Spring Knitting And Sewing

The spring in definitely in the air, here in Islamabad. The winter chill is gone and we have days at a stretch, of warm sunshine, interspersed with spring showers. My latest projects suit this change in weather.

My old reader might know that I have a thing for girl dresses with knitted bodices. So, I recently got hold of two balls of cotton yarn, in light fingering weight, to make a couple of spring dresses for my 6-year-old. I bought the yarn online and was a bit worried about running out. But in the end, I managed two get both bodices done, using down to the last inch of both yarns.

Next, I went to shop for matching fabrics and thankfully found some suitable ones quickly. It took one evening to sew up the dresses and another to sew on the buttons.

I love these part-knit part-sewn dresses and would love to test some other stitch patterns in the futre, insha Allah.

In other accomplishments, I did an early spring-cleaning of my craft closet and it has made me resolved to use up some of my stash. I'm still undecided about what to cast on next, socks maybe, or a stole.

Smaller Things

With our temperatures rapidly climbing and the weather turing unusually hot for this time of the year, I have quite lost the will to work on my cardigan. Instead, I did reorganisation of my yarn stash and decided to knit up some cotton yarns to free up some space. Two potholders and two dischcloths later, I had managed to use an equivalent of only two balls of yarn.

The potholders are crocheted while the dishcloths are knit.

Anyway, the potholders are pretty awesome and performing very well in the kitchen. The dishcloths have not been used as of now, but I can foresee their use in the near future.

I am already looking for some other small knitting or crochet project. Any ideas? 

Spring/Summer Sewing 2014 - Part 2

Our DSL connection has been out of order for a week now and shows no signs of getting in order despite repeated complaints. So I have had to borrow my husband's laptop and WiFi to write this post.
Today, I will show you the two dresses I made for my three year old.

 

First up is a dress with tiered skirt and fabric flowers at the waist. The bodice is lined. the fabric is cotton. Again the pattern is self-drafted. I made it a bit larger so she can grow into it over the summer.

The second one is the one which has the chicken scratch embroidery I mentioned in a previous post.

 Again, it is self-drafted with a lined bodice and a contrasting ruffle at the hem. The fabric is cotton. 

 This one is my favorite of this year's sewing.

 

Part 3 of Spring/Summer Sewing  2014 is under progress. I have just started on a couple of outfits for the baby. InshaAllah, I plan to have them done and blogged about, before the start of Ramadan. (Ramadan starts at the end of June.)

Masa Bag

 

This large, rectangle, crocheted piece which I also showed in the last post, got all folded and stitched together into this:

 Of course, it also got a handle added to it, and a lining with a zipper. The pattern basically explains the folding technique that turns a rectangle (3:1) into a bag form.

 

I used a larger hook and a longer foundation chain to make a bigger bag. And in doing so, I successfully used up one of the two 12 oz (552 m) balls of Sugar'n Cream Naturals that had been languishing in my stash for the last five years. Hopefully, I will find a way to use up the remaining ball in a suitable way, sooner than the next five years.

As for the bag, I think it is nicely sized, sturdy and useful bag. Nothing spectacular but quite practical.

Summer Crochet Bag

Not so long ago, I saw this lovely bag on Pinterest. It looked like a great accessory for the Summer. And I had just the right cotton thread at hand to crochet it. The pattern is in Russian but there are some charts too. So armed with a Google translation and the charts, I set about making one for myself. There were a few ambiguous areas where I had to improvise and try out various options, until I got the right results, but it was totally doable.

 I used white cotton thread size 8, held doubled, on an unknown hook size. Again, our thread balls do not have yardage printed, but I used about 12 balls of local Coats Anchor Cotton Thread balls.

I did not have large enough beads for the handles, so I only dangled some smaller ones at the sides.

The lining is double, solid white cotton, with interfacing with a magnetic closure.

Thus, my quest for the right bag is finally over. I love this bag and can't wait to use it!

Anouk with Hearts

 The baby pinafore I was working on is done, except for the buttons, which I have been too lazy to pick out and sew yet. The pattern was fine, kind of confusing for me, especially the neckline instructions. But I did modify it a bit, adding the stranded work hearts above the hem, instead of pockets and also sewed on a separately knit heart to the front of the bodice. (That one is a bit lopsided but again, I was too lazy to resew it.) The yarns are Rowan All Seasons Cotton (natural) and  Rowan Cotton Rope (pink). This is the heart chart I knit:

I have already started with my next project, and for a change it is a crochet project.

A Spring Top

This one got a fair share of ripping done on it as I fiddled around with the sizing. So I am really happy it is finally done. It uses Rowan cotton glace and my own design. It has a lot of room for my daughter to grow in, which is a good thing considering our springs are usually short-lived and will also work over layers during our milder winter.

Cotton Pullover

After a few days of post-holiday fatigue, I resumed work on the cotton pullover that I was knitting for my son. Finally finished it today. As the body and sleeves were knit in rounds, there were only raglan seams to sew but quite a few ends to weave in and then of course the pocket seam and band. This project used up less than two balls each of Cotton Ease Violet and Lime and I used 4 mm and 5mm needles.

I am pleased to see that it fits rather well and my son also seems to like it. His indifference turned to warmth and eagerness when I reminded him of his favorite cartoon hero who wears somewhat similar looking jacket :D

New Things

With my latest project named and test knitting underway, I moved on to other things. I started a sweater for my son. I have four balls of Cotton-Ease, two violet and two lime and the trick is for me to come up with a suitable design for this yarn. I initially thought of a zippered cardigan but unsure about the availability of a suitable zipper in my local supplies shops, I settled on a pullover/sweatshirt.

As you can see, I stick to a classic style of contrasting color stripes in the ribbing and front pouch pocket. I hope I get the pocket placing right.
In another new, I practiced some continental style of knitting. I have reached the stage where it becomes smoother but not very fast, and of course it was too loose, so I had to frog all the rows later.

Cable Top

With our household in the throes of gastroenteritis this week, I found little time and energy to work on lace. Instead I cast on another top for my dd. This was a very quick knit mostly because of the aran weight yarn (Rowan All Season Cotton) on 5 mm needles. I'm proud of the fact that I managed to knit it with the two balls of yarn that I had. I used up nearly all of the 196 yards. The pattern is my own and it is size four year so my daughter can have a couple of years wear out of it, inshaAllah.

All in all, it was great fun and now that we seem to be on the mend, I hope to resume work on my stole.

A Few Sock Bags

I made these early in June for RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) at the RAK group , ravelry. The first one had a accessories pouch with it, others went solo. These are made from 100% cotton (Pakistani, of course) with coordinated lining and interfacing in between. This tutorial was very helpful, though I added tags on both ends of the zipper for easy opening and closure.

I have some fabric leftover for three more. So I was thinking.....hmmm... maybe a few more RAK or a blog contest!!??

A Quick Summer Hat

With her head shaved at the moment, my daughter was more than ever in need of a hat, esp when out in the sun. So I crocheted up this quickie in one evening.The yarn is cotton (Peaches and Creme).

My Haekelbeutel

The latest finished object off my hook is this haekelbeutel (which as I understand, means crocheted bag in german). I found this pattern in a friend's projects at ravelry and loved its shape and simplicity. The pattern can be found here. I used local cotton yarn, which I dyed myself. Initially I planned on using only plain and variegated green but it looked like I was to run a little short of both, so I added some natural as well. I still have to line it though, but just could not wait to post about it.The lime green color peeping through (as its not lined yet) is just my shawl, stuffed inside the bag for this photo shoot.

I still am working on may mystery socks, but took some time off them because I had to frog them a couple of times due to gauge issues. Next I'm also planning on doing some embroidery on one of my summer shirt. Nothing intricate, just some quick embellishment.
On another note, I was unable to view my blog or anyother blogspot blog for the last two days, because some exceptionally bright and intelligent authority in Pakistani goernment ordered the blanket order to block all blogspot sites. This is becoming a regular feature, happening every few months. However,thankfully it never lasts long.

Rainbow Spikes Bag

I just finished this bag yesterday. The material for this bag is the same as that for indigo bag. I love the way it has turned out. I love colors and especially those in a rainbow. Also I love butterflies. Plus I also love bags.

Here is the pattern, not tested of course.

Rainbow spikes bag

Material:· WW cotton in nine colors__deep red, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet , and purplish brown.(I used hand-dyed material)
· Crochet hook size 4.5 mm.
· Small butterfly shaped beads in assorted colors
· Fabric for lining
· A zipper.
· Size 10 black thread.

Size: 8.5 x 12 inches excluding strap

Gauge: 7 sts x 8 rows in 2 inches (working in sc only.

Special stitch: Spike st.Sp-1: work 1 sc by passing yarn through the st directly below on the row below the working row.
Sp-2: work 1 sc by passing yarn through the st directly below on the 2nd row below the working row.
Sp-3: work 1 sc by passing yarn through the st directly below on the 3rd row below the working row.

Method:Body:
Using red, ch 70, join with sl st in first ch, taking care not to twist the chain.
Rnd 1-6: ch1, 1 sc in the first st, then 1 sc in each st, throughout, join.(70sts)
Cut off red yarn and join orange.
Rnd 7: ch 1, *1 sc in the first sc, Sp-1 in next, Sp-2 in next, Sp-3 in next 2 sc, Sp-2 in next sc, Sp-1 in next sc**, sc in next sc, rep from * to **nine times, jn.
Rnd 8-11: repeat rnd 1. Cut off orange and join yellow.
Rnd 12: ch 1, *Sp-3 in 1st sc, Sp-2 in next, Sp-1 in next, sc in next sc, Sp-1 in next, Sp-2 in next, Sp-3 in next sc**, rep from * to ** nine times, join.
Rnd 13-16 : repeat rnd 1. Cut off yellow and join green.
Rnd 17: Repeat rnd 7.
Rnd 18-21: repeat rnd 1. Cut off green and join blue.
Rnd 22: Repeat rnd 12.
Rnd 23-26: repeat rnd 1. Cut off blue and join indigo.
Rnd 27: Repeat rnd 7.
Rnd 28-31: Repeat rnd 1. Cut off indigo and join violet.
Rnd 32: Repeat rnd 12.
Rnd 33-36: Repeat rnd 1. Fasten off.

Bottom:With deep red, ch 29,
Round 1: 2 sc in 2nd ch from the hook, 1 sc in each ch across to the last ch, 4 sc in the last ch, 1 sc in other side of each of the next 26 ch, 2 sc in last, join with sl st. (60 sts)
Round 2: ch 1, 1 sc in 1st sc, 2 sc in next, 1 sc in each of next 26 sc, 2 sc in next, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next, 1 sc in each of next 26 sc, 2 sc in next, 1 sc in last, jn.(64 sc)
Round 3: ch1, 2 sc in the 1st sc, 1 sc in each of next 29 sc, 2 sc in each of next 3 sc, 1 sc in each of next 29 sc, 2 sc in each of next 2 sc, join . Do not break yarn.

Strap:Thread the beads on a size 10 black thread. Working with both this thread and purplish black yarn, ch 72.
Row 1: 1 sc in 2nd ch from the hook, 1 sc in each ch across, turn.
Row 2: ch 1, 1 sc in each sc, working one bead in position at every alternate sc.
Row 3: ch 1, 1 sc in each sc across, turn.
Row 4: ch 1, 1 sc in each sc, working one bead in position at every alternate sc.
Row 5: ch 1, 1 sc in each sc across, fasten off.

Finishing:
Join bottom to the body of the bag with sl st using deep red.
Attach strap to upper margins on each side. Sew lining in place and a zipper along the upper margin of the bag.

Brownie bag

This is my latest bag. Knitted this time, made from the same home-dyed cotton. The name "brownie bag" is my husband's brilliant idea.

BROWNIE BAG

Materials:
· Brown worsted weight cotton (or any which gets the right gauge)
· Knitting needles 6.5 mm.
· Fabric for lining
· Crochet hook 4.5 mm
· Closure clasp.

Size: 12 x 9 inches excluding strap.

Gauge: 6 sts x 9 rows = 2 inches.

Pattern:
Row 1 (RS): K
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: K 3, *P3, K 3, rep from * to the end.
Row 4: P 3, *K3, P 3 rep from * to the end.
Row 5 and 6: Rep rows 3 and 4.
Row 7: rep row 1.
Row 8: rep row 2.
Row 9: P 3, *K3, P 3 rep from * to the end.
Row 10: K 3, *P3, K 3, rep from * to the end.
Row 11 and 12: rep rows 9 and 10.

Method:
Bag body:
Cast on 39 sts and work in pattern for a total of 86 rows. Bind off loosely.

Strap:
Cast on 8 sts and work in seed st for a total of 82 rows. Bind off.

Closure:
With same yarn and crochet hook, work 6 sc in the metal closure clasp (see pics). Ch 1 turn. Next row: 1 sc in each sc, ch1 turn.
Repeat to a total of 12 rows, fasten off.

Finishing:
Fold the body piece into half with right side facing and sew up the sides.
Turn out the piece and sew the clasp ring in place 5 inches down the upper margin making sure that it is midway between the two sides.
Sew the closure at the back about 3 inches from the top.
Sew the lining, with a small zippered pocket along the back.
Sew the handle in place.
Now make a fold over the lower edges (lining and all) about 1.5 inches wide and pin in over the side seams on both sides. Sew these folds to the side seam. This gives the bag a more rounded look.

Indigo bag

Here, I am finished with this one bag. And here is the pattern for all. A word of caution though, I have not tested this pattern, however it's fairly simple and I am here to answer any questions.

Indigo bag

Materials:· Cotton yarn (I bought thick cotton tying thread balls from hardware store and dyed them) equivalent to worsted weight or any that gets the correct gauge. Indigo and cream.
· Crochet hook 4.50 mm
· Tapestry needle and thread
· Fabric for lining
· A metal buckle
· Magnetic snap or Velcro for closure
· Zipper for inside pocket (optional)

Size: 9.5 x 5.5 inches excluding strap.

Gauge: 7 sts x 8 row = 2 inches in Tunisian st.

Method:This bag is done mostly in Tunisian st with a little bit of sc.
Body (front and back): make 2.
With indigo, ch 35 + 2 .
Row 1: work Tunisian st starting from 3rd ch on hook. (36 sts)
Row 2: Work basic Tunisian st over the 36 sts.
Row 3: same as row 2 with one decrease 1 st inside from both ends.(34 sts)
Row 4 and 5: As row 2.
Row 6: as row 3.(32 sts)
Row 7 and 8: same as row 2.
Row 9: same as row 3.(30 sts)
Row 10 and 11: same as row 2.
Row 12: same as row 3.(28 sts)
Row 13 and 14: same as row 2.
Row 15: same as row 3.(26 sts)
Row 16 -17: same as row 2.
Cast off by working a sl st into each row. Fasten off.

Gusset:With cream, ch 5 + 2.
Row 1: work Tunisian st starting from 3rd ch on hook.(6 sts)
Row 2-4: Work basic Tunisian st over the 6 sts.
Row 5: same as row 2 with one increase 1 st inside from both ends.(8 sts)
Row 6-8: same as row 2.
Row 9: same as row 5.(10 sts)
Row 10-12: same as row 2.
Row 13: same as row 5.(12 sts)
Row 14-16: same as row 2.
Row 17: same as row 5. (14 sts)
Row 18-50: same as row 2.
Row 51: Work basic Tunisian st with one decrease 1 st inside from both ends.(12 sts)
Row 52-54: same as row 2.
Row 55: basic Tunisian st with one decrease 1 st inside from both ends.(10 sts)
Row 56-58: same as row 2.
Row 59: basic Tunisian st with one decrease 1 st inside from both ends.(8 sts)
Row 60-62: same as row 2.
Row 63: basic Tunisian st with one decrease 1 st inside from both ends.(6 sts)
Row 64: same as row 2.
Cast off by working a sl st into each row. Fasten off.

Finishing:Stitch together front, back and gusset using weave stitch.

Flap: Along the upper free edge of one body piece, with cream, work 25 sc, turn.
Row 2-10: ch2, sk 1st sc, one sc in each of next 24 sc. Turn.
Fasten off. Work a row of sc around the free flap edges with 3 sc in each corner. Fasten off.
Join with indigo at the 10th sc of row 10. Work one sc in each of the next 5 sc, turn.
Row 2-13: ch 1, sk 1st sc, one sc in each of next 4 sc, turn.
Fasten off.

Handle/strap: Ribbon 1: Along the one upper free edge of gusset, join with cream and work Tunisian st in 1st 2 sts. Work 60 rows, fasten off.
Ribbon two: work similar to ribbon one, starting in the next 2 sts along the free gusset edge.
Ribbon three: work similar to ribbon one, starting in the last 2 sts along the free gusset edge.
Braid up the three ribbon and stitch them in place at the free gusset edge on the other side. With tapestry needle, stitch up the ribbons to each other along the length of the strap, in order to reinforce the strap.

Buckle: Join with indigo and pick up 2 sc along the horizontal bar on one side of the vertical bar, ch 1, and further 2 sc on the other side of vertical bar. Turn.
Row 2-7: ch 1, sk 1st sc, one sc in each of next 4 sc, turn.Fasten off.
Ch 8, fasten off. Sew in place along both ends of row 2.

Sewing: sew a piece of Velcro to the buckle piece and the bag front. ( or se a magnetic strap instead. Sew and attach lining. I used floral linen. I made a zippered pocket on the inside and used cardboard at the bottom between two layers of fabric.

Side-tracked

I know I had started this month with the intention of working on the two cardigans and to finish them off, but I got side-tracked again. Well, I had had this idea for a while now, so I got some balls of cotton tying string/yarn ( or whatever one might call them) from a hardware store and some dye and dyed them at home. Now I am working on a couple of bags. One is nearly finished and I will post a pattern in 1-2 days, inshallah. The reason I had to dye the yarn from hardware store was because the only yarn available around here is basic acrylic yarn. And I am tired of my bags looking exactly like my sweaters.