finished project.

Wrapped in Lace Shawl

by Kim Miller

I made this shawl using Knit Picks Aloft which is a lovely lace weight blend of 75% mohair and 25% silk. I am extremely happy with this soft, pretty yarn as it blocks beautifully and it is very similar to the Rowan Kidsilk Haze but at a fraction of the cost. 

The downside of mohair is that it is usually impossible to frog and the Knit Picks Aloft was no exception. I messed up on the shawl border as there is suppose to be a scallop on either side of the center point as opposed to one scallop in the very center. I managed to rip out about half a dozen shells before I gave up and realized that I would end up wrecking the shawl if I tried to take out anymore.  Besides the edging looked just as pretty either way.

Once again...yay to Knit Picks for their gorgeous selection of affordable luxury yarns!!!

kim.

new crochet pattern - never ending scarf by kim miller.

 

Who says that beautiful has to be complicated...

This scarf is super easy to crochet yet it has the feel and drape of a fine knit fabric! You can wear this versatile scarf as a cowl or for added warmth you can wear it as a hood. The pattern is a simple one row repeat so this is the perfect project to work on while watching T.V. or visiting with friends.

The crochet pattern calls for 1.5 balls of Patons® Lace Sequin and the pattern is complete with colour photos and a chart. The finished scarf measures 30” (76 cm) long x 12” (30.5 cm) wide.

Buy Now

kim.

sneak peek.

As promised and in time for fall this new crocheted scarf pattern should be ready for purchase any day now!

kim.

what is felting?

 
Felting is simply the process of washing an item that has been crocheted or knitted (using 100% wool for felting) in very hot water until the item shrinks and becomes soft and fuzzy looking. Technically, this process is called fulling but felting seems to be an accepted term and for the purposes of this post we will be using the term felting. Felting differs from fulling in that with fulling you are working with a fabric whereas with felting you are working with fibres.

Remember when you accidentally threw your favorite sweater in the

wash and shrunk it...you called it ruined but now we call it felting.

Wool fiber is covered with tiny scales. Moisture and heat will cause the scales to soften and rise, and friction will cause the scales to fuse or to bind together creating a thick dense fabric. As long as your item is completely felted you can even cut it without fear of it unravelling. Once the fabric has been felted the process cannot be reversed. However, the item could be felted more so it is important that finished items are washed carefully.

Before Felting                                            After Felting

Crocheted and knitted patterns that are meant to be felted have been designed to take into consideration the shrinkage involved in the felting process. The crocheted or knitted item will be fairly large and awkward looking when finished but once it is felted it will shrink down considerably and the stitches will not be as prominent. Depending on the wool and techniques used the stitches may even completely disappear.

You can choose to felt an item either by hand or in the washing machine, but you may want to try a combination of both methods as it usually takes a few washing to get the item to felt. After the item has been felted the wet fabric should be shaped as desired and allowed to dry. It is important to spend a little time stretching and forming the fabric while it is wet because ultimately this is how your item will look when it is dry.

Felting is a fun way to transform your crocheted or knitted project into something completely different and it will add a whole new dimension to an already favorite hobby.

kim.

crochet flower garden.

Visit Komo News to see how one city used crochet to beautify it's landscape.  Enjoy!!

kim and tara.

warm and fuzzy.

With the cooler weather approaching zoeysbags put together a lovely collection of warm and fuzzy crocheted and knitted accessories that will inspire you for the upcoming season.

Thank  you so much to zoeysbags of Raggity Baggity for including our pattern for the Sock Slouch in your "Warm and Fuzzy" treasury.

kim and tara.

crafty storage idea for your tunisian crochet hooks.

Is it wrong to buy junk food just to have the cannisters? That is exactly what I did!!

I'm not normally a Pringle eating girl but my husband brought home a cannister of them not long ago and when they were all done I thought to myself that this would make a good...mmm...something...

I didn't know at the time what it would become but then one day it hit me.  I needed something to hold my tunisian crochet hooks.  Next camping trip I purchased more Pringles with my project in mind.

I purchased my papers at Michaels for $0.20/sheet and the Pringles only cost me $1.69/sleeve.  Not only cheap but quick as well.

Gather your papers and your Pringle cannisters.  If you are like me and can't wait for someone in the house to eat the Pringles, dump them into a bowl and set them out.  I guarantee they will get eaten.  Slice your papers at 10.1875" (or ten inches and three sixteenths).  You may want to double check that measurement before slicing.  It took me one go with the polka dot paper before I got it right. 

Tape one edge to the cannister, lining it up in between the two silver rims.  Roll the paper around the cannister, tape down and you are done!!

tara.

new pattern - braided fingerless mitts.

Classic and stylish describes these crochet cabled fingerless mitts and they are the perfect accessory for today's modern lifestyle. These mitts will keep your hands warm while at the same time allowing for freeness of movement.

This detailed crochet pattern includes colour illustrations. Instructions are written for one size but post stitches and cabling allow lots of room for stretch. Ladies size S/M. The finished mitt is 6.5 " in circumference but they stretch to fit 7.5" and they are 6.25" long.

The pattern calls for 1 ball of Knit Picks Palette Yarn (fingering weight) which comes in vast array of gorgeous colours so the hardest part will be deciding what colour to make them in. Visit http://www.knitpicks.com/ to view their colour selection.

Buy Now

kim.

an introduction to baffie.

We are excited to announce that we have translated some of our crochet designs from American Standard to British Standard crochet terms and they are now available through baffie.co.uk. If you are interested in seeing which of our crochet designs have been translated click here. If you see a pattern that you have already purchased from us and you would like the UK version then please just let us know as we would be more than happy to email it to you.

"Baffie" is the Scottish word for slippers and baffie.co.uk is an online gift boutique, that sells handcrafted, affordable home accessories and home comforts created by artisans and independent designers. Not only will you have loads of fun exploring this great new site but you will also find lots of funky and affordable treats for your home and for giving.

Julia Douglas is a textile and mixed media visual artist based just outside Haddington in Scotland and she is the creative force behind baffie.

Julia's inspiration for her work is the home and the relationship that people have with the objects they put in their homes. In Julia's own words: "A constant inspiration for my work is the home and the relationship people have with the objects they put in their homes. I make art by exploring seemingly trivial household objects, and remake these by playfully transforming them, often using them as surrogates for the owner’s body, and, consequently drawing attention to their significance in helping to tell a story about the inhabitants’ life and the culture in which they lived."

You can view some of Julia's art here: http://www.juliadouglas.co.uk/. Some other places that you will find Julia are ravelry.com, and http://www.facebook.com/baffiegifts.  Or join in with her at http://www.facebook.com/Knit.It.Community and share your latest projects and passions.  Have fun browsing!!!


Update December 31st, 2011:

Lights out for baffie....we received some sad news from Julia this month regarding baffie. We are sad to say that for various reasons Julia has decided to close baffie :(

kim and tara.

sneak peek.

I just had a "business meeting" with Tara, which really means that we met at Starbucks for coffee, but we did talk a bit about business and we did have a look at each others projects.  It seems that we both have scaves and fingerless mitt patterns planned for this fall and this is a peek at our first pair of fingerless mitts for the season...

kim.

finished project.

"Through the Woods" crochet hood by Kalurah of "While They Play".

I love this pattern!!! This was a very satisfying project to work on and everything went smoothly once I clued in and came to the realization that I should be ignoring the ch 2 like it didn’t exist (the same as if I was working in sc). The hood construction is brilliant and it was fun to see how it all came together.

For this project I used 3 skeins of Berroco Vintage in "Butter Cream". This was my first time using this yarn and even though it was slightly splitty I was delighted with it. The yarn is so soft and it has a lovely drape.

kim.

and the winners are...

Wow!!! What a delightful surprise to see how many participated in our giveaway for September, 73 entries in total. First off we would like to extend a warm thank-you to everyone for your kind words and for your support! It was wonderful to read through every one's encouraging comments.

Now for the part that you have all been waiting for...and the winner for this month's first giveaway is...

Congratulations GreenCats who left the comment "I really love your patterns, and as a younger crocheter i adore the contemporary feel of your designs§! :)"

...you have won the pattern for the Infinity Scarf and 3 skeins of pre-wound Knit Picks Gloss Sock yarn in "Porcini".

...and the winner for this month's second giveaway is...

Congratulations Hair Family who left the comment "Hi! New fan! Super cute stuff thanks for the giveaway"

...you have won the crochet pattern for the Felted Baby Slip-ons and 2 balls of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in "Thyme"

...and the winner for this month's third giveaway is...

Congratulations Melissa Rothman who left the comment "Thanks for a great giveaway!"

...you have won 2 free patterns of your choice from our etsy shop.

The winners were drawn randomly using Random.org. 

If you were one of the names drawn then please check your email account for details on how to collect your prizes.

Thanks again and have a great day!

kim and tara.

extreme knitting - 1000 strand knit by rachel john.

I have enough trouble keeping one ball of yarn from tangling...

kim.

first friday freebie.

UPDATE: This give-away is now closed.

To kick off what Tara and I consider to be the beginning of crochet season, we are excited to announce that this month we will be featuring three seperate giveaways!!!

The first giveaway is the crochet pattern for the Infinity Scarf and...

3 skeins of pre-wound Knit Picks Gloss Sock yarn in "Porcini" which is enough yarn for you to complete your project. The Porcini colour is currently unavailable so if you've been hankering to make the Infinity Scarf in the colour shown this is your chance! A print out of the pattern and the 3 skeins of yarn will be sent via standard mail to the winner. A PDF of the pattern will be emailed to the winner the same day.

The second giveaway is the crochet pattern for the Felted Baby Slip-ons and...

2 balls of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in "Thyme" which is enough yarn to complete at least a couple pair of these sweet little baby slippers. A print out of the pattern and the 2 balls of yarn will be sent via standard mail to the winner. A PDF of the pattern will be emailed to the winner the same day.

The third giveaway is 2 free patterns of your choice from our etsy shop. A PDF of the patterns will be emailed to the winner the same day.

The draw will begin today and because of the long weekend in Canada it will extend to Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 at midnight (Pacific Standard Time). The winners will be randomly picked using random.org. on Wednesday September 7th and will be contacted the same day by email. Be sure to check back on Wednesday to see if you are one of the three winners!!

Note: All of the yarn is as shown and is from a smoke free, pet friendly environment.

To enter the draw:

Just comment to this post, even to say "Hi". Please make sure to leave us your email address in your comment so we can contact you if your name is drawn. If you prefer to keep your email private, just email us at knotsewcute@gmail.com

To receive a second chance to win, simply tell your friends about our blog via facebook, twitter, personal blog, whatever and come back and share the link with us in another comment. Again, please leave us your email address.

Maximum of 2 entries per person.  Each entrant is eligilble for one prize only. All entries must be in by Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 midnight PST to be valid. 

kim and tara.

to whet your appetite...

yes whet is spelled correctly and...

we will be giving away yarn this month for our "First Friday Freebie".  See you tomorrow!!

kim and tara.