Anecdotal Knitting

House embroidery, craft yarn on black linen/cotton, 8 inches x 7 inches.

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Inspired by the book Scandinavian Needlecraft, (see below) craft yarn on muslin, 5 inches x 7 inches.

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Original motif from book.

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Craft yarn on muslin 5.5 inches round.

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Craft yarn on yellow linen/cotton, 6.5 inches round.

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Original motif.

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I haven’t posted since May 2010, here is what I’ve been working on, from most recent to oldest.

From Scandinavian Needlecraft by Clare Youngs

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My floral design, 6 inches x 7 inches on yellow linen cotton which was

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inspired by this Floral Cut Work Bag page 20

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My multi-colored 4″ square on broad cloth version of

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the Christmas stocking on the right page 34

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Other embroidery motifs include Calligraphy scrolls and flourishes

8 inches x 2 inches on broadcloth

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6 inches x 0.75 inches on broadcloth

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7 inches x 2.5 inches on broadcloth

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Multi-colored Torrefazione tile, 8 inches x 5 inches on broadcloth

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Flowers, 7 inches x 9 inches on white cotton

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Concentric squares, 6 inches square on white cotton

13″ x 13″ in craft thread on broad cloth.
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Using all the colors
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Hand Bound Books:
Waxed linen thread sewn onto water color paper, art paper and posters. Pages range from sketch paper to lined note paper. Machine stitching on covers.

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Hand Woven Rugs
Woven on a rug loom, multiple strands of wool yarn in double binding weave. And in photos below, fabric strips in warp and weft.

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Crocheted Rag Rugs
Fabric strips of recycled saris or yarn.

Paintings
Oil paint on fabric covered Masonite board.

Crewel Embroidery
Hand stitching on cloth with craft thread or DMC floss. Temporarily mounted on Masonite board, pinned in place.

Sewing
Naugahyde bags, machine stitching with oil cloth or upholstery fabric lining.

Pattern: Lady’s Circular Cape in Shell Pattern by Jane Sowerby in Victorian Lace Today
Started: February 8, 2010
Finished: April 5, 2010
Yarn: Zephyr 50% Merino Wool 50% Chinese Tussah Silk, 2/18 by Jagger Spun, 1255 yards, over-dyed.
Needles: #6
Notes: Body of shawl, rows 1 – 81 took 63 grams = 700 yards, 124 repeats of border (chart B) took 50 grams = 556 yards.

For 10 panels the total stitch count is 58,462 stitches. 1/4 is on row 52, 1/2 is on row 77 and 3/4 is on the 58th repeat of border.

To knit the border into the live stitches at the hem I placed all the stitches on a circular needle cable with stops on the ends. I transferred 6 stitches from the cord to a locking removable marker and carried the marker on the circular needles used to knit the border stitches (not the double pointed needles that the pattern calls for). The held hem stitches were getting stretched out from the weight of the cord with stops without this intermediary step of a locking marker.

I used a provisional crochet cast on instead of the lace cast on as the pattern specifies.

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45 Greens – 6 strands of DMC floss on broad cloth, 7 inches square

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27 Blues – 6 strands of DMC floss on broad cloth, 4.25 inches square

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Reds, yellows, oranges – 6 strands of DMC floss on broad cloth, 6 inches square

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Flowers in 6 strands of Iris variegated cotton floss and DMC floss on white fabric, 7 inches x 6 inches.

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A Victorian Gothic floor tile, in over-dyed Knit Picks Gossamer wool on white fabric, 7 inches square.

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as seen in

Six strands of DMC floss in split stitch on white cotton fabric.

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A detail

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My inspiration

From the book Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray, a variety of floral motifs in one strand of Knit Picks Gossamer over-dyed stitched on broad cloth. The photos in this post have been adjusted for color levels and brightness to show the variegations of the yarn and stitch definition.

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And two more motifs from hand painted tile tables at Torrefazione.

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And a detail

McCalls patterns 5252 and 5538 combined, cotton twill outer fabric, synthetic lining fabric.

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Upper front pocket and lower front pockets from 5252.

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Yoke curve and sleeve pocket from pattern 5538.

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Additional inner pocket in lining, with twill fabric backing for support.

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Pattern: Sleeveless Sweater by Barbara G. Walker from “Knitting from the Top”.
Started: December 1, 2009
Finished: December 16, 2009
Yarn: Galway worsted wool by Plymouth Yarn, 210 yards/100 grams, gray over-dyed, 525 yards. Gossamer lace weight merino by Knit Picks, 440 yards/50 grams, Sunrise over-dyed, knit with 3 strands, 440 yards. Total for vest is 672 yards.
Needles: 5 and 7.
Gauge: 4.5 st/in, 6 rows/in.