Accents…

Learning Experience…

My pieces have felted and I’ve learned a thing or two…

You do lose more than a third of the height of a knitted piece, or, more accurately, I do! I think it may be ok, but it’s not the size I wanted. A really good reason to try again

The granite did bubble a little because it felted a little more slowly. I should have decreased a few stitches when I began knitting the top band. Live and learn I think it will be ok once I add a binding to the top and line it…we’ll see…

The bottom (entirely granite) is, perhaps, larger than I would like. This is something I won’t really know until the bag is pieced together. I could always run it through the wash once more to reduce it a little.

I’m needle felting outlines, to accent the pattern…

Just beginning,

The bag that inspired me uses the same yarns as accents but I like the contrast created by using different shades and colours…

I’m using felting roving purchased at that fabulous place, The Black Lamb…

A Little Creative Idea…

I’m trying to design a felted bag. I was inspired by a pattern I really like but cannot afford. It got me thinking that I could do a similar thing, simply by figuring out the proportions and graphing a design. The graphing was easy. The proportions are a little more challenging! LOL.

I know that theoretically, the pieces will shrink by 1/4 width-wise and 1/3 length-wise. In THEORY.

I should end up with about 9″ x 15″ (bottom) and about 12-13″ tall. Should. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

Here is a picture of the knitted piece, before felting…

I’m constructing it of two equal panels joined at the centre sides. I’m planning to needle felt it and then sew it together and line it with the sewing machine.

I used Bernat Felting Natual Wool (chunky weight) – 3 balls of the pink/natural, 1 ball of the blue, 1 ball of the darker pink – some of the coned spinrite granite (doubled as it’s worsted weight) – some of the coned burgundy spinrite wool – and some handspun green/blue blend which I hardly spun at all and did not set the twist in, at all.

So far the bag has cost me 14 dollars! The one I was lusting after would cost $400 or so I’ve heard from those that have priced the supplies as called for in the pattern. A little rich for my wallet, lol.

As I type, it’s felting in the washer. I’m a little worried about the different rate of felting for the different wools. If worst comes to worst, I can always cut and then adjust the pattern as I need to once the felting forms a solid fabric…or that’s what I’m thinking, anyways

Wish me luck!

Progress!

Here’s a close-up…

And a full size picture…which I dislike because the flash kind of washed out the colours…

I’ve decided to make this a full blanket/rug size…I think it would be beautiful on top of a bed or as a couch blanket. I’m using a tight enough guage it would work really well as a carpet too. I think I’m about a quarter of the way finished, so far

I think I spend more time looking and feeling it than I do crocheting, lol. It’s so cozy and I love the texture created with all the different yarns combined! One of my favorite stash busters yet

What I Did Today :)

Yes, sidetracked, AGAIN! I made a beautiful doggie blanket style dog sweater for our shitzu, Dora…

She loves it!

It was a simple pattern, based on one I found on the Drops site (102-40). I used various wools and a seed stitch pattern with striping. I did not have the correct needles for the pattern so I used what I had and modified the pattern, stitch wise, while following the basic form as they had it. I depended on the dog’s measurements to decide the width and the length.

I love how it buttons on and has no legs. And, of course!, how it knits up in one day Now I suppose I need another two…one for the daschund and one for the basset…

Getting Ready For School…

So, yesterday we went back to school shopping with a couple of the kids. We ended up getting some very nice clothes…thank goodness for sales!! I noticed that knits are EVERYWHERE – as they should be, lol

Earlier this week I super cleaned the house – there’s more to do yet but I’m getting there. I always feel so much better when everthing is in order at back to school time. Somehow it feels like it all gets away a bit during the summer. The house looks great and my son was so cute. I mentioned that I feel better when it’s all done (walls were washed, carpets were steam cleaned) and he answered ‘we ALL feel better!’. Made me feel good and reinforced what I’ve always felt – the kids are happier and calmer when the house is clean and organized. Less stress for everyone!

I’ve spent the morning looking around the ‘net for patterns that my daughters may like. The current styles seem to be fitted, a lot of short sleeves and three quarter length sleeves, plenty of cables and lace done on larger needles as layering pieces…and lots of argyle patterns. Not as easy to find in the knitting patterns BUT I’ve found at least one…

It’s Drops pattern 100-6, if anyone is interested in making it. The pattern calls for cotton but I’m going ahead and subbing wool, probably superwash handspun – yet to be created I could see this for my daughters or for myself, we’ll see!

I’ve been working on the crazy carpet blanket, crocheted from yarns in my stash…

I’m really enjoying making this Really a lot of fun!

Some Kind Of Crazy Art…

I’m using all my odd yarns…the ones I’m not sure what to do with! See, everything, yes – everything! has a purpose, if you just wait long enough

It’s a little bit crazy and a little bit awesome and a WHOLE LOT of satisfying! It’s a project I would classify as ‘real’ art – freeform and really fulfilling, if a little confusing!, to create. I’m really enjoying it.

In other news…I’m almost done the front of the Medallion sweater for my friend, Tina. I think she’s going to love it! The back is already finished so it won’t be too long now Soon, Tina, soon! I’m hoping it will be ready for fall – I think I’m right on track.

I’m totally considering frogging the apres surf hoodie. It was/is for me and I just don’t care all that much about finishing it at this point. My attention has wandered, lol.

The sun is shining and it looks like a beautiful day! Enjoy

Lately…

I haven’t been sleeping well AT ALL lately…

I had a tooth pulled on Saturday and it went not-quite-so-well. It was not a molar, and didn’t pull easily. My jaw hasn’t stopped aching since, except when the tylenol (3′s) and the advil are at their peak – that’s my moment of peace, usually lasting about 2 hours, somewhere in the midst of the 6 hours between doses. The tooth kept breaking down and he basically had to scrape it out of the bone. I was warned it would hurt…and it does! This is the third day – may the pain end soon!

This is making a root canal look easy. If my teeth weren’t so brittle and my purse not so light, I would have considered root canaling it but I’ve been down that road and I just end up with a broken off tooth anyways.

I’ve been web browsing and I found a few neat sites! The Knitting Daily Tv site and the Classic Elite Yarns site. Both have free patterns (nice ones too!) and other resources. Who knew? Insomnia is good for something

The list of projects to be is getting longer, lol — I’ve found too many to mention that I want to knit next!

Drops Sweater…

My son loves it!! It’s so satisfying to see him so happy It will be part of his back to school clothes this year.

The pattern was pretty straightforward, other than the ‘rise’ section at the end — I ended up doing that in a way that made sense to me rather than trying to follow the directions to the letter since they were simply confusing. I’d recommend it though — it’s a nice design, not at all ‘girl-ish’, or so I’m told

A couple more views…

I should be getting back to my unfinished projects…I’ve been a little bit scatter brained this summer and have too many of those right now!

Almost…

done my son’s sweater! I’m actually almost done the first sleeve BUT that counts as almost

I like how the yarn is knitting up…hopefully once washed it will be a lot fuller and more ‘relaxed’ — I have no doubt really since it is oiled for machine use right now. Once the oil is out, it will be a different wool. The oil comes off slightly on my tension finger, as I knit. I was reading, yesterday, that textile grade wool is often much better than ‘hobby’ grade sold for hand knitting. Since I am unable to find a 100% lambswool sold by spinrite (for hand knitting), I’m guessing this must be the textile wool.

It’s rainy again, here anyways…on the bright side – yes, oh yes! – I am getting a dryer sometime this weekend! It’s been a bit awkward trying to keep up with laundry while only drying outside this summer!

I had an amazing idea last night I’ve been pondering the possibilities of making up my own felted clog type slipper pattern — I don’t have five dollars on a credit card at the moment, lol. It’s the ‘invention fueled by necessity’ thing. Oh, ok, the slippers may not be completely NECESSARY but we really really want some, lol. My son has a leather pair of clog slippers that he just loves…and which is excellent for looking at and pondering the pattern.

I really think I have a workable idea, so long as I can figure out the math. An idea in the making at the moment — I’ll let you know how it works out – IF it works out, I’ll likely write it out as a free pattern. I’m going to work with the wine coloured coned wool…there is lots there for trial and error!

My slipper plans are motivating me to finish the sweater faster

Some Slippers And A Frog…

I’ve already begun knitting up some of the coned wool — the lambswool, specifically.

I made a pair of Cable Guy Felted Slippers for my cousin’s father in Newfoundland, for Christmas. I’m still wavering on whether it’s best to felt them NOW or to send them, unfelted, with instructions, for a perfect fit. I prefer the perfect fit method but I worry that it may get, somehow, messed up on the other end. Or, heaven forbid, they may wreck the washing machine if they don’t follow the instructions. It’s hard to enforce instructions from a few provinces away!

Not the best picture…

I’m starting another sweater for my son…attempt number two! The first, (if you recall), was done with my silver lights handspun. It’s turning out nice but, if I’m being perfectly honest…the guage is wrong for the wool. SO! I’ve frogged it and started another pattern with the lambswool. I’ll have to handwash it, of course, but so be it.

I’ll make the boy a sweater/hat/mitten set from the handspun…superwash is perfect for those things anyways

My other wip’s are still lounging in work-in-progress-land…

Lots Of Wool!

Two large cones of worsted/aran weight lambswool…

One cone of bulky? Icelandic wool, also from Spinrite…

And TWENTY, yes! twenty…smaller cones of wine coloured wool…looks excellent for felting!

They are all from Spinrite, manufactured in Canada…the years on the tags go between ’99 and ’01. Yet another excellent second hand store find!

All in all? Four dollars, my friend!

I’m thinking this will all work excellently for felting and the lambswool would make a very nice sweater. It feels like it probably still has the spinning oil in it…it’s very nice to knit with! As for yardage, I’m clueless, but there is a lot of all of it, lol!