A little weaving

I didn't realize how long the floor loom had sat unused until I offered to make a rag rug for my grandson from the worn sheets from his first big boy bed. The last warping had been to make a rug for the nursery this same, then unborn, grandson six years before.

After a few small rugs to use up fabric that would probably not be used for sewing projects, I decided to weave with smaller weft. These two scarves (red is 60" x 22", the black and white is 78" x 22") were woven with the same warp. The black is a light weight smooth cotton, the white is a nubby cotton. The warping pattern was black, white, black, white, black, white, white, black, white, black, white, black across the loom. The first four treadles were hooked up for a twill weave; the last two for tabby.

The black and white scarf was a tabby weave for the most, alternating weft colors for ten passes and then reversing the order. The stripes were woven using just one color of weft and a tabby or twill weave.

The red piece alternates ten passes of tabby weave with thirty twill--treadling 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 and so on.

The red piece was really a surprise. I used a light weight cotton weft for the first inch like I usually do when I weave a rug, then switched to some red knitting yarns, but they looked too heavy, so I removed them and continued with the light weight cotton. Both pieces drape well and are light enough to fold lengthwise for a winter scarf, or use without folding for a shawl.

Shibori Experiments

Recently I started experimenting with Shibori. I had played around with tie dying years ago, but when I saw an exhibit of Japanese kimonos that included some stunning examples of shibori, I wanted to see if I could have more control over the dying process than previously.

I had a pile of 14 inch squares of white cotton to use for practice. After some preliminary trials, in which the dye was too light to really show what was going on, I switched to rit in a slow cooker. I could put up to six of the squares into the cooker at a time and obtain reasonable results.

Of course having a dozen or so dyed squares was nice, but being practical by nature, I wanted them to be of some use. I had earlier made a pleated bag from a pattern on Pinterest, so that was my first project. More detailed than a simple tote bag, it allowed  me to combine several of the squares into a bag, which because it has a waterproof lining, should be useful this summer.

Being very frugal, I retied and clamped some of the too-light pieces that had been dyed in tumeric, and redyed them in the blue. Those I combined with some navy blue cotton to make a table runner.

My last example is a bleach out experiment using an old burgundy t shirt. I pleated both halves from the center outward and clipped it with wooden clothespins, then placed it in a bucket with about a cup of bleach and enough water to let it spread out. I didn't think much had happened, expecting white to appear, but was pleased with the results. I cut down the t shirt before bleaching, and sewed it up, with a cotton facing after the process.

I still have about a dozen dyed square to use and am trying to decide whether to piece them together and make a summer top, or combine them with a plain fabric and use them for the skirt of a dress.
I'll save that for a later post.

Knitted Angel

After making several elves, I branched out to angels. This is basically the same as the knitted elf, except that the sweater is longer and additional increases are made to make the skirt flare out. The bottom border of the skirt and the cuff end of the sleeves are a series of shells topped with picots.

The wings, each worked separately off a center ring, are shells in shells, ending with the same picots.

The hair is wool roving, though yarn ringlets or braids would be cute too.

The heart is a small wood heart colored with a permanent marker and attached with double sided tape (I didn't want to glue on the knit.

The head is a two inch wood ball, flat on one side into which I put a screw, but did not screw it in all the way, so that there would be a little flange to use in attaching the body. I did the same with the ends of the dowel used for arms and legs (each of which is about 4" long).

I could post more detailed instructions if anyone is interested.

Knitted Kindness Elf

Knitted Kindness Elves

These directions are not very exact, but should make sense to anyone with some experience.

This elf is made with dk yarn, size 4 dbl needles, and a size 0 crochet hook. For each part I first crocheted a chain and a made a loop the size I needed, made one round of sc, and then picked up those stitches with the double pointed needles to knit. This prevented the edges from rolling when knitted in stockingette stitch and helped me visualize size of each part since I was working without a pattern.

Supplies:

2 inch wooden ball for head, preferably with a flattened end with a hold drilled into it. If it doesn't have a hole, you will need to drill a 1/4 inch one.

4 one inch diameter wooden beads or flattened end balls for hands and feet.

3-4 inch long pieces of dowel to fit into the holes in the beads. The ones for arms and legs should have a very small hole drilled through the end not in the bead. (The wooden balls I have have a half inch hole that goes partway into them, so my dowels were thick enough to drill)

The wooden balls should be painted flesh color, though you might want to paint the feet like shoes and the hands like mittens. Eyes and mouth can be painted or drawn with permanent markers.

A small amount of stuffing.

A small piece of knit material for the body, or a 4 inch long section of stocking (I used white tights)

Leftover balls of dk yarn in the colors of your choice. Worsted yarn for hair.

Sleeves:  Crochet a chain long enough to make a ring the will fit around the arm dowel, but not completely around the hand bead. Mine was 17 stitches. Sc into each chain, then use those stitches as your cast on, dividing them onto three dbl needles. Knit a tube 4 inches long. Fasten off, leaving about an 8 inch tail.

Pants: Make just like arms, except one or two stitches smaller (but still large enough to go over the dowel, mine was 16 stitches). When the first tube in four inches long, bind off just less than one third of the stitches (I bound off three). Put the remaining stitches on a scrap of yarn while you knit a second identical tube. Then redistribute the remaining stitches from both tubes onto the three needles and knit for one inch. Bind off; sew the crotch seam.

Sweater:  Crochet a chain long enough to go around the head ball about a third of the way up. Form into a ring and sc into each stitch, then transfer to double pointed needles as above. Knit even for an inch to make rolled neckline. Mark the center front and center back. Every third round increase one stitch on each side of both markers by wrapping one stitch before and one stitch after each marker (wrap, k1, slide marker, k1, warp). After six sets of increases, knit even for six round to make a rolled bottom edge.

Hat:  Make a chain long enough to fit around head and form into a ring. Sc in each chain and transfer to double pointed needles. Knit even for three inches. Decrease 5 stitches distributed evenly through next row. Decrease 5 stitches in following row. Thread a yarn through remaining stitches, pull tightly and secure.

Hair: The braid is made with 15 strands of worsted weight yarn (21 of dk).

Assembly:

Lightly stuff a body formed by making a bag out of the section of stocking or knit material. Gather the top edge with a long string. (The body will be about 3.5 inches tall and about 6 inches around.)

Put legs into the pant legs. With a large needles, draw a string through the hole in the top of one leg, through the lower part of the body, then through the other leg. Sew back and forth a couple times to secure. Pull up pants and stitch in place.

Put the sweater on the body, then insert the dowel with the head ball and pull the gathering string very tightly, wrap around dowel and tie securely. You could also add a little glue at the neck.

Put sleeves on arm dowels and stitch closed at top. If the dowels are short, add a tiny bit of stuffing. 

Using matching yarn, sew through the top of the sleeve, through the top of the sweater and body, and out through the other sleeve top. Sew back and forth a couple times and secure.

Either glue the braid to the head, or sew it to the sides of the hat.

This pattern if for personal use only so that you can spread kindness this Christmas.

Kindness Elves

When my daughter-in-law wanted a pair of Kindness Elves to encourage a spirit of giving in my grandchildren, she was unable to find any for sale that looked kind rather than cunning (or downright scary). Sending me some pictures, she asked if I could help. Here are the results

Crocheted Kindness Elves

The parts of the elves are crocheted separately; then sewn together. I used a size F hook and worsted weight yarn for all but the hats, which are dk. Since I wanted to match the colors, I pulled one strand off the worsted weight and used the remaining three strands on the hats.

Head: (crochet in a spiral, not separate rounds)
Chain 3 and form into a ring
Rnd 1:  Make 6 single crochet stitches into the ring.
Rnd 2:  Make 2 single crochet stitches in each stitch (total of 12)
Rnd 3:  (sc in sc, 2sc in next sc) 6 times (total of 18 stitches)
Rnd 4:  (sc in two sc, 2sc in next sc) 6 times (total of 24 stitches)
Rnd 5:  (sc in 7 sc, 2 sc in next sc) 3 times (total of 27 stitches)
Work five more rounds on 27 stitches.
Reverse the order, to decrease stitches, stuffing head before closing. To close up the final circle, draw yarn through remaining six stitches, pull to close, and secure.

Ears:
Chain 3 and form into a ring.
Make one sc, one dc, and one tr in ring, fasten off.
Sew ears on sides of head.

Body: (again, work in a spiral, not separate rounds)
Starting at neck edge. Chain 8 and form into a ring
Rnd 1:  Make 12 sc in ring.
Rnd 2:  (sc in 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc) 4 times (total of 16 sc)
Rnd 3:  Work even
Rnd 4:  (sc in 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc) 4 times (total of 20 sc)
Work even for 3 rounds
Change to color for bottom (pants or skirt) and work 5 rows even
Next round:  (sc in 2 sc, sc 2 tog) 4 times (total of 16 stitches)
Next round:  (sc in sc, sc 2 tog) sc last stitch (total of 11 stitches)
Last round:  (sc 2 tog) 5 times. Pull yarn through these last 6 stitches and secure.

Skirt: (change color as desired)
Crochet into 20 stitches of the first round of the bottom color.
Rnd 2:  Increase every 4th stitch (total of 25 stitches)
Work three rounds even
Next rnd:  Increase every 5th stitch (total of 30 stitches)
Next rnd:  Increase every 5th stitch (total of 36 stitches)
Last rnd:   (sc in sc, ch 2) 36 times. Fasten off

Arms:
Chain 3 and form into a loop.
Rnd 1:  Make 6 sc in loop.
Rnd 2:  (2sc in each of first 2 sc, 1 sc in next) twice  (total of 10 stitches)
Work two rounds even
Next round:  sc 2 tog twice, sc (total of 8 stitches)
Change to sleeve color and continue working even on 8 stitches till 12 rounds. Fasten off.

Legs: (starting with foot--I used black)
Chain 3 and form into a loop
Rnd 1: Make sc, hdc, 2dc, hdc, sc, hdc, 2dc, hdc, into loop (10 stitches)
Rnd 2: sc in sc; sc, hdc in hdc; hdc in each of 2 dc; hdc, sc in hdc; sc in sc; 2sc in hdc; sc in each dc; 2 sc in hdc. (total of 14 stitches)
Rnd 3: Sc in first stitch; hdc next two stitches together;  hdc in each of the next 2 stitches; hdc next 2 stitches together; sc in sc; sc 2tog; sc in next 2 stitches; sc 2 tog. (total of ten stitches)
Rnd 4: Sc in first 2 stitches, sc 2 tog, sc in rest of stitches. (total of 9 stitches)
Rnd 5: Work even.
Rnd 6: Change to leg (boy) or sock (girl) color and work even till leg if 5 inches long.

Hat: (I used dk, but you could use worsted)
Make a chain just a stitch or two longer than needed to go around the head. Form into a loop.
Make enough sc into the loop that it fits easily on the head.
Work even for 5 rounds.
Decrease by sc 2 tog every 8th stitch. If you want the hat longer, insert an even row every now and then. When there are only 4 or 5 stitches left, thread yarn through them, pull tight, and fasten off. I added a jingle bell on the end.

Finishing.
Gently stuff the arms and legs and close the tops. Sew tops of arms to neck edge. Sew the legs through the bottom of the body so that they can move. Sew head to neck. Boy's hair is made by making straight stitches from the center of the top, down around the head. The girl's hair is fifteen strands of worsted weight yarn braided. Dot eyes and mouth are added with embroidery cotton.

I hope these directions are clear enough to follow--I haven't written out such long directions before. Changing colors is up to you. Let me know if there are errors to correct or clarifications to make.
This pattern is meant for personal use only, so that you can inspire a spirit of giving in others.

Japanese Kimono Style Jacket without a Pattern

 

I made this kimono style jacket using a picture from http://cdn.rugrabbit.com/sites/default/files/imagecache and a few measurements. The pieces are basically rectangles, though I rounded the bottom a bit. The back rectangle should be the width of your shoulders plus a little and the length you would like the jacket to be plus hem allowance. The front pattern is identical to the back, split down the center, with about an inch and a half to be used as a self facing. Measure a loose fitting sleeve on a garment that fits you well for the width of the sleeve and make the length just past the elbow, or the length of your choice.

 

I did not line this jacket because the fabric is fairly heavy and I wanted it to be just something to toss on when the weather was chilly. I thought about trimming the sleeves with a cuff to match the collar (which by the way, is also just a rectangle), but decided not to.

 

This jacket is so easy I could see making several out of a variety of fabrics to wear in layering over a tank top, as a beach cover-up, or when a little warmth is needed.

Korean Jeogori as a spring jacket

Inspired by a display at Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park during the Christmas season, I made this modified Korean Jeogori using a pattern from http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-81Gdv9gPM_4/TmiJjCa93KI/  and a few simple measurements.

The lightweight jacket is made of cotton prints with a dark blue cotton lining. The needed measurements are back width, back length, and arm length. Rather than the traditional ties, I put a single button and buttonhole.

I look forward to wearing this on cool spring evenings--either with jeans or a shift like dress.