Vintage Cute

I've started playing with patterns for reproductions of some vintage patterns. This one was from a picture of a beaded purse. In the original version, which was called a vase coin purse, the white stripes were beaded. I didn't do this one that way because I wanted to work out the pattern. It's made with size 5 perle cotton in powder blue and white.



I've posted a free pattern for it on my web site so have a look if you want to try it out. I've also been seeing 19th century patterns for a similar concept but in a larger size. This one stands about 5" and is really just too cute, don't ya think!


One of the other things I've been working on is a linen top. Here's the back of the bodice. It's going to have a square neck with a vintage lace inset pattern. Then it's going to have a lace insert at the waist with a 'skirt' that will go about hip length. This is the Louet Euroflax Linen that I love so much in color "Grape." and using US size 4 needles. The bodice is stockinette and cable, the skirt will use a cherry lace stitch from a 19th century pattern and a yet to be decided lace insert.

Almost Done

I may have been quiet but I haven’t been doin’ nothing.

I’ve almost finished my Roman Stripe Stole (although I’ve just started on Antony and Cleopatra). I had some olive beads that matched the yarn perfectly so I’ve worked them into the borders on each end. Funnily enough, when I was looking for a simple edging for the end, the one I came up with is the one that’s used on the ponchette. I think it works fine, though I have adapted it slightly. It does need to be blocked a little bit but I really like the weight of the beads on the end.

I left this picture large so if you click on it, you’ll see the beads on the end.

I really like this pattern and just wish it wasn’t so hot and humid so I could wear it! I love how it worked up in the lace weight linen. I never knew I would enjoy knitting with linen so much. I had to get a second cone of it so it looks like I will use about 650 yards or so. I have another cone in the same yarn in a Chinese red color. I did a little purse with the 2 colors and I like the combination so I'll have to work out a shawl using the 2.

Oh, by the way, I did this on US size 5/3.75mm needles.

Life is like that

I’m a pretty intuitive sort of person. I trust my feelings (not my emotions but feelings I get about things – emotions aren't completely untrustworthy), I usually follow my hunches and I know that when my inside voice is telling me to pay attention to something and I tell it to shove off, I’m usually going to pay for it. Something like that just happened to me while I was felting my backpack. Here’s the unfelted version:

Here, however, is the felted the liver out of it version. Hummm… I like the shape and I think I’ll go ahead and write up the pattern but I’m a bit disappointed that I sat and let it get to this point. But felting is lot like life – there’s no going back.

Now that I’ve had my Forrest Gump moment, we move on.

Here’s the Roman Stripe Stole I’ve been making as a craft for the read along in my Ravelry Shakespeare group – we’re reading Antony and Cleopatra. The pattern is really fun but you really have to pay attention and keep your wits about you. I’m using Louet Euroflax Paris in Willow. It’s 100% Wet Spun Long Linen and for weavers among us is 14/2. For the non-weavers among us, it’s a lace weight and Willow is a sort of olive green.



And here’s the Pi Shawl using the Habu stainless steel wool yarn. This is being so interesting and really quite challenging. Most of the challenge has to do with the size of the yarn. This photo shows the start of the shawl with the sample of the Euroflax on one side and a light worsted weight yarn on the other just to show the scale of how small this yarn really is.