Ripped Up & ReSewn

Christmas Gifts 3 - Quilted Patchwork Blanket

2012-01-22T11:11:00.001-08:00

Quilted patchwork blanket for my niece. Most of the fabric is Amy Butler 'Soul Blossoms' with some plain dye cotton again from Abakans in Manchester.

Used some generic cotton wadding for the inner quilt sandwich.

Admire my nice label 'Ripped Up & ReSewn by Miss Wigglesworth'.

Christmas Gifts 2 -Lace Scarf in Kidsilk Haze

2012-01-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

Lace 'Gathering' scarf in Rowan Kidsilk Haze with little black glass beads.

The pattern is in 'Little luxury Knits' by Rowan and only takes 1 ball of Kidsilk Haze, a perfect gift.

Apart from putting the beads on this was a fairly easy knit. It is on 5mm needles so grows quickly but does require some concentration pattern wise - not one to take to knit club!

Christmas Gifts 1 - Reversable Knitting Bags

2012-01-22T10:27:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting till after Christmas to post gifts I made up on the blog just in case the recipient had a look on here (however unlikely).

So here are some little reversible knitting bags for two new knitters. They will just fit an A4 pattern in them along with a ball of wool and a set of needles.

I gave the gifts as little starter kits with great success.

Fabrics are a mix of Amy Butler and some random cotton I got from Abakans in Manchester.

Christmas Knitting - Festive Stocking

2011-11-27T23:44:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming! Festive stocking of my own design in Rowan Creative Focus Worsted, an American style worsted weight yarn (in the UK its between an aran and a dk). Lined with some nice thick cotton I found in my local Haberdashery shop. Just need to fill it with presents now...

Knitted Patchwork Blanket

2011-11-27T15:03:00.000-08:00

Patchwork blanket in Rowan All Seasons Cotton. The squares are adapted from an old Martin Storey pattern, you cast on for the 4 outer edges of the square then decrease at the 4 diagonals into the centre then seam the last diagonal back to the outer edge. Now in All Seasons, an aran weight yarn done on 4.5mm needles. I have backed this blanket with a slightly quilted cotton fabric and used buttons to tie the two sides together. Its like a little duvet! Should be an awesome pram blanket for the new baby it is going to.

Adventures in Quilting

2011-11-27T10:06:00.001-08:00

Having done patchwork before I thought it was about time I leaped into the world of quilting. Armed with my 'Dare to be Square' book I set to. I have made an end of bed/knee quilt for my niece as a Christmas gift. I hope it will become the blanket she takes with her though life as I give it to her now at 18 months. Finished photo to follow!

Cushion for Annabelle

2011-07-12T04:16:00.000-07:00

Annabelle is 1!

Very keen to provide lovely things for my niece I made an appliqué cushion with her name and things beginning with 'A' on it. Apple, anchor, aardvark!

Main cushion cover made from felt with a zip closure on the back, appliquéd felt and Amy Butler fabric letters with embroidered apple and anchor and appliquéd aardvark.

Appliquéd Aardvark - if thats not a craft blog waiting to be published I don't know what is.

I digress!

As you can see, the cushion got a round of applause.

Charity Corsages

2011-07-12T03:26:00.000-07:00

Me and my knitting group made a tree for Knit in Public day last month, full of leaves and flowers (and 3 slugs).

The plan was to sew these flowers and leaves together into corsages and then sell them for Mustard Tree; a charity for homeless and vulnerable people in Manchester.

So here are the finished articles! Some knitted, some sewn, some crocheted.

We have sold a few already and got over £40! If we continue to sell at similar prices we should get over £130, which I think is pretty good.

Tape Measure Bunting

2011-06-09T10:37:00.001-07:00

Bunting! Just single sided, cut with pinking shears. I bought some cheap (55p) tape measures and sewed the triangles to that instead of bias binding or cotton tape. I think they look pretty snazzy.

Fabric Covered Letters

2011-06-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

Papier mache letters (bought from Fred Aldous in Manchester - £5 each) and covered in Amy Butler fabric. I traced the letters onto the fabric and glued the face pieces down with PVA. I then snipped v shapes around the curves and wrapped round the sides. I then made a sort of bias binding to fit round the edges, and glued with PVA again. I am going to use them as display items in the workshops I run at work.

Knitted Elephant

2011-05-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

Here is 'Flo' from Knitty.com. Done in two balls of Rowan Pure Wool Aran with domed buttons for eyes and some toggles for tusks. I bought some blue tapestry wool to do blanket stitch round the ears and feet but I quite like it as it is. After a bit of trial and error I upped the needle size to 4mm.

After I started knitting this I saw this article and thought it was quite serendipitous: http://bit.ly/hXYekb

I also think it is a he, unsure of a name, we await the outcome of the football today as I have promised my boyfriend if Manchester United win I will call him Ferguson, if not he is being called Everton.

Pattern available here: http://bit.ly/bnZum1

Sheer from Rowan Studio 22

2011-04-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

This jumper is pretty cool. 3/4 of the body and sleeves are done in Kid Classic - a mohair mix yarn, then the top 1/4 is in Kidsilk Haze - a mohair and silk yarn that is super fine but with lots of fluff.

By keeping the work on the same sized needles though out it creates the fine top panels. Done in reds in the book, I have gone for these taupe shades: Bitter Sweet in the Kid Classic and Majestic in Kidsilk Haze.

It knit up very quickly and not with any real effort - it just seems to have appeared before my eyes.

Now onto something more appropriate for the sunny weather we have been having. (Why do I knit 'winter' garments as soon as it gets warm??)

Page from Cherished

2011-04-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

'Page' short sleeved cardi from Kim Hargreaves 'Cherished' pattern book. Very quick to knit in Big Wool, with an interesting nipped in pattern. To get the scalloped pattern you increase either side of the stocking stitch panels and then knit 4 together/knit 4 together to nip it in. Success!

Suspend in Big Wool

2011-03-11T06:24:00.001-08:00

This jumper is from the latest Rowan Studio book. By wrapping the wool round the needle 10 times for each stitch and then dropping all the extra loops on the return row you create these really long dropped stitches. Had to invest in a KnitPro 1m long circular needle to get all the stitches on at the sleeves. The jumper is worked from hem to hem, casting off and then casting on for the neck opening. I am pretty pleased with the result, though I have tacked a length of black ribbon to the shoulder seam to keep the arms from drooping.

Dress for Annabelle

2011-03-11T06:10:00.001-08:00

I had to make this otherwise she would have grown out of it before it was finished! A little dress in Organic Cotton DK. Because it is organic and naturally dyed it has some fading and variation in colour but it will even out after a couple of washes. I knit the 12-18 month size but I had to make it a bit longer than in the pattern because Annabelle is pretty long/tall for her age. I like the little key hole at the back.

Hand Painted Cotton Shawl Finished

2011-01-21T15:16:00.001-08:00

Finished! I think it looks pretty good, I am pleased with it. Not quite as wide at the top as I would have liked but I did not have any more yarn so i added the little ties at the corners just to make sure it is secure round my neck.

This is my own pattern. Cast on 3, then yarn forward either side of the central stitch with 6 stitches of garter stitch at each edge to stop it from curling up. A bit of short row shaping at the top to straighten the top out a bit and then a few rows of garter stitch.

I will be sporting it tomorrow on route to the bus stop.

Hand Painted Cotton Shawl

2011-01-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

Finally I have started to knit with the hand painted cotton I bought at WoolFest last June! It is so nice and soft. I am not usually a cotton fan but this is just so nice to work with. Not stiff like a lot of cottons can be. I am so impressed with it I have posted this image of the shawl half finished, another to follow when it is done!

Christmas Knits - Gifts

2011-01-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

A hat for Sandra, a hat and gloves for Grandma and a cardigan for Rosie.
Hats knitted in Rowan Cocoon, Rosie's cardigan in All Seasons Cotton with a handmade button from WickedMinky on etsy.

www.etsy.com/shop/wickedminky

Christmas Knits

2011-01-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas stockings for Chris and me, guess who's is who's?!
Done in Rowan Pure Wool Aran and only 1 ball of each colour. Pattern in the Rowan Autumn Winter newsletter.

Cardigan for Frank

2010-10-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

A cardigan for baby Frank who was christened on Sunday. It was going to be for Christmas but I brought its gifting forward when we got the christening invite. I hope his mum and dad like it, we left before they opened the gifts! I'm sure they will.

lime green

2010-09-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent knit. I say recent, I started it in May and have just got round to finishing the ruffles. Done! I am posting this while waiting for my lemon drizzle cake to cook. Tasty.

Sewing again

2010-09-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

My wonderfully talented aunt has just made me a dress out of this fabric I bought and passed the rest back to me. So I decided to make a cushion out of it! I am not really a sewer so I am well impressed with putting the zip in. Good eh?

Kaffe Fasset colourscape knits

2010-09-17T08:41:00.001-07:00

Just done a cardigan from the Kaffe Fasset Colourscape Folk book. The Colourscape wool is lovely to knit with, really soft 100% lambs wool and the colour stripe sequence is already in there so its lazy stripes. This colourway is called Jungle and is new for this season. I managed to get a hat out of what I had left (the pattern is in the same book).

been sewing

2010-09-17T08:21:00.000-07:00

I have been sewing - a slight break with tradition. Made some little pin cushions for my sister to sell on her stall. I used Amy Butler fabric, felt and vintage buttons.

Dress coat for Annabelle

2010-09-09T12:40:00.001-07:00

New dress coat for Annabelle. Her parents are getting married in October and I thought she needed a posh coat to keep her warm. Knitted in Rowan Milk Cotton DK (which I got in the sale) the pattern is from the Milk Cotton Baby book. I am really pleased with the result - it is an impressive garment for a little person - a show stopper.

Intarsia name banner

2010-08-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

So I have a new small person to knit things for, and I took this on with gusto managing to get this done within a week of her being born! I was hoping for 'Jane' but what can you do...Annabelle it is!

lets KNIT

2010-08-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

A banner in All Seasons Cotton. Hopefully will encourage people to Knit!

Baby Clothes

2010-06-01T09:03:00.001-07:00

So I am soon to be an aunty (my boyfriends sister is having a baby)! An obvious excuse to knit very cute little outfits for a new small person. I have done a 4ply baby grow and 4ply garter stitch cardigan in gender neutral shades. I can not wait to find out if it is a boy or girl as this will allow for more specific (read colourful) knitting projects!

Rita Raccoon

2010-03-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

The second 'oddbob' knitted from Donna Wilson's book, Knitted Odd-bod Bunch. This is Rita Raccoon! Her tail is about 35cm long but she is only 20 cm tall. This is just for me, I needed a raccoon break form knitted a 4ply baby cardigan that is really tedious.

Here is Donna Wilson's website:

www.donnawilson.com

Fair isle hat take #2

2010-02-23T03:08:00.000-08:00

This is my second attempt at this hat pattern. The first one was fine, just small. It was the right size to the pattern it just would not fit most peoples heads! I need to find it a home with a small headed person.

To make it big enough, I added in a repeat of the pattern and knit it on a size larger needles. Posted it to the recipient last week, only 6 weeks after Christmas...

SNOOOOOOD!!!

2010-02-22T07:10:00.000-08:00

SNOOD! A free Rowan pattern off their website. I used the same King Cole yarn as I did for the cape. I think it could have done with an extra repeat of the cable pattern to go round the shoulders as it looks a bit stretched. If I knit it again I'm definitely doing that.

Christmas hats for two little girls

2010-02-22T07:02:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Christmas I dived into my yarn stash to knit some little gifts for a two little girls in the family. I adapted a Debbie Bliss pattern for the larger size as the pattern only went up to 24 months and they eldest is 4. I love making tassles.

Baby cardigan

2010-02-22T06:53:00.000-08:00

I have devloped a reputation for doing this pattern. As soon as I have done one, someone sees it and requests another one. I need to branch out! I have bought some new baby knitting books so hopefully I can tempt people to go for other patterns. (This was knit as a favour for my bf's mum to give to a work friend, and it was very well recieved *warm fuzzy feeling*)

Grandma's slippers

2010-02-22T06:47:00.000-08:00

Pixie slippers for my Grandma. Seem to have misplaced they photos of the finished article, but I sew a little wood toggle to fasten them (and I managed to make a left and right). They are pure merino wool - I spashed out 'cos I love my Gram gram x

Long time no see...

2010-02-22T06:40:00.000-08:00

Hello! Long time no post. I have thrown myself into Uni work so have not posted. I am still knitting away, so I am going to post up the things I have done over the last 6 months.

These were a trial run of some pixie slippers I knitted for my grandma, spot the mistake? Both are left feet! Mistake, but I am using them so it doesn't matter.

Birthday Teacosy

2009-08-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

Birthday teacosy for my boyfriends mum, photographed on her teapot in her kitchen.

The pom poms might be slightly ott but I don't really care!

What an effort to knit though! Drawing the wool round after every 7 stitches really slows you down.

Shawl in trade

2009-07-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

After the success of my previous shawl a friend of the recipient wanted a similar one.

So in trade for fixing my bike (some cheeky git stole some bits off it) I provided said shawl as a gift in trade.

The colour was hard to find in an aran weight yarn without going for an expencive brand but I picked this up at WoolFest the other week for much less.

WoolFest 09

2009-06-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

WoolFest 09! Rock and roll!

So me and my mum, Jill, headed up to the lake district to WoolFest in Cockermouth.

It was awesome! There were stalls for felting, rag rugging, spinning, knitting, crochet and even more. It was really nice to go to a craft event that was just for textile based interests.

I bought an extreme crochet hook, a small rag rug, a Tunisian crochet book and some wool.

It was really good, would be nice to get a mini bus up with the knitting group next year.

WoolFest 09 website

Chris's Jumper Finished!

2009-06-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

Woo! Jumper finished. Only the second time around and about 2/3rds the size.

I adapted it from a jumper with an all over pattern and just added in a dot stitch for the first couple of inches at the sides of the body under the arms.

A success finally.

strips and two mats

2009-06-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

I had a go at a bit of 'extreme knitting' (See link below) to make a thick cushion mat for a dining chair. I used 6 strands of wool (varying from dk to chunky) on 15mm needles. Its created a thick soft fabric that softens up the chair just enough. I would really like to do a blanket in the same manor maybe with even more wool.

The second photo is of a small bathmat I knit out of ripped up tshirts. I'm going to give it to my mum for her new shower room.

The third and final photo is of some more knitted stips for the Craft Centre.

Rachel John Extreme Knitting

Rowan Shawl Finished! (+new hair)

2009-05-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

Finished! Totally worth the effort. I've just ordered some big old toggles to fasten it (although I do like the kilt pins).

Its just typical that I finished knitting something from a collection called 'Tundra' in late May when it has been really warm and sunny. (As a side note - new hair cut, lovin it).

Knitting News Update

2009-05-22T04:18:00.000-07:00

20 odd rows done.

37 rows done.

Jumper for Chris 3/4 finished.

Not satisfied with the final push to finish the year at Uni I have started the second piece of the Rowan shawl I started a couple of months ago AND have pulled back and have nearly finished reknitting a jumper for my boyfriend.

I tried in vain to find some long 10mm needles to knit the shawl - it required 132 stitches to be on the needle at once which was very cramped but just about do-able.
Why don't they make longer needles when on the thicker needles the stitches are going to be so much wider? Maybe I'll email some manufacturers.

Yarn Bombing at the Craft Centre

2009-05-01T03:34:00.000-07:00

I have just submitted some knitted strips for the Yarn Forward exhibition at the Manchester Craft Centre, run by ArtYarn. By coincidence ArtYarn run the knitting group I went to this week at the Kings Arms in Salford - which I really enjoyed.

Here are some links:

Yarn bombing at the Craft Centre

ArtYarn's blog

Shawl Completed

2009-04-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

Aloha. Just finished the shawl for my boyfiends sister. Going to give it to her for her birthday in a couple of weeks.

I sort of made the pattern up for this one, its made up of two patterns put together with some additions via common knitting sense.

I used a shawl pattern that is available free from the Vogue knitting website that I have used a couple of times before in its unaltered state. The cabling is from the large Rowan shawl from the previous post that I am doing for myself (haven't done any more on that yet).

Because the cabling pulls the width of the work in, to get the correct width for the pattern I picked up and knit about 150 stitches on each side of the shawl and worked a 2-2 rib for 3 inches.

et voila!

Vogue Knitting The pattern I used as the base is the Rolled Collar Shrug.

Shawl in progress

2009-04-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

I am currently knitting a shawl from one of the Rowan magazines. I couldn't afford to do it in the Rowan wool suggested, so I've bought some King Cole Aero which still has 20% wool (and is loads cheaper!).

It's done in 2 sections - a scarf and the main body - and I'm just over half way through the scarf. It is not a very hard pattern but you do have to read every row cos its a double-row moss stitch instead of the normal reverse stocking stitch.

I have decided to use the cabling pattern on a shrug that I've adapted from a Vogue pattern you can get free off the internet. It's going to be a birthday gift so I'll post a picture of it when it's going to be imminently given away so not to spoil the surprise!

Dead Threads Competition 2008

2009-04-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is a dress I made out of an old suit jacket for the 2008 'Dead Threads' competition run by House of Rose & Brown in Saltaire, which I won. (Yay!)

The jacket was so massive it must have been for a 30 stone man. I reused as much of the jacket as I could - only the red zip, buttons and edging were new additions.

www.roseandbrownvintage.co.uk Check out some of the fab stuff they have at House of Rose & Brown, see the competitions page for some photos of me looking windswept.

Hello

2009-04-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well, here goes.

I've started this blog to chart the ups and downs of my knitting and crafting exploits.

I had an idea last year that I would start a little hand made clothes/accessories/jewellery 'label' called Ripped Up & ReSewn, mainly because I like reviving things from being turned into carpet underlay.

I am going to set up an etsy shop, so hopefully some nice people will buy some of the little things I've made and this blog will chart the creative journey.

I'll put some pictures up of stuff I've made already and am in the process of making as soon as I work out how to.

So here it is, the blog.