quilt from an 1870 pattern.  Yikes and crikes - it looks complicated and it's captivated me to give it a go.  In todays language my first attempt didn't turn out right but I have another theory as to how to go about it and will update you when I've figured it out. 

 

Future projects:

 

Design a pencil case/project bag with felt, embroider it with some sort of design

 

Finish and hang snowflakes

 

Finish butterfly and crocus patches, start diamond trellis

 

Get measurements to start a dog coat for sister's Jack Russel

 

Experiment with Victorian fluted edge for a duvet

 

Finish decoupaged egg decorations

 

And finally it's a very fond farewell to my Nikon D60 camera.  I never thought I would be so attached to an inanimate object but there you go.  It meant such alot but I had to let it go to raise funds for Christmas.  Some of the photos you can see at http://www.flickr.com/photos/celticemerald/sets/72157631966210831/  Good luck to whosoever owns it.  As soon as I held that camera it was for me... sigh... even when I let the post office have it, I knew I had along way to go to let it go... sigh.  Ah well, I have got my rather gorgeous Nikon D7000! 

Snowflakes and a Pencil Case Beginnings

For this week I'm following the 3 snowflake patterns that can be found in Simply Knitting's 100th issue or at their 'Making Spot' website.  I've used some show boxes, celephane and some pins to block them out.

 

There's a selection drying in pva glue as I type.  I can't wait to choose some festive ribbons and then hang them up at my windows.  Only another 19 to go!  How Christmassy am I feeling!

I'm also in the process of creating my first felted experiment.  I was given some Lithuanian 100% wool and somehow it got all tangled up.  So after looking at it for a few months, I've recently unravelled it and used a stockinette stitch (1 row knit, 1 row pearl).  It's a gorgeous colour.  The photo cannot do it justice (purples are notoriously difficult to photograph).

 

 

Once I've knitted all of the remaining wool, I'm going to place in a pillowcase and use a non-spin quick wash at 60 degree and see what happens!  If it works out, I'll be cutting it into a pencil case and stitching a nordic style design possible in white (yet to be decided upon).  I'll let you know how it goes!

 

 

 

 

 



 

Crochet Black Armchair Arm Covers

I've been away for a while visiting my sister and as you can see my black armchair arm covers are looking rather good on her settee!

This is best done inbetween projects as it is very repetitive. This is assuming you know a little about crochet so is ideal for a beginner.  As promised, here's the instructions which are in UK terminology.

Materials Needed :
1.25 skeins (i.e 125g) of King Cole DK Smooth yarn (or any other double knit) to make 17" x 15" cover
5mm crochet hook
Scissors and wool needle to thread in the ends.

Skills Needed:
Slip knot
Chains
Yarn Over (yo)
Double crochet  (DC) - insert hook into stitch/chain, yarn over, pull through stitch/chain, yarn over and pull through all loops on hook.
2 triple crochet together (2tr tog) i.e yarn over, insert into chain/stitch/space as indicated, yarn over, pull through chain/stitch/space, yarn over, pull through 2 loops on hook, yarn over, insert into same chain/stitch/space, yarn over, pull through, yarn over and pull though all loops on hook.
3 triple crochet together (3tr tog) i.e yarn over, insert hook into chain space, yarn over, pull through space, yarn over, pull through 2 loops on hook, repeat 2 more times, pulling through all loops on hook on the final pull through instead of just the 2 (makes more sense when you do it).

Instructions

Make a slip knot and chain approximately 70-75 chains to measure 17" (or aslong as you wish) depending on your gauge.

Insert hook into 2nd chain from hook to make your first DC and double crochet all the way along the chains.  Turn, chain 1, DC along double crochet stitches made in previous row to make a second row of double crochet.

Turn, chain 3, yo, insert into next 3rd chain from hook, yo,  pull through chain, yo, pull though 2 loops on hook, yo, insert into same chain, yo, pull through chain, yo, pull through all loops on hook - this is your first 2 triple crochet together.  Chain one, skip 1 DC stitch from previous row, (3tr tog into the next stitch, chain 1) repeat till end of row.

*Turn, chain 3, 2tr tog into 3rd chain from hook, (chain 1, 3tr tog into next chain space created from the previous row i.e when you chained 1 ) till end of row.*

* to * till armchair arm cover is nearly at desired size.  Finish by DC 2 rows.  Sew in the ends.