Last week I finished up the first of my many, many Creativ Festival projects: Santa’s Little Helper by Jennifer Aikman-Smith.
Santa's Little Helper by Jennifer Aikman-Smith
He is stitched on Antique Brown perforated paper from Mill Hill, using DMC floss and white Fuzzy Stuff.
I believe Jennifer said that this pattern would be bundled together with last year’s design, Jingle (the last ornament in that post), and be offered for sale on PatternsOnline.
Never content with what I already know, I decided it was time to learn how to do Tunisian Crochet. So, I got out my extra long crochet hook (actually a crochet hook end for my Denise Interchangeable knitting needle set), and sat down with some instructions from PlanetJune. Here’s my first swatch:
Tunisian Crochet Swatch
As luck would have it, I hit the gauge I needed for my first Tunisian crochet project: Tunisian Striped Purse by PlanetJune. I actually bought the pattern last year, when she first released it, but I was too afraid/worried/concerned about learning a new technique to start it. But, June has a CAL (crochet-along) on Ravelry for her accessories patterns (which are all fabulous!), so I figured now was the time! And, of course, I shouldn’t have been worried, since June’s instructions were super easy to follow.
Yarn Choices
I’ll be using two shades of Bernat Satin: Grey Mist Heather and Lavender (which is actually more of a darkish purple). Wish me luck!
And why not share in the comments some new technique you’ve learned. I always want to learn more!
Yesterday Teresa Wentzler released Miniature Summer Sampler, the final design in her miniature seasonal sampler series. I was lucky enough to take a class with her back in 2006 at the Creativ Festival, where she started the series with her Miniature Autumn Sampler.
Miniature Autumn Sampler by Teresa Wentzler
I’ve also finished her Miniature Winter Sampler.
Miniature Winter Sampler, Teresa Wentzler
The Spring sampler is still in the queue, with all the supplies ready. But, I think once I get some gifts out of the way, this new Summer sampler with be my focus project for the upcoming cold months. Maybe I will start today… I mean, what a better way to start November than by thinking about the summer.
For those who’d like to know what specialty fibres are required for this design, it calls for Gloriana Silk in colour Bluegrass, Mill Hill beads 42010 Ice, and Hand Dyed Fibres ribbon (2mm) in colours BeLeaved, Steepes of JewelWeed and UltraMarooned.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
Baby Man and I attempted to do a Halloween craft, but sadly it didn’t work out so well. That’s what I get for buying a craft kit from the dollar store.
Foam by Numbers Witch
Anyway, I hope your night is filled with treats rather than tricks (like that silly foam kit).
Knitting black socks isn’t really all that fun. The stitches are difficult to see in anything but bright light, and, well, black can be a little bit boring. And when you are knitting men’s socks, all that black can seem like it is going on forever.
Right now I’m working on Hot Stuff! Socks from Wendy D. Johnson’s book [amazon_link id=”0307463850″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Toe-Up Socks for Every Body[/amazon_link] using Berroco Comfort Sock in colour Black. I picked the largest size, even though my husband has very narrow feet (sock sizes are generally done by foot and leg circumference, since the length is easily adjustable). I knit tightly, so I figured there wouldn’t be a problem. I could use a small needle size and it would work out great.
Hot Stuff Socks (WIP)
I’m sure you can guess what has happened. After turning the heel, and before beginning the colourwork, I asked my husband to try the sock on to see how it feels and to make sure it was long enough. The length was great, but the sock is just a bit too loose.
Now I need to decide if I press forward and hope that the sock will still be comfortable for him to wear, or do I rip out all that work on a black sock and start again using directions for the next size down. If I was using cotton yarn, I would just leave it, since I know that it will shrink a bit, but Berroco Comfort is acrylic and micro-fibre, so it isn’t going to change size at all. 🙁
Right now the socks are in a time out. If I am going to rip them out, I need to distance myself from all the work I’ve put into them for just a little while.
Also, if you haven’t had a chance, please vote in my 2012 Monthly Project poll, which you can find in the right hand sidebar (if you are reading through a reader, you will need to actually head over to my blog). So far, Halloween ornaments have a very narrow lead over small Teresa Wentzler projects.
Last week I managed to get my hands on the last few patterns I needed to complete my Teresa Wentzler collection.
Final TW Designs for Collection
The chart for Peaceable Kingdom came from eBay, and the lovely Christine lent me the three JCS issues.
And then it came to me: I missed some of TW’s Creativ Festival classes. 🙁 My collection isn’t complete. Off the top of my head, I know I am missing a small wool cross design and a bargello design. On the bright side, I have managed to track down every publicly available chart. Not a bad accomplishment, really.
And, here’s a TW finish to celebrate: Merry Christmas Cat from the December 1990 issue of Just Cross Stitch. It is stitch on random fabric using the white DMC colour scheme.
Merry Christmas Kitty by Teresa Wentzler
And, please, if you haven’t, vote in my poll for which monthly project you’d like to see me tackle next year. Halloween ornaments have a small lead over small Teresa Wentzler designs.
[poll id="2"]
Wait, what? Yesterday was the new moon? Seriously?
TUSAL - October 2011
Lots of bits and pieces added this month, some yarn, some floss ends from the Creativ Festival projects and some from the ornament of the month. Not too bad. (Terrible picture!!)
The other container in the picture is a little thread catcher I made to take with me to the Creativ Festival. It uses a fat quarter of fabric and a 4″ embroidery hoop. And the best part is that it folds down like this:
Thread Catcher
Pretty neat, eh? You can find instructions from Red Hen Fabrics here (link to pdf).
In other news, if someone out there found an iPod touch with a lotus laser etched on the back, please let me know. We lost it on the way to the doctor yesterday, and I’m heart-broken. (Yeah, I know. I don’t think any of you are in Toronto, but it doesn’t hurt to throw it out to the Internet. I’ve tried Craig’s List too.) Baby Man is really sad, too. 🙁 Thankfully, there was no personal information on it (other than my contact info on the lock screen, and some pictures), but it had lots of games for the little man to play, and some other things I’d like to have back. Yesterday was not a good day.
Welcome to Stitching Lotus, a blog about crafting, reading, and creating my own cozy corner of the world. AI free!
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