The Bomb is up

It took a while, but I finally got my bomb pattern up for sale on Ravelry or from here via Paypal. Here it is in all its glory. Just to be clear, that's KNITTED bomb I mean of course...

Its the classic cartoon bomb, two sticks of dynamite, timer......and detonators.Its up for sale for 3.50 Euro, and 10% of the sale price goes to MAG - Mines Advisory Group, whose work includes clearing landmines.

You can buy it here via PayPal.
And here is the link to the pattern page on Ravelry - more info or you can buy it from here.
You can also buy it from my Etsy store here.

Its a fairly easy knit, done mostly in the round, with simple increases and decreases and some I-cord for the detonators. The pattern could easily be converted for making up on two needles. I used some Tivoli double knit yarn, but as gauge isn't important it could be made with any yarn lurking in the large stash any self-respecting knitter has hidden away for emergencies, along with some stuffing.It took a big of figuring out to get a nice flat face on the timer and in the end I used mathematical formulae. But I was left with some practice timers, one of which converted nicely into an oversized comedy watch...yes, it is totally ridiculous, just like the bomb!

Peas on Earth...

Yes, that is a ridiculous name, but how could I not? Anyway, here is the pattern! Also available as a free PDF download on Ravelry. Or download it directly here.


Finished Measurements:

5” x 1 ¼” x 1”

13cm x 3 cm x 2.5cm

Materials:

  • A small amount of any type of yarn will do, with the appropriate size crochet hook. I used Kingcole Pricewise Double Knitting 100% Acrylic yarn in shade 272 for the mid green of the pod, and shade 53 for the lighter green of the peas.
  • 3.5mm (U.S. Size 3) hook (or the correct size for your yarn)
  • A yarn needle for sewing up

Gauge:

16 sts or 10 rows dc per 4”/10cm

Abbreviations:

I use American crochet names, but the British ones are given here in italics also.

ch – chain/s

sc – single crochet = British – double crochet

dc – double crochet = British – treble crochet

st/s – stitch/es

sl st – slip stitch = British – single crochet

hdc – half double crochet = British – half treble crochet

sc dec – single crochet decrease (pull a loop through each of the next 2 sts, yarn over hook and draw through both sts)


DIRECTIONS:

Pea Pod side (Make two)

Using mid-green, ch 24.

Row 1: Skip one ch, 1 sc in each of next 2 ch, 1 dc in each of next 17 ch, 1 sc in each of next 2 ch, ss in next ch. (This leaves one ch with no st in it and makes the pea pod nice and pointy)

Row 2: Turn work. Skip 1 ch, ss in next st, 1 sc in each of next 2 sts, 1 hdc in next st, 1 dc in each of next 12 sts, 1 hdc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 2 sts, ss in next st.** Fasten off.

For second side of pea pod, work from * to **, then ss to end of pod.


Hold both sides flat against each other and work a line of sc through both sides to join them together. This leaves a nice ridge along the back. You could also sew along the edge using blanket stitch instead.


Pea (Make 5)

Make a slip ring (magic ring), (instructions here) and ch 2. (Counts as first hdc)

Make 6 hdc in ring, pull the ring closed and join with a ss. (7 sts)

Next round: Ch 2, 1 hdc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 hdc in each of next 5 sts, ss to join.

Next round: Ch 1, sc dec three times, ss to join and fasten off. Leave a long tail of yarn and use this to stuff the pea. Push it into the pea with the wrong end of the crochet hook.

Making up:

Stuff all your peas and sew in place. Attach yarn to one end of the pod and ch 20 to make a tendril. Sew in any loose ends. Et voila!

Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef

Beaded Coral

I managed to make it in to the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef Exhibition in the Science Gallery in Dublin yesterday to be fully immersed in the colourful and playful world of crocheted coral.
It was very beautiful, a lot of fun and a really impressive amount of work. (Although it was not very well labeled unfortunately - this was not a problem for me at least, as I was involved in the project and knew all about it, but sadly disappointing for others as there is so much to engage with that its a pity to miss out on all that is behind it...)
More beaded corals

There was an Irish Reef - contributed by all the Irish crocheters and knitters, general travelling reefs from various contributors around the world, and a toxic reef made from waste plastic.

The Irish Reef

Close-up of one of the other travelling reefs

The toxic reef

Recognise that white plastic coral under the orange bit? (My contribution to the Toxic Reef, yay!)

More Toxic Reef

It was good to take part in it, even if the organisation was a bit patchy and disappointingly some of the coral I'd sent in was not on display... But the whole collection was fantastic. I love the mix of craft, environmentalism and complex mathematics that the reef brings together in a beautiful, fun and rich way. And I got to meet some talented women I've only previously had virtual contact with, so all in all a successful day out.

Adventures in Spinning: Shetland

Its been a while since I've done much spinning what with life's busy-ness at the moment. Also, after reading Anne Field's Spinning Wool - Beyond the Basics, I was feeling a bit daunted at the task. A talented fellow knitter (and spinner) loaned me the book, (thank you!) which is unfortunately out of print. Anne Field really knows her fleece, and its been a real treasure trove of technical information including a really helpful section on how to classify a fleece.

One thing I found very limiting was her viewpoint on how a fleece should be used. This depends on the character of the wool - she recommends a larger yarn with less twists per inch for a larger fibre size with less crimps per inch. This makes complete sense, but just isn't what my hands do naturally.

After reading the book, I spent some time learning to spin at a constant speed to get more even results in terms of twists per inch by counting treadles per inch....and then went back to doing it by feel. Its great to learn the technicalities, but I found it put me off the fun of just doing it. I came to spinning as something that feels instinctive, something with its own rhythm, that I've just gone with the flow of, and somehow the technical side took some of the fun away.

After watching Lambing Live on BBC these last few nights, I felt totally inspired to get back at the wheel. So I got out some Shetland fleece - combed tops in a mixture of colours - white, moorit, grey and chocolate brown/black, with a staple length of 3 - 5" and roughly 16 crimps per inch.
I made some worsted spun 2-ply, - 12 wraps per inch and 8 twists per inch......which knit up nicely on 3.75mm needles...
...and some finer yarn - almost lace weight - 16+ wpi and 13 tpi.There are the two together.It was lovely fibre to spin. (But then again, I seem to think that about every fibre.) (Except cotton - that was hard going.) Shetland wool seems to be the finest yarn from sheep in the U.K, and I've enjoyed knitting with commercially spun Shetland before, but I was a little surprised at the itchiness of my sample. The finer yarn was even more itchy, but possibly had too much twist in it. (My beginner's dodgy spinning...)

Shetland sheep are a small and hardy breed that come from (surprise, surprise) the Shetland Isles, and come in lots of gorgeous colours. You have to love some of the amazing names for the different colourings - smirslet, bersugget, yuglet and latmoget being just some. One of the things Shetland yarn is known best for is lace weight shawls that are so light they fit through a finger ring.

I love the rarer breeds of sheep with their incredibly different characteristics, and beautiful varied fleeces. But for now, its just nice to get out the wheel.