The square is progressing!

Well here it is with a few bits and pieces pinned on.  

I found some fabric for the background and then went and made some Tatbeads (the patterns can be found here).  

You’ll see some hedgehogs in the bottom right hand corner and the bunting is flying for a midsummer party!!  At first I was thinking of doing a beehive and bees (they’ve been resident in the garden for forty years) but decided I wanted something colourful.  There are some more bits and bobs I want to add and they all need to be stitched down too, obviously!

Bet you’d forgotten!

I’m still plodding on with my waistcoat and the second front is done so I’ve been tackling the armholes.  Here’s one of them to prove that I’m not slacking!!!

More leaves

Yes I’m still working away on the leaves but I must go back over them all and add beads to the centres too.  I’ve decided they definitely need them!!!  

A square!!

Not a tatted one although I do have one of those to share with you all soon.  I just haven’t had the time to settle down to a final read through.

This is a square of fabric.  It’s a thick cotton damask type of weave and it’s 5” square. 

The group I belong to which meets on a Tuesday morning is making a collage to hang in the room in which we meet.  I’ve mentioned this particular place before, I think but here’s the link if I haven’t.  It’s situated in our road and has a huge garden at the back.  We hold our midsummer parties there as well.  

The manager (James) showed us a piece of work that another group that he belongs to had done and it was exquisite so we’ve decided to make one based on the work that Lifeways does.  It’s a charity and, as the saying goes, ‘charity begins at home’ - so that’s what we’re going to do.  We’re all making a 5” square picture depicting something that takes place at the centre.  Here’s my start.,

Two more leaves

Yes they're all slightly different.  Both in sizes and thread colours.  Such fun making them.

I said I would!

Here we go on another adventure with leaves.  

As I've said in this post - these are based on Ruth Scharf's leaves.

I'm thinking I'll make a necklace of tumbling leaves but please don't ask me how I'll put it all together as I really don't know the answer!!!  It's a 'make it up as you go along' project!!  I love those.

I've added a split ring (metal sort) to the top of each leaf and will probably add beads down the centre split rings but I'm not sure yet.  I need to make a few more before I decide.  I've used HWT sewing threads - either two or three wound onto one shuttle.  There are tiny gold beads on each turn of the chain too.  I think I'm going to enjoy making these.

The waistcoat is progressing

I forgot to take photos of the other side of the front but it would've looked just like this one if I had!!!

I've sewn up the shoulder seams and am embarking on the armhole edgings.  

This involves counting and evening out the stitches picked up which is taxing poor old BC3!!!  I'm wondering how he'll get on with the front edgings if this is causing him problems!!!

The leaves have gone

I mailed the leaves for Nita's new skirt over to Tasmania last week but then found I was suffering withdrawal symptoms!! 

How about a necklace of tumbling leaves?  How does that sound?  

I think I'll use some of my sewing threads and wind some HWT (hand wound thread) and make my own colours.  I always find I get such subtle blends by doing that.  More to follow on this idea but meanwhile here are the Tasmanian leaves.

Another bookmark

No I'm not fixated on these but really want to get a few done for my stash.  This is back to the Flowery one which can be found here.

Meanwhile back in the knitting corner slow progress is being made on the second front of the waistcoat.  As I've been doing bookmarks and leaves I've not had time (or inclination) to do much knitting!!!

More and more!!

Having made about half of the leaves required for Nita I'm now thinking of making some for myself to turn into a necklace.  I'll use oranges and browns to make a bit of a change of colour!!!  

If I get started at about half past seven in the evening I can make two leaves before bedtime!!  

To follow this pattern I use the pdf file on my iPad and follow the lines round using 'markup'.  I rub the pencil out when I've finished and that's the end of that!!!  Also for the last chain I use this method which leaves me with just one end to sew in and no knots!!!  

I’ve been asked about the idea of converting jeans into a skirt and have found if you put in a Google search there are several Youtube videos including this one and also this tutorial on Wikihow.

A thank you

Well at the last minute I changed my mind and last Friday's bookmark is still with me!!  The pattern for this one is here.

Instead I made one out of the threads that the lady gave me.  I think she was quite surprised.  

The threads are those you can see here.

More of the same

BUT different colours.  

I gave you the link to the basic pattern by Ruth Scharf yesterday but here it is again.

I've been asked for about a dozen of these leaves by a friend who lives in Tasmania.  Yes, they'll be going round to t'other side of the planet!!!  

She's converting a pair of jeans into a skirt and wants to add these to it.  I've done her a couple of leaves in the past for another project of hers but this amended pattern (thank you, Judith) is a delight to work.

Now you can guess what I'll be doing sometime in the future.  Yes, converting jeans to skirts!!!!  Well, one pair anyway!!! 

Here are the day before yesterday's leaves along with yesterday's!!!  Things are rocking and rolling along!

Monday moan

Today's moan isn't so much a moan but a groan!!!  

Back in ancient history, when I learned to tat, the old Penelope and Coats booklets never told the tatter how much thread they needed to wind onto the shuttles to make the design.  In 'those' days they hedged their bets and often put 'two balls of ......' and left it at that.  

Remember that back in those days too you were never told to use two shuttles.  Why? Well because split rings hadn't come into general use so two shuttles weren't needed.  After all, what's wrong with a shuttle and a ball if that's all you actually need  Oh, one thing I might add here is that if you're going to keep dropping the ball and it keeps running away then perhaps the ball thread wound onto a shuttle will solve that problem!!!

I feel nowadays that I 'need' to put quantities on for each shuttle but I never would dream of doing that, unless asked, as I find adding in new threads is no problem AT ALL.  No knots needed either.  

So to work out how much thread is needed I usually tat a final motif (or whatever) having measured the thread onto the shuttles.  I note the quantity on the them and then make the item.  After I've finished I take the amount left over from the original quantity and that's it!!!  

BUT, of course, different tatters work at different tensions so I always allow extra for 'loose' tatters.  BUT I still don't think it always works!!  Now I'm moaning as I hate doing that last bit for a pattern!!!!

The leaves are from Ruth Scharf's design which is to be found here although there are slight modifications as suggested by Judith Connor.

A bookmark!

Why did I suddenly feel the need to make a bookmark?  Simple answer is because I was running out of them in my stash!!

Why was I running out?  Simple answer is because my neighbour has bought some to give as presents to her friends!!!

I think one of my favourite patterns is this one.   I know it's popular with other people too as I found a stolen copy of it in a Russian book once.  They'd taken the pdf file off my site, whitened out the hyperlinks and my name and published it.  Flattering but it would've been nice if they'd asked first.

I've decided that this bookmark won't be added to my stash of gifts but will, instead, be given to the lady who gave me the threads last Friday.  As I'm going to see her this morning I can't think of a better way to start the day.

You're not going to believe this!!!

I'm not lying  but this is the finished left front to my waistcoat!!!!  

Yes it's curled and curled into a tube like structure!!!  I've looked at numerous suggestions using Mr Google on how to straighten this up and I'm hoping that somebody can suggest the best way they've found.  

The yarn is acrylic.  

So, this is a summary of my search

"The best method to block acrylic yarn is with heat, no matter if the piece is knit or crochet. The heat makes the fibers more susceptible to straightening out. Steam blocking or blocking with a hair dryer yield similar results. Acrylic yarn can be blocked, and depending on the project, should always be blocked."

All comments welcome as I'm going to knit the other (right) front before I start straightening things out!!!  Maybe a little heat applied to BC3 may help in future projects?

A lovely present

One of the lovely ladies at the Friday knitting group gave me these balls of thread last week.  

I've never used this brand before but aren't the colours yummy?

I'm going to try tatting with them but if I don't get on well with that then I'm going to use them for crochet.  

I can see some little Amigarumi creatures being created over the winter!!!  I still find mice round the house that I've made over the years.  My problem with 'stuff' I've made is that as soon as they're finished I don't want to part with them for a while.  They get put away and then forgotten.  Periodically I have a look through my boxes full of tatting in the cupboard and have a session of giving the bits away.  Trouble is I need to give a LOT more away or I'm going to get swamped!!!

I looked up Freccia to see what it was exactly and this is a quote from one site.

"Anchor Freccia 12 is ever popular within the crochet community, and it's not hard to see why. This fabulous high quality 3 ply mercerised cotton combines softness with strength, with a delicate sheen on each strand. Available in an incredible selection of over over 80 solid shades and over 30 multicoloured shades, each 50g ball of Freccia 12 boasts a generous 285 metres of yarn. Great for crocheters of every skill level, Freccia 12 is ideal for home decoration projects and accessories, as well as for delicate baby garments.

Please note - While this yarn does have a 3-plied-strand structure, this is not a 3ply yarn. Numbered crochet thread gets thinner as the number gets higher, with No.6 being the thickest while No.25 is the thinnest."

Hat finished

Well that was a challenge!!!  Now HOW can a simple hat be a challenge?  Well I assure you it can when you're ruled by a BC3!!!

Everything was hunky dory until I got to the crown and the decreasing.  I honestly couldn't get my head round the destructions.  I think I started the decreasing three times before the penny dropped!!!!  

Now I have a hat with 'almost' matching gloves.  The hat is in double knitting yarn and the gloves are four ply.

Thanks to Mary J’s comment on this blog post I’ve looked into this method which I’ll be trying next time. IF there is a next time after my hassles with this hat!!!!  It's the magic loop knitting method.

I've heard of and used (with great success) the magic loop with starting a crochet pattern but had never heard of this idea of knitting in the round with one circular needle.  Last Friday I joined the knitting group who meet at the coffee shop by the train station on a Friday morning.  I mentioned this idea to one of the ladies and she said she'd bring a piece she's knitting using this method in with her next week.  Such a smashing and friendly group.

Meanwhile things are speeding up!

I now know that I will never go back to my old way of knitting as I've now 'cracked' the purl stitch and am building up speed on it too.  I think the main problem was worrying about how I was doing and how slow it was and once I'd decided that it really didn't matter things speeded up!!!

It's not as fast as the knit row but I'm much more comfortable with it now and rarely drop a stitch.  

In the pattern it said to start with the left front but me, being me, decided that as the back was the biggest part I'd get that out of the way first!!  So here it is and progress is now being made on the first front.  

The good thing about doing the back first is that it's reassured me that I've plenty of yarn to complete the project.  Win, win!!!

This time it's a hat!

This is a hat to go with the pair of gloves I made.  

A year or so ago I made myself a hat but the pattern I used wasn't 'in the round' so had to be stitched up when it was finished.  I tried and tried to find the pattern I used but in the end I gave up.  So I counted the stitches I'd used on my original hat and decided to knit this one to the same size.

I haven't got a circular needle short enough to use so in the end decided to go with double ended ones which I do love using.

A good start has been made as you can see but I still wanted to find a way of making the crown and needed to know how and when to decrease!!!   Finally I found this pattern and it's also got the stitch count for the size I'm knitting!!  Really chuffed about this!!!

Another project

I haven't shown you this before because.  Well I kept forgetting!!!

I was wandering around Hobbycraft some weeks ago and I spotted these gorgeous colours of yarn (purple, dark green, variegated).  I tried and tried NOT to buy them but in the end I simply had to and that's when I had to make a decision on what to do with them.  

I've decided to make this waistcoat (see below).  The reason for a larger project like this and one that is knitted in rows and not in the round, is to make myself practice continental purl stitch.  Now this isn't as easy as the knit stitch but I'm slowly getting there.  I keep a crochet hook handy for the occasional dropped stitch and this is my progress (after several weeks) so far.