Winter Hat

On Sunday, I started knitting a stranded hat with some of the leftover Léttlopi yarn in my stash. I selected Bonnet l'hiver à Besançon by Gaëlle Mazéas, a free pattern on Ravelry.

The pattern is in French but between my grasp of the French language from study 40+ years ago and Google Translate, I was able to understand the pattern. (basically, I cut and pasted the French text into Google Translate). Some words translated literally unrelated to knitting but I figured out that: jersey = stockinette, 2m ens = K2tog, mailles (m) = stitches, mailles endroits = knit, mailles envers = purl, aug int = make 1 by lifting bar between the stitches and knitting into the back of it (I just did a kfb), diagramme du jacquard = chart.

I did the increases after the ribbing as indicated in the pattern and knit the rest of the hat. When I tried it on just before finishing the crown, the stranded part was TOO BIG - particularly since I have a small head.  I remembered watching a YouTube video by Arne and Carlos on knitting stranded hats and they recommend 96 sts (with worsted weight wool) for the entire hat. They call it the magic number as it is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12. This is great for all kinds of knitting patterns. So I ripped the colourwork back to the ribbing and didn't do the increase round, knitting the rest of the hat on 96 sts. It fit!

I like how the snowflakes go all the way to the top. Some of the strands were 7 sts long but I didn't anchor them as I didn't want them to show through. The yarn is 'sticky' enough that eventually the strands will felt themselves in place. I made a two-colour pom pom

I really like the wintry scene with the little house and big trees with the gently falling snow.

I finished it last night. It was a fast and easy knit - once I figured out the right size.

Needle Minders

I stitched one more tiny Snoopy yesterday - the WWI Ace Pilot. Today I made the three little stitching projects into needle minders. I had watched several YouTube videos on the subject and synthesized the best of most of them for my own projects.

First, I ironed light interfacing onto the backs of the stitching. This kept the small pieces from stretching out of shape and also provided something between the shiny button form and the stitching - so the shininess wouldn't show through.

OMG! They're so cute!

Before pressing everything together, I removed the metal button loop from the button back. Afterwards, I glued a rare earth magnet onto the back with E6000 glue. I'm letting it cure for 24 hours. I bought the magnets on Ebay. They weren't very expensive and the shipping was only $4 CAD from Germany. Ceramic magnets can be used but they are very brittle and will leave marks on the fabric unless coated with something.

I'm hoping to find some steel washers for the back onto which I'll likely glue onto a button for ease of grabbing and removal. I bought some stainless steel washers today but they don't stick to the magnet well enough. I'm cheap so I'm hoping to not have to use a second rare earth magnet for the back.

This is what the needle minders will look like in action:

Now I'm on the lookout for more cute stitching that is around 28 sts wide or tall. I like stitching on the 28ct Monaco cloth and have lots of it in my stash. If the stitching is only an inch wide, it fits very nicely onto the 1.5" button blank. Next time there's a notions sale at Fabricland, I'll be buying more of those blanks.

Spinning, Two FOs, and Two Starts

On Saturday, about a dozen spinners congregated at Windreach Farm for a spinning day.

Seated are Betty, Alexa, Rosemary, and Annie

I finished spinning the chocolate brown hand-dyed roving and divided the singles onto two bobbins for plying. I got a little bit of plying done and was overcome by sleepiness after the soup and sandwich I had consumed at lunch. I bid farewell a bit early and headed home, climbed into bed for a nap and conked out for over 2 hours.

The other day I found a hank of KnitPicks Biggo in my stash and did a search on Ravelry for the perfect pattern for its 101 metres of 50/50 merino/nylon bulky softness.

Enter the free Sugar Twist pattern by Stacey Winklepleck on the KnitPicks website.

It was a bit snug after I finished knitting it but I blocked it quite firmly and it is perfect now.

The pattern is really easy - 2 x 2 ribbing with 6 wrapped stitches in the round every 6 rounds. The pattern calls for 2 repeats of the 12 round pattern plus 5 rounds. After the second 12 round pattern I weighed my remaining yarn and knew I could do 11 more rows before binding off with a really stretchy bindoff - the one where you do a yarnover after every stitch, knit one then pass the yarnover and the previous stitch over the last knit one.

My other FO was the Winter Alphabet kit from Heart in Hand designed by Cecilia Turner. I've had this almost done for several years but had run out of the Weeks Dye Works Onyx thread provided in the kit. When I looked at the Weeks/DMC conversion, the recommended DMC was not close to the Onyx. I ended up blending a strand of 3799 with a strand of 310 (black) and finished up the last 3 sides. It's really hard to determine which is the Onyx and which is the 3799/310 blend. I haven't stitched on the snowflake charm yet. I have the Autumn Alphabet in the series as well which I need to locate and finish up if need be.

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Last week I started a little ornament called Holly Tree Sampler from an old Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cross Stitch book.  I'm stitching it 1 over 1 on 28ct Monaco.

I had this next one kitted up to take to Texas except for a couple of missing colours. I've had it in my stash for a couple of decades. It's Welcome from Brightneedle Book No. 57 designed by Liz Knudsen and Ann Pettit. I'm stitching the DMC version (there's also a Blue-Green Anchor version) on 32ct white linen 2 over 2. I started it last night and took it to stitching this morning. I did some more this afternoon. It's stitching up quite quickly. It will measure 17cm x 10cm (6.8" x 3.9") when finished. I haven't decided what finish I'll do.

I have a few patterns I want to buy so am trying to finish up some UFOs to clear the decks.

The cold winter weather is very conducive to doing a lot of knitting and stitching. Between stitching jags, I add a couple more squares to my sock yarn blanket.

Last night I made a ham, broccoli, and cheese quiche. I also added some fried onion and zucchini left over from a previous meal. There was a little extra that I cooked in a small ramekin. I thought the quiche looked rather professional so I thought I'd share a photo.

Oh yeah, I was inspired to do some small stitching so I could make some needle minders on  38mm (1.5") button blanks. The other night, while watching several Flosstube videos I stitched these two up:

They're 1 over 1 on 28ct Monaco. I'd like to find a way to seal them before turning them into needle minders. Mod Podge? Clear nail polish? I'm also going to wash them to see if they'll shrink a little bit and close up the holes a bit. I have some ceramic magnets I can use but have been cautioned to cover them (again, clear nail polish) as they will mark the fabric they're on. To anchor them on the back I'll use metal washers - also sealed with clear nail polish. I'm in the market for some shiny rare earth magnets. I ordered some online but would like to get some more but not have to pay a huge amount in shipping.

Scooter's Riddari - Finished!

I put a fan on the sweater so it would dry faster. I released it from the pins and wires today.

The chest measures 36" so it has about 3" of positive ease for Scooter. He likes to wear things fairly close-fitting so with a shirt underneath, this should be about right.

I still need to sew a label in the back

I really LOVE this pattern. It's easy to knit and I do knit to gauge with the called-for needles. I also love the Stone Blue Heather contrasting yarn. It will look smashing with jeans or black pants.

And I knit it in 11 days! Again, so much of it is stocking stitch in the round which goes great with hiding out from the crappy weather we've had.

The modifications were the 8 German short rows across the back and a stretchy bindoff around the collar. It's the one where you do a yarnover wrapping the yarn the other way around the needle.

Now I'm thinking of making one for me with steek stitches so I can 'cardiganize' it. Then all three of us would have matching sweaters! Hmm, a bit too hoaky I think.

This afternoon I started a Sugar Twist Cowl with some Knitpicks Biggo yarn I found in my stash. I have no idea how I acquired it. I might be able to finish the project tonight.

It's been snowing since yesterday. This morning we woke up to all of yesterday's accumulation (which we didn't shovel) plus last night's.

I took this pic of Skip starting up the snowblower at 9:12 this morning.

I went out to help him dig out and after coming back in the house, I took this photo at 10:12am. We also did the neighbours driveway and sidewalk. The snowplow came by while we were out there so we were able to clear the snow it left at the bottom of the driveway.

It was a good workout. I'm certainly going to feel it tomorrow.

Scooter's Riddari is Being Blocked

I finished this last night. I was worried that it would be too small and too long but once it was soaked, spun to remove excess water, and pinned out, the measurements are perfect. I use 6 blocking wires in total. 2 - 18" wires for the body as I don't want to stretch out the bottom edge. I use two 36" wires in each sleeve and just stretch them apart. I'm OK with the cuffs on the sleeves and around the neck being stretched out.

I did 8 German short rows across the back after joining the sleeves and before starting the yoke. This blog post explained the process and this blog post clearly explained the wrap and turn technique (so no holes will show). I didn't worry about the ratios as I did the short rows before the yoke. I just calculated 1/3 of the front stitches and started there.  I recommend you 'pin' both those posts in Pinterest as it took me a while to find the exact explanation I needed. I also did a stretchy bindoff for the neck.

The Icelandic Léttlopi yarn softens so nicely when wet blocked. There's also a fuzzy 'halo'. If you have pets that shed, it will never be noticed on a sweater like this - LOL.

The arrows point to the places where I did a wrap and turn starting a third of the way across the stitches on the front then 3 stitches less each time. It adds length to the back so the collar in the back will be in the proper place and not sag down.

The extra rows did add yardage so I really did need a few yards of the 8th ball of yarn in the main colour. Fortunately I had some of the same colourway left over from Skip's Riddari. It was a different dye lot but it was far enough away (the last section of grey yarn before the collar) that one can't tell. The blue yarn I used in the yoke was also left over from Skip's Riddari. For some reason I had purchased 2 balls of it (the pattern calls for 1 ball for all the sizes) so had the second ball in reserve.

I sure hope Scooter likes it. I love knitting these sweaters. I did this one in 12 days. It helped that it was a size small. I really should knit myself one of these.

We are having a really blustery day today. So far not a lot of snow accumulation but high winds are really whipping it around and causing drifts here and there. Buses are cancelled and most schools are closed in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) except, of course, our board. It's the third time in two weeks the buses haven't run.

We decided to cancel our spinning group (Whitby Spinners) tonight and I've already received word that the Shuttlebug Guild has cancelled tomorrow afternoon's meeting.

It's a great time to do some stitching and puttering around the house. So far today I've made a big pot of soup; done a load of laundry and hung it in the basement; soaked, spun, and blocked Scooter's sweater; swept and mopped the floors; done a bit of stitching and watched a FlossTube video; taken photos of the sweater that is blocking; processed the photos; and created this blog post.

Now back to my stitching.

More Charts That I Covet

There are more stitching patterns that intrigue me.

Brick House Sampler by Brenda Gervais

Playing with Jax by Cricket Collection

Starry Skies by Nancy's Needle

Three Pumpkins by Prairie Grove Peddler

Time and Season Sampler by Moira Blackburn

I seem to gravitate to samplers and autumn colours.

I have finished binge-watching Seasons 1 & 2 of Broadchurch on Netflix and have started Season 3. There were a few 'red herrings' in the first seasons with resolutions (more or less) at the end of each season.

Also Pixar just released an animated short, "Purl" that looks intriguing to me (especially as a knitter).

From their blurb:

It "features an earnest ball of yarn named Purl who gets a job in a fast-paced, high energy, bro-tastic start-up. Yarny hijinks ensue as she tries to fit in, but how far is she willing to go to get the acceptance she yearns for, and in the end, is it worth it?"

Watch 'Purl' here on YouTube.

Kissing Cardinals

I finished stitching the Kissing Cardinals ornament from the 2014 JCS Christmas Ornament issue.

I should have referred to the photograph in the magazine. The symbols for the beads do not appear on the chart but are clearly there in the photograph.

I also stitched the string down to the mistletoe in the wrong colour but I'm not going to correct that.

The Twisted Stitcher usually irons light fusible interfacing to the wrong side of her ornaments or lines things with white fabric. It just smooths things out. I have done the former.

Once I get the beads put on in the correct position, it'll be ready to fashion into an ornament.

Charts That I Covet

As I mentioned in my previous post, I often take notes when I'm watching Flosstube WIP parades and Haul segments.

Here are a few I aspire to own someday: (note, the photos of many of these do NOT do them justice)

Is that a donkey at the bottom?

Cat and Mouse by Kathy Barrick

Hill Side Sheep Needlebook - Chessie and Me

Grace Quaker Sampler - Samplers Cove

House Blessing - Imaginating

Stitcher's Resolution - Heartstring Samplers

Strawberry Bird - Kathy Barrick

The alphabet in this one can be completed with eyelet stitches.

A Free Bird - Modern Folk Embroidery

There were many other samplers from Modern Folk Embroidery that appealed to me.

Flosstube

I have recently become very enthralled with Flosstube videos - videos about stitching on YouTube. I get to see so many projects that others are undertaking or have completed. Some of the Flosstubers are quite well-known designers and others are just regular folks who enjoy stitching and sharing their enthusiasm.

I take notes during much of the WIP parade (Works In Progress) and FOs (Finished Objects) and FFOs (Fully Finished Objects).

If you find a Flosstuber you enjoy you can go back to their first episode and watch all the way through to the present. If you want to be notified when a new episode is posted, you can subscribe and click on the little bell.

Many of them talk a lot at the beginning and throughout their posts so I just fast forward until I see them showing a stitched item.

Some of my favourites are:

• The Twisted Stitcher (Vonna Pfeiffer) - Vonna also has a number of excellent finishing tutorials called 'Flosstube Finishing School'
• Jen's Stitching Niche - check out her year end wrap ups. Lots of interesting projects and finishes
• Stitching in the Barn - Episode #6 was particularly inspiring with an interview of a long-time redware potter and reproduction sampler stitcher
• Saltbox Stitcher
• Yankee Creek Stitcher
• Off the Grid Needlearts - a London ON flosstuber
• Teresa Kogut's Creative Whims - 
• Ginger Gerald Stitcher - a crafty guy from  NJ
• Sassy Stitchin Sisters and Brother - three kids from Utah who are hooked on stitching and quilting. They are adorable!

and the one that got me hooked on Flosstube:

• Priscilla and Chelsea Podcast - a mother/daughter team who stitch exclusively on 28ct Monaco cloth, most of which they dye with coffee and tea; very interesting and folksy finishes

At the end of each episode, YouTube's algorithm will start an episode by another Floss Tuber - most often something interesting. Show notes are below the video, just click on the black triangle. Some Flosstubers have weekly giveaways which you enter by leaving a comment.

Everyone has their own particular style of patterns they like but it's a great way to be exposed to things you'e never normally seen.

Not everything in every episode is to my liking but I have learned a lot about techniques and patterns. 

My next blog post will deal with projects I've learned about by watching Flosstube and which I'd like to try myself.

Binge Watching/Knitting

We had light freezing rain/pellets all day yesterday which left an icy slick all over everything. Skip and I had planned for this and stayed in all day, puttering around on our various hobbies.

I spent much of the adding length to the two sleeves of Scooter's sweater and knitting on the body.

Most of the body was done while I binge-watched episodes of "Broadchurch" on Netflix. I believe I had watched season 1 before but have only a vague recollection of doing it. I'm almost finished Season 1.

It's straight knitting to the underarms where I'll do some short rows before joining the stitches for the yoke. 

Skip is going to see Scooter on Sunday but I don't think I'll have the sweater finished and blocked by then.

Stitching Stars

I got all the cross stitching done and have started the specialty stitches.

The red ones are Leviathan stitches and the yellow ones are 4 different sizes of stars.

The vines between the houses are done.

I changed the star colour to make them a little brighter. Now I'm wondering if they are too bright. I will try a couple with Caramel Corn - the substituted colour from the recommended silk threads - and see how I like it. All those stars at the top took me all night.