Saturday, January 19, 2008

Steeple Bumpleigh Helmet


In P.G. Woodhouse’s Steeple Bumpleigh, where things always go awry, helmets often go a-walking but this “helmet” style reversible cloche could never go amiss.

Materials: Alafoss Lopi (MC)Grey, (CC1)Lt Green, (CC2)Fuchsia
Crochet Hook, Size K, 6.5mm


Note: All stitches are worked under both bars of the stitch (vs working in the front or back loop only). This is important for striping effect at edge.
Gauge: 2 sc=1”
Rnd 1: 7sc in 2nd sc from hook.
Rnd 2: 2sc in 3 scs, 3dc in next sc, 2sc in 3 scs (15 sts)
Rnd 3: 2sc in next 7 sts, 3dc in dcs, 2sc in 7 sts (31 sts)
Rnd 4:Sc in each st to centre dc of 3dc group; 3dc in centre dc, sc in each remaining st of rnd (33 sts)
Rnd 5-12: Repeat Rnd 4. Do not join Round.

Edging:
Join CC1 and sl st to join Rnd.
Rnd 13, Sl st in each sc to 3dc group; sc in first dc, 3dc in next dc, sc in last dc, sl st in each remaining sc of rnd.
Rnd 14: Sc in each sl st, sc in sc, sc in dc, 3 dc in next dc, sc in dc, sc in sc. Do not join Round
Join CC2 and sl st to join Rnd. Ch 1, turn.
Rnd 15: St st in each st of last rnd. Join and end off. Weave in all ends.

Note: The edging will force the tip of the 3dc corner to curl upwards. This is good. If this doesn’t happen for you, try a tighter gauge across these sl sts, or use a slightly smaller hook for the edging. Try a size J/6mm or I/5.5mm.



Edit:The colours are really amazing and these dark photos don't do them justice. On a nicer day I will try and post close ups of the reversible edging.

Friday, January 18, 2008

I don't know who enjoyed Granny's Feather & Fan shawl (above, right at E.S.S.)more;
Granny, on her 90th birthday, (she knows it's not a veil)


Or Ginny Pussycat while it received it's last blocking.


Careful, Gin-with so many points it's as pinned as a fretful porpentine.

Stupid me, I don't have a proper photo of the shawl (now fichu). I will take one next time I see Granny. I finished it so early/short because I had misread the charts. I seem to have omitted two or three plain knit rows for every one pattern row. That's why it didn't grow as fast as I wanted. The boo boo made the project more labour intensive, but I think the end result is pleasingly dense and over complicated.

Saturday, January 12, 2008


Help, help, help! My corset cover is miles too big! Have I any choice but to start over?


A spanish guitar and house hippo lend support for scale.

Edit: Ta, all. It's Lucy's Celestial Sugar Maple so I reeealy don't want to steek it. It's an especialy weirdo dye lot (which is why I bought it). I think I will rip it out. gah. ps trying to make it to loop group tonite.xoxo

Sunday, January 06, 2008

In the Olympic Steeking event, I think that Shetland, knitting for the UK would totally take the Norwegian-Scandinavian syndicate.
My current wip employs steeks of every kind, but many have been made redundant. That is to say, that I have changed my mind at every opportunity and that the sweater's shape and style has changed since I planned all of these cuts.

I'd like to think that I'm one of the most patient people I know,but I get bored with my projects easily so I built in some feats of daring do into this one. I had planned for these armhole steeks to be Norwegian, that is to say, I planned on a drop shouldered sweater with narry a waste selvage flappy, just machine sew and cut, and for the sleeves to be knit seperatly (this would also allow me to cack out early and finish it a vest). This still works, but I reserved some stitches in stockinette and gave myself a Scots wound steek which will let me extend the arm holes as long as needed (a wonderful plan b to give yourself if you're working an original pattern and have not decided what's going to happen next or even, as in my case, what section of the sweater you're working on).

These two shots should have a sound effect.
I'm not sad to say goodbye to testing the waters machine sewing the Norse steek. In per.history, the mariage between machine and knit was not a happy one, as evidenced by my attempt at an R2/Leah Sutton top out of Colinette giotto or some such.
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