Make Do & Mend

You might remember (or not!) my Pixie Slippers that I made almost exactly a year ago. I’ve been pretty much wearing the heck out of them ever since – except perhaps in the hot days of midsummer. I wear them around the house every day and they keep my feet nice and toasty. However they were starting to wear quite badly on the soles:

This is the better one and it’s already been mended and worn nearly out again. The other one needed some extra stitches over the holes but I already had the sole partially stitched on when I remembered to take pictures of the process.

It used up the last of the two balls of vintage Condon’s worsted yarn (that I had already knit double for the body of the slippers) when I crocheted the two new soles:

I used a 4mm crochet hook and a single strand of the yarn, beginning with a ch 25 and working sc around both sides of the ch and increasing in the ends as necessary. Since I didn’t have a pattern, I just worked a row on one sole and a row on the other alternately so they are more-or-less the same. The crochet was pretty tight because I want it to be as durable as possible. It only took an hour or so to finish. Then I spritzed them with water and pinned them out then steam-blocked with the iron for good measure and left them to dry overnight.

Today I used the tails of yarn to stitch the soles onto the slipper bottoms:

I also repaired a thin spot in one of the felt innersoles. And now they are nice and cushy and the life of my slippers should be extended for another year. I hope!

Of course now Milady Daughter wants a pair. They are pretty quick to knit the main slippers but the fun part is making the true felt innersoles! Maybe I’ll get her to do that part with me like I did when I made her dad’s pair. Anyhow, I put her request in my ever-extending and never-ending queue. I want to make Rosebud a new sweater first though. And I have to finish the socks for my niece which are nearly at the heel flaps. And we won’t even mention the rag quilt which seems to be stalled for some reason. I must get to it soon because I want my work table back! Plus I can’t justify starting to sew some clothes until I’ve finished that darn quilt. Why is it taking me so long?

Guess it takes as long as it takes.

T-Man is working at home today and we would like to get out for a walk when he’s done. It all depends on how wet we want to get and how hard it’s raining when we decide to head out the door.

Are You Tired of Crochet Yet?

Hope not because here’s some more! Or, if you’re bored, just skip this one. My feelings won’t be hurt. Anywho, I bought myself a couple of birthday presents – since my birthday was spent in quarantine due to the flu and I didn’t get to celebrate at all. First up, I got the new Denise crochet hook set. This is similar to the knitting needle set but with 12 crochet hook heads: US sizes F/5-19 (3.75-15mm). 7 cords: two each of 3" and 5" and one each of 9", 12" and 16. There are two extenders and 4 end buttons. Luckily the case fits neatly along with the original one in my felted Denise bag that I made from a pattern by Cat Bordhi. (PDF here.)

Please note that these are not your regular crochet hooks! Though they apparently can be used that way, they’re not particularly well-suited. They are actually for Tunisian/afghan crochet or double-ended crochet. (There’s lots of links to this latter type of crochet in an old post of mine here. And no, you don’t really have to buy more matching hooks, just switch the hook from one end to the other.) Plus they also have lots of uses for knitting in picking up stitches, casting on and binding off. You can combine any of the parts with the needle set so the possibilities are endless. The manufacturers include a beginner Tunisian crochet insert and challenge people to come up with some innovative combinations of knit and crochet using their sets. At least this new set might be an incentive for more people to learn how to do Tunisian crochet. One can never master too many techniques! I’m sure I’ll be playing with it in future to see what I can come up with.

I also got two new books. Quelle suprise! The first was one I mentioned recently: 

Crochet in Color by Kathy Merrick is really a nice book with patterns that include charts and diagrams where needed. Of course whether you agree with me depends on your personal taste! As I mentioned before, I covet the yellow sweater, though maybe in a more subdued colour. And perhaps in handspun? I love the several scarves and wraps that are in here too, most making use of motifs in a fresh and (of course) colourful way. I don’t know about using the recommended yarns however unless you are very rich or own a yarn store. For instance a couple of items use Koigu at the rate of 9 to 11 different-coloured skeins. Or 5 skeins of Noro Silk Garden. And there are more in this vein. A little rich for my blood, though the results are lovely indeed. But then I have dyes and I know how to use them! Nobody said you had to use the same yarns that Kathy did.

The other book I got – because of course I needed to make the minimum for free delivery:

This one from the Harmony Guides series has lots of shapes and sizes of motifs, some of them quite different, including both written directions and symbols. However it’s really hard to find what you’re looking for because they are in no discernable order! I would have liked some categorising, say small fill motifs vs large elaborate ones or squares vs circles, stars etc. Even numbering them might have helped. But they are all mixed up and given rather arbitrary names. This means that to find anything you have to page through the book repeatedly which of course means getting seriously sidetracked every time. Also the motifs are photographed so they look relatively the same size so it’s hard to tell what size each one might turn out when worked up. Especially if you wanted to combine them in the same piece. Swatching, as always, is mandatory. This book is a good addition to my expanding crochet dictionary collection and now I’m seriously going to consider the other 2 crochet Harmony Guides: Basic Crochet Stitches and Crochet Edgings & Trims. But since I’ve been a wee bit greedy in the book department lately, they will have to wait.

But there’s more! I also got the 4th issue of the British crochet magazine “Inside Crochet”. I bought the 3rd one awhile back and, if I want them, the first 2 issues which are out of print are available in electronic form for a discount. They are pricey little darlings though! Nearly twice the price of North American mags. And 6 times per year. Yikes. What got me this time was a couple of the articles: one on dyeing with mushrooms and another by Shannon Okey on crocheting with handspun energised singles. And some cute crochet patterns to boot. This is a very excellent magazine that feels like a cross between Interweave Crochet and Spin-Off.

At first I was put off by the instructions which are, as you might expect, in British crochet terms. It’s a nice reversal of the frustration they must feel reading North American publications, doncha think? Also there are no schematics which I’ve come to rely on for a truer representation of the sizing and fit as well as the construction. However they do have the garment photographed flat as well as on the model which is helpful and the sidebar includes garment and body measurements, expected fit and what size the model is wearing. There are charts and diagrams where appropriate and adequate space is given for instructions, tips and special stitches. The ads are not jarring and the photography is clear and styling is attractive and reasonably uncluttered. I’d give it 4 out of 5 crochet hooks up, only quibbling on the price and frequency of publication which makes it a difficult choice to decide purchase on a regular basis. I might not be able to help myself though.

Hey, I also actually got a real birthday present that I didn’t buy for myself! It’s a lovely ball of recycled sari silk yarn, purchased for me by my mother-in-law (aka Nana) when she was on a trip to Cannon Beach, OR. Isn’t it pretty?

No idea what I will make but I just love that it’s all hand-wound into a ball and it’s so colourful and hairy – and heavy! Oh and Nana included a couple of bars of yummy dark chocolate too which I suppose I will have to share with her darling son, T-Man. He gave me soulful eyes when I unwrapped it. Cute. Speaking of T, the Movember moustache is growing, along with the accompanying beard. He says his Mo doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grows up so he’s not going to prune it until it decides. My vote is for “shaved off” but I can wait until December 1st. It’s nearly past the worst of the prickly stage now. Nearly.

Crochet Redux

Further to my last post on crochet, here’s a recent interview with Kathy Merrick, author of the book “Crochet in Color”. The yellow sweater I like so much is here! I will also say that Kathy’s Boteh Scarf from Interweave Crochet is the pattern that recently got me back into crochet so I’m already a fan. I just broke down and ordered the book after I read Dora Ohrenstein’s review. I couldn’t help it – it was calling to me!

Speaking of books, I’m going to check out Dora’s own book “Creating Crochet Fabric” when it comes out from Lark Books. So did you check out the rest of this Crochet Insider issue? Don’t miss a listen to Dora’s funky song and “Just Crochet It Away”. Earworm alert! The refrain sticks in your mind. Or at least mine.

I was thinking about something that Kathy Merrick said in her interview: that she both knits and crochets but since there are so many incredibly talented knit designers, she has been focusing on crochet instead. It’s an area where there is plenty of room for designers who can show quality and updated style. Oh yes, please! Take crochet out of the Bizarre Bazaar. (Do not get me started on the abominations they put on poor defenceless infants, OK?)

So what else have I been doing since I couldn’t go play with my Spectrum Study Group buddies yesterday? Knitting/crocheting and reading. Nothing exciting. But I’m getting closer to finishing one project about which I cannot blog. It would be nice to complete something for a change.

Today is going to be much more exciting. I get to do a huge pile of neglected dishes, change the towels and bed sheets, and do the laundry. Whoo-hoo!! So exciting. The weather is very changeable: one minute it’s dumping down rain and the next minute the sun is out. If you haul an umbrella with you, you’ll be guaranteed not to need it. Same goes for sunglasses. The leaves that are still left around are sure pretty though. My favourite colours are the ones you can’t describe. Or replicate. Something between greeny-red and reddish-green – but not brown.

Oink!

T-Man has what we suspect is the H1N1 flu. Luckily not so bad: he only spent 3 days in bed coughing and lazing about and today is working from home. He’s been banned from work for at least a week and I am (unfortunately) sharing his quarantine with him. My friends and family don’t want to catch the bug. So far I’m fine. I’d cross my fingers but it’s kind of difficult to type, knit or crochet like that. I’m just hoping I’ve been diligent enough to avoid it.

So meanwhile I’ve been working on the Secret Project for my Ravelry group’s Festivus Swap and another one for my Guild’s Christmas Swap. The necessity for secrecy makes blogging about these things rather problematic. I never know who is reading this! So pardon the lack of progress reports. The FO reports won’t be coming until the recipients get their gifts.

I was going to write about the new book “Twinkle Sews” but I decided that because I haven’t checked out the accompanying disc full of patterns yet that I would hold off for a bit. So the subject of my discourse today is going to be crochet. Just because it’s been interesting me lately. I have at least 4 crochet projects on the go right now. Somehow it’s hard to actually finish anything – though knitting projects are faring just as badly as crochet ones in that department.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been crocheting nearly as long as I’ve been knitting. Most of my life in fact. However I tend to crochet less often than I knit. For starters I usually like the fabric that I achieve with knitting better. For garments especially it drapes, snugs, stretches and fits under outerwear. I can’t imagine wearing crochet socks on a hike, for instance. I need to watch more carefully what I’m doing when I crochet so it takes considerably more concentration to work. And better light. It’s also harder on my hands and wrists than knitting so I can’t do it as long at one time without a break. All those factors tend to limit the number of projects I can complete.

In its favour however, crochet is faster by the square inch (or centimetre, if you prefer) than knitting. It’s more forgiving and easily variable so you can have fun without an actual pattern to follow. That’s all to the good because many crochet patterns are not so easy to follow anyway. It’s much harder to get gauge. And so many available patterns are (dare I say it?) kind of ugly. Or at least not to my personal taste. And I like granny squares! OK, some versions of them.

It’s not all bad. There have been some of what I would consider good crochet books and patterns published recently. One of these I’ve only seen in the store: Kathy Merrick’s “Crochet in Color”. I don’t have it in my hot little hands yet but that little yellow cardi on the cover is divine! Interweave Crochet is pretty wonderful most of the time but none of the other crochet magazines appeal to me. So I collect stitch dictionaries and the like instead. I prefer the ones with charts plus line-by-line instructions. You can’t have things explained too many ways. I have at least 3 different books by German crochet designer Linda Schapper and the edging and motif ones by Nicki Epstein. Other favourites just to look at are Sasha Kagan’s “Crochet Inspiration” and Edie Eckman’s “Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs”. It helps to be able to envision the stitches in other yarns and in complete projects. Swatching is of course mandatory. Lily Chin’s “Couture Crochet Workshop” is helpful to turn swatches into clothing that fits and (hopefully) flatters.

I also have fun with the books on freeform. They usually cover both crochet and knitting and feature motifs and stitches that you can join together to make organic shapes, like a jigsaw puzzle. Besides the ones by Prudence Mapstone and Jenny Dowde, there’s “Freeform Style” that Prudence wrote with Jonelle Raffino that has a different look, particularly if you aren’t fond of the “undersea garden” style of freeform. It’s not totally to my taste either but there are distinct possibilities there if you know where to look. And know how to play with yarn and hook.

OK enough babbling. I’m going to go crochet. No secret project photos until sometime in December and the rest of my projects look just like they did weeks ago. Unless you want to see a clean-shaven T-Man on the first day of Movember? He’s growing a moustache for prostate cancer research. He grows a fast mo! It’s a lot pricklier now. Good thing he’s been too sick for smooching, huh? Feel free to contact me if you want to sponsor him.

I Hate Online Shopping Carts

Whew! That was a very stressful 45 minutes I spent this morning! Trying to get registered at Maiwa for the Symposium workshop, lectures and fashion show that I wanted. Every time I got to the final checkout button it would give me an error message. Took 3 tries but I finally got a confirmation. Hope I don’t get charged for the other times it didn’t…quite…finish…

I would have held off until later today when the initial rush is gone before attempting the whole thing but I wanted to take the Woad Workshop with Bleu de Lectoure’s Henri Lambert from France. (You know how obsessed I am with woad!) It said there were only 3 spots left available of 16. Plus I thought the lecture with Elizabeth Barber, author of “Women’s Work: the First 20,000 Years”, would be sold out pretty quickly as well. Watching little timing arrows go around and around is not a lot of fun. I was willing the pages to load with my mind. At least it finally went through. I’m nothing if not persistent.

Going back to yesterday, we had the biggest turnout ever at our Sunday Afternoon Ravelry Meetup at the Saltspring Coffee Shop on Main St. A dozen of us knitters took over the inside and even when we rearranged furniture the staff didn’t blink an eye! We put it all back when we left of course. Then most of us trooped the few blocks to Three Bags Full for our usual pilgrimage. They had a huge new shipment of Blue Moon Socks That Rock just in and we did some definite damage to the pile. I kept saying I didn’t need more yarn but succumbed to the wool fumes and the general encouragement and got these:

 

That’s Valkyrie on the left and Ravenscroft on the right. Subtle dark colours that might be a bit tough to distinguish on the screen especially with the distraction of my rag placemats underneath! They will not necessarily become socks. I’m kind of tired of socks lately for some reason. Maybe because I’ve finally saturated the family’s sock drawers for the moment?

Also yesterday I pulled out the old polymer clay stash and whipped up a funky handle for my 3.5 mm Aero aluminum crochet hook. It looks like crap (literally) but it feels just right because I shaped it with my hand. A wee bit heavy (due to the large chunk o’clay I used) but very comfortable to crochet with. The square in the upper left is the reject one, being too open and floppy (though pretty). The one on the lower right is better, more dense and with smaller holes. Now to make a gazillion more and crochet them together for my Frankenblanket. This is going to be a long-term project. Especially when I keep removing sock yarn from the leftover pile thinking “This is too nice and I should use it for gloves or something else instead”.

Somebody explain to me why most crochet hooks don’t have more of a substantial handle on them? It might depend on the way you hold it: like a pen or like a knife. I hold it in my fist and skinny little hooks are harder to grip. Maybe one day I’ll get a whole set of the Clover Soft Touch. Meanwhile I’ll modify my Aeros! One at a time.

And speaking of notions, I also got some of these in the grocery store:

Teeny little hair clips. (That’s a quarter in there for scale.) I got 2 dozen for a fraction of the cost of Knit Klips, though they’re perhaps not quite the same as the patented version. They seem to work just fine for the job of holding two pieces of knitting or crochet together while you stitch them and they stay in place much better than pins. Anyway I don’t have enough to clip into so I’m certainly not going to be using them in my hair!

Have You Seen…

…the new online knitting magazine called the Twist Collective? What do you think about charging individually for the patterns? As I’m sure others are, I’m totally of two minds on this one: it’s great to see designers getting paid properly for their work but personally I’m much less likely to knit one of these patterns because of the fuss in ordering and downloading and paying for it. One pattern is nearly as much as an entire issue of Interweave Knits so I had better really want it first. I may not ever knit anything from my issues of IK but at least I can see the schematics and everything right there which makes it easier to decide if it’s worth my time to bother with a project. At least the TW’s general articles are freely accessible and the magazine itself is totally beautifully designed and interactive in a way that print can’t compete with. (I love the pattern details that pop up when you point at the photos.) It won’t replace Knitty in my heart but I hope it does well for Kate and all the contributors.

Have you seen a crochet hook like this?


It has a hook on each end. I got one of these when I bought a friend’s old stash of regular Tunisian crochet hooks, the ones that look like a straight knitting needle with a crochet hook instead of a point. So of course I had to go online to find out how to use the thing. Very interesting. Apparently it goes by several names, some trademarked and some not: crochetnit, Crochet on the Double, cro-hook, crochet-knit. They also come in several variations including ones with the hooks going in the same direction (like mine), opposite to each other, even connected by a cable like a cable needle only with hooks, made of metal or plastic, and with or without end caps. I even saw some beautiful turned wooden ones here (scroll down) and here. There’s a dishcloth pattern here that will give you the basics with a practice piece that is useful. Another more complex one is here. (Kim has other free patterns available too.) And some different stitch patterns using the cro-hook are here. There are even some video instructions here. (Check out both the Crochenit and the Crochet on the Double sections in the right column.) There’s also this (click on the sample link showing how to do the basic st) and a nifty way to do very wide pieces such as bedspreads here both by the queen of this technique, Mary Middleton. She also has free patterns as well as a gazillion booklets. Whew! See what happens when I follow my curiosity?

Yeah, I know some of that stuff is pretty reminiscent of church bazaar stuff, but use some imagination and nice yarns. It has possibilities.

Off to Spectrum to play with Shiva Paintsticks. I have snap peas from the garden in Japanese ginger dressing with sesame seeds for my potluck dish. Later, Gator!

Ami-Guru-What?

In keeping with my recent fascination with crochet, I broke down and bought the book Amigurumi! Super Happy Crochet Cute by Elisabeth A. Doherty.


I was resisting but I’ve been thinking about this book ever since I peeked inside at the book store and saw…a cheeseburger, complete with meat, cheese, onion, tomato, lettuce and bun. Would this be fun for the grandkids or what? Fun for Granny to make, anyhow. There’s also an Oreo-type cookie, cupcakes, strawberries and carrots. And that’s not even talking about the actual amigurumi characters that are in here. Some really are cute but some have a bit of an edge to them, like Punk Bunny the skater dude or a beatnik kitty named Hep Cat. Those are the centre two guys in the back row on the cover of the book. And I absolutely think the pig needs wings, don’t you?

OK, maybe I should back up and explain “amigurumi” just in case you’ve missed this craze somehow. The word as you might have guessed is Japanese and, regardless of the actual literal translation (it’s a contraction of two words), it has come to mean dolls crocheted (or occasionally knitted) spirally in the round. The other criteria for an amigurumi is that it must be “kawaii” (cute — like Hello Kitty or Pikachu), though some are a bit more cutesy than others depending of course on your taste. With that definition in mind there are some items called amigurumi that really are not. Some are crocheted spirally but aren’t really a doll (the aforementioned cheeseburger, though if you put eyes on it maybe it would qualify!) or are cute dolls but weren’t crocheted in the round. I know – picky-picky – but I didn’t make these rules up.

I think the reasons why most amigurumi are crocheted rather than knitted are simple: the shaping is so much easier and the result is thick and sturdy and holds its form well. The popularity of amigurumi may even have inspired a lot more people to learn to crochet than might have otherwise. Google the word “amigurumi” and see how many patterns are available online, most of them for free. Once you know the basics you can easily change a pattern to suit your own esthetics. These were all made from the same basic pattern.

If you need more help with crochet and how to work in the round and assemble your new pal, there’s a wonderful series of written and video tutorials here. Don’t miss the second and third pages for more which include reading the patterns and using markers to keep your place and different methods of adding the face. Crochet along as you learn to make a ball which covers many of the necessary techniques. The videos are quite well done and informative. This kind of tutorial is what the internet is so perfectly suited to!

On another subject completely, here’s the most recent finished socks:

Ocean Blues Socks


Begun: June 1, 2008
Completed: June 17, 2008

Yarn: S.R. Kertzer On Your Toes 4 Ply, superwash wool/nylon/aloe vera, blues ON223600.
Needles: Addi Natura bamboo dpns, 2.00mm

Pattern: Usual Damselfly’s Basic Socks pattern on 64 sts, 24 row 2/2 rib cuff, 7” to heel flap, heel stitch, 6.75” foot before toe decreases, decreased to 24 st (6 each needle), dog ear reduction, graft toe.

Comments: There was a knot in the ball which necessitated removing a section of the yarn when the colour sequence didn’t continue properly. Consequently the second sock was a half-round out of sync with the first one so they don’t quite match as well as I’d like. When washed there was a wee bit of turquoise dye in the water but they rinsed clear.

I sort of had someone in mind when I knitted these. However it all depends on whether they fit her or not because I never checked on her shoe size. This is kind of like a Cinderella story, huh? This size fits me and several other members of the family though so there are other options if the sock doesn’t fit the intended foot.

Oh wait. Maybe we’d better not talk about feet after the sixth one found on a Vancouver Island shore was a hoax. The other five aren’t though and the mystery surrounding them continues. Makes you wish Horatio Caine and his CSI crew were relocated to BC, huh? And weren’t just actors on a TV show…

Weave Me Alone

As I was plugging away on my daily yard of the Circus Blanket, listening to podcasts and trying to be as ergonomic as possible so as to save my back and wrists, I was thinking about why I weave. Those of you who know me through this blog or in person for only a few years might think that I don’t really weave much at all. Which is true, but only relatively recently. The truth is I have lots of weaving yarns and expensive tools and even ideas of what I’d like to make but I just haven’t gotten around to it. I kind of got out of the habit or just lost interest for awhile. For me that’s usually merely temporary because I cycle through different crafts, slowly or quickly, but rarely give up something forever. That’s why I never get rid of my equipment or materials. You never know when the bug will bite again. I actually used to weave a lot. You can tell because it’s all over my house and I make use of it every day: curtains, rugs, tea towels, napkins, placemats, runners, scarves, vests, jackets, coats and more. And at night I sleep under my blanket.

I’ve been weaving for a very long time, since the 1970’s in fact. I started with simple things: pin-weaving on cardboard, belt weaving, simple frames with nails hammered in (crookedly!) and even a forked branch. The lumpy funky earthy stuff was very popular back then. It went well with my first thick and thin handspun dyed in a canning pot in the kitchen. (My kids called it Mom’s wool soup.) I taught some of these off-loom or simple frame loom techniques at the local community centre and I remember several students being disappointed that I wasn’t going to teach them on a floor loom. I didn’t have one (yet) and the centre had no budget and nowhere to put one or the (preferably) several they would need for that type of class. And have I mentioned that I was totally self-taught? I never attended a weaving class taught by someone else until I had been weaving for years!

Eventually of course I couldn’t resist the temptation to weave bigger and faster and got a floor loom. Since I was still fairly unfamiliar with weaving equipment it was total crap, hand-built by somebody’s dad out of light flexible pine. I didn’t know any better and was happy to have something “real” to weave on. It was so lightweight it literally walked across the floor when I was beating in the weft. I kept having to push it back or risk being beaten off my bench. The beater also flexed making a straight cloth rather difficult to achieve but I still managed to make quite a number of items on it before I got a much better loom loaned to me. A long-time member of my weaver’s guild (yes I finally found it!) was rebuilding her house and needed to store a small 8-shaft Leclerc Minerva jack loom for a couple of years. Yes, please! I made a lot more things on that little 24” loom and learned about pattern weaving on 8-shafts. I also borrowed another Leclerc, a 4-shaft counterbalance this time, for another couple of years. In 1989 I finally had saved enough money to buy a good loom, an 8-shaft 45” wide Woolhouse Gertrude countermarche. This is the same loom I use most often today though I also have a 12-shaft Woolhouse Carolyn 23” wide table loom on a floor-stand and an older 24” wide 4-shaft Rasmussen table loom (which currently resides at Milady Daughter’s). And of course there is a whole collection of other needed equipment such as reeds, warping boards, shuttles, bobbins, bobbin winders, temples, etc. The stuff just accumulates. Yes, it does.

Through the years of weaving exploration I discovered the types of things I prefer to weave. I love lots of colour but also enjoy weaving complex structures — unfortunately both at the same time can create kind of a hash. (Ask me how I know!) As my old friend weaving teacher and editor Madelyn van der Hoogt says, you’re either a colour/texture weaver or a pattern/structure weaver. I tend to mostly be the latter but I’d like to hope I have more colour sense than most pattern/structure people. Of course you can’t tell any of that by my current project! It’s sort of a dog’s breakfast. I mean, a Circus! (Cue the calliope music.) Ahem.

As Syne Mitchell, podcaster (WeaveCast), editor (WeaveZine), and science-fiction book author, says: “You have to be warped to weave.”

In between weaving sessions (and avoiding the vacuuming), I’m nearly finished the Stargazer Sweater, which seems rather long and lean for a child’s sweater. I made the length of both the body and sleeves a half-inch shorter than the pattern said but it might have been better an inch shorter still. I can always hope that he’ll grow into the length before he grows out of the width. Meanwhile the sleeves can be rolled up.

I also have been having a ball crocheting tawashi. I still haven’t exhausted my two balls of Japanese yarn and have 4 done so far. There’s the Spiral Scrubbie:


And another Linked-Rings, this one with a hanging loop:


And I like this one a lot:


It makes a great keyboard duster! (Free pattern here.) I’d like to get one more Spiral out of the yarn before I run out.

FO: Boteh Scarf

The poor thing finally finished drying from its blocking. It’s so damp around here that it took 2 days! And I finally got enough light to photograph it. So without further ado, I bring you:

Boteh Scarf



Begun: October 10, 2007
Completed: October 18, 2007

Yarn: Sisu fingering/sock yarn, 80% wool/20% nylon, 160 m = 50 g, 2 balls white, handpainted by me with acid dyes.
Hook: 4 mm Clover Soft Touch

Pattern: Boteh Scarf from Interweave Crochet, Spring 2007. Designed by Kathy Merrick.

Comments: There was one small error in the written instructions but by following the diagram I didn’t even notice. (Correction is on Interweave’s website errata page.) I worked a swatch first and then pulled it out and began again with 2 fewer stitches. This made the scarf a bit narrower and 2 less dtr stitches were needed between motifs. I also did 18 instead of 16 repeats to make it slightly longer. The finished scarf is 4” across the base of the motif and 76” long. I had only 10 g of yarn left when I was finished so it was quite close. No possibility of more yarn! I did appreciate that the uneven colouring on the yarn didn’t affect the scarf at all. It’s barely noticeable even. What looked bad in a pair of socks (causing me to frog my Jaywalkers), looked just fine in this application. I gave the finished scarf a hard blocking with pins but of course it still rolls up somewhat in wearing. Reminds me of seaweed!

Silk (aka Sheila) asked in the Comments about Knit Visualizer. I’ve been using it to re-chart my Hepburn Cardi so that they are larger and clearer than the original charts in Lace Style. It’s time-consuming of course but I love this kind of thing! I think I’ve blogged about this program before, but in the interest of getting the word out I’m happy to do it again. KV is available for both Mac & XP/Vista and there is a free demo and full PDF manual to download to try it out. The full program is US$135 which isn’t out of sight for this kind of specialized tool. Nancy, the programmer, is very responsive and is promising a large upgrade (colour! customizable symbols!) coming. She has a YahooGroup that isn’t busy but she pays close attention to questions asked there.

I already have a program (Pattern Maker Pro) that can create charts from photographs or can be used with colours or symbols. What do I like about KV that PM can’t do? You can enter written patterns and have it automatically generate a chart or vice versa. This “parser” isn’t perfect but it’s pretty cool! I actually heard about one knitter who hates charts so she uses it to convert a pattern back into words. First she has to enter the chart though so she must really be dedicated to following written pattern directions. Personally I prefer to go the other way. Of course you can also fill in the chart with your stitch symbols manually, copy, paste, delete, add and subtract rows and columns, and print out whatever combination of chart, pattern, notes etc. that you want. You can convert your chart to a graphic (.png file format) so that you can bring it up in a graphics/photo program for further editing or paste it into a word processing file.

The symbol selection is fairly comprehensive in KV and includes lots of cables, increases and decreases. What it doesn’t do is colour, though it has a set of symbols that can be used to designate whatever colour you assign to each of them. So if you do a lot of intarsia or fairisle this isn’t a good choice for those types of patterns. It is wonderful for lace and cables though, which is what the Hepburn Cardi consists of. I used KV to plot the increases up the sleeves so I didn’t have to figure out on the fly how to deal with the pattern at the edges as the piece widens. You can do the same with armholes, necklines and sleeve heads if you know what row of the pattern to begin on. Since I don’t yet, I just plotted a general sleeve head and will add the pattern stitches when I get to that point in the knitting. Am I being anal? Probably. But it’s fun!

When you get your pattern looking the way you want, you can designate repeats or mark off a section with borders. The program automatically numbers your rows and columns for you, changing as you add or delete. If you’re working in the round you can have the numbers to the right or alternating right and left if you’re working back and forth. You can save your source and notes with your pattern. A “glitch” in the program allows you to do some editing on the Print page but it doesn’t save so it’s only good for one printout. I’ve found it handy when using a symbol for something other than what the program has in the Legend. You can change the definition temporarily. You can also edit the written pattern but it doesn’t make sense to do a lot when it doesn’t remain. That was the biggest complaint I had but you soon learn to work within the limitations.

The manual is quite comprehensive and has lots of illustrations. Bottom line is I’m finding Knit Visualizer really handy. I’m not adverse to written instructions, being kind of a word person, but I find I can keep my place better and see what’s going on overall with a chart. You can just glance at it instead of trying to figure out what each written instruction lines up with and why you’re 2 stitches out at the end of the row. It’s also easier to design your own patterns with a chart. You can cut and paste motifs and move them around and then figure out how to knit the results. Try that with knitting abbreviations, I double-dare ya!

Crochet Her

I’ve been plugging away at my Boteh Scarf with the help of my Kitty Assistant, Ms. Julie. (Think she’s trying to learn how to do it herself?) I’ve now joined in the second ball of hand-dyed sock yarn at motif 13. The piece is nearly 1.5 metres long with only 2 motifs to go according to the pattern. But because I started by reducing the size of each motif a little, I think I’ll go to 20 repeats instead of 16. I like my scarves long and skinny. Still haven’t decided if I’ll do the final row of hdc’s around the whole scarf but it might need it to stop the thing curling up into a tube. The end of this ball of yarn is much lighter in tone than the rest of the ball which might look “planned” around the scarf. Or not. I guess I’ll just have to test it. One thing for sure, it’s too easy to frog crochet! Ask me how I know.

Although I’ve been crocheting since I was a child there are a few new wrinkles that I’ve had to get used to. The rows begin with ch 2 and hdc into the first stitch at the base of the chain. When you get to the end of the row, you hdc in the last st but not into the start ch from the row below. This actually looks very nice but is different from how I used to do it. I would skip the first st below the turning chain and the last st would be into the top of the previous row’s turning chain. The disadvantage of this method is that there is a bit of a gap that shows between the turning chain and the st next to it. The new method looks much tighter and smoother. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!

I still am not as comfortable with hdc as I’d like. I keep catching the hook in the second loop on the hook before I pull through the last loop. It helps if I grab the stitch from below with my left forefinger and thumb so I have something firm to pull against as I complete the stitch. My dtr stitches are getting much neater and tighter. They were loose at the top at first and still are a little but better than they were. The first part of the stitch is naturally tighter but there is more slack toward the last “yo, pull through 2 loops on hook”. I tend to want to wrap the hook loosely 3 times instead of tight which works better to eliminate the slack.

Even with all the mistakes I’ve made on this scarf, I’m remembering what I like about crochet. Nearly immediate gratification! It’s going quite quickly and I’m getting an amazing amount of fabric compared to the socks that I usually knit out of this yarn. Who says crochet uses more yarn? Not necessarily so.

Speaking of socks, I’ve turned the heels on the Earl Grey Socks and am cruising down the gussets. I opted to keep half of the twisted stitch pattern going down the sides of the foot which slows me down a little. I have to keep track of the rows instead of blindly going around and around. They’re coming along. I’ve gone and lost one of my needles but because I knit on them alternately I can use the spare from the other pair to carry on. I have no idea where these things get to but since they just look like oversized toothpicks (at more than $2 apiece and you can only buy them 5 at a time!) they have a disconcerting tendency to either break or disappear on a regular basis. Later I plan to get out my trusty bamboo skewers and create a substitute. You can buy a couple of dozen skewers for the same price as one actual needle is worth. They just take some time to cut to the right length, point and sand smooth. They aren’t quite as durable as the “real” needles but they work just fine. So tell me why do I bother buying the real thing?

I haven’t gotten re-started on the Hepburn Cardi yet. I’ve put it in Time-Out for making me disappointed (even if it was my own fault). However I need to get back to it because it’s cold enough around here to want to wear a sweater! We keep our house temperature down except first thing in the morning and in the early evening. Even if it wasn’t helping to keep the greenhouse gas emissions down, at the price of natural gas it’s worth it. As Brenda Dayne of the Cast On podcast always says “If you’re cold, put on a sweater. That’s what they’re for.”

Well, I went to the demo with Richard Ashford last evening and it was pretty much as I expected. It was geared toward beginning spinners and weavers so I didn’t learn anything new. He even drafted me into helping! They have a couple of new products that were nice to see: a set of 5 graduated spindles in a holder and stands for the regular Knitter’s Loom and the new wider Knitter’s Loom. My only complaint is that the spindles come all together and you can’t just buy the ones you want. There are finally some really little spindles which they never had before so I feel they need to make these available individually as well. The Knitter’s Loom (apart from the stupid name) is a quite good little 12” folding rigid heddle loom and the new 20” version is even more versatile. You could weave everything from placemats to clothing fabrics on the wider loom which is helpful because I’m sure just weaving scarves gets old really fast. You would have to piece to get a useful width for much else. They also have finer dent reeds available because 7.5 dents per inch is pretty coarse for anything but novelty yarns and blanket weights. These looms don’t have the attachment available for double heddle weaving though — for that you’d have to go with their regular rigid heddle looms, which are similar but don’t fold. If it was me, the loom that I would get would be the 16-shaft table loom plus stand. It’s much more expensive and less portable but you could weave virtually anything on its 24”. I like the overhead beater too. My Woolhouse Carolyn has one as does my big loom. However, as an entry level loom to bring knitters over to the Dark Side, the Knitter’s Loom works very well. There is a surprising amount that can be done on a rigid heddle loom.

Which brings me to the books. It’s not out yet, but Ashford is publishing a book on making clothing on the Knitter’s Loom. They already have one on the rigid heddle loom and a booklet for the Knitter’s Loom. I do think that since not only Ashford but Schacht and Kromski (and others) also have very nice affordable rigid heddle looms available that there should be a more in-depth book. Interweave has “Hands On Rigid Heddle Weaving” and there is a video with Betty Linn Davenport, but unfortunately her wonderful book “Textures and Patterns for the Rigid Heddle Loom” is OOP. For some reason people quickly lose interest in this type of loom and either go on to shaft loom weaving or give up weaving altogether. I myself own a teeny little handmade rigid heddle loom but it was made for weaving wire jewelry, though of course you could weave yarn on it as well. I haven’t used it for, ahem…ages.

Swatching

I must not have enough things on the needles because I’ve been having a return of startitis again. I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to in a minute but first — I’m so sad that I had to frog the nearly completed BOTH SLEEVES on my Katharine Hepburn Cardigan! Boo-hoo! Sniff! It just wasn’t coming out to anywhere near the right gauge, especially row gauge where it’s way off at 4 extra rows per 4 inches. Although I might be able to fudge by knitting more rows it’s using up a lot more yarn and I’m not sure I have enough to do that. Or enough patience! It’s really old yarn too and has been marinating and aging nicely in my stash for so long that the shop I bought it from no longer exists. I think the NZ yarn company still does but they don’t make that yarn anymore. It’s a 4-ply crepe yarn in about a sport weight, waxed and on a cone for machine knitting. It’s lovely stuff and I have 1-1/2 of the 500g cones. On the McMorran yarn balance it comes out to about 1500 yds per lb or 1650 yards per cone. The pattern calls for 1800 yards and I think that’s just cutting it too close. So ziiiiipppp…and back to the swatching.

Even though I washed the first swatch and blocked it, it really wasn’t at the correct gauge. Now that I’ve re-measured again the stitch gauge is actually off nearly as much as the rows. I don’t know what I was thinking when I carried on regardless. A case of mad startitis? That rush of getting a new project on the needles? I actually lied to myself about how it will “block out correctly” later? Sigh. All that knitting that I’ll have to do over again. But I tell myself that if it doesn’t fit when it’s done then that’s a lot more knitting and assembling to pull out than 2 not-quite-completed sleeves. No wonder the whole project has been in time-out for a couple of months! I had to come to terms with my mistake and get up the courage to frog the whole thing and start again. Here I go.

Speaking of startitis, I’ve also started crocheting the Boteh Scarf from Interweave Crochet’s Spring 2007 issue. I’m using some sock yarn that formerly was the beginning of the Jaywalker socks but got frogged. It was dyed in the ball and there is a lot of uneven colour distribution through each of the two balls and the balls don’t match well either. See?

For this project I don’t care. I started by just swatching for the scarf because I was planning to narrow the pattern somewhat since I like skinny scarves. It took me a little while (and a couple of froggings) to get comfortable with crochet again and to understand the pattern. Not that it’s particularly hard or anything but I haven’t done much crochet recently. There is a lot of hdc (half-double crochet stitch) and that’s not one I’ve used a lot in the past though it seems to be very popular right now. There is also dtr (double-treble crochet stitch) with 3 wraps around the hook. Mine are very sloppy! The Sisu yarn is quite splitty, worse even for crochet than it is for knitting. I even changed hooks a couple of times until I found one that felt more comfortable. I frogged it one last time and started again for real on less stitches. It's much nicer this way, at least to me. I quite like how the fall colours are turning out with this yarn. Much better than the ill-fated Jaywalkers anyhow.

I really like crochet but the reasons why I don’t do more of it are many. I have to concentrate more so I can’t do anything else at the same time. Even listening to podcasts can throw me off. It uses more hand motions and my neck gets tired quickly so I can’t do it for as long at a time. And don’t tell anyone, but I actually like a knitted fabric better than crocheted. Crochet is really good for some things particularly 3-dimensional items that need to hold their shape. It is definitely faster to complete the same amount of area than with knitting. I can design crochet patterns fairly easily. But it just doesn’t turn my crank quite the same way as knitting does. Go figure.

I’m up to the heel turns on T-Man’s Earl Grey Socks. That means they’re almost half done. I like that I can mostly knit them without paying much attention except at the two little traveling stitch areas on either side. And best of all, T likes them just fine even though there was a glitch in the dyeing and the yarn has “freckles” of darkest navy on it in various places. This photo is from yesterday. I’m farther along now.


What else? The city’s civic strike still drags on. The “inside” workers have voted to accept the latest contract offer and go back to work but the “outside” workers (including parks and garbage pick-up) and the library workers didn’t get enough yes votes. Apparently 58% isn’t enough — they needed 66%! 3 months without seeing a garbage truck is a bit much. Surprisingly most of the city doesn’t look too much worse than usual. The management personnel have been picking up the street and park bins at least and a lot of people have been taking their garbage to other municipalities’ transfer stations and waiting in long lineups to pay to have their stuff dumped. Some folks who live in apartments etc. have private bin service. Good thing we don’t create a lot of garbage ourselves and have a compost box and space to store recycling. We’re holding out so far. Though it’s getting old really fast. Other stuff like closed community centres and pools and weeds in the parks don’t affect us. And parking meters are deemed an essential service! Not city-run daycares or seniors programs however. Sorry. Rant over.

Why Knot?

I was thinking (I’m sure you heard the rusty gears grinding!) about why I don’t do more crochet as opposed to knitting. Crochet is much faster, easier, thicker, more durable and more versatile. However it’s also stiffer, holier, lumpier, less drape, uses more yarn, takes more concentration (for me anyway) and is harder on my hands and wrists. Most of the available patterns are, in a word, horrible. I just checked out the photos from the Crochet Guild of America’s 2007 fashion show and most of them would be a lead contender on What Not To Wear! Eeeww… No wonder most crocheters stick with afghans and totebags. It’s also a lot harder to write up patterns for crochet and the symbols for charting are not yet universal. I’ve tried a bit of freeform crochet but, like tapestry, you have to make constant decisions on what yarn, stitch and direction to use next and I don’t enjoy that much. It can look very hodge-podge and I end up regretting a move I made way back that can’t now be changed very easily.

Even recent books by Lily Chin (Couture Crochet Workshop) and Doris Chan (Amazing Crochet Lace) haven’t inspired me to get out the hooks. I also have a number of books with lovely pattern stitches, granny squares and motifs. Still not happening. There are a few items in Interweave Crochet that might have possibilities, but the one I like best (Boteh Scarf, Spring 2007) is Another Scarf and I have too many already. I’ll hold out hope for the next issue. Since my Not So Granny Square sweater from last year (which was only partly crochet), I just haven’t felt the crochet love. Luckily I have enough other things to keep me busy.

For instance, after frogging the Purple Elephant Slipper-Sock yesterday, I’m back up to where I was when I yanked out the needles. It’s looking much better and I’m being more careful to knit with an even tension. It’s the right size around now. Whew. And I’m finally getting used to using dpns that feel like broom handles instead of the tiny matchsticks that I usually knit socks with. Too bad I only have one set so I can’t knit on both socks alternately like I usually do.

On my main project, I need to tie up the treadles on my loom before winding the 11 yard warp on for the Blanket. Gertrude (yes, that’s her name) is a countermarche loom which means that I have to tie up both the shafts that rise and the shafts that sink for each treadle. And it’s much easier to do when there’s no warp in the way. In case none of this makes sense to you, I warp from front to back: through the reed, through the heddles, tie to the back apron rod, and wind on. Then tie the warp to the front apron rod, check for errors, repair if necessary and start weaving. I don’t even use a packing weft in the beginning, just weave a few picks, beat them straight and carry on. In this case I will be hemstitching on the loom each end of each of the 3 pieces that will be assembled for the blanket. I think I’ll need a cardboard template to keep my beat even so that each piece will have the same number of stripes and hopefully come out the same length so they will match up. This is fussy stuff and means that the weaving won’t go as fast as if I just wove merrily along without changing colours or measuring constantly. Oh well. I could have been more haphazard but this seems to be what the wool wants to become. I’m just going with the flow. We’ll see what how ends up, hey? Meanwhile, I’d best get back “unda da loom.”

NSGS Sweater

A Finished Object! Here is the full pattern, even though you won’t be likely to ever make one and it probably doesn’t fit anyway! It’s a little bit “shorthand” — though between the schematics and the text it should be understandable for a reasonably experienced knitter/crocheter.

Not-So-Granny-Square Cardigan



Begun: November 11, 2006
Completed: November 29, 2006

Yarn: My own handspun. Rust was recycled from my Star-Brocade Vest (1986), red overdyed to dark rust, 2-ply worsted weight Romney wool, 3½ skeins. Dried Grass was spun from dye-painted roving, probably Perendale, 2-ply sport weight, ¼ skein. Black/Fall was spun with one strand commercial-dyed black (anonymous) wool and one strand dye-painted roving, possibly Polwarth, 2-ply fingering weight, ¾ skein.
Needles/Hook: Denise size 7, Boye hook size F/5/3.75mm.
Gauge: knit with Rust yarn 4, stitches and 6 rows to the inch. Finished crochet square was 4.75”.
Buttons: 6 - ¾” wooden buttons recycled from something else. Large holes allowed sewing on with yarn.

Pattern: My own based partially on a jacket (#15) in Knit It! magazine, Fall 2006. Crochet square was based partially on a pattern in 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton, #73 Catherine Wheel. Cardigan is cropped with 3/4 length sleeves. Finished chest size is 37”.

Crochet 12 squares using pattern diagram. Note that each row begins on a different side of the square. Crochet over loose ends to secure. Also secure centre loop by sewing. Block pinned overnight.

The squares are then joined with whipstitch through back loops only into pairs for sleeves and fronts. Join last 2 pairs into set of 4 for back. Begin knitting, following schematics.


Sleeves: Pick up st along crochet squares. Knit in stockinette st, inc 1 st each side every 4th row. (I used lifted-twisted M1, left and right versions.) Continue until 56 st then knit even until knitted section is 7” long. Dec for underarm: BO 4/2/1 every other row X10/every row X8 = 10 st rem. BO.

Fronts: Pick up st along crochet squares as for sleeves. Knit even for 6 ¼” then dec for underarm. BO 4/2/1/1 = 30 st. Knit even until 5” from underarm, then BO for neckline. BO 5/4/2/1/1/1 = 16 st. Knit even until armhole is 7” tall. Work short rows, leaving 5/5/6. BO.

Back: Pick up along crochet squares and continue as for fronts. BO for underarms = 60 st. Knit even until armhole is 7”. Shape shoulders with short rows following diagram. BO across.

Collar: Sew shoulder seams. With wrong side facing, pick up as for diagram. Knit st st for 2 ½”. Next RS row: k1, ssk, k across, k2tog, k1, turn. P1, p2tog, p across, p2tog tbl, p1, BO.

Finishing: Sew sleeves into armholes. Sew side and sleeve seams using rust yarn for knitting and black/fall yarn for crochet, sewing the knit part with a mattress st and crochet with the same whipstitch tbl as for connecting squares. Bury all ends.

Edging: On sleeve hems, join black/fall yarn at beginning of a square. (Sc 3, 3-ch picot) around, join into circle. On body, begin at right front bottom and join yarn, work sc up right front, around collar (working only into back loops of bind-off), and down left front. Continue across bottom with sc 3/picot. Switch back to plain sc and working in back loops only, continue up right front, working ch 2 button loops (sk 2 ch) as follows: work first buttonhole in centre of crochet square, sc 9, work second buttonhole at bottom edge of knitting, sc 9, work next 3 buttonholes with 9 scs between up to the 6th one at neck edge. Continue sc tbl all the way around to bottom left hem. Break off. Rejoin at bottom right and continuing to work tbl, sc up front. Switch to sc 3/picot through both loops around collar. Switch back to sc tbl and work down left front. Break off. Bury ends.

Using black/fall yarn, stitch buttons in place with an X stitch. Go through holes a second time and double-wrap a shank, then knot in back. A tiny dot of FrayChek will prevent the knot coming undone.

Block sweater (especially collar) well and leave overnight to dry. DONE!


In other news, we got a lot more snow before it stopped, about a foot worth, and then we went into the deep freeze for a couple of days. T-Man worked from home for Monday and Tuesday, but today he braved the roads to go in to work. He’s lucky he has the kind of job where he can stay home if necessary and still get it done remotely. I also babysat my little granddaughter and we had fun playing in her first real snow. We made a teensy snowman and then threw a snowball at daddy when they returned from the dentist to collect her! They got home with no mishaps but I’m sure I’ve got a few more grey hairs worrying about them driving in the ice and snow. I’m sure it took twice as long as the usual half-hour. Nobody knows how to drive in the snow in this city and they don’t have enough salting and sanding trucks for all the streets. Everywhere there’s lots of ice though it’s supposed to warm up and rain tonight. ICK! That’s going to make a big mess for sure. I'm not going to be standing under those honking icicles!

Not-So-Granny-Square

I was wrong. Those teensy snow flakes got much bigger and they stuck! So now we have several inches of the stuff out there. It’s really pretty and I think it’s a lot nicer than tonnes of rain. Yeah, so I don’t have to drive in it and T-Man did the shoveling. I’d still like it but I'm sure those who live where snow is normal think I'm batty! It’s slightly soggy though so I don’t imagine it’ll be around too long. Better look quick! That’s the front yard and the walnut tree in the back yard. Somehow it’s a lot brighter around here now that everything is white instead of mud. I didn’t have to leave the lights on all day.

Back to the NSGS sweater and the crocheted squares. You could make a nice afghan out of this square though I think I would use a larger hook if I made it all out of the rusty red yarn. That would make it more flexible and drapey. But then the squares would be much bigger also! The 3 yarns I used are somewhat different grists: the rusty red is knitting worsted weight, the dried grass coloured one is a little finer (sport weight?) and the black/fall coloured one is fingering weight. But they seem to mesh just fine together. I thought about this pattern as I was drafting it and realized that I’m totally envious of designers who can grade patterns into different sizes. There is no easy way to do that with this one. You would have to make the squares slightly different sizes which would change the look. I don’t think different hooks would be enough to size it up or down. Good thing I’m not submitting this to a magazine, huh?

Anyway, here’s the square and its pattern diagram. I worked really hard on that diagram in Adobe Illustrator. I think I did really well considering it’s not a program I use very often. Or very well. I tend to use the simpler functions and add to my repertoire when necessary.


Notice that the rounds begin in different places each time. Since you’re changing colour anyway you might as well stagger the beginnings to make them less visible. It does block out to mostly square. Don’t know about what would happen if you weren’t using something as forgiving and malleable as wool though. So now I’m 3/4 of the way up the back which is the last piece of the sweater. Next I sew all the seams and add the collar and edgings with button loops. I still have to find some appropriate buttons but I don’t know how many I need yet. I have to space them correctly first. Did you know that dressmaking rules say that one button should be right in the middle of your bust so that area doesn’t pop open. One needs to be at the top at the neckline and one at the bottom then space the rest out evenly from there. I wonder how many designers think of that when they make up a cardigan sweater or button-front vest pattern.

Storms and Squares

Somebody please shut off that darned faucet in the sky! Pretty please? It so wet and windy out there that I’m stuck in the house, not wanting to venture out even in my rain gear. Remember the puddle photos from last Friday? Not even for a free lunch will I leave the comforts of home today! Here’s the furthest I got, just within my open back door long enough to show you my overflowing water garden. (Too bad it isn’t a video so you can see the effects of the wind.)


Instead I’ve been listening to more podcasts and working on my Not-So-Granny-Square sweater (hereafter referred to as the NSGSC to save typing). I now have two sleeves. I only had to frog the top part of the first one once to get the shaping right. Here’s the second one blocking on my ironing board:


My vintage handspun wool is none too soft but it definitely benefits from a good steaming. I’ve been crocheting more squares for the body. Before blocking they look rather like rippled potato chips:


But as you can see in the sleeve photo, they do relax and behave themselves much better when subjected to a lot of heat and moisture. I hope to diagram the square and post the pattern before I’m finished with this sweater. It has become completely my own design even though I started with a few details from other places. There’s pretty much nothing left of the original patterns except the first 3 rows of the crochet squares and some of the body proportions. I’m one of those people who is an “adapter” — not a “creator”. I don’t suddenly have an inspiration out of the blue and then render it in my chosen medium. It’s more that I see something I like and tweak it into something I like even better. Sometimes I don’t change it much at all and sometimes you can’t tell what was the original model. Or I’ll put together parts of more than one model to get what I want. Ooh, Frankenstein’s Monster Crafts! They live!

Er...ahem. Changing the subject, I was informed by email that I have yet another one of my book order coming in the mail. That's 4 out of 5. How can they offer me free shipping (on orders over $39) when they mail them one at a time in lovely sturdy corrugated cardboard mailers? It must cost them bigtime. But ours is not to reason why, it’s just to get my lovely books which my local stores refuse to stock. Even if they do have it in, it saves me big dollars to order a book by mail. Though the stores are just branches of the main large company, I save my members discount plus very often another big discount on top of that. I can even return them easily if I’m not happy. Either books have one honking big markup when they get into the local store or somebody is losing money here. Probably the publishers and/or authors. Properly, I shouldn’t order from a big box store. But I just want my books! If I can’t buy it locally (and I usually buys 'em where I finds 'em), I’m gonna order it by mail from the cheapest source. However one day I’ll have to quit buying or get rid of some books I already own — before the floor collapses or I run out of shelf space. We're getting pretty close on the latter.

Lazing Around

What a relaxing Saturday! We stayed in bed until after noon and read, eating flax crepes (that I made) for breakfast and ham sandwiches (that T made) for lunch. Finally got up and did a few things like: he finally got the wiring finished for his lathe and I vacuumed the basement. Fun stuff! OK, stuff one has to get around to occasionally. Then late this afternoon there was this:


A rainbow. Isn’t it beautiful? This is looking east. I love my neighbour-across-the-street’s sour cherry tree in full golden glory too. She didn’t know the rainbow was there because I saw her wondering what I was up to with the camera in my studio window! When I went downstairs to tell T-Man (who was of course working on his new lathe) it had disappeared. Ephemeral beauty. Plant it in your memory while you can, yeah? Or take a picture if you want it to last!

I spent the afternoon making swatches with my handspun yarn. Some was new (virgin!) and some was recycled and redyed. I want to make a cardigan sweater that combines crochet and knitting, since I love both techniques. I used 3 colours of handspun, one the colour of grasses in early autumn (gold/reddish), one that combines a black strand with a fall leaf-coloured strand (gold/red/orange) and my main colour dark rusty-red which I recycled from a bright red oversized sweater vest and overdyed to tone it down. I played with a “granny” square until I got the right size using the book “200 Crochet Blocks for blankets, throws, and afghans” by Jan Eaton, pattern #73 Catherine Wheel. I stopped after the third round and added another 2 rows of my own devising. I’m learning how to depict the pattern in symbols using these. I’ll post it here when I’ve got it perfected. Meanwhile I’m still swatching. I think I’ve figured out how to attach my knitting to my crochet. Yay! Only 11 more granny squares to go for a total of 8 for the hem and 2 each for the cuffs on the ¾ sleeves.

Meanwhile I’m up to the heels on T’s Socka Socks. More later. It’s my bedtime. Yawn!