Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Jeans skirt

I got these jeans in the charity shop and never did like them much. They started off as bootflares which I then made into skinny fits. I then decided I wanted a denim skirt but couldn't  find one the right length for me.
So I cut of the legs at the knee and opened the front seam to the zip and the back all the way up, removed the waistband including the belt loop.  Made the waist smaller, added new buttonholes to the band. Added bits to the gaps pinned tried on and sewed in place. Easy!  When it's done being a skirt I'll be converting it to an apron like here  really good for garden or crafts even!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Bolero Completed

Well I was right in guessing that I would run out of yarn. I made the sleeves above the elbow instead of below to save yarn, however I still ran out on the rib and had to make it narrower than anticipated.

It still looks ok though. So when it was all stitched up and modeled etc guess what?............... I could have kicked myself if I wasn't so tired............ yep I found a little bit of the said yarn which would have done the ribbing properly.......... aaaaaaaarrrrrggghhh!!!

It's done now and that's that!

Sock Recycle

Well I bought some cozy socks last winter and they were fine to wear for a few hours but not the whole day as they seemed to limit the circulation to my feet. So I decided to find a use for them, especially the fair isle styled ones as they were my faves.
The least loved pair made a draught excluder, well it's a practical use and saved them from the bin/fire.

 These were my faves because of the design, so I converted them to mittens since I'm very prone to cold hands. I still have some of this sock left and have saved it as I plan to make some sock toys and plushies at a later date, once I have all the necessary materials and designs at hand.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Hervor Cap by Elsebeth Lavold

I've also completed this hat with leftover aran. However I never noticed that it was actually supposed to be in DK(done that a couple of times lately), still it worked out the same, just going to be warmer.  I like the principle of how it is knit  so may try it again at a later date with a different cable design.
Anyway this one was gifted to a nice lady as a thank you.

The pattern is from the book Viking Patterns for Knitting by Elsebeth Lavold

DROPS bolero 107-27

I had a little Aran yarn left after making the bernat sweater,  so I have started this bolero in the hope that I have just enough to finish it with sleeves.
It's a good quick knit, so fingers crossed I don't run out of yarn, having already shortened the sleeve length.

I've never made a bolero before so it's something different to do, I've had a few lapses of concentration on the final sleeve, probably due to being over tired.  As the next day I noticed that the rib was back to front, I'm glad I noticed this early on and not towards the end!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Shawl


I have this big cone of green yarn which I'm trying to put a dent in, but so far it doesn't seem to be getting any smaller.  I know it has but theres still loads of it left.
The latest project is the Laminaria shawl by Elizabeth Freeman. This is my first ever shawl and I'm really pleased with the way it turned out.  It looks like I'll have to get a blocking mat because I've never had to do that until recently and have just used the steam iron,  which is not ideal but it is ok for this yarn, luckily for me.
If you want to knit this for yourself then the pattern is available for free on Knitty .

So if you have a shawl you must have a pin! This is my DIY pin made from a twig (part of my recycled garden offcuts) It came out well with a slight bend and I secured two beads with pins at the top. Well actually the pin came before the shawl, guess it was my motivation to keep at the lace work.