Monthly Archives: October 2011

Finished!

Finished!
Finished!


PJ’s pumpkin cap is complete and tomorrow, I’ll see if it fits. I’ve made pumpkin caps with leaves and curly stems, but I think they look a little feminine. This one is just a bigger version of the one I made him last year.
The yarn is Caron Simply Soft in Mango. The stem is knit from a small skein of leftover yarn that’s like the gift of the Maccabees. Every time I need a small amount of light brown yarn, there it is! I think I bought it years ago when Kmart still carried yarn. I know it’s worsted weight acrylic, but I have no idea what brand it is.
I used 16″ circular US#8 Baleen needles. I knitted a gauge in stockinette and found that I got 4.5 stitches per inch. PJ’s head measures 18.5 inches in circumference. I multiplied the two numbers and rounded up to a multiple of 4. The knit 2, purl 2 pattern of the brim requires a multipe of 4 to complete the pattern. I cast on 84 stitches and joined them together making sure that all the loops were turned in the same direction.(If you twist your cast on row, the garment cannot be fixed, and you just have to unravel and start over!)
I worked in k2,p2 for the length of the index finger on my right hand (I use my pinkie for newborn caps!) I used the cast on tail to tell me when I’d completed a round. I changed to knitting every row for stockinette. That’s the beauty of circular knitting; knitting every row in the round gives you stockinette, and you don’t get those ridges that come from purling tighter that you knit or visa versa! I continued in stockinette for the length of my middle finger (I usually use my index finger…I like using my fingers for measurement. That way, I always have my rulers with me!)
At this point, I tried the cap on PJ, carefully holding my needles so the stitches would not slide off. I began my decrease:
Knit 4, knit two together, repeat for the rest of the round
Knit next round
Knit 3 knit two together, repeat for the rest of the round
Knit next round
Knit 3, knit 2 together, repeat for the rest of the round
Knit next round
Knit 2, Knit two together, repeat for the rest of the round
Change to double pointed needles (I didn’t have 8’s, so I used 6’s. that made the cap get smaller, too.)
Knit next round
Knit 2 together all the way around(that left me with app. 16 stitches.)
I tied on the light brown yarn.
I worked app. 6 more rounds using the light brown yarn. This formed the stem.
I finished by knitting two together all the way around, cutting my yarn leaving a 4 inch tail. I threaded a large tapestry needle with the tail and ran it through the remaining loops on my needles. I gathered them up as I removed them from the needles. I pushed my needle through to the wrong side, turned the cap inside out and knotted the tread. I wove the brown tail through the wrong side of the stem and trimmed it.
I cut the remaining mango (orange) thread from the skein and secured that tail and the original one. I turned it right side out, folded the brim, and there you have it! I hope it fits.

New Camera!

New Camera!
New Camera!

I bought an Olympus SP-180UZ from QVC. (How’s that for alphabet soup?) It has lots of built-in features like these filters:


I especially like this reflection feature. I titled this, “Reflections of Contentment.” That’s my husband, Kent, in his recliner, flipping the TV back and forth between a ballgame and a race…a man and his remote!

Diamond Cross-stitch Pattern

Diamond Cross-stitch Pattern
Diamond Cross-stitch Pattern

I chose to stitch the diamond pattern from the upper side of this “Mountain Landscape” design from the Cross-stitchers Club because it echoed the weave of the towel (from Charles Craft.)

While stitching the basic outline, I realized the potential of the pattern! I could stitch a tiny heart or flower in the center of each diamond, OR, I could fill in the diamonds to make a checkered, gingham or argyle design! Also, can you see the heart? This design contains lots of great elements. I think I’ll be using it alot!

A Windowscreen Frame

A Windowscreen Frame
A Windowscreen Frame

I found a little frame/hoop for my beaded butterfly. I added some Elmer’s Glue-all between the inner and outer hoop and trimmed away the excess windowscreen from the back. Now if I can just find the roll of ribbon I bought to tie on a bow, it’ll be ready for gifting. I think I’ll add a small suction cup hanger, too.

Medium-sized Miche Bags!

Medium-sized Miche Bags!
Medium-sized Miche Bags!

Whoo Hooo! Medium-sized Miche Bags have arrived! I got this one at “Sisters,” my friend, Gail’s shop in Melody Square, N. Wilkesboro, NC. What’s that got to do with crafting? If you’re not familiar with Miche Bags, they are basic bags with interchangeable covers. If I don’t come up with a handmade cover pattern for them, you can bet those smart girls at etsy.com will! In the meantime, I still intend to buy the originals from the original company. Here’s a link if you can’t get by Gail’s: http://www.michebag.com/

Look what I found!

Look what I found!
Look what I found!

I stitched this little towel years ago, and it was waiting for me to figure out how to set the colors before I used it. I submerged it in the vinegar bath I made to set my red thread for the breadcloth from a previous post. It’s cross-stitched over a pre-printed design. I particularly liked stitching it because I didn’t have to count stitches. I just matched thread colors.