Krafty Kritter

Friday, September 01, 2006

I'm in Love!

Ultimate Knitting Machine

Oh my. I'm kicking myself right now. I bought a Ultimate Sweater Machine (knitting machine) from a friend of mine who was moving in April. And I've left it in the box until today, mostly because I didn't have anyplace to set it up (it's a little less that 4 ft. long). So I finally went out today, and bought a length of shelving, and a couple of C clamps, and attached it to my old kitchen table which is dwelling in the basement storeroom. Then set it up.

Ultimate Knitting Machine

Wow. I followed the directions and watched the VCR tape, and started knitting. It's nothing short of miraculous. I did a practice piece, which went well, except for some curling, but I know that can be fixed with blocking and with a border. Then I started a baby blanket with some Bernet Baby Boucle I had just sitting around. In less time that it will take me to set up this blog entry (about 1/2 hour) I had this much done:

Ultimate Knitting Machine

That's from tabletop to floor...each block of colour is 30 rows tall. In a half hour. And it looks great!

I really think that if I had enough colours and yarn (I need to pick up some "boy" colours like blue and green and a few more balls of white) and if I didn't have to got to work tonight, I think I could finish this in 3 - 4 hours. Even with the crochet edging.

I am so psyched. This is going to be a great fall. Crafting is going to be fun again!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Been a little while!

Hey all! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've had a little crafting lull, with going on vacation and the children's end-of-the-school-year activities taking up a lot of my time. I have perfected the tunisian panta, however, and will post instructions soon.

On the other hand, I have just received from a good friend of mine in the midwest, the *new* long Knifty Knitter set, and I'm trying to figure them out. After being used to the round ones with the big solid pegs for such a long time, it's hard to adjust to the new length and to the rather petite pegs. It really does lead to a completely different style of knitting looming, and it's a challenge. I'm so glad I got these looms before they come out in Canada, at least then maybe I'll have a plan on how to teach with them.

As a Michaels instructor, I've noticed a huge lull in my class attendance! I haven't had a class since May. I think that the summer is just not a time for yarn crafting. So I'm resting up for the fall, when I know I'll be busy!

Here are the new Knifty Knitters, for anyone who hasn't seen them yet:

new KK

Good crafting to everyone!

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Team Canada Jersy

Hey, while I don't usually post pictures of myself (I'm not terribly photogenic), I got my Team Canada Knitting Olympics Jersey last Tuesday, and have been cheerily wearing it ever since!! Here I am:

Team Canada Jersey

Okay, look at the shirt, and not me. Remember that.

One of the girls on the Team Loom Knitting made a couple of Pantas. I asked her what they were, and she said they were a sort of Norwegian Headband, which is evidently making the rounds of the knitting world. I did some research, and it's cool. I thought I'd try it in Tunisian Crochet (since I can't needle knit)...I experimented and came up with this:

Tunisian Panta

It looks nice, but too large format since I made it with an L-hook. I'm working on one now using a I-hook and that cool Possum Fur/Merino Wool that I got a few months back, and trying to make it look more like a knitted one. I should have that up in a couple of days.

Betcha you'll all be on tenterhooks just waiting for that one!

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Sweater all Done!

Well, I finally finished my sweater today. Like the Canadian Woman's Curling Team, I'm brought a bit low with a cough and cold caught from my son, but I persevered and it is done, finished one day ahead!

misc.

I crocheted on bell sleeves, and then did a single crochet all along the edges to give it a more finished look. Then I made the frog closures by creating an i-cord on the blue KK, and crocheting the buttons.

Here's a detail of the frog closures:

frog closure detail

Finally, here's a pic of my princess wearing her sweater! It would look better with a dress maybe. It turned out to be more of a blazer-type sweater than a cardigan, but boy, she looks cute with it on!

Sweater is Done!

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Nearly Done!

Well, I've got all the pieces of the sweater done, and sewn together. It actually looks better than I thought it would, although it hangs a little funny. I haven't yet had my daughter try it on, since she's asleep right now. As soon as she gets up, I'll take a pic of her wearing it.

Now, it's not ready. I haven't woven in all the ends. And the sleeves are too short, on purpose, so that I could do a crochet trim on it. I'll probably put a little trim on the bottom edge and the collar.

Here's it for your enjoyment: Oh, and since I'm going to get this done before the end of the olympics, I'm going to make a blanket square or two for "Blankets for Canada".

Nearly Done!

Sunday, February 19, 2006

First Post

Hi Everyone! I've decided to separate my blog into two...keep the Livejournal for family-type posts, and put my craft stuff on this one. I'll be cross-posting when I post on either site.

To start with, I want to post this baby blanket I made recently for my best friend Cindi's new baby boy!! It's done in Tunisian Crochet Entralac:

Entrelac blanket

I love this stitch. I'm thinking that a blanket for my sister's wedding gift is going to be next, after the Loom Knitting Olympics are over!

Here's a detail of the blanket, so you can get a better idea of how it looks:

Entrelac blanket detail

Ah, now that's I've photographed and posted, I can finally mail it out!