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Monday, November 30, 2009

Absolutely Totally Seamless One Piece Stuffed Heart

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This is basically a heart for the sock lovers out there,  though I’ve never made a sock before. I decided to make some mini Christmas stockings this year, which will be blogged about soon. So as I was saying, while looking at the completed little socks, I saw a heart-tish shape, especially if I folded this here, shrunk this there, and closed this up.. Interesting..

And so the began the idea for this little pattern.Also, I’ve never found a pattern for a totally seamless heart, which doesn’t involve seaming - duh, or using only one strand of yarn throughout, without having to cut and rejoin the yarn at the 2nd point of the heart.

Thirdly, I was having some problems with holes in my short row heels, and was determined to find a way to end that, and this heart became a sort of short-row experiment.

This heart makes good practice for people who may want to try something small before starting on their first sock, or just for some short-row heel practice! You also get to try out Judy’s Magic Cast-on  for toe up socks! (Instructions on Knitty.com here)

I looked at numerous short-row tutes, and settled for trying out 2 different methods, and as can be seen, the heart on the left has pretty obvious holes, though it was probably cause I messed up halfway through. I can’t seem to find the link to the tutorial I used for the heart on the left, but this is the one I used for the one on the right, and there’s a similar tute here).

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There’s also a short-row experiment on Nonaknits, with instructions for 3 different methods of short-row shaping. =)

Anyway, so once you’ve decided on whichever short-row method you’re most comfortable with (or would like to try), here’s the pattern to try it out with:

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Note: I used the magic loop method to knit this heart up.

Using Judy’s magic cast on (link above), or whichever cast on method you like, (this and this are another two interesting looking methods for casting-on in the round),

Cast on 6 stitches and place marker to mark beginning of round.

Rnd 1: [K1, M1, K1, M1, K1] twice (10 sts)

Rnd 2: [K1, M1, K3, M1, K1] twice (14 sts)

Rnd 3: [K1, M1, K5, M1, K1] twice (18 sts)

Rnd 4: [K1, M1, K7, M1, K1] twice (22 sts)

Rnd 5-7: K across (22 sts)

Rnd 8: K1, begin short row shaping on the next 20 sts (there will be one st left untouched at the end of this round)

Con’t short row shaping until 4 sts have been wrapped on each side, then work back across wrapped stitches. (The actual short-row tutes will explain this in much greater and clearer detail, do have a read if you’re having problems with short rows)

Rnd 9 - 11 : K across (22 sts)

Rnd 12: [K1, K2tog, K5, K2tog, K1] twice (18 sts)

Rnd 13: [K1, K2tog, K3, K2tog, K1] twice (14 sts)

Rnd 14: [K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1] (10 sts)

Stuff, stuff stuff

Rnd 15: [K1, Slip next stitch, K2tog, psso, K1] twice (6sts)

Cut yarn and graft close, or if you’re lazy like me, just thread yarn through the remaining loops and pull tight. It won’t look as nice though. Hide the yarn end in the heart, and you’re done! No further work needed. Now that is what I call….

Seamless! =D

  

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Picked up something new!

Lol I discovered another interest…. Wire work! Well more like the basics of wire work, but it’s fun all the same! It started with this earring making kit that was on sale @ the Reject shop for $1, and I remembered this tutorial for making stitch markers using a earring making kit. And there were some pretty little beads too.

Temptation. But, I had no tools, and who knows how much one set would cost? So off I went to hunt for jewellery making tools, and found a set at lincraft for about $15 iirc. JOY!

Went back to the reject shop,  grabbed the stuff, scouted around online for stitch marker making tutes, and came up with these:

 

my very first stitch markers

My very first stitch markers! The little things are addictive! So I made more….

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Yes, I know they’re simple, but I’m new to this stuff.. And simple is good =) I like the bunch of blue beads, they’re really alot prettier in real life. And I tested them all. The little rings fit up to a 5mm (or maybe a 5.5mm, I forgot) needle. They’re perfect on 4mms, which is what I use the most anyway.

 

So in the post-discovery-of-yay-i-did-it-now-what-else-can-I-make excitement, I trawled the net for more tutes on jewellery making techniques, which led to these:  

butterfliesss

and these:

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Yes, I know some of them are kinda wonky, but we learn through our failures yea.. lol And my tree of life pendant is an autumn tree – which is why it’s so naked. Planning to turn most of them into stitch markers oh yay.

 

And I really like the butterflies in the previous picture. There’s a free tute for them and the angels. I improvised on the angels though, cos I didn’t have wingy looking beads, and refuse to fiddle with little bits of ribbon (which i also do not possess), so in a spurt of inspiration, I coiled wires up for the wings.

The bf was made to admire each new piece I whipped up, and he asked for a butterfly to stick onto his laptop, so he got THIS:

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It is a happy butterfly, and he is very pleased with it. =)

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And here they are, resting in their little silicon cupcake baking cup when I’m not picking them out to smile at. =)