Tangled

Ugh.

Every knitter, crocheter, weaver knows this frustration.

So I dug out my handy dandy 1950s (1960s?) hand-cranked yarn winder. "Made in Japan" but no patent date. Original price: $4.69. Similar models now cost between $20 to $50. I think I found mine at a garage sale. Or maybe another needleworker gave it to me.

Ahhh! 

SO satisfying!

Throwback Thursday - 2005 Part 9

This week the wayback machine takes us to November 2005. I did a little bit of designing, a little bit of cross-stitch, and a whole lot of knitting.

Joy Ornament

In 2000, I stitched a very cute ornament on perforated paper called the Noel Ornament. I enjoyed it so much, that I adapted the pattern to create several more charts with a similar design. This is my own version of "Joy"!

This is an example of Assisi work, also known as Voided Work. The background is stitched, leaving the unstitched fabric with the design.

This ornament was stitched on white perforated plastic with #8 perle coton. I then backed it with royal blue felt which I stitched on with some silver DMC metallic "barbed wire on a spool." The banner's "pole" is a toothpick, stitched into place with the top row of Xs. The finials are blue beads. The hanging cord is made from eight plies of the same perle coton. The finished size is 1-1/2 x 3-1/8 inches.

This particular ornament was stitched as part of an ornament exchange.

 

Ribbon Yarn Scarf

This scarf is stitched entirely in a regular knit stitch. It's much like the other scarves I've made (see below). The only real difference is the yarn I chose to use.

I was having one of those "funk" days, so ended up wondering around Walmart. In their craft section, I came across this unusual fiber in the yarn section. It is Lion Brand Yarn's "Incredible," a ribbon yarn for knitting and crocheting. I'd never seen such a fiber before, so picked up a couple balls. I just love the blue variegated colors.

It took me a while to figure out what to make with it. I finally decided on a fashion scarf for my daughter's birthday. It was a bit tricky to work with because it is 100% nylon and very slippery. It also twisted easily while knitting. I finally came up with a system that worked for me. I'd unwind enough for a row, then put a rubber band around the ball. Knit the row. Then hold the ball up and let it unwind itself before repeating the process for the next row.

The ribbon yarn does not ravel, so I was able to give it some simple fringe. Unfortunately, this ribbon yarn is no longer offered on the Lion Brand website.

I made the scarf for my oldest daughter, Jeanne. She told me last week that she still has it!

Chenille Yarn Scarves

Later that month I had the urge to knit up more winter scarves. These were originally intended for a client, but she backed out of the deal, so I used them as gifts instead. 

The chenille scarves really are luscious! One in midnight black, the other in a wonderful burgundy. They are knit from Lion Brand "Thick & Quick" Chenille yarn. Each scarf takes about 1-1/2 skeins. This yarn does not ravel, so the fringe could be cut without fraying. Unfortunately, this yarn is no longer available on the Lion Brand website.

The next Throwback Thursday post will feature some crocheted hats and a couple more ornaments from December 2005.

Throwback Thursday - 2004 (Part 13)

These are the last 5 cross-stitch projects and one knit project I completed in 2004. It's been a run!


Pat's Flower Bookmark

The bookmarks made for my quilting friends continue. This came from a leaflet called Ribband Ribbon to Cross Stitch: Linda Dennis' Primer Charted Designs: 70 Projects. I adapted a pattern for a napkin ring to make this colorful bookmark.

Royal Blue Scarf

I took a break from cross-stitch and knit three of these royal blue scarves. I was able to sell two of them, and gave the third to my daughter for her birthday.

The scarf is all done in knit stitch using size 11 needles. They're 15 stitches across, and I made the scarves as long as I liked. I added six inches of fringe to each end. The yarn is just wonderful. It's Lion Brand Yarn, Chenille Thick & Quick. It's great to work with and barely ravels.

The White Cat

This pillow was a surprise gift for my daughter. Ever since she was a little girl, Jeanne wanted a fluffy white cat. She got a tabby instead. But I remember that original wish.

The look on this little guy's face drew me in. I had a compulsion to stitch it for Jeanne's 20th birthday. Bonus, I somehow managed to complete it without her knowledge! I decided to finish it as a tuck pillow. The brown fabric is nice and fuzzy and soft.

The chart called for two skeins of Oatmeal Gentle Arts Sampler Thread to stitch the cat. I only had one skein and couldn't find another locally, so had to compromise. I did the bottom portion of each "X" with DMC 3033 (the alternate color given on the chart). Then I did the top of each "X" with Oatmeal to allow the subtle shading to show.

The chart called for the flower centers to be small black buttons. I looked through my stash, but couldn't find four buttons all the same size. So I decided to use some orange sequins and black beads as the flower centers instead. I made my own tuck pillow from fabric in my stash.

Terrie's Pretty Bookmark

This is another bookmark which I stitched as a birthday gift for a gal in my quilt group. Terrie loves pink and pretty things. She was thrilled with this.

This is the fifth bookmark I've stitched from the Pretty Bookmarks chart. They are all so lovely!

Lois' Bookmark

This pattern reminds me of snowflakes, perfect for a winter birthday. I decided to stitch it for Lois to include with her birthday card.

I found this border pattern in a book called Julie Hasler's Cross Stitch Projects: 65 Quick and Easy Designs. It's a book full of inspiration and designs printed on graph paper, but without specific instructions for color or fabric. In the book this pattern is shown as a border for a table runner and napkins. I adapted the pattern for this bookmark, using a variegated floss.

Clara's Bookmark

Here's the last project of 2004. I tucked this bookmark into Clara's birthday card in January. I thought some pretty flowers would help cheer her up.

This is another nice design from the Ribband Ribbon to Cross Stitch leaflet.

And with that, my Year of the Small Project was complete!


On the next #throwbackthursday, I plan to share some crafts that I completed in 2002. It's a series of ornaments made from salt dough.

Throwback Thursday - 2002 (Part 3)

From October through December of 2002, I did quite a bit of knitting, crafting, and finishing work along with a bit of counted cross-stitch.


Square Doily

This beautifully crocheted square doily was part of my inheritance from my mother. It is large -- about 19" square -- and made from cotton crochet thread. Thread crochet is a technique I've tried, but have not been very successful with. I have trouble feeling the correct tension. So I can really appreciate the work it took to create such a gorgeous piece.

I'm not certain who stitched this doily, but I believe it was created by either my maternal grandmother, Bertha, or by my maternal great grandmother. My best guess is that my grandmother stitched it, because I know that while her health was failing, she turned to thread crochet as a means of keeping herself occupied. My mom had stored this doily in her linen closet for years. She rarely displayed it.

In October 2002, I found a way to display it.

I stitched the doily onto some red velvet. The velvet came from curtains that belonged to my parents. And even these curtains have an interesting history.

In the 1980s, my mom wanted to open a day care center in Moscow, Idaho. She and Dad searched quite a while for a suitable building. They finally decided to buy the Old Grange building on Main Street. At the time, it was a huge, stinky, crusty, dark, smelly bar! But in it, they saw the bones of a strong building. With the help of a team of talented architects and builders, they transformed the bar into a daycare center, gymnastics studio, apartment, workshop and series of offices.

The heavy red velvet curtains from the original Grange stage were in the building when they bought it. They hung floor-to-ceiling before a full-sized stage. Being the thrify people my parents were, Mom rescued the curtains and washed them. She used them for costumes for the kids — including a robe for one of the three kings in the Christmas pageant. I somehow inherited pieces of those curtains, and used them for years as curtains in my bedroom. Now they've gone through another transformation as the background for this doily.

I now have a three-generation piece hanging in my living room: 

• crocheted by a grandparent 
• curtains from a piece of my parents' history 
• framed by me

Here's a detail of one of the medallions:

Today, I hung this piece over our mantle as a Christmas decoration. I think of it as a giant snowflake.

I have another beautiful doily, round, and nearly as large. I purchased a frame for it at the same time as framing this piece. Maybe that's one of the pieces I'll do the finishing work on next year as part of my 19 in 2019 goals.


Pumpkin Line

Pumpkin Line is my own design!

Actually, it's an adaptation of a couple pumpkin and fall charts I saw online. I liked portions of two different charts, and wanted to try my hand at charting a design myself.

My design is pretty flat ... no shading to give it dimension. But it's whimsical and quirky. I display it each Halloween.

I framed it fairly simply in a gold frame. I used wide orange ribbon as a mat. Neat idea.

Old St. Nick

I enjoy these Daydreams kits by Dimensions. The charts are clear. The details are nice. The price is right. (Most are around $10.00 US). The kit comes complete with pattern, floss, needle, designer mat, glass and stand. The finished piece is 4" x 8" [10 x 20cm].

I stitched this kit up for my friends who run a non-profit group. Their organization held a fundraiser just before Christmas. Part of the excitement of the night included a raffle. This little Old St. Nick was one of the raffle prizes.

This one was so cute that I kept the pattern, and made a photocopy of the background so that I might stitch it again for myself. 16 years later ... hmmm. Maybe it won't get done.

Winter Scarves

In 2002 I decided to conquer the Knitting Monster. My grandma first taught me to knit when I was eight years old. I was working on a hanger cover, but just didn't get very far. I do still have the knitting needles Grandma gave me, though! (I like how the top one is bent. Makes me smile, thinking of my grandma).

I tried knitting again in 1987. That time I had a left-handed teacher, and I got further. I actually made a red pullover sweater. But then someone took a photo of me wearing that sweater. I looked like a tomato. I never wore the sweater again. I didn't knit again, either.

This time, I decided to start with a very simple project. I decided to make a straight knit (no purl, no other design) scarf. But instead of using the normal 4-ply yarn that I'd always used before, I decided to try some specialty yarns. Oh! what a difference! 

I ended up knitting seven winter scarves. One for each of my kids, one for my husband, one for a Secret Santa buddy from my quilt group, and two for myself.

TWO you ask? I couldn't help it! I made one for myself out of one kind of yarn. Then I made four out of chenille yarn. They are absolutely yummy! The colors are rich and jewel-like and the texture is lush. So I had to have one of them for myself, too.

The chenille scarves — black with colored dots, steel grey, purple, midnight blue, red — are made from Lion Brand Yarn, "Thick & Quick" Chenille yarn. Each scarf takes about 1-1/2 skeins. This yarn does not ravel, so the fringe could be cut without fraying.

The pink and yellow scarf is made from one skein of Red Heart Baby Clouds yarn. It's color #9322, Creamsickle. This is a pretty yarn with a kinky texture. It does not ravel, either, so the fringe could be cut without fraying.

The blue scarf (the one on the right in the lower photo) is made from Lion Brand Homespun yarn. This was a bit of a challenge to work with. It also has a kinky texture, but the kinks tend to move up and down a base strand in the yarn as you work with it. So I just needed to massage the yarn as I worked with it to keep the kinks even as I stitched. This yarn ravels a lot, so I could not just cut it into fringe. Instead, I used this yarn to make bouillon fringe which I sewed onto the ends of the scarf.

I'm extremely pleased with all my scarves. And my family liked theirs so much, they wanted to wear them before Christmas.

I'm just glad I'm finally conquering the Knitting Monster -- at least a little -- and no longer allow this form of needlework get the better of me! 

2002 Christmas Ornaments

In 2002 I created a batch of ornaments that I gave out to whomever stopped by my home during the holidays. For example, I l gave one to our mail carrier, the UPS delivery lady, the Fed Ex gal. I also gave an ornament to each of the nice helpers at the post office when I mailed my stack of Christmas cards.

That year, I also gave an ornament to each member of my Quilt Group along with their Christmas cards. I made one for each member of my family. And then I had a few extra for our favorite waitresses and any friends that happened to stop by our home.

I enjoyed finding a simple ornament to create that I could make en masse in an assembly line manner. That year I made about 35 of these little puffy tree ornaments using two different Christmas fabrics.

My next Throwback Thursday post will begin with projects I made in 2003.

Chenille Hat and Scarf

I was off my game on this drizzly, low-barometric pressure day. I chose to do something quiet and rhythmic today.

My daughter helped procure a commissioned hat and scarf set for me. The yarn arrived yesterday, so I decided to start the project today.

I knit the hat on a loom. I'm about 1/3 of the way done crocheting the scarf. It was a good way to spend the day.

Grandma's Knitting

A few days ago, my cousins and I were talking on Facebook about our grandma. Kathryn (daughter of Joe), Kim (daughter of Carmen aka Cody) and I (daughter of Tony) chatted about our different talents and abilities and whether or not they are inherited. Kim makes some lovely crafts. You ought to see her wreaths. Kathryn likes to cook and likes dogs. My primary love is needlework.

Our grandma loved her doggie. Queenie would sit by Grandma's side as she rested and did needlework. Grandma was a great cook. I'll never forget watching her make pasta from scratch. It was like watching a dance. She also loved to knit. She had three or four pair of slippers on her needles at any time. When she came to visit, she'd open her bags and we'd get to pick out whatever color of slippers we wanted. Then we'd get a running start and see how far we could slide on the linoleum floors in the hallways.

In 1965, while my mom and dad went to the New York World's Fair, I got to stay with my grandma. Some memorable things happened that week, like dancing the jerk with a next door neighbor, helping Grandma make apricot jam from the tree in her back yard, and getting to stay up "late" and watch Peyton Place before getting tucked into bed.

It was during that week that Grandma taught me to knit. Or tried. I'm left-handed and she was right-handed, so it was a bit of a test. She was so patient! She taught me just the knit stitch, with the hope of making a narrow-but-long strip of garter stitch that could be put over a wooden hanger and used so clothes wouldn't slip off.

Well, I may have knit about four inches, with several dropped stitches! It was pretty frustrating. Grandma sent me home with the ugly gold yarn and double-pointed pink knitting needles so that I could keep working at it. I never finished. Even if I had, I didn't know how to bind off!

Mary Ferrianolo
aka Fortunata Mary Midili Codispoti

But I'll never forget how good it always felt, snuggled up on the couch next to my grandma. You see, I was named for her. In my adult brain, I'm sure she loved all of us. But the little Mimi girl in me still wants to think I was special. I always felt special with Grandma.

Anyway, as we cousins were chatting a few days ago, I told them that I still have the knitting needles Grandma gave me when I was 8 years old. I like how over the years, the one earned the nice bend at the tip. I doubt that was from knitting. More likely, one of my seven brothers was using it as a sword or spear, flinging it across the room or shooting it out of the blowing end of the Electrolux. I know they did that with the broom from Charmin' Chatty's Cinderella costume. But that's another story.

I'm pretty sure I have the last pair of slippers my grandma made before she moved from Idaho back to California. If I can find them, I'll take a picture. They have an extended story, too.

Purple Knit Scarf

Now that it's Spring, I finally finished my latest winter scarf. Ah, well. Wearing it can wait until next October.

This is the rib stitch scarf I started way back on December 27th, when I taught Jodie how to knit.

I used a Lion Brand Yarn called Tweed Stripes. The color is 201 Orchid. It has a fairly loose twist, so I had some trouble with the knitting needles piercing the yarn and splitting my stitches. That, along with my very slow knitting style (inexperience), made this project last much longer than anticipated.

I used two skeins of yarn for the scarf, making it nice and long.

It looks quite fetching with my purple wig, don't you think?

ColorLove

Time for another Corner Of My Home post.

The inviting yarn shelf in my studio.
Now, where's my crochet hook?

Knit Four, Purl Four

One of Jodie's goals for 2016 is to learn how to knit. She had a head start as a teenager, but had forgotten most of what she learned. So she asked me to teach her while she was visiting over the Christmas holiday.

Funny thing is, I barely know how to knit myself. It was a little like the blind being led by the visually impaired. I couldn't remember all the official vocabulary of knitting, so made up my own terms. On top of that, Jodie is right-handed and I am left-handed. That's always a little hurdle we have to overcome when I teach her a new skill. Luckily, we have experience in working in mirror image, so instead of sitting side-by-side as teacher and pupil, we sit across from each other.

I joggled my memory and taught her a few basics: casting on, the basic knit stitch, the basic purl stitch, then how to put those together to make a stockinette stitch, and how to put them together in another way to make ribbing. I explained how to take a rib stitch and turn it into a basketweave, but we didn't practice that. Out of necessity, Jodie learned to decrease because she somehow kept adding stitches inadvertently. And I showed her how to increase at an edge, because that's the only way I know how to do it. Then she learned to cast off.

I kept invoking the name of our friend Susan, who is a fantastic knitter (and spinner and weaver and baker and dog lover ... but I digress). I also encouraged Jodie to spend some time with online tutorials to get more tips than I have to share - and to learn the proper lingo.

The cool thing was that, after a bit, we were quiet and concentrating, and we began to hear that lovely rhythmic click of the needles begin to happen. It's such a soothing sound. Our little sampler began to grow. Our stitches became more even. The feeling of accomplishment and serenity was palpable.

As a bonus to me, the lesson got me jazzed about knitting again. I grabbed a couple skeins of yarn from my stash, and started (well, started six times due to making mistakes and having to start over) a new scarf for myself. Such pretty colors! Using the rib stitch, it ought to be nice and warm, too.

Let's see if I can get it done before the snow melts.

While I've Been Sick

I've been tending to my knitting. With this horrible virus that lasts about two weeks, there's not a lot else I can do in between coughing, trying to regulate my body's temperature, and sleeping.


So Jodie asked if I'd make her a new scarf. She used the last one I made her so often that it ended up unraveling. She picked out the yarns ... so pretty. Two shades of blue in a very soft 4-ply yarn -- Caron's Simply Soft. It took less than one skein of each color.


It's simple, straight knitting. 15 stitches wide using #15 knitting needles. I worked the two yarns together, handling them as a single strand. I just knit and knit until it felt long enough ... someplace around 5 feet long. Then I added 5" of fringe to each end.


Pretty. Soft. Warm.

Time for more snow so she can take it out on the town!

2009 Charity Knitting

Our charity group mainly cross-stitches
designs on quilt squares.
We also cross-stitch ornaments for hospital-bound kids.

We knit and crochet preemie hats for infants in distress.
And we knit and crochet hats that are given to
'chemo kids' who have lost their hair.

In 2009 I went a little crazy with my new knitting looms.

I knit around 35 hats for boys, girls and teens.

It was fun to see them all laid out on the table
before I shipped them off to the hospital.
That's quite a collection!

Happy Dance: Autumn Leaf Bookmark

I have been doing a lot more knitting than cross-stitch these days. I'll have to post an image of all the hats I've completed. I've lost count of how many and will likely surprise even myself when I count them.

Over the last couple weeks I have dinked around with cross-stitch a little bit, though. I went to the library and found a big pile of cross-stitch magazines in the free magazine exchange bin. I took them all home and looked through them. There were only two that had projects that I wanted to attempt. This is one of them.

I started this autumn stitchery on an extremely hot summer day while watching an episode of Oprah that I recorded last spring. There was some kind of odd synergy in that.

This bookmark is designed by Deborah Lambein from For the Love of Cross Stitch magazine, November 1998, page 20. I like the flow of the leaves and the colors. It's an average-sized bookmark chart, 20w x 82h. I stitched it on some 14ct ivory aida banding and finished the ends with a nun's stitch and fringe.

Believe it or not, I'm keeping this bookmark for myself! That's a rarity.


And I did return the rest of the magazines to the exchange bin. I'll bet there's at least one more cross-stitch enthusiast in Post Falls that will appreciate them.

My Black Hat

I made myself a new black hat!

The one I crocheted last year was fine, but a little short around the ears. I used my knitting loom to whip up this bad boy.

It's huge. Covers my ears. Practically covers my neck.

And it's warm. I was sweatin' up a storm by the end of my photo shoot.

The part you can't see in this photo? It [accidentally] has a bit of a pointy top!

Call me Conehead. Cameo Conehead.


p.s. Did you know it's fairly hard to take a hand-held photo of yourself and your hat and keep it all in focus without your nose looking way too big for a human's face?

Now you do.

Knit Hat and Scarves

I didn't do much cross-stitch in November, and here it is, the end of the month.

But I did do a bit of knitting. My daughter knit this green hat - her first time using a knitting loom. She asked me to knit a matching scarf.


When it was done, one of her best friends liked it so much that I offered to knit a hat and scarf for her, too.

She picked the yarn. I knit it as time permitted.

Click on the images to see a larger version in Cameo's Corner in my Stitcher's Studio

Jodie's Dance

This is the child's hat and scarf that Jodie made to donate.

It's the first knit hat she ever made using the knitting loom. She used two strands of a lightweight yarn.

She crocheted the scarf using her own choice of stitch. I think it's double crochet.

I'm proud of my girl!

On My Desk - Hats, Hats & More Hats

If it's Wednesday, it's time for another installment of On My Desk

I've missed this the last couple weeks!


Today's desk? The table in our family library.

Hats, Hats & More Hats

These are the hats I've made since the first of the month. I took my looms with me on my trip because I thought knitting hats would be a fairly mindless way to pass the time and keep my nervous hands busy while my friend had her medical procedure.

I knit at the hospital. I knit when we returned to her residence. I knit as we watched movies together. I knit as I tried to get over jet lag and return to Pacific Daylight Time. I knit as my daughter and I caught up on our favorite recorded TV shows. And I've been knitting all through the Democratic National Convention coverage.

That's an average of knitting one hat every two days. It's been a great way to use up spare skeins of yarn.

But see those fuzzy purple hats at the top of the photo? Those are the direct result of my best friend's enabling abilities. She took me to a Job Lots store -- a new experience for me -- and we bought those skeins for only $2.00 each.

:: sigh ::

It's far easier to purchase additional supplies than it is to use up the stash on the shelf. But I'll continue making a valiant effort.

Sure hope there are lots of kids and teens out there that need warm hats this winter.

-

p.s. You think I'll ever get back to cross-stitch? I'm starting to twitch, so perhaps I'll stitch again before too long.