neffiepet

I do finish my knitting, honest

2009-02-21T16:35:27Z

Just to show I do actually finish things, here's a picture of the jumper I recently finished. It's a Jaeger pattern, from pattern book J20 (Aran & Chunky knits), and was knit in James Brett Marble DK, which is 100% synthetic, but still snuggly and warm. I finished it with a heavy duty zip.
My only criticism would be that I din't allow for the fack I have a large neck, so it's a little snug when zipped right up.

Skull Rosary

2009-01-25T15:35:15Z

I've been meaning to make this for ages, but only just managed to find the beads and cross I wanted. I was swithering over whether to use silver wire or black wire, but have gone with the silver for now as it was easier to see. There is the temptation if I can find the parts again to make one with black as well, as I think it may show off the silver skulls better :)

The only difference between this one and most other rosaries is that rather than counting the Y-connector as an 'Our Father', I added the marker beads after the Y-connector; personal preference, really :)

Sock knitting without using DPNs

2008-12-23T16:38:47Z

Especially for dantesvendetta

You can of course knit socks on circular needles. If you have the pennies, you could splash out on small circumference addi needles, like joexnz and I have done, or, you could use two long circular needles together, as demonstrated in ravensky23's you tube video here, and in diagrams here.

Unfortunately, despite much searching, I haven't found any way for you to do it on regular (straight) needles, or 1 large circular.

Zipper necklaces

2008-12-06T13:23:10Z

Also with the awesomeness:

Zipper necklaces by Kate Cusack

I should probably stop posting now :)

Geared heart

2008-12-06T13:16:59Z

And this is just awesome papercraft:

Band Aid bear

2008-12-06T13:08:21Z

Also awesome is this project on flikr by jbl thistle. This little bear is made entirely out of band-aids:

long time no post

2008-12-06T13:01:08Z

but had to post this:

steampunk polumer clay! Hearts and animals, with free projects here/

Garn studio

2008-07-18T21:46:48Z

*Loves*

Garnstudio have completed publishing online their autumn winter collection. Sooo many gorgeous free knitting patterns. Enough to make me (in a not serious way) wand to break a leg :P

See the goodies here

Of course, if I haven't waxed about garnstudio before, or you haven't visited, go have a good look around. is Yummy.

neffiepet @ 2008-03-24T11:18:00

2008-03-24T11:18:40Z

Having an uncle who is into taxidermy, and growing up in a farmingcommunity where everything gets used and no one is squeamish, thehybrid toys that deadthingsgrrl is selling on etsy have a certain appeal, especially Pobbley Wobble

In other news finished the knitting for the capelet, just need to findsome velvet and a closing, and the damned camera, which I -know- issomewhere in the room...

Ravelry

2008-03-21T18:56:49Z

So, have taken up a Ravelry invitation, as neferet (wondered later why the hell I hadn't used neffiepet, but there you go).
Not sure how much I'll use it - the list of things I need to photograph and note how the hell I made them is long enough as it is.
Lol, and as for recording my entire stash?! Only if I'm every off work long term, I think. Keep telling myself will do it all after I move, but of course I have an exam to study for, then Whitby...

Skull Cable pattern

2008-01-05T17:20:05Z

*loves*
helloyarn.com have put up a free skull cable pattern.
Actually, a lot of their free patterns are skull/pirate related :)

Today I learned how to make knitting pattern charts using microsoft excel. Largely only useful at the start if I'm working freehand, but it did occur to me that it would be a very good way of storing the charts traced on scraps of paper, which I have an inevitable tendency to loose.

Am also fascinated by "illusion knitting", which uses texture to hide an image in the knit that can only be seen at an angle - see MAG Knits for a fun example. It amuses me that it's a very similar pattern to what I'm creating in cable at the moment....

The rabbit projects

2008-01-02T12:35:45Z

Have been meaning to put these up for ages. I decided it would be fun to attempt toy knitting, and conveniently there was a rabbit pattern in one of the knitting magazines.

Savage named the first one I made Raver (his bunny, after all). It's made from Sirdar Snowflake, and I hade no idea that some of the stripesglow under UV. I still have many balls of the stuff left.

The second one I made for a tot called William, thadrin's son, for Christmas. It's larger than Raver as it's made from Snowflake Chunky, which knits up at a larger guage. I monogrammed it. I'm told william loves him :)

Both were filled with hypoallergenic polyester microfibre, so they are fully washable, and eyes etc were embroidered on.

Meme

2007-12-08T11:59:10Z

I have been knitting like a lunatic in time for sending parcels away for Christmas. At some point there -will- be the photos I keep intending to do, and I will also get round to posting the pattern for the millipede scarf, honest!

In the meanitme, have a meme...

In 2008, neffiepet resolves to...

Start a pvc fund.
Go sewing three times a week.
Take neffiepet dressmaking.
Find a new fabric.
Take evening classes in yarn.
Cut down to ten patterns a day.

neffiepet @ 2007-10-09T18:21:00

2007-10-09T17:21:45Z

*Loves* The woolly workshops knit lite knitting needles, that light up!

I will not knit in a nightclub....

Knitting needles

2007-09-30T12:08:33Z

I may have just bought black knitting needles on ebay.
Oh the Gothness of it..!

Damn that's frustrating!

2007-08-01T14:08:00Z

My 'purple knitting project' is a shrug with a little difference. I found the pattern on someone's knitting blog.
Normally I only go with proper company designed patterns, but this one looked fun, and her blog had been well reviewed.

I had to do some maths to change the guage, and inserted a biohazard pattern on the sleeves. After accumulating 12 hours of circular knitting to link the sleeves together, I thought I was done.
I cast off, and tried it on. The sleeves fit perfectly, the front is just right, which tells me my maths for the guage was correct.
The back, however, was a different story. I was under the impression that the back should sit snug across my shoulders and thus hold up the sleeves. Only instead it drooped so that it was hanging around my waist, it was so loose. Which of course pulls the tops of the sleeves down.
I rechecked my maths, and rechecked the pattern details I'd downloaded from the blog. I'm not sure if she intended it to be cowl-backed and just didn't make it clear, or she's perhaps transposed the figures.
But either way, for it to fit, I need to subtract a whole 36 stitches from the back. Which, as it's worked in the round, isn't a case of just ripping the back and starting again, but having to rip the entire top down to the sleeve join and cast on again with the smaller number of stitches.

Needless to say, I'm absolutely gutted. from now on it's only properly vetted patterns for me.

I'm not totally having to start again, the sleeves being fine, but it's going to take probably another 11-12 hours of knitting in a perpetual circle. Back to carting the project around in my bag in an attempt to find enough time to get it done. By which time summer will be over and the completed article will doubtless be consigned to the ottoman not to see the light of day til spring.
Pah.

possible projects

2007-06-29T14:41:21Z

http://www.texere.co.uk/index.html

Has an incredible selection of yarns for dying, including boucle, slubbed and chenille.

I had a lot of fun dying spare yarn a different colour a couple of months ago, just using dylon dyes. I quite like the idea of being able to tailor my own yarns, especially given the number of times I've whinged that I like the yarn, but it doesn't come in any goth-friendly colours. Even considering the price of dyes, it oculd well be more cost effective in some instances to actually dye my own *thinks of the slubbed cotton yarns that sell at 7.95 per 100g skein*

Noted:
Also metal meshes in different grades (copper or steel)
Rug canvas is giving me ideas...
They sell empty wool cones - possibly useful if dying
ooh - water soluble films
Dayglo yarns. Although I suspect the green is different to Engel's

The pattern books also have all of the pattern picture scanned in so can actually see what is in the book - I was thinking this was really useful until I looked at Edinburgh City Library's catalogue, and saw they have over 300 knitting related books.

I've reactivated my library card :)

Knitting acronyms

2007-06-16T16:47:00Z

Some of these made me giggle:

BUFO: Boring Unfinished Object
FROG: To unravel a project row by row (rippit, rippit)
KAL: Knit-a-ling
KIP: Knitting in Public, or, knitting in progress
SABLE: Stacsh accumulation beyond life expectancy
SEX: Stash enrichment expedition
SnB: Stich n bitch
TOAD: Trashed object abandoned in disgust
UFO: Unfinished object
WIP: work in progress

neffiepet @ 2007-06-07T16:08:00

2007-06-07T15:14:18Z

I now have 4 knitting projects on the go. The fluffy scarf is on childrens pins, so can go on buses, and can be done at work.
The purple project is slow going as I have trouble holding the needles, but it's of small volume, and suited to knitting in the pub where I can stop lots to drink/chat.
The black and white project sits for long periods of time, partly because it still has sad associations, and partly cos I have to adjust the fleece yarn before I can use it, which takes time.
The latest and newest, the cable project, is my first attempt at cable knitting. I still need to master the tension of the cables, so I don't get holes, and the tension at the crossover between the two weights of yarn I'm using. Being bulky, it's a sit at home and knit project.

Anyhow, links to free knitting patterns:

www.hipknits.co.uk - yarn store with free patterns

http://www.knitpicks.com/knitting+patterns.html - seems to be a regular newslett/magazine type thing, so I'll be checking back

www.elann.com (go to features, free patterns)

http://www.straw.com/cpy/free_patterns.html

http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/tierra/tierra.html - looks liek another one with regualr updates, a bit like lanagrossa. Some very nice patterns.

http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com - has a directory which is basically ordered by themes and is a collection of links to other free knitting patterns on the web. Links to a lot of blogs, which I find makes things a bit slow, but occasionally you find interesting reading purely by accident. Has a recently added page.

http://www.coatsandclark.com/Crafts/Knitting/Projects/ - not brilliant, but a useful site in that although it's american, so no good for shopping, it does hold a lot of information on the yarns available, by weight, so is useable to find yarn equivalents.

neffiepet @ 2007-05-28T23:26:00

2007-05-28T22:39:38Z

www.artfibers.com has some interesting ideas to play with. I especially liked the part on textural counterpoint, which I've been playing with on and off. And I do really like the combination of ribbon and fur, which they illustrate:

I may need to track down a book they refer to, Unexpected Knitting. And find out what the Harmony Guides is/are.

Panduro catalogue

2007-05-17T21:54:30Z

panduro hobby does a variety of different coloured palm bead buttons - may go well with knitting -
http://www.pandurohobby.co.uk/order/ProductServlet?cmd=detail&aid=568324

They also do the faux chinese coins, e.g. http://www.pandurohobby.co.uk/order/ProductServlet?cmd=detail&aid=310931

Amusingly, I also found plaster gauze, and liquid latex for making moulds
http://www.pandurohobby.co.uk/order/ProductServlet?cmd=detail&aid=049950, http://www.pandurohobby.co.uk/order/ProductServlet?cmd=detail&aid=045182

This tulle is yummy http://www.pandurohobby.co.uk/order/ProductServlet?cmd=detail&aid=312738

And no, I haven't been shopping....

Cos I'm Lazy

2007-05-14T11:53:36Z

And can't be bothered to go to Smiths every time i want to see what patterns Burda International is offering in it's monthly magazine (and cos my subscription got cancelled when the uk distributor international press went into receivership...)

It would seem I can finally view the content here:
http://www.burdamode.com/index,1270777,enEN.html

Although it just shows the example product, not the pattern diagram thingy.

Lacing

2007-05-13T19:35:44Z

Brute force corsets space 3/4 inch at waist - poster even reccs 1/2 inch to prevent slippage when lacing
posters agree at 1" to 1 1/2 inch for rest of grommets depending on cut and whether tightlacing

farthingales instructions on the use of lacing bones are at http://www.farthingales.on.ca/lacing_bones.php

Fitting issues

2007-05-13T19:35:16Z

Corset is not flush to belly: Take out the equivalent of a dart at the bottom of the seam between centre front and site front panels: another poster suggests altering the centre front seam at the bottom

Dealing with shoulderblades if corset comes high up back - need to treat in similar way as bust so do not get back-fat roll

Lol, men still need a 'cup' in an overbust corset

Ribcage isues

2007-05-13T19:25:55Z

Draft the front of the corset wider at the rib area while keeping the waist the same
Use spiral boning over the ribcage - consider slanting the bone channels