Autumnal Crafting

Must be something to do with the season - I've been working with a lot of yummy russet browns, tans, oranges and berry colours.

There is a new yarn shop in my neighborhood - called "A Coffee and A Yarn" it is both a cafe + a yarn shop ... in other words, it is my version of heaven :-) Spent part of last weekend there are simply couldn't resist the last 2 balls of heavenly soft, Eli Riva BabySilk Cashmere (70% baby alpaca, 20% silk 10% cashmere) in a yummy russet / brick colour. Have already started turning it into a "shawlette" (198yds. of Heaven by Christy Verity this link through Ravelry).

This is going to be a match 'made in heaven' for my favourite overcoat - as well as an excellent match with my kitchen tiles :-)

In a previous post I showed you some crochet trim I got to do at work (being paid to do craft - Heavenly!) well, we had to alter the orange version and so I had to replace the crochet trim. This time it was a cotton yarn and as I did the unravelling of the original trim, I was able to work out what they had done originally and reproduce it ...
This photo also shows the fabric of the garment - knitted cotton - made on a knitting machine or a commercially manufactured fabric (I think).

Lance a Lot has a Frilling Time

Lance -a Lot of Knitting is finished:

This is for our grandson - it'll be a bit too big but better too big than too small, he'll grow (gosh, I sound just like a grandmother!) Adapted from a vintage pattern circa 1930s or 40s - the lovely stitch pattern is just knit and purl stitches.
Usually when you adapt a vintage pattern the original calls for very fine yarn and the modern knitter opts for something thicker & quicker to knit up - not this time :-) the original pattern was for 8ply yarn (DK) and I used 5ply (sport weight in the US). I kept the vintage styling, making the armholes quite shaped and the Vneck quite high.

In other news - I'm currently sewing costumes full-time for a big musical that will open in Melbourne in a couple of months. At the moment we're doing lots of mends and alterations on existing costumes made for previous runs of the show overseas. Some crochet frill trimming needed replacement and I got to do it yesterday :-) simple shells in cotton yarn - very effective.

Roses for Rosie

I've a friend whose name is Rosie,
she said that she would like a Tea Cosy ...

OK I'll stop right there with the - umm - poetry (?) but honestly I did not realise until this was over 1/2 ways knitted that there was possibly some sub-conscious nominative determinism in my choice of Tea Cosy pattern for Rosie. This is called "Rosie Posy" - a lovely pattern by Loani Prior. Knitted body, crochet roses.













I have Loani Prior's fabulous book "Wild Tea Cosies" but "Rosie Posy" is available as a free pattern.

More Hyperbolic-ness

Posted off my last contributions to the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef project last week - I am rather proud of this one:


a 'pot top coral'. The base is finger crochet - made with some denim FabYarn (yarn made from recycled fabric and I'm selling more of this in one of my Etsy shops) the bobbles on top are from a wool & soy yarn.

The complete Coral Reef will be on display at the PowerHouse Museum in Ultimo from the 22nd August - but there are some sneak previews - I think some of the reef will be on display at the ABC's Knit In this Friday morning.

Hyperbolic!

One of my current crafting obsessions is crocheting bits of Hyperbolic Coral. Even though I'm not much of a crochet-er.

The Sydney Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef will be on display at the Powerhouse Museum in August and lots of people are busy making bits of marine life in yarn, bits of plastic, video tape etc. Visit sydneyreef@blogspot.com for more info.

There is a workshop this Sunday at the Powerhouse from 3pm - I'm looking forward to it :-)


These are my favourites so far - a group of "sea squirts" from the "recycled sari silk" yarn

Finger Crochet on wire frame hat

Hoorah! this is easier than I thought it would be - and much faster than wrapping nasty prickly tulle around the wires. I'm finger-crochetting over the wires.I've spun the yarn myself (from Bendigo Woollen Mills' sliver in "Red Currant") nice and chunky - once the wire is all covered I'll stitch on some very chunky knitting, cables etc. So this is going to be a chunky, thick hat; which is turning the whole purpose of making a wire-frame hat on its head, so to speak! tee hee I'm being naughty - again.