Swatch! Swatch! Swatch! What to do with them all

I have swatches.  No big surprise there.  Most of mine go into a binder to be used for teaching purposes.  Again, not a big surprise to anyone, I hope.  However, I do remember back 20 years or more when I got my first knitting machine.  It was a Singer LK-150.  I liked that machine.  I took lessons to learn how to use it.  Most of the issues I had were not addressed in the training video.  I didn't oil it nearly enough.  Now back to the reason for this little side story.  I had swatches of all kinds of things I learned.  At first I kept them in the box.  Then I decided that I \would keep them for learning when I did those techniques.  Fast forward a few years, I didn't need the swatches.  The lessons had stuck.  I had all these swatches that were 7"x9" give or take.  I made an afghan.

But it got me thinking about granny squares and swatches.  What can we do with them all?  What ideas can you come up with??  I found quite a few ideas online over the years and come up with a bunch on my own too.  So let's start with 1, 2 or 3 squares. 

1 block.

1. Pincushion:  Stuff and sew into a rectangle or triangle.  Use wool with the lanolin still in to prevent rusting.
2. Coaster:  Use cotton.  No stuffing.  No sewing.
3. Sachet:  Fold and stuff just like the pincushion.  Saturate the stuffing with essential oils to either smell nice or keep moths at bay.  You can also stuff with dried flowers of the scent you want.  
4. Sleep pillow:  This uses a large swatch, usually 8x8 in a soft yarn.  Fold it in a triangle and stuff with cotton.  Add some essential oil.  A drop or two of lavender promotes sleep.  Too much and you end up with the jitters.  Add to your bed at bedtime keeping it near your head.  
5. Eye glasses case:  This also uses a large swatch, 6 - 7 inches. Fold in half, seam on 1 short and the long side.  Again use soft yarn that won't scratch the lenses.

2 Blocks

1. Potholder/Hot pad:  2 squares in wool or cotton.  No holes in the pattern.  Add some layers of felt the same size  (wool is nice for this since it doesn't burn or melt).  Crochet or sew around all the edges.  Add a hanging loop or not.  
2. Tote bag:  2 very large squares.  12 inches is a good size.  Seam on 3 sides or crochet.  Add a strap of whatever sort.  A braid can be used and can be custom fit to you.  You can also use a strap from a worn out purse.  Line it if you don't want to lose things.
3. Halloween treat bag:  Choose 2 Halloween charts, using either a fair isle or knit/purl pattern, that are the same size and work up at about 8 - 10 inches square.  Seam on 3 sides.  Add handles to the open end.  Trick or treat at will.
4. Vest:  This can be deceptively easy.  Choose the recipient.  I suggest a doll for starters.  Use a ribbon and across the top, tie together the front and back 1/4 of the way in from each edge continuing out to the corner.  Neck hole made.  To make the armholes, work down those sides to the bottom edge.  This can work until the child is about 4 years old or so.  They are usually not curvy.
5. Soap Sack:  Use cotton for this.  Hold wrong sides together.  Seam on 3 sides.  Weave a tie around the open side.  Insert soap slivers and scrub the dirt away.
6. Fingerless mitts:  Measure around the hand at the knuckles of the recipient.  The swatches used should be a square that meets this measurement and coordinate in pattern and color.  1 swatch.  Fold in half.  Seam from one end up 1 - 2 inches.  This is the part that is above the thumb.  Leave the next inch or two open for the thumb.  If the hand is very small, leave less.  Seam from that point to the other open end.  Repeat.

3 blocks

1. Bookmark:  Perfect for the reader in the family or your circle of friends.  Use crochet thread to make these not too thick so as to not break the spine of the book.  Seam together into a long rectangle.  Gift with a favorite book.
2. Hot mat or small place mat:  Use heavy wool yarn or cotton yarn for this in a larger size.  Seam 2 together, then add the 3rd centered over the seam to form a triangle.  Cheery colors look great in a kitchen.  Adding glass beads can bring an extra touch to these.

Sweater Recycling

Do you have a sweater that is no longer you, your style or otherwise wrong?  We all do.  For this,  it doesn't matter if the sweater is store bought or hand knit.  If it was knit for you by someone close to you but not you, it could get complicated.  Recycling a gift can get tricky.  Let's assume you knit it for yourself or it's store bought.  In what ways can this be recycled?  Here's my list of ways that I have come up with.  One big piece of advice before you start.  If this garment is a hand knit, you might want to let the creator know before you rip it back or chop it up.

1.  The obvious is to donate to a thrift store or hand it down to another family member.   By donating to a store you have an opportunity to support a charity you feel strongly about.

2.  This next way is a bit more drastic.   It involves the use of a pair of scissor.  You can cut the sweater into a wide variety of things.  Some ideas include:  very small dog sweaters from the sleeves, blanket squares from the front and back, mitten shapes from the front and back, cut a U shape at the neckline and remove the sleeves.  by sewing the bottom closed you have a shopping bag.  If you cut your blanket squares off at the underarm line and straighten the armscye and the neck, the front and back can be sewn together and add a "hem" to the top and bottom in whatever form you like and you have a cowl.

3.  This way is the most drastic.  Remove the seams as needed.  Unweave the ends that were so painstakingly woven in.  Open the bound off end and completely unkinder the sweater.  This is best done on a sweater that is nearly new.  A worn sweater will have weak spots in the yarn.  Wind into a skein.  Tie with contrasting non felting yarn or thread.  soak in a warm water bath with a rinse less "soap" for 20 minutes.  Hang the skein(s) to dry with a 1/2 lb can in the cradle of the skein.  These will help to remove the kinks from the previous knitting.  When the yarn is completely dry, it can  be hanked up and put on a shelf until it is needed.  Or it can be wound on a ball winder and used immediately.  Now the yarn can be used as desired.  This will become a class in April.

A year in stitches week 3

Knit week 3

This is a study of the most basic lace stitch pattern. Faggotting. It biases terribly to the right until blocked.  Do you see a difference when the yarn over is after the decrease?  Do you see a difference when row 2 is purled,  knitted, or is a repeat of row 1?  The photo shown is with r2 purled as written.

This is a multiple of 2.

Cast on 20 stitches.

R1: k1, * yo, k2tog. Rep from * to the end of the row.  End k1.
R2: p.

Do you want this to bias left instead?  Try yo, ssk. This variation is called the Turkish stitch.

Crochet week 3

Let's do another basic.  Plain mesh. Many types of stitches are based, in part, on mesh.

Ch 20.

R1:  dc in 8th ch from hook,  * ch 2, sk 2, dc in next st.   Rep from the * to the end.

R2: ch5,  * dc in dc,  ch 2. Rep from the * to the end. End dc in 3rd ch.

Rep r 2 to the desired size.

Another option is to make the mesh larger or smaller.  

For a smaller mesh, use hdcand ch 1 space.

For a larger mesh,  use tr and ch 3 space.

A Year in Stitches week 1

This year is starting off slowly for blog posts. There's a problem with publishing new posts but not pre-scheduled.  And now here's week 1.  I did have this up but can't find it anywhere now.

Knit week 1

This is a quickie.   It's a 1 row stitch pattern in a multiple of 4.

R1: * k2, yo, k2tog-b.  Rep to the end. 

Crochet week 1

Granny in rows

This is another easy and quick stitch pattern.   It can be done with 1 color, 2 colors, or many colors and possibly use up leftovers. It's a multiple of 4.

Ch 24

R1: 2 dc in 4th ch from hook, * ch 1, sk  3 ch, 3 dc in next st. Rep from the * to the end.

R2:  ch 4, * 3 dc in ch 1 st, ch 1.  Rep from * to the end. End with dc on top of ch 3.

R3:  ch 3, 2 dc in ch 1 space,  * ch 1, 3dc in ch 1 space.  Rep from the * to the end.

Rep r2 and r3 until the desired size is reached.

3 Pieces of Advice for Beginners and Reminders to Those More Experienced

There are 3 things I think important to tell beginners.  It doesn't hurt to remind more experienced stitchers of these either.  

1.  Relax.  This is supposed to be fun.  You can't have a good time if you have your hands choking the tool or the yarn.  

       If you need a relaxer, like a massage or cake or a sip of a beverage of choice, most won't say anything.  Maybe try learning with some friends or family members?  Laughter makes things fun.

2.  This is just stick(s) and string.  No one will die or suffer from a catastrophe if a mistake is made.

        Unless you are working with a very sticky yarn (think mohair) your first time through,  you can rip back mistakes.  Mohair will take some convincing and time.  Don't want to take the time?  Cut the yarn and start over.  Sometimes if you are practicing between classes and consistently making the same mistake,  cutting and starting over with new yarn is good.  Show the teacher those snippets and the teacher can see what you are doing.  The other option, after showing the teacher,  is to own what you are doing and call it a design feature.

3.  If you don't like the project,  the yarn, the tool, the whole thing of knitting and/or crocheting, you don't have to continue with it.

       No one has to make something they don't like or actually hate.  No one has to use yarn or tools that they can't control,  don't like, or hurts your hands or eyes.  If you don't like knitting or crocheting,  stop.  The only exception I can come up with is if you hate a particular color or fiber and this is a gift and the recipient asks for it.  But you might come to an agreement about it. 

I will say that even if you hate pastels,  use them at first for practice since it is easy for you and your teacher to see any mistakes being made or how stitches are formed.  Dark colors make learning difficult.

A Year of Stitches week 2

This was also published before and disappeared. 

Knit week 2

This is deceptively easy.   It's a multiple of 2 + 2.  It can be done with 1 color,  2 colors or a main color and multiple contrast colors.

Cast on 20.

R1: with mc,  k.
R2:  p.
R3:  k.
R4:  p
R5:  with cc, k
R6:  p.
R7:  k 1, * yo, k2tog.  Rep from * to the end. End k1.
R8:  p
R9:  k.
R10:  with mc, pick up 1st st of mc from R4 and put on left needle. P2tog with 1st st of cc. Continue working across the row.
R11:  k
R12:  p.

Rep 1-12 to the desired size.

Crochet week 2

This is a 3 dimensional stitch pattern.  It's a multiple of 3 +1.

Ch 25 for a 4 inch square.

R1:  dc in 8th ch from hook,  * ch 2, sk 2, dc in next st.  Rep from *.
R2:  ch 5, dc in dc, * ch 2, dc in dc.  Rep to the end,  ending with dc in 3rd ch of ch5.

Rep R2 for desired size. Fasten off.

Now for the fun part.

With color of choice,  join at the bottom right corner of a square around the post.  Ch 3 (counts as dc now and throughout), dc around the same post, turn 90º and 2 dc around ch 2, turn again and 2dc around post of next dc.  Continue working across the first row of mesh. Then work the rest of the mesh.

See in the picture how the second part forms.

A month of selfish knitting

I'm back on my comodo cardigan.  My sleeves needed redoing.  My gauge was off.  I also missed seeing a few decreases. After a dip in the frog pond, it's back on track.

I have lined up in my wips for January to finish an alpaca sweater.  The pattern is from Crochet Now! and is done in a very fine thread.  I'm using chunky yarn by Ella Rae. 

Next up is the French CanCan shawl that was a guild retreat project.  I'm making mine larger than the original called for.  For this I'm using Debbie Bliss Aran yarn in a beautiful maroon for the body and a light grey for the edging of cables and lace.

I'll have to stop them soon to whip up a Corkscrew hat by Michele Hunter.  This is another guild retreat project.  I haven't chosen my colors for this yet.  But it looks like a very fun knit and I can't wait to make it.  I also picked up the mitten pattern that matches.