homemade Archives - Page 5 of 6 - Alice in Knittingland

Beanie hats

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Alice Neal

I bought a pattern on Craftsy. We were going to see our lovely neighbours on Christmas Eve and I wanted to have something to give to little Pippa. Besides, Pip has that gorgeous, curly, wide-eyed, Shirley Hughes look to her, just like the baby in the pattern photo, so that settled it! 😉

It’s called the Backtrack Beanie.

I made it in chunky brown yarn, rather than the double-stranded approach prescribed by the pattern. It took an hour. So speedy. So I made one for me, too! And Pip’s mummy wanted one in her size, and her little cousin wanted one in pink. Pip and her mummy look fabulous in their matching hats…

Hat production!

I highly recommend this pattern, though I admit I made up my own brim… And flower embellishments… Weeellll… Who doesn’t modify? 😉

Photographic evidence:

My very first adult jumper!

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Alice Neal

On my travels around the interweb, I discovered the challengingly entitled Three Movies Sweater, written in Swedish and English. I loved the style, and the premise, so I took the bait and ordered the wool. Drops Eskimo, for the uninitiated, is a chunky (9mm needle) 100% wool for a very reasonable £1.70 for 50g. This pattern took around 12 x 50g balls to make.

Although I was thrilled by the outcome, especially for a first-timer, my jumper came out considerably smaller than the one in the blog, unless she’s teeny, and I bigger than I thought 😉

Also, I found there were a few omissions / confusing points in the pattern where I just had to wing it.

In short, I’ve ordered the wool for my next one and it’ll be better!

One thing I was REALLY pleased with, though, was a bit of an innovation – a risk that paid off. The ribbing at the bottom was too narrow for me, and curled up a lot. I searched the Net for tips on how to pick up and continue in rib, but found none. So I winged it again, and it worked. The join is visible, but not unsightly, and I have a new knitting fix in my arsenal 🙂 I tried to photograph it, as you will see below.

So… A picture story of its creation:

A Rather Rustic Shrug. {pattern}

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Alice Neal

I posted this picture on my Tumblr blog earlier today, and it has received a lot of attention, including requests for the pattern.

It was a weekend project, cooked up in my head and produced in a frankly slapdash fashion which, to my surprise and delight, paid off. Knitted ‘sideways’, it really is astoundingly simple – basically a long rectangle with slits for arms – and, once you’ve got it, could be tweaked and customised endlessly. Smaller needles, lighter weight yarn and more stitches for something less bulky and more drapey, for example… Or you could make one front section longer, so you can throw it over the opposite shoulder…

I have never written a pattern before, so bear with me, and if you do decide to give this a go and find glaring faults or have any questions, please just holler.

So here goes.

You will need:
Super chunky yarn. I used James C Brett Rustic, Mega Chunky, I think around 5 x 100g balls (that may be an overestimate)
12mm, long knitting needles
9mm or 10mm crochet hook
Darning needle
Chopstick or toggle or fastening of choice

Using 12mm needles, cast on 45 stitches. This is the length of your shrug, so if you want it shorter, cast on fewer, or longer, cast on more. I am 5 feet 9 and a size 12, and have given the number of rows mine took. It’s an easy pattern to play with and adjust for your size.

1) Knit in stocking stitch: one row plain, one row purl, until the work covers your front across your chest. (About 35 rows in my case) ending with a wrong side (purl) row.
Next (right side) row: knit 10, cast off 15, knit 15
Next (wrong side) row: purl 15, cast on 15, purl 10.
You have created the first armhole.
2) Continue in stocking stitch until the work after the armhole comfortably covers your back. (About 45 rows on mine)
Create the next armhole in exactly the same way.
3) Continue in stocking stitch until it covers your front again. (About 35 again). Cast off.

Attach yarn to a corner and double crochet UK (sc US) all the way around.
I did an extra line of treble UK (double US) around the bottom of mine, for a more obvious border. But of course your border could be anything you like. Or nothing if you prefer the curling up look of the plain stocking stitch… Weave in tails.

Fasten with chopstick, in whatever style takes your fancy, or leave open and draped, like a large scarf 🙂

Wildflower Fairy Crown

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Alice Neal

I was fortunate enough to receive this book for Christmas…

Full of fanciful whimsy, I chose the simplest bit of pretty I could find, to start with.

Here it is, blow by blow.

I love it, and hopefully it’s teeny recipient will too…

A few of the ongoing projects

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Alice Neal

I haven’t had much time to blog lately, but I’ve been beavering away when I can.

For now, a few pictures, and when life allows 😉 I’ll be back in more detail…

Thanks for your interest!

A couple of weeks’ worth of prevarication

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Alice Neal

Welcome back to my topsy turvy world 🙂

It’s been even more of a rollercoaster than usual lately, and of course we’re nearing the end of term, which is always manic, hectic and this year is a little more emotional than others as number two son prepares to leave primary school tomorrow and start the next educational adventure in September.

But a firm constant has been the crochet. It’s a meditation of sorts, except when I need to concentrate on counting and have at least three of the five saying “Mummy…!” I’ve been plugging away at the granny square waistcoat / vest / jacket / whatever we want to call it, managing to make about a row a week. And I’ve been trying different patterns of square, some of which are quite dramatically more beautiful (in my opinion, anyway).

But, as often happens with such a big project, I have become a little bored of the same old same old, and my mind has wandered a bit. And then I had a birthday and my fabulous fella gave me some crochet books, one of which is entirely dedicated to trims. You can find it here: The Finer Edge

I dug out the beautiful (if rather pricey) yarn I’d just bought and started playing:

I wanted to trim the sleeves and hem of a dress I’d been given for my birthday, but it’s linen and this yarn is not machine washable, so I tried another:

But this was a little too fuzzy-looking for my liking, so I attempted it again with cotton:

But this was a bit thick and heavy… *Harumph*

However… it did give me an idea…

At auction a couple of years ago, I bought a couple of boxes of sewing paraphernalia – the genuine article; in old tobacco tins with sellotaped “Pins”, “Buttons” etc and it contained loads and loads of mother-of-pearl buttons. On the strength of this one, a few friends ordered their own in various colours and with various decorations – these followed swiftly:

And another lovely friend stretched me a little further by sending me a picture she’d found on Pinterest and asking if I could do anything like it. I loved it, took up the challenge, and here it is:

These are my own personal two that I am now living in:

Then, I found a bag of beads I’ve had for years:

And here is a sample from the collection:

I don’t think this enthusiasm is going to wear out any time soon 🙂

But the real story of the past week is that I threw myself into something I’d promised aeons ago. Back in January, a few friends and I on Facebook became involved in a ‘Pay it Forward’ – the idea being that the first five friends to comment would receive something from you over the past year. Could be anything, but most likely, I think, is personal creations. One of these friends had her third beautiful daughter not so very long ago, and I decided to test my skill and knit her a jacket. My number five son – a little feral to say the least – pulled it off its needles once too often and I abandoned it. Then, I decided a granny-square hoodie was the way forward, but could only find a pattern for an adult and lost confidence in my ability to create…

Then, I found this pattern on Etsy from monpetitviolon: Little Crochet Cardigan

I think it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever made. I highly recommend the author of the pattern, as it was incredibly easy to follow, and included pictures for reference, to check you hadn’t gone horribly wrong.

In times of stress, I throw myself wholeheartedly into projects like this and neglect all other areas of my life (except my children!) and I managed to make this in about two days.

I have a new passion! I have plans to attempt a long-sleeved shrug for myself loosely based on this pattern and using the yarn from the very first trim I attempted, but I’m going to make a summer version of the little cardigan first, similar to picture 2, for our lovely niece Laura’s adorable daughter Faith next. At least I know it’s quick and she won’t have grown out of it before it’s done!

See you soon, and happy hooking 😉

An extended leave of absence…

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Alice Neal

I’ve been away a while.

Things in our house have been a little crazy. My baby boy (okay, he’s nearly three, but he’s my baby of five boys) is in the process of being diagnosed with autism. This in itself has rather shaken our world, but on top of this he has a new diet which is outrageously restrictive and restricted, but which has produced incredible results in terms of how he is connecting with his family. So, the long and the short of it is that I’m rather chained to him and the kitchen and struggling to find time for my (other) passion – wool.

However, as the shock dies down and the diet becomes a little easier to get my head round, the crochet is creeping back in…

So, for now, this is where my crochet cardigan has got to. It is about half the length I hope it will be eventually, is entirely organic and evolving as I go, ideas popping into my head in the small hours when sleep is eluding me. I started with a pattern and discarded it after about the fourth granny square. I have totted them up and now have, I think, 81 squares so far.

Here’s a reminder of where it began:

And here it is now:

I inserted two triangles at the back of the hip, in the yellow, green and orange row, which has given it a fuller ‘skirt’ and taken each row from 11 to 13 squares.

The next row is coming on in this colourway and pattern:

So, my sanity-saver has returned. And I am determined to finish it before the autumn. Earlier if I can.

I have a couple of other WIPs, some of which are old and will stay covered for a while, and some of which are new and smaller, to give me a sense of satisfaction when I finally complete them 😉

Before I disappeared, Fiona nominated me for the Liebster award. Fiona, if you see this, thank you. I’ll reconnect when I’m back in full swing 🙂

In other news, our Beard Oil business is launching officially this week and is taking up every second of ‘spare’ time we can find. If you’re involved with a bearded man, check it out. I promise you won’t regret it!

See you soon!

An Easter break from the norm…

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Alice Neal

Well, whaddayaknow…? It was a snake! Remember that French knitting my lovely boy was doing? Here’s what it became:

Arthur's finger-knitted snake — Arthur’s finger-knitted snake

It’s been a bit slow on the creation front lately, what with having five children at home for the holidays. Actually, we had 8 as my oldest friend in the world came to stay with her brood. And we had lots of adventures, including taking them for their very first trip to Hadrian’s Wall. I am very happy to report that the-longest-winter-ever chose that particular day to cede at last to spring. It was nothing short of glorious:

Some of the brood at Hadrian's Wall — Some of the brood at Hadrian’s Wall

It was chilly enough when we set off, however, for some woolly knitwear and my dear friend’s littl’uns chose from my ever-expanding bag of home-made winter woollies – and very fetching they were, too <3

We were inundated with boys so we girls snuck off for a bit of learning to Finger Knit. We found a tutorial on YouTube, in which the now immortal words “Always start with the pinkie!”, once uttered have now become the mantra 🙂

And, when we had said our fond farewells, my snake charmer decided to learn, too, and has taken finger knitting to an extreme sport level:

I’ve been plugging away at little Alice’s jacket, beginning to panic slightly that her mother’s reports suggest she may be too big for it by the time it’s finished… Eek! Unfortunately, my youngest has removed the needles from the stitches more times than I can remember. When this little thing is finished, I’ll be most relieved!

And finally, at a time when inspiration is somewhat lacking, I received a surprise present in the post from my lovely mother-in-law.

Must. Finish. Some. Before. Starting. More…!

Home from the wilds

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Alice Neal

I have just spent a glorious week, along with my lovely man and our little Ted, in the wilds of Norfolk, which was bracing but for the most part rather lovely and sunny. We even managed to sit outside for an afternoon of photographing my mother-in-law’s gorgeous knitwear collection. (Go and have a look at what she’s up to over here).

She spoilt us thoroughly and we came home with considerably less give in our clothes than when we left.

I didn’t get much knitting or crocheting done, though I did learn a new skill or two, as I shall explain.

First of all, this is my (rather slow) progress with the beautiful crocheted cowl. I’m really happy with it, but a little anxious that my initial stitches are too tight and the shape may be a little off as a result.

But what Susan did teach me is one of the simplest things in the world, if you know how… knitted rope. She taught me the double pointed needle method. 6 stitches only, and a beautiful result (which reminds me – I’ve run off with her needles… Better get them in the post!)

A while ago, I made Teddy a jacket. Outside one of the charity shops in our nearest town, I found a ladies’ cardigan for £2.99 and I bought it, largely because it was 100% wool, and you can’t buy a ball of yarn for that price, let alone a whole cardigan! I put it through the wash twice to get it properly shrunk and felted, appliqued a tree and leaves on the back, and found a tutorial on line to learn how to make and attach a hood, which I fashioned out of the same fleece as the tree.

I was really pleased with it. Apart from one small, but very irritating thing. It flared out in a sort of misshapen way around the bottom and along the button line. I might have known fabulous Susan would have a solution. And a classy one at that! She kindly donated a few strips of the most beautiful William Morris fabric, and showed me how to attach it to the inside of the jacket. We began by removing the buttons and poppers, stitching a line of wool, the same colour as the cardi, along the flared parts to pull them into a straight line. Then we ironed the fabric to those perimeters using Bondaweb, and I hand-stitched them along the outer edges to prevent any peeling away. Just look how beautifully it turned out:

Willam Morris - nothing but the best for Ted! — Willam Morris – nothing but the best for Ted!

The whole thing looks so much more finished now, as Ted is happily demonstrating here (though I may just applique a couple of leaves on the little front pockets, and perhaps fasten the cuffs back rather than just folding them…):

Susan also kindly donated her purpose-made french knitting dollies – made from old wooden cotton reels and nails – to continue the knitted rope experiment. My second biggest boy snaffled the largest before I had a chance to try it:

Apparently, he’s making a snake… 🙂

First, though, I showed him the presents she sent back with me for him – the products of one of her regular morning walks with her dogs:

Granny's grisly finds — Granny’s grisly finds

She knows the way to a boy’s heart 🙂

A new skill… almost

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Alice Neal

Well, Easter is upon us and it’s time to get together with family. Fortunately for me, that means spending time with my fabulous mother-in-law, whose yarn skills leave me in awe. Since I’m off to stay with her and don’t want to fill the entire car with my works in progress, I have started something new. (Don’t tell Bertie, because it’s not the crocodile… that’s next – promise) I spent much of my free time yesterday looking at broomstick lace crochet, found a tutorial and tried to follow it, worked out too late that it was written for left-handed people, and gave up. That’s for another day.

But on my travels I came across somebody called Luz, who has a facebook page, blog and Etsy shop. I splashed out on her pattern – this one here. It makes this beautiful cowl. (Go and check her out – she has some truly beautiful things).

I have some yarn for it already, and thought I could give it a go whilst staying in the rural wilds of Norfolk.

Thing is, my youngest decided to throw himself at the wall earlier on – he is a terribly fearless and intrepid two year old, the like of which none of his four older brothers has been – and is sporting an egg on his forehead bigger than any I have ever seen in my 13 years as a mother. So he couldn’t be left alone. So I kept him company and picked up the crochet.

This is where I’ve got to.

I’m clearly going wrong somewhere, and it probably has something to do with the acronyms bpsc and fpsc, which I guessed at rather than looking up and have therefore not got anything like the definition she has. I’ll look them up for my next attempt, but I’ve come too far to go back now! 😉

And I love it. It’s more complicated and beautiful than anything I’ve attempted in crochet so far, so I’m really looking forward to the finished product and incorporating the pattern into something else, too.

Right. See you the other side of Easter. Have a lovely week wherever you are… 🙂

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