Knitting
Creative Stitches & Scotch Eggs
09/02/10 02:07
Last week I was invited to go down to Brighton for the day to help out on the UK Hand Knit Association’s stand at the Creative Stitches show at the Brighton Centre. Most of it was not so much to my taste, mainly hobbyist card making and tacky lower end commercial craft, which is a good thing as I wasn’t tempted to buy anything! However it was massively busy, and I was rushed off my feet with a que of mainly elder ladies wanting me to teach them how to crochet! So after a day full of slipknots, hooks and chains, and yarning over, I went for a quiet walk along the seafront to take in the waves before heading back to London. Getting on the train I spotted a musician, who I only recognized from some gigs I had been to in the last few months, where he was featuring with his band Drum Eyes. Dj Scotch Egg joined me for the journey home. We had a lovely chat about noisy music, before I left him on his way onward to Leicester...
DJ Scotch Egg - Scotch Chicken
Nothing To See Here | MySpace Music Videos
DJ Scotch Egg - Scotch Chicken
Nothing To See Here | MySpace Music Videos
Jitterbug Fingers
17/11/09 10:34
I few months ago I bought this Jitterbug yarn at the iknit weekender. I’ve been wanting some hand warmers so I picked up my 5 needles and made up these as I went along! I hope you like them. Here’s the pattern if you fancy making your own pair, mine are rather small and snug, so you may wish to add a few extra stitches, but I’m sure they will stretch with a bit of wear. This is the first pattern I have written up for others so it may not read well or seem a bit awkward. Don’t feel obliged to follow it note for note just as long as the second hand matches the first!
5x 5.5mm double ended knitting needles
I used Jitterbug yarn but doubled up more like a DK weight.
Cast on 40 stitches, then split between 4 needles and join in the round.
1-6: knit in the round
7-29: rib stitch (knit 2, purl 2)
30: knit 2, purl 2tog
31-43: rib stitch (knit 2, purl 1)
44: knit 2, purl 1, make1
45-54: rib: knit 2, purl 2
55: cast off 10 stitches at start of round to make thumb hole, continue to rib(k2, p2) rest of round
56-64: at start of round now purl 4 above thumb hole opening, then continue to rib knit 2, purl 2
66: knit 1, make 1, knit 1, purl 2tog
67: knit 1, purl 1
68: purl 1, knit 1
69: knit 1, purl 1
70: last row cast off.
The Knitting & Stitching Show
06/10/09 21:55
As some of you know I have a crochet group on Saturday mornings, this week we thought we'd meet up at the Knitting and Stitching show. If you are already going it would be great to see you there! Tickets are available on the door for £12.00, so I believe.
Before going into the show we are going to have our usual Saturday morning crochet and knit meet up.
If you want to join us we will be meeting up on:
Saturday 10th October, at 11am. Outside The Phoenix pub, next to the main entrance of the Palm Court of Ally Pally.
This meet up is free to attend and anyone can come! - you don't even have to go into the show!
I will also be going to the show on Friday 9th if anyone wants to meet up! Hope to see you all there!
Maybe I should stick to crochet...
25/08/09 12:44
Who’d have thought one small sampled square
could cause such stress and despair.
I started with two shades of pink,
on sticks of bamboo,
I started to think
my stitches are tight,
gathered up like a ruffle,
not straight and flat,
I’m getting into a kerfuffle!
Also, I began to distress,
that my background was starting to digress
I would be left with no S to send in
just a slight sss sss sss
full of tight tangles and knots on the back
This is no good
How can one small S get the better of me?!
I am supposed to be a knitter
I want to show off my stitches in their glory
So again, I began
this time from my stash, some sock yarn,
doubled up for the back
in a shade of sky blue
my S would now stand out with its clashing hue
Cast on 60 stitches, on metal this time,
and tried to knit,
to the country I took a retreat
for distractions of the city would not let me sit
In the sun I sat,
in the peace of the surrounding green
I hadn’t a care in the world
and slipped up some stitches
some mistakes I had made had gone unseen
Back to the city, something had changed
my life suddenly felt all over in bits
I concentrated hard to finish my square
but something was not right
I had missed out a whole massive strip somewhere
So now there was no choice but to unravel
and rip back
half way
back down
but at least I haven’t reached the very bottom
Will I be able to make it back up to the top line?
Who knows, I’ll just have to knit it
one stitch at a time.
could cause such stress and despair.
I started with two shades of pink,
on sticks of bamboo,
I started to think
my stitches are tight,
gathered up like a ruffle,
not straight and flat,
I’m getting into a kerfuffle!
Also, I began to distress,
that my background was starting to digress
I would be left with no S to send in
just a slight sss sss sss
full of tight tangles and knots on the back
This is no good
How can one small S get the better of me?!
I am supposed to be a knitter
I want to show off my stitches in their glory
So again, I began
this time from my stash, some sock yarn,
doubled up for the back
in a shade of sky blue
my S would now stand out with its clashing hue
Cast on 60 stitches, on metal this time,
and tried to knit,
to the country I took a retreat
for distractions of the city would not let me sit
In the sun I sat,
in the peace of the surrounding green
I hadn’t a care in the world
and slipped up some stitches
some mistakes I had made had gone unseen
Back to the city, something had changed
my life suddenly felt all over in bits
I concentrated hard to finish my square
but something was not right
I had missed out a whole massive strip somewhere
So now there was no choice but to unravel
and rip back
half way
back down
but at least I haven’t reached the very bottom
Will I be able to make it back up to the top line?
Who knows, I’ll just have to knit it
one stitch at a time.
Knitapoem
16/08/09 00:05
I am knitting a letter ‘S’ for the Poetry Society. They want lots of knitted letters which will be sewn together to make up a secret poem, to be revealed in October. I wonder what its gonna be?
Sara Makes Things
19/07/09 14:50
You may notice at the bottom of my website menu, that I have recently added a shop! I have joined the community of etsy.com, and am currently working on putting items up on my page for you to buy!
www.saramakesthings.etsy.com
Wools & Crafts
13/06/09 15:54
I discovered this amazing little shop today on Blackstock Road, in Finsbury Park. Some of the ladies in my crochet group had mentioned it in passing, but I had no idea just how much stock they have! It was really hard to leave empty handed. I managed to only buy two items, some matching purple cotton to finish off my treble crochet granny square!
UFO Project Administration Service
09/05/09 13:44
Rachael and Louise at Prick Your Finger are, for the next couple of months, becoming the administration service for a UFO project, which will result in an exhibition at the Jerwood Space. UFO being - Un Finished Object! This is aimed at all those knitting and crochet items that were once started then forgotten, another chance for these to have a lease of life. It sounded like a great project for me to get stuck into, so for the next couple of weeks I have put on hold my crochet and knits to finish off someone else’s UFO, and at the same time handing over a piece I had given up on.
This is a hat I started a while back, then used it as sample to practice my cable stitch on. It then got too tight for my head, and I got fed up of it. I wonder how it will turn out?
This is a hat I started a while back, then used it as sample to practice my cable stitch on. It then got too tight for my head, and I got fed up of it. I wonder how it will turn out?
Green Knit Graffiti
05/02/09 22:15
Today I had to go to the Southbank Centre for a meeting, and had a sudden idea before leaving my flat this morning, grabbed an old sample of knit that I did about a year ago - finally! I think I have found a use for it!!
After leaving the Royal Festival Hall, I headed over to the Skater Park to find the new home for my square of green knitting...
I was a bit nervy at first and thought someone was gonna come over and tell me off for doing stuff there, but no one did, I wish my whole bag full of yarn to string up there, with those pillars, I could do some installations like my previous work.
Anyway here’s what i got up to...
This piece is far too small for this amazing pillar.
Knitting resting on wall whilst i look for a better location.
I found a railing - perfect!
Tied on with a bit of pink yarn.
Looking out to the Thames.
After leaving the Royal Festival Hall, I headed over to the Skater Park to find the new home for my square of green knitting...
I was a bit nervy at first and thought someone was gonna come over and tell me off for doing stuff there, but no one did, I wish my whole bag full of yarn to string up there, with those pillars, I could do some installations like my previous work.
Anyway here’s what i got up to...
This piece is far too small for this amazing pillar.
Knitting resting on wall whilst i look for a better location.
I found a railing - perfect!
Tied on with a bit of pink yarn.
Looking out to the Thames.
Tricot Machine
21/01/09 20:17
i came across this animation and think this is so amazing, the Canadian band’s name Tricot Machine translates as knitting machine, they have some other really lovely tunes and videos too. This also reminds me, i have half the pieces of a knitting machine tucked away in a box waiting to be complete and to be used!!
Tricot Machine || Les peaux de lièvres from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.
Tricot Machine || Les peaux de lièvres from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.