A Look Back in Time

Just in time for the new year -- a retro crocheted pullover from w-a-a-a-ay back in 1965!

Pattern modifications were minimal. I lowered the neckline (in the front) just a bit, and also made the armhole deeper. The original pattern had sleeves worked separately, from the bottom up. I decided to work them from the top down so that I would know exactly how wide they needed to be for the newly deepened armhole. Seemed to work just fine, although I did need to re-work my sleeve decreases a couple of times in order to have them be as smooth as possible. Ripping and re-doing are never a waste of time if you end up with the look you want.

Here's a close up of the neckline:

Yarn used was Jaeger Baby Merino 4-ply, purchased from Webs as a closeout (the Jaeger line has been discontinued by Rowan). It's a nice enough yarn, but seems rather loosely plied, so the strands separate more than I like. I'm hoping it will wear reasonably well, as I envision this as an 'knock-about' type of sweater. Since it's merino I may not get my wish -- the price I paid, plus the color, make it all worthwhile to me though.

Stash Diving

You may have too much yarn when...

...you overlook (for several years) a very nice yarn like Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted. Purchased in a kit for a baby's sweater. We won't mention how old the baby is now. In any case, two such nice skeins of yarn should be put to good use, so how about a crocheted cap?

With a size "I" hook I chained 66 and joined them with a slip stitch. Crocheted a couple of rounds of hdc over those 66 stitches, joining each round with a slip stitch and chaining 2 to start the next round. After two rounds I started with dc stitches, still working the same number of stitches and joining each round with a slip stitch. Because I was adding a separate turned up cuff, I did the first few rounds in just plain dc, but when the hat was about 2" I started the fpdc (front post double crochet) ridges -- there's 6 of them, so work *10 dc, l fpdc, around. Frankly, I'm not sure it made much difference (leaving the bottom layer nice and flat), so you could work *10 dc, 1 fpdc around right after the initial 2 hdc rounds.

Why start at the bottom and work your way up the hat you may ask? Well, crocheters choice, I guess, but I find that when working the usual way of starting at the top of the hat and working successively larger rounds outward I have lots of trouble getting just the right fit -- snug, but not too tight. Working from the bottom up I can make sure that I have the fit I want before I invest a lot of time and effort. In any event, I worked even until the body of the hat was 4" from the beginning.

Now the fun part -- the hat gets smaller and smaller as you decrease for the crown. I decided on a decrease rate of 6 stitches per round and I decreased on each round. Since I very happily had a hat with six segments, I simply decreased 1 stitch from each segment, until I finally had a round with only 12 stitches. I stopped doing the fpdc ridge stitches for the next round, because it was making my head hurt to try to figure out how to do a decrease and make it a fpdc, but perhaps you are more clever than I. Pull your yarn through that last stitch, then snug up the little hole on the top by running the tail end through those last stitches on the inside of the hat.

For the contrast cuff, I started from the wrong side of the hat, since it will be turned to the outside when done. Working into the original beginning chain, work sc, skip 1 chain, *(sc, ch2, sc) in next chain space, skip 2 chains**. Continue around, working from * to ** and end [skip 1 chain, sc ch 2 and join with slip stitch to beginning sc]. Round 2: Ch 1 (counts as first sc), *(sc, ch 2, sc) in chain 2 space of previous row**, and repeat from * to ** around -- end with sc, ch2, slip stitch to beginning ch 1. I worked the contrast cuff for 2 1/2" , but 3" would probably look good too.

So, a simple little cap from some long forgotten yarn -- not bad, eh? There's still some yarn left though. Wonder if I can squeeze a little "Could It Be Any Easier" neck cozy from the rest?

C is for Cookie...

Need something chocolate for your holiday cookie platter? Here's a favorite from our house. While there are plenty of recipes out there for no-bake cookie balls, I think this is one of the better ones -- and I say that based on years of sacrificing my waistline in the quest for tasty treats. Resist the urge to eat these until they have 'aged' overnight. It takes a bit of time for that fudge-like consistency to develop.

CHOCOLATE RUM BALLS

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels (chips)
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 3 Tablespoons rum
• 1 package (9 oz.) chocolate wafers, thoroughly and finely crushed
• 3 cups powdered sugar (divided)
• 1 cup finely chopped nuts
• 1 container (about 8 oz.) chocolate sprinkles
• small container candied cherries for decoration, if desired

In a large bowl, mix cookie crumbs, 2 cups of powdered sugar and nuts. Being careful not to scorch, melt chocolate morsels in either the microwave, or in the top of a double boiler. Pour melted chocolate into crumb mixture, then add orange juice and rum. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or even overnight.

To shape: roll dough into small balls and then roll them in the sprinkles. When all the balls are rolled, chill them for a bit until they are firm enough to easily handle. Blend the remaining sugar with enough water to make a rather thick glaze. Dip each ball halfway into glaze. If desired, decorate the top of each ball with a sliver of candied cherry.

NOTES: I use Nabisco chocolate wafers for these. They come in the right sized packet and they're nice and thin and crush easily. However, any plain chocolate wafer that you find pleasant to eat will work. In fact (and I'm not too proud to admit this) in an emergency Oreos (with the middle 'goop' scraped away) has been used to no ill effect -- but trust me, the wafers are easier! They can often be found in the ice cream 'accessories' (cones, fudge sauce, etc.) section of the supermarket, rather than in the cookie aisle -- go figure.

In some parts of the US, chocolate sprinkles are known as "jimmies" -- call them what you will, but they are the little chocolate rod-shaped thingies used as an ice cream, cookie, or cupcake garnish. FWIW, you can find real chocolate sprinkles in The Baker's Catalog, but regular supermarket ones work just fine.

Powdered sugar also uses the alias of 10X, or confectioner's sugar.

Over the years I've refined my technique for rolling these: take a small scoop of dough, gently roll it in your hands until it 'just' softens. Now, put some sprinkles in your hand and continue rolling gently until the sprinkles (mostly) cover the ball. Works much better, and uses less sprinkles, than trying to roll them around on a flat surface or in a bowl.

No need to refrigerate cookies after they have been rolled and decorated. Frankly, around here, they just don't last that long!

Blast from the Past...

Here's another vintage crochet pattern -- this one from a 1965 Vogue Knitting magazine. And here's a sneak peek at how it's working up in some discontinued Jaeger Baby Merino:

Gosh Karen, do you even have any yarn that isn't orange?

Drum roll, please!

J'ai fini de tricoter Plissé, or words to that effect.

I am enormously happy to have finished, and quite happy that it actually fits!

Specs: Plissé by Hanne Falkenberg - purchased from Kangaroo . Color is apricot, and I used the instructions for the largest size. The only deviation from pattern was to make the sleeves a shorter length. Despite saving a wee bit of yarn on the sleeves, I ran out of yarn while half way through the final binding off. Fortunately, I have the same shade in another kit (Tivoli) in stash, so robbing Peter to pay Paul, I managed to finish. I'll worry about running out of yarn with Tivoli another day. (I'm guessing I won't be starting Tivoli any time soon.)

I wasn't willing to 'borrow' any more yarn from Tivoli, so I won't be adding the I-cord button loop at the present time. Instead, I'll use a nice little shawl pin I got from here . I've enjoyed using it with shawls, and it will work nicely for this too.

Now the big question is - what next?

Got needles?

I think I mentioned not showing another photo of Plissé until it's finished, but who knows when that will be? Looks closer though, right? At any rate, this isn't about you, Miss Plissé, this is all about the needles.

I've written before about Knit Picks Harmony (wooden) needles. For this project I'm using the interchangeable Options.

The specs: nickel-plated, available in US sizes 4 - 11, cables available in lengths of 24" - 60". Prices range from (US) 4.99 - 7.00 for the needle tips (larger needle = larger price) and the cables are (US) 3.99 regardless of length. You get two cables, end caps and a tightener tool in the cable package. Also sold as a set -- which contains all sizes needles, two cable lengths, 8 end caps, tightener and storage -- cost, (US) 59.99.

I purchased the two smallest needle tips and two different cable lengths for purposes of testing them out. My usual choice when I select a metal needle is Addi Turbo. I find I most often reach for a bamboo needle though, as the lighter weight and comparative warmth are easier on my hands,

As compared to Addi, the Options needles have a similar nickel-plated, slick finish and slightly pointier tips, which I like. What really pleases me about the Options though is the cord -- it's flexible and pliable, and is ready to go right from the package. No worries about removing kinks before use, and no fighting against a cord with a mind of its own while using them -- bravo!

The joins are smooth, and the screw seems a bit longer for added security against coming apart with use. I did experience some loosening of the joins while working. Never to the point of actual separation, and easily fixed, so I didn't find it excessively annoying. Your mileage may vary. I should also point out that I didn't use the little tightening tool -- which may have had an effect. I was switching out cables as the work got bigger, and because I have hand strength issues I didn't want the cables too tight for easy removal. Thinking about it, I realize I'm an idiot -- I could have used the little tool for loosening too. Next time! I should also say that I knit "English" style -- not sure if that increases, or decreases the likelihood of loosening the joins. I've heard reports that some folks have had full separation of needles from cables while in use. That may be, but I find it very hard to understand how they wouldn't have noticed the yarn catching on a loose connection long before the needle would have come apart. In any event, my guess is that loosening would be an issue with any interchangeable set, but as I mentioned, I didn't find it a huge problem.

I liked these needles, and I'll use them again. Loved the flexible cable -- which I believe is also the cable used for the Knit Picks fixed length circular needles. It's nice to have the option of changing points/cables, especially if you haven't (yet) built up an extensive needle collection. I'll plead the Fifth on how many I have. The wooden Harmony interchangeable needles can be used with the same Options cables, which is nice.

So, are they perfect, one size fits all? Nope, but I don't think any needle is right for every yarn or project. Different jobs -- different tools. They are, however, a very nice interchangeable metal needle at a very attractive price. If you're looking for that, you may want to give one a test drive.

"Shine on Me Tonight, Allegheny Moon"...

...or maybe we should wait until later for some shine, as today is rainy and foggy. Didn't want to wait to post a photo, though, so here it is --

The specs: Allegheny Moon Mobius by Doris Chan, from her book Amazing Crochet Lace. The yarn is Ritratto by S.Charles Collezione, color s85, the pattern calls for 3 skeins. I made the mobius a bit longer than called for in the pattern so that it would drape a bit lower on the bodice, and had plenty of yarn left in the third skein to do so.

This is certainly not an everyday item of apparel, but I had wanted to work with Ritratto, and this seemed like a nice, simple project. It worked up easily, almost mindlessly, and I probably will wear it at some point, as I really like the colors. What I don't care for is the scratchiness of the metallic strand in the Ritratto. Now granted, this isn't meant for next-to-skin wear, but it was harsh on my hands while working with it, and I wouldn't want to use it for anything that might rub up against the skin -- say, like a muffler. A pity really, because the colors are lovely. Here's a closer look, which may be a little more 'color true' than the foggy view above:

Next up? Well, I'm thinking about doing an update of a vintage pattern if I can find a suitable yarn in the stash. And Plissé? I am about 7 cm from the end of the knitting, and since I just started the last ball of yarn I'm feeling pretty confident that I will not only have enough yarn, but enough to lengthen it just a bit. Which means that I will not actually be just 7 cm from the end -- oh please, just stab me with some sharp pointed needles, it would be a lot less painful!