Practising with hand-stitching

Today I continued with the felt fawn I started last weekend. The pattern is from the Felt Friends from Japan book I bought a couple of months ago.

I thought making these cute felt softies from this well written pattern books is a good way to practise my hand sewing skills. They are not as neat as I would like but that's what practising is all about I suppose.

Not only do I feel that I am honing in my limited embroidery skill, I am also learning some valuable techniques of softies construction (I was still feeling a bit stuck last weekend following an unsuccessful attempt at a design I had sketched up...)

A pretty relaxing way to spend Sunday!

Swirl mitts

These are some Olivia inspired mitts using the stitch pattern of the Swirl Hat by Mandie Harrington.

I gave them a wash and used a pair of salad spoons to block them :) rather effective I thought. I just have to some some little hands to try them on. They are 4.5 inches/ approx 11.4cm long and 2.5 inches/ approx 6.4cm wide (2 inches/ 5cm wide at the cuffs). There is some stretch so hopefully will fit a newborn to 3 months old?

Yarn: Filatura Di Crosa Zara Print Melange (8 ply), 100% merino
Amount: about 45m (scrap yarn left over from the Swirl Hat
Needles: 3.75mm circular
Method: magic loop, cuff down
You will need to know:
K = knit
P = purl
K2tog = knit two together
K3tog = knit three together
YO = yarn over
3 Needles bind off (KNITfreedom has a great tutorial on this)

1. cast on 32 stitches, join the round
2. K2P2 ribbing in the round for 12 rounds
3. Change to bigger needles (4.5mm)
4. K2, YO, K4, K2tog - in the round, repeat 4 times
5. continue step 4 for 17 rounds or 3.5 inches/ about 9cm
Decrease rounds:
6. K2, YO, K3, K3tog - in the round, repeat 4 times = 28 stitches
7. K2, YO, K3, K2tog - in the round, repeat 4 times = 28 stitches
8. K2, YO, K2, K3tog - in the round, repeat 4 times = 24 stitches
9. K2, YO, K2, K2tog - in the round, repeat 4 times = 24 stitches

10. K2, YO, K1, K3tog - in the round, repeat 4 times = 20 stitches
11. K2, YO, K1, K2tog - in the round, repeat 4 times = 20 stitches

12. K2, YO, K3tog - in the round, repeat 4 times = 16 stitches
13. K2tog - in the round, repeat 4 times = 8 stitches
14. 3 needles bind off

15. Wash and block etc etc..

Hope this is useful. If anyone has tried this and found any mistakes or have other suggestions, please let me know.

Happy crafting!

The day after Lambus busted...

More sketching, more trying and more studying...

Good things come to those who wait... Glinda Socks

Good things come to those who wait... with hard work, and waited... and hard work and waited... I am not a fast knitter but these socks have taken me just shy of 6 months to complete. I didn't forget how I got here either...  The pattern is not a difficult one and it has been written well. These after all are my first cuff down after-thought heels socks so I am rather proud of them and I am glad I tried these techniques.  Whilst the results are pleasing, they certainly fit well, I now believe I am a toe up socks girl. I don't mind the after-thought heels even...

Just so happy that they are now a completed project!

Lambus busted :(

Doh! I have come to terms with the fact I can't get this fleecy material to work for Lambus... It's too thick and too slippery. It keeps sliding away from the needle... maybe if I handstitched, I might have more control but the stitching wouldn't be very neat.

I still believe in the general idea of this pattern and I just have to try again with different materials. Maybe I shouldn't have been so ambitious and tried with what I know first...

GRRR... the other body parts seem to be holding up ok but the layers just got too thick around the legs and I can see how horrid it'd be to stitch the head on... never mind... you live, you learn!

And there is fluff everywhere! There is a trail of fluff coming off this material wherever I have go!

Onwards!

Me so happy!

Seeing lil' Olivia wearing the Puerperium Cardigan I made her just made my weekend!!

Hearing the story about her wiggling too much to have both socks on her hands,  I have also been inspired to have a go at making some newborn baby mitts to go with the Swirl Hat I made recently. Once I am done with the 2nd one, I will write up the pattern for it.

The weekend went by way too quickly!! I didn't make any progress on Lambus I started last weekend so I will have to pick that up next weekend.