Sew I See!

No blocking or sewing to report, and the spider scarf is still my only active yarny WIP. I worked up to row 156, then had to decide whether or not to swap up to a larger size of needle (as indicated in the pattern). The problem (as you may recall from the previous post) is that the pattern is written for laceweight.  You start with four strands of yarn and gradually work your way down to fewer and fewer strands-- and larger and larger needles. (You also gradually end up with fewer stitches per row.) I'm using a single strand of worsted weight throughout and had intended to stick with the same size needle for the whole thing, but started questioning that plan (which was based on something I read in someone's project notes, I think).  Maybe it's better to increase the needle size, after all-- if not as drastically as in the pattern, at least slightly. In the end, I decided to put in a lifeline for the last row before the first needle swap.  If going up a couple of n...

Sorry, still no photos of anything that was awaiting blocking (because blocking hasn't happened), but here are a couple of photos of the finished (but not washed) crocheted pillow covers.  The pillow inserts aren't yet in existence, so it's just the covers by themselves. I ended up only doing part of the ruffled edging, because I was afraid the yarn wouldn't hold out through the final round. Fortunately, I think it looks good even without the last round.  (Otherwise, some other white acrylic would probably work fine in substitution.) - - - - - - - Looking through my Ravelry queue (which is way too long and should be pared down), I came across a pattern I'd completely forgotten: " October is for Spinners ". It's kind of an odd-looking knitted scarf.  You start out normally enough, though the motif (the spider from Barbara Walker's Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns ) is perhaps a bit unusual for some of us.  Things only get weird...

This is a boring "checking in" post with no photos to share.  (Next time?) -- I finished knitting the scarf from last post.  Have yet to weave in the ends and block it. -- Still haven't blocked the three "Meret" berets... -- Still haven't weaved ends and blocked the Hiddleson doily ("Pretty Baby")... -- Haven't done much on the quilted table runner... This isn't sounding good. (g) What I have  done (aside from knitting the scarf) is pull another languishing project-- the "Granny's Step-Daughter" project-- back out of hibernation, as part of the campaign to reduce the backlog of UFOs. I wrote a long post about these pillow covers over a year ago, but then (for some reason) set them aside. I've just finished crocheting the last (fourth) panel.  I guess I'll go ahead and turn them into throw pillow covers, though at this point, we don't really need more pillows.  (I've made at least another cou...

No new blocking since last time. I decided to put off "Wisp" for the time being and instead knit " Petits Trous de Printemps ".  I read a lot of project notes, thought I understood some modifications that I wanted to copy, and cast on. Oops, realized I wasn't doing something right.  (Bead placement, I think...) Frogged it (slowly, as this yarn is 70% mohair). Cast on again. Soon realized that again something just wasn't right. Frogged it again! This time, I decided to put it in the corner for a few days. When I looked more closely at the pattern, I just couldn't figure out one of the modifications.  People kept saying they were adding an extra stitch for improved symmetry, but in my quick, primitive charts (scribbled over and over again), the extra stitch seemed to lessen the symmetry. Finally, I asked for help on Ravelry, and right away someone explained it in a way that made complete sense.  (Lesson for next time: Just ask for help!) ...

How many crochet and knitting blog entries do you think have been written titled "Block Party"?  ;o) Ok, so it's probably not that original.  It's still accurate!  Yesterday afternoon, I threw a little block party. Some time ago (and I do mean some time ), I saw some knitters somewhere (over on Knitting Paradise?) discussing affordable alternatives to the special foam mats sold specifically for blocking knitted or crocheted objects.  Someone mentioned that Harbor Freight sells four-packs of large (25in²) foam mats that interlock to create either a large square or a long strip (depending on what you're blocking). Here's a link, if you're interested:  Anti-Fatigue Foam Mat Set . At the moment, they're on sale for just under $10.  You can use a coupon on them and get them even cheaper-- which is what I did. Yesterday was my first time giving them a try, and I'm very happy with the results. A few things you might want to know, if you're...

On August 1st, I finished the Hiddleson doily named "Pretty Baby".  I'll put up a blog post about that once I've blocked and photographed it.  (Whenever that might be...) Afterwards, I just grabbed one of the nearest UFOs-- the Old-Fashioned Granny Square Afghan .  I've been working on it ever since, one square at a time.  With the two pieces joined, it's getting to a decent size, but I think I'll set it aside again, for a while.  It's just too hot to have on my lap, and since it's a JAYGo project, the last round of every square means melting under heavy layers of acrylic. (If I were particularly eager to have it finished soon, I'd try a tip I've seen online about putting the blanket on a table.  This keeps the bulk of the blanket off your lap, which helps keep you cool.  Of course, that's often not the most comfortable place to sit while you stitch, so it's a trade-off.) I'm also running into a bit of rut,...

In an effort to continue whittling down my WIP list, I began knitting on the Billowy Clouds of Alpaca scarf again.  In a relatively short time, it was done! The pattern is Billowy Delight by Aimee Alexander. The yarn is Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in "Wonderland Heather". I love the look of the finished pattern-- and even my own humble version, with its uneven tension, is pretty and romantic and "billowy" and puts me in mind of sea breezes and the beach in general. It's not a difficult pattern, either, from a technical standpoint.  However, worked in laceweight, it sometimes seems to go on for-ev-er (or at least it did for me).  It's simple and repetitive enough to make it a good candidate for a TV project-- however , the few times that I made a mistake, it was a pain to fix them!  (Probably wouldn't have made them if I hadn't been watching/listening to something else at the same time, but mental distraction was a sanity-preservation necessity.)...

I have photos of three recently finished objects to share! First, here are some photos of the finished "Rustic Shawl" .  Pattern: "Isis" by Anastasia Roberts (not currently available) Yarn:  linen/cotton blend (reclaimed from a thrift store sweater) I haven't blocked it and don't know that I intend to do so right away...  Honestly, I'm not even sure I'll ever wear it, but if I do, I think it looks fine as it is.   I added some rows to make it larger, and by the time I decided it was long enough, it didn't seem to need a fancy border/edging.  I didn't really want it any longer.  (And maybe I just wanted a fast edging, so I could scratch it off the list).  I put simple 3-chain picots evenly spaced (every five stitches, I think) across the bottom of the shawl.  For the front/top edge, I ended up with three rows of single crochet.  The pattern calls for two, I think, but I felt that one more wouldn't hurt, ...

I've been making an effort to work through some of the backlog of UFOs (unfinished objects, to the uninitiated). I finished the "Rustic Shawl" and even weaved in the tails, though I've yet to photograph it.  (I haven't blocked it, either, but I'm not sure I'll bother... It's definitely a casual-- one might even say "rustic" ;o)-- shawl, and if/when I ever wear it, I think it looks fine as-is.)  I'll try to take photos soon.  Then I picked up a project that has been in hibernation since the summer of 2013-- the "Ruby Cardiff Cowl" .  I'd crocheted it on the plane ride across the Atlantic.  When I got home, I put it away, and though I've thought about it from time to time, I didn't want to get it back out, because the next thing to do was to decide how big it should be and whether to cut the yarn or keep going.  In the end, I added a few more rounds, but I'm still not sure it's the ideal length.  In any ca...

The latest crocheted pillow cover is done! Here it is with another pillow made (years ago) using the same pattern: Pattern:  Front: Pretty Petals Potholder #9378 This pattern always seems to ripple when I make it-- too many increases, I guess.  I have to fuss with it to get it flat, and it doesn't want to stay that way.  However, if you're using it for a pillow cover, that doesn't matter as much, because the pillow front won't be perfectly flat, anyway. Back: Plain flat round shape in double crochet. Start with 12 dc in first round.  Increase evenly by 12 each round.  For the 13th and subsequent rounds, add another increase between the 12 you've already been making.  (See this video for a demo.) Yarn: Lion Brand Pound of Love, "Antique White" I used quite a bit of the skein.  There's a good amount left over for the scrap basket, but I think it took at least 3/4 of the skein to crochet the front and back. (It's a pretty big pill...