Sew I See!

The Tulip Etimo Rose hook arrived earlier this week, so I decided to pull out all my similarly sized rubber-handled hooks and do some comparison. (I left the Clover Amour hook mostly out of it, because that's a steel hook and the handle is not likely to be quite the same size as a Clover Amour aluminum hook would be.) I'll include a few photos at the bottom of this entry, but first things first... Tulip Etimo vs. Tulip Etimo Rose:  The differences appear to be nearly entirely cosmetic. The Tulip Etimo handle is a brown, and the metal is a very warm golden tone. The Tulip Etimo Rose handle is pink (thus the "Rose" part), and the metal is a silver tone.  The brand and size markings vary slightly between the two, but in every other way, they appear to be identical.  Same length.  Same handle shape and size.  Same style of tip and length of shank.  Both are aluminum hooks with a fairly matte finish (for metal).  Both have an "elastomer" handle ...

Last weekend, I started the border for the Mysteryghan.  I'd just started the time-consuming cable round before becoming completely sidetracked. Then I picked up the Frosting cowl again.  I'm on to the third (and final) ball of yarn, trying to decide how long it should be before I have to figure out how to seam it-- and whether or not I can/should make it a moebius.  (It definitely has a "right" and a "wrong" side, and I'm not sure how that'll work with a moebius.) It's an enjoyable project, but it needs to be finished to make room for another WIP!  I've gotten fully into the groove on this one, now: I no longer need to refer to the pattern to remind myself-- just in case-- what to do for each cable row.  (It's a simple pattern, but it's knitting, you know.  That makes it harder for me to memorize and feel confident that I'm doing it correctly.)  Funny how that always seems to happen.  Just when you really get into t...

Not exactly "tomorrow", but... The pillow slip-covers are done and on the couch!  I'm still not the very best at cutting perfect squares of fabric, but I think the string quilt kit is within the realm of possibility, now.  Of course, that doesn't mean I'll start working on it right away... So many other projects already underway! But let's bask in the rare sunshine of the finished project.  ;o) Here are a few photos of the pillow covers: As you can see, they're pretty random and rustic-- shabby chic with a touch of darkness?-- but I'm satisfied. - - - - - - - While I was in "sewing mode", I went ahead and hemmed a pair of jeans into capris.  I made a couple of pair of capris the same way a couple of years (or so) ago, and I've worn those things constantly all summer.  Mine are completely casual, but it's something different from the standard "hack and hem" ;o) or "roll-up" look.  And if you wa...

When I started this blog, I expected to write occasionally about sewing projects.  (Hence the blog's name.)  I hadn't even really learned how to crochet, at that point. Since the first entry (written in November 2008, which boggles my mind, because can it truly have been that long ago?), I've teetered through the learning stages of crochet and moved on to more advanced crochet (as long as you don't count fitted items like sweaters...).  Those thread doilies that once seemed all but impossible are now just a relaxing pastime.  (Ok, a relaxing pastime with the occasional moment of "Argh!  Why won't this blasted thing flatten out?!  Flatten!  I command you to FLATTEN! )  With the help of the Internet, I've taught myself to knit, have learned that even lace and  those amazing cables are possible, and have dabbled in food-color dyeing. Basically, yarn has taken over my crafty interests in a very big way!  (And I've learned to regret the ...

Inspired by a tutorial video mentioned in an earlier entry, I decided to dye some semi-solid yarn. I started with cream/natural (I think they call it "aran") Fishermen's Wool.  Wound the whole skein onto the swift into a large hank and tied in a few places (as always).  Pre-soaked the yarn.  Heated a large stock pot.  Mixed up some food coloring... I basically followed the method in the video.  I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, and for a while I was concerned that it was going to be plain ugly. Fortunately, there's almost always the option of adding more dye, and until it dried, I was pretty sure that I'd need to over-dye (dye it again) to get some variation in color.  When it was completely dry, though, there seemed to be enough subtle shading to keep it interesting, so I wound it into a gigantic cake.  Not sure if you can tell from the photo, but that's a lot of yarn for one cake!   The winder could just bare...

Yesterday, I read this Ravelry thread on nickel-plated needles.  (It's good to know that other people have this problem, too.) So, it sounds like the thing to do for cloudiness (which apparently results in drag) is the following: 1. Polish with a microfiber cloth.  (Some suggest a jeweler's cloth-- usually for cleaning sterling silver jewelry.)   If that's not enough... 2. Polish with vinegar on a soft cloth.  (Someone else suggests a damp cloth and baking soda or toothpaste and a cotton cloth.) If that's not enough... 3. Clean/polish with something stronger.  (WD40?  Specially formulated tarnish remover for nickel-plating-- or possibly chrome?) Sounds like those methods may work for some people, but not for others-- and once the plating has completely worn through in spots, there's not much you can do, short of re-plating them, which isn't really an option. I've read that cleaning the needles with alcohol can prevent or delay tarnishing, b...

How's that for a title?  ;o) I bought a set of interchangeable knitting needles from Tuesday Morning several months back.  (Just checked.  It's been nearly a year.)  They are nickel-plated, Boye "Artisan" line.  I had some qualms about the nickel-plating, because I've had trouble in the past with nickel-plated embroidery needles.  (The nickel wears off.)  Well, it was a good price, and I hoped the coating of the knitting needles would be better than those cheap embroidery needles.  Worth a try. I've been using them now and then.  I don't knit that much, but still, they've gotten some use. Right now, the Frosting cowl is on the size 9's-- and this evening, I noticed that the surface of one of the needles is "cloudy" (the best word I can think of to describe it).  The other needle might be slightly cloudy, too, but the one is much more noticeable.  It's mostly on the "back" part of the needle, away from the tip, and the...

Here's a recently finished object-- something I've labeled my "Catch a Wave" doily . Janice (on her blog, Passion of Love ) reverse engineered from a doily in her collection, explaining it to her readers as she went, as well as providing plenty of helpful photos.  (Thanks to Pammy Sue for sharing the link!) Janice worked her doily in autumn colors to prepare for the next season, but when I looked over my own supply of partially used balls of thread, I found more blues than autumnal hues, thus the whole "Catch a Wave" thing. This was originally supposed to be a CAL, but I came to the party late.  That doesn't really matter, though, and the pattern's still there for any other latecomers. It was an interesting change of pace to work from something other than a traditional written pattern or a chart.  However, practically my first real project was worked from something written in the same "tutorial" style-- Lucy's (from Attic24)...

Back as promised with details from the dyeing! Administer caffeine now , because this one's a rambler... (Or, you know, skim and/or skip at will.) - - - - - - - The goal was to dye yarn with (what I believe are usually called) long color repeats. The key to long color repeats is to not just make one long hank of yarn by either whirling it onto the swift or wrapping it around chairs, end of a table, etc.  You can do that and carefully dip or paint sections in different colors if you want short repeats, which read as blips of color in knitted or crocheted fabric. For example, I dyed this yarn with lots of splotches of color, which was lots of fun to do: And then I knitted it into this hat, which I found disappointing: It was just too mottled for my taste. Striping it with another, darker yarn, though, yielded a result that I did like, because it broke up some of the mottling.  Still, though, I think you can see what I mean by "blips of color": ...

A couple of days ago, something reminded me of a scarf that I've admired for years-- Moonstitches' Rhubarb Scarf .  I'd like to make something similar.  The stitch itself seems simple enough.  It's a version of the well-known "Catherine Wheel".  What's more, there's now a free pattern inspired by the scarf , so you don't have to fiddle around with working out a pattern for yourself.  (It even includes a ruffled edge!) However, for me, the allure of the original scarf has at least as much to do with the color choices as it does with the stitch pattern (though that scrumptious ruffled edge has definite appeal).  But that yarn is Japanese, difficult to locate (possibly discontinued), and when located , is not the right colorway-- and costs more than I'm willing to pay, anyway.  The yarn in question (Diakeito Diamusee Fine) is a "light fingering"-- and I happen to have a few skeins of perfectly dye-able light fingering yarn in my s...