Patience Helps

....or a good hiding spot.

Last year (as in the winter of 2010/2011, not "last year" as in the fall of 2010), I tried making a slouchy hat in some Louet "Bonnie".  The hat was going okay, but although the pattern was easy, it was also really easy to goof up, which of course, I did.  It was also difficult to figure out exactly where the goofs were.  They weren't too obvious, but enough to annoy me, and I put the hat on hold.  (I just received a comment on the original post about this hat!  I seriously do not remember that I had actually finished it before starting to rip it out!)  Then I started mittens, but after a couple attempts, they were still on the small side.  The hat went into a drawer in a cabinet in the dining room (the other parts of the cabinet house papers, kids' craft stuff, Rob's odds and ends, etc; I got one draw for knitting UFOs, etc).  The mitts went into the ottoman in the TV room. 

This new year, I started clearing out the draw.  There were odd balls to put away, patterns to file, a few things that just needed mending or a button or tails woven in.  There's a couple bigger projects that need finishing or decisions, but I had made an obvious dent in the drawer.

I was going to my parents just after New Years and I couldn't find my flip top mitts that I made last winter.  I also wanted an easy project, so I decided to rip out the too small mitts and make some flip top ones.  I did them two at a time.  It was going well, but after doing the thumbs, I was concerned about the amount of wool.  Usually, you do the inside part of the mitts, then pick up and do the flip top.  I decided this time, I would do the flip top first.  This would also ensure that the colour transitions remain smooth on the outer part of the mitt.  I also opted to shape the tops of the mitts on the outer edges as I have short pinkies and these are hand-specific anyway.  Anything to get a few extra inches of yarn!

Once I got done both flaps, I had only a small bit of Bonnie left.  I decided for the inner part I would use a grey marl Classic Wool.  I did some silly knitting, a combination of short rows and intarsia, to keep the Bonnie wool on the palm side of the inner part, for as long as the yarn would last, so that when the flip top is down, hopefully the grey wouldn't show.  It wasn't really worth that hassle.
Just as I finished the mitts, I was digging through that drawer for something.  Wouldn't ya know, I found the  hat I had forgotten about.  How on earth had I not seen it before?  Although I was ticked, I realized that at least now I know you can knit the flip top first, then pick up the stitches inside for the inner portion of the mitts. 

I considered finishing the hat, but I really don't know what pattern it is (took a few minutes).  And I remember getting frustrated by it.  So, I ripped it out.  I've been seeing a lot of asymmetrical scarves lately, tied like kerchiefs.  Usually they are done in garter stitch, which eats yarn and time.  I found a version I figured I could alter to do on the knitting machine.  There were bands of reverse stockinette, but I opted to do it all in stockinette.

 It was pretty easy on the machine, but I think I could have used a bit more yarn.  Also, despite being 90% wool, 10% silk, and using lots of steam, the long edge still curls.  I like it though. 

(I already included the yarn amounts in my totals, but this set weighed 156grams)

Yarn Out Update

The items for the cold weather clothing drive had to be in on Tuesday, so I spent Monday night photographing and weighing the items.  On Monday, Lucy's class had brought in 55 items.  On Tuesday, the class brought in another 52 items!  They won the competition with the other 4th grade class by 21 items (they had been behind by 10); and Lucy co-incidentally, took in 21 items.

 These are older hats from my "one day I'll attend another craft show" box.  The two upper left ones were done using a "helix stripe" technique, where you use at least three colours, knit in the round.  Knit 1/2 the stitches with the first colour, then the second half with another colour.  You're back at the start, and change to a third colour.  When you get to the first colour, drop the third--do not twist--pick up the first, and keep going.  You do not get holes.  The only secret is to never, ever frog back by taking it off the needles.  The hat in the top right is done on the machine.  Start at the right edge, cast on some number of stitches.  Every other row, decrease on one side and increase on the other.  Make it long enough to wrap around the head.  You might have to take it off on waste yarn and move it back to the right edge.  The two bottom right hats are from Ray at knitivity.com.  I've blogged about them before.  I didn't include the weight of these items in my yarn out total.

 These are all the double thick/reversible hat, done on the SK155.  The bottom camo/orange will reverse to all orange; I wasn't sure if there is a requirement of how much safety orange there must be showing when hunting.  The top one was made next and I didn't have enough orange to make the cuff be orange for both sides.

 The red and brown striped one is the first one I made.  I don't know why I opted to make the pattern for the first time using up little bits of yarns.  I thought I had tons of different reds, but in the end, I was using up foot long pieces of red.  And I had no idea if it was actually going to fit yet.  The camo and dark brown hat was made by Hugh on the LK150.  I made the scarf to match, in a 1x1 tuck pattern, then steamed it heavily to tame the curl.  The first version was wider, but too short.   It knit up with a fabulous pattern in the colours.  You can always count on Bernat yarns to give great results with their variegated yarns.  The plum and variegated hat at the top left was made by Lucy on the SK155.

 I wonder why this is sideways!  I adapted an earflap hat pattern to make it doubled all the way up, instead of just part way.  They look really tall, but once on, they're fine.  The blue scarf is another 1x1 tuck and steamed.  It's James Brett Marble, and it really loosened up/lengthened when steamed.  The lilac cowl scarf was handknit a couple years ago and wasn't quite what I wanted.

 The bottom left hat is another version of Ray's charity hat.  It uses the two yarns in the two hats on the right.  I thought they were more contrasting, but once combined, it was not nearly as contrasting as I was expecting.  This version is a little too big on me, and since it had to be seamed, I took it in a couple stitches so that the pattern matches up on the seam (not sure why the pattern is written so the seam doesn't show).  It's still a little big.  I like the hat, and his crown decreases are nicely done, but I had a hard time figuring out the transition (maybe because the chart was on the next page and I couldn't easily see how it was to flow).  When doing the double decreases, use lots of weight and check to make sure there are three loops on the needle.  The last loop you put on tends to jump off.  Also, I am considering doing this again, but using the tuck pattern in the manual.  Three rows of tuck, 4th row knits all.  The way Ray sets it up, you knit 4 rows of tuck, put those needles back by hand, pull out the next set of tuck stitches, then move the carriage to the other side for the second colour, then do 4  rows.  Too much work (even though it is easy work) LOL.
The three other hats are the sideways short row hats I created the pattern for.  These ones seemed a little too short to fold back a brim, but on a toddler you might be able to.  The bright pink is really a lot brighter!  This lower picture is a bit better.

 Meg made this hat on the LK150.  Again, another 1x1 tucked scarf on the SK155.  There wasn't a particular pattern to the variegated yarn, but the apparent randomness is actually not.  The Bernat yarn is much softer than the Red Heart Super Saver, and I think softer than the TLC Essentials.  The Red Heart feels like it will never wear out.  The Bernat yarn, especially after steaming, is almost slinky.  I wouldn't want that for a top that might stretch out, but for a scarf, it was great.

 More of the sideways hats.  The lower one is leftover yarn from a cardi

 The "surf n turf" hat that started the sideways hat epidemic.  I originally wanted to use the entire ball of yarn for the hat, but the first version was a couple rows short.  To be safe, even though the hat would be smaller, I opted to alternate with the brown.  To use the left over yarn, I made a kerchief style scarf, similar in shape/design to this one.  I didn't do the alternating stockinette and reverse stockinette.  I also altered the pattern a bit this time to try to get the second "tie" to be longer and skinnier.  More on these scarves later.

The lower scarf is the same idea as the one above, see how the point on the left isn't very pointy?  This was James Brett Marble, which I picked up in a thrift shop while visiting my parents earlier in the month.  The green scarf was using up Shetland Chunky.  Again, I thought I had plenty of the yarn, but it ended up rather short and wide.  A collar filler, not a wrap several times, scarf.  The teal mitts were handknit and are TINY.  They weigh 19grams.  They might fit a skinny 1 year old.  I wanted to make more mitts, but ran out of time.

Weight of items made specifically for the drive:   2536grams!
Yarn In to Date:       3365grams
Yarn out to Date:     3781grams
Total                         -416grams!

This does not include the yarn I got donated last week.  Still haven't weighed that.  And if the school had been accurate in the dates on the posters, I would have known the drive ended on Tuesday, and not today, and I wouldn't have bought that 340gr ball of Red Heart last weekend.  Most of the yarn I bought with the kids for the hats was totally used up.  There is some of the purpley variegated yarn left.

What?!

There were two views to this blog by someone searching "dirty girls socks"?! 

It Followed Me Home....

While at the school last week, I was sure I saw on the clothing drive signs that it was going until February 4th.  That was great, I thought, because I was going away for the weekend and wouldn't have my machines, but I would have access to a great store with a good selection of yarn suited for charity items.  So I popped in to see what I could get.  They usually have a lot of the "1lb Mill Ends, Unknown Fibers" bags, and quite often I can tell what yarn they really are.  This time, most of the bags were cotton, or baby type yarns (you know the crimply one with a shiny white strand in it).  However, there were two bags that I instantly recognized as Patons Lace.  One bag was entirely in the Porcelain colourway which I LOVE, and the other bag was mostly in that too, but also has two balls of Sachet which I'm not too fussy on, but might still look nice worked up.  This yarn normally sells for $5.99-$7.29 (according to Mary Maxim), for an 85gr ball.  I got 454gr for $6.99!  Actually, I got 908gr for $13.98, or, 10.6 balls for the price of two, just because there are no labels and they're not all in 85gr balls.  How could I pass that up?!
I also bought two balls of Patons Decor in Rose Country Pink for $3.00 each, and a giant ball of Red Heart Comfort in blacks/greys for $9.99.  I was going to use this to make more of the hats and scarves, but Lucy came home from school on Monday and said everything had to be in today.  However, I have a friend who's currently living in a small, remote, northern town, and I might be able to send stuff directly to him!

Here are my new totals:
2 1lb Mill Ends;                 908gr           $13.98
2 Decor                             200gr            $6.00
Red Heart Comfort          340gr             $9.99

Total In                             1448gr           $33.87 inc. 13% tax

Year In Total                      1917gr + 1448gr=  3365gr
                                           $77.19 + $33.87 =  $111.06
                                            Average $3.00/day

I'll do my Year Out totals in the next post when I show all the items I made for the clothing drive!

I Love This Hat!

Absolutely no affiliation with "I Love This Yarn".   :)

 This is my version of the Magic Sideways Hat, sized up to fit me.   I'd  like to acknowledge Roberta Kelley's Sideways Hat.

This pattern is now on Ravelry!  If you've made it, please share!
Currently, I have the details on a small lady size on the SK155,  a young child size and a large adult size done on the LK150.  If you have other details on sizing/machine/yarn, please let me know.


Machine:  SK155 Bulky, instructions for LK150 in brackets (can be made on any machine by matching gauge and knowing how to do short rows)
Yarn:  TLC Essentials "Surf n Turf" and Bernat Super Value Dark Brown.   Look for a yarn with a suggested gauge of  17-18st/4" on 5mm/US8 needles.  Total weight is  116gr .  LK150 Toddler size, 104gr of Patons Decor (suggested gauge 20st/4" on 4.5mm needles)
Gauge:  T4 (I'd suggest T4* or T4** if you're a larger lady).  17st/4" and 22rows/4" on the SK155 or T6 on the LK150; 17st and 24 rows.

 

Using  a smooth, highly contrasting waste yarn, cast on 80 sts (90st on the LK150).  This will allow for a fold back cuff, about the center 20 stitches. If you don't want a cuff, cast on 20sts less.

Knit about 6 rows with waste yarn, ending with carriage on left (COL).

Make sure Russell Levers are set to the I position, and put the first needle on the left side to hold position.  Change to main yarn, and knit across.  The yarn will drape over that first needle.
COR, put first needle on right to hold position, and knit across.

Repeat these two rows, using claw weights as the short rows start forming, ending with COR after putting the 8th needle into hold on the left edge and knitting that row.

Put the 8th needle to hold on the right edge, and start knitting back across.  If using a machine with Russel Levers, once you've cleared those held stitches on the right, put the left lever to II.  If using a Bond, etc, push the left needles back to work position.  Push slowly and firmly.

COL.  If using a second colour, change colours here.  Put left needle to hold.  Start going across, and once you've cleared that first needle on the left, put the right Russel Lever to II (or put them back into work position).  Knit across, getting those right stitches back into work. 

Put Russel Levers BACK to I before continuing!

 You're going to do eight wedges.  With the last one, there are two options.  To keep the same number of rows in the last wedge (important if you've been changing colours for each wedge), change to waste yarn before knitting back to the left to put those 8 needles back into work.  You can change to WY right where you left off, or move the carriage to the side and go that way.  The main yarn will be between the center part of the hat and the stitches in hold on the right and you need to cut it (don't need to leave a long tail). When you graft, you will start at the end and work across, which means you'll have an extra tail to weave in.
If you're not too fussy, instead, you can knit the left stitches into work using the main yarn, cut the main yarn leaving a tail 4x the width, and then change to waste yarn and knit across, getting those right needles.  Knit a few rows of waste yarn. You can then use the main yarn to graft across.

 I really like how the top of this hat mimics a "standard" hat with an 8 segment decrease pattern.  Much smoother and less bulky than the double thick hat patterns that start at one end and knit to the other end and just double up the sts 4 rows from the end.

This is what it looks like once you've grafted the first row to the last.  When grafting through the short rowed sections, make sure to get the wraps with the stitches.  There are lots of tutorials on how to graft.  Some people like to do it following the waste yarn, some like to put it onto hand knitting needles and do it that way, some like to take it off the machine, flip it around, and graft on the machine.  If you graft it from the purl side, you will need to turn it right side out through the end holes before tightening them up.

This hat is super quick to make, and if you leave waste yarn between them, you can do a long strip of hats on the machine, then separate them later and graft while watching TV.

To adjust to a larger size, once you've got 8st in hold, you can knit to the left, putting those sts back into work.  Do not put the first left needle back to hold, and knit across, getting the right sts back to work.  Do not put the right stitch to hold, and knit back to the left.  Now start putting a needle to hold like above.  This adds two rows to each section, so you might want to see how that will affect your size based on your gauge.  You might even try doing that on every other segment if you need 8 more rows, rather than 16 more rows.
I have made a large adult version with Bernat Mosaic on the LK150 by doing one extra short row per wedge.  For one wedge, it'll be on the left side, the next wedge it will be on the right edge.  This means if you're alternating colours, you'll have more ends to weave in, but for a yarn like Mosaic, it's not a problem.  The hat turned out to be a bit too big on my 21 1/2" head.  If you're getting 5.5 rows per inch, and add one more row to each wedge, you'll get it 1.45" bigger.  If you're getting 6 rows/inch, 8 more rows is 1.3".

Yarn Confession Time

Yes, I spelled "confession" right this time :)

The school board and police services are having a cold weather clothing drive for northern First Nations communities.  I don't have a lot that I can donate in the way of winter boots or snowpants, but I do have a lot of yarn to make hats!  Or so I thought!  After about 5 hats, I was getting worried!  The pattern I'm using is a doubled hat, and it uses a lot of yarn, up to 160gr for a man's hat!  I wanted to get the kids involved too, so we went to Zeller's, where they just happened to be having a sale on Bernat Super Value and TLC Essentials.  Buy One, Get One 1/2 off.  We picked out 8 skeins, but I found out when we got home that one of the ones Hugh picked--Bernat Camouflage--was not on sale, which meant that one of the other yarns could not be half price.  Oh well!

Bernat Camouflage            142gr    $6.49
Super Value Wild Flowers  142gr    $5.39
Super Value  Super Pink     197gr     $6.49
TLC Dark Brown                 170gr    $3.24
Super Value Damson          197gr     $6.49
Super Value Lotus               142gr    $3.24
Super Value Luxury Ombre 142gr    $6.49
TLC Surf n Turf                    127gr    $3.24

Total                                  +1259gr     $46.41 (inc 13% tax)

Year Total In                      +1917gr      $77.19
Year Total Out                  -1246gr
  Total Surplus                    +671gr yarn in

However, I have over 1200gr of hats and scarves for donation that won't be totalled up until Sunday night.  Although the yarn in got a huge boost last night from a donation from a friend of my mother in law.  Wish I could have gotten it last weekend instead of buying more yarn, but it was fun teaching the kids how to use the machines.  So far, I'm averaging spending about $2.50 per day on yarn.   I expect that to go down though!

Superbowl Scarf

What's that?  A Superbowl scarf on a Canadian knitting blog?  LOL!  Yes!

My sister in law lives in Indianapolis, the city that is hosting the Superbowl this year.  For Christmas of 2010 she sent me a scarf kit from the Super Scarves program.  Basically, the week before Superbowl, Indianapolis is having a winter festival.  They've done a lot of changes to the downtown, and estimated they needed 8000 volunteers.  To make the volunteers easily recognized, they would each get a handcrafted blue and white scarf.  With 11 days to go before Superbowl (or before the festival, not sure which), they have received over 13 000 scarves.  And mine was one of them!

The yarn in my kit was awesome.  Alpaca with a Twist is from Indiana, and I'm assuming created this yarn just for this project, as the yarn is called "Touch Down".  It's 60% fine highland Wool, 20% Bamboo, and 20% FS Alpaca.  Soft, slight sheen, nice twist, it would lend itself to any number of designs.   At first, I thought I could use it on the standard gauge machine as it looked to be about a DK weight.  However, the gauge on the label says 4.5st on 5mm.  I really thought that seemed a little loose, although this was for a scarf, and the yarn would probably bloom nicely.  In  the end, I decided to do it on my SK155, which, co-incidentally, I bought on Superbowl Sunday last year (had to go to several bank machines just to be able to get enough money out--never had that happen before!).  On the site's website they also listed other yarns and the official colours they would accept, and I have to say, I think this yarn was the nicest out of the list!

I tried out some punchcard designs, but it wouldn't make a long enough scarf.  I still couldn't get the tuck function to work, so unless I wanted to hand manipulate 6 ft of patterning, I needed to go with stripes.  I just realized from another project that I could have done vertical stripes using the slip stitch function!  Oh well.  I opted for a diagonal stripe of two rows each colour.  I did this by decreasing on one edge while increasing on the other edge.  I hoped this would tame the curl.  Along with steam, it did a decent job.

The scarf wasn't quite how I wanted it to be in the end, but I will admit to leaving this project to the last minute (they had to be in by the end of November 2011 so they could be sent to the women's prison to get labels handsewn on).  But it's still a lovely, warm scarf, and I hope the receiver appreciates it and enjoys their memento of Indianapolis's chance to host the Superbowl.

Sheldon

Early in the fall I remembered that I wanted to knit Lucy a Sheldon.  I thought about taking it on our cruise so it would be done for her birthday the next week, but decided it'd be too much hassle with different colours and a long pattern.  Not sure exactly when I started it, but I was pleased at how quickly it was coming along.  Until I got to the part where it says to install the safety eyes.  I had searched this town a while ago for safety eyes for a pair of owl mittens, to no avail.  Lucy has a large bead stash now, so I went shopping in her bead box.

 Simple little bronze beads for the eyes.

 At the start of December, I was contacted by a friend of my mother in law, who needed desperate help with a bootie pattern.  I got distracted by that and totally forgot about Sheldon until the week before Christmas!  I managed to get him done though.

 Lucy loves turtles, and got a few turtle related items for Christmas.  Right now there is a commercial on TV for Earth Rangers.  This environmental group for children was founded by the man who owned the company that Rob used to work for.  The commercial is sponsored by the company Rob now works for.  The girl in the commercial is named Lucy, and she is working to protect the spotted turtle.  If only they had known OUR Lucy!

Used Easy Knit "Georgia Wool" from Wal-Mart. 

Magic Sideways Hat

I want to start off by making it clear that this is not my pattern.  The info I have on it says it's from "Ann in Tenn" and has an email (though I haven't tried to contact her).  The printout is dated January 26 2006 and was a message in a Yahoo group, most likely the ISM Club.  I'm reprinting it, along with the gauge and size info that I got on my machines.

Worsted Weight Yarn
ISM/USM:  KP 3 with 8 wedges on 70-72sts  or KP 4 with 7 wedges and 58 sts
SK155:  Plymouth Encore, 54gr, T5, 58st, 7 wedges; 18sts to 4"/23 rows; resulted in a toddler size aprox 16 1/2" circumference
LK150:  LionBrand Fisherman Wool, T5.5, 70st, 8 sections; 20st to 4"/23 rows; don't know the exact size but it was too small for a 20 1/4" head.

Sportweight Yarn
KP 2 with 7 wedges over 68 sts and short row the end 16 sts (instead of 12).

Use an open cast on, and cast on 72 sts.  One layer will get folded into the other, resulting in a hat that's 36 sts tall.  12 of these are for the crown and 24 are for the length down to the forehead.  If you want to adjust the length or add a pattern, do it in the 24st section on both sides of 0.  The hat that I made would have only a tiny brim, but I do not have a toddler to try it on.

Knit one row.
Put a needle into hold at each end of the bed, knit across.  Repeat this row until there are 12 needles in hold at each end and you have knitted the row after pulling out the 12th needles.  Make sure to use claw weights.
Place the needles on the far end of the bed into work position and knit across.  Repeat. 
This makes 14 rows for the section, plus the original first complete row.
Knit 7 or 8 wedges the same way (not including that very first plain row).
Take it off on waste yarn, and graft.  Use the yarn ends to close up the little holes at either end.

There will  be one row for the grafting, so the total number of rows will be 7 (or 8) x 14 + 2. 
You may, if comfortable with grafting, eliminate the first plain row and the very last return row on the last wedge. 

You can use an intarsia technique to make the inside and outside different colours.  Change colours between L1 and R1.  You can also change colours for each wedge.  Or do intarsia and make the center 16 sts a different colour for a contrast brim.

In the gauge I got, adding an 8th wedge would add 2 1/2" to bring it up to 19", still a small child size; a 9th wedge would make it 21 1/2", an exact fit for my head which is not really a good idea; you want a little bit of negative ease.  I think I'd try T4 for a wedge and see what that tension gives.  Nine wedges of 14 rows makes a total of 126 rows; I could also try doing 7 wedges with 18 rows. To keep it to 12 sts at either end, instead of one stitch to hold at each end on each row, I'd have to do a little figuring.  I do think that the sections are a little narrow which results in a pointy hat.
I'd also add about  18 sts in the middle so that there would be a fold back brim.

Yarn Confession Update

I've decided that the easiest way to keep track of my yarn usage would be by weight.  Many of my yarns are odd balls, or old, or unlabelled, and many of my projects use multiple yarns.  Trying to figure the yardage for these yarns and projects would be too much work.  But I can always weigh a project!
Starting right after Christmas, here's what I've used up:

Cream tuck scarf         50gr (estimate)
Rose tuck scarf           40gr (estimate)
Green tuck scarf          75gr (estimate)
"Blankie" skirt           279gr
felted slippers            129gr (after felting...my pattern says 117gr for the last pair)
sock monkey            125gr (estimate; he's already stuffed)
Marble Scarf               54gr
Meg's cowl                 38gr
Bonnie mitts and scarf   156gr (small amount was Classic Wool; about 6gr)
donated sock yarn     300gr

Total:   1246gr/1.246kg

Yarn that Came In the House:
Green Classic Wool                 77gr/$2
James Brett Marble                 54gr/$2
2 balls Black Classic Wool   200gr/$10
Brown Fisherman Wool       227gr/$11.24
Brown Handicrafter              100gr/$2

Total:  658gr/$30.78 (inc HST, 13%).

So, I've used up about twice as much yarn as what I've bought so far!  That's awesome!

A Tale of Two Nightgowns

Sometime ago, Meg decided she likes satin nightgowns.  Then, one day I was looking around ikatbag.com and came across her free pattern for 45 minute raglan sleeve nightdress.  I realized this was very similar to the raglan sleeve dress pattern that I have.  But I didn't have any interesting satin (just some cream and some brown).  I was at Salvation Army and couldn't find any satin sheets, so headed to the lady's lingerie, hoping to find a big robe or something.  The selection wasn't that great, but I did find a long La Senza nightgown.  I knew I'd be losing a lot from the bust up, but thought there'd still be enough for the rest.

 However, when it came time to cut out sleeves, there wasn't enough left.  I searched my stash, and wasn't thrilled with either satin option, but found this lightweight gold material; I think it's silk.  I cut the sleeves from that, using the selvage as the sleeve hem, and then cut a long strip (actually, pieced a long strip from the leftovers) to make the ruffle.  I did a really simple hem for the ruffle that I think is neat.  I serged the raw edge, then just folded it back that much, pressed it, and stitched on the wrong side, following one of the serger threads to keep it straight.  To tie it together a bit more, I did the hem in red.  Well, actually I did that cause I didn't have a gold thread to match, LOL. 
I gave it to her for her birthday, and she loved it.  However, there is one big issue.  Her blankets slide off her and she wakes me up about three times during the night to get tucked in again!

Undeterred by the sleepless nights (and thanks to my mom who suggested laying the blanket down, having her lay on it, and folding the other half over her!), I decided that I'd make her annual Christmas Eve nightgown, out of satin again.  I was at Value Village and found this seafoam green satin fitted sheet.  I wasn't thrilled with the colour, but didn't know if I'd get back out shopping.  After VV, I headed across the parking lot to FabricLand.  There, in the remnant bin was a piece of printed satin with this exact same green shade!
 I think the sheet was homemade--there were no tags, and there was a French seam going up the middle (about 1/3 of the way across actually).  There were also some holes.  And the sides had been sewn as a separate panel.  All of this cut down dramatically on the amount of usable material, which I didn't notice till I was cutting it out. 
I laid it all out first, so I could decide how best to use the contrast fabric.  This time, the bodice and the bottom ruffle got it.

I hadn't decided on how to finish the sleeve hems, but they seemed a little short.  I opted to just serge the edge, using a combo of teal and brown threads.  I finished the larger bottom ruffle the same way as I had on the first nightgown--it didn't look right with just a serged edge...too much patterning I think.

This satin sheet was a nightmare.  It wrinkled terribly, and was SO slippery, I ended up cutting three skirt pieces, none of which were terribly accurate.  I used pins, I used weights, I traced before cutting (instead of using the uhh...the round blade thingy right next to the pattern).  I tried scissors, I tried the round blade thingy.  I've used satin before, but this was in a class of it's own.  The wrong side wasn't shiny, but it was still slippery.  Thankfully, it's  a nightgown, and not a prom dress!!

Yarn Confussion Update

The ball of James Brett Marble I picked up just after New Years has been knit into a scarf.  Two balls of Louet Bonnie has finally been knit into convertible mitts and a scarf.  I mailed 300gr of sock yarn leftovers to a friend.
Today, I picked up two balls of Classic Wool ($10) in black for a mitten project, two balls of Handicrafter cotton ($2) in browns for dishcloths, and a ball of Lionbrand Fisherman Wool  ($11.25) in brown (I wanted brown marl, but they didn't have it) for another "blankie skirt" for Meg.  These were all either on sale, or with a coupon, and I have immediate plans for all.  Whether or not I will actually get to these immediately is another story, LOL.

Swimming, swimming...

...in my swimming pool; when days are hot, when days are not, in my swimming pool....

I may not be a "swimmer" anymore, but I do spend lots of time in pools/hot tubs (and the beach on the cruise) so I do need good swimsuits and have, like most women, some challenges with fitting.

After making my first suit, and Meg's first suit, I went ahead and bought a couple Kwik Sew patterns, and made the animal print bikini for Lucy. 

I decided to try the first one I link to above; KW 3779.  Because it's somewhat of a tank, I thought I could use my original suit as a bit of a pattern guide.  It did all go together pretty well, although I had to take in the crotch/bum seam, the center bum, and the side seams.  I did a FBA, however, it doesn't "cup" me quite like it does on the envelope.  I think I need to make my right side bigger.  It's also a little more revealing on me than the pattern...particularly on the right side.  I think because my breasts are closer together (although maybe not evenly spaced on center), and because my shoulders are narrower, the V neck spreads too much.  I have to figure out how to adjust that width and have it line up with the back.  Lucy says it's too low cut, but I think I can fix that on the next one by stitching the cups together at the lower center front for an inch or so.  Or, finding a clasp/decoration that could join the two cups together.

 I did have a little trouble lining up the two cups with the center front seam, and the right side is a little off.

Overall, I was impressed with my first suit for me, from a pattern.  The fabric was a find from Value  Village!
I decided I wanted to make another version, using some fabric from Spandex World.  I figured I should start with the next smaller size since I had to take in the first one so much.  I wanted the back straight across, and the cups wrapping around (for extra coverage) towards the back.  This presented a lot of construction challenges which I worked through in my brain for awhile before starting.  I also needed to line the back pieces as the fabric was a lot thinner.
In the end, I don't think it was worth all the extra hassle.  The back ended up higher than I thought, so it's not really sexier.  I could probably have not bothered with the angled sides on the cups, especially if they fit better, but I didn't want to risk a blow out.  The thinner material has meant that this suit really stretched when it got wet.  I think I need to find a buckle, bauble, or clasp for between the cups to prevent them from sliding over.  What do you call those ornamental bits...they're not functioning buckles or clasps...I do have one from the suit I took apart, but I think it might be too wide.

 Knowing where to position the straps on the back piece was a two person job, thereby voiding the idea of this suit being a surprise for our cruise.

One of these days I'm going to tighten up the elastic around the cups, maybe  shorten the straps.  It's fine in our private hot tub, but a little scary on the public beach.

I can't wait though to make another suit, probably the tankini.  If I can find some brown or black that matches these fabrics, then I can use the scraps as contrast. I highly recommend making your first suit from a real pattern!

The Dress that Nearly Made Me Quit Sewing

Back in early July, I made a dress pattern for knit fabric.  Of course, there were lots of issues, many of which were my own distractedness, and some were due to the fabric.  Overall, I was quite happy with it, and with the purchase of the serger, I thought I'd be whipping out comfy summer dresses by the handful.

After we got back from our trip in July, I started another dress.  The fabric was a Value Village score.  There was a huge amount of it.  Maybe 3 yds, 60" wide.  I had bought "Built by Wendy" book "Sew U, Home Stretch" and liked the pattern where she extends the shoulders to make little sleeves.  I didn't want real sleeves, so I thought this would be a nice solution.  However, when I went to lay out the pattern I had made, I couldn't find the front piece.  In a moment of delusion, I opted to use the back piece for the front as well.

I woke up the next morning and realized my error.  Duh.  I couldn't believe I did that.  Once I got it basted together, I had to think of how to keep the dress on my shoulders.  I thought maybe I could take some brown ribbon that I had and make ties for the back neck (I have a t-shirt like that).  In the end, I opted for nothing, LOL.  I did find that it didn't slip too much once I had a bra on, and a little bit of fashion double stick tape helped.

This is the only picture I have of it.  I've worn it a few times, but since I didn't get it finished until just before our cruise, it's season was limited.  I was a little disappointed that the fabric faded a bit.

OMG, I nearly forgot the real reason this dress was nearly the end!  LOL!!  I had an idea to make the bodice waist be ruched.  Not sure why I thought this up.  I did a ton of googling and found a really nice dress that was exactly what I wanted, but out of print (OOP).  I couldn't find out much about the construction, but I tried several things to try to get the ruching to look right.  It kept drooping.  I thought maybe I could use the earlier mentioned brown ribbon to sew three strips to keep it from drooping too much, but it still did, and it looked a little odd.  I thought about just ....uh, what's that word....the elastic thread gathering....but it wasn't what I wanted, and that had been challenging with my machine.  In the end, I took the inner panel that I had cut with the grain going the opposite way (to help prevent it from stretching out), and used that by itself.  I thought the slight variation in the grain/pattern, would be a bit of an interest piece.  Not sure that happened, but oh well.

I also could not come up with a neck finish.  I wasn't too happy with the different ways I've tried knit bindings.  Finally, I did an edging with the serger.  Stitches very close together, with wooly nylon, but not a rolled edge.  It's fine.  I did rolled edges on the hem and armholes, lettuce edges actually.  Oh, did I do lettuce edge on the bottom?  Don't remember.  I do like doing the lettuce edge--if I can't get the flat edge to look right, and not stretched, then a lettuce edge is a great solution to play up the stretch, LOL!

Confession #1 and #2

After started to clear out stash yarn, I had a trip to Value Village so of course had to pass by the yarn wall.  Snagged an almost full ball of Classic Wool, $2.99 (or was it $1.99?), sage green.  Then yesterday we were in the thrift store in Bancroft, while we're up here visiting, and I got a partial ball of James Brett Marble.  Good for a baby hat or booties.  $1, I think.  Also grabbed an old Sirdar pattern book of assorted novelties (legwarmers, tea cozy, lipstick cozy, etc), and 3 girls' patterns in sizes the girls are growing into, 25cents each.

Happy New Year

Well, it has been a crazy busy month!  I hope you had a good holiday season, and either gave, or received, lots of fiber goodness!

I still have some sewing posts to show from as far back as the early fall!  As for knitting...not much has been finished...and what I did finish, I forgot to take a picture before giving!

Like many people, I'm starting the new year off saying I'm not buying new yarns, fabric, or patterns.  Since Christmas Day, I have actually used up some yarn!  I'm going to keep track, although some times it's difficult.  I'm not always starting with full balls, and sometimes I will have a bit leftover.  But here's the rundown so far:

1) Pink mohair narrow scarf; I think it's an OLD Paton's mohair blend.  Used the entire ball (don't think it was a full ball).
2) White mohair scarf; might be the same yarn.  Larger ball, used it all up. 
3) Green scarf, two balls Red Heart Shetland Chunky, Heather Forest.  Each ball was a different dye lot, so I did random stripes.  Sort of looks like marble!  I do have a picture and will post later.
For these three, I used the free pattern from Machine Knitting Fun.  Super easy.

4) "Lyndee Sock Monkey".  Not sure if I have the link on this computer, it's a free pattern for a machine knit sock monkey.  I can't find it on Ravelry, but perhaps a Google search will work.  I used up nearly one ball of Paton's Decor in dark grey (Not quite a new ball probably).

5) "Blankie Skirt".  A wool skirt/diaper cover in a huge size (for Meg, nighttime).  Base yarn of LionBrand Fisherman Wool in dark brown tweed (used up most of the ball, still enough left for something small), and used up (or nearly used up) several small balls of left over yarns like Headwaters Wool, Briggs & Little, and Patons Classic Wool.  I will have a picture of these later too.

So, how do I count balls?  The three scarves did use up 4 balls, sock monkey makes it 5; blankie skirt...lets call that two balls.  So, that's 7 balls of yarn in less than one week!  I'm going to make another blankie skirt with a different punch card, and that will use up even more of the small balls.

I'm still working on two shawls, a pair of duck booties, the "all in one sweater" I made at the machine knitting group, a pair of Noro socks in "clown barf"....

Some Good, Some Bad

It's been one of those weeks.  I'm working on wool longies on the Singer 155.  Nothing is going smoothly.

I love the Kroy Stretch socks that I've made.  Unfortunately, one got a hole!  It's not like a worn out spot, but a real hole.  I'm sure I can mend it, but because they're mostly not wool, it might be tricky to make sure it stays.  Don't let it stop you from trying this yarn if you haven't yet.

Remember a few weeks ago I mentioned a machine knitting workshop in next May?  The date has been changed to the week before since that weekend was Mother's Day.  Mmmm....seemed like a nice way to spend Mother's Day to me!  However, this works even better for me since my concert band is doing a concert on the May 12/13 weekend.  They also want to move it up a week, but I hope that doesn't happen.  I already had to miss a concert in October, I'd feel really, really bad missing another one, LOL.

I washed two shawls this week, and blocked them out.  The first one, the Moonlight Sonata shawl seemed a little bigger, and "crisper" (not as in, feeling crunchy, but just more defined).  I see that the first time, I couldn't stretch the sides enough to get the bottom edge stretched out.  I didn't remember that as I blocked it this time, and I seemed to have no trouble with the bottom edge.  I'm loving it even more now.  The other shawl was the Sweet Lily Shawl.  I don't know how I did it, but I got it stretched out more this time, and now the points reach my elbows!  It's still not a wrap it around shawl, but I'm much happier now.  Although, it doesn't seem as warm, LOL.  I don't think of dark brown as a summer colour, but I think the lightness of this shawl would make it ideal in the summer for those air conditioned places, and also for blocking the sun on bare shoulders.

The magic of wool.

Book Reviews

I am SICK right now, and although I'd love to be updating my other blog about our cruise, the pictures are on the downstairs computer and it's cold down there, and I just want to snuggle up on the couch.  While I have been knitting quite a bit, I don't have much to show.  I did recently though get some new books from the libary.  The library in my old town was small, but I think there was a knitter on staff as their selection wasn't too bad.  They had a display section near the front door where they put all new books, so it was easy to keep up with new knitting books.  Now, we're in this much bigger town.  The library is huge, and there's three branches.  I hate using the online catalogue, it's too ...clinical?  They do have display areas where they set out books on a topic, and I grab some interesting books that way.  The last time I was there, I was able to scan the shelves as I was looking for Cookie A's first book.  It wasn't in, but I did find some other gems!

"Knitting Plus" by Lisa Shroyer.  There is an extensive section on designing/altering for plus size figures.  It's actually a pretty intense section.  The patterns in the book are actually from multiple designers, which is nice.  They are arranged by the type of shoulder/armhole.  The designs are contemporary and classic.  What I find strange is the size ranges.  The sizes are not consistant.  For example, one cardigan (for which you'd want some positive ease), starts at 39 1/2".  Another more easy fitting sweater, starts at 47".  So, if the size small for the cardigan is meant for a 36" bust, then the loose fit sweater (actually, it's the cover sweater), would have 11" of ease...it does not look like that, and 11" of ease on a plus size body?  No thanks.  So just make sure to assess how you want the sweater to look and fit before choosing a size. 

I like the Barton Cardigan although the excess fabric on the back wouldn't look good on me with my swayback.  It also reminds me a lot of the February Lady Sweater, which (for my own reasons) gave me a real kicking.  I also like Passyunk Pullover, mmmm....on Ravelry, it's called the Passayunk Pullover.  I'm not sure about a yoke sweater on me, but I don't have any to compare it too.  I'd just have to watch that the neckline is not too high on my sensitive neck.  The Waltham Cabled Cardigan is charming and probably the most popular in the book, judging by Ravelry.  Vauxhall Tunic is a great fair isle option for women who don't want horizontal patterning that is the norm with fair isle.  This could also be adapted for a man's sweater.

"Knitted Wild Animals" by Sarah Keen.  I have my favourite teddy bear pattern, and I've made other stuffed animals (pig, dinosaur, elephant, alligator, bunnies...), and I love knitted stuffed animals.  However, I am torn between the quick and easy but often bland animals, and the more intricate but time consuming patterns.  These patterns seem to be a happy compromise!  They all evoke the "aaaahhhh" response, but at the same time, I'm not thinking "look at all the itty bitty pieces to sew together".  I also like the added touch of whimsical animal facts.  Watch the yarn recommendation.  It does say, in the pattern, "Light Worsted" and 3.25mm needles.  In the back, it does say that Light worsted is also known as DK.  I can't find anything that says what yarn was used for the patterns.  There is a small "learn to knit" section at the back, but it's very basic.

"Wendy Knits Lace"  by Wendy Johnson.  I like the variety of projects in this book; even the beginner projects are quite nice.  There's something for everyone.  I do have one BIG peeve with this book though.  There are no "flat out" pictures of the projects.  They're all arranged, styled photos.  In some of the pictures you can't really see the stitch pattern clearly.  I really like to see pictures of the details, or the shape, etc, so I can gauge my own piece and know if it's going right.  I am planning to make the Garden Party Cardigan, I just have to do a little math to alter the sizing to fit me better.  For some of the other patterns, I'm going to wait until there's more projects posted on Ravelry and hopefully better pictures.  And maybe I'll check her blog to see if there's pictures on there (I used to read it all the time, but got a little bored of socks all the time or shawls all the time).

What's your favourite new knitting book?

A Blonde Walks Into...

....a machine knitting club meeting and knit a pink baby sweater.  It's an "all in one" design--the sweater is knit in one piece, and then  the edgings are added at the end.  She's happily knitting away on the first cuff, when she suddenly realizes that she had started a handknit baby sweater in the same yarn early in the spring...and she now wonders if the skein she had grabbed off the shelf was designated for the other, hibernating, project....

Warm Feet

I suffer from chronic cold feet.  Even in the summer, my feet get cold easily. 
Although I've been showing a lot of sewing lately (and have more to show!), I did do some knitting over the summer.  Like always, I needed a small project for sitting at the park, and a bigger project for on the couch at night.  I have been working on "Omelet" (a large shawl)

from Knitty.com for a while now, but my "purse project" went much quicker.  I showed the pictures of the socks from the day we went to the beach and it was cold.  It wasn't too long after that that they were finished.  However, the weather turned warm and I didn't feel like putting them on to take pictures.  Finally, on Oct 12, I was tired of seeing them on my end table, and I had the camera out taking pictures of my son's sprained ankle, so I snapped a few of the socks.  Always a challenge!

 Kroy Stripes, Mulberry.  I didn't want yarn left over, so these ended up tall, which is a nice change!

 Toe up, two at a time on one circular needle.  The eyelets going outwards on the top of the foot are the heel increases.  The eyelets going up the middle are paired with decreases.

 Once I got to the heel turning, I had to pair the outer eyelets with decreases too, so that they moved inwards and met at the middle.  In this picture above, you can see the little short row wedge (speckled grey)  at the top of the dark pink heel.  This just gave me a little extra heel depth to get over my high instep.
Part way up the leg, I realized I forgot to do the heel in a slip stitched pattern.  And that I wanted ribbing at some point.  I looked at my stitch dictionaries and found a diamond pattern to mimic the foot, and repeated it around the calf.  In the top half of the diamonds, I gradually shifted to ribbing.  It's a little hard to see in the striped yarn, but this would be a good way to add ribbing if you don't want a sudden start.

Not much else to say about them.  I did a little extra calf shaping at the top since they were getting tall, however, I did it a little late and a little sharply, so the top edge is actually a little loose.  They still stay up though.  I think they might become my new skating socks.

Racer Back Dress

Back in the summer, I started reading a blog, www.ikatbag.com.  Shortly after, she posted a pattern/tutorial on making a racer back girl's dress, in a knit fabric.  I just knew I had to make it!  I especially wanted to try the way she showed the neck binding.  I had read other tutorials, but they left the inside edge with a raw edge showing.  This one treated the neck binding like bias tape, but in a knit fabric...could I do it (and if I could, then I could use it on the brown and black dress that I recently showed, and another dress that I was working on).

I had a bright pink jersey sheet that would be great for Meg.  The pattern came in three sizes, the largest was a 7, which is what I used (I'm pretty certain....this was a while ago now, LOL).  I did have an issue with cutting the binding for the armhole.  You have to measure the armholes yourself, but I didn't include the part of the back in the middle for some reason.

It's a great pattern!  She can put it on herself, the back is very different from the front so it never goes on backwards, it doesn't fly up high when she spins, but there's plenty of room for movement.  I really want one in my size, and I've been trying to figure out how to do a sort of shelf bra.  I think I've got it figured out, now that we're headed into late autumn, LOL.

I did have some issues with doing the binding; lining it up, sewing it even, how it should look on the inside.  But I'd still do it again!  I did a lettuce edge on the bottom.  I didn't have bright pink cones of serger thread, but I did have a red cone, and several spools of various shades of pink.  Later on, I did get wooly nylon and if I had known how great that would be, I would have gone to get some for this dress too. 

Bear and Booties for Blake

I found out in mid-May that one of my cousins was expecting her first baby in mid-August.  I thought for awhile about what to make her, and then it suddenly came to me that I usually make a large teddy bear, either for the birth or 1st Christmas or 1st birthday. 

I didn't remember this though until the start of September, and her shower was on Sept 13.  No problem.  I have a pattern I always use, and a basement full of yarn.

 I LOVE a teddy bear pattern by Jean Greenhowe.  I've used it many, many times over the past 12 years.  I use just about any yarn, with appropriate sized needles.  I've made teeny weeny bears, and giant grizzly bears.  This bear qualifies as a grizzly! 

Made with Paton's Divine, and I think 5mm needles (the yarn calls for 6.5mm because of the mohair, but for this use, it needs to be tight).  It's big, squishy, slightly fuzzy, and SO huggable!

The day before the shower, I saw some baby booties on a blog, and realized I could make some too!  I googled for a while and found a pattern, I think it's at "Starlight Shoes".  I searched through the fabric stash, and found several fabrics I liked.  I selected two, one for the sole, one for the body.  I didn't do the interfacing, and there were some other construction details I wasn't thrilled about (I thought the casing for the elastic on the heel was too bulky; I have some ideas to change that, but I think it would add a few minutes to the construction).  I realized after I cut the first one that there is the letter B on the fabric, so I made sure it was placed well on the second booties.

I definitely have plans to make more, some themed ones for certain.  They'd be something great to keep in the gift box as they can use up small scraps and  don't take long to make, or require special trims or closures.

They do have a left/right distinction, however, I think for newborns, it's probably not necessary.