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I went to sewing class last night and, in retrospect, I shouldn’t have gone. I wasn’t feeling well enough, as I’m having another flare up and I’m coming down with a cold (one of the many joys of having a lowered immune system). I hoped that sewing might cheer me up and take my mind off everything, but alas it was not to be.
One of the problems last night was that I spent a lot of time waiting to be told what to do next. The tutor is lovely and she does her very best to give all of us equal attention, which is as it should be. I’m normally a self-motivated learner – I learned the majority of knitting techniques I know from books or online tutorials. However, with sewing I am a complete novice and I have no idea what I should be doing next, which is why I took a class in the first place.
I am making progress on my skirt and last night the tutor helped me fit it (which involved taking it in drastically – why is that when I used my measurements to determine the size according to the pattern instructions?). I explained that I am self-conscious about my shape because I’ve put on a lot of weight since I’ve been ill and she was very kind. However, the alterations are making the skirt look rather chopped about inside. I thought you were supposed to make a muslin for fitting first?
The course finishes in two weeks, so I’ll need to start learning on my own anyway. I’ve got online tutorials and my trusty Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Sewing to fall back on. Also, I’ve just ordered a book from Amazon, Fit for Real People. The cover is a bit, um, dated, but it gets excellent reviews all over the blogosphere.
The blurb says: “Real people of all ages are featured in photographs that explain the steps of cutting out pattern pieces, pinning them together, and adjusting the fit. Special attention is paid to tricky challenges such as accommodating a full bustline, adjusting sleeves, or reworking a garment to make it more flattering…“. I can only dream of a full bustline, but the rest sounds promising!
If you’re learning a new craft, how do you learn best? In class, with friends, using books or online tutorials? I’d be interested to know.
Image credit: Amazon
I’ve been lusting over the new Rowan yarns for autumn/winter this week. I’ve wanted to try Fine Tweed since reading Kate Davies’ blog post. However, I was seduced by Fine Lace after seeing the accompanying Rowan pattern book.
It contains 14 designs (7 garments, 7 accessories) knitted or crocheted using Rowan Fine Lace. As you might expect from Rowan, the book is beautifully styled and photographed. I like the Cameo Shawl, the Cherish jumper and the Elegance Scarf Wrap (below) in particular.
Now, you wouldn’t expect me to order the book without sampling the yarn as well, would you? Of course not. So I bought two skeins of ‘Cobweb’ (a beautiful silvery grey) to knit the ‘Elegance Scarf Wrap’. I can’t express just how soft this yarn is, it really is delicious (the fibre blend is 80% baby suri alpaca and 20% merino). However, I am trying to resist casting on until I have finished the cowl.
Image credit: all images from the Rowan website.
Here’s my birthday blog post, slightly later than I anticipated. I have mixed feelings about birthdays. On the one hand, there’s not much I can do about them (and they’re better than the alternative). On the other, there’s pressure to have a super special day and the reality can sometimes be very different.
I took a day off work last Monday, so I could spend my birthday at home relaxing. I had planned to do some crafting. However, I was so conscious of the need to do something ‘special’, I wasted the day and I ended up doing nothing productive. That is, unless you count emailing/texting people to thank them for sending a card (I do) and knocking half a cup of coffee over a cream rug (I don’t).
The highlight of the morning was opening a parcel from my friend anniebead which contained this wonderful bag and a matching purse.
She made it for me using an Amy Butler pattern and Amy Butler fabrics. Isn’t it beautiful? I’m worried about marking it if I use it as an everyday bag, so I’m going to save it to use as a project bag. I have it hanging on the handle of my living room door filled with my crochet yarn and just looking at it makes me smile.
Monkey was kind enough to get me a present, too.
Er, thank you Monkey.
I think he might have been working on the “if you don’t like it, I’ll have it” principle?
I went to see OH in the evening and my day got better from then onwards. He got me some lovely presents, including a book of Eugene Atget’s photographs of Paris, Mozepedia: An Encyclopedia of Morrissey and The Smiths, original recordings of the Bloomsbury Group, Flight of the Conchords series 1 and 2 and a Father Ted boxset.
Also, he’d gone on a secret mission to the LYS and sought out some nice yarn with the help of the shop owner. He chose two skeins of Araucania Ranco Multy in a purple colourway – good choice!
I think I’ll use it to make a Lace Ribbon Scarf. Has anyone used this yarn before? The label advises alternating rows between different skeins as there are no dyelots. Is it worth doing that, or don’t I need to bother?
I felt very spoilt by the end of the day (and slightly relieved to get back to normal the next day).
As I’ve been crocheting the squares for my blanket, I’ve been turning circles into squares. The pattern starts off with two circle shaped rounds which are squared in round three with the addition of corners. I was hooking away when I started idly dreaming about one of my favourite childhood books, “I’m a Roundy. You’re a Squary” by Roger Hargreaves (of ‘Mr Men’ fame).
I’ve never met anyone else who had this book. I haven’t been able to find new or secondhand copies for sale, so I am guarding my copy very carefully.
The premise of the book is that everyone is either a roundy or a squary. You’ll get an idea of the characteristics for each type (and which one Roger Hargreaves preferred) from this selection of pages.
The Squary’s expression and his big cigar in this one always make me laugh.
This is particularly pertinent – I do like to sing, but unfortunately I am tone deaf. OH pretends that every song I’m singing sounds like ‘Poker Face’ (which is totally untrue).
If I ever wondered why I am a lefty, vegetarian, Guardian-reading, Birkenstock-wearer I think I may have found the answer. Clearly, I absorbed the messages from this book at an early age!
It’s only a small book, which is looking a bit battered, but I hold it very dear.
I’m always really excited when a new Kim Hargreaves book is due. I love browsing through the pages of a newly ordered Kim book and then planning a new project or two. So imagine my excitement when I saw Kim’s new book, Whisper, is available. The excitement lasted until I took a closer look at the patterns and a nagging doubt surfaced that I’d seen many of them before.
Take Christina from ‘Whisper’ (left) which reminds me Joy from ‘Nectar’ (right).
Camellia from ‘Whisper’ (left) reminds me of Cheer from ‘Misty’ (right).
Sophia from ‘Whisper’ (left) reminds me of Blithe from ‘Breeze’ (right) [you might have to squint at 'Sophia' because it's knitted in black yarn].
Obsession from ‘Whisper (left) reminds me of Daisy from ‘Breeze’ (right) [more squinting required for 'Obsession' because of the black yarn]
Finally, Bel from ‘Whisper’ (left) reminds me of Jen from ‘Precious’ (right).
I understand that many of Kim Hargreaves’ designs repeat similar themes. I’m observant enough to notice there are differences between the above garments – she has used different yarns and there are variations in details, such as sleeve and hem designs. However, it’s not enough to persuade me to part with £17.45.
I feel disloyal posting this, because I love Kim Hargreaves’ designs. I’m a genuine fan of her work; she produces classic, elegant and flattering knitwear. The one positive thing is that ‘Whisper’ has reminded me how good her previous books were, so I’m going to revisit some old favourites.
All images from www.kimhargreaves.co.uk
I didn’t think I’d learned any new skills over the last year. However, a quick scan of my projects on Ravelry reminded me that I’d learned a new way to knit socks. I’ve knitted lots of socks before, but they’ve always been top down and on double pointed needles. The inspiration to learn toe up socks came from wanting to make the ‘Skew’ socks from Knitty (which I never actually got around to doing!). ‘Skew’ are knitted using either two circulars or Magic Loop, neither of which I’d tried before.
I learned to knit on two circulars using this YouTube video from Cat Bordhi. I got used to (and liked) knitting on two circulars quickly. I’ve found it particularly handy for travel knitting, as there’s less danger of losing a dpn down the side of a train seat (not that this has ever happened to me, you understand).
I made my first toe up socks in March last year using Amy Swenson’s universal toe up sock formula from Knitty and Kaffe Fassett for Regia sock yarn in ‘Fire’. I liked the custom ‘recipe’ to fit a sock to your foot, but HATED the short row heel and toe with a passion. I used a new cast off, Jeny’s surprisingly stretchy bind off, which I loved so much that I’ve used it for all sorts of projects since. The socks turned out well, but I needed to learn a new toe and heel technique to avoid the pain of doing short rows and double wraps again.
I bought a copy of Wendy Johnson’s Socks from the Toe Up and her ‘Gusset Heel Basic Socks’ have become my staple toe up vanilla sock pattern. However, I don’t wear socks unless I’m slobbing about in the house and there are only so many slobbing socks that a person needs. So I transferred my new sock knitting prowess to my OH. I knitted him a pair of ‘Gusset Heel Basic Socks’ in Kaffe Fassett for Regia in ‘Landscape Storm’ which he chose from my stash.
Wendy Johnson suggests several cast ons but I prefer the Turkish cast on, which I learned from this blog post. After casting on, I knitted until the foot was two inches shorter than OH’s foot. I did the gusset heel, then knitted the leg with one inch of 2×2 ribbing, and finished with Jeny’s surprisingly stretchy bind off. OH has worn his socks frequently and he reports they are very comfortable.
I’d like to make him some more, but I have something else to learn to make my toe up socks just right. I’m still getting a gap where the heel flap is joined to the existing stitches, just before you start knitting the leg. I’ve tried picking up extra stitches, knitting in the back of stitches to twist them, but to no avail. Is there anything you do which solves this problem?
I thought this would be a simple post about learning a new way of knitting socks, but it turns out I picked up other skills along the way: a new use for my circular needles; a new cast on and a new cast off, which has become indispensible. That’s why I love knitting, there’s always something to learn.
It was my lovely friend Chesh’s birthday on Sunday, so I set to work on a present. I decided to make her a cross stitch, inspired by the Subversive Cross Stitch book.
The slogan was an easy choice! It’s from a film called ‘Dodgeball’, which is utterly stupid but entertaining. The film is about the rivalry of two gyms, one of which is about to be taken over by the other. To save their gym, the misfits at ‘Average Joe’s’ enter a dodgeball competition hoping to win the $50,000 prize money and pay off the owner’s debts. The owner of the other gym also enters the competition to prevent Average Joe’s from winning. The two teams go head to head in the dodgeball final and this is when Ben Stiller utters the fabulous line, “cram it up your cramhole”. It became the unofficial slogan of our craft group.
I stitched the design on 14 count white aida. The heart motifs are taken from Subversive Cross Stitch. Once it was done, I framed it using mooncalf’s very helpful tutorial in an 8 x 6″ wooden photo frame (without the glass).
I gave it to Chesh yesterday and she was delighted. I’m pleased with it, although annoyingly a slub (is that the right word?) appeared in the aida fabric once it had been washed and ironed (you can see it running down to the left of the stitching). Grrrr! Apologies for the poor photo – it never seems to get light at the moment 
A few weeks ago, mooncalf mentioned that Cath Kidston would be publishing a needlecraft book, which was very exciting news. I got my copy of ‘Stitch’ last week and I wasn’t disappointed. The book is beautifully presented and I found it really inspiring. I’ve photographed some of the pages to give you an idea of the content.
The book covers needlepoint (also known as tapestry) and cross stitch. It comes with a free gift – a kit of printed fabric, a zip, thread and soluble canvas to make a purse embellished with cross stitch. It contains simple instructions on the basics of needlepoint and cross stitch and has 30 projects which are graded 1-3 according to difficulty.
The charted designs will be familiar to any Cath Kidston fan – electric flowers, cherries, polka dots, Stanley the Dog, the cowboy and floral spray. The projects are mainly homewares (including cushions, a rug, a shelf border and a tea cosy) but there are also bags, cases and some very cute badges. However, the designs could be used for any project and are adaptable for needlepoint or cross stitch.
But that’s not all, my stitchy friends. Cross Stitcher magazine has had a makeover. The magazines I’ve seen so far have been full of twee projects, but the November 2010 issue (out in October) contains some nice projects. It came with a free kit to make two hanging gingham hearts.
The issue includes some Christmas designs. I’m not too keen on the ‘Merry Christmas’ banner, but I like some of the smaller ideas, like the ‘Noel’ hearts (this is where you conclude I have appalling taste).
However, there are some howlers – fancy doing a cross stitch portrait of Sean Bean? The charted portrait in the next issue is Cheryl Cole. I know, I can hardly wait either. Next month’s issue is out on 3 November. I’ll definitely be looking for a copy, as I’d like to make the free dove banner kit (but not the owl cushion, that scares me).
One final thing. I’ve been watching ‘A History of Horror’ with Mark Gatiss on BBC4. In fact, October has been Mark Gatiss month on BBC4. They repeated the excellent ‘Crooked House‘ and showed ‘The First Men on the Moon’ which Gatiss adapted from H.G. Wells’ novel.
The horror programmes were fascinating, although I wimped out of the last episode which was about modern horror films. I don’t actually like horror, but I’ve loved vampire films since I chanced upon a Hammer Dracula at a young age. Anyway, Mark Gatiss told an anecdote about Ernest Thesiger who played Doctor Pretorius in the 1935 ‘Bride of Frankenstein’. Apparently he was accomplished at needlepoint and he used to work on it between filming.
I came home early from work on Friday with a horrid cold, boo! However, I was cheered to find my new Kim Hargreaves book had arrived, so I tucked myself up in bed and browsed through it happily.
I’ve mentioned before how much I admire Kim Hargreaves as a designer. I have most of her post-Rowan books, although I didn’t buy Touching Elegance or Winter Blooms. However, ‘Cherished’ is packed full of designs I want to make, apart from the ribbed mini skirt (a knitted mini skirt, really Kim??). I’ve chosen my four favourite designs, below.
In fact, Skylark looks like a longer bodied, long sleeved autumn version of ‘Anais’. This isn’t a bad thing – there are recurring designs throughout Kim Hargreaves’ work, plus I enjoyed making ‘Anais’ and it fits me well.
Wisdom is knitted in Rowan Felted Tweed and to my eyes, isn’t dissimilar to Daisy with the bands of stitching and contrasting pockets. I have some Felted Tweed in my stash, but sadly not enough to make this cardi.
I tend to prefer cardigans to jumpers (well, I am a librarian), but I like Fayer very much. It’s knitted in Rowan Alpaca Cotton and it looks cosy without being too heavy. The loose neck is an attractive feature for me – I hate anything too close to my neck.
Finally, Moon is a slouchy hat, with lace panelling. It’s knitted in Rowan Cocoon, which I wouldn’t use as I find yarn containing mohair unbearably itchy.
As always, the book is beautifully styled and photographed. It’s a real treat. All images taken from Kim Hagreaves’ website.
In case anyone was wondering, I am still alive. I’m sorry for my long absence. I was on leave in the last week of August, but I was buzzing about Getting Stuff Done. I’m back at work this week and it’s been so stressful that I haven’t felt like crafting or blogging when I get home. Instead I lie on the sofa staring vacantly at the television and wishing the tight, panicky feeling in my chest would go away.
So, what’s been happening? I’ve finished a couple of shawls, which I’ll share with you once I’ve photographed them. I’ve got a new gadget to show you, plus a project relating to that purchase (ooh mysterious!). However, I’m pressed for time today, so this is only going to be a quick hello.
I was given a great cross stitch book by my friend anniebead. It has charts for some really cool designs, borders and alphabets which I’m looking forward to trying out.
On the subject of cross stitch, I came across this Orla Kiely bag. I thought the design was printed on the surface of the bag at first glance, but as far as I can tell, it looks like it has actually been stitched onto a panel. I think £330 is a bit steep, but it’s inspired me to think about using cross stitch in different ways.
I’m trying to get back into my crafting groove, so I spent this lunchtime sitting outside enjoying the sunshine whilst listening to a Yarngasm podcast and knitting a monster’s leg.
