Clothing The New Textile Thread (or What to Wear and How to make it when TSHTF)

[Melodi]

I got to spin in public anyway; I had my spindle with me and another lady gave me a very long roving of Blue Faced Lester; I spun about half and then taught another woman (who brought a spindle) how to spin and give it to her because the wool she had (same as the one fleece I've still got - the free stuff from five years ago) was manky and I said was not suited for learning with. I could barely spin it and I've been spinning since the early 1980's!

The shawl is also practically knitting itself, it is lovely and mindless except for rows with holes in them; I made one error my first color change but I suspect I'm the only one who is going ot notice, surely the cats won't.

I may just finish it before returning to the sweater, in any case, it is nice to have more than one project though I need to start some socks or another small thing for travel.

 

[Faroe]

One thing I like about shawls, is that they are forgiving of errors - I make plenty of them, and for the most part, can't even find them later.

I'm getting through a 100m skein a day. There has just been a lot of other stuff to do, but that is measurable progress. I won't finish it this week, and I'll probably be taking a conceal carry class over the weekend, and we are having a guest come to stay for a few days soon after that, and I'd like to have at least one of his books read before he shows up. (Feeling a little resentful of all the obligations that have been lately encroaching on time - my decisions for the most part, but it is frustrating.) Luna is settling in well, but I don't know if she will ever be tame.

Anyway, so far - easy pattern. That chart section is coming up for the lace border, and even though "old shell" isn't complicated, I don't want to try winging the border around the center point. For good results, I need to be able to make sense of the chart. Have studied it a few times, and am still like, What the heck? ...and Oberle has little notes all over it too. Hopefully it will come together once I'm ready to tackle it.

Flamborough Marine (spell?) is a UK site that will ship to the US, and sells kits for gansey sweaters, with the proper 5ply yarn. I checked the other day, and they also sell kits for hats in the gansey pattern style. I told BF we would start with a hat, an that way I could check on their instructions, charts, and see if knitting detailed patterns in a dark navy is do-able for my eyes. I want him to have the sweater in the traditional dark navy. I don't want to commit a bunch of money to this project w/o more assurance of a good outcome. I'll probably also knit another doll sized sampler sweater out of Beth Brown-Reinsel's (spell?) book, to re-acquaint myself with shaping the gussets, neck, etc. Frankly, my previous sweaters have always had poor finish work.

 

[Faroe]

Maybe I'm just loosing my mind, but I thought I saw the baby owl thread back up on the Main. Then my computer went wonky, and I had to shut down. Upon getting back...thread was no where to be found. Anyway, on the return pass, I had copied the link to a video I found a few days ago. Just about my favorite YT ever. It doesn't fit here, but with a bit of a theme going on lately, I'm just going to tuck it in. 5min and 40-something sec. Scotland and falconry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpZbr6EnGsU

 

[Melodi]

Shawls are great for knitting in the near dark - after four nights of no power ask me how I know lol!

I got quite a lot done, still not finished yet but the hippy/gypsy shawl I plan to wear for my Haloween wedding/reading gig is at least 3/4's of the way there; it was nice to just knit back and forth (mostly except for the rows with y/o) while listening to talk radio "That is quite a storm we are having, isn't it?"... and other exciting topics "Teresa Mae says about BREXIT blah de blah" Knit, Knit, Knit waiting for the top of the hour by candle and lantern light...

I will be glad to be back to "knitting by podcast" where at least I can select what I'm listening too...I did turn off the sports reports and read during those hours with a headlamp lol.

 

[summerthyme]

I was thinking that you probably got a lot of knitting done!

I have a bunch of various quilt tops (as well as backing and batting)nthat I'd work on in an extended outage when i couldn't use my machines for piecing.

I highly recommend something like this for working in dim light:

https://www.stealthangelsurvival.com/products/sa-hlx3-high-power-4-mode-led-waterproof-headlamp-kit

Recharging is the only issue... not here, as we have a generator, but for extended power outages, one with replaceable batteries would be better. However, i LOVE this thing... for the price, it's amazing. I got it for hubby for his birthday, to try to make reading and working on machinery with his badly damaged sight (may that eye surgeon rot in hell!) easier. He uses it constantly, but I've borrowed it a couple times to take the dogs out to the barn after dark, or check on the meat chickens out in the field when a midnight commotion erupts, and its amazing... lightweight, very well balanced (because the power supply is on the back of the head, you don't have the weight of batteries pulling the light down out of alignmentl and lasts quite a long time before needing to be recharged.

I've wanted a good headlamp for years (working on a sick horse or tough calving in an Amish barn at m8dnight with only a single, 7 candlepower lantern for light is... interesting)... have several cheapies hanging on the wall, but they don't last, and realky don't work that well. But a $60 headlamp is NOT in the budget!

I'm hoping to be able to get one for myself soon... if i can, the cheapies are going in the trash (the working ones will get handed down to our Amish hired hand... his little brothers will love them)

Glad you're back!

Summerthyme

 

[Faroe]

Glad you made it through the storm.
Pics of this gypsy shawl soon?

The worrisome chart is tricky, because it requires some attn. (and I messed up some Pearl/ST stitches along the center spine) but the chart and notes are entirely understandable. I'm actually impressed that that much specific info can be packed onto a split double page spread, and have it easy to follow. I am on row 12 of the last 55 rows, and we are getting up to near 500 sts per row. Wish I had the 36" cord instead of the 24", but it is all packing on, with effort.

Can't wait to have a cold occasion to wrap up in it. It will be big, cosy, and warm when done.

Also, with this project, the Sharon Miller instructions are making much more sense. I really wanted to knit the traditional "Morag" hap on the cover of her book, but she has an even prettier hap on her Etsy site, and it is available as a kit. Not crazy, horribly, expensive either. So, a big full-square project on small needles, and fingering wt (?) yarn, but I think at this point, I could pull it off.

 

[Melodi]

I will post a photo soon but it just looks like a wad of yarn until it comes off the needles; I have to finish at least the two double triangles before it looks like anything -but I can probably take a photo at that point and then decide on fringe or edging; probably fringe given what I want the shawl for; though I'm not sure I want to waste good wool yarn doing that.

But I will make the decision after I see what it looks like, also debating adding buttons or other decorations to add to the desired effect.

A fun project and a great thing to work on when there was no power.

The lace shawl sounds delightful and I hope you can post a photo after it is blocked. You just upload a photo to dropbox or some other place with a URL and then you can add them here - mostly I just use my phone.

 

[Faroe]

Looking forward to it.

I should be done with mine by now, but at least got to the last color change - row 33 of the 55 in the border feathers & fan chart. Was watching knitting videos while knitting, and then had on some parrot training videos, and then the strangest video came up: the intelligence of octopuses. OMG. I had NO idea. No clue at all. I'd post the link, but it is past 12:30am now, and I am beyond exhausted. I'll try to find it tomorrow. Amazing. I'll probably have nightmares, however. Those things get big and (somehow?) they breathe(?) on land, and can sneak out of nearly anything. What was intense was that scientists were putting crabs into little plexi-glass boxes that had trick openings, and the Octopuses (the narrator didn't use "ocotpi" for the plural) would engulf the box and figure out how to open it in a matter of seconds. The footge was closeups of this big spiriling jellyish monster, and the poor crab was CLEARLY terrified.

Anyway, I doubt I'll finish tomorrow (I'll have the day to myself), but it is possible.

 

[Melodi]

Mine is getting close to the end of the actual shawl though it is taking a bit more yarn than I had hoped then it is mostly garter stitch which is very warm but eats yarn.

I dug out some sock yarn for a change from shawls and sweaters, we really need more socks for the Winter; also really hoping to get the textile room up in the next two weeks for weaving and knitting machine learning.

I've got a ton of wool/acrylic mix yarns to practice with - they often have them cheap at Lidle but the old machines are just too heavy for me to set up and drag around; they need to be set up in one place and let me get started.

Anyway, got a lot done with the Gypsy/Hippie shawl watching "the Swamp Drama" (as Catherine Austin Fitz calls it) and I'm taking a brief break on the horizontal sweater but hope to get back to it fairly soon.

The constantly changing weather from cold to almost warm is playing heck with my joints so some days I'm not doing much of anything.

 

[Faroe]

Five more rows.
Of course they are very long rows - this isn't a sock.
Other stuff to get done today, but I might have the knitting finished by bed time.
Then weave in the ends, and a first attempt at blocking. I now have blocking wires and pins, but the foam boards I bought only have enough space for a sweater, so I'm still not sure WHAT I'm going to block this onto.

On to gansey knits after this. I'm getting the hat kit first from Flamborough Marine. I'll see if I can understand their instructions with a simple hat. If I don't like it, I'll get Frangipani 5-ply from a supplier in the US, and try to come up with a separate pattern. Both the hat and sweater are for BF - I prefer cardigans, and mainly want the experience of knitting a good men's gansey, even if it takes a few tries, many cones of yarn, and the entire next year of my life. Still planning to start with the doll size gansey first from Beth Brown Reinsel's (spell?) book, and she has some children's patterns in there too. BF has a grand-daughter I'd like to knit another small practice gansey for just to be clearer on the stuff I always screw up (like necklines). She might wear it, and if she doesn't, no big deal. (Probably should find some pink yarn for that - she is the kind of little girl who likes to run around in costume butterfly wings. I'm not a kid person AT ALL, but she is an enchanting child.)

Hope the weather improves, and you are feeling better.

 

[Seeker22]

Five more rows.
Of course they are very long rows - this isn't a sock.
Other stuff to get done today, but I might have the knitting finished by bed time.
Then weave in the ends, and a first attempt at blocking. I now have blocking wires and pins, but the foam boards I bought only have enough space for a sweater, so I'm still not sure WHAT I'm going to block this onto.

On to gansey knits after this. I'm getting the hat kit first from Flamborough Marine. I'll see if I can understand their instructions with a simple hat. If I don't like it, I'll get Frangipani 5-ply from a supplier in the US, and try to come up with a separate pattern. Both the hat and sweater are for BF - I prefer cardigans, and mainly want the experience of knitting a good men's gansey, even if it takes a few tries, many cones of yarn, and the entire next year of my life. Still planning to start with the doll size gansey first from Beth Brown Reinsel's (spell?) book, and she has some children's patterns in there too. BF has a grand-daughter I'd like to knit another small practice gansey for just to be clearer on the stuff I always screw up (like necklines). She might wear it, and if she doesn't, no big deal. (Probably should find some pink yarn for that - she is the kind of little girl who likes to run around in costume butterfly wings. I'm not a kid person AT ALL, but she is an enchanting child.)

Hope the weather improves, and you are feeling better.

I am going to try interlocking foam squares for my blocking. They are 24" square and fit together like puzzle pieces. 1/2" thick should be enough to get the pins to stick. You could lay a double layer. If the mat was put on clean carpet, you'd have a thicker surface. Ebay has them, I wonder if Wally World does (maybe in their fitness/exercise section?)

The ones I like are 6 2' sections for $24.95 and free shipping. They are listed as:
GYM RUBBER FLOORING Tiles Garage Home Fitness Exercise 24 SQFT Workout Floor Mat

My shawl has been done for over a month. I am too busy stuffing canning jars to take photos and show it off.

 

[Melodi]

I don't have a spare bed right now, but when I went through my lace knitting phase I did and I blocked the larger shawls with t-pins (for doing macrame) on a cotton bedspread (in a room I could lock the cats out of).

Usually, I put several large cotton towels directly under the shawl with the bedspread underneath that.

It worked pretty well back in the day when getting a blocking board was nearly impossible; I've also seen people build "shawl blocking" setups out of wood and nails - mostly in areas like Scotland where they were doing this for the tourist trade until recently - basically the men would make a giant wood square or rectangle with nails and the shawl would be blocked by "sewing" the edges to a net of string formed around the nails.

A bit hard to describe but basically the shawl had ties put through the edges or points of lace and was tied up to the nails until it dried.

I never tried one of those and I suspect there are tricks to using it without distorting the shawls, but the towel and bedcovers work pretty well for most projects.

I've not gotten any knitting done this week but I did get a lot of apples processed and more are on the way - since the U of Wisconson and Utah have both approved steam canners for fruit, jams, and jellies I may dig out my steam canner and try it since I don't really have a stove.

I am hoping to get some knitting done later and fighting the urge to start socks, I really need to get the shawl finished - I can work on my sweater when I'm up to designing by I need the shawl before Halloween as part of my "gypsy fortune teller" reading gig for a wedding.

Every time I practice for that I show my age as I start sounding like Johnny Carson doing Karnack the Magnificant lol; even wanting to put cards on my forehead.

 

[Faroe]

Never thought of getting the gym ones.
I do like the one inch grid markings on my interlocking foams, but it isn't really a functional size for any sort of a wrap.
We have three 8' 1"X2" boards - I may make a triangle frame, and tension the positioned blocking wires by wrapping with string.

Anyway, ordered yarn from a US company. The UK Flamborough company does ship here, but they don't do internet orders, they want payment in Pounds (Euros??) and no PayPal. I'm not sending my cc# over the mail, over the phone, or directly over to them. I trust them, but there is too much risk in transit, and I just got a new cc after someone attempted making fraudulent charges on it last week.

In other unrelated news, we are probably getting another snake today (if the present owner's young kids haven't already accidentally killed it). I'm a little frustrated with the situation, and I don't like taking in animals just because others would rather not continue to bother with the commitment they took on. The smallest bit of research would have steered this guy in the right direction, and I told him weeks ago what he needed to do. I've wanted to acquire a ball python for years, but the circumstances are emotionally draining.

 

[Faroe]

I don't have a spare bed right now, but when I went through my lace knitting phase I did and I blocked the larger shawls with t-pins (for doing macrame) on a cotton bedspread (in a room I could lock the cats out of).

Usually, I put several large cotton towels directly under the shawl with the bedspread underneath that.

It worked pretty well back in the day when getting a blocking board was nearly impossible; I've also seen people build "shawl blocking" setups out of wood and nails - mostly in areas like Scotland where they were doing this for the tourist trade until recently - basically the men would make a giant wood square or rectangle with nails and the shawl would be blocked by "sewing" the edges to a net of string formed around the nails.

A bit hard to describe but basically the shawl had ties put through the edges or points of lace and was tied up to the nails until it dried.

I never tried one of those and I suspect there are tricks to using it without distorting the shawls, but the towel and bedcovers work pretty well for most projects.

I've not gotten any knitting done this week but I did get a lot of apples processed and more are on the way - since the U of Wisconson and Utah have both approved steam canners for fruit, jams, and jellies I may dig out my steam canner and try it since I don't really have a stove.

I am hoping to get some knitting done later and fighting the urge to start socks, I really need to get the shawl finished - I can work on my sweater when I'm up to designing by I need the shawl before Halloween as part of my "gypsy fortune teller" reading gig for a wedding.

Every time I practice for that I show my age as I start sounding like Johnny Carson doing Karnack the Magnificant lol; even wanting to put cards on my forehead.

Katie Davies has a good tutorial on making and using the traditional hap stretcher.

https://katedaviesdesigns.com/2016/06/08/hap-stretcher-tutorial/

 

[Faroe]

Done with the knitting. HUGE, warm, fuzzy, very pretty.
Still have to weave ends in.
It will need a lot of blocking. The ripples of Feather & Fan distorts the inner garter square, so that looks lumpy.

Feisty little snake is doing well. I have a warm pad and thermostat on order, and will feed after I get his temps stabilized.

 

[Melodi]

Glad it is finished (mostly) I've gotten a bit more done on mine but still needs a few more rows; harder as it gets longer.

I also discovered my "outfit" only has a skirt and it has a nasty stain on it, it may still work for a costume but I'm going to have to see if I have fabric or something else around here I can modify.

I've got a beaded really "hippie" vest (in clashing colors from the skirt) I also have a 35-year-old Afghani nomad dress made with mirrors that may do in a pinch; I am almost the same weight as when it was made - the skirt is now in the wash and we will see what it looks like afterward.

 

[Faroe]

Good luck with that stain.

The Frangipani gansey yarn arrived today. 5ply, fingering thickness, worsted spun. HIGHLY recommended. I'm already swatching on size US 2 birch Brittany DPN's, and it is fantastic to work with. Lustrous, firm, but not scratchy. Shows off stitch definition beautifully, and not at all splitty. If I had the money, I'd buy ten cones in every good color.

Hard to find! The Woolly Thistle was out of the Dark Navy. Got two cones from Tolt for $120. I also bought some more Hiya sharp 5" interchangeable circs off Amazon, but I REALLY prefer my wooden straights. I just don't think they will hold the weight of a gansey, and I have only found them in 10" anyway for DPN's. First project is a hat. I found a pattern I like, so I won't be buying the kit, but I want to do the hat in size 2, and have to re-chart for the smaller gage. Am aiming for 7 or 8 sts per inch stockinette. Basically....will be winging it until multiple calculations and attempts result in a hat that fits.

We have company this evening (all week, but he is staying in a local hotel), so I have to tear myself away from the needles to clean and get dinner ready.

 

[Seeker22]

I finished a couple of garter stitch wide hair wraps that cover my ears. I put a crochet edge on them. Also finished a crochet granny square shawl in thick yarn for going out to check the rabbits and pigeons when it gets colder. I am onto the last section of my Still Waters Virus Meets Granny shawl. In order to get the stripes of color to look right, I am having to do Russian joins and splice sections of color together. Bamboo yarn is a little different to work with, but I love the softness, the drape, and the colors. This one is big (I can relate to the "this is not a sock" comment LOL).

I have been canning Watermelon Rind Pickles all week when I'm not doing handwork. I used Mrs. Wages Bread and Butter pickle spice mix. I have tried them on salads, in beans, they are addictive. Oh, and my pup Mo loves watermelon. He gets flesh without seeds. He takes it off a fork and looks up at me and asks for more. Silly pup. Looks like with the rain we've had, I will have another Watermelon crop.

 

[Melodi]

I really did in my hands my back and my shoulder trying to do apples with the manual peeler-corer-slicer thingy; husband had to finish cooking supper last night when my back started to spasm (at least I had the roast chicken well underway) but I didn't even try to knit yesterday at all.

I feel a bit better this morning so I may get some work done on the shawl later; this seems to be a popular fall project for most of us (shawls) either knit or crocheted.

Housemate found a thrift shop book of making toy animals so we are looking for either a black or orange towel to make a stuffed cat out of for the costume; obviously, I can't take a real cat to a Halloween hen party-reading gig.

I'm also looking at alternatives to the one skirt I found as I'm not sure it is going to work; I have some other options, after all, it is just a costume, on the other hand, getting a full skirt pattern that fits (my engineering housemate makes great patterns) would be useful since most of my clothing is too big now (a nice problem but still somewhat of a problem).

Anyway, things are better today but I think the apples will just either be unpeeled and/or husband will do the peeling until I can replace the Kitchen Aid attachment that is supposed to both peel and slice but only cores and slices (peeler worked last year until suddenly it just stopped).

 

[Faroe]

I would rather do just about anything than process a big harvest. We had a bumper crop of peaches this year, and all I had to do was cut them up for the freezer, and I still hated every minute of it. It was endless, and they filled nearly the whole space of that freezer. The peaches were delicious fresh, but I have had no desire to try them frozen.

It turns out Flamborough Marine will take PayPal, so I might get that hat kit after all.

Have been swatching with the Frangipani from the sweater on p.13 out of Gladys Thompson's book. Started with the chart, Figure 6, but it seems to be all wrong (??), Went instead with marking my own chart on graph paper off the sweater's center panel from the photo. About 55 sts across, and so far have done about 13? rows, just over half of one vertical repeat.

Not sure about the cables, they cross first on an even row on the chart, that would make them crossed while one is knitting the reverse side. Not an expert AT ALL on cables, but that doesn't sound right. 'course, even if you cross first on row 7, row 14 would be on the reverse, so maybe cross on the next row every time the multiple is an even row? Not sure about that and a hundred other nagging little questions....good thing I'm still just swatching. One thing I am pleased with, is that this is a somewhat complicated pattern, but it IS doable, and not horribly tedious (not that it goes fast). Thomas's cables all twist in the same direction. Thank goodness - nothing messes with my head like mirrored cables. I can NOT keep the directions straight, but would have slavishly copied mirrored twists if the tradition called for it.

This pattern is my favorite, and BF likes it too, so I'll use it if I can get the measurements worked out to fit him.

 

[Melodi]

Faroe if you can afford it get one of their kits, I see it comes with the long needles you've been wanting for ages and that would give you a set used for this size of yarn.

I really like some of the yarn colors and might order some since they do take pay pal and I have a UK shipping address from the Irish Post Office (it is a forwarding address).

I'm not going to get any right now I'm still working on all that Wendy Aran yarn, but I bookmarked them.

I noticed a lot of their ganseys these days are the full sweater (a more modern look) but they still have several top only patterns (the old way because fisherman would stuff them into their "trousers" (pants in the US) or have their rubber overalls over the bottom part of the sweater so it didn't show.

 

[Faroe]

Yes, I'll be starting with the hat kit. I do want to try the needles, and I'm interested in the yarn they use. It doesn't look like Frangipani from the photo. Maybe Wendy? Those are the only two mfr.'s of 5-ply gansey yarn that I know of.

We are still catching our breath after our guest left. Amazing individual. No knitting today: we also re-arranged the furniture in two rooms, and I'm in the process of moving most of my daily craft stuff into the bird/storage room. I'll be working from there. (BF moved all his computer stuff from the kitchen table to a dedicated desk in the living room. Good for space in the kitchen, but he is too chatty, and I don't like trying to focus on reading or work from ten feet away in the adjacent room. I need more peace and quiet to focus - otherwise, I'll end up in a permanently crabby mood.) Now that cold weather is finally here, a GIANT monstera plant and all the ratties have to come in from off the front porch. Things will be a little more crowded.

 

[Faroe]

Hat kit ordered. Should be here in a week.

I started the tiny sample gansey out of Beth Brown Reinsel's book (spell?). This is a piece I originally tried out somewhere between 15 and 20 years ago (I was living in IA), and had nothing but trouble with, starting with the Channel Island cast on. I could NOT figure it out. Then, leaving that out for a less suitable cast-on, I couldn't figure out the overlap in the split garter stitch welt. I don't care for split welts, but since most of BBR's sweater patterns in the book are for women, it is a better option for many figures. The tight welt blouseier top bomber jacket look isn't flattering on most of us.

Well, my Channel Island cast-on could be a bit more even, but I can do it, and I was able to overlap the welts. Not the smoothest, but the welts are mostly correct. So, now working on the bottom of the plain knit section. Goes fast: 29 sts on each side, plus two pearl seam stitches per side, on a set of 5 DPN, US 3, 8" Hiya sharps. The yarn is a stinky thrift store Lion Brand acrylic in off-white. I like the yarn for a sampler, but this skein reeks of nasty perfume. No more second-hand yarn....ever.

Hoping to finish the sampler before the kit arrives.

ETA: I know the good folks of TB have been biteing their nails with worry... the little hatchling finally ate. Heat pad and T-stat are keeping him comfortable in the mid 80'sF. I've got him in a 5 gal. glass tank.
I've got two rats that just gave birth, and two pregnant rats, so he'll have plenty of meals of the correct size as he grows.

 

[Melodi]

My "hippy" shawl is almost done, I just have to finish the fringe, I decided to do an outer border in an acrylic wool mix and am doing the fringe in the same Aldi's yarn but a different color.

I don't think I could wear an entire sweater of the stuff but as an outer border and fringe it should be fine; I just didn't want to use any more of my really good (and now non-replaceable unless the company changes their mind) wool yarn on this project.

I also started a pair of socks on two long needles because I needed a traveling project and something that is easy to knit.

I figure I can go back and forth between knitting socks and working on the vertical sweater depending on my mood and where I will be knitting.

Good luck with the kit, I think you will enjoy it; I looked them up and I might order their yarn sometime for a color-yoke sweater because those colors are amazing!.

 

[Martinhouse]

This isn't anything to wear, but is something I've found to make that is very useful.

My new washing machine does not have a lint filter and I do not own a clothes dryer. (Except the wooden rack kind and the rope and in kind!) And when terrycloth kitchen towels wear out they shed all the knappy stuff and leave what is more or less polyester cheesecloth. Worthless!

Anyway, I'd bought many cones of the nice cotton yarn at Walmart and found that it makes wonderful dishtowels and dishcloths. I used #8 needles and made the towels 66 stitches wide by 152 rows high. I made them like a checkerboard of all knit surface alternating with all purl surface so they wouldn't roll up at the edges. Each square is six stitches wide and 8 rows high. After I cast off I crocheted a chain down the side, across the bottom and up the other side. This matches the cast-off stitches and smooths the edges, too.

The dishcloths are 44 stitches wide by 66 rows high and each little checkerboard square is four stitches wide by six rows high,

These towels and cloths are really soft and super absorbent because they are all cotton. I used the variegated blue/white for mine but there are several colors to choose from. I can't remember how many pieces I got from each cone. Perhaps one towel plus one dish cloth per cone, but I'm really not sure at all.

They are so soft I'd like to use the yarn for undervests, but I'm afraid they would get too clammy from perspiration so I haven't tried one yet. Wonder if it would make a cool summer top? In hot summer weather it wouldn't matter if they needed washing often because in hot weather they'd not take so long to dry.

 

[Melodi]

OK, my first post got eaten,

Basically, I said the dishcloths sounds wonderful (and is a similar pattern to my Mom's baby blanket pattern and I've used it for scarves too.

Non-clothing items can be very important for prepping too, I was just thinking of doing a hot water bottle cover for this Winter (comfier than the cheap ones that come with them here).

I used to think "tea cozies" were just about the silliest things I'd ever seen knit (along with toilet roll covers that look like dolls) but then I moved to this climate and discovered what they are really for and why they are best made out of wool or a wool blend yarn.

Because in the climates of the UK and Ireland in Winter, especially in old and badly weatherized houses; the tea goes stone cold pretty quickly in Winter but if you have a wool, part wool or even heavy cotton "teapot cozy/cover" it will stay warm much-much longer.

The same idea as wrapping hot dinner rolls in a towel and I've seen patterns here for knitted versions of that too.

 

[Martinhouse]

Melodi, I use an oversized soup pot with a flat tray on top that fits it perfectly, to help keep me warm while I sit in the kitchen. With the flat tray I can put my feet on it once it's cooled enough to not melt my shoes or slippers. I've learned to heat it up at bedtime and them cover it with several layers of the fleece fabric lap blanket I have to use, and it is still so warm in the mornings that it heats up really quickly on the stove. If I let it get cold, it takes 20 to 30 minutes to come to a boil, so I'm saving a little on the electric bill.

I do this because the space heater just isn't enough and I don't have central heat any more. My lungs can't take the woodstove any more barring emergency, so the water pots are a real lifesaver. A side benefit is that I can dry socks that get wet by putting them on top of the covered pot!

I do believe I'm going to use some old wool yarn I've had for a long time and make a nice cozy for it. It should be stretchy enough that I can make slits with flaps over them to accommodate the pot handles. Thank you so much for the great idea! I might even make a nice little sleeve to put around my tea mug, as I generally take a long time to finish a cup of tea, and you're right, it goes stone cold pretty quickly on a winter morning. Possibly I'll use the self-lined idea you posted for hats a while back by knitting a "football" that will be pushed inside itself to fit the pot/mug.

I love the ideas I get on this forum!!!!! If I don'[t use them, I often use a new idea that grows from them!

 

[Melodi]

For the tea I suggest that if you can afford it, get one of the metal or ceramic (ceramic will stay warmer but weighs more) cups with a lid on it; if you can't afford one then not only make a sleeve for the cup but also put a small plate on top of the mug (more or less making a lid) especially if you are taking your time drinking it.

There are lots of great ideas online for tea cozies from simple hat patterns that can be done leaving an opening for the teapot handle and spout (I don't have one of those patterns to hand but I've seen them) to really fancy ones that are often given as presents or sold at "Christmas Fairs" on this side of the water.

Some really cute and pretty easy ones have cat ears (with an embroidered face) or look like chickens, often adding bright colored feathers made of felt or pieces of idiot cord.

Any of them will work to keep your tea warm (double layers are good) but it just depends on how much time you want to spend to make it very simple or a bit more fun.

I like the hot water pan, I might be tempted to knit around lid "cover" that fitted over the lid to keep in the heat and make melting the shoes or slippers a bit less likely - you could do an actual cover or basically around knitting "pan cloth" that draped over the sides of the pan as well - I mean you can just use old blankets etc, but I've noticed that real wool will absorb the heat well and even a tiny bit of moisture but in a good way.

Cotton just gets wet and manky but warm wet wool (from the steam) is actually rather pleasant and comfortable; I love the idea of drying socks on it too!

Just found this - I'm sure there are some on ravelry for free too http://tipnut.com/rosy-tea-cosy/

Same site for hot water bottle covers (all free) http://tipnut.com/hot-water-bottle-covers/

OK a lot of these links no longer exist but the pictures are still very useful for ideas, https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#query=tea cozy may be better not all are free but some wlll be.

 

[Martinhouse]

Melodi, the cozy for the water pot(s) would be for overnight so they were not ice cold when it's time to reheat them in the morning. I've decided to make the self-lined one so it will be double thickness, and just make it loose enough to fit down over the rim of the tray and the pot handles. After thinking about it I'm inclined to think that looser is probably better. And I might use a stitch that will make the resulting cozy even thicker. I can wrap one of the sweaters I've made around it to get a good idea of how many stitches I'll need and probably make it with two long needles instead of a bunch of double-point one. Not sure I can get a nice flat top for it. If not, I could maybe switch to crochet at that point. But I want it mostly knitted for the stretchiness. I use ceramic mugs for my hot drinks and I would want those to fit well so they could remain on while I'm drinking the tea. Can't be loose because they'd fall off. I always put a cover on my drinks in the summer so fruit flies don't get in them and I could probably find something non-plastic that wouldn't warp from the heat, to use as a cold weather cover. Thanks for another good idea there! I've tried the large plastic lids made for wide mouth canning jars but usually the mug handle is too high for that to work.

A tip for something sort of related. I take a covered drink with me when I work out in the yard in nice weather and I worry that a fly or bee could go down the straw, so I use a thimble to cover the straw when I set the container down. If I don't have a thimble handy, I use the neat little black plastic thingy that comes on the center spring of those huge square flashlight batteries. Taping a string to the thimble or other cap and then tying the string to the handle keeps me from losing it if it gets knocked off. Oh, and about 99% off topic, I made a dandy handle for my favorite covered drink container, which didn't have one, with a metal screen door handle and two big hose clamps. Not real attractive but it sure does work and the guys at the hardware store were nicely impressed.

 

[Faroe]

Dish clothes and towels well be essential post-collapse. Dozens would not be too many. When dirty, just boil together in a big kettle, and dump the hot water on to a piece of wire grid or gravel. They can dry there in place, if the spot is more or less clean and protected. Will save time over hanging them individually to dry.

Ravelry has patterns. They are fun to knit, and easy enough to make up one's own designs. I like them for trying out a lace pattern as a "swatch." No loss if I mess it up badly, or just don't like it.

I bought a bunch of that WalMart Peaches & Cream cotton yarn a few years ago to cord a petticoat. That project never happened, but the yarn has long since been used up for other things, like lace and cable "samples," and I've bought new skeins since. The are fun projects when you just need some yarn in your hands, but don't feel like embarking on a real commitment.

 

[Martinhouse]

I'd bought a couple of crocheted pot holders at a thrift store and they were useless as the polyester yarn melts if a very hot pot is set on it. But I was able to figure out the stitches and made several sets of potholders for family members. I used that Peaches and Cream cotton yarn in color combinations to match their kitchens and the vintage pattern aprons I'd previously made for everyone.

It was a really fun project and the potholders were actually usable.

Lately I've been saving things that inspire patterns for embroidering. I didn't find tracing paper, so I'm just going to try white tissue paper. Some, like a picture I like on a birthday card, are tall and narrow and I need them short and wide, so I'll do graph paper transferring to change them, since I don't have a scanner and printer to do it for me. I even have a mug that has a cluster of forget-me-nots wrapped around it. Perfect for the front of a T-shirt or sweatshirt, so I'll trace it onto tissue paper and then enlarge it on graph paper. Not sure yet how I'll transfer any of these to the fabric, but I'll think of something when the time comes. Maybe there is something like carbon paper but is washable?

 

[Melodi]

I noticed Ravelry has pages and pages of t-cozies and hot water bottle covers and various things to put on coffee/tea mugs as well; some are extremely fancy and others are basically what you are describing and can figure out for yourself if you can do percentage knitting (and even I can do that with a calculator even with math issues).

There are a number that is just "hats" that go over the spout and handle of the teapot and some are doubled like the hat I "unvented" (thank you Elizabeth Zimmerman) the little mug jackets tend to be round (either knit round or as a strip) and fit the mug tightly with a slit for the handle.

I use plates to cover my tea in Summer because house screens don't exist here so it keeps out flies and when it starts getting cold and damp (like it is now) to cover the tea and keep it warmer longer.

And it is very true that post-collapses making towels, tea covers, foot warmers, slippers, lap rugs, even "personal supplies" (for times of the month or the bladder issues some folks have) will be really important skills.

Right now weaving t-towels is something a lot of weavers do for fun and dishcloths are a great starter knitting project especially for people living in climates with hot Summers who want to learn but don't want to mess with wool or anything heavy at first.

But knowing how to make these items could be very important, I'm actually thinking of weaving some towels as soon as my loom is set up and/or just weaving Viking "front cloths" which are almost the same thing except usually in wool.

Meanwhile the Shawl is still almost done (I had to take a break) and the socks coming along.

 

[summerthyme]

I'd bought a couple of crocheted pot holders at a thrift store and they were useless as the polyester yarn melts if a very hot pot is set on it. But I was able to figure out the stitches and made several sets of potholders for family members. I used that Peaches and Cream cotton yarn in color combinations to match their kitchens and the vintage pattern aprons I'd previously made for everyone.

It was a really fun project and the potholders were actually usable.

Lately I've been saving things that inspire patterns for embroidering. I didn't find tracing paper, so I'm just going to try white tissue paper. Some, like a picture I like on a birthday card, are tall and narrow and I need them short and wide, so I'll do graph paper transferring to change them, since I don't have a scanner and printer to do it for me. I even have a mug that has a cluster of forget-me-nots wrapped around it. Perfect for the front of a T-shirt or sweatshirt, so I'll trace it onto tissue paper and then enlarge it on graph paper. Not sure yet how I'll transfer any of these to the fabric, but I'll think of something when the time comes. Maybe there is something like carbon paper but is washable?

These: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...5OTG9V4Z3IC&rh=i:aps,k:fabric+transfer+pencil

You might even be able to find them at WalMart, but almost certainly at JoAnns or other fabric/craft type stores. You simply trace the pattern with the pencil and then iron it onto the fabric. Remember, though, that it will end up reversed, unless you flip it over and use a window or light box to trace the reverse side...

Summerthyme

 

[Martinhouse]

Summerthyme, THANK YOU! I don't think WM has those, but I need to go to Hobby Lobby soon to get some yellow-orange poster board for making white-fly traps, so I'll check there. They are likely the only place in town that will have transfer pencils. Maybe they would have tracing paper, too, with and without graph lines on it.

I don't have any problem with penciling on the back side of any patterns I've traced.

There are so many things like this that I'm hoping to do this winter, but now that it's cooler, I need to get a bunch of fruit and juice canned and make the rest of my mashed potato soup of which I have only eight pints remaining. Need to cook and can a couple big turkeys, too, and boil the bones and scraps for more broth to use in the potato soup.

It will be good to get a lot of things out of my freezers, too. Hope they've started getting the whole turkeys in the stores already...I'm needing those as soon as possible.

Hmmm. I just checked your link and I bet I could make my own light box with a picture frame and a headlight flashlight.

Geez, I love this forum!!!!!

 

[Melodi]

I use the transfer stuff for embroidery at times, I can get it sometimes in Northern Ireland or at Wallmart in the US but haven't tried to buy any for quite a long time; I'd probably check online first but the stuff is great.

There is a version I like to use that washes away, you just draw on the fabric, tack it on and then when your finished run water of the garment or wash it and it goes away - downside is it will also do that if you have wet or sweaty hands.

 

[Martinhouse]

Well, then, I guess I should check at Walmart after all. It won't be difficult since if there at all, they will be in the tiny section devoted to embroidery...about four feet wide!

But if WM has them anywhere in the US, then I'm sure I will at least find them at Hobby Lobby here in my puny town..

 

[Faroe]

Charcoal pencil usually stays on just long enough.

If they still sell them, I have an old pack of transfer carbon paper in different contrast colors, and a toothy wheel pizzia cutter type tool. That can work too.

 

[Martinhouse]

Faroe, I remember seeing those tools mentioned in sewing and pattern instructions when I was a youngster. They were just called tracing wheels, I think. The paper itself would be great for my embroidery transfers. I'll check for that at Hobby Lobby, too.

A small wheel would be good for lines and tendril type things in a picture and I could just draw in flowers, butterflies, etc., freehand.

Right now I have a lot of good-sized scrap pieces of the one-inch Styrofoam insulation board and it might work okay for pinning down the fabric and tracing paper. I'd probably use my inch and a quarter size T-pins.

 

[Melodi]

I really would suggest trying online, a few years ago I found a seller of all the childhood embroidery patterns for t-towels and other stuff that I had lost in various moves; she also had a transfer pencil and other stuff.

I don't do a lot of embroideries these days but my housemate does and she gets most of her supplies online - I mean I'd check with Hobby Lobby first if it is nearby - Wallmart probably varies a lot, and I'm only there every few years and then just wherever I am visiting in the USA.

 

[Martinhouse]

My brother is taking me to town tomorrow and I'm looking forward to checking out several things at Hobby Lobby. I'd have preferred to check Walmart first but I can't ask him to go there and our trip together has to be tomorrow. I can't go to WM today because I only shop super-early there to avoid trffic and also avoid being exposed to crowds of germy people.