Tag: crochet

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

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!