Free Pattern: Wooly Christmas Heart

 

Wooly Christmas Heart “Julehjerter” 

Christmas hearts were originally done in paper, and supposedly conceived by Hans Christian Anderson, thus they have been around since 1860 ish. They are a traditional Danish holiday ornament. A woolen julehjerter will last much longer than a paper heart!  This heart is knitted in two colors and then felted.

 Materials: *One skein each Paton’s Wool in red and white will make lots of hearts 

                   *knitting needles to get a gauge of 4 ½ stitches per inch 

With white yarn, cast on 16 stitches. 

Row 1: Adding red color in this row: knit 4 white, 4 red, 4 white, 4 white. You can strand the colors in the back, but don't go crazy as they will felt in

Row 2: Purl back, keeping colors as set. 

Row 3: Knit, keeping colors as set. 

Row 4: Purl, keeping colors as set. 

Rows 5-8: reverse the colors 

Rows 9-12: return to original color pattern 

Rows 13-16: repeat rows 5-8. You have a sort of square grid of red and white squares. Next, form one side of top of heart in white

Rows: 17-20: Cut off Red yarn then knit 4 rows of white in stockinette stitch, knitting in red yarn end on the first row. 

Row 21: k1, sl1, k1, psso, knit to last 3 stitches, k2tog, k1 (14 sts) 

Row 22: Purl 

Rows 23 and 25: Repeat row 21 

Rows 24 and 26: Repeat row 22. (10 sts) 

Row 28: k1, (sl1, K1, psso) x2, knit to last 5 stitches, k2tog x 2, k1 (6 sts) 

Row 29: purl back

Row 30: k1, sl1, k1, psso, k2tog, k1 (4 sts) 

Cut yarn and slip end through remaining stitches, pull tight 

With red yarn, pickup and knit 16 stitches on the opposite side of the top Purl one row, knit one row, purl one row. 

Follow directions for rows 21 through 30, to make right side of top of heart in red. 

Next, make another heart as above, but REVERSE the colors. 

When you have both sides made, pickup 3 stitches in red at the middle part of one heart. Knit in “idiot cord” for 6 inches: Knit 3, slip stitches back onto left needle, knit 3, slip back onto left needle, continue.

When you have 6 inches, cut yarn and pull the end through the 3 stitches, but use the end to sew in place at top center of the other heart.

Place hearts wrong side together and sew together at the bottom. Secure all ends by sewing in. 

FELTING I felted my heart in the washer. I did 3 washes on a warm cycle, checking size each time. You can try washing on hot but be careful if you are unsure whether your red yarn will bleed in hot. Once it is a size that you like, dry flat.

My heart is 4 " by 6 ".

Free Shawl Pattern: Flyde

                                            Flyde Shawl 

by Wendy Avery

I love the beautiful tones of multicolored hand dyed yarn but don't always know how to put them to best use. It occurred to me that I could use one multicolored yarn and one more tonal yarn in combination. This easy to knit crescent shaped shawl uses basic knit and purl stitches but also optional dropped yarn over stitches to create a lacey effect. The pattern helps to avoid pooling of colors and highlights the multicolored merino. The yarn creates a floaty fabric; "flyde" is Danish for "float."

Materials:

Large circular knitting needle size 2 or 3; sample was knitted with size 2. 

Yarn: Handmaiden's Halo Bundle has a skein of Angel Hair (kid mohair and silk) and a skein of Merino Slim (merino) which have been dyed together. I used Angel Hair and Merino Slim from two different Halo Bundles. The orange Angel Hair is more tonal; the Merino Slim is more multicolored featuring orange, purple, and yellow.  You could use a single bundle as well, or experiment with a fingering weight single and a silk mohair yarn, or any other 2 yarns.  Experiment!

Directions: gauge is not important. I got about 5 stitches per inch, unblocked. 

Note: rows 2 and 3 are always done with multicolored yarn; rows 3 and 4 with tonal yarn.

Cast on 10 stitches with multicolored yarn.

Row 1.   Knit

Row 2. K1, yo, k1, yo, knit to 2 stitches before end, yo, k1, yo, k1.

Row 3. Knit. Switch yarn.

Row 4. Same as Row 2. 

Row 5. Purl

Repeat rows 2 through 5.

After a while, I got bored and decided to add some yarn overs which I did in row 5 with the orange tonal yarn. If you do this, be sure to drop them in the subsequent row 2. Do them between the beginning and ending  "K1, yo, k1, yo" sequence. I did some with 2 yarn overs then some with 3 yarn overs.  In the photo below, the first 3 orange stockinette rows are the basic pattern as written, the 4th row has 2 yarn overs, and the 5th and 6th rows have 3 yarn overs. 

Continue until the yarn runs out, then bind off loosely.

Enjoy!

Use this pattern as you wish, but please credit me and don't claim it as your design. 

10 Year "Blogiversary": Taking Stock of the Last 10 Years and Upcycling Into the Next 10

I know that few read my blog, at least regularly. If you do and you are reading this, I thank you. My 10 year blogiversary was in June, 2021. At the beginning, I think I was hoping for lots of followers. That did not happen, but I have realized over these years that blogging for me is a way of making a journal that is mostly for myself. I remember telling a favorite knitting blogger that she should write a book; her response was "the blog IS the book"!  

Blogging is less in vogue now that we have more immediate forms of communication, but I still like to write and to edit myself.  The ongoing process of writing blog has taught me something about how the internet and platforms such as google work, and I am convinced that keeping updated with technology is an important skill as one ages, as it is really a set of management skills for life. 

In the last 10 years I've widened my dabbling in different mostly fiber-based arts and crafts, outside my usual knitting and spinning. Travel has always influenced my efforts. My trip to Scotland changed my appreciation for fine wool in natural colors. My fiber guild has helped, with its classes and infectious creative spirit.  Quitting my full time job because of Covid has helped too as it allowed me more time.  I have found that classes, whether live, online, or on youtube,  help me to figure out what I DON'T want to pursue more seriously, as well as what I DO. 

I am doing more sewing. Newer  serious interests include: hand stitching thanks to Alabama Chanin's School of Making, and triloom /continuous strand weaving, botanical printing.  

Less serious but occasional dabbling includes marbling fabric and paper,  indigo dying, natural dying, nuno felting, needlefelting,  and even bookmaking. I've done some synthetic dying but would like to focus on natural. I think that making paper will be in the future.  I never thought that core spinning would be a goal and I felt that I failed at it after a class, but when I saw some yarn that looked like lavender strands, I got back to it and things clicked. 

I like to buy clothes, but I am concerned about the environment and the throw-away garments of today. So I am happy that my expanded interests have allowed for some upcycling which I hope to continue in the next ten years.  I would also like to focus on having a greater percentage of handmade items from natural fibers. Here are some items that I have done: 

This blouse is made from a linen dress that my friend Ruth found at a thrift store. Free pattern online. I finished the armholes, neckline, and hem with hand stitching. 

Alabama Chanin skirt from black and gray thrift store tee shirts. My friend Margo Duke, also a blogger, hermajestymargo.blogspot.com,  loaned me her laboriously hand cut stencil.

This Alabama Chanin inspired skirt was more original. I cut Natalie's skirt pattern into panels from old white tee shirts and dunked in indigo. There were  happenstance ripply patterns on it and I decided to stitch on them, adding a backing. When it got a bit pale from being in the sun on the porch while draped over a loom, I redipped it and love the dark blue result! It is beaded and there is some metallic threadwork at the bottom.

So I thought I would share some more of the items of the last couple of years of which I am proud:

One of my favorite yarns is Koigu's KPPPM.  The pattern is very loosely based on Sally Melville's party panel skirt. I like skirts, can you tell?

A sampling of marbled fabric and paper done with my niece Daisy

Large blanket done on a square loom for friends. Synthetic yarn. Kinda done with that.

I will continue to do donation items for refugees. I've spent a lot of time in the last couple of years making these continuous strand woven little felted wool jackets for Syrians children. More recent ones have a hood added. These would fit a one or two year old well fed American child but likely a three or four year old Syrian child. These go to Lifting Hands International or a group in Seattle at The Salaam Cultural Museum. Information on sending donations to both is here at Ravelry. 

My first book. Zoom class with Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw and Cassandra Barron.  The cover is botanical printed with sweetgum leaves from my yard and tannin dye. I can highly recommend Elisabeth's zoom classes, more information here. 

Another continuous strand weaving. 

My first indigo experience was a class at The Charleston Museum with Tamara Evans of Knit Oasis. After doing a number of indigo vats using Dharma's indigo kit, I did a fresh leaf class with Donna Hardy now of the International Center for Indigo Culture at Ossabaw Island and then, I went to a class in Green Pond  SC with Caroline Harper  of CHI Design on fresh leaf dying.  Caroline demonstrated a doable method for at-home. I took the "recipe" also available online, and went to my friend Janet's house. Janet has a studio and indigo growing. It worked, to my astonishment. 

I decided to combine some botanical printing with indigo. These were printed and steamed, then the next day dipped in Janet's perpetual iron vat.

I have struggled over the last four years to learn brioche knitting, using Nancy Marchant's Craftsy class. Thank goodness Craftsy is back up. I finally got it but I still often make mistakes.  This is Nancy's 2-Color Under Dutch Skies pattern. 

And the reverse...

Here's to the next 10!

Botanical Printing May 2021: Osage Orange Vat

 More botanical prints...I'm trying different things to compile a list of "good printers" and combinations to see what I want to reattempt. I've switched to Fabriano sketch paper for all, using a foldover technique to capture on both paper and fabric, which for me is old unmordanted sheets.  I use a wooden dowel to roll on unless otherwise noted. These are all from one vat that probably deepened as I used it with addition of iron molecules as I went along...colors are more yellow in real life 

paper imprint on fabric for comparison

some nice images from ornamental  Japanese Maple, 2 types

here is the leaf arrangement for above:

I like the large fern leaf above and below, but it did not give off much tannin, I found it in the fall and had dried  then rehydrated it, the fern was a very dark purple when I picked it as you can see

I went to a more reliable printer, fox grapes leaves, there's a fern image as well on the paper which is mirror image of the fabric, I like a reliable printer!  I would like to handstitch this one...

  here is the leaf arrangement for above:

Next I switched to a copper pipe and dipped the fabric in half vinegar and half water. It brightened the color of the osage orange but still did not get much print, clearly it needs iron to pull it out, again mirror image on the paper. The paper always gets a different sort of print color wise 

back to iron water dip for the fabric this time wrapped on copper pipe. I like the mauve quality to these; not sure what caused it...the unidentified tree leaf?

here is the leaf arrangement for the above: below: tree leaves, unidentified, hydrangea upper right and lower left, early magnolia leaf, and lower right geranium.  

something went green on the one below, I think it was the hydrangea leaf. A dot of pink-red came onto the paper from the hopi red amaranth leaf, but not onto the fabric

this matches the right side of the above panel

Botanical Printing Fall 2020

I did an interesting zoom workshop  last autumn with Elisabeth Vigué Culshaw. Here is her website, https://thelansdownehouseofstencils.com/. I can highly recommend Elisabeth's online workshops, of which there are many topics. She is a wonderful teacher, provides clear instructions and materials, and you can replay the video on zoom for a period of time for review. I can't recall the title of the class but it involved eco printing on paper.  I am interested in wild plants so collecting things was fun and easy. It was supposed to be a paper class but I wound up liking the fabric blanket results more! Also, the paper I used wasn't very good for this purpose; either too rigid or it fell apart.

Here are results with Bluffton SC water...all fabric is old white sheets with the exception of some silk scarves noted below

Iron mordant blanket, onion skin bath...these were the first I did, which then spun off lots of other attempts with stuff from my collection of dye materials

on paper

\

Iron Mordant on blanket, madder bath (photos are blankets with corresponding paper results)

Alum???  mordant on blanket, Madder Bath

blankets...

and corresponding Paper

Iron blanket with Osage Orange

Annatto bath, possibly iron mordant, I did not make a note, my bad, maybe it was alum as the print did not show well. I buy annatto seeds at the Halal market in Savannah.

Purchased eucalyptus leaves with Saxon blue dye bath.  I did not note the mordant but I'm guessing alum. I was disappointed that the leaves did not print more orange.  I like the scarves but they are a bit dull.  Interestingly, the saxon blue got green toward the end. 

Coreopsis dye  from my flowers with alum blanket, some iron in the pot.

Osage orange with iron. I had done this combination before (see above) but the result is different. Can't see many leaf prints!

I really liked the results where the plants showed up purple-y...but that was better with the iron mordant blanket. On the other hand, I prefer the madder dye color which showed up best with the alum mordant...

Here is my favorite plant which I just happened to pick during a morning walk, it is winged sumac, Rhus copallinum. Usually shows up purple-y with the iron blanket.

Here's another:  I am somewhat sure this is fox grapes, vitis labrusca, although I have yet to see grapes on it anywhere.  If someone knows better, please let me know!

Rocky Mountain House Museum, Alberta

Not too many years ago, I had the chance to visit a friend in Alberta. We  stopped in Rocky Mountain House, I think on the way back from Olds College Fibre week. There's nothing that I like more than an old museum in a town, devoted to saving items from a town's and an area's history.   I look pretty excited on entering...

Rocky Mountain House started as a settlement, dating to the 18th century, as British and Canadian fur traders acquired furs from the First Nations peoples. Rocky Mountain House and Acton House functioned as fur trade posts from 1799 until 1876. Rocky Mountain House was owned by the North West Company; Acton House was established  the Hudson Bay Company.  The two companies merged in 1821. First nations peoples who traded included the Blackfeet, Piegans, and the Kootenays. I learned that pelts were transported east on the rivers. The Canadian reality show "Quest for the Bay" gave me an idea about the  difficulties in  transporting furs to the Hudson Bay in York boats.

Rocky Mountain House became a town after the trading post closed. Scandinavians were primary settlers to the area.   The museum contained wonderful items from the 200 plus years of the town's existence. The museum has a HUGE collection.

This is an old Scandinavian style spinning wheel, possibly Norwegian.

Drum Carder for sheep's wool.

This is an "Indian Head" for a spinning; these were usually attached to treadle sewing machine bases or a simple spinning wheel and were typically used to spin the thick wool yarns used in "Salish" and Cowichan" sweaters.  "Salish" and "Cowichan" refer to indigenous first peoples groups of the Pacific Northwest.  Here's an interesting article with more on this topic.

Oh my...

An old castle-style wheel

A double drive wheel, I'm guessing possibly Norwegian due to the slant...

Hudson Bay blankets were often made into coats. If it had a hood it would called a "capote." More information here. This may be new-ish.