Category Archives: Yarn

Knitting A Red Riding Hood…part 1

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So, the wonderful Michelle and I are doing a private swap I’m getting two extra pillow covers that match the ones she’s already done up for me in the Crafted Cushion Cover Swap and I’m making her a knit red riding hood that she had on her pinterest.  I said I’d go ahead and post photos as I go along of how I’m making it on the knitting machine and thus this post :-)

 

Source: etsy.com via Michelle on Pinterest

 

And here is what it is supposed to look like.  So I went over to Etsy to the shop of the lady who makes these and low and behold the pattern is available for purchase for only $5!  What a deal right?

Wrong!  This is me trying to decipher the atrocious directions, lol.  There are only a couple actual photos in the pattern and I’m trying to figure out for the life of me why the woman decided to construct what should have been simple into so many sections with horrible looking (in the back) seam.  Not even worth translating into a machine knit pattern, if I could I’d ask for a refund but it’s an E-pattern :::shrug:::  So I’m going to be making my own pattern, lets face it a cabled hood is not original I just purchased the pattern to expedite the process…or so I thought.

 

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New Pattern Spoiler -Leafy Winter Green Headband

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I am in the process of working out a cute little headband utilizing the tumbling climbing, whatever leaf pattern similar to the one in “Beautiful Knitting Patterns” I have an example of the pattern here on the site but not the design itself, hopefully this tester will work out and I’ll be posting it over at Ravelry :-)

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Recycle Those Coffee Cans…Yarn Containers

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Yes, I’ve got another one of those pesky empty coffee cans, like a broken toe (because a chairs  jump out at me)… it happens.  What to do with this one? Hmmm, I’ve got some yarn that I’m going to be using soon so I thought I would go with recycle coffee can procedure #3 in my house :-) Use it as a container for unwound yarn.

Some folks knit or crochet straight from the skein, or from a cone, or a ball; but me, I like my yarn to flow smoothly so my tension remains the same so I needed a way to keep it unwound all in one place with a lesser chance of my toddler getting a hold of it.

Yes, you can (pun intended) purchase a yarn container in various sizes at your local craft store or online, or you might  even use a 2 or 3 liter soda bottle.  But of course I have coffee cans – here, free, and recyclable.  Decorate it if you like and simply make a hole in the top to string your yarn through (after you’ve unwound into the can first of course!)

Now to unwind your yarn!  You can do it by hand, it’s free that way after all but if you have a busy household like I do you need it done asap so the kids and critter(s) don’t get tangled, in which case I suggest you get something like the Berkley Magnum Xpress Line Stripper .  Yarn junkies can have power tools too ;-)

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I need a shawl or wrap pattern idea…please!

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Ok, here is the thing.  My Mom and Dad are going to Ireland in September for their 30th wedding anniversary :-)   I was thinking that I would like to make Mom (so that she’s wrapped in our love while overseas) a nice shawl or wrap to keep her warm and stylish while she humors Dad and his pub crawl…err… so that she’s warm when out sightseeing or keeping Dad from spending too much, lol.

I don’t know what I’m looking for so I’m looking for suggestions!  I have already picked out the yarn though.  I have managed to get my hands on 9 skeins of Bucilla Halo. Click the photos below to enlarge them and really see how pretty it is.

Now I am looking for something fairly simple yet beautiful, maybe something that incorporates a large detail such as a cable or something.  I don’t know that’s why I’m looking for suggestions!  Knit or crochet I’m open to either.

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Machine Knitting Bond Style

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Some people like it, some people don’t, not to be rude but I think most people in the don’t category don’t give it a proper chance and I’ll be happy if you live in the Jacksonville, Florida area to give you free instruction on how to get started properly, remember crawl before we walk no matter what our age.   It does take the length of the video and then a bit of practice to get used to doing something so foreign especially if you’re a hand knitter, but let me tell you I can “thread” (for lack of a better term) the blasted thing and my 3-year-old is able to move the carriage back and forth.

Folks, there is no faster way to get a whole lotta stockinette stitch done (20 inches in 5 frickin minutes) and with a machine that doesn’t break the bank.  Don’t let the idea that that’s all the Bond does deter you from what can be a pleasant and fulfilling relationship with this knitting machine.

Click on either of the above photos to zoom in. All photos in posts here at TheManicCrafter.com will enlarge like this.

Here are a couple of examples of the popular Growing, Tumbling, Whatever you want to call them Leaves pattern and done right on my little Ole Bond Machine!  It took me getting a chart for it and then about 10 minutes to make my own chart in reverse since the original was for hand knitting and when you’re using the Bond you see and work from the backside (purl) rather than the front (knit).  You can download the chart right here(coming soon) already for you to go!

Now there ARE a few things that to me are a downside I’ll admit and if you’re just going to do a bit of casual knitting it really won’t be a biggie for you but for me I am sad that there is not a ribber currently being made for this machine and according to the Bond America customer service lady it hasn’t been made in over 15 years.  Bond used to be made in the UK btw but is now a part of Caron International.

The other downside is that there isn’t a commercially available garter bar though there are directions to make your own with bobby pins which I have done, but again if you’re just a casual user this is no biggie.

The Bond Sweater Machine is a 8mm Bulky single bed knitting machine which means that it doesn’t do “fine” knitting like in some of the thinner sweaters you can purchase, it’s bulky and uses mostly worsted weight or sport weight yarns though I have successfully used the thinner yarns and naturally the stitches are large because it’s 8mm :-)

This machine is awesome though and you can check out some of the free patterns available from Bond right here to give you an idea of what is possible.  Give it a try you can use a coupon from your local craft store to purchase on for less than the retail (if you don’t like it return it or sell it) or you can pick one up online.

Here are some nifty groups to check out for those who have a Bond or are thinking of getting one.

Incredible Sweater Machine Club @ Yahoo groups

Bonders @ Ravelry

I plan on posting some of my projects under the “machine knitting” section of this site and how I did them, heck I might even post some of the patterns I’ve made, so stay tuned!

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