Paper flower wreath

On January 26, 2022 By CarynIn Craft

That was more work than I anticipated. Folding all the flowers from slightly off-sized origami paper torn from a book wasn’t bad, but adding the twisting of the wire stems doubled the time for each. Then I decided to cut down some of the paper to make three different sizes. Then my kids’ school was cancelled for three days because there weren’t enough teachers and subs due to COVID infections. Hm. Anyway, I did finally complete the wreath by adding the flowers to a grape vine circle. I regularly change out the picks on this wreath, so no gluing, I just hooked the wire around the vine so I can use the base again. Rather than fill the wreath full of flowers, I did a size gradient so I can still see the lovely woody vines. I do like this wreath!

Paper flower wreath on a grape vine base

Switching skeins

On January 24, 2022 By CarynIn Craft

I’m ready to add in a new skein on Grandma’s blanket. I actually made it through the skein she was working on, which bodes well for the project! Grandma did not let the yarn run out willy nilly, but gauged if she had enough for a new row, and did her joins at the edges with an overhand knot. I’m guessing that she addressed the ends when she added the border.

I can appreciate this method because making joins in the middle of a row can leave unsightly lumps. There are many methods of joining (that might be another post), but leaving them on the edge is a sure fire way of avoiding seeing them in the field of work. Now I’m really hoping Grandma added the yarn waste into her yardage calculations.

Switching needles

On January 19, 2022January 22, 2022 By CarynIn Craft

I don’t like metal knitting needles. The are so slick I feel like I’m going to drop them, and if you don’t notice them coming unscrewed from the cable, you have an extreme panic moment when you suddenly have loose stitches at the end of the needle. The nylon cable has also taken on a permanent twist, which makes it fight the needle movement.

Interchangeable circular knitting needles with stiff nylon cord

My Grandma used metal replaceable needle tips on her interchangeable circular needles. Although I want to finish her project, it won’t be with her needles if I want to retain what sanity I have left. I understand that at the time they were the latest thing and better than what came before, but there are now even better options. I ordered some Prym circular needles in the same size Grandma used, but with a fixed multi-strand steel cable, which is strong and flexible. These needles are easier on my hands as I knit because I don’t have a death grip on slippery slidey needles that have a mind of their own.

Switching from metal needles to Prym ergonomic knitting needles

I do not get a kick back from Prym, in case you are wondering, I just really enjoy the thought and engineering that went into their design.

Paper picks

On January 17, 2022January 17, 2022 By CarynIn Craft

I was feeling weak when I walked through the craft store. I must have been, because a book of origami paper caught my eye and I bought it. A book. Of origami paper. What was I thinking? The pages were glued into the spine, rather than loose as in a package of origami paper, and even though I can bend the spine open to get the pages our relatively cleanly, they aren’t perfectly square. What to do with all this paper that isn’t quite suited for origami as torn? Maybe a wreath?

I found instructions for folded paper flowers (I’m not calling it origami, because it involves more than just folding), that uses wire, glue, and beads. I have wire, glue, and beads.

The way the flowers are folded allows me to hide the gaps due to the imprecise paper shape.

The way the wire goes around the paper, it makes sense to twist the two sides together to make a pick. Picks make it easier to stick the flower into a wreath form.

I’ll update y’all later on how the wreath comes out.

Edging with i-cord

On January 15, 2022January 11, 2022 By CarynIn Craft

Could it be? Have I found a knitting technique I really enjoy? Maybe! This is another thing that looks complicated on paper, but in practice is not bad at all. I rather like sliding the double pointed needle from one side to the other to start the next row; it is satisfying. In fact, I like knitting it to the edge, rather than sewing on an i-cord, not only because it is a nice finish, but it also hides the edge inside the cord. Neat! There are all sorts of instructions out there, and I admit I did resort to watching a video, so I won’t spell out the steps here. So I remember for next time, though, I used a four stitch i-cord, and used the slip one, knit two together in the back method for decreases at the beginning of a row.