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The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby wild rose » Jan 07, 2014 10:59 am

I'm planning to post pictures of the costumes I sewed, but I'll only be able to do that when the pictures come in from the concert.
Here's an amigurimi pony I made, it was a lot of fun to make, and even more fun to decorate her :)

clicky to see

I'm currently working on two projects, an amigurimi puppy and cross-stitching a butterfly that Valia sent me for Christmas :)
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby Meltintalle » Jan 11, 2014 1:23 pm

Stwin asked about a scarf I made so here is the pattern I started with. I only did half the second loop (and I think I ended up doing a few more rows before the twists). I would recommend starting with the second loop instead of the first, as the pattern says. I think it'd be a lot easier to size everything correctly. :)

That's a cute pony, wrose!
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby Lady Haleth » Jan 12, 2014 11:28 am

I finally finished a quilt that I've been working on for about two years. It's a bed-sized quilt in a pattern called 'Crayon Box.' I will try and post some pictures later, after I wash it.
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby shastastwin » Jan 13, 2014 7:48 am

Thanks for posting that, Mel. I've been trying out cables in my knitting recently, so it looks like it could be a fun little project to work on. :)

I've done a cabled scarf based on Professor Lupin's in the third Harry Potter film and a basic cabled hat, both in wool. I had some wool left over from the hat, so I'm going to make a pair of cabled mittens to go with it. The scarf is gray, and the hat and mittens are/will be in a colorway called Navajo. :)
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby Aslanisthebest » Jan 14, 2014 3:59 pm

Wrose, that amigurumi horse is wonderful! Did you design the pattern?

Mel, that infinity scarf is lovely. Did you use regular worsted weight yarn for it?

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your quilt, Lady Haleth!

Stwin, the cabled set sounds neat! What kind of cables are you doing?

With the start of the new year, I went through my knitting bags and sorted through my unfinished projects. Oh joy. :P

I finished all the parts for the adult sweater I was working on, and now the trick is sewing everything together. That is dull work, so I have other projects to keep me a little more interested.
Over my holidays, I worked on a cable infinity scarf for someone. They liked it, and it was fun to make. I then knitted a chunky infinity scarf. It was very simple (just plain garter stitch), but I enjoyed making it.

I'm working on some bags now. They are about 8''x8'' or 10''x10''; probably the size of messenger bags or crossovers. They are either to sell or for myself. I'm enjoying designing them, as I'm doing stranded motifs on them.
I am going to line the insides with fabric, but I'm at a bit of a loss at what to do about the handles. I was thinking of buying some plain handles, but I'm not sure where to find plain canvas handles. Probably I could sew on belts and put buckles on them?

Here are some pictures:

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Birds

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Moose/Reindeer/Deer/what-have-you

When I have the time to plan it out, considering patterns and then the yarn I own, I'd like to make a large throw with all these motifs.
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby wild rose » Jan 15, 2014 8:08 am

Mel, that's a gorgeous scarf!

Looking forward to seeing pictures of the quilt Lady Haleth

I'd love to see a picture of the scarf Stwin (especially since I'm not sure what cabled knitting looks like)

Bella wrote:Wrose, that amigurumi horse is wonderful! Did you design the pattern?


Thank you so much Bella :ymhug: nope, I didn't design it, I'm not that good at crocheting yet as to make my own designs (I hope to one day :) ) Though her hairstyle (manestyle? ;)) ) and the saddle (which you can't see very well) and the bridle and reins are all from my imagination :)

Bella wrote:With the start of the new year, I went through my knitting bags and sorted through my unfinished projects. Oh joy. :P

;))
I did something similar and discovered the sweater I still owe my nephew :-o I'm working on the second sleeve right now and hoping I'll have the whole thing finished before the end of this week

I particularly like the moose/reindeer/or whatever it is design. I'd totally wear a bag like that. :)

I went over to the art and crafts/knitting/sewing store and there was this beautiful pale peach colored yarn that just called to me and so I bought it to finish up a shawl I was making. My sister was horrified when I showed it to her though ;)) she's not a fan of anything orange, and she can't believe I'll be wearing a peach colored shawl ;))
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby Meltintalle » Jan 15, 2014 9:25 am

wild rose wrote: Looking forward to seeing pictures of the quilt Lady Haleth
Ditto!

Bella, I used a light weight yarn for the scarf... *checks label* It's a 3, and so is the yarn for the two baby blanket kits I just bought. :)

I rather like the idea of using old belts for your bags. I think leather would match and contrast nicely with the texture of the bags you made. The moose is adorable, and I like the checker pattern with the birds.

I'd love to see pictures of the sweater and the scarf, wrose. ;;)
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby ValiantArcher » Jan 15, 2014 8:45 pm

Ah, you all have such lovely projects. ;;)

The pony is very nice, wild rose. :) I'd love to see pictures of the shawl and sweater too. ;))

I look forward to the pictures of your quilt, Lady Haleth! :)

Any chance of pictures, stwin? It sounds like a neat set! :)

Mel, you know that I think the scarf is beautiful. ;))

Those bags look really neat, Bella! :) I especially like the moose/reindeer, though maybe the antlers should be a little thicker and/or taller? Regardless, it looks more like a moose to me than a reindeer. ;))

I'm still working on the fingerless gloves I was working on a year ago. :ymblushing: At least I'm on the second one by this point, though. ;)) When I finish them (or maybe before...), I'm hoping to knit a scarf on circular needles. It's a straight-forward stockinette Edit: garter stitch, but you are supposed to actually twist the first stitch when you join so you get a bit of a mobius band. So, we'll see if it turns out or not. ;))
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby Meltintalle » Jan 20, 2014 10:22 am

Valia wrote: you are supposed to actually twist the first stitch when you join so you get a bit of a mobius band
...I had to work so hard NOT to do that when I made the scarf. :p
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby wild rose » Jan 27, 2014 7:35 am

I FINALLY finished the sweater!!! Getting sick helped me out greatly as I had all the time in the world to do nothing but knit. Here's what it looks like:
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close up of the collar:
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Only, before you judge too harshly allow me to say this is my first knitting project...ever! The last time I held a pair of knitting needles in my hands was when I was 10 and that ended very catastrophic ;)) My sister asked me to knit a sweater for my nephew and I (like an idiot) told her I'd do it (I mean seriously, how hard could it be). So I went online, and after some search I found a video on youtube showing how to make an icelandic sweater, and I loved the sweater on the video and got it into my head to make it. I found some tutorials on how to do a knit stich and a purl stitch and jumped into making the sweater. The first thing that I had to do was rib knitting ;)) I clumsily got through it, took it apart, did it again, took it apart and finally got the hang of it ;)) Also, the pattern was meant for a 4 year old and my nephew is 1 and 1/2, so I thought I would have to derease but as it turned out, because I had a thinner type of wool, I ended up having to increase to make it fit him, so that was a little tricky when it came to the designs ;)) But at the end of this whole project, I learned how to rib knit, how to do the knit and purl stitch, how to cast off how to do the Kitchener stitch and I also learned to read a pattern off a chart. So it all turned out very educational and best of all, it fit my nephew :D (though I could have made the circumference of the arm a little smaller ;)) )
And though the one of the tutorial looks a LOT better, I'm thinking this one came out not so bad for a first timer ;;)

I haven't finished the shawl yet, I left it at work and with me getting sick, it stayed there waiting for me to get better and finish it
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby johobbit » Jan 27, 2014 10:46 am

:-o wrose, that sweater is beautiful! So neatly done. Bravo! *loves Icelandic sweaters* :D I hope your nephew gets many cozy hours of enjoyment out of wearing it. And the pony you posted about at the top of the page is adorable! Raelly cheery. :)

Mel, I do love that scarf! ;) :D

Bella, the birds and moose are lovely. I remember that it was quite exciting to see what only look like a bunch of stitches and rows at first grow into something very recognizable and lovely . Good job!

As always, I am really interested to see the ongoing projects here, including yours, st and Lady Haleth. Way to go, everyone! Such talent.
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby ValiantArcher » Feb 09, 2014 7:55 pm

Well, Mel, now that I've done it, I can see why it was a challenge; it was pretty difficult to get it to lay flat and then twist it only once, so... ;))

:-o wild rose, that's a gorgeous sweater! I can't believe that's only your first knitting project. *tries not to give up and despair on her knitting* How's the shawl coming? Have you had more of a chance to work on it? :)

I finished my circular scarf; there are a couple of holes where stitches jumped off the needles and I then didn't put them back on properly :ymblushing: (I didn't have access to a book to read how to do it, so I just guessed, and figured out I did it wrong but decided to just keep working), but I think it turned out pretty well otherwise. It's warm at least. ;))
I'm still working on my fingerless gloves, but have been looking at other projects too, and am toying with a hat. So, umm, are there any tips on how to work double pointed needles? Also, how do you properly join in round knitting? I fluffed it on the scarf, but I'm pretty sure I did it wrong...
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby Aslanisthebest » Feb 11, 2014 9:19 pm

Thank-you, Wrose, Mel, Valia, and Jo, for your comments on the bags!! :ymhug: Valia, yeah... now that you mention it, I think the moose would look more proportionate if the antlers were thicker. They look a little awkwardly chopped off. ;))

Wrose, ... that... was....your...first...knitting...project? :O Wow! I'm speechless. Or typeless. :P You used more than one color in one row on your first knitting?! That sweater is beautiful! I bet your nephew loves it.
I was wondering, what kind of knitting wool do you get in Russia? Over here, the most accessible type of yarn is general acrylic yarn. Cotton, wool, or anything real is often either inaccessible or very expensive, but it's so beautiful to work with. Are the craft shops there independently owned or small? We have a lot of big retail craft shops, which are nice in their own way, but the few independent, small craft shops here are real gems to find, because they often have merchandise that feels so authentic.

Valia, yay about your scarf!!
For hats, you can either use circular needles or double-pointed needles. I prefer circular, because they are really, really comfortable to use, and because double pointed needles and I don't get along. :P What helps me with DPN's is to keep the needles in a orderly system of overlapping. For example, I do not let the right one needle stay on top of the left one for one intersection and then, at another section, have the left one on top of the right one.
For joining around, I use two techniques:
(Speaking from a right-hand-knitting perspective)
One is to cast on all your stitches on the needle that you would end up putting in your left hand. Usually, after casting on, you would then take the right needle and start knitting into the stitches on the left. However, with joining the round, you take the left needle--the one you cast the stitches on-- and put it in your right hand, and start knitting with it into what would have been the right hand needle but is now the left hand needle. (in other words, you'll be knitting the last stitch, or the one you cast on first, depending on how you're looking at it.) This takes the strand of yarn from the ball and connects the two ends of the stitches, thus creating a round. (I hope that made sense.)
The other option is to knit normally all the way around until you reach the last stitch of the row. Then, here at the very end, knit two stitches together--the last stitch of your current round and the first stitch of the next round. You have to cast on an additional stitch for this one.
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby wild rose » Feb 15, 2014 5:20 am

thank you so much everyone :ymblushing: I glad you like the sweater. :) I really put a lot of work into it :)

Valia wrote:How's the shawl coming? Have you had more of a chance to work on it?


Sadly, I haven't had a chance to get it. It's still at work, and I'm still stuck at home. I hope to get back to work on Monday, so hopefully I'll be able get back to work on it

Valia wrote:So, umm, are there any tips on how to work double pointed needles?


Oh, double pointed needles, I nearly poked my eyes out so many times when I had to work with them to make the sleeves of the sweater. (They make a lethal weapon! Carry them around in your purse and you'll feel safe all the time :P )
I don't have many tips since I only started using them recently. I've found that in starting off is rather tricky, but once you actually get past the first couple rounds it gets easier. Just be sure you have a stitch marker to mark off the beginning of the circle, or else it can get very confusing (sad experiance ;)) )

Bella wrote:I was wondering, what kind of knitting wool do you get in Russia? Over here, the most accessible type of yarn is general acrylic yarn. Cotton, wool, or anything real is often either inaccessible or very expensive, but it's so beautiful to work with. Are the craft shops there independently owned or small? We have a lot of big retail craft shops, which are nice in their own way, but the few independent, small craft shops here are real gems to find, because they often have merchandise that feels so authentic.


Acrylic yarn is also the most popular here. Cotton and wool are a little harder to find, and wool has a tendency to be rather expensive. Cotton is cheaper and easier to find. Trying to get your hands on linen yarn is SO hard. Personally, I don't like acrylic yarn very much and prefer natural materials (guess that's the reeanctor side in me coming out ;)) ). Finding good quality wool for a resonable price was always tricky, but recently I came up with a easy way. I just order the yarn straight from the factory. It's twice as cheap than in the stores and you can order in bulk. I'm still trying to find a good place where I can buy linen yarn.
As for craft shops, there are big shops and there are small ones. A lot of them are independely owned but there are many retail shops as well. My favorite one is a retail called Igolochka (a tender way of saying Igla, the Russian word for needle). They have a very big vareity of just about everything! Yarn, needles, canvas, ribbons, buttons, different arts and crafts kits, you name it :) The prices there are also pretty reasonable.

I had a lot of time on my hands recently, with my being sick and all and got it into my head to make a back-pack. I have this transparent cloth with designs on it that used to be part of skirts for our bollywood dancing. But my sister wanted the skirts to be knee length so we took the bottom layer off and I thought it would great for future sewing projects. For the base of the bag I used a rough linen to give it some sort of firmness. I didn't use a concrete pattern, but just went along with my imagination :) All together it took about 5 hours to make and I'm really pleased the outcome. I want to make a purse and maybe another back-pack using the same style
Here are pictures of what it looks like
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby wolfloversk » Mar 05, 2014 11:12 am

I started working on my second bordered chevron friendship bracelet... it's having the same problem as my first in that there are little gaps between the knots... I'm hoping with practice I'll eliminate those... I'll try to get a picture later.

I also taught myself how to make a tassel the other day... hoping to incorporate them into either this bracelet or the next, but I need to learn how to attach them... any help on that?

Also does anyone know any good tutorials about cross stitching? I got a kit at the store the other day, but the instructions are a bit confusing.
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Re: The Second Measure: Sewing, Yarnwork, and other Needlework

Postby Meltintalle » Mar 05, 2014 2:32 pm

wrose, it looks like I haven't commented on your sweater yet. :ymblushing: It is amazing! I love the colors and design. I want to make one too! :D

wolfloversk wrote:Also does anyone know any good tutorials about cross stitching?


Not off the top of my head, but since I cross stitch I'm more than willing to take a stab at helping you make sense of the instructions.

My method is to find the middle of the fabric, middle of the pattern, and work all the stitches in that section going one direction, then go back and finish the 'x'. Color what you've done on the pattern with a highlighter, and work in sections until finished...
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