A thank you gift for Ayi

I've just packaged up this scarf I made using Teva Durham's "Braided Neckpiece" pattern from her book Loop-d-Loop. It was quick and easy to make up. I  used Berrocco Memoirs, a yarn that has now been discontinued, that's a blend of 43% Wool, 40% Mohair, 14% Rayon and 3% Polyester.


I'm sending it off to our Ayi, to thank her for her help and kindness during our time in Shanghai. She's definitely one of the things I'll miss most about life in Shanghai. She's probably the best employee I've ever had, most likely because of my almost complete inability to communicate with her, leaving me therefore, unable to tell her how to do her job. She was always patient with my pitiful attempts at Mandarin, somehow figuring out what I really wanted when I asked her to do something that made no sense (like asking her to iron the dishes, or wash the bed). Hopefully this will keep her a bit warmer as she goes about Shanghai in the bitterly cold, wet, icy and windy winters.





The scarf was quite fun to make, you sort of make a hole, then make some strips that you weave between. Harder to say in words than it was to do.  There's an interesting texture created by knitting one half in stockinette with the knit side showing, and one half with the purl side showing. Which contrasts nicely when it comes to the weaving in and out part.  

Lintilla Scarf

Finished Lintilla Scarf

finished size: 51" on straight side. 10 1/2" at widest point. 21 ruffles on long side. 14 ruffles on short side.

gauge: 21 stitches/ 24 rows in 4"

Yarn: Regia 4-Fach Haltbar, Design Line, Kaffe Fassett. Color 4259. Used 2 balls + very small amount from a third.

To get the striping I worked 2 rows at a time from two different balls (both coming from the inside of the ball.)  When I ran out of those balls I pulled from both the inside & the outside of the third ball.


Notes and pictures on my progress:

Serape Inspired Cowl

After finishing a baby blanket in this yarn the wrong side reminded me of the Mexican serapes I used to see in Tijuana. I liked the idea of the pattern as a cowl, which is currently my favorite thing to grab and throw on as I dash out the door. It’s freeeeezing now in Shanghai and this is a great final layer.

Used leftover bits from 13 colors of yarn. Knit a 30” tube in garter stitch.

These days nothing seems finished to me unless it’s got a crocheted edging. Thank heavens for Edie Eckman’s “Around the Corner”. I used pattern number 2 at the lower edge; and pattern number 20 on the top edge. I did round 2 in purple and round 3 in green, adding a 3 stitch picot at the top of each scallop. This is one of my most used stitch dictionaries, with easy to read written instructions and charts that make customizing it to work for your project easy.   

Knit Headband with Crocheted Flower

Something to keep Delaney's ears warm at school. We saw a headband at Anthropologie that was similar and much more expensive and not nearly as soft as the ball of yarn it took to make this.

Crochet Flower Motif Pattern

Ch 51

Row 1: (dc, ch 2, dc) in 5th ch from hook, *ch 2, skip 2 ch; dc, ch 2, dc in next ch* to last stitch, dc in last ch

Row 2: ch 3, turn, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in first ch-2 space, *skip next ch-2 space, (ch 2, 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch-2 space, repeat from * to last stitch then dc in last dc

Row 3: turn, *9 dc in next ch-2 space, (sl st, ch 1, sl st, ch 1) in next ch-2 space, repeat from * to end of row, tie off. Weave in end.

Flower shown here is done with Cascade Yarns Eco Duo and a size "G" hook.

Freeform Afghan #2

Finished! My second attempt at a Freeform Blanket

For weekly notes and photos on how this thing came together click on read more below

Freeform Afghan #1

Blanket made from scrumbles collected during a round robin swap. Finished size is 50" x 72".

Sari Silk Bolsters

Sari Silk Bolsters

I knit a tube then attached crocheted circles to each end.

Freeform Crochet Fun & Frivolity Crochet-a-Long

In April 2010 a group on Ravelry started a Crochet-a-Long with weekly instructions submitted by different designers. I'd participated in a similar project earlier in the year & thought it was a great way to go about crocheting. I completed the first four weeks. Then, as I was packing up to leave Shanghai for the summer it was just too much to fit in my suitcase. So I washed it, cut it up, felted it and cut it up some more and ended up using the pieces in a bag.

Following are the instructions as they appeared on the Ravelry site and pictures of what I did. My notes are in blue.

The 2010 International Freeform Guild's Show: Somewhere in My World

My entry into the International Freeform Guild show.

It’s kind of boring for freeform. It did serve my purpose of figuring out how to build up crochet into a form. And it is reminiscent of the hill I see out my window.

The main page of the exhibit is quite intriguing and the variety of techniques used and approaches to freeform is truly inspiring.