The Poly Gem Project

Hi Everyone 

Following yesterday’s post, I’ve been working on developing my bezel cups for the latest poly gems. I’m sharing one of the cups in my photo story.. The photo story shows the very first stages of the constructed bezel cup job. There’s still lots of finishing required, however, you can see how the idea will work with one of the rings. I think, there will be three rings in total ?

             

I’m going to add closed rings to several of the other cups and attach a chain for pendants. I have learned lots about the poly gem developments for the future with this project. The size is important and I needed to spend lots of time dressing the stone in the photo story. Both the edges and the base of the poly gem needed lots of filing, in future - this needs to be done at the clay moulding stage. I think, a better approach is the create a range of bezel cups and make poly gems to fit rather than the approach I took this time ie creating the cup around the gem.

Generally, I’m quite pleased with how the stones are working with the silver ring. The ring is not that big, slightly disappointed about this, but will be lovely. I think, this ring is destined for me !

Thanks for calling in today. 

Have a great weekend. 

I’m off on a family trip next week, so will be back on Monday 4/11/19 with more Making stories.

Poly Gems

Hi Everyone 

Today, I’m sharing a number of poly gem stones developed earlier this week. As I described in my initial post on this subject last week (check out the post here), I wanted to create poly gems with an enamel finish. My early experiments found that the temperatures needed to accommodate both polymer and enamel are crucial to the finish. The enamel needs a slightly higher temperature to completely melt the enamel powder. This puts the polymer at risk of burning, so the time exposed to the higher temperature needs to be managed carefully. I’ve tried applying the enamel both before and after curing the polymer. I think, applying the enamel onto pre cured polymer has worked best for me. I used my curing oven for the stones in my photo story. The first experiments were ‘cooked’ in my Efcolor stove (check out the stove here) and I managed to burn the polymer - several times.

          

The final experiment worked quite well in terms of time and temperature, so the stones are there and ready to be turned into gems for bezel cups.

I’m ready to make the bezel cups today. The poly gems are all slightly different shapes and sizes - the first bezel cups will be those for the largest stones and will form part of a ring. I’ll make a couple of cups (to start with) and see how things turn out. Watch this space for progress.

Thanks for calling in today.

Ready to Wear

Hi Everyone 

Finally, I’ve managed to refit the shirt/blouse. The original idea was introduced here on the blog a few weeks ago. I shortened the length of the garment and the sleeves. 

              

I took the cuffs off the garment and refitted them with several pleats (at the wrist). Although the job took a while, most of the time was taken up with undoing the previous stitching and making decisions. I’ve kept the body width of the item and this results in a boxy, relaxed fit. I like this fit and it seems to work well with layering for colder days (I’m wearing a long sleeved T shirt under the blouse/shirt in my photo story). Originally, I had thought about adding darts to give a closer body fit. I’m happy to have gone for the relaxed fit, I’m convinced I will wear the shirt/ blouse more.

The shirt/blouse fabric is an interesting London Underground print in a lovely soft fabric, easy to wear and a useful everyday garment. I do like the transformation job. The recycling idea was central to this project and has reinforced my intentions to continue recycling more items from my wardrobe. So, more recycling plans are required !

Thanks for calling in today.

Knitting Update

Hi Everyone 

I’m sharing progress with my current sweater knit today, the Woodbine Sweater by Fiona Alice. Check out my introductions to the project

here and here. The project has gone well so far. I’ve hand spun the majority of the yarn and hand dyed the bit that wasn’t hand spun. Generally, it’s a from scratch project. The size seems good so far, although, I’m slightly anxious that the length of the sweater maybe slightly longer than I’d hoped ! It’s difficult to tell how the final fit will work out, until I’ve knitted more of the sleeves.

          

The sides of the sweater have been created around the central lace panels and I’ve made a start with the sleeves. The sides of the sweater are closed with a three needle bind off, this is a particularly satisfying technique for closing seams and leaves a beautifully neat finish.

I need to complete the sleeves and add the neckband. The published sweater design incorporates a lace pattern on each sleeve, I’m not so keen on this element. My plan is to knit a plain stocking stitch sleeve. I do need to recalculate the stitch number for the sleeves. I’m not quite sure how they will work at the moment ? I’ll spend some time today working out the plan. The final job will be a simple rib for the neckband.

This sweater has been a great project. Considering the hand spun element, I’m quite pleased with the progress I’ve made. I’m hoping the fit will be good. If it’s not perfect, I’ll probably need to rip it out and start again ! I’ll get a sense of that today, so fingers crossed. 

Thanks for calling in today.

Spin to Knit Project

Hi Everyone 

After my recent success with spinning for knitting (see the details of the project here); I’ve started another. This time, I’m using a smaller amount of fibre for the spin and pairing it with a repurposed (to be) batch of ready made yarn. My previous project is well underway, I have the sleeves and the neckband to complete - there will be more on the project later this week.

Getting back to the new project, I’m using a very different fibre for the spin part of the project. This time it’s a carded Perendale fibre, dyed in a beautiful bright green/yellow shade called Lichen. I’ve only just started the spin but it’s going OK. I need to adjust the ‘feel’ of this spin compared to the previous experience. This time the fibre is a medium coarse wool resulting from a cross between Romney and Cheviot sheep.

              

I need to undo the majority of the yarn for my new project, currently a sweater garment. I’ll provide details of the project later this week, after I undo the sweater. My plan is to spend some time spinning - a short session each day. I will also make time to undo the sweater, soak the yarn and prepare for the new knitting project. Hopefully, I’ll be able to launch my new knit in a week or so.

Thanks for calling in today.

Silver Work

Hi Everyone 

I’m sharing part of my weekly silver work today. I’ve produced a large batch of rings, yet to be finished, this week. Some of the rings are destined for the Blue Collection, introduced earlier this week. I’m hoping they will receive their enamelled poly gems (from yesterday’s blog story) shortly. However, the rings (in my photo story) are destined for experiments in developing my technique for enamelling poly gems.

           

I have a particular fondness for making silver rings, so have enjoyed this job. However, I’m also keen to make bezel cups for this batch. I will choose three different colours for my enamelled gems. Probably a red, green and mustard/yellow. The gems will be different sizes and organic in shape, I’m not sure how things will turn out ?, I’ll wait and see what happens. I’ll share all my experiments.

Thanks for calling in today. 

Have a great weekend. I’ll be back on Monday with more Making stories.

Enamelled Poly Gems

Hi Everyone 

I’m sharing the results of a little experiment with enamelled Poly Gems today. These little gems are part of my Blue Collection ideas. They will be turned into bezel gems for a ring and a pendant. The basic gem (in my photo story) is made of polymer clay and finished off with an enamelled layer.

                

I’m using my favourite blue colour but will experiment with more colours later today. I like the idea of reds and greens. However, I have to say, I do love the blue colour and the way it works with the dark clay, I’ll test out a few different clay colours to compare.

My next step with these particular gems is to shape the gems and make customised sterling silver bezel cups. I’ll add one of the bezels to a ring and give the other a closed ring to attach to a chain. I’m not sure about the final size of the gems ? I’ll work on the shapes until I get something which works. At the moment, the gems are quite big (approximately 2cm diameter) - when they are sanded, I will probably loose around 0.5cm. I’m not particularly keen on a standard shape, so I’ll go with whatever feels right when I shape my polygem. I’ll share the results as I go.

Thanks for calling in today.

Sock Knitting

Hi Everyone 

My latest sock knitting project is going well. I’ve completed one sock and the cuff of number two is almost there. I’m quite surprised how quickly this sock has come about. These socks are gift socks and I’ve started quite early to give myself lots of time. Every year, I am slightly stressed when the gift knitting isn’t in place before the beginning of December. I have very few knitworthy relatives and friends so not too many items to produce !

            

The socks in my photo story are lovely, I may even make myself a pair. These socks are a simple design, they have a wide rib on the leg and top of the foot but otherwise a very simple standard sock pattern. That said, it’s exactly what’s required for a comfortable sock. You can find the yarn details here
on a previous blog post.
I’m knitting these socks alongside my sweater project at the moment so things may progress more slowly but I’m confident I’ll finish the socks within the next week.

Thanks for calling in today.

Blue Beads

Hi Everyone 

I’m sharing a new sample bracelet today. This new Collection is all about the colour ‘blue’.

          

I worked on the beads last week and have put together a sample bracelet (see my photo story). Inspiration for this  Collection has come from knitting my latest sweater, featured on the blog yesterday. Look back to see the details. 

There will be a number of additional designs in the Blue Collection, including beads similar to those in the sample bracelet. However, each bead is an individual item and formed with unique colour combinations. 

I’m also incorporating sterling silver into the designs and will play with developing rings, pendants and earrings. I’m hoping I can make ‘poly gems’ for each of my silver pieces. My plans are to produce something similar to a cabachon (a gemstone which has been shaped and polished, the resulting form is usually a rounded shape with a flat reverse) component.

I’ll keep the silver element simple and allow the poly gem to steal the show.

I love big rings and the poly gem idea will allow me to have a very large ring which is quite lightweight to wear. I’ll share my Collection progress over the next few weeks.

Thanks for calling in today.

Knitting News

Hi Everyone 

More news to report about my latest sweater project. This sweater, Woodbine by Fiona Alice is probably about a third of the way into being made. Perhaps more, if I count in the spinning job. This is a big project for me. I’ve hand spun most of the yarn (I used a ready made yarn for one of the ply sections) and everything has gone well, so far. My only slight reservation (at this point) is the width of the central panels now they have been blocked. The pattern is ready to knit out from the sides of the front and back panels. If my panels are not quite wide enough, I should be able to compensate by knitting a little more on each side, I hope ? I’ve no evidence to support the idea that the panels are not wide enough, it’s just how it looks to me.

            

I’m very pleased with the development of the yarn. Spinning for a whole sweater is quite a big deal for me. I am fine with thinking of a partial spin but a whole sweater is something else ! Over the weekend, I’ve soaked and dried around 400gm of yarn. It’s wound into three cakes and ready to start the sides. My next job is to pick up stitches along the length of the front and back sides and start producing the sides of the sweater. Hopefully, I. An start that job later today.

Thanks for calling in today. 

Beads for Bracelets

Hi Everyone 

Today, I’m sharing a few little beads. These beads will form part of a range of bracelets. For this Collection, I’m taking inspiration from fabric and sewing projects. All the beads will be made from polymer clay. I’m using polymer because it’s great for creating lightweight beads as well as being amazingly versatile for creating all kinds of shapes.

              

Much of my own wardrobe is blue. It’s a colour I come back to all the time. So, there are lots of plans to produce ‘blue’ bracelets. The beads for this particular bracelet are simple, small and roundish. This time, they will string onto an elastic thread. I love these type of bracelets, very easy to wear and can be stacked to give lots of variations.

My process is to identify a piece of fabric or an item of clothing and use this for creating the colours and surface patterns of the beads. The Blue Collection is well underway and I’m already looking at moving into teals and greens for the next batch. I’m experimenting with creating innovative ways of getting the surface pattern onto my clay as well as introducing silver into the Collections. There will be different styles of closures but I do want to concentrate on producing simple stretchy bracelets and make beautiful colours and patterns. I’ll share new developments often.

Thanks for calling in today. Have a great weekend. I’ll be back on Monday with more Making stories.

Gift Knitting

Hi Everyone 

My official gift knitting plan is underway. I’m not mentioning the C word but you will know what I’m talking about.  I’ve chosen the yarn and a pattern for a pair of men’s socks. I have a couple of people that are knitworthy, so only have two pairs of socks to make. I’m usually starting this job in November but I’m giving myself a bit more time, this year. My first pair of socks will be a self striping yarn in greens and blues with a contrast heel, toe and cuff. The plain yarn is a sock yarn from West Yorkshire Spinners, not sure of the colour name ? I think, it’s Juniper. The striped yarn is King Cole Zig Zag in the Michigan colour. Both yarns have been sitting in my stash for quite some time.

           

I’m using a new pattern, to me. It’s the Wise Hilda’s Basic Ribbed Sock by Kate Atherley. I simply searched for free patterns on Ravelry and this was the first one that came up. The pattern is fairly standard and follows the basic sock pattern that I would normally knit, other than an overall rib pattern. 

There’s not much more to say on this one. I should be able to make good progress over the weekend and I’ll start looking in my stash for a second ball of wool to start the next pair of socks. I have lots of sock yarn and am doing quite well with not buying new stuff, this will reduce the stash, a little !

I’ll let you know how the pattern turns out.

Thanks for calling in today.

Spinning Talk

Hi Everyone 

I’m still consumed with spinning for my Woodbine Sweater (design by Fiona Alice). Check out my daily blogs from this week to read more about the project. The project is moving at a pace !  I seem to be slightly more productive re my spinning speed this week. Usually, spinning for a sweater tends to be overwhelming. However, this time everything has gone to plan and I’ve managed the spin well. I think the key is breaking down the project into manageable chunks.

             

I have all the fibre spun and on bobbins. I’ve also wound my dyed yarn (from yesterday) onto bobbins, ready for plying with the hand spun. The photo top left has the hand spun on the right and the dyed yarn on the left. Plying in this way is a new idea for me and I wasn’t totally convinced it would work. Fortunately, I think all is well. I’ve plyed a bobbins full of yarn and wound it onto the niddy noddy (photo bottom right). The colours are working well together and I’m pleased with the resulting, quite dark navy yarn.
I'm also quite pleased with the quantity of yarn I have. I was a little unsure about the finished yardage and did wonder how I could plan any shortfall. Im now hopeful that I’ll have enough to complete my sweater. There is an option to use some of the other yarn I developed for the central section (see this yarn here and here. My preference is to have plain sleeves but if I run out of yarn, I could knit the lace section of the sleeves (as per the pattern- check an image of the pattern here showing the lace section on the sleeves).

Today’s job is to complete the plying. I’ll leave the yarn on the niddy noddy overnight and soak it tomorrow. The yarn will take a day or so, to thoroughly dry. I can probably begin knitting the sides and sleeves by the weekend.

Thanks for calling in today.

Woodbine Sweater Continues

Hi Everyone 

Exciting developments. I have dyed a few hanks of yarn for my Woodbine Sweater job as per the suggestion from yesterday. Everything has gone well. I was anxious about getting a Navy colour but I have managed to do that. It’s not quite as dark as it could be but I’m sure it will be fine. The yarn took all the dye immediately (in the dye process) and it’s such a good feeling when there’s no dye residue when rinsing. 

              

I’ve used a BFL yarn for my dye job so the resulting batch is very soft and squishy - just right for plying with my hand spun stuff. I need to keep going with spinning so I can get going with the knitting. I’m hoping to complete the spin element by the end of the week. I’ll ply this new yarn with the hand spun and then it’s back to knitting the remaining part of the sweater. Read back here for more details of the knit project.

I’ll update progress by the end of the week.

Thanks for calling in today.

My Woodbine Sweater Moves On ...

Hi Everyone 

My Woodbine Sweater has moved on ! Check out the background story here . 

Last week, I’d decided to knit the remaining sweater sections (sides and sleeves) in a repurposed grey yarn. Things have changed ! Having spent time, over the weekend, delving into my stash. Ive have found some more navy fibre to spin. The fibre is a Merino /Bamboo mix. This idea has turned the project into something quite different !

            

I’m pleased with the new spin element, so far. However, there is still not enough yarn to complete my sweater. That’s it, as far as navy fibre of navy yarn exist in my stash ! I have a few options, all of which involve dyeing. 

So, my next plan is to dye some undyed fibre or dye some undyed pre spun yarn. If I dye the pre spun stuff, things will move on, relatively quickly. 

The idea would be to ply my navy spinning (the yarn in my photo story above)with the pre spun stuff to give me an Aran weight yarn. I intend to complete the sides and sleeves of the sweater with this new yarn and could be on my way to completing the project. If, I go for more spinning with dyed fibre, things would take much longer and involve much more work. Im struggling to see the advantages right now ? 

At the moment, I’m leaning towards the first idea. My thoughts are that, I could always use the dyed pre spun yarn for lots of other projects if the yarn doesn’t work for the Woodbine job. Navy is always my favourite colour for most occasions and will definitely be used. My concerns involve dying the colour, generally. I’ve has previous issues with dying a true Navy colour. However, I’m ready to give the dye plan, a go.

If all fails re the dye job, I will buy some yarn to ply my hand spun yarn. I’m sure at can live with whatever happens. All very exciting and such things keep me happy !

I’ll share any developments as they happen.

Thanks for calling in today.

Knitting News

Hi Everyone 

I have a little knitting progress to share today. I started my latest sweater project last week using me Made yarn. I’m thrilled with the outcome. This yarn has been lovely to knit and I’m quite surprised how far it’s going. One of my concerns was that I wouldn’t have enough. As it’s turned out, there is more than enough to produce my initial plan. You can read about the pre knitting job as well as the plans here , here and here.

                 

It’s all come together beautifully, so far !

I’ve knitted the front panel and I’m  almost finished the back centre panel, just a little more to go. I hadn’t considered making a lace section on the sleeves but I may go for it ? My initial plan was to knit plain sleeves.

 I need to prepare or source the yarn for the other part of the sweater ie the side sections and sleeves. I have an idea to use a grey dk (previously an unwanted sweater) which will be held with navy mohair. I’m not totally sure about this ? I think, it may need to be a navy colour. I don’t have a navy so I would need to buy some or possibly over dye the grey ?

My next task is to swatch the grey and check the look. I’ll make a large swatch to ensure I get enough of the contrast material. The side sections and the sleeves are quite a significant part of the sweater, so it’s important they work well together.

Thanks for calling in today. Have a great weekend. I’ll be back on Monday.

Tiny Tassels Revived

Hi Everyone 

While reading the latest Laine magazine (Autumn/Winter 2019), I was particularly drawn to the photo on the back cover (see top left image on my photo story). On closer inspection, I realised the shawl is the Tiny Tassels shawl from Loop London. I made this shawl for my me made Advent Project last Christmas or rather I have almost made the shawl.

I loved the Advent Making plan, you can read about the start of the project here. There are quite a few posts in December, tracking my progress. For some reason, Life took over and I didn’t quite finish the project ! The shawl has been sitting in its project bag ever since. I think, it’s time to get this one finished.

             

The shawl on the back of the magazine seems much larger than my version ? I do have small amounts of yarn left. However, at the time, I was slightly anxious that I wouldn’t have enough yarn to complete the tassels. The tassels really make the shawl for me, so I have a dilemma. Perhaps, I could try and find more yarn ? I can’t  remember anything about the yarn, I need to read my posts again.

I’m quite keen to wear my shawl, as soon as the weather permits. I think, I have a few weeks yet ! So, plenty of time to research and possibly source more yarn. I’ll let you know how things go.

Thanks for calling in today.

Wearing Hilda

Hi Everyone 

I’m finally there. Hilda is ready to wear, she has been ready for over a week. Take a look at the whole Hilda story is here and here. 

               

Hilda has worked out as planned and fits well. I do think it’s very much a Summer garment. I did think I could add some tights, boots and a cosy wool sweater to turn Hilda into a Winter thing - I’m not quite sure I can do this now ? I certainly need a few tops and sweaters to compliment the idea.

I do like the Hilda design and can see the idea being transferred to a lightweight wool fabric. There needs to be an element of drape and perhaps pockets are something which would be good ? I like the length of the skirt, I did wonder if a longer version would be better for a Winter version ? I’ll keep thinking about that.

My next sewing project is a recycled shirt hack, I mentioned the idea here on the blog, last month. I don’t think the project is a big job - famous last words ! Hopefully, I’ll get my blouse underway later today. I’ll share progress here on the blog.

Thanks for calling in today.

Spinning to Knitting

Hi Everyone 

Moving on from yesterday’s news about my latest spinning project, I’ve swatched for the sweater ‘to be’.

                

My new sweater will be Woodbine by Fiona Alice. You can find all the details about the finished sweater here on Ravelry. I’m adapting the pattern to accommodate my yarn. I’m not entirely sure how things will turn out, as yet ? The key to my design will be how far I can make my ‘me spun’ yarn go. Take a look at my yarn here. 

The first job has been to swatch the lace element. As you can see from my photos story, I’ve tried 5mm and 6.5mm needles for my swatch and it’s seems to 6.5mm is the one. 

I’m holding my yarn with a navy mohair (as per the pattern) and I’m getting a lovely rich, dark, squishy fabric. I will cast on for the lace section today and am very excited to see how things turn out.

As I’m working with the lace section, I will experiment with a couple of yarns in my stash to determine which yarn colour I can use for the remaining part of the sweater. The whole sweater is knitted with the navy mohair as a second strand, throughout. My preference at the moment will be a grey colour although maybe a navy would be better ? I’ll swatch to check ‘the look’.

Thanks for calling in today.