More Stash Busting (Denting)

I started another pair of Latvian mittens using leftover yarn. I modified the cuff using garter stitch as outlined in the fingerless mitts on the next page in the "Knit Like a Latvian" book. They also appear on the cover.

I will use duplicate stitch on the rounds where the pop of red appears. Not bothering with the red really sped up my knitting. I got this much done yesterday, during my Tuesday night Zoom chat and afterwards.

I am using Kroy and Sisu yarn. Only 50g is required for the background colour and 25g for the contrast. Only a few yards of red are needed.

I'm finding the knitting very relaxing and beautiful patterns like this are very satisfying. This might just be my year of knitting mittens.

On my Zoom chat today, I will do some more work on my Moonshine Cabin.

I binge-watched the Netflix movie, "Stay Close". The lead actor bears a strong resemblance to Titus Welliver and the character of Broome has a lot of Bosch's traits. It was a good series and seemed to me open for a second season to be developed.

"Welcome to Sweden" on Amazon Prime was recommended so I will give it a go.

More Chatting and Stitching

On my Monday morning Zoom chat I got quite a bit more done on my Moonshine Cabin.

Now I have to really count while doing the trees and stars. I'll get the tree above the cabin done so I can do the outline of the moon for my next videochat (tomorrow) and mindless stitching/filling in. There was some discussion about how I would finish it. I'm going to paint a bamboo or wooden hoop and mount it  in that. If it was good enough for Jacob de Graaf, it's good enough for me.

This pattern is available in a downloadable .pdf from Modern Folk Embroidery for €7 ($10 CAD). 

Sweater Washing

Skip has worn this or the other Icelandic sweater I knit him every day since the cold weather set in. He finds them to be light and warm. Icelandic wool has those wonderful properties but because of the wiry guard hairs, is not comfortable to be worn next to the skin. With a long-sleeved, collared shirt, these sweaters can be worn comfortably.

I first soaked the sweater in wool wash and tepid water. Rinsing is not usually required but the water was quite dirty so I gave it another soak, and did rinse it several times until the water ran relatively clearly.

To facilitate faster drying, I squeezed out quite a bit of water, then rolled it in a big towel. I then stepped on the roll, expressing as much water as the towel could absorb. I then rolled it in another towel and did the same thing.

I then pinned it out on the foam mats to the desired dimensions to dry.

Scooter's/the guest room bed is very handy for this. If necessary, the mats can also be propped up relatively vertically as the pins hold everything in place.

First, I run wires up each side of the body with the tips just above the underarms. Then pull them out to the desired width and pin them at the underarms. I then run a short wire across the top of the back of the neck, pull, and pin firmly. Then I weave wires along the bottom cuff of the back of the sweater, then pull to desired back length.

Next I run two wires up each sleeve, pin the cuffs to the desired length, then pull the wires apart and pin.

The sweater will dry in that shape and maintain it until the next washing. It will not have felted and be clean, and fluffy, thus making it like an insulated garment and very warm.

Changing gears...

While reading Attic 24's blog, I became intrigued by her Ripple Blanket Tutorial. I had unsuccessfully attempted to crochet a feather and fan blanket a year ago and wanted to try my hand at it again. Lucy's descriptions were excellent and explained that treble crochet in the UK is the same as double crochet in N America. I had trouble with the return row then realized I needed to skip two chain sts to create the 'valley' (as opposed to only 1 in the very first row). Once I figured that out, things went much better.

I also learned that crochet diagrams were pretty easy to interpret. I am predominately a visual learner.

I did tension swatch first as Lucy strongly recommended. The purpose of this was to check for correct hook size and also to have a go at internalizing the simple 'ripple' pattern. With a 4.25mm hook, I got pretty close to gauge but found the foundation chain to be too tight. I tried the foundation chain again with a 5mm hook (as she suggested) and this solved the problem. Then continued with the smaller hook.

I'm not using the 15 different colours of yarn that she's doing for her CAL (CrochetALong) but I had a bunch of red Mary Maxim DK weight acrylic yarn in my stash plus a few balls of black and other random colours of superwash DK yarn. 

I'm crocheting the lap blanket size which involved 150 sts (multiples of 7 plus 3). It's about 40" wide (1m) and hopefully will be about 55" long (140cm) long. It won't be pretty because I'm only using black and red yarn and can't be bothered planning a clever design, so it may just end up being a donation to the cancer/chemo unit at our local hospital.

I highly recommend Lucy's crochet (what she calls 'hooky') tutorials. She has several versions of ripple blankets - some with no eyelets, some like feather and fan, some with wider 'mountains' and 'valleys', etc. Her blog is always interesting and informative, too. 

Mitts Done, Fringe Twisted

I finished the thumb on the second Latvian mitten last night.I had just enough charcoal yarn to finish. I duplicate-stitched the red stitches on the right thumb rather than fiddle with 3 colours.

I'm totally OK with modifying the palm side of the thumb with alternating colours. I couldn't be bothered with dealing with the pattern on that side, too.

I would knit these again but might try another design from the book.

I do wear stranded mittens in the winter time. I've never found gloves to be warm enough and don't spend enough time outdoors to warrant buying mittens with current fabrics (fleece/nylon/Thinsulate).

I knit this linen stitch scarf in 2017 then set it aside before twisting the fringes. It had been stuffed in a scarf storage container all this time so I decided to haul it out and get the job done. It took less than an hour using the same technique I used when twisting the fringe on my Excavation blanket. 

To recap, this scarf used 3 skeins of Koigu KPPPM in three different colourways with the common colour of green. The pattern is Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas. I used 4mm needles. That seems large for fingering weight but makes for a lovely drapey fabric.

I had previously knit a blue one which was one of my favourite scarves because, a) it was completely finished, b) it was very long - long enough to wrap around my neck twice, and c) it wasn't bulky.

Unfortunately I have misplaced it. I did knit one from my handspun which is very nice but not quite as long as I would have liked. I think I casted on 350 sts and it probably should have been 400 or 450.

Since I have a lot more handspun in my stash, I can see knitting a few more of these. Hopefully I can find some folks who would appreciate receiving one as a gift. They're very monotonous to knit but great for using up random colourways while watching TV.

One Thumb Done, Some Stitching, an Oratorio, and Zipper Pulls

Last night I finished the second Latvian mitten. Note the mirrored Latvian braids on the cuffs.

I removed the waste yarn of the second mitten, picked up the stitches and knit the thumb. It blends in nicely with the palm. I did duplicate stitch on the last red stitch on the thumb. Next time, I'd probably duplicate all the third colour sts rather than be annoyed with carrying 2 colours behind and having the wrap them around each other to anchor them.

 

The palm side of the thumb was too fiddly for me so I just alternated colours to carry both yarns across the back. 

I should be able to finish the second thumb in one sitting - maybe tonight.

With only 68 sts in a round, they are a bit small so I will wet block them firmly stretching the sides out. They'd be perfect for someone with petite hands.

If I were to knit mittens with 68 sts in a round again, I would go up yet another needle size.

During the Crafternoon chat on Wednesday afternoon, I got quite a bit done on Moonshine Cabin.

There is a lot of repetition in the pattern which is good for social stitching. I didn't have to count that carefully when filling in the walkway or horizontal lines. The trees and stars, however, will require much more of my attention.

Strangely, after spending 30 years teaching classroom music (band, vocal, guitar) I tend to not listen to music for enjoyment at all. It is not customary for me to just have the music wash over me as my critical music mind is searching for themes and compositional devices as I listen. Usually when I am doing housework or working in the kitchen I'll put on a podcast or audiobook rather than listen to music. But for a change I have decided that while I'm sitting at my computer I will just tune into a Classical radio station and have it on in the background.

I did listen to some Christmas music over the holidays - while decorating the tree, prepping Christmas dinner, etc. While listening to my coveted Barry Manilow Christmas album

there was an intro to one of the songs with a snippet of one of the choruses from the 'Messiah'. I had an hour to kill while waiting for dinner to cook so I queued up my CD of Handel's 'Messiah',  hauled out the score, 

and sang through all the choruses like I have done several times at Massey Hall with the Tafelmusik orchestra.

Geri and Alexa at Massey Hall, December 2016

The tabs for the choruses were still in place so it was easy to advance from chorus to chorus on the CD as well by skipping tracks. While doing this I thought to myself how enjoyable it was so decided to listen to more music in the new year.

I have made a few project bags over the last couple of years. I like to add a zipper pull and usually use a piece of ribbon or a really skinny tab. When I received my Moonshine Cabin kit, it came with a cute little house charm with a lobster claw clip which was perfect to use as a zipper pull on the bag. 

Looking at it, I thought, "Heck I can make those". I had to think what a good generic charm would be that I could order in bulk and make a bunch of these myself. I decided a key would be appropriate.

With small lobster clips and 6mm jump rings from the local big box craft store, I made a bunch for my own bags and some of those I've made for other folks.

Stitching While Zooming

Yesterday during my Zoom call and stiching at the dining room table, I worked on finishing the eyelets in the four-sided stitch diamonds.

This type of eyelet leaves a criss-cross of two threads in the centre. Once I got the hang of it, it was easy to do.

I then segued to Moonshine Cabin which also requires bright light. In this photo the yellow in the windows shows up well. It's not quite as pronounced in real life. The green doesn't provide enough contrast with the base fabric for my liking either but I will continue on. This project is going to take a while.

The cuff of the second Latvian mitten is well underway. I used the 2.5mm needle so this mitten may have a slightly looser cuff than the first one. 

If I stick with it, I should get the second one done in a day or two. Then I'll tackle the thumbs.

While watching Katie Strachan Embroidery's YouTube video on ribbon edge finishing, I learned about the Fiskars Circle Cutter. It cuts circles from 1" to 8" in diameter. While doing errands yesterday, I went to Michaels and bought one using a 30% off coupon. I also bought a Strathmore Bristol tablet. This card stock paper (bristol board in pad format) is acid free and good for backing ornaments. For me, it alone is not stiff enough for mounting the stitchery and I'd use a thicker cardboard behind the bristol, but it would certainly work for mounting the fabric on the back.

I have several Christmas ornaments that need FFOing. This should make at least one of the steps easier. I also have received my 2022 charms that will be affixed to this year's ornaments that I finish.

Speaking of Christmas ornament, there's a Just Cross Stitch group on Facebook (JCS Stitch Along) for 2022. A poll was taken and the top 12 ornaments from the 2021 Christmas issue were selected for stitching one a month. Stitchers are invited to photograph and show their items on the group all year long. I don't plan to do every one but a couple are somewhat appealing. I wasn't that impressed with the offerings in the 2021 issue and was less impressed with the other issues last year. JCS does not pay their designers so many have decided to no longer give away their work for free. 

Through the PressReader app, it is possible to have access to current issues of many newspapers and magazines (including cross stitch magazines) through your public library card. And it's free. I don't think issues can be downloaded and saved but they are there for perusal.

A New Year and Some New Projects

I started the new year by knitting a swatch of Frankie Brown's Ten Stitch blanket. 

I want to make a rectangular one so made the first segment twice as long. I now don't think that will create the dimensions I want but I will keep knitting for practice. This other side shows the ridge created when joining one edge to another.

To make the miters to turn the corners, there are a series of short rows. I'm working on internalizing the steps so I don't have to keep referring to the modified instruction sheet. I'm using sock yarn and 3.25mm needles to get a nice squishy feel.

Today on my Crafternoon Zoom chat I worked on the whitework band sampler. I worked at the dining room table with the lamp which made working white on white much easier. Skip was then able to watch NFL football in the family room while he ate his lunch.

I started close to the top so I could get two projects out of the banding that I bought. I may just hemstitch the top and get some bellpull hardware. I still need to stitch the satin stitch line above the scotch stitching which matches the one below it.

The eyelets in the middle of the diamonds are slightly different from Algerian eyelets.

This hasn't been a difficult project but definitely not stitching I'll do whilst reclining and watching TV.

I did, however, finish one Latvian mitten (except the thumb). I will knit the other mitten before I tackle the thumbs.

I like the picot edge on the bottom. The Latvian braid is my modification. I also grafted the top together when I had decreased to 14 remaining stitches. I prefer the look to a pointy top.

Unlike Nordic mittens I've knit, Latvian mittens' palms are the same pattern as the back.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I will remove the yellow waste yarn which will leave live stitches above and below the thumb hole. They will get picked up and I'll knit the thumb.

My challenge will be to not knit the thumbs too tightly. Normally, I do stranded knitting inside out so the floats are at their widest but that's really hard to do on the thumb. I am going to try it though. Otherwise, if I knit it right side out, I'll go up a needle size and be extra careful when I go from one needle to the next to keep my floats loose.