Tuesday, February 28, 2012

More Loot from Stitches West 2012

StitchesWestUnspunFiber2012 (1)
These were more of my loot from Stitches West 2012.  There were lots of beautiful yarns believe me, but I was not really inspired to get anything, because I have so much yarn in my opinion.  I do want to use my yarn to the point that I can say I need to buy yarn. I bought this fiber to make yarn to make Teddy bears, that will be handcrafted with my own pattern.  I am working on the pattern as we speak.

  StitchesWestUnspunFiber2012 (1)
As in humans if the fiber has a perfect color, believe me is dyed or over dyed to give it that perfect coloration that some people like.  All these fibers were great buys in my opinion, and soon I will take a Saturday to do some spinning on my wheel.
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Finally, I got so spend some time with some of my Fiber Friends.  I got to see my Favorite people, like Antonio Gonzalez Arnao, the Owner  and founder of Malabrigo, met his beautiful wife Clara and had a chit chat with him about their new beautiful DK weight yarn, Arroyo!  I got to spend some time with Karin Skacel,  this Lady is amazing and so full of energy.  I tell you if you don't get energized by her, you must be dead .  Michele is another lady that works in the Skacel booth, she is a very talented gal.  On my rounds at Stitches I got to visit with the Other Michele from "Toot's Leblanc".  Michele Camacho  and her brother have a special place in my heart, they taught me how to sell my patterns, They have  one of my patterns for sale, Capello Di Lana. I was very happy to meet Drew Emborski "The Crochet Dude" in person, and had a fun chat.

The trip to Stitches West from San Francisco is a bit long, but no driving. I take the Local Light Rail, MUNI to the Civic Center, then Transfer into BART until you get to Millbrae.  At Millbrae you go up and cross the tracks to the CalTrain area taking the train toward San Jose-Gilroy, until you arrive to Mountain View Station.  The trip is fun and not boring at all, unless you make it everyday.  In Mountain View you cross the tracks until you get to the VTA area and take the train toward Winchester. You  conclude your trip when you arrive at the Great America Stop.  Every year this is a great venue to and just see what kind of fun stuff is there. A Verb  for Keeping Warm always having a great booth and so many artists and  great local people.

My Fiber Friends Chuck W., Kyle, John S., WonderMike, Stephen H. Tom B., Morgan , Carson, Nathan, Tim, Catherine, Betsy, Maia, Kristine, Peter F., Penny, Cay, Kris, and many others that I can not recall at this moment, but that I was very glad to say hi and enjoy some time with them as well. Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Stitches West 2012

AnzulaFiberCorriedale (1) Stitches West 2012 is still going. I went through public transportation from San Francisco to Santa Clara, it is longer than driving, but fun. I was looking for things for my Survival Pod Partner in one of my groups. I was also looking for fiber to spin to make some yarn for new Teddy Bears. I am creating my own Pattern, because I want a Teddy Bear that Can Sit without problems and that has some shaping to the feet. I want to make it on the round and make it easy to be stuffed. I want it to have nice ears, but stay tuned, It is coming out in a few weeks.
 KiltedCraftyAndy (8)
This was my outfit today and it brought me a lot of compliments and questions about where I was from. A lot of people thought this was some ethnic wear. I told them I was from the old USA and that it is just how I dress. I don't mind calling people's attention, but you have to be prepared for any kinds of questions.
 KnitifactsMoorit
This is another fiber , natural that I want to spin to make a teed for my new Teddy Bears. metalyarnguide This is something I have not seen before and someone mentioned it to me, I got two , one for me and one for my swap partner. I want to see how it works and see if I like it more than the plastic one from clover. LoloBar
These balms are fantastic for your hands. This bar I got is whole body type. Plain Jane has no fragrance, I got one with a hint of Lavender. KnitifactsCotswold This is another fiber I want to make into a tweed with the one above. This is the first clippings from the baby lamb, the staple is shorter but should be soft.
KiltedCraftyAndy (9)
No when they asked me where I was from I did not say Endor, nor was I wearing the fiber like this,but I thought it would be fun to give you something to laugh. Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Big Teddy with Overalls

BearinGray (6)

Big Teddy with Overalls by Barbara Prime is another Teddy Bear that found a home. I liked the pattern as it is easy to make it in the round.  Most of  the patterns so far have been modified from back and forth knitting  in some areas or all to being made in the round.  I do not understand why people do not make these patterns on the round, because even with dpns , on the round is really a breeze. Yet all the patterns are worth your time if you want to make Teddy Bears with different perspectives.

I like the way the ears come out here, but I still like Gregory Patrick's pattern better.  If you notice I made a different nose, which was my take on the nose.  I learned from the Gregory Patrick's videos how to make a nose , mouth and eyes, but I adapted it to my liking.  Thanks to him I feel very confident in making these embroidered eyes,nose and mouth.  Specially if you have little ones that can swallow removable parts.  Just another bear that found a home. The overalls will dress Benjamin, I did not use the overalls for this guy. Thanks for stopping by. OverallsforBaby (1)

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Gauge is Master

gauge 


Sometimes people are very naive to put it mildly.  If you are a new Knitter or crocheter I can understand that you think that you can  use any kind of yarn for any project.  Guess what?  You are almost right.  Most of my patterns are made with a certain weight of yarn in mind.  That does not mean you can not use any other kind of yarn, or that you can  get away with just changing hook or needles in size, but if you do , make a swatch or ask me.  One of the best examples is the Equinox Cap done with Karabella Aurora 8.  This yarn is a worsted weight yarn that is different than  Lionbrand Fisherman's wool worsted weight. Karabella is very light , unique yarn , great to work with on a 3.75mm hook, while the Fisherman's Wool is almost impossible to work with on anything but 4.00 mm or above. 

Because all yarns are not created equal, you need to use the suggested yarn for a pattern  or do a swatch . I say make a swatch. Making a swatch will give you an idea of how the yarn will behave with the hook or needle that you are planning to use and help you determine if it is the right one for the pattern.  Gauge is Master, but common sense is King.  You CAN NOT substitute a yarn and expect the same results as the  designer's pattern without testing it first. That happened to me, I had a patron that purchased a pattern and told me that they made a  hat  with the pattern using a different yarn than I suggested and it was too big. I felt her pain, but I told her she should have asked me and I would have told her to use DK weight instead.  There is hope , never give up, Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Twin Fraternal bears for Charity

CraftyAndyHomespunBears (3) 
These are the same Pattern, but the yarn is a bit different. They are handspun yarns made on my wheel.  Mostly mohair , but lots of wool as well.  The pattern is from Gregory Patrick and you can find it on his Etsy Shop as a PDF pattern emailed to you.  It is called "The Bear that saved me" . It has a little story behind it, but needless to say , this guy is a warrior and created this pattern to share his talents.  It is a fast knit pattern, I made these two Bears in a matter two days each.  I made some modifications to it, but that is how I am when it comes to some patterns.   I am donating these Bears for a School Auction, to raise money for the school.  Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, February 10, 2012

A Bear in pieces

BearWIP

Is a Bear in pieces and it is the pattern from  Gregory Patrick.  The name is The Bear That saved Me , you can visit his Etsy Shop HERE and get one if you like. Is a PDF. SO far this has been one of the easiest Bear patterns I have seen out there. Simple and to the point and you get a Teddy Bear.  I say you can make this Bear in a couple of days. I am at the Face part and he has some great Tutorials as to how to do the embroidered nosed and eyes that are worth your time. Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Handspun Habitat

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The Habitat is a pattern by Jared Flood. The yarn is my handspun with pride. This year I will make things with my handspun , until there is very little left. This is a combination of two Batts , but the color combo came out very nice.
habitathandspun2012 (6)
The pattern is fantastic and a great journey into Celtic knots. Cabling is not a challenge, but you do need to pay attention to what you are doing. The fact that is done with handspun and you can make the hat look good is a testament to the pattern , the knitter and the yarn spun. I say it was a fantastic triple play. Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, February 06, 2012

A Flinshire Hat from Bajor

KiltedKnitter (1)
Just a little joyful knitting . I am done with the Flintshire, which is the hat I am wearing on top. I am also making another hat with my homespun.  One of the things that I am learning when your homespun is not that even, or even when it is.  What did I learn?  I started the hat on US7 and as I moved along I went down in gauge, the crown was finished on US 4, and let me tell you, it fits like a glove. Thanks for stopping by!
KiltedKnitter (3)

Almost two years without blogging August 2020

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