I knitted the beret in a nice Wool of the Andes by Knitpicks. I did not do a gauge swatch, but did drop down a needle size, since I knit loosely. The beret was large on me. Came down somewhere around my nose. So I sewed about a 2" seam up the back and it now fits.
Decided I wanted a beret knitted from mohair blend yarn, since I figured it would be really warm this winter for my neighborhood walks. I found some sensational green yarn locally. I cast on about 10 stitches and did enough ribbing to see what the measurement would be. Then I started trying to figure out how many stitches to cast on so the ribbing would stretch to 22". I not only hate to measure gauge swatches, I hate to do the math to convert MY swatch to the pattern. Now, if I would knit a proper sized gauge square it might be better, but I knit just enough to get a pseudo measurement.
I fiddled and fiddled with my calculator and jotted down results. Several times. Then promptly forgot which of the jottings was the final result. Sheesh.
Anyway, I knitted the hat and it fits. Intend to get a photo up, soon. Of both berets, so you can see the colors. The first one is classic and boring and goes with everything. The green really has the wow factor and hopefully people will look at the hat and not at me!!!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Berets in Style
I see that all warm hats in style this year, including berets. I have a very small head and very short hair and look rather ridiculous in a hat, at least according to my children. I also HAVE to wear something to keep my ears warm when it is cool and windy. Everybody else is running about with the wind blowing their hair and I am bundled in a scarf and a hat!
Over the past winters, I have worn polar fleece headbands to keep my ears warm, but this year I dug through my scarf drawer and came up with the beret I knitted it 1990 while living in Germany! I also found the pattern I used to knit it with. The yarn was man-made as I recall, and had these cool little colored loops attached to it. It was worn all over Europe, was warm enough even in the snow, and I managed not to lose it, although I did have to go back and retrieve it several times. And continue to: had it with me this weekend on Saturday night and Sunday morning hubby informed me that he picked it up off the driveway beside the car when he went out to get the paper. Ah me. I'd better knit a bunch more as backups!
Bought some yarn from KnitPicks and started a new beret yesterday. This one is from their Wool of the Andes. I have always studiously avoided wool because it makes me itch. But last year I knitted some wool fingerless gloves and love them. I also am wearing a (store bought for a song) Pashmina that is amazingly soft and no itch. Being wool, although very thin, it keeps my shoulders warm but I don't get overheated.
So thought I would try making the beret from wool and see if I could wear it. I bought three skeins of the wool, so hopefully will have enough to knit fingerless gloves to match.
Over the past winters, I have worn polar fleece headbands to keep my ears warm, but this year I dug through my scarf drawer and came up with the beret I knitted it 1990 while living in Germany! I also found the pattern I used to knit it with. The yarn was man-made as I recall, and had these cool little colored loops attached to it. It was worn all over Europe, was warm enough even in the snow, and I managed not to lose it, although I did have to go back and retrieve it several times. And continue to: had it with me this weekend on Saturday night and Sunday morning hubby informed me that he picked it up off the driveway beside the car when he went out to get the paper. Ah me. I'd better knit a bunch more as backups!
Bought some yarn from KnitPicks and started a new beret yesterday. This one is from their Wool of the Andes. I have always studiously avoided wool because it makes me itch. But last year I knitted some wool fingerless gloves and love them. I also am wearing a (store bought for a song) Pashmina that is amazingly soft and no itch. Being wool, although very thin, it keeps my shoulders warm but I don't get overheated.
So thought I would try making the beret from wool and see if I could wear it. I bought three skeins of the wool, so hopefully will have enough to knit fingerless gloves to match.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Lighten Your Load
Challenge:
1. Put the purse you carry around every day and put it on a scale and weigh it.* Scary, huh?
2. Take out the stuff you need to carry when you are shopping (cell phone, keys, ID, credit card) and weigh it. See where I am going with this?
3. Buy a SMALL wallet: one that will hold money and credit cards and ID's. Even Target sells them and they are adequate for your needs.
4. Knit a tube about 16" in diameter by about 8" high. Seam the bottom and run a drawstring of some sort throught the top. Make a little lining.
5. Put your cell phone, keys, LITTLE wallet in it. I'll even allow a tube of lip balm.
6. Weigh it and compare it with that first number*
7. Carry THIS purse in the store instead and note that your shoulders will probably stop hurting.
8. What? You can't live without all the stuff in your big bag? Fine. Put the big bag in the trunk of your car or under your desk at work. Carry the little bag with you. Your "security blanket bag" is within reach but not hanging on your shoulder.
9. Enjoy the freedom.
1. Put the purse you carry around every day and put it on a scale and weigh it.* Scary, huh?
2. Take out the stuff you need to carry when you are shopping (cell phone, keys, ID, credit card) and weigh it. See where I am going with this?
3. Buy a SMALL wallet: one that will hold money and credit cards and ID's. Even Target sells them and they are adequate for your needs.
4. Knit a tube about 16" in diameter by about 8" high. Seam the bottom and run a drawstring of some sort throught the top. Make a little lining.
5. Put your cell phone, keys, LITTLE wallet in it. I'll even allow a tube of lip balm.
6. Weigh it and compare it with that first number*
7. Carry THIS purse in the store instead and note that your shoulders will probably stop hurting.
8. What? You can't live without all the stuff in your big bag? Fine. Put the big bag in the trunk of your car or under your desk at work. Carry the little bag with you. Your "security blanket bag" is within reach but not hanging on your shoulder.
9. Enjoy the freedom.
Making the Purse
The way to avoid much finishing on your purse...
Knit or crochet a rectangle for the bottom of the purse, pickup stitches around and knit in the round (no seaming). This is the way to use up yarn, especially the leftover bits of fancy ones that are lying around your stash.
Near the top do a K2tog yo row for the drawstring. (Not doing this is ok, yarn stretches and you can shove the drawstring into knit stitches with no problem) For the drawstring, you can knit icord, crochet a cord, or buy braided or twisted cord at the fabric store.
Finish off the ends of the cord with beads.
If you want a lining, and can sew at all:
Flatten your purse on the table. Measure the length and width up to where you want the lining to come at the top. Cut a piece of fabric twice the length (plus turn-under for the top edge) and the width (plus 1/4" or so each side for a seam). Sew the side seams by hand with backstitch or machine. Turn under some at the top raw edge for a smooth finish. To make the box shape for your lining, measure the width of your bottom and divide by half*. Fold "dog ears" on the sides of your purse lining, side seam in the center of the point. measure down * and draw a horizontal line, sew on that line. this gives you a "box". Put the lining into your purse, with the right side of fabric showing. The seams and dog ears are against the knitting. Goggle "lining a purse" and you can find numerous places where they have photos or drawings of this process.
I do a simple backstitch to secure the lining at the top. Slipstitch also works. You could use fabric glue. Some people sew buttons to the lining and secure the buttons into the knitting. I simply hate to sew on buttons. Even use tiny safety pins. Whatever holds it.
Now go to your "leftovers basket" and start designing. Just remember, the size of the rectangle you knit for the base determines the size of your purse.
Another option is to simply knit a large tube the size you want and then seam one end and go from there. I make the purses both ways.
These purses are soft, lightweight, and can be made to match any outfit and any season.
Knit or crochet a rectangle for the bottom of the purse, pickup stitches around and knit in the round (no seaming). This is the way to use up yarn, especially the leftover bits of fancy ones that are lying around your stash.
Near the top do a K2tog yo row for the drawstring. (Not doing this is ok, yarn stretches and you can shove the drawstring into knit stitches with no problem) For the drawstring, you can knit icord, crochet a cord, or buy braided or twisted cord at the fabric store.
Finish off the ends of the cord with beads.
If you want a lining, and can sew at all:
Flatten your purse on the table. Measure the length and width up to where you want the lining to come at the top. Cut a piece of fabric twice the length (plus turn-under for the top edge) and the width (plus 1/4" or so each side for a seam). Sew the side seams by hand with backstitch or machine. Turn under some at the top raw edge for a smooth finish. To make the box shape for your lining, measure the width of your bottom and divide by half*. Fold "dog ears" on the sides of your purse lining, side seam in the center of the point. measure down * and draw a horizontal line, sew on that line. this gives you a "box". Put the lining into your purse, with the right side of fabric showing. The seams and dog ears are against the knitting. Goggle "lining a purse" and you can find numerous places where they have photos or drawings of this process.
I do a simple backstitch to secure the lining at the top. Slipstitch also works. You could use fabric glue. Some people sew buttons to the lining and secure the buttons into the knitting. I simply hate to sew on buttons. Even use tiny safety pins. Whatever holds it.
Now go to your "leftovers basket" and start designing. Just remember, the size of the rectangle you knit for the base determines the size of your purse.
Another option is to simply knit a large tube the size you want and then seam one end and go from there. I make the purses both ways.
These purses are soft, lightweight, and can be made to match any outfit and any season.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Final Finish
On the way to doing other things. I had a list of stuff to do today and nothing appealed to me. I started cleaning off a shelf, hoping if my craft room was cleared a bit inspiration might strike. Lo and behold, a purse I never bothered to line was in the pile!
This purse was originally supposed to have a zipper closure. However, the top was so big around that I knew a zipper would not work. And it was almost spring 2007 and I knew I would not carry the purse anytime soon. So.......
Today, November 2007, I am ready for this purse. I still did not want to put a zipper into the top. I happened to have some black twisted cording that was long enough for a single drawstring. The purse did not have a yarnover row for a drawstring. No matter, I just shoved the cord in and out of the top at arbitrary distances around the purse.
I tied the drawstring together in a square knot but needed some pizzaz. Found some black wooden beads, unraveled the cord into the three parts and, using a dental flosser thing, pulled the cord through the beads. Voila!
I tried to talk myself out of a lining, but knew it needed one. A simple rectangle with "dog ears" and a little running stitch at the top.
A simple purse with smashing yarn effect!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Merino Shawl Still on Needles
Back this summer I joined a Knit-a-Long at a local LYS to knit a huge merino lace shawl from Cherry Tree Hill Merino. Somewhere in a previous post is a photo of the first medallion. I finished all three medallions and started one long side of the shawl. It got very hot and the yarn got very uncomfortable to knit with, so I abandoned it.
Guess what? It got cold. Finally. Well, cold is a bit of an overstatement here in North Carolina, but I decided a wool shawl WOULD be nice after all. Each row of the shawl is hundreds of stitches in laceweight. I don't even want to know how many minutes each row takes.
Resisting the urge to start another shawl (I FINISHED the blue cotton half circle shawl just in time to need one out of wool, instead...will photo it when I block it, if ever), I got the wool one back out and worked on it and finished one side. Now just the second side to go. I alternate it with a garter stitch baby blanket for my third grandson who arrives in March. The blanket is tediously boring, the shawl is tediously difficult because of the very fine yarn, so I alternate tedium!
For those of you reading carefully, you noticed I said I joined a Knit-a-Long for this shawl. Never went back!!! But when I do finish the shawl you can be sure I will take it to the LYS to show it off!
Guess what? It got cold. Finally. Well, cold is a bit of an overstatement here in North Carolina, but I decided a wool shawl WOULD be nice after all. Each row of the shawl is hundreds of stitches in laceweight. I don't even want to know how many minutes each row takes.
Resisting the urge to start another shawl (I FINISHED the blue cotton half circle shawl just in time to need one out of wool, instead...will photo it when I block it, if ever), I got the wool one back out and worked on it and finished one side. Now just the second side to go. I alternate it with a garter stitch baby blanket for my third grandson who arrives in March. The blanket is tediously boring, the shawl is tediously difficult because of the very fine yarn, so I alternate tedium!
For those of you reading carefully, you noticed I said I joined a Knit-a-Long for this shawl. Never went back!!! But when I do finish the shawl you can be sure I will take it to the LYS to show it off!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
