Archive for the Category »Craftiness «
This is a belated Christmas present to Mr Pharmacist’s mother – a cable scarf in her favourite colour. It’s made from this pattern which I found on Ravelry – you have to register on the Lion Brand Yarn website to get the pattern, but it’s free.
We got the yarn at iKnit, Mr Pharmacist picked the yarn himself. She’s seen the scarf half way done and she’s getting the finished product tonight. It’s the first cable project I’ve done and I’m amazed by how easy it was! The yarn was great and easy to work with, and I enjoyed every minute of this project. Chunky yarn is so satisfying to work with, especially after spending ages working on a lace project on reaaaally thin yarn.
But more about that scarf later. Back to cable scarf! Here, have some more detail.
It’s a reversible scarf which has three cables on one side and two on the other. It’s the most complex piece of knitting I’ve done so far but honestly, it was a piece of cake.
Gorgeous.
Go me!
Next project: baby blanket for a friend who is pregnant and expecting in March. So far it’s not going great, I lost a stitch again and keep counting to see where it may have gone. That’s the problem with increase/decrease projects, that stitch could’ve gone anywhere.
Two people haven’t received their Christmas present yet due to Post Sucks, but when they do I shall post all of the Christmas crafting I’ve done, with pictures. I’ve made some really cool stuff (at least I think so) and am quite eager to show it all off!
I bought some supplies when I was in Hungary recently, a nice cross stitch card and some funny pompom yarn.
I was working on the cross stitch card last night when I realised a bit of the thread had gone missing. I swear I searched everywhere in my office and I couldn’t find it. I had given up and put it to one side – the kit was unhelpful in that it didn’t contain any thread colour indicators (only a chart that I had to guess with) so ordering the colour wasn’t happening.
This morning, I was making the bed and shook the blanket over the duvet and out of nowhere, a small piece of thread flies up in the air. I guess it must’ve gotten stuck to someone’s foot? I have no idea, but I was pleased!
Then I opened the pompom yarn, only to find the instructions were in Hungarian, French and German. Shit. So I’ve scanned the instructions and stuck it into google translate. I’m still not 100% user I get this.
Original:
POMPON HANDSTRICKGARN
Kuschelweiches Strukturgarn mit effektvollem Farbmuster. Mit Strickanleitung fur das abgebildete Motiv.
SCHAL POMPON
Machen Sie sich wie bei jedem Garn mit dem Material vertraut. Wahlen Sie hierfiir die Nadelstarke so, dass Ihre Maschenprobe mit der angegebenen Maschenprobe iibereinstimmt.
Bitte beachten Sie:
Wenn Sie aus Color-Garnen groliflachige Teile stricken, empfehlen wir Reihe fur Reihe im Wechsel mit 2-3 Knaueln zu stricken, urn ein eventuelles Bildern (Rapportierung) zu vermeiden.
Material: ca. 200 g, Stricknadeln Nr. 8
Grundmuster: kraus rechts (Hinreihe rechts, Riickreihe rechts)
Maschenprobe: 4,5 Maschen und 8 Reihen = 10×10 cm
Serial:
12 Maschen wie folgt anschlagen:
12 x den Steg (= Verbindung zwischen den Pompons) um die Nadel legen.
Diese Schlaufen in der nachsten Reihe verschrankt abstricken. Kraus stricken, dabei nur jeweils den Steg zwischen den Pompons durch die Masche ziehen. Die Randmaschen in jeder Reihe abstricken. Statt Abketten den Arbeitsfaden (Lange = min. 12 x Steg) durch die verschrankten Maschen ziehen. Fertigstellung: Die Fadenenden mit Nahseide annahen.
Google Translate:
POMPON hand-knitting yarn
Cuddly soft structured with a striking color pattern. With knitting instructions for the pictured design.
SCARF POMPON
Make sure you understand how each yarn with the material (????). Choose hierfiir the needle so much that your swatch iibereinstimmt with the specified tension.
Please note:
If you knit from color yarn groliflachige parts, we recommend series for series in exchange to knit with 2-3 Knaueln, urn a possible images (report files) should be avoided.
Material: 200 g, knitting needles No. 8
Basic pattern: garter (Rs right Riickreihe right)
Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 8 rows = 10×10 cm
Serial:
Cast on 12 stitches as follows:
12 x the web (= connection between the pompoms) to the needle . Lay These loops in the next series verschrankt knit.
Kraus knit, while only one of the web between the pompoms pass through the mesh. The edge stitches in every row knit. Instead of casting off the working thread (length = min. 12 x bar) through the verschrankten mesh drag.
Completion: approximated the thread ends with Nahseide.
So.. help? Can anyone assist in figuring this out?
Eta:
French version!
FIL A TRICOTER A POMPONS POUR TRICOT MANUEL
Fil structure particulierement doux dans des coloris a effet Avec des instructions pour le motif presents
ECHARPE POMPON
Comme avec tout nouveau type de fil a tricoter, habituez-vous tout d’abord au materiau. Pour ce faire, choisissez des aiguilles dont le diametre vous permette de faire un essai dans la taille indiquee.
Attention:
si vous tricotez de grandes pieces de laine coloree, nous vous recommandons de tricoter rang par rang avec deux ou trois pelotes afin d’eviter tout decalage.
Materiau : environ 200 g, aiguilles a tricoter N°8
Point general employe : point boucle droit (un rang endroit, un rang envers)
Echantillon : 4,5 mailles et 8 rangs = 10 x 10 cm
Echarpe:
Faire passer 12 fois la traverse (= fil entre les pompons) autour de I’aiguille. Faire croiser ces passants dans le rang suivant.
Tricoter en point boucle, tout en veillant a faire passer la traverse situee entre les pompons a travers les mailles. Faire un point de bordure a la fin de chaque rang. Au lieu de remailler le fil (longueur = min. 12 x traverse), le faire passer a travers les mailles.
Finitions : coudre les extremites avec de la soie a coudre.
I had to try it. I got the recipe from the teacher on Tuesday and today I was going to make 24 cupcakes.
First thing to go wrong: the cupcake cases were too small, so I had enough cake batter for waaay more cupcakes than I had planned for.
The proper 24 in the oven
The rest waiting
I have supplies!
First batch: pretty good, albeit a bit too far outside the cupcake case in some instances
Second batch: this is going pretty… wait what the hell
Aww maaaaan
I also didn’t manage to get a hold of proper piping bag in plastic so I used normal plastic bags… which I will never do again. I don’t think I got the buttercream quite right, it seemed a bit too moist. And by the time I was done I was so fed up I couldn’t be bothered with the marzipan shapes, I was just too knackered.
So, not perfect.
But edible, I guess
I’m hoping the buttercream improves a little from being in the fridge overnight, at least it should set.
So not dream-like perfectness, but I’m still learning.
This evening I went to my first workshop at The Make Lounge, the theme of the evening was cupcake decorating. I wasn’t expecting to turn out anything magical, I’m not gonna lie, but I am chuffed to pieces with what I came home with.
Gorgeous or what?? The roses, stars and hearts are all marzipan and made by self. Mr Pharmacist was suitably proud of me.
Other things I’ve made recently: Spinach and Goat’s Cheese pizza
Chicken with steamed vegetables, tagliatelle and a blue cheese sauce.
Brie in Puff Pastry with Cranberry Sauce – which I forgot to take pictures of once done. Was feeling a bit lazy so was going to buy puff pastry, but it was sold out. Tried filo pastry instead, and that worked out well.
I’m digging how these homely things like baking, cooking and sowing are becoming more natural to me, rather than being shrouded in mystery that seemed impossible to get past. And it is a lot more satisfying to eat a delicious pizza that you cooked yourself, rather than one bought.
