tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39346508724884975952024-03-14T14:13:39.982+11:00bollewangenhaptoetAmeliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.comBlogger705125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-66337629746239258952013-06-28T17:24:00.000+10:002013-06-29T10:36:02.634+10:00more barkcloth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBM8Afc469SczARltUqI_P4DQVPZFPgGZnmEuyUdBNz5K74Mx1jpZjXZhfx8yFLs8lB6E_dvPbz75XMfFgzQucpGMe8qO_aTI4c3lPvVYqAOsVnXXTsPFwxywgEdsLwesSFiUNIIdTQ/s1600/IMGP8231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBM8Afc469SczARltUqI_P4DQVPZFPgGZnmEuyUdBNz5K74Mx1jpZjXZhfx8yFLs8lB6E_dvPbz75XMfFgzQucpGMe8qO_aTI4c3lPvVYqAOsVnXXTsPFwxywgEdsLwesSFiUNIIdTQ/s1600/IMGP8231.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdnlncRB7ZpfFTzR9cNsQ_6BcgNfLm8NZdJgJ2e_NZR20Lv1n1-O1a8wssy5wj-VIwZ_qeZG2-yl54b1ITghuhRP7Jsca72kH_pqG7Eigi3-PVbRnMkpJbRLQGB4rQ_tBMUrwoiI2YQ/s1600/IMGP8234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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This is the other barkcloth fabric that I am using to make the floor cushions. When we first moved to Seattle, I had no idea really of distance so when I saw interesting yard sales advertised on Craig's List I just thought, oh yeah, I'll go there. This took me to the residential back blocks of Edmonds, Renton, Kirkland, Redmond, all sorts of places. It was a learning experience.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdnlncRB7ZpfFTzR9cNsQ_6BcgNfLm8NZdJgJ2e_NZR20Lv1n1-O1a8wssy5wj-VIwZ_qeZG2-yl54b1ITghuhRP7Jsca72kH_pqG7Eigi3-PVbRnMkpJbRLQGB4rQ_tBMUrwoiI2YQ/s1600/IMGP8234.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdnlncRB7ZpfFTzR9cNsQ_6BcgNfLm8NZdJgJ2e_NZR20Lv1n1-O1a8wssy5wj-VIwZ_qeZG2-yl54b1ITghuhRP7Jsca72kH_pqG7Eigi3-PVbRnMkpJbRLQGB4rQ_tBMUrwoiI2YQ/s400/IMGP8234.JPG" width="400" /></a>Anyway, this particular yard sale I went to because they had advertised California King bedding (unusual bed size that we had just acquired). Unfortunately, the yard sale holder had sold the bedding already before the sale even started so I was completely out of luck on that note but I did buy these wonderful 1940s (I think she said) barkcloth curtains which we used in our Seattle house.<br />
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There's not really a window for them here in Melbourne and they are quite damaged in places so I have decided to make them into cushion covers instead. The covers are going to be about 85 centimetres square so the scale of the print will be retained.<br />
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I still have quite a lot of mending to do on them yet. It is curious that the damage appears to be caused by light as the worn-through sections are predominantly those areas printed in yellow and at the top of the curtains (the lower half that hung in front of the wall is in much better shape). I wonder what sort of photosensitive dyes were used? I'm just going to mend the affected areas by patching from beneath followed by some basic embroidery from a lovely array of floss that I have bought just for the purpose. And maybe some top stitching too (of course).Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-76163474969008225682013-06-27T17:09:00.000+10:002013-06-27T17:26:40.085+10:00top stitchCan you imagine a half-hour television show all about sewing and sewing machines? Comparing design and stitch galleries, speed stitching competitions, showcasing vintage and industrial models, special segments on different types of needles, prototype presser foot designs? I wish ...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1ZqQx4J88nhvRbEmLqHNEnNv67jU5inpbYPiHptca-DxYdgzPwaaxZ4zHsTYmUZZMaz2bEzHUgDFmHLwp1OOemH4oBlbbQxYZQZ7UPWCviipYu1SJ8c17MaH0Al9rOdblsqoBMSHdw/s1600/IMGP8232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1ZqQx4J88nhvRbEmLqHNEnNv67jU5inpbYPiHptca-DxYdgzPwaaxZ4zHsTYmUZZMaz2bEzHUgDFmHLwp1OOemH4oBlbbQxYZQZ7UPWCviipYu1SJ8c17MaH0Al9rOdblsqoBMSHdw/s640/IMGP8232.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anyway, this past week or so I have been enjoying sewing. Long straight seams so I can go really fast and the machine makes some noise. It's very satisfying. <br />
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I'm sewing some square cushion covers from bark cloth that I brought back from the US. I had to piece one side of the cover together so then took the opportunity for some therapeutic hand stitching using six strands of embroidery floss. I'm really liking the effect of some ... rough? rustic? casual? ... top stitching at the moment, by which I mean that it's not too measured or even, not too delicate, a bit more than an accent but still utilitarian as I used it to fell the seams. I'm also using top stitching like this on a little baby quilt that I'm working on but that will have to wait to be finished and received before it is revealed! Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-14271105806174051842013-06-25T13:50:00.000+10:002013-06-26T14:00:08.312+10:00don't often talk about the weather<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFh71YDuRjEoZx71-Dblq8T5ZqmxS7CtAsGs36_4jOP-t9z18js3kiuF8YU4DRknQqoDpst-ki_WHZoT9haLxqMo7ZcHgrDZLe-9HqAu7TaWghjHIJegwHE7OQ1sWwAqa_lw28_5Wqdw/s1600/photo(17).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFh71YDuRjEoZx71-Dblq8T5ZqmxS7CtAsGs36_4jOP-t9z18js3kiuF8YU4DRknQqoDpst-ki_WHZoT9haLxqMo7ZcHgrDZLe-9HqAu7TaWghjHIJegwHE7OQ1sWwAqa_lw28_5Wqdw/s640/photo(17).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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But wow, this was the view from my office window at about 8:15 this morning. The dome there is the top of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Exhibition_Building">Royal Exhibition Building</a>, a World Heritage Site-listed building completed in 1880.Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-76006473936231215372013-06-20T13:49:00.000+10:002013-06-26T13:50:03.503+10:00leftovers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/169514948/IMGP8229_medium2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="526" src="http://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/169514948/IMGP8229_medium2.JPG" width="640" /></a> </div>
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Socks, I shall knit socks. And not even for miss bear, just for myself. </div>
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Ever since I knit the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarncycle/delicious-knee-socks">secret-pink-stripes socks</a> for Tim, I have been meaning to knit another pair for myself. It's the same pattern and I might try and make these ones knee socks to use up as much random sock yarn leftovers as possible. There are three rows there of Grignasco Strong Print in yellow at the toe which I swear is the absolute last of that yarn (initially used for <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarncycle/illicit-socks">illicit socks</a> in 2008). I started off striping them (some op shop Patonyle in blue/grey and some thrift store Trekking XXL) then realised, for goodness' sake, I'm knitting with self-striping yarn (the Trekking) - just knit!</div>
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Which I have continued to do, blissfully mindlessly. That's what I like about knitting socks from the toe up - a tube, a heel, then another tube (no gusset decreases) so great expanses of just knit, knit, knit. And two at a time using the magic-loop method, which worked well for me last time.</div>
Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-11417729902982441782013-06-12T13:37:00.000+10:002013-06-26T13:37:47.741+10:00a weighty matterNo, not politics or religion - weight, yarn weight and pattern gauge.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7078/7168230810_d2a9aa4839_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7078/7168230810_d2a9aa4839_z.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vent-dantan">Vent d'Antan</a>, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/epilobe">Epilobe </a>and <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sweet-peasy">Sweet Peasy</a> all call for a dk-weight yarn and gauge of 22 stitches to 10 centimetres.<br />
<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mini-manu">Min<span id="goog_607170439"></span><span id="goog_607170440"></span>i Manu </a>calls for a dk-weight yarn and gauge of 24 stitches per 10 centimetres. Which is more of a sport-weight gauge.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/little-ancolie">Little Ancolie</a> calls for a sport-weight yarn and gauge of 22 stitches per 10 centimetres. Which is what dk usually knits at.<br />
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As does <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mi-avril">Mi Avril</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/brock">Brock </a>calls for a fingering-weight yarn and gauge of 25 stitches per 10
centimetres. Fingering usually knits at 28 to 32 stitches per 10
centimetres, sport weight at 25 stitches.<br />
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Then <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/leonie-3">Leonie </a>calls for a light fingering-weight yarn and gauge of 30 stitches per 10 centimetres.<br />
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I have enough Handmaiden Bess (above in blue), a sport-weight yarn, to knit Brock (calls for fingering weight) but not Mini Manu (calls for dk). I have six fingering-weight yarns that I could use for Leonie. But I don't think that any of those would work for Brock, which calls for them. I have dk yarn that I could use for Little Ancolie or Mi Avril, which calls for sport weight. I wouldn't use those for Mini Manu, which calls for them. The only yarn I have enough of to knit that is a sport weight. <br />
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And the question is - what shall I knit for miss bear and what yarn shall I use?Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-47649801299915739762013-06-10T13:34:00.000+10:002013-06-26T13:35:30.232+10:00gaspard le nuage d'orage<div>
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<i><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Gaspard the storm cloud</span></b></i></div>
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<i><b>The Vital Statistics</b></i></div>
<i><b>Pattern: </b></i><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gaspard-le-grand">Gaspard le Grand</a>
by Christine Rouvillé from <a class="preview" href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/wmd-les-wouimardis" id="preview_377217">WMD Les Wouimardis</a>.<i><b>
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<i><b>Size: </b></i>Four years.<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<i><b>Yarn: </b></i><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/madelinetosh-tosh-dk">madelinetosh tosh dk</a> in Composition Book Grey.</div>
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<i><b>Needles: </b></i>3.75 mm.</div>
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<i><b>Stash/recycle content: </b></i>Ah, no.<i><b><br />
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<i><b>Start to finish: </b></i>8 May to 8 June 2013 - one month (plus a day)!<i><b></b></i></div>
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<i><b>Comments: </b></i>This little sweater was love at first sight. I made a lot of modifications structurally, which was branching out a bit for me. To start with, I knit this sweater seamlessly instead of in one piece from front hem to back hem as the pattern instructs. To do so, I cast on 4 stitches less required for both the back and front together and knit in the round to
the underarms, again creating an Elizabeth Zimmerman faux seam on the inside (I think it
is a bit more stable than just a line of reverse stocking stitch).<br />
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Then I divided the work to knit the upper fronts and upper back from bottom up and didn't cast off at the shoulders which I grafted together (but wouldn't do this again as there does need to be some reinforcement there - three-needle bind off would be a better choice).<br />
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The stitches for the front collar were already on hold and I continued to knit across the remaining live stitches from the back. I also knit the collar longer than required for this size, 20 ridges altogether.The sleeves were also knit in the round with a faux seam; the garter stitch cuffs I knit flat and seamed.<br />
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<a href="http://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/167357095/IMGP8210_medium2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/167357095/IMGP8210_medium2.JPG" width="464" /></a></div>
I did have some trouble with the pattern - as far as the sleeve
decreases go, when the pattern instructs to decrease 'All 4 and 2 rows' I
believe that it means, decrease on the fourth and then the second row.
The sleeve decreases are a bit odd in that they are more widely spaced
at the top of the sleeve and more narrowly placed at the cuff which is
the opposite of usual sleeve shaping. I also encountered a bit of
trouble <br />
in that my gauge knitting in the round does not seem to be the same as my gauge when knitting flat so I had to knit a few extra rows in the body and before the cuff of the sleeves to compensate.<br />
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There are a couple more translation errors but nothing that interferes with u understanding the pattern.<br />
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The kangaroo pocket is adorable. Knitting note to self - yes, by all means pick up stitches with a smaller needle but remember to switch back to the correct size needle for the actual knitting (how many times have I done that?). <br />
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I think that this may be my first time knitting anything sizeable with madelinetosh yarn and I was very pleased with it. The degree of shade variegation is just about at my limit but I think that it works really well on this garment. The fabric is lovely and squishy.</div>
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<i><b>Verdict: </b></i>I am really, really delighted with this garment and baby b likes wearing it - hooray! I'm hoping to knit it again and again and again in the 6, 8 and 10 year sizes, have already stashed the yarn. <i><b><br /></b></i>Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-15835194715833574832013-06-05T15:17:00.000+10:002013-06-08T15:22:52.197+10:00sara's hat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/167350144/IMGP8213_medium2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="582" src="http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/167350144/IMGP8213_medium2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Last time I made something for <a href="http://bollewangenhaptoet.blogspot.com.au/2008/04/sara.html">Sara </a>was when she turned one. Of course, she's at school now and needs a woolly hat for winter.<br />
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<i><b>The Vital Statistics</b></i><br />
<i><b>Pattern: </b></i><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/basic-hat-pattern">Basic Hat Pattern</a>
by Ann Budd.
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<i><b>Size: </b></i>21" head circumference.<br />
<i><b>Yarn: </b></i><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/morris-estate-14ply">Morris Estate 14ply</a> in '1441 Spruce' (100 per cent wool); 2 skeins.<br />
<i><b>Needles: </b></i>6.5mm for the ribbing, 7mm for the rest<i><b>.</b></i><br />
<i><b>Stash/recycle content: </b></i>No<i><b>.</b></i><br />
<i><b>Start to finish: </b></i>2 June to 4 June 2013.<i><b></b></i><br />
<i><b>Comments: </b></i>Such a useful idea this book, yet the available gauges don't really add up to anything useful. At least, there's no 5.25 stitches per inch which gives a good basic dk-weight gauge of 22 stitches per 4 inches.<i><b> </b></i>And this yarn, destined to be knit at 14 stitches per 4 inches presented a similar dilemma. As I was worried that the size (21" head circumference for child to small woman's) might be a little roomy, I chose the instructions for knitting at a gauge of 3 stitches per 4 inches. <i><b></b></i><br />
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<i><b>Verdict:</b></i> Hope it keeps her warm!Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-75748853505054494442013-06-01T14:43:00.000+10:002013-06-08T15:07:25.580+10:00may reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cache1.bdcdn.net/assets/images/book/large/9781/8465/9781846555930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://cache1.bdcdn.net/assets/images/book/large/9781/8465/9781846555930.jpg" width="185" /></a><a href="http://cache1.bdcdn.net/assets/images/book/large/9781/9370/9781937007881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://cache1.bdcdn.net/assets/images/book/large/9781/9370/9781937007881.jpg" width="185" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Dead-Ever-After-Charlaine-Harris/9781937007881"><i>Dead Ever After</i></a> by Charlaine Harris - the last Sookie bookie! <br />
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<i><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Headhunters-Jo-Nesbo/9780099566052">Headhunters</a></i> by Jo Nesbø - Norwegian thriller, not a Harry Hole novel but still a gripping read.<br />
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<br />Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-5122196774780113612013-05-27T14:27:00.000+10:002013-06-08T14:43:45.835+10:00the coffee pot theory of creativity<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmuWF9C-9t-MnfYjrSqFWwNpKSfzNChGg0W8R9EGdgBT5fAArRvHqiEwwOX100K5mhbDAGie-gch6r5PRZMumbnREHQcimTrGJ1qx0MlkSu2MvDWFH-8wnHETazkIywFK2YXBg5p3Vw/s1600/photo(16).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmuWF9C-9t-MnfYjrSqFWwNpKSfzNChGg0W8R9EGdgBT5fAArRvHqiEwwOX100K5mhbDAGie-gch6r5PRZMumbnREHQcimTrGJ1qx0MlkSu2MvDWFH-8wnHETazkIywFK2YXBg5p3Vw/s320/photo(16).JPG" width="283" /></a>Ah, rather than the crack pot theory. Or maybe it's really a theory about motivation, that it's all bubbling around like coffee in a <a href="http://bollewangenhaptoet.blogspot.com.au/2009/07/percolator.html">percolator</a>* until something comes to the top and threatens to spume out in a great cloud of steam unless you do something about it, right now. I am actually serious.<br />
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I had one of these moments on Friday evening past - just had to get the <a href="http://bollewangenhaptoet.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/its-hard-to-tell-you-how-much-this.html">patterns that miss bear had chosen </a> from <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Intemporels pour enfants: Modèles et patrons de 2 à 8 ans </i>traced off</span></span><span style="font-size: small;">. All eight of them, and the little boy's shirt as well, traced, cut out and collated.</span></span><br />
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It remains to be seen what the time lag will be on actually cutting the fabric, pinning it together, sewing it up, doing the finishing touches. Stay tuned, grab a cuppa.<br />
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* odd metaphor for someone who doesn't drink the stuff but oh well.Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-24108599658560481482013-05-20T20:54:00.001+10:002013-05-20T20:54:22.095+10:00are we there yet?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Really, what more is there that I can tell or show of this knitting project that I haven't before? I'm working on it - same story. Repeat 7 of the second side looks just like repeat 6 and just like repeat 5 and - same stitch pattern, over and over.<br />
<br />
I had three days free last week (instead of my usual three-quarters of a day free) and I swore that I was going to knit a full 20-row repeat each day. Well, I managed to knit on only one of the days (ahem, knit on this, that is) but I did crank out an amazing 26 rows, more than one full repeat! So, I am currently seven repeats in, two and a half and an edging to go. Definitely before this project turns three in December!Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-4580599904431885832013-05-19T10:45:00.001+10:002013-05-20T20:47:01.576+10:00gaspard grows up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSVzvCojch8p96SfrDcIAWJnsY-6TfeEY3T2TRcBtm_vq-OVPURgiNpjb9GiD1_Fxy6vgvcZ-udjfiicbaeZZpawXHzIG04KGYElbdq6lGAz7HqWz5QN-8oezxjO5DhgeweL9kPhyphenhyphendg/s1600/IMGP8199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOSVzvCojch8p96SfrDcIAWJnsY-6TfeEY3T2TRcBtm_vq-OVPURgiNpjb9GiD1_Fxy6vgvcZ-udjfiicbaeZZpawXHzIG04KGYElbdq6lGAz7HqWz5QN-8oezxjO5DhgeweL9kPhyphenhyphendg/s1600/IMGP8199.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm having a wonderful time knitting this little pullover. I have finished the kangaroo pocket and cast it off with a neat three-needle bind-off that attaches it to the neckline (note to self with regard to three-needle bind-off: for goodness sake, don't forget to actually cast the stitches off, not just knit the two pieces of fabric together).<br />
<br />
Just the sleeves and ends to weave in to go now. The pattern even includes a schematic for where to pick up the stitches along the armscye (for me of course this is going to be around the armscye as the body is already knit in the round and the shoulder seams grafted; will have to compensate a couple of stitches for that too). Am debating whether to knit the sleeves flat or in the round and if I knit them in the round, what sort of faux seam to use, whether to knit the garter stitch cuffs flat and then how to seam them.<br />
<br />
I also have to figure out how to get through the day with baby b wearing underpants because he is growing up too. I think that's why I am concentrating so much on the knitting.Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-77354246434197444512013-05-18T10:07:00.000+10:002013-05-19T10:08:08.688+10:00the mismeasure of yarn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mY3TH2JZIEw5ZAP7PX0nDjICT_zGeEa-WFyUN-b1ALlQEibiLOY_QJ-DTCKe9Wyyl7PzfChJIOPKBjJBvREaW7ZYuPzRqhJFgkyvSnjbchDDJmBarfugvL5wSSXTelft_uA1uFvuzQ/s1600/IMGP8194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mY3TH2JZIEw5ZAP7PX0nDjICT_zGeEa-WFyUN-b1ALlQEibiLOY_QJ-DTCKe9Wyyl7PzfChJIOPKBjJBvREaW7ZYuPzRqhJFgkyvSnjbchDDJmBarfugvL5wSSXTelft_uA1uFvuzQ/s1600/IMGP8194.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
This madelinetosh tosh merino colourway is really wonderful - graphite. See the greys and browns and even almost green in there? This was my second time knitting windschief from this very yarn. The <a href="http://ravel.me/yarncycle/w2">first one</a> had taken only a fraction more than half a ball and that was a large size so I was sure that this medium-size one would be no trouble.<br />
<br />
Alas, I suspect that I didn't have a full skein to begin with because I got to the point above and realised that there was no way that I had enough. Subsequent measurement has revealed that 36 grams is in no way half a 100 gram skein. I'm disappointed. The idea was to use up stash so to buy a whole new skein would defeat the purpose and probably not blend in well anyway, given the hand-dyed nature of these colourways. Maybe make a child-size version?<br />
<br />
With a nod to <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Mismeasure-Man-Stephen-Jay-Gould/9780393314250">Stephen J Gould</a>.Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-26965996383293687942013-05-12T20:43:00.000+10:002013-05-16T21:29:36.166+10:00currently knitting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/163086971/photo_15__medium2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/163086971/photo_15__medium2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
No sooner had I cast off the ribbon-tied wool vest, than I cast on with great haste for Gaspard le Grand in madelinetosh tosh dk in colourway 'composition book grey'. Today I made it to the underarms and dropped a stitch at either side (I'm knitting in the round again instead of back and forth - really strange construction this design but I'll get to that later) in order to create a faux seam, <span class="Unicode">á</span> la Elizabeth Zimmerman.<br />
<br />
I actually ended up doing it on the interior of the garment rather than the exterior. It doesn't look like much more than a line of reverse stocking stitch but I think that the EZ-style seam (where you pick the stitches up one rung, then two rungs, then one rung, then two and so on) does add a little more stability.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I am loving how this fabric is turning out. The tosh dk is lovely springy yarn and I'm delighted to be knitting in this colourway. Grey is so elegant, so stylish, graphic, so beloved by architects, so looks like the stuff that other stylish knitters knit and that I aspire to. Grey is just so not me.<br />
<br />
I used to wear dark charcoal grey in my twenties but at a certain point couldn't do it anymore, didn't feel comfortable in it, wore it and felt old, old, old. This was around the same time that I suddenly became comfortable with <a href="http://bollewangenhaptoet.blogspot.com.au/2010/06/willow-weep-for-me-part-2.html">navy blue </a>which I had always thought matronly. So there you go. So clearly this knit is not for me, it's for baby b who is so gorgeous that he can carry off anything. I've got a bee in my bonnet at the moment about knitting for my kids - after this I'll be casting on for <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mini-manu">Mini Manu</a> for miss bear. Or maybe <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/brock">Brock </a>in some <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/people/yarncycle/stash/bfl-silk-fingering-weight">Orange Flower BFL/Silk</a> Fingering Weight that I'm awaiting in the mail. And I bought some Rowan Cocoon recently that I thought would be great for a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fishermans-pullover">Fisherman's Pullover</a>. Ooooh, I love to knit!Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-1105739790861094902013-05-09T17:22:00.000+10:002013-05-16T20:40:37.559+10:00ribbon-tied wool vest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/163706036/IMGP8190_medium2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/163706036/IMGP8190_medium2.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<i><b>The Vital Statistics</b></i><br />
<i><b>Pattern:</b></i> <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ribbon-tied-wool-vest">Ribbon-tied wool vest</a> by Erika Knight from <i>Simple Knits for Cherished Babies</i>.<br />
<i><b>Size:</b></i> 3 to 6 months.<br />
<i><b>Yarn: </b></i>Patons Australia Bluebell Merino 5ply (100 per cent merino) in colourway 0100; 1.3 skeins.<br />
<b><i>Needles:</i> </b>3.25mm and 3.75mm.<br />
<i><b>Start to finish:</b></i> 22 April to 8 May 2013.<br />
<i><b>Stash/recycle content:</b></i> Yes!! I have had this yarn in stash since ... since ... long ago.<br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><b>Comments:</b></i> I love this book by Erika Knight and have already knitted a few things from it - the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/babys-beanie-hat">Baby's Beanie Hat</a>, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chunky-knit-cardigan">Chunky Knit Cardigan</a>, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarncycle/garter-stitch-wrap-top">Garter Stitch Wrap Top</a>).
I even drove for what seemed like miles to borrow it from a library
when I was pregnant with miss bear (now our local library, ha ha). Both
times when I was pregnant I had lofty hopes to knit a handful of these
little vests, one in each size, but I am glad that I didn't. Cherished
as my babies were, this is not a simple knit.<br />
<br />
Admittedly, I
made things harder by modifying the structure a lot by converting it to
seamless but I think that if I hadn't, and there had been seaming to
do, it would have been even more work. Of course, there wouldn't have
been the brain power required to convert it (ok, not a lot of brain
power but I don't have much to spare!) if I had simply followed the
pattern.<br />
<br />
Modifications I made were:<br />
<br />
- knit in the round to the underarms with a fake seam (one stitch knit in reverse stocking stitch) and used this neat <a href="http://techknitting.blogspot.com.au/2009/04/crossing-stitches-one-way-to-avoid-hole.html">TechKnitter trick</a>
of crossing the stitches over where I divided for the underarms.
Techniques like this are great to know with the increase in patterns
with seamless structure.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/163706037/IMGP8193_medium2.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/163706037/IMGP8193_medium2.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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- made the neckline decreases one stitch in from the neck edge.<br />
- grafted the shoulders with Kitchener stitch instead of using a three-needle bind-off.<br />
- knit the sleeves from the top down using short rows to shape the sleeve cap. How did I work that one out?? I just winged it!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/163706038/IMGP8192_medium2.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/163706038/IMGP8192_medium2.JPG" width="400" /></a>Now that is <b><i>not </i></b>a
common approach for me. By winging it I mean I figured out how it
should go (must surely go?) instead of actually checking one of the many
patterns on hand at my disposal with top-down sleeve instructions to
check how it is done.<br />
<br />
The pattern directs you to cast
on 50 stitches for this side, to knit for 2.5cms and then decrease 1
stitch at the beginning of the next 10 rows, finishing with 40 stitches.
That's the sleeve head shaping and that's what I was cogitating about
(cogitating - thinking but with more effort); how to achieve that with
short rows?<br />
<br />
As I write this, I realise that I got my
numbers wrong, I assumed an end stitch count of 30 stitches - oops.
Anyway, it worked well in my opinion. Here's what I did:<br />
<br />
Even
though there were 30 stitches at the end (in my version) there were
still 50 lines of stitches travelling all the way to the armscye. So, I
picked up 48 stitches (2 stitches less to compensate for the seam that I
wouldn't be working because I was going to knit the sleeves in the
round) and commenced knitting in the
round.<br />
<br />
I knit to the halfway point (that is 24 stitches
to the the top of sleeve), then worked in short rows (knit 15 sts, wrap
and turn; purl 30 stitches, wrap and turn ; knit 31 stitches, wrap and
turn; purl 32 stitches, wrap and turn and so forth) until there were 10
short rows (last
short row being purl 38 stitches), picking up the wraps as I went. The <a href="http://www.purlbee.com/short-row-tutorial/">Purl Bee's short row tutorial</a> was really helpful here because I always get the pick-ups wrong on the purl rows.<br />
<br />
One
more wrap and turn and then I continued knitting in the round, picking
up the last wrap made, then knit straight for 2.5cms. I knit the ribbing
back and forth as I always do because I really dislike that jog when
you cast off in the round. Quick flat seam to join the ribbing and done.<br />
<br />
The
ribbon I'm not so sure about. The effect is lovely but I wonder about
safety. I stitched the ribbon to the neckline at the back so that it
couldn't come loose but cautioned the mum-to-be to just remove it
altogether if she wasn't comfortable with it. Ideally it would be sewn together at the bow but then the top would not go on over a baby's head.<br />
<br />
The
Bluebell does make for a lovely fabric (I used it to knit <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarncycle/rug-with-embossed-leaves">both </a>of the
baby <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarncycle/pram-rug-with-trailing-leaves">blankets </a>that I have made) but I wish that I had used a needle size
smaller for better fabric.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Verdict: </b></i>The
final product is darling and now that I have it worked out I'm sure that
any future versions would be much simpler to complete! <i><b><br /></b></i>Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-19286434071385913462013-05-05T23:23:00.001+10:002013-05-05T23:23:40.321+10:00treneryTREN-er-y? or tre-NERR-y? Trenerry is the name of the street where Country Road had its headquarters once (originally?), but I'm not sure how I'd pronounce that either. Anyway, Trenery came into being while we were living in the US and I
wasn't really sure why it existed alongside Country Road (but I do now
thanks to google, it's supposedly for the slightly older crowd).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RPh7btEXhbnakjwZvdaMZU_7KPlJWwo0_sEL28EM1ukb3krJ0Kg84Rl6YARC_7XfYP5jN3_SqqCtNwOllNceCBv-hZrl2MI6ND-T_fVCh452KjFJKnqH5lRrI3NUeGNTZ91n7FpcsQ/s1600/photo(14).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="531" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3RPh7btEXhbnakjwZvdaMZU_7KPlJWwo0_sEL28EM1ukb3krJ0Kg84Rl6YARC_7XfYP5jN3_SqqCtNwOllNceCBv-hZrl2MI6ND-T_fVCh452KjFJKnqH5lRrI3NUeGNTZ91n7FpcsQ/s640/photo(14).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
I wonder how well the brand is doing (or not); I saw a pop-up clearance store in the city a few weeks back and have seen a lot of it at the op shop. Brand new stock at the op shop - I picked up these two shirts at the Salvo's in Elsternwick on Friday and left two behind. They're an XL and an XXL which perhaps explains why they are excess stock but that's fine because I bought them for the fabric, to cut up and sew into something else, so the larger the better. Maybe something from miss bear's <a href="http://bollewangenhaptoet.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/its-hard-to-tell-you-how-much-this.html">wish list</a>.<br />
<br />
I love things to be handmade but it is also important to me that they are extremely well made and that starts with the materials. For the longest time, somehow the fabric on the bolt just never seemed to be of the quality that I saw hanging in the stores. (This may well have been a function of where I was shopping, both for fabric and for clothing.) But even since stores stocking much better quality fabrics have opened (<a href="http://www.tessuti.com.au/">Tessuti</a>, <a href="http://bollewangenhaptoet.blogspot.com.au/2007/07/favourite-things-1.html">The Cutting Edge</a>), I still experience some anxiety about matching fabric and project. This way the work is done for me and I get commercial quality fabric that is just perfect for a blouse. Possibly (hopefully) I have also saved some money on yardage, although these blouses were pricey at $15-odd each. Still, I prefer to be re-using something that already exists and to have my money got to the Salvo's so that's great value already.Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-56585903618761047852013-05-03T20:40:00.000+10:002013-05-03T20:40:02.204+10:00a fresh breezeI've been in a bit of a knitting funk lately. Something that I was working on for a good month - a cardi for miss bear to wear to school - has taken up a lot of knitting time and energy and has simply not worked out. I finally just binned it today and feel so much better. Yesterday evening, so desperately wanting to knit something that worked, I cast on afresh. And finished it today.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8115/8703723652_bfe7554f64_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8115/8703723652_bfe7554f64_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><b>The Vital Statistics</b></i><br />
<i><b>Pattern:</b></i> <a href="http://ravel.me/yarncycle/w22">Windschief </a>by Stephen West.<br />
<i><b>Size:</b></i> Small.<br />
<i><b>Yarn:</b></i> Classic Elite Yarns Portland Tweed (50 per cent wool, 25 per cent rayon, 25 per cent alpaca
) in 5046; 0.8 skeins.<br />
<i><b>Needles:</b></i> 4mm and 4.5mm.<br />
<i><b>Start to finish:</b></i> 1 May to 2 May 2013.<br />
<i><b>Stash/recycle content:</b></i> Well, I didn't buy yarn in order to knit this so I suppose that means it came from stash ...<br />
<i><b>Comments: </b></i>Such a great design and it comes in three sizes (small, medium, large) which is great for when you offer to knit someone a hat and they say 'oh lovely but I've got a really big/really small head ..." This is the pattern for those moments. The yarn was an impulse purchase when I was $5 off filling up my loyalty card at Weaving Works in Seattle. I found it a little scratchy so hope that it works well for a hat. <br />
<i><b>Verdict:</b></i> I can see myself making this again, and again, and ...Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-24735648204912894102013-05-01T20:25:00.000+10:002013-05-03T20:25:39.612+10:00april reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://cache1.bdcdn.net/assets/images/book/large/9780/3126/9780312625085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://cache1.bdcdn.net/assets/images/book/large/9780/3126/9780312625085.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
<a href="http://cache1.bdcdn.net/assets/images/book/large/9781/4447/9781444700107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://cache1.bdcdn.net/assets/images/book/large/9781/4447/9781444700107.jpg" width="296" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Day-is-Dark-Yrsa-Sigurdardottir/9781444700107"><i>The Day is Dark</i></a> by Yrsa Sigurdardottir and <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Burial-at-Sea-Charles-Finch/9780312625085"><i>A Burial at Sea</i></a> by Charles Finch - more murder mysteries, great reads, both of them.<br />
<br />
<br />Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-8889993275862812712013-04-25T11:32:00.000+10:002013-05-05T22:53:57.524+10:00bookmark me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4vorbiy5tIsYxmtmQlzMPDFVsBj4o6c_veQf6f6Ev5McPLtjansDKNCzgwqrFqEUlvVG4u8Zy379r0e7MzejdJiDLbnbX7mrgu87jxKyAde4LMV1jYh1rI4MVGBJ_KX1TBVezFO_rQ/s1600/photo(13).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4vorbiy5tIsYxmtmQlzMPDFVsBj4o6c_veQf6f6Ev5McPLtjansDKNCzgwqrFqEUlvVG4u8Zy379r0e7MzejdJiDLbnbX7mrgu87jxKyAde4LMV1jYh1rI4MVGBJ_KX1TBVezFO_rQ/s320/photo(13).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It's hard to tell you how much this photograph absolutely delights me. Yes, it's a poor quality i-phone photo that I've fiddled with the contrast on but that's not the point. The point is all those little post-it notes stuck in there.<br />
<br />
The book is<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> <i>Intemporels pour enfants: Modèles et patrons de 2 à 8 ans</i></span> </span>(rough translation: <i>Classics for children: designs and patterns from 2 to 8 years</i>) by Astrid Le Provost, whom I believe is behind the French company <a href="http://www.citronille.fr/?lang=us">Citronille</a>. I first encountered her book for <a href="http://bollewangenhaptoet.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/ours-polaire.html">babies </a>in Paris some six years ago and as miss bear grew of course I needed a bigger book. After despairing at the price of postage fro the book from France, it occurred to me to try our Francophone neighbours (we were living in the US at the time) and got it really easily through Amazon Canada. (Speaking of which, that is, postage costs, I was recently shopping on eBay for some shoes for miss bear and found that similar shoes for a similar price shipped for a fraction of the cost from the UK compared to from the US.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, the point of all this is that a few evenings ago, miss bear took this book with her to bed at bedtime to look through, When I went in to say goodnight, she had carefully marked with a post-it note each of the eight-or-so items that she wants me to sew for her. Oh, with pleasure sweet miss bear, with pleasure!Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-80400359497842971762013-04-17T08:17:00.000+10:002013-04-21T08:42:40.935+10:00more duffers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I identify for the most part as a process knitter (knit for the knitting experience, rarely the same thing twice) so the fact that this is my third pair of duffers this year (and fourth overall) is testament to the knittability of these slippers! These ones were a birthday present for a friend of miss bear's, here modelled by the birthday girl herself.<br />
<br />
<i><b>The Vital Statistics</b></i><br />
<i><b>Pattern: </b></i><a href="http://ravel.me/yarncycle/dr3">Duffers - revisited</a> by Mindie Tallack.
<br />
<i><b>Size:</b></i> I knit US 3 but they fulled down to more of a US1.<br />
<i><b>Yarn:</b></i> Patons Inca (50 per cent wool, 30 per cent acrylic, 20 per cent alpaca)
in 7040 red (0.7 skeins) and 7041 purple (0.9 skeins). Washing instructions are strictly to hand wash only. Take note!<br />
<i><b>Needles: </b></i>8mm.<br />
<i><b>Stash/recycle content: </b></i>Not this time. There was a specific colour request which I didn't have in stash.<br />
<i><b>Start to finish:</b></i> 7 April to 10 April 2013.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Comments: </b></i>Oh what a journey these were! I chose the Patons Inca because the red and purple shades were better than those of the Patons Jet (which I have successfully fulled before, no trouble). The knitting was no trouble, used Judy's (truly) Magic Cast-on to begin, but when it came to fulling them - nothing. No success whatsoever. I tried first by hand because you do never know and want to do these things slowly, just in case. Then I did some five minutes stints in the front loader on a hot wash with towels (just as with the previous pairs). Still absolutely nothing.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/157556727/image_medium2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/yarncycle/157556727/image_medium2.jpg" width="320" /></a>The next day, the day of the birthday, miss bear and I headed out to the laundromat to do a hot wash in a top loader but we left the house in a hurry and I forgot to take any towels. Fortunately, there is an op shop in our local shopping strip and we dropped in to buy some towels. Well, just one towel because as it turned out, I didn't have much cash on me and they don't take cards.<br />
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Off to the laundromat - front loaders only. Off to the other laundromat and finally got a wash going but, of course, you can't regulate the water level on those machines so the slippers and towel just floated around in the hot water. Fulling result - zilch. We went to the party with no present.<br />
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That night I was so fed up with them (and the prospect of having to buy more wool and knit another pair) that I put them into my front loader with a few towels on a normal wash and turned the water temperature way up high. Then I went to bed. The next morning, fully fulled slippers and just the right size - thank goodness!<br />
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<i><b>Verdict: </b></i>Finally, fantastic. Hand-made gift given with delight by my daughter and received with delight by the birthday girl. But Patons Inca - beware, requires major fulling effort!Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-51309499773209028142013-04-15T18:55:00.000+10:002013-04-17T18:57:39.548+10:00little duffers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's just the right time of the year for these (down here in the southern hemisphere, that is).<br />
<br />
<b><i>The Vital Statistics</i></b><br />
<b><i>Pattern: </i></b><a href="http://ravel.me/yarncycle/ld">Little Duffers</a> by Mindie Tallack.<br />
<b><i>Yarn: </i></b>Cascade Yarns Cascade 220 Heathers (100 per cent wool) in 9322 and Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend (70 per cent merino, 30 per cent silk) in 3075.<b><i></i></b><br />
<b><i>Needles:</i></b> 6mm.<b><i></i></b><br />
<b><i>Size: </i></b>US 8.<b><i></i></b><br />
<b><i>Start to finish: </i></b>28 March to 29 March 2013.<b><i></i></b><br />
<b><i>Stash/recycle content: </i></b>Yes and yes! The Cascade 220 is leftover from my <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarncycle/pimlico-shrug">Pimlico Snug</a> and the Manos del Uruguay from the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarncycle/attabi-wrap">Attabi Wrap</a>.<b><i> </i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>Comments: </i></b>This is the little brother/sister pattern to the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/yarncycle/duffers---revisited-2">Duffers </a>that I knit recently for miss bear. Unlike the Duffers pattern which requires using a double strand of yarn, this mini version requires only a single strand. I had half knit a slipper before I remembered this. The Cascade 200 and Manos del Uruguay felted differently, to be expected given the silk content of the latter and could probably benefit from a bit more concentrated hand felting. At the moment though baby b is thoroughly delighted with them so I might just wait until he grows! <b><i> </i></b><br />
<br />
<b><i>Verdict:</i></b> Quick, satisfying and effective knit, and an excellent way to use up stash!Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-31271091885342345902013-04-13T18:18:00.000+10:002013-04-15T18:24:03.968+10:00what a production<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvPEgJpZPEN3-MvuK1wTW6vjAVkBL0rOa4oDqkNE1rfQ__JloTwkWCZc6tYOeVBcG5MS4hD67w_0kTn1CVat5ycKD1v8qPx_bVNxolpZpxBIMhdsxnC5-rJGvGft4LPqeDpN2P7Mm2A/s1600/photo(11).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="559" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvPEgJpZPEN3-MvuK1wTW6vjAVkBL0rOa4oDqkNE1rfQ__JloTwkWCZc6tYOeVBcG5MS4hD67w_0kTn1CVat5ycKD1v8qPx_bVNxolpZpxBIMhdsxnC5-rJGvGft4LPqeDpN2P7Mm2A/s640/photo(11).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Five mothers, nine children, various eats and drinks and many cups of tea, two sewing machines, two irons, many pins, a little bit of swearing, and five hours later we had thirty drawstring bags ready to take to school on Monday. The best outcome though was a really wonderful sense of community. I had such a great day, so much fun and felt so good afterwards.Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-86183609971195336192013-04-10T23:14:00.000+10:002013-04-11T23:17:05.415+10:00shredsSometimes it's just good to do something, even a very little something, on a project that you have in mind. Just to keep it alive when you don't have any likelihood of really launching into it anytime soon. I think I just have to embrace my completely haphazard, ad hoc way of working on and prioritising things.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxEpjyFzjYq_fk5vm2pmpc4-s7Jmyu5CXvqI5kb0wHMna-ccgcK-xTPpfv_ukuLFFfWTD3wP8__KKRnwXIJX1LVol8Gv-GxdeYXOFp32pGKKyU7x7mb291veOIcEfwOQaLBtLsR_P-A/s1600/IMGP8166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxEpjyFzjYq_fk5vm2pmpc4-s7Jmyu5CXvqI5kb0wHMna-ccgcK-xTPpfv_ukuLFFfWTD3wP8__KKRnwXIJX1LVol8Gv-GxdeYXOFp32pGKKyU7x7mb291veOIcEfwOQaLBtLsR_P-A/s640/IMGP8166.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyY6NJT1d6YaLiI2xXS6xMKVjIq3LA9U7c8p1Q88TPhB0quff5GVORczjKr4mWYKjemsKLXyxLA9j4ecOzVh3vb32t7rdMe96yWHljAbtGUjQzEaEPXB4mARUGILRQn_MqfJMF-TXfmg/s1600/IMGP8167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyY6NJT1d6YaLiI2xXS6xMKVjIq3LA9U7c8p1Q88TPhB0quff5GVORczjKr4mWYKjemsKLXyxLA9j4ecOzVh3vb32t7rdMe96yWHljAbtGUjQzEaEPXB4mARUGILRQn_MqfJMF-TXfmg/s320/IMGP8167.JPG" width="320" /></a> I bought this quilt a few years ago at the now defunct Kirkland Antiques
Center. One of the stalls there was closing down (the whole place has
since done so) and everything was discounted by 70 per cent, including
this 1930s quilt from Nebraska. Parts of it, particularly the borders,
were very damaged, so I trimmed them off (not sure whether this is quilt
sacrilege or not) and it has sat that way for a good long time, always
with the intention of mending and rehabilitating it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4N_o_OL_ywyN4aTX5HC6sDb7Xo1w87Q6QwXF0CYcTr6oqrMk0oKDImKdlJfgq1mWnTyOWj0vE9hxbGq3NGbQOu8ZAoiRrNsg7tvNKsxzsER-qRQ9Dt_56ZERxnl9pTfAhfeWicpCrrA/s1600/IMGP8170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4N_o_OL_ywyN4aTX5HC6sDb7Xo1w87Q6QwXF0CYcTr6oqrMk0oKDImKdlJfgq1mWnTyOWj0vE9hxbGq3NGbQOu8ZAoiRrNsg7tvNKsxzsER-qRQ9Dt_56ZERxnl9pTfAhfeWicpCrrA/s320/IMGP8170.JPG" width="320" /></a>Over the past few nights I have unpicked the cut-off sections, taking
out the batting and salvaging what pieced sections I can. I hope to use
them one day to repair other parts of the quilt and perhaps the backing
for a new binding. It has been fascinating to see the true fabric
colours revealed inside the seams and to see how much they have faded
over time. I have also learned that the quilt is machine pieced and hand
quilted and that the maker's sewing machine's tension was off.<br />
<br />
* Quick gripe about the Kirkland Antiques Center: my
goodness, I went there one day when miss bear was small and they
insisted that I couldn't take the stroller in. It wasn't that busy and
there was plenty of room to move the stroller about. So instead I got to
walk around the place with an inquisitive two year old and a staff
member none too discreetly trailed us around the entire shop.Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-3343982740186748072013-04-01T19:05:00.000+11:002013-04-11T23:14:13.196+10:00march reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEg1B3TOlLsYNnbXjyulNjEgmigs5L5J2HnO7QCH5tQjVU18H2Ln6RwaJNctCsFa9SkCwIicv0thjr4Zj77XYfcUsXuQIsd_hnNmmeZO7nlSGSJ4I4iqw6wKlLlboJJPmh8WKva0kiR5T5Jh_HPyWxo3dRwQfzSTKw=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEg1B3TOlLsYNnbXjyulNjEgmigs5L5J2HnO7QCH5tQjVU18H2Ln6RwaJNctCsFa9SkCwIicv0thjr4Zj77XYfcUsXuQIsd_hnNmmeZO7nlSGSJ4I4iqw6wKlLlboJJPmh8WKva0kiR5T5Jh_HPyWxo3dRwQfzSTKw=" /></a></div>
<a href="http://cache1.bdcdn.net/assets/images/book/large/9780/1410/9780141001968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Shark-Net-Robert-Drewe/9780141001968"><i>The Shark Net</i></a> by Robert Drewe -Sometimes just has to be the right time to read a certain book. I first picked this up a month or two ago, read a chapter and could not get into it. Put it down and read <i>The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest</i> instead and a number of other quick reads since. Then this past month I picked it up again. Not a particularly long book but dense, it took me almost the entire month to read and it is fabulous, an excellent book, well written, finely crafted, evocative, interesting, funny. I am so glad that I put it down when it wasn't the right time to read it and picked it up again when it was. I highly recommend this book for when you want a good, deep read.
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This is what I knit when we travel - whenever there's a reasonably long car ride, Tim takes the wheel and I put in some time on my Tibetan Clouds (un)Beaded Stole. Clearly, we haven't been travelling much because it's the first time that I have picked it up since December of last year. <br />
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Nonetheless, I am determined to get this finished this year. Three years really is the maximum length of time that I can tolerate a project being on the go. This one is only 27 months at the moment but I do know how long these things can drag out unless I really put some effort into it. I managed half a repeat today which means that I have three-and-a-half repeats to go, that I could foreseeably complete it in a week at half a repeat per day, that I ... just need to keep knitting.Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934650872488497595.post-11667105213814922172013-03-18T18:55:00.000+11:002013-05-16T20:42:47.275+10:00duffersThis was one of those attempts at quick knitting satisfaction that actually worked - very quick, very satisfying!<br />
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<br />
<i><b>The Vital Statistics</b></i><br />
<i><b>Pattern: </b></i><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/duffers---revisited">Duffers - revisited</a>
by Mindie Tallack.
<br />
<i><b>Size: </b></i>I knit the US 3 size but felted them down to about a US 1.<i><b></b></i><br />
<i><b>Yarn: </b></i>Cascade 220 in '7803 magenta' and '9404 ruby' (100 per cent wool), 0.4 skeins and .17 skeins respectively; Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (100 per cent wool).<i><b> </b></i>Yarn was held double throughout which makes me think that you could do some nice ombré effects by holding two different colour yarns together and shading into a solid colour.<br />
<i><b>Needles: </b></i>8mm<i><b>.</b></i><br />
<i><b>Start to finish: </b></i>14 March to 16 March 2013 with a couple of mistakes and rip backs and reknits.<i><b></b></i><br />
<i><b>Stash/recycle content: </b></i>Yay, 100 per cent!<i><b><br /></b></i><br />
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<i><b>Comments: </b></i>Mine are a bit of a colour mix because I ran out of the magenta and had to finish the sole with ruby, then ran out of cream and had to do the cast off in ruby again. But I completely used up two random, hanging-around-for-ages skeins of yarn - hooray. I also left out row 11 I think but not to too much detriment. Felting was hard work because I did it mostly by hand, thinking that my front loader wouldn't do the trick. Well, more being anxious about not being able to regularly check without draining the machine each time. I did end up putting them in for 20 minutes on a hot wash with a couple of towels which turned out to be the last nudge that they needed.<i><b></b></i><br />
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<i><b>Verdict: </b></i>Warm feet at our house. I wonder if that will make it any easier to get miss bear out of bed in the morning?Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10662187147971650500noreply@blogger.com1