Gloria Seaming Tutorial

In the Gloria Headband, Cloche, and Handwarmers we seamed the band together in a particular way. This particular way gives Gloria its distinctive shape.

 Did you read the seaming instructions but would also like to see some pictures to make it more clear? Never fear! We've got pictures for you.

I'll leave you to read the exact seaming instructions on the patterns. But I'll give you some pictures and a quick walkthough which should simplify the process.

FYI - Both the handwarmers and the headband are constructed in the same way. The band is worked first then (if you're working the cloche or the handwarmers) stitches are picked up on one side. Obviously the lengths (and therefore the number of rows) of the bands from the handwarmers and headband/cloche are different but the seaming instructions are the same for both.

Tutorial time!

Once you have finished the band, pin it together with your removable stitch markers.

Start seaming. Start where the top of the band is overlapped. Insert your tapestry needle underneath the edges stitches.

Work your way from the area where the edges of the band first meet down to the corner of the edge that is on top.

Seam to the opening between the two bottom corners.

Once you've seamed the outside, now turn the band inside out and seam the inside.You will seam the inside of the areas just seamed on the outside. Continue with the yarn you used to seam the outside. Insert your needle underneath a stitch from one side of the band and a stitch from the other side of the band.

Continue seaming until you have reached the corner where you originally started on the outside.

Work one bottom corner at a time, use the tail and tack only the top corner of the edge to the center of the band.

To pick up stitches, start at the corner where you started seaming and insert your needle underneath both legs of the slipped stitch on the edge. Here is a good video on picking up and knitting.

Ta dah! You're done!

We would love to see your finished Glorias. Please send us a pic at quirkybirdknits@gmail.com or, if you don't mind, post them on Ravelry.

See you soon!

Gloria Cloche, Headband, and Handwarmers

New patterns are here!

Gloria Cloche

Gloria Headband

Gloria Handwarmers

Like I mentioned in the teaser post, this design was inspired by 20s fashion. We love a good cloche. We also like options and matching sets. So, you get instructions for the headband and cloche in one pattern and we have another pattern for the matching handwarmers!

The band of the hat and the handwarmers has a reversible seed stitch and rib stitch pattern. Pick whichever side you like best for the outside of your headband, cloche, or handwarmer! You can see the knit side in the cloche and the purl side in the headband.

All of these patterns are available for purchase on Ravelry!

Get your Gloria Cloche and Headband pattern here.

Get your Gloria Handwarmers pattern here.

And if you prefer printed versions, you can always pick up copies at Knitters Mercantile. 

We hope you love these patterns as much as we do!

G-L-O-R-I-A

New design coming verrrrrry soon!

And her name is G. L. O. R. I. A.

This design was inspired by all of the cool Glorias out there. But most especially the Gloria with the most swagger, Gloria Swanson.

We here at Quirky Bird are particularly inspired by vintage fashion and the 20s are a particular favorite. This new design certainly has a 20s flair!

Keep your eyes peeled for this new design that will be released very soon! And meanwhile, here's a teaser.

See you soon!

Fanfare

One of the things that we are incredibly fortunate to be a part of is the Knitters Mercantile Accessory Club. We have designed for both the 2013 and the 2014 clubs and it is a lot of fun! We design pieces for the club that are easy to knit and are straightforward in their design. And we get to hang out with a fabulous group of knitters in the club meetings!

All of the pieces we design for the club are one skein projects. Who doesn't love a one skein project? But we also like to be flexible so in many cases we have also included the option to, with an additional skein, expand the piece into a larger size.

With all of that, I give you Fanfare.

Fanfare was originally designed for the April installment of the Accessory Club. The name comes from the shape of the shawl. It's a trumpet! A looooong trumpet.

We are in love with shawls and we are in love with interesting shawl shapes. One of the things that I particularly love about this is the asymmetry. Short on one end and tall of the other, this shawl can be styled in oh-so-many ways! We love the versatility and beauty of JUL fixtures and we have used a variety of them to give you ideas on how to style Fanfare.

The other delight we have in this shawl is the yarn. We used Lorna's Laces Honor, which is a sumptuous blend of alpaca and silk. Oh. My. Word. It is delicious.

Here on the stats on Fanfare.

Sizes: Small (Large)
Yarn: DK weight in a fiber with drape. We used Lorna's Laces Honor.
Yardage: 275 for the small. 350 for the large.
Needle: US 7 circular, at least 24".
Specific skills: knit, purl, yo, k2tog, wrap and turn short rows.

You can purchase and download Fanfare on Ravelry, on Etsy, or get a printed copy at Knitters Mercantile!

Well hello there

Hey! Long time no see.

So, yeah, we've been silent here but that ends now. We've been up to things! Here are a few things we've been up to.

1. New patterns! We've done a few new patterns since we've last posted here. We will be telling you all about our new patterns in upcoming posts. Get ready for the pretty!

2. We're on Etsy now! Check us out here.

3. We've got some cool new Quirky Bird merchandise in the works. But shhhhh! Don't tell anybody yet. We're still working on it.

Come back soon to hear more about what's new!