The Gifts of my Hands

Looking through pictures on my cell phone, I realized it's been long and long since I've posted. That thought along with my rule about gifts (they don't get used...or put away...until they've been acknowledged) got me to sit down and start organizing my thoughts. So, here we are again. For the first time in almost a year, this is most of what I've completed. And know that when I blog, it becomes a thank you note. Posting lets me be grateful to family and friends who share in the gifts of my hands. 

As dark as this wool is, you can see the beautiful cabling on the sweater if you zoom in and squint.

I made this, because I needed something to knit and it's pink. And, the buttons. It's always the buttons. 

This sweater is doubly unusual for me. First, I made the same sweater for Mom a couple of years ago with a different yarn. I rarely repeat a pattern. Second, this is a Henley. I don't think I've ever made a sweater that's not for wearing over a top but to be worn as one.

I'm very much enjoying the challenge and learning involved with doing colorwork. Besides, look at this sweater. Isn't it adorable?! It's for my niece's firstborn. (Note, I wrote firstborn and not newborn. If it is used this year, it'll be with the sleeves rolled wayyy up...and maybe a belt. Hopefully, next winter it'll fit perfectly.)

The baby can wear this, too. But it's for Daddy, a Bulldogs fan.

Socks are like bunnies. They multiply. 

They're always a quick carry with project, so I keep them in my purse.

This pair is for one of my grands.

Salmon have a very special meaning to our friend and her family. The pattern was an "it takes a village" moment. Three of my artist friends helped me design, draw and edit it. I did the weaving using my drawloom.

After almost four years, the huge bag of raw cotton I was gifted is down to what you see here. Call me Dory. 🎶"Just keep spinning. Just keep spinning."

I've also been spinning this fiber in between phone calls at work. I think I started it last year. I finally completed it during our recent road trip. Once we got home, I plied it. Boy does it ever feel good to put the stamp of completion on a project!

THE END (he he!)

Taking some time

 Some projects take some time.

Last year in April, the arch was barely covered. What a difference that year has made!

I'm still spinning my huge supply of home grown cotton. It's taking some time, but I'm enjoying it.

I've taken this knitting project out of time-out. Following a chart, each square in the grid has a bead threaded onto the silk. I'd gotten frustrated with some errors that were showing up and set it aside. With enough time apart, years, I made some repairs. Now, I'm back at it. Each and every stitch on the needle, when knitted, has a glass bead slipped through.   

I've been weaving some baby blankets. Weaving projects don't always go smoothly either. Do you see the error in the pattern? It's at the bottom of the last flower repeat. It was too obvious to me. At the top of the picture, you can see where I started cutting out the weft.

  By the time I'd stopped, about four inches and two hours later, it was error free and I had this pile of yarn to toss. 

I found a pattern on Pinterest (no designer named, I searched). On the original, the lower left quadrant of the picture didn't feel balanced to me.  The redesign took me three days.

Look what happens when I take my time! Here are four new baby blankets woven with my drawloom.

A flower in the flower garden.

This design was drawn by the dog's owner, who's also the baby daddy. 

Taking my time

After finishing so many projects, I'm taking my time with the next ones.

And even taking my time, these baby blankets went pretty fast. They were all on the same warp and are all about the same size, but I didn't beat as hard on one of them. Can you tell which?

I didn't realize until I was trying to take some artsy pictures that this blanket's colors are the same as the colors of the bush and its flowers!

All the yarns are 8/2 cotton from my stash. 

The design is similar to one I saw on a Vavstuga video.

I've never woven from a kit before. It's like a mini-class, teaching me some fun facts about this kind of weaving as I go along. I ordered the yarn and pattern from Vavstuga. I'll have some placemats and a runner when I'm done.

I'm taking my time, knitting a sweater. 

Being somewhat housebound, I thought this would be a great opportunity to catch up a little on some of my fiber stash. But, I like to spin barefoot or in stocking feet, so when the house is cold I don't get much done. So, I'm taking my time spinning up this fiber, called Sari Silk. 

Getting Loads Done!

 Finally! I'm getting loads done!

I hemmed and gifted the placemats that were woven on Julia.

I've been wanting to try paisley baby blankets on my drawloom for so long! Go back to this page to see the prep.

These were So Much fun!!!

Vavstuga is offering a subscription to their Basics class with an online weaving school.

These runners are made with an 8/2 cotton warp and 22/2 cottolin weft.  I used a piece of grosgrain ribbon as a template for the stripes. It's an easy way to keep track, so that I don't have to count each weft throw.

I made two runners for me and a square (for Mom's little table).

Project #2 was cottolin warp and tow linen weft. I was nervous about using linen, but it wasn't nearly as difficult as I'd heard.
And by the way, both the towels and runners were stash busters!

The worsted weight yarn I ordered to make my younger son a hoodie didn't give me the cloth I expected, so I had to order some chunky. Instead of returning the worsted, I picked a pattern and knit it up just to keep my hands busy while waiting. Lucky for her, it fit Mom just right!

And then I made the requested hoodie. Finding a zipper online should be easy. It wasn't. I finally gave up and braved the big box fabric store (that shall not be named). Look how well the sweater came out! 

Some three years ago, I put this sweater in the naughty corner. It was done except that the front was curling underneath and I didn't want to deal with it. A couple weeks ago, I took the sweater out, planning to take it apart to reuse the yarn. My knitting, support group (Zoom) talked me down from that ledge.

I misted the front with some water and pinned it flat to dry. And during that same store excursion, I bought some decorative, grosgrain ribbon. In my button collection, I found these fun hooks and eyes (the label says: Istanbul Ant. Silver). It's a keeper!!

The knitted and felted clogs have been gifted. (I'm wearing mine right now!)

I made this 3mos size sweater for the soon to be here grandbaby.


And a reversible, double-knit cotton jacket.

Check out the different buttons on both sides!

And, of course, baby will need a collection of toys. Wooly Mammoth should do for a start.

And a mini me for baby's sibling.

In process

While I was collecting all of these pictures, I was thinking how much I'd gotten done, until I realized it's been three months since my last post and only two of the photos show a completed project.

My son's hoodie is almost done. It just needs to be sewn together, the hood knitted and the zipper attached. But, it's 95 out. No hurry.

My sweater is also in the slow lane. This is the second sleeve. Then, there's the neck edge to knit and the buttons to sew on.

I'm guessing I knitted this sweater for my nephew about 18 years ago. He handed it down to another nephew. It'll move on to my grandchild now that I've changed the letter.

I've been wanting to weave some lightweight baby blankets. The design I chose is another Pinterest find, printed onto graph paper and transferred by hand to a different size/scale graph paper.

Each square on the grid has to be either a dot, or not. Filling the squares in now, with the entire pattern in front of me, let's me see how best to make what will be straight lines look curved.

The last step before weaving is to highlight and outline alternate columns. This makes it easier to know where I am on the pattern and on the loom.

Tada!

And here's my happy ending with me and my daughter in these simple and fun to crochet hats.