Tunisian blocks

At our last Guild meeting, we had a workshop about Tunisan crochet (aka Afghan stitch or tricot). I have finally got the hang of it and can now make my pieces with straight edges. Of the four stitches I was shown, I prefer the look of one where loops are made through the front of the previous stitch. So, what to do with the small swatch I began in the workshop (mistakes and wonky edges and all)? Turn it into a patchwork block, what else?

So here is my first square (blocking); the red in the centre is my beginning piece; the bottom edge of the centre square is my original cast on. You can see I had trouble keeping the edges straight (just like any beginner knitter!). Picking up the stitches around the piece was also tricky. I decided to push forward despite the wonkiness (this method of crochet is very slow for me) but now that it's blocked I wish I hadn't! Ah, well, we live and learn, don't we? At least I won't have to live with it - the finished blanket will eventually go to Wrap With Love.

The pattern for the block is taken from a tutorial on Elizabeth Hartman's website, Oh Fransson. If you are into patchwork, especially if you're a beginner like me, there are two great tutorials on the site: one for making a Modern Sampler Quilt, the other for making a Paintbox Quilt. This block is used in both quilts; in fact, it's the basis for the Paintbox Quilt. Thanks, Elizabeth, for making all these patterns and the tutorials available for free.

I always knew that patterns for quilting would work in knitting or crochet! LOL

someone had to knit all this

Who said this wasn't a knitting blog? LOL

Quilting Adventures in Knitterland Project 1 - Chapter 2: And sew it continued...

Warning: another lengthy post (I hope to return you to normal kntting content soon)

On Sunday, the sewing continued. As did the pressing of each seam after it had been sewn (I learnt that way back in the days BDD (before DD) of doing garment assembly at TAFE - then called "Tech").
Our seams got straighter with experience but the strips remained as they had been cut (how strange!!). One nearly-block of six strips (supposedly 1 1/2 inches wide) measured less than nine inches in width; the next was wider than 9 inches. When I went to school, 6 x 1 1/2 = 9. However, that was in maths - not in home economics (a subject which wasn't offered at my all girls’ school). Obviously where the sewing of fabric pieces is concerned, maths isn’t always absolute! Or could it just be the operators? LOL

What is a nearly-block? I'm glad you asked because I was going to tell you anyway! It’s a rectangle made up (in this case) of six strips of fabric supposedly a minimum of twenty inches long.

This rectangle was to have been cut in half to make two nine inch blocks (when completed) but one of the strips was only eighteen inches long. Those of you who quilt will know that to get two sewn strips nine inches in length each, one actually needs nineteen inches of fabric! So why did we cut this one so short? Ask the people in India who cut the Flat Quarters that are for sale at the Big Box Store. All the Flat Quarters came from the same company; all were labelled 50cm x 52cm (20 inches x 21 inches).

Lesson #1: measure the Flat Quarter before cutting! Just because it is illegal in NSW to misrepresent the size/weight of the product doesn't mean it isn't done!
Lesson #2: don't buy pre-cut flat (or fat) quarters from the Big Box Store. In future, buy fabric off the bolt (even if it does cost more than as Flat Quarters - work that one out!) Perhaps, better still, shop at one of the many reputable patchwork shops in the local area.

Anyway, because all the strips of this particular fabric were eighteen inches in length, we modified our design. What was to have been a quilt top for a single bed made up of nine inch blocks became a floor mat for GS#1 for “tummy time” - made up of roughly eighteen inch blocks! Yep, you read that correctly - eighteen inch blocks. We are nothing if not inventive and open to new directions!

There was some ripping of seams (do quilters also call it “frogging”?). There was a great deal too much of fraying along the length, meaning that strips that might have been close to two inches when cut were more like one and three quarter inches after they’d been sewed, ripped and frayed! (Refer to Lesson #2). Finally there were four blocks approximately eighteen inches wide and with strips varying in length (Lessons #1 and #2) between eighteen and twenty one inches.

WM stepped into the fray (excuse the pun) and squared off the hopelessly out of shape blocks with the newly bought rotary cutter (my excuse is that I’m left handed). He'll deny it but the truth is that he couldn’t wait to play with a nice, new, sharp tool!

At last it was time for the joining. I sewed two blocks together top to side. DD sewed two blocks together in the same fashion. Then came the moment of truth: all four blocks were joined. Look at that junction! I am so proud of that. All the seams lined up perfectly!! DD may call us the Hacky Packy Quilters but that seam was a great moment in my sewing life!

So here it is: our first quilt top! All we need now is the border, the backing, the batting and (scariest of all) the binding before we even attempt some form of quilting. We may even get it finished before GS#1 can crawl!

BTW, it was just coincidence that the white strip printed with birds was on the end of the two adjoining blocks; same goes for the blue strips on the other two blocks! But we'll say we designed it that way if anyone asks!! LOL

We probably shouldn't air our bodgy piecing in public but, hey, what the heck! It may encourage others to know that everyone starts somewhere and not every attempt is perfect! LOL

Thank you to all who have left encouraging comments. I’m not sure about the addictive part – as far as sewing goes I think I’m more product than process.

Quilting Adventures in Knitterland Project 1 - Chapter 1: It's not as easy as one might think!

Warning: long wordy post!

First choose the fabrics.
It's not a good idea to do this in a hurry when the big box store is closing and they want you out of there. Having chosen to do strips and deciding we needed seven fabrics, the variety to choose from was almost overwhelming. But we did choose; you can view our selection here if you missed that post.

Wash all the fabrics by hand and drip-dry them.
I've since learnt (on Ravelry of all places) that pre-washing is a choice. Some do, some don't. I did and both the purple fabrics left colour in the water so perhaps it's well that I did. Of course, after the washing comes the ironing which would have been a lot easier if I hadn't left the fabrics to completely dry.

Once the fabrics are prepared, it's time for cutting.
Before one cuts, it's a good idea to know what one is trying to achieve! For most that means a pattern or at least a design idea. In our case, it meant an hour's chat interspersed with attending to Baby Boy. So now, with pattern/concept in mind, the fabric must be cut.

Cut strips with rotary cutters.
Beginners, who may discover they don’t like quilt-making and therefore don't want to shell out for tools they may never use, may decide to just use scissors. After all, it works for dressmaking! This, my friends, is a mistake! Don't ask me how I know, I might tell you!

Accuracy in cutting and stitching is important.
Seventy strips of fabric are now prepared for piecing. They are not uniformly two inches wide (yes I know the standard is 2 1/2 inches but our design required two inches!) and the cutting is anything but straight. I could say it resembles a dog's hind leg but that would be unfair to dogs! We did our best but our cutting skills are not good.

Of course, straight cutting is essential if one is to sew straight seams but we must have hoped to bluff our way through because we pushed on!

Prepare the sewing machine.
Knowing how to use one's sewing machine is a good idea; having experience to fix little niggles is even better. I have enough experience to sew a test strip to decide on stitch length (which, apparently, should be smaller than the stitch length used for dressmaking - one guide says sixteen stitches to the inch). A test strip was sewed, the stitch length deemed a little too small and another strip sewn. Ah yes, happy with that.

"Did you know you can move the needle position on this machine?" asks DD, the owner of the machine-in-use. After a quick reference to the manual, the needle was moved into a position so that it was 1/4 inch from the edge of the foot (the seam allowance generally used in piecing quilts-to-be). We were ready to go but the bobbin needed to be checked (don't know why). Some more practice of sewing straight seams on scraps of fabric - now the tension is wrong! Tighten the tension, still not right! Loosen the tension - still wrong! (Experienced sewing machine users have already spotted the problem). After more than an hour and with further reference to the manual, it was discovered that the bobbin had been replaced the wrong way! The bobbin was replaced correctly, further adjustments were made (to put it back to the original settings) and more test strips were sewn.

Finally, some 'real' strips were sewn. Two sewn together, then another two, then another two. The first two were stitched to the second two, and the third two added. Finally we had a long narrow nearly-block (it's actually two blocks but the cutting comes later)! It looks good but wonky; some strips are narrower than others. Perhaps pressing will solve the problem.

Press (don't iron) the seams towards the darker fabric.
Do this on the wrong side and then on the right side.
Now this should be easy. After all, one has only to press the iron on to the nearly-block in order to force the seams towards the darker colour. How hard can it be? Well, when the strips are only 1/2 inches wide, it's difficult to get into each seam individually with a standard household iron but eventually the pressing is done and all seams lie in the appropriate direction. Now, flip the nearly-block over and press on the right side. It is at this point that one realises that some of the strips are actually wider than they appear, they have been slightly folded in the process of pressing the seams. The trick is to be able to get that fold out without burning one's hands on the sole plate or with the steam. And who knew ironing (as opposed to pressing) stretches and distorts the fabric? Again, don't ask me how I know!

Who said this was supposed to be easy? Or fun?

I'm off to the large box store to buy a rotary cutter and an acrylic ruler on my way to a knitters’ guild meeting!

a little ray of sunshine

"A little ray of sunshine has come into the world;
A little ray of sunshine in the shape of a girl!" (by Brian Cadd and Don Mudie)

Welcome to the family Zoe Mai.
Born at 5.05pm today; 2.54 kg (5lb 6oz) and 46cm (18 1/2inches) long.

This is my brother and SIL's first (and probably only) child. Congratulations J&A.

Congratulations Merrin

Because she has no blog of her own and because I call her my friend and because anyone with these results deserves the praise, please let me shout:

Congratulations, Merrin.
First prize in the Blacktown Show 2010

AND

first prize in the possibly more prestigious Castle Hill Show 2010.

Well done.

Pictures here and here on Ravelry.

DD the enabler

Well, since the excitement of last week's Craft Expo, I have been unable to get to sleep with too many thoughts (aka ideas) whizzing around my mind. I awake to more excited thoughts. But I was keeping myself under control. The carton of long-stashed fabric scraps (and a couple of unused lengths) still remains untouched at  the top of the wardrobe.

Yesterday, around 1pm, DD rang to tell me that our local big box craft store was having a three day sale which finished yesterday. Did I want to go? DD was just leaving home and had to go via SIL's grandmother's place so wasn't likely to get anywhere near my local area in time so I tentatively agreed. DD must have really wanted to go - about two hours before closing time I got another call: "I'm nearly there - please meet me at the store."

How do I let her talk me into these things? And how did all this manage to follow me home? (ETA There are two photos because I couldn't get an accurate purple but adding red to the one on the left messed up the other colours!)

That's right - seven metres of fabric and three reels of cotton. The photo doesn't show the fold-up cutting board that also came out of the store with us (I use them, covered with a disposable plastic tablecloth, for blocking my knitting and occasionally for their original purpose!)

As I said, DD is a great enabler - especially when it's not her money we're spending! LOL

 Delighted Hands and (especially you)  Catsmum, please. stop. smiling! It's not funny!! I don't need another craft in my life! This is a knitting blog!

Sydney Craft Expo

DD and I took three week old GS#1 to the Craft Expo on Thursday. No sooner had we got in the door than he wanted feeding! * sigh *

We did manage to attend a couple of seminars and demonstrations and, because it was the first day of a four day Expo and was fairly quiet, managed to push the stroller through the aisles without bumping into too many people.

There were only four stalls selling yarn (which is nothing unusual) so it's just as well we never attend these events for the knitting!

The highlight for both of us, was participating in Boot Camp run by Husqvarna Viking to make blocks to be made into quilts for Haiti. DD toook some sewing classes last year but my last 'drive' of a sewing machine was thirteen years ago and then I was making drawstring bags and supervising DD making boxer shorts for her father's birthday. When we finished our blocks, we received a badge that looked much like this:

It was so much fun and so easy that I now am trying to ignore all those scraps of fabric hiding in the top of the wardrobe from days when I used to sew my own clothes! Catsmum and Delighted Hands (and any other quilters among you) will no doubt be smiling and willing me to open that long closed carton!! LOL

in which I speak of hand-dyed yarn and frogged Waving Lace socks

In the week before mum arrived, I dyed some yarn. The acrylic that I dyed softened tremendously so I wondered if dyeing wool would do the same. DD and I bought a kilo (2.2 pounds) of white 8ply (DK) wool in Bendigo in 2008. I tried to knit with it but it was scratchy - certainly not soft enough to knit pilchers (soakers) for GS#1. It didn't really soften after being dyed and I am left with 200g of this. Wound up like that, I thought it looked like tartan so I'm calling it "Tartan Royale" (purple being the colour of royalty). On my monitor the colours are not as rich as they are in reality. The purple is very dark and the green not so bright. I think I'm going to knit a bag and felt it. Possibbly this one from my Ravelry queue. Of course, mine won't be striped like the one in the pattern. I'm just not sure what use I have for such a bag.

During that same week (the one where I visited the doctor because I had URTI again), I finally frogged those Waving Lace socks. You remember, the two socks I knitted several months apart when my gauge was completely different. Now they look like this:

Having already knitted this yarn twice (once into the socks shown here that were way too big) and the second time in two different gauges on the same needles, I am disinclined to cast on again. Maybe the onset of some cooler (less humid) weather will inspire me to knit socks! *sigh*

Burp cloths

Firstly, I want to thank all those who left compliments for my burp cloths on my recent post.

But, I have an enormous apology to make - five in fact - to the authors of those patterns. I have just re-read my post and realised that I had omitted to acknowledge the source of the patterns. I have done so on my Ravelry project page but not here and it was very wrong of me.

The duck burp cloth is Quacking Up by Elaine Fitzpatrick. There is a pattern for a matching bib too.
The aeroplane cloth is Airplane, Free by Susan Mrenna
The horse cloth is giddy-up by Amy-lynne Mitchell
The "B" cloth is Knitted "B" dishcloth by Rhonda White
The musical cloth is Knitted Musical Notes by Rhonda White

My apologies to all these designers who make their patterns available free on Ravelry. I should have acknowledged you on the original post and have edited it to reflect your ownership of the pattern.

in which I speak of URTI and family and iTunes and not too much of knitting

I had been knitting projects for Grandson #1 but stopped abruptly after a visit to the doctor on Thursday 25th February. I had a respiratory tract infection for the second time in a month (why do I only get sick when I am on leave from work?) and the doc told me to stay away from DD, SIL and GS#1. *pout*

I figured that it probably wasn't a good idea to knit cute little goodies while I was coughing and spluttering germs everywhere so I had to start a new project which I’ll be able to wash in hot water! I began another blanket for Wrap with Love knitted in my own hand-dyed acrylic. I completed one strip 70 inches (1.75m) long and 8 inches (20cm) wide and began a second but grew weary of the whole garter stitch thing, even though I wasn't knitting just plain rows! The blanket is in an entrelac style, each larger square is made up of four smaller squares knitted in opposing directions.

Last Monday, 1st March, mum arrived to spend a few days with us. Really she was here to meet her first Great-Grandchild so, of course, the first place we went after meeting her train was DD's unit (apartment) where plenty of photos were taken.

During mum's stay there was shopping in the local mall (twice) and a look around the local markets, a visit to my in-laws (with DD, SIL and GS#1) and a visit to my DB and very pregnant DSIL (once again with DD, SIL and GS#1). DSIL is booked in for a Caesarean on 18th March but mum thinks she won't last that long!

On the two days that we didn't leave the house, mum sewed in hundreds of ends on the blanket I knitted late last year (also for Wrap with Love). Thanks mum! When she left yesterday morning I think she was glad to leave the blanket behind (with some ends still not sewn in!).

Most of yesterday, I spent studying iTunes – what’s available and how it works. Of course, I already had a library of knitting podcasts but I had to figure out how to download them to my iPod and how to remove the ones I have already listened to! It's amazing what's out there!! I’ve delved deeply into other types of podcasts (particularly those from Librivox) and what’s available in audio-book form. I had been considering signing up with audible.com (after listening to several podcasts of Sticks and String which they have been sponsoring) but I’m not sure – books on iTunes seem to be cheaper! Has anyone any experience in purchasing audio-books that they want to share?