Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Slipping

I like to learn new techniques, as anyone who reads this blog regularly will know. So when I came across Rebekah Yeager's instructions for a pattern created by slipping some stitches and knitting others, I was keen to try it out. The pattern is a free download on Ravelry called Turkish Tiles, a slip stitch dishcloth... Two rows are knitted with each colour in succession, which means that you're only working with one yarn at a time. .It took a while for the pattern to 'emerge', I almost gave up. I persisted and am glad I did, because eventually I could see the pattern. How does the other side look?
The pattern is more subtle, but still there.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Sundress

I'm pleased with how the smocked sundress turned out. I used this very detailed tutorial to make a bias strip from a square of fabric. I also looked at these simpler directions on So Sew Easy.

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Using My Links

I probably won't be entering competitions next year, life is getting complicated. But I still like the idea of smocking, so I thought I'd use it to make a sun dress as a gift for a new baby. I referred back to my own post to find links to the tutorials I need to do the job. That was much easier than trawling Pinterest posts as I originally did. So far, so good. I"m using a size 5 perle cotton. In my original sample, I did some patterns in size 5 and some in size 8. The size 5 is bolder and I think it works better with the gingham.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Long and Short

This pattern has a circumference of only 5 beads, which makes it very flexible. So it's a good candidate for a long necklace. I made it long enough that I could do an invisible join and still be able to put it on over my head.

Then I made a bracelet that is smaller than my usual. It's to be a gift for a little girl:
Pretty, easy and quick to make. I found the pattern on Pinterest, I think it's by Emilia Piatek.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Back To Beading

I've been crocheting beaded ropes again. This pattern was tricky to work, but I think it's very effective.
This one was easier. It's pretty, but not as striking.

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Remnant Bag

I have enough animal fabric for two more bags, but I have recipients in mind for those. So I made a bag using the remnants I wrote about yesterday. Using remnants does impose some restrictions - there wasn't enough blue fabric for handles for instance. But I can work around that - I used blue for the lining rather than the outside. This bag is part of a project to minimise the use of plastic bags, so I didn't put the plastic pocket in that I've put in the other bags.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Fabric

When I went to buy more fabric for bag linings, the shop assistant suggested I look at the remnants table. She found a bundle of fabric pieces for me, at a much lower price than buying  off the roll.Thanks very much! This kind of fabric is called Shweshwe. It has an interesting history. There's a short version here and a longer account of the history and present use of the fabric here.  My fabric does have the correct logo on the back, according to the articles:


Thursday, July 18, 2019

Wiosna2019

Ta-da, I've finished the 2019 Spring doily, thanks very much Renulek (Renata). It measures 68 cm (27 inches) across, worked in (mostly) size 40 thread.
This is the fifth Spring Doily tat along I've done. Last year I made a fatal mistake and ended the doily way before the end.

 The first one I did was in 2013:


 My daughter has that one. This is the 2014 one:


That one resides with my brother and sister-in-law. And the 2017 one:
My neighbour Dorie has that one. I saw it the other day, looking resplendent in her livingroom with a large glass bowl on top.


Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Friday, July 12, 2019

Alice in Wonderland


Carollyn said this reminded her of Alice in Wonderland. I rather like that, so here it is at last, my Alice-in-wonderland-cardigan. Finishing took me longer than I expected. I know the finishing stages take time, and yet I'm always taken aback by just how long that is. Anyway, I'm pleased with the result and I think it looks better on than off. I made it up as I went along, so there's no pattern to link to.  It is worked in one piece to the armholes and the sleeves are worked in the round downward from the shoulder. I didn't work buttonholes or buttons, I plan to wear it open.

Thursday, July 11, 2019

No Knitting

I went to a cattle auction yesterday. I have been known to knit at a sale, but an almost finished cardigan was too bulky to take along. It's obviously not the right place to work on the Spring doily, so I'm a bit behind on that. The day was warm and the sky an amazing blue; I enjoyed the outing, even with that 'I got nothing done' feeling.

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

One Third



I'm one third of the way around on round 20. It's a time consuming round, of course, but I'm on track. I've allowed myself 2 weeks to get this round done.

Saturday, July 6, 2019

Pay Attention!

Jane Eborall is right, round 20 is interesting to tat. Which means that it requires attention! I tatted away merrily this morning before noticing that I started my tatting session in the wrong place, I left off a chain and ring:
I know there are tatters who would undo all the work they'd done, but that's not me. I couldn't use the trick of cutting rings not chains because both shuttles had been used to tat rings. I cut off everything to the mistake, but didn't want to have to hide four threads when I started off again. So I used another trick I read somewhere on the internet. I tied the threads of the two shuttles together
Then I wound some thread from the pink shuttle onto the grey one, so that the knot was further along. With a 'false CTM', I started again, hiding the two cut off threads, one in a ring and one in the following chain. I tatted along until I reached the knot. I had to cut and rejoin it, to put it in a convenient spot, but then I could hide the new ends, one in a ring and one in a chain.
Threads are hidden in the ring on the left of the picture and the one on the right, but I think they're pretty discreet! Now to proceed without mistakes. I've set myself a quota of three repeats a day, which will give me two weeks to complete the round.

Friday, July 5, 2019

Decisions, Decisions

After perusing the pattern and my meagre collection of size 40 thread, I decided to do the outer row  in white. The round is going to be a thread-gobbler and I really don't want to run out of thread before the end. The round is also easier to work in one colour.  My ideal would've been green, but, I read somewhere, life is the art of the possible! 

Thursday, July 4, 2019

Round 19

I've finished round 19. Round 20, the final round, has already been released. I'm going to have to think about it carefully before I begin. I kept size 40 green for this round, but I'm not certain I have enough to work the round entirely in green, as I originally planned.  I'll use two colours, to be sure I won't run out, but I'll have to decide on colour placement.

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Momentum

I like the idea of working on a number of projects at once, but in practice, I'm not very good at it! I've been knitting only in the evenings, but progress on my cardigan is so slow, I feel as though it has stalled. I have finished one sleeve:

If I'm going to wear the cardigan this Winter, I'll need to regain momentum. So I've put my beads and beading equipment away and plan to do some knitting by day as well as in the evenings.  I am, of course, still working on the Spring Doily.

Monday, July 1, 2019

Colourways

I crocheted another beaded necklace, using the same pattern but different colours. Here they are together, to show how different they look: