L*K Travelling Pattern – Part Two

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Heather

Here it is, my finished version of the travelling pattern Life’s A Stitch by Lizzie*Kate:

 

Life's a Stitch from Lizzie*Kate


It is stitched with one strand of silk over two threads on some 36 count white evenweave of some sort. The fibres are various silks from Dinky Dyes’ Oops Packs and Hand Dyed Fibres’ detritus packs. (The picture is a wee bit washed out, unfortunately.)

It was a very quick stitch. I started it on the afternoon of the 4th (and I may or may not of had a nap…) and was done by the evening of the 6th. That includes a trip to the doctor, a trip to get blood work done, a trip to the mall, time playing with the little man, and even some knitting time. In other words, I spent hardly any time at all stitching it.

So, if you would you like to be part of this new Travelling Pattern here are the rules:

  1. Comment on this post, saying you would like to be part of the Stitcherhood.
  2. You agree (if you are chosen) to stitch the design and send it along to the next person in a timely manner. If this means dropping everything in your rotation to concentrate on this project…so be it. If you can’t bring yourself to do this ~ don’t sign up.
  3. You must have an active blog to participate. If you have a blog but never post to it ~ you won’t be chosen to be the next stitcher.
  4. This is a giveaway-type Travelling Pattern. That means you must follow it from blogger to blogger to enter each time it is ready to send along. Commenting on this post doesn’t make you a guaranteed part of the Stitcherhood.

The Travelling Pattern has been stitched by:

  1. Angela, Hooked on Stitches, Ontario, Canada (her version)
  2. Elisa, Old Ragged Threads, York, United Kingdom (her version)
  3. Loretta, Loretta’s Stitching Blog, Manitoba, Canada (her version)
  4. Silverlotus, Reflections in the Pond, Ontario, Canada

If you would like a chance to be the next stitcher please leave a comment on this post only. The next stitcher will be chosen on Sunday, July 10, 2011. The pattern will be mailed out on Monday, July 11th (as I go to yet another doctor appointment.)

If you have any questions, please email me.

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L*K Travelling Pattern – Part One

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Heather

A little while back I won  the chance to take part in the Stitcherhood of the travelling Lizzie*Kate pattern Life’s A Stitch. Loretta of Loretta’s Stitching Blog was the previous stitcher, a fellow Canadian, and, unfortunately, she slipped it in the mail just a couple of days before the postal strike started. Well, Canada Post has been back at work for a week and has more or less got their act together again (although I’ve yet to see any large parcels), and the pattern finally found its way into my mailbox.

Yesterday afternoon I sat down and dug around in my pile of odd silks…

A pile of silk threads

I managed to find some colours I really liked together, and here is what I’ve managed to stitch so far:

Llife's A Stitch by Lizzie*Kate (WIP, custom colours)

If you would like a chance to be part of the travelling Stitcherhood, be sure to come back here in a day or two. I’ll be posting a picture of my finished piece and offering my readers a chance to adopt the pattern. You must be willing to drop everything and stitch the pattern as soon as you receive it, and you must also be able to mail it on to the next recipient, wherever they may live, as soon as possible. Hopefully the poor thing won’t get stuck in mail limbo again. I’ll post all the rules when I offer up the pattern.

As an aside, does anyone know where/if I can get more odd silks? I mean Dinky Dyes Oops packs or the Hand Dyed Fibre detritus packs. I would really, really love some more.

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A Little Pin Cushion

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Heather

If you read Erica’s blog Erica’s Places, you’ve probably already seen this:

Posey Pin Cushion

The pattern is Posey Pin Cushion from Kris Knits. I knit it from three colours of Lily Sugar and Cream, and finished it up with a wooden button. I think it turned out really cute, and I also think I need to make one for myself. 😀

I also forgot to mention what Erica gave me for my birthday. Not only did I get some Hello Kitty goodies (always the perfect choice for me), but she also gave me the Lizzie*Kate kit I’ve been wanting (ABCs of Parenting, which I will be starting soon), and this  lovely yarn:

Berroco Seduce

It is Seduce yarn from Berroco in a fabulous shade of purple. 300 yards of pure loveliness. I’m thinking of using to make something like the Impossibly Large shawl (Rav link) or maybe the Sagebrush shrug (another Rav link). What ever I decide, I think it will be great since the colour is so perfect for me.

Thank you again, Erica, for some absolutely perfect birthday gifts.

1 Comment | Posted in Knitting | Tagged ,

Stretchy Portland

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Heather

So, I mentioned yesterday that I managed to finish two pairs of socks in June. But, I only got around to sharing pictures of one pair. Here, my friends, is the second pair:

Portland Gussets Socks

They are The Portland Gussets Socks by Yarnissima, and the pattern is available from Three Irish Girls. The yarn is Panda Cotton (big surprise), in colourway Vanilla Cream.

The Portland Gussets Socks

These are toe up socks with a bit of a different construction: the gussets are one the top of the foot. The socks mirror each other, so not only were they interesting to knit, but they were also a but more exciting than your usual pair where both socks are the same.

Now, I generally prefer to knit my socks from the top down because I have run into problems in the past with getting toe up socks on and off. It can be difficult to bind off the top so that it is stretchy enough to make it over the heel. I’ve been using Elizabeth Zimmermann’s sewn bind off, and have found it to be a wee bit to tight. This time I tried Judy’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off, and it is perfect. The cuff goes from this:

Unstretched Bind Off

To this:

Streeeetttccchhheeeddd

Yeah, I think I will be able to get that over my heel no problem.

1 Comment | Posted in Knitting | Tagged , ,

TUSAL – July 2011

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Heather

Time for this month’s Totally Useless Stitch-Along picture:

TUSAL - July 2011

This month we have bits from Royalty ABC, a couple of pairs of socks, and the ornaments I’ve been working on. I don’t feel like I’ve made very much progress, but things being what they are, I suppose a couple of pairs of socks and an ornament isn’t really that bad.

My goal for next month, uh, this month, is to finish one pair of socks (which is about 40% done), a shawl (which is about 80% done), this month’s ornament, and maybe Royalty ABC. I’d also like to get started on a sweater for the little man. Wish me luck!

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Happy Canada Day!

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Heather

Happy 144th birthday to the greatest country I know.

(Today is TUSAL day, but I will post my picture tomorrow.)

Comments Off on Happy Canada Day! | Posted in The Outside World |

A (Sale) Sign?

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Heather

I think that it is interesting that the quilt shop just down the road from me closed right around when I started getting interested in sewing. (It is now a Wind Mobile store.) I took it a wee bit personally, but, you know, not everything in the world is about me. (Hard as that is to believe. 😉 )

Today, just after I started feeling comfortable offering my bags to people, I found out that the FabricLand I most often patronize is going out of business. (And being replaced with a Dollarama, no less. And it is in a fairly upscale neighbourhood. What a weird world.)

Sale, Sale, Sale

I was good and went only for zippers, thread and some pink broad cloth. But, I was bad and came home with buttons and some other fabric too. Still I spent a fraction of what I would have, and I have plans for all of it.

I happened to run into Darlene of Craftkitten while I was there. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to talk long since I wasn’t feeling my best, and she was near the front of the line.

So, do I take the closing of yet another fabric store as a sign? I mean, two of my regular shopping spots closed, and a car drives through the window of the third while I’m there… It is enough to make someone stop and think. But, thankfully, with all these closing sales I’ve got a big enough stash to keep me going for a little while. At least until the fall Creativ Festival anyway. 😉

2 Comments | Posted in Crafts, Sewing |