Subscribe

Tuesday 30 April 2019

New Knitting Project

This has been in the wings since July last year when my sister came home from visiting Tasmania with 4 skeins of yarn for me. I still don't know exactly what I'm going to do with the other ones though I think the red one is slated to be a beanie/hat of some kind for my sister since she bought me this wool.

Found this screenshot of when I posted this on instagram.... oops it has been a while.  But I'm working with the second yarn at the moment.



 Here I am using the chair to wrap the skein into a ball... I didn't keep using it like this, ended up just having it over one side and then going from there. One of the reasons it has taken me so long to deal with this yarn is that I have never balled yarn from a skein before by myself so it was a bit intimidating. So hopefully the ball works..... You can't really go wrong can you?


Now I'm sure you're nodding your head going ohk so you have a ball of yarn now what?

I'm planning to make the close to you shawl by Justyna Lorkowska. It's such a simple pattern but I think it will sing in this yarn.

Here is a photo from the designer of the shawl. Photo taken from the ravelry link just above :D


I have over 400m of yarn here so it should be a decent size and the colour will just pop!

Have you got a new project you're working on?

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

Friday 19 April 2019

Friday Finds: Edwards Crochet Imaginarium

I 'had' to visit spotlight to pick up some needles and black thread (which they didn't have! who runs out of 310??) But black thread aside I got distracted by the books and magazines and this book caught my eye.


I was intrigued by all the different patterns on the cover and interested to see what the inside showed. I was not disappointed. This book is set up like the monster books/activities I used to do as a kid with alternating flipcards for the head arms and legs.



You pick from a variety of ear shapes, arms and legs and work out what you want your monster to look like. This one is one I want to make. You then start by making the same head/body shape then adding on all the extras. The different colour backgrounds actually indicate how difficult the pattern is though they do claim that even the hardest pattern can be done by an intermediate beginner.

But the second half of the book is where this book is really great. Instead of just giving the information for all the different patterns it goes into sizing and how to make different colour patterns and features to really make your monster unique. You can copy the ones shown in the book exactly or you can make them your own.


It tells you how to get different effects with stripes either wide or thin. Also how to add spots or gradients.


So many options and you could do so much with just this basic body form. You could stitch for years and never truly repeat a character.


I love the one with the fluffy hands and I may have to try that one as well.


This book ended up being $30 AUD from spotlight here but I definitely think it is value for money as I can see many years of use out of it as it is so versatile and changeable. You could even use this basic form to make more conventional looking creatures. It is written in UK terminology so that could be a factor for someone but because it's the same stitch repeated it is easy to follow.

I have actually started working on one of the creatures but I didn't think about just how much thread is required and I was using some cheap cross stitch thread I had lying around and ran out. So I will have to restart I think with a thread I actually have a decent amount of! But that is my mistake and I should have known that because I have made enough stuff with crochet to know how much thread I will need! The pattern so far is really easy to follow and is something I'm excited to keep going on.

So I am really happy with this book purchase and you can look forward to seeing some characters appearing at some point (time being a factor here :D )

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

Sunday 14 April 2019

Crafting Update: some progress but no finishes


I am in love with working on this jumper :D I LOVE the steller yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills.It just slides through your fingers beautifully when working on it.


 I'm shaping this one in so it should be a lot more fitted and flatter my waist more. It's still going to be loose but it is a little more smooth I hope!



It's working up a lot slower than the first one for two reasons. It's 8ply vs 10ply which changes the size but the main reason is that it's into crunch time at uni. I have had an assignment due each fortnight and this will be continuing until the end of April. Then the last week I've been sick as a dog! Actually I don't know how sick that is but I haven't been well, I spent most of the week on the couch barely moving so as much as I had 'time' to stitch I didn't have any energy. Unfortunately it seems to have hit my partner now and he's not well either.


 I actually started a new cross stitch when I was feeling sick though again didn't get much done. It's from my oriental cross stitch magazine. It's a little panda but you can see I've only done a tiny bit of white so far.


Once I actually have time I think I will be finished with this little panda quickly. It looks like a simple little stitch I just need the time to devote to it which isn't happening quickly.

Happy Stitching,
Caitliin







Friday 5 April 2019

A Comprehensive Guide to Cross Stitch Designers

ETA: I have now created a page as it will be easier to update and for everyone to find the link is here

Ohk maybe a bit pretentious on the title! But I was perusing facebook, as you do, and in one of the groups there was someone making a comment about etsy patterns. A beginner who really didn't know that there was so much more out there outside etsy. THEN the fun began as more and more people commented about not knowing a lot of other designers. Some knew some, but there were so many that weren't known by many.

So this is nowhere near a comprehensive list as I don't know every designer out there and I will ask for people to PLEASE post in the comments and share ones not on this list and I'll come back and add them in when I get a chance.

I have tried to link to the designer's page/blog where possible so it may not be the best place to buy the patterns but it is the best place to find out more and see a comprehensive list of the available patterns I hope! In no particular order and no particular theme (I may come back and edit this but want to get this list out there)

IF YOU HAVE ANY DESIGNERS I HAVEN'T SHARED HERE PLEASE COMMENT AND I WILL ADD!

Designers


 Magazines

 Websites

Books

I've run out of time right now to post anything more as my lunch break is over but please if you see any glaring holes or I've forgotten your favourite designer (and there is a high chance) please post a link below and I'll get it in ASAP.

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...