Posts from — November 2008

But not very much.  For some reason, crochet doesn’t like me much.  I get a cramp in my hand between my thumb and index finger when I crochet.  However, I have noticed that thread crochet doesn’t seem to do that quite as much as yarn crocheting does.  Strange.  But, either way, I’d rather knit.  Crochet is not relaxing for me.  However, how cute is this Barbie hat?
It’s just a single-crochet’d circle. Once it gets to about the size of a silver dollar then you work one row of just single crochet, then the next two rows decrease every other sc, then one more row of single crochet and you’re done.  I’m assuming this would work with human size yarn and hooks too.

I’m really looking forward to my Interweave Knits arriving.  The winter issue preview is up at the IK Website and since I seem to be into the scarf, hat and gloves knitting mode lately, this one should defintely fill that need.  There are also some nice sweaters, but since a sweater is such a big investment of money – unless it is for a child or a doll – I usually just dream about those.  I probably won’t make it unless I get busy spinning up some wool for it, but I think this hooded scarf is seriously cool looking.  I just finished a hat from a skein of Valley Yarns Northhampton, and it looks a reasonable substitute yarn for the one they used here – although I think it’s an Aran weight yarn, and this one’s gauge looks a little plumper than Aran.  Cute mittens here.  (Sure looks like they left the blockers in on one of those pics.  The model must have real skinny hands.)  Love this beret! and these socks.  And – it might just be me, but this guy looks like he’s wearing a girl’s hat – and this girl looks like she’s wearing a tea cosy. Just sayin’.

I have always wondered what the round dishcloth pattern would look like knit in crochet thread. So, since I have been swimming through this avalanche of ideas, I of course decided to cast on and see finally. It’s rather spider-web like, and unruly looking, but I actually like how it looks. (Here it is uncovered.) Pattern Link (it’s free) here: Knitting Knonsense.

I have decided that I have an affliction.  It even has a name:  Startitis.  I don’t know about you, but for some reason just having a name for something makes it start feeling a little better for me.  Although, this particular one is rather disconcerting, because always before when I have headed in the direction of casting on more than two projects – one for the house, and one for the car – I have successfully just “willed” my way out of it.  This time, it seems I’m helpeless to it’s power.

Actually, I have finished a few things.  Since I seem to be “the accessory knitter” fortunately most of my projects are small.  The Marsan watchcap was a quick knit and likely one that I will be doing again.  It’s got a twisted rib used throughout, and is a great TV-watching project.

I had promised a friend some hand-warmers last year, and since I had this yarn out, I went ahead and improvised some fingerless mitts using the Subway Mittens from Interweave Knits Winter 2007 for my guide (and to get the thumb gusset somewhere close to correct). This will be another pattern I’m going to knit again.  I love these for myself, but there are a couple more elderly sisters for whom I want to make some.

The yarn I used this time, was given to me by a friend whose mother died and this was part of her mother’s yarn stash.  Most of the stash is acrylic baby yarn, since she crochet’d beautiful doll clothes from sport weight acrylic, but there was also a bit of navy blue worsted wool in there.  (Amazing how fast mittens knit up using worsted weight yarn.)  I tapered the tops using randomly placed cables, and then ended with a K2P2 rib.   I guess they would look a little better “modeled” since they just look all kind of rumply here, but I don’t have them anymore.  They’re warming a friend’s hands.

Meanwhile, I’m swimming upstream with a flood of ideas and me trying to cast them all on at once.  It must be the season.  It’s a good time for making warm things, and this summer was so hot it really wasn’t all that conducive to getting enthusiastic about hats and mittens and shawls and socks and sweaters and more hats, and more mittens … stuff like that.

Here is the free pattern. —> (click)  Grace Lace Beret.

And here’s what I have to show for my attempt at the pattern thus far.  It would make a great dishcloth or doily without the brim, I’m thinking.

It’s too big here, so I tossed it in the washing machine to felt down for a while, and I think I’ve decreased the size by about 1/3rd.  We shall see when it’s finished drying again.

I also didn’t do the ribbing on the brim as shown on the original pattern.  My brim looks more like an eye of the partridge heel on a sock – or maybe a seed stitch – and I really like it.  It was, of course, one of those “happy accidents”.  What happened was, I didn’t have the picture of the beret in front of me, and the instructions for knitting the ribbing don’t just say “do a K1P1 rib” – which would have made total sense to me – and I think I tried to make more out of their hand-holding than originally intended, so I ended up with a completely different “rib” – which is actually no ribbing at all!

My gauge for the lace pattern was apparently OFF by quite a bit too.  So, if I knit this one again I will either go down a few sizes on the larger needle (the one used to knit the lace pattern) or maybe not do quite as many repeats of the lace pattern as called for….likely the needle size will be my safest bet.  However, I’ve got so many of these hat patterns that I have found and want to make, this will likely be the only attempt at this one for a while.  Once the felted version is dry, I’ll add it’s picture.