Birthday Gifts (Handkerchief & Socks)

I completed the edging a couple of days ago, and we are now back from our travels so here it is:

Here is how I attached my edging this time:  I used a couple of tiny stitches to fasten down each picot to the handkerchief edge.  To travel between picots, I pushed my needle inside the hem and popped it back out in line with the next picot.

I also finished the socks

which are to be given with the hanky

(they are now being blocked)

Whilst working on the tatted border, I had to refill my shuttle several times and some may wonder how to join new thread and hide ends when working with just one shuttle and bare threads so I thought it would be a good idea to make a new video.  I'm working on it today and should have it uploaded later on.

Best wishes,

Frivole

Hanky Choice and Valentine!

Thank you for your comments on the previous post.  The variegated purple turned out more popular than expected but although the colours matched really well, I was unhappy with the look of variegated for this project.

The other choice that got most votes was the bluer green which I think matched best of the two greens so that's what I went with (although I did hesitate for quite some time and ended up working too much of both before I made up my mind!).  I'm finding it very relaxing to work this one shuttle edging and am making good progress.

The colour is not accurate at all in this photo

but it was taken in the evening with poor lighting.

However, when examining my hanky to check how many repeats I needed for each side, I noticed how badly hemmed it was...  Look at that.  It's all crooked!  The hem is not even lined up with the woven lines in the fabric.

See this corner?

Not impressed.

So I decided to undo the hem, cut the fabric where necessary and re-hem so that it has four straight and matching sides.  I made nice little mitered corners and hand-stitched the hem.  Yes, that's better.

And lastly,

today is the 14th of February

so I'd like to wish a Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Frivole

Something Like This?

Here is the hanky I want to make for a birthday... but I don't have much time at all!  So I'm going with a one-shuttle edging because they are faster to work.  I slightly adapted a vintage edging (just changed a stitch here and there) and figured out how to go around the corner with it.  It's simple but I think it's pretty.

The only problem is... what colour?

I'm away from home at the moment and these are the only three colour choices I have brought with me.  Neither green is quite perfect (I have waaaay fewer colours in my stash of size 40).  The purple variegated is the best match but I always find you lose the lovely shape of the lace when using variegated as your eye is distracted by the colour changes.  I made more of the brighter green as I thought I'd go with that but now, looking at it again, I think I might prefer the bluer green.

Any opinions please?

Thank you!

Best wishes,

Frivole

A Tiny Bit of Tatting...

Sorry I've not been very good at posting as regularly lately...  I made a card today and put a Twinkle Twinkle on it so that's my tiny bit of tatting to show you!  I thought the colours married well.

I'm hoping to have time to make a hanky edging for the same birthday as the socks so if I can get those finished, I'll start on the edging.  Anyone can recommend a favourite one shuttle edging?  Apart from Hen and Chicks that is - don't get me wrong, I do love Hen and Chicks and am considering using it but if you have another favourite you'd like to share, I welcome suggestions!

I'm making good progress with the the socks but it's slow work with all those tiny cables going on every other row.  I hope to be able to show you the finished article very soon!

Best wishes,

Frivole

Another Pair...

I finished it.  With a contrasting heel and toe and as mentioned in previous post, I added a few stitches before turning the heel to add a bit more depth in that area of the sock.  I think it's better.  I added just four stitches and I think next time I might add six as I don't like feeling tightness across the foot in that area.  That's one reason I really like gussets in socks.

I like the colours of this wool (Stylecraft Head Over Heels) but I'm not sure I like the bits where it looks like there's colour missing!  Can you see the nearly white lines?  I don't know if it's meant to be like that or if I had a bad batch?  Or maybe it's meant to look a bit like it's "painted"...


Anyway.  On to the next pair.  These will be for my Mother-in-law.  I wanted something pretty and lacy, and gentle, and soft...

It's much slower going with all the one-stitch cabling going on but I think they'll look nice.  I'm a big fan of cabling without a cable needle but one of the twists made with three stitches was a little hard to accomplish so I had to resort to a needle... or sorts!  I couldn't find mine so I searched for an alternative.  Turns out a toothpick (or cocktail stick) works great!  Just the right size and enough grip so the stitches don't slide off it while you work the twisting.  So there you go, if you're ever stuck without a cabling needle, reach for the cocktail sticks!  

Best wishes,

Frivole

Still Overcome...

... by sock madness!  As mentioned, I have several birthdays coming up and they're getting socks!  So look away for a while if you're a tatter and are bored by my socks (but please don't go away altogether as I will be back to tatting soon!).  This is the pair from the previous post which is now completed. The heel I tried in the end is the "Fish Lips Kiss Heel" - what a name!

Wool is Opal Rainforest "The Discoverer".

Here's a close-up of the heel. 

Not bad but I do find this type of heel doesn't give enough room at the instep.

I reserve judgment on the special stitch she uses and will

have to make a side-by-side comparison with other techniques

such as the German short-row.

I'm trying the next pair with a contrasting heel again,

but I will add a few stitches before turning the heel

to try to improve fit in that area.

Wool is Head Over Heels "Ingleborough"

by Stylecraft

Best wishes,

Currently-knitting-Frivole

Favourite Heel Please?

Sock knitters out there?  What's your favourite heel please?  I like to knit toe-up and I want to make a contrasting heel on my current pair of socks - which heel would you use for that?  I'm a big fan of the Fleegle heel but because the gusset is incorporated, I don't think it would work for a contrasting heel. The other one I use is a German short-row heel with re-inforced back and that doesn't work either for contrasting.  Can someone recommend a heel that would work?

So I finished the pair that I had started on the previous blogpost.  The wool is by West Yorkshire Spinners and it's from a bird series... this one is "pheasant".

The next pair is already started as you can see.

It's a bit of a mad fun wool by Opal.

I'm going with red toes and heels.

Hence the enquiry about the best heel.

I decided not to start these at the same spot on the repeat...

I just went with where I was after I split my 100gm ball in two.

And lastly, I was in need of a quick gift today

so I made this small Lavender sachet.

I was pleased to find a perfectly matching button

for the centre of my flower in my button box.

The flower is from here.

The sachet I made up as I went along.

The leaves are from here.

Best wishes,

Frivole