Tag: crochet

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Twister

Iris Rose

Do you ever buy yarn just because it is too pretty to resist? What a silly question! Of course you do, at least I hope that I am not alone in this habit. I can’t be because a lot of you write and post pictures of your large and lovely stashes.

Anyway, I bought four cakes of Hobbii Twister a while ago simply because I thought that they were beautiful. I had no other reason than that, honestly. I used most of one cake crocheting a girl’s poncho worked corner to corner style.

The yarn is really lovely. It has a nice hand, is easy to work with, and the colours are so pretty. The only knock against it is that it is not a true gradient which is what I thought I was buying. The poncho showed definite stripes although that doesn’t look too bad now that it is finished.

I was saving this colour for me thinking that a gradient sweater would be just about perfect made with it. When the striping showed in the teal, I put this lovely blend of greys and peaches away in disappointment as it just did not fit what I had in mind.

I decided to give it another chance. I am not a small person and crosswise stripes do nothing to improve my figure. That being the case, I thought to work a cuff to cuff style so that the stripes will run vertically. I played around with my swatch (yes, I do swatch to make sure that all of the work put into making a sweater results in one that fits!) and decided that the two cakes I have will be enough for a pretty cardigan.

This is what I have made so far. I determined that I needed to work the front and back separately in order to balance the stripes and also so that I could increase on the outside arm seam without it being too obvious.

I hoped to have this finished by now but, you know, life.

Have a super week and I will try to finish to show you next week. Kindness to you.

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

The Addi Egg is Fun!

Iris Rose

Well, I am back. I’m still hacking and sniffling but much better than last week.

This week I am featuring a new to me Addi mini knitter called the Egg. It is available on eBay and has been nagging me to buy it for a long while now. I broke down right before the holidays and, because it was right before the holidays, was delivered in mid-January. The shipping time was actually not bad as it was sent from Germany.

The price was reasonable, about forty-six dollars Canadian, plus free shipping.

This little knitter is fun to use, really fun to use. I own an Embellishknit that I use for Icord and have not been really happy with the difficulty I have with getting the darn thing to start knitting. The Egg was super easy to thread up and cast on. The cord that it produces is six stitches so larger than the other Icord and not suitable as a replacement for four stitch Icord.

I used DK yarn in this sample and, after about five minutes work, ended up with a long piece (I couldn’t stop turning the handle!) that was about 2cm or 1 ½” wide when flattened. I can picture using it as a bag handle, maybe with a cord threaded through it for reinforcement. I am going to play with using it as an applied trim on a sweater.

I will report back when I have used the trim in an actual garment or accessory. Maybe I will get something done next week?

I knit a little sweater with Caron Cakes Latte yarn which very quickly appeared and disappeared from Michaels stores. I bought two cakes, both the same colour number and both the same dye or production lot. I needed the second cake only for one of the sleeves.

I like to rewind any skeins or cakes before I start work in order to avoid the surprise of a knot in an unfortunate place. The first cake was great, the second had a knot at a colour change which I could work around. The problem that I ran into with the knotted yarn was that the grey, although in the correct sequence of colour change, was not the same grey as the first cake. It was hidden inside of the cake. I tried using the grey on the outside of the cake to make the sleeves match, but that length was not long enough.

The sweater turned out to be quite cute and I think that I am likely the only one that will notice the off colour (more brown than grey like the front, but I like things to match! Not just okay but really seriously match as the fronts and backs do.  The bottom edge is crocheted and will be redone with a smaller hook to eliminate the waves.  I am already working on it.

No more Latte, yarn that is, for me even if I could find it.

Happy week to you all and I wish you kindness and tangle free yarn in all of your crafting.

PS: for those of you who use Windows 10, check out the yarn and knitting theme for your desktop wallpaper. It is free in the theme store.

Knitting

A Dearth of UFO’s

Iris Rose

They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but I beg to differ. I believe that this road is paved with all of the grand schemes and unfinished projects that I have lying around in my craft space and (quietly) in other areas of our home.  And, before you assume that I have a reasonable stash, this is only the part that is allowed out in public.

I told myself: “Self, you are going to get all of this mess cleaned up before the New Year starts!” to which I replied: “Good luck with that, honey!” I did try my best, with a little procrastinating of course, to get all of the odds and ends cleaned up in the last couple of weeks but with Christmas, vacation, and any other excuse I could find, it didn’t get done. This is what I have left, and I have no illusions about getting it all done at this point.

 

My yoke sweater that I started goodness knows when is back. This has been one of those projects that stalled due to anger at my miscalculations and then lack of interest over the warm months. I have made good progress over the last week and am going to keep on going until it is done. I plan on a Latvian Braid up both front edges with a black folded stocking stitch band (buttoned) and ribbing at the neck, bottom and cuffs in black as I ran out of the grey. I think that it will work and be closer to what I imagined at the start of this than the mess that I began with.

Next, I am almost finished a little tunic, machine knit, with crocheted trim and hand knit neck ribbing, yet to be done. This one turned out just as I envisioned and is a prototype for a new pattern, another thing that I have been ignoring.

Then there is the SHAWL. DD1 gifted me with a couple of Tea Cakes in the spring. I went ahead and sketched out a shawl, started work on it and realized that two cakes would not be enough. Of course, by that time, Tea Cakes were gone from Michaels. I finally tracked some down in the Wool Warehouse online and am ready to go ahead with the rest of the shawl, combining knitting and crochet. This is another pattern that should be forthcoming in the New Year.

I still have all of the toys that I worked up on vacation, but these will definitely wait until all of the above are done to finish these up.  And, there may be a hat or two lying in wait as well!

Have a happy week with lots of crafting time!

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

On Vacation So Don’t Expect Much!

Iris Rose

Okay, I am on vacation so can’t promise you much but here goes. Two weeks in Aruba, are you jealous yet? We have only been here two days and already I feel like mush, good mush but mush none the less.


I finished up the craft sale season and am ready to move on to pattern writing. Look ahead to January for that. I think that I am over my pattern writing block and ready to move forward now. I have a few machine patterns and a couple of hand knit as well as crochet patterns to publish for you.

I had some fun with my LK 150 machine in creating an easy poncho that will translate well to hand knitting too and, as a bonus for those of you that are multicraftual, the edging is crocheted. Look forward to that pattern before the end of the month.

In the meantime, have a great week ahead and I should have a real post for you next week. By the way, I have reached a milestone in my blog life. Last post was number 100 and now I am on to the next century of posts.

Happy crafting and remember to be kind to everyone you meet whether you believe they deserve it or not.

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Wrap It Up For Kids

Iris Rose

Last week I wrote about handmade gifts and shamelessly suggested my own patterns for you to make in time for gift giving at Christmas. Today I will just as shamelessly suggest some of my patterns for kids! It always surprises me at how much little ones appreciate a gift made just for them.  My patterns are all priced at $4.99 or less.

If you crochet, my Toddler’s Pretty Crocheted Cardigan (paid) is an easy and fast make for your Christmas princess. Made with low cost acrylic yarn, you can probably make this with something from your stash. I used Red Heart Soft for my pattern tests, but I have also made this with other basic worsted weight yarn.

My Little Lovely Lacey Cardigan is another pretty (paid) make. Combining both knit and crochet, I have offered you size 6 months to girls 8 in this one in DK weight yarn.

Knit and Sewn Kid’s Dress, also paid, combines a knitted top with a sewn fabric skirt. Make it up in a pretty glitzy yarn on top and satin or lace on the bottom and the Christmas dress is done.

On the toy side, my Sweet Doll Bed is a very quick crochet project for a last minute gift that will make a little one smile. It will fit up to an eight inch doll and can easily be modified by increasing the rounds of the base. Using acrylic worsted weight, this one won’t break the bank either.

How about a Monster? Free in my Ravelry store, this one requires a little more knitting skill but is really fun to do.

And lastly, how about a cute hat? This is also free in my Ravelry store, a quick make and kids just love to wear a Tiger Hat on their head. You will need to know how to knit in the round and have a little more skill to make the features.

I posted a pattern for a cute rabbit that is easy to make in a blog post earlier this year, another freebie if you take the time to look back to May 3rd!

I hope that these suggestions will inspire you to create handmade gifts whether you use my patterns or not.

Thank you for reading and happy crafting this week!