Tag Archive | clothing

Another project.

Apr29

 

Been meaning to make another one of these for some time now. Gabi’s WAL got me inspired.  The only towel in my stash was one I got for xmas from my $store shopping MIL a couple years ago. I just happen to have some kitchen cotton in the green-ish colors of the wreath. So here it is. I worked a slip stitch up from the outside bottom of each tri to kind of reinforce the edges for the tie string to hang from.  The ends are sewn into the hems  where I stitched the tris to the towel. The towel is cut about 2/3 of the towel and cut edge zig zagged, then gathered this time. I fitted it to the edge of the tri and pinned closely and sewed it down, on the back side first, then the same on the front side. Then stitched another row about a half inch above that to encase the raw edge of the towel. This one has not been washed yet so you may see some ends that will be clipped later.

This is a photo of the first one I made before I chained on the tie strings. It is no longer photogenic! lol But it’s been very handy and is still working despite it’s less than stellar condition. This one was pleated rather than gathered. You can do the dame thing with the towels you weave, too. But this is a quick  project. They make nice gifts as well.

I’m still working on the idea for an apron.

As I promised…

Apr17

I finally found some buttons for the vest I posted earlier and I promised to show it on at that time so here it is.

   

One thing I am happy about is the back view. It actually hangs at my waist instead of halfway up my back. I did some asking from Tech knitters about this issue with my “hump” and got some good advice on fitting.  It was a matter of extending the front shoulders just a tad and cutting the back neck lower. It made a great difference from the last ones I have tried. My shoulders sit at my shoulders and the back at my waist! I added a couple short rows to the ribbing in back just to make sure. Not happy with my figger but am pleased with the fit. If the WIP  does as well I’ll be doubly happy!

Up next is…

Apr9

It was supposed to be my new sweater but  was not working out for that. I bought this alpaca yarn on a good sale as it was being discontinued so I have a limited amount to work with. It’s Blue Sky, I’m sure I can get more. I think it was just the colorways that were being discontinued. Anyway, I think I found a way to use all these 12″ squares. It’s a knitting pattern but so simple that it will work for the squares. It’s just a matter of will it fit me?! I’m forging ahead and hoping for the best! lol

So here’s my layout. I have enough (I hope) Navy to knit the ribbing. If not I also still have some of the colors so it could be as colorful, almost, as the squares. Well, these are the blocks but I cannot get a picture of my present layout. It’s a camera issue. But this one is going to take awhile as I did not weave the ends in as I went. I’m sure I have advised you to do so, in the past. I guess this is another case of “do as I say, not as I do!’ lol It will be sewn together with an overhand stitch. Pinned each time to avoid stretching out of shape. It’s a very soft yarn. Soft and drape-y.

 

       

The other thing is that it is also getting toward gardening season. The rain (knock knock) has stopped and the sun is out. Water is quite high in streams and the lake. We’ll have a full lake this summer! Took a ride north yesterday and got a picture of Scott Mountain creek! It hasn’t run like this in years! I wish you could hear it as well. It was Roaring!! Love it! all the branch creeks and seasonal streamlets were adding to it and by the time it reached the Trinity River and on down the canyon to join Coffee Creek, that one was roaring as well! But CC does not seem close at all to flood tho a lot of people who have moved up here in recent years may be a bit anxious since they’ll never have seen spring run-off.

 

Another one done!

Mar26

This one I’ve learned to hate! I’ve assembled and frogged and reassembled and frogged… So what do you do then? Something that can’t,  at least easily, be undone. Get out the Singer! So here is the Singer Infinity Cowel. Done & finished.

It’s been so long-3 years, I think – that the band is gone & I’ve no idea what it is. A nice yarn… just wasn’t working for me.

I’m beginning g to feel a bit more like I may live. Still not over it, but better. Himself has it now, of course.

Another one done.

Mar24

This is some handspun, a soft fluffy yarn, cannot of course remember what. I really do need to label stuff, but finished assembling the triangle cowel and wanted to weave a hat to go with but didn’t have enough of that yarn left so I knitted a head band. Which, as you will see, does not really work for me. lol I need a pretty young model! But none the less, if you have long hair this may work well for you . The cowel consists of twelve 7″ triangles  sewn together with the faggoting stitch, in this case. Pretty fast and easy to make.

      

The headband is a reversible cable. I modified from a scarf pattern. Cables don’t show up very good here.

CO 12,

1. Seed for 4 stitches them k1p1 for 8 stitches, and 4 more seed for the border.

2. Seed for 4, knit the knits, purl the purls for 8, seed 4. Work 8 rows and cable the 8 center stitches.

Repeat as long as needed.

I’d suggest working just 4 rows before the first cable so as to be able to join away from the last cable, If you are good at kitchner that would make it truly reversible. I am not so just did the knit together cast off, making mine a little less reversible.

So today we are photographing the looms for the new web page but I’ll get to the next one once we finish this. meanwhile, hoping my cold is on it’s last legs– or I might be! lol

More….

Mar23

I’m going to have to put the red & green on hold for a bit. The idea was an apron, but I found the ball band which informed me that this was a fine wool. Not a good choice for such a utility garment! So in looking for another, I discovered several. The Grey has had me stumped for a few years. I think I’ll go with the stack of triangles. Already partly assembled it should not take long to come up with a pretty cowel. This fat yarn is also very soft! Don’t know why the photo won’t enlarge but you get the idea. I wove these on the 7″ Quilt Weaver Triangle. Still working on the finishing. Keep your fingers xed for me! That’s when you are not weaving yourself, of course!

 

Happy New Year 2019

Jan6

All my resolutions to keep this blog regular have failed so I guess I’ll just promise to do it when I think of it this year!  sigh….

  

But today it’s snowing. Lovely! If we get enough of this stuff maybe we won’t have such a “hot” summer this year!

Elsewhere I have been busy in the shop, & I’m signed up to teach a pin weaving class at Black Sheep this year. I’m a little disappointed that they did not take my more advanced class but am happy to be teaching the beginner class anyway. That’ll be the 4″ Multi, if you are interested. I’m going to offer the advanced class to OFFF and Lambtown. Maybe one of them will take it.

     I got out the peg loom and my Pentdelton Mills selvages with weaving a rug in mind. However, my sample turned out way too thick for a kitchen rug, which is what I had in mind, so I guess I’ll make a set of chair pads instead. My sample is rather pretty, even dh said so.

   And today I baked my Windmill Cookies. I paid $7 for a little jar of Mace so I thought I’d better use it. And I’ll see if I can find some other uses for this fancy spice. I like the flavor but it won’t go with everything.

And I read that modern mother’s like sleep sacks for their babies rather than blankets. I have to admit it makes sense. They were talking about babies smothering in the blankets. That seems unlikely to me, I never heard of a baby smothering in it’s blankets and the only problem I’ve ever found with them is keeping the baby covered. They sometimes kick them off in the night so that’s why I think the sleep sack is a good idea. It’s kind of like the old gown with the ribbon tied at the bottom, Kind of an extra long sweater with the hem sewn shut. I’m going to make one for my niece’s girl, due in April. Still trying to decide on the yarn to use.  The snow is so pretty, but I’m not wading out to the yarn shed today. I’ll wait until it’s done and not quite so cold and wet! But I have some alpaca squares I wove for a sweater for myself but found that I am not going to have enough. Maybe I’ll make one using those. Not exactly baby colors but maybe modern mother’s don’t do pink and blue anymore, either.

And I’m in a KAL with the doll knitters. That’s for movie evenings. Well, That’s about it. I think tonight will be comfort food. I’m thinking something featuring macaroni and tuna. Hope the power stays on….

Hope your new year is getting off to a lovely start!

 

November

Nov9

Beautiful fall here this year but sooo dry! It is still fire season when we should be having rain and thinking about the first snow. Watching other places in California go up in smoke, it’s scary. Could happen here just as easily if someone gets careless. Please be safe!

But I’m doing a little “recreational weaving”! Ellie is getting ready for the party season! My camera is getting weird, tho and wants to digitize my downloaded photos! What’s up with that?!

  

Progress! No- really!

Apr20

I am just one shy of halfway done weaving my blocks. Counted 11 today. Yeah, not nearly one a day, but I think I denied that possibility right from the start. But now that Baseball season has started I will probably get more done as I can do that and listen to the game at the same time!  I think they are looking good (the squares, if not the team) but also they seem to have a little more draw-up than I figured on so I’ll likely end up needing more squares. Which may mean some creative coloring in order to do it since I have a limited amount of this yarn. Well, I have never objected to colorful so we’ll see.

I’ve up dated this blog so that I can post videos on it but so far have not been able to make that work. In part, I’m sure because of my very slow connection here in the backwoods. I’m going to try again today or tomorrow. A nice summer day, I think people are going to want to be outdoors instead of sitting by the fire with the internet so maybe there’ll be a little extra bandwidth for me!

If I can get this working I’ll have all sorts of things to share with you, we can weave together at last… so keep your fingers x-ed for me!!

New years resolutions?

Feb18

Well, maybe.  I cleaned up my Love Seat yesterday. That’s where all my projects and yarn- UFO’s, WIPs, new yarns etc end up. I just have too many projects started and many of them are never going to be done so I decided to seriously prioritize.
I decided on two projects. First, a fast one with a new yarn. It’s called Bernat Maker Home Dec & says it’s 72% cotton & 28% nylon. I wanted to try it for a dishcloth. I wove the ends in and then secured them by sewing the ends in with sewing thread. I’ll let you know of it makes a decent dish cloth or not. The skein comes with a crocheted blanket pattern. The yarn “tube” is about the size of a #4 knitting needle, quite elastic. It’s a knitted tube with a tiny bit of stuffing.

The second and long term project is a new sweater. My orange one is getting pretty ratty looking and I have been swatching for a new one lately and finally decided to use the bag of alpaca I bought on sale a few years ago. It’s Blue Sky 100% baby Alpaca in a sport weight. I have 5 skeins each of these three colors and several balls of two greens and a charcoal that may end up being the trim if I run out too soon. It is going to be many colored but I think it may end up looking a bit tweedy once it is woven and assembled. But in any case, I need a sweater and I want to use stash so it’s going to be what it is. I am using the 12″ Quilt Weaver square for the sweater, the same one I used for the old orange one. That one I did many years ago before I tried cut & sew so the sleeves in it were knitted. This one is going to be all woven so I am planning 24 squares, hence long term. I figure about 1 hour per square and I doubt I’ll be able to manage one a day, practically speaking. All of us have Other Lives which interfere with our weaving. sigh…;-)