Knitting - found a bargain on my last trip to Spotlight ... Patons' Bluebell at $2 a ball! There was a nice dark tealish green and my grandson lurvs green so I grabbed enough (plus a bit) to make a vest for him. A vintage styled vest. In the 30s & 40s textured stitches were very popular for masculine knits, lots of twisted stitches, some cables and lots of patterns in simple knit & purl.
I had a lovely time trawling though my vintage patterns and eventually selected this knit/purl stitch pattern - the original is called "Lance"
or perhaps that was the name of the dog. I'm using a more modern pattern for the maths but will adapt as it has 80's armhole shaping.
Lace - lots of lace news :-) At Epping Lace group on Thurs I only managed to do 1 tiny exercise - The Footside from Jennifer Fisher's book "Torchon Lace for Today" but that night I had the bright idea of making that exercise - in much finer thread - to put on the ends of the towels I'm making for my dolls' house. Only problem was that I'd had the book on loan and had returned it. So next day I had to try to remember how it went - luckily it is very simple. Not sure I got it quite right but in 1 strand of embroidery floss it does make quite a good, very fringe like trim for a miniature towel. Cheap Emb floss does not wash well though - I think this will benefit from a bit of ironing.
I must say that it felt wonderful to make my first pieces of Lace for a Purpose - not just a sample or exercise - even though the purpose is rather a silly one, being trim for miniature dolls' house towels! Here are some of those towels in situ - with new "perfume bottles" and new "plant" - it is a new species, the African Sage Violet.
The bathroom is almost done now - solved another little problem too. As the dolls' house is a cupboard all the rooms are quite deep - which means that the small rooms are awkward to arrange - with one bit of furniture hiding others and those at the front dominating. The ceramic wear was a cheap set (which I then painted) and I've always been unhappy with the base of the hand basin, it's clumpy, but how to disguise it? plants? a little rubbish bin? Had another bright idea looking at my sewing thimbles ... I had one that is too large and has a flat tip ... paint it up and voila!
But back to Lace - also went to the Lace Guild day at Linnwood on Sunday, spent lots of credit card and now I have my own lace-making equipment YEA! pretty pearwood bobbins :-)
Celebrated last night by making that sample (it is not an amoeba!) lace-makers will recognise it from Rosemary Shephard's book (I hope!)
They are in Le Puy-en-Velay in France. I presume they lined up outside for the photographer and didn't normally make lace in the poultry yard :-) Love the wooden clogs and their head-wear but just look at how many bobbins are on those pillows!
or perhaps that was the name of the dog. I'm using a more modern pattern for the maths but will adapt as it has 80's armhole shaping.
I must say that it felt wonderful to make my first pieces of Lace for a Purpose - not just a sample or exercise - even though the purpose is rather a silly one, being trim for miniature dolls' house towels! Here are some of those towels in situ - with new "perfume bottles" and new "plant" - it is a new species, the African Sage Violet.
The bathroom is almost done now - solved another little problem too. As the dolls' house is a cupboard all the rooms are quite deep - which means that the small rooms are awkward to arrange - with one bit of furniture hiding others and those at the front dominating. The ceramic wear was a cheap set (which I then painted) and I've always been unhappy with the base of the hand basin, it's clumpy, but how to disguise it? plants? a little rubbish bin? Had another bright idea looking at my sewing thimbles ... I had one that is too large and has a flat tip ... paint it up and voila!
Celebrated last night by making that sample (it is not an amoeba!) lace-makers will recognise it from Rosemary Shephard's book (I hope!)
In my previous post I was probably a bit confusing about how this dolls' house works - it is a cupboard - an idea I copied from one I saw in a tiny museum in Queensland almost 30yrs ago. Here are photos with the doors shut and open
It needs: a new light fitting, more pictures, better curtains - lots of soft furnishings. At least I think it has enough toys :-)
However, time to move on to "Torchon Ground" and after much brain strain trying to follow the instructions in Jennifer Fisher's book "Torchon Lace for today" (thanks for the loans of equipment and book Jay) ...
Those who know will see the mistakes - and yes there are knots at the top, I was conserving my thread !!
And there is no need to worry about how this bathroom smells - it is part of my dolls' house!
has to be either a tutu OR something Bridal - and it is the latter. Am working on a vintage wedding dress - practically a complete re-make - and that is part of the petticoat. Petticoats are great things and they can work miracles - this one is helping to turn a sad old nylon frock into something very pretty and "ballerina". And the long Ballet costume would've been this frock's original inspiration. Another lesson in the importance of underpinnings!
- my own pattern, the tip is a series of wedges using lots of short-rows. 
Excuse the yellow balloon - was the closest approximation to a baby's head I could find! The pattern says to knit it in plain ole' stocking stitch which is boring - so I used a lace stitch called "cloisters".
