Something old, something new

Due to a recent bout of frenetic stitching, my marvelous Maureen machine (technologically advanced) has gone on strike, getting stuck in bobbin mode. It was probably making a stand, having been long overdue a service, and to add insult to injury it had been recently subjected to a Thimble repair job. Not sure how I ended up with extra screws and washers after putting it back together...

Luckily waiting in the wings we have this little lovely...

Janome Novum De Luxe Mark III with vintage thread from the Maureen stash

This Janome Novum de luxe mark III was an Oxfam Christmas present and I believe it might be from the 1950s or 60s. Not only is it a beautiful design but 60 years on and it runs like a dream, without a hint of senility. There are little hidey holes for the bobbin case and the inner mechanisms. I can't get over the fact it takes today's needles - no built in obsolescence there. The bulb works so I hope it is still possible to get replacements. It weighs an absolute tonne.

Janome Novum de luxe marke III instruction book

Fabric from Frumble http://www.frumble.co.uk/

Lining: cleaning cloth

I thought it a fitting juxtaposition that the first project on my new old Janome (as opposed to my old new Janome, which is having much needed rest and recuperation) has been to make a cover for my ever so 21st century tablet. The lining is a lint-free polishing cloth, so greasy fingerprints are lifted in the taking out and putting away. Clever eh?

Detachable cleaning cloth

Even cleverer or possibly getting a bit carried away is a back up polishing cloth with press stud on ribbon (the ribbon from Temporary Measure having been squirreled away waiting for just such an opportunity).

It wanted a pocket for its lead but I wanted to avoid squishing or scratching any delicate bits, so a bottom zip pocket was the order of the day.

Button by Charlotte Morrison

Last but not least, a decorative pointing hand button (Charlotte Morrison).

....too much?


*Link to Novum 3 Instruction Booklet*

Gussets

Man's Aran cardigan after a good few wears

Rowan Pure Wool Family Collection

One day I will hopefully get to finish a sweater without there being something ever so slightly or ever so majorly flawed about the finished piece. Ever the optimist, each time it happens, I just think how much more experienced I am getting with every mistake.

Pictured in grey is the man cardigan I recently finished, from the Rowan Pure Wool Family Collection. The request was for 'one of these in merino'...

After too much time going google-eyed looking for a fine merino Aran weight wool with similar knitting tension gauge and suitable colour and price (the other twisted thing about flaws being the more expensive the raw ingredients, the more painful the flaw and the more temptation to shamefacedly throw it in the bin because looking at it is a constant reminder of profligacy and overestimation of one's crafting ability), I settled on Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran in grey, which I found on sale.

I wish I had known about Ravelry back then, I might have checked out the properties of this wool before committing. Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful wool, soft and warm and a pleasure to knit with. It does pill on wearing but nothing a bit of de-bobbling won't sort every so often. The tricky thing is the stretchiness of Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran on washing.

Determined at the outset to avoid disasters, I think I even did a tension gauge swatch before knitting (learning from the cape fiasco), and measured the subject and measured again after christmas mince pie season...So when a year later (I am easily distracted) it came to the sewing up, I was dismayed to find the jacket to be just a little too snug in the chest department, the subject not having expanded in any appreciable form.

Not to worry, Techknitter to the rescue. What we had was an emergency gusset situation.

Gussets using Techknitter technique

Gusset in situ

How gusset might appear when lifting arms aloft

A gusset  is a 'triangular or rhomboid piece of fabric inserted into a seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing'.

It was a bit fiddly sewing them in and I would have liked a neater finish but they certainly did the job and BEFORE WASHING (bw) this was a perfectly fitted man's cardigan.

After washing (aw) we seemed to have an entirely different beast. Thinking that wool is wool is wool and wool generally shrinks on drying, I washed and blocked and hand-dried flat.

Imagine my dismay when I discovered aw that the arms had increased in length by about a third (!!!) and the gussets were NO LONGER NECESSARY, the chest having 'relaxed' on washing. I wasn't relaxed. Absobloodylutely no way am I taking those gussets out.

At that point I discovered Ravelry and read a most interesting Debbie bliss Rialto Aran discussion
which had the following comments, 'This stuff blooms like crazy during blocking! It really spreads and becomes much more drapey', and my personal favourite, 'Nice to knit, but grows faster than a puppy after you wash it.' Someone recommended tumble drying which did work, though that encouraged pilling.

Buttons from TextileGarden

On the plus side, it must be comfy and warm because it has been worn lots this February but I admit I do get sad when I see the sleeves rolled up like a jam roly-poly. I did find the perfect buttons though, from TextileGarden.

I wonder if next time I should wash the pieces before making up, thus avoiding any unnecessary though not uninteresting forays into the world of gusseting....

Recipe for Knitting Socks

New Year, new and a slightly less spooky look for The Haunted Quilter. Yet again I delve into the Maureen stash (knitting and sewing bits & bobs inherited from a much loved aunt), this time for a really old handwritten sock recipe:

Directions for Knitting Socks

Caston about 49 stitches (for Phyllis I have 69). The odd one for the seam stitch.

For the Well - knit 2 purl 2 the required length. Then do a few rounds plain.

The pattern consists of two rounds commencing on the third stitch after the seam stitch.

1st Round. Make one by bringing cotton to front of needle, knit 2 together. Continue this until you get to the two stitches before the seam stitch.

2nd Round. Purl all the way round commencing on the third stitch after seam stitch. This finishes the pattern. You then knit a few rounds plain (3 is nice) and then repeat pattern.

Continue pattern in the foot on front needle as far as you think will show. The toe is plain.

NB Keep the two stitches on either side the seam stitch plain throughout. If you put in any narrowings you will of course have only 1 plain either side until you narrow again.

You will require about 3 balls of Brightage (?) for one pair.

Hope I have made it quite clear.

________________

I think this recipe presumes a certain amount of skill and experience in knitting socks - I got lost on the third stitch after the seam stitch. Also, it is a bit of pot luck on sizing...presumably Phyllis had larger than average sized legs.

Escargot helmet

Last year, without a specific project in mind but unable to resist, I bought some lovely hand-dyed wool from Croft Wool and Weavers in Torridon (mentioned in the post 'good hats'):

nettle

weld

Inspired by my current Poirot box set marathon, I was looking for a Cloche hat pattern. Must be getting a bit mature in my tastes because although this is my 3rd time through this box set, for the first time I find myself admiring Miss Lemon's style:

Miss Lemon

I scoured the net and came across this magnificent free pattern on Ravelry, designed by Veronica Parsons: the Escargot hat. There are lots of versions on google images and I noticed that many of them are a bit roomy. I have a tiny head (no wasted space in there) so I reduced the pattern by 10 stitches:

Escargot cloche

Veronica Parson's 'Escargot' worn by Thimble

So far I have worn it once and received many exclamations of admiration, awe and astonishment. What a hat! I think it makes me look like a warrior lady soldier...

Chalcidian helmets

...but someone else said it looks like an old american football helmet. Nevertheless I feel I have notched it up a step in the style stakes for 2013.

Taking a line for a walk

So Bad Hair Day Lady has a little boy (I'll call him lego boy) who loves to draw. When he was 4/5 years old he went through a particularly creative phase and lucky BHDL would stumble upon these magnificent pictures when tidying up after her noisy brood. She told me these pictures reminded her of Paul Klee, who said 'Drawing is taking a line for a walk' (or something like that).

Now I am not ashamed to say that I don't know my Klee's from Kandinsky's but I could see the link:

Panels of the doodle quilt

Lego Boy's drawings aged 4-5

Well needless to say this tripped the quilty ideas switch in my head and I had a lot of fun choosing fabrics and machine quilting the pictures - it really made me notice all the small details, like tiny faces in the windows of trucks. The machine embroidery was also a great way of using up Aunty Maureen's cottons, some of which are very old.

Doodle quilt detail: looks like a snail

Doodle quilt detail: birdcage head man and friend

Doodle quilt central panel: Thimble on the right

Probably a bit narcissistic, but I couldn't help putting my picture in the middle of the quilt (that is me on the right with the big chin). I wanted to join up the pictures with a maze design, but it got a bit complicated so I did a modified maze:

Taking a line for a walk quilt

For the border, I wanted to use up all the odds and end bits, so I used my new bias binding maker and was very pleased with the result, and with my thriftiness.

strippy bias binding

Anyway I was thrilled with the end result, so thanks Lego Boy for your inspiration. I hope this stands the test of time. Weirdly enough the portrait of me from the central panel (done in felt tip pen) was in a frame on my bookshelf and over the course of the year whilst making the quilt, the picture slowly faded away and now is just a ghost outline...it would have been lost forever had I not embroidered it into this quilt!
  

 

Craft Crazy

This year's christmas tree angel is the lovely Castiel. I am not sure he featured strongly in the Jesus story, but then neither did magic mushrooms and marshmallows knitting a blanket, which also adorn our delicately tasteful plastic tree.

Castiel

Something was missing though and I didn't know what until we were given this lovely hand-knitted snowman with crocheted twig arms. Thanks Sheila!

Sheila's snowman

Party Frock

Party Frock

Work christmas parties. Enough said. This year I was determined to fulfil my resolution to make a frock and make a proper job of it. It has been a(nother) curve on the mysterious and sometimes incredibly frustrating but mostly fun journey of learning needlecraft.

This was the starting point:

It was a sorry moment when after a recent severe cold spell necessitating extra portions of pie, I had to 'upsize' Hedley in the bust department. Then the really fun bit of ordering fabric which I mostly like to do in a real shop but I ran out of time so used Calico Laine which has the widest selection of dress lining fabrics I have ever come across and is really reasonably priced. I chose the Airforce/Navy iridescent satin back Dupion because it looked a bit special...and also some polka dot green cotton...well just because.

Unlike the lovely lady in black on the packet, my figure crossed over several size bands which was a bit confusing, being a novice. I decided to be extra careful and EVEN made a muslin FIRST:

Hedley in muslin

The idea being that this is made using the pattern, sewn up, tried on and then the muslin pieces adjusted and unpicked to become the new pattern pieces. I am jolly glad I didn't miss out this step because I had to add 2 inches to the length and alter the curve of the side panels. Well to cut a long story short I got into a bit of a pickle sewing the lining to the front mainly because I didn't read the instructions. I also found out that Satin back Dupion frays really easily and is not the best choice for a beginner. There were a few sweaty moments when I had to unpick the zip and it might have ended up in the bin at the attaching the skirt stage, had I not remembered that my best qualities are perseverance in the face of adversity and optimism.

Well, I did it. I had my Pretty in Pink moment (anyone else remember feeling a little crestfallen at the unveiling of the dress in that film after the tremendous build-up? I'd do it again though.

Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Airforce/Navy iridescent satin back Dupion