The Used Yarn Chronicles

Christmas Knitting--Small Scrap Shawl with Collar

2009-12-16T19:05:00.003-06:00

This was truly a scrap project, using many weights and textures of predominantly brown-tones, in a garter stitch pattern of double increases along a center stitch. It needs a shawl pin of some sort. I may put fringe along the bottom. Sorry, but I didn't keep any counts along the way and have no pattern.

Christmas Presents--Knit Bolero-Style Cardigan

2009-12-16T17:15:00.002-06:00

Three skeins of the antique rose (see a few posts down, where I report on 19 skeins of yarn bought for $5). This is the "Bolero Style Cardigan" from the Crystal Palace yarn site. It's one of those origami style patterns, where one knits one rather ungainly piece that is then folded into shape, and held together by a neckband. The horizontal lace pattern of the back is twisted up into a vertical pattern on the front.

Don't make it, though. The pattern is so badly written that it's nearly impossible to tell how to accomplish this, with nothing at all said about where to sew, and how to form the neck. I finally resorted to writing to the designer, who didn't answer. In desperation, I just finished it by trial and error (and ripping). I actually changed the buttons after the picture was taken, to some bigger, flatter ones, which hold it all together much better than these metal ones. It's for one of the girls. Size 40 across the chest.

A Pattern: One-Row Guy Scarf

2009-12-10T22:12:00.003-06:00

It's hard to photograph scarves, because if someone is wearing it, it's usually too far away to see the stitch pattern, but if it's just flat on the table, it really doesn't show the finished product very well. I hope you can visualize the full thing from this small sample.

ONE ROW SCARF

There are a lot of one-row scarf patterns, and I really like the symmetry they provide in a scarf--reversable, simple, yet textured. I think they're great for the men in our lives.

Materials: Worsted weight yarn. I used one skein of Woolease from the stash. The ribbed pattern breaks up the variegation and makes the scarf look rather tweedy.

Needles: US 9. You can use a 10 if you like, as a looser knit makes this scarf drape nicely.

CO 30.

Pattern: *K2, P* to last three stitches. K3.

Repeat until scarf is as long as you like. It makes a ribbed scarf with a finished-looking edge. It really looks much more complex than you would think. You'll love it!

Newsboy Cap & Lacy Scarf--Two Crocheted UFOs

2009-12-10T17:22:00.003-06:00

This slouchy newsboy cap is another UFO that languished for more than a year, to my embarrassment. The problem here was that after I finished the cap (out of some rummage sale yarn), the instructions said to stiffen the brim with plastic before sewing together. I wasn't sure how to do this, and just put it aside. Recently, a friend was telling me how she cut up a milk carton to make some bobbins, and a light went on in my little brain. Ahhhhhh-- what an obvious source of thin plastic. It took about two minutes to trace the bill onto the side of the carton and cut out a piece. Luckily, I had left a long tail of yarn. In another minute, it was sewn shut. Voila! It was sent out today with a bag of Christmas gifts to the teen shelter. The styro head is a little small to show this hat off to its full advantage. It's quite cute.

Next, I had started a lacy little scarf out of the very thin pink cone yarn left after I made the vest for my MIL last year. I don't know why I stopped, but suspect I realized a scarf just doesn't go well with such a vest. When I needed a few more gifts for the girls at the shelter, I took it out, added about 10 more rows, blocked it, and wrapped it up.

It's so satisfying to get stuff out of this cluttered house.

Done at Long Last

2009-12-04T23:38:00.003-06:00

These half-finished socks have been stuffed in a plastic bag for years. I was seduced by all of the new self-patterning sock yarns and started these before I realized how ugly the colors looked. That along with the simple, boring style just made me lose interest. So, they remained a UFO until last week when I was going to babysit and had nothing to take along except secret Christmas knitting, so I grabbed them. It's a relief to have them done and out of the knitting bag.

Filigree Bowl--Cotton Thread Doubled

2009-11-27T20:25:00.003-06:00

If you're like me and always wanted to make one of those crocheted doily bowls, this pattern is for you. It's the "Filigree Bowl" from the Coats and Clark website (coatsandclark.com). It's meant to be made with a little heavier thread, and I was able to double up on the #10 bedspread cotton from my stash. Using an F hook, it took an evening to make. The hardest thing, actually, was finding a bowl of the right size to use as a mold. You stiffen the crocheted fabric with sugar water or commercial stiffener and shape it over a bowl covered with plastic wrap. A few days later: voila! A fruit bowl. It really sets up as hard as glass. Very magical.

One of the girls is getting this for Christmas.

Mitre Square Blanket

2009-11-21T01:11:00.004-06:00

There's a thrift shop run by a small Lutheran church in my town, and it always has several bins of very small balls of yarn, which sell for a nickle each. A nickle! Obviously, I couldn't resist diving in. My plan is to make a large blanket of mitred squares, using mostly many, many tones of blue, but with an occasional red square just to perk it up a bit. I bought all the blues they had in the bins the day I visited, and added them to the several blue worsted weights in my stash.

The blanket is slow going, though. Each square is made up of two different colors, and, since the squares are about six inches square, the final blanket design will probably run to more than 200 squares.

The good thing, of course, is that with mitred squares there is no sewing together at the end. I'm trying to tuck in the ends after every two or three squares, just to keep that chore under control.

Below is a very dark snap of the blanket-in-progress. It's about 30 squares in size now, and will probably be done in a year or so, since it's already too large to carry around in a knitting bag.

I have no idea where all those tiny balls of yarn come from, but assume there is some sort of group at the church that makes charity goods and rolls up the ends of yarn left after a project is complete.

They also sell magazines for a quarter there, and I've bought quite a few knitting and crochet magazines there, so it's a fun place to visit when I manage to get there during their short hours.

Reading note: I just finished The Friday Night Knitting Club, and really enjoyed it until the very sad ending had me in tears. I think the ending is a mistake, actually, as it overshadowed everything that had come before. But that's me. Don't let me put off anyone from reading it. It's good.

Hugs!

MRI Potholders

2009-11-16T08:19:00.004-06:00

Ricardo had to have some lengthy tests at the hospital, and I wanted to sit with him. So, I needed a project small enough to fit into my sweatshirt pocket. The night before the tests, I rolled some cotton into small balls, stuck a size G plastic crochet hook through one, and stashed them away in my pocket.

These potholders were the result. During the morning hours I made the lacy tops out of some scraps of blue and pink. During lunch and the afternoon session I crocheted solid backs. That night, while we watched TV, I crocheted them together and did the fancy business along the edge. I got four done--three square and one round. Two are already grubby.

I'm Back!!

2009-11-16T08:05:00.001-06:00

Hello Again, and Best Wishes to Everyone! I quit blogging some months ago, because I more or less fell into a big stash of yarn and wasn't sure how to deal with it under my $20 plan. Also, my hubby wasn't doing well healthwise, and there was just too much to deal with.

But I missed blogging. Barbara (from I'm Crocheting to Keep From Smoking) and I have been working on a charity project---more of this later---and she urged me to get back to the blog. So here I am, and I have lots of projects to share.

Sally

Welcome to Year Two of the $20 Budget Challenge!

2009-03-12T01:13:00.002-05:00

For Lo, the Winter is past...

Well, it's still 21 degrees F up here in the frozen northland, but the sun is out today and there's a promise of spring in the air. It's a good time for a new beginning.

Rummage season is a few months in the future, but I answered an ad on Craigslist and bought a bag of yarn, sight-unseen, for $5. It turned out to be 19 complete skeins of the yarn shown here---of course, it's a rather pinky shade called "antique rose", although I'm telling myself it's sort of a dusky mauve. It's acrylic, but very soft with a bit of a sheen. Certainly enough for an afghan, and not dirty or musty or anything unacceptable. There was also a tangled skein of some white cotton, which I can use for a few cloths. All in all, a good beginning.

I also recently made a nice purse out of some chennile gifted to me, paired up with some snazzy wooden handles and a button, both salvaged from a thrift shop purse.

It's just two hexagons crocheted together. I used a double strand of yarn and crocheted the motifs very tightly, then just put them together with a bit of a decorative seam with bobbles on each corner. It's thick and spongy and doesn't need a lining, although I prefer a shoulder strap.

My biggest decision right now is whether to award myself the entire $20 for the new year, or try to get by on less, considering the fact that I have some stash left from my last year's budget. I'm just going to wing it for awhile until I see what kind of bargains are out there.

I saw a wonderful documentary recently about the Hamlin fistula hospital in Ethiopia, and was curious about the patchwork shawls many of the patients were wearing. A bit of googling resulted in the knowledge that these were made by a group of Methodist women in the UK, along with some Australian knitters. It was very cool to find out that the residents--who stay at the hospital for several weeks--are now knitting the shawls themselves for the new arrivals. I love a good knitting story. It seems that there is no end to the number of good causes out there that needlewomen around the world contribute to.

My own little charity--Christmas hats for teens in the shelter here--is already shaping up for new year. I've decided to make all the hats in a black/cream color scheme, and am putting any appropriate yarn aside. The 2009 hats will be earflap hats, both in knit and crochet. I wanted to do something a little more "hip" (do people still say that?) than I did this past year. I already have black and cream yarn enough for about four or five hats, thanks to Barbara and Lisa. It's a good project to carry around in my purse when I'm babysitting or socializing.

The "Sweet Scallops" blankie is finally done, and will be up here in a few days. It's so big, I want to get out on the porch to take a proper picture. I still need one more blankie for all the upcoming babies, but I'm tired of big projects right now and want to work on some thread projects first.

There's so much to look forward to! Life is good. Hugs to all.

Coming Full Circle

2009-03-05T02:24:00.002-06:00

It's been a year this week since I quit buying "new" yarn, and, incredibly, I ended the year with a profit.

One of the eyeglass cases I gave away last fall ended up in the front desk of a new office building, holding the rectangular plastic key cards the employees use to move through the building. Soon after, I got an email asking me what I would charge to make more "keycard holders" for the other departments. I quickly made six more, completely out of scrap yarns.
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I also sold the gossamer scarf featured here a few months ago.
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So, I spent $20 this year on yarn, and made more than three times that amount from the scrap yarns I purchased. Now, I need to decide whether or not I can spend that money on YARN, or stick to my budget for another year. [Note: several people gave me lovely yarn as gifts, and I was careful not to make anything for sale from that yarn. It just didn't seem right.]
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Some really good yarn is left---the blue cone yarn and the bag of cotton boucle are still awaiting proper pattern ideas. Additionally, I got wonderful orphan skeins in swaps with Jami and Lisa, and a box of Softee Chunky from Barbara (I used most of this, but there's still enough left to make something nice).
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The year had a lot of high points. In November, I was (big surprise) knitting in the hallway of the courthouse and chatting with a woman as we waited for the court to return from lunch. She told me that she managed a group home for eight foster teen boys, and that none of their families had left them any gifts to open on Christmas morning. She was hoping to find some donations. Due to the generosity of Barbara and Jami and the yarn they sent, each boy got a Christmas hat! [There are many, many wonderful charities distributing hats, scarves, afghans, and the like, but if anyone wants to knit or crochet items for the local community, just google Catholic Charities to find your local office and give them a call. They have group homes that serve all sorts of people---including the teen mothers and babies that I've been knitting for throughout this year.]
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This was also the year I rediscovered crochet, after many years without holding a hook. My hands are arthritic, and sometimes get too stiff to knit. At such times, it's easier to crochet for a few days. Gosh, it's fun! Crochet just lends itself so well to small, multicolor projects.
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My most popular project (by the number of emails I received asking for the pattern) is the knit "overlapping scallops" baby blanket. I was so glad to make the two baby blankets and finally use up most of my baby yarns. And, thanks to Lisa, I was able to finish the neutrals afghan. Now it just needs some sort of border.
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There are so many projects that I didn't post patterns for, because I found that writing down patterns was a lot harder than I originally thought it would be. I've resolved to post the baby blanket pattern this week, and several other winter patterns (mittens, hats) ASAP.
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Right now (and I really mean RIGHT THIS MINUTE) I'm trying to finish a set of Jack and Annie dolls (the Magic Treehouse books). I'm adapting them from an old pattern I have of Jack and Jill, and struggling to embroider the necessary eyeglasses on Jack. He also needs a backpack! They'll go to my youngest grandson's first grade classroom, where the kids act out the stories. I knew all that pale pink worsted would come in handy.
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It's been a good year. Thank you all for being there. Hugs all around.

SR

Valentine Tie for My Honey---Rummage Sale Yarn

2009-02-18T00:40:00.002-06:00

I bought some yarn a few weeks ago at a Lutheran Charities sale. Three small bags of vintage sock yarns for a quarter a bag! I think I went a little over $20 for the year with this purchase, but only by a few cents.

The yarn used in this tie was wadded together and tied with string. It was a skein and a half skein of "Bucilla 3-ply fingering yarn", 100% wool, loden green heather.

Ricardo has been mourning the loss of his favorite tie, which he bought years ago during a long stay in Portugal, and recently ruined in a greasy food mishap. As I am less than eager to hand wash socks, it seemed like a better idea to use this yarn to knit him a tie for Valentine's Day. It was quite a success---he loves the tie. (I got flowers, which are sitting in splendor on the dresser right in front of me, still looking fresh and beautiful!)

Some tips on tie-making, if any of you are interested: 1) don't be taken in by patterns that are knitted flat. I've tried many different tie techniques, and the only successful knitted ties I've made are knit in a tube, then steamed flat. 2) The only yarn that seems to work is sock weight (fingering), wool or wool and silk. I use #1 dpns, knit the bottom part in a texture pattern (here, in moss stitch), then change to stockinette for the neck and back, reducing the stitch count in half at the neck. Yes, there are lots and lots of stitches, but most of the tie is only about 20 stitches around and goes quickly. Also, You really can't use synthetics and get a nice flat blocking job. 3) leave the bottom open until the tie is blocked. The tie will often stretch quite a bit, and you will want to shorten it by a few inches. 4) keep another tie nearby as you knit, and measure them often against each other. Ties are picky. 5) unfortunately, I've never successfully crocheted a tie. Even with thin yarn, it's too bulky and doesn't drape well.

If anyone wants me to write down the pattern, just let me know.

Hope you all had love in your heart, this week and always!

Hugs.

Project: Newborn Booties--Worsted Scraps

2009-02-12T22:59:00.002-06:00

I'll bet you went, "Awwwww." These are so tiny and sweet. They were the featured pattern on "Knit and Crochet Today" on PBS a few days ago and I couldn't resist making them immediately. The pattern isn't up yet on their site, but I watched Kristin Nicholas make them, and she just knit two four-inch garter squares and folded and stitched them up. They can be made from a very small amount of any lovely yarn (or, in my case, some plain old pink worsted). The ones on the show were striped, but I liked the "Tiny Dancer" look of the plain pink.

This Week OTN: Blankets!!

2009-02-03T01:34:00.002-06:00

I've been making blankies. This one is almost done. It's an overlapping scallop pattern, made with doubled baby yarns. With the complex pattern, the color changes, and holding the yarn double, it's a bit taxing, but I've been trying to do two bands a day. Nice and big, though, and cheerful looking.

The second one is done. It's a round pattern I found on ravelry, crocheted out of TLC baby yarn. Not as big as I'd like, though, but fine for a newborn and fun and easy to make.
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The last one is something I've been adding to all year. I call it the "neutrals afghan". It's just a large granny square. I'm 41 rounds into it, and need about 60 rounds to have a decent sized throw. Now that it's getting larger, I need larger amounts of each yarn to make the circuit. I think I've used about 11-12 different yarns so far. The last five or six rounds will be off-white, so that will take the pressure off somewhat. It's going into hibernation until I can find some additional neutral-colored yarns (beige, ecru, cream, gray, silver, etc.) It's actually much paler than in the photo.

A Pattern: Felted Roses--A Lisa Ponytail Holder

2009-01-30T03:42:00.002-06:00

Felted Roses

Worsted weight wool, about four yards

Size J crochet hook

Hold yarn doubled. Chain 26. Hdc in second ch from hook, then work two dc in next 22 ch. Work sl st in last chain, to bring yarn down to bottom. Twist into rose, using yarn ends to secure bottom.

I felted these in my salad spinner, in the sink. Just fill the spinner half-full of hot water and a few drops of detergent. You can get good agitation. Rinse under the tap, squeeze out and dry flat.

I made a round circle for the base, leaving a 3 stitch hole on each side. You could use a rectangle, also. The base is also felted.

The stick is made from those free take-out chopsticks (which also make fairly nice knitting needles). I cut off about two inches, sharpened the point slightly in the pencil sharpener, sanded it to remove the rough bits, then stained it with furniture polish.

I now have a number of felted roses, to add to purses or whatever. It's a good way to use up small bits of wool.

A Project: Two Year Planner Cover

2009-01-30T03:19:00.002-06:00

Calendars have hit the discount bins, and I was able to get a two year planner for a dollar. This one even had a nice plastic sleeve. I took out the staples and removed the cover, then turned it over so that there was a smooth white surface to decorate with some of the tiny doilies I've been making out of thread and floss. All it took was a thin coat of Elmer's Glue.

The possibilities really are endless. If I can lay my hand on a metallic marker I plan to fill in the empty spots with some small designs, and maybe gild the edge. The outer plastic cover gives it a nice finishing touch. I chose not to staple it back together, but instead tied some threads around the spine and left a little tassle on the bottom.

Does anyone want the tiny doily patterns? They are just two- or three-row bits and pieces. Let me know if I should write them down.

Lots of Little Projects Done

2009-01-16T19:01:00.006-06:00

Hi, Everybody! Thanks for the lovely comments while I was off line, and for the mails sent. All the snow and ice and cold had me feeling a little blue, but I was called on to babysit last week and came home feeling my usual self.

One of my New Year's resolutions was to go back to those big bags of thread and baby yarns and either use them or give them to the charity shop. As luck would have it, our town had a citywide "baby shower" day today (isn't that a great idea?), and many people donated beautiful hand crafted items to babies in need. I finished two sweaters and a hat, and Ricardo was tickled that when he dropped the stuff off, they put my hat on display. I really don't have a good picture of the knitted sweater, as I was still finishing it this morning, but it was made of a "denim" printed baby yarn, with cables up both sleeves and along the button band.

This crocheted jacket--shown here--was made with some nice vintage pompador baby yarn. I had one skein of "pistachio", one of "pistachio print" and one of white, all three with that little sparkly thread. I used almost all of it. It was supposed to have a hood, but I didn't have enough yarn.

Libraries are such wonderful places. Our name finally came up for a turn at the first season of Stargate SG-1, a series Ricardo always wanted to see, so we've been watching two episodes a night. I took out a stack of old Vogue Knitting magazines, and sit and page through them while we munch popcorn and travel the cosmos. I'm also making something I call "tiny doilies." These are one or two inches across, and I'm trying to make them look as much like full-size doilies as I can. Ricardo was a bit incredulous, remarking that full-size doilies themselves are only "marginally useful." But I can see these embellishing a number of items (ball caps? or under a glass coffee table?).

Lastly, I finished a pair of lace trouser socks, using a ball of Lustersheen from my thread bag. They are very delicate, and don't feel like they will last more than a few wearings, although I hope I'm wrong. Not something to wear hiking in the woods, however.

I'm reading Small Wonder, a collection of essays by Barbara Kingsolver (whose fiction is wonderful), making pea soup, and waiting for the sun to come back.

Hugs!

Computer Woes

2009-01-02T12:31:00.002-06:00

Please bear with me while I try to resolve my computer problems. It keeps freezing up---so badly that I can't even turn it off unless I switch off the power strip. (And it does this after only a few minutes of use.)

So, I'm trying to get someone to help me back everything up and see if it can be fixed. Until that time, I'm stuck with going to the library to use the computers there, or visiting friends to use theirs. I hope I can learn how to load my photos from my camera into some online program, so I can begin posting again.

Hugs to all. I hope your holidays were wonderful.

Measure, Cut, Sharpen, Sand---and Knit!

2008-12-23T00:09:00.002-06:00

Long after I'm gone, my house will probably still be giving up all the yarn needles, dpns, crochet hooks, and various other small needlework implements that have disappeared over time. It's hard to believe that I've brought many, many of these things into this house, yet, when I need something specific, I've never got the right thing. The ducts, the moldings, the window wells, the radiators, and those dark and dusty slits under the bookcases and dressers must all be full of small, pointed things.

For a while, I've been down to three #3 dpns, and have been using a #4 to make up a set. Moreover, the 3's are aluminum and just not very nice. I've gotten spoiled over the years, and my hands have also deteriorated quite a bit. Now, I want bamboo or wood needles. Luckily, there are a lot of blogs out there written by people who make their own needles from dowels, so I decided to give it a try.

I took my needle gauge down to Tru-Value Hardware and went through their bin of dowels. The 1/8" dowel corresponded to our US#3. I was also able to buy a dowel to make a set of #8's, and one to make some 10 1/2. The smallest dowel was 80 cents for a yard. The others were slightly more.

The 36" dowels yield four 7" sticks and one 8". I measured, marked each length with a black marker, and sawed through the dowel with an old bread knife. Then, using a little plastic pencil sharpener, I sharpened each end into a point. I only had one size of sandpaper (most other needle makers use two or three different grades), but it was a very fine grade. I rubbed the sticks between the folded paper, then scraped the points against the paper quite vigorously, to blunt them a bit.

Again, most other people rub the finished sticks with waxed paper, or use some sort of beeswax or other polish. I decided to give the needles a test run first, and they were as smooth and silky as could be. Perhaps the larger needles will need more finishing, but these work great! I can't believe all the money I've spent on dpns, when all I needed was an 80 cent dowel (this one is made of birch wood). I'm addicted! Of course, you can also make single point needles in any length desired, by sharpening only one end, and gluing a button or whatever to the other end.

Honestly, making these took about half an hour (not counting the trip to the store). And I'm not handy with tools.

Back to frantically finishing my Christmas projects. Hugs.

A Pattern: Fun and Funky Eyeglass Cases

2008-12-13T00:26:00.002-06:00

Eyeglass Case

Materials: One ounce of worsted weight yarn; four yards of fun fur in coordinating color.

Size G crochet hook.

Instructions:

Ch 25. Rows 1 and 2: Sc in each ch space.

Row 3: Sc in first 2 sc *ch 4, sc in next 4* rep to last two stitches, sc in last 2. ch 1, turn

Row 4: Sc in each sc across, pushing ch 4 loops to back of work and pulling stitches together at the base of each ch 4 loop. 24 stitches and 5 bobbles made.

Row 5: Sc in first 4 sc *ch 4, sc in next 4* to last four stitches, sc in last 4, ch 1, turn.

Row 6: repeat row 4.

Repeat rows 3-6 for pattern. See picture above for how the diagonal rows of little bumps should appear.

Repeat pattern for 6 inches (6 pattern repeats). Sc in each sc for two rows. Fold case in half and work a row of Sc down side and across bottom. Fasten off main color.

Attach fur to top of case and work two to four rows sc. Fasten off.

Updates: Gifted Projects, Books, and Whatever

2008-12-08T03:20:00.004-06:00

We've had a number of birthdays recently. The MIL received the pink cone-yarn vest, and I was a little disappointed that the bottom button was pulling a bit. It could have used another inch around the hips, even though she is very small. But, the following day she called and said she'd worn it to church and loved it, and it was stretching a bit. She called the day after that to say she'd worn it out to lunch. So I'm calling it a successful gift item.

This weekend it was about 9 degrees here, and snowing, so I was more than happy to be the babysitter while our kids went out to buy toys for their kids. Then they took us all out for pizza on the way home. Dominic was wearing the bobble hat featured a few posts back, and a woman at the next table asked me if I'd knit it, and asked where she could find the pattern. So, I got to discuss my two favorite things--knitting and grandchildren--while eating pizza.

I haven't finished anything too terribly interesting. My daughter bought my MIL a pair of pewter colored metallic gloves for Christmas, and I made a scarf that matches pretty well from one orphan skein of Patons Carmen. It's fuzzy and soft yarn, so I was able to stretch it by using big needles and making it somewhat narrow. See picture below, right.

I also made a cloche and mitten set with the afghan yarn, and added some jingle bells that were kicking around in my button box. It's a gift for a teen girl. See below, left.

One of the lacy scarves shown earlier went to my son-in-law's sister last month, before she left to study in France, and Ricardo decided that the farrow rib hat would be perfect for the co-worker whose name he got in the gift exchange at his part time job. And I didn't wait until Christmas to give daughter 1 the coin purse, as her old one tore along the side and she was about to buy one. (She loves the flower bouquet purse.) So the gift drawer is somewhat depleted.

It's time for reading around here, until the ice melts and makes it safe to walk again. I finished the Faith, Hope, and Charity trilogy by Len Deighton last week and started reading the Isabel Dalhousie mystery series by Alexander McCall Smith.

Hugs to all! Stay warm.

Crafty Gift Ideas!

2008-12-02T03:45:00.002-06:00

I've got a very simple photo program I bought a few years ago for about $5.00, but it has some fun special effects that I used to make a few gifts. On the left is an enhanced photo of Alex, and on the right I used the "sketch" effect to make it into a pencil sketch. By isolating the head and then turning it into a sketch, it makes lovely little drawings of a pet or baby, etc. I did pictures of people's kids and put them into simple black frames from the dollar store. They really turned out nice! The only trick was getting the heads the same size in two or more pictures, so they look like a balanced set.

I also made honey butter last year, and I'll do it again this year. You just take half honey and whip it into slightly soft butter (one cup of each makes two gifts). You can put in a little cinnamon or some grated orange rind. This goes so well with corn bread or on french toast. I put it into small plastic containers and made little labels on the computer, with holly leaves, and a bow on top. Another thing I've done is make polenta mix, with rough ground corn and some herbs and dried onion, with a recipe tied to the lid of the jar, but this is not for everyone, obviously.

Of course, there are many similar things that people do to make low cost, but very nice, gifts. These are just a few of the things that have worked well for me, in case anyone needs a fresh idea that can be made up the night before one needs a gift.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

2008-11-27T23:37:00.002-06:00

We had a great day, with four generations in attendance and too, too much to eat. One of my grandsons turned up in a sweater I knit quite some time ago, so I'm using this as an excuse to show them both off.

My life is good. I hope yours is, too!

Project: Doll Clothes--Trash and Treasure yarns

2008-11-24T21:02:00.002-06:00

The little girl I got from the Giving Tree wanted some new clothes "for my mom's old Molly doll." I've never really seen one of those historic era dolls (I won't say the brand--you know the ones I mean), and couldn't find a pattern I really like, but I got the measurements and a basic sweater pattern and knit this little cable sweater and stocking hat. If I have time, I want to make a scarf or maybe a shawl. I hope the doll has some sort of lower garments, because I really don't want to tackle making dolly pants.

She seems like a nice child! I hope she isn't disappointed with something hand-made instead of what she's probably seen in the stores. I also made her a pair of big girl mittens.

Project: Hats and Mittens--Granny Square box

2008-11-19T20:02:00.003-06:00

I'm using the vintage Bernat wool-blend yarns from the box of granny squares and remnants I bought at a rummage sale this summer to make family hats and mittens. There were 13 unused skeins of different colors jammed in the box along with the 35 completed squares. The skeins really have good yardage. I was prepared to finish off this hat in a contrasting color, but one skein made both the hat and mittens pictured--and I had four yards left.

I don't get many emails from this blog, but I did get one some months ago after I posted a pattern for "incredibly simple" fingerless gloves. The writer gently reminded me that a lot of people don't find working with dpns simple, and lots of knitters make lovely things without ever using dpns. Also, she pointed out that even sock knitters may not have a full set of dpns in larger sizes.

So, I spent quite a bit of time looking at some vintage knitting patterns and converting some of my mitten patterns to the two-needle method. I hadn't made two-needle mittens before, and find them quite enjoyable. Also, they have a nice finished shape, since they are flat when done, and keep the shape well. I was surprised at how well the seam turns out--almost invisible.

The mittens above are made on two needles, and I'll be posting the pattern in a few days, as soon as I finish the next pair, (which have a more interesting design).

Project: Backpack--Various Acrylic Yarns

2008-11-15T21:11:00.003-06:00

Here's the finished backpack/purse. I tried to stuff it with yarn to give it some shape, but it's truly enormous. It's a Linda Cyr design, published in Family Circle Easy Accessories.

I used all of the yarn I had. The black is Red Heart Super Saver, in a black with flecks of red and tan. The variegated is some sort of self striping yarn from the thrift shop bag, but it's quite harsh.

The bag is very soft and saggy, though, and the bottom is just too large. If I made it again, I'd make the bottom more rectangular and not a square, as it is here. I also don't like how the drawstring is formed---the straps are threaded through a channel made at the top, and tie under the flap. The I-cord is really too thick to make such a knot, which is huge under the flap.

The design had a pocket to give some strength to the button, but I don't have enough yarn to make a pocket. I will make a little square of black to sew under the button to give it some strength.

I'm glad I've got some time before Christmas to putz around with this a bit. I think I'll try to also put a square of plastic or cardboard in the bottom to keep it from sagging down.

It has possibilities, but it's just not there yet. Pretty, though.

This Week OTN

2008-11-14T02:09:00.003-06:00

Just so you don't think I've been slacking off this week, I wanted to post the progress on my projects. On the left is an enormous bag, done on a square, heavy black-with-flecks base. It'll be a backpack type of bag, with a drawstring and a flap. The straps and flap will be black, probably. It's all acrylic. I've got some very nice synthetic yarn, but this was stuff that didn't seem nice enough to make any clothing from. It will be a strong bag, though, if it turns into something useable.

I also finished almost the entire back of a sweater vest for the hubby. Unfortunately, it's way, way too large. As I was knitting it, I kept thinking it was too big. But you all know how that goes---one keeps on plugging away, hoping it isn't really too big/too small. Then I laid it down and put one of his sweatshirts on top, and realized it was indeed gigantic. So it's due to be frogged.

I didn't get much reading done this week, either. Instead, I was obsessed with watching the TV shows about the economy. Luckily, everyone in the family is still employed, but a few of them work for companies that are suffering economically. Winters up here are long and expensive. I hope none of you are having financial difficulties.

Hugs!

Day of Indecision

2008-11-09T11:19:00.003-06:00

The grandkids treated us to breakfast yesterday at this little diner. Today, they all went to a train expo (we are a family of train enthusiasts), and I have a day alone. I want to get started on a sweater vest for Ricardo for Christmas, but am still undecided on what to use. Here are my choices: 1) Yesterday I decided to make something out of the blue cone yarn, but it's very bright, with flecks of many other colors, and it's sport weight. The plus side is that I have enough to make something all in one color; 2) The skeins from the granny square box all match and are the same weight, but the only color of any quantity is the yellow (3 skeins). I could make the back and ribs out of the yellow and fair isle or stripe the front. This was my original plan, but it's a fussy project; 3) I could opt for one of those smaller "westkit" type of vests, with the little points in front and buttons. I have a nice pattern from one of my old Golden Hands books with this pattern. The problem is that this must be all one color, and I'm not sure it would look good in bright blue, and I'm not sure the yellow would stretch. The pattern calls for 10 oz. of sport yarn, and the yellow is worsted, but I could make a smaller size; 4) I could use the bulky yarn I got from Barbara in the swap, although I'm using most of the taupe and black for a poncho, although I have have white and blue variegated enough. Again, I'd need to mix the colors. I also have some very similar yarn in a dusty rose that I could mix into a pattern without it looking too feminine. ARGGG. Nothing seems right.

This is a secret project, so I really hate to waste one good private day. I'm gonna stare at the blue cone awhile longer and then try to commit to something before noon.

Project: Goofy Little Knit Purse

2008-11-08T16:00:00.002-06:00

Goofy Little Knit Purse-

Knit from tape/ribbon combination fiber, in two shiny colors. The yarn was a rather heavy worsted weight.

I got some very pretty fiber from Jami--about 15 yards of mauve and 60 yards of light blue. The fiber was in two parts: a soft shoelace-type of tape paired with a very filmy gold ribbon. To me, purses work better in crochet, since knitted fabric tends to be soft and drapey and really needs to be lined (which I'm not eager to do). But there wasn't enough to crochet even a small bag, so I went down to a size 4 needle and chose a dense knit and purl small basketweave pattern. I initially planned to use some mauve for the bottom (in garter stitch) and then use the rest for the button and handle, but there wasn't enough, so I made an I-cord with the rest of the mauve until it ran out, and used it for a little button loop and back decoration.

I crocheted a round ball to use as a button, since the I-cord made a thick button loop--too thick for most buttons.

It's just one long piece with a strip of 16 rows of garter in the middle, folded over to make a bag. I cast on 32 stitches.

On the back, I made little curls out of the ends of the I-cords and let them swing free. The cord is attached to the back of the purse at the top, letting the loop pop up when the purse is opened or unbuttoned. The handle is long enough to go over the body diagonally and hold a small quantity of things on the hip. The bag is six inches high by seven wide.

It's not really very practical, since it's brightly colored and quite small. But cute.

Project: Christmas Tree Doily--Thread

2008-11-04T19:45:00.002-06:00

Since I'm working on a poncho and an afghan, I needed something small and light to carry in my purse. I'm not much of a doily person, but all that thread is just sitting there, waiting to be put to use, and I saw this little Christmas doily on the Annie's site and decided to give it a go. The pattern has little beads sewn on as ornaments, and I'm looking for something similar, but it looks okay just as it is. It was fun to make.

Happy election day! I hope everyone voted.

Project: Beret--Jami Yarns

2008-11-03T20:22:00.002-06:00

This is a very nice little beret pattern from a book I bought a few years ago called The Pattern Companion: Knitting. The pattern cleverly starts with a band of worsted and small needles, then changes to large needles and any bulky novelty yarn you have on hand. Jami gave me a bag of her yarn scraps as part of our swap, and when I saw this soft, fuzzy partial skein of black and pinks, I knew it would match my pink scarf and mitts.

A Pattern: Little Striped Ascot

2008-11-01T22:21:00.003-05:00

This delicate little ascot uses up some very small amounts of pretty yarns The yarns should be similar in weight, but need not be identical. I used a cream colored fingering weight wool and a black, somewhat slubby mohair blend, less than one ounce of each.

Materials: Leftover ball-ends of two light yarns (#2), or two sport weight yarns (#3). US#4 needles for lighter yarn, #5 for sport yarn.
One shank style vintage button. 6" of elastic cord.

Directions: CO 25 for light, 21 for heavier weight. (Or any odd number for wider or narrower scarf. This one is 5" wide.)
Pattern: In color A, Kl, P1, ending with K1. Row 2: Sl1, *P1, K1* to end.
Drop A and pick up B. Continue in pattern, carrying unused row up side to change color every two rows.
Note: The edge where the yarn is carried will be tighter and have a different appearance than the other edge. When you Sl1 at the beginning of the "return" row, this will equalize the tension and the appearance. That's why you must Sl1 on this row and not the other.

Work in stripes until scarf is about 32". BO in pattern after two rows of color A are completed. Steam lightly. Thread elastic through button and tie around scarf about 5" from the end. Trim end of elastic.

Yes, a Camera!

2008-11-01T22:04:00.002-05:00

Here's the first picture taken with my new camera, which I swapped some books for today. (The camera is great--I just moved trying to find the right button, so I'm blurry. I actually look better blurry, anyway.)

My fellow blogger and I sat in a sunny window, had some tea, and did some knitting and a lot of chatting. As my MIL would say, "And a good time was had by all."

I've had such good luck with this yarn project. So many things came to me, including friends, yarns, and now, a camera. It's fun to be a giver, but much harder to be a good recipient of things. I sometimes wonder how many other wonderful things I've missed out on because I just wasn't looking in the right way.

Posting is on the way! Life is good.

More Books for Sale

2008-10-31T01:19:00.002-05:00

Debbie Bliss, Classic Knits for Kids, 30 Traditional Aran and Guernsey Designs for 0-6 years. Softcover. Wonderful book. I made two designs from this book. Has several very cute hats, too. $7.50 + 2.50 shipping. Perfect condition. See payment instructions in previous post.

Better Homes and Gardens, Lovable Gifts for Babies. Hardcover. Lots of very nice items. Knitting, crochet, sewing, embroidery, cross stitch. Some great toy patterns. Mint condition, looks like new. $6.00, free shipping.

My grandchildren are all too big for these patterns now. I love both books.

Starmore Book For Sale

2008-10-29T21:47:00.003-05:00

The Celtic Collection: Twenty-Five Knitwear Designs for Men and Women. Hardcover. Mint condition (just a very small sticky spot on the back of the dust jacket where the price tag was removed). I got this book as a gift. The sweaters are gorgeous, but I'll never make any of them. You can google this book to see more about it at the bookstore sites.

Price: $10 + $3 for media mail cost.
Method of payment: You will send me $13 cash wrapped in a bit of paper, and I'll send you the book in a padded envelope. Or, you can come over and have a cup of tea and pick it up. Since you'll have my name and address, and, of course, my blog, I'd hardly risk running off with your cash. If you're interested, shoot me an email. (Only US buyers, please, or the mailing costs will be quite a bit higher.)

SOLD!! Wow, that was quick.

No Camera!

2008-10-27T21:04:00.003-05:00

I'm afraid I won't be posting for a while. My camera quit working yesterday. It's almost six years old, and the new ones are much better these days, but I can't afford to replace it right now. We're trying to scrape together money to pay our home insurance.

It's at the top of my Christmas gift list.

If I can borrow a camera, I'll be back sooner than that! I've got lots of projects in the making.

Hugs!

Project: Quickie Cloche

2008-10-26T10:51:00.003-05:00

Matte and her family stopped over on Saturday and brought a marble cake. She has a miserable cold, and I made up this little hat for her while the boys and dads worked on a Wizard of Oz puzzle. I slapped on a black flower that's been kicking around here for ages, since her jacket is black. Everyone poked fun at my styro head. As they were driving away, waving at us from the car, I noticed that all were wearing grandma hats. It was a nice moment! My life is good. I hope yours is, too.

(This is just the simplest of beanies, done in double crochet with four rows of single on the bottom to form a little band of sorts.)

Project: "Dainty Mesh Vest" using cone yarn

2008-10-24T12:52:00.004-05:00

After living through the '70s era, I never thought I'd be crocheting another vest. In fact, until I bought that big box of threads, I hadn't crocheted in decades. I don't usually like crocheted garments. Knitting just drapes so much better.

But when I saw this fussy little vest pattern I just knew it would be perfect for Ricardo's 83-year-old mother, who lives in knit pants and turtlenecks with sweaters of some sort over them.

It's a Melissa Leapman pattern from Crochet in Style. I've made a number of her designs, and just love her. Her instructions are so good--I made this exactly like the pattern and didn't change a thing, using the thin cone yarn and a #1 hook. It's thin and drapey and really adorable.

Make A Scarf Today!

2008-10-21T16:43:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone reading this will run over to Barbara's blog, http://hookingbookie.blogspot.com, and see the great opportunities she's found for scarf makers to make a difference in the world. The project that sends red scarves to former foster children attending college is one near and dear to my heart. I worked with foster children for years, and often felt there must be something we can do to help these kids when they age out of the system. They are so alone. I once had a former client ask me for help finding her siblings. She'd entered the system when she was four, after her mother's murder. She knew she had siblings, but didn't know their names. She wasn't even sure of her mother's name. These kids are cast adrift with no family support, no shelter, little clothing--and virtually no emotional support. Those of us who have children know how much they need us, even after they reach young adulthood. These young people need that, too.

Make a scarf--make a connection. Be a mentor, if you can (and get your husbands and significant others to connect with a young man who needs someone). Only 5% of former foster children graduate from college, but a much higher number end up in the criminal justice system. It's to our advantage as much as theirs to do something.

Hugs to all.

A Pattern: Pink Hodge-Podge Scarf

2008-10-20T19:36:00.002-05:00

Pink Hodge-Podge Scarf

Materials: Eight to ten different yarns in the same color family. Mine range from a very pale pink to a burgundy. At least two must be worsted weight, and one of these is used for the "binder" yarn. The others should be a range of weights from thin to bulky, and at least one should be a boucle or have other textural interest. I used yarns containing acrylic, wool, alpaca, mohair, nylon, cotton, and lurex. One was a fun-fur type, with slubs, and two had metallic threads.

US#10 circular needle, 36" or longer.

Note: This scarf has absolutely no finishing or weaving in ends, as the fringe is created during the knitting process.

Instructions: With "binder" worsted (here, I used a rose colored worsted), CO 220 st. Knit two rows. Cut yarn, leaving an 8" tail. Attach novelty yarn, leaving an 8" tail.

Work rows of one yarn for each row, in garter stitch, knotting new yarn leaving tail for fringe. Work one row of worsted between each novelty yarn for stability. Every inch, work two rows of worsted instead of one row, so the novelty yarns will not create a "right" side and a "wrong" side on the scarf. Each row takes about 4-5 yards of fiber. Use each yarn as many times as you wish. Here, I used the burgundy only twice, so the darker color would not overpower the lighter colors.

Continue working rows in garter stitch until scarf is as wide as you desire. Note that the fabric will stretch sideways, making the final scarf wider than it looks on the needles. My scarf is 7" wide and six feet long.

Finish with two rows of the base yarn, then BO LOOSELY in garter stitch.

Your scarf is done! Trim the fringe a little to make it fairly even, leaving it a little long and ragged.

I took the various yarns and filled in any empty spots with fringe, as the double worsted rows left some empty spaces.

Despite using some bulky yarns and some very thin yarns, the scarf turns out uniform and straight.

Thanks to Denise for giving me this idea for using up my pink yarns.

Project: Child's Helmet--Worsted Scraps

2008-10-17T14:16:00.002-05:00

The good news is that we had a little birthday party for my grandson last weekend, and he loved the skull motif hat I made for him (see post below). He put it right on.

The bad news is that his six-year-old little brother felt really bad that I didn't make him a hat, too. He idolizes his older brother, but, of course, there's a lot of jealousy going on there as well, especially when it concerns attention from the grandparents. He was teary, and I felt just terrible.

Tomorrow he gets this helmet, made from a Sandy Scoville design. (Ricardo found me a styrofoam head on special for about $3!) I'm trying to decide whether or not to put tassles on the ends of the earflaps. Probably not. It's got a lot of different stitches and colors, but this is the best picture. Pretty cute. I hope it's not too girly looking.

Do Not Make This Scarf!

2008-10-15T18:37:00.002-05:00

I was watching Masterpiece Theater. I wanted a mindless project to work on. I had just untangled and wound a mass of some thin, slubby dark blue fiber of some sort. So, not really thinking it through, I decided to try one of those ruffle scarves. Since this was thin yarn (which I usually really prefer to work with), I ended up with a starting chain of 200. Remember that old game where you put a penny on a square, then double it and double it again, and eventually you have all the money in the world, before you get to the end of the board? THIS WAS JUST LIKE THAT. Before I finished rd 5 I had almost 2000 stitches. It just went on and on. Stitch, stitch, stitch...... It was mind-numbing. The most tedious thing I've ever done. With slubs, and quite a small hook! It took forever. Just finished it today. It really should be a little wider, but I'm just not that nuts. I hate it.

A Pattern: Gossamer Lace Scarf

2008-10-10T18:41:00.006-05:00

Lace Scarf, recycled yarn from frogged project

This scarf is so light and airy that it almost floats off the chair. It's 10" wide by 4 feet long, and took only 250 yards of yarn.

Materials: 250 yds of thin yarn (grade 2), US6 needles for a fuzzy mohair blend, as used here. If you use a tighter yarn, you may want to use US4 or 5.

Instructions: CO 44 stitches, K three rows. Begin pattern.

Pattern:

Row1: K

Row 2: K first two, P across to last 2 st., K 2.

Row 3: *K2, YO, P1, P3tog, P1, YO*, k2.

Row 4: K2, P across to last 2 st., K2.

Repeat for desired length, or until yarn is almost gone, then K three rows. BO.

Note: There are two things with this pattern that are a little tricky. First, you will use two different methods to YO, since one YO is done before a P stitch and one before a K stitch. Next, in order to achieve the P3tog with ease, you cannot use a needle much smaller than a US4 or 5, and you should push the three stitches together on the left needle before working them. After a few pattern repeats, it should all become automatic.

This is a truly lovely scarf--silky and crushable. I hope some of you try to make it.

Stitch detail of "little shell rib" pattern.

My scarf is featured this week at One Pretty Thing, along with many other wonderful crafts. Thanks, Rachel.

http://www.oneprettything.com/

Project Frog

2008-10-09T19:02:00.002-05:00

Every one of the bags of yarn I bought contained at least one UFO, some still on the needles. I can relate.

Last week I took a few of these out and gave them a closer look. While we watched the dire financial news and the debates, Ricardo and I have been unraveling them and looking at the fiber to see what's there. One--a baby sweater--was almost done, but there was no more yarn to match. I finished the sleeves and button bands off with white, and it turned out pretty good. It's for the shelter. The object on the right is unidentifiable. It's very loosely knit with two strands of a nice colorway, but I can see why it's abandoned. Whatever it was meant to be, it's totally shapeless and very stretchy. There's a lot of fiber there, though. Full of possibilities.

The next post will show something I'm making from another abandoned project. It looked to be the start of a sweater, but, again, was knit on very large needles. It wasn't until I began to pull at the yarn that I realized it was doubled, and was made of a very nice, thin yarn that looks to be a mohair blend of some type. It's pink, which explains why I hadn't looked at it before now.

I think people get seduced by those patterns that are so popular out there on the yarn company websites--those that promise a four-hour afghan or a six-hour sweater, and use multiple strands of yarn and big needles. I don't see the allure of that type of knitting. Yes, you get instant gratification, I suppose. But, to me, knitting isn't a speed contest. I don't even own any needles larger than a 10 (which I rarely use). I can imagine those who started these projects looking down at their work to realize it was not looking good, sticking it in a bag, and never going back to it. It's a chore to frog something made with multiple strands, as you all well know. We had to sit with cable needles and gently push and pull on the mohair to loosen it, then wind it on two balls. Yuck. But I did get one nice gift out of it. Stay tuned for the pattern.

Project: Boy's Intarsia Skull Motif Hat

2008-10-06T15:08:00.002-05:00

Cream Woolease hat with black skull motif. Worsted weight, size 7 dpns, convertable brim. This is just a vanilla hat, done mainly in stockinette, 80 stitches with an eight wedge decrease. Brim can be worn turned up or down.

My grandson's 11th birthday is Wednesday. I wanted something that said, "I'm a nice boy who appreciates a bit of a skull on my hat," so I only knit in one motif. I wanted to stay away from a statement like, "Fifth grade nihilist."

He's also getting a book of mazes.

This hat was made from yarn found in the thrift shop bag. The black was just a scrap of Paton's wool that I had leftover in my scrap bag. I used about one ounce of the cream. I think the skull has a friendly look to it. He already has black gloves to match and a black puffy jacket. It should make a great outfit.

Sock Saga II

2008-10-01T18:47:00.003-05:00

The socks were not very successful. It really shows the problem with using mystery yarn. I have no idea what the fiber content is, and the finished sock just stretches and stretches, but doesn't return to shape. Probably has a lot of cotton, or whatever.

I like the pattern--eyelets which I continued down into a V on the instep, so that I could wear them with loafers but still have some substance to the sock body. Right now, I don't want to make the second sock, as this one is too loose (even though I used #1 needles and only 54 stitches). I hate to waste two days of knitting time. Oh, well. Guess it was a learning experience. Not everything can be socks.

Sock Saga

2008-09-26T01:57:00.004-05:00

Even though I'm more or less retired from my profession, I decided to cram in a bunch of classes so that I could keep my certification. Two long days of workshops, which would result in 15 credits. I dug out my nice pants and a little jacket and decided to treat myself to a ball of "real" sock yarn from my old stash (which I"m not delving into this year), packed up my #1 dpns, styled my hair, and had Ricardo take me to the downtown Hyatt, where the classes were being offered.

So, I'm sitting there, with my quality yarn, settling in for a long day of sock-ing. I finished the ribbing (something I never enjoy), and got into the body of the sock. The yarn was one of those patterned types, with many colors, patterns and stripes that emerge. Thus, I had decided just to knit straight, with no lacy stuff. I was sitting off to the side, listening with half an ear, when three little stitches slipped off the end of one of the back needles. No biggie. This happens all the time. But then I tried to pick up the stitches. The yarn began to split. I tried again, rubbing it with my finger to make it a little more cohesive. It got worse. In fact, I've never seen yarn like this. It more or less exploded under my finger, into a fuzzy ball. I made a little grunt, causing people to look over at me. I tried to cram the little loops back onto the needle, but they were about four times larger than the other loops. I knit around, thinking they could be knitted up and settle themselves down. They didn't. Instead, the spot with the three stitches was stretched out, and very thin. As I knit on, it looked like a big hole in the sock. I decided to rip it back. When I did, that section of the yarn was very thin, so I cut out about six inches, and knotted it. Then I realized the colorway would be off. And trying to thread the loops back on the needle would be a problem. A BIG, fuzzy problem. So I gave up.

There I was, with two days looming, and nothing to knit. Ricardo was meeting me for lunch at the hotel, but I knew he'd never find another small project to bring along (not to mention the right size needles). So I told him to bring me a ball of white fingering weight baby yarn I'd put aside on the dresser, not knowing exactly what I was going to do with it.

I was in sock mode, and had the right needles, so I decided to make some thin trouser socks to wear with my loafers. But, I didn't want to make them so plain, and really didn't have the time or place to work out an interesting pattern. I improvised a little eyelet design--only one row in four was a pattern row--with a diagonal line cutting through it. It's pulling a little to the right, but maybe it'll straighten out when it's on a foot. Just turned the heel.

I don't know if I'll ever try to use the rest of the sock yarn. I think it's possessed.

Six Months Over--And I'm Buried in Fiber

2008-09-19T21:53:00.004-05:00

A week ago I came to the six month mark on my yarn budget (I also have not bought an item of clothing in the past six months, or any new books or DVDs, but that's another blog). The verdict--I have too much yarn, yet again. In fact, I've never had such a huge stash. You'd think this would be freeing, that I would be able to experiment and goof around with the stuff and not worry I'd ruin anything. But instead, I worry that if I use up something, later I'll find that it's just the color I need in some other project. I do this even though I have enough yarn and enough projects written out to take me well into the next year. The huge bag of baby yarns was definitely a mistake, and has been stashed in a closet. I've made a number of hats from this, but it really doesn't interest me very much, especially the pompador stuff with the sparkly bits. If I'd known how much yarn was floating around out there, I would have saved my $2.50 or whatever.

This week I finished another little purse with the thread, and also the boot socks, which I'm wearing on my cold feet right now! Since I've never used a sock pattern, I'm trying to read through some other patterns to see how detailed they are. There seems to be so much to explain. I guess I should just assume people know how to make socks, or how to find out the basics somewhere else. Right now I have two pairs of my grandmother's slipper socks and two pairs of my own socks to somehow pattern up for you.

On our trip around the state I was given several afghan hooks and two very old books on afghan stitches by a relative who found them in a pile of junk and knew I was interested in such things. I loved reading about the history of this technique, especially how it is often called "railroad crochet" in some parts of the world, after the women who worked on the railroad and often used this technique in their needlework and passed it on to the other workers. Very cool story. Unfortunately, I've spent all week playing around with the stitches and hooks, and am doing a very sorry job of making anything nice. I finally learned how to avoid the curling problems, but now get holes in my work, and often pick up the wrong strand of yarn. It's very frustrating, as I'd already charted out a good paisley design I wanted to embroider on the finished fabric.

I think I'll play around with it a little more before I give up, but it's certainly not as easy as it looks.

The sleeves on my boy's ski sweater are taking some time, as I ran out of red and am trying to substitute something. I think I'll just put a solid brown band on the bottom of each sleeve, and then color the ribbing.

Another grandson's birthday is in two weeks, and I'm making up a hat with a skull pattern on it.

Thus ends the project notes for the week. I hope you all have a good weekend with your families. Hugs.

Project: Knit Coffee Cozy--Box-O-Yarn stash

2008-09-17T00:20:00.002-05:00

I'm such a copycat. It seems like everyone is making covers for take-out coffee, so I had to try one of my own. Mine is ribbed 2x2 and has a flat panel in the middle with JOE on the front and three hearts on the back, with little rolled edges. Kinda cute, although my friend said, "Who's Joe?" I said, "Coffee. You know, a cuppa Joe?" She said, "Really?" I guess it's an age thing.

I'd post the pattern, but I don't know how one puts up a chart for stranded knitting. If anyone can talk me through it, or wants the pattern, let me know.

This Week OTN, and Progress Notes

2008-09-15T13:01:00.006-05:00

I've been gone for a week and wanted to post some knitting news, but so much has happened in the past few days, with terrible storms and now the economic meltdown, that I just want to express my sympathy first for all those who have lost their homes or their savings, their jobs, or anything else. I sure hope everyone out there is doing okay today.
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My maternal grandparents, shown on the right in the 1940s, were born in the 1880s, so it's quite remarkable that four of their daughters are still living. They are all around 90 now, and still living independently, all but one widowed. Ricardo also has a mother and an aunt living on their own. So last week we hit the road and visited two of our family elders, went to a number of buffet restaurants, looked at a lot of family needlework, moved some junk out of some basements, and listened to a lot of stories. I acquired a bunch of afghan hooks, so now I'm eager to try some Tunisian crochet. It's good to be home, though, and back to computer access and my own bed.

That's my grandma Meesa in the picture. I learned to knit from her, and still use most of her basic patterns when I make things. She died at 97, still knitting almost daily.

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I started a pair of hiking socks on my trip. Here's one, and the other is still on the needles. When I put the pattern up in a few days I hope to have a picture where you can actually see the pattern. It's scattered knots, making a diamond pattern. Very fun and satisfying to knit. I used DK weight wool-blend yarn from my cone, and #3 needles. I'm making them for myself, as I only have one heavy pair of socks to wear with my boots. Heavy socks are fun to knit, as they go quickly.

One of my coin purses was featured on Lime and Violet's Daily Chum and also at the Daily DYI site. I feel like a real designer.

Hugs to everyone!

A Pattern: Guy's Knit Washcloth

2008-09-08T00:39:00.002-05:00

I tried many, many times to take a good picture of this cloth, but I just couldn't get a good shot of the texture pattern. I wanted to make a cloth for a young male relative's first apartment, and it turned out well. It's a diagonal check pattern, completely reversible, with no border and a slip-stitch edge. Fun to do, with a loop for hanging, since it's my experience that guy's don't know how to drape.

I used Sugar 'n Cream--about 1.5 oz.

Pattern: Guy's Washcloth

Materials: Size 7 straight needles, worsted weight cotton, size G crochet hook for loop.

Slip all st as if to purl.
CO 37 st for smaller cloth, 42 for larger cloth.

Row !: Sl 1, *P1, K4* repeat to last st. K 1.
Row 2: Sl 1, *P3, K2* repeat to last st. K1.
Row 3: Sl 1, *P3, K2* repeat to last st. K1.
Row 4: Sl 1, *P1, K4* repeat to last st. K1.
Row 5: Sl 1, *K1, P4* repeat to last st. K1.
Row 6: Sl 1, *K3, P2* repeat to last st. K1.
Row 7: Sl1, *K3, P2* repeat to last st. K1.
Row 8: Sl 1, *K1, P4* repeat to last st. K1.

Rep these 8 rows 7 times for small cloth, 8 times for larger cloth.

BO, leaving long tail. Insert crochet hook into loop, ch 12, secure to first stitch.

OTN and Hooks This Week--And More

2008-09-07T12:14:00.003-05:00

I told people not to give me yarn this year for my birthday, because I'm so into this project and didn't want to be drawn away from my little world of scraps and leftovers. I did receive some good knitting stuff, though. I got both Fall issues of KnitSimple and Vogue Knitting--and both are great this year. On the way home from my daughter's we stopped at a diner for coffee and we sat in a booth and spent a long time looking through the magazines. VK had a very nice article on Jess and Casey of ravelry.com (the knitting universe sure lucked out when those two came on the scene). VK also has a wonderful section on Canadian knitters and designers, and a super pattern for a hooded cabled sweater-jacket I'm dying to make, plus some cool mittens. And KS features plus-size patterns this month, and a lot of bags and other accessories.
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The internet sure has changed needlework and crafts. Needlework magazines now feature lots of articles about knitters, the community, the environment, etc. We have a real community now thanks to all the blogs and websites that get so much information out there. And we have all these personalities, too. It's so much fun to go into the bookstore and see people we know, on the shelves, such as Stephanie McPhee, the Stitch and Bitch and Mason-Dixon ladies, to name just a few. I sure wish this had all been around years ago, when I was younger. It's so much fun.
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Off topic: Speaking of age, though, I get steamed with all the jokes about McCain's age. I'm a big Obama supporter, but it irritates me when people think being older is a liability. I'd like to think I've picked up a few pearls (and purls!) of wisdom over the years. Something has to compensate for all the aches and pains.

I hope you all had a great weekend. Hugs and best wishes.

How Could I Resist? Rummage Sale Yarn

2008-09-06T14:56:00.003-05:00

The box contains 35 completed granny squares. 13 unused skeins of yarn. And a crochet hook. Here's a woman who woke up one day and said, "There's no way I"m gonna make another 40 squares." The yarn is one that must have been discontinued years ago. It's Bernat Knitting Worsted, 65% wool, 35% nylon. I paid .75.

Unfortunately, there's no way I'm gonna make another 40 granny squares, either. But the yarn is worth it. It's machine washable, mainly wool, and all the colors are complimentary--two browns, yellow, rust, orange, and burgundy.

Maybe I can make a tote or something with the squares. If anyone has any good ideas, I'm open to suggestions.

A Pattern: Metallic Coin Purse in Crochet Thread

2008-09-05T17:40:00.005-05:00

This is the cousin to the coin purse I did a few weeks ago, although this one only has one flower, instead of the 100+ required for the other. It's a one or two evening project.

Materials: Metallic Knit Cro-Sheen. I used the entire 100 yard ball for this purse. If you want to add a flap and button instead of a zipper, you'll need another ball.

Steel crochet hook, size 3.

4" zipper, or velcro strip.

Sewing needle and thread.

Purse:

Bottom: Ch 39. Sc in each ch loop to end (38 st), do not turn. Work 3 st. in starting ch and work up the other side of starting chain. Work 3 sc st in top of ch. (44 sc st.). Join with sl stitch at end of round.

Round 2: Sc in back loop of each stitch.

Body of Bag: Work sc in each st until bag is 3" high. If bag curls, dampen and stretch with your fingers inside bag and let dry.

Flower ("double rose") Ch 7, join with sl st to form a ring

Round 1: Work 12 sc in ring, join with sl st.

Round 2: Ch 6 *skip 1 sc, 1 dc in next st, ch 3* repeat 4 times more, sl st in 3rd st of ch-6.

Round 3: Working in each ch-3 space, make 1 sc, 2 dc, 2 tr, 2 dc, 1 sc, in each space.

Round 4: Ch 7, *1 dc around bar of next "spoke" dc two rows below, ch 5* repeat four times, ending with sl st in 2nd ch of ch-7.

Round 5: Working in each ch-5 space, work 1 sc, 3 dc, 2 tr, 3 dc, 1 sc in each space.

To Finish Purse: Position flower on purse with one petal pointing straight up. Sew around entire edge of outside petals with needle and thread, leaving innner flower free. Sew zipper to inner sides of top opening, tucking any extra down side of purse. I used nylon filament thread.

Optional tiny flower zipper pull: Ch 5, join with sl st to form ring. Ch 4, sl st in ring, repeat five times to make six little loops. Ch for 1.5 in. Knot or sew end of ch to zipper head.

Enjoy!

Progress Notes: Boy's Wool Ski Sweater

2008-09-03T14:10:00.002-05:00

Wow. I was sorting my brown yarns for the afghan, and noticed the woolmark on this humungous skein of brown worsted (6 oz.!). I have no idea what bag this yarn rode in on. It's ancient, and I must have just assumed it was acrylic.

Sooooo, I gathered all the wool bits I had and decided it would be enough to make a ski sweater for one of the kids. No stranded knitting here, though. I had to use a slip stitch pattern to make the brown stretch. It was that or stripes. And I did use some yellow Woolease. But, it's quite nice, isn't it?

No, it won't be machine washable. And, it's for a six year old. Not the most practical, I know. I'd better put a label in it that says, "Don't machine wash" or something similar. I'm hoping the colorful fabric won't show dirt and stains too much. I think this is one sweater that grandma will be taking home to launder.

The front and back are done. Now--for the sleeves and neckband. I'm writing down the pattern this time, as I go along, having learned the hard way that my old brain just doesn't remember what I did if I wait too long. This will be my first sweater pattern. Yay.

SWAP!! and Progress Notes

2008-09-01T23:47:00.006-05:00

One of my wonderful readers (and, now, a friend), Barbara, offered me a swap. She had some Bernat Bulky yarn she wanted to get out of her stash, and I have a LOT of knitting books, so we exchanged boxes last week. As it turned out, we were both having birthdays. I really had no idea how much of this yarn she actually had, but when Ricardo opened the box, he said, "You'd better send her another book."

Her box contained 19 skeins of yarn, plus two adorable dishcloths and an UFO she had started with the yarn. There are 10 skeins of taupe, and several of black, white, and variegated. I feel guilty, as I really came out ahead of this deal.

I also donated some knitted items to a charity last week, and the woman there asked me if I was a knitter. She then asked me to haul away a small bag of yarns stored in their garage, left over from a prayer shawl project they had done. Really, I tried to discourage her--I told her she could make smaller items with these odd balls--but she wasn't interested. No one had to twist my arm, as you can imagine. The best thing was several partial skeins of Patons Lacette, which will make good trim, and some slubby eyelash stuff, which will go into purses somehow.

Finally, some variety! I was getting sorely tired of my huge stash of worsted weight and thread. Yes, there are many projects planned with ALL my yarn, but I've been dying to pick out a pattern and just MAKE something easy, without a lot of experimentation. And I wanted something for trims and embellishments.

Mostly, I am getting tired of PINK. From my shopping around for used yarns, I've found that in these parts, the most popular yarn is pink acrylic worsted weight. All kinds of pink--baby yarns in mainly pink, worsted in shell pink, hot pink, salmon pink, rose pink, dusty pink, heather pink, pink pink--pink, pink and more pink. And I have a cone of a nice wool blend, sportweight--in pink. And I have four big balls of thread--in pink. Sheesh. Who would have thought? Curiously, I have almost no black and little red. (I don't think I ever bought pink yarn in my life.)

I'm making an afghan using all the blues and browns, which is really coming along nicely, although the thought of sewing it all together is somewhat daunting. And soon I will be posting a slipper sock pattern (in pink!), and another purse.

So, a big thank you to Barbara. I hope you like the knitting books. My oldest grandson--he of the skateboards, bandanas, and shirts with skulls everywhere (ICK)--has asked me to make him some kind of poncho/serape thingy, although his mother keeps saying, "Don't make him that." LOL I told her, hey, it worked for Clint Eastwood. I think he's gonna find one of those under the Christmas tree this year--something bulky in black and taupe. I'm also making balaclava helmets for the men for when the snow flies again. Wish they wore more pink.

I'm a book person, and people have been giving them to me as gifts for years. I still have some really great stuff up for grabs. A Louisa Harding book, a Debbie Bliss Kids, some large-size pattern books, and lots and lots of knt and crochet toy patterns. I need some cotton. Just, please, no pink.

Hugs to all.

Wonder What I Can Make With That Bow?

2008-08-31T22:28:00.002-05:00

Growing older isn't so bad when you've got grandchildren and pistaschio cake at the party.

Project: Thread Pillow Edging

2008-08-25T17:15:00.002-05:00

We've got a family wedding coming up, so I edged a few pillow cases as a gift (shown on a pillow). Most people nowadays like more than two pillows on a bed, and I always pick up a few white cases when I see them on sale, and keep them in my gift drawer, so I was able to make these without any extra expense.

I like a fairly narrow edge on pillow cases. I sew them to the seam where the hem ends, because I've tried many different techniques and stitches, and find that the bigger edgings, or those put on the edge of the pillow, tend to get all scrunched up and messy. This is a 10 stitch pattern I got from a woman I babysat for when I was in hgh school, so it's probably in the public domain by now (45+ years ago). I have it in my fingers, but I wrote it out on a slip of paper at the time, and called it "Rose's Towel Edging." I have no idea if it really has a name or where it came from.

This is the first time I've edged a pillow case in anything but white or ecru. The bridal registry showed a comforter set in browns and golds, so I used some Knit Cro-Sheen from the thread bag, in a burnished gold tone. I feel like such a wild woman. Next, I may try sky diving!

Hugs

A Pattern: Crochet Flower Bouquet Coin Purse

2008-08-21T22:42:00.002-05:00

Here's the pattern for my daughter's coin purse.

Materials: #5 cotton crochet cotton in white, or two strands of thinner cotton; small amounts of cotton thread of any color or weight for flowers (or use all one color, such as all violet or all yellow and orange)

#0 steel crochet hook.

4" plastic zipper, tapestry needle.

Ch 31. SC in each loop of starting chain. (30 stitches). Second round: SC two times in first loop of starting chain, and, without turning, work a row of SC along other side, working 2 sc in opposite end of starting ch. (64 sc). Third round: Sl in first stitch, continue in the round, working sc in the back stitch. Fourth round: continue to build up sides of purse, working in the round but in both loops of each stitch, until purse is as big as you desire. My finished purse is 5" by 2 1/2". Fabric should be very tight and firm.

The edges may begin to curl. Don't worry.

When basic purse is complete, turn it inside out and wet thoroughly. Blot in towel. Use your fingers to stretch it out flat. Leaving it open, as pictured here, leave to dry for three or four days. All the curling will be gone, and it will be flat and smooth.

Use that time to make flowers out of any colors you desire. I used every color I had except greens, tans, and black. The purse shown has eight or nine colors. OR-- embroider flowers on fabric using lazy daisy stitch (much quicker and easier).

Flowers: You will need 35-50 flowers for one side, and double that to encrust both sides with flowers. Each flower takes about five minutes to make.

Leaving an 8" tail, chain 4. Slip st to form ring. Round 1: ch 4, sl s in ring, six times. Round two: insert hook in first loop to left of sl s, work 6 sc in loop; move directly to next loop. When all loops are finished, sl s in center of ring between last two loops, cut thread leaving an 8" tail, move both tails to center of circle on same side. (See picture for finished flower)

Finishing: Using tapestry needle, thread both tail pieces through needle and, using holes in fabric, sew each flower securely to purse, bringing tails to the outside and securing under flower. Ends will not show, as flowers are very close together. A small dot of color will appear inside purse. Flowers should be just a few holes apart. Hold hand inside purse to make sure you are not sewing through both sides of purse! When entire side of purse is covered, run your hand over flowers to look for empty spots and add flowers as needed.

Sew zipper to open edge of purse, using white thread (I used nylon thread). It should be invisible. Cut six 12" lengths of thread in different colors, thread through hole in zipper. Holding thread tightly, make a knot at end of zipper pull. Separate thread into three sections and braid tightly. Knot end of braid tightly. Cut off, leaving 1" tassel.

This Week OTN, and Some Good Books

2008-08-21T16:48:00.002-05:00

I should be working on all my unfinished projects, but couldn't resist playing around with the Latvian weaving charts. Here is a picture of some socks I started with the sport-weight cone yarn. Don't ask me what I'm going to do when I get to the heel, because I just don't know. I don't want to wimp out and stop the pattern at the heel. It depends on how ambitious I feel when I get there, I guess.

Last week I read a very interesting book--Threading Time: A Cultural History of Threadwork, by Dolores Bausum. The first chapters are particularly good, tracing the importance and significance of textiles from the creation story, through the spinning and weaving traditions, down to the present time, with particular significance to the role of women in making the "fabric of society."

I also worked my way through a stack of McCall's Needlework issues from the '50s that a relative found in her basement. This magazine really has no parallel in present-day knitting magazines. I sure wish this was still being published, along with Mon Tricot. I used to buy both regularly, and still have a lot of copies.

All this reading material has made me think a lot about why we knit, and what we knit. Like so many of you, I make things for other people more than for myself. Threading Time brought home to me how almost holy it is to create clothing for the family--how it's a labor of love and significance. McCall's Needlework seemed to understand what most of us want---many patterns for children, men, the home. I'm getting frustrated with knitting magazines that have multiple patterns for teeny-tiny cardigans and maybe a pair of socks or some lace. Lovely things, but not things most of us are willing to pay $7 an issue for. Doesn't it seem like the world is getting more and more narcisisstic, just when we need to be the opposite?

I don't want to get on a soapbox here, but there's got to be a reason why we enjoy making dishcoths so much. A mundane, simple thing that can be so beautiful and fulfilling.

I also am continuing to read through Anita Shreve's books, and just finished A December Wedding and have two of her others waiting in the wings. I also read Joy Fielding's book "The First Time," about an estranged couple who decide to make a new commitment to their marriage when the woman finds out she is dying of ALS. A tear jerker. LOL

My efforts at creating patterns from things my grandmother taught me to knit and crochet are continuing, and I hope to finally have some of them up in a few days. I don't want those things to die with me!

Hugs to all.

Project: "Box-O-Yarn"--Latvian Hat

2008-08-13T21:13:00.002-05:00

Here's my snow globe, wearing a hat I just finished from the same family of yarn I used for the library book bag below.

I found a wonderful book at the library by Joyce Williams, titled Latvian Dreams: Knitting From Weaving Charts. The book contains charts for more than a hundred traditional Latvian weaving patterns, and a number of beautiful, incredibly elaborate sweaters made by the author.

Latvian knitting is usually done at a much smaller scale, and I plan to do it properly some day, but I couldn't resist trying out a pattern in worsted weight yarn on this hat. Again, the colors are not true in the picture, as what looks like white is really a tan color, and the red is sort of a rust color.

I just used my usual 84 stitch hat pattern, with a rolled edge. The pattern was a 12 stitch repeat, so I continued that into the decreases with seven pie shapes of 12 stitches each, decreasing down, to make the crown.

Next, an attempt at matching mittens.

I'm smitten with these charts. I can see lots of projects, both in knit and crochet, in my future. Wouldn't they make great pillows? Or a tiny purse? The book has elaborate borders, too, and charts that can be used in combination. Prepare to be bored with all things Latvian in the months to come.

Project: Trash and Treasure Yarn--Table Pad

2008-08-10T16:06:00.006-05:00

I came across this old Coats and Clark pattern booklet when going through my box of patterns. All the items are made by crocheting over cotton clothesline with three strands of yarn. There are three baskets and some trivets, along with placemats and a rug. I made one table pad for my daughter to match the cloths I'd made her a few weeks ago, using one strand of blue variegated yarn, and two strands of white. I only had a small hank of unused clothesline in the basement, but my hardware store has similar line on a big roll that one can buy by the yard, so I hope to make another pad and a bread basket for her as a gift, using my scraps of blue and white.

This is the first time I've tried the technique of working over clothesline, and it was extremely quick to make and took less than one ounce of each color, but, unfortunately, the directions were very hard to follow. In the end, after ripping a few times, I just eyeballed it. Unfortunately, one side is a tiny bit bigger than the other, if you look closely (don't look closely LOL). I'm anxious to make the bread basket now. I can see how this would be a good way to make a rug, too, as it adds a nice bit of heft to the items. (Although there were no instructions about weaving in those thick ends of fraying clothesline!)

I hope you all had a good weekend. Hugs and best wishes to all.

First Project: "Box-O-Yarn"--Library Book Tote

2008-08-08T02:03:00.002-05:00

This is the first project made from the "Box-O-Yarn" I bought from a classified ad. It's a book tote, and in this picture the tote is loaded with SIX BOOKS, with room for a few more.

The colors are much lighter in person than in this picture.

I noticed that one of my sisters was carrying her library books back and forth in a plastic grocery store bag. That’s the kind of thing we handicrafters take note of when planning our Christmas gifting. It’s so nice to see a need and know the perfect way to fill it with a handmade gift.

I’m not a color person, so it was great to find a collection of remnants in this box that someone else had bought to be used together in some project. I assume that this yarn was initially used in an afghan design, as there were five or six complementary colors of the same brand of yarn (none had bands), kept together in a plastic bag. So that part of my design work was done for me. Luckily, the bag of thread I bought a few months back also contained a nice set of pink wooden bag handles, just waiting for this color scheme. What more could I ask? I had everything I needed for this Library Tote.

I experimented with a number of stitches, both knit and crochet. It was important that a book bag have a flat bottom, and that it be strong, and not very stretchy. I also didn’t want to line it. Crochet seemed like a better choice. I also wanted something seamless, as sewing together a thick fabric often is hard to do and looks messy. To achieve this end, I started with a crocheted oval and then built up the sides in the round from this base, joining each round with a slip stitch and then another sc stitch to mark the beginning of the next round. This is not a pattern stitch that works in a spiral, so it was important to keep each row flat and distinct.

The good thing about this pattern is the thickness of the fabric produced—the stitch results in half the fabric being composed of three layers of yarn—and it’s also an attractive alternative to stripes. The bad thing: the pattern absolutely eats up yarn at an alarming rate. By the time I had finished one pattern repeat, it was clear that the sand color wouldn’t last for two more repeats, and the taupe was not far behind. At that point, I should have added a fifth color, but nothing seemed to look right. I had a fair amount of the pink, and quite a bit of plum, so, as I worked on that second repeat, my mind was working away at what to do. I realized that the thickness of the fabric would change if I abandoned the long stitch design at the top. This wouldn’t really matter as much near the top of the bag, where strength wasn’t so crucial, but I didn’t think it would look right. So I experimented with half-double crochet stripes, which I knew would result in a nice diagonal effect.

The big drawback, obviously, of using someone’s leftovers is that you have a finite amount of any one yarn. The challenge is not to run out, but not to waste a lot, either. Some people can make things with that crazy quilt look, and it’s charming. I’m not one of those people. Unless I stick to some definite design, my odd-ball projects look like they were made in an elementary school art class. I think this tote looks nice, and hope my sister likes it, too.

Whoo-Hoo! Beautiful Cone Yarns--$1.25

2008-08-05T17:00:00.003-05:00

I found these cones today at a church rummage sale. Both are from Mexico. The turquoise has flecks of other colors and is a light worsted/heavy DK (knits up on a #5 needle), and is almost four pounds. The pink is sport weight and knits up well on a #3 needle. The cone weighs 1.75 lbs. Both are wool blends, according to the descriptions on the tags that were attached.

What luck! I was so happy to have some money left in the fund. I paid $1.25 for BOTH, and also bought a Louisa Harding pattern book for a quarter. There is easily enough of the turquoise to make a sweater (it is a bit scratchy, but someone gave me a tip in a comment that washing with hair conditioner will soften up scratchy wool, which worked like a charm when I tried it on my Nun's socks).

I'm doing the happy dance. The best find yet. And I still have $3.40 left.

Re-gifting

2008-07-31T20:28:00.003-05:00

I knit this sweater for Ricardo's birthday in 1985 or '86. It's made of Germantown Knitting Worsted, from a pattern published in Woman's Day (I lost the pattern long ago). Unfortunately, Ricardo was growing a bit in the middle, and always felt a little self-conscious about the sweater not being quite baggy enough in that area. So, after about four or five wearings, it was forgotten by us both in the cedar chest for more than 20 years.

A few posts ago, I was lamenting about not being able to make my son-in-law a sweater for his 45th birthday. I unearthed this sweater, and it looks good as new! Isn't that amazing? Tomorrow I'm taking it for dry cleaning. The SIL is very thin, but likes his sweaters loose. It should be perfect. He'll love having something of Ricardo's, made by me. Hopefully, grandson #1 might like to wear it as well before too long.

They are also celebrating their wedding anniversary this weekend, so I'm bringing three round cloths and a spice cake to the party.

Life is good!

Hugs to all.

Little Used Yarn Vacation

2008-07-29T22:09:00.002-05:00

My daughter--who doesn't know about this blog--stopped over and dropped off several balls of cotton. She recently stenciled her kitchen in blue and white, and wanted me to make her a new set of cloths.

The pattern she chose is Sew-Funky's lovely Windmill Cloth. I'm also making one of the smaller Starfish cloths from this site from the leftover yarn. Sew-Funky really designs the most wonderful round cloths!

I hope to have them done by this weekend, so I can get back to my projects. See you then.

Hugs!

A Pattern: Little Brass Ring Purse

2008-07-28T17:17:00.005-05:00

I had one lone six-inch diameter brass ring and wasn't sure what to do with it. This little purse uses the bottom of the ring as a frame for a little tote, and the top of the ring as the handle. I made it to hang on the handlebars of a teen-aged girl's bike, so she could carry her cellphone and a few dollars when she took bike rides. Her keys easily clip to the handle.

Materials: Brass ring, any worsted weight yarn except cotton (it must stretch over the ring tightly), size G Hook, large-eye yarn needle, velcro or magnetic snap fastener, any embellishments of your choice.

The bag is made up of two crocheted semi-circles, as shown at left. The semi-circles must be as near to the diameter of the ring as possible (here, six inches across)

Directions:

Chain 3, work 3 sc in 2nd ch from end.

Row 1: 2 sc in each stitch, turn. (6 st.)

Row 2: 2 sc in each stitch, turn. (12 st.)

Row 3: *sc in next 3 st., 2 sc in next stitch* three times (inc. of 3), turn

Row 4: *sc in next 4 st., 2 sc in next stitch* three times (inc. of 3), turn

Row 5: *sc in next 5 st., 2 sc in next stitch* three times, turn

Continue in this manner, increasing three stitches evenly in each row (you should have a fabric that looks like three pie wedges)

When piece is the desired size (mine is 12 rows), make another identical piece.

Next, holding wrong sides together, chain pieces together around the rounded edge, leaving top open. Insert ring and check fit. The join should look tidy and finished.

Remove ring and, as shown below, work three rows of sc around top of purse, decreasing one stitch at each end of each side (4 st dec in each row). Break off yarn, leaving a 20" tail.

As shown in the last picture below, inset ring into purse, thread tail onto a yarn needle, and work a running stitch just inside the ring, making a tunnel for the ring and keeping it secure in the purse. If you stitch into the hole of each stitch in turn, the stitching should be almost invisible.

I embellished this with vintage buttons my mother collected during the '30s and '40s. You can sew on a crocheted flower, or do some embroidery, or just make the semi-circles in multicolors.

Finish with a magnetic snap or a velcro fastener.

Another view of the finished purse. The purse can easily be carried around the wrist, and holds a cellphone, some money, a comb, and other small items.

Progress Notes: Notions

2008-07-28T17:01:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I feel like I'm in one of those reality shows where they give chefs a box of ingredients and leave them to make something delicious and original. The more things I get, the more of a challenge it becomes. It's exhausting.

It's becoming clear I've got to learn what to toss and what to keep.

A few weeks ago I discovered a new thrift shop run by the Lutheran Home. They use all their donated yarn, but had quite a bit of sewing stuff. (I don't enjoy sewing and gave it up years ago.) I did buy a bag of zippers, though. Now I've got the added challenge of trying to knit and crochet things that match my zippers. Talk about bizarre. That plastic bag in the photo is holding a ton of loose common pins, which are poking out everywhere. The pains of creativity!

In the bag were also two single purse handles---one round brass ring and one blue plastic oblong thing. I was about to throw them back into my own box of donations when I had a brainstorm about the brass ring. The little purse I made using the ring is above.

A Pattern: Dancing Stripes Washcloth

2008-07-24T00:09:00.009-05:00

Dancing Stripes Washcloth

Materials: Less than one ounce Main Color (MC) and less than one-half ounce Contrast Color (CC)

cotton worsted (Peaches 'n Creme here)

Needle size #7.

This slip-stitch pattern didn't photograph well, but it is a very textured honeycomb type of stitch (see detail below). This is a good way to use up a small ball of leftover cotton. I used a very small amount of the blue, and just knit the pattern until I ran out. If you have enough, it looks good to stripe the borders as well, knitting two rows in each color. This is a good way to use up small amounts and still not have many loose ends when you finish, as the yarn is never cut. However, it is a challenging pattern and it is not recommended that you put down the work until each eight-row sequence is complete.

Directions:

CO 35 for small cloth, 41 for large cloth

Note: All stitches are slipped as if to purl. All right side rows are slipped with the yarn to the back and all wrong side rows are slipped with the yarn in front.

Border: K across for four rows.

Pattern rows:

1--MC, K9, *sl 2 as if to P, keeping yarn to back, k4* repeat across, end with sl2, K2, K4 (border)

2--MC, K4 (border) , holding yarn in front, sl 1, P1, *sl 2 (holding yarn in front), P 1, K 2, P 1* repeat, ending K1, K4.

3--CC, K4, K2 *yarn in back sl 2, skip 1 st, K the next stitch but do not drop from needle, K the skipped st and drop both, skip 1 st, K in back loop of next st but do not drop, K skipped st and drop both, repeat from * ending K1, K4

4--CC, holding yarn in front, sl 1 as if to P, P to last five stitches, K1, K4.

5--MC, K4, K2, *yarn in back sl 2, K 4, repeat from * ending sl2, K5, K4.

6--MC, yarn in front, sl1, *P1, K2, P1, sl 2, repeat from* ending K1, P1, K4.

7--CC, K4, K1, *skip 1 st, K the next st but do not drop, K skipped st and drop both, skip 1 st, K in back loop of next st, K skipped st and drop both, sl 2 (yarn in back), repeat from * ending K2, K4.

8--CC, repeat row 4.

For small cloth, repeat these eight rows six times; for large cloth repeat seven times.

Border: MC, K across for five rows, bind off.

This is a complicated pattern. I hope I've transcribed it correctly. Just remember that four stitches on each end must be K for the border, with the pattern in between. Colors are changed every two rows.

This Week on the Needles and Hooks

2008-07-17T21:38:00.002-05:00

I finished two of the little scarves below for summer birthdays and a teddy bear from worsted scraps for the Mama Bear project, and finally put zippers in the coin purses (pattern to follow soon--it's a complex one). Now I can finally put Christmas into high gear and start adding to my bottom drawer where I put finished gifts. I'm fiddling around with a billed newsboy type of cap for one of the grandfellows. I've never made a billed cap and really should look at patterns, as I've ripped it out more times than I can count.

I'm very reluctant to look at any patterns since I started this blog, as there are just so many ways to make a hat or scarf or mittens, and I want to make sure anything I post here comes totally out of my head. One you see how someone else solves a problem, it's hard not to incorporate it into your own work in some way or another. I'm not a fancy needleworker, and I'm sure anything I do has been done in almost the same way by someone out there. I've heard that others have been accused of copying ideas and patterns, and want to make sure that doesn't happen to me.

But the little purses and the Nun's socks are making me proud, and I hope to get the patterns up soon.

I read three good books this week--Sea Glass, by Anita Shreve, An Unfinished Marriage, by Joan Anderson (nonfiction), and the Yarn Harlot's new book (which is very short, but made me laugh numerous times--you'll all love it, I'm sure).

Hugs! I hope you like the scarf.

A Pattern: One-Row Lace Summer Scarf

2008-07-17T21:06:00.004-05:00

I made this little scarf out of two stands of bedspread cotton, but you can use any sport weight cotton, such as Grace or Cool Crochet.

It's done in a modified Feather Fagot stitch. I turned the purl stitches into knit stitches, because the stiffness of the cotton caused me to drop stitches occasionally, which in a one-row pattern can be problematic with no safety net of straight K or P rows. This pattern makes a very lacy rib-looking fabric.

Instructions:

One-Row Lace Summer Scarf

CO 27 stitches on #5 or #6 needles (I used a circular needle, to give more control of the lace)

Rows 1-3: K across

Row 4: *K1, yo, K2tog* repeat to end.

Repeat row 4 until scarf is as long as desired. The scarf pictured is 40", and makes a small, ascot type of scarf.

Last three rows: K across

Finishing: The ascot type of scarf shown is gathered with a thread about 2 inches from the ends, then I wrapped the thread around the scarf and secured it. I have also made this scarf longer, and tied a knot in each end. You can also use fringe, if that is your preference, but the fringe should be quite long. Of course, it's nice just plain with no finishing at all.

This is fun to make! I hope you try it.

Progress Notes: Succumbing to Temptation

2008-07-12T19:37:00.004-05:00

So I saw this little classified ad:

"One Box-o-Yarn! Smoke free, all different colors and types of yarn. Some full skeins, some scraps, all 100% useful! Everything is neatly wound, into skeins or balls, no huge mess of 37 different yarns all mushed together."

and sent Ricardo off to a neighboring town to check it out for me, knowing I have little money left in the fund, but not being able to resist. Wouldn't you have done the same?

It's fun, this treasure hunting for all that stray yarn floating around in the world, just waiting for someone to come along and make something out of it. The anticipation is most of it--wondering if the next box will hold some lovely cashmere or alpaca---or even cotton.

I shop mostly online for everything, since I had to give up driving a few years ago. The yarn shopping was getting obsessive, even though I rarely bought anything. I'd spend hours trying to make up an order, trying to take advantage of the free shipping. First, I'd see something great on sale, but then I'd try to find something else to make up an order, looking at patterns for different yarns, trying to think of ideas of what to make. Then I'd see the final shopping cart and get sticker shock and abandon the whole idea. And I always wanted things from two different vendors, and really couldn't justify two orders. I spent hours not buying anything. It was window shopping at its worst, and a terrible waste of time.

I sat for an hour today, crocheting a baby sweater, trying to guess what Ricardo would come home with. Yes, he bought the box. No, it didn't contain anything too spectacular. But it was a lot of fun going through, nonetheless. First, it was very tangled, despite what the ad promised. I worked on the tangles while we watched "Foyle's War," then spread everything out. Second-hand yarn reveals so much about history. There was a lovely skein of "Beehive Baby Yarn," which was 100% virgin wool. Today, it's all acrylic. And the box held about seven or eight full or partial balls of rug yarn, which the one remaining ballband stated was a cotton and rayon blend. Today, I believe that, too, is all synthetic. There were also many full or partial skeins of worsted weight yarns in some really nice colors, some grey wool roving type of thick yarn, and one ball of red sportweight, of unknown fibre.

I have no idea what to do with the rug yarn. Any ideas out there? I'm eager to try this yarn for something.

---

Finally, many thanks and best wishes to people who have left me such wonderful compliments on the things I"m making. I'm very flattered. I'm certainly no artist. It's just that I've been making things for decades, I guess, and have all the basics conquered, so it's easy to use those basics to create new things. I'm sure many of you do the same.

A good weekend to all, and hugs! I'm off to eat grilled cheese and tomato soup prepared by my husband. Food cooked by someone else always tastes great.

A Pattern: Crochet Dogwood Dishcloth

2008-07-10T18:40:00.002-05:00

Dogwood Blossom Dishcloth

Materials: Worsted weight cotton, about 1 oz. ombre and less than 1/2 oz. in a coordinating solid color, for flower panels (here, I used Daisy Ombre Peaches 'n Creme and solid yellow Sugar 'n Cream) This would look great in blue ombre and solid blue.

Size G crochet hook

Chain 36, sc stitch in second chain from hook and each chain across--35 sc stitches.

Rows 1-6: SC across

Change color to solid yarn, chain 3, turn

Dogwood Panel (rows 7-10)

Row 7: Work 4 dc (with turning chain, makes 5 dc), *chain 4, skip next 2 stitches, stitch in next 9 stitches* two times, ending with chain 4, skip 2 stitches, dc in last 5 stitches, chain 3, turn.

Row 8: dc in first two stitches (making 3 dc), *chain 3, stitch in 4-ch space, chain 3, skip two stitches, dc in next 5* two times, chain 3, stitch in 4-ch space, chain 3, skip two stitches, dc in last three spaces, chain 3, turn.

Row 9: dc in first two stitches, work 2 dc in 3-ch space, ch 2, work 2 dc in 3-ch space, 5 dc, work 2 dc in 3-ch space, ch 2, work 2 dc in 3-ch space, repeat in pattern to last 3-ch space, work 3 dc in last 3 dc, chain 1, turn.

Row 10: Sc across, change color, ch 1, turn.

Work 14 rows in ombre, change color, ch 3, turn.

Repeat Flower panel for 4 rows, change color.

Work 6 rows in ombre in sc. End. Weave in ends.

Note: This makes a tidy edged cloth, with no need for a border of sc.

Progress Notes: Thread and Kitchen Cotton

2008-07-02T23:15:00.003-05:00

I don't remember when I learned to knit, or crochet, or sew. My mother was a seamstress, who worked out of our small apartment. My grandmother was a tiny, fierce woman who didn't speak much English and was always knitting.
I was an adult before I realized that they were both real artists.
Grandma never looked at any sort of pattern, but closely scrutinized any knitwear that came her way, always eager to pick up a new stitch. Unlike me, despite knitting for her own nine kids and many, many grandchildren, she never made anything that wasn't embellished with dense patterns. Every mitten was a work of art. And my mother, despite sewing for others for hours, usually decorated our clothes with appliques, piping, and the like.
Grandma came to stay with me when my daughter was born, and she herself was 82. I was just finishing up a Christmas stocking. I still remember her enthusiasm for something new to knit. We sat together and knit huge stockings for the relatives. I also introduced her to granny squares during that visit, and she launched into making little vests for all the kids.
I know I'll never have her skill at needlework, but lately I've developed an obsession with flowers, due to the profusion of tiny balls of colored thread and cotton in my used yarn stash. Like grandma, I was a texture knitter. Color designs weren't really my forte. But one of the benefits I've gained from this little experiment is a newly found love of color.
The picture above shows two of my projects, both in very preliminary stages. I've been crocheting tiny flowers out of thread, and jamming them onto surfaces to make a dense covering (here, a coin purse in progress, with two loose flowers waiting to be sewn on).
The other item is a design for a dishcoth made up of rows of tulips.

I've barely made a dent in my stash, despite being one-third of the way through my year of used yarns. To date, I've completed five baby hats, three pairs of booties, a baby sweater, two pairs of fingerless gloves, two adult hats (one with matching mittens), two headscarfs, one decorative little cotton scarf, two pairs of pocketbook slippers, three dishcloths, two pairs of socks, a purse, a thermos cozy, and a tea pot cozy. Most are for gifts, and the baby things are for charity.

In progress are an afghan made up of triangles in blues and browns, for my eldest grandson, several coin purses, a tote bag, and an eyeglass case, all for Christmas presents.

Some I used patterns, and some I designed myself. I will be posting pictures and patterns for my own designs as I get them written up. Since I'd never written down a pattern before I started this blog I'm finding this quite difficult.

Thanks for reading, and hugs to all.

New Project: Trash and Treasure yarn Tea Cozy

2008-06-28T23:25:00.005-05:00

It's Ricardo's birthday tomorrow, and I've been at a loss for something to make. After all, he's been married to a knitter for 39 years, and has enough hats and scarves and mitts for three men. (I made him a bottle cozy for his thermos bottle, but that really was a very small thing.) Then, last night he was idly paging through a magazine and saw a tea cozy and said, "We really need one of these." We're tea drinkers, but I have a problem with tea cozies, and we've always wrapped a kitchen towel around our teapots, because tea cozies seemed vaguely unsanitary to me. I mean, people handle them, cough on them, etc., and they get food on them--not to mention dust. Then they sit on the table with the food. (Okay, I'm neurotic.) But in the Trash and Treasure bag I had a few ounces of some really pretty yarn that felt too scratchy and rough to use for a hat. And, being obviously acrylic, it can be thrown into the washer and dryer without much trouble.

Thus was born the "Shooting Star Tea Cozy." It's more or less a big hat, but I put a row of six eyelets near the top and then K five rows. When it's drawn together it makes a five pointed star (see picture). I need to make a nicer drawstring "tail" for the star, but for right now, a double strand of yarn will have to do.

I'll write down the pattern when I figure out exactly what I did. It was a trial and error project, which I had to rip a few times.

I hope you all have a good weekend!

A Pattern: Farrow Rib Hat

2008-06-26T20:00:00.005-05:00

This is my standard "cool guy" hat, because teen boys will actually wear it. If you're looking for a hat that can be pulled down to the eyebrows and worn day and night, this is for you. It looks best in two dark colors---such as brown and navy or black. Here, I made the top in beige so the pattern can be seen. The ribbing allows for very easy decreasing at the crown, with no counting.

Farrow Rib makes a thick fabric and is very stretchy. This pattern will stretch from 20 inches to about 26 inches. If you want a smaller hat, the pattern can easily be reduced by any multiple of three.

Farrow Rib Hat

Worsted weight yarn scraps (I used about 1 oz. of Woolease in two colors)

Gauge: 20 stitches to 4".

#7 circular needle, changing to #7 DPNs

CO 84 stitches, begin round 1 with a careful, untwisted, join

Round 1: *K2, P1* repeat to end of round, mark end.

Round 2:: *K1,P2* repeat to end of round.

Repeat these two rows for eight inches, changing color at four inches, or whenever you wish.

Decrease Round: *K1,P2tog* (you are changing farrow rib to a simple K1,P1 rib) to end.

Work three rounds of K1,P1 ribbing.

Decrease Round: *K2tog* (changing ribbing to stockinette)

Work three rounds.

Decrease Round: *K2 tog* to end of round.

Work three rounds.

Decrease Round: *K2tog*.

Work one additional round.

Break off yarn, leaving an 18" tail. Thread yarn and needle and through all stitches remaining. Pull tightly. Thread yarn again through stitches, pull tightly. Move yarn to inside of hat and secure.

Progress in Thread Projects

2008-06-25T00:23:00.006-05:00

These little ends of Sugar 'n Creme were in the bag I got at the Trash and Treasure market. Look at how organized this woman is! She wrapped every little bit of yarn in its original ballband, and taped the band back together. She was at the market selling dishcloths and slippers.

Gosh, I wish I had a personality like that. I'm so disorganized I probably couldn't find the band from yarn I used this morning. I have no doubt this woman could instantly produce the instruction book from any appliance in an instant.

I sure was happy to find these bits. I love the monthly dishcloth group and keep eyeing my small stash of cotton, hoping it will last until next March. Someone in our group uses cotton thread to make dishcloths, holding several strands together. I think I'll try that next.

This picture is something I'm working on with the bedspread cotton. It's going to be a coin purse, heavily embroidered with flowers. Now, I just need some little white zippers.

Hugs to all!

Nun's Yarn Socks!

2008-06-22T13:18:00.004-05:00

First, a big thanks to those who are leaving comments. For some reason, Blogger isn't letting me make comments today.

I couldn't wait to cast on some socks from the Nun's wool. Here's a pic of the first sock, photographed on the quilt my Aunt Maree made me about 30+ years ago. I've got some sort of complex stripe pattern going on, but don't know how successful it will be. I'm calling them my Finlandia Socks, since I always associate striped knitting with Finnish design. I'm using a broken rib type of pattern (k,p row followed by a k row). since the No. 2 needles are giving me a little looser fabric than I wanted.

Last year I made eight pairs of socks, but so far this year have only completed one pair, due to the yarn shortage. It's great to be doing socks again.

I don't really have any great prejudice against using yarns other than sock yarns for socks, though. I remember the days before sock yarns, when a few mills sold "sock and sweater yarns" but mostly we'd just buy the thinner yarns and use anything that worked. And I also remember when Orlon socks came on the market and we LOVED those with our loafers. They were so much softer and whiter than our cotton ankle socks. (We didn't ever wear pants to school and only wore nylons to church, so every day we wore white socks and pleated skirts or jumpers.)

So to me, the sock knitting thing has gotten a little out of hand. I just can't spend $30 on a pair of socks! (Okay, I have spent $20 on a few pair in the past, and love them. But I'm flexible.)

Here's a pair I made recently out of some Orlon baby yarn. Excuse my chubby legs! The socks are lacy and cute, though. I used #3 needles and just winged it, wanting to experiment more than anything.

Today we made a trip out to the Trash and Treasure flea market, and there was a woman selling bags of yarn for $3. It looked to me mostly acrylic, but I bought a bag that had several skeins of brown, for a teddy bear, and also bought five patterns books from her, so I spent another $3.50. I still have more than $10 left in my budget.

Does Yarn Expire?

2008-06-18T20:41:00.003-05:00

This is really old yarn! It's wool, and one of the balls still has a little tag attached that reads, "Nun's Nomotta yarns are permanently mothproof." Honestly, this tag looks like it was printed in the '30s. I can't get a good picture of the tag, but the little logo is very art deco, and I googled the Nun's yarn company, and only came up with a 1933 pattern book from Nun's being sold on eBay.

But the colors are still really vibrant, and the yarn is tightly wound and knits up with great stitch definition. I really examined it carefully, being afraid of bugs, but it was in a plastic bag and seems in good condition. It is somewhere between sport weight and fingering weight. Socks? I'm there! even though all-wool socks are a pain to care for. The dark looking ball is sort of an eggplant color, and goes great with both the other colors.

It's a little scratchy when knit, but I went to a #2 needle and it felt better. Anyone have a better idea?

I apologize for this picture. The label reads "Reynold's Paloma 100% cotton boucle." I found seven skeins in the bottom of the thread bag. Again, the yarn is long-gone, and Reynolds now uses this name for an entirely different yarn. It's sport weight, and the boucle slubs are tiny. The ballband tells very little---no yardage. With a magnifying glass, I managed to see a very small "1 oz." stamped in blue on the back. The yarn is wrapped around a plastic core.

Any ideas what I can do with 7 oz.? It'e enough for a baby sweater, I guess. It would be a hard yarn to mix with another.
Haven't ballbands changed? Now you get the fibre content, suggested needle and gauge, yards and metres, washing instructions, country of origin, and, often, a pattern.

A Pattern: Cotton Thread Neckerchief

2008-06-16T17:05:00.004-05:00

Mattie's Cotton Neckerchief

Materials: #10 bedspread cotton and #1 straight needles (you'll need less than a ball)

CO 4 stitches

Row 1: K

Row 2: K2, YO, K to last stitch. K last stitch in the back of the stitch.

Repeat Row 2 until length from point is 10 inches.

Headband section:

Row 1: K across

Row2: K

Row 3: K2, *YO, K2T* to last two stitches, K2

Rows 4 and 5: K

Bind off.

Ties: Pick up five stitches along side edges of "headband" section and K for 12 inches or desired length. (You can taper the ends if desired by knitting two stitches together at the beginning of two rows, then binding off the last stitches.)

This looks great either tied around the hair or tied at the back of the neck to fill in a sweater or shirt's neckline.

Adventures with Cotton Thread

2008-06-16T16:47:00.004-05:00

I'm really having a good time putzing around with the giant grab bag of cotton thread, and have some big projects planned.

Daughter #1 wears a lot of scarves in her curly hair, and also around her neck, so I was curious to see if I could knit something from the thread that would drape well. I tried the thread double, but didn't get a soft feel, so went down to single thickness of the #10 thread, and used a #1 needle.

Aren't these needles adorable? I found three different sizes of these needles in the bottom of the thread bag, and just had to use them right away. They have a medal core and a clear plastic coating. I can't help wondering how many projects they've held over the years. They're long, and slippery, though, and I must admit I much prefer using circulars or my bamboo DPNs now for everything.

The resulting fabric draped beautifully, and was gauzy, almost transparent, when knitted up. It was so much fun to make this neckerchief. I'd forgotten how absorbing it is to experiment with design. This huge bag gives me the luxury to try all kinds of new things, without the stress of wasting yarn or trying to adapt someone else's pattern. Truly an unexpected gift.

A Pattern: Incredibly Simple "Buttonhole" gloves

2008-06-14T00:07:00.005-05:00

Here's Ricardo, acting silly in his incredibly simple, worsted weight, fingerless mitts. (Project 2 from the thrift shop yarn bag.)

The story behind this pattern: First, Grandson #1 wanted camo fingerless gloves for Christmas, so I made those properly, with a lovely thumb gusset and fingers. Then, my sister Debbie wanted a pair to wear at work, but just with a band along the top, so I made those. Then, Ricardo wanted a pair, but with no thumb, and "tighter to the hand." Sigh. Thus, the buttonhole mitts were born.

They turned out to be surprisingly cute.

Simple Worsted-Weight Fingerless "Buttonhole" Mitts

Size: Your average guy.

Directions:

Use any worsted weight yarn, and #5 DNPs or "magic loop"

I used a partial skein, but they take very little yarn---probably 1.5 oz.

CO 48 stitches

Rib in K2, P2 for eight inches (at this point, you could make it into a sock!)

Knit a simple buttonhole: Bind off five stitches at any point, and continue row. When you circle around to the gap, CO five stitches and continue row. When you circle around again, knit and purl those five stitches in ribbing pattern, being careful to get as tight as you can so as not to create too big a hole (any hole will even out in a few rows.)

Continue 2X2 ribbing for two inches.

Switch to K1,P1 ribbing for six rows, and bind off.

That's it! A tube with a hole.

You could add a stripe of some sort to the wrist, so it's easier to tell which way is up when they are off.

Is it Curtains for Sweater Knitting?

2008-06-13T12:34:00.001-05:00

The other day I was cleaning my front closet and came across my old pattern book of "Irish Knits." Years ago I made three sweaters from this book, and would love to make my son-in-law one for his birthday, but unless I knit it out of baby yarn, that's out of the question.

We bought this old wreck of a house in 1977. Car was working in a laundry and I typed dissertations on the kitchen table (on a typewriter). Our daughter was in first grade, and Car and I had just enrolled in college. What better time to take on a mortgage? (Yes, we both finished college, but it took us nine years. Car in math and me in English.)

I used to ride my red bike over to Ben Franklin and buy crochet cotton, and, in 1978, finished filet curtains for the house, one ball at a time. The little one shown here is in the back hall, and I see it every day.

Make of this what you will. I guess it shows that home and family last a lot longer than most sweaters, and I'd better be thankful that I have both. (If someone had told me that some day I'd take this picture with a digital camera and post it on the internet, I would have said, "Huh?") Maybe someday, some other young person will come through that door to buy my old bags of yarn and wonder why I bought what I did.

First project--Baby Hats

2008-06-12T13:53:00.000-05:00

Our library has a lot of TV series on DVD, and Ricardo and I discovered some gems. We just finished the MacBeth mystery series, set in Scotland (BBC), and now are watching a police procedural series called Blue Murder (also British). We watch one or two episodes a night, and I can usually get a baby hat done during that time. Since my youngest grandchild is already six, I'm making hats and booties for the teen mother shelter near our home.

This pattern, with a big floppy flower on top, is one of the cutest. It's from a library book, 100 Hats to Knit and Crochet. I don't have a convenient baby to use as a model, but the hats just fit over a little snow globe.

Last night I was going through another library book--Woman's Day Crochet Showcase--looking for thread patterns. I found this interesting adult hat pattern and made it up out of some small balls. I don't know if I can stretch enough of the lighter pink out to make matching mittens, but maybe I can make some out of white and just put in a little pink for trim. I have enough of the dark pink to make another hat, so hate to squander that yet. Decisions, decisions. I don't know why the picture came through so small. It's my second day blogging, and there is a lot to learn.

A Pattern: Matinee Dishcloth

2008-06-11T20:28:00.000-05:00

I began my yarn buying moritorium on March 7th, and this was on the needles, so it doesn't really count as my finished used yarn projects. Look! I have about half a ball left, which can go into the used yarn stash. (According to my rules, any partial ball I have on hand is fair game.)

Here's the pattern:

Needles: size 7

Yarn: Sugar 'n Cream by Lily

Note: This is a smallish cloth, since the pattern is very loose. It really needs the seed stitch border to keep the bottom from scalloping too much. I also used slip stitches along the sides, which also helps.

Slip all stitches as if to purl

CO 37 stitches.

Border: Sl1, (K1, P1) to end. Repeat for four rows.

Begin pattern rows:

Row 1. Sl, K2, (K2tog, K1, YO, K1, YO, K1, P2tbl, K1), rep to last two stitches, K2

Row 2. Sl1, K1, P to last two stitches, K2.

Repeat these two rows 19 times (20 pattern repeats)

Repeat border, Bind off.

The Beginning: $20 and a small stash of yarn

2008-06-11T03:26:00.000-05:00

I once was a yarn snob. I once had some disposible income. Those days are gone, probably never to return. Now, medical expenses and a loss of income make it impossible to pay for even the basic necessities. But, I can't imagine life without knitting or crochet, or a life without making beautiful gifts for my friends and family. So, I set out to see how I could find enough yarn to make gifts, on a budget of $20 a year. It's turning out to be easier than I expected. It may not be the yarn I would have chosen to buy, but the challenge is a lot more fun than I expected.

This journey began at an estate sale. I was looking for a few glass pie pans. In the corner of the living room I spied a large black trash bag with a label reading simply "yarn $2.00". "Please don't open the bag," a woman in an apron snapped, as I pushed it with my foot to move it closer. "It's stuffed full." I paid her, dragged the bag to the door. and struggled to pull it down the street and load it into my car.

The anticipation was incredible. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. Then I opened it up and slowly piled the contents on my rug. Did I already say it wasn't what I would have bought? Well, if I did, it bears repeating. But it was full of possibilities. The dear departed craftswoman was clearly a maker of doilies and tablecloths, as the bag held more than 20 full or partial balls of crochet cotton, and four cones of white cotton bedspread thread, and also some tatting supplies. Under that layer, though, were some more interesting treasures. Seven skeins of a thin white 100% cotton boucle, half a large cone of yellow kitchen cotton, three skeins of Luster Sheen (the only non-cotton yarn), a book of patterns for clothespin Christmas ornaments and---the very best part--a green felt roll tied with a very tattered, wide grosgrain ribbon which opened to reveal a large collection of knitting needles and crochet hooks., including sock needles in all sizes and a set of vintage needles made out of some sort of yellow plastic topped with little red hearts stamped with the sizes. (Pictures on the way.)

I'm no stranger to thread crochet, having made filet curtains in the past. But that was about 30 years ago, when I had more patience, better eyesight, and before knitting took over as my main craft outlet. So that first night I experimented for hours wth knitting the thread single, doubled, and mixing the weights and colors. By the time I realized it was almost dawn, I had discovered that huge pile of thread had a lot of promise.

I was hooked on mystery bags of yarn, and decided to see if any more bags were sitting around waiting for someone like me.

It didn't take long for me to find another estate sale, and another stuffed bag. This bag was a dollar and the top was open. It was full of baby yarns, including two unfinished baby sweaters and a freezer bag full of little pastel squares knit in garter stitch. Most of the balls were unused, but the bottom of the bag was filled with odds and ends of various yarns. Besides the baby yarns there were several balls of novelty yarns, a ball of Woolease, and some blue and white variegated acrylic. Have I already mentioned this was not yarn I would have chosen? But I bought it.

That weekend we went to the Blind Association thrift shop, where, with my senior discount, I bought a plastic bag full of yarn ends for $2.60. Finally, something I might have bought myself. There were some rather nice wool bits, and quite a few ends of mystery yarn, all in solids and whites, a skein of Patons Evita, two of Patons Pooch, and a pair of pink wooden purse handles. The bag was about a quarter of the size of the first two, but I was satisfied.

And so the journey began with an expenditure of $5.60, yielded a lot of weird yarns, but filled me with excitement. This blog will record my progress on my projects, and detail how I spend the other $14.40.