Bubbles has been shedding lately so I'm collecting her fur and spinning it. Fortunately she doesn't mind being combed unlike my previous 6 rabbits. It isn't long enough to make a great yarn, maybe 1 1/4" to 1 1/2", but I do think it will be fun to use. The second photo shows the yarn plied and knitted up. I think perhaps I'll have enough to use for some fluffy mitten cuffs.
Leaves Sweater
Well.... here it is... my crocheted Leaves Sweater.
It is not my favorite sweater that I have made but I think that it turned out okay. I could have picked a size smaller and gotten rid of some of the boxy look. But it could be worse.
This sweater has been heavily modified. If you will notice there are no leaves in this Leaves Sweater. The pattern calls for leaf like thingys hanging down from the hem. I liked them in the pictures but when I started crocheting them onto my sweater I decided that it looked entirely too "Peter Pan-ish" especially with this color green.
I also added 2-3 inches in length to the body and the sleeves, and didn't sew on any seed beads as the pattern called for.
Unfortunately this pattern really gave me trouble. It was riddled with errors. Hopefully there are corrections posted. Usually I am happy to post corrections to the patterns that I knit or, in this case crochet, but this had so many that I gave up trying to keep track. Also in my opinion the pattern was poorly written. Some parts were explained in perfect detail while other areas were vague. There are no stitch counts provided for you to check your work and that bothers me. I hate to complain so much because I know how difficult it is to write a pattern, but I feel that I should give fair warning to those who are interested in this design.
I am very comfortable with crochet so I was able to work out these issues. If you are experienced with crochet this is also a doable project for you. The design I think is very cute.
The other change that I made is on the sleeves. I mimicked the bottom border pattern so that it would match the sweater. I really like the edging pattern and I would use it again on a future crochet project. Whenever I get around to that.
trout lily or dog's-tooth violet...
Friday was the "Friends of the Library" book sale. For $1, I now own a copy of An Introduction to Nature: Birds, Wildflowers, Trees by John Kieran. There are some wildflowers pressed between the pages by the previous owner and under Flowering Wintergreen, a handwritten note in the margin reads 'Trout Lake May 1974'.There are beautiful vintage-looking colored illustrations, and I like the way it reads...
...here is an excerpt for the Trout Lily or Dog's Tooth Violet ~
"In moist woods and thickets and the more solid parts of shady bogs you will find the mottled leaves of this beautiful low-growing flower carpeting the ground soon after the snow has departed. The smooth flower stem rises to a height of 6 to 10 inches from between the two narrow mottled leaves that point in opposite diretions. The single nodding yellow flower has 6 segments that curl back at the tips when in full bloom. This species--there are more than a dozen close relatives in different parts of the country--is found from Nova Scotia across Canada to western Ontario and in the United States from Maine to Florida and as far west as Minnesota and Oklahoma. Dog's-tooth Violet is a poor name for this flower. It is not a member of the Violet family and doesn't look like a dog's tooth. Some call it Adder's-tongue because of a fancied resemblance of the stamens to a snake's tongue. But John Burroughs, the famous naturalist, gave it the name Trout Lily because it is a member to the Lily Family and comes into bloom at the start of the trout season. Fawn Lily is another name, appropriate because of its dappled leaves."
And here are some Trout Lilies that I found in the woods on my walks last week...
Here's what else I saw while out and about...
See the little nest...
Today we are having some 'April showers' which hopefully will bring us lots of 'May flowers'.Moving house
Last blog for a week or so (hopefully) As we are currently packing up to move house again! only two streets away from our current rented Swedish house. That part is lucky but the pack up/up pack part boring!
My son and I worked out this is the 8th move in his 16 years!(average every two years) maybe I was a nomad (I think a traveller! history not so good)
In my previous life as I just never seen to settle. keep on walking!......keep on moving.......
Forgot to mention, the 1st move for the puppy Rasmus
(But so far he seems ok with the packers and commotion)
My top
My free form crochet is now my sleeve, very elaborate! "I here you say".
And then I attached the bust part with crochet then knitted on the round needles 15mm then picked up with crochet 12mm for the waist part and now 6mm.:-0
How to line a hat, headband style, with Polar fleece
includes 14 illustrations
click any illustration to enlarge
Lining a hat with Polar fleece is a splendid idea for several reasons. First, if the hat is too large, you get a second chance to make it fit--you can ease the hat smaller by sewing in a correctly-sized Polar fleece lining. Second, Polar fleece completely alleviates "itchy forehead" syndrome. Third, for athletes and active types, Polar fleece "wicks" -- it draws moisture away. A hat lined with Polar fleece will remain comfortable long after a woolen hat is sodden. Finally, Polar fleece has many virtues of its own--it's cuddly, sturdy and comes in lots of pretty colors and prints. Oh--it's also very easy to cut and sew and it never, ever, comes unraveled. Further information about Polar fleece can be found here (post of April 17, 2008) .
There are really two methods of lining a hat--the headband method and the fully-lined method. The fully-lined method is warmer, while the headband method is less bulky and suits active folk well--more heat can escape from the crown of a hat lined by the headband method than from a fully lined hat. Today's post shows the headband method, while the full-lining method is described here (post of June 28, 2008).
1. (above) The first step is to cut your headband out of Polar fleece yard goods, as shown. The illustration suggests a 4" deep headband, which is generous. Some folks prefer a narrower headband, so experiment and see what suits you. Polar fleece is pretty cheap, so there's no real reason to be sparing with it.
2. (above) Once you've cut your headband strip, the method illustrated here lets you go forward without taking any further measurements--everything from here out is done intuitively, and the tape measure can be put away. For example, the headband strip for the lining is sized by wrapping it around your forehead and pinning it shut. Experience shows that it's best to wear the pinned headband around the house for a little while before you commit to sewing it shut. What seems comfortably snug at first can seem ear-numbingly tight after a quarter of an hour.
3. (above) When you're pinning the headband, arrange matters so the "good" side (green side) is on the inside and the "not so good" side (blue side in these illustrations) is on the outside. Then, once you have the length correct, sew the headband shut across the short end.
4. (above). Trim away the excess fabric at the seam. If you find a standard 3/8 inch seam allowance too bulky, you can cut it closer--Polar fleece does not unravel or fray, so you can get away with narrower seam allowances if you prefer them.
5. (above) Because you want to see the good side of the fabric when you peer inside your hat, you must put the not so good side against the inside of the hat. Therefore, flip the band inside out so the seam allowance (and the not so good side) are on the inside of the band.
6. (above) Flip the hat inside out, also.
7. (above) Slip the headband over the hat. If the hat has a back--a seam, perhaps, or a little knitting error you don't care to display on your forehead--align the seam of the lining with the hat back.
8. (above) Illustrations can take you just so far. For reality, there is nothing like a photo. As you can see from this photo, it often happens that the headband is far, far wider than the hat itself. This is because the hat is likely to "draw in" more than the band, especially if the hat is in a contoured fabric like ribbing. While this may look worrisome, it really isn't a problem, as you can see by skipping ahead: illustrations 12 and 13 are the "after" photos of this same hat.
9. (above) The next step is to pin the hatband inside the hat. Make sure to tuck the seam allowance flaps inside and smooth them down at this point.
10 (above) Here is the how-to trick for pinning a headband evenly into a hat (or should I say--for pinning the HAT evenly inside the HEADBAND!?)
a: holding the hat (gray shape) inside the lining (blue shape), S-T-R-E-T-C-H the hat and the lining with both forefingers into a long shape which can be stretched no further. This automatically centers the hat inside the band. Pin the band to the hat in these two spots--a 4 inch headband may require two pins at each contact point (as shown in illustration 11), a narrower band may require only 1 pin at each contact point. Do you wonder how you can pin in the headband while your hands are inside the hat and band, stretching everything smooth? You can ask someone to help you, of course, but if you are alone, you can take a shortcut by pinning in one contact point BEFORE you start the stretching-out process, then pinch the hat and lining together where you find the second contact should go. Just be sure not to prick yourself with the pre-set pin, which would go right against one of your stretching fingers.
b. along one side, divide the length between the two pins in half by again stretching the hat and the lining until they can stretch no further. Pin this third contact point.
c. along the other side, repeat step b. Four points are now pinned.
d. again stretching between two contact points, set a fifth contact point at the half-way mark between two already-set pins.
e. repeat the "stretching to find the half-way point" 3 more times until a total of 8 contact points are securely pinned down.
f. the perfectionists among us may want to again halve each side length for a total of 16 contact points. I myself wouldn't bother unless the hat was very large, smooth and light--a large man's cap knitted from sock yarn, perhaps.
If the band was far wider than the hat, as in illustration 8, you will find that the band is puckering where it is pinned onto the hat. This is normal, so don't worry.
11. (above) Now we come to the sewing. The trick here is to smooth the hat to the band by stretching as you sew. Use a sharp-pointed needle and polyester sewing thread. I use a single strand, but some folks prefer a double strand. The fact is, polyester sewing thread is very, very strong. So strong, that it could end up cutting the woolen yarn of your hat if you are not careful about tension. You do NOT want to pull the thread up so tight that there is no slack--this is what causes the thread to want to cut the yarn. On the other hand, you also do not want to to sew so loosely that loops of thread lay inside the finished hat. Practice makes perfect in this, as in so many skills.
The best stitch for sewing linings into stretchy woolens is the overcast stitch. This overcast stitch is particularly good because it allows a certain amount of extra thread to remain in the fabric, which permits stretching without popping the thread or tearing the woolen fabric.
The overcast stitch is also an excellent choice because the thread "tethers" the two pieces of fabric (hat and lining) together, rather than fastening them unmovingly to one another. To draw an analogy: suppose you wanted to attach two pieces of wood together in a manner which held them firmly, but still let them move. The overcast stitch is like attaching the two pieces with short lengths of chain: with chain, the two pieces of wood remain free to swing past one another, and this degree of movement is desirable in a lining. By contrast, a firmer stitch would be more like nailing the two pieces of wood together. Yet, "nailing" the lining onto the hat would make the thread tear as soon as one fabric stretched more than the other--not desirable in a lining for a stretchy knitted item.
If you click on illustration 11, it will enlarge enormously, and you can see a closeup.
12. (above) Here is the final result from the inside. As you can see, the excess width of the band, as shown in illustration 8, has been eased to the hat. When the hat is put on, all those puckers disappear, and the hat lies smooth against the head.
13. (above) There is something of a line where the edge of the headband lies. If you don't care for that look, stay tuned for a future post on the method for fully lining hats with Polar fleece.
14. (above) ta da!
--TECHknitter (You have been reading TECHknitting on: how to line a hat with Polar fleece, in the headband style)
click any illustration to enlarge
Lining a hat with Polar fleece is a splendid idea for several reasons. First, if the hat is too large, you get a second chance to make it fit--you can ease the hat smaller by sewing in a correctly-sized Polar fleece lining. Second, Polar fleece completely alleviates "itchy forehead" syndrome. Third, for athletes and active types, Polar fleece "wicks" -- it draws moisture away. A hat lined with Polar fleece will remain comfortable long after a woolen hat is sodden. Finally, Polar fleece has many virtues of its own--it's cuddly, sturdy and comes in lots of pretty colors and prints. Oh--it's also very easy to cut and sew and it never, ever, comes unraveled. Further information about Polar fleece can be found here (post of April 17, 2008) .
There are really two methods of lining a hat--the headband method and the fully-lined method. The fully-lined method is warmer, while the headband method is less bulky and suits active folk well--more heat can escape from the crown of a hat lined by the headband method than from a fully lined hat. Today's post shows the headband method, while the full-lining method is described here (post of June 28, 2008).
* * *
1. (above) The first step is to cut your headband out of Polar fleece yard goods, as shown. The illustration suggests a 4" deep headband, which is generous. Some folks prefer a narrower headband, so experiment and see what suits you. Polar fleece is pretty cheap, so there's no real reason to be sparing with it.
2. (above) Once you've cut your headband strip, the method illustrated here lets you go forward without taking any further measurements--everything from here out is done intuitively, and the tape measure can be put away. For example, the headband strip for the lining is sized by wrapping it around your forehead and pinning it shut. Experience shows that it's best to wear the pinned headband around the house for a little while before you commit to sewing it shut. What seems comfortably snug at first can seem ear-numbingly tight after a quarter of an hour.
3. (above) When you're pinning the headband, arrange matters so the "good" side (green side) is on the inside and the "not so good" side (blue side in these illustrations) is on the outside. Then, once you have the length correct, sew the headband shut across the short end.
4. (above). Trim away the excess fabric at the seam. If you find a standard 3/8 inch seam allowance too bulky, you can cut it closer--Polar fleece does not unravel or fray, so you can get away with narrower seam allowances if you prefer them.
5. (above) Because you want to see the good side of the fabric when you peer inside your hat, you must put the not so good side against the inside of the hat. Therefore, flip the band inside out so the seam allowance (and the not so good side) are on the inside of the band.
6. (above) Flip the hat inside out, also.
7. (above) Slip the headband over the hat. If the hat has a back--a seam, perhaps, or a little knitting error you don't care to display on your forehead--align the seam of the lining with the hat back.
8. (above) Illustrations can take you just so far. For reality, there is nothing like a photo. As you can see from this photo, it often happens that the headband is far, far wider than the hat itself. This is because the hat is likely to "draw in" more than the band, especially if the hat is in a contoured fabric like ribbing. While this may look worrisome, it really isn't a problem, as you can see by skipping ahead: illustrations 12 and 13 are the "after" photos of this same hat.
9. (above) The next step is to pin the hatband inside the hat. Make sure to tuck the seam allowance flaps inside and smooth them down at this point.
10 (above) Here is the how-to trick for pinning a headband evenly into a hat (or should I say--for pinning the HAT evenly inside the HEADBAND!?)a: holding the hat (gray shape) inside the lining (blue shape), S-T-R-E-T-C-H the hat and the lining with both forefingers into a long shape which can be stretched no further. This automatically centers the hat inside the band. Pin the band to the hat in these two spots--a 4 inch headband may require two pins at each contact point (as shown in illustration 11), a narrower band may require only 1 pin at each contact point. Do you wonder how you can pin in the headband while your hands are inside the hat and band, stretching everything smooth? You can ask someone to help you, of course, but if you are alone, you can take a shortcut by pinning in one contact point BEFORE you start the stretching-out process, then pinch the hat and lining together where you find the second contact should go. Just be sure not to prick yourself with the pre-set pin, which would go right against one of your stretching fingers.
b. along one side, divide the length between the two pins in half by again stretching the hat and the lining until they can stretch no further. Pin this third contact point.
c. along the other side, repeat step b. Four points are now pinned.
d. again stretching between two contact points, set a fifth contact point at the half-way mark between two already-set pins.
e. repeat the "stretching to find the half-way point" 3 more times until a total of 8 contact points are securely pinned down.
f. the perfectionists among us may want to again halve each side length for a total of 16 contact points. I myself wouldn't bother unless the hat was very large, smooth and light--a large man's cap knitted from sock yarn, perhaps.
If the band was far wider than the hat, as in illustration 8, you will find that the band is puckering where it is pinned onto the hat. This is normal, so don't worry.
11. (above) Now we come to the sewing. The trick here is to smooth the hat to the band by stretching as you sew. Use a sharp-pointed needle and polyester sewing thread. I use a single strand, but some folks prefer a double strand. The fact is, polyester sewing thread is very, very strong. So strong, that it could end up cutting the woolen yarn of your hat if you are not careful about tension. You do NOT want to pull the thread up so tight that there is no slack--this is what causes the thread to want to cut the yarn. On the other hand, you also do not want to to sew so loosely that loops of thread lay inside the finished hat. Practice makes perfect in this, as in so many skills.The best stitch for sewing linings into stretchy woolens is the overcast stitch. This overcast stitch is particularly good because it allows a certain amount of extra thread to remain in the fabric, which permits stretching without popping the thread or tearing the woolen fabric.
The overcast stitch is also an excellent choice because the thread "tethers" the two pieces of fabric (hat and lining) together, rather than fastening them unmovingly to one another. To draw an analogy: suppose you wanted to attach two pieces of wood together in a manner which held them firmly, but still let them move. The overcast stitch is like attaching the two pieces with short lengths of chain: with chain, the two pieces of wood remain free to swing past one another, and this degree of movement is desirable in a lining. By contrast, a firmer stitch would be more like nailing the two pieces of wood together. Yet, "nailing" the lining onto the hat would make the thread tear as soon as one fabric stretched more than the other--not desirable in a lining for a stretchy knitted item.
If you click on illustration 11, it will enlarge enormously, and you can see a closeup.
- At the hat edge, you'd want to pierce right through a strand of yarn--use the sharp point of the needle to catch two plies of a 4-ply yarn for example.
- At the Polar fleece edge, you want to catch a little dollop of fabric from the fabric face, as illustrated. Using your needle to catch a little dollop from the fabric face forces the cut edge of the fleece to roll to the inside. This little roll hides the cut edge of the fleece from view, making a very lovely transition line between the fleece and the knitting (click to enlarge illustration 12 for a closer view)
12. (above) Here is the final result from the inside. As you can see, the excess width of the band, as shown in illustration 8, has been eased to the hat. When the hat is put on, all those puckers disappear, and the hat lies smooth against the head.
13. (above) There is something of a line where the edge of the headband lies. If you don't care for that look, stay tuned for a future post on the method for fully lining hats with Polar fleece. 
14. (above) ta da!--TECHknitter (You have been reading TECHknitting on: how to line a hat with Polar fleece, in the headband style)
First of all, we're having another Rabbit Adoptathon at Albuquerque's westside Petco on 3601 Old Airport Road. The Adoptathon will be on May 10th between 10 am and 2pm. All the rabbits available have been rescued from the Albuquerque and Santa Fe city shelters and are spayed or neutered and litterbox trained. Come check out some wonderful bunnies and talk to some experienced rabbit people! We should have lots of baby bunnies as well this time.
I don't have an FO for you this week which is just as well because Blogger won't let me upload photos today. I do have a few links though.
Amaryllis Mittens - Aren't these just beautiful? You can buy either the kit using Baby Ull or the pattern.
DIY Mitten Blocker - Speaking of mittens, here's a really cool homemade mitten blocker you can make yourself from Kathryn Ivy.
Inches to Centimeters - I am trying to add metric measurements to my patterns and this calculator will be extremely helpful.
Apartment Therapy Small Cool 2008 - Our little rented casita is about 100 square feet too large for this contest but the AT designs and storage solutions for small spaces are always inspirational. There are a ton of contestants so expect to spend some time looking through them all.
I don't have an FO for you this week which is just as well because Blogger won't let me upload photos today. I do have a few links though.
Amaryllis Mittens - Aren't these just beautiful? You can buy either the kit using Baby Ull or the pattern.
DIY Mitten Blocker - Speaking of mittens, here's a really cool homemade mitten blocker you can make yourself from Kathryn Ivy.
Inches to Centimeters - I am trying to add metric measurements to my patterns and this calculator will be extremely helpful.
Apartment Therapy Small Cool 2008 - Our little rented casita is about 100 square feet too large for this contest but the AT designs and storage solutions for small spaces are always inspirational. There are a ton of contestants so expect to spend some time looking through them all.
This week I have been mostlty......
Using a crochet book I almost managed to copy a picture pattern of fan stitch. Today I will try again an actually follow each row of the picture pattern. It's in five steps and I think I almost got it, this took three attempts and alot of time.
Here is my free form crochet that I have turned in to a sleeve. 
This is the bust part that I have attached to the sleeve, so I am working from the sleeve across.
Beginner Socks
I finished the sock samples I was knitting for my upcoming sock classes.
Fortunately my fabulous sister-in-law, Malaree has the same size feet as me and helped me out with sock modeling. You will find her blog here.
As I had previously mentioned, I used Artyarns Supermerino for these socks which is a lovely hand-painted worsted weight yarn. I used size 6 needles and knit each sock using a different sock knitting method while still sticking to the Knitting Pure and Simple Beginner Socks pattern. I've discovered that I love the magic loop method! My stitches were so much smoother and the knitting went a lot faster.
I am excited about my new socks because I think they will be the perfect "wear around the house" socks, and will keep my feet really warm when the weather gets cooler. I imagine that they would wear well with clogs too.
I am excited about my new socks because I think they will be the perfect "wear around the house" socks, and will keep my feet really warm when the weather gets cooler. I imagine that they would wear well with clogs too.
This pattern is great for those who want to quickly knock out a pair of socks for a gift. A pair just takes a few evenings worth of knitting to complete. This is also a fabulous pattern for someone who has never knit socks before. It is simple and so easy to follow.
I did make a few pattern modifications. Instead of doing a 1x1 ribbing at the top, I opted for the more attractive and stretchy 2x2 rib. The math worked out just fine. Also the pattern calls for a 7 inch leg. I was so worried about conserving yarn that I knit mine 5 inches and then ended up with lots of yarn left over....
Don't you just hate that?
painting, organizing, and notebooking
Before the weather became sunny and warm, I started working on the sewing room/office. The really inexpensive wood-look bookcases are being painted ~ green ~ and the cardboard backs are being replaced with a sheet of beaded board plywood. The beaded board looks much better, although it's impossible to see in the photo...
Unloading the bookcase has forced me to weed out un-needed stuff and to get organized. A method I have found, that really works for me, is to keep all the information I love to collect in binders...knitting, project ideas, decorating, bookkeeping, homemaking, tutorials, sewing, etc. So easy to add or remove pages as needed! I decorated the binders with scrapbooking paper and made some P-touch labels...
If you are interested in notebooking, there's a great article here, by Cindy Rushton, that got me started.
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