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Saturday 30 March 2019

Oops my finger slipped...

Happy Yarn Face
So happy with my new yarn :D
 
So you guys would know I've been making a homebody sweater and I should have a review of the pattern and the changes I made up. But I made it in Acrylic, a fairly cheap one at that. It was tester and a lot of fun and I will wear that jumper until it dies :D... But a couple of problems with it. I used 10ply worsted weight acrylic, the USA style spot saver from spotlight and it worked up beautifully soft.  However, it is quite a heavy yarn and I used a 5.5mm hook so the resulting fabric is quite solid.

Soo my finger slipped last week and I ordered some Bendigo Woollen Mills Steller 8ply. This yarn is beautiful :D and I am looking forward to making a jumper in it. I love the wool/bamboo blend and the colour is just delicious!! I ordered 5 balls in the Amethyst colourway and as you can see here I didn't manage to take photos before starting my project with it!


This yarn is so beautifully squishy and feels just gorgeous to touch! I am so excited to be working with it!


This is me at band during rehearsal working away on the band for my sweater! I got it that day and started working with it that night... that never happens!


Have you had an oops moment recently and received so pretty happy mail?

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin







Friday 29 March 2019

Friday Finds: Origami Dragon

Oh my when I was looking through my youtube feed looking for something to watch this caught my eye. I just knew it was awesome and I had to share it with you.




I don't think I have this level of skill but I'm willing to give it a try some time.

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

Monday 25 March 2019

Homebody Sweater: Pattern Review

So I never expected to say that within 4 weeks of starting this sweater that it would be finished and able to be used. I started this expecting to MAYBE get it done by this winter. But it ended up being such a quick make. It's the Homebody Sweater pattern by Meg Made With Love.


 I used Spot Saver yarn from Spotlight in the purple and donkey. I had bought the purple last year thinking of maybe making a shawl but I wanted to start a project and this one was calling me. The spot saver is a 10 ply or worsted weight yarn like the red heart super saver (at least that is my understanding). I made a size medium with a 5.5mm hook so it made quite a heavy thick fabric. Next time I will use 8ply yarn and a larger hook to make a softer fabric.

It's a very boxy sweater designed to be worn off the shoulders. With arms that are meant to be cuffed.


I love how it looks on me. Though you were really lucky to get any photos with me modelling this as it was REALLY hot over the weekend. You wouldn't think that it is now autumn but the temperature is still over 30 degrees celcius most days.

Now being me and being a little laxy I did make some significant changes to the pattern.

I worked the main body of the sweater in the round. Instead of working the front then the back and then seaming I didn't want to have to seam it at all so I did the two bottom rib sections and then joined them in the round when I did the first row of the body.

 I did have one problem with this as you can see by the photo above my seam moved. I managed to fix that for the arms by turning every row but forgot about it for the main body.

Now the pattern calls for you to seam up to row 33 or something (check the pattern for your size if you want to make these changes.) So I worked in the round until then and then worked across the front the 72 stitches (in my case) and just worked the front up to the top. Then I came back in and joined the back on and worked it up to the top. I'm sorry I don't have any photos of this process because it was all done in the middle of lectures at uni and I felt very self conscious trying the take photos. But if you want to know more I am actually waiting for yarn to make a second one so .... photos will be coming I hope! Also send me a message and I'll try to explain it a different way if you want.

I then did a single crochet seam across the shoulder points. I did debate doing a join as you go thing but I wanted a very solid shoulder point. To add some structure.

I then joined the arms on as the pattern stated and went from there.


As you can see from the photo above I did some research in to how to stop the travelling seam (diagonal seam shown on the body above) and the best solution seemed to be to turn your work every row. This also gave the piece the ridges that the top half is showing but the bottom isn't because the work there wasn't turned (difference between rows and working in the round)

But because of the green stripe it isn't noticeable as it could be.









So my final thoughts:

Will I make this pattern again? Hell yes and I already have yarn on the way, but this is time I will do it differently.

What would I change? I would work the body in the round again but this time turning every row to create a seam up the side and also I would work it in a yarn other than acrylic. I am also tempted to try shaping the sleeves to come in more on my next one so that they're sitting tighter around my arms instead of just hanging but I may not do that if I can manage a drapier fabric overall.
 
But for now, I will leave you with this awesome photo of me attempting to do some fancy modelling and having a lot of fun :D


Have you attempted this pattern? How did it go for you?

Happy stitching,

Caitlin



Friday 22 March 2019

Friday Finds: 3D printed chainmail

I generally watch a lot of art videos on youtube, I just enjoy the style of entertainment and there are two artist I follow a lot. One is Bailey Jae and the other is Draw with Jazza.

Jazza is an Australian based artist who does everything from traditional drawing through to some odd stuff like sculpting with hot glue. He is a talented artist so quite capable of some amazing feats with some pretty basic supplies.

But this one just came out recently and it took MONTHS! He 3D printed his own chainmail and sword and then proceeded to fight with it against a real sword.



This second video is on his brother's channel where he actually fights against real steal :D Not the best choice.
Hope you enjoy these two guys they have the right balance of silly and informative!

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

Friday 15 March 2019

Friday Finds: Doll Repainting!

Oh my, oh my!

I stumbled across this lady on youtube a couple of years ago but this video came through my feed in the last couple of weeks and I just had to share.

This lady makes some beautiful dolls considering the state of the doll she starts with. She is quite a stunning artist and puts a lot of time into her craft.

I'm not tempted to start doing this as it is a bit too much time and effort on another craft but I do admire her abilities and wish I did have all the time in the world!

Happy Crafting,
Caitlin

Sunday 10 March 2019

Holding Tension in Crochet

If you have been around my blog for a number of years you may have already heard some of these stories but it's always worth sharing again. My mother started teaching me to crochet when I was 9 years old. I had some little Barbie/Kelly dolls that I loved but they needed blankets and clothes. Instead of mum just making the stuff for us (my sister and me) she handed me a crochet hook and some 8ply Acrylic yarn. Then mum taught me the basics, chain stitch, double crochet and all that. Since then I have forgotten and retaught myself a couple of times.

Amongst all that my grandma got a hold of me, meaning that she handed me some knitting needles (fairly certain it was at my request) and taught me to knit. When knitting my grandma focused a lot on the tension and making sure it is being kept even. I was also taught the English method meaning the tension is being held in the right hand not the left.

Cue me falling back into crochet again because I always go round in circles with these two crafts and I just work with what I have. I fell hard into making toys (all those cute little amigurumi!) The little characters that you have to keep VERY tight tension with. I fell into very bad habits, though I didn't realise it at the time. I would make the stitch and pull the yarn down to make it very tight. This worked with toys but I'm realising now it really really really doesn't work as I start to move into clothes and stuff.

These past couple of weeks something just clicked. I knew I had this habit of pulling down but I was watching a YouTube tutorial and watching her hold her tension and something just hit me. I watched the way she pulled the thread through and how she didn't pull the thread down and for once I could see the way she was holding the thread steady in her left hand and holding the tension the whole way. See the video just below.



I don't know how I couldn't work that out but finally it clicked. Also I just managed to do it. No fuss it just made sense. I hold my yarn differently to her, I hold it in my left hand in the exact same way my grandma taught me to hold my yarn for knitting in my right hand. But how I hold it was never the problem I just wasn't holding the tension the whole way through the stitch. DUH! It seems like such a simple thing to say but it really does make a difference and I am actually making a crochet fabric that is much looser and just sits nicer all around.


 
Isn't it funny how you can do something for years and then something just hits and you realise where you've been going wrong this whole time. Oh well... I hope you enjoy this realisation as it's been a great thing for me to realise.

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin


p.s. amigurumi wants to be spell corrected to fumigator ... apparently that's not a word :)




Friday 8 March 2019

Friday finds: Homebody Sweater

Ohk I did say back when I started this last year that this was going to become a regular thing but it just didn't work out like that. However, I have found that the more regularly I write and post the better I feel about writing and posting. The words come easier the more I write and I figure that's a good thing to keep practicing as I have two big 1000 word assignments this semester.

So onto my Friday find for this week! Not a video, I am currently obsessed with this pattern.

The Homebody Sweater

Photo courtesy of MegMadeWithLove
So obsessed actually that I have started making it for myself! Yes I am actually CROCHETING an item of clothing that isn't a shawl or beanie! I really found myself liking this style of clothing last winter and enjoying the sort of lazy jumpers that you just throw on at home and lounge around in.

Now being me of course I am not doing it in boring grey... no I'm doing it in purple. I have three skeins of Value Spot Saver yarn from Spotlight and we shall see if it is enough. Actually thinking of heading to spotlight and getting either another skein or another colour to create a contrasting stripe.


My Homebody Sweater in purple

The colour is really not accurate but it's such a deep purple that getting an accurate shot is going to take time. But here is the start of my homebody sweater. Who else is tempted by this pattern or one of the other ones on her website? They are all free as well so really easy to access.

Hope you enjoyed this Friday Finds.

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin




Thursday 7 March 2019

New gym

A lot has changed personally in the last month and I'm not really going into details as a lot is still being worked out. BUT one thing that has truly changed for the better is I joined a new gym.

I loved the bootcamp that I was doing and it was fantastic to get me up and moving and you've heard me go on about that. But circumstances changed and I found myself needing to find a gym closer to work rather than home. I decided to join my sister's gym and organised to work with her Personal Trainer as well. I was finding that I wasn't getting as much from the bootcamp anymore and I wasn't making the gains that I really wanted to make. So I have now started strength training. Meaning I'm learning how to squat with a bar and how to do a bench press. I'm 7 weeks in and I go one morning a week with my PT and then try and get another morning with my sister. 

 This is me with 45kg on the bar :D I'm getting ready to go down so breathing in carefully.


 This is me going down I'm concentrating really hard ...


up up up we go. I've learnt that looking up makes you feel up! 

Don't you just love my tough mudder shirt? I'm hoping to get another this year if everything works out I'm planning on doing the full course! 

I am loving this new workout program I'm on because I feel great and I'm feeling stronger. I woke up this morning feeling Meh, but I had a standing appointment with my sister and once I was at the gym I felt so much better.

This is me at the end of my workout. I was tired and a little sore but feeling great. I don't always look amazing when I'm finished and in this case I was looking forward to my shower BUT the feeling of having worked out was amazing.


Does anyone else do weights? If you don't what do you do for exercise?

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin










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