Itsy Bitsy

No, not that damn spider. Itsy bitsy cotton thread. There is smaller, but this is the smallest I've gone so far. Size 10 cotton thread. Small thread calls for a small hook. This is also the smallest hook I've ever used. Ever.



It is a 1.9 mm, 5 steel hook. Yeah, millimeters.

Anyway, once I got used to the extra tight gauge, it all went pretty smoothly. However, to get used to the extra tight gauge, I actually completed this project once. Then, I looked at it and said, "Oh, hell no!". Then, I proceded (to my husband's astonishment) to unravel the whole thing and start over. Really made them tight.

As it turns out, I ended up using half the thread from the original project to make the new and improved, gift-worthy one. It looks awesome. And the lace edging! Oh, I really like doing it. It looks awesome and becomes kinda hypnotic after awhile. Teeny tiny thread with a teeny tiny needle requires concentration, which leaves no room for anything else. I guess you could say it has become a form of meditation for me. :P

Here is an under construction picture:

Before the panel and edging became one. Haha. Funny story about that...I had to rip off the edging because I totally forgot to flip the panel over before sewing it on. Boo. But, it came off easily so I did it right the second time. I swear, I'm such an idiot sometimes.

Here is the finished project!

It is for my mom, for her birthday. Yay! She's going to love it. I made this pattern myself, and put it in chart form. It was easy really to read, and if I hadn't screwed up the gauge so badly the first time, this would have taken me about 3 hours or so, with an hour for the lace edging. What can I say? It's so small...



Teensy weensy. The lace edging, by the way, is called the Shell Path Edging. I found it on about.com by Sandi Marshall. The pattern is easy to follow, except for the transition from Row 9 back to Row 5 for the repeat. Do NOT turn your work. It will make you angry. That's the only place you shouldn't turn your work. Everywhere else Sandi says...do it.

What I find to be so cool about using such tiny thread is that it doesn't split or unravel. It's pretty awesome. The thread itself is also fairly inexpensive. You could probably make 3 very large doilies, or a whole bunch of smaller ones with one roll. A roll cost me 2.99. Can't beat that.

Look for more lace soon! I really like it. Also, I'm starting to write my pattern for a large dog jacket blanket. You'll understand when you see it. It is like a horse blanket, just for dogs. I am also working on a pair of convertible fingerless gloves. Booyah.