Opening Video

Evolution of an improvised scarf

As of late I have been playing around with writing some patterns for scarves and hats. It's an entertaining, if time consuming, hobby. I get an idea, and then I think of multiple variations that I want to try all in one go. This is disastrous for anyone who has trouble visualizing what the finished products will look like. So I make myself try one idea at a time, and there is much frogging of the final results.

Take this little beauty of a scarf:

You can't tell from the picture, but it is 100% complete. It turned out rather nice, if I do say so myself. So what made me rip it all out? First off, it was a bit too short, which is not surprising since I was using one ball of rather old worsted weight yarn, and the scarf was around 12" wide. It would have been more of a task than I was willing to track down more of the yarn. Plus, the feel of the yarn is not so soft and lovely, especially worked that tightly. So I ripped the whole thing out and modified the pattern.

Here are pictures of the modifications:

The feel of the yarn this around having used the larger needles was much nicer. If I was into blocking and making sure the pattern showed just right, I would have been happy with the scarf just like this. But I don't like to fuss too much when it comes to scarves.

This is my solution:

I folded the seed stitch edges together and used a quick whip stitch to seam it up. No blocking necessary, and no fussing when putting the scarf on. The modifications I did on the stitch pattern worked perfectly for this. It's almost as if I had planned this final result, and after doing this project it is something I can plan for in the future if the mood strikes me. 

First Finished Project of 2014

Another year of crafting has begun. I've got some projects that carry over from last year, including the seemingly never-ending blanket that I'm crocheting from scraps of yarn. Scraps may not be the best way to describe the 50 yards of yarn that the pattern calls for to complete two rows. In fact, my solution for not being able to make it across two rows is to just do one row then switch colors, or even to pick up with a slightly different shade in the middle of a row. I'm using loads of colors, so I don't think this will matter much.  This has been on the hook for quite some time, but possibly during this cold snap I'll finish it up. I'm interested to see what the final size will be.

But I've been distracted already. This post was intended to showcase my first finished project of the year. My version of the Good Tidings Organizer has a border to compensate for running out of the black yarn I was using as the background, further exemplifying that you occasionally have to improvise when using leftover materials. In addition to using up some of my extensive stash of partial skeins, this pattern came from the electronic version of Crochet Today! magazine, and now I don't have to feel guilty for buying this when I already had  physical and virtual stacks of patterns. Plus, I learned the name of a technique I've been using to create the backgrounds of my artwork: Thermal Single Crochet.

Some of my crafting goals for the year include knitting along with the Sock Club, making some blankets and cat toys for the animals at Pawsabilities, and using up some of my stash!

Two Socks, 5+ Needles

Knitting two socks at the same time can be time-saving, fun, frustrating, complicated, may as well have knitted them one at a time. Let's just say the first time using a challenging new technique can test anyone's patience, but with a bit of perseverance the finished project brings satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment, or at least relief knowing you are not obligated to do it again.

This was not my first time knitting two socks at once. I've used two circular needles, cuff down more than once. As long as you don't have a pattern that shifts and eventually you have to knit two together at the point where you stop knitting on sock 1 to knit sock 2, then it isn't bad. Yet instead of choosing this method, I picked up the double pointed needles because I heard it was possible to knit two socks simultaneously with this new-to-me technique. 

Unless you want to drive yourself crazy, you'll need two sets of double pointed needles to cast-on. If you are going to be ribbing, I suggest doing the ribbing for each sock before setting up your stitches on one set of needles. Cleverly, I just started knitting as I set up the stitches. This was challenging and didn't save any time. Plus, ribbing both socks took a lot more concentration than just straight stockinette stitch. Whenever you decide to combine, I suggest slip a stitch from sock 1, slip a st from sock 2, and repeat until you are good to go.

Once you get to the stockinette stitch, it is easy if you can knit Continental and American-English style. There is a wonderful rhythm to the knitting. If you can't do both, you'll have to constantly drop one yarn and pick up the other. It is a fantastic project to practice the technique, but it will require concentration, especially if you are using just one color of yarn.

So, what could possibly go wrong? One of the problems I was having at the beginning of the project was the yarn snagging. It meant there were little strands that connected the socks. Now, as long as the strands are not substantial, you can just pull the two socks apart with no real damage done. But if you get a good portion of the strand you'll have to rip out or drop a stitch to correct it. Even worse, you might start knitting sock 2 with the yarn from sock 1 and not realize it, like I did. Just dropping a stitch will only frustrate you; you'll have to rip it out. The good news is that this provides the perfect opportunity to just knit the socks one at a time. Or you could be like me and put the socks back together. Persevere!

The heel was interesting. Turns out purling is not as smooth as the knitting, and since I used a slipped stitch in my heel pattern I found myself trying to correct the slipped stitches when I got to them. When you get to decrease, you have to do the heels separately anyway, so there isn't a need to knit them at the same time.

The toes are the fun part because you get to pull those socks apart and see if you've don't it right. One of my socks was slightly smaller than the other, but not drastic enough to call them different sizes. I knit a bit more snug American-English style. I had suspected this, but now I have proof.

Here are some tips if you'd like to try two socks at once on double pointed needles.

1. Different colors will make it easy to see which yarn belongs to which sock. Use a nice striping yarn and compare a good amount to make sure you won't end up with too much same-color overlap. If you use the same color, always put the yarn for the inside sock on the same side every time, and tuck that yarn inside the project whenever you take a break. Marking the label is a good idea as well.
2. Stockinette stitch was the easiest and fastest for me, so I'd recommending doing the ribbing first and then set up both socks on one set of needles. If you are doing toe-up you'll have to do the toes separately before combining.
3. Consider doing an afterthought heel. Remember to use two bits of scrap yarn, one for each sock.
4. Make sure the yarn you pick doesn't split. One of the biggest problems I had was little strands connecting the socks because the yarn split. Once I had the technique down this did not happen, but I sure wish I had used a less finicky yarn for my first try.

Tunisian Crochet

While I was looking to brush up on my Tunisian crochet skills so as to be prepared to help members of my knit & crochet group as they learn, I stumbled upon a great pattern/tutorial. It is a Tunisian Washcloth Sampler, complete with links to videos showing how to do each stitch. Not only did I get to practice my technique, I got to try some new-to-me stitches. The results are wonderful with an edge of single crochet.

 

Tunisian Washcloth Sampler by Maxine Pike on Ravelry.

Some Recent Projects

I don't update my blog as often as I should, a fact I noticed today as I took pictures of some recent projects. Some of what I've been working on is pretty basic, but simplicity can yield wonderfully satisfying results. One of my favorite quickie projects in the last month has been scarves for charity.

This one is done in Homespun with size 15 needles. I cast on 24 stitches and did a k2, p2 rib. It is very stretchy, and you can get a rather long scarf in a short period of time. With larger needles, the yarn does not split as much and is easier to work with. The picture is actually the second one I'm knitting with this way; the first is finished and ready to be donated to charity.

A few of my projects are oddly practical and improvised because they will be useful. In the past, I made fan blade covers, one of the few sewing projects I've tackled. The latest in this series of useful household crafting are socks for the dining room chairs.

 Using scraps of cotton yarn, I made these to replace the old children's socks I had been using so the floor wouldn't get scratched up. I crocheted a little rectangle, the picked up stitches in the round to rib the 'leg' of the sock. As you can see, I didn't have to make them very tall. So far, the chair socks are staying on and doing their job perfectly.

One can never have too many bags. While rummaging through my extensive stash of cotton yarn, I came across a pattern on a label, Market Bag to Knit. At a glance, the little picture on the label looked like crochet, so I had to delay the project until I got home to my knitting needles.

Here the bag is appropriately filled with cotton yarn. It didn't turn out exactly like the picture because I didn't switch to the larger needle size. The handles are also done a bit differently. I knit an icord with two strands of the yarn and then sewed it on to the top edge, which has a line of single crochet for extra support.

I won some Paton's Pirouette yarn at World Wide Knit in Public Day. It's a yarn I never worked with before but had heard a lot about. I tried knitting with it, and my thought was 'There has to be an easier way'. Turns out, crocheting with it is easier, at least in my opinion. After a quick search and few minutes of video demos, I confirmed my initial thoughts on how to do it were correct, and I got started.

A big plus to this yarn is that it works up fast. I had this finished in about an hour, and I'm pretty sure that included looking up how to crochet with it. It isn't really a relaxing experience, but it is fun to watch those ruffles appear.

I've done some other projects, but those are the highlights. Currently, I am tackling two socks knitted one inside the other on double point needles. So far, it is an adventure!

Greebo

Last year, I took this little girl to the vet thinking she was egg-bound.  It was a shock when the best exotic pet veterinarian in the area informed me my precious iguana was filled with fluid, which was weird.  After some tests, the doctor determined surgery was the best option.  Since he had no idea what he would find and admitted he hadn't seen anything like it in such a young lizard, I was not optimistic.  All I could do was take an empty pet carrier home and wait. 

Eventually the doctor called to say everything went smoothly.  Greebo had an infection, the main source being her ovaries, which the doctor removed.  It was 'the best' of the problems he could have found when he opened her up.  It was a relief, but I was still pessimistic.  Lizards are slow to heal.

It was not long after bringing her home that I had to take her to the emergency veterinary hospital.  She had a prolapsed cloaca, which meant some of her insides were hanging out.  She got stitched up, but then had to go back to the vet to get the stitches removed because she was straining so much.  My nerves were shot at this point, but somehow the vet convinced me I could take her home.  I gave her antibiotics, and eventually, she got better.  On her road to recovery, she lost the end of her tail and then had to have even more of her tail cut off.

Greebo has had a tough time in her life.  It's no wonder that she has always been a bit feisty.  I think the vet was surprised I could handle her at all since she threw a fit any time the staff was near her and refused to eat while in their care.*  When she was small, in addition to whipping me with her tail, she would bend her body in half just to bite me.  Thank goodness she has mellowed out.  

My iguana had exploratory surgery and a partial hysterectomy.  For months, I kept expecting to find her dead.  Lizards don't tell you they are sick, and many times it is too late when you figure out there is a problem.  Finally, I'm optimistic that Greebo will be with me for years to come. 

*Oddly, her appetite did not suffer when she was sick.  In fact, she had been eating 4+ cups of chopped veggies a day, which was quite a bit more than a young lizard her size should have been eating.

Ornamentation

Finally, I got a few pictures of some of the ornaments I have been knitting and crocheting. It all started because I had some leftover yarn from the Christmas bow ties I knit a while back. Since the yarn was scratchy, I did not want to make any wearable items. The hat, candy, and stockings are knit from the sparkly, but scratchy, sock yarn.

The miniature hat ornament is just what it seems to be. The little candy is super easy to make. Just knit a tube, stuff with a small amount of fiber fill or scrap yarn, and tie the ends. The Santa sack is just an improvised little bag with a crochet chain for a tie. Stuff it with a bit of fiber fill and put a fake little present in there. I guess if you are less of a scrooge than I am, you could put actual presents in the sack.

Funny little story about the stocking. I figured I would just use smaller yarn and needles to knit a full size stocking pattern. It wasn't until after I cast on that it dawned on me I would then be knitting a sock. So I ripped it out, cast on way fewer stitches, and the result was a cute little ornament which is stuffed with fiber fill and topped with a small teddy bear. The little wreath ornament is actually my favorite. It is just single crochet around a milk jug ring with little crocheted circles. It's my favorite because it was so easy and quick. I made a dozen in just a few hours.

And finally, there is only one snowman ornament. My son thinks it is evil because of the red eyes. What can I say? I was too unmotivated to find a bit of black yarn.

Bow Ties Are Cool

I don't even remember what prompted me to search for knitted tied patterns, but it was during that search that I stumbled across the Eleventh Bow Tie. I did modify the pattern a smidgen. I added a couple border stitches to the end of each row, slipped the first stitch of every row, and wrote out the changes decreasing and increasing had on the linen stitch pattern. The results are quite nice.

It is worth noting that yarn I used, Marathon Socks--North Pole, turned out to be a bit scratchy. This is part of the reason the bow is tied so loose in the picture. It would work best with a collared shirt. My son has agreed to wear the bow tie at least once more if we can find a shirt that he will be able to wear with it. He has also said that he might wear a green one made of softer yarn.

I'm glad I kept knitting

My sweater is done! The pattern I used is Twisted Rib Cardigan which I found in the Knit Simple Holiday 2008 magazine. One thing I found with the pattern was the arms are really long, even taking into account the cuffs are meant to be folded back. This presented a challenge for me as I knit both arms at the same time, which meant I had them completed and one of them sewn on before realizing I wasn't going to be able to make the length work for me. Since I used stripes instead of one solid color, it was interesting to take out the top portion of each sleeve, adjust the increases so it would seam properly, and still shorten them at least a couple of inches. It worked, but I wish I had done it before I began working on the sleeves.

One of the tricks I used in knitting this sweater was to use wool that would felt. This kept the project in my comfort level, as if I ended up with something too large (which has happened every time I've tried to knit a sweater previously), I could felt it a bit. Well, it turns out I had sized it pretty well. As a result, I had another dilemma. I wanted to at least felt the garment a little bit so all those ends would be a bit more secure. Throwing all caution to the wind, I headed to the washing machine. Since the water was warm and not hot, and I was too chicken to put in more than the teensiest bit of soap, not much felting happened. So, I opted for the dryer option, no heat. And once it was merely damp, I discovered it had stretched a bit. It all turned out wonderful in the end because I put it back in the dryer, this time with some heat. Checking it  every minute, it shrunk up to a fit I was happy with, and I laid it flat to dry the rest of the way.

Another benefit of felting was how much more I liked the seams after it was done. The front, in particular, went from being adequate to being really nice. The results most likely would have been similar if I had blocked the project, but felting was so much less labor intensive.

Quick knits

Whenever I need a quick little project I whip up a garter stitch scarf. Using a worsted weight or bulky yarn, I cast on 12 to 14 stitches and knit to the desired length or until I run out of yarn. Repetitive and lulling can be a nice break after a few complex or particularly time consuming projects.

That was easy

Well, not so much easy as less time intensive than I anticipated. The Desert Poncho, a free pattern from Lion Brand Yarn, turned out pretty nice in one color with just one row of fringe. The problem was it didn't drape properly. The bottom from and back curled up and out into a strange triangular shape. Not that I wanted extra work, but I knew I wouldn't wear it if I didn't fix the problem. So I unraveled three or four inches, shoved the work back on circular needles, and knitted up a seed stitch border. It isn't perfect, but it is close enough. I didn't expect to finish it up yesterday, but since I spent most of the day hovering near the iguana to make sure she wouldn't need another trip to emergency, I had time and nervous energy.

I had thought that I used an entirely different yarn for the pattern and that caused the problem. Turns out, I used the yarn called for, as well as the same needle size. Sometimes you just have to improvise and change things.

For my next trick

Today, I plan on fixing up one of the ponchos I knit. Because I used an entirely different yarn than the pattern called for, it did not turn out quite right. Unfortunately for me, I did not post the project on Ravelry, so I have to guess what size needles I used. It is also going to take a bit of patience to get all the stitches back on the needles, as there are a large number of them. Look for an update in the next week if all goes well.

I've been busy

I haven't updated my blog recently, but projects have been flying off my needles and hooks.

Some time during the spring or summer, I found a pattern for a knitted square that I just loved. In a rare fit of sanity, I decided I did not want to make a blanket. Knitting a bag presents another sort of delay. I don't sew well, and the bag needs a lining. Here it is just waiting for the finishing touches.

During one of my many trips to the local library, I came across an issue of Interweave Crochet that had a lovely dress which I just had to make. It took about an hour to crochet each of the squares, plus all that extra time I spent ripping out mistakes and finishing. I confess it took almost as long to find something suitable to wear underneath it, but thanks to a bit of help from my mother, I can finally show off my handiwork.

Last year I decided to try out a new technique using a double ended crochet hook. Instead of a bookmark*, I chose to start a blanket. There were three red and three black 6 ounce skeins of yarn just begging to become a throw. It wasn't until I'd used a whole skein of red that I discovered the other two no dye lot reds were not only a different color, but a different texture. So, the project got set aside until I searched through my stash for two other colors. I was not about to buy more yarn for a project that was just meant to tinker around with a new technique. After finding some blue and purple, summer arrived, and the whole thing had to be set aside until I could no longer fry eggs on the sidewalk. Once I picked it up again, I spent a couple hours messing up and ripping out a couple of lines until I remembered the stitch. The result is absolutely stunning.

*Why didn't I think to just crochet a bookmark?

Cats

Callisto looks down from the safety of her loft.

Alfie takes a nap.

Mouse posing next to the mouse toy.

Callisto struts like the #1 cat she is.

Alfie relaxes as he plays.

Look at Mouse's short little legs!

Yarn Bowl

I had a great time today at The Richfield Art Studio.  The Cuyahoga Falls Knit & Hook Group had an outing there.  My son is the one who actually embellished the yarn bowl.  At first he was a bit indecisive and afraid he would ruin the bowl, but eventually he decided what he was willing to try and added some simple details.  Then he picked turquoise for the glaze.  In a couple short weeks, he'll be able to utilize his creation.

 We also got to watch how the bowls were hand-turned.  It was an interesting and informative demonstration.  I have no doubt that it is a bit trickier than it appeared.  If you get the chance, check this place out. 

In A Rut

Goodness me.  I need to start a project that will travel well.  Lots of time in waiting rooms, and I don’t have any easy projects going.  Why does every project I think of end up being too complicated? 

I’m off in search of some sort of inspiration.  Wish me luck.

Videos from Metro Parks, Serving Summit County

If you haven't heard, Metro Parks, Serving Summit County has videos posted on YouTube.  Here's a playlist featuring trails on the Fall Hiking Spree.

Something a bit different

Even with only one cat, I qualify as ‘the crazy cat lady’ because I make cat litter.  Yes, I’ve spent countless hours recycling old newspapers into cat litter.  And here’s how I do it.

After gathering some newspaper, usually donated by kind family members, I have to shred it.  Since my paper shredder is designed for standard copy paper, I tear the newspaper to a width that fits properly and feed a couple of layers through at a time.

Next I stuff the shredded newspaper into a bucket and add water.  The key here is to stuff as much of the newspaper into the bucket as possible, since the water will ‘melt’ the strips to an alarmingly low level if you don’t.  At this point, I let it soak, oftentimes overnight. 

I drain the water, add a bit more water, and drain again.  The point is to rinse out more of the ink before I start mushing the paper up by hand.  Once it has the desired consistency, I take a handful, place it on a piece of screen, and squeeze as much water out as I can.  I tried various methods with buckets and the strainer before deciding just using the screen worked best for me.

I crumble the soon to be cat litter to the desired consistency and leave it to dry.  But sometimes it doesn’t dry fast enough, so I improvised a way to dry it with a hairdryer.  I had to cover the box with a screen so the pieces wouldn’t just fly out, and I sometimes cover it with a towel to trap some of the warm air.

The end result is a very usable litter that lasts around five days.  One warning, always have extra on hand because once it starts to smell you are not going to want to wait an extra day to change the litter.

Some people add some baking soda to the litter when they are mushing the wet newspaper up.  I experimented with that, but it did not seem to extend the life of the litter, so I don’t do that.

Also, I’m not sure I could keep up with the process if I had multiple cats.  But it’s certainly worth the effort for just one Super Kitty.

Lunch time

...and this little piggy went to lunch. He was not happy when someone at the table was eating bacon on his hamburger, but otherwise he had a good time sneaking sips of Dr. Pepper and generally being cute.

And it might be coincidence, but the wind picked up fiercely the night he was completed. I think there may have been a big, bad wolf lurking outside and attempting to huff and puff and blow the house down.

This small crochet pig was finished in a few hours. I think I spent way too much time figuring out how I wanted to embroider the eyes. I will have to break down and purchase some cute embellishments for the stuffed animals I knit and crochet.