Knitting Frustration Defined

I've spent the last 3 days knitting on and off, I'm making a summer wrap with a variety of yarn and it's very nearly finished. Imagine my frustration last night when I have 1 row plus the bind off to go and I glance at the clock to realise it is midnight! I now have to spend the day distracted by the project I know I'll complete tonight. Why can't I be at home crafting? Why?

French Knitting: Not As Sexy As It Sounds

It really should be sexy but it isn't. It's actually the kind of craft where you can completely switch off. You've probaly done it as a child, you use the plastic thing below and wool. You don't have to think, it's a great way to wind down.

Here are my instructions on How To Do French Knitting:

Start with a slip-knot around one of the prongs with the tail end of your wool through the centre, wind the long end of the wool once round the other prongs, turning the reel as you work. Once you've gone round them all wrap your wool around the pins above the loops already on your prongs. Use a blunt needle (French knitting kits usually come with a plastic pin) to pick up the bottom loop on the first prong and pull it over the top loop. Repeat this and keep pulling very gently downwards on the tail end of your original loop to work your knitting through the plastic jobby (I'm sure it's got a name).
So far I've made this:I've decided to make a rug/blanket/artwork kind of thing. I'm going to join it in a circle as below.I've lots more to do to get it big enough to qualify as a blanket. It's about 80cm in diameter so far. I can't help thinking it looks a little like the Eye Of Jupiter from Battlestar Gallactica.

ROFL of the Week

This post has absolutely nothing to do with yarn, knitting or crocheting but I though it was too funny not to share:

What's the best way to irritate your parents while you are backpacking round the world?

Read the actual story here at the BBC website no less (that's quality news, that is).

More Hats

I've finally got round to snapping some of my recent creations. Firstly I've got my little baby hat. This is crocheted and using aran wool (allegedly) and I used my free baby hat pattern. I decided I wanted to make it a bit more quirky so set about crocheting ears and then sewing on some facial features to make...

PUPPY HAT!

Next I've got my chunky knitted hat. I meant to take note this time and record the pattern accurately, instead I got mesmerised by the variegated yarn and lost track. From memory here's what I did:

• Leaving a 12" tail C/O 90 stitches . Work 3" in k1 p1 rib.
• Work 7 1/2" in k1 row p1 row (I can never remember what stitch that is).
• Then for the next couple of rows work 2 stitches together until you have 6 stitches remaining.
• Cut the yarn with a good couple of feet of yarn spare, thread this through the 6 stitches remaining on your needles.
• Pull tight and use this to sew up w/s of hat. Use the 12" tail at the start of the knitting to sew up the r/s of the brim.
• Weave in ends
• Job done - put hat on
• Go for a walk

Move along, nothing to see here...

I've had a very busy weekend, gardening in the spring sunshine (you remember sunshine right?) then going to the beach to watch the dog run round like a crazed lunatic. I meant to take some pictures of the baby hats I've made but by the time I remembered it was too late to be pratting about with the camera (at least that's the excuse I'm using).

The rest of the time I've been frogging. I now have just the vermilion vest creation disaster thing to frog and that will be it. Yarn recycling can commence.

I've also unpicked my French knitting experiment, I was making a vertical striped blanket but I've decided it will be better as a circular rug come blanket come circular yarn artwork piece.

Now it's time for my MAJOR FRUSTRATION OF THE WEEK ALERT: Remember this blanket? The culmination of a decade and a half's laziness? Well the Other Half only went and found a square I'd missed! One solitary bloody square. What the heck do I do with that? And don't you dare say another blanket!

The Latest Hat

This is the hat I made using the pattern from the last post. Again I've used variagated yarn, it's also a fluffy soft towelly type yarn. I'm in the process of making another hat, I'm using standard wool (none fancy) and have noticed the pattern works up a bit smaller. If you want a slightly bigger hat, or are using thinner yarn try using a 4mm hook instead of the 3.5mm hook used to make the one above (that's what I've done and so far it seems to be working!)

Crocheted Baby Hat Free Pattern

I’ve finally got round to writing down a pattern - I’m so lazy sometimes it’s a miracle I function at all! It’s a pattern based on my chunky weight hat, except I didn’t want to use chunky weight wool for the pattern as I’m pretty sure the wool I used for that was a handspun never to be found again bargain. So I’ve sat with my hook and some “normal” wool and here (I think) is the finished pattern!

3.5mm crochet hook. Standard weight yarn (I’ve made one with 35g of wool if the felt-tipped label on the yarn was done by someone who can actually use scales!).

Ch3

Round 1: In 3rd chain from hook do 7 sc. Join to 1st sc with sl st

Round 2: Ch1, 2 sc in each sc

Round 3: Ch1, *2 sc in first stitch 1 sc in next stitch* (*repeat until end of round), join to 1st sc with sl st

Round 4: Ch1, *2 sc in first stitch then 1 sc in next 2 stitches* (*repeat until end of round), join to 1st sc with sl st

Round 5: Ch1, *2 sc in first stitch then 1 sc in next 3 stitches* (*repeat until end of round), join to 1st sc with sl st

Round 6: Ch1, *2 sc in first stitch then 1 sc in next 4 stitches* (*repeat until end of round), join to 1st sc with sl st

Round 7: Ch1, *2 sc in first stitch then 1 sc in next 5 stitches* (*repeat until end of round), join to 1st sc with sl st

Round 8: Ch1, *2 sc in first stitch then 1 sc in next 6 stitches* (*repeat until end of round), join to 1st sc with sl st

Round 9: Ch1, *2 sc in first stitch then 1 sc in next 7 stitches* (*repeat until end of round), join to 1st sc with sl st

Next rounds: ch 1 sc in each stitch, join to 1st sc with sl st - repeat until piece measures about 7” long.

Sew up side seams, fold over brimmy bit. Give to baby.

Please note I have only tested this once so if it doesn’t work out right please let me know (but don’t be too harsh I’m quite sensitive!!)

Crocheted baby hat

A lot of people I know are breeding at the moment, which means I've been looking at little clothing.

'I could make that' I thought to myself, so I had a go at a crocheted baby hat. This was one of my no-pattern specials. I love making things up as I go along, especially when they turn out all cute like this one. It measures about 7inches long (and a similar width at the widest part) when laid flat. I'm making another and trying to take more nitce of how I did it so I can share the pattern with you.

In case you're wondering my house is not lined with marble. I actually took this picture by putting the hat on top of the gas fire, it is a fake marble surround!

Pink Elephants

You might not remember but recently I bought this yarn and as usual had no idea what I was going to make with it when I picked it up in the wool shop in town (which I'm sure will be my downfall).

I'd like to introduce you to my new little friend.

I crocheted him using Riohnna's Pocketphant pattern - thanks for sharing it he's very cute! If you want to make one look on her site at the free patterns section in the right hand column and there's a link to the PDF file there.

Another Cookie Weekend!

I've been cooking biscuits again I looked for a recipe from my “Fabulous Cookies” book only I didn't have all the ingredients for any of the recipes. So, I used the basis of one recipe and used a different type of sugar and instead of chocolate chips and vanilla essence used sultanas and cinnamon. 

To say it was successful would be an understatement; my second batch is cooing as I type. Here is the recipe in case you're in a biscuitty mood! 

• 115g butter
  
• 115g light brown sugar
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
  
• 150g self-raising flour
  
• 50g porridge oats
  
• 120g sultanas
  

Makes up to 20 (or fewer really big ones!)

1. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg and beat well.
   
2. Sift flour into the bowl and fold it in with a metal spoon.
   
3. Add oats and sultanas and mix well.
   
4. Dollop the mixture onto greased baking trays leaving gaps for spreading.
5. Cook on 15-20 mins gas mark 5 (bottom of my oven) until golden brown.
   
6. Leave on baking tray for a few mins then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Or eat while still warm as the other half seems to enjoy doing!!
   

I've also been doing some hooking this weekend, but I'll post pictures of that later. Right now I'm off to eat more biscuits!

No Wool Week

I've had a pretty horrible week, largely due to me spending Saturday with a stomach bug. I was better by Monday (of course) meaning I couldn't in good conscience take a day off sick. As a result I've spent the whole week completely shattered.

Being so tired I can't be bothered crafting or blogging makes me sad. To cheer me up I found this:
That's right, a cat in daft headgear! And not just any headgear but a statue of liberty hat (with torch). Ooooh kitty doesn't look impressed!

If you have a cat you want to dress up and laugh repeatedly at you can find the pattern here. Oh how I wish I had a cat, maybe I could alter it for the dog...