Our local knitting group is hosting an Autumn swap, so it’s time to make some gifts. It’s our third swap and the last two were very popular, so we are all looking forward to opening our gift bags on the day. Each swapper has to buy a different item for six different people, 1 yarn, 1 pattern, 1 accessory, 1 hand made, 1 edible and 1 bag. So everyone in the swap gets 6 gifts all from different people, lovely!
For the bag some people choose to buy a nice shopping bag, others will knit a bag and some of us decide to sew a bag. So I spent too much time surfing through bags on pinterest, when I found this bag tutorial for using an old pair of jeans. I’ve been collecting my torn/worn/too big/too small jeans for a while to make some aprons and project bags. So it was a no brainer.
I made some minor changes to the pattern;
Where it mentions cutting off the pointy corners, I cut the corners to make a bag bottom instead. (tutorial here)
Added a regular sewn on pocket instead of a zip locket.
Instead of leaving a gap at the top of the bag for turning, I left a gap in the bottom of the liner, machined the liner to the top of bag, turned through then stitched the gap in the liner closed.
It’s worth noting that I didn’t use a pair of flared jeans, because the bag panels are made from 3″ wide pieces you should have enough fabric in a pair of regular jeans.
For the lining you need 2 pieces of fabric approx’ 13″x13″ plus extra if you want a pocket.
The finished bag is approx’ 12″ x 12″ x 2″ with a 26″ strap, a nice size for a small handbag or project bag. I hope my swap partner likes it!
Here’s a little way to calculate the maximum number of rows you can work on a shawl (top down shawls only). You need to have knitted at least 20% of your yarn to do get an accurate answer, it will give you a result as long as you have used more than 10% though.
Odd Shaped shawl
This calculation will work for any shawl pattern that starts at the top and has a consistent rate of increases along the length. (ie. 8increases in 9 rows out of 30 = ( ( 8 * 9) /30 ) = 2.4sts per row)
(ie Teyla Shawl)
The yarn usage and stitches per row won’t be as exact for some patterns, Teyla for example increases every row for several rows, then not at all for several more. So the Stitches per Row and Maximum number of rows will only be truly accurate if they fall on a pattern repeat.
I could alter the script so that you enter the pattern repeat length and it only gives answers for full repeats, but it probably isn’t worth the effort. (Please comment if you think that would be more helpful.)
(Use my triangular shawl calculator for regular triangular shawls like Ishbel, Aeolian, Laminaria, Traveling woman, Gail, Dew Drops, Danish Ripple, etc)
You need to know:
This Calculator requires javascript to be enabled.
I hope you find this page useful, I provide it free for everyone, please link to it here.
Contact me through Raverly, or email me if you have any questions.
P.s. Don’t blame me if the answer doesn’t work out for you, I provide this script working to the best of my knowledge, free to everyone.
(c) Bex Hopkins 2010, please do not attempt to steal this script.
If you would like to know how this is calculated please contact me.
Here’s a little way to calculate the maximum number of rows you can work on a shawl (top down shawls only). You need to have knitted at least 20% of your yarn to do get an accurate answer, though it will return a result with more than 10% yarn used.
Triangular shawl
This calculation will work for any shawl pattern that starts at the top and has a consistent number of increases in each row. (ie. 4 increases on every right side row and 2 sts on every wrong side row, or 4increases every other row.)
(Examples of this type of shawl are: ‘Swallowtail’, ‘Ishbel’, ‘Aeolian’, ‘Kiri’, ‘Traveling Woman’, My ‘Dew Drops’ & ‘Danish Ripple’ Shawls)
(I know these shawls have slightly different shapes, but trust me the maths works for all of them.)
You need to know:
This calculator requires javascript to be enabled.
I hope you find this page useful, I provide it free for everyone, please link to it here.
Contact me through Raverly, or email me if you have any questions.
P.s. Please don’t blame me if the answer doesn’t work out for you, I provide this script working to the best of my knowledge, free to everyone.
(c) Bex Hopkins 2010, please do not attempt to steal this script.
If you would like to know how this is calculated please contact me.
I have been keeping a spinning journal for a while, and I consider selling these hand bound spinning journals in my shop, but that’s now unlikely to happen, as I don’t think their potential sale price covers my time to make them.
So I’m going to write a tutorial to share what I have learnt in the process of making mine, and what I finally came up with.
To start with, here is the pdf of my page template. Its an A4 template, the pages are folded in half for hand binding, giving an A5 journal.
After a few months of using my Ladybug Spinning Wheel I found that it had started to make a ‘chattering’ noise as I spun. This tutorial describes an adjustment that can be made to reduce this noise. If you are in any doubt about something related to your Schacht wheel I recommend you contact your Schacht dealer, or Schacht directly for support.
There are many things that can cause your spinning wheel to make unexpected noises while spinning, this tutorial is for noise caused by the flyer moving backwards and forwards between the Maidens only.
Before trying this I suggest you remove your flyer, clean off all oil and grease, re oil as the Schacht Ladybug Manual instructs and try applying some white grease to reduce any noise caused by the bobbin.
Will this help me?
With your flyer assembly in place and the Front Maiden pushed back as far as it allows and the Front Maiden Knob tightened. Using your hand try to move the Flyer backwards and forwards.
If the flyer moves more than a few mms you may have a reduction in noise by adjusting the Front Maiden. If there is little or no movement this tutorial will probably not help and you should look for other causes of unexpected noise.
Loosen the Front Maiden Knob and remove the Flyer. (fig1)
Ladybug Maiden fig2
Unscrew the Front Maiden Knob Fully and remove it. Remove the Front Maiden from the Ladybug. (fig2)
Be careful not to loose the Front Maiden Knob and its white washer or the Front Maiden Glide Stop (fig2) or the Barrel Nut (fig5).
Ladybug Maiden fig3
Locate the screw driver slot on the Front Maiden Glide Stop. (fig3)
This is the part which stops you being able to move the Front Maiden back too far. It is an important part of your spinning wheel, enabling you to glide the Front Maiden to the correct position every time without worrying it is too tight against the flyer.
Ladybug Maiden fig4
Use the Screw Driver to turn the white threaded piece of Front Maiden Glide Stop. (fig4) You only need to turn the screw driver a small amount, approximately 1/4 turn.
If the Glide Stop is orientated the same way (as in fig4), with the screw slot towards the front of the wheel (this is the flat part of the Maiden, the part closest to the flyer is curved). Turning the screw anti clockwise will allow the Maiden to move further back reducing the amount of flyer movement. Only make tiny changes before trying the flyer again to check the movement.
After making a small adjustment place the Front Maiden and Flyer back on the wheel and check the movement in the Flyer while holding the Front Maiden as far back as the Glide Stop allows.
You can now replace the Front Maiden and the Front Maiden Knob to secure it. Ensure that you fit the Front Maiden facing the right way (as in fig1). When the Front Maiden is slid back as far as the Glide Stop allows the flyer should only move forwards and backwards the smallest amount.
However you do NOT want the Glide position of the Front Maiden too far back otherwise it will cause too much friction on the flyer, making treadling harder and may cause unnecessary wear. As well as making it harder to get the Front Maiden in the correct position. If it is too tight, remove the Maiden and re-adjust the Glide Stop (clockwise to give the flyer a little more space).
Ladybug Maiden fig5
While doing this you may find a metal component falls out (Barrel Nut) (fig5). This nut goes inside the Front Maiden and the Front Maiden Knob is secured into it.
Ladybug Maiden fig6
If the Barrel Nut falls out, or you have difficulty screwing the Front Maiden Knob back in, Push the Barrel Nut into the hole in the side of the Front Maiden (fig6). You may need to use a Screw Driver to align the Nut with the slot upright and in the centre of the Maiden, to enable the Front Maiden Knob to screw in.
Schacht Ladybug Glide Stop + Barrel Nut
If the Front Maiden Glide Stop falls out it can be held in place with a small amount of white grease. Some spinners have reported finding this part has fallen out of their wheel during changes in temperature etc, if this happens slot it back in (as in fig4) and hold with white grease if necessary. There is some information about this on the Schacht Website here.
I hope you find this information useful, but if you are in any doubt I recommend you contact local Schacht dealer or Schacht for support.
