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Working in harmony
Posted: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 by Laura
Filed under Finished Objects
There is a place where knitting and crochet can happily exist together...and I've found it!
Ok so a lot of people get a weird feeling when you mention working with knitting and crochet on the same project. I know that I was one of them – the crochet makes the knitting look kinda bland and the knitted stitches make the crochet elements appear all wonky and unnecessary. But I have had some sort of epiphany and have realised that not only can these two forms co-exist...but they can create wonderful things together! (For those that already had this figured – why didn’t you let me know?!!)
I haven’t put this into practice in a massive way yet, but I certainly plan to. What better way to get stuck in than to use it in my latest LK design?! Here’s where the magic happened...with two knitted pieces in front of me and no great urge to begin mattress stitching them together I thought (*ping*) ‘Why not join them with crochet?’ Not only am I really happy with the results, it was actually a real joy to do. Woop Woop!
Other things that have been keeping me out of trouble...
Sew much fun (see what I did there?!)
I made my first skirt (well, since sewing club at primary school!) The beige sewing machine has been brought out of hibernation, dusted off and has done me proud in the creation of an A-line skirt complete with darts and a concealed zip – what’s more it fits! Yay!
Warm hands, happy soul
The musings regarding the Ultimate Mittens have taken a sudden leap forward. I am close to committing to a lovely colourwork pattern and am bravely dipping my toes in the water of Illustrator. Fingers crossed (which you can easily do in mittens!) I wont get stumped by the geekery and will soon have a fully charted pattern ready to knit!
Old school cool
Today I started a Retro Granny Square Blanket just like the ones my Grandma made for us as kids! I have had the yarn in my stash for ages and the right sized hook and the only thing stopping me was the voice in my head saying, “Urrghhh! It’s going to take ages!” Well, that may be the case, but the sooner you start the sooner you finish.
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Back to knit
Posted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 by Laura
Filed under On The Needles
WoopWoop!! I'm back on the knitty wagon!!
After a brief flirtation with crochet (well, more like a whirlwind romance with amugurumi!) I’m back to knitting!
I decided to cast on for a quick little knit and play with some of the FREE LK needles at the same time! I don’t normally work with super chunky yarns – favouring the more lightweight fibres – but this was just too lovely to resist!
Not only is it really satisfying knitting with these lovely thick yarns, it makes designing a lot speedier too! Not being one for lots of sums before I start being able to see the stitches and clearly visualise the shaping as your working is true magic! I have one more LK knitty design to finish...then I have promised myself another cheeky amigurumi project, I’m going to design it myself – only this time it’s going to be more ambitious!
I have also been dreaming big about complex colourwork I have been putting a lot of thought into the Ultimate Mittens that I want to make myself before winter.
Oh the Ultimate Mittens – just saying that cheers me up!! I have already picked out the yarn for the said mittens...scrummy Artesano Inca Cloud I have doodled some cute repeat patterns inspired my Norwegian designs and just want to get swatching – Did I really say that?! I never swatch! Then I plan to shut myself away with a good audiobook and be something of a knitty-mitten-hermit and not come out till they’re finished!
But I must, must, must finish the other things on my knit list before I start these...something to look forward to I guess!
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Still hooked
Posted: Friday, August 15, 2008 by Laura
Filed under Finished Objects
Amigurumi is too cute to stop!!
Really, I simply can’t stop! I have made a cute little amigurumi every day this week… a fortune cookie, a ruby -man, a raindrop and a bubble (don’t ask, just a small blue ball with a face) – seriously with a little imagination and love these things take on a life of their own! All of these were impromptu gifts and all were really well received!!
What’s more, it is seriously giving my maths brain a workout! I wonder if I might have paid more attention to Mrs Webb in maths class if she had told me that a sound understanding of numbers would help me with the increase and decrease sequences of creating uber-cute little crochet folk?!!
Now I have managed to come to grips with shaping in the round I’m dreaming in crochet – imagine a world where everything was as cute as these little beauties?? That’s not to say I’m turning my back on knitting – not a chance. There is more than enough love to share between knit and crochet, and the two seem work in harmony together...or is that just yet another excuse to buy more yarn and have even more projects on the go?!
Mmmhhh before crochet an entire planet (read: universe!) of kookie diddy chaps I probably should finish up the couple of designs I have started for LK and get some charting done for the Ultimate Mittens that I have been dreaming of and am desperate to have this winter!
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Say it with crochet!
Posted: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 by Laura
Filed under Finished Objects
Handmade rocks, pure and simple!
When it comes to giving a special message to a chum nothing beats something handcrafted with love. So, when I needed to make a small token for my best friend a card would have been the obvious choice, I searched for a cute little card but nothing I could see in the shops had the sentiment I wanted. Now I’m not renowned for my papercrafting skills – truth be told the small amount of dabbling with card blanks, embellishments and glue has all wound up in a hideous mess. So, with card making ruled out, I decided to think outside the box...and came up with an amigurumi fortune cookie!!
Amigurumi is my new favourite thing – seriously it’s up there with homemade hot toffee sauce on vanilla ice cream (yum!) So I whizzed up this little chap and even put a teeny-weeny note inside that read: Your friends are thinking of you always x, just like a real life fortune cookie!! This was so much fun to make and brought a smile to her face – which is just what I wanted! Mission accomplished!!
I’m not planing on swapping my sticks for hooks permanently, I just really enjoy the change - which is as good as a rest if you believe that saying!
If I’m honest I really love hopping between the two and I have just cast on for a small but fairly tricky colourwork design so a little crochet project is a welcome treat.
After all those lace numbers doing some fancy colour patterns is a lot of fun...but it also takes a lot of concentration. I’m still no quicker with the maths and charting, there will be some photos just as soon as it starts to look like something other than a giant knot!!
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