Tag: worsted

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

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!

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!

Knitting

Gift Wrap Up!

Iris Rose

If you are anything like me, you use that last minute that everyone talks about to get the most work done. We are sneaking closer to Christmas and all the fun (and stress) of gift giving. I have a couple of patterns in my Ravelry and Etsy stores that fill the handmade gift and last minute criteria both.


Free is always a good thing, well mostly anyway. Sometimes free advice is not welcome and freeloaders definitely not but free patterns, okay! I have a few suggestions from my catalogue. First is the Curved Shoulder Scarf. Easily made in a couple of evenings, or one if you stay up very late, it is a very pretty way to make a gift without breaking the bank. You likely have a suitable yarn in your stash just waiting to be used!  Also in the four hour category and also free, is my Simple Shawl pattern.  Use up those fancy bulky yarns in an evening with this one.  I made the pictured one with one skein of Lion Brand Landscape.


Next, may I suggest the Delphinium Shoulder Scarf? This one is a paid pattern but you will want to knit this one more than once. It is a little more involved than the Curved scarf and more shawl like in size and fit. I used less than one skein of Red Heart Super saver to make the sample for the pattern. It uses short rows for shaping to hold it on your shoulders with the wrap and turns nicely hidden in the seed stitch body. I really don’t like the look of wrap and turn except when they are hidden in the stitch pattern.


Also free is my Latte Scarf, made with one Caron Cake. You could make this into a wrap by increasing the number of pattern rows if you have a second cake. You could also use a plain or variegated yarn for this one and have a very pretty present. It has been a very popular pattern judging by the number of downloads, thank you, and is still being chosen regularly.


Okay, now you have some inspiration, get stash diving and start crossing those handmade gift projects off of your list! I, however, intend to wait for the last minute ’cause that is the only time I get anything done.


Have a happy week with kindness all around you.