Spending the last month on various craft projects as inspiration strikes. One of those is my knitting, which I am not as skilled at as I would like to be, so practice makes perfect. I'm making a very long wool-silk blanket from lovely two-ply lace-weight yarn. It's making a squishy, divine knit rectangle. I plan on wearing it as a shawl over my linen and wool dresses this winter. My goal is to work on making socks, so I have a simple plan and some yarn set aside in a special basket for this endeavor. The blanket is from floor to eyes at this point and will be the perfect length to wrap in for cozy winter work from home vibes. I do want to full it when done ,so it is more solid layer resistent to snagging.
I am using AI to help me plan out a sock pattern, using 64 stitches: cuff down K2 P2 rib, one inch. 10 inch heel to toe, 9-inch ball circumference, 8 stitches per inch for the blueprint of the socks. I plan on working these in the round and seeing how it goes. I wear knee socks for support but also like how they fit my calf when done properly. This Autumn, I will make the test socks. This will help me create knee socks in many colors of my own making in the coming new year. Normally, people start with socks when beginning their knitting journey. Here I am working on socks as a goal, after working on stockinette shawls and scarves. I have been doing rectangle shawls and scarves for years. Knitting has been a side project for me, so I haven't been working on it consistently.
A while ago, I obtained an embroidered, many-pocketed fabric basket from a West Coast small vendor. It's way too cute with its floral embroidered fabric. Now I have been using it for this current wool blanket project. I decided to put some sewing tools, dice for gaming, and some small crystals in the bag; it's a full-on cottage witch carry-all with its contents. I have some doll shirts that need collars, along with some other sewing and divination bits and bobs. Looks cute, and trying to keep things small in there to not weigh the cloth keeper of many things down. The above image shows what the pockets on the inside look like; now it has treasures tucked into each. Four pockets on the inside and the same on the outside.
Some dolls are incoming from my ceramicist in Texas; the two sent will bring the current 12" size total to 5. I am working on some Tudor doll linen shifts between other crafting tasks. Some very nice linen for these, and using some insertion lace and winding cotton tape to create textured collars and cuffs for the miniature garments. They are turning out very well, I like the collars and cuffs giving some interest without stealing the show. The goal is to use more boiled wool which I have left over from the Basel Beer Wives project. Hoping to create some wool Tudor kirtles and gowns for these 12" dolls. These 5 dolls will still need wigs, faces and shoes painted before real clothing making can begin. I have three colors of mohair for wigs for these ladies. The wool edges normally were left raw for clothing in the period as they didn't fray when the fabric had some fulling done as a finishing technique. I can see about doing bound edges if I am concerned with edge finishing for the kirtles. Although I will see about using the same velvet ribbon as the Beer Wives for trim. The trick is making sure these dresses do not read as copies of the Beer Wives just because they are made from the same wool and velvet. The dolls will have some black silk to help break up the bright colors and textures. Also want to make some linen coifs and flat caps for these dolls for 1560's adjacent Tudor Kirtles/Gowns.
With all this knitting and wool projects, I found my in progress knitting baskests in my home Stitch Niche. They are too cute and wanted to share some images. It's typical for me to have more than one project going on at one time. So these baskets of wool were from last year, after I sorted through the yarn stash. Locating suitable lace weight options for socks out of said stash. Those were sorted into baskets based on socks for one and Tudor hats and a few other small projects on needles for the other. I have some totes full of large willow baskets for some future knitting/crafting projects. Wanted to show the baskets as you can take a pashmina or table cloth and make a cozy basket cover for your projects.
Also have been sorting the Stitche Niche Stash and will be rehoming some books, small baskets, some larger dolls, that I wont use. Eventually I will sell some older garb that no longer fits that needs to find new life with others. This will allow me reorganize the Stitch Niche into a better organized space for creativity.
Good Things Coming,
Maureen
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