Peace Fleece Vest for Sean

Oooh I love how this vest turned out. I orderd some Peace Fleece this fall (the grey background is called “Father’s Gray”) with the intentions of making a vest for my father-inlaw. I wanted something a bit sophisticated but also a color pattern. I am very pleased with my results!! The pattern for this vest is in progress and hopefully I’ll have it done soon.

It worked up very quickly since it is knit in the round with steeked front and armholes. The ribbing edges were done last.

These photos aren’t the best  – can’t wait to photograph it on Sean!!

Fair Isle hand knit vest

The buttons are from a jacket that I had ages ago. . .when the jacket was worn thin and I retired it to the trash, I saved these nice metal buttons.

Hand knit fair isle vest

Look for the pattern in the near future!

Needlefelting oven mitts

I started a new line of items for needlefelting surface design. These mitts are hand knit and then fulled in the washer.
They knit up quickly and then we’re onto the fun of needlefelting!!

Twined Knitting

Well, I must say I LOVE how this knittin looks. I even got used to spinning the ball of yarn to untwist it.

For my recent birthday my family gave me the book “twined Knitting, a Swedish Folkcrafrt Technique”. It was too expensive for my blood but I love this book. Now I have to return the copy I was using to the Textile Center Library.

A friend commissioned these mittens to match a new coat.

The mitts were knit in black, Gems Merino DK weight yarn. For some reason my camera didn’t work very well. I’ll need to get better photos!!

Twined knitt mittens

The beads on the cuff were knit in as I went. Notice how I did the thumb gusset. I wanted these to be a one of a kind!

Black twine knit mittens

Here they are after I crocheted beads onto the back of the mitts. The coat these were made to match is red with half  circle designs in black. I think the mitts match very well. Now I just need to figure out what is wrong with my cameral!

New knitting pattern available & a new love!

Charlotte’s Tam pattern is now available on my etsy site! I’ve made three of them now and they work up so nicely!

The one shown on the pattern is knit  in Gale Woods Farm’s sock yarn and it was perfect. I knit another one using two skeins of  Mission Falls 136 Merino and that turned out very nice as well. 136 Merino is sooo soft and fun to work with.

I tried one in a worsted weight to see what would happen. . .it is a bit big! The diameter across the top is 13″. . . looks a bit funny on my head!

I’ve found a new love!!! Twined Knitting.

While at the library at the Minnesota Textile Center I found a book  “Twined Knitting, a Swedish Folkcraft Technique”. The book is full of great pictures, mitten, glove and hat patterns and history. I became so entrigued I started a project right away. I have some New Zealand wool I picked up at a sale somewhere and it is perfect for twined knitting.

This must be the definitive book on Twined knitting since I’ve been searching on line for one and the cheapest one I’ve found is 86$. . ouch. . .too much or my book budget, but I’m keeping it on my wish list.

Charlotte’s Tam

I’m so excited about this pattern!!
I have knit two of these tams now and I must say they are quite fun and the pattern is easy to memorize.

Start knitting in the round at the top and increase out to the brim. . . the top is 8 pattern repeats of small two stitch cables and twisted stitches.

The brim is ribbed and then finished with an I-cord. The diameter of the top is 11.5″ and the brim is 18″ around, unstreteched.

At the very edge of the top – I never realized how hard it is to photograph patterns in white – is a diamond pattern that weaves in the middle.

I knit this tam in yarn from Gale Woods Farm on size 6 needles. I used about 225 yards of a dk weight yarn. The crispier the yarn the better.

I knit another one in 136 Merino Superwash from Mission Falls, 100% Merino. That one turned out great too! The softness of the merino make that tam floppier resulting in a different style hat. . .just as cute!

The pattern is getting edited right now. . . and as soon as it it done you’ll be able to find it on Ravelry and Etsy. I plan on knitting another one in worsted weight yarn, just to see what happens.

Art project moving right along

Here is the background for my yarn covered cones!
I’m really excited about it. I used fabric adhesive spray and the ends of yarn are from a project I did 5 years ago. Yes I save everything!!

Now I will use a sewing machine to “quilt” over the yarn ends to secure them to the fabric.

Can’t wait to really dig into this! I think this weekend is the time. . . especially since the deadline is quickly approaching.

Still working on my art entry

These cones are coming along. . . the time is drawing near. . hopefully I’ll get it done. . .hate for all this work to go to waste!

Metaphoric Fibers Call for Entry

The Textile Center of Minnesota has a call for entry for a fiber show called “metaphoric Fibers: Untamed Knitting & Crochet.

“The artwork for this exhibit will be a fiber abstarction of the artist’s alternative perception of an everyday reality.”

Well I spend most of my day at a knitting machine, knitting sweaters, all of the fiber comes from cones.

Box of Cones

I spent a lot of time wondering what to do for the art exhibit. I know I want to enter it but oh what to do. . . and I have this box of cones in my front porch that multiplies daily. One would think they are living beings!

Box of cones, another view

Hmm. . . what to do. . .I really want to do somehting using these cones. . . let’s cut them up!

Cut up cones

They sliced up very nicely with the table top saw!

Let’s crochet yarn around them!

First samples of crochetted cones

Now I just have to decide how to connect them!

I better get busy. . . the deadline is August 17th and approaching fast!

Needlefelting at the Lake

The Friedman family spent some time needlefelting my hats. . .  Wish I could have been there to join in the fun!

Freeform knit and crochet fans

I’ve started to destash my fancy yarns and am selling it on Ebay

Check it out!!

There is a total of 390 yards of 39 different colors of yarns in 10 yard increments.

Yarns included are silk/mohair/cotton/wool/ribbon.

Save money and get some fun yarn to play with.

Right now all I’ve put together are blues – but stay tuned or more colors!