Who knew crafting was ‘fashionable’?

Posted on July 31, 2016 by honey

I have been away a while due to hand pain and, recently, breaking my elbow. But I am feeling very guilty at my neglect and abandonment of you, dear reader, and I have made a promise to myself to try very hard to ‘get better’ at this blog writing lark.

Of course, we are taught that our goals should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time constrained) – and ‘get better at’ is hardly any of those things. So, to be a bit more focused, I will try and write a blog post once a fortnight. There, that’s better.

I also need to fix the problems I am having with uploading photos. In the meantime I am experimenting with Instagram if you would like to follow me over on that – basically it’s random photos of things that inspire me or catch my eye. There’s no ‘theme’ or snazzy filters or anything. I am forcing myself to snap something 4 times a week (in an attempt to also improve my photography skills – though obviously doing that with a smartphone camera is not as productive as getting out my actual camera where I have much greater control over the settings)

So this week’s brain snag in a crafty vein was seeing an article in ES – the magazine that comes with our regional free paper. Apparently, due to the famous British weather, the evenings can get a ‘bit nippy’ in the evenings. A designer (Alex Gore, who worked with Alexander McQueen, don’t you know) has come up with the (apparently) novel idea of using ‘fine gauge’ yarn (ok, “super-fine Hawick cashmere and Bologna yarn to be specific) to knit a lightweight but warm sweater to keep away those evening chills. The result? A “cocktail sweater”. Seriously. I’m not saying knitwear isn’t awesome – because it is and if it wasn’t my hobby would be more than a little pointless, but the ‘cocktail sweater’ being a new idea? Every other page of my 1950’s pattern collection is one of these things.

On the same page of the magazine there is a further celebration of Warsaw designer Magda Butrym , who showcased ‘handmade crocheted’ dresses in her catwalk this year. Wonderful. Really genuinely pleased that crochet is getting some air time – and Russian lace crochet is really, really gorgeous. But surely, given there isn’t a machine in the world that can crochet (this is a whole other post) it has to be ‘handmade’ by default?

Right now, I have to continue with preparations for the course I am teaching next weekend – but I promise (as per the opening of this post) to be back soon!

projects update…

Posted on November 26, 2015 by honey

ICE has finally thawed and finished and while I initially wasn’t convinced (I’ll be honest!) I have found myself wearing it a lot the last few days. It’s a lovely wearable shape, and the colour I’ve chosen goes with a lot of things!

I think the pattern as written has the sleeve a little short – but that could me having a *much* tighter gauge than the designer (though my swatch came out right).

Of course it was also a good opportunity to practice my continental style knitting. I like the knit stitch and will use that again, but I’m really not a fan of Norwegian purl. It might make more sense if doing rib stitches, but for doing stockingette it makes no sense at all!

I also picked up and finished two (yes TWO!) little crochet projects. After procrastinating for a long time (as regular readers will know I have ideas and then they have to ‘simmer’ for a while) I finally opened my copy of Mary Korinor’s Crochet Lace and did two projects.

One is a baby blanket for a work colleague and the other is a stash busting shawl using up 5 balls of kid silk haze “acquired” at a swap meet.

baby blanket and haze shawl

Mary has a very interesting approach to her work – including the all important “how much to leave for the border” calculations. Of course Mary was English, and I have made several “design features” out of the fact that I frequently forgot this and mixed up which stitch I was supposed to be doing. I find Mary fascinating in that often she will describe in words the stitches for the centre and inner borders and then give just a chart for the outer/edging border. I found this approach very interesting as charts for the middle section would be very useful, and if you can’t read charts then you can’t finish the project.

I’m really pleased with how both projects have turned out, and am tempted to just go ahead and do the other shawls in the book out of curiosity – in particular the two ‘granny square’ based shawls as mine are both over 20 years old and starting to look a little tired.

I really enjoyed the kid silk project, and am now playing with some stitch variations to work out how to make a capelet shape that hugs the shoulders with a beaded edge. I might even be able to make it a one skein (or two at most) project. I need to dig through my stash and find my fyberspates faerywings as I think it would be particularly gorgeous in that.

I’m about to come to the end of my current contract and have a few weeks while I job hunt. During that time I plan to write up some of my patterns and publish them – so watch this space!

It’s going to take just a little bit longer…

Posted on May 28, 2015 by honey

I find, in my experience, that you only have to think “oh, this will be finished soon” for an entire project to suddenly go ankle over elbow. A more assured curse is the “I’ll be able to wear this on….”

I made the mistake of thinking BOTH these exact thoughts last Thursday as I completed the last round of the cuff of my ICE shrug – just the (ok, uber long but crochet) middle edging to do, two and a half hours commute craft time, plus a long drive on Sunday morning (with me being passenger) so I’d be able to block Sunday evening and wear this on Wednesday!

At which point a small wormhole opened and sucked that reality into an alternate dimension.

“Trying it on” for the benefit of some work colleagues for who a shrug is a new and novel concept (let alone making one) I decided that the sleeves were a bit short. The edge of the cuff sat on my elbows, so the bottom edge sat half way down my forearm. It just looked small.

I had got gauge on my knitting (if anything a little loose!) and I had done the right number of rows.

No problem, I’ll just take out the second cuff, undo the bind off, pick up the stitches and knit another 6” onto the body. Fine. It won’t add that long to the job. I’ll still be finished for Friday.

Ha!

I unravelled and unpicked and picked and knit. 4” in I had a look and realised that somehow my tension had become more relaxed. MUCH more relaxed. Suddenly I had a piece of knitting with something approaching a fishing net attached to one end. This thing suddenly looked like I had handed it to my 3 year old niece for knitting practice.

That’s ok, I thought I can just work the extra yarn out of each stitch and feed it up though the knitting row by row until it comes out at the top.

Those of you who are “good” knitters will know what a stupid idea that was.

20 minutes and 1 row later I had an extra 18 inches of yarn sticking out one side of my project (see told you my gauge had got really loose) and I had come to a rather interesting conclusion. It was going to be faster to rip it out and re-knit that section.

So my commute craft time this morning was spent frogging and picking up stitches. Again. I have six inches of knitting to do, then the cuff and then the middle edging. Not going to be done by Friday.

Completed Projects – sometimes, it takes time!

Posted on May 4, 2015 by honey

So, first up, I promised photographs of the Garland sweater…

The complete sweater – the image top right is probably closest to the true colour of the yarn.

I had fun doing this sweater – and you can see in the bottom left photo how the top is a little baggy in the back, as I mentioned last week. Though we have discovered that if I have less than perfect posture that ‘bagging’ vanishes!

At the recent Purlescence open day I also bought some beautiful buttons and some French Navy pure wool sweater yarn to finish the 1963 Twinset.

The 1963 Twinset (you can just see the dart in the bottom right picture)

For those of you who don’t know the story of the 1963 Twinset, pull up a chair and get comfortable. A friend of mine turned to me about three years ago, and (knowing my interest in vintage) asked if I would be interested in finishing a project.

It turned out that a friend of hers – a wonderful older lady with a name at least at interesting as my real name had started knitting a twinset and had never got around to completing it. The pattern she had used was a 1957 pattern, and she had started knitting this twinset in 1963.

Now, before you think this wonderful lady is an incredibly slow knitter, that’s not the case. She ran out of yarn for the placket and collar and put the project aside in early 1964, from whence it made it’s way into the attic and there it had remained until three years ago when it was handed to me.

This twinset is a work of art, the tiny stitches are so even the effect is almost of a machine knit. The darts on the top are almost invisible to the human eye. I can’t find any ends where the balls change over – just the cast on and bind off tails… and the whole thing is knit in the most amazing pillar box red.

It’s this red that created my challenge. There was no way I was ever going to match this shade of red (in fact the original knitter had tried and failed – hence it’s long purgatory) so I was in a quandary as to what to do?

First up the wonderful Susan Crawford started her vintage line of yarn – Aha! (thought I) – but no, none of the shades were quite right (though I did indeed buy some and knit the January sweater with Excelena, and what lovely yarn it is to)

The 1963 twinset sat in it’s box while the problem sat in the back of my head. Pondering. When I heard that Purlescence were now stocking Jamieson & Smith 2ply pure wool I knew I had potentially struck gold. The next open day I could make I took the 1963 twinset with me and spent a few hours on the floor with each of the 40 shades – too brown, too orange, too ‘Christmas’…. There were some surprising combinations that worked (burnt orange and bright red anyone?) but that weren’t in keeping with the period and there were several combinations that should have worked but didn’t (red and black?! why wouldn’t red and black work?). The moment we paired the French Navy magic happened. If my life had been a Disney movie there would have been singing birds, delighted squirrels and sparkle dust.

Serendipitously, Textile Garden were also there with their lovely buttons. lots of hunting and coo-ing (and extraneous buttons that I didn’t really need later) I had 10 lovely little cream buttons with a vintage navy blue abstract design on them.

So now I had yarn and I had buttons and I had a vintage twinset that I was terrified of ruining.

That night I had a dream. Literally, I really, honestly, did! You’re worried about knitting on a placket and collar and it looking weird (said my dream). You’re worried about not matching gauge, and getting it all wobbly or too tight (continued my dream). Why not crochet an edging? (cue lights going off all over, fireworks and stirring orchestral music). Indeed?! Why NOT crochet! It was actually pretty common to combine the two crafts, and by crocheting the edgings I could make sure it was exactly the right tension as I wouldn’t need to pick up and knit stitches along the edge…

The next morning I added a gravel stitch placket and collar to my lovely twinset. The next day I added the lovely buttons. And now all I need to do is give it a rinse in some lovely SOAK to full the new wool a little and refresh the 50 year old yarn.

I have realised I also need to buy a navy pencil skirt or wide-leg 40’s style trousers to wear with this creation, but truly? it’s a small price to pay. I can not wait to wear this out, and I am so proud of being able to finish this project (which, co-incidentally fits me perfectly) and do the original knitter justice. I also have plenty of yarn left over – so I’m wondering if I also crochet a detachable collar for the sweater… hmmmm…..

I finish a spring sweater – just in time for summer!

Posted on April 20, 2015 by honey

Garland is a lovely vintage style bateau neckline with deep V back. It has a beaded trailing vine around the neckline, decorated with bullion knot flowers. I’ve been working on this sweater since last year, and it’s a lovely ‘spring’ weight jumper – warm but not too warm, too warm for summer and a little too cold for the depths of winter.

Of course the weather last week turned glorious – so much for “neigh cast a clout till May be out”

It is always the way isn’t it, (for me at least) that when doing a project that requires a specific amount of yarn the final ball goes walk about? I know the 5^th ball of yarn for finishing the ‘Garland’ sweater is somewhere in the house, but despite my best efforts I am unable to locate it. Needing to do a final 4 rows on the neck, I finally gave up turning out cupboards, boxes and bags and ordered a single ball (from LoveKnitting as my original supplier, Black Sheep Yarns, had run dry). Two days later (very quick, as I ordered on a Sunday evening and my yarn arrived Tuesday lunch) and cosseted in a very pretty little project bag with LoveKnitting ribbon my lonely little ball arrived and I got to pick up the stitches for my neckline.

The MIA ball will of course suddenly appear in the spoon drawer or something – The sweater however is finished, and I’m really pleased with my little silk embroidery thread bullion knot flowers (it works much better in my red than the pattern original white in my opinion)

I know, I know – photos to follow!

I know I was on gauge for the project, and I have ‘blocked’ it by the process of getting the thing sopping wet, squeezing it out (deliberately) fairly roughly and laying on the sweater dryer. However on wearing, the sweater thinks I am a few inches bigger than I actually am. Particularly in the old bosom area. While gratifying, it does mean I have a sweater that is too big. Not “around the knees” too big, but definitely too big. Not sure what to do about this to be honest. I’m going to have to ‘pin’ the sweater to my bra straps – in the time honoured vintage way, not a big deal, but there is about 4” of extra fabric in the back which I really don’t know what to do with.

Wore the new sweater on Saturday to the Open Day at my favourite “local” yarn store, Purlescence and got several compliments on it, so pleased over all for my second sweater (for me, I think this is actually the fifth sweater I have made) – the seaming is certainly a cut above my previous attempts! Next, I’m hankering after a sweater done entirely in 2×2 rib – though my interest levels and my fingers aren’t looking forward to the actual mechanics of having to stitch it. I have a couple of patterns in mind, and the yarn is sitting ready, so it’s just a case of making the decision.

What else am I carrying around in my bag at the moment?

The continuing long commute means I have crept forwards on the Tirrold – but it really does feel like I have crept forwards. By my calculations another 10 hours will have me at the end of the 120ish rows needed to complete the rib section but when each minute on this feels like an hour, it really feels like it is taking forever!

I’ve also started work on ICE, a lovely summery bolero/shrug that I am working in a dark denim blue cotton. Worked on HUGE 7mm needles (in comparison to the 2.75mm for the Tirrold at least) I’m taking the opportunity to practice my ‘picking’ skills – using continental knit and Norwegian purl techniques.

So far I’m not convinced by the purl stitch, I still prefer the Portuguese style of purling for speed and consistency – however I am starting to be at least competent in the Continental knit method and slowly picking up speed. And it’s not going to take me 10 hours to do the required 120ish rows of stockingette either. Making it my current ‘go to’ commuting project.

More on the projects I’m working on next…

Chart Reading 101 pages and a long commute

Posted on March 7, 2015 by honey

Well, after (literally) years of promising I finally got around to putting up part 3 of the chart reading tutorial as web-pages as well as PDFs. I split the PDF into two sections, and reworked (slightly) the second part about reading chart only instructions (for example those pesky Japanese charts). The PDF is still the original version so the wording and charts are very slightly different.

While this is definitely the most visited section of this little website, if you haven’t come across these tutorials before there’s a bit more info below:

Part 1 – getting started, what those funny symbols means and working out what you are supposed to do with them. You’ll need a hook and a bit of spare yarn as we’re going to make a small sample together.

Part 2 – continuing where part 1 left off, getting further in our sample.

Part 3a – which covers finishing the test swatch and working out how to change the size of your pattern here. (note: it is the same PDF for Part 3a and 3b)

Part 3b – which deals with chart only / foreign language charts here (note: it is the same PDF for Part 3a and 3b)

Part 4 is coming soon and deals with working in the round.

In other news, this week I started a new job. The commute is a bit of a killer though with an hour and a half each way. On the positive side this means plenty of time to get some knitting done.

Invariably I am squished up against somebody else, being thrown around corners and getting a variety of drivers who have little faith in the brakes of the vehicle, ramming their feet into the floor Flintstone style and then being surprised when everybody on the bus is flung forwards at the window. This means that delicate lace charts probably aren’t going to be my project of choice. However, the 2×2 eternal ribbing of the Tirrold is perfect. I get about 2 1/2 rows done (before swapping out to catch up on my reading) – and those 5 rows are day are slowly adding up (remember this one is in cobweb weight!)

I think I’ve added another 1″ (ish) this week. I need to count the rows though, and the pattern (much as I love Jenni and Fyberspates) has one of the most useless gauge instructions I think I’ve ever had:

“Repeat last round 117 more times.
When firmly stretched out rib should measure 21 cm”

Now the tension instructions read: Relaxed after firm blocking 29sts and 49 rounds to 10cm

So – how firmly am I stretching? To the limit of the ribbing? why don’t we have a “or about x cm unstretched” Have you tried counting rows in cobweb weight yarn?

I get the feeling I’m going to be doing this for a while longer. I’m currently at 21cm unstretched.

I’ve also started ICE in a denim blue cotton (there’s really not enough to photograph yet). I’m mentioning that project here as I’m trying to work it in continental style in order to practice picking (being a natural thrower). The knit stitches I’ve kind got down. I’m not really enjoying it yet (my left index finger gets quite sore from the tip of the right needle rubbing it – anybody got any tips?) but I can see how the knits would be faster. For the purl rows I’m tending to find myself using the Norwegian style, but it feels clunky and long-winded with lots of extra, unnecessary movement. However, “proper” continental purl with the yarn in front drives me mad as I can’t get the yarn to stay wrapped around the needle tip.

Long story short: I’m enjoying the pick method of knitting, but want to use Portuguese style for purling.

More research needed on the different methods of purling continental I think.

So, light on the images this week – sorry. Hopefully I’ll have some photos for you next week of a progressed Tirrold and an ‘assembly pack’ of Garland as I have about 20 beaded rows to do on the final sleeve before I can start sewing it together.

Zooming Along

Posted on February 26, 2015 by honey

Two posts within a week?! What is going on?

Well I promised you an updated on the Zoom Loom I told you I had purchased with my Birthday money (because, as I’ve already said I am fundamentally 6 years old). I’ve had chance to have a play and I can honestly say it is fun.

woven blanket

I’ve ended up with a ‘summer weight’ baby blanket – which is perfect as an acquaintance is about to have her first child.

Each square is 4″ (unsurprising really given it’s a 4″ loom) and takes about 9 yards of yarn (depending exactly on what fibre you are using – I was using a bit less for the acrylic above, and a bit more for the 100% cotton I tried) and after a bit of practice it does indeed take about 15 minutes to create a square. The blanket is 30 squares (5 x 6) and a border ending up 24″ by 28″.

The drape and handle of each square is lovely, particularly on the cotton yarn I did a couple of test squares with and I’m really quite looking forward to trying it with two different yarns – or a variegated yarn – to see what colour “stuff” happens. I may have some lust for the shawl sized triangle looms I’ve seen around on Google. Lust that will never be requited, but still one can dream

The only thing I’m not overwhelmed by is the process of joining the squares together. Using the suggested “whip stitch” method looks a bit untidy to my eye (particularly at the junctions and corners) and a single crochet ridge won’t work either. There are suggestions in various places of crochet inserts and other sewing methods so I think I need to try some of those.

However I do think there will be more of these little squares in my future…

Every cloud has a silver lining

Posted on February 24, 2015 by honey

In October of 2011 I posted a free ‘bandana’ style shawl pattern on Ravelry.

A member of Crochet Shoulder Wrappers (the group I administer) asked if there were any patterns available that were similar to a shawl that was (at that time) for sale in an English high street store called “Monsoon”.

I happened to be passing a store and popped in to have a look at this shawl and came home and crocheted up a shawl “heavily inspired by” the one I had seen. This resulted in me publishing my Cloudburst Shawl (link to Ravelry)

cloudburst

This shawl is by far and away my most popular upload to date with nearly 2,500 downloads – and 318 actual tagged projects on Ravelry!

I was delighted this week when Ravelry member “alondras” took the time to send me a message about a blog post she had done on her beautiful creations using my pattern. A bilingual blog (English and Spanish I think) she has showcased just some of the shawls created – pop over and have a read!

I’m always really happy to get messages about this pattern and see what people do with it – and answer questions people may have.

When are enough beads too many?

Posted on January 29, 2015 by honey

It’s always the way. You start a beaded project and partway through you panic that you are not going to have enough beads.

Now normally I have this panic (at 2am, startling myself awake), and then discover that I actually have a billion-gajillion beads and end up wondering what I am going to use the remaining 200-500 beads on. But this time my luck has run out.

My Garland sweater is coming along nicely thank you very much. I’m most of the way up sleeve one, and when I looked in the pot of beads I thought to myself “there doesn’t seem to be that many beads left”. Mmm.

A count of the chart told me I needed 89 beads to finish the first sleeve (and a similar number for sleeve 2). A count of the beads in the pot told me I have 67 beads. Ah. I need to venture into the wilderness and buy beads. Whats the bets I’m incapable of only buying the ones I need? Oh the pretties….

In other news, yesterday I spent some of my Christmas money (yes, in some respects I am still 11) and bought myself a “Zoom Loom“. Oh, gosh. Does that ever sound exciting. Well to me it does, yes. Although the video just has me in fits of giggles – for no good reason, it’s a perfectly clear, comprehensive video. It’s the bit about ‘graceful extended sides’ that does it for me for some reason.

Now while the Loom comes with an instruction book, but there’s a whole website dedicated to these little portable pin looms – eloomanation (I know, it’s great isn’t it?!) which has an entire section dedicated to the provision (free) of original 1930-1960s pattern books as PDFs. These of course have triggered all my ‘must-learn-new-craft” buttons. In the style of all vintage patterns out there, these little pamphlets assume that you are a previously unknown shape to mankind (a fitted tunic out of squares anyone?) and that you are a complete genius who’s taking time off from solving the dark matter problem by whipping up a few placemats.

I say genius because often vintage patterns assume that you have secret, insider knowledge. Secret, insider knowledge that we couldn’t possibly share with anyone just browsing this piece of literature for clues as to how one might start learning this magic craft.

Unlike today when even complex knitting books for fair-isle, cables or fine lacework have a chapter in the back on how to cast on, there was a more challenging time in the crafter’s past where certain assumptions were made to your level of knowledge. I think my favouritiest pattern ever was for a Victorian Opera cape which says in it’s entirety “Cast on the number of stitches required. Knit until you have a cape. Cast off” Needle size? Yarn weight? Yardage? Tension? Decreases?! (and at this point I must take a brief moment to thank Franklin Habit who bravely goes where i can not be bothered and makes those wonderful patterns shiny and wonderful. Gloves are next on the list, and I might even get around to a pineapple before I die)

So, there is a part of me that really hopes I’m required to take a staggering leap of faith, or need some form of higher degree to get my first little 4″ square. I love things like this…

If not I can always go back to that second sleeve!

2015 and a new start

Posted on January 13, 2015 by honey

Happy New Year dear reader!

Pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable. Tea? Coffee? something stronger? Bovril?

I apologise for being away for so long, 2014 turned into a bit of write off for me, so know it’s done, dusted and hidden under the metaphorical rug we are starting again. I think the best thing for me to do is to pretend that my long absence didn’t happen and we’ll just pick up where we left off. Frankly I haven’t achieved much in that time, craftwise, so you’ll just have to trust me that you are not missing much.

As we start a bright new year I have several WiPs (of course, what a surprise) – I’m still working on Giovanninia, still loving it and the pattern is slowly starting to make sense (6 repeats in and 19 to go…) so is slowly working it’s way up the “I can work on this out of the house” listings. Tirrold is also still ongoing, and I’m still in that 111 rows of 1×1 rib. I also haven’t done much commuting so that had dented knitting time in that respect. I also started another sweater Garland, a 1940’s inspired design, after I fell in love with the sample at FibreEast 2014. It’s beaded and 4ply – I never make it easy for myself do I? Laura is the one crochet project that is ongoing – in fact it’s in exactly the same place as it was when I last posted in May last year. Naughty girl! must do something about that, but it really requires concentration.

Projects and Yarn from 2014

The little guy on the top right there ishalf pound bunny, and is one of two finished projects in 2014. The other I didn’t get chance to photograph before it went to it’s new owner. Half Pound Bunny is gorgeous though, and about 1/3 the size of the original one pound bunny. I enjoyed making him, and he’s very loved in his new home.

Over Christmas I had the joy to be able to (finally) get round to visiting the wonderful Black Sheep Wools in Warrington. It’s about 20 minutes from my parents, and I’ve been trying to drop in for a visit for the last 2 or 3 years. A massive (compared to most UK yarn stores) warehouse of a place with everything from fun yarn to finest silks (and a tea shop, don’t forget the tea shop!) I may have lost a few hours due to yarn fumes. Of course my visit coincided (accidentally) with their winter sale and I may have had a bit of a blow out. Though to be fair I have bought very little yarn the last two years.

I came away with three packs of 10 skiens (oops) – Rowan Siena 4ply, Rowan Creative Linen (dk) and Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran (10ply) – but it is a jumper worth in each case. The 4ply had already been tagged to make Ice by Bernadette Ambergen, a beautiful pattern bought for me by a friend for my birthday.

I’m really looking forward to making this, and am having to be very disciplined in not picking up the needles immediately and discarding everything I’ve already got going on. However I resigned from my day job in December, so might be going back to a regular commute rather than a cycle commute – at which point I need something nice and easy for the train rides.

The other project I was working on last time we spoke was a pattern designed for the beautiful Cumulus from fyberspates. It’s finished and I’m 99% pleased with it – it’s going through testing before being made available to everyone, so watch this space. It’s exactly what I wanted, light, warm and perfect for halo yarns even though it’s crocheted rather than knit. The one “downside” that I’m working out, is getting a better stretch to the cast on edge. I’ve tried a chainless foundation and (surprisingly) it doesn’t quite work, so i’m having to come at this one a bit laterally.

Cumulus Cowl

Tuesday Fortnite

unraveling the yarn