ina_jean

I haven't been doing a lot of knitting or Crochet because 2019 was the year I got into patchwork (and technically quilting, though I have yet to actually quilt anything).

It started with me unpacking my Toyota sewing machine, which has been unopened for nearly ten years) to do some work after the house move. It held up for a few items, and then started grinding its gears, so I had it serviced, meanwhile I purchased a cheap (£100) Brother machine for general work to tide me over.

I used the Toyota to piece some blue fabrics bought on spec at a quilt event in Chigwell before we left. I made this up into a small cushion (12" square), but later unpicked it, added edging strips to make a more useful size.

At the same time I had bought some batik dyed squares and eventually started to piece a set of Maple Leaf pattern blocks to make a larger quilt (I will blog this separately).

I also used some offcuts to make letter-bags as Christmas presents for Debbie (D) and Frankie (F) (Also noted separately).

I am a bit miffed that there is no online version of Ravelry for quilters - it would be so much easier to keep track of my stash and projects.

But onward.

After posting the pictures of Draco's Wall to Facebook I got a comment from John asking whether I could knit a house for him. Not being one to back down from a challenge (especially if it is a silly one), I had a look through my craft magazines and found two patterns for houses, a crochet one for a Halloween House designed to hold sweet treats and a knitted 'beach hut' stuffed cushion/doorstop. I decided to go with the knitted one - with adaptations.

I have the brown and yellow DK left over from Draco's antler hat, and various other balls of DK in the stash - though I will have to buy more in red for the roof - since I need red for Draco's Flaming Tyre (TM) I will pop out and buy some.

The pattern is in separate parts, 4 walls, floor and roof, all joined by sewing together and stuffing. I started knitting the side walls (40 stitches on 3.25mm circular needles) in stripes of two rows yellow and two rows brown. After the designated 67 rows I put in a row of lace holes and dropped the yellow knitting the base in brown only for 30 rows, then another row of lace holes, cast back on the yellow and continued with the second wall.

For the sides I used a crochet hook to cast on 26 stitches along one side of the base, picked up the stitches on the needles and continued in pattern until the side matched the main wall. Then knitted four rows (two of pattern, plus two extra) in yellow and decreased one stitch at each end of every right side row until left with three stitches - K2 tog twice and finish. Did the same for the other side wall.

Am now about to work out how to do the doors and windows and the roof.

Ever since I saw the animal-themed 'Break Time Apple Cosies' in Crochet Gifts #3 I thought it would make a great way of keeping a tennis ball handy when out walking the dogs.

I got a set of yarn intended for making cute farmyard animals from the latest issue of Lets Knit (bought for the 100 patterns free book) which gave me the colours I needed. Any washable acrylic DK yarn would do.

Using a 3.5mm hook and brown yarn, make 2ch and join to make ring.

1. 6dc into ring (6)
2. 2dc into each dc round (12)
3. 1dc, 2dc into next stitch x6 (18)
4. 2dc, 2dc into next stitch x6 (24)
5. 3dc, 2dc into next stitch x6 (30)
6. 4 dc, 2dc into next stitch x6 (36)
7 to 11. 36 dc round (NB If tube is not wide enough to take ball, dc 2 into every 6th stitch on Row 8 (40))
12. Change to white yarn. 1ch, dc round. Turn.
13. 1ch, dc round (NB,, if you made an increase at Row 8 now do decrease (ch2tog) at same point) (36)
14. 1ch, *4dc, 1dc2tog, rept from * to end, turn (30)
15 to 17 1ch, 30 dc turn.
18. 1ch, 30dc, 20ch, ss into first ch of fastening then dc all round opening. Fasten off and break yarn. Sew in end.

Ears (make 2)

On UK size 11 needles (I think this is 3.5 again bus can't be arsed to check) cast on 10 stitches in brown yarn. Knit 6 rows ss ending on p row. Make pointed shape as follows:
7. s1, k1, psso, k6, k2tog
8. p8
9. s1, k1, psso, k4, k2tog
10. p6
11. s1, k1, psso, k2, k2tog
12. p4
13. k2tog x2
14 p2
15 K2tog, cast off and secure thread.

Nose.

With scrap black yarn (I knew there was some somewhere), work first three rows of main body to make a circle. Leave long tail to sew into place.

Making up,

Button (see note on black yarn - a white one would be good. Or a brown one): Sew onto opposite side of the loop, positioning so ball will be held safely inside.

Sew ears on either side at point where brown yarn meets white. Check that ear tips hang forward.

Sew nose between inside edges of ears and slightly below. Use longtail to make mouth. Try not to make it look like a teddy bear (the pointy ears help)

Sew eyes on the same row of crochet above nose and below eyes.

Push small carabiner or keyring fastening through base of the opening to hang.

Take photo and post to Ravelry.

I finished this to wearable stage just before we went on holiday. It really needs to be made in a lightweight cotton yarn but as an experiment the acrylic worked well, and I now know where to make the necessary changes when I re-do.

This is the blocked stage.



I put an extra cable twist at the top of the tourquoise panel, and could have done a few more as it needed another three inches of length. I put the four inside 'cable' stitches on a holder (stitch marker!) when sewing up and then turned them into an i-cord long enough to go round the back of the neck and down the front. I had intended to do an attached i-cord but in the end sewed it into place (if I do it again I'll attempt the attachment!

The pattern expects you to pick up stitches round the armholes and neck to form a 'roll', bit they did it naturally so I haven't bothered with this version. Again I think an attached i-cord would be preferable to doing the pattern pick-up for a mere three rows! (someone else on Ravelry suggested this).

Thankfully I am very long-waisted (it's practically under my boobs) so the problem others have had with the top being too short didn't affect me.



The back and sides being stocking stitch are pretty boring - I may look out my knitting machine to speed that up when I do a cotton yarn version.

I've decided to revive this journal for details of projects I'm putting on Ravelry - rather than using LJ/DW which are more for SF and real life stuff.

As a start I'll be back-posting for things already done.

When I started crochet again I bought a simple guide to basic stitches via Amazon. While out on a visit with my sister I browsed tow more detailed books back from a bookshop - both DK guides, of which A little course in Crochet edited by Shashwati Tia Sarkar is now my crochet bible.

looking for a pattern for a cover for my netbook I found a design in interlocking fan trebles for a Clutch Bag. Intended to be made in a fine mercerized cotton, I decided to use the purple alpaca I'd used for the headphone covers and a larger hook.

The original pattern has a baseline of 40 chain. I crocheted up the pattern in the ball of yarn I had, but it came up a little too small. I re-ordered more yarn and started again with a base chain of 58 - adding about an inch each side and making a 21-row repeat to fit the netbook.

It makes a lovely close fabric, ideal for the purpose. I ended up using a much larger button as the clasp, and making a crochet loop to fix it. Otherwise it's pretty much as the pattern.

This is probably the best and most practical thing I've made to date. And the simplest.

I lost the foam covers to these headphones years ago, and found this pattern while browsing through the Ravelry database.

The wool is a very soft 8ply Alpaca double knit from Drops that I picked up on the off chance from The Crochet Chain. The pattern is by Shelby Allaho here




It took an evening to crochet two up, using a minimum of yarn from my practice stash. I had the usual problem with the fiddly start. The pattern demands a 12ch magic loop, but in the end did a two-chain loop and worked the trebles into that. They fit nicely but needed a bit of help so I found a length of fine elastic from a chocolate box and used that to thread through the last row of stitches, they now work perfectly! Have enough yarn left for a matching netbook cover.

I suppose January is a good place to start new things, though I never really planned on taking up handcrafts in 2014. It really started with Draco's Christmas Dog Coat. I ordered one from Amazon and, since it came from China, it did not arrive until well into the New Year.



While it suited him it was, unsurprisingly given the price and source, rather cheap and badly made. I could do better. Of course that would mean reviving long lost knitting skills.

I found an old pair of circular needles from Mum, and some wool left over from a long aborted knitting machine project. Also a couple of crochet hooks (a 2.5 and 3.5mm). Ordered a complete set of hooks form Amazon (also cheap and Chinese, but packed in a natty purple case), and started to re-learn old skills.

Yay! I finally finished the 'Mortiana' earrings today - which is a saga in itself.
( Craft ramblings )