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...