#mercerised

[charliecraftsthings]

Improvising a pattern for a rectangular shawl. I hope the stitch math works out!

Alternating two rows of DC with one row of DC mesh. I think I've figured out how to work the decreases to get a nice right angle, but only time (progress) will tell.

This is a beautiful mercerised cotton laceweight yarn where one by one, the plies are joined to darker and darker colours to create a long gradient. It's like crocheting with a kilometer and a half of embroidery floss! The final colour is so dark it's nearly black, but in just the right light, you can see the glinting green shine. I love it!

[pristine-starlight]

Learning from repeated experience that I am horrible at judging how much yarn I still have left, specifically Gravely underestimating and then expecting it to run out way way way earlier than it actually does

So instead of Yarn Chicken, I'm playing Yarn Rabbit:

Seems to progress in leaps. One moment you can barely see a change and the next half the ball is gone

There Is Always More Yarn. Are You Multiplying

Capable of dying from stress

[mynamesdrstuff]

.

[yuvistyle12]

Buy Exclusive Banarasi Pure Mercerised Suit for a Luxe Look- Yuvi Style

Elevate your style with this exclusive Banarasi Pure Mercerised Suit. Crafted with rich Banarasi weaving, it offers a luxurious and traditional touch, perfect for special occasions or festive celebrations.

[theenbyroiderer]

People seemed to appreciate the tutorial I posted so here is another one. Here is how you can stitch a 3D sea urchin (without the spines). This one is a bit more advanced and needs some descrioption to accompany the images.

Technique: The technique is called woven picot. If needed you should be able to find better stitch instructions on youtube.

Threads and yarns: I've preferred using a twisted thread for the woven picot. In the tutorial I'm using sashiko thread, and that worked ok but wasn't ideal. I would recommend cotton perle or mercerised cotton crochet yarn for this technique. The top example is mercer cotton. The tighter the thread is twisted the better I'd say. I do NOT recommend using six-stranded floss.

Variegated thread is fun for this project. If the randomeness of it bothers you then you can cut out lighter and darker sections of your variegated thread and then do every other wedge of woven picot darker and every other lighter, as I've done in the top example.

The yarn in the middle is some really chunky wool knitting yarn, which is a bit of a struggle to work with. You could also just ball some yarn up, pack in there and fasten it with some stitches with a thinner thread. It's not going to be visible anyway, so you can improvize.

Needle: A blunt needle is better for this technique too, but I only had sharp ones at the time I made this tutorial. Don't be like me.

Process: I'd say the pictures are pretty self explanatory, but here is a brief rundown. Draw a circle on the fabric, in the size you want your sea urchin to be. Split this circle in to five equal sections. A sea urchin typically has a patter that is made up of five broader wedges interspersed by five narrower wedges, so that's what we want to achieve. So when you have your five sections, try to sketch out five broad and five narroow sections using the lines you've already drawn as a guideline.

Make the wedges as pictured above. Each wedge needs to be of equal length and a bit longer than the radius of the circle.

Fill the middle with som padding, as described above. I've made five puffs of padding, one for each broader wedge. Which leaves little valleys for the narrow wedges to rest in, and creates a shape typical of some sea urchins. The woven wedges are then simply joined together as neatly as possible with a thin thread of similar color (I just split the sashiko thread down to half the thickness and used that).

Lastly I finished the edge of the hole in the middle with some button hole type stitches maybe? I'm shit at stitch names... Beading is optional, I just thought it looked neat.

[cottonkhaleesi]

Washcloth tester with mercerised Egyptian cotton that I originally bought for the socks and realised what a silly idea that was.

Forgot how much illusion knitting is a “trust the process” thing. This tester was good; my vision is sound, the pattern I’m cribbing off is for a baby blanket in three panels so after gluing two copies of the chart together in order to get a whole star and cropping everything to the vague dimensions I wanted, it looks fab.

Will say I still think I should go down another needle size or two to get the vertical gauge spot-on and to make these potential washcloths more recognisably washcloth-y and next time I won’t miss out the bit of third star that goes in the blank space either.

[yarnandink]

2023 crafting & creativity round-up

2023 was a very low output year for me in terms of number of finished projects, but that's partly because of the sheer size of the projects I worked on.

I finished a cotton top for myself that I have yet to photograph or wear, the Ballson tee (in silver grey mercerised Egyptian cotton with turquoise green lace trim). Perhaps that can be a treat for myself in the new year.

Then I kept working on a blanket for myself, an octagon and mitred square patchwork modular knit that's about halfway through.

I'm using the 'Tree of Life' octagon from the Contexta blanket expansion pack, along with a simple mitred square.

But it got parked because next was a baby blanket for a colleague... except that I have a terrible tendency to get a bit oversized when it comes to blankets, and the baby blanket turned into a double-sized bedspread 😅 Thankfully the colleague loves it! And hopefully bub will get years of use out of it.

I used the Cartesian Blanket pattern, with a modified Thompson blanket applied border.

Then I tried to knit a shawl for myself, which has now been frogged multiple times. First I nearly completed the Fortune Cookie shawl... but had chosen a lovely nude pink, and the cookies looked, well, decidedly anatomical. Oops 😅

(It’s a gorgeous and really well-written pattern that I definitely want to make at some point... in a yarn that isn't flesh-toned...)

Then I frogged and began using the same yarn in an adapted top-down triangle version of the Orange Tulip shawl, but had bought yarn from two separate colourways and the difference is obvious enough that I needed to frog back a third of the shawl and by that time I was just too grumpy with the whole thing, so I parked it in the naughty corner.

And now I'm about one-quarter to one-third of the way through another modular patchwork blanket, this time the Penrose blanket for my sister, as a couch throw. I'm aiming to finish that for her birthday at the start of March!

But while my knitting accomplishments might feel a bit underwhelming, I have also:

Written over 1,300 pages in daily long-form journalling

Helped care for my father (now in a care home with rapidly deteriorating dementia)

Unofficially officiated my sister's third, final and largest wedding ceremony (she and her husband had one unofficial in Ireland with his family, the official one here at the marriage registry, then a final unofficial one) and helped her celebrate a magical day with her husband

Managed my ageing cat's increasing kidney and digestive problems and brought her back to a happy and stable state of health

Kept up my job, balanced budgets, paid my bills and generally managed the various tedious parts of adulthood when living alone

Managed my own health scares and issues and even took some steps towards general improvement of fitness and physical activity

So all in all, I think I've achieved a lot this year!

And I'm looking forward to the crafting and creativity of my year to come!

[airiniren]

[artofzuhani]

Progress on the cotton tote. The checkerboard needs blocking urgently 😂

I kind of love knitting with mercerised cotton BTW. Like, this is so much faster. I did the striped section in like 1.5 hours. Just smooth as butter

[mutantenfisch]

Been rotating the 17th century Norwegian knitted shirt in my mind.

It has a kinda shiny surface so i suppose it might include silk. I'm not able to afford that but maybe mercerised cotton will be shiny enough. 🤔

I'll have to open the pics on my desktop computer to look at the general construction in detail but what intrigued me from the moment i saw it is the pattern of the knitting itself, not the embroidery (?) on top of it.

I think even making a thin sweater/shirt just with this lovely lovely monocoloured texture would be quite an achievment as a knitter and very pretty. The embroidery (?) would be the literal cherry on top.

Of course this would be even more learning by doing than my previous "Why The Hell Not" projects

But still. 👀

[gumnut-logic]

My bday pressie from Hubby 😁 109 balls of Scheepjes Catona mercerised cotton for my kumihimo 😁

[somediyprojects]

Long Dog Samplers pieces stitched by Shelby. Patterns designed by Julia Line.

Today we have the perfect example of what Quill describes as a "prodigal stitcher".  

Shelby left the comparative safety of the crosstitching community and was lured away to "the dark side' of crafting with promises of exotic fabrics, heat resistant insulating wadding, rotary cutters, mats large enough to perform surgical interventions and double mercerised threads by the spool.  Yes - she became a quilter!

But it doesn't matter how far away people stray from our craft down the shadowy back passages of silk ribbon embroidery; the alleyways of candle making redolent with the exotic perfumes of the Kasbah; or the rough, cobbled streets of scrapbooking, weaving and knitting, we are always delighted when they return to the fold and ready to greet them with open arms and the age-old question.  "Where the hell have you been.  Do you know what time it is, I was worried?"  Or maybe that's just what I say when Quill and Colin are late back from a game of shove ha'penny at The Mucky Duck.

Shelby comes to us with a magnificent portfolio of work including St Senoch, Renaissance, Quatre Saisons and Carrelage so I think we ought to let her in and Colin suggested it might make her transition easier if she started off with the Quilted Bees just to see how it goes. Welcome back Shelby, just don't do it again. 🍾 🥂

—Julia Line, designer

[yuvistyle12]

Elegant Banarasi Pure Mercerised Suit for Timeless Grace-Yuvi Style

Discover the charm of this exclusive Banarasi pure mercerised suit. Intricately designed for elegance, it showcases the rich Banarasi craftsmanship, perfect for festive and special occasions.

[endymagarments]

'Helmut Lang. […] What he did went far beyond inventing a casual-formal, elegant-subversive uniform—things to wear every day that emitted confidence, centeredness, and sexiness. It was more than that. Everyone who packed his shows felt it […] in Paris, and later, New York. The audience got it. The models embodied it. Nobody voiced it, but everyone knew: It was the coming of age of the cool. - @sarahmower_, 2015 This #HelmutLang tank top from S/S 1997 captures the purity and confidence of the label’s design ethos. Its traditional sleeveless silhouette is realised in extrafine mercerised cotton jersey. A semi-detached application in contrasting hot pink nylon creates a refined but graphic point of interest. The design achieves a streamlined yet unconventionally decorative result that sits somewhere between an everyday wardrobe staple and a high-fashion showpiece. #endyma #helmutlang #helmutlangarchive #helmutlangvintage (at ENDYMA) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpX_gqVNdcj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[kicksaddictny]

FootJoy x Todd Snyder "The Back Tees Collection"

How would the most iconic players in golf history dress if they stepped onto the links today? The answer is the Todd Snyder x FootJoy Collection.

Titled “The Back Tees”, the collection was inspired by the golf fashion of old-school greats on and off the course. The styles borrow from the traditional codes of American menswear and place them in performance technical fabrics.

For this collaboration, Todd and the FootJoy team set out to create contemporary interpretations of 60s and 70s golf style. The team emphasized refined fabrics--including pique polos, mercerized sweaters and cotton/cashmere sweatshirts--then reinterpreted these iconic athletic styles in a thoroughly modern way. The collection features apparel in blacks, blues, olives and as well as geometric and jacquard prints, and two new premium pebble-grain leather golf shoes based on FootJoy’s Wilcox and Field Premiere Series models.

“I am so excited to be working with FootJoy again to create a collection worthy of the pro tees, we’ve taken some of our favorite design details from the golden age of golf–including the luster of mercerised cotton sweater polos and the brogueing on a bespoke golf shoe–and combined them with state-of-the-art technology and modern style.” says Snyder. “Because one thing that I’ve learned in my years on the links is that you can’t always be the best player in your foursome, but if you’re wearingnour collection you can certainly be the most stylish.”

Since their debut collection in spring 2021, the duo’s partnership has filled a gap in the marketplace and has proven itself to be a strong customer acquisition and retention strategy.

“We have seen consistent 50% year- over-year sales growth since our first launch in 2021, demonstrating the strength of our partnership with FootJoy. Our elevated menswear-inspired take on the sport continues to resonate with our existing customers and especially new customers.” says Alejandro Rhett, Chief Product Officer of Todd Snyder. “People discovering Todd Snyder for the first time through golf have proven to be a valuable long-term customer, returning back to convert through our mainline collections again.”

The FootJoy and Todd Snyder Collection drops May 18th, 2023 @ 10AM ET. The collection will be available at ToddSnyder.com, FootJoy.com and select Todd Snyder retail locations.

[punkysdilemma-blog]

THE PERFECT WARDROBE (BY GIORGIO ARMANI)

(an excerpt from L’Etiquette issue 8.)  I love this list from a maestro and one of the last greats of the heroic 1980s fashion generation who still independently owns and operates his marque. 

I like casual and discreet elegance, this is what I look for as a designer.

T-SHIRTS AND POLO SHIRTS

*Cashmere jersey t-shirts. Blue, black, long and short sleeves, CREW NECK!

*Knit polo shirts. More refined than cotton pique polo shirts, they look great under a jacket. Practically indispensable in black and navy. Long or short sleeves.

SHIRTS

*Poplin shirts.  With big collars, wear with a tie or with the collar wide, open. Colors? Blue and white are musts. Cream, light gray and navy are very tempting this season. + AZURE

*Chambray shirt. Go for a real workwear look. 

Extras:

*Heavy twill shirt.

*Black linen shirt. Get over your prejudice against linen. + WHITE AND SKY BLUE

*Collarless shirt.

*Two evening shirts in silk. Black and blue 

SWEATERS AND SWEATSHIRTS

*Several crewneck wool sweaters. Black, navy, beige, ecru — take your pick. Wear over a round collar tee.

*Several v-neck wool sweaters. Same as for crewnecks. 

*Hoodies. Gray Marl, Navy or black. Because there’ll always be those Sunday mornings.

*Crewneck Sweatshirts. Gray Marl, Navy or Black. With Raglan sleeves, of course. 

Extras: 

*Merino wool polo collar sweater. Black or navy.

*Sailor Sweater. You’ll find you need it even between April and July. Easier to wear if you get one without stripes.

Note: Pretty sure this is basically a Guernsey or Matelot. 

SUITS, BLAZERS AND TIES 

*A velvet suit. Velvet is the most elegant fabric. 

*Two plain suits. One navy and one gray, with two or three buttons. Ideally made from Fresco fabric. Cotton is another possibility if you're not afraid of creases. 

*A full Tuxedo. At least one. 

*A navy blazer. Lined or unlined. Super-useful.

*Two silk grenadine ties. Blck and navy. Obviously. 

*Two printed ties. Go crazy!

Extras:

*Beige tropical wool suit. Wear it with a sky blue poplin shirt. 

*Silk knit tie. Cream or pearl gray. Makes a change from black or navy. 

*Unlined suede blazer. 

*A knit blazer. 

SUITS, BLAZERS AND TIES

*Bomber jacket. The summer equivalent of your leather jacket. Black, navy or beige. 

*Waterproof beige trench-coat. For rainy days. Get one thats too big. 

*Technical parka.  Zip it all the way up. And remember that Gore-Tex is always a good idea. 

*Denim jacket. 

Extras:

*Zip suede bomber.

*Nappa leather trench-coat. 

*A military jacket. Vintage preferably. 

*Lightweight windbreaker. Go for the retro sportswear look. 

PANTS AND SHORTS

*Two pairs of regular fit jeans. At two different stages of wear.

*Five-pocket white cotton pants. Indispensable in winter. Downright vital in summer. 

*Five-pocket black cotton pants.

*Beige chinos. Not slim, please.

*Gray fresco pants. Wear them as you'd wear jeans. Suitable for both summer and winter. 

*Navy, Beige or White shorts. Roomy, more fluidity, please!

*Swim shorts. In a technical nylon, perhaps in a bright color. roomy but not long.

Extras:

*Cargo Pants. Olive green, in ripstop fabric if you like. 

UNDERWEAR

As far as the great boxers-or-briefs debate goes, we leave it up to you. But do us all a favour and throw out the invisible socks.

*Several pears of navy and grey socks. Made of mercerised cotton. 

*Several pairs of brightly coloured socks. 

Extras:

*A few pairs of white or off-white ribbed socks. Wool and cotton. 

SHOES

*A pair of loafers. Preferably penny loafers. Black should be your first choice. 

*Black oxfords. For formal wear. 

*Brown derbies. Can be suede, if you like. 

*A pair of white or off white canvas sneakers.

*A pair of white leather sneakers. 

*Technical sneakers. Not just for running. 

Extras: 

*Opera pumps 

*Velvet slippers 

ACCESSORIES

*Cotton baseball cap. Navy or black. 

*Woven belt. In black or navy for versatility. 

*Leather dress belt. Keep it thin, about an inch (2 to 3cm) wide, and wear it with a suit. 

*Metal Sunglasses. Aviator or round styles. 

*Heavy-duty canvas shoulder bag. For workdays. 

*Military kitbag. A travel bag to get you through the weekend. 

Extras:

*A borsalino hat.

*Silk pocket squares. Collect them!

*Scarves. In wool, silk, cotton, for days and night.

*All kind of gloves. 

*Ranger belt. 

*A leather messenger bag.

Be discreet and precise and if you manage that, people will remember your style!