Needlework Tuesday

I have an issue with obsessing on a craft and ignoring all others.  At the moment, a stack of sewing projects are patiently waiting while I try every single knitting project on Pinterest.  

Issue #2:  My minute attention span tends to lead to a stack of half-done projects because I want to try the next one.  

Because my knitting skills are still in the beginning stages, most of the projects get started, goofed up, restarted, goofed up . . . .   All in all, not a lot of progress.  I do have a growing stack of dishcloths that need to be blocked and have the ends woven in; and the beginning of a scarf.

I'm working the "Feather and Fan" pattern in a soft, cotton yarn - ecru with purple and green flecks.  I think I will complete the scarf in two pieces, joined at the center so that both ends will be scalloped in the same direction.

But before I got this scarf finished, I found the "Waves" pattern and couldn't wait to try it.

I have struggled mightily with this pattern.  I have restarted this project at least 15 times - no exagerations!  The luxurious, red "Touch of Silk" yarn to too gorgeous to waste, so it is back in a ball and waiting for me to either find a new project, or get the patience to try this again. Do other knitters have patterns that they just can't seem to get right?

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather at Books and Quilts.  Visit Heather to see what others are stitching this week.

Knit On . . .

My fascination with knitting continues.  I am sticking to beginner level stuff until I am more confident, but that fits well with my short attention-span and ensuing love for small projects.  This week, I tried a couple new dishcloth patterns.

First is the "Almost Lost Washcloth".  I'm sure it has another name, but that's what the lovely ladies at Simply Notable call their version. I enjoy this pattern because it is nothing but basic knitting, but produces a finished project that looks much more complicated. You can find a link to the pattern for the smaller version on the same site.

Next was the "Rudy Cloth" from Down Cloverlaine.  I think the pattern is adorable, but the design is actually kind of hard to see in reality.  Even though it's just knit and purl, it's a confusing pattern to follow because each row is different.  Since the pattern doesn't show up well (or at all) while you're working, it's easy to get off.  Not conducive to TV watching while knitting.  There are dozens of other picture designs out there, so I may give this idea another try, but it's not at the top of my list.

What are you knitting, sewing or crafting this week?  Visit our host, Heather @ Books & Quilts, to link to Needlework Tuesday and see what others are creating.

Old Dogs and New Tricks

Who says an old dog can't learn a new trick?  I have been whining for years that I wish I could knit.  I learned the very basics as a teenager, but never pursued it.  I picked it up again a couple years ago, but got frustrated and quit.  I guess the third time really is a charm.   After hours and hours of knitting and "un-knitting" the same yarn just for practice, I am finally able to do four basic stitches . . . and I am OBCESSED!

Dish cloths/wash cloths seemed like a simple and usable way to practice, so I've tried several patterns.  The first few had some pattern issues.  Actually, they had some issues with my ability to follow the pattern.

Eventually I struck on this diagonal pattern that is so easy to do, even I can't mess it up (at least not much).  

My favorite design so far is this lattice pattern.  It makes a thicker, textured cloth that is better for scrubbing. 

The original pattern includes a crocheted picot edge that gives the cloths a fancier look, but this old dog can only handle one new trick at a time. 

This post is part of "Needlework Tuesday" hosted by Heather @ Books and Quilts.

Tangled Thursday/Needlework Tuesday - Begin Again

                               

Poor old Michael Finnegan ... begin again...

I'm sure I watched that Wee Sing in Sillyville video at least a thousand times in the mid 90's.  It was a gift from Grandma and the kids loved it.  We sang many, many verses about Michael Finnegan and his whiskers.  The unending tune has come back to haunt me this week - both in Zentangles and stitching.

Last week I reported progress on my knitted "Flag Afghan".  This week -- not so much.  I have started and restarted this project countless times because I was auditioning various stitches, or I made a mistake and had to unravel a portion.  I finally settled on a basic knit stitch, worked out my tension issues, and completed one of the five sections . . .and I don't like it.  So, begin again.  

This time I'm using a looser stitch that more closely resembles the crochet in the inspiration picture.  I didn't bother to take a picture, because so far it looks like an 8x15 red rectangle.  Not picture worthy.  Dave just shakes his head at my many restarts, but I assure him that it's a good thing.  This may be the world's cheapest craft project, because I could be knitting the same skeins of yarn indefinitely.

My Tangled Thursday attempts were along the same lines.  Elaine challenged us to create a drawing using String 109 from tanglepatterns.com.  No brilliant ideas struck me at first glance, so I copied and pasted the string onto some practice sheets of regular copy paper, so I could try various options without redrawing the string.  Good thing, because I had to frequently "begin again".

I finally had several partial ideas that I liked and combined them into two drawings on higher quality sketch paper:

Technically, I think I used the string upside down, but it just seemed to inspire more ideas that way.  

Tangled Thursdays and Needlework Tuesday are both hosted by Heather at Books and Quilts.  Feel free to join in with either one - it's a fun group and no pressure challenges.

Needlework Tuesday: One Stitch at a Time

Not much to report this week except slow and steady progress on my flag afghan.    I am approximately 3/4 finished with section one of five.  The project is inspired by this pattern from allfreecrochet.com (right).  The key phrase to remember is "inspired by".  My version will have straight rows rather than scalloped - and knitted on a loom, rather than crocheted.  Since there's no way this is going to be completed by July 4th, and it will be too hot to use it then anyway, I'm in no rush.  It's an easy project to carry along or to work on while watching TV.  

Needlework Tuesday is a weekly post hosted by Heather @ Books & Quilts.  Visit Heather to link your own needlework post and to see what others are stitching.

Needlework Tuesday: Holiday Week Version

Monday was a holiday in the U.S. - Memorial Day - so, of course, I didn't work.  That threw me off completely, and all day yesterday I kept thinking I needed to get a Needlework Tuesday post ready for tomorrow.  So - here's my holiday version.

I completed my 100 mini prayer quilts.  If you don't remember, a friend volunteered to head up a drive to make 1500 4" 4-patch mini quilts by mid-June.  She farmed it out in lots of 100 to everyone she knew who sews.  I volunteered for 100.  I finished them last week and presented them with a great feeling of accomplishment.  Then she asked if I could do a few more because some people didn't return theirs.  So I'm in 4-patch mode again.

I completed the blocks and settled on an arrangement for my baby quilt.  I'm going to assemble that much while I ponder options for borders and backing.  The baby - my great nephew (wow) - is due in July.

My third project for the week was a prayer flag for my birthday.  The base is a vintage napkin - off white with red trim.  The fabrics in the crazy quilt represent things I like - sewing, knitting, music, anything "vintage"  - there's even a bit of Christmas stuck in there.  The triangle with embroidered flowers is the corner of another vintage napkin.

I also started kitting a red, white and blue afghan.  In fact, I've started it at least 15 times now.  I'm having some tension issues - but I think I have it under control now.  Hopefully there will be enough progress to warrant pictures next week.

Visit Heather at Books & Quilts to see what all the Needlework Tuesday participants are stitching.

Needlework Tuesday

Dave and I traveled to visit out son over Easter weekend.  While we were there, things took an unexpected turn and Son chose to call off his engagement and upcoming wedding. Naturally, it was an emotional time and there were lots of details to be tended to.  With Son busy finishing his schooling (graduation is in 2 weeks) I volunteered to stay with him a few extra days to help out and give emotional support.

The up side to my unexpected week away was that I had plenty of time to knit.  If you got back to April 15 - the last time I participated in Needlework Tuesday - you'll see that I was making a shawl from some beautiful aqua yarn, and that I had used up all I had and was waiting to get to the store for more.  No such luck!  The brand - Yarn Bee - is evidently out of business and, while they still had a large stock of some colors, there was no "robin's egg" to be found.  I couldn't even find it on line.  So - plan B.

I decided on a lovely red shade and bought 6 skeins this time.  The two skeins of aqua got "un-knitted" and saved for another project - except for the bit I used to add stripes to my shawl.  I love the red and aqua combination.  

This was knitted using the Figure 8 Stitch on my largest round loom, and a #6 (chunky) yarn.  It is so soft and snuggly - I can't wait for an evening to wrap up in it by the fire pit.

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather @ Books & Quilts.

I'm Late...I'm Late...

“How did it get so late so soon? 

It's night before it's afternoon.

 December is here before it's June. 

My goodness how the time has flewn. 

How did it get so late so soon?”

               - Dr. Seuss

Or maybe I should just say "Second verse, same as the first . . . "  I keep whining about how working full time is messing with my blogging time, but whining isn't helping.  I'm going to have to come up with a plan to balance, work, family, housekeeping, crafting/sewing and reading.

In the mean time, here's last week's Tangled Thursday post and today's Needlework Tuesday post - all wrapped up into one delayed display.

The Tangled Thursday challenge was to tangle "Easter" - in whatever form you chose.  I made a couple of attempts that didn't end well, so had nothing to post last Thursday.  But since it's not quite Easter yet, I completed the challenge ... belatedly.

One "non-traditional" Tangle  based on a stained-glass cross I saw on-line,
combined with a "how to draw a lily" lesson.

And one traditional Tangle tile.

Moving on to Tuesday (which is almost over).  I started a new project I'm really liking.

This is the first 1/4 of a shawl, made from some beautiful, chunky yarn I picked up with no specific purpose in mind. The picture doesn't do justice to the lovely aqua color.  This is knitted on a 11 1/2" circle loom, using the Figure 8 stitch.  It is temporarily on hold until this weekend when I can get more yarn.  While I wait, I worked on the knitted baby blanket I posted about a week or two ago, and on my "book" quilt, and . . .

I had a Martha Stewart moment and decopaged my Easter eggs  I saw this idea, which is based on an idea from Martha's web-site, on Pinterest.  It was so simple and I love the results.

If you decide to try this, I would recommend cutting the napkins into smaller pieces and overlapping them.  That method reduces the bulk of paper on the back side.  I did a few each way.   It took them a lot longer to dry (over night) than I expected, but once they did, the finish is very durable.  I have mine out on display so, obviously, they are no longer edible, but if you return them to the fridge to dry and store, you can crack them open for lunch later.

And speaking of LATEr... back to the drawing board for that time management plan...

Needlework Tuesday: What Goes Up . . .

... must come down.  Or, more appropriately, "What gets knitted, gets unknitted."  I spent a large part of my weekend undoing progress.  I've been learning to loom knit - and loving it!  I spent the week working on two projects.  The first is a shawl for myself, made from a tweed-look chunky yarn.  The finished shawl will require four panels and I have one completed and waiting to be blocked.  Hopefully there will be pictures next week.

The second project is a baby blanket for my great-nephew, who is due to arrive in July.  I'm using Bernat "Baby Blanket" bulky yarn.  The pattern requires two 15 x 36 panels (the multi-color) and one 4 x 36 stripe (solid blue) down the center.  I began the project with a regular knit/purl stitch, but this heavy yarn needed something looser.  After a lot of experiments and unraveling, I finally settled on the Figure 8 stitch, which is tight enough for warmth, but loose enough to wrap easily.  

If you haven't used Baby Blanket yarn, at least touch it the next time you're in your favorite yarn shop.  It is so soft and snuggly!  I may need a blanket of my own. :)

I also made progress on my book quilt - 2 "shelves" completed, 6 to go.  I ordered the brown fabric for the sashing and backing - a coordinate of the beige I'm using for the negative space above the books.  It arrived this week, and I also spoke with the lady who will be quilting it on her long-arm machine.  Everything is going well and I'm excited to complete my very first full-size quilt.  Hopefully there will be photographable progress by next Tuesday.

Thanks to Heather for hosting Needlework Tuesday.  Visit Heather at Books & Quilts and see what everyone's stitching up.

Needlework Tuesday: Pinwheels

My crafting time this week was devoted to experimenting with loom knitting.   I tried a variety of yarns and a variety of stitches, then ripped them all out and started again.  The ripping included the scarf that I showed in last week's post.  After I had about a 10" strip to look at, I decided I didn't care for the unconventional yarn I was using - so it will return to the yarn cupboard to become something else another day.  

I spent hours working on a baby blanket made from "super bulky" Bernat Baby Blanket yarn, only to decide that the stitch pattern I was using was too "close knit" for that bulky yarn and the blanket was going to weigh a ton.  So, it also unraveled and returned to the yarn stash.  I'm still planning to make the blanket, but after I find a looser stitch.

My loom currently holds the first few rows of a shawl I'm making for myself from tweed-look yarn, in a basic pattern of knit and purl stitches.  Hopefully there will be something to show on that next week.

Between knitting and un-knitting, I made one quilt block - yes, just one.  The idea has been hanging around the back of my mind for ages and I finally got around to trying the 3-D Pinwheel block.

Pattern from You Can Make This.com

Now that I know this really is as quick and easy as it looks in the instructions, I am looking for a way to use them.  I'm envisioning a red, white and blue summer wall-hanging, or maybe continue the purple and white theme to make a K-State banner.

Do you have a loom knitting stitch that would work well for a baby blanket?  Or an idea for the Pinwheel block?  Leave your thoughts in a comment.  And don't forget to visit our hostess, Heather at Books & Quilts, to see what other stitchers are doing.

Needlework Tuesday on Wednesday...

Once again (see previous post) the flu interrupted my schedule so I'm a little behind on this, but wanted to share my current obsession (I have many and they change frequently):  Loom knitting

I while back I discovered "spool knitting", which was a lot of fun, but the end product was a bit useless, so I invested in a knitting loom (under $15 from Wal-Mart) and I'm hooked.  I've tried regular knitting several times over the years but never really mastered the tension issues.  Loom knitting produces similar results to regular knitting, but with less frustration.  I spent the first couple days experimenting with various sizes, yarn thicknesses and stitches - knit a few rows, tear it out, try something else.  I finally settled on mastering basic knit/purl and created this test piece:

I was pleased with the evenness of the stitches and the various combinations of knit/purl, so I decided to try an actual project.  I settled on making a scarf from some novelty yarn I had on hand. Because of the novelty of the yarn, I am keeping with straight knitting.  

I have two questions for you experienced knitters - loom or regular: 

1.  How do I keep the bottom edge from curling?
2. Will one skein of yarn (139 yards) make a scarf long enough to be worn?  I'm considering stitching the ends together to make an "infinity" style, but it would still need to be 40" long or more.  Should I be searching for more yarn to match?

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather at Books and Quilts.  Visit Heather to see what others are stitching or to link your own creations.