Spring Pullover Scarf

I had some leftover yarn from my Spring Pullover to make a little something extra. So I picked out this out of 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders. It is the Garter Stitch Loop-Through Scarf by Marci Richardson. I modified it slightly; instead of increasing to 32 stitches, I increased to 22 stitches.

Spring Pullover

Although I made this in the spring, I plan on wearing this as the weather cools off. In the spirit of school starting, I thought I would post my "school clothes."  This is the Split Neck T shirt for Women #257 by Diane Soucy from Knitting Pure & Simple.  I made it out of Universal Yarn's Vanessa.  Vanessa is a synthetic yarn that drapes so lovely.

I made a medium size, but my gauge was slightly less stitches per inch than the pattern so it turned out slightly bigger and not as fitted as the pattern.

Did I tell you how much I love green?

Cabbage Dishcloth

I love knitting and crocheting dishcloths.  They are small and the various patterns give lots of variety. Also, a few handmade dishcloths can really add something special to a gift.  I love functional gifts, and dishcloths can be both pretty and functional. This particular dishcloth is the Cabbage Patch Knitted Dishcloth by Tomato Lady and I made it in a KAL on Ravelry. I have used this cloth in the kitchen and I have washed and dried it several times. It is holding up great, and I love the way it feels. I used Lion Brand Cotton-Ease yarn.

Lacy Ribbed Tee

This is the Lacy Ribbed Tee by Kristin Omdahl found in Creative Knitting Magazine, July 2009.  The yarn is Schulana Sojabama.  It is a bamboo blend and the yarn is very stretchy.  I started by making a medium according to the pattern, but after I made the armhole, I tried it on. The neck opening barely went over my head. So I've casted on (using a tubular cast on) 104 stitches on a US Size 7 needle, and then switched to the size 6 needle after the set up rounds.  I didn't increase in the set up rounds so I've been following the directions for a medium.

I tried it on after these changes, and it seems to be going well. I've stopped doing swatches (horrors!)  because I never knit the same gauge over a swatch that I do in the project.  So I've resigned myself to knitting a project a couple of times before it turns out how I like it. This works out well because I enjoy the process of knitting, and it is very important that a garment fits well.  I think this means that I'm am both a process and a product knitter.

The armholes made as instructed in the pattern turned out too big so I only cast on 5 stitches instead of 23.  This made the armholes just great.  Also since I have a shorter torso, I only made the center section 8 inches instead of 10. I really like how the tee fits and yarn is soft and slinky.  

After I took this picture, somehow this tee ended up in the washing machine with a black tee shirt and miracle of miracles, it over-dyed evenly.  The tee still fits and looks good, but it is a deeper, more muted color which works well in my wardrobe.  

Multidirectional Dishcloth

This is another dishcloth I made for a friend's birthday. It is a great pattern to use up stash. I must say that knitting dishcloths is a great way to learn new stitches and great for summer knitting (light and portable). They also make great gifts because everyone needs them, and they make mundane chores at least a little more aesthetic. Cotton is a hardworking and easy care fiber. You can wash and dry it, and the texture of the dishcloths helps with washing dishes.

I found this pattern on Ravelry here.

Circle Cloth

Here is the next dishcloth that I made for my friend. I found the pattern on Ravelry here. It was a free download, and I just thought the effect was really cool. The blue yarn is cotton, but I'm not sure of the brand. The natural yarn is Peaches & Cream cotton.

Simple Knitting

Lately, I've been drawn to simple, meditative knitting. I was in a bicycle accident in early March. Right now I'm struggling from postconcussive syndrome and weak wrist. I can knit simple things, but crochet makes my wrist ache. I'm getting better, but not as fast as I would like! I have been working on a shawl, but I can't seem to figure out the edging. I hope my brain heals from all of this trauma. I've made dishcloths. The simple pattern soothes my spirit, and this is as close to meditation as I can get.

Here is the age-old simple dishcloth pattern although I've used this same pattern to make shawls and baby blankets:

Cast on 3 stitches.

Knit 1, Yarn Over, Knit remaining stitches.

Continue 2nd line until you reach desired size. (45-50 stitches for dishcloth with worsted weight yarn) (Bind off here for triangle shaped shawl.)

Knit 1, Yarn Over, Knit 2 together, Knit until 3 stitches remain, K2Tog, Knit 1

Continue last line until 3 stitches remain, then bind off.

Such a simple, practical, and even meditative pattern ...

A Man's Winter Hat

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino in Rich Red
Pattern: Waffle Hat found on Ravelry.com

This was a great pattern. It only took me a couple of days, and it fits wonderful. My hubby loves it.

Baby Blanket Blues

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft, various shades of White and Blue

Pattern: Moderne Baby Blanket found in Mason Dixon Knitting

I made this blanket for a dear friend and her baby. It was fun to make, and it just looks so beautiful. I'm very happy with the way it looks. Towards the end of the blanket, I did get a little tired of knitting row after row.

The edging is called arch and it is from Crocheting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein. It was simple, but I liked the way it completed the blanket. Since this blanket is for a boy, I didn't want the edging to be too feminine. Also, I don't like baby blankets to have too many holes where tiny fingers can get caught.


Also, I've been knitting through a bit of stash that consisted of Caron Simply Soft. I do like Caron Simply Soft because it is soft, washable, and inexpensive. It is sturdy and makes a blanket that can be used!


On the other hand, I have some beautiful yarns that I have waiting for me to make some lovely sweaters for myself. I've started to get a bit antsy to start knitting that yarn. I'm so looking forward to making myself something after months of knitting for everyone else. I love making things for the people I love, especially the ones who appreciate it. Since the cold weather has descended, I just don't have enough sweaters to keep me warm. The Malabrigo is calling my name.

Long Time Coming ... Christmas Gifts

I've been knitting, knitting, and knitting while taking care of sick kids and myself.

For Christmas, I knit coaster upon coaster, and then when most of them didn't look like I expected after felting, I started knitting ornaments.

The ornaments take so little time. I could do one in a couple of hours. There was no frustration involved. It was wonderful, and they turned out just so darn cute.

What do you think?

Kits & Samplers

I have a confession: I've never bought a kit or tried a sampler. I guess I just didn't trust the yarn in them or the pattern or it was just too expensive. Anyway, I fell in love with this sampler:KnitPicks Sampler. I haven't bought it yet, but I think it is just lovely. What do you think?

Hanging Dish Towels!!!

I received the new book Mason Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines a couple of weeks ago, and I've made 4 of these Hanging Mitered Towels. This pattern is great for using up your kitchen cotton stash. Each towel only took me a few hours to make, and I must admit that they are a little addictive. As you knit the pattern, each row gets shorter so progress seems to go quicker, and I just wanted to keep going. I have a cone of natural cotton, and I'm thinking this might be a good pattern to use to make a set of towels. I have many kitchen towels that need to be retired or they would be great to add to a gift. Just Lovely ...

Trickey Monkey

This little monkey caused me quite a bit of anxiety. Why is it that knitting patterns don't explain how to assemble the pieces? I took this part more than once just trying to figure out how the pieces go together. I think it turned out pretty cute. Let me know what you think.

Fingerless Gloves

These were a gift for my SIL. She has Reynaud's Syndrome and needs help in the cold weather to keep her hands warm. I just love this colorway on the yarn, and the pattern turned out so beautiful, yet it was fairly easy to knit up.

Yarn: Noro Kureyon Sock Colorway 180

Pattern: Spirogyra by Lynne Vogel

The Beginning of the Mitered Blanket

When I finished the Pink & Green Elephant, I started making these squares. I visited the Going-Out-of-Business Sale for FiberWorks Knitting & Weaving in Toledo, OH, and picked up quite a few skeins of yarn to get me started. I plan on this blanket taking me quite a while to knit because I plan on doing other projects at the same time.

Here is the yarn (all in DK weight) I'm using so far:

Debbie Bliss Cathay (Cotton, Viscose Microfiber & Silk)- gold

Debbie Bliss Cathay - white

Louet Gems (Merino Wool) - Fern Green

Karabella Margrite (Merino & Cashmere) - Deep Berry Red

Berroco Comfort DK (Nylon & Acrylic) - Turquoise

Classic Elite Wool Bam Boo (Wool & Bamboo) - Forest Green

I've found a mitered square blanket that was designed in sets of 3, and I'm thinking of using that configuration, instead of the set of 4, like I have in the picture. Once I've knitted enough squares, I'll lay them out and show you a picture of what I mean.

Let me know what colors you can envision me adding.

Pink & Green Elephante

This cute little elephant is what I worked on while driving north, south & west. I knitted this whenever I had a few moments to myself in the midst of touring houses and selecting flooring and lighting. This elephant saved my sanity.

I think it is going to be the perfect gift for a little girl who collects elephants and whose room is decorated in pink and green. I found this pattern on Ravelry, and it was fairly easy to follow. The yarn was Caron Simply Soft for the pink and leftover mystery yarn for the green. I would definitely make this pattern again. BTW, while I was knitting this one, my niece came up to me and wanted one for herself. I thought this was the ultimate compliment on my knitting. I'm sure that my niece will either get one from me or her knitting grandma.

Mitered Square Blanket

We've been in and out of town for most of July because my husband's job is relocating us, and a couple of short vacations. The good news is that we found a house and I've started one a Mitered Square Blanket to soothe my nerves. The above picture is just an example; I didn't knit that one. I'm still picking colors, but I got enough to start. I have used gold, white, a deep red, a deep green, a sage green and a turquoise. I would like to add several greens and reds and whatever else strikes my fancy. I want to make it as large as a queen size comforter or about 90 x 90 inches. This will probably take me forever. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Eyelet Spring Dress (aka Picot Dress)

It is finished, and I'm finally pleased with it. I left it sleeveless so that G could wear a shirt underneath and it would be more versatile, lasting through several seasons. I decided to add a lace pattern to the bottom, instead of the picot edge. I really liked how this pattern was structured. The back and front are knit, and then seamed together. Then stitches are picked up and worked from the waist down, in the round. Knitting every stitch in the round for round after round gets old. I taught myself to knit without looking, and I knit it in a dark movie theater. I really enjoyed the lace edging. I hope to be able to work lace with lace weight soon.

Pattern Details: Eyelet Dress from Knit Simple, Spring/Summer 2008

In order to fit my daughter, who is long and lean, I knit a size 4 width and a size 8 length. The edging is the quill eyelet ruffle stitch pattern from Knitting on the Edge by Nicky Epstein.

Yarn: Bernat Satin Ombres Florals

Weekend Purchases and Knitting Frustrations

This weekend was my great romantic getaway. I slipped in a yarn shop and purchased a skein of Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn in 180 color way. I plan on making this into a pair of wrist warmers. It is a beautiful color way of blues, oranges, and purples.

I have been working fiercely on a cute spring dress for my daughter. I made the size 8 which I thought would be a little big. Well, it turned out to be a lot too wide and a lot too short. I could never get the gauge right. I ripped the whole thing out. Now I am following the pattern for the Size 4 for the width and the Size 8 for the length. Giving my gauge, this should make it a Size 6 width but longer for growth. I think I'm going to leave it sleeveless. Perhaps it will be a great dress for next fall.

I also bought a book called, The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques by Nancie M. Wiseman. It describes various knitting techniques, but more importantly, it tells you when to use them and when not to use them. I'm learning a lot and I hope it will show up in my knitting.

Precious Picot Dress

I have been working on a spring dress for G. It is in a variegated yarn of pinks and purples. I have finished the front and back, and seamed them together. I finished both of the sleeve pieces, and I attached one. I had G try it on, and the sleeve doesn't fit her right. I took the sleeve off, and I will end up leaving it sleeveless while I work on the skirt. I think the skirt is going to go fast because the pattern calls for picking up stitches and knitting in the round. I love to knit it the round. It is great knitting for watching movies. Some can even do it while they read a book although I'm still working on that particular skill.

I'm not sure what I am going to do about the sleeves. I may just shorten them, but if that doesn't work, I may crochet or knit them in a lace or eyelet stitch. I am concerned that the sleeves are too heavy and eyelet would help to be lighter.