Signing Off

My blogging has dropped off a lot in the last six months, and I don’t envisage any change to that in the near future. There are other things going on in my life right now that take priority over any Internet stuff.

I have no intention of deleting the blog — a lot of people turn up here looking for free patterns — but as I’m barely making one entry a month, it seems pointless to pretend it’s current.

I will still be notified whenever comments are left, but won’t be making any further updates. I might add more patterns, on the off chance that I ever get them written up, but that will be all.

Thanks to everyone who has lurked or commented over the last couple of years. I’ve met some lovely people, and found some great blogs through having this one. I hope to find at least a little time to check them out once in a while.

Thanks again, everyone. Over and out.

FO: Wool Peddler’s Shawl

In the interests of completeness, here’s the finished shawl I mentioned yesterday. It’s turned out so much better than I could have hoped for given how little I enjoyed making it.

I haven’t bothered to block it because, given the high acrylic content, it surely won’t hold whatever shape I tease it into.

I finished the knitting, cast it off, and worked all the ends in last night before I went to bed. When I got up this morning, there was hubby with it wrapped around his shoulders! Now, I very much doubt he’d be seen dead wearing it in public, but it looks as though the time I spent knitting it wasn’t entirely wasted.

Sporadic Post and Note to Self

I love that I snagged a couple of books from Knit Picks. Not only were they on sale, I managed to got them just before the exchange rate went pear-shaped too!

I had previously borrowed Knitting Without Tears from the library, and wasn’t that struck on it, to be honest. If I hadn’t subsequently seen, and been well impressed with, the Workshop DVDs I’d have missed out on the whole Elizabeth Zimmermann thing, and that would have been a shame. These two books are great!

I immediately tried out a couple of new [to me] techniques from the books, and came up with this dishcloth:

I’m also pretty happy with the socks I’m working on right now. After ripping out this one (Ravelry link), I decided to go a bit plainer. The idea is to make a deliberately mismatched pair, but the green-coloured ball weighed in at only 44g (instead of 50g), so it’s doubtful I’ll get the contrasting toe on #2 out of it. The other is a thick ribbed sock for hubby. Both have a wide toe from Nancy Bush’s Folk Socks, which I rather like.

I do hate how thick and pig-headed I can be sometimes! Hence the note to self:

Take my own advice!

I have been known, on occasion, to say things like, “Life’s too short to waste doing stuff you don’t enjoy.” Yes, there are certain things one has to do that might not be much fun; paying taxes, unblocking the loo, dealing with other people…. Well, they are a few that spring to my mind anyway.

What I’m talking about, though, are the things totally within my power. If I don’t feel like baby-sitting tomorrow, I won’t. If I don’t want to answer the phone today, who’s going to make me? And if I hate knitting with a particular yarn, there’s no reason why I should. Except… I’m cheap, economical, frugal, practical, thrifty, stupid!

So, when I started on a shawl in a yarn I already knew I couldn’t stand (Patons Decor), I was asking for trouble. (The yarn is thicker than I like working with, and the acrylic content makes it feel like I’m knitting with wire wool.) Instead of heeding my own advice, and ditching the project, I’ve persevered, all the while whingeing about how much I hate it! What’s worse is that when it is finished, it’ll get bunged at the bottom of a cupboard, never to see the light of day. I can’t abandon it now because there are only 8 rows left, and my compulsive nature dictates that I must finish it before embarking on another shawl. Suffice to say, all other Decor has gone in a bag for a local group of ladies who knit for charity.

I’m itching to get started on either the Sampler Shawl (Ravelry link) from Folk Shawls, or some kind of variation of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Pi Shawl. I really fancy having a go at the Orkney Pi from Liz Lovick, but I don’t have enough of any one yarn for this… yet.

Which brings me to:

Wonder how long I’ll last. ∞

A Dishcloth Pattern

I’ve been adding more of my stash of cotton to Ravelry, and figured it must be time to knit another dishcloth. This is a modified version of a two-coloured pattern I came across in a stitch dictionary. It’s a good way to use up leftovers, and creates a texture that’s fab for scrubbing those pots and pans.

Tricolour Dishcloth

Download PDF

Notes
Pattern is worked over 4 rows on a multiple of 2 sts + 1.

Finished Size
Approximately 8! (20 cm) square.

Yarn
Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Solids [100% cotton; 80 yd/73 m]; Soft Violet (A), White (B), and Hunter Green (C).
I used 20 yds (17.5 m) of A, and 16 yds (14.5 m) each of B and C.

Needles
Size 7 (4.5 mm), or size needed to obtain a fabric you like.

Gauge/Tension
It’s a dishcloth, so gauge is not too important. I got 19.5 stitches per 4” (10 cm) in pattern, and before blocking. Of course, I’d only ever block a dishcloth if it were a gift for someone.

Abbreviations
s1p: slip one stitch purlwise
yb: take yarn to the back of work
yf: bring yarn to the front of work

Dishcloth
Use the 3 colours in sequence, working 2 rows in each one.

CO 39 stitches with yarn A using the continental long-tail cast-on, and knit one row.

Row 1: K1, *s1p, k1; repeat from * to end.

Row 2: K1, *yf, s1p, yb, k1; repeat from * to end.

Rows 3 and 4: K.

Repeat rows 1-4 until desired size is achieved, ending with a row 4. Cast off and weave in ends.

Now, go and wash the dishes!

Copyright © Ali Green, August 2008

Available from:
http://putasockinit.wordpress.com/

Permission is given to freely share this
pattern in unmodified form, provided it’s
for non-commercial use, and no profits
are made from its use or distribution.

Still Bashing that Stash

I’ve been crocheting more than knitting recently. (My sewing machine has chucked a pink fit, and refuses to let me play with it. )

Back in February I discovered a whole load of cottons hiding under my desk, so I went on a dishcloth-knitting bonanza. When I got bored with dishcloths the yarn went back into hiding, but I picked some of it up the other day and started crocheting squares from Jan Eaton’s 200 Crochet Blocks.

Now, out of all that cotton yarn I’ve set my heart on using the DMC Senso Rainbow Cotton to make a bag similar to Inga’s Haekelbeutel. I think the squares look so pretty.

Trouble is I don’t have very much of it. I probably don’t have enough to get a bag out of it, so I’m just going to keep making squares until I run out of yarn. Then I’ll decide what to do with them.

I’ve also been making some more little Red Hats.

This one is destined to become a key ring

What else…?

I have my Chained Down sock pattern on Ravelry as a free download until Saturday, 13 September. [ETA: The pattern is now back for sale at CAN$4.50.]

And here’s another example of why I’m going off variegated yarns. Fortunately I’m more of a process knitter, so don’t mind too much having to pull it out. Unfortunately, I have quite a bit more variegated stuff in my stash that I’m determined to knit up before treating myself to any new yarn.

Ugly pooling, courtesy of Colinette Jitterbug

Finally, thanks for all the responses to my previous entry about cloth pads. More people used the Contact Me form than left a public comment on the blog. LOL. I’ll try to answer some of your questions.

Q: How does one care for the pads?
A: Here’s a couple of suggestions from Google! I simply rinse in cold water, and throw in the wash.

Q: Will these work for a heavy flow?
A: I use cloth pads only for the lighter days towards the end of my period. I’ve never used the stuff myself, but would suggest the addition of a layer of PUL or nylon to lessen the chance of leakage. There are also patterns out there specifically designed for ladies who need a more heavy-duty pad.

Q: What is your favourite pattern?
A: I like a smaller version (10″) of Adahy’s pattern. Another good shape for me is one I made up myself that looks a bit like a snow angel!

Q: Have you tried a menstrual cup?
A: I have indeed! I love, love, love my Diva Cup! It’s convenient, cost-effective, dead easy to use and clean, and takes up very little space. I only wish I’d had one years ago.
(And if you’re a savvy shopper, you can pick one up online very cheaply. )

Merry Menses

If you think reusable cloth pads are icky and a step backwards, you don’t know what you’re missing. Too bad for you.

Cloth pads are a million times nicer than disposables, which may contain such delightful treats as wood pulp, latex binder, super-absorbent powder, polyethylene, hot-melt adhesive…. Lovely, huh? In terms of comfort there’s simply no comparison; they’re more eco-friendly for anyone concerned about the environment and landfills; and, my personal favourite, they’re cheaper! LOL. I feel quite smug every time I walk past the “feminine products” aisle in the supermarket. Have a happy period? Why, thank you. Yes, I do now!

By request (from Ravelry and BusyMitts), I’m posting the templates and a [very] mini tutorial for my version of a reusable menstrual pad. (I’m not a seamstress by any stretch of the imagination, so there may well be an easier way to achieve the same result.) This one consists of two parts: a pocketed liner that snaps around your keks, and an insert pad that slips into the pockets on the liner. You can make the insert as thick or thin as you like, and you can use a couple of inserts together depending on your needs.

Obviously, you may use whatever fabrics you like. For this one I’ve used flannel for the outsides, and cotton batting for the core. I’ve had success with cores made from terry and flannel, but batting is my preferred material because it’s absorbent without being bulky. Some people will want to use PUL or nylon to provide a measure of water-proofing, but I haven’t. I don’t need it myself, and I prefer not to use synthetic fibres in my pads. YMMV.

My instructions are for turned and topstitched pads. I actually prefer the type with a serged/overlocked edge—it’s quicker and easier to make, and results in a smoother pad overall—but the overlock stitch on my machine isn’t tight enough to prevent fraying, so for durability T & T it is.

The finished size of the liner is 10.25″ long and 3″wide when snapped shut (7″ wide from wing to wing); the insert is 9.75″ long and 2.5″ wide in the middle. If you prefer a larger or smaller pad simply print out at the size you need. I.e., for an 11″ pad increase to around 113%; for an 8″ decrease to around 82%; and so on. Bear in mind that this will also alter the width, so you’ll need to take that into account. Okay….

First, wash and dry your fabrics!

The sewing police will not come after you if you don’t, but there’s really little point in carefully measuring to get the the size you want only for your lovingly-crafted pad to shrink the first time it’s washed. It’s not as though the shrinkage will be nice and uniform either! Try it if you don’t believe me.

1. Print and cut out the templates. The liner and pad (insert) templates are actual size, and have no seam allowances. The one for the pocket is larger than the finished size. It’s supposed to be.

   (Gah! I’m having real problems trying to upload the templates as images, so I’ve had to make them into a PDF. Click the pic on the right for the file. I had to darken the edges to get them to show up on the scan. Sorry about the poor quality.)

2. Unless you want a particularly jazzy pad cut the two pockets from the same fabric. Then hem down the top edge.
   
3. Using a wash-out fabric pen draw around the other templates onto your fabrics. You’ll need two liner shapes, and two insert (pad) shapes in your outer fabric(s). To reduce bulk at the edges of my pad I cut the cotton batting core about 0.25″ smaller all around than the insert template, and sew it separately onto the wrong side (WS) of one of the pieces of flannel before making up. Quilting the core to the flannel keeps the pad nice and thin.
4. Pin the right sides (RS) of flannel together, sew around the shape you drew for the insert, leaving a couple of inches unstitched to enable you to turn it the right way out.
   
5. Cut away the excess fabric, turn it RS out, and stitch around the pad close to the edge.
   
6. Layer the fabric for the liner as in the pic below: flannel RS facing up, then the pocket RS up with hemmed edge towards the centre, then flannel RS down. Pin and sew, again leaving a gap on one of the wings through which to turn RS out.
   
7. Trim the excess fabric, turn it RS out, and stitch around the wings close to the edge.
   
8. Add a popper (snap), and Bob’s your uncle!
   

In the interests of full disclosure I have to say that when the pad is finished and folded, the shape is much too rectangular for my liking; i.e., not shaped like the gussets on my knickers. That makes the pad ruck up a bit, which is most definitely not good. I solved this problem by making the wings narrower. I don’t have a pic of how that looks, but it ends up shaped very much like the blue one in this picture. That’s the perfect shape for me.


If you use this pattern to make your own pads, I’d really love it if you’d send me pics! Thanks.

Bags of Fun

Thank you for the kind comments on my Chained Down socks. I took the photos, but hubby was the one who came up with the phantom feet one.

I’ve been playing with the sewing machine again to make some more project bags.

I’m much happier with these because I used some really heavy-weight interfacing which gives the bags the structure I like. I wish I’d remembered to add a little tag at each end to grab when zipping though.

I made another couple of drawstring bags too, and I think I prefer them to the box style for practicality.

I’ve had WIPs strewn all over the place since I started knitting in 2006. The irony now is that I have lots of these bags, but just one solitary WIP on the go! LOL.

My stash is slowly going down. I still have some stuff I haven’t entered into my stash page on Ravelry, but most of it is up now. I’m really proud of how well I’ve stuck to my resolve to not buy yarn.

I did buy a couple of balls of self-striping dishcloth cotton during this time, but that’s it. I can’t have spent much more than $10, if that, and I’ve knitted all but one of them already.

In the interest of full disclosure, there have been a few additions to the stash by way of contest prizes and gifts. The latest was a lovely skein of Merino Sock Yarn from YarnAddict Yarns Etsy shop for winning a Sockamania competition.

It looks as though I’ll reach my first target of knitting 7199.3 metres when this latest pair of socks is off the needles.

I came across this latest meme on Kai’s blog, and couldn’t resist having a go myself.

1. Isfahan/ Ali Qapu Palace/ Ceilings, 2. Marmite Portraits, 3. Northfield, 4. green goods to portugal, 5. Alan Hull Pipedream, 6. Red, black and green tea, 7. 199603 397A North Yorkshire, 8. Creme caramel, 9. Fish Kite, 10. Reusable plastic food cups, 11. Compulsive Cables, 12. Put a Sock In It

To create your own mosaic all you have to do is:

• type your answer to the questions below in the Flickr search box;
• use only the first page from which to pick an image; and
• copy and paste the picture URLs into Mosaic Maker.

The questions are:

1. What is your first name?
2. Favourite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. Favourite colour?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favourite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favourite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your Flickr name.

Good fun!

Chained Down

I have a new sock pattern that I’ve put up for sale in Ravelry. And I’ve already sold a few!

Limited time free download:

Download PDF

Chained Down

Needle Bondage and Other Stuff

What does one do when sworn off buying yarn? Why, buy knitting accessories, of course!

AndiCraft Designs is a local business that sells these really useful bits of kit. In addition to keeping DPNs neatly corralled they’re great for preventing needle tips from poking through those knitted/crocheted bags I never got around to lining.

I will buy more, but not the red ones. I find the end caps are only just big enough for a set of five 2mm needles , with knitting attached, and the black set works perfectly for all my sock needles.

Last month’s birthday brought more goodies!

From my fabbo sister: needles from Knit Picks, things for paper-crafting, and an umbrella swift.

Sewing, for a Change

Six years after emigrating I’ve finally got around to unpacking my sewing machine. I wanted some little project bags for knitting socks and whatnot, and being too cheap to actually pay for someone else to make them, I figured I’d try to sew some myself.

I am not a seamstress; not by the craziest stretch of the imagination, and didn’t have any clue where to start in making even the simplest of bags. Internet to the rescue! I came across this nifty tutorial for a drawstring bag.

So I made a few, and even sent one to my sister.

Then I decided I wanted something with a zipped closure. Fortunately, that little whim was covered by this tutorial along with this mod for making the corners easier to get right.

First up, one for KIPing on Canada Day.

This currently holds hubby’s latest pair—a long stocking with cables down the sides. I have only the toe to knit on the second one for these to be finished.

And then a slightly smaller one in the remainder of the starry fabric.

Sending my thanks to these kind people for sharing their knowledge.

The wee starry bag is just the perfect size for a pair of footies in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock. I have only one skein of this, so I’m going toe-up for insurance.

I’m trying out a yarn-over short-row toe and heel for these, and I’m actually quite pleased with it so far….