I ordered and downloaded the TKGA (The Knitting Guild Association) instructions for completing their master's Level 1 certificate for machine knitting today. It is 32 pages long. My goal is to complete the first level by the end of June.
I tried this once before but did not complete it. I don't remember why. Maybe the kids kept me busy? They don't live here any more, since they have grown up, so I can't use them for an excuse now!
Saturday, May 31, 2014
A new machine!
New to me, anyway. It is a Brother KH-930, with motor drive, ribber, floppy drive, color changer, lace carriage, knit leader, intarsia carriage,. I already have this model, but mine does not have the ribber, just the G-carriage.
I originally had the idea of buying it for parts it seems to be in good condition, so I guess I will just put it to use. It is missing the power cord. The gentleman who sold the machine promised to mail it to me so I will wait a week or so before buying a replacement.
I am not sure if I was acquainted with his wife, the woman who listed the machine on Craig's list said that she attended the Monroe knitters seminar last year. Last year, of course, I missed the seminar.
This afternoon I plan to unpack everything, inventory it, and see what else might be missing.
I originally had the idea of buying it for parts it seems to be in good condition, so I guess I will just put it to use. It is missing the power cord. The gentleman who sold the machine promised to mail it to me so I will wait a week or so before buying a replacement.
I am not sure if I was acquainted with his wife, the woman who listed the machine on Craig's list said that she attended the Monroe knitters seminar last year. Last year, of course, I missed the seminar.
This afternoon I plan to unpack everything, inventory it, and see what else might be missing.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Swap completed.
FINALLY, I finished my swap for Mary Jane's Farmgirl friend. It will go in the mail on Monday. Here's a peek.
Oh, I'll just go ahead and share the whole thing.
The bag body was knitted with carpet yarn on the bulky knitting machine. I knitted the handles first. For each handle I cast on 10 stitches and knitted to 36 rows. If I do this again I will make them slightly longer. For the bag body, I cast on 22 either side of 0, knitted about 80 rows, bound off four stitches on either side on the next two rows, knit 10 rows, cast on 4 stitches on each side on the next two rows, then knitted another 80 rows.
I used an Anita Goodesign embroidery design. I put a square of burlap under the design, and regretted the choice, because the embroidery foot caught several times in the loose weave of the burlap, causing registration errors and having to back up the design in order to work the foot loose. After the initial quilting was done, however, mostly things went smoothly, and the embroidery was completed. Luckily the spots where the burlap was torn up was mostly covered by applique of the embroidery.
I fused the muslin lining of the bag to some stiff interfacing and traced the outline of the knitted fabric onto the muslin, cut it out, and used the serger to seam. Then I seamed the knitted bag using the serger, turned down the lining by 1/4 inch and stitched it down, then sewed around the top of the bag on the same stitching line to stitch the lining to the bag.
Altogether it did not turn out badly.
Oh, I'll just go ahead and share the whole thing.
The bag body was knitted with carpet yarn on the bulky knitting machine. I knitted the handles first. For each handle I cast on 10 stitches and knitted to 36 rows. If I do this again I will make them slightly longer. For the bag body, I cast on 22 either side of 0, knitted about 80 rows, bound off four stitches on either side on the next two rows, knit 10 rows, cast on 4 stitches on each side on the next two rows, then knitted another 80 rows.
I used an Anita Goodesign embroidery design. I put a square of burlap under the design, and regretted the choice, because the embroidery foot caught several times in the loose weave of the burlap, causing registration errors and having to back up the design in order to work the foot loose. After the initial quilting was done, however, mostly things went smoothly, and the embroidery was completed. Luckily the spots where the burlap was torn up was mostly covered by applique of the embroidery.
I fused the muslin lining of the bag to some stiff interfacing and traced the outline of the knitted fabric onto the muslin, cut it out, and used the serger to seam. Then I seamed the knitted bag using the serger, turned down the lining by 1/4 inch and stitched it down, then sewed around the top of the bag on the same stitching line to stitch the lining to the bag.
Altogether it did not turn out badly.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Gifted!
I was pleased to receive a gift in the mail today from a fellow Mary Jane's Farm farmgirl. The swap I am participating is called "Earth Day Maker's Swap" and I initiated the swap last year and hosted it. Another farmgirl took it up this year to carry on the 2nd annual swap. The rules are: Don't buy anything, use something you already own from your stash or repurpose something from your household to make something useful for another farmgirl.
She sent me a lovely knitted "gardener's hat" in yellow, blue and pink cotton. It has a crocheted flower gracing the front.
I need to send her something in return. hmmm.
She sent me a lovely knitted "gardener's hat" in yellow, blue and pink cotton. It has a crocheted flower gracing the front.
I need to send her something in return. hmmm.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Wolcott Mill Sheep Shearing Day
It was a great day today, lots of little kids like 4-6 years old who were interested in how sheep's wool was turned into clothing. In the farmhouse we were arranged logically, the lady who breeds Shetland sheep was displaying roving, I was spinning and had several knitted items on display and the Civil War Reenactor who spins and weaves was weaving a sash. So the kids came into the room and saw the whole process from sheep to "sash' in this case. Thanks to the Metroparks system for hosting this event! I am so glad to be able to volunteer at Wolcott Mill Farm Metropark!
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Accessory bag
I saw a post in Ravelry concerning having a "day of the week" bag for knitting projects - take the appropriate bag with you when you leave the house - never be bored with the same pattern. To save myself from having to transfer tools and accessories from bag to bag, I used Anita Goodesign pattern from an embroidery demo to make a small bag for knitting accessories to take with me. I ordered extra needle gauges and sets of cable needles for duplicate bags from loveknitting.com.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Handknit market bag
Last year I won a door prize somewhere, a ball of red cotton yarn. The yarn was Debbie Bliss eco Fairtrade collection in red (color 32613, dyelot 9102801) I've been wanting to knit a market bag in cotton or linen, so I started with a free pattern from purlsoho.com "Elisa's Nest Tote" I started off on the wrong foot when I decided to knit every row, making a garter lace, instead of dutifully knitting 1 row and purling one row. When I could see after the first 24 or so rows that it was going to be smaller than the bag I wanted, I departed even more dramatically from the pattern by making the rows knit so far into the "bottom" of the bag and picking up the stitches on circulars and knitting around. The door prize yarn only went about 1/3 of the way up the side of the bag that I wanted so I delved into my stash and got out a couple of balls of Bernat "Cot'n Soft" that I've had for ages. The red sticker price tag on the label said "$1.00" so the total cost of the bag was $2.00 (plus whatever the seminar cost!)
I returned to the pattern to get inspiration for the bag handles. When the bag was almost as tall as I wanted I decreased every fifth stitch to bring the top in and keep the bag from flopping open, and changed to garter stitch (knitting in the round it is knit 1 row, purl 1 row). After knitting six rows garter stitch I counted and I found I had a total of 78 stitches. I decided I wanted the short sides of the top to be 1/2 as long as the sides, so I divided by 6 and planned on 13 stitches at each end and 26 for each long side. I counted the stitches and decided I wanted the applied I-cord on the entire long side length. I did not plan that the applied I-cord would take up (and by that I mean shorten) the long side, but I am still pleased with the outcome.
What do you think?
I returned to the pattern to get inspiration for the bag handles. When the bag was almost as tall as I wanted I decreased every fifth stitch to bring the top in and keep the bag from flopping open, and changed to garter stitch (knitting in the round it is knit 1 row, purl 1 row). After knitting six rows garter stitch I counted and I found I had a total of 78 stitches. I decided I wanted the short sides of the top to be 1/2 as long as the sides, so I divided by 6 and planned on 13 stitches at each end and 26 for each long side. I counted the stitches and decided I wanted the applied I-cord on the entire long side length. I did not plan that the applied I-cord would take up (and by that I mean shorten) the long side, but I am still pleased with the outcome.
What do you think?
(Edited 12/4/2013 to update yarn)
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