Month: October 2017

Knitting

A Lace Knitting Book Review and My Messed Up Buttonhole

Iris Rose

Today, instead of a pattern feature or a little bit of what I am working on, I am presenting you with a book review.  This book, Japanese knitting Stitch Bible: 260 Exquisite Patterns, written by Hitome Shida and translated by Gayle Roehm, is the absolutely most amazing resource.  Written for advanced knitters, it could be an inspiration to beginners as well.

If you love knitting lace as much as I do, and cables come a close second to that, then this is the book for you.  All of those amazingly intricate patterns that are featured over and over on Pintrest are all laid out here for you.  This is apparently the resource for all of those really beautiful Russian garments that are so popular.

A caution, the book is all chart based patterns.  There is not a written pattern in sight so, if you are not a chart lover, then you should have a very good look before you buy as I suspect that this lovely to look at book will be an exercise in frustration for you.

The book is available on amazon and elsewhere at a good price for a stitch library.  I bought the Kindle version as I have limited space on my book shelf.  Just so you know, I have my bookshelf stacked with yarn and my poor books crammed onto the bottom shelf two deep!  Ebooks and digital patterns are the way to go, for me at least.

If you love intricate knitting, even just to look at, this book is a great investment.

 

I wrote last week about my poor lace cardigan and the errant buttonhole.  I tore out just the centre of the buttonhole band and reworked it with a couple of DPN’s.  It looked okay but I had missed one strand at the beginning of the repair and the stitches, because they were stretched, were quite loose looking.  I know that I could have teased the stitches back to the right size but that missed loop really bothered me.

        

After some internal debate, I tore out about thirty rows (I thought it was just fifteen, but I had only counted the right side rows!) and am now reworking it.  The last picture shows that darn buttonhole finally worked correctly.  It sounds drastic, but I would never have worn the sweater without having my hand across the incorrect buttonhole to hide it.  It is funny (and not haha) how such a minor mistake becomes so huge in your mind.

 

Knitting

Lace Cardigan and the Buttonhole Mistake

Iris Rose

It is one of those two steps forward and one step back weeks.  I found myself suffering from a severe case of stash guilt this summer and, after a good dig through, found five skeins of Patons Lace that I had bought in a six pack a few years (okay, a lot of years) ago.  Kind of sounds like a really buff person or buying beer, doesn’t it?

Alright, what now? Oh, oh, oh, how about knitting a lace cardigan and make it all in one, just need to add the sleeves style.  I should make it in a simple lace pattern so that it is interesting but doesn’t need too much attention because that makes the work go faster.  So with great enthusiasm as is the case with all of my project ideas, I started.  Of course I was immediately bored.  This poor project has been languishing in my work bag, brought out once a week or so to have a few rows added and then shoved back into the dark.

I have stash guilt so why not project guilt?  I decided this week that this really will be a pretty cardigan, both light and warm, that should be finished and soon.  Yesterday, managing five, count ‘em, five rows, I laid my work down and what stared up at me?  The knit in buttonholes are all in the right place except one and that one is below a correct buttonhole and thirteen rows back.

I did the mature thing right away and threw it on the floor.  It lay there looking all pitiful and wounded until my project guilt poked me and made me pick it up.  Not wanted to deal with it, I right away ignored the mistake and knit two more rows thinking, I suppose, that the out of place buttonhole wouldn’t show if there was more work above it.  I was so very wrong.

My dilemma now is, do I rip out all of the work; all of that painful boring lace knitting down the drain and with a fuzzy yarn making the tear back so painful or do I pretend I never saw it?  There is a third option, of course.  I could just unknit the band stitches and reknit them correctly.  If it doesn’t work out though, I will have to rip back fifteen rows.

I am going to attempt the band only stitches repair this weekend.  Wish me luck and if you a horrifying, nerve shattering scream sometime on Sunday, it is not an early Haunted House gearing up but rather me, venting while I condemn my pretty lace cardigan to a plastic bag in the back of the closet.  If it does work out, I will post photos for you.

I couldn’t wait for the weekend.  I ripped these stitches out at work (lucky me, I get to craft at work) and, having only a crochet hook as an extra tool, I tried to fix it.  Too much frustration was happening so I waited for home and a couple of DPN’s.  Here is the ripped out stitches and I will post the correction photos later.

Knitting

Busy Week!

Iris Rose

 

I have an unexpected late start at work today.  It snowed lightly here last night and, of course, all of the people who drive too fast and too carelessly have met by accident.  The roads are clogged so I thought that I would wait out the snarls and write to you instead.

It has been a busy week with Thanksgiving in the middle.  It is always lovely to see family and have a feast.  It also signals the start of the weather declining into winter.  I know that I have mentioned this in my last few posts but, and here it is, it is time to get busy with your winter crocheting and knitting.  There I have said it, finally admitting that the summer is over.

I have found some time for crafting this week.  I am still working on my poncho.  I have the front done and about one third of the back.  It helps if I don’t watch anything too interesting on TV while I am working.  I dropped a stitch on the weekend and had to rip back about sixteen rows.  Not too happy with myself but I did it right away instead of tossing it into the project basket as I usually do for a time out.  I am back to and have passed that point so all is well.  I will have the pattern out in the next month; I am excited as it is going to be so pretty with the gradient yarn.

         

On another note, DD1 brought me a handmade gift for Thanksgiving.  The ghost has a little LED candle inside that makes it light up and the pumpkin is squishy soft.  Very cute and very talented crocheting!

            

I have been busy populating my Etsy store, Iris Rose Crafts.  There are mostly toys up at the moment but I should have other things out by this weekend.  My patterns for download will be added as well.  Come over and have a look!

In the meantime, come to Ravelry and browse my store there.  I do have free patterns that will fall in nicely with gift giving (speedy and easy to make) but also have several paid patterns for some pretty shawls and sweaters that you can make for those special people in your life.

Both of these are free patterns in my Ravelry store! https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/combo-hat;  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/quick-and-easy-garter-stitch-cowl

New patterns next month will be the poncho and a surprise crocheted wrap so stay tuned!

Knitting

Stash Busting Easy, Easy, Easy Scarf

Iris Rose

I am late at posting today!  I cut my finger (ow, ow, ow!) and got behind in doing the stuff that needed to be done earlier.  Anyway, here I am now.

I wrote last week that I would have a new pattern for you this week and, tada, I do.  This is a really basic garter stitch scarf pattern that is ideal for a beginner, a quick knit for a more experienced knitter, and a fabulous way to use up part skeins that are in that box in your stash to be used for something, you know the one.  A pretty scarf is also a perfect last minute gift to make, you can make this scarf in an evening. 

The scarf is built in sections of different colours, textures and/or weights of yarn held with a base yarn that remains the same throughout.

I start by choosing a base worsted weight yarn.  This yarn will be used to knit the whole scarf so you will need a fair bit of this one depending on how long you want your scarf to be.  You will need from 225m to 360m or 250yds to 400yds for your base yarn.  I used Bernat Premium acrylic yarn but you can use anything that you have on hand.

Here is the base that I chose along with some potential contrasts.  I didn’t use all of these but added in others.

         

Next, dig through that box or tote or bag where you save the part skeins that are too pretty to toss and find anywhere from six to twelve contrasting or matching colours to pair with your base yarn.  I used some bits in two places as they were long enough.  These yarns can be anything from lace (used double so twice the length) to light worsted.  You will need these yarns to be 36m or 40yds each or double that to use twice in the scarf.

The needles that I used are 12mm or US 17 needles.  These produced a nice thick and squishy scarf with enough drape to wrap nicely.

With your base yarn and one of the selected smaller skeins held together, cast on twenty stitches.  Knit twenty-six rows.  Cut the contrast yarn and, holding another contrast yarn with the base yarn (you haven’t cut the base yarn and won’t throughout the scarf) knit another twenty-six rows.  Continue knitting twenty-six row sections in different contrasting yarns held with the base yarn until you have at least eight sections.  Twelve sections will make a long, wrap around scarf if that is the type you want.  You can make as many sections as you like but I find that eight is probably the minimum that you need to make a decent scarf.

Cast off at the end of the last section, weave in your ends and lightly block your scarf.  Add a fringe if you want to finish off the ends if you like that look.

The above scarf was made with a bunch of boucle pieces that I held with a basic black acrylic yarn.  It is only fifteen stitches wide as I was experimenting with this pattern.

You can use your great imagination to really make this a unique accessory.  If you like to experiment, use larger needles to make a looser knit or to use up chunky or bulky yarn.  You will have to be careful of your yarn length to make the twenty-six rows.  You can vary that too.  Make your sections all different numbers of rows for a different look and a great way to use up all of the extra bits.

Have fun with this and let me know how your unique creations turned out.  I always welcome feedback and love to see photos.