Official crafty blog for my Quiet Water Craft Etsy shop
Well I solved the curling issue!
Now I need to work out why it’s such a weird, lumpy shape instead of being a good little rectangle like it’s supposed to. It may have something to do with my fix, which was to purl the stitch between each letter rather than knit so that all the purls aren’t gathered on one side. More research is required.
At this rate, my whole choir will have their own name badge by the time I figure it out.
Hannah
xXx
A border did not help with the curling problem. Probably because it would need to be much bigger to have the desired effect. It feels like a pretty large badge already so I’m not adding any more to the edges in an attempt to ‘fix’ it.
My next plan is to buy some felt and attach that to the back to give it some more stability, as well as making it easier to attach a safety pin. I really don’t want to bring more stuff into the flat before we move but I really do want to get this finished and wearable. I don’t know yet which side will win.
Hannah
xXx
I was talking with one of my friends about name badges (I can’t remember why), and she asked if I could make her one. I said I would, then spent months only remembering it while driving or at work or anywhere else that I didn’t have my crafting paraphernalia with me. This is why I should write things down.
Thankfully, last weekend it reappeared in my memory while I was sitting in front of my craft bag with no current projects in my hands. It took a bit of drafting on squared paper to get the curvy letters right, but overall I only needed a couple of hours to go from idea to finished object.
I’m really not confident about sewing a safety pin to the back of knitting (why can’t it be as simple as crochet??) so I plan to thread it through a few stitches instead.
I’m quite proud of my little name badge creation!
Hannah
xXx
My MeRo cowl is finished! And ooh it’s so snuggly.
The pattern in German can be found here, and you’ll have to find your own friendly yarn shop owner to translate it to English for you.
I used Schoppel Magic Beads and I’m not sure if they weren’t quite equal or if my tension varied throughout the project (entirely possible), but either way I ended up with slightly different amounts of each bead left over.
Most of them will be going into my bag of tiny scraps that I use for stuffing amigurumi because they’re a bit too small for anything else.
Hannah
xXx
I finished the teeny mitts for my friend’s new baby and sent them away with a couple of jumpers that I had lying around for some reason. Handmade clothes for baby and some more things cleared out of the flat, win-win!
The mitts were baby selbu mittens (Rav link), the grey jumper is Flax light from Tin Can Knits, and the purple/black one is a mystery because my memory is giving me absolutely nothing.
Hopefully they’ll all fit okay and keep baby warm.
Hannah
xXx
I finished the baby blanket for my friend and, although it turned out more square than I was aiming for, I’m pleased with it.
I’m doubly pleased that between this and my dimple blanket I managed to use up every last scrap of both skeins. I love not having to add to stash mountain unnecessarily.
The pattern is Valley of Lillies (Rav link) and I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something fairly simple but very effective.
The yarn was Stylecraft Sweet Dreams and Special for Babies. They are both classed as DK weight and they looked the same in the shop, but working with them revealed that Sweet Dreams is slightly thicker and therefore won’t go quite as far as the other. Something to bear in mind if you decide to mix and match them like I did.
The fibre is easy enough to work with, but I did get a wee bit of splitting between the white and the coloured strands when I had to tink and re-work some sections. It’s a minor issue so I’d still recommend them both for anyone looking to make some baby items.
Hopefully my friend and her daughter will like the blanket as much as I do.
Hannah
xXx
Look, I actually know what day it is! That probably won’t last.
Parts of Gerald the giraffe wouldn’t do as they were told so I had to finish off and hand him over after Christmas. But I think he’s cute enough to get away with it.
Even with the extra bit I added to his neck he’s still smaller than my hand, so most options that people suggested to support his neck were too big. I ended up using a pipe cleaner folded in four and it seems to be working perfectly.
I also added in more brown patches than the pattern suggested because I think it makes him look even more giraffe-like.
What do you think?
Hannah
xXx
Since my friend’s baby arrived three weeks early, I needed to rush to finish the Sweetpea blanket. There were too many ends to sew in and I just didn’t have time so I tried to crochet over them all with the border. ‘Tried’ being the operative word. There were sooo many ends so close together that they formed these thick bulges along the border, and every time I moved the blanket to work on the next lot, one or two popped out of their hiding place. It wasn’t working at. all. so I had to pull all the ends out of the border stitches and weave them in one by one. I tried to cheat the system and just ended up making more work for myself!
Thankfully, it’s all finished now and has been handed over to keep baby nice and warm.
Of course, I will learn nothing at all from this experience.
Hannah
xXx
I have the cutest FO to show off this week.
This is There’s a Bee On Me! by Purl A Row that I pattern tested this week.
Initially I got to the very end of casting off, cut the yarn, held it up to admire my handiwork and realised that one row of colourwork was two stitches to the right of where it should be. I spent a whole day dithering over leaving it alone or undoing half my work to fix it. It was super annoying to frog, but now the bees look perfect I’m so happy I decided to make it right.
Hannah
xXx
It’s finished!!
There was problem after problem with this thing, but I wanted the original yarn to become a Love Note and there is very little that can out-do my stubbornness, so I finally made it to the finish line last week.
The details:
My Love Note is made with Yarn Bee Tender Touch in Amber (discontinued) and Mustard. I cut and frogged and redid it so many times that I couldn’t say exactly how much of each colour I used, but the total weight is 386g and it should be about 50/50.
The pattern is Tin Can Knits Love Note and I highly recommend it, as long as you use the correct yarn weight, do a gauge swatch, and try it on frequently to make sure it definitely will fit. Do not follow in my footsteps unless you particularly enjoy frogging and starting all over again.
Modifications – I used aran acrylic yarn instead of sock or fingering and mohair held together, so ended up making size L rather than my usual XXL. Due to the two colours, I knit it helical. I added a tiny bit of waist shaping (which is probably not even noticeable but made me feel better), knit an extra few inches on the body length, and shortened the sleeves quite a lot.
Despite all the faff, I do love my jumper. I love it so much I’m considering making another one with a more appropriate weight yarn. It’s a paid-for pattern so I may as well get my money’s worth out of it, right?
Hannah
xXx
I’m calling these my strawberry lemonade wrist warmers (thanks, Lorri!) and despite their smallness I do really like them. I think I’ll send them to one of my friends who is much smaller than me.
The twisted stitches are a little bit faffy, but they still worked up quickly and the texture is just beautiful so I’d definitely recommend this pattern once it’s released.
I’ve already started another set with larger needles and slightly thicker yarn because I would like a pair for myself. Our flat is always freezing (except during a heatwave when somehow it’s too hot. There is never any middle ground) so it won’t be too long before I need to wear something on my hands when I’m at home, and I think these will work perfectly; nice and warm without restricting my fingers.
Hannah
xXx
This week’s pattern test was for a snuggly snake, and here he is:
He’s 37 inches long and used up almost exactly 150g of Bernat premium acrylic yarn in the ‘denim heather’ colourway, plus two safety eyes and a whoooooole lot of stuffing.
Isn’t he a cutie!
Hannah
xXx
Quiet Water Craft 
You must be logged in to post a comment.