Beaker Button Blog

This is just a quickie, with photos from  the Fair Isle top I'm making.  I've completed the second pattern repeat, and I've worked out how to fix mistakes without unpicking.  You simply drop the stitch in the wrong colour and pick it up from the float at the back in the right colour.  I'm quite proud of myself for figuring that out (although it probably says it in my book if I'd looked).  Still, it' getting there.  I have about 30 more lines to do and then I'm onto the bit that will be cut later.  That's a whole new skill to learn.  I've been weaving in the tails as I go as well, so I don't have too much of a job later.  The book says that some Fair Isle jumpers are left with the tails loose and they felt in as they're worn and washed, but I'm finding it helps to close the hole caused by changing the colour.  I'm pretty sure I'm doing something wrong though, because the tension is wobbly at the side where the round begins. ...

I'm touched to have been nominated for a Liebster Award by Catherine Graham-Evans of Yarn Lark .  I'm going to follow her example and answer her 11 questions, tell you 11 facts about myself and nominate a friends blog I like to read, when I have time.  I've pinched her quote about the Liebster Award if you want to know more about it and added it below.  Catherine nicked it from  Dolly Bakes blog . Catherine's Questions 1) What did you want to be when you grew up? Indiana Jones 2) What is your biggest regret? I have wishes, rather than regrets.  I wish I was better with money! 3) What has been your proudest moment? Recently; watching my son learn to knit, as he has difficulty with fine motor skills.  You'd never know looking at his knitting skills!  And teaching my first button class (I burst into tears after everyone left.  My Gran would have been so proud) 4) What’s your favourite take-away food? Does Wagamama's count? 5) Who would you...

Just a quickie, to brag very loudly about having a tutorial published in Make and Craft magazine.  I've posted photos and links below. http://www.makeandcraft.com/ The tutorial shows you how to make a Grindle button, which are nothing to do with Dorset buttons as far as anyone knows, but are made in a very similar way.  They're great fun and have all sorts of uses, both decorative and practical.  By the way, I met a very nice lady recently from the Lace Society  who told me that Tenerife lace is made using the same stitching technique as Dorset buttons.  I'm going to have a jolly good play (I've been reading WW2 books again and it's affecting my vocabulary) and see how many different buttons I can come up with using Tenerife lace techniques. Grindle

As you can probably guess from the title of this post, I finished the rib on the Fair Isle top.  I'm very pleased with the way it's turning out.  I've got used to having the wool over two fingers, and making sure one always goes over the top of the other.  It looks very neat if I do say so myself. pretty rib first line of pattern I knitted my first row of pattern, while watching Con Air (I'd forgotten how dreadful a film it was).  I got to the end of the row and had four too many stitches, which puzzled me for a moment.  I shrugged philosophically and knitted them together so I had the right amount of stitches, then I carried on with my second row.  And then half way round the row I noticed my first mistake, inevitably.  I'm blaming the film for the lack of concentration.  Normally I would just drop the stitches down and pick them back up and fix the mistake.  Of course I didn't know how to do that in Fair Isle so I duti...

The Spitfire knitters were out in force today, to bring a little Easter cheer to Andover.  We've been working hard since our last Viking adventure , on a secret (I'm sorry, but if we told you we'd have to kill you) project for the Autumn.  But we thought we'd take a little time out to make bunnies, chicks and eggs as presents for people.  We hung them on the bridge in Andover, not far from the Vikings (I'm obviously drawn to the place).  They all have little tags urging people to take them home and it was lovely that as we were hanging them up a very nice lady came and took one.  We left our little creations to their fate and went to do all the boring stuff you have to do, like banking.  I did spot a small boy and his Mum (I'm guessing here) having a good look at them all, and hopefully choosing one each, and when I drove past about ten minutes later there were some obvious gaps, so hopefully they are going to good homes.  If you pick one up and find y...

I spent a very enjoyable day on Monday in the shop with some dear friends, being taught how to make Torchon lace by another dear friend.  I started the day in complete bewilderment, with no idea what was expected of me or what I was going to do.  I've never made anything like lace before.  Basically you use bobbins wound with thread or in our case yarn, a large straw, foam or polystyrene covered cushion and lots of pins.  You weave the bobbins in set patterns to create stitches, the pins hold the threads in place where necessary.  Sue, our teacher, gave us dotted paper which is the pattern you work to.  I took to it like a duck to water.  For some reason the whole process felt completely logical once I'd got started.  Mind you, I couldn't explain it to anyone else, but give me time.  I've added a couple of photos below to show you what I did.  Beaker Button will hopefully be adding this class to our workshop program very shortly, a...

I have just had the most amazing experience with Alex.  He has proved himself a dab hand at blending a batt.  He has the most extraordinary eye for colour, as you can see from the blended and spun wool below.  I wish I'd taken a photo of his batt before I began spinning it.  The yarn round my neck has just been spun.  I have since set it with hot water and hung it to dry.  I wanted to spin a single, partly because the finished article is to be felted and partly to see what happens to knitted singles. I started knitting the ball after dinner and had worked several rows.  As it was his batt I offered to show Alex how to knit it.  He sat down, watched me twice, let me guide him twice, then made his first stitch.  He ran from the room to tell his Dad he'd knitted his first stitch, then cam back for more.  The second stitch he pulled the right hand needle out.  After that he got it, more or less perfectly.  I'm am gob...