In the studio - filet crochet

Scarf, crochet, wool and cotton, size B aluminum crochet hook

I started this weeks ago but my interest in it has returned now that the baby blanket has been completed.  My plan is to make it rather long and add substance by making a dense ruffle for the border.  I have another ball of the yarn, so I'm sure there'll be enough to make the ruffle, which won't be wide, but will be sort of heavy.

Art crit night with my knitting and Finished baby binkie

I took my knitting to art crit night to see what my guild members would say.  There were positive comments yet I could tell that they were having a hard time fitting it into what they would call art.

The baby binkie is wonderful and soft and went to a baby who loves binkies.  What could be better?

Finished scarf - parti colored lace

Scarf, mixed fibers: polyester, nylon, simple lace stitch, size 10 plastic needles, 10 in.

This was definitely an impulse and it knitted up very quickly. The nylon makes it a rather heavy fabric in spite of its lacy construction. The photo doesn't capture the bright colors, which are also very shiny.

I struggled for quite awhile with this lace - I mean for years. It's very easy to make a mistake at the end of one particular row in the four-row pattern. This piece was about the first time that I "got it" without having to rip out many rows. It's a good thing, because trying to see the individual stitches with a yarn of this nature is almost impossible.

In the studio - filet crochet

Scarf, mixed fibers: linen, cotton, silk, filet crochet with crocheted embellishments, size E aluminum crochet hook.

This net is like a blank canvas. Embellishments will include neat crochet shapes and some wild fuzziness,

In the studio - greens and purples

Scarf, garter stitch; mixed fibers, cotton, linen, silk, microfiber, rayon, size 11 plastic cable needle, 30 in.

If all goes according to plan this will be a very long narrow ellipse shape with a loose drape. I hope the perfect summer scarf.

In the studio - stash from Webs

For those of you who have yet to be introduced, Webs is a wonderful yarn store in Northampton, MA, a.k.a. www.yarn.com A few friends and I have a habit of meeting in Northampton to catch up with one another and enjoy a communal day of shopping and hanging out. Webs is always on our itinerary.

The one huge pleasure that I love most is that not only do you get to shop a rather large yarn store that serves both the knitting/crocheting crowd (and I'm sure at least a few tatters) but the weaving crowd as well. They've left the doors to their warehouse in the back open so you can wander back and pretty much have a go at the whole stock. It's not pretty, but the bargains are neck deep and higher. This visit I was very pleased to see the younger set making thrilling discoveries in the warehouse. I hope to see more and more in future.

Several overstuffed lounge chairs are a welcome site for many a weary shopper and husband, and I think they help make the atmosphere casual and very friendly.

This stash is a small compromise of shopping pleasure and the knowledge that I just got two rather large bags of free stash from a friend. I got that cone because my companions discovered the $5.00 cone sale shelves and...I just couldn't help myself. That and I'm a crocheter and one can never have too much crochet cotton on hand.



Taking about 18in lengths of each yarn in the new collection, I'm creating this diagonal garter stitch scarf. It's an unusual combination of pinks with a lot of blue and greens with a lot of blue and some just plain blue, and I'm liking it a lot.

Mixed fibers, cotton, wool, silk, nylon, microfiber, rayon, linen; diagonal garter stitch, size 10 cable needle, 30 in (too long!)

In the studio - saturated hues

Boa, merino wool and polyester with lurex, garter stitch, size 11 plastic needles, 10 in.


This yarn is from my friend Elizabeth's stash - she couldn't think of how to use it and when she gave it to me I was rather daunted, but one night I said haayyyyyy..... these two might work if I put them together. I think I was right.

Finished silk scarf with mohair edge

Finished scarf, silk ribbon, rib stitch with crochet mohair edge, size 11 plastic knitting needles, 11 in. and size I/9 5.5mm aluminum crochet hook.

I called this ribbon "ornery" because it was very challenging to get a gage and stitch pattern that would allow the fabric to drape without it looking like a tangled mess of yarn rather than a real fabric. I found it also very difficult to find another yarn for a finishing edge due to the colors in the ribbon and how they change. But I DID find this lovely periwinkle mohair and I'm very happy with the results. It's a very light weight beautiful spring scarf.

In the studio - sawtooth ruffle with sequin edge

Scarf, mohair, sequins, nylon, knit stitch, size 10 plastic needles, 10 in.

This is going along very quickly and is a study in contrasts with the fuzzy matte mohair and the very shiny sequins and nylon yarn along the outer edge. The ruffle is very subtle and the larger needle makes the drape very lovely and soft.

Finished cotton scarf with ruffle edge

Completed scarf, original design, cotton, seed stitch with crochet edging.

This is a wonderful worsted weight cotton.

In the studio - silvery lace

Scarf, viscose, petal and fan crochet lace pattern, 3.25 mm aluminum crochet hook.

I began this piece five times before getting the proportions the way I want them. But I think it will be worth it now that the drape feels right and the scarf is not too wide.

In the studio - rib stitch

Scarf, linen and silk, rib stitch with size 5 needles, 14 in.

After all the fancy laces and ruffles this is a really plain Jane piece of knitting! It will get more interesting with an edge on it. I'm thinking of a very thin ruffle in a more lightweight yarn, same color.

In the studio - fluffy lace original design

Scarf, original design, cotton chenille, lurex, cotton, mohair, crochet and knitted ruffle, size 4 aluminum cable needle, 30" and size 3mm bamboo crochet hook.

I reached for the cotton chenille because it so beautifully soft and the drape is good for ruffles. The lurex stripe shines with bright colors and is buffered a bit by the final fluffy edge.

A technical note - the bamboo crochet hook is easily bent at that small size. If you tend to bend needles, I wouldn't recommend using bamboo at this small guage.

In the studio - symmetrical crochet ruffle; original design

Scarf, mixed fibers: cotton, acrylic, polyamide, crochet, size 3mm hook

This symmetrical ruffle emanates from the middle rather from one edge of the fabric, as all my other ruffles have done so far. I like the effect. It is a very long scarf, almost six feet, and it will remain this narrow. I did a very heavy half double crochet stitch as the final round, which holds the ruffle out rather than letting it collapse on itself. The texture and weight are very much like linen.

In the studio - fuzz and shine original textile

Stole, original design: mixed fibers:wool, lurex, cotton, nylon, rayon, microfiber; size 15 aluminum cable needle, 24 in. Projected size: 14 in wide, 60 in long

I got wonderful stash donations from Dr. Brat and so I couldn't resist playing and designing this new fabric. It's very net-like and drapes loosely. There are many very reflective elements among the yarns, so it flashes and glimmers.

In the studio - Noro lace

Scarf; cotton, silk, viscose; simple lace stitch, size 9 wood needles, 11 in.

The yarn is the star in this scarf. The simple lace stitch produces a bias in the fabric, so it drapes in interesting ways, but mostly the complexity and interest in the yarn is what makes the scarf beautiful. It uses pink, black and lime green to wonderful effect.

In the studio - banjo cable

Scarf, silk, banjo cable stitch pattern, size 5 plastic needles, cable needle

My first cable!

In the studio - baby binkie

Baby blanket [my first ever], organic cotton, seed stitch, size 6 cable needle, 32 in.

I'm not sure why this is only my first baby blanket, but I am enjoying thinking of how it will be used and how the cotton will get softer and softer as it's washed.

In the studio - silk and bamboo

Scarf, silk ribbon, bamboo ribbon, mohair and lurex; filet crochet, single crochet with picot and double crochet. size G aluminum hook.

This silk ribbon, the blue and pink multi-color part of the scarf, is challenging for me. It has been very difficult to find colors that go together with it to make a fabric that I like. It does make great ruffles because it's almost foamy in texture.

In the studio - silk linen ruffle

Scarf, linen and silk blend, nylon, polyester, viscose; crochet, bone hook of unknown size.

This is somewhat of a lalapalooza - almost done, but I'm trying to decide whether to add one more flourish.

If my mother's memory serves, which is sort of an on again off again thing, the bone hook was my grandmothers. Working with bone is very comfortable. But I don't like to take it out of the house - just because it might be my grandmother's.

In the studio - silk/linen ruffle

Scarf, linen and silk blend, knit with stockinette and yarn-over increases, then crochet to form wave shape, size 4 cable needle, 30" aluminum crochet hook, size D.

It's been a joy to study many ruffle constructions. I liked starting this with knitting, which I consider to be a bit more challenging for finding interesting constructions. I like yarn-over because of the eyelet effect, and at this time I'm trying to keep things very light and lacy for the warmer weather.

In the studio - poofy

Scarf, acrylic, garterstitch, size 11 wood needles

I got this yarn at Webs, the huge tremendous yarn store in Northampton, Mass. After I saw the knitted sample of this yarn I knew I had to try it. It's a very interesting pleasure to knit up this particular pattern. There are 10 stitches in each row. I'm not sure I'd enjoy trying to make a different fabric with it. I saw a boa made from the same yarn at Webs and it looked like a mess. This feels like rabbit fur.

In the studio - crochet ruffle

This is what I did with the yarn from the previous post. I think it's much more lively.

In the studio - FAIL

I almost always show the successes and not the failures, so I thought I'd stick in a failure. This is just "blah" for me. I've taken it apart and started something else altogether with the yarn.

Scarf, Silk charmeuse, 12in. x 60in.

One of our local fabric shops had this beautiful fabric on sale. I am going to do some embroidery play on the spirals and add beads to make a lightly embellished scarf that'll be a very interesting texture.

In the studio - ruffle on 32 flavors

Scarf, merino wool, seed stitch, size 8 wood needles, 10 inches

Back to the 32 flavors I'm happy with the effect of the ruffle. The silk looks very good with the strong colors of the merino. I'm using double crochet and after I get once around I'll decide if I want to do a second row to make the ruffle deeper. I've managed to lose the crochet hook - typical for me, however when I find it again I'll report the size.


Previous entry:
http://thatknittingblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/in-studio-32-flavors.html

In the studio - black mohair and silk shawl

Shawl, mohair strand plus silk strand. size 7 steel needle, 14 inches.

The airyness of the mohair on these larger needles makes this wrap look lacey, and the sequins and beads on the black really make it look dressy and wonderful. I am knitting side to side so the shawl will have vertical stripes.

In the studio 32 Flavors

Scarf, merino wool, seed stitch, size 8 wood needles, 10 inches

My plan is to do a black short ruffle border in a nice silk yarn.

In the studio - black silk with multi mohair

Shawl, silk and mohair, garter stitich size 7 steel cable needle "40 in

The photos show both sides of this interesting fabric. I like both the diffuse stripes of the top photo and the well-defined strips of the bottom one. There are two rows of each color. I am incrasing one stitch at the beginning of each mohair row, so this will gradually form a very shallow triangle shawl with vertical stripes.

Stash

Since I'm the in process of sorting all my stash, I thought I'd take some photos of recent acquisitions. I knitted up a little swatch of the Rowan Classic Natural Silk Aran, which is a blend of silk viscose and linen. I used a size 7 [4.5mm] needle and it doesn't have the drape that I want. I'll go with a size 8 needle for a more loose fabric.


I also crocheted some with a size E [3.5mm] hook. I like the filet much better. I have images of little crocheted thingies floating in the filet and a ruffle around the edge, so we'll see what happens.

In the studio - blue blossom

Triangle shawl, nylon, silk, wool, polyester, mohair, stockinette stitch; size 11 plastic cable needle, 24 in.

I haven't done anything in all blue like this for awhile. I am finally using the Prism yarn that I watched go on sale at my local shop and then glommed. It was still expensive, however it is very much worth it because it is a custom dyed "blossom" yarn and is very soft and comfy. The hand of the shawl fabric is truly inviting and the insular properties will also be very good for a cold winter.

I'm using the blossom every other row and in between I'm using about five other blue yarns of various fibers. Just about everything is near to a worsted weight, so the shawl is weighty rather than floaty and with the size 11 needle the drape is loose and a bit stretchy.

YUM!