Wednesday, March 31, 2010

And On To the Next Project


A while back (few weeks ago, maybe?) I bought a bunch of unmercerized cotton "yarn" (and I use the term very loosely) at The Great Cone Sale (no link provided: I don't dare even go there to capture the link. I do not need/cannot buy any more weaving supplies!) at Webs.

This stuff is thin. Like sewing thread. So I used it double for the warp and and 4-stranding the weft. I have no idea what I will produce. It's slow going, but very Zen.

Okay, dishcloth(s), the dilema is whether it will be hefty enough. We shall see.

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// posted by Ann @ 3/31/2010 06:25:00 PM 2 comments

Monday, March 29, 2010

What We Learned




I know this should be intuitive, but if you bring the weft yarn right up to the edge warp thread every single pick, you'll get a smoother selvedge.

D'oh!

Thus concludes today's lesson.

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// posted by Ann @ 3/29/2010 06:20:00 PM 0 comments

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Six Down; Four To Go


Sweater Number 6 is finished!

Why yes, it is a Wonderful Wallaby (pattern available at yarn shops and also direct from Cottage Creations: at the farm on Deer Creek, Carpenter, Iowa, 50426-0070). Yarn is Moda Dea Washable Wool. [yarn review: Who decided to drop this yarn from the line? It's lovely to knit with and makes a wonderful fabric].

Size is a 6 and used about 350 g of yarn. Just under 600 yards of worsted weight.

I'll be mailing it this week, I think, so that it can be worn before it's outgrown.

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// posted by Ann @ 3/28/2010 08:16:00 AM 4 comments

Saturday, March 27, 2010

I Am Pleased To Report


See the doggie on the right? That's Helen.

Helen's had a rough life. She was rescued and placed in foster care with my Younger Son. This morning, he reports that she is filling out, that the sores on her butt have healed, and that she has a furry tail once again. Fish oil helps her skin; glucosamine eases her aging joints (hey, it works for the Other Half and me as well!).

Hooray for love and good care.

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// posted by Ann @ 3/27/2010 08:07:00 PM 1 comments

Friday, March 26, 2010

Change of Plans

Remember the lap robes I was making for a local rehab hospital?

They were prizes for the annual Casino Night that my Rotray Club provides for the resident patients.

Requested prize list came out sans lap robes.

So I'm thinking that these really could be baby blankets, and so, they are!

Off to the reservation.

The particulars: Red Heart Strata, about 2 5ounce balls.Appropriate needles. Make a big mitered square. I started with 80 stitches, marker, 80 stitches. When that is finished, pick up stitches on one side, knit, thowing in a k2 yo row every so often; I did this for 25 rows. Bind off. Repeat for remaining 3 sides. Then pick up stitches along one of the corner edges (12 stitches, place marker, 12 stitches). Complete a mitered square on those stitches. Repeat for remaining 3 corners.

Add an edging if you want (I didn't). Weave in all ends.

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// posted by Ann @ 3/26/2010 07:48:00 PM 1 comments

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Number 5


In January, I set myself the personal challenge of completing 10 sweaters in 2010, all from stash. I am making some serious progress as documented on this blog.

Number 5 is pictured at the left.

This one is for Afghans For Afghans and will be mailed as soon as I am sure it's dry post-blocking.

I used 3 strands of Patons Impressions in a lovely hand-dyed (nearly solid) green which is a bit more yellow than it photographed. This vest took a little more than 6 balls. I have 4+ left but didn't want to chance running out before I arrived at the second cuff, so I "vested" it.

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// posted by Ann @ 3/21/2010 10:28:00 AM 2 comments

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Learn Something New


This week, I warped the loom for multiple projects--a set of baby washcloths.
I warped approximately 10" wide, 10 ends and 10 pick per inch.
Following on my success with the dishtowel, I used crochet cotton again to weave the area that will be hemmed. I allowed 20 picks for each edge of each cloth, figuring that I would trip as needed.
It's going well, as I start the 4th cloth.

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// posted by Ann @ 3/17/2010 09:15:00 PM 0 comments

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Current WIPs

Promised myself I'd get them all together for a group shot today. Piling them all up didn't work. Looked like a pile of stuff.

That's a really lousy subject line, but it's the best I can do.

Daylight Savings takes its toll!




For your viewing pleasure:

The current lap robe, Red Heart Strata from Smiley's. There may be some of this colorway left. I'm too lazy to check right now. Lots of nice, basic washable wools on the site, some are even on special this week.







Another sweater in the Patons Impressions that I've shown before. This one is also for Afghans For Afghans. Three strands this time and the Steppe Sweater pattern developed for another charity project.

It will be about 36" around, or about an 8-10 (?)

Mailing deadline is late April/early May.




Next up, some of that great washable wool mentioned above (though I snagged this at the Dollar Tree). It's Moda Dea Washable Wool. Very soft. Very nice to work with. Smiley's has it in several nice colors.

I bought bunches this week in teal, black, rust, green, and purple. For future projects.

This is the start of a Wonderful Wallaby for the Tiny Prince.

Daddo brought him a hoodie (with the pocket in front) from a PA college. He loves it!

So Mammo (that would be me) is making him another.





Last, and currently back-burnered, is a scarf that uses up all the little sample skeins I have collected from Elann.

It's interesting to work with all these different fibers. Many feet of seed stitch, not so much.

I don't know if it's wearable. We shall see.

Pattern at the Elann site.

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// posted by Ann @ 3/14/2010 07:29:00 AM 0 comments

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Off the Loom



I cut my latest weave off the loom last night, spent some time on the finishing (no fringes on this one) and tossed it in the washer, then the dryer.

I worried a lot about 1) lint on the rest of my laundry (it's cotton chenille) and 2) whether it would survive (an earlier project didn't, just saying).



You can see it survived! And I now have a fairly nice cotton dishtowel for my efforts. We won't talk about cost. The yarn --89 g-- was pennies. The time factor, a whole lot more, though I saved myself hours of therapy, so I'm thinking it was a wash.


I used the coned cotton chenille I purchased from Webs a while back (and then again) in loden and straw for the warp and straw only for the weft. 5-dent heddle. I used crochet cotton in natural to weave a 2" header at each end which I used as the hem to cut down on bulk. Hemming was by hand.

I'm pleased with this and with the fabric I wove. We'll give it a test-drive this week in he kitchen.


I have (a lot of this) yarn left and more in a light blue (griffin) and a pinky-purple (mauve) that I'm thinking about making into many washcloths to use as baby gifts. Yes, it's that soft.

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// posted by Ann @ 3/13/2010 07:02:00 AM 2 comments

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Imagination

















Who needs a play mat when there are lines on the rug?












.

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// posted by Ann @ 3/11/2010 06:59:00 PM 0 comments

Saturday, March 06, 2010

This Day Is Mine

Happy the (wo) Man
by Horace

Happy the man, and happy he alone,
He who can call today his own:
He who, secure within, can say,
Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.
Be fair or foul or rain or shine
The joys I have possessed, in spite or fate, are mine.
Not Heaven itself upon the past has power,
But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.

"Happy the Man" by Horace, from Odes, Book III, xxix. Translation by John Dryden. Public domain.


The Tiny Prince has come to visit All On His Own.

Okay, he got a ride here, but Mammo and Daddo have him All To Themselves (with the help of Uncle Cool) for a whole day more.

Hooray!

We are playing cars.








And reading books to Uncle Cool's old Cabbage Patch Kids.

What fun.

Don't you wish you were us?

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// posted by Ann @ 3/06/2010 07:15:00 AM 2 comments

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Learn Something New


As a rank beginner at weaving, I have committed to learning something new or different with each project, building upon previous experiences.

My loom is a simple one (Schacht Flip-rigid heddle) and I am already considering some of the possibilities like adding a second heddle.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. . .



I was contemplating some nice cotton dishtowels, and even got so far as to partially warp with 4 strands of a lovely denim marl (10/1) and thought better of it. Actually, I decided that learning experince was best kept for another day.



I bought a bunch (and I do mean a bunch) of cotton chenille during a couple of the Great Cone Sales at Webs. I have never been there in person, which is probably a Very Good Thing as I can do plenty of damage right here at my computer!

This dark green and cream is only a fraction of the chenille I have on hand.




I warped the Flip with 8 green on each edge with groups of 4 cream-4 green) between for about 20" (which I expect to pull in to at least 18" when I cut it off).

Now here's the learning bit: I know that I do not want to fringe this chenille, so after I wove the header (recognize that yucky gold ack? That's the last of it ::whew::) I hemstitched and wove an additional 2" with crochet cotton for a hem.

I don't remember where I picked up this tip, but it seemed to make sense. The hem area will be less bulky. Stay tuned!

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// posted by Ann @ 3/04/2010 11:35:00 AM 0 comments

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