Sabine
Needles: Size 5
Yarns: Purple is Crystal Palace Yarns Kid Merino, Grey is Schulana Kid-Seta
My sister made this amazing cowl a while ago, and I wanted one. It is warm, and soft, and lightweight, and cute, and I loved it. I had a hard time picking colors, but finally settled on this plum purple and grey, in a varying stripe pattern. I originally chose this rusty orange to go with the rich plum, but it turned out that the colors did not contrast enough to be knit in stripes, so I switched the orange out for purple. Of course, when I did that, the constant stripes reminded me of witch’s purple stockings-Ew. So I decided to vary the stripe thickness. This turned out really well. Not only did it make the knitting a lot more interesting, but I also like how it looks! I think I cast on 88 stitches or so, and knit until it wrapped around my shoulders once, bound off, and seamed up the two ends. This knit up pretty quickly (~two weeks?), and I have been wearing it every day since!
Camille Pullover
Pattern: Camilla
Needles: US Size 8
Yarn: SMC Select Extra Soft Merino
I’ve had my eye on this pattern for a long time, but I wasn’t sure if it would be flattering on me. I needed a quick and easy sweater to follow up my last sweater experience, and I had this yarn kicking around, so I decided to give it a go. The yarn, which is labeled DK, is springy enough to knit as a worsted. I used size 8 needles.
I made two significant modifications. My gauge was way off, so I recalculated the stitch count based on my gauge (My final stitch count ended up being between the small and extra small, but my bust measurement is 36”). When I finished it looked like it would be seriously too small. Then I blocked it and it looked like it would be even more seriously too big. I didn’t pin it though, and it dried and shrunk back up into something that actually fits me really well, although the fabric is still very stretchy.
The second major mod was that I also changed how the sleeves were knit. After knitting the body bottom-up to the armpits, I used a provisional cast on to add stitches for the sleeves and knit the yoke. Then I knit the sleeves last. I needed to do this because I was afraid of running out of yarn. I only had 6 balls, or just over 800 yards. As it turned out, I had an entire ball left. Which leads me tho another point - I knit this sweater using only 710 yards!! Crazy!
It is very comfortable and the merino wool and the loose knit resulted in a garment that is warm but not too warm. I’m loving the color. The pattern is super simple and would make a really nice and simple first sweater pattern for anyone (all garter, simple increases and decreases in lace, no seaming, nothing fancy).
Unfortunately I am lacking in photographers, so my terrible bathroom mirror shot will have to suffice!
Agnes! This has been a long process. I decided to do a colorwork sweater. I knew a few things that I wanted: colorwork, self charted, pockets, shawl collar, ribbed button band/collor and bottom band, raglan sleeves, main color - cream/heather, accent colors - blue, rust, brown, green, yellow.
My plans were inspired by several things I saw on the internet:
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Nasti/hint-of-colour - style - shawl color, design on top & bottom, natural color, etc.
http://linaceae.tumblr.com/post/14546473294/i-want-to-loo… — style, but no zipper, no hood. i like the diamond shaped designs with lots of fine detail.
http://linaceae.tumblr.com/post/14128851949 - i like the structure & thickness of this, the multiple colors, and since i’m using worsted weight yarn, the design will be more coarse like this. Also like the purl rows between designs, but not sure if i’ll implement this in my version.
http://pinterest.com/pin/514677063635035874/ - like the style of this - shawl collar, ribbing, POCKETS!! I like the colors, but i don’t particularly like the actual fair isle design on here. I want something more fancy/intricate. A different style.
http://pinterest.com/pin/514677063635035821/ - i like the complexity & design of these fair isle stitch patterns. Since my version is worsted weight, they won’t be this fine, but I am inspired by these shapes & designs.
http://pinterest.com/pin/514677063634977562/ - love the design on here - especially the shawl collar, etc. My version will be a similar weight & thus similar design type. I like the diamond on her elbow. Will try to incorporate more colors but need to figure out how.
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Here’s what I got:
Can you believe that I totally FORGOT to add pockets until I was wearing it and thought, dang I wish I had pockets? I decided to change my colors based on the availability of colors in Peace Fleece at the store, and I’m glad I did. I really like this color combo.
Other than that, I think I got a compromise of everything I wanted. It fits well, is big and chunky and cozy and incredibly warm (which comes in handy this week, the coldest of the year!!). I did a lot of re-knitting on this, due to the nature of the colorwork. First, it took me a while to decide on the colors that went best with one another. Since I knit it back and forth, I had to devise patterns that changed colors only every other row, but still maintained a consistent theme. I think I achieved that. I ended up making it a little longer than I originally wanted because I thought that it really needed another band of colorwork at the bottom with turquoise at the bottom, to balance the one across the shoulders. Last, I found these rustic metal buttons at Hancock. I originally was envisioning some dark wooden buttons, but I think these are perfect!
Yarn: Peace Fleece Worsted, except the yellow which is two strands of Jamieson Spindrift Shetland, held together.
Needles: Size 8
You may or may not remember when I knit this cowl last winter. I really loved this cowl, except it is a little too big. When it got a big snag in it which turned into a hole, I stopped wearing it, thinking eventually I’d get around to repairing it. Instead, this winter, I got the inspiration and motivation to re-knit it. This time, I knit it lengthwise and sewed the ends together into a cowl. I made it wide but much shorter, to loop twice around my neck. I also went down from size 15 to size 10.5 needles. I really like how it turned out and have worn it a lot. It is still fluffy and chunky appearing, but is a little more manageable!
Orange Braid
Before I show you my biggest Christmas knitting project, which actually required the use of a real (not phone) camera to document in all it’s glory, here’s my last Christmas gift knitting project! Had an extra skein of Peace Fleece worsted in this brilliant orange color. Improvised a quick and cute headband for a last-minute gift.
Here are my ever so basic instructions if you want to make one of these for yourself! On, size 8 needles, I CO 18 sts, 2 rows stockinette, then increased evenly across stockinette row to 24 sts. I did an 8-st cable braid, cabling on every 8th row. I did that until it fit around the head. If I did it again, I’d actually skip the last couple rows because the grafting takes a little length too, and mine ended up a little big (tho it fits nicely over hair). Grafted the CO & BO edges together, then blocked it and pinned down the outsides of the cables to make it as wide as possible.
Super simple project, quite trendy, and very cute!!
Chevy Mitts
I knit these over Christmas break, as a gift for a friend. I actually took the Strawberry Victorian pattern and re-charted it to be a chevron pattern. After I recharted it, the cuff ended up being a little shorter while the mitt part is a little longer, which I actually like better.
I used size 1 needles for the ribbing & Size 3 for the colorwork. The purple yarn is 100% wool fingering weight yarn from Natural Colored Wool Studio in Groton, SD, that I dyed myself with logwood. The light peach yarn I also dyed, with cochineal, and it is some Regia sock yarn.
These were a fun knit and turned out well. I hope my friend likes them!
Christmas Gifts: Caroleena Hat for my Mom
Pattern: Fair Isle Tam by Patons
Yarns:
Royal Fiber Spinnery Royal Platinum Alpaca Fingering (hand dyed by me, peach),
Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Classic 4-ply /4-fädig (hand dyed by me, light green),
Malabrigo Yarn Sock (the turquoise),
Natural Twist 100% Romney Wool (the purple)
Great pattern, easy to make and really great outcome.
Christmas Gifts - Mittens for Scott
Pattern: Original based on Scott’s hand
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Bulky, less than one skein!
Needles: Size 6
I was going to make a scarf for Scott, but he requested some mittens instead. These were another quick knit.
Christmas Gifts: Pinon Scarf
Pattern: Original. I wanted to make something with lots of texture, that would be masculine, reversible, and simple to knit. This was inspired by the gaptastic cowl.
Yarn: Brown Sheep Top of the Lamb Worsted
Needles: Size 8 I think.
Christmas Gifts - Juno House Socks for Tina
Pattern: 125-15 Short socks with cables in ”Alaska” by DROPS design
Yarn: Brown Sheep Top of the Lamb Worsted
Needle - I think it was a size 6.
Quick knit, easy to understand pattern. Great gift. I want to knit some of these for myself!
Raveled: here
Christmas Gifts - Cherry hat for my brother Joel.
1 skein Peace Fleece Worsted! Size 6 needles. k1, p1 ribbing. Easy Peasy.
Raveled Here
A friend asked me to knit her a cabled headband with a border that buttons in the back, after seeing an expensive one in a store. Here is what I came up with. I have my directions below. It took me under 3 hours to come up with the pattern and have this project blocking!!
Braid Cable Headband
What you need: Size 8 needles, worsted weight yarn. Here I used Jade Sapphire 6-ply worsted weight Mongolian Cashmere!
Gauge in Stockinette: 4sts per inch
Notes: This headband is knit with a seed stitch border along the side and a seed stitch button band at the back. At the end of the button band, you increase from 12 sts to 19 sts to accommodate the cable’s much tighter gauge.
…
Braid Cable Pattern:
1. Work 2 sts in seed st, k to last 2 sts, Work 2 sts in seed st.
2. Work 2 sts in seed st, p to last 2 sts, Work 2 sts in seed st.
3. Work 2 sts in seed st, place 5 sts on cable needle (CN) & hold to front, k next 5 sts, k5 from CN, k5, work 2 sts in seed st.
4. Repeat row 2.
5. Repeat row 1.
6. Repeat Row 2.
7. Work 2 sts in seed st, k5, place 5 sts on CN and hold to back , k next 5 sts, k 5 sts from CN, work 2 sts in seed st.
8. Repeat row 2.
…
Directions for Headband:
CO 12 sts.
1. *(k1, p1) Repeat from * to last stitch.
2. *(p1, k1) Repeat from * to last stitch.
3. Button Hole Row: k1, p1, k1, yo, k2tog, p1, k1, p2tog, yo, p1, k1, p1
4. *(p1, k1) Repeat from * to last stitch.
5. *(k1, p1) Repeat from * to last stitch.
6. K2 sts in seed stitch, m1, k1, m1, k1, m1, k2, m1, k2, m1, k1, m1, k1, m1, k2 sts in seed stitch.
7. K2 sts in seed stitch, p to last 2 sts, k2 sts in seed stitch.
Begin the braid cable pattern on Row 1. Repeat cable pattern 10 times or as many times as it takes to measure 17.5 inches from cast-on edge. End after Row 8 of the pattern.
Continue as follows:
1. K2 sts in seed stitch, knit to last two stitches, k2 sts in seed stitch
2. K2 sts in seed stitch, p2tog 7 times, p1, work 2 sts in seed stitch
Now knit the border in seed stitch for five rows:
1. *(p1, k1) Repeat from * to last stitch.
2. *(k1, p1) Repeat from * to last stitch.
Bind off. Sew on two buttons. Block, stretching as wide as possible so the cable lays flat.
Que Sera.
needles - size 8 i think
yarn - elsebeth lavold twice tweed
I finished this a while ago. I have been hoping to get better pictures of it but it looks like it just wont happen anytime soon so I figured I’d better post. I liked this pattern, Que Sera by Kirstin Kapur. The lace was just challenging enough to make it interesting but not so hard that I couldn’t watch TV or talk to someone while knitting. You know how certain projects remind you of whatever you were doing while you knit them? Well, I watched a lot of episodes of Weeds while knitting this. My gauge ended up being off so I made some changes but since I didn’t post right away, i sort of forget them. I believe I knit a small even though I wanted it larger because my gauge was too loose. I’ve worn this a bunch of times already. I like how it turned out, and my only complaint is with the sleeves. Sometimes the top puckers a little where I sewed them in, and I made them too long. Oh well, I still wear it. The yarn is really nice to work with and gives a great texture.
post blocking, post button addition, photo with a real camera…
