giving and receiving things made of yarn

The other day I received an e-mail from a Ravelry.com 'group'. The 'German knitters living in America' group decided to organize a pot holder gift exchange (German word is 'Wichteln'). I was asked if I want to participate, and I could not resist. The rules were really simple, create a pot holder, add some little gift from your kitchen and mail it to someone else that is participating in the exchange. The organizer will send you the address that you need to send your package to.
Great!
I loved making the pot holder and I sure love the pictures that are published every time a 'Wichtel' member receives a surprise package. Everyone that made a pot holder will receive one, but don't know from whom, what it will look like, or what the additional surprise gift will be. I was so eager and it did not take any time at all to crochet my potholder. I made it double thick so it can actually be used without burning your hand. 


the front side is a simple flower in a frame



the backside is solid yellow cotton



The gift item from my kitchen turned out to be two little tea lights and an unopened package of bamboo skewers. Since my package was going to Texas, BBQ skewers seemed the perfect gift.



this is how the package arrived at my 'Wichtel' partner

 Wiebke assured me the skewers will be heavy with meat on a grill this weekend. BIG SMILES for ME.
I like giving away things I make.
It's one of the biggest joys in life, I think..........

Now I am eagerly awaiting my pot holder. I don't know what it will be like, when it will arrive, or what will be in the package with it. Anticipation, another joy in life, right.......

Finishing Your Work

My mother has found the easiest way to finish her knitting projects. She has a Phildar-Wolle store around the corner, just a few yards away from her front door. So naturally she brings her work to the store and let's the experts finish her work.
For most of us that is not possible and we must finish our own knitting projects. Over the years I have found one easy way: I use a crochet hook
Select a hook that is just one size smaller than the knitting needles and gather-up 8-10 (less with fine yarn, more with bulky yarn) approaching the spot in the knitting were the yarn ends. Then you simply hook the yarn onto the crochet hook and feed it through the gathered stitches.
I also use the same hook to close up the seams, and attach the arms. Using a single crochet stitch I just crochet all the seams together. To make sure the seams do not get too tight or too loose, I first pin the seams together with safety pins or knitting markers. Then check I the work every two inches by laying it flat on a table. You will be able to see right away if you should add a crochet stitch every inch (when the seam too tight and the work does not lay flat) or if you should use a smaller hook and decrease the stitches (when the seam is wavy and wrinkled and the work does not lay flat).
You might think but that means: 'I have to open the seam again'. And luckily you can using the crochet method. If you have used the finishing method of sewing your seam together with a tapestry needle you will be trying to undo stitches that are barely noticeable and that is truly hard and really time consuming.
I think the Crochet method is the easiest and have been using it for many years. Try it!

After all seams are joined it is time to decide what the collar should be like and if it is a sweater with buttons or zipper closure, the front has to be knitted.

With my Baby dress project I decided not to follow the pattern of knitting a ribbed right and left band and then sew that on.

Since the dress had this waistband design I decided to mirror that waistband as the button band.

I gathered up 'enough stitches and then added the right amount of stitches when knitting the first row to have the perfect size band'. How to do that is not hard at all.

From the trial 4" x 4" (or 10cm x 10cm) piece, I know that it takes 22 stitches to over 4" (or 10cm). The overall length of the Baby dress is 24cm.

So the final stitch number has to be 22 x 2.4 = 53

In the case of the Baby dress, the knitting had 43 rows. I was able to gather up 44 stitches from the garment and added 9 stitches evenly during the first row knitting. (every 5 stitches I added one)

Next I had to consider the button holes on the right band. I needed 5 evenly spread out. I started by simply laying the buttons on the dress where I thought they should be. I measured the distance from the middle of one button to the middle of the next button and found that it all works out this way during row 4 of the pattern:

knitting from the bottom up six stitches, cast off three (for the first button hole) knit 8, cast off three (button hole 2) knit 8, cast off three (button hole 3), knit 8, cast off three (button hole 4), knit 8, cast off three (button hole 5) ending with three stitches.

Sometimes the calculator is not the right tool. So don't worry and just lay it out on a table until it looks the way you want it to look then just count out the stitches and GO FOR IT.

As you can see, it turned out great.

If you are not successful, e-mail me.

I can guide you through it.

Pattern, Size and Yarn before you start a project

Now that my Lace Scarf is done Life happened and put the next project right in front of me. I did not even have to wait a day.

A new Girl was born on April 12. and there is only one thing I could think of:

Knitting a dress for miss PERFECT.
After looking just a few days on-line I found the pattern I wanted to use.
LEA by drops
http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/pattern.php?id=5414&lang=en

I have decided to use a 100% silk yarn, Mulberry by Luisa Harding

It feels cool on the skin and it's texture is very luxurious.
My idea was to make this pink dress out of multiple colors. And I must say it really worked out.
The ruffled edge starts with a row of very dark red (color number 028), then the lavender ruffles (color number 06). The pink main body (color number 04) leads into a pink and beige (color number 02) waistline. The upper part has a seed stitch pattern und after the next pink and beige breakline the upper portion of the dress is solid beige, continuing the seed stitch pattern.
It is really fun to knitt this.

Here, I need to share what I have learned over time:

You can use any similar yarn you like,

you are not bound by the pattern to use the exact yarn as the pattern calls for.

To do that is actually simple.

Knit a test 10 x 10 cm ( 4" by 4") piece, or a little larger, as I do most of the time.

For example: the dress pattern called for a yarn that leads to

24 sts x 32 rows in stockinette st = 10 x 10 cm ( 4" by 4")

The yarn I chose to use provided a test pattern

22 sts x 30 rows in stockinette st = 10 x 10 cm ( 4" by 4")

This is very close, don't you agree?

the difference in stitches (2) = less then 10% of 24 (2.4) but more than 5% (1.2)

the difference in rows (2) also = less then 10% of 32 (3.2) but more 5% (1.6)

What I looked at next was the given pattern per size:

What is the stitch difference per size?

Cast on recommendation for size 1 to 3 months and size 6 to 9 months is 366 and 394

the difference in stitches (28) = less then 10% of 366 (36.6) but mor then 5% (18.3)

VOALA, hier is was my answer:

Use the instructions for the 1 to 3 months and  I will end up with a dress that is somewhere between 5 % to 10% bigger than what the pattern describes.

That would make this dress fit a 3 to 6 months old girl, which is just fine with me.

I do measure while I am knitting to confirm that I am not knitting to loose or to tight and still have time to adjust the garment if the calculation was misleading.

So far though, 50 years into doing this, this appraximating of the sizing has never been wrong.

If you are reading this and struggling with sizing your trial knit with the pattern, e-mail me at oberpfalzerin@gmail.com I will help.

I am already looking forward to tonight knitting the arms. Finishing will happen during the week.

Most likely I will also make a little beanie to go with it. I thought it should be like the dress, but the color combination in reverse.

I can't wait to see little miss Allison next Sunday, if all goes well!

My other Art

Today I was suprised by an Advertisement e-mail from a Quilt Photo Compter Program.
The woman that sells the program DVD had sent an e-mail offering free videos and free companion e-books to learn how Quilt Photography works.
The really wonderful part of the e-mail was that the last picture of the sample quilts is a quilt that was done by me. It is a wedding photo quilt I had made of one of my very best friends and her husband.
I will always remember the class where I had made a portrait quilt of myself and than travelled home to Germany to give it to my mother.

It's Easy When You Have The Secrets!   I have created 5 quick video lessons that will give you "all" of my simple secrets... and these secrets are my gift to you!     Get instant access here: 5 Free Quilting Videos   Are you ready to transform photos of your children and grand children into art!When you watch the 5 FREE video lessons, you'll learn my 'Secret System'... and you'll have success everytime...I GUARANTEE IT because the system always works!  You Can Create Beautiful Quilts Like These In A Weekend!   ... I have also prepared a FREE companion e-book that you can download  Right Away!... no strings attached! After you download your FREE e-book, you will be instantly directed to the FREE online video course. Hurry, these videos will only be available to you for a short time... Click Here To Get The Secrets Now!

Market Bag

While I am busy with knitting the Lotus pattern lace scarf I thought I could tell you about my last christmas present I have made.
People around me know that christmas for me always includes sharing my talent, or gift by making things out of yarn.

 

 For the 2011 give away present I selected a Market Bag.

The Pattern for the bag is free

on the Lion Brand website,

Pattern Number 90343AD 

it is called

Al Fresco Market Tote.

I think I did crochet 5 or 6 of them and used up many of my cotton scraps. What I liked about the entire experience was that I also had to go shop for the main color after the third bag was done. That turned out to be really good because I have found a store in Old Town San Diego that I did not know existed. The Shepherdess is basically a beads and knick knack store but has the most inventive buttons, and some yarns. I had no troubles finding what I was looking for.

Since the Chevron Pattern is made out of different colors and all the bags were made out of scrap yarn, none of the bags were the same. There were orange, violet and beige main bodies with a multitude of bright and different strength yarns.

Since there was still a few days until christmas when the bags were done and I had yarn left-over (there always is yarn left over) I made a bag for myself. It's in the car right under the passenger seat now and gets pulled out und used every time I need to stop at the store on the way home from work.

I think the Farmers Market season has begun and family and friends are ready for it with the Al Fresco Market Bag.

What is a scarf

As I have not grown-up in the english speaking world I am always looking for answers. This blog is also making me look for details that were not really important before. It did not really matter what I call my current project because it was just for me, but sharing it with you makes me wonder:
Is it a scarf, a shawl, a wrap, a stole, a shawlette, a capelet, WHAT!!!
Anxiously searching, I think I found the answer I was looking for today in a newletter about crocheting:

• Scarf is a long narrow rectangular shape usually wrapped around the neck.
• Shawls are traditionally triangle in shape.
• Shawlettes are shorter and smaller than shawls but are similar in shape and design
• Wraps and stoles are generally rectangular in shape as opposed to their triangular-shaped shawl cousins.
• Most capelets are no longer than your elbow and provide extra warmth and coverage. Capelets fasten at the neck, perfect for those times when you want to make sure your accessory stays in place. Show off a piece of jewelry or handmade craft to fasten the caplet.

So, I am knitting a scarf. No more guessing.

Photograph your work

Finally the sun came out today and I tried the tip (see my blog titled: Knitting links ) about taking pictures of your work outside.
To show how dramatic the differnce is, take a look at the lace shawl picture ( see my blog Rainy Sunday )


Shadows everywhere







The Lotus pattern is clearly visible



After that beautiful experience, my work is always photographed

in the great outdoors, from now on.

I did get carried away though and made more pictures.





Hi, my name is Maxy or Maxeline or Maxylicious and I am always
watching knitting