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: