Houndstooth Runner

I finally got round to hemming the houndstooth weaving.

It was designed with the Edwardian bookcase in mind, and I was very pleased that, after hemming, it was the perfect length.

I didn't take the risk of machine hemming; the machine has been out of action for far too long. I hand-stitched two parallel rows of small stitches at each end, cut off the fringes, and wet blocked the fabric, before finishing with a double wonderweb  hem.

Silk Gloves and socks for Winter Olympics

I've already knitted silk fingerless gloves for three people, it was about time I had a pair of my own.

I decided to enter these

 into Ravelry's Mitten Moguls event at Ravellinics 2018. 

The first glove (pictured above, was finished very quickly. Unfortunately, I was laid low with a nasty virus and was worried I wouldn't finish the second by the end of the Winter Olympics. I rushed through the second glove, made loads  of mistakes, and ended up with a less-than perfect pair.

I've completed one of MWNN's socks and have no intention of rushing through the fairly comlicated pattern again, for the  second one for the Sunday deadline of the WIPevent.

You ain't nothing but a hounds-tooth

Weaving Course - Session 4, 8th Feb. 2018

It was important that I had finished the weaving of the houndstooth runner and taken it off the loom.

I managed that on the 7th of Feb. It will need hemming so that it can sit on top of the oak, Edwardian bookcase.

I could now use Session 4 of the weaving course to learn how to use the back of my 24" Kromski Rigid Heddle Loom as a warping board.

This warping board was new to my Tutor, Amy, and it was quite a learning curve for both of us to work out how to space the pegs.


The idea is to create enough lengths of yarn to warp 36" (with a little extra for 'wasteage' i.e. fringe ends). For a 10 dent heddle (10 strands per inch), I would need to wind around the pegs 180 times.

To make counting easier, I had to tie off the left hand peg's crossover point in bundles or ten, as I worked.

Tutor, Amy, tying off the warp for removal

When 180 winds had been completed (or in my case, when the yarn ran out - I lost count a couple of times so have no idea how many I'd done in total), the yarn is tied at various points to stop it tangling. Then the whole lot is removed from the pegs and turned into a sort of twisted rope to keep it all together.

Now I have the warp ready for the beginning of Course 2. I will attempt a cushion cover for  18"x18" pad.

Posh Yarn, Robyn

The dark blue warp yarn is 4ply Posh Yarn. For the weft, I will be using a variegated 2ply yarn in 100% mulberry silk.

Weaving 18" wide will be quite a challenge. The hounds-tooth is the widest I've woven, and it's only half that width.

Irish Fingerless Gloves

Silk fingerless gloves for another Irishman.

I knitted these in response to a request from my Sis-in-Law  .






She liked the ones I  made for MWNN.

They're knitted in 100% silk (Posh Robyn 4ply) in a jewel-coloured emerald called "When the Birds of Eden Sang".

Weaving Course,

run by Amy of Liliane Design Studio


Session 1 - 18th January 2018

I learned a lot about different looms,

began to understand how multiple shafts work,

had a go at stripes, and discovered, at first hand, the downside of taking the weft up the side when changing colours (those right-hand threads need cutting and weaving in, rather than carrying all 4 colours up the side),

and was impressed by the evidence of many years of experience in the exhibits

and samples around the room.

After the session, I popped into the guild meeting to collect my membership card. There I met this fabulous bear

and took a picture of Hilary's lovely, woven, plaid shawl. Note the V-shape at the top of the shawl as well as the bottom

Silk for MWNN

My final pair of Christmas silk gloves was for MWNN. He suffers from cold hands and I know that silk will both warm and sooth.

Robynn Sock

by Posh Yarn

Fingering / 4 ply

100% Silk

402 meters / 100 grams

Colour: East Of The Universe And North Of A Snowbound Star

Silk Fingerless Gloves

Knitted in Posh Yarn

Just in time for Christmas

Purple Silk

Natasha Sock

by Posh Yarn

Fingering / 4 ply

50% Camel, 50% Silk

402 meters / 100 grams

Colour: Some Thrills I can't Define

Cuff:

Esther DK

by Posh Yarn

DK / 8 ply

75% Merino, 20% Silk, 5% Stellina

Colour: The Crazy Kind of Love, The Kind You Can’t Explain 

Pink silk

Robynn Sock

by Posh Yarn

Fingering / 4 ply

100% Silk

402 meters / 100 grams

Colour: You Belong Among The Wildflowers

Cuff:

Esther DK

by Posh Yarn

DK / 8 ply

75% Merino, 20% Silk, 5% Stellina

Colour: The Crazy Kind of Love, The Kind You Can’t Explain 

I have just enough yarn for a purple cuff/pink silk (Malabrigio) pair

Well, that's a nice surprise

The Festiwool Bag-Along on Ravelry





















I entered this Evening Bag version of Petite Patricia.

I never expected to win anything, so th message in my Ravelry inbox was a lovely surprise.

New Venture - Part 2

I have opened an Etsy Shop, Posh Knits by Patricia.  I am still learning my way around, particularly the legal and financial settings.

I have no items listed yet, each listing costs 20p for 4 months (or until sold) . That doesn't sound a lot but I have about 10 items for sale and haven't sorted out all the images, descriptions, prices, or shipping costs yet.

I am making custom knitted items available but working out just how much time would be needed to make certain items is defeating me at the moment.

I have one order for a sparkly bag for as a Christmas gift, and need to concentrate on that before launching a fully-stocked shop.

I'm still not sure that this will ever 'go live' as the market for hand-crafted bags is a bit saturated. 

Remembrance poppies

Thanks to everyone who knitted poppies - for the display and for sale. 

Thanks to JP Asher for this report in The Comet 24, on Monday..

Some of the Hitchin Stitchin' members who contributed poppies to the Armistice Day display at Festiwool (L-R) Philippa Gregory, Patricia Harris, Pam Coxon, Alicia Hammond and Hillary Ide. Picture: Mia Beskeen

The display at Festiwool, held this year at The Priory School, comprised 99 poppies, each representing one of the 99 Hitchin troopers killed in 1917.

The Hitchin Stitchin' Remembrance Day display of 99 red poppies at Festiwool. Picture: Mia Beskeen

The exhibit was particularly apt, as the festival for lovers of textile art, sewing, knitting and crochet, was held on Armistice Day.

Patricia Harris, one of the Hitchin Stitchin’ team behind the display, told the Comet: “We have a museum that hasn’t been open for four years, so people haven’t had a chance to pay their respects – and 1917 is the year of Passchendaele.We decided to make poppies for them, and because this was on Armistice Day, we made it into a display.”



Festiwool chief Philippa Gregory said the new venue at the school had been a great success, with 850 people in – and that she hoped it would be even bigger next year.

New Venture

Having completed eight little bags, tweaked the pattern and had a test knitter from Posh Yarns group on Ravelry, I am ready to release it into the wild.









Helen, of Woolly Chic, will offer the pattern for sale from her stall at Festiwool 2017, with a choice of yarns and handles.

In the meantime, you can view the info on Ravelry

My thanks to Catherine, who completed the test knit in less than four days, using Drops Cotton Light and Drops Paris.

The pattern is written as a seamless knit, including an inner lining.

Despite this, Catherine found it a very quick project, and very well written.






I will be selling some completed bags, in a variety of luxury yarns, at Festiwool 2017. Custom-knit versions will be available for order.

This has been an exciting project for me. I have enjoyed it very much. I can almost knit a bag in my sleep.

Evening Bag II

I couldn't resist this stunning Posh Yarn, so decided a second evening bag was to be made.

I had a sample from New Lanark Mills, when they were launching their wool and silk range. The highlights in the ochre colour were made for partnership with the Posh Caroline's Moonlight's An Old Friend of Mine's sparkle.

Woolly Chic Sample

Another bag - this one made for a Woolly Chic collaboraton. When I finalise the details of the pattern, it will be available for sale. The yarn used here is Katia Fair Trade Cotton, available from Woolly chic.

Flower Bag number 7

I'm getting close to my target of ten bags.

This one is in cotton and cashmere/merino  with a very Posh flower.

Posh Knits

New bag finished on Friday. This one's a Posh evening bag.

Bottom construction is slightly different to my pattern. I think I prefer it.

Flower basket number 6

Flower finished. Went with yellow rather than a natural colour yarn.

I made this one from yarn given to me years ago, and a pair of handles that were free with Let's Knit Magazine.

It needs a flower to cover the front clasp, in probably a natural coloured  yarn. The leaf button matches the cotton/silk Rowan DK Yarn (discontinued)

The bag handles have a straight base, which makes the bottom of the bag a bit skewed. A good blocking will sort this out.

I think I will keep this one to use as a summer bag for specs, keys, and wallet.

Flower Bag number 5

Having worked out the construction of the bag, I'm now tinkering with the finishing touches.

Bag rear

This bag has amber-coloured handles, so I wanted to create a flower that would include the colours from the amber and the bag itself. I have some Posh Yarn (Pamela, 4ply with sparkle) which made a lovely curled flower cup for the covering on the rear clasp.

I stitched the 'stamens' in the same pearl grey cotton yarn used for the main colour.

Bag front

For the front, I wanted a larger flower. I designed a two-piece bloom in the same Posh Pamela yarn, and finished it off with a shell button, the same colour as the pearl grey yarn.

Picking up stitches for the handle straps was difficult and did not work well. I embroidered an abstract design in the cotton yarn used for the base, to create a more even line on the front.

Matching Flower Basket Bags

I completed these two bags in time for a visit from The Nephew and his two little girls. Each contains a French Knitting Kit by Woolly Chic, so that the girls could make her own flower button for the front.

Each bag was made in cotton, from Drops.  The bottom was knitted in Paris (aran weight)

Both have very small bamboo handles. I knitted the insides differently so that the girls could recognise her own bag. One is pink and lilac, the other is all lilac.

Rose Flower Basket Bag

I based  this on the Poppy bag pattern, but began by constructing the bottom first. I used Woolly Chic DK Welsh wool for the bottom, then picked up the stitches around the outside and continued in the round with Drops Cotton Light DK.

Woolly Chic yarn formed the lining as far as the bottom. It was then finished in the same Drops Cotton Light colour as the outside.

To finish, I attached the magnetic closures through both layers of the bag. The metal front clasp was visible, so I covered with three knitted rosebuds.

The rear metal was covered with a leaf.











The pattern is very much finished and ready for test knitting.