I was totally inspired by a really popular pattern on ravelry’s pattern list. Built like a shoe, looking like a slipper. So. I looked very carefully at all of my daughters ballet flat type shoes. I tried to wing it. It came out not-so-good, lol. I used version one to see what needed to change in version two and decided the top heavy peanut of the sole probably had to change to a proper foot shaped sole. I also elongated the heel and made it meet in a ‘v’ with the body of the slipper, raised up the back of the heel from what I originally thought it should be and added a couple more sts into the toe.

Voila!

Two washes in the front loader, with tennis balls, on heavy duty cycle and they came out looking like the shape of a foot. No stretching or fighting – just the perfect shape. I was thrilled Now I have to make everyone a pair for Christmas!

The needle felting was an extra touch, to pretty them up a little more than they are

I’ve been working on a new pattern – for stranded mittens – for my daughter for Christmas. The pattern was inspired by a really beautiful yarn. It has everything stranded mittens need (in my opinion of course!) – great colour, fingering weight, a bit of ‘grab’, superwash and wool. For what more could I ask?

I’ve paired it with Paton’s ‘kroy’ sock 4 ply in black – to give it a chance to do it’s colourful thing. Oh yes – the yarn – it’s Marks and Kattens ‘Fame Trend’ in the colourway ‘party’. I found it at the Knit and Quilt in Barrie a week or two ago. Beautiful! I will definitely be back for more!

I’ve finished the pattern and have knitted the first mitten. I’ve posted the pdf pattern, if you’d like to use it -

The pattern;
InspiredByColourMittenPattern

My mitten (unblocked)…

Please let me know how it works out for you!
Have a great day

I’m working on an afghan for the ‘Elf Collection’ (yes, Christmas) and I’m almost there

This is one of the few things I’ve bought yarn for this year! I needed ten colours of sport weight so I kind of had to. And, BONUS, I’ll have all of these colours now for another beautiful project or two in future. I think maybe some toys…

This was inspired by the Double Vision pattern by Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer – their website is Woolly Thoughts. They are geniuses, imo. They do such beautiful mathematically inspired work. I give them full credit for the idea though I didn’t do it quite as they did and it’s definitely my version as I don’t actually have the pattern itself.

Beautiful, beautiful. Four children, two afghans (almost) finished, two months to go…I *think* I have everything somewhat on schedule this year, so far….LOL.

Well, must go vacuum…I swear the dogs throw handfulls of hair all over just before I get up!

Have a great day

And time to start blogging again!

I’ve been preoccupied with life — you know how that goes — cleaning, cooking, children, pets… I had this crazy notion that if I did everything REALLY WELL that it would make a difference around here. In ways it has, in others, not so much.

This is my ‘Kaleidoscope‘ (pattern by Lisa Donald) and it really turned out beautiful. I am making it for the ‘Elf Collection’, for this Christmas. That’s all I can say publicly, LOL. You never know when the children are going to read the blog!

This is my Drops b13-18 done in phentex 2 ply fingering weight. I couldn’t help but think ‘here we go again’ – I tried so many times to knit little things like this when my children were born (18 and 20 years ago) and always ended up frogging them in frustration. I didn’t have the skills yet, nor the patience required! It’s a little lace ‘jacket’ and there are matching accesories if I make it that far.

I’ve got more wips than ever before (and possibly ever again). A couple things for the baby-to-be – socks and a sweater half done, a sweater for me, a double knit baby blanket, another afghan for the ‘Elf Collection’, a baby toy and a bathmat. Oh, yes, and a shipwreck shawl…

Ok. A little scattered. I have one more thing, finished, to show…

It’s the “Baby Cabled Baby Slouch” pattern by Stacy Mar, done in Mary Maxim ‘Parisienne’ sport/dk acrylic yarn.

I really must show you the double knit blanket, so far…

This is my ‘Beauty of a blanket’ or the “Reversible Celtic Patterns Baby Blanket” by Kathleen Sperling. A really lovely free pattern which is going to take a LOT of work but which will be well worth the effort. It’s my hope to have this ready for the baby shower so I’m aiming for March. I’m using Phentex sport in caribbean blue and a very light blue marl. I absolutely know that acrylic isn’t ideal for baby things but I’m not financially able to do this blanket in anything else. Fortunately, it will wear very well and last a long time

Ok, off to knit, and cut the grass (I’m the excited owner of a new lawn mower – it’s actually alarming how excited one can get about appliances and equipment after a certain number of years being married!) and maybe even clean the house, assuming anyone will notice…

Have a great day!

Petit Purls

I like this one very much! It focuses on children/toddlers/babies. A great resource

I’ve finished the hat to match my ‘Snowflake Princess’ sweater coat!  I have also written out the PATTERN in case anyone else is interested in making it.

Here it is…

So cute It’s about 7″ tall and 17″ unstretched, around.

I’m going to make mittens next!

• Or at least I think so

It’s my ‘Snowflake Princess’, a modified version of the Snowflake Queen Pattern by Alison Stewart-Guinee. I used the free pattern excerpt available online

I modified it in several ways…

-used a smaller needle (4 mm)
-decreased to 97 sts (24,49(back),24)
-modified the cuff by working it in the contrast ‘carmen’ yarn as;
row 1 and 2 – knit
following 8 rows – k1,p1 ribbing
cast off firmly in knit

-my version of the button bands and collar, knitted in one piece using short rows (the collar and button band were omitted from the free pattern excerpt);

• With right side facing and same yarn as used for coat, pick up 36 sts along (right) skirt, 24 sts along bodice, 11 sts front neckline, 19 held sts from back of neck (this takes into account my extra decreases, which may or may not be the amount you have), and, corresponding 11, 24, 36 on the left side.   I would place markers each side of the (19) back neck sts, to make the short rows easier to keep track of.  (161 sts)
• purl one row

Begin short rows;

• purl 98 (or 8 sts past second marker) w&t (wrap and turn)
• knit 35 (or 8 sts past second marker) w&t
• purl 36 w&t
• knit 37 w&t
• purl 38 w&t
• knit 39 w&t
• purl 40 w&t
• knit 41 w&t
• purl to end of row
• knit one row
• (buttonhole row) purl 108 sts, [(yo, p2tog, p3) 7x], p21.
• knit one row, twisting yo’s as you knit them to prevent too large button holes
• purl 98  w&t (wrap and turn)
• knit 35  w&t
• purl 36  w&t
• knit 37 w&t
• purl 38 w&t
• knit 39 w&t
• purl 41 w&t
• knit 43 w&t
• purl 45  w&t
• knit 47 w&t
• purl 49 w&t
• knit 51 w&t
• purl to end of row 

Join accent yarn (patons ‘carmen’ is what I used)

(worked in garter stitch – knit all rows)

• knit one row
• knit 108 w&t
• knit 55 w&t
• knit 57 w&t
• knit 59 w&t
• knit 61 w&t
• knit 63 w&t
• knit to end of row
• cast off in knit

I crocheted the edging around the bottom in single crochet with a 4 mm hook.

I think this is one of my favorite projects ever!  Right now I’m working on a matching hat and mittens…

Yes, I know, it’s been ages since I’ve kept the blog in the fashion it has become accustomed to!

(This is my ’snowflake princess’ – on ravelry – from the snow queen pattern. It’s for the baby-to-be if the baby is a girl, if not it’s for a future baby-to-be Who could help it? It’s adorable)

I have been busy and it’s been quite a summer. Some of it was excellent, some of it was extremely stressful and annoying.

I’ve been distracted from my knitting, and the blog by a thorough house sort and clean – not that it wasn’t a great idea, it really, really was! – but not on my timing, it was decided by a problem we have had here – BATS!!!! in our (rental) home.

I couldn’t bear the idea that they may be anywhere here so I spent about a week or two cleaning like a maniac and sorting everything we own. Basement included. What a job! So the second hand store now has about ten bags full of extra clothes, toys, and household goods and the garbage tag people are finally getting a little help from us, lol.

The house does look beautiful!

I *think* the problem is solved…we’ve had a company in who specializes in excluding bats. They’ve sealed the house and I’ve duct taped the hell out of the inside of the house to prevent them coming into the living space. Apparently they leave little ‘doors’ that work one way only and the bats may leave but they cannot get back in. Now I just have to get over the thought that there are some stuck in the house.

LOL – I seriously wish I had a nanny cam or some such thing to film over night. It’s really hard to know whats really going on…I suspect they’ve been here all summer and we only just noticed them because we usually sleep at night. Lately I’ve been unable to sleep and that’s how I discovered two of them flying through the house at 3 am-ish about two or three weeks ago. Not nice. They are known to carry rabies and are the leading cause of human rabies.

So – a little distracting, yes?

The landlord came around, which is the main point. I didn’t want to have to move! At first we got the whole ‘you can’t seal a house’ and ‘it’s normal to have bats in ontario’. Umm…bullshit?!

Ok, I don’t like to say it but that is what I said. You certainly can seal a house and bats are NOT acceptable in anyones home. Isn’t it terrible, I think, how landlords are first concerned with money and how (some) don’t expect to maintain a home but expect to leave it as-is for years so long as they don’t have to live there? It’s ok though…I had a chat with property standards and then a chat with the landlords about building codes, fire codes, zoning, bylaws and property standards. LOL – they had the gall to tell me, at first, that they had never heard of property standards. Must be nice to have never needed to know.

I think we understand each other now. And I’m getting a new roof too. I think they like me best when I play the quiet wife, lol….we’ve been here for a year and half and they’ve never had to speak with me about anything. I’m quiet until my families safety gets involved and then I make sure I know exactly what I’m saying before I say it. I told them exactly how to look up exactly what I did look up and haven’t heard anything since.

I’ll have to catch up on everything else in another post! May your day be fabulous and your home bat-free

Yay and wow and happy dances!!

I’m going to be a grandma!

I was shocked too

My daughter is expecting in April and we’re all very happy for her. Best of all, she is very happy too. I’m going nuts picking out good adorable baby patterns – and there are lots out there!

So far…

The ‘Ribbed Baby Jacket’ by Debbie Bliss, in Shire Silk from my stash;

And…

‘One Strand Booties’ by Carole Barenys in some Kroy Sock;

Meanwhile…

I was working on some other knitting, before the BIG news arrived. I had almost finished a cardigan for myself, using some Bouquet Vogue acrylic yarn. Its the ‘Rib and Cable Cardigan’ by Irina Poludnenko (available in the Vogue Knitting, Fall 2009 magazine). Another great knit from the stash! This yarn was given to me a while ago and is, I believe, discontinued.

It is, so far, unfinished….needing seaming and the button bands knitted on. I hope to finish this soon and wear it this fall

I also started some Christmas knitting (remember, I knew nothing of the BIG news!)

Kaleidoscope by Lisa Donald, using scraps of acrylics from the stash with a few balls of a tencel/acrylic blend. The tencel seems to really soften it up.

A really easy and fun crochet pattern – I highly recommend it!

Ok – off with me…I have a million tiny socks to knit!

The pattern was available for free on Ravelry and I had to make a few modifications but I’m so happy with it! I did the collar and sleeves a little differently – the sleeves are narrower than the pattern calls for and the collar as well – I joined the collar as I knitted it also instead of seaming.

It’s going to be nice for the fall!

I’ve been searching the web, looking for lace designs/patterns/charts. I’ve found a couple of great resources!

One is Yarn Over. Another is Knitting Fool.

I’m still working on the coat, sort of ‘off an on’ lol, but yes – working! I’m more than half way through the first sleeve and have, of course, to finish the upper body once the sleeves are done. It’s about now in the pattern where ALL the numbers are wrong, because of my different gauge, so there’s much more work to figuring it out. I’ll get there

I’m also dreaming of a pair of really fine lace socks. Hence the web search. I’ll likely use little tiny needles and lace weight yarn (I’m thinking the handspun rambouillet). I’m looking for an itsy bitsy lace pattern which fits…

Oh, yes – I made a little lace hat for myself, for when the weather gets cooler this fall. It was a free pattern (available at the canadian living site) but is from the book Runway Knits. Very cute! Sideways lace and cables…

The ‘Ingenue Hat’ (by Berta Karapetyan)

The silk I used is ’shire silk’ and it’s as light as air. I may have to find some time and make the matching scarf – also free on the site and also beautiful!

I know it’s been a while since I posted here on the blog!

If you’re sitting down, I’ll show you the most shocking of the ‘what’s new?’ first…

Ok, I shaved my head. Yes. Really.

Before…

After…

And today (did it last night)…

Most shocking?! I’m still me As it turns out, femininity is not necessarily in the hair

It was the scariest and most empowering thing I’ve ever done. LOL. When it grows in, I’m going to get one of those really sexy/cute short haircuts. The thing is…I’ve ALWAYS had long hair. Always.

The weirdest thing? It feels GREAT. Seriously great. Doesn’t, perhaps, look so great, lol – but it’s good. And it’s only hair – it will grow back.

And, I’ve been busy – doing lots of things.

Right now I’m a little obsessed with a knitted coat called the ’silver coat’. It’s a pattern a lady made herself from a coat she saw in a store and she’s generously shared it on ravelry. I’m trying it with my coned ‘wine’ spinrite wool. My guage is way off but I’m making the necessary adjustments to the pattern. It’s a long coat with a full skirt and cable details – an a-line design and very attractive, I think!

I knitted a scarf out of my handspun “unspun” yarn (in violet) – the Prismatic Scarf pattern…

I knitted a sweater for myself, after spinning the jacob super bulky first. It’s a Drops pattern, modified…

I changed the neckline to be a scoop neck, and shortened the yoke…

It’s super cozy…I just need to sew on the buttons, which I already bought (and was shocked at the price of) but haven’t sewn on. A perfect loose knit summer sweater – our house gets really cool even in summer!

I finished the Fishie quilt, for our cousin in Quebec…

I think it turned out fantastic…so bright and colourful! I hand quilted it with a blue thread…

Have a fabulous day!

I see socks.

I’m planning to ply the darker tone with the brighter tone and I think they’ll be beautiful! Or at least the yarn will be, lol, since I can’t promise to actually KNIT socks in the near future.

I’m working on the skeins of reclaimed ‘unspun’ I dyed – I don’t know that I’ll finish them all though, probably I’ll store some of it for later too. This one was kettle dyed with yellow/orange/copper wiltons icing dye. I’m so happy it didn’t felt a bit – I can still draft the fibre even though this comes from the part of the sweater I had to frog!

The summer is HERE, all the kids are out of school and my second daughter has graduated high school. I was a very proud mama last night! She is heading to college in the fall and I’m so happy for her

I’m really, REALLY enjoying my adventures in dye-land. It’s so neat how nicely variegated the colours turn out using the wiltons icing colour…I enjoy playing with the colour ‘breaks’ and seeing the finished product is always a surprise Happily – nothing has felted and the fibres are still easily drafted (or as easily as they were anyway, lol – this sweater sat half knitted for nearly forever as far as I can tell).

From left to right in the photo…
Copper, copper/orange/yellow mix, black/violet mix, royal blue, juniper green and delphinium blue.

I’m dying reclaimed ‘canadian buffalo unspun’ yarn which is basically a six ply roving yarn. I then seperate the plies and spin them as single strands of pencil roving – it works out to a dk/worsted weight yarn and looks like it would be ideal for winter hats/scarves and such. It would also make fabulous felted items…maybe slippers or a purse.

Anyways, fun fun fun. I highly recommend it!

Knitted chain maille helmet pattern

I hopefully did this correctly…it’s my first pdf!  Enjoy

Wow. I’ve been really really busy lately! I feel like I’ve been neglecting the blog, lol…

The puppy is doing fabulous. He’s learning so much, so fast!! Really amazing. And he’s settled in nicely with the other two – has even learned some manners

I’ve been asked to knit chain maille helmets for a theatre production which is coming up later in the year. Rehearsals start in July though so I have to get them all done by then…

I was pretty happy — I made the pattern up and it worked out the first time! It was a happy, happy day Now hopefully the rest of them knit up fast, and I’m praying to the wool gods that the wool stretches impossibly far.

I also have to knit sets of 3/4 length chain maille sleeves, for each.

AND!! I’ve been asked to appear in a play as a spinner, with my wheel. Coolness, I thought. It should be fun! I’m not clear on the details of when and where yet. Later this year, I understand.

I’m planning to post the pattern for the helmet, when I have a bit of time.

I’ve been working on quilting the baby ‘fishie’ quilt. That is nearing real deadlines too – the reletive it’s for should be visiting in July. I’d say I’m about 1/3 done the hand quilting and then there’s the binding to be sewn on by hand as well. I’m pretty sure I’m on track.

I was given some canadian unspun yarn – the kind they make the cowichan sweater out of and decided to use it to experiment with dying roving. The sweater needs to be frogged to claim all the yarn so I just started with half a ball of the natural/white mix.

I skeined it…

Placed it in a pot with near boiling water mixed with almost a cup of vinegar and some wiltons ‘violet’ icing colour (dissolved in boiling water first and stirred). I didn’t soak the roving first. I want to accentuate the ‘breaking’ of the colour and allow the roving to soak the colour at an uneven rate for interesting variation in the colours.

I soaked the roving in the dyepot, simmering without agitation, for about 20 to 25 minutes, until all the dye was exhausted and absorbed.

After cooling a little, a soak in hot, hot water with a drop or two of dishsoap, a hot rinse…

It looked fantastic! Check out the colours! I think I maybe should have used a little more dye – see how the centre didn’t really lose the beige/natural tone. On the other hand, when spun up it might look really good so I’m reserving judgement

It’s drying and I expect the colours may fade a little.

I made my daughter a pair of ’sockettes’ for her birthday last month and forgot to post them here…here are a few pictures. The pattern is improvised, toe up, using the free white fleece I got a little while back.

She likes her socks low on her ankle. The best part of hand knit is the perfect fit factor

Oh yes…almost forgot…I’ve also been knitting the grotto wrap from interweave knits with my handspun rambouillet lace yarn…I’ll post pictures when it’s done…it’s turning out soft and really nice (I think it’s my best handspun yarn ever).

I have two skeins of sock yarn which I spun from the free white and black sheep – my son and I’ll work on dying those tomorrow….

Isn’t he beautiful?!

He’s 3/4 Border Collie, 1/4 Yellow Labrador, 7 weeks old and absolutely SWEET! Ok, we didn’t really NEED a new dog but he’s irresistable.

He’s going to get me out of the house more, from what I understand about the breed they need lots of ‘work’ (play) and lots of activity. Good for both of us!

Ok, off to walk…he’s terrified of the sidewalk so far but yesterday learned a lot about walking on the leash…

Today, I’m dying my handspun, hand prepped, rambouillet lace – just over 2000 yards. I admit, I was afraid!

The good news? It turned out beautiful! It makes me think of spring flowers, perfect for today since it’s pouring rain outside.

The second batch is ‘cooking’ in the pot on the stove as I type. I’m quite certain it’s going to be a perfect match for the first.

My recipe?

1/4 teaspoon of delphinium blue wiltons icing colour, dissolved in one cup of boiling water

Just a bit more than 3/4 cup of vinegar mixed with boiling water on the stove in my dye pot and stirred

–add the dye solution to the pot and IMMEDIATELY add the dry, loosely skeined yarn. Push down with a wooden spoon, keeping agitation to a minimum.

–allow pot to simmer for 20 minutes, remove from stove, cool to a comfortable temperature and place in rinse water (same temp as yarn) again without agitating.

–roll in towel to remove excess moisture and lay flat or hang to dry.

–admire the beautiful yarn you made yourself

I repeated this exactly for the second skein, in order to minimize differences in the two skeins. I suppose I could have done both together in a larger pot – we’ll see

I really like this

Yay! The top is pieced!

The process…

I’ve started the quilt and LOVE how it’s turning out…

This is my working diagram for a baby quilt I’m making. It’s up next because I must have it finished by June – well, actually some time in June but I’ll feel better if it’s done by the beginning of the month!

Off to hunt down some appropriate fabrics and find that acrylic ruler…

I’ll be posting pictures as I go

The kids tell me it’s not really done until I decorate the underside BUT here is the shed stick, so far.

The shuttle is waiting for me to finish weaving and then I’m planning to decorate it to match. The loom is waiting too, a bit.

I’ve also got to get moving on a baby quilt that needs to be done by sometime in june!

I really, really love making stuff. As I’m sure you can tell!

I’ve wanted to try wool dying for a while now. I read (on ravelry) about how icing colours can be used to dye and about how the colours often ’slip’, giving unexpected depth and variation.

I had juniper green and a hank of my handspun singles yarn to work with. It’s the mystery white wool that I’ve been processing – approximately 180 metres. I also had a bottle of blue liquid food colour that I ended up using with the juniper green.

I dissolved a little of the paste in boiling water.

I poured the remaining boiling water into my dye pot (an excellent pot because the white lining lets me see the amount of colour remaining, clearly), added about 3/4 cup of vinegar, about half the dissolved dye, 9 or so drops of blue, scattered around. Without stirring, I placed the DRY yarn into the bath and simmered it for about 20 minutes on the stove.

Absolutely one of the EASIEST crafts I’ve tried.

Most of the colour took though a little of the red gathered along the edge of the water line in the dye pot. It’s red #3, known to not take, but a little of it did and the finished yarn is beautiful!

In other crafty-news…

I got a woodburning tool!!! I’ve never used one, until last night, but have always wanted to learn. Fun, fun, fun

For cheap, at the hock shop. It’s a dremel and has interchangeable tips.

My first attempt…(I’m decorating the inkle loom nice and pretty)

Here’s what I’m doing to decorate the shed stick that I made…

Now I’ve got about a milliong things on the go, lol, but I’m having fun.

Enjoy your day!

Using my handspun!

Remember the shetland fleece I bought earlier this year?

I washed it, combed it – seperated the down coat from the coarse outer coat, and spun the down into a nice, lofty two ply.

I wanted a little sweater – it’s really soft and I’m not overly sensitive to wool anyways. The Sylph Cardigan by Robin Melanson (Interweave Knits) was perfect. Or at least close to perfect! I downsized it, one size. I also continued the lace pattern throughout and knitted on the neckband rather than sewing it on later. I reshaped the sleeves a bit when downsizing. I like them well fitted.

I love how it turned out!

I decided to do this post to try and show ‘how’ I comb my wool with my diy combs. I find it’s easier to comb sideways. It keeps my fibre on the combs and it seems to do a nice job too!

After a little comb with my dog rake, I place a bunch of locks onto the comb, so the tips are farthest from the tines. I then comb them off, onto the moving comb.

Since I HATE waste, I save all these bits in another pillowcase. I suppose I could use them in lots of ways…carding (if I ever try that), felting, needle felting, stuffing…

Then I comb back onto the stationary comb…

I usually give the last bits a bit of a pull…to get as much of the fibre as possible…

You can continue this ‘off, on’ as many times as you like. I usually just do two passes (one off, one on). The more passes, the more perfect the fibre becomes but the more waste as well. It depends what you like.

Next, I pull off the combed top, as evenly as possible. I don’t have a diz and frankly, am not planning on getting one. I have no trouble pulling off the top and then drafting it out evenly to spin.

Give it a little twist and move my hand up to the comb again…

When I’ve pulled all I can from the comb, the rest goes into the waste bag…

The finished combed top….

I’m spinning some of this right now, for lace…

I hope this post was at least a little helpful Have a great day!