Saturday, June 28, 2014

More Needlework

Knitting needles that is...

It seems if I don't have a paper craft to do, I pick out another knitting project to keep busy. Recently I've made a couple of pillows for the living room couch. Both are removable covers with button closures.


I LOVE cables!


After completing those in a few days, I decided my next project would be another scarf - one to wear over a shirt once the cooler weather returns. But first I had to figure out a way to wrap the wool I chose into a useable ball. You see, most yarn from a specialty shop comes in neat twisted skeins - they look so pretty on my shelf awaiting a project assignment! But unless you want a twisted mess, you can't knit directly from a skein.


Some people have yarn winders and swifts. I spotted an old wooden swift AND a beautiful spinning wheel at the antique mall - sadly they were too far out of my budget - and where the heck would I PUT a spinning wheel anyway? Nevertheless, they were awesome.

Some knitters use the backs of two chairs to pull their yarn taut. Yet others recruit a family member to hold out two hands whilst they wind...

So what did I do? I used my trusty laptop. I looped the wool around the screen and was able to wind it around a cardboard tube with ease!



I saved the tube from a roll of plastic wrap - it's more sturdy than a paper towel tube. I made sure the start of the wool stuck out so I could grab it once the yarn was wound around it.


Then I slid the wool off the tube, and voila! A center-pull ball that is perfect to knit from, doesn't get tangled or roll away like a regular ball of wool does. And with three cats, the less balls of yarn rolling about the floor, the better.


Here's what I made from two skeins of that Peruvian hand-dyed wool - another kerchief for the Fall. Meggie is kindly modelling for me yet again.


So now that this one is done, off to decide what to tackle next....


9 comments:

  1. Nice projects!!! My former boss was a knitter and her yarn used to get so hopelessly tangled. I was the only person with the patience to untangle it so she had me do that quite a bit.

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  2. Those pillows looks so cozy and I like the stitch you used for the scarf. It looks very light and lacy. Love the way you put new-fangled technology to a very old-fangled purpose! You definately need to share that with your IT peeps - LOL!

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  3. Lovely... I Wonder if Upcycled Old Sweaters would also Work for such Cozy Pillows? Humnnnnnnn... coz it's not like I could knit any like you, you Clever Girl! *LOL*

    Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

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  4. Love the beauty in that scarf!! Makes me want to learn to knit!

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  5. I never learned to knit, but I sure can appreciate any tips that can make the job easier. Your newest masterpiece is gorgeous!

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  6. Maureen, your pillows and scarf are lovely, hoping you will be getting the sunny weather we now have here in the. Okanagan!
    Happy Monday my sweet friend!
    Xo
    Dagmar

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  7. Hi Maureen,
    Just sending you some warm sunny OK weather! know it has been tough for you in Winnipeg..you are in my thoughts..hope you stayed dry with all the flooding!
    Xo

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  8. That Kerchief is gorgeous, as are your Pillows. Is the kerchief your own made up Pattern ?

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  9. Thank you everyone for your very sweet comments. Dawn: oh yes! I have seen people make these from old sweaters! They look fab!

    Thank you for your kind thoughts Dagmar - we have been dry, but some west of us have not been so lucky :(

    Silvia: Thank you. I got the pattern for free over at Ravelry! If you are a knitter or crocheter, it is a free site that has thousands of free patterns!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know you were by. I appreciate and read with delight each and every comment!

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