A couple of small finishes

Doctors' office knitting.

a white chemo cap from donated yarn for a friend's mother

a silly ruffly scarf for a gift.  Knit with Knitting Fever Flounce yarn.

UFOs and FOs!

Over the three-day holiday weekend I worked each morning on my Japanese embroidery. I'm at the point where I want to get this one done and move on!  I completed the hemp-leaf pattern in gold on the brown paper holding the flowers. I had done it once early on and didn't like it at all. I'm much happier with it now. I also completed the leaves for the pinks, the white mum and a bit of iris leaf.

I completed rectangle two for the Legal Loopers and began #3. This one is my version of Tunisian crochet. I say my version becasuse I've read the directions over the years but never tried it and now I'm trying it from memory, with no directions handy.  I like the way it looks, I'm just not sure whether I'm doing it "right."  It's taking longer than #2 but I like it a lot better.  These colors are a little bright for me.

Square #2, below is one row double crochet and one row single alternated.

And I completed the lacy cotton hat.  It turned out bigger than I expected--I checked gauge but in stockinette stitch and not the lace pattern and I think that may have been my mistake there. 

It was fun to do and a great pattern.  (Lotus Hat free pattern by Third Base Line)

I also worked a lot on the diamond entrelac tote. It still looks like the same blob of wool as my last photo so I didn't photograph it this time. But I'm working on the bottom decreases now and also on the i-cord handles.

WIP-land

To stave off boredom while sitting last week, I began a whole slew of projects that I'm rotating between, sometimes a row or section of one then moving on to another. I'm restless.This is a hat, knit with cables in an Alpaca yarn--very soft. It was a kit from Knitpicks from my stash. This is a lacy washcloth and below is another. I have cotton (also from Knitpicks) for a third...which is perfect since the pattern book has three different patterns. The cloths are knit with short-rows. You can see I've learned my lace-knitting lessons--I'm using markers and lifelines, even for something this small. The good thing is that I've learned enough now to be able to figure out where I went wrong and fix it. The not-so-good thing is that I go wrong way too often. This is the completed flower from the needlebook I began way back when and then let languish. I've begun the second flower.
Last is an easy but slow pillowcase project. The first one came to me stitched, with the second stamped case and a few tangles of green floss and perle. I'm using those threads along with some more greens from my stash to satin stitch the leaves. I'll need to get to a store for the variegateds used for the flowers and for some thread to use to crochet the edgings. What color do you suggest I use? Variegated greens is an obvious choice but I'm just not so sure...

Crazy Busy

Time to post is hard to find right now. I'm about up to my eyebrows in planning a conference for next weekend. It's a bigger than usual event with a few more pieces than normal.

And I've had Finished Objects to show! This weekend I got the sewing machine out and finished some things. I'm going to put them all here in one post, because I know I won't get back to the computer for a while.
This 1970s Columbia Minerva, Erica Wilson design chatelaine is brand-spanking new. I bought it at an antique shop several years ago, all in the closed package (probably what's called "mint in box" by antiquers and they'd probably be appalled that I opened and stitched it). It took me a long time to stitch. I found it a bit fiddly but fun. The duck fabric was hard to sew and my hands hurt from the finishing by the time I was done--and I did all I could on the machine. But I like it, it's so bright and colorful.
The loops at the bottom hold strands of thread or scissors. The pattern had them stitched but I sewed on large snaps.This little pin doll is another long-languishing project. It was just a pattern so it took forever to find all the bits of fabric and trim and get them all in the same place at the same time. Once I had that, it went together quickly. The design is called Lil' Butterfly by Susan McFadden (1990--I told you it sat around a long time!)I know I've shown this before, with the knitting complete. But now it's really, finally done. It has ties and a lining (red corduroy). I also have a lovely little red corduroy gift bag when I cut the original lining piece too small and didn't notice it until it was stitched, French seams and all. It will come in handy for the holidays.I found these nifty little bits at J0-Ann's. The are preprinted fabric designs but instead of buying yardage, you get a small piece (fat 1/8th?) with the two ornaments (printed front and back) or the pincushion (front, back and sides). Both came with instructions and the ornaments came with the ribbon for hanging. I added some touches of embroidery to the angel but left the others alone. The bottom of the pincushion has the blue of the angel on it. Everyone needs a holiday pincushion! I also stitched the completed pears. Here are the third sides. I began stuffing them and ran out of polyfill. The pattern suggests doll pellets to weight the pears and I think that or a large washer is a good idea, but I haven't had a chance to get out to the store. Maybe Friday.

We're off for the long holiday weekend and I can't wait. (although I know I'll be tempted to come in to work--it's just looming!) Thursday we're going to Brookfield Zoo with a friend. (it's free day, too!) We're doing the family gathering on Saturday. Sunday is a car event (a collector is hosting an "open garage"). Busy weekend.

Tuesday is my first holiday party and I need to have gifts done, wrapped and ready. Yikes!

Slow Knitting

A couple of weeks ago I ran into trouble with the little lace knit sachet I was making. I ripped back a bit and started up again, but then I really looked at it and I found some more mistakes. They began to nag at me, so I ripped it all out and began over. Then, I made a mistake in the first lace row and so I started over yet again. Now I'm counting more carefully, knitting more carefully, and adding life-lines at the end of each repeat.

The lace pattern is from Knit Picks. It is the Generations Purse and I'm knitting it in Knit Picks Shinesport Cotton/Modal yarn. I must say it's taken the rip and reknit process really well and is a lovely soft yarn to work with.

I found an error in my transcription of the pattern to my flip book. I also found I have a tendency not to bring the yarn to the back after purling--which makes a nice lacy yarn over hole, not necessarily where I want one.

I haven't (yet) needed my lifelines but they're making me much calmer about knitting. I used size 8 perle cotton--you want a smooth thread that won't snag. The thread holds that row of stitches so if I rip back to that point, I will have a clear demarcation of where to stop and the stitches will be in order and properly oriented. I can then put them back on the needles and begin again from that point (rather than starting over and over).

There are two steps to adding this safety net to your knitting. The first is to add the line itself. I use a big, fat dull-pointed tapestry needle (probably a size 18) so I won't snag the yarn. I begin at one end and carefully thread it through each stitch. When I get to the end I tie the two ends of the life-line thread together so it can't pull out. I like to use a long length of thread so I can spread my knitting out on the needles to inspect it and make sure it's going okay, even with the tied lifeline. I'm sure there are other ways to do this. I know there are some knitting needles that allow you to insert a thread to add a lifeline as you knit a row.

The second part is knitting the next row. This is where I have to be more careful. You have to be sure NOT to knit the lifeline with your yarn and just let it lie there loose, between stitches. This can be hard to see when decreasing but it's crucial. If you knit the lifeline into a stitch, you won't be able to rip back if you need to.

This reknitting has changed the whole project for me. Now I can see the pattern. I've knitted it enough, I can tell from the previous row pretty much what I need to do in this row. I'm knitting much more slowly, consciously and paying much closer attention--and enjoying it much more than before. Which is most likely why I ran into trouble in the first place. I have yarn to make several of these little sachets so it's good that I've gotten it sorted out.

project update

For a while I've been struggling with this banner design taken from the Bayeaux Tapestry. I replaced the floss that came with the kit with crewel wools in the same colors but I really struggled with the laid and couched stitched used in the design--in particular in the tiny areas.

Last week as I was cleaning out my computer files, I came across a document I'd saved a while back. "Refilsaum" by Racaire. Refilsaum is the name of the laid and couched stitched used in the tapestry (Google it for some interesting results...) After reading her very clear instructions and tips, I was able to stop ripping and start stitching and I completed one bird motif and some of the border.

I had also been struggling with outline stitch on the small, tight curves. The Refilsaum document listed split stitch as a stitch used in the tapestry, so I switched to that for some of the tighter areas and am much happier. I had thought of using it but just wasn't sure if it was proper.

I decided to do this as a learning experience and part of that is to try and do the stitching much as it would have been done originally (except not on a huge frame in a room with no lighting with other women working alongside me).

I also did some digging and stash cleaning this week. I'm looking for some silk paper I made a while back. Haven't found it yet, but I did find other things and have a new pile of goodies for giveaways this summer and some new projects to work on now that Dolly's done.

I was looking for the silk paper to use it for the last page (December) of the Take It Further challenge from last year. I have a design I like and couldn't figure out what was holding me up until I realized that I felt I was copping out by going with felt again...quick and easy. But the whole point of TIF was not do do the quick and easy. Then I realized my design would work in silk paper and take on a whole new dimension and it wouldn't be as quick and easy since I haven't done much with the silk paper. I have some silk paper already made is colors that would work. If I could find it.

I did find this panel of crazy pieced mini-stockings. It was a teaching panel years ago with a step-by-step progression for how to foundation piece a crazy quilt square. I taught it at the local EGA chapter.

When I got home from class, I completed piecing all of the stockings, but then it sat. This weekend I dug it out and cut out a small stocking shape pattern and used a silver Sharpie to outline it on each stocking. I cut one out from the background and began to embellish it. I always need at least four ornaments at the holidays for various guild things, so I'm hoping I'll get these done for that.

I also found this beaded cord. It's a rather mindless project--peyote beading around a cord. Sadly, the little beads mean that it's not a "doctor's office" project. But I sat and quickly doubled the length beaded (I hadn't done much before boredom struck). I think it will be okay to do in the evenings when I'm tired.

It made me realize how much I used TV as background noise when I would work on a mindless project like this. I missed it.

The quiet of no broadcast TV helped me get a couple of repeats done on a lace knitted sachet bag. I have two repeats done and need to do four. Lace knitting is something I really have to concentrate on and count.

This time I'm using a flip book for the pattern and I like it. I wrote out two rows of the pattern on each page of a spiral bound notebook. As I complete the rows, I flip to the next page. That way I don't get lost and when I pick it up, I know where to start again. I have a hard time with charts and this is working nicely for me.

I do think we'll end up getting a digital box for the TV. My husband is going through withdrawal (he's home a lot more than I am). He quizzed everyone about their box brand on Saturday and watched three DVD TV shows and a movie (Bend It Like Beckham--my pick and we really liked it, although getting through the British accent on top of the Indian accent meant we did some rewinding to catch what was said.) Sunday the TV was not turned on at all. But yesterday he told me that he spent twenty minutes watching the one channel that's left--a public service announcement about how to hook up your box. Last night was back to more DVD TV. (Right now it's the 1960s "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea." Boy, are they full of 60s cold war cliches!)