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They say, don’t they (who?) that a picture is worth a thousand words? By that reasoning, I should at least write 2000 words in this post. But don’t panic, I won’t.
Actually I had two FOs last week, but both were patterns I tested and both designers have asked me not to share pictures until they hear from publishers. So two missing pictures (at least) should mean 2000 words…
Anyway, I can tell you this much: one was a pattern in thread I tested for Kathy, a beautiful creation as usual (her design is beautiful, I’m not saying my version of it is) and the other was in yarn, with knit, crochet and tunisian crochet elements in it for someone over at Crochetville.
Also, I see some light at the end of the tunnel that is the giant dishcloth baby blanket in cotton I’m making for a nephew. Yippee!
In literary news, I have been devouring the small mountains of the books I bought last week. Took a break from Kinsey Millhone to read some Archy McNally instead. I only had one of those, McNally’s Risk, so then I took a break from murder and mayhem to cruise through the soppy romances. I’m sending those off to one of my friends, who reads them and first enraptured me by sharing my jokes on them. Now I’m back on homicide. Just finished two by Martha Grimes (who, despite being American, brings such an authentic Brit feel-snow, rain, sleet, London and tormented Scotland Yard detectives-to her books), Help the Poor Struggler and Jerusalem Inn. I’ve read The Old Fox Deceiv’d and The Blue Last before. True Brits might find errors (what is the geographic equivalent of anachronism?), but I haven’t had a wrong note strike yet. I love British mysteries, they make me feel nostalgic, which is decidedly odd, since I’ve never even been to Britain. But I enjoy McNally, too, he sounds like Bertie Wooster (who I’m not very fond of) maybe because of his lifestyle. And all those descriptions of food (most of which I’ve wouldn’t even eat, being vegetarian-mostly).
Still in store, some more of Grafton’s alphabet series…I love books.
I don’t use dishcloths actually, but I find infinite satisfaction in having a Finished Object™, and one, moreover, which uses stitches/stitch patterns new to me. And I find that cotton yarn has this wonderful definition in it, which makes the stitches stand out. Over at the Dishcloth KAL, they’ve announced prizes for the three top (as in most prolific, I suppose) dishcloth knitters. The top two are pounds of dishcloth cotton and the Mason-Dixon knitting book. Sigh. While I covet both wildly (imagine the miles of dishloth-y things that could be made with a pound of the stuff!!! and that baby kimono…on second thoughts, maybe the cotton is better.) Anyway, I fall way, way behind in the counts 😦 That’s ok, I’m still having fun putting off other work making just as many as I can.
So here’s two more.
The regulation details about these:
Yarn: Caron Cotton Tales (white) and Rio from Reynolds (pink), both 100% cotton. I can’t find websites for either yarn. Caron must have discontinued this cotton and perhaps Reynolds is one of those rarities, a brick-and-mortar-only company (Do they still exist in the US of A?). I just got to a Reynolds site and there is no mention of this yarn at all. The Rio yarn is made in Brazil. The Cotton Tales is plied and softer than the Rio.
Needles: Oh dear. I don’t remember now. But I think 3.75mm Pony straights.
Pattern: Kitchen Cotton Dishcloth and Woven Dishcloth, both from the Dishcloth Boutique
Time: I’m slow.
Size: 7.5″ x 8″and 7.5 x 9″ square
Extra: #Nothing, really. Oh yes, the imaginatively named Kitchen Cotton cloth is fully reversible. Which you have to love about a piece of knitting or crochet.
Ok, the eagle-eyed among you might have spotted that spiky purple thing in the background behind the pink dishcloth. That is yet another project I have started. It’s a free Bernat pattern and although I am making it for a boy, those are the colours in stash and that’s what I’m using. *insert mulish look* Using stashy acrylic, it’s coming out way bigger than I think it’s supposed to, but my friend says her baby is big, so that should be okay. I got to just after the armholes decrease and then inexplicably stopped.
What I find hard to understand is why this cardigan was designed in pieces instead of making it one piece up to the armholes and then splitting it up. Funny. Especially when you think that in crochet making things without seams is so much easier (and you don’t even have to resort to circulars/dpns etc) as you only ever have one stitch to think about. I read somewhere that having seams makes garments drape better or something. Is that true?
And then you could just pick up at the armholes and make the sleeve downward with decreases rather than upwards with increases. What a pain (working upwards, I mean). Of course, never having designed anything myself, I am not in any way qualified to comment. But I’d really appreciate not having a zillion seams to sew at the end of what is supposed to be a quick project. Not to mention the number of ends that will have to be woven in. 😦
Anyway, before I go, I’d like to clarify that the possiblity of yarn from Russia that I mentioned last time is not a continuous stream (I wish!) but a one-off offer. And I haven’t even written back to the friend yet.
Also, a confession of crime: I steal cats. Yes. All those photos of cats you see on my blog are stolen from their lucky owners. Well, the photos are stolen, not the cats themselves. But yes, Your Honour, I plead guilty.
To distract you from my nefariousness (I hope that’s a word), here is a picture of the nice spike stitch back:
which I might decided to undo and start afresh, this time adding in the front panel stitches to either side, which shouldn’t make that much of a difference, since we turn the work at the end of each round anyway, so there shouldn’t be a jog (jag?) of any kind. Let’s see. The idea is that the friend’s baby will have a sweater for this December.
I know, I’ve been a bad blogger and haven’t made any substantial posts in ages. But then that sort of reflects what’s been happening generally with my knitting/crochet in general…a kind of blah-y unfinishing dullness.
One exciting (possibly) thing: someone in St Petersburg Russia has offered to send us things if we want and they will reach in a ship’s container so although I will be somewhat older by the time they arrive, it should still be fun, no? (Meaning no issues with weight/volume) So of course, I’m thinking Y A R N!!! From a link at the knittyboard I found this blog and she has a list of yarn shops in St Petersburg (Petrograd, Leningrad-we don’t mind Lenin here in India). And a list of yarns she found there. I must confess, I am absolutely trembling to read about the baby silk, cotton and wool yarns she mentions. For someone in Europe and North America or Australia/NZ, none of that might be exciting, but as I’ve found no natural fibre yarns here, I’m dying to try these (they are partly imported from the rest of Europe, I understand). So, any suggestions on amounts I could ask for that would be sensible? What might make a full project? Too often nowadays I find my stash is full of single skeins of luscious yarns, which, having little need for hats or bags, I find it dispiriting to imagine what to make with. (Maybe that partly explains why my knitting/crochet recently has been so bitty 😦 Of course my notoriously short attention-span has nothing at all to do with it. Uh-huh.)
Yesterday we went to a Book Fair (again the “American Library Surplus” thingy. I’m all for American Library Surpluses, last time here in Vizag I got Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Without Tears for a pittance, and then in Hyderabad I picked up a whole rash of books for cheap). I didn’t find any knitting/crochet books this time, but the chappie said they were expecting new stock this week, so a return trip is in order. The same thing happens each time, but doesn’t necessarily lead to much. I did pick up a whole bunch of murder mysteries (including 3 [A, B, & D] of the Kinsey Millhone alphabet series from Sue Grafton and a couple of others, I think one Ed McBain, maybe a Patricia Cornwell and one new-to-me writer). Also some soppy romance novels. (Yes, I can devour those even at this age, so sue me 😉 )
And the Zadie Smith is also being read. It makes for a nice dipping-into leisurely read while eating lunch, while the murder books are for read-at-one-stretch fun. So all those books for about Rs 425/-. Lovely. And I already know who I’m going to pass them on to when I’m done.
When I stop bouncing around the country behind the husband bearing dinky tin trunks retire, I shall build a house with a library, and in my library shall be entire series of books of all my favourite writers. There will be a comfortable couch and some radio/music. A window with a view and wi-fi access. I don’t think anything else will be required, do you? Some chocolate, perhaps.
Well, at least the purse he designed 😉
I needed quick gratification, and have been dying to try my hand on this purse ever since Drew unveiled it a few days ago. Although I had promised myself that I would finish some other stuff first, I couldn’t resist this and cast on for it two nights ago. Finished it yesterday. Very nice and easy. The yarn is so nice and soft and probably deserved to be made into something worn next the skin (it is 50% merino and 50% acrylic and so soft!) but woolly things being little required in these parts, purse it became.
For the cord I used the Lobster stitch, and it is a bit too thick for the purpose, so I am now making the Parallel Chain cord found at the same tutorial for a thinner cord. The handle was supposed to be a knitted I-cord, but I cheated and used my trusty I-cord maker instead and whipped it up much faster than I would have on needles.
Here are the details:
Yarn: GGH Aspen in shade 39, mauve. The colour is showing correctly on my monitor. I used a bit less than one skein for the purse body. The Icord and the lobster stitch cord used up much of the second skein. The yarn was a gift from my SP, Ruth. I have another skein left (in UFO form, more of that later).
Needles & Hook: Boye aluminium circulars, size 6.50 mm/10.5 I think. There’s no marking on the needle, but from the colour (dark green) and my knitting needle gauge, I’m thinking that’s the size. It was sent me by Heide. Surprisingly light. Too long for this project of course, but I used my version of the Magic Loop or whatever. Also a Boye 6.5 mm/K/10.5 hook, which supports my guestimate of the knitting needle size.
Pattern: Drew Emborsky‘s Purl McBigBottom
Time: 2 days
Size: 6″ x 10″ approx
Extra: #1 The pattern calls for 110 yds of the yarn, but one skein of my yarn was only about 57m. Maybe if you take the Icord and the eyelet cord, it adds up.
#2 The yarn is really yummy and soft.
#3 I’m proud to have mastered the lobster stitch. The finished cord looks like a golden lanyard seen on some naval uniforms. Here’s a closeup:
This photo is for Yasmin, who wanted to see how big a winder is. The pen is to show relative size. I hope this helps? It’s definitely an amazing piece of machinery 🙂
I’ve joined the Dishcloth KAL (can be CAL, too) and can’t wait to start my first one. Acrylics have been certified as acceptable, so Off I’ll Go!Wheeee.
Here’s the button:
This is again for the CAT PAC I’m donating. Skip said she likes green, so hopefully she’ll like this.
Don’t you like it when you can make something which is of practical use and not merely beautiful? I love it. (Perhaps that’s why most of my FOs are plain ugly-I’m looking to make something functional fast and don’t care what colours I throw together, or about the finishing so much :()
Here are the specs:
Yarn: Acrylic from Hyderabad. Not very nice.
Hook: Boye G/6/4.25 mm metal
Pattern: Natalie’s Econoshopper Mesh bag
Time: 3-4 hours (should take less but you try to surf blogs and edit stories and crochet all at once)
Size: Hmm, didn’t actually measure it. It isn’t crucial I think.
Extra: #1 For this pattern, it would be helpful if you marked your corners before embarking on the bag-shaping bit. Otherwise, it’s a nice toddle.
#2 I made another of these almost a year ago (and gushed about its practicality) and bought this green yarn at the same time! How’s that for coincidence? :-O
WordPress now has a “HTML” tab to its editor for the geeks, I presume.
It is so quick and offers immediate gratification. Also I can create 3-D objects so nicely. Here are two of my latest FOs.
First up, this crochet hook caddy:
I finished it a couple of nights ago. It holds about 40 of my hooks now (I have a few more, scattered here and there in WIPs). Here are the details:
Yarn: Longtime readers will recognise the GUM (Sending you to my old blog site because I’m being lazy)
Hook: Boye G/6/4.25 mm metal
Pattern: From Priscilla Hewitt
Time: Overnight
Size: 3″ x 4″
Extra: Nice and fast and a great way to use up the horrible yarn I don’t know why I bought. My hook stash now looks very organised. The hooks are now all colour-coordinated and arranged by size. I like being organised on a small scale.
This month I am donating a CAT PAC for Crochetlist CAT, and my donee is Skip. I made this hotpad for her, after she assured me she doesn’t mind acrylic hotpads and is very careful when using them. Never tried this pattern before. Mind the colours.
It gets thickness from having those petal thingies folded over. Details follow.
Yarn: Sundry bits of Rs 6 skeins from stash
Hook: Clover Soft Touch F/4.00 mm metal/resin
Pattern: From one of my favourite sources for instant gratification, the Dishcloth Boutique. This is the Ten Point Hotpad
Time: One day
Size: 11″ across from point to point
Extra: The pattern could have been better written and/or illustrated. As it is, I think I might have done one of the final rows on the wrong side (Wrong Side when I should have had the Right Side facing me). The picture wasn’t big enough to see clearly how the folding worked.
Tell me honestly, do you think it looks ugly? Don’t hold back.
I shall leave you with a closeup of my caddy. The red thing is one of a pair of stitchmarkers given me by Cordelia almost a year ago (or is it two?).
I made this cardigan for my trip to Hyderabad, to give my friend for her kid. The friend brought me a Denise set, a yarn winder and an Easy Tunisian set. Now I’m in the lap of luxury as far as supplies are concerned. Does that mean it’s time for me to lose interest in knitting/crochet? You know…gather all the materials and then pouf, there goes your attention. I’m a bit wary of that happening to me.
Well anyway, this pattern was from an Indian book, possibly a reprint of some older English collection. Can’t say. I was running out of the purple (it’s more blue actually) so I improvised with the greeny-blue for the sleeves. I magically didn’t have to change the pattern at all, except using rsc for the edging. Quick and easy, but would have been nicer if it were all done in one piece without the need for seams.
I think crochet designers need to concentrate on patterns without/with minimal seaming/sewing. Crochet being so versatile, such designs are more possible than with knitting, I think.
Yarn: Acrylic from all over the place, but Delhi and Hyderabad, I think.
Hook: Pony 4 mm
Pattern: From Indian reprint book
Time: Quite fast, can’t give exact numbers, but you could do it in a day at a pinch
Size: Seems to fit my friend’s kid (wrong season to try it on)
Extra: #1 Didn’t have to change the pattern at all, except I did rsc for the edging because of the two different colours
#2 Two colours because the purple ran out
Yup, still alive and going here in Wheredom. And that there above is my latest Finished Object. A crochet blanket from Golden Hands Baby Clothes: 50 beautiful patterns to knit and crochet, 1974. I made a baby jacket from the same book in January.
Yarn: Acrylic from Hyderabad, 340 gms
Hook: Crystalite 5, 5.5 and 6 mm
Pattern: From Golden Hands Baby Clothes, 1974
Time: About 5 days all told
Size: 45″
Extra: #1 Nothing much actually. It’s perhaps my second-ever baby blanket
#2 I was tired of trying to fit baby patterns to the limited yarn selection I have. I didn’t want to do it in pink, and cannot obviously find the right gauge anyway. Pffffffffbrrrrgh.
#3 Also bored trying to size baby patterns to fit 2-year-olds. This may be a bit small but should work as a useful tool to frighten babies into sleeping on time (or else the giant doily will come and get you!!) 😛
#4 Oh and the colour is actually a browny kind of pink, not the red it seems in this picture.
swakrta.com 