Fair Isle Unfurled

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Jen

jenjoycedesign-bound-up What has been bound together while knitted for the last three weeks,

has suddenly been unfurled!

A little slide-show of cutting the steeks…

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Now open, flat, and ready to knit the bands on and make into a three-demensional thing!

jenjoycedesign© steeks cut.JPG

If you are curious about the photos, this is what I am doing: 1. Shaggy yarn ends on the wrong-side of knitting are cut off (they are the color changes centered in the middle of the steek in front). 2. With the small brushes (one is plastic sewing machine lint brush, the other a brass eyelash comb) I am experimenting with felting the steek (only the stitches down the middle of the steek) with hot water and agitation before cutting. I have never heard of this but wanted to try it out, rather than my usual crochet reinforcement. 3. I cut front steek, then armholes, and the whole thing opens up flat.

Then, a quick three-needle bind off to join shoulders, and now I am ready to pick up the stitches for the bands, nicely folding in all those (slightly felted) raw edges, which will get an additional trim and whip stitched down into back of work.

jenjoycedesign-ready-for-bands

Watch this space for a finish very soon!

Six From One

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Jen

You know when you cut an onion up, and use only part of it, then put the other part back into the fridge and forget about it? Well, apparently if you buy organic, and if you leave the rooting part in tact, who’s to say it won’t still propagate? One red onion seems to be sprouting into six separate shoots. Six! I have a mind to have a bag in the fridge just for the rooted section of onions I’ve used, to see if they regenerate new plants.

Steek & Soak

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Jen

My thoughts about steeking are only that I am improving with each project. I am happy that I didn’t give up those first times when too many crocheted loops were making the edge ruffling out, or when I crocheted then tighter to compensate, and then distorting the edge as well. I’ve figured that similar to picking up stitches for the bands, that to crochet 3 rows and then skip a row, makes it seem to be just right, not too many, not too few.

Now, the big thing this time which I’m doing differently, is that I’m going to crochet the edges, finish it all off, then wash and block… all before cutting the steek. I can bet then that picking up stitches won’t be so difficult as I wouldn’t have varying length edges from mismatched tensions and washing/blocking with edges cut apart. Personally I think this discovery might be an improvement on the process of steeking.

Now it’s time for the magical soak !

Spring Vests Progress

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Jen

Nearing the finish of the two bodies of vests for nieces. Can you see the steeked front and sleeve holes? (For those of you who are wondering, steeks are extra stitches made into the round of stitches, to be cut open later, allowing the body to be knit uninterrupted in knit or patterned stitches). So far , this is my 3rd project involving steeks, and I am only now *just* getting the hang of it.

Note: After this project for the nieces, I think I will be quite unlikely to knit self-striping yarn for a while, it’s just so ‘been there-done that’ kind of experience. Vivid, cute, in their favorite colors, but I won’t be in a hurry to knit another self-striping yarn project.