Blocking on the Cheap

So I FINALLY got around to blocking the Hemlock Ring Blanket that I started back in 2009 (June 23rd to be precise).

 

 I finished this blanket Dec. 23rd 2012, when I brought it with me on a road trip so as to be forced to work on it, because I only had 3-4 repeats left on the blanket. But even after I finished it, I hadn't blocked it. This blanket was fairly large and I didn't have an area to block it (plus, it was relatively wet weather and I wasn't sure how long it would take to block).

Recently, I bought some mat boards from Amazon so that I could block larger knitted items (especially for my Knit Swirl Coat!) And the weather warmed up considerably. So it was the perfect time to try out my new blocking boards.

These boards were cheaper than getting dedicated blocking boards, as they are used for flooring purposes. The set I purchased was about $15.00. Each board is about 24" x 24", interlock with each other, and you get 6 boards for a total of 288 square feet of blocking room. I figured that this was an adequate enough for my general purpose. (This particular vendor sells sets with a larger number of pieces).

(As a comparison, knitting-specific blocking boards from KnitPicks are about 12" x 12" (~144 square inches), interlock with each other, and you get 9 boards for a total of 108 square feet of room. These boards cost $24.99.)

With my t-pins, these were easy to put together and worked PERFECTLY. I got the grey boards, which heated up pretty darn fast in the warm sun! I had trouble kneeling on them in the 80 deg F weather as they got warm quickly! BUT, on the flip side, it helped dry the wet blanket very quickly. Between the boards and the warm weather, this FOUR FOOT DIAMETER wool blanket dried in under 2 hours!

Four of these boards was enough to block a four-foot diameter blanket. So, I definitely give these a thumbs-up in the usefulness department

The wool blanket blocked out beautifully. It's lovely, huge, and JUST in time for the gorgeous WARM weather that we're currently experiencing. LOL.

However, there is a down-side to using these blocking boards. Because they were meant to be used for flooring, these pieces are rather LARGE. I knew the sizing when I purchased them, but was still surprised when they arrived in the mail. So anyone thinking about getting the larger foam pieces should consider storage space before purchasing them. The knitting-specific blocking boards are about half the size and store easier for anyone who has space considerations.

But, if you're not worried about space and want a cheaper alternative, these work pretty darn well.

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Finished Objects: Part 3: Weaving

2012 was the year I started weaving very simple projects (mostly scarves & bags), but it was definitnely something I wanted to learn

My First Weaving Project. The warp & weft are exactly the same

This piece was an experiment in trying a tartan, and was turned into a "bag" for my shuttles & dents

This one was turned into a purse, and made into leftovers from other projects.

My first houndstooth

A Hawaiian Tartan using Cascade 220. It's a bit too wide for a scarf and is more of a "sash".

This one I wove with handspun & some matching commercial yarn, and it turned out lovely.

Finished Objects Roundup: Part 2

Here's some of the "smaller" things I've knitted up in the past year. I think I'm missing a few items --- mostly gifts that I forgot to take photos before giving it to the recipients. Also, this year, I finished up several projects that had been in the UFO bin for quite some time.

Toys

I made a few prototypes before getting the final pattern down.

Gloves

Hats

Neck Objects

Blanket

This one had been hibernating for nearly 3 years, and I got it done this year!

Finished Object Round Up: Part 1 - Sweaters

So, this year, I knitted 8 sweaters in 12 months, which isn't too bad. I'm averaging about 1 sweater every 1.5 months.


January - February
a pullover sweater out of 60% Alpaca, 30% Merino, 10% Cashmere

October 2011 - March
A garter stitch sweater knit out of my handspun, Frank.

March - April
A sweater vest from the Abalone pattern

April - June:
A simple Chic Knits hoodie using Cascade 2201

July:
This is a salvaged sweater. The pieces didn't quite seam right, so I ignored the sleeves and turned it into a vest

July - September:
An alpaca & merino sweater that took FOREVER to knit because of all of the cables.

September-Nov:
The Adam's Rib Hoodie. I love this one.

December:
The last sweater out of the year made out of handspun

Beading

My SIL makes jewelry as part of her job, so over the holidays, we were able to sit down a bead a little bit. I had acquired a fair bit of lampwork and beads from a bead show one year, and had been unable to create anything due to time or lack of inspiration.

However, my SIL helped me get inspired and I was able to put together some very beautiful pieces. (All of the lampwork beads are from gracebeads.com). Many of these are a mixture of glass, stone, metal, or horn.

I love making jewelry for myself because it gives me some flexibility in what I want to wear on a daily basis. And, these pieces are one-of-a-kind, as I don't make to sell.

Matching Necklace & Bracelet. 

Made with Lampwork & Malachite with Silver beads

 

Bronze & Emerald pendant.

Beads are: jade, carnelian, bronze. The pendant is from Dragon's Treasure.

Red Lampwork beads

With horn, onyx (or jet), and carnelian beads

Owl Pendant &; Bracelet Set

Lampwork owl & donut beads. Other beads include: opalite, silver, lapis

Lampwork Beads

With faceted blue tiger eye, green pearls, and silver beads. The center silver bead is from  Green Girl Designs.

Red Lampwork

with silver & red dyed horn.

FO: Gretta's Sweater

I finally finished the last sweater of 2012. It's a handspun, handknit sweater using the Simple Summer Tweed Top Down V-Neck with a few modifications courtesy of Wendy Bernard's book, Custom Knits 2.

First, it started off with a provisional cast-on, because I wasn't sure if I wanted a hood or not, which was contingent on the yardage I needed for the sweater. I also have wider shoulders and bigger biceps so I changed how many decreases for the sleeves. I also did an icord edging around the sleeves, hood, and bottom of the sweater.

This sweater makes me unbelievably happy. It started it's life as a raw fleece, processed, woolen spun (by me), and then knit by me, for me, to my custom specifications. It took about 3 weeks total to finish, and I *love* it.

It fits like a glove, super squishy, and warm. I ended up finishing the sweater with 3-5 yards of yarn left over, which is enough for any repairs that might need to happen. The sweater has already been steam blocked, and is awaiting its maiden "wearing".

From these locks (Gretta - a merino/corriedale cross from Janet Heppler's Nebo Rock Ranch)

To this roving (courtesy of Morro Fleeceworks)

Spun woolen to this:

And to the final product -- a hooded raglan (icord edgings)

Finished Sweater

Recently, I finally finished my Adam's Rib Hoodie vest out of Cacase Eco Cloud, and I have to say, I love love love the finished product.

The yarn is so squishy and makes the finished sweater so comfortable, warm, and squishy.

I've worn this multiple times already (having finished it JUST before Thanksgiving). I'd wear it everyday, except that people might notice LOL.

I need to make another, maybe out of a lighter yarn for more of a drape...or I might make another out of Cascade Eco Cloud. Or maybe some woolen spun handspun.

Cigar Case

 

My entire house is one large crafting room that just happens to have a kitchen & bedrooms attached to it. A good of mine keeps telling me it's like an atelier's workshop -- at any given moment you can start any given project and have most of the materials at your disposal.

 

She's got a very romantic way of putting things.

 

Me? I see a house that needs seriously cleaning up.

 

The reality is probaby somewhere in between. The house IS a mess and I can start nearly any project I want (within my realm of interest) almost immediately.

 

Take for instance, this particular project. I have a wonderful humidor (that's for cigars) that very good friends gave to me for my birthday one year. It holds about 3-4 cigars and is just Fricking COOL. It's more portable than my travel humidors, but I needed a carrying case for it for places like the Renaissance Faire. (Yes, I smoke cigars on occasion. It's a guilty pleasure.)

 

So, one night, I had about 1.5 hours to spare, so I grabbed some scrap pieces of leather that were from my Chinese armor project, my leather awl, and got to work. I used the scrap leather and figured out how much to wrap around to make a tube.

 

Then, it was a matter of making a cover to go over the tube, and making a belt hook. I made some leather cord from more scraps so I can use it as a closure for the belt hook.

It's a bit rustic looking, and I can probably make something better, but it's not bad for 1.5 hours worth of work. The longest part was handsewing through the leather with a leather awl.

The finished product kinda looks like a cigar itself, doesn't it?