Hi, Today I'm sitting down with Part II of my Tasseled Miser's Purse pattern. It is by far the hardest part and so I want to see if there are any additions or clarifications I can make that will help. The first time I made a miser's purse, it was a two-sided design from the 18oo's and I almost gave up. I kept started over because it just looked wrong to me. I could not imagine how the crochet in front of me would become anything like the sketch in the old publication. Finally, I just kept going. I figured if I was wrong, then I was wrong, but I was going to keep crocheting to the bitter end. To my surprise and delight, it all worked out. The crazy thing about these drawstrings is that they just don't seem to make sense until they are just about done. The good news is, that I have made the top portion separate from the body of the purse, so the time investment is less that what it could be. So here I go.
Here is my completed part one. I want to take a moment to respond to a question I received about this part of the pattern. Here are how many chains you should have after each row:
Row 1 - 3, Row 2 - 5, Row 3 - 7, Row 4 - 9, Row 5 - 11, Row 6 - 13, Row 7 - 15.
Now moving on to Part II. I don't really know where people are getting thrown off, so I'm just going to follow my own pattern and see if I can add anything to make it more clear. If you look at my picture of Part I, with the right side facing up, what you see are the drawstrings and the inside of the front of the purse. What we are creating in Part II is the front flap and the back of the purse. When Part II is completed, the right side or what I refer to in Part I as (front facing) will become the back side of the purse. I can see now that it might be easier to just not distinguish a right vs. wrong side. I made the distinction in Part I because I think it's easy to get your chains twisted if you're not careful.
When the pattern says: "sc in next 7 sts, ch 1, without removing loop from hook, lift next drawstring over the remaining sts of the row, sc in next _ sts", the chain 1 is creating space for the drawstring which will make it easier to pull the purse open and shut. When you sc in the remaining stitches of the row, you will be working over the drawstring thus trapping it in that ch 1 space.
When you finish Row 15 and you look down and see something like this in your hands, don't be alarmed. That's exactly what your purse should look like at this stage. I'm trying to think of anything else I should add. By now you know that each row has you working up and back down again. I hope this doesn't bother anyone. I realize it's like working two rows, but when I wrote the pattern, it seemed more clear to write it this way. I know this makes it harder to go back and count to see what row you are on. Try marking the pattern at the end of each row, or if you are working in front of your computer, highlight the row you are working on and change as you go.
Uh oh, Houston I found a problem. There is a mistake in my pattern. I guess I should say there was a mistake because I have now fixed it, but I feel terrible! No wonder people had difficulties. So this is where I went wrong in my pattern writing. I basically had one row too many. To correct the error, Row 22 has been removed and Row 21 has been changed to what the former Row 22 directed. Row 21 is the last row of Part II. I am soooooo sorry for my goof up. To make it crystal clear, in Row 8 you work in the first chain, Row 9 the second and you continue on so that when you reach Row 21, you have two chains left unworked. Row 21 takes care of those last two chains.
Well, I guess all I can say is a big thank you for bringing this to my attention. I am a perfectionist at heart, so I am glad to have this correction made. To anyone who lost precious minutes over my pattern error, please accept my sincerest apologies!
Hey hey, so I was surfing around as people do, and I came across this link for Spinzilla. What this? A spinning event of which I have not heard? No! As it turns out, Spinzilla is a brand new, monster week of spinning being put on by The National Needle Arts Association. Like the Tour de Fleece, there are teams and prizes and plenty of comradery.
You can spin along on Ravelry in the Spinzilla group. I'm on team Louet North America if you want to hang out with me. Registration for the event is open until September 23rd and the spinning week begins on October 7th. This gives you plenty of time to prepare a fun stash of fiber which is what I have begun to do. The dyed mixed BFL pictured here is just the first 4oz of the fiber I'll be spinning.
One of the great things about blogging is that you get to share everything, including your mistakes. While it's always a little disheartening to finish a project only to find that there are some things you need to fix, it helps to write it all down. It's how we learn, is it not?
I was really excited about this scarf. I loved the colors and the shape of the leaf I designed and I still love those things, but I need to make some corrections. From a strictly visual perspective, I should have staggered the colors differently. I also need to add length as the stripes have taken some of the stretchiness out of my scarf.
I ended up, yesterday afternoon, on the floor of my studio with a notepad, my laptop and a few versions of the scarf in front of me. I tend to write patterns on my computer these days, but whenever I get stuck, I always have to break out the pencil and paper and start writing and drawing. I just cant process with a keyboard the way I can with a pencil. It's must be a generational or visual learner thing, but I felt so much better after filling up a couple pages with notes.
A few weeks ago I noticed that my header, the photo at the top of this blog, wasn't always loading. Sometimes it was there, and sometimes it wasn't. Today I decided it was time to stop procrastinating and do something about it. At first I was planning to recreate what I had before and then I changed my mind. I scrolled through my photos and found a skein of yarn I spun a couple years ago. There it was, colorful and sparkling in the sun, a very happy looking skein of yarn. After a little sizing and doctoring, I have my new header.
In the meantime, I'm still working on my Free Falling Scarf pattern. I keep coming up with more ideas. I think when all is said and done, it will be a pattern that comes with 3 variations of a similar scarf design and 5 different motif options. Here you can see that I am playing with leaves at the moment. It will more like a pattern bundle, really. I hope that people will enjoy the flexibility of being able to mix and match with motifs and colors that inspire them. I'm excited because my favorite patterns tend to be the ones that offer versatility like this. I hope I'll have it ready in a couple more weeks. I have one more pattern I've promised to write before the holidays this year, so I need to stay focused. Not my forte!
It's August. It's hot. It's muggy. It's also the time of year when I think about what I still want to accomplish. On the top of my list is pattern writing. I have a couple pieces that I have committed to making into patterns and I am happy to have started the process.
I am well on the way to completing my Free Falling Scarf Necklace. I just finished this version in blues and greys yesterday afternoon. Before publishing, I want to make up a couple more. I want to have pictures with only five flowers rather than seven and I also want to design two more motifs to show how the scarf can be personalized to different styles and tastes.
For example, this Hyperbolic Mobius Motif will also be included on the pattern. I thought an abstract, three-dimensional shape would be fun. I haven't quite decided what the third motif will be. Perhaps something tubular, or geometric. I just want to show a few choices. I think most crocheters have favorite leaves, flowers and other basic shapes. I'm hoping they will enjoy embellishing this design.
This scarf reflects my new focus on lightweight accessories. I love the idea of wearing fiber pieces like jewelry no matter what the season!
This afternoon I found myself dressed and ready for a happy hour event with time to spare. There I was with a whole hour an nothing to do. I sat down at the computer and realized that this would be a good time to finally get back to my blog!
I've taken such a long break from blogging that I was stumped as to how to make my comeback. Four months have gone by. How could I possibly make up for four months? Then that Crowded House song popped into my head, "Four Seasons In One Day". I jumped into iPhoto and grabbed pictures from the last four months.
Here I am with four months worth of fiber arts in one day. Since my last post I have traveled to Alberobello, Italy where I found a counter balance loom on display in the Trullo Sovrano. I made scarves that I wore through the grottos of Grottaglie. In the spring, I entertained myself by making other people's patterns like the sleeveless vest in the upper left hand corner from PartPixyDesigns.
I also indulged in a few Doris Chan innovations. I wore the cute, lacy black sweater over a tank top while in Stockholm, Sweden. I savored castles and countryside in this beautiful place and also discovered some fiber folk art, but I'll save that for another post.
I've also been spinning and I have my first skeins of German Milchschafe prepared. I used the Navajo ply on these and I enjoyed refreshing my muscle memory on this technique that I have not used in some time.
There it is. My last four months, not in great detail, but it feels good to finally post something on my beloved blog. If you like details, my facebook page tends to be more up to date. Until next time... which will be less than four months...
I was about to jump on Facebook to share my latest project when I stopped myself. I really must stop neglecting my blog. I'm getting so lazy!
I now have four knitting projects in the works. I'm pushing myself to become a confident knitter. It's rather amazing to go on Ravelry and look up free knitting patterns. What a world! This my latest and I'm enjoying this pattern so much. I love the look of it and the stitches have a fun rhythm. It's called the Lava Lace Scarf by Evelyn A. Clark if you want to look it up. Mine looks a little less open as I am using a DK weight rather than a lace weight yarn.
This is the first time I've used TOSH DK by MADELINETOSH hand dyed yarns. It's 100% superwash Merino and comes in a nice 225 yard skein. This colorway is called Ophelia which I think it a pretty cool name for yarn.
The scarf itself is a short neck scarf that ties in the front. The shape is basically a trapezoid which I find to be a clever way of shaping. I also like the edging. Each row begins with a yarn over creating a pretty open loop edge. I'm sure with every comment I reveal myself to be the novice knitter than I am, but that's part of the charm of learning something new. Everything seems interesting and even the simple things delight!
Blogs are a wonderful form of procrastination. I have company coming tomorrow and I really should be tidying mi casa, but here I am blogging. ¡Lo siento casa!
Earlier today, the sun was my excuse for not doing chores. It is freakishly gorgeous here in the Phoenix valley. It's almost 80º, breezy with wispy clouds dancing across the blue. How can one be expected to make a bed on a day like today? I grabbed my knitting and went out to cop a squat in the middle of my grassy backyard. My cat, who is also a sun worshiper, followed me and the two of us soaked up the sun together.
This ribbon is a painted, 3/4" nylon fiber with gold thread running through. It's so pretty out in the sun where the light sparkles off the thread illuminating the colors. The dropped stitches are forming these fabulous bubbles and I love the way the colors are moving across the piece. Sometimes it's hard to know how variegated fibers will turn out. A slightly different width and I could have a scarf where the colors are split down the middle. I like this so much more. It's like they are traveling in waves to compliment the pattern.
I should tell you what ribbon I'm using. The truth is I pulled it from my stash and I had already removed the label. I believe it is Segue Yarn in the color Peacock. I linked to the free pattern in my post entitled Knitting Waves. Okay, I guess I can't avoid my house any longer. I hope everyone is having a lovely Saturday!
I'm getting a little sleepy, but I thought I'd pop on and show you my dyed infinity scarf. I was planning to make the teal and pewter colors darker, but then as I was dyeing, I decided to go with a more muted look. I literally had all of the colors painted and in place and then I poured a couple cups of water right over them, my own version of white washing. I like that the colors look weathered as though this is an old favorite scarf rather than a newly knitted one. It seems a little summery, like something you would throw on for a walk on the beach one cool morning.
I've started working up this same pattern in a painted, wide nylon ribbon. The look is completely different, sort of whimsical and fun. I want to get a few more rows done and then I'll share. As for now, I wish you a good night!
A novice knitter, I experience waves of enthusiasm toward the craft in which I immerse myself utterly. Then, at some point, I get frustrated and go rushing back to crochet. At the moment, I'm playing in the waves again. I would love to be as comfortable knitting as I am crocheting, so to keep myself inspired, I've been on the lookout for fun little projects.
I happen to be on Facebook last night when a page I follow posted Spinning Daily's Free eBook offer. The book includes five free scarf patterns, so I thought, why not? Among the designs was a wavy scarf pattern. I've seen similar ones and have always liked the look. Plus, I have this chunky thick and thin yarn that I spun and I've been wanting a pattern that would show it off. Inspired, I grabbed my size 9 needles and set to work.
I probably shouldn't admit this, but I struggled with the yarn overs at first. Basically, I was trying to wrap the wrong needle. After scratching my noggin' for a few minutes, I realized my error. After that, it was easy to yarn over along one row and drop the stitches on the next. Actually, it was more than easy, it was fun. I have to say, this little scarf is the most fun I've had knitting so far. The pattern was easy and the resulting waves and bubbles so satisfying, that I was a happy little knitter last night. I woke up anxious to finish off my skein this morning. I had just enough yarn to make a short infinity scarf.
I spun the yarn out of a wool/silk blend. It feels so cozy, that I started to fantasized about making an entire afghan. That would be a lot of spinning! For now, I'm going to focus on giving my scarf a little color. I have it soaking at this very moment. Instead of just one color, I thought it could be fun to dye stripes that run the length of the piece. I'm thinking 3 colors with the outer stripes being wider than the center. Committing to colors is hard. Right now I have teal, chartreuse and pewter on the brain. I like the idea of a thin band of chartreuse separating the darker colors.
Can you picture it? The top half would be teal, the bottom pewter with just a thin line of chartreuse. What? How can you be silent at a time like this? Color choice is critical you know! Okay, this is me, walking away to dye my scarf... I'm going now... really I am...
For the last six weeks I've been taking care of the rather boring, business end of having a small fiber shop. I've played accountant, I've ordered supplies, I've replenished my inventory. Now, at last, I can return to the fun stuff.
I started off today by dyeing a little Firestar. I haven't done much dyeing recently and Firestar is a nylon that takes dye with ease. Basically, it was just something fun to do to get my mojo back. I'm not superstitious, but when it comes to dyeing, a working mojo is important. Otherwise you may become absent minded and neglect your wool. Even worse, you may overcompensate and agitate your wool too much. Neither of these scenarios produces a nice finished product.
*Note: Tongue in Cheek :D
After I finished painting my Firestar, which dried in about an hour on this blustery day, I was still itching to do more. I remembered the planed wood pieces I have stored in a closet. My brother is a carpenter and he offered to rescue some wood shavings for me. This was very nice of him as I am sure he generally does not sort his wood waste by type.
I've dyed with wood before, but never with large shavings like these. I decided to pack them into a jar and cover them with water. I'll wait for about a week and see how much color I've extracted. Right now I have one jar of Dark Walnut and one of Honduras Mahogany. The different types of wood looked so pretty to me, that I filled a bowl with them and set it out as a centerpiece.
I think the colors of the wood will be soft and pretty, but I felt the need to do a third jar with something more vibrant. I grabbed a bag of dried peppermint that I keep for making Tea. Then I decided to add even more green and went out to my garden. I picked a couple of lemon leaves off my lemon tree and cut a handful of parsely. Parsley, mint with a touch of lemon seemed like a nice idea. I covered my greens and mint with water and will let that steep too.
So now I wait. In the meantime I can mordant my wool and get ready. I'm contemplating an entirely cool dye method this time. I usually use heat when dyeing, so I think it will be interesting to try something new. I'll keep you posted!
