Odd Socks

Ever since I picked up Stray Sock Sewing in the local library I've been addicted to making sock creatures. It's rather theraputic making them. They don't take long to sew so it's pretty much instant gratification as far as crafting goes and it's interesting to see how each creatures character develops as I stuff, shape and sew. Here's a couple of my latest critters, a cute kitty and a rather sad looking puppy (taken with my snazzy new camera!) Are they cute or what?

Say cheese!

A couple of friends have unwittingly inspired me to take up an old hobby again. I have always loved photography but I never really had the time or money to take it any more seriously than grabbing a few snap shots on holiday. Whilst i was recovering from my hysterectomy I made the mistake of looking up digital SLRs. Big mistake! I set my heart on a Canon EOS 500D but unfortunately there was no way I could meet the £500 price tag. So just after Christmas I was browsing on eBay (as you do...) looking at second hand cameras when I found a Canon EOS 450D at a bargain price. Hardly used, complete with image stabilising lens, I had to have it! Trev and my parents said they would chip in for my birthday next month so I bought it! Yay! I ordered a funky camera bag and Trev has bought me a book so I can learn how to use it properly. I can't wait until the weather gets better and I can take it out into the countryside, well at least as far as my scooter will get me!

Say cheese!

I ♥ Japanese craft books!

I haven't blogged in ages, I've either been ill or busy, mostly ill unfortunately.

Anyway, I took delivery of some fabric today so I dug out my Japanese craft books and I decided to make one of the bags from Ecobags. I love this pattern and had to give it a go. It's a very clever idea and so simple. The bag neatly folds up into the patch on the front and fastens with a button.

I ♥ Japanese craft books!

Woven Eyelet Scarf

I treated myself to some gorgeous Babylonglegs Radiance recently. I used it to knit a pair of longies for my Flowerpot Tots store and I used what was left to make myself a new scarf. I fell in love with woven stitch a while ago, I don't know why more people don't use it, I love the texture and drape it has, it is so easy to do and it looks that little bit different from normal crochet.

I was so pelased with the scarf that I wrote up the pattern. It's nothing fancy but it's a good substantial winter scarf and I think it really shows off the subtle colour changes in the Radiance yarn.

Enjoy!

Click to open FREE pattern for Woven Eyelet Scarf

Sari Silk Bag Pattern

I wrote this pattern a few years ago. I set up a knitting website called The Knitting Room but it never really got off the ground. I've long since closed the website but the pattern was linked on Ravelry so I kept the file on my webspace. After a recent (and rather annoying) malware attack I was forced to tidy up my files so I've moved the pattern here. Enjoy!




Sari Silk Bag PDF

Tutorial on Dyeing Blanks

I thought I'd write up a little tutorial on how I dye my wool blanks. I'm by no menas and expert dyer but I do like to muck in and have fun! If you have any questions, tips or suggestions please leave a comment. Enjoy!

Mrs Flowerpot's Tutorial for Dyeing Wool Blanks

First preapre your blank. You can knit your own on a knitting machine or buy ready made sock blanks. Wash the blank and either spin it on the wool setting on your washing machine or roll it in a towel to squeeze the excess moisture out of it. You want the blank to be damp, not wet.

Prepare your work surface. I cover my kitchen table with a roll of bubble wrap and place a couple of old towels on top. The towels help absorb the moisture from the dyes so the colours don't run.

Lay out your blank on the towels. Stocking stitch blanks have a tendancy to curl up so I pin mine out purl side up with blocking pins.



Prepare your dyes. You can use any kind of dye suitable for wool from Kool Aid to professional acid dyes.





Start painting! I use a turkey baster but you can use a foam tipped brush or squeezy bottles with a nozzle on. You want to cover the wool with colour but try not to get it dripping wet. The towel will soak up some of the liquid but colours will run if you get it too wet.

By pinning the blank purl side up you can use the lines of bumps to get nice straight lines for your stripes.



When you've covered the blank in dye take out all the pins and roll up the blank in cling film and set the dye by steaming it or nuking it in the microwave - just do whatever you would normally do to a hand painted skein of yarn.



When it's cool, wash, rinse and dry and then you're ready to knit! You can knit straight from the blank or if you're a complete perfectionist you can reskein the yarn and re-soak it to get rid of the kinks. Hopefully you should have perfect self striping wool :D

Suburban Graffiti!

I have a new knitting machine, but I'm not using it to make clothes - I'm using it to dye wool! I used the knitting machine to knit the wool into blanks then I dyed the wool in stripes so when it's knitted up it will be self striping and hopefully will look fantastic.

To the trained eye it might look like a bit of a bodge job, but that was actually the effect I was going for - the random graffiti effect and the natural heathering will give the yarn a very unique and completely unrepeateable character. Ic an't wait to knit with it!!!