Well, the best laid plans…and all that.

The quartz that I bought is drilled like briolettes, top drilled, not center drilled, so that changed the whole project. Therefore, what I started out to do is not what I ended up doing. I should have paid more attention when I bought them, or the store should have pointed it out, knowing how I intended to use them. OTOH, if they had, I wouldn’t have done the project I did. So it’s a toss up.

On the whole, I don’t like briolettes. They are hard to work with, unless you want the only style they are pretty much used in, and that’s not a style I generally wear. These fooled me because they are flatter, not so round. If they had been round, I would have known they were briolettes.

I ended up making a lariat with a briolette at each end. I can use the S clasp freely anywhere along the piece to make it any length I’d like, but the S is not attached. And I made earrings with a briolette on the end of each. With some left over beads I made a normal briolette necklace that when worn with the lariat looks as though it is part of the lariat, but it is not. And with the very most left over beads, I made a small piece with a briolette in the center, hung from thin leather cord. That’s fun. And considering that I took apart a necklace that I hadn’t worn in years to get to some of the beads, I will wear these, in some combination, a lot more often.

When beading, it is the beads that dictate the finished project. I have to wait until they speak to me. I might still try to make the original project, but only if I can get the right components. I’m not in a hurry. I’m surprised I beaded at all, it’s been so long.

I’m really pleased with the way the lariat and earrings turned out. I’m not sorry I bought all the rutilated quartz pieces. That way I was sure to have enough, since the store is not convenient to get back to, if I had wanted a few more. I think I have 5 left. If I had had less, I would have made only the lariat and earrings.

I must be on a creative kick. I made a couple of knitted collars this past week. Knitting is more relaxing than beading, because there is less thought put into coming up with a pattern. Once I decide on a pattern for beading, it is relaxing too. Sort of, anyway! Either one I can do in the midst of family life.

Do you like to bead? or knit? Now’s the time to knit up a few scarves. The weather will be turning cold for most of you.

Karin

Originally posted 2007-09-18 09:47:55.

• Directions:Making a Troll Bead type bracelet from a leather lariat or cord See more at Addicted2Troll Beadsandmore. I've updated this pattern with pictures. Closed: I enjoy beading so I thought I could figure out how to bead a bracelet from a leather lariat. I have one of...
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See more at Addicted2Troll Beadsandmore.

I’ve updated this pattern with pictures.

Closed:

I enjoy beading so I thought I could figure out how to bead a bracelet from a leather lariat. I have one of the early Pandora leather lariats. Mine is quite short, maybe 18-20 inch. Now they make it 36 inches, which is what they should have done in the first place.

Anyway, consequently I didn’t wear it much because I generally like my necklaces to fall longer. I have on occasion worn two lariats together to get the length.

I noticed in one of the Pandora brochures, they showed the lariat as a bracelet, doubled, but they only had one bead on it. Consequently they didn’t need to worry about a number of beads sliding together.

I WANTED THE BEADS TO STAY IN PLACE, not float into each other.
FIRST ATTEMPT
In my first attempt, I knotted between stations and only went around once. This works good too.

SECOND ATTEMPT
I thought I’d see what I could come up with using some of the ideas I’ve seen elsewhere.

DIRECTIONS:
Take your leather cord and double it. (It can be just cord you buy, not a finished necklace as I had to work with.)

Knot the end where the silver ends are (or where your cord has the cut ends.)

Pass the doubled end through your beads.

THIS IS WHAT I FIGURED OUT BY DEFAULT.
You will be passing the doubled end through the beads a second time. Some of mine didn’t have a big enough hole. When I figured that out, I staggered my beads so that the ones that wouldn’t pass through twice were in stations by themselves, so that the cords passes through 3 or so a single time, then passes through 3 or so doubled, then 3 or so singled, etc.

THE BEADS STAY IN STATIONS
The result is that the beads stay in stations and do not fall into each other when you wear it.

THE CLASP:
After you have gone around the bracelet twice (with some only once) make a knot about 1/2 inch down from the doubled end. This becomes your clasp that you pass over the knot at the other end (which is now at the same place on your bracelet.)

To take it off, take the loop off the knot, and loosen the bracelet enough to get it off your wrist.

Open

To put it on, put the bracelet on your wrist, tighten it, pass the loop over the knot, spread out the stations and they stay all day.

ALTERNATIVE CLASP:
Attach the two ends with a Troll Clasp or other similar clasp — or one you make yourself, which I have also done.

Here’s what it looks like on:

Let me know if you try it.

Enjoy!

Karin

Originally posted 2009-05-29 13:03:01.

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These are intriguing to me. I’ve never seen them in person or used them, but they appeal to my aesthetic nature. I don’t know how practical they are. They might be aesthetically pleasing, but annoying to use.

What do you think?
Have you ever seen or used them? Do they work? One of the sites even has circular needles.

Karin

Here’s a whole list of sites
when I googled them.

Originally posted 2009-04-15 08:42:51.

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Level of difficulty: Simple watch not to split thread.

This is a good one for a child or for a beginner to knit, as it knits up very fast. But I like to knit it for the same reason.

The red one is a bit wider and made with two skeins which made it longer.

I made a lot of these for gifts. The yarn is not expensive, especially when on sale. You can find it at Walmart. It comes in a wide array of colors. I’ve probably made several of all of them. Just pick your own faves. Black/white is very nice as are the Black/Beiges or the Multi-colored ones.

1 skein of Fancy Fur (39 yards)
No fringe.

Knit every row, slip first stitch of all rows except for the first.
Less stitches, means the scarf is longer; more stitches, the scarf is shorter.

Three different patterns,
8 stitches on size 17 needles

or
10 stitches on size 17 (my friend with a tiny neck wraps it around twice and flips it once to hold it)

or
12 stitches on size 17 to make mobius
When finished, twist once and sew the ends together with a piece of leftover yarn, or knit the two ends together as you bind off (which is what I do.) Wear the twist in front. Wear it with the seam hidden, either at the back or the side, though the seam is barely discernible.

This one is Fancy Fur, made with 13 or 14 stitches, which makes it a tad wider and a tad shorter

This one is a combination of two yarns that knit to the same guage. Because the skeins were larger, I could get two mobius out of it, one for an adult and one for a child.

This gives an idea of some that I have made:

Any combination of yarn is possible. Try a few rows and a few stitches. If you like it, cast on the right number for the project you are making and have fun!

Karin

Originally posted 2009-03-07 14:01:35.

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Some people have such fun ideas! This group of 11 from Houston, target public places with knitting. Sometimes they choose the target; other times the target comes to them. They are making their own good news! And it benefits the rest of us.

Sometimes we tag randomly (car antennas, door handles, stop sign poles, park benches) and sometimes we choose larger, more specific targets. The random tag nights are usually “come if you can”, while we knit with a purpose for the larger targets. For one large project we did (24′ scarves on two statues in Houston), we all knit piecemeal, then crocheted all the pieces together to form the giant scarves. Those were nice.

Occasionally, our targets come to us. We get requests every now and then. We’ll still bomb those requested targets under cover of night, in order to retain some sense of anonymity though. Every once in a while, we knit and knit and knit for a trip out of town to spread Knitta out a little. This coming weekend, for instance, four of us went to New York City for 4 days of crazy tagging. We had an extra suitcase full of pieces that will grace the streets of New York (for at least a week or two, we hope). MascuKnitity just got back from a 3-week trip to China, where he was able to leave a little Knitta presence on the Great Wall. We still haven’t figured out how we’re going to top that one.

What kinds of things have they done?

As for quantity of projects, I really can’t say how many tags we’ve thrown since we started this. Probably hundreds of antenna cozies. We covered lamp posts on three local highway bridges with 6 foot, hot pink wraps the night before New Year’s Eve. We laid 24 foot scarves at the end of January.

Bored by long projects? I sure am! Plus, who has the time?! (Except for the Waikiki ponchos.)

We were bored with the usual knitting projects and get-togethers. Personally, I get tired of a project that takes more than 2 or 3 days to complete. I call it crafting ADHD. I had plenty-o-unfinished projects laying around my house that I’d simply become bored working on.

Well, now you have some ideas for unfinished projects. I generally find that I’m not too crazy about a project until I hit the half-way point, then I hurry like crazy to get it finished. OTOH, I know someone who donates her half-finished (or less) projects that she no longer wants to do to Goodwill! I’ve bit the bullet and done it a few times myself. Why finish something you really don’t enjoy!

The woman who started this began with making door knob cosies. How funny is that!

What are you knitting or crocheting right now?
I think I have a scarf going somewhere, but I’ve been doing more beading lately. Yesterday I took apart a necklace and made two bracelets out of it, plus an extender. Didn’t have to change the patterning, just took it apart.

Don’t you think this idea is wonderful! Make some happiness in your life. Go for it!

Karin

Originally posted 2009-04-15 08:08:39.

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Perhaps you remember my earlier post about the knitters from Houston who are engaged in knitted graffiti.

Once again knitted graffiti is on the march, because of the Houston group, this time in Stockholm, Sweden, where graffiti is prohibited.

Imagine measuring a statue that they will knit a sweater for! I don’t know whether this makes me laugh out loud (I’d love to see it) or whether I think they have too much time (or yarn) on their hands. This is taking street art to a new level.

Actually, you can find a picture of the sweatered statue here, and it does make me smile. You’ll also find pictures of some of their other knitted graffiti projects.

Maskan (“the stitch”), one of three code-named female founders of the Stockholm “guerrilla knitting” group, , is telling me about their upcoming knitting graffiti action. Inspired by the Houston group, Knitta Please, Stickkontakt decorate everything from lampposts and bins to park benches and tree trunks with colorful yarns. “We often have political messages,” Maskan tells me. “But sometimes we don’t. Once, we decided to celebrate Sweden’s few female statues by dressing up four of them as super heroines.”

There is a zero tolerance policy for graffiti in Stockholm; any unauthorized street art must be removed within 24 hours. But that hasn’t dissuaded guerrilla knitters.

Does this sound like vandalism to you?
Not to me!

“We’re hoping that our actions – which can hardly be called vandalism – will serve as a kind of gateway to making people more open to street art in general,” says Maria, cofounder of another knitting graffiti group called Masquerade.

Maria and her friend Lina, the other cofounder of Masquerade, see knitting graffiti as fun, harmless, quirky, and soft, with the potential for a global impact. In fact, they recently returned from a trip where they used knitting graffiti to “tag” along the Trans-Siberian railway in Russia, Mongolia, and China.
By Nathalie Rothschild | 09.22.09

What is the difference between the two Swedish groups Guerilla Knitting and Masquerade?
Maybe not a lot. You can see pictures from Masquerade here.

Would you be a part of a knitted graffiti group?
Doing something out of the ordinary to bring color and joy to people’s lives appeals to me. I could be a part of it. How about you?

Karin
A fellow knitter, at least at times, but so far no graffiti — I tend to decorate me, my friends and family.
www.savvythinker.com
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How it began
Perhaps you’ve heard of the church that gave out rubber bracelets with the words No complaint. The idea was to wear the bracelet on one wrist, moving it to the other when you caught yourself complaining, with the hope of going 21 days without complaints. I’m not sure, if this was only for expressed complaints or included complaints in thought, but unexpressed to others.

They offered these bracelets to others for a donation. Later they added a charge for them.

My little complaint — sorry! — is that I ordered some bracelets for myself and a few friends which were never grandfathered in, so I never received them. I thought it would be a good exercise for us.

Prone to complaining
Some personality types seem more prone to chronic complaining. It’s not easy to be the person thinking complaints all the time or the one around them.

For the most part I try not to complain — perhaps I do more of it than I think!

I knew someone who would express negatives, then say, “I’m not complaining; I’m explaining!” However, it was voiced just the same.

Habit of complaining
The habit of complaining can be routed out of ourselves, sometimes with difficulty, if we desire it to be and are willing to work — and sometimes pray — toward it.

We can leave the negatives of our personality type behind and pick up the positives from other personality types as we become more Christlike.

Is complaining ever a good thing?
It’s hard to know what part of complaining is a good thing. It’s almost a truism that progress comes when complaint turns to action. If we were always satisfied with the status quo, we’d still have gas lights and live in caves.

Yet complaining for the sake of complaining, or being in the habit of complaint, works to suck the joy out of the very air around us — and out of the consciousness of those around us who might most need a little boost, not something to drag them down.

If our complaining doesn’t add up to our own happiness or the happiness of those around us, then it is time to be free(r) of it.

I venture to say that nearly everyone has a joy-sucker in their life — it isn’t always a person, it can be a situation — but hopefully we are not adding to the negatives!

Gratitude is riches
There’s a hymn with the words:

Our gratitude is riches, complaint is poverty. Vivian Burnett

It’s something to contemplate: that every bit of gratitude or appreciation expressed or even thought — no matter how small — adds to the riches of ourselves and those around us.

And then, the reverse: that every time we complain for the sake of complaining it depletes us in some way — or perhaps even worse, shows up on our face — ouch!

We would be less quick to complain about vexing situations, without some action following it that might bring change, if we would just catch ourselves with these reminders.

My bracelet
I thought about making a bracelet with the words No complaint, but for me, I wanted a positive reminder of what I hope to bring.

I was playing around with alphabet beads to see what letters I had to work with. It isn’t necessary to put much money into making a bracelet like these. I made two bracelets that I alternate wearing. If I find I really enjoy them, I will remake them in silver beads. I added crystals and carved beads to make them more interesting.

Create-Imagine-Appreciate

Bring Joy-Love-Pax

What do you do if you find yourself chronically complaining? What do you want to bring to situations? How do you keep resentments and complaints from sizzling?

Karin

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Trendsetter Dune is a gorgeous yarn. It is a multicolor mohair blend with slight metallic sheen. I have made several colors in this style. Each color is as beautiful as the next.

If you are sensitive to wool, this might irritate your fingers a little as you work on it. Just alternate what you are working on.

You can see how it drapes at the neck. It can be worn inside a coat, giving a flash of color if you choose a bright or deep color, at the neckline. Or it can be worn alone. It drapes on the bias, like the Waikiki poncho. Wearing the fringe at the shoulder brings the point approximately mid-center. It hangs just below your waist, so it isn’t long and bulky. Alternatively you can wear the fringe at the mid front or at the mid back. Then it looks more like a shawl.

It is warm, but not too warm. There is some wool in the yarn.

Dune Mini Poncho Easy. Easy to finish.
I love the fact that to finish there is little to do.
3 skeins of Dune, used to the last inch. Approx $15/skein.
35 stitches on size 13 needles.

Knit every row. Slip the first stitch of every row, except the first. Bind off very loosely. if there is any yarn left, cut additional pieces as follows. From the last skein, cut 12 pieces of yarn, winding around the short edge of a DVD case.

To finish: Like the Waikiki Poncho, fold the knitted fabric in half. Starting at the outside edge of what will be the shoulder, use 3 pieces of yarn each to make fringe equal-distant up the shoulder. Pull the strands through to the midpoint, then use a single knot, so the shoulder holds together. Of course, you are leaving room for the neck.

Wear and enjoy!

Karin

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One of my all time favorite patterns
This is not your mother’s poncho. This poncho rocks! It has a lovely drape, as it hangs on the bias and feels wonderful against your skin. Because it drapes on the bias, it stretches a bit longer. It is more like a shawl or a wrap, but you don’t have to wrap it.

Waikiki has a wonderful hand to it, almost spongy. Knitting it is nice on your hands, and it just makes you happy as you work on it. I almost wished it wouldn’t be finished, so I could continue to knit with it. I enjoyed knitting it so much that I made it in several colors. It’s light weight, but still warm.

I saw this design displayed in the yarn shop and fell in love with it. When I bought the yarn, they verbally gave me the pattern.

I don’t know that Anne Norling originated this pattern. But her picture looks very much like mine.

Waikiki Poncho Easy to knit
Do not substitute the yarn.
Waikiki is a glorious yarn and this poncho is made for it.
Size 11 US needles. 75 stitches.

Knit every row, slipping the first stitch of every row as if to knit, except the first row.

On the last skein, measure out approximately 3 strands for every fringe you will be making. Wrap around a DVD case to get the length. Make enough for about 5-6. Continue to knit to the very end of the skein, reserving enough to bind off loosely. If there is any yarn left, use it in extra fringes.

To finish: fold knitted fabric in half. Secure fringe along one long folded edge (not the edges you cast on or bound off) for the shoulder. Pull strands through equally, then tie in a single knot. (You are not making fringe as per usual.) This secures the shoulder and it won’t pull out. Start at the outside edge, space the fringe equally up the shoulder to the point where you want to stop.

As you wear it, the fabric falls on the bias with a lovely draping.

Block by dampening and laying out to dry. It doesn’t matter if it is still a bit crinkly as it still drapes well and looks very nice. You could iron it with a warm — not hot — iron, but I didn’t see the need.

Have you made this poncho? Please let me know if you do, and what color you make it in.

Karin

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This is really a gorgeous kit and comes in an array of colors. Directions in each kit include a number of ways to knit the throw.

I really didn’t want to commit myself to that much time — or expense — and some of the yarns have wool in them, so I felt the throw would get very little use.

I decided to see if one of my mini poncho patterns would work, since the number of stitches was the same. I knitted the design, following the pattern for yarn, until it was long enough to go around me. Then I made fringe to hold it along the top. For the fringe to hold, it has to pass through both sides; hold them even, and make a single knot. It is not attached like normal fringe. The shawl drapes on the bias.

I figured if I didn’t like it, I could just keep knitting, and I’d have the throw. Just the same, I was a bit anxious to see if it would do as I hoped.

I have nearly enough yarn, or I have enough, to make a second shawl, especially if I would fudge the pattern and use the yarn down to the last inch. There is definitely enough if I were to make it for one of my children or a smaller adult. Whatever odd bits of yarn could be incorporated into the fringe.

I was happy with the way it turned out. What do you think?

Karin

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While at a concert today, a woman asked me if I had any patterns suitable for an August wedding, for her to make for her daughter, the bride.

Here are some ideas:
Gardiner Toe the Line Shawl
This one looks really beautiful, though I have not knit it.

It should knit up fairly fast, even though it is size 5 needles, because there is a lot of open work. I like working with yarn overs for that reason.

Diamonds and Pearl Stole

This one also looks beautiful, and again, I have not knit it. It is more tailored and requires adding beading.

Some possible books of patterns
Knitted lace of Estonia

More lace

Alternatively, I enjoy working with Eros Glitz. And there are two shades of white in the lineup. One with a silver thread and one with a gold.

I have a pattern for a mini poncho that I will be putting up later this week, using Eros Glitz (Do not substitute the yarn.) Depending on the style of dress, this could be modified. It hangs on the bias and is really quite lovely. I’ve made it in several colors.

Has anyone made either the Toe the Line Shawl or worked with designs out of the Estonian lace book?

Karin

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Sirdar Wow Pattern 8307
This knits up quickly, which is an advantage.
Chenille tends to ravel. Directions say to remove the yarn down to the thread, then knot the thread.

It takes 1 skein to make an adult hat. The only thing I changed: I worked with circular needles so there wouldn’t be a back seam. Then I could knit every row vs. purling every other row in stockinette stitch. At the top, I fudged with the needles so they would be similar to using 4 needles to knit socks.

7mm needles, 8 stitches and 15 rows = 4 inch.

I’ve made this hat in several colors, and I’ve made it for my kids. Pale pink for one girl; pale yellow for the other. When making it for children, make it shorter. I can’t remember now if I changed the needle size or not.

This even got Book Girl to knit her own. It turned out great. I forgot I’d shown her how to knit years ago.

Do not change the yarn.
Sirdar Wow is what makes the hat have the right shape.

Don’tcha just love this hat!

I love this hat!

Did I say I love, love, love this hat!

I hope you do too. what do you think?
Karin

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There are many good ways to clean out your stash. Here are some ideas for left over yarns:

Try not to buy too much or too far ahead
This is easier said than done when you are in a knitting mode — and if there are good sales.

Give them away
Donate them to a church or to an elder center. Many of the churches make crafts to sell in their annual yard sales.

If they are appropriate yarn, find out who knits caps for the neonatal unit. They also need yarn.

Trade or sell them
Sites such as Ravelry have trading sections. Ebay is also a source.

Make something with them
Knit a sweater, vest, hat, scarf with two strands of yarn.
One is a full skein (or not) which you will carry through the whole piece (alternatively you can use partial skeins for this too), the other strand is one of the left over yarns that you will be knitting, but before you get to the end of the partial skein, add a third partial skein yarn. Continue this pattern until you are done. When you add another skein before you are finished, there are no sharp edges to the change of yarn. In a few days I will share a sweater that was done with this method. I generally knot the yarn in as I go, keeping the knot to the back of the fabric.

This is very workable, depending on what sorts of yarns you have. There is even a very expensive skein of yarn Prism’s Wild Stuff that is made in this fashion, by tying into the skein various yarns with different textures. It is gorgeous stuff, but it has some wool in it.

Wild Stuff is composed of 30-40 different hand dyed, gauge coordinated yarns. They are tied together end to end by hand, so that as you knit the texture and colors are always changing. Wild Stuff has a lot of eyelash, metallic, and other highly textured yarns. Wild Stuff has some wool, kid mohair and other animal fibers in it. Like all Stuffs, a larger needle can be used for a more open fabric in ponchos, wraps and scarves. We have successfully worked on as large as a #11 needle.

Here’s an article about making a magic ball by knotting your own.

Here’s a project I made:
I knitted a jacket out of the underlying yarn. I bought an entire bag of the yarn because I wasn’t sure how much I would need for the sweater pattern, as I knew I was going to make it longer. That meant I ended up with some left over and the yarn was too pretty and too expensive to let waste.

I didn’t want a scarf to be identical, but I wanted it to be wearable together. This way I also have a option to give it as a gift.

I carried a bright lilac eyelash along with the sweater yarn, “>Crystal Palace Party yarn in Celebration, which is a very silky ribbon yarn.

Knit every row. Bind off loosely. Slip the first stitch of every row as if to knit, except for the first row. Figure out how wide you want your scarf to be. That will determine the number of stitches.

I had to rip out a couple of starting rows until I got the right number. It was going to be way too wide. I try to knit on needles that are size 13 or above, just because it knits up fast.

Karin

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Posted: 18 Mar 2009 06:23 AM PDT

I think some of the most beautiful scarves can be made out of railroad and eyelash yarns. The scarves are light weight and can be made in an array of colors. Your only limit is your imagination and what yarns you can find. I’m on the look out for sales, then I buy a number of colors I like, with no idea what I intend to do with them.

Remember I try to stay to one skein? Or in this case 1 skein each of two yarns. The size of the scarf is limited to the yardage of the smaller skein.

Here’s a close up. It really is lovelier in RL than the photo shows. There is more depth. It is a silky beige with flashes of bright pastels.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. You can make brights or pastels. Sometimes I use varigated colors in both yarns. Sometimes only the railroad yarn is varigated.

You can make the scarves very long and thin (even try 10 stitches) or a bit wider and less long. Take your choice between fringe or no fringe. I have done both.

The longer scarves can be turned around the neck several times and still end up in the collar, or they can be doubled and passed through themselves.. They could also be loosely tied.

Take your choice of either of these:

Railroad and flutter/eyelash
12 stitches on size 13 needles or
16 st size 11 needles

Knit every row. Slip the first stitch in every row, as if to knit, except for the first row.
Remember to bind off very loosely.

Have fun!

Karin

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You can find a multitude of free purse patterns online, and if you are in the mood for a knitted (or crocheted) purse, look at Lion Brand to start. Pick and yarn and go for it. Ravelry is another good site for ideas.

Sunburst Sling Bag by Jill Vosburg
I first saw this purse in a local yarn shop. The yarn is beautiful. It has gorgeous flashes of color at varying nubbiness — made from recycled silk saris, fairly traded, from Nepal. It is a little harsh on the fingers, but not too bad.

I should line the bag, but I have not done it yet.

Level of difficulty: medium to difficult
It was a little hard to figure out the pattern, but I didn’t need to ask for help. I am an accomplished knitter (and crocheter) but had never knit a pattern like this. I found the challenge intriguing, simply to learn a new style.

Cost
Expensive. The yarn runs about $18/skein for 10 g. I think I bought two skeins.

It was unclear which size purse the yarn would make without needing more yarn and without having a lot left over. I fudged a bit on the strap, and used it up to the last inch. I think I made the medium size.

You can find information on the pattern and other patterns by the same designer here. She has some very beautiful and different patterns. I bought several, but this is the only one I’ve made up so far.

Have you made anything of hers?

Have you ever made a purse?

Karin

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