Blackberry Soleil
This pattern look so pretty in Knitty but was almost a total disaster! The yarn kept splitting all over the place and I somehow managed to completely mess up one of the armholes. I ended up abandoning it for 4 months. In fact I fully intended to frog it but, faced with the prospect of a 2.5 hour return train trip to London, I decided to give it another go. Ripped it right back to the start of the armhole shaping and re-knitted it. The neckline still isn’t right. The fit is a bit too loose. And I don’t like…
Crocheted Clutch Bag
Made as a birthday present for M from The Happy Hooker pattern “Fit To be Tied”. Used 4ply silky cotton and lined it with light canvas/linen.
Another Seraphina
Bought some blonde laceweight (2ply) merino on eBay. Used two strands and a 4mm hook to approximate a fine 4ply/fingering weight. This is my 4th Seraphina, so I now have 1 for each season!
Ivory Chanson
This was my second Chanson. Although the pattern looks complex, providing you take it 1 row at time, It’s not that difficult. I used a basic mixed-fibres aran yarn for the first one but felt that the yarn didn’t really show off the stitches. It seemed that the pattern needed a drapey yarn with a slight sheen but good stitch definition. I already had some 4ply (fingering) weight mercerised cotton in my stash. so I decided to try using two strands throughout. The finished Chanson has a much better drape and stitch definition. I’d be quite happy wearing this one…
K’s Crocheted Vest
K suddenly announced that he’d like a crocheted vest. So, after a quick stash recon, I opted for In-VEST for Peace and K chose the colours. He seems to like it. Well, enough to wear it when he plays out sometimes…
Pink Blossom Stole
Based on the Apple Blossom Stole. 1 skein (600yds/50gms) of Elann Peruvian Baby Lace Merino (shade: coral) and a 4mm hook. I suffered Severe Yarn Shortage and only worked 4 repeats of the lace pattern on each side. So the final wrap is a little shorter than the pattern suggests but I’m still very pleased with it.
WordPress Themes
I’ve now got 10 WordPress themes listed at wordpress.org!
I think I’ll give them a rest now and stick to making new themes available on Quirm.net.
Lace Cashmere Shawl
I treated myself to 100gms (1000 yards) of undyed laceweight cashmere last October. Just before Xmas, I finally plucked up the courage to start work on a crocheted lace shawl based on Seraphina’s Shawl. I finished it this weekend.
Quick Wrap
A simple dropstitch pattern to make a very quick wrap ready for summer evenings. I used Cygnet Grousemoor aran weight yarn and 6.5mm needles but it could be made using any weight yarn and the appropriate needles. Some of the shiny ribbon yarns would probably work well for a more glamorous evening wrap.
How Many…? Tools Updated
I’ve finally found time to update the How Many…? Tools. There are now 4 separate online tools that attempt to help with burning questions such as:
- If I want to decrease 14 stitches over 6 inches – how many rows should I work between decreases?
- My pattern needs me to increase 13 stitches evenly over a row – how often do I increase?
- I want to knit something 13 inches wide – how many stitches do I cast on?
- I want to knit a piece 22.5 inches long – how many rows do I work?
The tools should now provide far more practical suggestions for awkward calculations such as:
- decreasing 7 times over 90 stitches
- carrying out 5 increases over 7 inches with a row count of 6 rows per inch
And, after all that maths, my head hurts…
