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Just for the Chicken Lady

Posted in Knitting Projects, Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 14, 2012| 1 Comment »

I have a friend who is wild, and I mean “wild” about her chickens.  Having decided some time ago to design her a special pillow, I finally came to the conclusion that only a “chicken” would do.  Now, she isn’t into the average chickens, she prefers the exotic, and unusual, so enter the Golden Sebright Hen and Chicks.

This new design not only gives me a chance to do the many techniques of color knitting, but also gives me an opportunity to use various kinds of yarns for special affects.  The chicks are really little fuzz balls, so Mohair will give them a more realistic look.  The spotted area you see in the design is actually going to be a blend of black Mohair and one ply of beige grey fingering yarn.  I will also be using White Mohair on the chests.

The border was another matter altogether.  I wanted a lacy grid in the design you see, but cabling the black fingering yarn over the bronze, was much to bulky looking.  What to do?  I began to think “lace.”    I pulled out my lace silk and wool cone, and went to work, using white in the background, I worked “floating” chain loops between the stitches to form the design I drew on the pattern.  Here is the result.

This gave me the affect I wanted.  So I am now waiting for the Black lace yarn to be delivered, so I can get started.  Meanwhile, I will be knitting up swatches of the various shades and combination shades that I will be using in the main design, and recording them in my color chart for later use.

If you might be interested in learning how to knit these free floating chains, take a look at the “Wandering Chains” tutorial on my “Fun Stuff” page, or you can use this Floating chains tutorial.  I will be add to the info as I work on this project and develop the pattern for sale.

Just thought I would share –

Knit-tweaker

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Another Needlepoint Knitted Pillow Off the Needles

Posted in Knitting Projects, Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on July 5, 2012| 2 Comments »

I was so glad to get this one done so I could send it to my grandson.  He has been checking on it’s progress the last few months, so now he won’t have to wait anymore.

I had great fun knitting this one.  I even knitted some extra leaves, which I placed in the front of the duck, stuffing them a bit to give it a 3 dimensional look.

One other thing I did differently from the last pillow was to make my own pillow form.  I discovered that most of the forms  (no matter what you pay for them) are made with clumps of fiber fill, often leaving a lumpy surface.  Of course, that is unacceptable when you have spent many hours working on one of these pillow tops.  The only solution-make it yourself.

I began the process with a sheet of Poly-fill quilt batting.   I cut two 17 inch squares, then machine sewed them together on three sides, using a long stitch.   I stuffed the middle with tiny pieces of fill, poked them in place with a #1 DPN, then whipped the open edge shut.  You could even use two thickness (sheets) for each side to unsure an even smoother surface.   Anyway, it  worked great.  It will also dry much faster as there is no cloth on the inside.

I will be making all my pillow forms from now on.

Now it’s time to box it up and head to the UPS store.  My grandson will be a happy camper!

I hope to have this pillow pattern available soon.  I will be starting my J’s Designer Pillow page soon.

KT

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Blocking Techniques

Posted in Knitting Projects, Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on June 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

One of the techniques I use to shape my pillow tops is to block them on the needles.   I use the cords of two 47 inch circle needles.  Needle A, goes across the top and down the left side.  Needle B holds the stitches across the bottom and up the right side.  This allows me to use the cords as blocking rods.  Below is a picture of my latest Needlepoint Knitting pillow top.  This one is for my grandson, who is a mighty hunter. 🙂

The stitches have been picked up on the edges and are set up to knit the tubing for my corded edge.  This process is completed before I wash the top.   Notice the cord loops in the corners;  needle A, in the upper left corner, and needle B in the lower right corner.  These loops free the cord, allowing me to pull the edges straight.   To secure the pillow top in place,  I use T pins.  It works great.

When dry,  I will be knitting the tubing using the same method used for working with 2 circle needles in the round.  You can find this method by typing in “socks on two circles,” or “knitting with two circle needles,” in you search engine.   There are some good videos on YouTube.

Thought you might like to see this-thought it might be helpful.

Happy knitting- KT

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Blending Colors of Yarn, Plus

Posted in Knitting Projects, Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 13, 2012| 2 Comments »

Unable to purchase all the necessary shades I needed to knit up the Wood Duck pillow for my grandson, I decided to make up my own by blending two single strands of colors together.   In the illustration below, the areas where I have used the blended yarns are marked with circles of various colors.

The red circle indicates the Steel grey/ Iris heather mix.

 

The next combination  in the green circle, is a teal/dark green mix.

 

The blue circle marks the side of the body.  In this section I chose to blend the Suede color with gold.  This combination allowed me to transition to the single gold color without a definite line.

All this is to say that you don’t have to settle for the color combinations that are out there.  You can blend your own.

HOW ?

1.  Select you colors.  Peel off the amount you normally use in your colorwork ( I use about an arm’s length).

2  Separate the plies.

3.  Tie one end of the two strands together.

4.  Lay the joined end of the two strands in the palm of your left hand.

5.  Lick or moisten the palm of your right hand and rub the two strands together vigorously for about 30 seconds-

inotherwords, “spit splice” the strands together.

6. Wet your right palm again, now push down on the combined strand and roll it away from you about 5-6 time.  This sets the twist.

7.  Move the blended strand to the left, so you can work the same process in the next section of yarn to your right.  Be sure to repeat the same number of rolls when setting the twist.  Continue this process to the end of the strand.

Your finished strand should look something like this-

The above strand is a combination of “Pumice Heather ” and “Iris Heather.”

*  If you find an area that didn’t get twisted enough, just wet you palm and work a few more rolls at that point.

Next time you can’t find the color you need, you might try this out.  It’s fun to see what color combos you can come up with.  When I need larger amounts, I use a drop spindle to re-spin the two strands together.

Have fun- KT

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Knitting a Cording Tube for Your Pillows

Posted in Knitting Projects, Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on April 1, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I can see from the response to my last post, that I need to write up separate instructions for this process.  This knitted cording can be done on any pillow you are knitting.  Even though I have assembled it with a cloth back, you can make a tubing for one with both sides knitted by incorporating the pick up stitches from the knitted back with the purl bars picked up in closing the tubing as instructed in the tutorial.

However, another option uses the double knitting technique, and a Kitchener stitch closure.  I will work out a tutorial for this soon, as I have a heart shaped pillow planned and this one will require a knitted back.

Knitted Cording Instructions

 

The next addition to the “Wild Life Series” is a Wood duck.  Vibrantly colored, with defined color changes, it is one of my favorite patterns.  I will be using different stitches to add texture and detail to the finished piece.  My yarn is ordered and I am anxiously waiting it’s arrival.

Hummm…..??????  I wonder what color border I should put on this one?

 Happy Knitting!

KT

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Knitted Cording on a Pillow

Posted in Knitting Projects, Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 29, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I just finished another Whitetail Buck pillow.  This one has a knitted cording incorporated into the pillow top, along with the seam allowance to help in sewing it to a cloth back.   I even made my own cording.  It was fun!

The picture below is a “snip-it” of a section of the cord that frames the pillow.  Here you see it in contrast with the cloth back.   I have to say that there is no comparison to the commercial cording available.  I have tried finding complimentary edging for this use, but have always been disappointed.  The fillers they use are mostly cotton, and seem lumpy at best, not to mention that they take a much longer time to dry.  That is why I decided on this approach-make your own.  In addition, there is no better match in color than the actual yarn you are using in your project.

I will be adding this pattern to the Pattern Catalog page, so feel free to upload it.  The pattern contains 18 pages of detailed charts and instructions.  You can use Intarsia, Armenian Knitting, and sections of Fair Isle in this project.

The Basics

1.  Knit the Basic chart.

2. Identify and secure all loose stitches

3. Weave in the ends

4. Block pillow top on needles (This works great!)

4. Pick up stitches to begin tube for cording

5. Knit tubing

6. Close tubing, and make button hole opening for cording.

7. Knit seam allowance

8.  (opt)  Secure pillow top to woven fabric.

9. Prepare fabric back, and sew to pillow top, make cording.

10. Insert cording.  Stitch pillow close.  Adjust cording.  Close cording opening.

10. Decide on some of the options I have for making the pillow cover removable for washing.

The pattern walks you through all the above issues.  Wow!!  And that ALL???  I’m tired just making the list.  But trust me, it was worth it.  My friend Deb at Tempting Tangles ( see link on side bar) has given it her approval.

 You will also be given instructions on making your own cording out of poly quilt batting, which, of course, makes it lighter, and easier to dry when washed.  This particular pattern is backed with fabric that has been pre-washed, so the entire pillow can be “dunked” in Wool wash, squeezed out, then air dried without much fuss.

My hope that you will try your hand at color knitting.  I also hope you will take a look at my “Painting with Yarn” E-book when it comes off the press.  The book contains all my color knitting experience on this project, along with detailed illustrations and how to’s, or what I call, “Technical Tutoring.”  I hope to have it available for you soon.  Would you believe it, I am already up to 60 pages!

As a side note, I will be uploading a couple of new tutorials on my “Multi-color Knitting Tips” page.  Check them out.

Happy Knitting!

KT

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Planning for Yarn Placement

Posted in Knitting Projects, Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on January 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »

One of the premier lessons in working with color is pre-planning.  Instead of just winging it, I have discovered that a few minutes of thinking through the placement of new colors, saves me lots of stress.   Because I chart all my pictures, it only takes a few minutes to go over the color changes and plan my attack.  My focus is always to eliminate  yarn ends that have to be woven in later, and to reduce as much bulk as possible.  Smooth and flat is the goal.

Below is an example of my thinking process –

Marking up the Chart

First, I look for those spots where I can work my new color in two directions.  The box in teal ( the eye) is a perfect example.

The “V”  indicates where I will make my new stitch by picking up the yarn in the middle of my long strand of white.  I will then have two long tails to work with.  One (A) will be used to go up the right side; and the other (B) will be used to go up the left side of the eye.  The “black” or center of the eye, will be worked with one single strand.  Just by using this method to work the white around the eye, I have eliminated 2 yarns ends that would have had to be woven in when the project was finished.

2.  The box in “yellow” indicates stitches that I have marked to be made later as “overlay stitches.”

3.  If you look closely, you can see two more “V’s” in the antler area.  Yes, I have found a couple of more places to use the double long tails.  I have also indicated the direction that I intend to work those ends.

All this is to say that no matter how you decide to work your color project, you will be much happier with the results if you take a little time to do some planning before you start.

 

Happy Knitting!

KT

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Giving – The Spirit of the Season

Posted in Uncategorized on December 13, 2011| 3 Comments »

I just made an executive decision today to close my Etsy Shop.  Why?  I just want to knit, and play my harp and simplify my life.  Worrying about if my customers got their pattern or not, or whether they are happy with them or not, is something I don’t need to have on my head right now.

So…… I have decide to offer you my patterns free.  That way I am under no pressure to produce.  To those of you who have invested monies in my work, I thank you.  It has provided me with more yarn to create with.  For those of you who have marked some of my patterns as your favorites but have hesitated to buy, now is your chance to give them a try.  The bottom line for me is that I want it be fun, and besides- it’s Christmas.

Check out the Pattern Catalogue Page.  I will be adding more as the days go on.  So check back often.

Merry Christmas – KT

 

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Knitting the Reason for the Season

Posted in Knitting Projects, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on December 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »

This will probable be my final post for a while, because my hours will be filled with making cinnamon rolls, and more cinnamon rolls(check out my post  “Merry Christmas to All”  the recipe is there.   That said, I want to wish all my followers and their families a blessed Christmas.

This time of year for me, at least, is not about shopping, presents and all the hooplah.  It is a reminder of the promise God has made to all believers in John chapter 14.   HE is coming to take us unto himself, that where HE is we will be also.  So it is not just about a baby in a manger, it is also about the promised glory that he prepared for us before the foundations of the world.

To that end, I designed a 16 inch pillow top to express my hope for the future.  I have entitled this work , “The Call.”  It is my version of that moment when the trumpet will sound and King Jesus will call us  home to be with him.

KT’s Christmas  Gift Box

The chart and instructions –The Call

 One Holy Night =- poem

Also, don’t forget to check out “Grandma’s corner.”  There are two free children’s books  available for upload.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL-

KT

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Tis the Season for Knitting and Music

Posted in Knitting Projects, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on November 28, 2011| Leave a Comment »

This week has been the week to finish up some projects- and does that feel good!!!!

I also had time to check out my Score Exchange site, and noticed that everyone is up-loading Carol of the Bells, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, and some of my other Christmas music.  It set me to thinking that some of you might be interested, if not for yourselves, then for your church, or singing group.  I will tell you that “Mary’s Song” is a great solo for a soprano.  The lady who performed it locally has a beautiful soprano voice and absolutely loved the challenge.   Anna’s Song” is in a lower range, and is a great piece for a Mezzo Soprano.   Both pieces include piano and choir parts.

I have sung Anna’s song many times, and always in costume.  It is amazing what a difference it makes when you actually re-enact those historial moments-besides, I not as nervous when I am pretending to be someone else.  🙂

The original source of these musical vignettes come from the musical I wrote entitled “The Promise,” which tells the story of Simeon and Anna in Luke II.

I just felt led to share this with you, so do with it what you will. If you have any trouble printing them off, let me know and I can send you a PDF.

Of course, my harp music is there, too.

If you will look to the right side of this page under”Blog Roll”

you will see a link that says Music for Christmas, click on it.

Now look for anything listed under “Judith Helms, ” – yes, that’s me.

Now to the knitting part-

I can’t stand it if I don’t have some kind of colorworks project to dink around with, so I started my Whitetail Buck Pillow.  I love the colors.  The pattern combines Intarsia, bobbles, and overlay stitches, and will be finished with cording around the sides.  I haven’t decided what pattern I will do on the back yet, but I will probably opt for a texture stitch of some kind.  This may seem tedious to some, but for me it is therapy.

Happy Holidays

and MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

KT

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