Tag Archives: pattern

Knitting Police

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Ms Ida’s Chain Link mittens are in a time out until I figure out how to finish the ends as I don’t like the pointiness (made-up word).  

MS Ida CLM right back

 

Courtesy of Knit Picks Ms Ida Chain Link Mittens

 

 I’ve got two Swiffer covers almost finished.  It’s just the sewing/seaming on the multi-colored one.  Have I mentioned how I hate seaming???  

Swiffer covers

 

The green one was from a pattern I can’t find right now (but it was 17 stitches in seed stitch using size 7 US needles, knitted for 15 inches) and the multi one from this pattern.  

At first glance the multi one looks like a keyboard.  Heh.  

I knew a woman many years ago who knit sweaters for herself  and her husband during lunch.  She could get a sweater done in a week.  I asked her how she finished her seams as it takes me almost as long to seam up something as it does to knit it.  She said she gave the pieces to her mother to seam.  And she sewed them on her sewing machine.  

I had never heard of such a thing.  Isn’t that against the law?  Isn’t that just wrong on every level?  

Yet the Knitting Police never arrested her or her mother.  

I live in fear of the Knitting Police therefore I rip out and redo when something just isn’t right.  But sewing seams on a sewing machine on hand-knitted items is just sacrilege, is it not?

Slump Day

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Yep, that kind of says it all.

Slump Day for work, knitting, sewing, cleaning, you name it.

I want to knit EZ’s February baby sweater in a 24 month size.  I’ve never knit a top-down sweater before.  Do I just start the pattern and make the body bigger?  Seems like a no-brainer.  Is it?

And I need to have this finished by September 10.

Yesterday I stopped by the Big Box store and bought six balls of cotton in assorted colors for the Swiffer covers.  Quick, easy, portable project.  Maybe these will get me out of my slump.

Secret project #1 finished

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Here is my first secret project.  These are in the mail and I don’t think my friend reads this blog. 

Purple and variegated

 

I used acrylic yarn and attached soles made from leftover scraps of “replacement” carpet used in Mr. Aitch’s truck.  I got the carpet from a Big Box store and it is thin enough to cut with regular scissors, to sew with regular needle and thread without hurting the hands, and wears very well. 

Purple slippers with sole

 

I have tried using wools and acrylic yarn and I don’t notice a difference in wear so I used what I had.  I did knit a pair for Mr. Aitch with one strand of acrylic and one strand of wool and hemp blend.  He hasn’t worn them yet and I am curious how the hemp will hold up. 

I L.O.V.E. this pattern.  It is seamless.  I used two worsted weights yarns held together and size US 9 needles since that’s what I had available.  I usually use US 8 needles but they were in some other UFO.  The only other modification I do is repeat Rows 3-6 one more time so I have 13 stitches.  I pick up 11 stitches on each side.  I don’t like short sides as they seem to fall off my feet.  By doing this, I change the total stitch count.  I’ll write it up and post it in my pattern tab.  The pom poms are a bit thin as I ran out of yarn.  Plus it’s been ages since I made pom poms and forgot how much yarn they use! 

My grandmother made similar slippers but they were flat and you had to sew the back and top seams.  And since I’m all about no seaming, these were perfect.

It’s the right thing to do

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“If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.”  Emma Bronder Kreidle, my grandmother.  

If you have been following my dilemma about the Lace Hem Top here and here, you know I am not happy with the armholes.  I tacked a few stitches together under the arm and shortened the shoulder by a half-inch on both the front and back thinking it would fix the problem.  

There are no shortcuts to doing something right.  I’ve spent too much time knitting this only to have it second-rate.  I would always look at it thinking I should have…  

So I ripped it down to the beginning of the armhole shaping and knit another inch before I start the armhole shaping for the second time.  Then I will make the armhole an inch shorter.   

Second attempt

 

It’s the right thing to do.  Right, Gram?  

On another note the thermometer already says it’s 89 degrees and it’s only 9:00 am.  Gonna be another hot day.  

Mr. Aitch and I “planned” to ride our motorcycles to the Farmer’s Market in Springs, PA this morning to visit a scissors repair man.  

Broken Stork Scissors

 

I have a pair of stork embroidery scissors and the pivot broke many years ago.  I didn’t want to throw them out so I finally found someone fairly local that would take a look at them to see if he could repair them.  Not sure if we want to ride 40 miles one way in this heat.  It just might be too darn hot.