Spidy Phew

I have finally finished the spidy scarf, it is blocking as I type :)  It took way longer than I had intended but it was also a fun pattern to follow.  I had never used a drop stitch method before, it was weird at first because as anyone knows when you're knitting dropping a stitch is usually a bad thing.  It was defiantly not something I'd done on purpose before.  I am really happy with the result though.

I used a spray blocking method which you pin your item onto a blocking board, or in my case an ironing board, to the measurements given in the pattern and then spray it liberally with a water sprayer.  Now this is the most important step. You now have to boil your kettle, pour the boiling water into a mug with a teabag add milk/sugar to taste then sit down and relax while your scarf drys.

I have a few more projects lined up.  I have recently bought this pattern ( http://tiny.cc/orqfl ) which I intend to start soon :)

Next up are the crimbo decorations, the pattern was purchased from Alan Dart's homepage.  I am also going to be making a super snuggly hat for a friend.


I was browsing this months House&Home mag, they have some fab featured knits in there. Even if you can't afford to buy them they might just give you the inspiration to turn something drab into something fab.

Emma's Spidy

Now that her birthday has arrived and she has seen what I'm making for her, I can finally show off my latest project.  I got the spidy scarf pattern from Ravelry, it's called "October is for Spinners".

This pattern starts off using 4 strands of yarn and cuts down to 1 as it goes along.  It's kind of a pain knitting with multiple strands, I dealt with this by stabbing a shoe box with a scissors, seriously.  I put the four balls into the shoe box and fed the strands through, next time I think I will cut the holes with a scalpel coz the stabby method was less than efficient. 

I'm around a third of the way through making the scarf now and the pattern is really easy to follow.  The only thing I would say about it would be that when you're using the YO you don't knit as part of the YO like you would in normal patterns.

I have several patterns to add on to the blog for pillows which will be put up during my mid term. 

Pinwheel Cardigan

This is a nice basic pattern which also comes in a children's size.  At first you might think circular knitting is intimidating but it's not.  It's a little awkward at first when you are using the double pointed needles, or maybe that's just because I am a little clumsy.  Once you switch over to the circulars it's a total breeze.

I am using Ocean Aran by Tivoli, it's a lovely soft colourful yarn.  I started with the lightest colourway in the centre working my way out to the darker colourway (161, 162, 163). 

I'm planning on using colour 162 for the arms, it's got nice shades of purple going through it.  I've bought 5 balls of yarn so far, but might need to buy another 2 before I finish.

I would advise you to just work the pattern each section at a time, if you read ahead like I did you might get a bit panicked as some of the instructions seem very complicated until you actually start working on it.

 

The i-cord edging is way easier to work than you might think.  I'm alternating colours 163 and 162 for the edges.  When I reached the edge I did not cast off, I picked up 3 stitches on my double pointed needles and knit 12 rows of  i cord.  When you reach the end of a row you do not turn the needle you just push the stitches to the other end of the needle.  You just place those stitches on a holder, do the same with the second colour.  Then you pick the first coil off the stitch holder with your dpn and knit the next 3 edge stitches onto the coil, finally you knit 2tog three times so you are back to working with 3 stitches.  You basically carry on doing this until you run out of edging.  Cast off and sew final 2 cords into the edge.

Here's the link to the pattern I have used, you need to be a member to view the free patterns but it is a safe site and they also have a childrens pattern on there too.

 

Elann Pinwheel Cardigan Pattern

Coiled Clay Pot

This is how I'm making my coiled clay pot.  It's around 1/2 way through as I've only a few hours a week to work on it.

* Use a rolling pin and 2 1/2" wide pieces of wood to stop you rolling your base too thin.  Roll out a slab of clay and use a circular object to cut out the base.

* Place your base on a tile sized piece of wood. This makes it easier to turn your pot when you're adding your coils.

* Next use a water sprayer to dampen your workspace.

* Roll out your coils the same way you would roll out mala/play dough.  They should be the thickness of a sausage.  Only roll out one at a time as too much handling will dry out your clay.

* Place your first coil on the base and pinch the clay when it meets.  Use your thumb or index finger to smooth the ends of the coil into each other.

* Blend the coil into the base on the inside, cupping your free hand around it so it doesn't go out of shape.  Finally blend the coil in from the outside using your free hand to support the inside.

* Continue with your coils until the object is a few inches high blending as you go.  Try to keep it straight.  Use a damp sponge to smooth out inside.

* To store your pot wrap it in plastic and run your finger around the rim to seal it.  This will stop it drying out.

* When you restart your work run a comb or blade around the rim to give your new coils grips.

TIP: If you need to re roll some clay make sure you don't leave any air pockets or the piece will explode in the kiln.

Almost ready to go

Hi, I'm almost ready to start posting properly.  I am getting my scanner sorted out this week so I will be able to show you templates for some sewing projects, cushions etc.  I will also be posting pics through flikr of ongoing projects including my course work and notes. There might be a sudden burst of activity while I put up the various notes but from then on I plan on posting at least once a week, separate posts for different projects which should make navigating easier plus you can skip the bits that aren't of interest.

I can't wait to get going properly and as I always say - if only one person reads this and comes away with something useful I will be happy.

Hello

Hello, I've just moved over from my previous blog at http://whimsy.blog.com/ 

I have just started studying interior design so I will be learning lots of new and wonderful things.  So there will be a bit of good old knitting and model painting fun along with whatever I pick up along the way.  I'm sure I'll find a way to warp whatever they teach me to suit my own nerdy needs.

When I am working on a project I take pictures as I go along which I post up on flickr. It's also nice to see how something progresses and it's something I would say to everyone to do especially when you're working on a big project.  When you are feeling like you're getting nowhere and are overwhelmed by the whole thing you can go back and look over your pictures to see how far you have actually come along.