Swatch! Swatch! Swatch! What can I do with them all??

Last month we discussed what to do with just a few swatches.  This month let's talk more about this.
Four is a great number of swatches and can be so very versatile.  What ideas can you come up with?  Here are things I came up with or have seen online over the years.

1. Book mark:  Like last month use thread.  Seam 3 as before.  Crochet with a tiny hook around the edges, starting in the center of one of the short sides.  When you meet back up with the edging, chain for 6 - 9 inches and go around the last square.  Now you have a dangle.  Keep the dangle for a fancy swatch!
2. Dishcloth:  Using cotton, create 4 swatches or granny squares.  Coordinate the patterns or colors.  Seam them in the shape of a square and edge or not as desired.  
3. Pillow cover:  Do you have a square sofa cushion that is worn on one side?  Create a dishcloth using yarns that work with your décor and in a size that will fit your pillow.
4. Hot water bottle cover:  Use your favorite yarns.  Make 4 squares that are about 8 inches.  Seam into a square, then fold in half.  Seam one short end and the long side.  Add a tie woven through the other short end.  Slide the hot water bottle in, fill and cinch closed.
5. Eyeglass case:  Use non scratchy yarns.  Seam together to create a two layer thick tube.  Seam one short side.  Add a clasp to the other end if desired.
6. Doll blanket:  Depending on the size of the doll, seam the swatches together in a square shape.  The swatches should be a little more than the width of the doll.  This way the doll can stay warm.
7. Hot mat:  Need a larger mat to protect the table?  Platters for the holiday turkey, goose or ham require a larger hot mat/trivet than is generally available.  For this you will need to use cotton or wool yarn and several layers of felt.  Make your swatches 6 - 10 inches square.  Seam 2 together for each side.  Layer together with the felt in the center.  Seam or crochet around the outer edge.  Don't use acrylic yarn as it can melt depending on how hot your platter, pan, or baking dish is.

Review :: Bee Count An Android App

This is a stitch count/row counter with the ability to keep track of pattern repeats, stitch repeats.  New projects can be added.  New items can be added to existing projects.

**WARNING**

Be sure to SAVE your additions, editing, changes before downsizing to answer your phone, if used on your phone, or check time or anything else.  If you don't, you will lose whatever you put in.

I found this out the hard way.  I went to answer a local call only to find it was a telemarketing call and that I lost my additions to my new project.

A Year of Stitches week 7

Week 7

Knit stitch

Crochet stitch

This is a relative of the stitch from week 6.  In week 6 the bump was more vertical.  Week 7 will be horizontal.

Ch 21.
R1:  sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across.
R2:  ch 1, sc in first st, *sk 1, trtr in next st,  sc in skipped st working behind the trtr,  ch1, sc in next st. Rep from the * to the end, ending with sc in the last st.
R3:  ch 1, sc in first st, * sk 1, trtr in next st,  sc in skipped st working in front of trtr, ch 1, sc in next st. Rep from the * to the end.  The last 2sts are sc.

Repeat R2 and R3 for desired length.

Knit stitch

I  came across this stitch pattern and am enthralled.   It is simplicity.  It works with any number of stitches.  Who doesn't love that.  It's almost enough to be a welt.

Double garter stitch

Cast on 20 stitches.

R1: knit
R2: purl
R3: purl
R4: knit

Repeat these 4 rows to the desired length.

Knit & Crochet Before the Yarn

Have you ever stopped to consider your yarn?  What is it?  How did it get into this usable form that we love?

Yarn, whether it's animal based, plant based, or petroleum based, is made of fiber that are spun. They are all treated roughly the same after a certain point.  

Animal based yarns are almost always made from the hair that is combed from, cut from or shed by the animal in question.  The only exception I can come up with is silk which is from silk worms.  The part used is the cocoon.  All animal fibers must be cleaned from veg matter.  Veg matter is bits of twigs, weeds, seeds and any other plant matter that becomes stuck in the hair as well as more unsavory items which we won't go into.  This last part is usually cut off in a process called skirting.

Plant based are actual parts of the plant.  I have not done much with plant fibers on the processing side.  I have done quite a bit with cotton on the knit, crochet, sewing and quilting sides. I'm working with linen and hemp.  I'd like to try other plant fibers but finding them locally is not so easy.  The plants are prepared according to their type which varies due to the part of the plant used.

The petroleum based yarns might have been originally mixed in test tubes but they are now mixed in vats.  These are designed to mimic various plant or animal yarn characteristics. The chemicals are mixed and fibers are created.

Now is the time when all varieties are treated the same, more or less.  The fibers or hairs are combed as needed to align them all nice and neat.  Now depending on the final yarn you are looking for, the fibers are separated into smaller and smaller sections (called pre-drafting, I think) and twist them.  This is spinning.  It can be done by drop spindle, foot powered spinning wheel or electric spinning wheel or in a commercial setting on huge machines that do multiple strands at a time.  The twisted fiber is wrapped on the shaft of the drop spindle or onto a bobbin on the spinning wheel.  This is called a singles.  Yes with an s.  Multiple singles are still called singles.  I don't know why.  I'm a beginner and have not asked all my questions yet to my teacher.  However, the twist creates friction on the fibers helping them to not just float apart.  To create even stronger yarn the singles can be combined with more singles and then they become plies.  Plies are twisted together in the opposite direction of the singles twist.  This makes the yarn stronger and helps prevent breaking.

So, in addition to purchasing new yarn or reclaiming yarn from finished garments that don't fit or flatter you, you can create your own from fibers from animals and plants.  The petroleum based fibers are not available to the home spinner, that I have found.  I don't know if we'd want to spin them if they were.  But I don't know that for sure.  All I can say is I wouldn't want to utilize them. 

A Year of Stitches week 6

Week 6 of a year in stitches series and I'm brought to a movie reference. I'm a fan of Sean Connery movies.  I was watching "A Hunt for the Red October ".  Way back in the 80s, many knitters were enamored with Alex Baldwin's sweater .

So to that end, the basics of the sweater.

Cast on a multiple of 8.  All the cuffing of the sweater is 2x2 ribbing.

Cast on 24.

R1-4: * k2, p2.  Repeat to the end.
R5: * k6, p2.  Repeat to the end.
R6: * k2, p6.  Repeat to the end.
Repeat these 2 rows until the piece measures 3.25 inches.
Now repeat R1-4. Bind off in pattern.

The original sweater was done in natural wool in sport weight.  The pattern for this sweater an be found at
www.woolworks.org/patterns/jackryan.txt

Crochet stitches

This is a multiple of 2 plus 1 stitches.

Ch 26.

R1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, * dtr in next st,  sc in next st.  Repeat from *to the end. Turn.
R2: ch 1, sc in each st.  Turn.
R3: ch 1, sc, * sc in next st, dtr in next st.  Repeat to the last 2 sts, sc in last 2 sts.
R4: rep R4.
R5: ch 1, * sc, dtr. Repeat from * to the end,  end with sc.

Repeat R2 - R5 for desired length. Then repeat R2.

This produces a loopy fabric with lots of texture

A Year of Stitches week 5

Back to the stitches.

Week 5 knit

This is a multiple of 10 stitches.   I have a parallelogram knit and purl stitch. It looks best done in a multitude of the stitch multiple.

Cast on 30 or any other multiple of 10.

R1: RS :: * k5, p5. Repeat from * to the end.
R2: WS :: k4, * p5, k5. Repeat from * to the end, ending k1
R3: p2, * k5, p5. Repeat from * to the end, ending p3.
R4:  k2, * p5, k5. Repeat from *to the end, ending k3
R5:  p4, * k5, p5.  Repeat from *to the end, ending p1.
R6: * p5, k5. Repeat from * to the end.
Repeat these 6 rows to the desired length.

Crochet week 5

This is a multiple of 5 stitches plus 4.  This is a lacy shell stitch using double crochet and chain stitches.

For the swatch, ch 24.

R1:  dc in 5th ch from hook (counts as dc, ch 1), * sk 4 ch, in the next st (dc, ch 1) 3x, dc. Repeat from *to the end, ending with dc, ch 1, dc in top of ch 3.  Turn.
R2: ch 4, * in center ch 1 space of next  shell,  (dc, ch 1) 3x dc. Repeat from * to the end,  ending dc, ch 1, dc in top of last dc

Repeat R2 for desired size.

My latest distraction

A new granddaughter is coming.  She's due in April.  What's a grandma to do?  Knit and crochet and embroider of course.

This is a baby surprise jacket hopefully done in time.  I'm on the last of the decreases.  I'm using red heart super saver in pink camo on size 4.5mm circular needles. I think this looks more like a rose bush my mom had when I was a child.  

Also in the works is a fleece blanket embroidered with butterflies.  A bib I will be embroidering with owls. A fleece jacket I'm planning more butterflies for.

Review :: Granny Square Crochet

This app is pretty neat.  There are 30 granny squares with patterns.  The patterns are charted not written.  Some are more motifs made into squares than actual grannies, but still a nice assortment. They are shown in gradations and in multiple colors.  There are solids to laces and plenty of texture for all.

There are ideas for using all your squares.  These run the gamut from the generic afghan idea to things like bags, purses, tablet cases, toys, and accessories.  You name it.  Each idea gives you a more blown up picture with a link to get to the pattern.  Usually the pattern is in a blog post. 

There is also a how to section.  This explains a chart, charted pattern and how to know what the chart is showing you.  Pretty handy.  The chart used in the explanation is for a standard granny square.

I like this for the ideas and some of the new and unusual ideas presented.  Almost makes me want to yarn bomb my own mailbox and the fire hydrant in my yard.   Ok.  Maybe not the hydrant. 

A Year of Stitches week 8

Playing catch up still. 

Let's start with the knit stitch for week 8.

Week 4 we worked nupps.  This week is knit popcorn.  Popcorn stitches are between nupps and bobbles.  They are usually worked on stockinette fabric.

So cast on 20 stitches. Work a few rows of stockinette. On a knit row, knit 5 sts, in the next st, kfbfbf, drop this st off the left needle.  Now pull the 2nd st of the popcorn over the first, pull the 3rd st of the popcorn over the first,  pull the 4th st of the popcorn over the first.  Knit 10 sts and in the next st, kfbfbf, drop this st off the left needle.   Work the stitches off in the same way. Knit to the end. Knit a few more rows of stockinette fabric. 

Look at the popcorn. If they aren't sufficiently 3d, pull and push them into shape.  If you notice any gapping between the popcorn and the fabric,  try work the offensive spot tighter. 

Crochet week 5

Little clamshells

This is a stitch i came up with when I was working on the little pockets stitch from week 4.  It is again based on square mesh a dc high and 2 ch wide. It would work with ch 3 wide and tr high. 

Let's start with the ch for the mesh and work the first row of mesh.

Ch 21.
R1:  dc in 8th ch from hook,  *sk 2, ch 2, dc in next st. Rep from the * to the end.
R2 ch 3, * 2 dc in ch 2 sp, dc in dc, 2 dc around the dc post of prev row.  Rep from the * to the end. End dc in top of ch 3.
R3: ch 5, sk 2 dc, * dc in dc,  sk 4 dc.  Rep from the * to the end,  ending with dc in the top of ch 3.

Rep R2 and R3 for desired length ending with R2.

A Year of Stitches week 4

Due to illness in my family,  I've fallen behind. I hope no one else has been sick.

Knit stitch

A texture stitch is this week's choice.  This is an Estonian thing and adds a lot of interest to both the laces of that country and the knitting of those items.

Nupp (pronounced like soup)

Incorporate these into a stockinette based fabric.

When you reach the place you want to add a nupp, knit the stitch but keep the stitch on the needle,  yo, knit the stitch again, keep it on the needle,  yo, knit the stitch again,  keep it on the needle,  yo, knit the stitch again and drop it.  Continue working across the row.   On the next row, purl to the location of the nupp.  Insert the needle into all 7 loops of the nupp and purl it. This could be challenging. If it's too much, try doing a few loops at a time.  Continue working across the row.  

Crochet week 4

Little pockets

Last week we did a mesh of ch 2 dc to form a square mesh.

Let's start with the ch for the mesh and work the first row.

R2:  ch3, * 2dc in ch 2 sp,  2dc around the post of next dc, dc in dc. Rep from the * to the end. End with dc in top of ch 3.

Knitting in the Round

Have you stopped to consider your own knitting and doing it in the round?  For centuries the only way to do this was to use long double pointed needles.

Double point needles are still the method of choice for many.  The needles are not nearly as long.  As a matter of fact,  they are a good deal shorter.  There are 5inch needles usually reserved for knitting fingers on gloves and toes on socks for those who like novelty socks. There are 7inch needles used most often.  I like them for socks.  Then there are the 9 - 10 inch for sleeves and baby sweaters.   I like them. Until I lose one or break one.  There used to be longer ones but I think the circular needles have made them obsolete.

Circular needles can be one of two types, fixed and interchangeable.  Fixed circulars are those where the needle tips are permanently attached to the cable.  Interchangeables are those where the needle tips can part company from the cable when the knitter decides to change the tips.  This can happen by accident also.  That is frustrating and anger causing.  The most popular fixed length of circular needles available to most knitters in the big box stores is 29 inch.  This is the length of the tips plus the cable, not just the cable.  However, fixed circulars needles come in many lengths from 7 inch up to 60 inch.  In general,I love my interchangeable circular needles.  I use them as intended.  I use them in really large projects as super long straight needles.  I even use them in a strange configuration that is a variation of magic loop when I do 2 sleeve at a time with one long needle.

Magic Loop.  This uses a very long circular needle to go around a small circumference.  You manage this by pulling the cable out of play between stitches.  It just hangs out waiting for you to move it.  You can even pull the cable out of play in more than one place.  I'm not a fan of this technique.  It takes me too long to fiddle around moving the stitches and arranging the cable.  This is a personal bias.