Knit, Crochet and Natter 4 - Yarning into Spring

[lazylinguist]

A thread for knitters, crocheters and woollly crafters in general. All welcome, including total newbies! Previous thread here

InTheNightWeWillWish I'm sure you're right on quilting, it would be a slippery slope. But I just want to try all the crafts! It's probably just as well I work full time, otherwise my house would just turn into one big craft workshop. But when I retire, the room that is now my office is going to be repurposed into a craft room - just a shame it's another 25 years away...

Which sort of ties in to my reply to lazylinguist. No, I've never been to a real life group because they're all during the day time, so in my head are like DM's WI group - all ladies of a certain age! Which I have nothing against, but I can't find anything locally that's aimed at a younger age group. I'm probably being massively judgemental though, and that's not the case at all - but either way, they're during the day so I can't go and find out!

bookshark I saw an advert on Facebook for a monthly craft subscription box. You got a new craft to try each month. April’s was book binding! I decided to close the page and ban myself from ever looking at it again. As it is, I’m trying to fit crochet in around work. I don’t need more crafts to add in the mix. However, when I retire...

When my grandad retired, he told me he wondered how he ever find the time to work. I can’t wait to be so busy pottering around and crafting that I don’t have time to work.

Uff, it's doing the not posting thing again 🙄

My local group meet in the re-vamped Wool Market space, on an evening I think. I haven't actually been as they were stopped when I took up crochet in October but I'm keeping an eye on social media for when they can restart.

I love the idea of not having time to work - sounds delightful 😊

This beauty popped up on a fb group I joined. It's knit so I've been looking for a similar crochet pattern but either my search terms are bit shit, or such a thing doesn't exist...I suspect the former 🤷‍♀️🤣

I really ought to take up quilting, I design fabric and have to get samples before selling so I have lots of 6 inch square swatches. I used to do a lot more sewing, but took up crochet when I started working away from home, it's far more portable and takes up less space.

@tizwozliz you have my ultimate dream job! I've always said I want to design my own fabric as I love drawing/painting and sewing!

I thought about taking up sewing. I'm horrendous at it (I think I mentioned on a previous thread that I managed to accidentally sew a toy duck to my skirt during a lesson at school ). But a lovely lady I know who goes to the knitting group also does loads of sewing and she was trying to persuade me to have a go. Thing is, I'm already don't manage to find time to do nearly as much knitting and crochet as I want, so it seems a bit silly to add another craft!

It's a hobby rather than a job, I actually don't think I'd enjoy it if it was a job.

Get yourself on spoonflower if it's something that interests you.

Oh wow tiz that's a job I find facinating from the outside. Like watching complex maths or something!

I've thought about that @tizwozliz but haven't looked into it properly!
Sewing still is my favourite hobby and the one I'd say im quite good at - without blowing my own trumpet but it's just easier and more social regarding my family life to sit on the sofa and crochet rather than behind a sewing machine/over locker! Which I have two of each

@FlaviaAlbiaWantsLangClegBack I would wear it too. But the pattern only goes up to age 2-3 years. I wonder how hard it would be to size up

@lazylinguist I found a green that is perfect, if anything I prefer it to the original.

@InTheNightWeWillWish to be fair my knitting hasn't grown at all, I can only assume the missing needle is under the sofa as its the only place I haven't looked. Tunisian appears to be super easy and grows very quickly!

I dabble in all kinds of crafts. Mum keeps sending me random patchwork patterns and suggesting I make them. Which is fine, but I really don't need or want patchwork table mats My sewing machine skills are basic at best. I really need to practise and make something useful!
I also embroider, do cross stitch, make cards, scrapbook, and play with beads and jewellery. Oh and some pyrography! I'd love to get into metal stamping, resin jewellery or silver smithing. But I need to win the lottery first!

Has anyone heard of 'enclosed borders' on blankets? They look interesting, but I think they'd end up being really bulky

lazy you should have a go at sewing! I dabble in a variety of crafts (although not as many as CrochetBug) & sewing is the one I always come back to.

I've just finished the right front & am having a break with the most enormous slice of cream cake before I sew in the few ends. Those and the back can now be blocked tomorrow. I might make the stars once I've sewn the ends.

I was idly wondering earlier if Hermes deliver on Good Friday...I'm itching for the black aran to arrive now so that I can do the sleeves and then finish off.

Which reminds me - the instructions say to ss to the first stitch on each round of the sleeves; can I just skip that & work in the round with a stitch marker like for amigurumi? Apart from the first one which is the cuff end?

That looks great @lucysmam. I always ignore the instructions to ss and just work in the round.

Excellent, thanks CrochetBug, I thought I could but just wanted to check.

Hmmm.. I've done each colour twice except blue. After the white rows it will be the right length, but will it look odd that there's only 1 blue row? Should I make it approx 1inch longer and have equal numbers of stripes?

I think you should make it that 1" longer so you have equal stripes. No-one but you (and us ) will ever know the "correct" length it should have been!

The stars are not a job for tonight. They're looking like squares gone wrong that have had a pointy bit randomly attached to them 🙄 I'll try again in the morning.

I've attached a screenshot of what they're supposed to look like in case any of you know any patterns that might be clearer than this one.

I love the little fairy and the story of the older lady with the fairy garden. That's marvellous, I'm a big fairy fan 🧚‍♂️

@crochetbug I'm going to be putting a double border on my mosaic blanket for a few reasons. I would say I'll be starting the border in around a week 🤞

Im slightly dubious but have read good things. I don't like fringes and I'm. Not sewing in 700 odd ends 😬

I've made a quick cat blanket from various scraps and varying thickness. Look at the difference a border makes!

That's a lovely blanket @Myshitisreal. A border can work wonders! I'll be interested to hear how the double border goes. Please keep us updated.

I've finished the body of the cardigan. Annoyingly the border is making it curl it also looks a little out of proportion, but that might be because I know it is. Just need to finishing the edging and the sleeves tomorrow.

Oh my goodness I can't believe how quickly you've done that, looks amazing.!

Ohhhh I thought a border would have straightened it. The curl is an issue, there is different curl factor in different stitches and I think it's too do with the tension as well. Mum's scarf curled but the border flattened it out
Looks so good! 😍 The sky's the limit with tunisian, it's exciting!

I've all my ends double tied and I'm going to cut them to 2 cm soon. It feels wrong and scary. There's a couple of good videos

If you have a larger hook try that for the border (although I think you've already done it)

I can't believe how quick it was to do tbh. Tunisian certainly seems to work up faster!
I might frog the border and re do it with a bigger hook. It said to use a 4mm, when the rest of it was a 5mm so it's possible the border is too tight.

I've only done 1 round of the border so not a lot to re do.

Oh wow so many lovely things on here! I love that fairy @InTheNightWeWillWish my mum has a fairy garden, it takes up half her garden and she told me yesterday that this year she wants to do it seaside theme and has bought anchor and turtle moulds to do resin things with haha! Do you mind me asking which pattern you used for your little fairy?

@CrochetBug that's so pretty! Do you enjoy the Tunisian crochet then?

@lucysmam that cardi is looking so good! I'm the same as you and at this point I'd be so eager to finish it! the stars look quite fiddly!

@Myshitisreal lovely blanket! and lucky cat!

@FlaviaAlbiaWantsLangClegBack how exciting! A new toy to play with! does it work out expensive doing it that way?

Lucky cat you have there @Myshitisreal...you forgot the cat photo though

The cardi is pinned to an old camping mat that never actually saw a camp & big towel outside to dry. I keep checking they haven't blown away 🤣

I thought I'd have an hour playing with Stitch Fiddle on the laptop but it doesn't work on there for some reason 🤷‍♀️ I might pinch dd1's when she eventually leaves her pit & try on there.

@sophs29 it’s this one www.sweetsofties.com/2020/06/woodland-leaf-fairy.html?m=1 I forgot to make the flower/leaf crown which I’ve just noticed looking at the pattern! Oh well. She was quite quick to work up too, she only took me took evenings. Admittedly I didn’t brush her hair or make her a flower crown though