(Old) Craft Blog - Victoria Jay

Hooting Cars

22/11/2013

Whatever to do with the total disasters?

I knitted an owl hat. Lovely, I thought. The intarsia wasn't great, but I was out of practice and it made a good practice piece. A successful run and I could make a couple more.

The idea was sound and looked pretty good in the pattern picture. A simple square hat and the corners stick uppish like feather 'ears'.

I used a different yarn to that specified., but it came together quite well (apart from a few intarsia issues). So far so good.

Then I finished/blocked it - ie threw it in the washing machine. Now, I knew the acrylic yarn would come out lovely and soft, but it came out too soft and drapey. It could be said that I could knit another and not completely block it, or block it at all, but a hat is of no use if you can't just throw it in the washing machine. If I made another, I would have to get a different yarn.

It got put to one side and after two unfortunate outcomes in a row, I had to knit a pig (could be worse!).

But I've come up with an idea - car seat headrest cover!

Facing front: an anti-theft device

Facing back: scare kids in the back seat

Win, win!

Trotting Out Again

21/11/2013

Uh oh .... another mini-pig.

But they are just sooo cute.

Update: You can buy him here.

Playing Chicken

18/11/2013

As a bit of fun, I made this "Crazy Chicken Bag" from a pattern I found in an old edition of Knit Today (April 2007, to be precise).

It wasn't difficult. The main body of the bag was made of loops - the same as used in the pirate, witch and wizard hair pieces,
The strap is a simple I-cord.
The eyes, comb and beak are shaped pieces and stuffed.

So, none of it was difficult. But I didn't enjoy it. I can't tell you why not. Just one of those things.

I did change the fastening to a knitted toggle as I don't have a red button, but that was the only change I made

In other news:

I have set up stores on ravelry.com (for patterns) and folksy.com (for physical items). The links to these can also be found on my new page "Store".

Cornered!

15/11/2013

I have shifted my yarn stash to a more convenient location. I can actually now see what I have got, instead of rootling through crates and creating a multi-coloured spider's web. And I finally got rid of the old manky stuff I could never use but couldn't let go of.

Some of this rather unfortunate wool dates back a few years to when Cleopatra found that a box of yarn made a rather nice bed.

My needles are not in the photo, they're in a tool box. My knitting books and magazines have their own shelf in the next room.

And the rule now is: I have to use yarn before I'm allowed to buy any more as there isn't room for a fourth crate in the alcove, or another alcove.

Bee Warm

14/11/2013

It was chilly this morning. I needed to go out.

So I dug out a jumper/dress I did a couple of years back. It's a basic jumper pattern, lengthened, with stripes (including some in a rather fluorescent red yarn that I happened to have in my stash). The stripes have a couple of rows of reverse stocking stitch, in the centre of each, as a detail. (The make-up around the neckline is an unintentional detail.)

No one commented on my dress sense ....

...... May be people are just too polite .... :-/

That Touch of Mink

13/11/2013

I have been developing a fingerless glove pattern.

To the left is the working prototype that I have ended up with.

Left and right gloves are identical as I have not introduced any patterning (as yet).

I spent some time on the thumb increases.

Most increases are unsatisfactory. Ignoring yarn-over increases completely:

Knitting into front and back of a stitch leaves a bar - this I did not want.

Make one (L or R) leaves a tiny hole (a rather large one if you do it wrong). Although this is fine on a garment that is not likely to be under tension whilst worn, this was not right for the gloves.

I plumped for 'knitting into the stitch beneath and then the stitch' increase (it probably has a proper name). This leaves even less evidence than the 'make-one's. Placing correctly also gave a neat seam on both sides of the thumb.

For an added extra touch, I have added a fur trim below the ribbing. The ribbing is still there for comfort and fit.

Now, me being me, the fur yarn I had in my stash has been discontinued (obviously, as it's Sirdar). (It's Racoon flavour, for information.) Sirdar do Funky Fox now, that may or may not be an alternative, I have not seen it yet.

The yarn has no give in it. But the solution is simplicity itself - rib it. There are four rows of 1x1 rib in fur on 4mm needles changing to 3.25 mm needles for 6 rows of 1x1 rib in DK. An increase in the middle of the last rib row, and here a KFB is perfect, before changing to 4mm for the rest of the glove.

A Side Order of Mushroom Soup

9/11/2013

Sometimes, you're just too tired to concentrate on intricate knitting or fluffy yarn, and want something fairly straightforward and quick to knit up.

These mushroom keyrings have been perfect. The shaping, including the ribs on the underside of the cap, follows a logical pattern. The spots are French knots. And there is the added pleasure of making up colour combinations.

Far, far better than a scarf.

Kitty Litter

7/11/2013

And here we have a litter of kittens.

The Siamese was not particularly successful, but the Grey was.

Interestingly, with the Grey in mind, using red wool and lengthening the muzzle would produce a rather good fox.

Now to decide what to do next .....

Warm Heart, Cold Hands

3/11/2013

The trouble with a cold snap, especially when you are tired, is cold hands.

The trouble with these fingerless gloves (adapted, modified and corrected from a pattern) is that I never seem to have them for long. They always end up on other people's hands.

So I needed to knit up a new pair and this time I chose brown in the hope that they might remain in my possession just a little longer than usual.

Of course, this has meant that the weather has turned warmer ....