Happy Halloween....
Okay, so this isn't very spooky by my standards but I think it is a fitting tribute to the end of October. It's a shoulder shrug kit that I bought from Injabulo in the sale ages ago and finally dug out over the weekend.
The shrug is knitted in Colinette Point Five in a shade called, appropriately, Autumn Afternoon. If you've not come across it, Point Five is a beautiful 100% pure wool yarn, variegated in shade and also thickness.
The pattern uses larger-than-recommended 15mm needles to obtain a open weave for the shrug and uses just two 100g hanks.
To get started, I got out my very favourite knitting gadgets of my swift and ball winder. In no time at all, I transformed my hanks into neat cakes of wool. Next, out with the 15mm broom stick needles.
The knitting for this pattern couldn't have been easier - 30 rows of garter stitch with a little simple shaping. The only complication is watching your stitch count because the yarn varies so much in thickness.I got the whole thing finished in two sessions, although my arms ached a bit from using the giant needles.
To complete the kit and fasten your shrug, you get one of the lovely Injabulo ceramic heart buttons, which I sewed on with some green yarn. The pattern said there was no need to create a button hole and indeed I found a handy loop for fastening.
So, I have a lovely shrug to remind me of all the colours of Autumn as the winter months begin. Very much looking at hats and scarves as my next projects...
Melx
Make Jewellery Magazine Issue 31
What first attracted me to Helen Cant's Headline News project in November 2011's Make Jewellery Magazine is that I already had several of the focal beads. My stash already contained the acrylic telephone charm and the large news print beads. As I've done quite a few of Helen's project from the mag, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised we share the same taste in beads...
Anyway, to start the necklace, I threaded the newsprint beads onto headpins with a small hematite bead at each end. I then joined the
two beads with jump rings to some silver plated chain to form the back of the necklace. The necklace was going to be long enough to slip over my head, so I didn't both with a clasp.
Next, I joined the other end of the newsprint beads together with another length of chain for the front part of the necklace. I attached the telephone charm in the middle using a jump ring.
To decorate the rest of the necklace, I added a selection of red, black and silver beads from my stash, mounting the on headpins and joining them to the necklace with jump rings.
Now for the fiddly bit. I bought the antique brass cameo settings recommended by the project from Zap Creatives. Following Helen's instructions, I installed a typewriter font, Special Elite, onto my computer from Font Squirrel. I then used MS Word to create a small black circle with the words "Out Of Office" in white typewriter font. I printed out the circle and then cut it out with small sharp scissors. I glued the circle into the cameo using PVA and then sealed it with Diamond Glaze, adhesive varnish that dries to a glossy finish:
After a lengthy drying process, I attached the cameo to the necklace and then bravely repeated the whole process twice to make some matching earrings:
So, an excellent addition to the office punk look I like to cultivate at work using stuff (mostly) from my stash...
Melx
Crochet refresher...
I've been aware that, although I've made a few things since I learned to crochet back in March, I've been a bit neglectful of my hooking of late. So, I decided to brush up on my crochet with a couple of quick and simple projects.
First up, was this simple clutch from a free pattern on the Lion Brand Yarns website. I made it using Sirdar Click Chunky and a 6mm crochet hook.
Now, unfortunately, the one thing I didn't master on my crochet course was crocheting into the foundation chain. The instructor showed me how to make a chainless foundation row of double crochet. I reminded myself how to do it using this great video on YouTube.
Once I had my 18 stitches, it was just double crochet and then chain and turn until the piece was long enough. I made up the sides of the clutch using a crochet hook and slip stitch.
As the pattern suggested, I sewed on a button and used the natural gap in the crochet fabric as a button hole. In fact the button is rather fabulous. It's from a vintage-style range I bought from Loop Yarn Shop in London. Quite pricey at £27.95 for seven buttons, but very nice...
To finish off, I made a lining on my sewing machine using some pretty pink fawn fabric from Fabric Rehab and then slip stitched it into the clutch by hand.
The second project I tackled was this sweet crochet basket from I book I bought recently, Pots to Knit and Crochet by Gina Alton, which is a great resource for a container obsessive such as myself.
The basket is made in spirals in double crochet and uses chain to make the handle with a slip stitch finish. You can make it in any yarn/hook combination. I chose red Icelandic Lopi with a 5.5mm hook. I'm always terrified of my stitch marker falling off when crocheting in the round. I really should get one with a lobster clasp.
To finish the basket, I felted it in the washing machine on a single 60 degree cycle and left it to dry stuffed with tissue paper to maintain its shape. Now the basket is all fluffy yet quite robust.
So, having warmed up a bit, I'm going to tackle some amigurumi. I've just started a matryoska doll pattern from Amy Gaines and I'm leafing through Super Scary Crochet by Nicki Trench for something cool to make for Halloween.
Melx
Double, double toil and trouble...
Okay, I'm probably exaggerating but these cutesy little witches were a little more fiddly that they might appear. I got the pattern as a PDF from This Cosy Life's Etsy shop, which specialises in Waldorf-inspired knitted toys.
The first challenge was that the witches in the pattern were made using wooden dolls from US store Hobby Lobby, which is kind of a long way from Lancashire. As a substitute, I ordered no less than three different types of wooden doll from Panduro Hobby. The 7cm high dolls with a 3cm diameter head turned out to be the best match.
The dress and hat are knitted on double-pointed needles, which regular readers will know, I still haven't mastered. Hence, I used the magic loop techniques with circular needles and a long cable. It worked pretty well, although you do end up with odd numbers of stitches on each needle.
The dresses and hats were made from scraps of aran weight yarn in my stash and were knitted on 4.5mm needles. I had to adapt the dress pattern a little as the shape of my doll was more tapered than the one the designer had used.
The trickiest part is the hat. It starts from one stitch, becomes i-cord and then moves into circular knitting. I'd almost got the hang of it by the third one.
The great thing about the pattern (and why I continue to persevere with knitting in the round) is that the making up was a breeze. For each dress, there was one end to weave in and then you use the cast off end to secure the dress around the doll's neck. The ends of the hat were equally easy to conceal and then I glued the hat to the doll's head using Bostik all purpose glue.
To finish, I added some small embellishments, starting with a star button on each hat - a different colour for each witch. For the dresses, one witch got three tiny Papermania spotty buttons, one got a pumpkin button and one got a bunny embellishment.
This is exactly the sort of project I like - quick, cute and a little bit spooky. Now, if I only I can think of something to do with those leftover wooden dolls....
Melx
