Knitted Crocheted Other

Friday, September 28, 2018

A Move, A New Dog, A New Vision

It again has been a long time since I posted on this blog.
During that time, we sold our house and moved back to Napa to be closer to our immediate family.

As with any change, there are challenges that can be stressful, meaningful and enjoyable. I think we hit all three. It's now been a couple years since the move. I've acclimated and settled, our latest adopted dog seems to be doing well and finally adjusting to new parents and a new location.





When we first moved into our new location, a retirement park, I tried to get others motivated to start an Arts/Crafts group. But only a few of us lingered past the first couple of meetings and it seemed a huge waste of time and effort, so we decided to close down the group. 

I then looked for something I could do by myself, that I'd enjoy and not procrastinate about, like some of my knitting projects which are called wips  (works in progress). Though that term makes it sound like they are actually worked on, whereas wips are usually packed away for several years before either being picked up again or frogged (ripped out) completely to re-purpose the yarn for something else (or more likely because you really need the needles that were packed away with the wip).

When I was a young'un, I was taught to knit by my aunt and I also learned how to sew by hand and do limited needlework and tons of crafts. 


When I attended the local middle school, which at that time in Napa was called Jr High, I took Home Economics classes and learned to sew on an actual new machine with a foot petal . My mother's was a knee controlled old Singer and did not have a reverse function. 

I did well sewing and my parents purchased a new Singer not only for me to sew my own clothes but clothes for my mother as well. I sewed almost all of my clothes when I was a senior in high school and even sewed my gown for prom and several fancy dresses for my mother to attend functions with her social group.

After I got my first real job, I saved up and purchased my first multi-functional machine and then was able to do zig-zagging. I had hit the big time!

Throughout my marriage and the years of raising children and helping with grand-children, I always found the time to whip something up when needed, but I never really had the time to enjoy sewing anymore. More recently, my sons and grandchildren have come to me for something specifically tailored or altered for them, and recently I altered (in 4 places) a sequined gown for my grand-daughter's friend. 

Several years ago, I ordered lots of material from Craftsy, thinking I would make some quilts. But quilts are such a big undertaking and seriously I know myself too well to know how that will end up (a wip). So a few years back I took some of the colorful material and made big bags for my grand-daughters.




That was a lot of fun, and soon after that my oldest son asked if I could make a carry-bag for his poker table. 
In the back of my mind was the idea of making more bags, but I just didn't have the time with a sick dog. 

Then came our move and now in the past year I've been crafting handbags. Once my youngest grand-daughter heard, she asked if I could take her existing backpack and make a new one out of different material. She chose a grey ombre pattern with green lining. Hey, it's her bag.







So I took it apart, salvaged the hardware, tried to re-create the pattern, but had an issue with the side zippers so I had to do something else (which I didn't like, but she did, so...)




Then I faced the grommet challenge. I'd never worked with them before, but I watched a youtube demo and figured OK I can do that. Went to my local yardage store which of course did not have any chrome grommets, only brass ones. Went to a few local hardware stores and same thing. Crapola!  I now had to order grommets. The backpack was completely done and now I had to wait another week and a half just for grommets.

But finally they arrived and I practiced and measured several times, because there was no going back if I messed up.




The deconstruction and reconstruction took me a couple stressful weeks. It was all new territory for me. But it turned a lightbulb on over my head.

I could reuse hardware and some pleather from old purses.
I was now experienced in both grommets and magnetic snaps, buckles and adjustable strapping. The world was my oyster and I was ready to shuck!

Family and friends have given me old handbags, I've picked up old ones from consignments and thrift stores. I've even used quality material from used garments. I mostly use new material and recycled hardware, but every once in awhile there may be a purse made of totally recycled or totally new materials. I don't try to use a little of each. I try to make the best combination of materials possible that is pleasing to my eye. I've given several away and taken a couple orders and now I'm working to build up a supply to sell in mid-November. 

View some of my bags on my handmades blog.

My other blogs
http://weasieshandmades.weasiesworks.com/
http://weasiesdesigns.weasiesworks.com/
 

Monday, October 26, 2015

It's Been A While

My last post was in 2014 and already it's getting to the end of 2015.

2014 was a pretty traumatic year for me, as my beloved and best buddy dog had a serious medical condition that required lots of time and angst, and then we ended up losing him on the Thanksgiving weekend.

Who knew you could get that attached, and grieve so much. Some say there are "forever" dogs, that are your soul mates, and no other dog can compare to them. You can still love other dogs, but something is always missing. 

I still cry freely, when I think of him. And I don't think the mourning will ever end. 

We have a new doggy. She's sweet and fits in nicely, but though she's filling the physical space, the emotional space is still empty. Well, maybe in time...

But in the meantime, I've been doing more genealogy than knitting or quilting. And my misery left me a little less than social, so I have not posted any of the quilted bags I created and gave away. I'm trying hard to emerge and find my bearings, so I hope soon I will start posting more creations, ideas and helpful hints. 

Friday, April 25, 2014

All the Little Critters and An Easier Way to M1

Recently, I made several toys from patterns designed by Barbara Prime of "Fuzzy Mitten Toys". I especially LOVE her creations, because they add so much whimsey and cuteness and she hosts a Ravelry.com forum, where you can view other knitter's works and ask/answer/get answers to any questions you might have.

Because all of the little "critters" need shaping, there is a lot of M1 and K2tog/ssks going on in the pattern. Typically, when making an M1/make 1 (knitting in the bar between stitches) a hole is created. In order to close that hole, you knit in the back loop which twists the stitch thereby making it tighter and pulling up any slack.

This works fine for most yarns that have a little "give". But on one of the patterns, I chose to use a cotton yarn, which doesn't have "give".

After struggling with the twisting of the stitch, I had an idea. And it worked!

M1 the stitch, without twisting. There will be a slight hole. On the return, twist the stitch. It closes the hole just as well, and is a whole lot easier to do because you're working with an entire stitch, not a short length of yarn between stitches.

You do need to keep track of where the M1's are, but it's not too difficult because even if you're not counting where they should be, they're different looking from a normal stitch so they stand out a bit.




Patterns used - Backyard Bandits, Mystery Knit-Along 2014 (the kangaroos) and Orangutan

Happy Knitting!

Monday, April 7, 2014

Making Knitted Gifts for Sports Fans

This past November, I was trying to find something I could knit up for my 12 year old grandson for his birthday. He's always warm, so he doesn't like beanies or scarves or mitts and would never be caught dead in a sweater.

But he is a Giant's fan, and has a few bobble heads and banners. So I thought maybe I could knit up a pillow for his bed, using the Giant's logo. I believe that's OK, as long as you're not selling the item.

I created my own graph of the design and alternated the use of the orange and grey yarns. Now, most Giants' items are in orange and black, but lately they've been using the grey in their uniforms as a substitute for the black. 

After knitting up two (relatively) same sized squares, I whipstitched up 3 of the edges and then hand-sewed in a zipper. It looks and sounds a little difficult, but if you have any sewing skills with putting in zippers, you'll find it fairly easy.

Of course the program I used to create the graph went belly-up and I had to purchase a different one (which does not use the same format). So all I have left are some jpegs of the graph.

Feel free to copy it. The logo itself is 43 stitches and 45 rows, but you can add more rows and stitches for the borders, or add them on later, if you choose.



I designed the graph a little foreshortened, thinking the knit stitch is usually taller than it is wide. However, it didn't seem to apply here, so the finished product also looks a little "squished". Oh well!


Zipper notes - use the same color thread as your yarn, stitch "in the ditch" (between knit stitches), and when you close up the side, whipstitch into the "hidden" leg of the stitch so your seam won't show as much. 

Saturday, March 29, 2014


While making this pattern "Katrina Ballerina" by No Two Snowflakes, as a gift, I thought it would be a great idea to make a swatch that incorporates the buttonhole. I then attached extra buttons and the care instructions. Now it can be easily brought along while shopping for accessories or different buttons.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Knitting Organization Idea

While I'm taking the Clara Parkes "Know Your Yarn" class on Craftsy.com, and agreeing that the creation of a swatch is more than just finding out how many stitches and rows your yarn  (with a certain size needle) will create, I'm realizing that the gauge is a good organizational tool.

Of course, she's talking about experiencing how your yarn feels and how it looks with certain stitches and how important it is to know all this before you begin a project with said yarn, all of which I totally agree.


But I'm talking about ease of finding patterns for said gauge. And better ways to store your patterns for ease of use.


Ravelry.com has a nice feature, in finding the exact yarn you're using and then finding patterns fellow Ravelers have used with that yarn. And that's fine. But many of us see patterns we like, but don't necessarily have the yarn for, and download the patterns to our computers, to use at a future date.


After downloading a few, we realize we need to categorize (if we ever intend on finding anything)!


Traditionally we might store these patterns under the type of garment (or other) that the pattern is for, ie: cowl, vest, wash cloth, etc. But then we run into the task of searching for a pattern that will work with the yarn we wish to use. So then we could sub categorize weight of yarn and amount needed. Which is fine, but not everyone knits the same as all designers, so gauge can differ. 

We could store the patterns under the yarn weight, ie: worsted, dk, fingerweight, etc. And I've tried this method and added sub categories for the amount of yarn, ie: <300yds, >600yds, etc.

With this method, patterns can be found that use the right amount of yarn in the required yarn weight. But what if the gauge is off?

Today, I considered what Clara was saying. Feel the yarn, listen to it and (in swatching) find out how the yarn works best. Then decide what you want to make with it. And I thought, "OK, if I have a yarn that gives me this gauge in that stitch patten, how can I find patterns more easily?" 


Categorize by gauge. 


Now it's true you could end up with quite a few folders, but actual row count should be easier to tweak than stitch (and pattern repeat) count. Rows can be added or subtracted, keeping pattern in mind, but changing stitches will drastically change size and pattern. So the files could be categorized by stitch count, and sub categorized by row count, using a count spread, ie: 18-24 rows, 25-30 rows, etc. You could then have just a few patterns to choose from, rather than many.


My thinking is that several different weights, while using different needles, can give similar gauge.  Also, many patterns call for stockinette stitch, where you may want to use a patterned stitch. If your pattern gauge is the same as the stockinette gauge, you can substitute. 


Now this is all theory at the moment. I haven't done this yet and have no idea if it will work better. But I think it's worth a try. 


I'll update in a year or so, and let you know how it's working.


Have a great, happy knitting day!



Saturday, October 26, 2013

Textured Acorn Beanie


This beanie features the “textured acorn” pattern, in the body of the work. I found this stitch in a very old knitting book and it was called the Acorn stitch. But after a bit of searching, I discovered that it is now called the Textured Acorn Stitch.

I created a ribbing that is unique in order to work congruously with this pattern. It is a bit tricky, so pay close attention to your stitches.

Because this pattern produces a very stretchy material, you can go down a size and still have a hat that fits. And it means a beanie will still fit a child through quite a few years of growth.

This pattern has a 10 stitch repeat, with the main body repeating from 1 - 2 or more times. This makes the pattern adaptable to various weights of yarn. Just do a small swatch (in the round) to get a better idea of how many repeats you will need.

When following the written instructions only, it will be easier if you place stitch markers (sm) at the end of each of your main pattern rounds, and also right before the decreasing rounds, as the instructions change round count.

The chart and it’s instructions are color coded, but also numbered should you print out the pattern in black and white.

I enlisted the aid of a few Ravelry friends in finalizing this pattern. It has been a long time in the making. 

* Special thanks to all and especially “Jadee” for her dogged perseverance, editing and very helpful advice.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/textured-acorn-beanie