Month: August 2020

Riddle Me This

Posted on by beverly

Caron One Pound

Riddle me this, Batman. I am using Caron yarn to make all the pocket shawls. Caron Big Cakes were used for the pattern prototype. You can read about it here. 

For the ones that are in the order, I am using Caron One Pound. It was the one brand that had all the colors I wanted available and they are plenty big skeins. In the two previous shawls, I needed two skeins. So off to JoAnn I went and got the ten skeins I would need. Pretty, eh?

 I think so, too. I figured I would just leave them there and pull them as I needed them. I started with the light gray.  It is even more gorgeous in person. Here’s the thing: it took less than one skein – including all that fringe. 

What?

I know, right? I can’t explain it. And it’s even longer than the 60 inches I planned on.The yarn was plied differently than I was used to but it was still worsted but I had 71g left over.

OK, so I started the next one in the cream. I can already see this is more lush than the gray. I don’t have a problem with it – it’s going to be every bit as wonderful as the gray but I’m betting it will take more than the one skein to pull it off. But don’t you love how cushy it looks? Riddle me this, too: Just like the gray one, it is longer than when I did the original measurement and the sides aren’t wonky. It just grows. Knit math. I tell you. It adds and subtracts at will.

The pattern for this is all done and will soon make it’s appearance and you can experience all the Knitsville voodoo for yourself.

Thinking About It

Posted on by beverly

When I first started on Etsy, I would spend a lot time looking at these sweaters. I loved them. There was no chance of me making sweaters – I would have had to change the path of my shop. I could do it more easily now. But I was thinking about it. I settled on doing ponchos and had some success selling them. I am coming back to the idea of ponchos. That may be as close as I get to making sweaters – if you remember, I made the sweater from hell. I enjoyed but if I had to do it regularly, it would require a personality change.

But ponchos. Ponchos I can do.

The poncho on the left is available in the shop and has sold in the past. The one on the right has been sitting in the stable for a few years. I think self striping yarn would throw itself in my path begging to be used for this poncho. It calls for bulky yarn. Checked out some yarns and Premier Big Ombre seems right. I will have to order some. Thinking about it. I know. It’s on sale right now for $5 a skein. That is begging to be used.

Try New Things

Posted on by beverly

In my effort to try new things, an effort I did not know I was making, I wanted to make a tortoise from the Knitted Toys book.This has been on my to do list for years. Finally did it after I saw it in one of my online knit groups.

So, I did it. Not the best instructions but I don’t follow them anyway.

It does look patchwork but it’s supposed to be like discs and though I knit discs, they look more like squares. That’s not minor. The discs look cute.I think it’s the way I sewed them together..

I will sell it in the shop. I don’t know if this is something that I would want to do as a custom order. Actually, I know I don’t want to do that. I want it to be scrap work. It takes the time it would take to make a couple of hats so a special order with specific colors might be do expensive to offer for both time and materials. I want to try new things but trying that might be a step too far.

I will be making more pocket shawls. Five to be exact. The yarn is in my possession and I’m ready to go. Can i just say buying yarn that will come in the door one day and walk out the next is not nearly as fun as buying yarn that’s going to be hanging around for a bit.

Work on those begins as soon as I leave you here. So, I’m leaving you here.

 

A Day in the Life

Posted on by beverly

A day in the life of a pro knitter, well, this pro knitter, is kind of hard to describe. Some days are so busy with no knitting to show for it. Needles can go untouched when there’s behind the scenes work to do.

Looking at my desk, I see a capsule of my knitting life.

Here you see my laptop, where the behind the scenes and the in front of the curtain action happens. Then recycled containers hold knitting needles and crochet hooks. Reusing items is always a good thing and these work well. There’s some yarn and a pair of scissors. I can almost promise when I need those scissors, they won’t be anywhere to be found. And, of course, if you have a laptop, you’ll need to have a tablet near by. it does come in handy.

Do you see the container behind the lemonade container? It’s from Target’s Monster trail mix. I love that stuff but now it’s a little pricey so I don’t eat it.  Mr. Honey put some holes in the lid and I use them as yarn bowls. But this one is a piggy bank. The radio used to be on my bed stand. We don’t have a bed stand anymore so now it’s on the table. Last, but not least, are my glasses. Which I wear just for driving and distance. Oh, there are also some quarters. I thought collecting one from each state would be a good idea. Not one of my better thoughts. The quarters are now in the trail mix piggy bank.

Mr. Honey is working on changing around the closet.We need a solution to because it’s stuffed and unworkable..I knew he was serious when he came in after dinner with his tape measure. He thinks adding another row of shelving will create more chances of organization and since he is better at organization than i, I am willing to let him come up with the solution and I will work within the system.

Anytime I Want

Posted on by beverly

It appears as if the pocket shawl is now a thing. So, of course, I had to try and make one of my own. OK, I made two. But let me clear, I can stop making this shawl anytime I want. It’s not like I’m obsessed with it.

However, I will make five more because someone ordered them and I do run a business. I decided to do my own pattern and it will be available shortly. I have the photos and the notes. They have to be put together and then it’s a go.

Someone sent me a photo of a pocket shawl and wanted to know if I could make it. There was no need to purchase the pattern, it looked straightforward enough, so i just make my own pattern. The one on the left is the pattern sample. There were some changes I wanted to make to the pattern and I wanted to make one in the fiber I was going to use for the order and made the one on the right. The left is Caron Big Cakes in Cranberry Crisp. The right is Caron One Pound in Mango – color is discontinued. Neutral colors will be used for the order.

Black, gray, cream, taupe and a color to be named later will be ordered once I have the deposit and the fun can begin. It was fun making up the pattern and redesigning the pocket about three times and I think it will look great in the neutrals. But I can stop anytime I want. I can, I really can.