Socks Socks and More Socks

Yes its all about socks, I love hand knitted socks, they are warm and cosy, hard wearing and fun.

I have always knitted socks on the round using double ended needles, when I was visiting a friend the other month she showed me some socks she had just finished and they were knitted on the straight, intrigued I ordered the book she had knitted them from and got started with a pair last night 

I am knitting them in King Cole Riot, its some yarn I had left over from another project. 

While browsing on Amazon for the book I came across another 3 sock books that I just had to have 

I will have to give crochet socks a go there is some really interesting designs in these books.

Back to knitting socks on the straight, the instructions are very clear and easy to follow, and the book is spiral bound great for staying open were you want it, there is some lovely designs in the book and some great tips on joining seams. 

Right must get back to finishing my socks.

New Hat

While having a lazy day in front of the fire, I dug out some chunky yarn to crochet a hat, some-one in blog land was showing a hat they had crocheted, a Cloche Style hat and it took my fancy, (sorry cant remember who it was) I searched the web some time ago for a pattern and came across this one Cloche Hat I decided to do mine in multi colours to finish up oddments of yarn.

It didn't take long to do and is a good fit.

 Kara isn't the best of models but you get the idea.

Fingerless Gloves Pt 2

I thought I posted this the other evening but it seems I didn't, I finished my mitts in Aran they are lovely and chunky, ideal for me to wear out and about in the garden and dealing with the livestock.

The pattern I posted a link to has a few errors, there are too many knit rows and it should all be in stocking stitch apart from the rib at the start and finish.

I am going to knit some more in double knit  and make the finger covering longer, this pair I have stitch together between the fingers to stop them riding down my hands. 

They are lovely and warm. 

Fingerless Gloves.

I am in the process of knitting myself some fingerless gloves to give my stiff joints a bit of warmth through the winter.

The pattern says knit in 2 hours, with stiff painful fingers I don't think so.

Its a nice easy pattern on two needles I am doing these in some Aran wool I had left over, so they will be nice and chunky.

Here is a link to the pattern Fingerless gloves 

I need to get some more socks knitted up as well, I am happy to knit on 4 needles and have a very good pattern I use time and again for 4ply socks and a different pattern for chunky socks, when I was visiting a friend the other week she had been knitting socks on two needles they were really lovely the book she was knitting them from was called Knit Your Socks On The Straight by Alice Curtis, I have ordered the book and waiting for it to come should be here tomorrow. 

Back to my mitts hopefully have them finished for tomorrow.

Using Soluble Laundry Bags

I came across a comment on these as I was looking for advice on metallic thread, I had never come across them before, a quick look on Amazon and there is loads there they are used in hospitals and care homes mainly for putting in soiled laundry so it doesn't have to be handled, what a great idea. 

My thoughts were are they the same as the soluble stabiliser I use with the sewing machine 

I ordered a pack of 25 bags. £13.30 with free delivery

• Fully Water Soluble Laundry Sacks
• Designed to completely dissolve in a wash at 60°c +
• Size approx 457mm (18") x 660mm(26") x 840mm (33")

They arrived in a couple of days and yesterday I tried them out, they are similar in thickness to the Solvy Stabiliser which I buy 12 inch by 9yd for £15.90 the RRP is £25 so a considerable saving using the laundry bags, almost 3 times the amount for less money.

 

 I hooped up a double layer and picked out a freestanding lace design, and set the machine to work, I didn't expect it hold with FSL as the Solvy doesn't either, part way through the design the stabiliser started to give way as expected.

nothing unexpected there, to do FSL I usually use the woven soluble which at £72 a 25mt roll is expensive, or if it is a small design I use the heavy Solvy which is £32 for a 9mt roll so its expensive stuff 

here is the same design using the heavy solvy 

As you can see it still tears a little. 

So back to the laundry bags, they still have a great use, when you need to use a soluble stabiliser with fine fabrics or for doing monogramming on towels of fabric with a pile, it will work great 

Here I am using it with organza for lace snowflakes 

I had no problem with it all with such a sheer fabric

after they were stitched 

The excess laundry bag from the hoop tears off easily, I trimmed up the organza 

Soaked them in a bowl of warm water, the soluble plastic melted away no problem

Here they are drying off, perfect.

So to summarise, the laundry bags are cheaper and I can use them instead of my expensive stabiliser for items that need no visible stabiliser. defiantly worth having and keeping in stock.

Another tip, all the off cuts of soluble stabiliser I pop into a bag regardless of which one they are, the scraps can then be dissolved in water and used as fabric stiffener, it can be painted on or sprayed on.

 

Falling Leaves

I started this project on Sunday afternoon, I am still in an Autumnal mood as you can tell.

This is work in progress, an Autumnal table runner, this project served several purposes as well as the finished item it will become.

I needed to practise my placement of designs and I wanted to work with metallic threads.

you can see the squares I have marked out on the fabric

working on this gave me the opportunity to flip images and rotate as well as making sure my placement was within the lines I had marked out.

The metallic thread was a different subject sorry you cant see in the photos the beauty of metallic threads.

I changed my needle to a metallic thread needle, wound the bobbin in matching thread, slowed the machine down to the slowest embroidery setting and set to with the stitching on a practise piece withing moments the thread broke, I re threaded and again it broke and again, I was using a good quality thread so I was stumped at what to do next, over a cup of tea I browsed the web for a solution, I was doing everything suggested then I came across a tip, spray the reel of thread with a silicon spray, it seems that room temperature and humidity can affect the performance of the thread, I had a can of spray that is used to stop the needle gumming up when using fusible adhesives, so I popped the reel and bobbin into a little bag a sprayed it, re-threaded the machine and it worked like a dream. The only time the thread broke was as I got onto the third leaf of that colour so it was as I worked my way through the reel. 

I now have the threads all individually stored with there matching bobbins in self seal bags.

While browsing I picked up another tip that I will try out later this week and report bag if it works or not.

Quilted Whole Cloth Cushion Cover

I have always admired quilted whole cloth embroidery and fancied a go at doing a cushion cover, I had purchased a design from www.secretsof.com

I couldn't find in town the fabric I wanted, I was after a ivory silk, as this was going to be a practise piece I settled on a cotton silk flat sheet, it was ivory the colour I wanted and had a lovely silky feel to it.

There was a lot of layers to hoop up together, voile for the embroidery backing, then wadding, then interfacing, the the silk top, I decided to do colour on colour, 

 After struggling to hoop up yet again I decided to change tactics and hooped up some filmoplast, its a stabiliser that is sticky so I can place my fabric sandwich on top and it will be held in place without hooping.

I got the centre of the design done although my placement was not perfect

It didn't take too long to do as I was only working in one colour, I added some hot fix gems to give it a bit of bling, then it had to be turned into a cushion cover.

A simple envelope opening and one cushion cover done, my placement certainly needs some practise as some of the blocks are off, but for a practise piece I am happy. It is something I want to do more of.