Autumn Knitting

These first few days of November have been beautiful.  And in Minnesota we are aware of how, in an instant it can change.  This year I am ready.  I have two sweaters I knit for myself, a hat, and two cowls.  I purchased two jackets and a pair of snow pants.  This afternoon I bought a pair of winter boots. 

I am knitting hats.  Beautiful hats.  Almost everyone on my Christmas list is receiving a beautifully hand knit wool hat. 

I was working on number seven of eleven hats this afternoon and ten rows from the shaping I stopped.  I wanted to go out side for a walk.  While walking I decided I really should head over to Kohl’s and look at boots.  I found a pair I liked and they were on sale so I bought them.

I was walking home when I found myself yearning to knit a pair of wool socks in worsted weight. 

At home, I put the boots away and then went to my stash to select a color.  Classic Blue! 

I knit my socks two at a time.  These socks are knit toe up.

With a ball of yarn I casted on 22 stitches between two 24 inch cable needles.  (Hold the tips of the two needles together, cast one stitch on to needle on and another stitch on to cable two.)  With another ball of yarn cast on 22 stitches for sock two.

With the opposite tip of needle one knit across eleven stitches of sock one, and eleven stitches of sock two.  Slide stitches toward center of the cable and turn to needle two.  Slide the stitches on needle two toward the tip and with the opposite tip knit across eleven stitches of sock two and eleven stitches of sock one. 

The next round  Needle one: k1, m1, knit across to the last two stitches of sock one, m1, k1.  Repeat for sock two.  Needle two: k1, m1, knit across to the last two stitches of sock two, m1, k1.  Repeat for sock one.

Repeat these two rounds for toe increase. 

Knit around even until sock reaches the ankle bone.  Work Gusset.

 

There are three popular techniques to work the heel  I refer to “Socks from the Toe Up, Essential techniques and patterns from Wendy knits).

My socks are nearly at the ankle bone.  I wonder if I can go to a craft show, and finish both the hat and the pair of socks tomorrow.  Most likely, the hat will be finished on Sunday. 

The Knitting Knest

The Beginning of October

The Knitting Knest

It is warm today.  The leaves changing is coloring October brilliantly.  I am ready for winter, and so not to be caught off guard.  I have two new jackets, a pair of snow pants, a knitted cowl, and a lot of wool yarn to knit winter garments. 

I am working on putting together a small studio.  It is almost finished. 

The project currently on needles is a pair of socks I call “Paws”.  I am knitting the socks for a man, and so adjusted my sock pattern accordingly,  I close to working the toes of the sock.  Yes!  I said toes.  This man who requested the socks asked that they be toe socks.   

I almost can’t stand to put them down…….

I Did Something Crazy

Last Thursday Sharon and I stopped at a garage sale.  Okay, we stopped at more than one sale, but at one particular sale a man had bins and bins of yarn.  Sharon found five skeins of wool inside a bin she was looking through and she dug them out and handed them to me. 

At another stop, I found an interesting book, titled, "Modular Crochet".  Judy Copeland authored the book and copyright is 1978.  I purchased it for twenty-five cents.

Modular  Crochet, by Judy Copeland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Judy explains how to design interesting pullovers crocheting rectangles.  I couldn't wait to try it and that evening I put down my knitting needles and picked up a crochet hook. 

I used the wool I purchased at the first garage sale, and some wool I had left over from the mittens I knit this past winter.

Modular Crochet pullover

And of course.......I had model it.

Me wearing my "Modular Crochet" pullover

Easy Scarf Pattern

Several years ago, my cousin Nina orally gave me a quick and easy scarf pattern.  Sharon, her mother, recently told me she found the pattern in "Work Basket" a magazine that is no longer published.  Usually knit with a worsted weight yarn and size seven needle, this scarf is perfect for young children as the end flaps pull through a loop and lock together. And uses only one skein of yarn. A few days ago, as I pondered on what to knit, I thought that using a sport weight wool and size two needles this same pattern might work up into a head band.  And it worked.

Knit with Brown Sheep Home Spun Sport Weight and size two needles worked up a perfect headband

 

To knit this scarf cast on three stitches.  Increase one stitch at the beginning of every row until you have thirty stitches on your needle.  Now, decrease one stitch at the beginning of every row until ten stitches remain.

To knit this scarf cast on three stitches.  Increase one stitch at the beginning of every row until you have thirty stitches on your needle.  Now, decrease one stitch at the beginning of every row until ten stitches remain.

Knit the first stitch, slip the next stitch on to a cable needle and knit the next stitch.  Continue this until five stitches are knit and five are held in back of your work on the cable needle.  Knit ten rows even across the stitches on your needle, and break the yarn.  Attach the yarn to the first stitch on your cable needle and work ten rows even.  Now knit the first stitch from the needle, the second stitch from the cable needle until the ten stitches have been worked and are all back onto the working needle.

Increase on stitch at the beginning of each row until you again have thirty stitches and work even for desired length.

 Decrease one stitch at the beginning of each row until there are ten stitches remaining.  Again knit the first stitch, and slip the second stitch onto a cable needle, knit the third stitch and slip the fourth onto a cable needle.  Continue until there are five stitches on the needle and five stitches held to the back of the work on the cable needle.

Work these stitches the same as you did before, and then Increase one stitch at the beginning of every row until you have thirty stitches.  Now decrease on stitch every row until there are three stitches remaining.  Bind off these three stitches and weave in all ends.


NOTE:  I like to slip the first stitch before Increasing or decreasing to give the scarf a smoother edge.

I have a cousin who never looks at a pattern.  She just picks up her needles and knits until the fabric becomes what it is going to be.  Ahhh.....just to be knitting.  She has knit up interesting things.

I feel compelled to knit and often I find myself wondering what to do next.  Yes, there is always hats, and mittens, socks, but I have a stash of left over sock yarn and I am thinking scarf.  Scarfs are fun, and there are just so many options of design to choose from.

It began with a skein of Plymouth Happy Feet sock yarn.  I casted on an even number of stitches and working the moss stitch I began.

The Moss stitch


The moss stitch is a two stitch four row repeat as follows.

Row 1:  K1, P1 to end                          
Row 2:  P1, K1 to end
Row 3:  P1, K1 to end
Row 4:  K1, P1 to end

I came to the end of the skein.  I went to my stash and picked out all the left over yarn from the socks I knit this past winter, and picking another yarn continued.  I like knitting this scarf, and there are rules.  I make them up as I go, and change them when ever I want.

The rules for this scarf  are these:  It was to be continued in the moss stitch through out.  There are no repeats of any of the yarn.  And it has to be long.

Celtic Cable Dress

On the morning of April 6th Sharon and I dressed and headed out to her vehicle on a mission.  With her GPS, this magazine, and our spending money we found our way to St. Cloud, MN to visit "Craft's Direct".

We were told about this store one afternoon while shopping at"Amazing Threads".  Sharon was looking for Lopi yarn she wanted for a sweater.  Crafts Direct did carry the Lopi yarn, but I was disappointed by the limited selection of yarns that they did carry.

I was looking for a yarn to knit a dress that I call the "Celtic Cable Dress, inspired by the sweater pictured on the cover of this magazine.  Selecting the yarn for my project wasn't easy.  I felt the Paton's wool yarn was to expensive at $6.99, when I can buy it at Michael's on sale for $3.99.  Trying to avoid "pink" I liked hues of purples, and blues but finally decided on Cascade 220 Heathers, Lichen.  At $6.99 a skein, this was a better buy than the Paton's and I thought that this color would bring out the color of my eyes.  I purchased ten skeins, and a a 24" cable, size 7, addi TURBO knitting needle.

Sharon and I spent a good part of the day at this huge store.  They carry just about everything and anything any crafter might desire.  We stopped and had lunch at The Coffee Cup Cafe, before making another stop at Becker Furniture World.  The two of us walked around the huge show room for hours.  A sales woman helping us suggested we see the furnished house located in the back corner of the store.  Sharon and I decided to move in.  Sharon could be the Queen and I would be the Princess and our entire family would be jealous.  We figure when we get tired of the furniture already there, we would just exchange it.  We'd have the
perfect residence.

Sharon bought a recliner and brought it home with part of it in the back seat, and part of it in the trunk.  We struggled, but finally got the chair out of the trunk and into her home.  "See Sharon," I said, "women can do anything."

My fingers were aching to begin my project so that evening I casted on stitches to swatch my gauge and figuring 20 stitches and 28 rows to 4 inches I decided to follow the pattern instructions for the large size.  This was inaccurate, however and after sewing the shoulder seems I felt the dress was going to be too snug.

Sharon, a more experienced knitter, suggested that rather than taking it out and beginning again, that I make panels to insert between the side seams.  What a terrific idea.  I knit two cable panels, one for each side, and after sewing them to the dress, the fit was perfect.

I finished knitting this dress on April 26th, twenty days from the beginning.

Sharon holding up the dress for this photo.

Me modeling my dress.

Knit! Knit! Knitting

 I am busy knitting, of course.  Yesterday my aunt and cousin and I went to the Science Museum of Minnesota to see the King Tut exhibit.  It was a great day and we had a good time.

I am currently knitting dress accessories to go with an outfit I am putting together and wearing to a wedding next weekend. I have finished the credit card holder and a little pleated clutch.  I am now knitting up a headband.  I am using Feza Night, yarn in a glittery red and I just love it.

I have finished four squares for my sampler afghan.  I am knitting this project with several colors in "Red Heart" worsted.  This is a fun project and will give me an opportunity to use several stitch patterns.

Tree of Life

25 Anchors

Anchors

Popcorn Stitch

Honeycomb

What ever you are knitting......happy knitting!

March 2, 2011

I finished the clutch and Sharon put a zipper in it.  I have more ideas,,,they are on hold............

On to something else.    Sometime I just like to knit and a sampler afghan is just perfect.  So at Sharon's suggestion I purchased several skeins of "Red Heart".  I selected two hues of pink, two of purple, and a verigated.  I don't know.....yet how it will all go together but it's part of the fun.......

This is my first motif:  Tree of Life

Hand Warmers

It is snowing.  I am doing what I love to do best.  KNITTING!  I am currently working on a pair of hand warmers with Louise Harding Kimono Angora yarn.  A matching hat is in the planning stage when the hand warmers are finished.

It has been a cold week here in Minnesota.  My dad came to visit Wednesday afternoon.  The temperature was ten below, with a wind chill that made the air feel like twenty-five below.  He walked into the house with no hat on his head or mittens on his hands.

"Dad," I said, "I know I knit you a nice pair of warm mittens for your hands, where are they?"

"In my drawer at home."

I just shook my head, some people's parents.

Another Pair of Socks

I had to go downtown yesterday morning and take care of some personal business.  In the waiting area I took my socks out of my bag to work on them, when my number was called.  I grabbed my things and rushed to the window.  I set my needles down on the counter in front of me.  The woman on the other side of the window looked at me and said, "are you knitting two socks on circulars?  I love knitting my socks that way."  We became instant friends, and all my business was taken care of in a matter of minutes.

These socks were knit with self-striping yarn from Sensations.  I purchased the yarn at Joann's.  It is a wool, bamboo blend which makes them machine washable.

I am giving this pair to my youngest sister, Lisa.

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The Mobius Experiment

The Mobius Experiment

The Mobius experiment was finished yesterday afternoon.  I really like the way it turned out.  It has a nice shape and a frilly drape.  It was knit up with an acrylic yarn I purchased from a thrift store.  And I love the colors.  I knit it on a size 5, 40" cable.  I don't know how many stitches I casted on, around three hundred, I estimate.  I worked several rounds around the spine, before casting on 10 stitches for the diamond lace edging.

I am still stitching the diamond edging on the mobius experiment.  Sharon finished this beautiful baby blanket on Saturday.  She was inspired by a pattern found in "animal Knits" 26 hand knits for children and toddlers.  The blanket is knit in squares and then sewn together.  Sharon picked up stitches along the edge to knit the border, and then she sew a piece of gold fleece to the back.

She selected the colors, and knit the blanket with Red Heart Super Saver, 100% acrylic yarn.

I am still working on the mobius experiment.  Sharon finished knitting a pin cushion, using a pattern she found in the issue of Interweave Holiday Knits, 2010.  It's cute.  I like it.

She stuffed it with synthetic and then added wool batting at the top.

It is Friday, a not so typical Friday, as I asked my mom to pick me up this morning and give me a ride to my clinic this morning.  I attend a Women's group at the Mental Health Clinic where I receive services.  Sitting in the waiting room I was knitting.  A couple of women asked if I would knit them mittens.  I will.

I am working on an experiment with the Mobius scarf.  I bought the yarn at a thrift store.  I believe it is a sport yarn, acrylic at least seventy-five percent.  I like colors, blend of blue,green and red hues.

With a size five 40" cable circular I casted on stitches.  I don't know how many, I guess around three hundred.  I wish I could explain the cast on, but not in words.  There are however, many blogs and videos on the internet that I utilize when I find my self looking to create.  Any one who has knit a mobuis knows that when you knit the mobius you double the number of stitches you have casted on.  Since this is a scarf and an experiment, it didn't matter to me how many stitches I cast on.  I worked it around several times, and then casted on ten stitches for a lace edging.  I have been working the edging for three nights, now, and I am not a quarter of the way toward the end.

I can't wait to see it finished.