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To Block or Not?

4/14/2022

Before blocking

This week, I made a new hat from my You've Got to Be Ribbin' beanie pattern, and I thought it looked a little . . . well, lumpy.

The stitches weren't as even as I would like.

So, a nice soak and laying out flat to the rescue.

What a difference! I wash the hats that I sell in my Etsy shop, but I usually don't block the sample knit hats that illustrate my patterns.

But I will from now on . . .

By the way, the yarn in this beanie is Premier Yarns Stitch Please, a 100 percent wool chunky yarn. I found it very nice to work with. The colors -- and there are many gorgeous ones to choose -- have cute (punny) names. This camel color is called Thanks a Latte.

Trying On a Knit Hat in Progress

1/4/2022

I have a tutorial on checking the fit of crocheted hats midway, but how about knit ones?

Much of the fit of a beanie depends on its brim, or the bottom edge.

If you're knitting a hat in the round, you can put half the stitches on another circular needle and check the fit after working the ribbing. Some people use a separate length of yarn to hold the stitches.

If the ribbing is too loose, change to a smaller needle or smaller size. If too tight, change to a larger needle or larger size.

Best to check before getting too far into the knitting!

It's an E-Book!

3/13/2020

I just published my e-book, The Here and Wow, in my Etsy store, www.RubyAndElvee.etsy.com.

The book combines little sculptures of faces I made from salt-and-flour dough and short-short stories I wrote about these characters.

It's a magical mix, if I do say so myself.

The characters include old people with wrinkled faces, an Elvis impersonator, a family of women with big hair, aliens from another planet and a cat named Fred.

Part of the fun of the book is that when I started making the faces, I read that as you age, your nose and ears get bigger. So, some of the characters, as they go from babyhood to old age, have dramatically growing noses and ears -- approaching Dumbo-size.

The book is available as a PDF, in two sizes of type, for reading on any electronic device.

Testing, Again

9/16/2019

I've had a "teensy" hiatus from publishing new designs. My last pattern tests were in January!

But now I'm back. Hat season is around the corner, and I've got a cloche pattern that's being tested this month. It's based on the hat, above, which I sold in my Etsy shop a couple of years ago.

This hat's ruffled brim seems to be yarn-specific. I couldn't get the brim to ruffle in other yarns that I tried recently, so the new design will have a gentle flare in its brim. Still lovely, though.

More Vintage Sixties Fashion

3/5/2019

This is my second installment of photos from Vogue Knitting magazines published in the 1960s.

These photos are from the Fall-Winter 1966 issue. I love the Twiggy haircut on some of the models.

In the photo above, both tops are crocheted. The one on the left is crocheted in a shell stitch pattern, and the one on the right is single crochet in fingering-weight yarn at a gauge of 5 sc = 1 inch.

It's interesting to note that all of my '60s VK magazines (I have eight issues) contain a good selection of crochet fashions.

For more photos, click "Read More," below.

Farewell to The Sixties

3/4/2019

I've decided to sell my small, much-loved collection of 1960s Vogue Knitting magazines. I began listing them this week in my Provisions by Elvee shop on Etsy..

I purchased the magazines about five years ago, one by one from vintage sellers.

They're a lot of fun to pore over -- the photography! the designs! the hair! -- but it's time for me to let them go. Even though sometimes I wished I could make everything in every issue, I no longer have a VK lifestyle. (If I ever did....)

Before they're gone, I want to share photos of my favorite designs. All of the designs in this post are from the Spring-Summer 1968 issue. As you can see, 1960s' VK had many crocheted designs, such as the amazing suit, above photo, not just knitting.  Click "Read More" for additional photos.

A Good Day for a Cowl

2/28/2019

I have to admit that when I lived in San Antonio, Texas, I just didn't get cowls.

But, here in Providence, where the "feels like" temperature was in the teens today, I finally got it.

I wore this cowl today when I was out, and I didn't mind the cold at all. (I was also wearing two pairs of pants, hand-knit wool socks, sneakers, a long-sleeved T and a puffer coat with a faux-fur-trimmed hood. Toasty!)

The cowl is 21 inches around and 8 inches tall. I knit it in the lovely feather and fan stitch until I ran out of my second ball of YarnArt's Harmony, a self-striping wool-blend yarn.

A Really Big Sale

2/2/2019

This year, I'm turning my Etsy shop --www.hatsbyelvee.etsy.com -- into an all-pattern store.

To accomplish that, I'm holding a 50-percent-off sale on all hats beginning this month.

So, if you lost your favorite hat on the train, or in a snowdrift, come check out my hats, headbands and bandannas.

As my sister would say, "Such a deal . . . ."

What I Love About Tunisian Crochet

1/11/2019

One of the best parts about Tunisian crochet is that there's a chain stitch on every edge.

Thus, it's easy to work neatly into the beginning edge, the top edge and both side edges, making crisp joins on projects such as the entrelac squares beanie, above.

In December, I got some Tunisian hooks and I'm looking forward to experimenting with new stitches in the coming months.

Ascendant Crown

12/1/2018

As mentioned in my Holiday Happenings #1 post, I'm making other designers' patterns as part of the Indie Designer Gift-a-Long on Ravelry.

This fab hat is by Akua Lezli Hope, and it's called Ascendant Crown. Crocheted in self-striping yarns, it's pure joy in hat form.

The pattern is available on Ravelry here.