Saturday 26 December 2009

jewellery work - the belt for the costume

I'm starting to work on a convention/gamer/larp/fantasy/whatever costume for my own gratification.

I bought plenty of copper wire because I wanted to do something steampunk, but then I saw the goth belly dancers and that kinda sent me in a different direction.

Combine this with a request from a friend to make some ankle wear for their lovers and I found I really needed to reaquaint myself with the wrapped loop.

So, as a way to reaquire a skill I haven't used in ages, I'm working in the copper. If I don't do the wrapped loops quite so perfect or bodge remembering how to do chainmail it's no disaster, this is my costume, it'll be undergoing constant revisions.



These are the first pieces, the knitting needle is a 4mm needle, if you want a reference point.

Wednesday 16 December 2009

jewellery work: the wrapped loop aka rosary turn

Finally, Wrapped Loop Technique in a video that's pretty clearly demonstrated.

I know how to do this, but it's been a while, so having a reminder is just brilliant.

Step-by-step photos:
How to make beaded jewelry's wrapped loop the pictures are clear, which is a nice step forward, too often the images are fuzzy and useless.

Tuesday 24 November 2009

tension and realisation about knitting

So I have some mystery yarn a friend donated to me, burn test suggests lots of acrylic/nylon in it, with possibly a touch of wool. I'm going with the 5.00mm needles as I suspect it's an aran yarn (it's one of those huge 400g balls). I recall when I did some crochet with it that this fuschia stuff felt thicker than the teal stuff.
Thus the tension tube. I have close to 400g to make hats, I think, and perhaps mittens. Time to practice some stuff out of the Betty Barnden's how to knit with circular & double-pointed needles.

I realise now that I will never be a knitter who does large projects, knitting just takes way too damn long to get anywhere with it.

So, all the sweater projects I'm giving to a friend who only knows how to knit so she has stuff to do if she wants it. To which, I am grateful she has the willingness and patience to do it. I know I don't.

I'll always be a small projects knitter... everything else is just too boring for me.

Sunday 2 August 2009

Freeforming

I've been thinking and thinking and thinking and not doing freeform crochet. Until now, below are my second and third attempts. I've decided it's time to delve into all my wonderfully coloured Yeoman Cotton Cannele 4ply (US 'fingering') and play. I love spirals and I have to use a book to get them going, but after a certain point, I started going my own direction.



Another type of spiral, using instructions to begin with then going my own way past the directions point.



Currently, my intent is to build a shirt or tunic, we'll see how far I get.

Sunday 26 July 2009

Toasty is done



And, it's done, after all the drama over the bleepin' thumb hole, the rest of it was easy. Even the picking up the stitches and doing the thumb was easier than making the wretched hole. Go figure. Will I do a second glove? Not sure. Might try a different yarn. Just need some guidance on sewing in and this little beggar's done.

Knitting a Toasty

I love the vague shorthand that is often used in knitting. For example, in a fingerless mittens pattern called 'Toasty', she uses a 'CO'... now, 'CO' could mean 'cast ON' or 'cast OFF'... I assumed it meant cast OFF. It didn't. If you presume 'cast OFF' you get this:



Let this be a lesson to pattern writers, please include an explanation of your shorthand so those of us who don't have telepathy can know what you mean. Tah.

Other than that, I have been ok with the pattern, admittedly, it's my first glove ever, perhaps that's why I feel so frustrated with the 'cast On' 'cast Off' issue. Crochet is 'chain' to start and 'fasten off' to end. No confusion there.

Sunday 15 March 2009

And more about the magazines, leaflets and books

A few more images from the books. No, I won't photocopy these for someone, but I thought I'd present the covers and a few 'not quite close enough' inside photographs.

Phildar - this was given to me by a very kind co-student in my lace class. It has crochet stitch diagrams/charts for all the pieces in here. It does not, however, have any knitting charts.


The Harmony Guide books I got at the same time as the Weldons and Needlework booklets. I am collecting these as I like that they're lightweight and the pictures, instructions and charts are easy to understand. I have trouble with knitting charts, though, they just don't make sense like crochet ones do.



The Mon Tricot Knitting Dictionary I scored last year in a charity shop. Originally priced at GBP10/-, I paid a bit more, but it's still very useful. The stitch patterns are pretty clearly illustrated in black and white, except for the colourwork patterns. Also includes crochet, tunisian crochet and... what my fellow Americans call 'FSC' (foundation sc). However, it has a different name in this book.



From inside the Weldons booklet:


And from inside the Needlecraft booklets:




More vintage... this time in magazine form

And we have...



Weldon's Crochet No. 493, Vol. 42 - Weldon's Practical Needlework. Inside is an advertisement with a letter from a customer vouching for their product which is dated 1925. So I'm going to label this one as c.1925 as there's a pattern for "The Swastika and Bow Triangle", it's obviously before WW2. Now, before you get all hysterical, the swastika is an ancient symbol used by cultures (even Jewish) all over the planet, universally as a luck/peace/happiness/good fortune/auspicious.

Anyway, the next two magazines are...



Needlecraft - Practical Journal No. 70 ~ Crochet D'Oyleys. I got very excited with this one as it has patterns using hairpin and netting techniques besides standard crochet to create these. Photography is used to illustrate all the patterns, but the advertisements are illustrated (drawn) or just plain words. The illustrations make me think of 1890s-1910s, but there is an advertisement for London Wool 'should henceforth with all Patriotic Workers take the place of the German made article known as BERLIN WOOL'. This leads me to think that it's from 1914, WW1 era. And another advert saying 'buy only British or you could be buying straight from the Enemy'.



Needlecraft - Practical Journal No. 137 ~ Crochet Edgings, Corners & Triangles. Lovely filet patterns in this one, no other kind of crochet is used in these. Adverts are interesting, some are still stouty on the 'Use only British', but no mention of war. Dress styles and hairstyles make me think c 1920s, long silhouettes thanks to corsets from the bust down to the thigh, short hair, and hobble skirts.

Tuesday 10 March 2009

About those DMC books...

After asking around in the Historic Knit group on Yahoo and being directed to the Antique Pattern Library, I find that their educated estimate of the age of the two DMC books is 1922-1923.

Thanks again to the help from the Historic Knit group to date the Twilleys Lyscord book, we believe it is late 1930s.

And the booksellers called me today, I'll be getting more books from them and will probably pay them a visit in Enfield very soon to try to find more of the DMC and perhaps, the Rutt books. I'm expecting a vintage Wheldon book too. Yay!

Monday 9 March 2009

The other books

The other two books I picked up at the Essex Lace Fair are on torchon lace ('for girls in India to make') and decorative knotting. I didn't realise when I purchased the book that the torchon lace pattern book was from India or for instructing the girls of India with, but I find it amusing.

Why?

Because the previous day was the Thameside Lacemakers lace day and the speaker for the event discussed lace, but also spent a fair few minutes about an English woman missionary who went to India to do missionary work and start a school there teaching lace to help orphan and impoverished girls learn a vocation (this was in the early 1800s). And according to the publication date in my book, was still going in 1909.

The decorative knotting is, just to be different, a brand new publication. I think I got it because I wanted to find a supplier for fine nylon braided cord... oh and the pictures and instructions for a dragonfly pin also had something to do with it, heh.



Found some treasures at the Essex Lace Fair

Oh I found some wonderful books at the Essex Lace Fair! I am so very glad I attended this event. I discovered that Bead Fairs also exist here in Britain. *happy dance*

Anyway, on to the books, the vintage books. It will be quite a task to 'translate' these vintage crochet books into modern terms, oh and diagram them as well, so that it would be useful to those in the USA and the rest of the planet, should they want it. The instructions are written in an archaic form of British crochet terms, figuring out what the 'plain stitch' is amongst all the rest of the very wordy instructions will be fun. Still, the items photographed in these books are very pretty and could be converted to for use in today's world.

I've included a sample of the instructions and a plate from one of the books. They incorporate needle lace in their crochet patterns and also include braids amongst the crochet. One braid that instantly caught my eye was the 'Bigoudis braid'. The crochet patterns using implementing this braid are quite beautiful. I know we believe our lives to be so rushed and hurried, that we use fat yarns and don't have time to make things beautiful and comforting, but it would be a wonderful event if we could slow down and create (and use) such lovely objects once more.











Sunday 25 January 2009

Happy Colours Scarf - Rowan yarns

I've been wanting to do some weaving again and have been trying to decide on colours, textures and yarn weights.

I did have an idea, out of many, this one using only Rowan yarns, so I could take it to the Woolly Women meetings at John Lewis, Bluewater, since it was sorta started by the Rowan rep, I try to keep to Rowan items to show (not always, though... ok, rarely!).

Another idea was to use two balls of Rowan Cashcotton that didn't really 'go' with the other Cashcotton colours I have... but they do go together with each other. Great, two things to combine...

Then there was the thought of 'warp-dominant' or 'weft-dominant'. I've been asking on the weaving groups about this. Amongst my questions and reading other posts and looking at what others have been doing, I decided to give the warp-dominant a try.

Now, I thought I'd go with a weft-dominant first, but that didn't happen.

And yes, I will get to the point here soon enough...



10dpi reed, Ashford RH loom, Rowan Cotton Glace for the weft, Rowan Cashcotton DK for the warp. The blue is much more turquoise and bright; the orange is more pink-orange. The weft is a mid-light green (not too light, not too dark). Combining these together has altered the colours of each yarn and... I like the effect.

Out of the Cashcotton, there's probably 10m or so left of each, bit less of the blue. The green was burned up, but I think I still have 1/3rd of a ball left.

I'll have more to say about this piece once it's finished being washed and has a chance to dry. Then I'll see how much it bloomed, though with the cotton content being the highest, might not bloom greatly.

And I forgot to measure before washing. Oops! I will say, this is my widest piece so far. (94 threads across)

Thursday 22 January 2009

Well drat...

I was doing so well and was so happy with my progress on the second hat... but then when I tried doing a decrease every 8 stitches, that went ok, then I went to do the second row and I messed up. I tried to tink it and messed up. >.<

So I tried ripping back. Bad idea, I can't seem to get the stuff back on the needles correctly.

Moral of this story: even hats done in simple knits might need a lifeline. From now on, I'll be adding a lifeline on the last normal knit row before starting decreases... then if I bodge the decreases (which I seem to like to do >.< ) I don't have to rip the whole hat to bits and start from the cast on again -- which is what I'm going to have to do with this one.

Oh and... 104 stitches with the Robin Service DK for a hat works out pretty nice, no gaps and not so tight around my skull, so it ought to be just fine for the BISS donation.

Hu-zaaaah.

Wednesday 21 January 2009

Another hat from vintage yarn


This one, I cast on 104 stitches on 4mm circular needles and am using the vintage Robin 'Service DK' yarn; it's another of those ancient yarns I picked up for a very bargain price from Violet's. The yarn is dark gray-black with silvery-white streaks in it, it's supposedly machine washable and is 60% wool, 40% 'Courtauld fibre' (likely some kind of acrylic).

About to start the shaping; I've started a second 25g ball, so it looks like the hat will take close to the 50g mark to complete. I have no idea what the length of the yarn is as it's not mentioned on the ball band.

I went with thumb/long-tail cast on and did about 1-2cm of stocking stitch in the round (so, knit every row). Then did 3 rows of purl stitch followed on by going back to knit stitch.

Once again, I'm hoping this yarn will soften up once it's washed.

Last item, while I'm delighted with how it's coming out, it seems a bit too small/tight, I really wanted to cast on 112 stitches, but I also didn't want to redo the cast on because an arm-span this time was perhaps not as generous as with the other and didn't have enough yarn to get the last 8 stitches. Will finish knitting it then wash it and then see if my Darling can try it on. If it fails to fit him, then it'll go to a children's charity instead of the Seafarer's charity (BISS - British & International Sailor's Society).

Sunday 18 January 2009

The hat's done


Poor picture, yes, it's night time and I don't have strong lighting in the room I took the photo in.

Yes, the crown is a bit more pointy than it should be. I think on the next one that I'll do two decreases at each point or find a way to pretty up the decreases so they don't gnome-hat on me again. Used surprisingly little yarn, still have 1/3-1/2 of the navy ball of yarn left.

Still, a success in that it looks like a hat and it was designed entirely by me, no pattern! And that's kinda liberating. I ought to do that more often, learn how to make stuff on my own with no pattern... then I can use any yarn in my stash and not have to worry about it.

Liberating...

Friday 16 January 2009

Washed and dried


Finally, it's dry!

Finished size of the second practice piece: 16cm wide by 28cm long. It didn't shrink much, width-wise, but quite a bit length-wise. Will have to try and remember this when I make another item out of this yarn. It's still a bit rough (maybe it needs to be tumbled briefly) so I think the yarns will be utilised for things like table mats, placemates, table runners, bags or pillow covers.

Still pleased with the results, yes.

More about that second piece

Hurry up and dry already! *pouts*

Anyway, I've washed the piece in very soapy water and then let it soak for about 20-30 minutes to help the soap flakes get in to the fibre and get the oil out of it. Thorough rinse and it has bloomed considerably. The brown that had practically disappeared while weaving is now more visible. The gaps in between the warp and weft have definitely closed up and it doesn't feel very stiff while it's wet. I hope the drape/hand doesn't change too dramatically once it's dry.

I've got a wall radiator downstairs that puts out a lot of heat (and it totally ignores the thermostat settings, too...) so I'm going to hang the piece on the drying rack in front of the radiator.

Now I get to search through my stash for what I'll do next. I really like (though it's fiddly) the 12.5 dpi heddle, but I haven't tried the 10 dpi the loom came with and I haven't tried the 7.5 dpi. I know I want to continue (for now) working with wool/hair yarns and perhaps mixed with other fibres too (silk or cotton).

Second practice piece


Second go on my RH loom. I'm rather pleased with this attempt, I was very much afraid that I'd set up the loom to be too short, but this was long and wide enough to have worked out very well. The yarn wasn't specified for warp or weft just 'suitable for weaving', I wanted to find out if the yarn was robust enough to be used as a warp and it is, if used double; I had no snapped threads. It does stretch a little on the loom and the nature of the yarns meant that they tried to cling to one another frequently when moving the heddle up and down and when passing the shuttle through the shed. My selvedges are still a bit wonky but getting better. Better pictures will of course, be available on my picturetrail in the 'Ravelry Projects' folder.

12.5 dent reed (50/10cm)

Warp: Texere's Silk Heather (40% silk, 30% wool, 30% cotton) two strands, one oatmeal colour, the second "Moss Mix" (brown). Both yarns are a tweed (9/1nm -- whatever that means).
Weft: two strands together of Silk Heather oatmeal and two strands held together of Texere's Enigma (50% silk, 50% wool, 10/1nm) in "Spruce" (blue), Enigma is another tweed yarn. All yarns come on cones, spun in oil.
Measurement: I haven't washed the test piece yet, so it hasn't bloomed, shrunk/grown or done anything. It's been off the loom for an hour or two now and the size is 17cm wide and 31cm long. I will try to remember to measure it again after it's been washed and dried.

I'm torn on whether to take my chances and put it through a machine wash or just handwash it in soap flakes.

I am so satisfied with the results of this piece that I want to use it here in the house, perhaps as a small mat for something or in the display cabinet.

Thursday 15 January 2009

Because I CAN

Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.comSuccessful film photograph of panning technique.

It's a... scarf? No, just my first practice piece.


I just finished my first RH loom project, it came out ok, but I have a lot of improvement to look forward to.

If you want to see pictures, I will be putting them up on my picturetrail shortly and also in my projects in Ravelry.

A picture...



It needs 'finishing'... ends tied off, stray bits on the side where yarns were introduced need tying off or weaving in. And then washed, to get the yarn manufacturer's sizing and whatever out and allow the yarn to be what it is naturally.