Lace Trimmed Bonnet

    I've spent the last 3 days designing an itty bitty bonnet for Pocca.

The process for designing takes a lot more time than just knitting something. It started with the idea and some researching of lace patterns that I felt could work at this tiny gauge. The pattern had to be visible, yet not too complex to work since it can be difficult to manipulate the tiny stitches. 

Once the idea was fully formed I had to work out how many stitches it would take to fit her little marble sized head, when to begin decreasing for the back of the head shaping, and where to put the openings so that the big ears would have room.

Then there were multiple knittings of the bonnet. It's the only way to test that the pattern works in more than just theory. The very first time through for anything is usually scrapped as I find stitch counts I need to correct, or adjustments to size.

And just incase you haven't fully comprehended just how VERY TINY Pocca is.....

Her "friend" here is a standard sized Lego people.

A Year to Clear

Last week, I stumbled across a clutter clearing course called "A Year to Clear What is Holding You Back". It wasn't expensive so, on a whim, and following my intuition, I signed up. Rather than tackling your clutter in an intense and all consuming way and risking burn out and rebound issues it focuses on the "slow drip" method. The idea is to clear a little bit each day forming a habit, while spending time uncovering any deep rooted and personal reasons for clutter, both inside and out, emotional as well as environmental clutter.

It's amazing how the commitment to clearing just one item, or for just a minute or two each day gains momentum all on its own and without any forcing of it. In only one week I can see improvement, but more importantly I feel it. The energy in the home improves when you take steps towards getting rid of unneeded items and taking care of the items worthy of saving.

Yesterday I started tidying up the sewing room one baby step at a time. I gave the room a high priority since the mess and cramped quarters robs me of the joy I normally find in being creative. First to get under control was a mess of lace and trims saved for crazy quilting. I consider these to be "keepers" but the loose jumble had taken over a small shelf and the mess was an eyesore, a source of aggravation, and not easy or pleasant to use.

This looks and feels so much better! The pretty little basket was one I had on hand but I'll have to replace it with something a bit larger. I know that through my lack of organization in there, and my multiple hobbies, I have more than one "stash pile" of lace, ribbons, and trims and I'd like to combine them all in an organized, compact, and more user friendly way. The 2" x 3" cards (cut from greeting cards) works well but I'll need a bigger container.

Handwoven White Tunic

That white warp I wrote about in February practically wove itself.

I had a compulsive desire to weave, weave, weave the entire time it was on the loom.

It only took about 2 days to weave the entire six metre length.

from the pompoms inserted at the very beginning, 

to the serendipitous evolving of a corded neckline trim, 

and beaded lace accents,

the warping, weaving, sewing and embellishing,

was a joy filled experience.

Waves of Grain

This was an easy and relatively quick lace project. In fact, the centre portion was so easy that I made a few minor mistakes when my mind wandered. I had to tink back to correct them. I wasn't entirely successfully either, but what remains is barely detectable. Normally I would have ripped back until I was sure they were 100% fixed, but I had a looming deadline as I wanted to use the scarf in a lace blocking demonstration.

The pattern is "Waves of Grain" designed by Rosemary Hill, knit up in Cherry Tree Hill Suri Lace Alpaca. You won't find this colourway in Cherry Tree Hill's stock. It was originally their "Spring Frost" colourway which is very pretty, but I chose to overdye it to better suit my colouring.

I used just enough blue dye to change the base colour (which was pastel peach, green, and blue) to blue and blue green with occasional hints of blue violet. Very subtle, just the way I like it.

Huckleberry Chuckle

I couldn't resist giving this scarf an offbeat name. "Huckleberry Chuckle" it is, named for the berry stained grin of the picker with the least amount of berries remaining in her gathering basket.

Knit from handspun, laceweight, 2 ply merino/silk (from hand painted roving by "Fleece Artist"). It's three multiples of "Porcupine Stitch" from Barbara G. Walker's "A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns", using 3.75 mm needles.

The final scarf is 6" x 67".

Masters Monday - 2.9

Ooops! Getting a little ahead of myself. Once again I've done the swatch knitting but not the labeling and pattern write ups. Maybe getting caught up on the paperwork should be my goal for the coming week?

Swatch 12 - (lace of choice) Spider Stitch

Swatch 13 - (lace of choice) Pierced Diamond

Both of these swatches are from stitch patterns I found in the Barbara Walker Treasuries. I knit them in a coned, superwash wool, fingering weight yarn usually used for machine knitting. I had thought about using another shockingly bright yarn, like last week, but the orange I was thinking of may have been too dark and possibly even a bit too fuzzy to meet the acceptable standards.

So next week's Master Monday report had better be that I have done the write ups for these last three swatches. I will be knitting this week though. I have two non-Masters knitting projects I'm actively working on.

And I'll be weaving. The loom is warped for the next project.

Masters Monday 2.8

My offering this week. Doesn't look like much, but believe me it was a lot of work! In Level II you don't just knit your swatches from a provided pattern. You have to do all the research yourself and come up with a swatch that fits the requirements.

Swatch 11 - (lace of choice) Floral Mesh

For this swatch, and two more lace ones, the requirement is to knit a lace swatch, bordered by seed stitch, and containing at least two multiples and three repeats. And the big challenge....it has to be no bigger than 7 inches! After much experimenting I found that for me that means no more than 8 stitches in each multiple, and no more than 12 rows in each repeat....otherwise it ends up being over sized and would be rejected.

After getting the knitting done then you have to write up a pattern for it including the seed stitch border. All information like needle size, gauge, materials, references/sources, abbreviations, must be included. I've gotten bogged down there a bit. I have a rough draft of the necessary information, but I have to fine tune it. So just the knitting of Swatch 11 this week. I can't say it's finished until all the paperwork is done.

Last Photo Opportunity

I made this stocking many months ago, but the middle of the summer did not seem an appropriate time for a blog post about a Christmas stocking. Today is the last chance I have to photograph it though. I've donated it to the Chilliwack Spinners and Weavers guild for the annual Chilliwack Christmas Craft Fair which will be held on November 15 and 16.

So....what do you think something like this should sell for? I just know they are going to ask what I want to price it at, and I have no idea what to say. You have until Wednesday, November 14th to chime in with your thoughts.

It's hand knit from some of my earlier handspun, which was originally natural in colour. After the stocking was knit I dyed it forest green.

I made up the pattern as I went. Believe me, it is an original, never to be repeated exactly the same ever again. At one point, when I realized the toe section (the stocking was knit toe-up) was way too long and out of proportion with the rest of the stocking.....I CUT it off, picked up the stitches, and knit the toe shaping downward. Tricker than you might think considering that the lace pattern is one of those undulating ones that make wavy edges.

The stocking has also been lined in a shimmery red fabric. My children have informed me that the only way a knit stocking is acceptable is if it is lined. No fuzz on the candy please! Of course the lining also peeks out nicely from the holes in the lace --- and prevents the candy from falling out those same holes.

I found shimmery, wire edged ribbon and little berry-like beads to finish off the look.

Please comment with your pricing thoughts. Thanks!

First 28

With the MS3 ripped I've started reusing the handspun "Black Rainbow Glitter" on the Honeybee Stole. Once, twice, third time is the charm. I'm up to row 28 now.



The red at the top (from this perspective) is just my provisional cast on. The green blips at the bottom are snippets of plastic straw I use for stitch markers. I'm adding beads to the edges of the stole, but they aren't visible in this photo.

Thanks Kaylen, for the use of your flannel "burp cloth". It makes a great lap cloth so that I can see the black stitches a little better. It works great when I'm spinning black too.

Bolero Beginnings

Yesterday, with the Nicole Vest finished and the next clue for the MS3 not yet out, I took the opportunity to start another handspun lace project.



I'm using what remains of the 2ply fingering weight superwash wool I spun up for the Lace Edged Denim Sweater.

Perseverance Pays Off

Finally! The Nicole Vest is finished and outa my hair. I had so many problems knitting this one that I'm breathing a sigh of relief that she's done. I had my doubts at times.



Now don't get me wrong, the problems I had were not the fault of the pattern. The pattern wasn't even difficult. It was my own momentary lapses in attention that tripped me up.



There is one small error in the pattern. After transferring the front stitches from the stitch holders to resume knitting (after the back is complete) it says to "purl across row". In reality you need to work across the wrong side row according to patterns as established. No biggie, but just thought I'd mention it.

Now to wait until it's dry, (Shouldn't take long. It's only 9am and already the house is 83 degrees), purchase buttons and get a modelled shot.

Another Setback

Well here we go again. It seems some days you just can't get ahead. After that last frogging incident I put the Nicole Vest aside for awhile, but over the last few days I have been working on it again. The road trip to Manning Park and back had me moving ahead by 2 repeats (8 rows per repeat). Today I had added an additional repeat --- and I should have stopped there.



But noooooo, I was enjoying myself and decided to press on. After another 3 rows I was admiring my work, draping it over my foot of all things, seeing how some of the patterns would look as a sock, when out it leaped, another darn error. And wouldn't you know it, it was in the dreaded faggotting again. Aargh. I find faggotting is rather unique in that it is easy as pie to knit, but horrid to try to drop down and ladder back up again. Those interconnecting YOs in the centre are the trouble. They have to fit into the p2tog tbl just so. Any errors are quite glaringly obvious. You know I tried. I really tried. And in the end, just like last time, I ended up having to rip several rows (5 this time around), with the slow and fiddly tinking of the last row.

I don't mind the reknitting --- I DO like knitting after all. It's all the time wasted ripping that I resent.

Dazzling RED!

Remember this shawl?



It's the Swallowtail Shawl from the Fall 2006 issue of Interweave Knits. I knit it from my own spindle spun BFL yarn. I liked it but it felt "granny-ish" to me. Although I'm a Grandma and quite happy to be one, I wasn't ready to stoop over and walk with a cane --- which is the image it conveyed to me.

Nope. Natural cream colour just wouldn't do. I had to jazz it up a little.



Three packages of Kool-Aid drink mix later (Tropical Punch flavour) and my ho-hum, natural coloured granny-shawl is now a dazzling, scarlet scarf.

Okay, worn like this it is still pretty granny-ish,



--- but I'm thinking maybe I'll wear it like this, with a cowl/scarf effect under my black jacket in the winter. Just the thing to brighten a drizzly and grey winter day.



And here's a little detail shot because lace is just so darn worthy of close-up, detail shots.