Tuesday, April 29, 2014

A Little Hair Bow

It is a lot easier to create small circular motifs with crochet than knitting, and crochet is perfect to make some small flower appliques (so many fewer pieces to make when compared to knit flowers, you can join as you go!). I started the week creating a Lucky Clover for my Lucky, and then started making some small flowers and hair bows that I'm going to start sharing with you now. 


I selected the Mini-Bow Headband. I may have a little boy, but I thought these were darling!  I'm not entirely sure what yarn I used, but I know that it was 100% acrylic that I purchased for a charity afghan back in the day.  I'm guessing it is something like Red Heart Super Saver, so this is the yarn I selected to guesstimate yardage.  Each bow took about 5 minutes to make. 


2 weeks ago (at 3 months), Lucky had a 16.25" circumference.  Now a newborn would need a smaller headband, but I wanted to play with the fit on him a bit.  Since the headband itself (I selected the small one) is just a crochet chain, I made it 16" long to see how it would fit on Lucky's head.  I then knew I could cut and readjust it to be newborn size.
  
3 month headband weighs 2 g including loose ends that need cutting off.
This was so easy that I whipped up two more bows while Lucky was still napping.  I can wait to see what to do with the chain once he wakes up.   (well, that was the intent...  but I made it through half of a bow before we got up.  Whoops!)  I was able to finish this during the next nap. 


Taking picture of Lucky with the bows on was SO MUCH FUN! I would say that the 16" chain length was a little bit big for him, and it didn't even take advantage of any of the stretch in the chain. 
15 week old Lucky modeling the bow.  Thank you google for the Auto Awesome! 
I reduced the chain to 14 inches, but it easily stretches to 16".  This is safely 0-3 month size.  I'll try it on Lucky again after he wakes up from another nap.  I tied the ends of the chain together carefully and slipped this knot under the bow itself.  (If it fits poorly, the parents can always remove the bow from the chain.) 

This ones doesn't show off the bow well... but it shows of my happy little boy!

I used 7 g of yarn for 3 bows (including clipped loose ends).  13 yards. These would also be great for wrapping presents.  I think I'll include one of these in every baby shower I go to in the future.  They'd make great bow ties for a stuffed bear, too! 

The new 14" chain just barely stretches to fit around 15 week old Lucky's head, although it is maybe a little too tight to be comfortable (wearing it didn't leave a mark, so not TOO too tight.).  I would say this is definitely 0-3 month size. 

Friday, April 25, 2014

Free Sock Monkey Knitting Pattern Search

Sock monkeys are traditionally created out of socks.  Sure the socks were knit, but they were commercially manufactured.  There is a HUGE movement amongst knitters to create sock monkey themed apparel from scratch.  I hope you enjoy some of the free patterns  that I found! 


Free Stuffed Sock Monkey Knitting Patterns
Sockless Monkey
A classic sock monkey appearance with brown, white and red colors. The mouth has a single red line, rather than a red "heel" making up the entire mouth.
Happy Sock Monkey Knitting Pattern
The images on the Ravelry page sure make this stuffed sock monkey look happy! You will need to create a free Ravelry account to view this pattern.
Erick's Knitted Sock Monkey
The ears on this monkey are so large in relation to the head that it seems more like a sock mouse than a monkey.
Monkey Around Sock Monkey Knitting Pattern
This sock monkey has the classic red "heel" mouth.
Sockless Sock Monkey Knitting Pattern
He's sockless because no socks were harmed in the creation of this sock monkey.
Sock Yarn Sock Monkey
Creating a sock monkey out of sock yarn is almost like sewing one from socks...
Mybootee Sock Monkee 2.1
This pattern is updated from version 2.0 which apparently contained many errors.
Knit Striped Funky Monkey
A classic red mouth with other fun stripes this looks like it's made from a whole new kind of sock.

Free Sock Monkey Toy Clothing Knitting Patterns- Dress up your stuffed sock monkeys.
Rolled Brim Hat Pattern for Sock Monkey or Doll
A rolled brim hat with a pompom on top.
Sweater for a sock monkey
The sweater even has a hole for the tail to fit through! You will need to create a free Ravelry account to view this pattern.
Machine Knit Sock Monkey Santa Hat
You will need to create a free Ravelry account to view this pattern.
Hat with Flower for Sock Monkey or Doll
The brim is ribbed, and there is a cute flower embellishment.
Machine Knit Sock Monkey Clothes- Dress and Hair Bow
Help your monkey be modest with this cute little dress. You will need to create a free Ravelry account to view this pattern.
Machine Knit Sock Monkey Clothes- Tank Top
You will need to create a free Ravelry account to view this pattern.
Machine Knit Sock Monkey Clothes- Shorts
You will need to create a free Ravelry account to view this pattern

Free Sock Monkey Hat Knitting Patterns Hats (for Humans)
Work Sock-Sock Monkey Hat
Pull this hat over your face to have a sock monkey Mask, or else leave it as a hat to keep warm in the winter months.
Itarilde's Sock Monkey Hat
This knit hat contains crochet mouth and ears. You will need to create a free Ravelry account to view this pattern.
Sock Monkey Hat
This hat looks a little angry to me, but that could just be the ways the eyes are embroidered onto it. You will need to create a free Ravelry account to view this pattern.
Sock Monkey Hat Knitting Pattern
The smile is located on the underside of the brim, so when you fold the brim up you can then see the mouth on this hat.

Free Sock Monkey Apparel Knitting Patterns (For Humans)
I love my Sock Monkey Scarf Knitting Pattern
This scarf is knit in classic sock monkey colors with the words "Sock Monkey Fun" and "I (Heart) my Sock Monkey" on either side.
Sock Monkey Ears
Cute little baby pants, with the sock monkey face on their bum. You will need to create a free Ravelry account to view this pattern.
Sock Monkey Fingers Popped Out
Fingerless mittens in the sock monkey classic colors.
Sock Monkey Heads for Gloves
Convert the fingerless mittens in the previous pattern to sock monkey glittens (convertible mittens) with the following pattern for sock monkey heads.
Sock Monkey Fingerless Coffee Gripper Mitts
Inspired by the sock monkey coffee cozy. You will need to create a free Ravelry account to view this pattern.
Sock Monkey Socks
- "The pattern includes instructions for adding the red stripes that are the trademark of sock monkey socks." So now you can knit socks to use when you want to sew up your own sock monkey.


Other Free Sock Monkey Themed Knitting Patterns
George - Sock Monkey Cup Cozy
You will need to create a free Ravelry account to view this pattern.
Sock Monkey Dishcloth
Create a 2D sock monkey image with this simple dishcloth pattern. You will need to create a free Ravelry account to view this pattern.

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This pattern search was previously published on Sqiudoo. However, since they decided to punish articles with high link density, specifically mentioning knitted patterns*, I have decided to move some of my pattern searches here to ChemKnits.  The research gone into producing these lists and comments are100% my own as I was the original author of the Squidoo lens  sock-monkey-knitting-patterns under the username chemknitsblog

*"We understand that years ago there was value is creating a lens with a lot of links to a particular topic like knitted owl patterns or places to buy Ford Mustang parts or Disney coloring pages.However our new standards state that you need to use links in moderation." - Squidoo HQ

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Spinning While the Baby Naps

Spinning Log Started December 12, 2013.  Today I signed up for a fiber of the month club as part of a birthday present to myself.  (At the time I write this it is my last day in the 20's!)  Of course, it is hard to find spinning time with a newborn, so I have to take advantage of nap time.

Since I have new fiber coming, it is time to work through my stash a bit.  I selected some fiber from 365 days on a farm that I picked up at a fiber festival.  Merino with silk noil, color "gimme green".  4 oz $16.


This yarn drafts like a DREAM.  It is super pleasant for my first project post baby.   I'm working really hard to treadle slowly so I don't over twist this soft fiber. 


I think it is time for  me to watch some videos/read some book to teach myself  how to improve.  Or better yet... maybe I'll take a class!   (Comment from the present: I got the BEST BOOK as a gift from my husband.  I think it will help me try some new things!)



Spinning Log Jan  2014.  We're home from the holiday travels and my wheel is calling me.  The baby has had a rough day of naps, and I have never wanted to do some spinning more!  I changed do something for me to help me relax, and some time with the wheel is just the ticket.  

How I stored Sandry, my wheel, while I was away for three weeks in the middle of a spinning project! 
I hope that my tension had not changed dramatically since I last spun in December.  I am still working really hard to treadle slowly. I should make a goal.  If I don't spin at least one skein a month then I need to drop out of the club.  

Unfortunately I did not weigh the fiber before I started spinning.  i wish that I had weighed it so I could split it onto two spindles to make a 2 ply yarn.  Oh well, I'll N ply it and have it be a bit thicker.  I like N-plyed yarn anyway.  But this is a serious note to self, WEIGH FIBER BEFORE STARTING!!


How much can I do while the baby is awake?  Well I did some predrafting while nursing.  Do I rock or what?  (It helps that I'm SO CLOSE to being finished, just one small section of wool left.)
 
Thank you, Lucky, for letting me get some spinning done!
The N-plying went smoothly with no splitting.  It is wonderful when this happens, it really makes me feel like I'm improving.  (Comment from the present: I think it has a lot to do with the fiber type and less with my skill.  I have had some crazy issues with 100% merino I tried to spin recently.  I really like silk blends, it helps keep things together.)
  

Winding the yarn onto the niddy noddy i realized that I did a really good even job overall.  I love how plying evens out all of the uneven bits.  This yarn is SO soft I cannot wait to knit with it!  I'm getting much better at reducing the amount of over twisting in the yarn.  (I have no idea if an expert spinner would still consider my yarn to have too much twist, but at least it is better than it used to be!)


I set the twist by saturating the yarn with warm water and then letting it dry on the niddy noddy. 


75 wraps =  300 ft = 100 yards.  ~10 wpi - worsted weight.  107 g.    This should be enough for a fun project.  What do you think I should make out of it? 


Thank you, Lucky, for napping so Mama can get some spinning done! 


Yarn completed 1/7/2014

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Chevrons for Baby G

When my good friend Jenn was pregnant, I asked her about what kinds of colors and themes they liked for the baby.  At the time they didn't know the sex of Baby G (it's a girl!), but as soon as Jenn said that she liked chevrons I knew that I had a hat for Baby G, the ChemKnits Chevron Baby Hat! I started this in early December so I could give it to the expectant parents when I saw them at New Years.


Thankfully I had some colors in my stash that work great for baby items AND also fall in the color scheme Jenn and Alan love.  I selected comfy worsted yarn in whisker (grey - 10 g; 22 yards) and marlin (teal - 15 g; 33 yards), picked up my size 5 (3.75 mm) double pointed knitting needles and was ready to go.  (Please let 2 month minus 1 day Lucky stay asleep so I can get some knitting done!)


It is so nice making a baby hat when I know that the odds are good it will fit the baby just fine.  It is much nicer to design baby hats knowing a bit more to expect with baby head growth.  This is why I've been measuring not just Lucky's head circumference, but also the distance over his head from the tips of his ears.   I now understand why most baby hats have folded brims!


So the Chevron Baby Hat sample was knit with sport weight yarn and fit my 5 week old baby perfectly.  I started out following the exact pattern with a worsted weight yarn, using the same size needles.  I wonder how the sizing will differ.  So far, it looks like the sitches/inch are the same, but there are fewer rows/inch. 

Because of the gauge difference, I knit 13 stripes (just over 4.25") before starting the decreases.


The finished hats are the exact same size.  Wahoo!!

Modeled by 2 month old Lucky.  

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Color in Spinning

Color in Spinning by Deb Menz is what I would call a comprehensive spinning book!  Just from looking at the table of contents I'm in awe.

The Chapters:
  • Understanding color principles most useful to spinners - Color theory!  There are some great examples shown on yarn in addition to using the color wheel.  The examples of complementary colors, warm and cool tones etc on yarn are PHENOMENAL.
  • Step-by-step immersion dyeing - Now you might think I'm an expert on dyeing, but my experience is based on food coloring, not commercial Sabraset dyes.  There are instructions here on commercial dyes and how to mix them to get different colors.  What an AMAZING resource. 
  • Painting Rovings for mulitcolored yarns - There are instructions for both painting protein and cotton based fibers, combining painted rovings and spinning yarn from painted rovings.  I want to combine strips of yarn to get more blended twists of color.  I'm excited to try this out! 
  • Blending colors and fibers with a drum carder - I did not look at this section closely because I do not want to want a drum carder yet.  I need to wait until we have a house! 
  • Drum carding for multicolored yarns
  • Producing multicolored yarns with combing techniques - Oh no, now I want to try combing, too.  The illustrations and instructions are fantastic and have me thinking, "I can do that!"
  • Spinning and plying multicolored preparations - The book discussed the pros and cons of plying, and shows examples of choosing color specifically for multi-plied yarns. 
  • A Gallery of finished pieces - After all, you have to knit with what you created! There are no patterns here, it really is just a photo gallery but it is fun to see some stunning color combinations from unique handspun yarns. 

This book is absolutely incredible, and is on my wish list now.  This book has the BEST chapter on color theory for fiber crafters that I've ever seen.


Sunday, April 13, 2014

Lucky's Lucky Clover

I spent a week in January crocheting a bunch of mini-motifs.  Some of the others I'll share in the coming weeks, but I wanted to share the Lucky Clover Pin first because it is still close to St. Patrick's Day (almost a month late, but I figured that you'd understand!) 


I'm not sure what yarn I'm using, but it is 100% acrylic so Red Heart Super Savers is my best guess.  I chose a size D crochet hook. 


I love that the pattern gives a step by step tutorial!  I made a mistake in round 2 (skipped the slip stitch), which I think made my clover pucker a bit.  I realized this on the last leaf of round 2 so I didn't feel like going back.  Therefore I skipped the Sl sts in the 3rd round, too.  


I chained 10 sts instead of 13 to make the stem because I was running out of yarn.  7 g, 13 yards used with probably about a foot of yarn left.  Now that is some good stashbusting!  


If Lucky were a little girl, then I would love to put this lucky clover onto a headband.  But alas, he is my little boy, so maybe I'll put it on a headband for ME.  After all, I am one lucky mama, right?

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Pom-poms!

I am a huge KnitPicks customer, and I can never let a order go by under $50.  Paying for shipping is money that could otherwise have gone to yarn.  My wish list is filled with needles and odds and ends that I need for my kit but don't have an urgent need for that I can use to top off my order.  This time, I added a pompom maker to the mix, and boy was I excited to get started! 


 As a kid I had a pompom maker, but it was a little less impressive than the ones in this kit.  I have to say that I"m impressed with how easy it was to make the pompoms. 

 

I decided to explore the pompoms in all of their glory, varying as many different elements as I could.  

Two color:

Big vs Little:
 

Worsted vs Fingering: 

Two strands together: 

Three strands together 

Variegated


This was what I could think of while working through my remnant collection of yarns.  Are there any other variations of pompoms I should explore?  All of these were done with 100% wool, I didn't play with different fiber types or novelty yarns.... yet!  Also, what kind of projects should I make with pompoms?  I can't wait to hear your suggestions. 


I finishing all of the pompoms and then realized that there were additional instructions on the inside of the cardboard packaging. Whoops!  At least I seemed to figure it out okay. 

Monday, April 7, 2014

Free Easter Crochet Patterns

Due to some changes over at Squidoo, it is no longer the place for me to share some of my free pattern searches.  I will be moving those over here to ChemKnits.  As you know, I love making items for different holidays.  Now that I'm crocheting, it makes sense to take advantage of the work I did looking for free crochet patterns.  I hope you enjoy these free crochet Easter patterns that I had assembled a while ago. 
 
Free Crochet Easter Egg Patterns
 
Banana Berry Easter Egg Cover
Cute little crochet eggs. The author also has a variation of the same pattern.
Suzie's Easter Egg Cover
You can see just how this cover fits over the egg. It is lacy so you can see the dyed egg though the cover.
Ancilla - Easter Egg Cover
Beautiful and lacy.
Crochet Easter Egg Garland
Pin the eggs you create to a ribbon to create a garland
Small Easter Egg Pillow
A cute egg shaped pillow with a flower embellishment.
Crocheted Easter Egg Tutorial
This blog post contains EXCELLENT pattern instructions with step by step photos. If you are new to crochet, you should be able to create these eggs with no problem!
Easter Egg
Beautiful striped Easter egg. Even though the colors are in rows, there is a slight chevron feel to it.
Easter Egg Crochet Pattern
A simple little crochet pattern
Filet Cross Easter Egg Cover
A lacy, delicate and stunning egg cover. There is a cross in the lace, too.
Filet in blue Easter Egg Cover
a simple lacy cover
Hanging Easter Egg Cozy
This crochet cozy is VERY lacy, you can really see the details of the painted egg it holds.
Vampire Easter Egg Crochet Pattern
Now this egg brings some fun to the holiday! Embroider a vampire's face onto your finished project.


Free Chick, Bunny and Lamb Crochet Patterns
Chocolate Bunny
Completely 2D
Chicks in Basket
These crochet chicks look like peeps!
Amigurumi Ducky Egg Cozy
Here is a cute little duck to decorate your eggs! You may need to create a free account to view this pattern
Amigurumi Lamb Egg Cozy
You may need to create a free account to view this pattern
Bunny Flowers
These little crochet flowers have tiny bunny faces at the center. So cute!
Chenille Stuffed Easter Bunny
A 3D plush toy that is just asking to be hugged

Free Easter Crochet Patterns
Happy Easter Wreath
This wreath has crochet eggs all around it.
Easter Bookmark
Lacy with ribbon woven through it
Easter Basket
Crochet this Easter basked to place your eggs in!
Shell Stitch Easter Basket
Stunning
Crochet Easter Egg Basket
Complete with flower embellishemnts
Easter Tote
A simple pattern that would be good for hunting eggs.
Rustic Easter Basket
Small, good to hold some candy (like M&M's)
Crocheted Easter Bonnets
These are so cute, and would help decorate any home for Easter
Easter Egg Rug Crochet Pattern
What a great idea to decorate your home with a fun throw rug! Make a mini one into a matching coaster


--------------------------------------------------
This pattern search was previously published on Sqiudoo. However, since they decided to punish articles with high link density, specifically mentioning knitted patterns*, I have decided to move some of my pattern searches here to ChemKnits.  The research gone into producing these lists and comments are100% my own as I was the original author of the Squidoo lens  easter-crochet-patterns under the username chemknitsblog

*"We understand that years ago there was value is creating a lens with a lot of links to a particular topic like knitted owl patterns or places to buy Ford Mustang parts or Disney coloring pages.However our new standards state that you need to use links in moderation." - Squidoo HQ

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Breaking Black Food Coloring: Wilton vs McCormick


I have been dying (lol) to compare the difference between Wilton's and McCormick's black food colorings for a while now.  I decided that I would do a side by side comparison of the two food colorings in a dyeing experiment.  I knew that the food colorings contained different types of dye; both contain Blue #1 & yellow #5, Wiltons contains Red #3 and Yellow #6 whereas McCormicks contains Red #40.  

Shortly after adding the food coloring to the pot.  Wilton's is in the big pot on the left, McCormick's is in the smaller pot on the right.  
I added 27 g of wool fiber to each pot with 6 cups of water + 3T of white vinegar.   In the video (see the end of the post), I added black food coloring to 1/4 cup of plain water.  

McCormick's Black - a few minutes after adding the dye.  It is hard to tell, but there are some distinct blue and red tones mid a lot of block tones.  
Wilton's Black - a few minutes after adding the dye
In the middle of the experiment I started to have doubts about how this was going to work out.  Unlike my Breaking Delphinium Blue video where I added dry fiber to a pot of dye,  I wanted to add the dye to a warm pot of fiber.  I wanted to demonstrate a different way you could make dyes break.  Now, this is a technique that I KNOW works (as you can see clearly from the Wilton's food coloring samples), but I think I may have added too much black food coloring to the McCormick's so that we won't see the breaking super well.  Of course, I added the dye to the top of the pot, so the colors could be different in the bottom layers.  There is no way to know what that looks like until I wash the fiber, so I will ultimately have to wait and see.  

After 15 min of light simmering.  Wilton's is on the right, McCormick's is on the left. (I know, I switched orientations when I took the picture, whoops!)
What a difference!  The Wilton's food coloring broke into reds, purples and teal.  The McCormick's food coloring broke into a reddish brown with hints of blue.  These different blacks can be used based on what kind of breaking (or not) you hope to see in your fiber.  

Completed fiber: Wiltons (left) and McCormick's (right)
Completed fiber: Wiltons (right) and McCormick's (left)

Make sure you check out the video of this dyeing experiment!