Tag: machine knitting

Knitting

New Year, New Projects

Iris Rose

Happy New Year to you all! If you are like me, you pretend that you don’t make any New Year’s resolution but secretly, you know that you do.

Mine for the last few Januarys has been to keep track of the projects completed throughout the year. You thought I was going to write that I would work only from stash or not buy any more yarn didn’t you. Heck no, where is the fun in collecting then? Back to the project resolution, I still haven’t kept it proving my humanness once again.  Maybe this will be the year (or not).

I did start last year (really late) by trying to photograph everything that I made and then loading it up to my Ravelry projects page. Who knew that you would have to fill in so many details? I got very quickly bored with that as you can see from my project list. I need a quick, quick, quick way to keep track, any suggestions? I have tried a journal in the past also but with the same result. I think that I may be a lost cause as I resent the time cataloguing when I could be crafting.

Yay, my yoke is done! It desperately needs blocking, but the sweater fits and I have already picked up the stitches for the bottom garter band and knit two rows. This has been one of those projects that haunts you. I know how I wanted it to look (not the way it does) but will be satisfied once it is done, I am sure. How many times can you frog a hand knit yoke? My answer to that is seven!

Just because you are working on one thing doesn’t mean that you can’t start another, does it? I am planning on a series of machine knit yoke sweaters in kid sizes for my sales and Etsy store and began the first today. I hope that the yoke sweater trend lasts another season!

Finally, I have finished the tunic that I featured last week. Only three frogs on this neck treatment so no new records broken.

Thanks for reading and may happiness and kindness follow you this week and all your yarn be tangle free!

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.

Travel, Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Kananaskis And A Crafty Week

Iris Rose

I had a great week, how about you? The weekend craft sale was great but very tiring. I don’t handle the stress of anticipating what, if anything, will sell so I am glad that I have this one under my belt.

Before I show you last weekend though, I forgot to post last week about DD1’s birthday weekend away to Kananaskis in the Rockies. It was a special birthday so we all got together at a lovely hotel and had a great time in the pools and just generally enjoying the fresh air and great beauty of the province that we live in.

I was at the Springbank Art Club craft sale last weekend and really was very gratified by all of the lovely comments on my work. Sales were good and I have a clearer mind on what I need to focus on for the future. I should know better than to say something like that. It is always a curse!

I didn’t make any of my critter hats for the sale as I was restricted from competing with other vendors that also make hats. I did have my grandkids visit wearing the hats that I featured last week and had a really strong response so I have been busy this week making more for my next sale, Etsy Foothills, in Okotoks on November 24th.

And now for a whine, just a caution for those Canadians who order yarn from Europe and the UK that is shipped through DHL. I paid for courier shipping from the Wool Warehouse (great online store and great customer service) and was dismayed to be told by DHL that before they would deliver my parcel, I had to pay $18.45 to clear customs on top of the fee I had already paid for shipping. The value of my yarn was $58.00CAD, shipping was $21.00. When I have had parcels of greater value delivered by Canada Post, there is no custom clearance fee or duty. I suspect that DHL is charging a blanket fee whether there is duty to be collected or not, holding your parcel hostage.

I won’t be ordering from Europe or the UK anytime soon if this is how shipping is handled. Regular post is an option but I waited nine weeks for an order shipped this way from England to Canada. It is too bad that one giant company can ruin the business of smaller ones in this way.  Thanks for listening and I am off the soap box.

Have a happy week with lots of pretty yarn on your needles and hooks!

Knitting

Craft Sale Critter Hats

Iris Rose

Okay, I am officially losing it. A couple of weeks ago, I thought that Wednesday was Thursday. Yesterday, I thought Thursday was Wednesday. For those of you that wait with bated breath for my weekly blog post, I apologize for being a day late but not for being a dollar short.

I have been ramping up for the big Springbank sale this weekend. It is a new one to me and I am always nervous before a new sale. I had everything ready two weeks ago, that is how worried I am. Silly I know but so totally me. I have four bins of toys and one of kid’s sweaters so I think that I will be good for products.


I have been working on some cute hats for the next sale on the 24th. I made one for DGD2; she put it on and wore it all weekend. I would say that it was a hit. I forgot to take a photo but there is no chance that I will get it back! She had asked for doll clothes a while ago and I had fun with those too.


DGD1 saw the new hat and asked very shyly if I could make her one too. Of course, if I make her one I need to make her younger brother one too which is never a hardship. I really love it when one of the kids or grandkids asks for me to make them something. I feel flattered and privileged.


Anyway, here are a couple of the hats that I made. The are based on my free Tiger Hat pattern that you can download here. DH says make some for sale so I am hard at work! They only take a couple of hours to make and I really have fun creating them so it is a win, win. Plus, I can use some of my SABLE stash so I guess that makes it a win, win, win project, my favourite kind.


Have a great week and don’t feel guilty if you start a new project or two; I know I will be starting at least that many!