Little things

Little things make me happy

Sometimes, something small and insignificant brings me more joy than an objective judgment could ever justify. For instance, some time ago, I ordered some yarn from Knit Picks and I was just a little short of spending enough to get free shipping. I went off to look at tools to see if I could find something small and cheap to make up the difference. You might have done the same, right? I ended up adding a little double-ended crochet hook on a key chain. I don't know why, but when I got the order, that little key chain made me stupidly happy. There's really no way for me to explain why; my rational self doesn't understand it at all. I keep it in my pocket every day, along with my tiny Victorinox pen knife. I can put my hand in my pocket any time and get a little psychological lift even if I seldom actually use it. I guess that is using it in a way, especially if I'm having a bad day at work.

Recently, I made something that makes me happy in the same silly way. First, let me tell you how it came about, because the back story is always important. Or not. Our family room sofa is where I almost always knit or crochet. My seat is nearest the wall where I have good light. I can sit through any number of football games and action movies there, as long as I have something to occupy my hands. It makes for good familial relations. I can appear to be there, sharing some (non?) quality time with my husband, while in fact, I'm off in yarntopia. That sofa is now about 18 years old. We bought it when we got our first house. It's a sleeper sofa, and it allowed us to accommodate guests more or less comfortably (probably less, although I always added a foam pad to make it a little more bearable). I never liked the upholstery very well, but at least we could afford the sofa and it wasn't too horrible to look at. Besides, I figured the upholstery wouldn't last forever and I could eventually replace it.

I was right for once; the upholstery didn't last forever. In December, I took an objective look at it (always a mistake) and realized how completely disgusting it had become. I'm not sure I would have accepted it for free in my most poverty-stricken student days. We had worn holes in the cushions and it was dingy and stained. So, I took a break from work and recovered it in January. I got the fabric from Joann for 60% off. That helped, because after looking and looking for upholstery fabric from every store in town and a bunch more places online, I really didn't find anything I loved. It's hard to spend $40 or $50 a yard for fabric you just tolerate. Part of the problem was that it seems almost all home decor fabric has a definite right-side-up and upside-down. That would be okay, except that the up and down directions run the length of the fabric and the fabric isn't wide enough to upholster a sofa. That means the top of the design can't be at the top of the sofa unless you have a seam down the middle. Otherwise, you put your design sideways and in most cases, it definitely looks sideways. I finally settled on something and did the work. Yes, the design is running sideways, but at least it's subtle. Here's a picture of the end result:

 

It's actually black, but I had to overexpose a little to show the detail. You can imagine me over on the right looking glamorous and beautiful, with a piece of amazing knitting or crocheting in my hands. I don't actually look glamorous and beautiful and the work in my hands may not be very amazing, but please imagine me like that anyway.

When I work there, I seem to always end up with a little collection of notions, yarn scraps, tapestry needles, etc. on the arm rest. They used to always fall down between the arm and the end of the cushion. Because it's a sleeper sofa, that actually meant they would fall through to the floor. I'd have to get my husband and myself up off the sofa, remove the seat cushions and pull the bed part-way out to retrieve whatever I lost. You might guess that this was not always quite what my husband most wanted to do, especially during an exciting football game (well, exciting to him anyway). I solved that problem when I did the reupholstery. I added a piece of fabric that attaches to the sofa with velcro so I can remove it if/when we ever use this thing as a sleeper again. It catches everything. I know, because I dropped a lot of things down the side of the cushion to test it. How many things? You don't want to know. Just realize that it made me very happy to be able to fish them back out without dismantling the sofa. Best of all, no more fossilized snack crumbs on the floor on my husband's side either. I didn't know he was "saving" those until I pulled the couch out to take off the old upholstery. I hope he wasn't planning on using those as emergency rations, because they're gone now.  Here's what I did:

 

Once I got the sofa upholstered, I realized that I really needed to do something better with those bits and pieces I always have on the armrest. The new upholstery is a sort of velvety stuff and I knew the fibers I pull out when I spit splice would be difficult to remove without hauling out the vacuum cleaner. I also didn't want to be sticking big tapestry needles into my "new" sofa. I decided I wanted a little tray that could sit there. You've probably seen those armrest organizers advertised somewhere (as seen on TV or Harriet Carter maybe). They have a couple of pockets that hang down on either side of the armrest and sometimes have a flat tray on top. I didn't want pockets and I really didn't find anything I liked, so I decided to make one that would be just right.

 

I cut the pieces for the tray out of a corrugated cardboard box and glued them together. The bottom is curved to match the curvature of the armrest. Once I made the tray, I covered the outside with cotton batting and "upholstered" it with scrap cloth from some chair cushions I had recovered earlier. I put three strips of velcro on the bottom (what would modern life be like without velcro and duct tape??).

Then I hemmed a flat piece of fabric to hang over the armrest and put matching strips of velcro on it so I could attach the tray to the fabric. To keep it from sliding around, I bought some coin-shaped stone beads on sale and attached them along the bottom edges with a length of chain. I wanted some really heavy beads, and those do the trick. Plus they look sort of decorative. I found some large (and also heavy) bicone beads to put at the corners.
 

 

 

Then I made the dividers out of tag board. It's the dividers that make me so happy, really. One of them has a pincushion in it, where I can stick my tapestry needles. The part that I love though, is that each little compartment has a curved bottom. If you looked at a cross section from the side, they're like this:

 

That may not seem very important, but it does a wonderful thing. Instead of having tiny stitch markers or fine crochet hooks getting caught in the corners, they come right out. I don't have to fish for them at all. Once I had it all put together, I spent a really shameful amount of time dropping little things in and sliding them back out, just because it made me so happy. I'm sure I need to get a life, but in the meantime, little things like this make life worth living. I discovered a bonus after I started using it. I can tuck a circular needle or two under the tray to keep them handy. They don't fall on the floor between the end table and the sofa now. Here are a couple more pictures of my tray.
 

 

 

 

Pattern for Manfredovna's "3 Million Ravelers" Banner

A chart for Manfredovna's "3 Million Ravelers" banner

Ravelry's Manfredovna designed a darling sheepy three-color banner to celebrate the three millionth member of Ravelry. Ravelry hit that impressive milestone on March 8th, 2013. Fellow Ravelry member Perlesque noticed right away what a perfect scarf the design would make. I was happy to chart it and Manfredovna has graciously given me permission to make the charts available here. The charts provide two methods for knitting a scarf: lengthwise or end-to-end. Both are included in the PDF file.

Download PDF

 

My Expandable Circular Needle Holder

I prefer fixed circular knitting needles as a general rule, for several reasons. I have some interchangeables, but the range of sizes is limited so they are usually my last choice, despite the undeniable lure of a case with a place for each needle tip, cable, tightening key, etc. (What is it about a custom-made case that gives me such a thrill??) I was keeping my needles in the original zip-loc bags, filed in an "elegant" cardboard box. I got tired of fishing them out of those bags, having the size labels fall off and having the cables permanently curled into a tight spiral.

 

I had a few requirements for alternative storage. First, I wanted it to be cheap. I spend so much on the needles that I can hardly afford to spend much on storage (besides, more needles is more exciting than more storage). I also wanted it to be space efficient. I wanted it to be easy to make and I wanted something that wouldn't require the cables to remain coiled. I wanted the needles to be organized by size and length and most of all, I wanted to be able to add new needles without having to move the existing ones around.

 

That last requirement was critical. We used to keep our DVDs in those binders with little pockets, four pockets to a page. The problem was that we have so many that we needed to keep them organized so we could find the one we wanted. We chose to alphabetize by title, but every time we got a new DVD, we had to move some of the ones we had to keep them alphabetized. It was a major pain and my husband (who did all the filing) grumbled a lot. I knew I didn't want to face the same problem with my knitting needle storage. That meant I needed to be able to "insert" a new needle whenever I wanted without having to shift the other ones around.

 

I thought about it a while (longer than I'm willing to admit, because I'd like you to think that I'm so brilliantly clever that the solution came to me instantaneously). In the end though, I figured out a solution that satisfied all my requirements. My needles are now hanging on the back of a door. The cables are still a little curly, but I think they'll relax with time. Here they are:

 

 

 

 

Each size and length of needle has its own little holder labeled with its "vital statistics." The holders are attached to each other with velcro. That means that I can take them apart and insert another holder. I can also carry off a needle and its holder for use if I like. Taking the holder along with the needle means I have its size and length handy so I don't have to wonder what needle it is when it's time to put it away.

 

The holders are made with extra firm heavyweight sew-in stabilizer. I bought a yard and I had enough for about 80 of them.

 

Here are the instructions, in case you'd like to do this too.  

Download PDF File

 



My Romanian Point Lace Odyssey

I love intricate needlework of virtually any kind. In the last few years, I've been especially fascinated with needle-made laces. I've inherited and purchased some incredibly beautiful table linens ornamented or made entirely with needle laces of various sorts. The most impressive is probably an immense Venetian Point Lace tablecloth. I think it measures about 6x12 feet, although it's late at night and I haven't got the energy to get it out and measure it. I have marvelled at the amount of work that went into it; every square inch of it is made entirely with nothing more than a needle and thread. It's almost impossible to imagine doing something like that. Here's a photo of a piece of it, in case you don't know what this kind of point lace looks like:

Now I'm gaining an even greater appreciation of this kind of work. I'm working on a piece of Romanian point lace, with the kind assistance of the knowledgeable and very generous Wendy Harbaugh (go visit her blog at http://sunshinescreations.vintagethreads.com/) and stefana 2712 (go visit her too at http://yesterdaystories.wordpress.com/). Now, what I'm doing compares in no way with the complexity and sheer size of my beautiful tablecloth, but I'm starting to really understand how much painstaking work goes into this beautiful lace. I'm afraid my work looks very amateur. As I work, I feel I can hear those generations of gifted needlewomen telling me to pick it all out and try again. Sometimes I listen and do as I'm told. Other times (especially after the second or third try with no noticeable improvement), I stick my fingers in my ears and sing "la-la-la-I-can't-hear-you!"

I'm awfully slow at it, and each new filling stitch I learn is a new challenge. I have several books with "instructions" for making the stitches. The simpler ones I can usually figure out, but as is generally the case with old needlework books, they expect quite a bit from the reader. They don't get everything they expect from me. Fortunately, the Ravelry Romanian Point Lace group is my lifeline and they drag me and my needle through the rough patches.

I've always been patient with long-term projects. I never minded spending a year or more working on the same project. I think I probably spent longer than that making four intricate needlework sofa cushions. My problem these days is that somehow, I've collected a world-class stash of yarn and I'm only getting older. That danged yarn keeps calling me, asking when I'm going to knit and crochet it all. The truth is, I'll never get through it all, so I'm trying very hard not to listen and to continue quietly with my point lace.

It all starts with a cleverly crocheted cord. It's clever because it easily unravels from both ends. You baste the cord to a backing material with a design traced on it, following the graceful curves of the pattern. This is where the special unraveling properties are important. Wherever you have to end a curve and join it to another, you can cut the cord a little longer than you need it to be, unravel it back to the exact length you need and use the tail to join it to the adjoining curve.

I'm working my lace on a board I made for working Irish crochet. I used a piece of  Masonite and covered it with a piece of the thickest carpet pad foam I could find at my local Home Depot. Over that, I put a piece of muslin. Using the carpet pad means I can stick pins in it and they're held firmly. I use T-pins to pin things down. It's a little unconventional, but it keeps everything nicely stretched and I can use pins to hold things in place as I work.

I traced my pattern onto a piece of old sheet. I used the kind of waxed tracing paper made for marking darts when you're sewing. I put a piece of butcher paper between the sheet with the tracing and my muslin-covered board, so I wouldn't accidentally catch the muslin when I was sewing things down. I'm prone to doing things like that, so I try to invent ways to protect myself from myself.

Here's a photo of my work in progress. You can see the cord on the right and the design partially basted down.

I drew the pattern from a grainy, photocopied photo of an antique piece of Renaissance lace. Renaissance lace is very similar to Romanian point lace; it just uses special tapes instead of crocheted cord to outline the design. I'll use my piece of lace as the yoke for a crocheted top. It was originally made as a handkerchief, but I don't carry one of those as a rule. At the size I'm making it, it would make a lovely table center or doily, but I seem to have enough of those, so I thought turning it into a yoke would be more useful. Besides, I like being able to wear the things I make. I modified the pattern a bit by dividing it where the back will be, so my head will fit through. I'll add a button and loop to fasten it. You can see the division in the photo above on the left side, where there are two parallel cords that don't appear in the pattern. They're tacked together at the base.

The outlines have to be filled with various decorative filling stitches. They're really beautiful and there seems to be a huge variety of them. A really skillful designer creates areas of "dark" and "light" using denser or airier fillings. The contrast makes the designs aesthetically interesting and highlights the most beautiful and important parts of the pattern. Here are a couple of photos of my filling stitches, also in progress.

These are done with tatting thread. The ones below are size 30 crochet cotton. I just love those little leaves.

And now, for the good part. Just in case you'd like to work along with me, I'm including a link to a PDF pattern for you:

 Download PDF from my Ravelry store

Stranded Knitting Charts

 

I'm not quite sure what all I'll bring to this blog, but to start, I want to post a couple of free charts. Free is always good, right? I'm planning a series of posts on gauge to help with conversions, designing, and custom fitting. I'll also post some other patterns from time to time.

The first is a little chart that I made in response to this Ravelry thread. The original poster had seen a beautiful stranded Norwegian sweater and wanted the name of the pattern. No one had a name, but  I was able to come up with a chart for the pattern, which features a stylized tesselated fish.

Stranded Fish

Download PDF from my Ravelry store for free!

The next one was inspired by a beautiful sweater I saw in a National Geographic catalogue. I loved the color combination. I think it would be beautiful with  a long repeat tonal dyed yarn as the main color. Or you could make it with three different shades of the turquoise, Fair Isle style. This is long enough for an entire woman's sweater at 8 rows per inch. You could repeat one or more of the patterns to make it longer for a man or if you just like your sweaters very long.

Sweater Panel

Download PDF from my Ravelry store for free!

Estonian Motif

I copied this one from an Estonian Mitten. You can see the mittens here. Muhv has graciously permitted me to copy her combination of traditional stitch patterns for the cuff she added to her mittens.   Use the 44 x 24 stitch vertical repeat between the green lines as an allover pattern or the entire chart as a mitten back. The 44 stitch horizontal repeat ends at the pink line on the right.

Download PDF from my Ravelry store for free!

An Assortment of Diced Pattern Motifs

When I made my husband his “Liev” sweater (http://www.ravelry.com/projects/ifdefelseif/-04-liv), I wanted to replace the floral motif from the original pattern with something less obviously feminine. These are the motifs I came up with when I was deciding what to do. As far as I know, these are “original,” or at least, I wasn’t referring to any sources when I charted them. I ended up using the very simple one in the lower right corner. You can choose a single motif from this selection to use in a diced pattern, as a motif in a repeated band, or you could even use some or all of them as they are presented.

Download PDF from my Ravelry store for free!