It’s a wrap!

December 11, 2012 DW10 Comments

Finished at last! I blocked this last night (no photos, sadly) but it took up two bath towels and most of the front room. I think I could’ve stretched it a bit further when I blocked it, but actually I like the size that it is – and the thickness. It was also my first time using blocking wires – which seemed to go ok.

It’s this pattern, if you’re wondering – and would like to see what it looks like on! If you’re thinking of making it – do! It’s not hard, and it’s not a bad TV project. As a beginner knitter I found it really satisfying. Not too challenging and looks much more complicated than it really is. It’s also a lovely thing to have at the end.

No pics of it on, as I can’t seem to find a good spot in the house to take a photo. Also, I have a day off and I look dreadful, because I know I don’t need to leave the house ;o)

I used Cascade 220 for this, based purely on what other people were using on Ravelry. It’s lovely and soft – not at all itchy. Also cosy and warm. I’d definitely use it again. Actually, I have to use it again, I have one spare skein. Was half thinking about some fingerless gloves, but I wonder if it’s too chunky for that… Will have a bit of a Ravelry session and see.

Anyway. Finished!

Umm, what on earth should I knit next?

Race against the dark

November 25, 2012 DW14 Comments

It’s almost dark, so I had to race to take these photos – and I must admit, I’m not quite ready! That one above is a massive cheat in Photoshop, but hey, it looks pretty at least! It’s a little piece of test tatting I’ve squeezed in this week on the occasions when I’ve managed to get a seat on the train. Not sure what’s up these days, but seats are becoming a bit less frequent.

Look at these! A huge treat and such a kind donation from lovely Katy at Creating Misericordia. They arrived in the post last week, so I got home at the end of a very long day at work to find them waiting for me. Instant smiles! I’m not 100% sure what sizes they translate to, but I’d say perhaps maybe 50? They’re not as thin as 80, but not as thick as 40, so I think something like 50 or 60. Anyway, super nice, and I love the more beige-y colours with the ecru…

This is a bit more of a realistic shot – I quite like the very subtle mix of the two colours together. This is a doodly pattern, but so enjoyable to do. I’ve started adding picots to every flower petal, which makes it more flexible to make up a pattern as you go along. Without them you get to the point where you quite fancy adding a join but have nothing to join to. As always, I could actually *plan* this, but… where’s the fun in that?! Hmm. I think I might actually plan the next one… perhaps. Thank you so much Katy, a donation very much appreciated 🙂

All the hard work on this is done – had it not been about to get dark, there’d be a shot of it finished. I just need to stuff it and sew up the side. It would also benefit from an iron too. For this one, I stitched three sized of the square and then sewed on the tatting. Much better idea on slightly larger pieces as there’s more chance of getting the tatting centred. It’s a bit fiddly stitching the tatting on, but I am pleased with the way this has turned out. I worked really hard to get it looking as neat as possible, and I think it’s paid off. (This is a very close up shot – it wont be this wrinkly by the end! It’s Valdani thread incidentally – slightly smaller than 80 but not as thin as 100. I went off it for a while and have no idea why. I love it on linen.)

I’m still knitting every chance I get, too. This is the wrap – don’t worry, blocking will fix the edges. I bought some blocking wires in preparation and I’m so desperate to get this finished! It’s been really cold at work, and if nothing else, I just want to wear it. This is a rubbish photo, but it does look nice is real life. A great pattern – and really good for beginners. It looks quite complicated, so you get all the satisfaction of that, but it’s just knitting and purling. I’ve got about 74 rows left… The plus about this is that it’s not too bad as a TV pattern, if you’re careful. (That said, I’ve unpicked a few rows!)

All this aside, other big news is that I changed the blade on my rotary cutter. Have you got a rotary cutter? When did you last change the blade? SERIOUSLY. It’s like the fabric just jumps up and cuts itself. Why did I leave it so long? Two things in life you probably shouldn’t skimp on. A taxi late at night and a new blade on yer knife. (Especially when it’s only £3.00).

Have a good week!

Hey monkey! Show us your sock…

November 11, 2012 DW10 Comments

I know you’re supposed to put the most enticing photo at the top of a blog post, but it’s been a long day and this one made me laugh the most. Hello! There’s been a bit of a pause on posts recently as I’ve had no chance to take photos of anything I’ve made. I leave for work in the dark and it’s dark when I get home, and my stroppy camera hates anything but sunshine. I did manage to grab a few snaps this morning though, and so here I am.

I made the monkey up there years ago. It’s the second toy I ever crocheted actually, and sits on my boyfriend’s desk. The sock I made about a week or two ago, and it’s a mini Christmas stocking, from the bottom pattern here. It’s so cute in real life! It’s probably not the best knitting you’ve ever seen in your life, but it’s the first time I’ve used DPNs and I actually managed to make a decent job of mattress stitching it together. If you’re a good knitter, I think you’ve have it done in no time. I know the colours aren’t very xmassy, but it was a test really, to see if I could do it.

I made another version of the pouch of pain. Still not great, but better than it was. Annoyingly this one seems to show up the tightness of the colour changes more than the other one (it’s actually a little better in real life than it looks here.) The pattern suggests that you go up in needle size when you start the leafy design, but I don’t have that many knitting needles yet, so I couldn’t do that. It’s quite a bit smaller than the first one… I was tempted to line it with fabric, but it’s just not that great, so I don’t think I will. Anyway! Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Oh – and I did the increases this time, so the base is rounded a bit. Again, looks better in the flesh.

I treated myself to these lovely hand dyed threads from Yarnplayer recently. They’re size 80, and for tatting. I’m really looking forward to using them, although I’m undecided yet as to what I’ll make. You have to be a bit careful with variegated threads – if the pattern is too complicated it can end up looking really confusing. I still think this is one of my favourites. That said, it’s getting to snowflake making time again. Gah! I was going to start early this year.

I’ve been making this again on my commute. Almost there, and then the ends to sew in. It’s in the Valdani quilting thread, which I do have a certain affection for. Occasionally I panic as I think it might snap, but that aside, I like the fact it’s ‘dull’ – there’s no sheen to the thread. I made a lavender bag earlier this year with the same pattern, and actually I love it. Something about this colourway on linen works really well.

Aside from all that, I’m still knitting my Guernsey Wrap (you can see the beginning of it here). I’ve become a bit desperate to get it finished now as winter really feels like it’s arrived, and I’d like to wear it! I’m over half way, but I need some dedicated time on it. I was hoping today would be the day, but I got sucked into day-job work instead. Haven’t managed to fit any sewing time in either, but I did buy some beautiful fabric a few weeks ago.

So much to do, and so little time! Better get on with it.

Ugh…The pouch of pain

September 30, 2012September 30, 2012 DW12 Comments

So… I would love this blog to be full of all the spectacular things I make, but sometimes, the things I make are far from spectacular. I’m posting this just incase any of you are under the illusion that everything I make turns out the way it was meant to. *sigh*. (Apologies for the horrible photos, but even I can’t make a silk purse out of a badly knitted one).

I had such high hopes for this pouch. So high, I STARTED FROM SCRATCH THREE TIMES. Yes. Three times. from the very beginning. Up to about half way. Incidentally, that up there is the best view of it.

I’m actually annoyed because until I had to sew it together, it looked like it would be passable. Sewing it together just turned it into a mess. All the edges are wonky – I even tried to crochet the edges to tidy it up, and that just made it worse. (I crocheted the edges around the flap – that did improve it.) I guess this is why people knit in the round, isn’t it? The edges were just horrible. I hate to say it but crocheted edges are so much neater!

This is the inside. It’s my first attempt at Fair Isle knitting – and actually I don’t think I did too bad. (There are a few long strands of 8 stitches I should’ve secured, but forgot!). I was worried that it had puckered a bit (a common problem i think) but ironing it made it all look rather nice. I even managed my first ever button hole (ok, I did that twice too). And increases and decreases. I should’ve taken a photo before I sewed it together. Oh well. I can’t un-stitch it, incase you were gong to suggest that. I’ve already tried it 4 or 5 times, which has made the edges even worse.

Oh well. I have learnt a lot.
These are some useful videos:
SSK / slip slip knit – it’s a decrease.
Fair Isle (very good video)
Button Hole

Sorry to be so grumpy. It was just such hard work, and was SO CLOSE to being ok.
Bloody thing.

Any particular make of circular needles I should look out for?

//edit – that was my 100th post? Oh honestly!

Monkey hat!

September 23, 2012September 23, 2012 DW12 Comments

I’ve had a few balls of nice yarn sitting about for *ages*. I bought them for a crochet project and then changed my mind. Then I saw this sweet pattern on Little Cotton Rabbits site, and wondered if I was capable of making it… Then I thought I should quickly see if I could walk before I could run for a change, and make something easy with two colours first. (No, I haven’t finished my Guernsey wrap yet – it has doubled in size though!)

This is the Innocent Smoothies Big Knit Pattern, with a few adaptations. I wanted the rib to be a bit more obvious, so I knit 2 / purl 2 for 4 rows – which made each rib wider and longer than they suggested. Then because their language is a bit chatty I couldn’t work out how many rows I was actually supposed to do, so I made it 12 in total before the decreases (was that right?). The rest of the instructions I followed as suggested.

I’m actually away from a Post office between now and their 1st October deadline, and so Monkey gets a new hat, and I’ve learnt how to make them for next year. (I hope they wont mind). It’s a nice little pattern to learn stripes with. I looked at a few You Tube videos for help and this one seemed to do the trick.

Also HOW CUTE are these photos?! It’s my partners camera – which he says cannot fail to take a good photo. I think for once, monkey was the perfect model! (He can pull a slightly sarcastic expression at times.)

Found: crafting mojo

September 22, 2012September 22, 2012 DW13 Comments

If there were Olympic medals for ‘having a bit of a think’ I would surely get one. I got a Kindle Touch for my birthday at the beginning of August, and I’ve been having a bit of a think about making a case ever since. You know what? I just finished it about 10 minutes ago! That’s it up there.

I really ummed and ahhed about what fabric to use. I actually thought this patterned Amy Butler fabric was too nice for this – and then I realised I was being an idiot. I bought the plain and patterned fabric together, on a whim, from an offcuts basket. They’re lovely, of course, but there is no über project – is there? If we spend our lives waiting for the perfect project to use this fabric or that button, we’ll be waiting forever. I’m not saying ‘waste fabric’ but… I don’t know. There’s no perfect project, buy stuff you love and enjoy using it.

So anyway, now *that’s* out of my system – the Amy butler fabric is a pocket! It’s to put the cable in. If you do a bit of a google for Kindle tutorials you’ll see this a lot. I like it. To be honest, there are loads of tutorials out there, so I used half a Kindle tutorial and half this iPad cover tutorial (which is really good). I considered more complicated options (this tutorial looks brilliant) but frankly, I feel like a lost my crafting mojo a bit and I just wanted to make something super uncomplicated. I didn’t measure anything – which lucky for me worked out ok – and nothing was straight! But y’know. No one died.

I’ll let you into a secret though. The Amy Butler fabric, the co-ordinating solid brown… It’s all very tasteful. And then I thought maybe it’s a bit TOO tasteful? So the lining inside is that slightly lurid green with multicoloured flowers! It doesn’t match at all and I love it. The button came free with an Etsy order ages ago and was a suspiciously good match too.

Last time I went home, my mum gave me this. It’s a little plastic case with a load of different threads in – she said she picked it up somewhere as it was quite cheap and thought it could be useful. As I was about to embark on this epic journey, I realised I didn’t have any brown thread. I cannot believe what a perfect match was inside this box! It might not be the kind of thread you make an heirloom gift from – but if you’re prone to making small projects on a whim (even if it is a well pondered whim) then this is perfect. It’s just a small amount of each colour to tide you over. And it includes needles. Amazing. What a brilliant thing to have knocking about.

So there you have it, a new Kindle case. It’s a bit wonky, obviously – but I couldn’t be happier.

Time suck!

August 27, 2012August 27, 2012 DW2 Comments

I am still alive! When I started this blog, I didn’t used to do *that* much crafty stuff – hence the name. Then I gradually got more and more hooked. At the beginning of this year I was trying to post every week (or so) and now look. A month’s gone by and not a word. Well, it’s been a busy month I guess – I went to Venice to see a friend, (and ride in a helicopter) and work’s been busy. But enough of that.

Knitting! I’m absolutely in love with this pattern, by Jared Flood (which you can see above). It’s pretty clear I’m not alone – if you look it up on Ravelry you’ll find everyone else loves it too. It’s such a good beginners pattern! It’s just knitting and purling – and watching the patterns form is really addictive. I’ve seen some people stress with getting to grips with the chart – but just incase you’re going to make it, I think the most important thing to know is that every row starts with knit 3. Once you understand that, you’re off. It’s really so nice to knit.

I followed the advice of other Ravellers in terms of yarn, and I’m making it in Cascade 220 wool, in charcoal grey. I bought the yarn a while back, but have been forcing myself to finish this first…

This is the Waffle scarf I made, with the massive ball of yarn I got for Easter, from my mum. It’s not a brilliant scarf, but it’s certainly the very best I could do. It was also really good practise for getting to grips with knitting. I used an adaptation of a simple repeat pattern on Ravelry – and you can find it here. If you dig about to see what other people think, everyone says the same thing – it curls up at the edges like crazy! Still it’a great pattern for a beggining beginner.

The Guernsey Wrap needs to be blocked to within an inch of its life, I believe. That’s what everyone says – and it should make the edges nice and neat. I’ve got a hell of a long way to go before I get there, but I’m excited to see how it all turns out. So stay tuned.

In other crafting news – I got a Kindle for my birthday. There are two things about this (well, three if you count me telling you how much I like it). The first, it stopped me train tatting which is very bad. That said, recent busy times at work have made me start again. Sometimes when my head is whirring with the day’s events I can’t read a book, digital or otherwise. That’s when train tatting comes to the rescue. It’s brilliant for calming a buzzing brain. I’m making a pattern I make all the time, so all I have to do is count. It’s perfect.

The second Kindle thing; I need to make it a case! Trouble is, knitting has just eaten up my weekend time. I also have lovely fabric I got for Christmas which I need to make a crafting bag/tidy with. There’s just never enough time, is there?

EDIT: PS – By the time I came to start the wrap, I’d forgotten how to cast on. The pattern suggested the Long Tail method, which is handy, because my mum taught me that. Or it would’ve been handy if I could’ve remembered it! You Tube helped out – and this video is quite good.

Tatted train-doodles make it home

July 23, 2012 DW2 Comments

It’s amazing what a difference a camera can make. Mr Occasional Crafter took the above photo on his camera, as for some reason mine just wasn’t really cutting it. It’s far too blue, but I decided not to correct it, because I love it! It makes my tatting look amazing, I think.

Back to harsh reality now, and the photos I took. Sorry!

I’ve continued to ‘doodle’ with my tatting recently, which I’ve rather enjoyed. While one part of me worries that I’m not tatting with a purpose, the other part is quite enjoying wingin’ it. I’ve been tatting daisy chains again – or rather daisies, and then joining some as I go to create more solid shapes. The plus side of this is that it really shows how useful split rings are – without them I’d’ve needed to cut and tie a few times, the minus side is that I could really do with actually planning it a bit to make a more fluid or useful shape.

I’ve been using a lovely silver grey DMC thread (size 80), which tats up beautifully. It seems to have really good stitch definition for some reason – almost more than other colours – and I’ve loved using it. This weekend I decided I’d stitch it onto… *something* and then decide what to do with it. For once, I decided against linen – maybe the tones were too similar, I’m not sure, but it really didn’t look that good. I almost went with black, but at the last minute switched to grey. That old grey sheet I saved from the charity shop is really earning its keep!

I pinned it out before stitching it, as you can see. Then I unpinned it as I stitched and completely changed the arrangement bit by bit. It seems appropriate. Tatted as a doodle and stitched as one too.

Sorry – the photos really are all over the place in terms of colour, but at least you can see the layout here – and the beads. I sewed the lighter beads on first (they’re actually a silvery grey), and then at the last minute, after realising I had some, I sewed the black beads on for some contrast. I wasn’t sure about them initially, but actually I think they work quite well.

I’m not sure yet what I’ll do with it… maybe a panel for another drawstring bag? It’s a bit big for a lavender bag. Actually, maybe I could use it as a panel on a fabric basket? I’ll have a think. All suggestions gratefully received!

Either way, I really enjoyed making it. Also, it does look rather nice. So nice in fact, I’m quite surprised I actually made it. (I’m not showing you the back though).

Monkey (and other) business

June 24, 2012June 24, 2012 DW4 Comments

I meant to post something here last week, but by the time I got around to getting started it was too dark to take any photos.

Another mixed bag this week – odds and ends of things. Above is my current train tatting – still on the daisies, but this time pink. I just loaded up the shuttles with what looked like a sensible about of thread, and will carry on until it runs out. It’s lovely to tat like this – there’s a few onion rings in there as leaves (not shown above), and a few standard daisies as well. It’s just a bit of meandering about, no set pattern, which is quite nice for a change. I was thinking about getting some gauze, the kind people makes scarves from, and tatting an edging for it… I thought it could be a good ongoing project, perhaps?

In stark contrast, here’s a new drawstring bag I made! For christmas I received an extremely generous gift – a voucher for the Make Lounge. I spent a long time thinking about the type of class I’d like to take, and in the end, decided on screen printing. I wanted something that would be fun, but that I could possibly do at home. (I thought long and hard about sewing, but classes are all taught on an electric machine, and it felt weird being unfaithful to my Singer!) Then of course, I needed to think of something to print, so drew a monkey, and some elephants:

Now, the thing with this type of screen printing is that you have to cut it by hand — and we didn’t have time to do repeat patterns, and so I adapted the characters a little on the night. (I prefer the planned monkey, but went a bit nuts and cut it differently by accident!)

Unlike everyone else, I took some calico with me, and screen printed a couple of extra prints. I wasn’t too sure – I’m still not too sure – what to do with them, but once you’ve got the screen working, seems a bit nuts not to make the most of it. I pre-washed the calico, and flippin’ eck, it’s not easy to iron, is it? Yes, I DID iron it while it was still damp, but to no avail. Amusingly, I saw that Patch had the same issues last week.

They gave as a little bag to screenprint, which you can see on the left. It’s really cute – child sized. I also have a tea towel with a monkey on each end.

It was a great evening – amazing how fast you can relax and forget about work and all your troubles when you have something fun to do! I’m not sure if I will screen print at home – does require space, and creates a lot of mess, but it did get me thinking about lino printing, which I’ve not done since college, and used to love. I know you can do that with a roller for the ink and the back of a spoon for a press, so we shall see…

And finally, I thought I’d use up a few scraps, and try a log cabin lavender bag. As you can see, this ended up rectangular rather than square as I decided it was getting too big. The patch with the ‘7685’ on it is the selvedge of the dotted fabric, which I quite like. It’s an odd little thing, but quite cute in real life. Now it lives in the monkey bag with the other scraps and makes them smell nice.

Hope you’re all having good weekends!

Odds n’ ends

June 10, 2012June 10, 2012 DW14 Comments

Hello! I’ve had a few days off, weekends away, and various house guests, which is why I’ve been a bit quiet recently. I have been tatting a tiny bit, although not as much as I’d like – mainly as I can’t always get a seat on the train, which is where I usually tat. Spare evenings are still taken up with The Knitted Scarf, which is coming along nicely. (Although not without a fair bit of unpicking, whilst trying to watch Alien in the dark. Unpicking knitting is quite frustrating, isn’t it? Not so with crochet.)

Above is the trusty Stormtrooper, engaged in a bit of a scrap with some train end-of-shuttle doodles. I do like these daisy chains…

These are size 80 thread… I’ve not really decided what to do with them yet.

They’re not that big. Perhaps the right size for a bracelet or a necklace, but a bit delicate. I’ll stitch them on to something, I think. Not sure what yet, but it would be nice to use them for something.

This little piggy is currently in transit. He lived on the shelf for a little while, and then decided it was time to head out. I love making things for people – but I just can’t make them to order! Ages ago, after a lot of not-so-subtle hints, I made my friend and elephant. Her mum and I were with her when she opened it, and her mum really seemed to love it. I always meant to make her one too, and then time wore on and I forgot. As I was wondering what should become of the pig, it dawned on me that maybe she would like it, so off he popped in the post. Hopefully she’ll get it next week. It’s always a bit tricky as they’re not *that* sturdy, so they’re not really toys for very little kids. They’re shelf dwellers really, but they do like to be loved. I hope she likes him.

In other news, I went to Yorkshire for a few days which was lovely. I had a brilliant time (seaside, countryside, cream teas and brilliant company!). We went to Nunnington Hall, and spotted this lovely crewel work:

There were three panels, all quite large and they were beautifully done. They had chunky stitching and felt quite free-form, although they were carefully planned out with lighter stitches before they were filled in. I loved the feel of them though (visual – I didn’t touch them!) As I’ve said before, I’m not a needle worker, but I would potentially make an exception for something like this… Like I need another hobby!

Occasional Crafter

Crafting, occasionally.

Category: learning