A stitch of tea

follows and reblogs as pensandknittingneedles ravelry: kaesrel // randomness includes: yarn, tea, politics, tarot cards

[krakengoddess]

I knit the Fossil Frenzy Cowl by Mary P Hunt and it was a very very good decision.

[saltpixiefibercraft]

Part 2 of the process photos for the Xmas dishtowels! Technically both the warp for moms gift AND my sisters gradient scarp warp off to the side. It was such a pretty braid when it came off the board.

[sweet-cider]

[pigeonsparty]

Scarf woven with my handspun- Tempest, which you may recognise from a previous video

[ditsyknits]

Video of the little house, stay to the end for bonus cat sniffs

[knittystitch]

A 2021 commuknity concept:

We all embrace that there are a near infinite number of ways to knit correctly

We ask questions to explore techniques that are unfamiliar to us

We stop assuming that if another knitter is using a different method of knitting they are, by default, doing it "wrong "and we stop making the choice to go out of our way to tell them it's "wrong"

In short: No Unsolicited Knitting "Advice" 2021

[conchobarbarian]

I did more knitting for this pie crust than I have on my actual knitting WIP in the last week

[verifiedclown]

September 13, 2020: 150 hexipuffs! I moved 1100 miles and started law school since the last quilt post, but still managed to do 50 puffs in a month and two days. Really hoping I can keep this pace up through the fall

[unexpectedyarns]

I got bold wit me knittin’

[astitchoftea]

Some people just don’t get how much work goes into making a blanket.

[professorpski]

“All-over plain stockinette stitch is dull to look at and boring to work, even for the beginner. A machine can make it very nicely, but the hand-knitter is not a machine and should not try to imitate one. …. With just a few lines, provided they are well-chosen and well-placed, the plain canvas becomes a work of art….. Put a band of texture, a band, or a panel of pattern into that drearily unadorned first sweater.”

— Barbara Walker, A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, 1970. Whenever I see a new knitter aiming for something too simple, I think of this passage. You don’t really want a plain navy blue crewneck cardigan, I want to say, cause you could find one of those anywhere. And I want to reassure them that it is really not that hard to calculate how to add a column of lace stitches or little cables up just one side. Not only could it be beautiful, it could be far more interesting to make up, no?

[missgremlinne]

Tiny!Geralt on his way to fight the monster

He has found the monster! The battle has started

He has defeated the monster!!

[astitchoftea]

Omg this is too cute!!

[blankie-wanky]

I grew up with a grandma who quilted, but she’d never been interested in passing along the hobby, so when she finally kicked it I was the grandkid who got all her materials, ‘cause I was the only one who knew how to use a sewing machine. Then, in 2015, a friend had a baby and I figured I’d make her a quilt, ‘cause how hard could it be?

oh

my

god

Luckily I am the stubbornest human alive, ‘cause I never woulda finished otherwise. I didn’t know what I was doing, didn’t know the terms to look up how to do anything, I musta reinvented the wheel like eight times and it took ten months, BUT I DID IT.

Figured I’d suffered enough and would never do it again and now I’m on quilt #9 smdh

————————–

I’m hyperventilating.

Holy shit. Holy SHIT.

This is INCREDIBLE.

Oh my god.

I’ve gotta go lay down holy shit look at this how do we just walk by other human beings every day and live our separate lives when there’s a person sitting next to you on the train or in line for coffee who goes home and makes things like this what even IS being human holy shit.

GOOD FUCKING JOB.

[awheckery]

Oh heck I did not expect the notes to blow up on this, UM

Okay so on a purely technical level, this is not that difficult, you just gotta come at it a little sideways.

The background of this sucker is just rows of 1.5″-wide fabric strips. I can’t remember the exact pattern, but I wanna say it was something like one row 6″ strips, one row 4.5″ strips, one row alternating? I don’t remember exactly, it was a while ago. That’s not difficult, you just lay it out and sew it all together one row at a time. It’s not hard, just tedious.

The fish are a lil different. I can’t draw, there is a disconnect somewhere and my hands are stupid, so I figured out probably fifteen years ago that tracing was the way to go. For this, I legit just yanked several photos of fancy-looking goldfish off the internet and traced over ‘em in Photoshop.

Once I had enough, I printed my outlines, laid ‘em out on the background to create the idea of movement, and then traced the outlines out on fabric and pinned the hell out of ‘em.

This woulda been WAY easier with Heat ‘N Bond, but I didn’t know that was a thing at the time. From there I just used just about every fancy stitch on my inherited sewing machine to make the fish STAY WHERE I PUT THEM, and also look good.

I have since learned this is called “raw edge applique” but whatever. It’s fun, it’s neat, you can do it with a bunch of stuff and impress the hell outta people. More recently, it’s how I’ve gone from this:

to this:

(this was another project I SUFFERED over unnecessarily, because I’m the dip that decided to quilt the waves, like a moron)

god that sucked but it looked SO COOL when I was done!

[ms-demeanor]

I’m very sorry to tell you that if you thought we would be less impressed with you after this update you were very mistaken. I’ll say again:

Holy. Shit.

[kripke-is-my-king]

This is fucking amazing. Wow.

[captaindibbzy]

Me: how to knit a flat circle.

Google: here's a list of videos on YouTube and web pages with videos embedded from YouTube. All the videos are half an hour long.

Me: please. I just need the formula for when to increase so it is flat. I know how to knit. I just need the formula.

Google: [stapling YouTube videos to my forehead] and don't forget to watch our two minute advert before the video. :)

[mrknaogan]

8 increases spaced evenly every second row will give you an octagon which is usually close enough.

Otherwise the third option on this page is a “pi shawl” which gives a pretty round circle. Keep doubling the amount of rows between increase rows while doubling the amount of stitches at each increase row.

[fibrespace]

Every good hooker knows you gotta spank that skein!

[kelseykreates3]

Look what I saw on instragram! How awesome is that?!?!

[astitchoftea]

That’s amazing xD  I love the colour and stained glass effect!

[halbarryislife]

Detroit Evolution Color Palettes

[astitchoftea]

Colour combinations can be inspired by anything. Including a beautiful 70-odd-minute fan-made movie that moved me to tears last night.

The problem now is... which colour set do I choose???

[makinguselessthings]

Happy Spring Everyone!

I hope you are all staying safe and figuring out this whole pandemic thing in a healthy way. It is such a struggle, and a huge adjustment. I am really trying to stay positive and find enjoyment in being stuck at home. I am very, very lucky to not have to worry too much about lack of work. But it has put our entire future into limbo. I am trying to accept it, and be comfortable with all of this unknown. 

For now, my projects, my creativity, the community of artists and creatives that I follow, and of course Animal Crossing, have been wonderful distractions. As well as using this time to explore and find new interests. 

It is a tough time, but we will get through it.