A little tabbed scarf, part II

Back in the dark ages, I posted a pattern for a vintage scarf that I converted from knit to crochet.  It was very simple, primitive even, and I always meant to rework it into something with a little more sass. Twelve years later -- a found ball of hand-painted yarn said to me "I'd like to be a little tabbed scarf but this time with a little personality. Oh, and maybe lose the tab."

This isn't a pattern for the new version, since I used a motif from a Japanese pattern book that I cannot reproduce here.  It is simply a recipe for what I did.  There are tons of patterns for crochet motifs in books or on the web, so substituting your own favorite should be no problem.  I especially like to work from Japanese patterns because they are "written" in symbols -- and for this crocheter that's so much easier  to understand what stitch is used, and where it's placed.

It's worked in three pieces -- two motifs and the connecting neck band.  Could you do it in less? Maybe, but I didn't try. The motifs are only connected to the neck band with a few stitches -- easily done -- especially if you leave a decent length of yarn at the start/finish. So, create two motifs of your choice -- something with points is ideal, because it will create its own slit for wearing when connected to the neck band.  The neck band I made measures 19 3/4" (abt 50 cm) in length and is 3 1/2" (abt 9 cm) high.  For reference, my neck (measured loosely) is 14 1/2" (abt 37 cm), so roughly 5 extra inches (or 12.7 cm) in length above your neck measurement for the length of the band.  I worked it in a pattern of 1 row hdc/1 row dc (US crochet terms).With the yarn/hook I was using that worked out to be a band width of 15 stitches -- your mileage may vary. My kitchen scale tells me I used about 70 gr (abt 2 1/2 oz.) of yarn for this.  I kept the edges nice and straight by using "stacked" sc stitches to begin each row instead of chain stitches. Next post will give a little demo.

Block all your pieces, notice that your motifs are two different sizes, slap your head then say "well, that will add an extra dimension of style" and then sew them to the ends of the band with a few overcast stitches at each end of the neck band -- leaving an opening to pull (either) scarf end through to wear. Easy!

A little pop of color to brighten up a winter sweater, or even to fill in the neckline of your coat.

I used a pattern from this book which is pretty much only written in Japanese, except for "Crochet Patterns Book 300 Motifs Edgings" written on the cover. My star motif was #124.

Getting my beret on

Getting a bit chilly these days, so time to think about sewing up some new head coverings. I turn to an old favorite -- Vogue 9082 by designer Patricia Underwood. Now out of print, but well worth searching out if you like sewing hats. This one pattern has you covered stylishly, with 5 different hats plus an ascot.  I chose to make a beret.

Since I had some cuts of silk necktie fabric I decided to use that for the top and also as a bias band around the lower brim. The crown of the hat is wool melton, and the lining is a scrap of rayon bemberg. To give the silk a bit more body, I quilted it in a simple diamond pattern to some thin batting I had on hand.  

A hat like this is quick and easy to sew -- if, of course, the pattern you're using is well drafted like this one -- 

Hidden Treasure

It may be a sign you knit too much when you go looking for some yarn in a cedar chest and find an almost complete wrap/scarf that you had completely forgotten. Or, perhaps a sign of age-related forgetfulness — but let’s go with “knits too much”, yes?

A search through Ravelry revealed it is Boxleaf Wrap by Ann Hanson.  I ‘think’ it is Blue Sky Fibers Baby Alpaca sport, as I can at least remember buying some, and it certainly has the feel of deliciously soft baby alpaca.

All that remains of finishing is to run in a few ends — and just like that a FO. Black magic! 

Almost harvest time

This scrawny little Meyer lemon tree just keeps on producing luscious little lemons! Sadly, usually just one at a time — biggest harvest so far has been two — but you’ve got to admire its determination under some tough conditions — low light, low humidity, haphazard watering — there just might be a life lesson there. 

Swatch out!

Ran across a few swatches made with a SilverReed 280 punch card knitting machine while doing a little tidy up in the sewing room.  These are not swatches for taking a gauge measurement for garment making, but rather just swatches to check out various pattern cards used in the pattern reader.  Most of them are for patterns that I manually punched myself, so doubly important to make sure that I did them correctly!

And these next two are from cards that came with the machine, or with the lace carriage (which is purchased separately). Not worried about these being punched incorrectly, but I like to see how the pattern looks in actual wool.

Most of the self-punched cards were done from old manuals downloaded from the Pattern Library  at Knitting Machines etc. There are card templates at other sites too, most noticeably a Russian machine knitting site, but I haven't tried them -- just a bit leery of Russian sites these days. There are also a few internet vendors with pattern cards, but availability is somewhat sketchy as these are mostly old stock -- as always, Mr. Google is your friend.

Now, maybe I need to actually put one of them to use in a garment, hmmm?

Crankin' it up

Here at MinglingYarn we have a major love for cozy wool socks. So, when physical issues interfered with handknitting production I turned to a CSM (circular sockknitting machine) from Erlbachergearhart to keep up production.

 I got the Speedster and a couple of different sized cylinders -- but decided to forgo the ribber unit until I knew whether or not this machine and I were a good fit.  Although there is a definite learning curve, it wasn't too long until I was cranking out warm, toasty socks.  Surprisingly, we didn't find the lack of ribbing to be a deal breaker, so I decided to keep on without the added investment (and additional learning curve) of the ribber.  If I were interested in selling socks I would reconsider, since most folks tend to like that look, but since I'm not -- well, no brainer, more money for yarn!

I also added a small cone winder to make knitting easier.  Early days saw me using a regular 'cake' winder, but the yarn feeds off much easier when wound on a cone.  The Royal cone winder works well, but they seem to be a bit harder to find here in the US, so I ordered one from Germany. Their website has an English translation, but for those interested you're looking for a Kleiner Konenwickler (small cone winder). Absolutely no issues with ordering, and delivery was prompt.

Currently being knit are some plain grey socks from Valley Yarns Huntington which is a house brand from Webs. This yarn seems a bit lighter in weight than my usual, but after washing they fluffed up enough to make an acceptable fabric.

Hemmed top, and a wide mock ribbing down the leg only.

Also being finished are some socks from Brown Sheep's sock yarn (and I'm blanking on it's name, because it's from DEEP stash).  These are hemmed top and totally plain knit.  The neon green yarn in the photo is waste yarn used to take the socks off the machine.  That sock is still waiting for me to graft the toe closed.

A change of bling

As summer fades into autumn it seems time to change up the sassy, colorful earring bling to something a little more sedate.

So goodbye turquoise hoops -- pattern from Off The Beaded Path 

and hello to a softer blue and silver square.

It's a simple, easy to make design done in square stitch 
using Miyuki cube beads in a checkerboard pattern. For these, after the stitching was done,  I pushed a decorative head pin through the middle of the square and then formed a loop for the earring wire to go through.  It's also possible to use the tail end of your beading thread to securely stitch a closed ring to the top middle of the square if you prefer.

And although these beaded earrings don't need the added protection, I also made up a couple of small bags for silver earrings made from a tarnish resistant silver cloth from Amazon. I'll be happy if it extends the time between polishes for even a little bit.