Knit Socks in a Weekend

My husband has been waiting very patiently for his very own pair of handknit socks. He finally got them today! I originally intended to have them made by Christmas, but only had one knit - so decided this weekend it was time to pony up and get the other one done! Hey better late than never, right?! I used a cuff-down pattern with simple stockinette stitch for the foot, toe, and heel, with 2x2 ribbing for the ankle.

The yarn was a treat to work with. Panda silk in nutmeg tones: 52% bamboo, 43 % machine washable merino wool, and 5% combed silk. Two 50g skeins were enough to make a pair of socks for size-13.5 feet.
Thank goodness!

Tatted Lace Handkerchief: my first HDT project!

I have been wanting to tat up a handkerchief for the longest time. I have always found them interesting. Not only can they be aesthetic, but the handkerchief has a history too:

"There was the system of signs to express this or that wish, and one of the elements of this system was a handkerchief."

The plan recently came together when I got this dainty powder blue handkerchief from Snowgoose at this year's lace day and decided a tatted edging would be the perfect fit for using my stashed HDT (Hand-dyed thread), which I ordered from LadyShuttleMaker.

This is the most luxurious thread I have ever worked with. The size 20 silk just glided when I went to close rings and make chains. There is definitely a difference between using silk and mercerized cotton. I can understand why hdt is so addictive now!












Best of all the 9.5 in. x 9.5 in handkerchief used all 40 yds of my hdt. I ended up with about 6 inches of spare thread!















Used a whipstitch to attach the edging. The spoke edges on the handkerchief helped keep spacing even. Can't wait to get more of these handkerchiefs in different colors and of course more silk hdt!

Lace: the perfect accent

My latest inspiration has been edgings, particularly crochet lace and tatted lace. I think these edgings dress up a plain 'ole dishtowel rather well. Very shabby chic. It has been a while since I picked up the steel crochet hooks, so making these has been a good way to ease back into it.

I have found this book most useful, especially when making long lengths of lace. It's called 111 Easy Edgings. I picked up my copy at a Ben Franklin in MO, but I've seen this book in most craft stores as well. Instead of the traditional long-chain method, where you often must estimate how long you want your lace to be, these patterns are worked top to bottom so you build length as you go- it makes things much easier.

Felting

I am working on my first ever 100% wool felted piece. This is a picture of the "sole" of a knitted slipper I will be felting. Next to it is the about the size of the slipper I need once all is said and done and felted.

I'm a little weary.. will the wool really shrink up that much? I did felt a test swatch and the wool did felt pretty well and shrink, but still... I have this fear that all this knitting will go to waste if the slipper does not end up fitting. It will really have to shrink up significantly to get it wearable. At this point I am continuing to work on it but will probably felt it and find out for sure before making the mate. If worst comes to worst I guess I can always use a giant felted slipper as a remote control cozy?? (lol)

Jello Poke Cake

For all my fellow sweet-toothers out there I had to make a post about my new fav cake: Jello Poke Cake!

I tried it for the first time at a picnic last weekend and knew it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. To make this cake you simply prepare and bake the cake mix of your choice per package directions. After the cake is baked, use a fork or skewers to poke holes all over the cake. Pour hot jello mix into the holes (powder mix + hot water- do not add the 2 cups of cold water). Then let set for about 4 hours and finally, add your frosting!

I recommend this recipe if you are interested in making one. For my cake I used white cake mix, cherry jello, and strawberry frosting. Triple yum. Can't wait to try a lemon one or maybe a rainbow confetti mix next time!

Felting Experiment

I want to try making a pair felted slippers. locking fibers=increased durability, right?So I made some test swatches yesterday and tried felting them to see how well the wool felts and amount of shrinkage. It looks like the pieces shrink up more vertically than horizontally. I lost about an inch vertically and maybe 1/2 an inch horizontally. The wool is mystery wool, I got it from a kit a while back. Its not the most premo stuff, but I do like the colorway. So I've started making the first slipper.

Knit Neck Scarf Trio

Yay! Three knit neck scarves completed! All using different yarns:

Cotton/Wool blend (yellow)- soft cotton with a nice wool stretchiness.

Alpaca/Mohair (brown)- baby alpaca and super kid mohair make a very organic, soft, fuzzy scarf. Great stretch too.

Silk/Wool (aqua)- very luxurious texture with softness, silky sheen, and stretch.

It's been a treat experimenting with boutique yarns. I love them all! These will make fabulous gifts too.