Button Up Purse

Am designing away here! What do you think of this little crochet number?

 

Button up Purse

Beginner/Easy Intermediate

Materials

50g Aran weight yarn (80-100m approx.) I used Adriafil Stella Jacq (100m per 50g ball)

3.5mm crochet hook

2 buttons 10-15mm

Measurements 10 cm high x 8 cm wide x 8 cm deep

Notes

Magic loop or chain circle to start, instructions are given for both. There should be enough yarn left over to chain a strap or an inner division if desired. Work is carried out in rounds, with the end of the round slip-stitched to the beg chain.

Abbreviations

BEG – beginning: CH – chain; DC – double crochet; HTR – half treble; RD – round; SS – slip stitch; ST(s) – stitch(es)

Starting the purse:

EITHER:            chain 4, ss into first ch to close loop

OR:      magic loop

THEN:  ch1, 5dc into loop. Join to ch1 with a ss.

Rd 1:    ch1, 1dc into same space, 2dc into every dc to end (12 sts) ss to ch1.

Rd 2:    ch1, 1dc into same space, *1dc, 2dc into next st; repeat from * to last st, 1dc, ss to beg ch      (18 sts)           

Rd 3:    ch1, 1dc into same space, *2 dc, 2dc into next st; repeat from * to last 2 sts, 2dc, ss to beg ch (24 sts)

Rd 4:    ch1, 1dc into same space, *3dc, 2dc into next st; repeat from * to last 3 sts, 3dc. Ss to beg ch

            (30 sts)

Rd 5-8: Continue in this way, increasing as set until work reaches a round of 54 sts.

Shape Base:

Rd 9:    ch1, 1dc into each back loop only of previous round, ss to beg ch (54 sts)

Rd 10: ch1, dc into each st, ss to beg ch (54 sts)

Rd 11-25:        As Rd 10.

Create buttonholes:

Rd 26:             ch2, htr into next st, ch1, 5htr, ch1, 10htr, ch1, 5htr, ch1, 5htr, ch1, 18htr, ch1, htr3, ss to beg ch (54 sts)

Rd 27-28:        ch1, dc to end, ss to beg ch (54 sts)

Shape flap (worked back and forth):

Rd 29:             Turn work, ss 7, ch1, dc 15 (16 sts)

Rd 30:             Turn, ch1, dc15 (16 sts)

Rd last 2 rounds 3 more times.

Rd 37:             ch2, htr2, ch1, htr8, ch1, htr3, turn

Rd 38-41:        ch1, dc to end (16 sts)

Rd 42:             ss1, ch1, dc12, ss2, fasten off.

To make up:

Sew in ends.

With front of purse facing, count 5 htr in from the ch sp to the left of the flap, and place button here*.

*To sew button, fasten yarn to fabric, pinch thumb and finger between fabric and button, and use this gap as the measurement from the button to the fabric – the space is needed to cope with the folds of fabric when the purse sides are concertina’d together

Repeat with other button on other side of flap.

Fold fabric and close using ch sp as buttonholes until button appears on front of purse. Fold over flap and button closed.

Kasos Lace Chart - corrected for Ravelry

Hi strangers :)

Wandering through the fun and wondrous realms of Ravelry, I came across a cool wee lace pattern on a recently published top: Kasos by Eeva Saviranta. Alas the chart is, as we say in the western lands, bollocks. So here's an updated version with English translation to boot!

I found a new chart making tool online, which was ace once I had figured it out. Duh.

Here you go :)

I've been looking for a pattern to make up some lacy blinds for the kitchen window. Not decided between crochet or knitting yet, but this wee beauty is pushing the knitted lace very well.

Free Knitting Pattern

It's been a while, so here's a pattern :) 

I've posted it on Ravelry so hopefully lots of lovely scarves will be made. 

Hope you're all enjoying the cold weather!

Bubble Bath Scarf

Loosely cast on a multiple of 2 + 1 sts using EITHER 4.5 mm or 5 mm, depending how tightly you knit.

(I used 29 sts to get a width before blocking of 7.5”)

The next three rows make up the pattern:

Row 1: Slip 1 Knitways, knit to end 
Row 2: Slip 1 Knitways, knit to end. 
Row 3: Slip 1 Knitways, k1, (yo, K2tog)to last st, K1

Repeat these three rows until the scarf is long enough, making sure you can end on row 2 before the cast off.

Block out and leave to dry. The bubbles should stay nice and open, and blocking stops the shape ‘puddling’ at the ends of the scarf.

Have a pic :)

 

And also:

Distracted by other things

Its the school summer holidays here in Scotland. My attention is being distracted and diverted by my wee one (who is growing like a mushroom) and a couple of customer orders - one you've seen bits of and another one that appeared yesterday (fab!). Also by some knitting I have been cracking on with. I've read tonnes of books too, and watched loads of films - and generally been not posting anything really. Sorry about that. 

But I do have a load of stuff to show you!

I finished my Louisa Harding shawl, and I love it! Here's a close up of the rows:

And a weird pic of the shawl while its blocking - the pink towel doesnt really go, does it? 

 

I made another one in some old Shilasdair angora mix in a slate-blue, which I LOOOOVE but I cant show you as its a Christmas present. Pattern is Imagine When by Joji Locatelli on ravelry. Colourful yarn above is Louisa Harding Amitola. 

 -0-

I finished the non-custom quilt top too :)

Summer sun! A real novelty in our part of the world :) Finished top size 77" x 63" for a single bed. My second version is darker and richer, more autumnal. Pics of that later :)

My little helper :)

And I've watched Kenny (brilliant) Titan AE (ok) Avengers Assemble (again - love) Xmen Days of Future Past (swoon!) among others...

I've read soooooo many books, cant even think of a favourite....

Am working on another shawl, No Fuss shade loving Shawl using Auracania Ranco in the blue green shade, knitting up very nicely. TV knitting. 

And am working on a cardi for the shop using Debbie Bliss Juliet, a lovely cotton mix marl in the denim blue shade.  

And a pair of socks for the wee one in Opal yarn using these little beauties :

KnitPro Cubics - square needles!

Awesome. And I tidied my sewing room, hoovered up about a thousand threads and folded looooads of fabric. Ahhhhhh!.

Hope you're all enjoying the summer :)



 

Continued progress - and other things as well

A latest photo shoot of the commission. Am loving working with these colours. Its the great thing about making things for other people - you get to try out loads of different colourways for things, that you may not have thought to put together yourself. Very stimulating! All pics can be embiggened by clicking on them :)

 

The pic above is the almost finalised layout, depending on instruction from the customer. It'll finish at approx 63" x 77" which is an ideal size for a single bed, or twin as you say over the pond. Blocks are 7" finished. Border round each square is 1" finished.

 

This one is a detail of some of the fabrics used. As usual, the photos don't capture the movement of the fabric in reality and the richness of the browns and golds. 

I've also been busy with some crochet. The cream borders round my crochet granny squares are coming along, although its a bit ... boring ... so I have been tempted by other things....

A wee bit of this:

In a Noro Cash Island yarn - sooooo lovely to work with!

And I was tempted by this cheeky little number when I saw it on the Woolly Brew website:

Its the lovely and deceptively simple Imagine When from Ravelry. I decided to go with the Louisa Harding yarn that Woolly Brew used for the colour changes: Amitola, shade 109 Salsa, which is quite bright, but I think the Scottish winter can take a bit of cheering up :)

Well, I'd better get on with something crafty.... X

Commission in progress :)

Here's a wee sneak peek of the commission quilt I'm working on at the minute....

Client wanted a modern style in blue, black, white, grey, brown and gold. I think this is working out ok. Trying to think how to quilt it - am wondering about a grid effect? The way the top is coming together I'll be having to decide v soon!

LOVE chain piecing :D

Crochet progress

After the lovely pile of crochet squares sat on my side table looking gorgeous for a few days, I attacked it with some cream borders....

So far they're working out quite well, although when I started with my mahoosive 400g ball of yarn, I didnt realise it was aran weight, but the difference is negligible and the weight when its finished will be toasty as anything!

Have also started a new job, part-time, is knitter's heaven here The Little Knitting Shop, Ayr (also in Troon). Getting paid to play with wool *happy sigh* life doesnt get much better than this :) 

Swoon blocks - surfing the Zeitgeist...

I know, everyone in the WORLD has made these, and I am just getting to grips with my first few blocks. 

But that's ok. I like taking time over something, getting my head around it, deciding what I like and what I dont like. 

So here are some Swoon blocks, making me almost half way through the top:

I'm using a dark teal for the background, a fabric I bought a few yards of ages ago and this is finally the right project for it. A few FQ of rich reds, ambers, forest greens, browns and navy. 
Its a surprise for my folks, I know my stepmum really likes these autumnal colours so I hope they like it when I eventually finish it. Its their anniversary in June, but if its not finished then, I'll definitely have it done by Christmas.

4 down, 5 to go then!

Crochet Away!

Hallo peeps. I've been busy crocheting over the past wee while, something to pick up and put down while sitting by the fire - for some reason I don't feel like going upstairs to my sewing room when there's a roaring fire in the living room - can't think why...

This was my pile earlier on:

Its been sitting under the light, above my basket of yarns so I can pick up and put down when I feel like it. I started with a circle, and went from there into a granny square, trial and error really, and I liked the first one so much I stuck with it for another 29 squares :) I'm sashing them with cream by crocheting another 5 rounds around each square, so the finished size will be 10" across. (Inspiration here)
Here's most of the squares:

 

 

I loved making them all, and every one I finished was my favourite :) I decided to stick at 30 squares and see how the sashing went. I'm currently on my 4th sashing so once I've made a few more I'll post them up, see how they're going.

Attic24, you have a lot to answer for! :)

Spring is here...

......and its time to re-emerge from hibernation....

Pinterest

Oh. My. God.

What a flipping timesuck!

Isn't it brilliant though?!

Am totally in love with Pinterest. Have been finding such gorgeous pictures of knitting, crochet, and have barely scratched the surface of the quilts yet. Amazing.....

I need to take some pics of the shawl, crochet squares, tea cosy and Noro log cabin knitted blanket, which has been languishing on my shelf since for ever.

Once the sun shines for 5 minutes..... :D

But I have made a commission tea cosy - thermal, colourful and large!
 

Insulbright wadding, quilt-as-you-go method and some wrangling around the corners. I love the bright colours :)

Nothing to show for it all

Hallo! Its been a month since I was here last, and I havent got a lot of sewing to show for it.

I have, however, been Knitting, Crocheting, Cleaning, Washing, Cooking, Sleeping, Travelling, Reading, Woodchopping, Loading, Unloading, Sawing, Painting, Wallpapering, Rearranging, Tidying, Supervising, Planning, Drinking, Visiting, Exercising, Singing, Driving, Working, Volunteering, Eating, Hoovering, Crafting, Experimenting, Scrabbling, Clearing, Dumping, Shopping, Retailing, Pinning, Parenting, Wifing and Cat Petting.

Phew!

Roll on December...

Paper, paper everywhere

Been busy at Casa Crabbit - but not with sewing. This one's room has been taking up much of our energy recently:

This is the 'before' pic, when all was enthusiasm and no one fell out. The 'after' pic would be of a disappearing pair of heels as she buggered off to phone Granny to play with her... (Note the table in the background, wallpaper cutting AND an excellent sewing table, I love the versatility of my stuff!)

The wee one's bedroom had been stripped back to the bones. At its worst, there was rafters on show and all the plasterboard had been taken off. When we stripped out the old insulation, work stopped for a couple of weeks as 2 wasps' nests were dealt with - and I refused to go into the room and do anything until the wasps were killed as I had the screaming heebies (well, wouldnt you??)

Fast forward to new windows, the joiners coming in and replacing insulation and plasterboard, then the lovely plasterer came in and covered the entire room, and I got total snow-blindness after painting 2 coats of brilliant white on every surface bar the floor...

So two walls are now papered, and that took me all day today. I decided that I wasnt up to papering the alcove and the eaves, plus the finish on the corner of the ceiling is so nice jsut plastered, and papering would have messed up the neatness of it. And too much blue would have made the room too dark. Of course herself thinks it should be different but, meh. She'll be happy once all her stuff is back in :)

This is how it looks so far:

Neither pic reflects the colour, its a blue with a slight green hint, and cream polka dots. The window wall and the alcove side are going to be painted (again, *sigh*) cream, and some matching curtains, unless herself has some other ideas. Carpet has been ordered (neutral) and will be fitted in a few days.

I must say, its fantastic to finally feel like progress is being made on something, Himself has been full of the cold for the last couple of days, and is has floored him, as all viruses do to someone with CFS so I have been tackling the wallpapering myself. Its been pretty straightforward, actually, with paste the wall paper making it so much easier! Ignore the wavy lines at the top of the wall, I'm sure some matching paint will sort out those white gaps in no time :D

Phew! Tomorrow, wood chopping if weather permits, buying the wee one a Beavers jersey, and doing some serious knitting while she goes to play at KidzPlay!

Enjoy your week xxx

variable results

Well I havent been doing much crafting apart from sock knitting recently, thanks to a wee trip to the capital, but have been to a couple of wool shops in the hour I had child-free today :)

First I went along Broughton Street to Kathy's Knits, a basement shop but cheery and bright, especially on a wet autumn morning :). Lovely welcoming music, bright well stocked shop, choice of needles, patterns, sofa and table, with knitted items and samples everywhere. In fact, the blanket on one end of the sofa led me to buy the pattern, in the book Handmade in the UK (luscious lace and artisan yarns), by Emily Wessel, and some Rennie yarn to go with. Kathy stocks all UK yarns and has some excellent names. Check out her website for a list of some of what's available. She doesnt sell online but will happily take any phone enquiries. (not sure if she does mail order but would be surprised if she doesnt). All in all, a lovely knitting experience.

Then I went here. K1 Yarns is on the Grassmarket, recently moved (within the last 2 years I think) from Glasgow's West End. Location is fantastic, and its surrounded by lovely wee boutiques and specialist shops; cheesemakers, tweed tailors, old books, classy clothes etc. ... I am loathe to diss a wool shop, especially as I know how hard it is to make a wool shop viable, but there is so much wasted potential in that shop. Shelves were half empty, it was too quiet (I personally like but of background in a shop) and although there was a stock order being unpacked, it still wouldnt have gone very far on the shelves.

Perhaps I am being v unfair, maybe it was a slow day and she'd sold loads over the weekend, but.....

It didnt benefit from the comparison. Still. I found a sock yarn for the mitre blanket :) Then I had to hunt for lunch for when the troops came back from the City Tour...

So it was an interesting wee diversion in a busy weekend. Lovely to be back home though!

What have you been up to?

Creations - of all kinds

Well, the house has been a shambles these last few weeks. With the cold hitting the household very hard, then a few days of building tear-downs and refits (the Blighter's bedroom) and the plasterer going through the house to plaster the bedroom, then today new windows are being fitted in 3 rooms upstairs.....

The place is a skip. A real mess. Dust, plaster, clothes everywhere, furniture has been moved from various rooms to accommodate the window and wall replacement. The sewing room is full of my last craft show stock plus stuff that has been dumped out of the way (see previous comments) so is also a mess.

Am fed up.

On the plus side, have had a birthday with cake:

There's even the gymball I sit on to sew! Fab, fab and delicious :D Although it looks more like my mother than me - this is what I have to look forward to!

And took the Blighter to pony club on Saturday, as a reward for getting enough stickers on her chart of good behaviour (the only thing we have found to really work).

And have been making wee xmas decorations that have worked out chuffingly well:

Just one of my ideas for the next Craft fair - and will hopefully be putting some up on Etsy once I get my finger out. Check me out at Fankle Quilting :)

And I managed to finish this too, which I really enjoyed making:

Single bed size, stitch in the dicth zig zag quilting, plain turq backing

And got this top finally finished too (Space! On the sewing room floor!):

Single bed size, will be big floral patch backing. Quilting - prob crosshatch.

And here's my boy who is just lovely :)

(Spot the sock mitre blanket in the corner, up to 50 squares now...)

Hope you're all having a good Monday. If that's at all possible.
Cheerie!

Filling the silence....

...with the sounds of the sewing machine. Hubby and daughter are away for the night so have the house to myself - have spent all day sewing WOOHOO! Peace, perfect peace, with takeaway food, the laptop entirely to myself and loads of sewing with no interruptions. Aaaaaaah. I will miss them tomorrow, but so far today, so good :)

And I'm finally tackling the pink/brown quilt top that has been lying on my design floor for ever. Phew. Currently sewing the rows together, with cider alongside and some choons on the puter - like this:

Different, but cool.

Aaaah. The silence! (Is unnerving, so will crank up the stereo.)

Ciao, I have some stitches to produce :) xx

In praise of the internet

Hallo. Apologies for the lack of blog posts on here lately. At the moment I am stuffed to the gunwales with snot, with throbbing sinuses and a rumbling toothache thrown in to boot.

Part of the joys of being diabetic, I reckon. Your immune system is shot to hell, because Diabetes type 1 (which is what I have) is caused when your body attacks itself and knackers your pancreas, so no more insulin, hello injections for ever.

 

Which is fine, except my immune system likes to keep itself amused by throwing huge viruses at me every so often. Hence my overwhelming tissue usage and my amazing ability to power a wind turbine with my sneezes.

Nice.

Oh, and a filling needed replaced the other week, got replaced, grumbled ever since, and there is now extended root treatment in my near future. And I hate going to the dentist. (shudder)

Ha! If only....

But, I am powering away on the mitre blanket, seeing as I am mostly anchored to the couch. Have got 6 blocks by 7 blocks done and working in the 7th row. Still looking good, and its keeping my lap toasty warm as I knit.

And thank you everyone in blogland for continuing to post beautiful pictures of your work, and thank you lovely bloggers like Crazy Mom Quilts for giving people a showcase to let them be admired. Yay for the internet when you feel rubbish!

Much snottery love to all xxxxx

Mine, all mine MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Well, I bought it!

It was due to be delivered sometime today, so I planned my house tidying around it.

Luckily it came just before lunch so I had ALL AFTERNOON to play, and have been playing more tonight.

It's very fancy. It's very sensitive; my old machine was basic, but a workhorse, could handle most things with some low level grumbling and occasional outright refusals; this one takes negotiating skills and gentle handling, and paying attention to the instructions. (Would I be wrong to throw in some male/female comparisons here? Just saying...)

The range of stitches is astounding compared to my previous 22, and the feet! Oh the feet! I have no idea what some of them do, even after reading the manual. And boy, you have to read the manual, there's no getting around that. And it's programmable - I have to admit, so far I've skipped these pages, and gone straight for the buttonholes, stitches and basic tension wrangling. (reviews here and here)

I've got 30 days to return it if its not suitable, and I think I willl def need a few to get used to it, see if we get along. My pink/brown patchwork

is still on my design floor, so am putting the Husq through some simple piecing. I must admit the patchwork foot is a wee treasure - 1/4 inch lines marked on it and everything!

More later. Will keep you posted on the compatibility with the Fankle/Crabbit Quilter lifestyle :)