Wednesday, December 28, 2011

SCARVES FOR CHRISTMAS

A co-worker made scarves from the Lion Brand Tweed Stripes and the pattern on the label for all the women in her department and for friends. They were so beautiful, I wanted to make some for presents, too. I ended up making 9.

Rainforest


Mixed Berries


Orchid:


Marble


Caribbean


Limeade


Lakeside


Prism


Woodland

Friday, December 02, 2011

MMARIO MYSTERY SHAWL FFOUR

Designer MMario has started the new mystery shawl KAL in the Mystery Yahoo Group. There are several options using the same basic pattern--a triangle, a square, a circular pinwheel, and a "mock" Faroese (triangle with center panel). I started the mock Faroese on November 14, never having done one before, with the sock weight yarn unraveled from a thrift store wool sweater. I made some errors and couldn't see them, so I started a second one with worsted weight yarn--I Love this Wool "Olive Green" dyed a darker green with Red, White, and Blue Kool Aid--so I could follow the pattern better. I also thought a pinwheel would be cool, so I started a third shawl using some fuchsia recycled sweater wool that is more a lace weight (and fuzzy-ish). I will not finish very quickly.

I finished Clue 1 today on all three--I do each charted row and return row for each version at the same time; it is then easier to remember the directions.
Worsted weight Faroese version

Blue Green Faroese version

Fuschia Pinwheel version

Closeup of Pinwheel


Only 4 more clues to go.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

RAVELRY FGF OCTOBER TEST KNIT: LACEY CUFFS

I did a test knit for these Starfield Cuffs by Holly Terrell. The pattern called for sock weight and lace weight yarn, but I used light fingering and sock weight instead (the colors looked well together and were seasonal). The cuff part turned out great--they fit well, the pattern is nice, and the yellow-green beads look pretty on the dark orange. The ruffle part was done with a dark yellow-green and the same beads. The pattern called for 2 repeats, but I thought I'd like them a bit longer and added a third repeat and bound off. Well, they looked sloppy, with curling edges and very wide and not very ruffle-y.


I tried wet-blocking them and they looked worse:


So i unraveled the third pattern repeat--much better:

Then I did a garter stitch edging--1 row purl, 1 row knit (twice) and bound off in purl. Now they look cute and wearable.



I'm going to do them again with some recycled grey wool yarns, I think, that can be blocked.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

EVENING CRAFTERS SEPTEMBER 2011 PROJECT

For September, we did an embroidered lavender-filled sachet. The project is in the June, 2011, issue of American Patchwork and Quilting (designer, Rebecca Shucksworth). The hardest part was finding the lavender. I finally located it at World Food Market in Schaumburg in the tea department. It smells lovely. I had to dig out my sewing machin--that I haven't used in over a year at least (maybe 2)--so I could have a tight enough seam to keep the lavender inside and to put on rick-rack (which I could have done better). Still, it is cute. I'll give it to my Mom, I think, if she wants it.

Monday, October 03, 2011

HULA HOOP T-SHIRT RUG

I saw this pattern for a rug woven with loops from t-shirts using a Hula Hoop for a loom on Family Fun Magazine online. But I did not have a hoop. However, while visiting my Iowa grandchildren, I spied a broken hoop on their porch and asked for it (it was kind of lozenge-shaped instead of round). Last month I cut up some t-shirts and tried out the pattern. Mt first attempts were a mess--the warp loops kept falling off and were very skewed. Then I broke/bent the hoop some more to kind of get a hexagon shape and found a kid-sized t-shirt to use for the warp. That worked. My rug is not big--12"-13" in diameter--but not bad. I probably need the giant Hula Hoop to go bigger.
The Rug in progress

The finished rug


There was also a pattern for a bowl made on an embroidery hoop frame with loops cut from the sleeves. After enough rounds for a base, the weft loops are pulled very tight and eventually a bowl shape is formed:





Monday, September 26, 2011

EVENING CRAFTERS AUGUST 2011 PROJECT

We tie-dyed t-shirts (and more) with a kit from Michaels with 3 colors: fuchsia, blue, and yellow.

Here we show our first attempts:


Here Linda and I model our second attempts; Linda is also holding a pair of socks she dyed as well.

Friday, July 22, 2011

CRAFTERS PROJECT JULY 2011

Actually finished a project in the same month. We did a wind sock using fusible webbing and artificial leaves--or, in my case, flowers. The pattern was from an old Crafting Traditions magazine, May/June, 1998.
The original bunch of flowers

The finished wind sock (which already survived a thunderstorm.


September, 2011:
Here is Linda with her finished wind sock: