It's Crochet, Knit & Natter 10: New Year, New Yarn, New Thread!

[QuantumWeatherButterfly]

Time for a new thread for all the lovely yarn crafters!

Old thread here: http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/artsandcrafts/4557189-its-crochet-knit-natter-9-so-many-projects-so-little-time-oh-well-i-almost-made-it-rhymee_

@Georgieporgie29 there are a few ways of dealing with ends in mosaic crochet. Some work them in as they go. With my other one, I’ll be doing a double border so you do a border on both side and join them together so the ends are inside. You can also just trim them to same length and have a fringe either side, which is probably the easiest and something that might look nice on the seaside blanket.

Oh I’m so sorry to hear that @lucysmam, glad you feel like you but with extra appointments though and it’s looking good.

Oh no, how sad @WeCanLiveLikeJackAndSally, you know her best, I think everyone reacts differently so it’s hard to know what to do. I’m sorry about your move, fingers crossed your DH is right to be hopeful.

I made a very slow start on the tour de fleece @Fairislefandango. I plied some of my black wool I’ve spun. I’d plied some already and then put it in the sink with some shampoo because I could still feel the lanolin. The difference was amazing. Turns out it wasn’t a washed fleece after all You live and learn!

That's lovely spinning! It looks beautifully even.

Thank you! This pic came up on my Facebook memories today from a year ago, when I'd not long had my wheel and had just started the Tour and was very much still a total beginner. It's pleasing to see the contrast!

Wishing you the very best for your recovery, @lucysmam, and to you for a successful exchange and completion, @WeCanLiveLikeJackAndSally

I realised earlier today that I've been looking at completely the wrong yarn for a cardigan project I am planning - two very similar names, one Aran with very few yarn sub options, and the other DK with absolutely loads! I am relieved to realise it's the DK one, if a little embarrassed it took so long!

Anyway, I've chosen a yarn, so now just need to choose a colour. Given how slow I am (and the fact that I need to finish my Maria top first😊), I'm thinking it will be ready for Autumn. I'm drawn to greens and blue, but I always choose greens and blues, so I want something different. I think I like the Rio Red and the Papaya Punch. What do you think?

Thank you @QuantumWeatherButterfly . I like the Papaya Punch yarn, very pretty.

I've finished the sparkly, blue, dick. And I've got my top back to the point where I frogged it, so I'm feeling productive. Even if I've had the laziest day ever!

I like the Rio Red out of those two, @QuantumWeatherButterfly . Like you, I often choose blue and green (when I'm not choosing neutrals like grey or cream!).

Ooh, John Arbon is having a virtual open weekend with free to attend zoom classes!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/john-arbon-textiles-33304793967

Theres a good mix in there. I’ve signed up for the spinning one but I think I might sign up for the embroidery and natural dyeing too. I like the idea of the colour management one but as I mostly stick to about 4 colours I think it’s probably wasted on me.

Ooh that's great, @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound ! I've signed up for the colour management one. Just spotted your post in time as it's this afternoon - thanks for the heads-up!

I've been a bit sporadic posting on here lately, but we are finally beginning to wind down towards the end of term a week on Thursday. After that I'll have lots of time for knitting, crochet and boring you all with incomprehensible (to anyone but @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound ) spinning nonsense .

I just finished the Zoom class. It was really interesting, especially the bits where it showed you knitted swatches demonstrating the different effects from the different preparation and drafting techniques. Not very applicable to my current plain white and plain grey Shetland, but useful for future projects!

I made this little pocket heart for my friend. I thought she could put pictures, footprints etc in it. I’m not sure whether to put the baby’s initial on the front or not. I would do it in the same colour so it would be a separate price that I sew on.

I was on it too @Fairislefandango but between the children and the washing machine starting to leak half way though I think I really missed most of it! Glad they recorded it, I might get to watch it in peace
You know the way you see Facebook marketplace listings when you’re just browsing? Up popped a 4 shaft table loom 45mins down the road from me. I now own it It was in need of a bit of TLC since it dates from definitely the 1950’s and quite possibly earlier but it’s nothing a bit of time and WD40 won’t fix so I’m so pleased with it! Plus the woman who sold it to me was lovely and will hopefully come to a guild meeting in future.

Old poster who's been lurking for years on these threads. Just wanted to send you hugs 💕

@SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound Oh, what a bargain! Any chance of a picture? I don't see spinning in my future, but I am still fascinated by the process.

@WeCanLiveLikeJackAndSally I think initials would be lovely.

@Fairislefandango Yay for lots of crafting time!

Sadly, there has been very little crafting time here. I've made some progress with the Maria, but I would need to finish it by next Wednesday to have it ready to show the person that gifted me the yarn, and I don't think that will happen. I've decided to finish the sleeves before I add more to the body, because I now know for sure I'll need more yarn, and the blue shade absolutely has to match to finish the sleeves. Well, I say sleeves - prompted by comments from other people who have made it on Ravelry, I realised they were going to work out to be really boxy and flappy, so I'm just finishing them with a round of single crochet that reduces every 5th stitch to bring them in a bit, then double crochet to match the collar. Hopefully it will work, though I really wish I had counted the number of sc on on the first sleeve a bit more carefully!

Oh no @QuantumWeatherButterfly I always adjust sleeves then forget what I’ve adjusted the first sleeve to as well

It was such luck, there’s no way I could afford a modern one. I’ve cleaned the heddle wires in this photo, I just need to clean the wood up and make a couple of small fixes. I currently have no room for it mind you, but my DM has granted me houseroom until I get a bench fixed up in my laundry room

Congrats on your loom purchase, @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound ! I have not the foggiest about looms, but it looks huge great . Happy looming. I mean weaving!

Ah yeah, it is a bit huge@Fairislefandango. There weren’t any measurements on the listing and perspective made it look smaller in the photo then the ikea effect kicked in where you think it’ll be grand and then you get home…

@VelvetLiesAndChickenPies thank you 😊

Oh wow @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound how fun to have a new toy to play with!

I'm on a mission today to complete the yoke of my Victorian Love top - 1.5 rows to go! Taylor Swift ticket queueing to be done first though - dd1 is in charge of the actual buying, using her laptop...needs my ticketmaster account, debit card, and midnights code though 🤣

I did not get the yoke finished yesterday 🙄 Ticketmaster kicked us from the first Liverpool sale after getting straight in, then the second one we tried 3/4 times for better prices than it was offering & it locked us out as bots.

Third time lucky though - 4000+ people ahead of us so we thought we had no chance. First tickets it offered were £109 each, Kop end of Anfield, slightly to the left of where the goal is. The rush to buy them before someone else could potentially click to buy the same thing meant that we forgot to look for souvenir tickets through the post for the girls though.

Need to work out a way to print the e-tickets since you can't screenshot them 🤔

Anyway, I'm off to sports day at work today, then my dad's calling round, so not likely to finish today either. Maybe I'll try tonight, we'll see.

As well as it soon being the summer holidays, I'm endeavouring to carve out more crafting time in other ways - I've just deleted Facebook and Instagram off my phone and hidden all MN topics apart from Arts and Crafts! I've just been reading an interesting but alarming book about the extent to which the Silicon Valley lot steal our time and attention...

Dd2 got her Taylor Swift tickets too @lucysmam she's a happy swifty!

I've just been plodding along with my giant granny square or my simple knitted sweater. Neither will be finished before the autumn but that's fine as quite busy at the moment. We have a music festival in our village at the weekend and I'm helping with the children's storytelling tent. I currently have a pile of crochet blankets to make it comfy and my crocheted bunting to decorate it!

Good job on the tickets @lucysmam and @StillNiceCardigan, it sounds like planning a military operation to get them!

That festival sounds really lovely @StillNiceCardigan

It’s already been the school holidays since the end of June for us @Fairislefandango, it seems like months ago, not 12 days I’ve not been doing too badly on the tour de fleece but have spun all my carded fibre so I need to card more.

We’re off to Derry tomorrow for some climbing and maybe a walk around the walls if the weather holds up. I’ve already googled hardware shops for bits for my loom as there isn’t much where we are, and now to investigate wool shops too. Priorities

Is that how much TS tickets cost? <faints> I'm so glad DC aren't fans. Mind you, if I thought the crowds wouldn't induce a panic attack I'd pay that for DS2 to see Harry Styles. I'd sell my kidneys for him to see HS if I thought it would cure his anxiety

Anyway. Ive hardly done any crochet. I just cant be bothered. I really need to finish something,ideally my Wednesdays Window shawl as I wanted that for when we go away in August!

at ticket prices!
Happy shopping in Derry, @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound !

I've got an additional craft-related task to do this evening which I keep not getting around to. I had an idea a while back to get members of my knitting and crochet club to make crocheted or knitted national flags of a set size to make into bunting for the languages classrooms at school. I need to work out a basic rectangular pattern with numbers of stitches for knitting and crochet so they come out roughly the same size as long as people use... maybe dk yarn?

Oh, I'm genuinely jealous of TS tickets. I'm not sure who would love that more, me or DD definitely me. But I just wasn't organised enough.

I finished the sleeves of the Maria last night, if you can call them that. I decided to keep them really minimal, just added 3 extra clusters of trebles across the bottom to even it up, then a round of dc, decreasing every 5th stitch, to tidy it up.

I'm not 100% sure on the fit, there's a bit of extra fabric by my underarm, but it looks neat enough. I'm actually very proud of how I've added the extra trebles! Now to finish the length! I definitely don't have enough blue, so I've ordered some more - die lots be damned!

Awww... today one of my Y7s presented me with a bag she made for me! She said 'I'm really bad at knitting, but I wanted to make you something!'