Tag: small projects

Knitting

Need To Make A Last Minute Gift?

Iris Rose

Are you panicked yet? No? Good for you, that means that you are organized and well self managed. Yes? Welcome to the real world of crafting!

If you desperately need a hand knit gift and only have an evening to pull it off, here are a couple of my free patterns that can be made in that time.

 

First off is my Simple Shawl. Knit on big needles with bulky yarn, you can whip this one up in four hours or less. It only uses 150m of a fancy yarn to create a shawl that highlights the yarn and is soft and squishy. It is an ideal way to use up a special, I only have two skeins, of something pretty.  Block it aggressively when you are done.

 

My next suggestion, if you have even less time, is my Quick and Easy Garter Stitch Cowl. Again, relying on big needles and big or fancy yarn, this is an easy two hour project. I have doubled or tripled contrasting colours and textures to create my own bulky yarn for this one many times making a special, one of a kind, piece to keep your neck warm.

 

 

Okay, I have given you a couple of ideas, now dig through that stash and get busy, time is a wasting!

I wish you all the best for the holiday season no matter who and how you celebrate. Kindness is the greatest gift of all so please give freely

Knitting

What’s Next?

Iris Rose

The climate for business in Alberta is really bad right now and, as a result, I have been laid off. Upside? I get to craft a whole lot more. Downside? Less money for crafting. I am trying to find the lemonade recipe if I can only remember where I filed it.

I will be spending more time polishing up and testing the bazillion patterns that I have created and are filed away as notes only due to lack of time. I really want to dye gradient yarn as well.  There’s the recipe, right there, I knew it would turn up.

Well, the craft sale is done and the resulting orders as well. What do I do now?

I have fallen into machine knitting again to the detriment of my other crafting. I made a resolution to knit or crochet at least two toys every week but I am failing miserably at that! I have one to show for the last two weeks, but, and this is important I guess, I was working on a couple of custom kids’ dresses. All done now except for the final finishing and I am back to the usual.

Stay tuned for new releases and, in the meantime, here are a couple of relatively new creations.

Have a terrific week ahead and, for your health’s sake, give someone a hug and a kind word.

Knitting

Your UFO Is How Old???

Iris Rose

I have been catching up on a bunch of things that I had planned for the fall and now have time for. One is to clean out the dresser that I have all of my sewing stuff stashed away in. It had become somewhat of a mess (huge understatement here) to the point that I couldn’t extract a reel of thread without pulling out a dozen more that were tangled with it.

While I was cleaning and sorting and tossing out, I came across a bag of lace collars that I had crocheted when I had to spend a lot time with a little one in hospital way back in 1980. Among them was one lonely knit collar, my first knitted lace attempt. As you will see in the photos, I made a mistake of some sort in the pattern. Being new to reading lace patterns and under a great deal of stress at the time, I didn’t do anything about it but just carried on.

I hadn’t yet mastered a loose cast off either and when I finished, the cast off edge was too tight, and the collar didn’t curve as it should. I put it away and saved it to repair at some point in the future which happened to be this week.

I started by undoing the cast off and picking up the stitches as I went. The collar curved really well once the tight row was removed. I didn’t do anything about the lace pattern. I consider the mistake to be part of my history and, along with the associated memory, deserves to be preserved.

The cast off was so tight that I didn’t have enough of the original thread to redo it and I certainly didn’t have the same crochet cotton languishing still in my stash. I decided that a contrast colour border might do it so found a soft sage green bamboo that is a good match in size and finish. I worked four rows of garter stitch and tried a million different types of knitted cast off (okay not a million but it felt like it when I was frogging) before finally settling with a crocheted one.

 

Blocking and a button and this is a thirty-nine year old project finally done. Next week will feature another rescued project but one that is much younger!

Have a safe and happy week filled with craft goodness!

Knitting

Tiger Hat Free!

Iris Rose

Okay, again, I am back at the crafting stuff. DH had a big set back but is on the mend now thank goodness.

Winter is coming and most kids need a new hat this time of the year. I love to knit for the grands and they are at an age still where they will wear a fun hat without worrying about the cool factor.

I published a pattern for a Tiger Hat that has been featured in a pattern round up for little’s hats and has had lots of downloads and positive comments.

This Tiger Hat is easy to knit and fun to wear. I have used the basic pattern and changed it to a cat, dog, teddy, etc. by simply modifying the ears and colour of yarn. Have fun with it! Here is direct link to the Ravelry download (free) for the pattern.

More next week on getting ready for the Big Freeze here in the Great White North. Ah, Bob and Doug, remember them?

Size: The hat in second size measures 43cm or 17” upstretched and 50cm or 20” stretched to fit. It will fit age 2 to 6 depending on the child’s head size.

Materials: I used pipsqueak like and eyelash yarn held together. You will need 70m or 78 yds of main colour (MC), 20m or 23 yds of contrast yarn (CC) for stripes and 10m or 12 yds of contrast yarn (CB) for muzzle and inner ears. You will also need about 4m or 5 yds of scraps of sport weight to make the nose and eyes. Small amount of stuffing for muzzle.
Tools: 6mm or US 10 (40cm or 16”) circular needle or DPNs and 3.5mm or US 4 needles for nose and eyes, a marker, a tapestry needle. You will need a second circular (magic loop) or DPNs for decreasing the crown of the hat.

Gauge: 13 stitches x 23 rows = 10cm or 4” in stocking stitch.

Abbreviations: k = knit k2tog = knit two stitches together

p = purl           kfb = knit into the front and back of the same stitch

Hat:
With MC, cast on 54 (60, 66, 72) stitches and join for knitting in the round placing a marker at the join to mark your row end.
Rnds 1 to 10: Work 10 rounds of 1×1 rib in main colour.
Rnds 11 and 12: Change to CC and knit rounds.
Rnds 13 to 15: Change to MC and knit these rounds.
Repeat Rnds 11 to 15 three more times for a total of twenty rounds in stripe pattern.
Rnds 31 and 32: Change to CC and work these rounds in stocking stitch.
Rnds 33 and 34: Change to MC and work these rounds in stocking stitch.
Rnd 35: Continue in MC and begin decreasing. (k 7 (8, 9, 10) k2tog) 6 times.
Rnd 36: Change to CC and knit 1 round.
Rnd 37: Continue in CC and continue decreasing. (k 6 (7, 8, 9) k2tog) 6 times.
Rnd 38: Change to MC and knit 1 round.
Rnd 39: Continue in MC and continue decreasing. (k 5 (6, 7, 8) k2tog) 6 times.
Rnd 40: Continue in MC and knit 1 round.
Rnd 41: Change to CC and continue decreasing. (k 4 (5, 6, 7) k2tog) 6 times.
Rnd 42: Continue in CC and knit 1 round.
Rnd 43: Change in MC and continue decreasing. (k 3 (4, 5, 6) k2tog) 6 times.
Rnd 44: Continue in MC and knit 1 round.
Rnd 45: Continue in MC and continue decreasing. (k 2 (3, 4, 5) k2tog) 6 times.
Rnd 46: Change to CC (for smallest size do not change colour) and knit 1 round.
Rnd 47: Continue in CC for larger sizes and MC for the smallest size and continue decreasing. (k 1 (2, 3, 4) k2tog) 6 times. This will be the last round for the smallest size. Cut a 20cm or 8” end and take off all stitches with a tapestry needle. Gather up tight and, slipping the needle to the inside, fasten off.
Continue decreasing in the stripe pattern for the next sizes, keep to MC for last rows so that the crown is in MC and stop after k1, k2tog round when there are 12 stitches left on the needles. Take the stitches off as described for the smallest size.
You are now ready for the face pieces.

Muzzle: Using contrast yarn CB and leaving a long tail, cast on 5 stitches.
Row 1: purl.
Row 2: kfb, k 3, kfb = 7 st.
Row 3: purl.
Row 4: kfb, k 5, kfb = 9 st.
Start with a purl row and work 15 rows of stocking stitch.
Row 20: k2tog, k 5, k2tog = 7 st.
Row 21: purl.
Row 22: k2tog, k 3, k2tog = 5 st.
Row 23: purl.
Cut a long tail and take off stitches with a tapestry needle. Gather up and secure but leave the end for sewing the muzzle to the hat.

Ears: Make 2, using MC and leaving a long tail, cast on 8 stitches.
Row 1: purl
Row 2: k 1, (kfb x 6) k 1 = 14 st.
Start with a purl row and stocking stitch 7 rows.
Row 10: Change to CC and knit.
Change to CB and starting with a purl row, work 5 rows of stocking stitch.
Row 16: k1, (k2tog x 6), k 1 = 8 st.
Cast off leaving a long tail for sewing on the ear.

Nose: Leaving a long tail for sewing and using beige or pink sport weight yarn and 3.5mm US 4 needles, cast on 11 stitches.
Start with a knit row and work 4 rows of stocking stitch.
Row 5: k2tog, k 7, k2tog = 9 st.
Row 6: purl.
Row 7: k2tog, k 5, k2tog = 7 st.
Row 8: purl.
Row 9: k2tog, k 3, k2tog = 5 st.
Row 10: purl.
Row 11: k2tog, k 1, k2tog = 3 st.
Cut a long tail (you will use this to make the separate cheeks) and take off the remaining 3 stitches with a tapestry needle.

Eyes: Make 2, using black or your chosen eye colour sport weight yarn and 3.5mm or US 4 needles, cast on 5 stitches,
Row 1: purl
Row 2: kfb, k 3, kfb = 7st.
Row 3: purl.
Row 4: kfb, k 5, kfb = 9 st.
Row 5: purl
Row 6: k2tog, k 5, k2tog = 7st.
Row 7: purl.
Row 8: k2tog, k 3, k2tog = 5 st.
Cast off leaving a long tail for sewing.

Thank you for reading and I wish you a lovely week.  Be kind and remember that we all see through different eyes and interpret through different experiences.

Yarn, Knitting and Crochet

Koolaid, Colour to Dye For

Iris Rose

I am going to take a break from the monster shawl today and let you in on some fun that DD1 and I had the weekend before last.

I love hand dyed yarn. I love the look of the rich colours, the different colour placements and the allover yumminess of the finished hank. I tried my hand at dying yarn a couple of years ago and, although I was generally pleased with the result, it just did not meet my expectations. Attempt number two did all of that and more.

Here is the yarn soaking in the sink.  I let it sit for 30 minutes to make sure that it was all hydrated.

Last time I used Wilton food colouring and did not do any research beforehand. I did my reading this time and we used Koolaid, guaranteed to stain anything in its crystal form. The only sad thing about all of this is that, in the wisdom of corporate Kraft Foods, Koolaid in the unsweetened package of crystals that we all know and cherish the memories of from our childhood is no longer distributed in Canada. This meant that an Amazon delivery was in order but, unfortunately, with limited colour (flavour) choices.

I think that we still did pretty well all in all. We had a variety of yarns to try, five in all, from the Knit Picks Bare collection. All are natural animal fibres which made the colouring easy.

Adding the Koolaid!  Then adding more Koolaid!  Then adding even more Koolaid!

Heating the yarn in the pots took a little time and I was so impatient.

Letting them cool before rinsing.  It is interesting that the water went from saturated with colour to clear in a couple of minutes.


I followed the instructions, here, on the Love Knitting website and everything went just as planned except that it took way more Koolaid than we expected for saturated colours. If you are looking at a large batch, this is definitely not the most economical way to play with dying yarn, but it was one hundred percent right on for the fun factor.

Drying took over night but was so worth the sheepy smell in my bathroom, not.  Good thing I don’t use this tub.

And, here we have it, from plain to fabulous!  Now, what am going to make with these lovelies?


I will have the promised next section of my shawl up for you later this week or early next but in the meantime, have fun with whatever craft you are working at right now. Take care of each other.