jeannie's hands at work

Knitting, crocheting, other handwork, and personal.

Friday, March 31, 2006

last Day of March. Spectrum goals -check.



For Project Spectrum in addition to finishing Joel's socks, I had in mind casting on the sweater out of Pima Silk that I bought last year. It's Cascade Pima Silk in Color 5140 a dark Rosy kind of Hot Pink.I was going to knit Sonnet from Knitty.com, but changed my mind after finishing one in cotton. I'm So done with garter stitch and box stitch for now. :)
I cast on a couple of days ago on the back. Got about 4 inches done -love that 20 minutes each way bus ride to and from work- and then last night, I realized that I Really wanted to do it in the round! Rats! So frogging I went, and cast on again. From 76 sts to 152 and in the round I go.




My So Called Scarf is my other March Project Spectrum accomplishment. I had started this right after my Knitters not Quitters! Christmas party. I couldn't get the pattern right and had to finish Presents so I put it down till now. Iv'e got quite a ways to go, but I'm off to a great start. Yay.

Tomorrow is the 5th class of Intermediate Crochet. One more after that. I think I want to teach them post double crochet and maybe some shells and popcorns, or bobbles. Then we'll spend the rest of the time on their chosen patterns.

I've really had a great time with this class. I'll miss them. I hope they'll join one of the groups I go to.
Ooo, gotta run for today. Happy end of March!

Monday, March 20, 2006

Joel's Socks Are Done. Finally!








Hooray! I finished Joel's second sock. I'll have to look back and see when I started these puppies. I imagine I'll see that it's been more than a year.
Poor Joel - he's really been patient about these. I want to wash them before he wears them. He's not crazy about how the toes look - but I think a good washing and drying will help.
The second sock went much faster than the first, but got put on the back burner for Christmas. Now they're done, hooray!! If they look a little big and strange -they're on my size 6 1/2 feet for the pictures.
My first Project Spectrum thing done as well since they're red.
Knee socks take a LONG TIME. Especially for a tall boy(ooo, sorry,- man: He turned 18 the first).
Is it time for a "blackmail" baby picture?(Hee, hee)
Maybe next time. : )

Update:
Paisley Shaw:
8th Repeat done and life -lined.

Friday, March 17, 2006

Finished Object (s)


So Friday again -thank goodness.

I have a few things to show and one thing to talk about.
Here is the tapestry crochet bag that I started to show my beginning crochet class in January (I think) or maybe I started it last fall for that session. It's a nice project to get used to carrying one thread along while crocheting with the other thread. It also had both charted and written instructions. I hadn't read more than one or two charts before, so I picked this for the instructions. I found that after the first few rows of pattern I was referring to the chart more and more.
It was difficult to do in the black -I just Can't see it at night anymore. I'd like to do another one in brown and a nice contrast, or maybe red and what for contrast? What would it take to dye Luster Sheen? Hmmm.
So because of not seeing the stitches well my stitch count got off occasionally. I guess the true mark of experience is to know how to fix that without ripping it back 20 rows :0[.
Also, I think I might use a smaller hook and perhaps not crochet so tightly. I had a little puckering to adjust before I started both strands together in the strap.

I used two colors of Luster Sheen, 1.75 oz.- 50 gm, Black and Bluette.
The pattern: Tapestry Crochet Kitty Bag Designer: Carol Ventura© CP-0243
from the Crochet Partners' Pattern Library.

I shortened the strap by half because I thought I might run out of thread. I like it fine this way - it's just right to hang on your wrist.
I made it for small projects like socks and scarves, but when my daughter saw it, she said, "Oh, MOM! You are So totally giving that to me!"
She liked it! She actually liked it! Finally, something I made that she likes.


I So totally gave it to her. ; )





Okay -on to the next things- I crocheted some little things for my first intermediate crochet class.

I found this in an old, old book from a thrift store. It's an oven mitt pattern that calls for strips of fabric and a J hook. Well I used the familiar dishcloth cotton leftover from my sweater and a G hook. It didn't take an hour which was Great. However, I don't know as I'd want to take a hot casserole dish out of the oven with just this. Too much air space and not enough material. It went over well with my delighted class and we all brainstormed about how it could work with the cotton. I'm goingto try one tonight with double strand cotton and a G hook or bigger if I need to and see if I can get a more dense mitt. The one in the picture is fine for pulling the rack out on the toaster oven, or grabbing your hot coffee cup out of the microwave.
My students liked it anyway and learned how to crochet in the round, leave an opening for the thumb and still do the top part in the round, and then go back and put in the thumb. The wrist edge was done in reverse SC so they learned that too.

There is a size issue with this though, check out the picture.



This mitt fits my hand - not the smallest hand in the world, but small - medium size rubber gloves are too big, so you get the idea.


Which leads me to the baby bootie.











This pattern is for a 6 month old. Yeah, if you're Shaq! It's as long as my hand.
It was a pattern shared by a student in my last beginning crochet class from a kit she bought. The yarn called for is a fluffy bulky cotton chenille but I used Joann's Bliss yarn -fuzzy bulky nylon stuff. You can see it in a previous post Oct. 18 2005.
The booties are cute - no arguement there - just huge. :-0 It may not get a mate. :)

Okay LAST THING

I'm done with the body of the 2nd sock the Crochet Socks CAL. Here's the first one.










I just have to put the heel in. This time I have directions and will follow those. I also didn't make the sock so long that it'll wadge when the heel goes in. But this time I don't like the toe. It's not nearly as nice as the 1st one, darn it. I really don't want to take the 1st one apart to fix the length because this yarn is so "grabby" it's harder to frog than mohair. I have to tug pretty hard and I'm afraid I'll break the strand. I'll post pics of both socks next week. Maybe I'll just leave them and forget about it for a while. There's nothing wrong with jumping right in to making another pair. Right? except.................................
buying............................
more..................................
yarn....................................

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

I'm Done!!! Marathon - not Olympics. Sonnet is complete.


I have to buy another cone of this yarn. I don't have enough for the sleeves.......
I bought another cone of the Peppercorn Ombre (dishcloth cotton). I couldn't match dye lots but all the people who've seen it haven't noticed. Can you see it in the finished pictures?





Home stretch - left front to go, then the sleeves.





















YAY! Done. It fits nicely and I'm happy.


I hit the black hole of the last half of the sleeves while I was on vacation. I was in such a hurry to get them done, for every 10 rows I had to rip out 3 because I'd miss the increase row. Man! It took me 3 days!

I wasn't happy Sunday after it took all day to sew on the buttons- I'll be doing something different like doubled buttons so the yarn doesn't pull out of the piece so much. When I tried it on, the front dipped way too low, the shoulders practically fell off mine, and the sleeves were a long stretch(a thing of beauty if you're Ally McBeal).
I crocheted 2 rows of single crochet around the whole sweater and added a 3rd row of sc around the neck. It still feels like it's going to slide off my shoulders but it's much better. I'm just not used to such an open neckline.
I threw the whole thing in a sink of cold water and into the dryer. I about died when I went to put it in the dryer- it stretched out about 4 ft.! 1 whole dryer cycle wasn't enough. Yesterday morning I threw it back in the dryer on hot -it was still pretty damp.
Success - it's the right length, the sleeves are at my wrists - not my fingertips, and the neck is good.
I've gotten lots of compliments and Now, I'm happy.
I know I can wash this (in a front loading washer) and dry it easily.
Total cost: about $15.00 for the yarn. Buttons about $3.50. More buttons for the backing of original buttons... don't know yet.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

My Japanese Name

Your Japanese Name Is...

Nariko Jimyoin

Cool, huh?
This is something I found at Cyn's blog. Link below.
http://cynscorner.blogspot.com/
I'm knitting but no pics today. 7th repeat on the Paisley Shawl is almost done. Yay!.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

UFO's Unearthed.


I got this out over the weekend after my last beginning crochet class. I put this away when it got cold last fall. So now it's time to finish this up and wear it for spring. I got at least half of the back and the left armhole done as of this morning.
I laid this out so on the left of the picture is the right front. What you're actually looking at is the inside of the sweater.

The left front and sleeves to go! I wish I could just pick up the stitches around the armholes and knit the sleeves in, but no, I'll do it the way the pattern tells me. At least I'm going to cast on both sleeves at once. They'll be close to identical that way.
Boy, I hope I have enough yarn. This is the only cone I bought.

When I started this last year, it took me so long. Now I'm flying through it.


Joel's red socks are slogging along. It's the last one and I'm soooo tired of it. I'm doing DPN's and my hands are hurting.And he wanted knee socks! He's tall(grumble, grumble). ;)

I dug out my oldest UFO -The pattern is copyrighted 1970 so I started this when I was in high school. That's 36 years! It's so old the rubber point protectors are crumbling! It's a turquoise Aunt Lydia's Rug Yarn scarf ( does that sounds cool and classy!?) and enough for a hat I think. I don't know -I've talked about this before- whether to just finish it, mistakes and all or frog it and knit it right. I don't know that I'll EVER wear it. Maybe I'll finish it, take it's picture and then frog it to make something else. I'd give it to my daughter if she'd wear it, but she won't...
She wants a multi-directional scarf. That's for the TO DO List.

On the TO DIG OUT NEXT LIST is a Cozy shawl started last year; several pairs of socks started on circulars and now I'm lost; another jacket type sweater: the back is almost done but now I think I want to re-do it and knit it in one piece;and crochet stuff:
Tapestry bag I started in January;
Socks for the crocheted sock along group
What else?
I can't think of anything.

I'll see if I can put stuff in my sidebar. I know I keep saying that.

I really need another few lessons. The XH and I have looked at the template stuff on weekends, but it doesn't stay in my brain long enough to use during the week. : {