Category: Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

All things yarny

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Second Syndrome

Iris Rose

I hope that you are all having a very happy and crafty week. I am still ploughing through the sleeves. One is finally finished and the second one is about a third of the way done.

This making of sleeves has led me to much thinking. I can’t read while I am knitting because the pattern is too complicated for that and, as I do a lot of my crafting at work, tv is out so that leaves thinking.

I started to muse on the second sock and/or the second sleeve syndrome and why I never suffer from that. I do, however, suffer really, really badly from the first sock or sleeve syndrome. I am always excited to start a new something and get myself going nicely only to find that the work is BORING! I start to think about the next project and find myself slowly but surely hating the current one. The “I am only half way through the first one and I still have to finish and start one more just the same” kind of hate.

       

I have found, at least it works for me, that if I count sections, for example, I am one quarter of the way through, then on third, that the work seems to go a lot faster. I also need to focus on the process itself rather than feeling like I have to rush to the end. I think that this way of thinking makes the work go faster.

Once the first one, sock or sleeve or mitt, is done, the second is a piece of cake. I am so excited about how pretty the first of the pair is that I just want to get on and get the second one finished. No second something syndrome for me. I think that I will rename it first sock or sleeve syndrome!

I should confess that I haven’t been devoting my entire crafting time to the sleeves.  I have managed to accumulate a pile of not quite finished projects, three kid’s sweaters and a poncho as well.  So maybe it is not a syndrome at all but just a sign of a scattered mind.

I hope that all of your first and seconds are happily done (and match) this week and have a great seven days of craftiness.

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

The Magic of Blocking

Iris Rose

So you are finished that beautiful piece of crochet or knitting, and, after all of your hard work, the piece looks like a crumpled bit of a yarny mess. It can be so disheartening after the hours and love that you have invested.

Blocking your piece will make a huge (and I mean massively amazing) difference in how the piece looks and also the size of what you have finished. You can see from the before and afters that blocking is time well spent.

     


Blocking can be done in a couple of ways. My favourite, for lace especially, is to soak the item and then pin it out to the size I want and let it dry overnight. This method works well with natural fibres. If I have used a synthetic fibre, I skip the soak, pin it out in the same way and steam it. I like to steam my shawls in particular so that the fibre softens and holds the stretched or pinned out shape. You do need to be careful not to overheat acrylic or you will end up with a melty, crunchy mess. Ask me how I know!

      

Both of these acrylic wraps were steamed to block.

      

If you only want to lightly block sweater pieces for example, I like to pin them out to match the length of seams and lightly steam them. This works with both natural and synthetics. You only want to release some of the curl and straighten out the stitches. Acrylics also respond well to a simple warm wash and a short spin in the dryer (not too hot) to look good.

      

These little sweaters were lightly steamed then washed.

My Vine Lace Wrap below was soaked and pinned.

      

      

After you have invested all of your time and lovely yarn to make a sweater, shawl or other beautiful item, spend a little extra time and block. You won’t be disappointed.

Have a wonderful crafty week and may all your yarn skeins pull smoothly from the centre!

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Projects Finished and What’s Next?

Iris Rose

Last Saturday found DD1 and I at the Fibre Shindig. Wow, what a wonderful experience but very hard on the budget! Lots of gorgeous squishiness leapt into my shopping bag to come home and join the stash party.

Speaking of stash, I am using up my stash of worsted ends with charity hat knitting.  I know that I wrote about this before but here are a some of the hats that I made this month.

Do you ever hit the wall creatively? I am so there. I haven’t even got the creative juice to clean up my new patterns and publish them. Do you think it might be spring fever after the long dark winter? I hope so as I am ready to rock those needles and hooks if I can just find the right project! I will update you next week; my mind is cooking up an idea while I am writing this!

Okay, enough of the grumbling! I have made a new toy and I am tickled with the result. How is this for some serious cuteness!
I started with my monster pattern, which is free on ravelry by the way. I made longer ears and left out the hair rows on the body piece. It is an easy adaption and a quick make.


I finally got this little sweater sewn up this week. It had been languishing in the UFO pile for only a short time, but I am determined that the UFO pile is going to stay at two week finish or frog status.


I also found this little cradle bag, almost finished, when I organized (sort of) my stash and finished it up this week as well. Looks like I am on a roll!

Happy crafting this week and may all of your yarn pull easily from the centre!

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Fun With Food!

Iris Rose

It has been a really busy, busy week and I haven’t had time to finish anything for you by blog time. So, instead of babbling on about something knitting or crochet related, I thought that I would turn to my next great love, food.

         

Every morning we have a mix of fruit and berries with our breakfast. I always top DH’s with a little cereal and yogurt for some extra protein. A little while ago, I got bored with the plain white yogurt on top of everything else and decided to jazz it up a bit.

         

We have a tradition of making faces with the components of the rest of our meal anyway so what is one step further? Animal faces, of course and the trend was born.
These are some of the little faces that I make to bring a smile to my sweetheart’s face and what better way to start the day than with a smile?

         

I have been working on the crochet pattern that I promised you and, with luck and some spare time, should have it the sample finished this weekend.

I have also finished a couple of machine knit cardigans like the one I posted a couple of weeks ago to add to my craft sale stock. These are just so soft and cozy feeling that I want one for myself!

I have almost finished the hand knit sample of this little sweater and hope to get that pattern to you in the next couple of weeks.

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

My New Gradient Cable Poncho Pattern, Half Price!

Iris Rose

Well, at long last I finished my gradient yarn poncho and, tada, I love it! You know that feeling that you get when you envision a project or fall in love with a pattern and yarn and just have to make it? And when it turns out exactly like your vision or the pattern, you just want to jump up and down and hug someone? That’s it; that is what I am actually feeling, woohoo!

Okay, okay, time to calm down already. I have published the pattern for my Gradient Cable Poncho, made in worsted weight yarn, on Ravelry and, for the next two months, I am offering it to my blog readers at fifty percent off. Use the coupon code 50OFF at checkout and enjoy! Half price for all my loyal readers and, if you pass it along, to your friends too. You do need to click through to Ravelry from my blog for this promotion. While you are on my blog site, have a look at all of the other free patterns that I have up there in cyberspace for you to use.

               

As a special bonus, because spring is coming and who doesn’t need another light and lovely shawl to keep those shoulders warm in the cool spring breeze, you can use the same coupon to purchase my Northern Rose Shawl pattern at half price. The pattern for this pretty shawl is written and charted and can be made in two sizes depending on the yarn that you choose. Have a look at the pattern details to see both a worsted weight and a sock weight version. Who doesn’t love to save money?

       

I have been busy with charity hats still and am about one third of the way through that box of yarn that I featured last week. Who knew that making hats is so addictive and great TV knitting? I am determined to switch up to crochet this weekend which will slow down the movie intake (I need to look at what I am doing when I crochet!) but, hopefully will sharpen up my skill set.

I have a couple of machine knit patterns in the works too, worked on a standard gauge machine, for anyone interested in that craft. I just have to decipher my notes, always a challenge! Keep watch here as they will be featured on my blog first.