Month: September 2017

Knitting

Started Your Winter Knitting and Crocheting Yet?

Iris Rose

Before I start my conversation, I do have some sad news.  An upset on my web page caused my subscriber list to disappear.  I have set up a new subscription form on my blog page and, if you would like a notification of new posts, you will need to resubscribe.  Thanks for supporting me!

My goodness, this month has flown by!  I am always surprised at how fast the end of summer goes by but this year it seems to be exceptionally speedy in passing.  The weather has been so lovely for so long that it feels like winter is still far away but sadly it is not.

For those of you (and I include myself here) that have not yet started your winter gift knitting, it is now or never!  I have a few easy free patterns on Ravelry that may help you out.  You can click the link to the patterns or check out my store to see what else I have been up to.

 

The first and my favourite quick, quick, quick and easy pattern is the Simple Shawl.  This is a basic sideways knit triangle that, worked on large needles, can be completed in four hours.  I am a pretty speedy knitter but the large needles really slow me down.  I can still finish one of these in that time.  I try to use a bulky or textured yarn that shows well in the simple garter stitch pattern.  The large needles give it an airy texture and show off the yarn.  You will need from 135m to 150m to make a nice size triangle.  Try overlapping and wrapping it for a cozy cowl look if a shawl is not your thing.

Speaking of cowls, my next suggestion is my Quick and Easy Garter Stitch Cowl.  Again, big needles and yarn are what make this such an easy pattern to knit and result in a soft and squishy cowl to keep out the cold.  It is small enough to fill in the neck of your coat without wrapping it around a couple of times and still soft and stretchy enough to pull up over your nose on those really nippy days; you prairie people know what I am talking about!  You will need less than 100m for this one so it is a great way to use up those odd skeins in your stash.  If you have a couple of complimentary yarns in a lighter weight, try doubling them up for a uniquely yours look.

             

Now that you have taken care of the necks on your list, try out my Combo Hat.  It combines crochet and knitting for a really warm hat to keep out the winter chill.  The band is knitted in a twisted stitch faux cable and the crown is crocheted with two colours.  It is really pretty and still a relatively quick make that requires a little more skill.

Next week I will have a new scarf pattern for you that uses up the part skeins in your stash that you are saving but don’t know what to do with.  In the meantime, happy crocheting and knitting and thanks for reading.

Knitting

Oh, I’ve Started Another One

Iris Rose

I usually have a topic in mind when I sit down to write my blog post but today, not so much.  It is raining and starting to really look like fall which is really not my favourite time of the year.  I know, I know, it is a great time to be crafting.  All of those great yarns calling your name and all of those lovely patterns just begging to be made or at least bought and saved or printed and placed in the pile.  Sound familiar?  See you are just like the rest of us!

I have ventured into a couple of new projects and thought you might like to see them.  I went yarn looking (okay really yarn shopping, that road to hell is paved with I won’t buy any more yarn) on Saturday of last weekend with DD1 and came across this new, at least to me, lovely gradient yarn in a worsted weight, 200g, 500m cake.  Oh, I thought, that will make a gorgeous poncho.  But wait, 500m won’t be enough to knit a poncho in the round and to start a second cake part way through will spoil the beauty of the gradient colour changes.  I am now knitting a poncho in two pieces front and back and will seam it.  I am making notes as I go of course so, if it looks as good as I think it will, there is a new pattern in the works.

The yarn is a product of Germany called Gala.  I have seen a few free patterns on Ravelry this week so I am assuming that it a new to North America yarn.  It is, as I said, a generous 500m in a 200g cake.  It comes in six colour ranges, is composed of eighty percent wool and twenty percent nylon, and is a very nice yarn to work with.  It looks fragile but is surprisingly strong.  I can’t wait to finish my poncho; I have been neglecting my other projects in favour of this one.

I did pick up a couple of other skeins to try and will fill you in on what I thought of those when I start to work with them.  I also stepped into Michaels, that centre of temptation, and found a no name bag of fine boucle with long colour changes.  A project for that one is cooking but not quite done and ready to come to life.

I have finished the vest that I started some time ago with another clearance no name yarn that I still haven’t identified.  I thought that it was Bernat Maker but, after seeing that yarn close up, I am now sure that it is not.  In any case the vest turned out better than expected and is awaiting a zipper to finish it.

If you are in the Calgary/Okotoks area on Saturday, stop by the Etsy Made in Canada sale at the Crescent Point Regional Field House in Okotoks at 125 Field House Dr East.  I’d love to say hello in person.  I will be selling from my Etsy store, Iris Rose Crafts.

Knitting

You Will Need To Sew A Skirt for That Pretty Knit Top

Iris Rose

 

In the July 26th post I featured a pattern for knitting the top or bodice of a dress for a little girl.  The pattern came about because I got sucked into the Pinterest black hole and, although I loved the little dress on the website, could not find a link to a pattern.  I decided if I wanted to make this dress, I would have to write my own. 

The top is sized from 2 to 8 and, when paired with a sewn skirt, is really cute!  I have made a couple of these little dresses now in different sizes and am very happy with the results.

The skirt is simple to sew and should be made in a fabric that is compatible in care to the yarn used for the bodice.  I used a new ladies skirt (cut off) for one and yardage for the others.  I am posting photos of both so that you can see there is little difference in the finished product.

You will need 115cm (45”) to 150cm (54”) fabric in the length that you want the skirt portion of the dress to be plus 2cm (3/4”) for the top gathering and 4cm (1.5”) for the hem allowance.  115cm fabric will be fine for the smaller sizes, 2 and 4, but you will want the wider fabric for size 6 and 8 so that the skirt is nice and full.  You can join pieces to make the width.  I would recommend that you use two pieces the same width and use the joins as side seams instead of the back seam.  You will also need matching thread and a sewing machine of course.

Cut the fabric to the length that you want and overcast finish all of the cut edges.  Sew up the side to make a seam that will be at the centre back.  If you have used two pieces of fabric to make a wider skirt, join both sides to make two side seams.

Sew a long stitch gathering thread 1cm (3/8”) in from the top edge.  Leave a long end to pull for gathers.  Sew a second long stitch line 2cm (3/4”) from the top edge again leaving a long end to pull.  Tie of the threads at the start and, using either the top or bobbin threads only, pulling both end threads at once, gather the top of the skirt to fit to your finished and blocked bodice.  When you have the right size, tie off and trim your thread ends.

Sew a regular line of stitches between the two gathering lines to secure the gathers.  Sew a second line at the top edge where your overcasting is.  Pull out the gathering threads.

Pin the skirt inside the bodice at the line where your crochet trim starts, centering the seam at the centre back if one or at each side if two.  Carefully back stitch the skirt into place sewing through the top of the skirt and through the inside of the first row of single crochet so that the stitching does not show on the outside of the bodice.  I used two plies of the yarn that I knit the bodice with so that any stray stitches wouldn’t show.

Pin up and blind stitch the hem and, with a final press, your pretty little dress is ready to wear!

Knitting

End of Summer, Bulky Yarns!

Iris Rose

Where I live it is the end of summer, not my favourite time of year.  Lots of folks love this time of the fall with the cooler days and cooler nights, colourful leaves changing from green to gold before they fall.  It can be bright and sunny and tease you into thinking that the warm days are not over and that winter is far, far away.  Ha!

It is not that I really dislike winter but more that I really hate the long dark of winter days.  Once we reach the middle of January and the daylight starts to increase, I am all good even though this is the coldest part of the winter and often the snowiest.  Give me a snowfall over rain any day but just not the darkness of November and December.

Now that I have had a little rant, I am looking forward to all of the lovely bulky yarns that show up this time of the year and hope to have a few patterns ready over the next month or so that take advantage of these quickly knit yarns.  Most of them don’t need anything complicated as far as stitching goes to become stars, in fact, the more simple the pattern, the better to showcase the colours and textures of these lovelies.

I have a few patterns that I have written to make gift knitting, and yes it is time to start, an easy and speedy process.  Here is the first, a simple cowl that I hope that you enjoy!

Cowl or Infinity Scarf:

Tools: 12 to 15mm single point pair of needles or a circular needle of the same diameter.  The needle size is not crucial but will affect the depth of the garter stitch.  Use what you have; if the largest that you have is 6mm, work the cowl in dropped garter stitch with one yarn over wrap to make the stitch size close to what a larger needle produces.  There are great videos online that show how to make this easy stitch.

Materials: 90m chunky yarn or use two ends of worsted weight in the same or contrasting colours to make your own chunky weight.  I have mixed a textured and smooth yarn in the same colour or close to make a fabulous look.  Use up those this is too beautiful to resist sequin, loopy or what have you yarns that are hiding in your stash. Consult your great imagination and have fun!

Cowl Instructions: Cast on 22 stitches with 12mm needles or 18 stitches with 15mm needles.

Knitting all rows, work 36 ridges (72 rows) with the 12mm needles and 30 ridges (60 rows) with the 15mm needles.

Join with cast off by picking up a loop at each live stitch (as you work the last row) from your cast on and three needle bind off with your live stitches.  If you don’t want to do this, cast off and neatly sew the two ends together to form a tube.  Lightly Block with steam to stretch your new lovely cowl out slightly and to soften the yarn a little.

If you want a longer cowl, and don’t forget you will need more yarn, keep knitting until you get to the length that you like when wrapped around your neck then finish here.

Knitting

Seahawks Socks

Iris Rose

I know that a lot of you regularly knit socks.  I have knit a few pairs and never enjoyed the process until I am almost finished the second one, then I love sock knitting!

I found a self striping yarn in the team colours of the Seattle Seahawks and just had to knit a pair for my DH, the ultimate Hawks fan.  The yarn is Cascade Heritage Prints in the colourway, Seattle.  I bought three skeins as I wanted to make sure that I had enough for size XXL socks which was a mistake (100g skeins, what was I thinking) as I used about a skein and a quarter but I am sure to make good use of the leftover skein and a bit.

To make the larger than standard socks, I used an old Patons’ pattern book of socks that I found in a tub of craft supplies that I inherited from my Mum.  This book actually has a couple of options for sizing men’s socks which was very helpful.  It was lovely and nostalgic reading notes that my mother wrote out to keep track of the pattern; I used the same pattern that she had used.

I started these puppies in mid-May and finally grafted the toes at the end of August, can you say procrastination?  DH was very happy with the finished socks that fit perfectly and will be well used in the coming football season!

 

It was so much fun to see how happy he was with the socks that I may just purpose the left over yarn into another pair!

#GoHawks!