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Heehee.
The Boteh scarf first. Neat design, neat outcome.
And the specs:
Yarn: Patons Kroy sock in Blazing Blue that Rosi sent me, 2 full skeins (mine have only 192 yds, not the 203 as currently advertised). I liked working with it, it felt nice and squishy.
Hook: Clover Takumi 4.00mm bamboo from Vicki
Pattern: Boteh scarf by Kathy Merrick, from Interweave Crochet Spring 2007
Time: 2 days (took longer because I had to redo the edging when I realised the spacing I was using would leave me short of yarn before I finished)
Size: 5″ x 96″
Extra #1 The pattern has errata, but if you just follow the chart, that shouldn’t be a problem at all.
#2 Boteh is supposed to mean a bouquet of leaves or something, but it reminds me of how we drew plaits as kids.
#3 This is meant as a surprise gift for someone.
#4 I did only 15 motifs overall, refer to yarn shortage. But it’s a very good size anyway. That’s the best part about scarves, I suppose!
#5 I hate these three words: Pick up evenly!!! I never seem to get the count right.
Now here’s the Beret:
Yarn: GGH Aspen, in pink (the website calls it mauve), one skein.
Needles: Denise #8, not strictly 5mm
Pattern: Rollin’ Beret by Woolly Wormhead (scroll down). Nice and quick and easy 😀 Somehow I chose to do it in the same colour a similar colour to the one that Ruth made hers in.
Time: Overnight
Size: 5″ x 96″
Extra #1 I have a doubt about the finished product (size-wise), but until this reaches its recipient, I am not voicing those. But otherwise, a good, satisfying knit 🙂
Here’s how much yarn I was left with after finishing the edging on the Boteh:
Cutting it very fine!
Remember the packing twine I used for my towel topper a few weeks ago (scroll down)? I had some left over and I badly needed a thingy for a side table (you’ve got to love the Military Engineering Services for the sheer numbers of dinky little tables they provide you with), so in overweening optimism, I started a doily called Pineapple Posy from Pineapple Crochet Designs ed. Rita Weiss. Naturally, the twine ran out, and I ended up with this. It shall remain in this condition forevermore, so in my books, it’s a finished object. At least the pineapples are done!
For my August CAT PAC, a friend sent me lots of blue-themed yarn and the Spring issue of Interweave Crochet, which had the Boteh scarf pattern. I had to start it immediately, so I grabbed the Patons Kroy sock yarn Rosi sent me as a contest prize and set off. The pattern repeat is simple enough, but I had to rip a bit after the second motif, having confused myself with right and wrong sides. Now it is making sense, though, and I’ve made quite some progress. Here it is:
Please forgive the blurry pictures, I’ll try and get a better one of the Boteh once it’s done.
I’ve also finished and added a zipper to Jacque‘s pattern that I was testing. Turned out a bit small, but more on that later. Have a hat FO in the wings, also, perhaps tomorrow.
I’ll never understand the fascination of the Larger than Life Bag, though. It’s just some motifs, right? Perhaps I’m missing something.
Denise. Sorry, I couldn’t resist! The thing is, my Denise set has gone missing, and try as I might, I can’t remember when I saw it last. I remember showing it to Ruth in London, and in Vizag beginning Jacque‘s pattern on it, but here in Cochin? Nope. Now all I have are two pairs of tips (the one I’m using for Jacque and another 6.5 mm pair I have in a UFO), plus 3 cables (one ultra short, one medium and one longggg – on second thought, that last one might be two joined cables, which would mean I have one of those joining thingies) and two end doodads. If anyone can remember where I put the set, do please tell!
I have made some progress on the pattern as you can see above, having detoured wildly on both the crochet and knit fronts, by turning out these two FOs (now, isn’t that a rare word for you to hear on this here blog?). First up is the Gingham Country Tea Towel I had a bit of a duh moment with:
Specs:
Yarn: Lion Kitchen Cotton (navy) and Sugar n’Cream (light blue)
Needles: Unknown plastic/resin (very flexible) 4.5mm circular and for the handle a metal circular that’s among my favourites, which is loose in the 4.5mm slot and won’t go through the 4mm (Is there a 4.25mm size in western needles?). Both needles courtesy Heide.
Pattern: Country Gingham Tea Towel
Time: About a week?
Size: Haven’t measured, but it’s a good size. It’s been immediately pressed into action in my kitchen.
Extra #1 Did two-colour double knitting for the first time, following a chart. Phoenix was good enough to hold my hand throughout and spell things out in words of one syllable! It was wonderful to be able to hound her interact with her on Ravelry. (If any of my readers want me, I’m MrsFife there).
#2 Got confirmation my finishing is terrible
#3 My floats are too tight and my wraps are too loose. Resolve that conundrum if you will
#4 Perhaps a thinner needle would have made the work neater
#5 Stopped the handle when I ran out of the light blue.
#6 I liked the grid stitch better than the gingham part (not to mention my work was neater)
#7 The original colour combo was scrumptious, and was what made me do the towel, actually. Also possibly, yarn which wasn’t 100% cotton might have fared better.
A great learning experience, though, overall. Five stars all around. Now for a crochet FO:
The details on this one:
Thread: Something called Fitpack, a twine from Jaipur that I bought in Vizag, in the philosophy of “any string will do to hook with”. It isn’t bad for bags and things, but I doubt any other colour would be available. On the other hand, I remember a crochet goods salesman telling me you can get cotton yarny type of fibre in Jaipur, so maybe the place is a hotbed of fibre.
Hook: The 2/0 (2mm) end of a Clover double-ended 2/0-4/0 hook. Nice and light.
Pattern: Acrobatic stitch from The Harmony Guides (the instructions are for a straight swatch, but I made up the decreasing on my ownsome). Pat yourself on the back, sweetie!
Time: One hour
Size: Seriously?
Extra #1 Nuthin’ much. There’s two more towels where that came from which need topping.
We now have a working washbasin, and the rains have stopped. Now all I need is some good roads, and we’re all set.
I tried a couple of different infant sock patterns, but even though they were knit, they appeared to use more yarn than I had left (I was knitting from opposite ends of the leftover skein). So I frogged and fell back on my favourite no-seam bootie pattern and would you believe it, I had just the right amount to weave in ends. I’m not totally happy, because crochet has a different look from knit and I wanted the set to be homogeneous 😦 With this worsted yarn it somehow doesn’t appeal. Anyway, here are the pictures and the specs.
Yarn: The same Shepherd Cynthia Helene that I won from Nona when she was giving away some of her stash last year.
Hook: Pony 4.5mm
Pattern: Darcy Richardson’s Newborn Booties
Time: Half-an-hour
Size: No idea. Hopefully they should fit at some point. Most probably, the three different parts of the set will fit the baby at three different points of time. Very odd.
Extra #1 Satin ribbon with tiny polka dots. No one said a boy baby can’t have polka dots. (Also, I didn’t think I’d find a matching shade of brown)
#2 Why do ribbons fold up when you thread them through the holes? I wish they didn’t.
#3 This is one set I wish I’d see pictures of in use. I never do, otherwise.
Here’s a picture with the ribbon in.
A simple cabled hat also using magic looping.
Specs, quickly, since it only took me a three-four hours to knit.
Yarn: The same Shepherd Cynthia Helene that I won from Nona when she was giving away some of her stash last year. Still some left over, which I’m hoping will make some socks or booties or mittens.
Needles: Denise #8/5mm with magic loop from this site. Nothing to it! Cabling with a needle, not without.
Pattern: Hey Julie’s pattern, the one with 10 cables. I preferred how it looked to the 5 cable one.
Time: 3-4 hours.
Size: 8.5″around (about 19″ circumference, which makes it giant-baby-head size, but that’s okay, I think. My friend can wear it otherwise. 🙂
Extra: #1 Not much! Law & Order: SVU coming up, gotta run.
Here’s Teddy in the meantime.
Ta-da!
Isn’t that the sweetest thing you ever saw? Finished it this morning. I think it must be the fastest I’ve ever knit a baby sweater. Let’s get the specs.
Yarn: Shepherd Cynthia Helene that I won from Nona when she was giving away some of her stash last year. Yummy! 100% pure NZ merino in a gorgeous colour, Ginger. Had 4 skeins (~400 yards) and still have about enough to make a hat I think. The first photo is closest to the richness of the colour.
Needles: Denise #8/5mm and an unknown 4.5mm flexible plastic circular. I magic-looped for the first time, following instructions from this site, and had great fun! If I could lay my hands on thin long circulars, perhaps my dormant sock-knitting will get a boost.
Pattern: The Little Sister Sweater from Boogie here. It’s a seamless raglan, just a little bit of grafting at the armholes.
Time: 2 days?
Size: 21″around the chest, 9.5″from shoulder to bottom, 6″cuffs, 5″ neck opening (with buttons closed). I’m hoping it will fit my friend’s newborn.
Extra: #1 I used the smaller sized circulars for the magic loop, because I didn’t have either DPNs or circulars in the same size. I really enjoyed the magic looping and must try to see if I can do it on the Denises. And maybe some of my metal circulars. None of them is thin enough for socks, though.
#2 The raglan shaping is the neatest I’ve ever done. (Neat as in tidy)
The instructions, however, called for SSP (Slip, slip, purl) and I couldn’t figure out how to do that when I was knitting, not purling all the way round. So I did SSK (slip, slip, knit) instead.
#3 The back has optional short rows to make it higher than the front. I found the instructions confusing, but then I always find short rows instructions confusing. And they’re optional anyway.
#4 I used Kitchener weaving and wasn’t entirely happy with how my work looked, but since it is in the pits (you know!), I didn’t bother too much.
#5 Red buttons because I don’t have any brown ones in my stash. The original pattern is intended for a girl, so the button band was in the wrong place, and my feeble attempts to make a one-row buttonhole totally wiped out any evidence of seed stitch in the band on that side of the opening. Ah well. I do like seed stitch when it comes out nicely, though. If I make this a second time, I shall place the neck marker according to whether it’s a boy or a girl I’m making it for (the odds are high it will be a boy, it usually seems to be). Then I can hide the botching and sew it in place better.
Edited to Add: While I was working on this post (and mistakenly clicked on Publish without having finished), my internet went down and has just come back. Whew. I get so miserable without the web, ya know. It was gratifying to read all the comments, thanks everyone 🙂 I’m trying to find a baby hat pattern which isn’t too feminine to work on with the remaining yarn. Maybe one that uses seed stitch.
I’ve been trying a pattern from a book I have using brioche stitch, and while I like the look of it, I find it is rather big, and when finished will be closer to child-carrying capacity, than housing a baby head. Ahem.
Oh, and the monsoon is here.
Again courtesy Cordelia (it does appear as though half my stash belongs to her, doesn’t it?).
Yarn: Lion Brand Jiffy that Cordelia sent me. In colours Kitty Hawk and Denver, I think. Used up most of both skeins.
Needles: Denise #10 ½/6.5mm circular
Pattern: A truncated version of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Baby Surprise Jacket from The Opinionated Knitter, Knitting Workshop. It’s also available separately at the link above from Schoolhouse Press.
Time: 3 days?
Size: Toddler? 22″ around the chest, 10.5″ from shoulder to bottom, 21″from cuff to cuff.
Extra: #1 Nothing much. Did only two buttons this time. I thought I had a recipient for this, but perhaps I don’t.
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Having finished Queen Camilla, I am now bookless. Please send good thoughts my way.
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While on the subject of books, Sara has a contest for her Summer of Giving. She’s giving away a book on felting and a few knitting magazines. Do go over and jump in. And don’t forget to mention I sent you over? What are friends for, after all :)?
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Here’s the back: (since you asked so nicely).
Quick, grab those sunshades…If the previous FO was a bit bright, here is something even worse brighter.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you. This is a truncated version of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Baby Surprise Jacket. It’s a great pattern and truly surprising! When I was making it, I thought it would end up like this:
When I finished knitting, it looked like this:
And when sewn up, it looked as in the first photo above. Here’s how the back looks:
Here are the pattern details.
Yarn: Bernat Softee Chunky that Cordelia sent me. I was wary of what to do with such lively colours, when Rosi suggested I make a Baby Surprise. See, that’s why I like associating with creative people: they take me out of my uncreative, dull thinking.
Needles: Denise #10 1/2 6.5mm circular
Pattern: A truncated version of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Baby Surprise Jacket from The Opinionated Knitter, Knitting Workshop. It’s also available separately at the link above from Schoolhouse Press.
Time: 3 days?
Size: Toddler? 23″ around the chest, 10″ from shoulder to bottom, 21″from cuff to cuff.
Extra: #1 I’ve already almost finished a second one. This is such fun to make, and with the large gauge yarns I’m using, it works up very fast.
#2 I want to try this in stockinette, crochet and Tunisian crochet.
Sent this off with the Tomten and the Blocks and shells afghan to Hyderabad, where aunty (my friend’s mom) will collect it and take it when she goes to the US.
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In books, I just finished Naked in Death (Eve Dallas murder series) by JD Robb (Nora Roberts). Futuristic police procedural with some er, hot scenes. I read just about anything, so don’t turn up your noses at me!
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Catch-22
I went to my bank today to see if I could apply for a credit card (yes, I don’t have one and have been managing fine, but I need one to make bookings for my UK trip online). They told me I couldn’t get a card because
a. I don’t have an office address
b. I don’t have a credit card!
Dang, but this almost made me cry a third time in public. I’m blaming it on my need for sleep. Don’t want to think it’s anything else. Stoopid procedures. I know exactly what I’ll tell them next time I get a spam call offering to sell me a card.
This will go to the same friend I’m sending the block and shells afghan to. She has a toddler and is expecting another baby boy in July.
As usual, don’t look too closely at the thing. The colour is patchy and the workmanship just passable. Dirty Deets follow.
Specifications:
Yarn: Local small-ball acrylic Santhi from Oswal “Woollen” Mills, 25g x 9
Needles: Denise #7
Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Tomten Jacket from Knitting Without Tears
Time: About a week.
Size: Toddler? 22″ around the chest, 15″ from shoulder to bottom, 10″ hood and 11″ on wrist to armhole.
Extra: #1 Patchy!!!
#2 I wonder if this could be done in stockinette (although of course the point is to avoid the purling)
#3 Rosi helped with a question I had on ridge counts for the hood. Got help from Sue on knitty chat on what to do for the closures. For the loops I did a row of sc around from right bottom corner to the left, adding 10ch loops whenever I encountered a button. Otherwise I followed the pattern to a T (except for a slight misunderstanding at the sleeves, leading to 4 extra ridges each side).
And now for some sad news…I do not have any works in progress (UFOs abound, of course, but they don’t count). Sad but true. I want to try my hand at a version of the Baby Surprise Jacket by Ms Zimmermann, but in pinks and related colours, and there aren’t too many baby girls on the horizon. I need specific victims targets.
My reading currently is Queen Camilla by Sue Townsend. Always surprising. And I don’t have any other books lined up after that. Help!
On the domestic front, the husband has been successfully disposed off has gone off by himself to Cochin. Accommodation is uncertain, so it is also uncertain when I will reach there. For now it’s just me and the other inlaw. I have plans to visit the UK in July, more of which in a different post. I shall leave you with a close-up of the wooden buttons I used.
Well, not really, but it does look a lot like an eye! (Now I shall get lots of LOTR fan visitors.) This is the finished doily whose chart I had a problem with last week. Sorry for the horrible photograph! Specifications:
Thread: Red Heart thread, 50 gm ball, probably size 10 (the big balls don’t have a size written on them). I was stashbusting as usual and thought I had enough, but apparently I didn’t. My favourite local craft store didn’t have the exact shade of pink, so a lighter shade and an interesting twiny thread came home with me. I forayed to another craft store and picked up two 20gm balls of the right shade, but the wrong thickness. Now, these smaller balls have #20 on them, so I know the size, but held together they ended up thicker than my original thread, so I just shrugged and used a single strand. Apparently 20+20≠10 (wowie, I just used WordPress’ new advanced editing to put in that not-equal sign). This has happened to me before and I used a strand of sewing thread held with the size 20 to finish my Crochetville Doily Swap doily in September 2005. Somehow it didn’t occur to me and in any case I didn’t want to do that this time. Why didn’t I remember that simple equation (or un-equation, if you will)?
Hook: Started off with the plain Pony 1.75mm and when in the middle of the project I received the handle ones from Jaishree, I swapped for one of those. These Pony hooks with handles look identical to the Profi hooks, except they aren’t gold-tipped and obviously aren’t made in Germany. They are light and I think I might exclusively work with these for all my thread projects, unless of course I need a size they aren’t available in. I shall do a separate post showing off all the hooks she sent. Why don’t the company behind the Profis have a website? Maybe they do in German, but not, it appears, in English. You’d think at least Western companies would be well-established online.
Pattern: From Burda Handicraft Series Vol 1 No 3, Crochet Lace, E 227. Lovely patterns, lovely photography, and all patterns are charted, of course. Despite the hype about Magic Crochet, I find some of their photos are really sloppy. Although well-lit, the doilies look unblocked and even unfinished sometimes. There should be a difference between how I, an amateur, present my work and how a magazine showcases its designs.
Time: About a week, not including delays for thread emergencies and chart puzzling.
Size: About 33.5″ long and 19″ wide. Bigger than the specified size, since I used a larger hook.
Extra: #1 This is for my mom, whose birthday is coming up later this month.
#2 This is a pattern I’d love to redo, which makes it a very rare thing indeed (other than winging-it stuff like funfur bags for visiting small girls). And use the right size hook this time. And avoid the booboos I made in this one.
#3 That part of the chart I didn’t understand taught me a new technique, that of turning in the middle of the row to end up with loops that look as though they’re hanging in the air. Nice challenge, even if I didn’t solve it myself.
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On the book front, I finished Martha Grimes’ Lamorna Wink. Good read. I’ve now gone back to Pico Iyer (Falling off the Map). I find he doesn’t particularly make me want to visit any of the places he’s written about, but perhaps that holds true for most of the travelogues I read. Perhaps that is why I read them, to savour the experience without the effort.
swakrta.com 