Knitters and Needleworkers of Free Republic, Unite! (a vain vanity)

Knitting a Conundrum

[IN Farm Girl]

Arent' Grandmas the best? That's how I first got attracted to needlework. I used to watch her embroider and sew and crochet. I absolutely loved to watch her crochet plastic bread bags into rugs. She was a farm woman and a firm believer in the "make it do or do without" philosophy.

My favorite remembrance of her is the time she embroidered denim shirts for the three of us girls. This was the rage in the early 70's in our part of the country, but Mom and Dad couldn't afford to run to the department store and buy three store-bought shirts for us. So Mom found some plain denim shirts, took them to Grandma, and explained what she wanted.

I don't remember my sisters' shirts, but mine had snowflakes and red and white trim. The first day I wore it, the richest girl in school (her dad was Ryan White's first lawyer in his AIDS battles) told me she wished she had a shirt like mine. I couldn't wait to get home that afternoon to call Grandma and tell her what Suzy Vaughan said about my shirt!

[HarleyLady27]

I sell afghans, lap ones and large ones; also do needlepoint, cross stich; am doing quilting right now, I am making a bunch of $199.99 quilts right now...and I am also working on a 'Queen Anne' 98 x 108 quilt...its turning out very pretty....

I love to do these things...have sold a number of them...mostly give them away to friends and family members...

[wildehunt]

It's a LeClerc Artisat, made in Quebec, and it's at least 30 years old.

I paid $350 dollars for it, which seemed exorbitant at the time. My Ashford spinning wheel, also the same vintage, was $85, as I recall, and totally beyond my means, but I had to have it.

I had sheep then too. Fortunately I got over that.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I thought about sheep once, because we have a place that's about 2 acres that we could retire to, but then I woke up.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

That's a neat story.

One funny thing: my mom just couldn't learn to crochet as a girl. But when she was in her mid-forties, she got me to teach her.

Anybody got any pics to show off?

[Knitting A Conundrum]

My stepmom loves to piece quilts. She lives back in west Texas in a wide spot in the road that used to be a railroad town, and does a lot of sewing. But she sends her quilts off to be quilted.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Shortly after 9/11, when nobody was buying on Ebay, I got a good deal on my loom, about $100. But my majacraft spinning wheel cost more than your loom did!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

The hardest piece of knitting I've ever done:



I do historical knitting. That is, I buy and collect old patterns. This pattern comes from a little book printed in 1845. Lots of lovely lace patterns in it. The only problem is that they didn't proofread the galleys very well. The patterns are full of typos. Getting this pattern together took me 3 or 4 times, a lot of frustration, and even so, I call it a recreation of her pattern, because I am not sure if this was exactly what she had in mind, although it is close. It's a collar. It makes a piece of lace that curves in a little bit. In the time period it was written, people used to whipstitch on their collars rather than sew them as a piece of the dress, so they could remove them and wash the collar more often than the dress, which might be of fabric that didn't wash well.

[wildehunt]

Saddleblanket used for a decorative touch over a lightweight commercial pad.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

neat work! I like it!

[IN Farm Girl]

Oooh, aaaah.

I love it; so precise!. Thanks for sharing!

[IN Farm Girl]

Ooooh, aaaah.

That is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!

[wildehunt]

Wow..

If patience is virtue, you must be a wonderful person.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I've started volunteering in a technical library. I catalog articles and shelve naterials and found out that I am a natural technical services librarian tech...it seems that I have a way of looking at things that involves seeing tedious activities as challenging and fulfilling, and I patiently look for meaning where it takes some doing.

This makes me weird, but it comes in handy when figuring out some of the antique patterns....

[EHC Southern Pride]

What a great idea for a thread! : ) I'm not one for knitting...my Grams tried teach me when I was about 9, maybe a little younger, and I was horrible at it, lol. Think I still have that "scarf" somewhere.

My mom was ALWAYS doing some cross stitch project while I was growing up so I gave that a try instead. Turns out I'm pretty good at it :)

The last project I did was of the islands of Hawaii. Took me a while, but I got through it. Now I'm looking for a new project. Unfortunately I haven't seen anything that really strikes my fancy yet.
If anyone has any ideas of good places to find patterns they would be welcome and MOST appreciated :)

[alwaysconservative]

Counted cross, needlepoint, embroidery, crochet, and I recently learned how to knit (very recently, LOL!). I have done some quilting in the past, but wouldn't say that I am any good at it. I did hardanger (once), and do basketweaving and make fabric flowers out of ribbon.

I would love to learn how to crochet doilies or collars, and/or do tatting. (Hint, hint!)

[Knitting A Conundrum]

If you can crochet a granny square, you can crochet doilies.

That has a lot of the basics. Crocheting in a circle. Crocheting in clusters, and joining the clusters by chains. Going up to the next row.

Find an online pattern you'll like and I'm sure we can walk you through it!

[xsmommy]

xs stands for cross stitch : )

[Knitting A Conundrum]

That is how I knew what you were interested in from the very first time I saw your name!

[xsmommy]

you'd be amazed how many people think i have a kid whose name begins with X!! LOL!