Monday, June 3, 2013

I-Cord Tops on Baby Hats

Two of my friends are becoming first time grandparents this summer. I picked up some cute yarns on my April shopping spree (a skein of each of these two at 3 Kittens) that said baby girl to me. I pulled them out last week and got to work.

Regia
The Regia hat is from Little England Designs and is called the Fool's Fair Isle Baby Hat. I looked around the internet but didn't find it. It is intended to be knit with one of those nifty fake fair isle yarns, but I used a random stripe skein. The hat is finished with two strips of i-cord. (Decrease until there are 8-12 stitches remaining. With half the stitches, create a 4" I-Cord.  Repeat to create a second tail and tie them together.)

I wasn't thrilled with the hat, but I think a gentle blocking might make a difference.

Panda Cotton

The second hat is out of Crystal Palace Yarns Panda Cotton from a modified free pattern. The pattern was originally written for Crystal Palace Bamboozle (which has now been discontinued). Both yarns are bamboo, cotton and nylon, but the Panda Cotton is 6-7 inches to the inch on a 1-2 and the Bamboozle was a gauge of 4.5 stitches to the inch on a 9.

Two things about this pattern made me willing to adjust and rewrite, the rib is unusual and I liked the pattern the double decreases created. The 'rib' of seed stitch is possible because of the stretch the nylon adds to the yarn.  The decreases at the top of the hat are worked in 4 double decreases.  The pattern is written to be re-sized with the equation 8x + 12.

I made a couple modifications:
  • needle size: 1 for cast on & seed stitch section, a 3 for the stockinette stitch.
  • Change the 12 to 13. (By casting on an odd number, the seed stitch appears seamless.) At the end of the rib section, slip the last stitch as if to knit, (lift the marker off the needle), knit the next stitch, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch. (Put the marker back on behind the decreased stitch.)
  • My x=8, so I cast on 77 stitches.
  • I knit 1.25" of seed stitch and 2.5" of stockinette to the start of the decreases; so my hat is a little shorter than the pattern, but mine was also about 12" in circumference
  • Decreases: Instead of round 1 starting with K7, it is actually Kx, which in my case was 8.
I was so happy with the Panda Cotton Hat (and there was about half a skein left), I made a second one!


Thursday, May 9, 2013

Adding a New Skein -- Circular Knitting

If only all yarn came on giant skins with never a knot or imperfection to sully it's grandeur.

However, that is not to be!

When adding a new skein of yarn I am a member of the no knots camp.  (Temporary ones are acceptable at an edge to be seamed, but it should, in my humble opinion  be removed before the seaming.)

If there are to be seamed edges, I always try to add my new yarn at the edge.  When working with a cardigan in one piece or sometimes a shawl or scarf, having a tail to weave at the edge is not ideal.  When working in the round, there are no edges.

This, then is my favorite way to add a new ball of yarn.  It leaves no ends to weave in, no holes, and no tension issues.  It doesn't always work on bulky yarns, but in most cases, I am happy with this method.  It works best in stockinette stitch, but can be adapted for other stitch patterns with a little experimenting.

When there is only enough yarn to knit another 12 to 16 stitches, pick up the new yarn and catch the end, much as you would when working a two color project. (I am using a blue yarn for this demonstration.)

12 to 16 stitches left on old skein
Knit a stitch with the 'old' yarn, catch the new yarn in the next stitch and repeat a couple of times.
This is how it will look from the Wrong Side
Now alternate knitting with the new yarn and the old yarn for 4 to 8 stitches.

Finally repeat the 'catch and knit' sequence with the old and new yarns swapping places and knit forth!

Right Side Wrong Side
Because of the pattern to this cowl (purl & slips every other row), I worked another full row before using the same catching method to take care of the little tails left behind.

Final product (after I removed the blue yarn and redid with the green):

Wrong Side Right Side
Can you tell a new skein was added?

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Yarn, Yarn Yarn!!!

Recovering from a GLORIOUS weekend filled with friends and yarn.

The shops we visited met or exceeded our expectations. A list of my purchases:
  • 2 skeins of a hand-dyed green (Lettuce Wrap) from Sweet Georgia to make into my second Honeycomb Cowl
  • 3 skeins from Skacel, Simply Worsted.  (I saw a sample in a shop of a little girls hat that I loved, a free ravelry pattern.  I grabbed this yarn to make it and then found out after we left the shop that it was crocheted!  I should have known, but it was in the shop window and I didn't look as closely as I should have.  As soon as I looked a the picture more closely, I kicked myself, but I am a poor crocheter, so now I am not sure what will happen with these three skeins.)
  • 2 skeins or Louisa Harding Amitola for a cowl
  • a skein of panda cotton for a baby hat
  • a skein of regia for a baby hat
  • 3 skeins of a Minnesota raised and spun alpaca for a poncho (pattern I picked was designed by a MN woman that works in a shop vending at Yarnover)
  • 6 skeins from the same owner, but a different alpaca for a future shawl

And when will all this get knitted?  Who knows!

I have started the Lettuce Cowl.  I accidentally left my knitting bags at home and so had to borrow some needles and break into my new yarn right away.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Knitting Weekend

This week, I am prepping for my knitting group's annual weekend away.

This is our 17th year of taking a three day, two night trip to the Twin Cities for yarn shopping, knitting, and food.  When we began in 1997, Rochester didn't have a yarn shop, so having a chance to check out the yarn shops was a real treat.  (Catalogs and web shopping are nice, but getting your hands on a skein of yarn is so much better.)  Of course in the last decade, knitting interest has exploded and the yarn offerings close to home have greatly increased.  The number of shops in the Minneapolis / St. Paul metro has also increased, so we visit some old favorites and some new shops each year.

This year we are planning to check out Northfield Yarn, Knitter's PaletteBella Lana, Lakeside Yarns, and 3 Kittens.  We are also attending the market at the Minnesota Knitting Guild's Yarnover.

We'll stay at a B&B, and, since someone else will be doing the cooking & cleaning, we'll have time for knitting.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Adding 2nd Skein - Hawkeye ShiBui

I avoid knitting in ends as much as possible.  When working in the round, it is especially nice to add a new yarn with a 'knitting in' method. (future blog post as I can find no videos or pictorials to explain my method)

But sometimes for the good of the work, that just won't do.  For this infinity scarf, I took that approach.  When there was about 4 inches of black yarn left, I set it aside and picked up the next ball, and continued in pattern.
Infinity Scarf in black and gold, one third complete. Black and gold infinity scarf approximately 3" wide.
Ready for second skein of main color Second Skein of main color added

When my knitting is finished (although with this project, I could do it at anytime) I will go back with my yarn needle and weave in the ends.

As the black yarn doesn't lend itself to tutorials, I didn't try to post pictures of the join, but I still wanted to show my progress on the scarf.




Thursday, March 14, 2013

Hawkeye ShiBui

This scarf specifically instructs the knitter to use the long tail cast on and with 320 stitches, estimating enough but not too much yarn for the tail is difficult.  The first time I cast on (cringe -- I'll tell the story!) I had excess yarn in the tail, but only a couple yards, so not horrible.

Can you see the twist?  Neither could I!
And then the ubiquitous join being careful not twist got me.  The other instruction in this scarf  that I had gleefully ignored, was to use a 29" to 40" circular needle. I have 16" and 24" circular needles (and one 9" when I wanted to try the new, at the time, HiYa HiYa needles).  I scoffed at the longer needle as nothing but a waste of money.  When 320 stitches, of a black worsted weight yarn, are crammed onto a 24" needle, it is difficult to see the twist. It's difficult to see the yarn.  After 2 rows of the pattern, I began to have a bad feeling and I grabbed a second 24" needle on which to move my work and see it with some room for a better view.

Sure enough -- Twisted!

So before I could feel too sorry for myself and those 320 stitches, I ripped back and pulled up google for a two strand long tail cast on I knew I had read or heard about. The Two Strand Long-Tail Cast On worked like a charm.  I used 2-24" needles for the cast on and reviewed my work very carefully as I joined.  (Black yarn, winter evening -- not a good mix!)

The next night after work, I stopped and bought a 32" circular needle -- it was worth the 15.99 I forked over!



Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The Vacation Winner is . . .

The ShiBui scarf!

The forecast suggested there might not be much poolside time, so I brought the ShiBui scarf along for the ride. With the highest highs in the mid 60s, our outdoor time was spent in long sleeves, not swimsuits.

I didn't knit much once we reached our destination, but I did knit for most of the plane ride.




Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Starting ANOTHER New Project?!?!

It does seem wrong to start another new project, but I need some airport-able knitting for a trip this week. To meet my criteria, the project needs to somewhat compact and there needs to be little to need to reference the pattern.

I pulled out things I had bought over the last year to see who qualified.  My first choice was the Nansen poncho.  I had purchased the yarn just a few weeks ago.  After a lot of thinking about gauge and some planning, and blogging about the joy (where is the sarcastic font when you need it) of yarn substitutions, I cast on and started. The cable pattern is charted and not an intuitive pattern to follow, so I set it aside for the time being.

Next up an infinity scarf, the ShiBui Array.  This yarn was just purchased this month, when searching for the Madelinetosh project.  I had to cast on 320 stitches and join, being careful not to twist -- not easy with 320 stitches on a 24" needle.  (I invested in a new 32" needle.) This project would work, but we are heading for a warmer place and this wouldn't be comfortable poolside knitting.

I started a third project, Summit, with lace weight yarn, and have ripped twice, just not getting things to move as I would like, but I will persevere!

All three are free patterns and I have made yarn changes to all of them.

I have a a list of yarn shops at my destination.  It's always fun to see other yarn shops and yarn doesn't add that much weight to my 'stay under 50 lbs' suitcase!

Friday, February 15, 2013

Minnesota Mittens

I have made this pattern (or portions of it) more times than any other pattern.

I knit these as if I were knitting 2 socks on 2 circular needles.  I also have rather large cold hands, so my last two pairs have been with bulky instead of worsted yarn and I cast on 29 stitches (a multiple of 4 + 1).

When I have gotten a hole in the thumb, I have ripped back the thumb and put a new one on.  The cuff I have on my current pair is at least 8 years old, but I have brand new 'uppers.'


Minnesota Mittens
2 skeins Brown Sheep Worsted 
size 8 dp needles

CO 33 sts  
Join, being careful not to twist.
Purl 2 rows
Knit 10 rows
Purl 1 row

Turn and knit 1 row, knitting the last stitch together with the first stitch.  (32 stitches) 
Change color if a contrasting color was used for the cuff

Knit 2 rows
Rib 7 rows
Knit 5 rows  (This makes the base of the thumb about 2" from the rib, adjust as needed.  i.e. 13 rows on my last pair)

Thumb gusset
Right mitten:
K2, inc 1, K3, inc 1, knit around
knit 1 round
K2, inc 1, K5, inc 1, knit around
knit 1 round
K2, inc 1, K7, inc 1, knit around
knit 1 round
K2, inc 1, K9, inc 1, knit around
knit 1 round
K2, put the 11 stitches of the gusset on a holder, knit around
K2, cast on 3 stitches, knit around.
Left mitten:
K11, inc 1, K3, inc 1, knit around
knit 1 round
K11, inc 1, K5, inc 1, knit around
knit 1 round
K11, inc 1, K7, inc 1, knit around
knit 1 round
K11, inc 1, K9, inc 1, knit around
knit 1 round
K11, put the 11 stitches of the gusset on a holder, knit around
K11, cast on 3 stitches, knit around.



Knit 24 rows or until mitten reaches the top of the little finger (approx.)

For rounded tips 
K6, K2tog around
K5, K2tog around
K4, K2tog around
K3, K2tog around
K2, K2tog around
K1, K2tog around
K2tog around
Break yarn and run through remaining stitches (4)

Thumb
Pick up 5 stitches from behind thumb to make 16 stitches (along with the 11 from the holder)
Decrease 1 stitch on each side of thumb in first knit round (14 stitches)
Continue in stockinette stitch for 1 ¾" (about 12 rows)
Decrease by K1 K2tog around, break yarn and run through remaining stitches

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Bonus -- Finished Mittens

I discovered a thumb-less pair of mittens in a basket of yarn.  There were 9 stitches on holders.  So I decided to finish the mittens and reclaim the holders!

Actually one thumb was on a holder, one was using a cable needle as a holder.  I quickly added a thumb to each.

These were knit with Brown Sheep Bulky from a very old pattern from my knitting instructor.  The Minnesota Mitten was originally written for worsted weight yarn, but I have made multiple pairs in bulky weight yarn.

D2 thinks the mittens were intended for her, but when she tried them on today, they were a little snug.  I am still thrilled they are done.  I gained a Finished Object, a stitch holder and a cable needle!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Blue Honey Finished!


Honeycomb Infinity Scarf
Nice yarn, well written pattern.  A joy from start to finish!  And yes it is finished and delivered to it's happy owner.

My finished scarf was 50" x 9"; we love the way it looks.

So many times I hear or read that someone has struggled with a yarn or a pattern but this was a joy to knit.  It was a very repetitive stitch, but there wasn't soooo much knitting that it was boring.



Friday, February 8, 2013

Yarn Substitution

The pattern I am overthinking is the Nansen Ponchette.  I am making a number of changes starting with a different yarn. Some yarn substitutions are simple, some are more complicated.

The yarn the pattern calls (Berroco Flicker) for has a default gauge of 5 sts & 7 rows to the inch on a size 9.  The yarn I am substituting (Berroco Peruvia) has a gauge of 4.25 sts & 5.5 rows on a size 10.  Not too different, but enough that some adjustments will need to be made.

Just how far off? My pattern calls for 48 stitches to be cast on.  The resulting panel would be 9.6" wide.  With my substitution, 48 sts would be 11.3" wide. My panel would be almost 2" wider than the pattern.

This is where the all important gauge swatch and a little guess work come in to play.  The pattern I am using has a slightly different gauge than the yarn ball AND it is measuring that gauge in pattern.  It wants 48 sts to 7" and 20 rows to 2.75" IN CHARTED PATTERN.

My pre-swatch assumptions:
1) I would need to be a little smaller than the called for yarn if I don't want to change the number of stitches.
2) I tend to knit pretty close to gauge.
3) This is a poncho and fit is not as important as it would be for a more fitted item, however, drape is very important.
Conclusion: I'll try a size 8 needle for my swatch instead of the 9 called for in the pattern.  I don't want to adjust the number of stitches in this pattern if I can get away with it.  The length of the knitting in this pattern (rows) is all indicated with inches, but my row gauge matters because after joining this panel, I have to pick up around both edges to add the top and bottom of the poncho.



Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Blue Honey a Blur

I'm knitting so fast on this project it's practically a blur!


This is a really nice pattern - it's interesting, but at the same time repetitive enough I don't need to carry the instructions with me while I work.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Head Wrap / Ear Warmer

Modified from T. Matthews Fine Art;  pictures of my final versions in a previous post.

Materials: 
Size 10 knitting needles Bulky Yarn, less than 100 yds, I used Brown Sheep Bulky
Size J Crochet Hook (optional)
Button Gauge:5 st/inch (in the rib pattern)


Abbreviations:
m1B – From the back, lift loop between stitches with the left needle, purl into the front of loop.
m1F – From the front, lift loop between stitches with left needle, knit into the back of loop.
pfb – purl front and back
* the m1B & F are different from the m1L & R I usually use


Directions: 
CO 7 st

Row 1 (RS): K1, P1 rib across
Row 2 (WS): P1, K1 across
Row 3: Repeat row 1
Row 4: Repeat row 2

Begin the increases: 
Row 5: Work in rib until center stitch (on this row it's the 4th stitch), pfb, continue in rib to the end of the row.
Row 6: Work in the rib knowing that you will have two knit stitches next to each other right in the very center of the row--this is fine as you will increase BETWEEN them on the next row.
Row 7: Work in rib until center stitch, m1F, continue in rib to the end of the row.
Row 8: Work in the rib pattern.
Row 9: Work in rib until center stitch, kfb center st, continue in rib to the end of the row.
Row 10: Work in the rib knowing that you will have two purl stitches next to each other right in the very center of the row--again, this is fine as you will increase BETWEEN them on the next row.
Row 11: Work in rib until the center, m1B, continue in rib to the end of the row.
Row 12: Work in the rib pattern.

Repeat rows 5-12 until your work measures 6.25” from the cast on edge. You’ll have 23 stitches on the needle.

Work in the rib pattern for 4.75” (until you have 11” from the cast on edge)

Begin the decreases: 
Row 1: Work to one stitch before the center stitch, slip 1 as to knit, P1, PSO, continue in rib to end of row. Row 2: Work in rib, the two center stitches will be the same.
Row 3: Work to one stitch before the center stitch, slip 1 as to knit, K1, PSO, continue in rib to end of row. Row 4: Work in rib pattern.
Row 5: Work to 1 stitch before the center stitch, P2tog, continue in rib to end of row.
Row 6: Work in rib, the two center stitches will be the same.
Row 7: Work to center two stitches, p2tog, continue in rib to end of row.
Row 8: Work in rib pattern.

Work decrease rows 1-8 until you have 7 stitches on the needle.

Buttonhole: Work 4 rows in rib pattern Next right side row: Work 2 stitch (still in rib pattern), BO 3, work last stitch. Next wrong side row: cast on 3 stitches over the bound off stitches. Work one row and then bind off all stitches.

For The Flower: 
Large (5 Petal) Flower
Using a J hook, chain 10, join with a slip stitch into first chain to form a ring.
1st Round - (Ch 3, 1 sc into ring) do this 5 times. Join with a sc into first st.
2nd Round - Into each chain loop work 1 sc, 1 hdc, 6 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc. Fasten off.
Smaller (4 Petal) Flower
Using a J hook, chain 4, join with a ss into first st.
1st Round - (Ch 3, 1 sc into ring) do this 4 times. Join with a sc into first st.
2nd Round - Into each chain loop work 1 sc, 1 hdc, 4 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc. Fasten off.
Bobble for center 
With size 10 knitting needles, CO 1, kfb until you have 4 stitches, k 1 row, p 1 row, k 1 row, p 1 row, k 1 row, do not turn, lift second stitch over the first, then the third and then the fourth, fasten off first stitch. Tie the ends together using the tails, stuff a little if desired (I just used one of the tails) and sew around the edges a bit if needed to form the bobble.
Layer the flower together and attach to the headwrap.

Crochet Instructions: 
SC - Single Crochet: 
Insert your hook into the stitch or space indicated.
Yarn over and pull up a loop. (You should have two loops on your hook.)
Yarn over and draw through both of the loops on your hook. 

HDC - Half Double Crochet:
Yarn over and insert your hook into the stitch or space indicated, yarn over and pull up a loop. (You should have 3 loops on your hook.)
Yarn over again and draw through all three of the loops on the hook.

DC – Double Crochet: 
Yarn over and insert your hook into the stitch or space indicated.
Yarn over and pull up a loop. (3 loops on hook.)
Yarn over and draw through 2 of the loops. (2 loops on hook.)
Yarn over and draw through the last 2 of the loops.

Blue Honey

I should be ashamed to have started something new when there are so many unfinished projects in the house, but the lure of a new project is always difficult to resist!  Daughter #2 asked for an infinity scarf the same night a fellow knitter showed off her finished project.  Honey Cowl Free Pattern

The pattern calls for 2 skeins of Madelinetosh tosh dk, and while I am often very willing to substitute yarns for a pattern, especially in something where gauge is mostly irrelevant like a scarf, I wanted to knit with the Madelinetosh yarn.  D2 was sent to the Madelinetosh website to give me a list of colors she had in mind.

As I toured some of my favorite twin cities yarn shops, I discovered that Madelinetosh yarn is in great demand, and short supply! Near the end of the day, (with both Daughter #1 and my Husband in tow) I found a big supply at Bella Lana.  I had never been there before, but it is near the condo my daughter is renting and is a very nice shop.  My visit was concentrated on the Madelinetosh (and concerned about my non-knitting companions waiting in the car), but the shop was light, bright and tidy.  It is definitely worth a second and more prolonged visit.

Picking a color proved more difficult than I anticipated.  While Bella Lana had about 20 color choices, none were one of the five D2 had chosen from the Madelinetosh website.  So I snapped some pictures and texted them to her.  NONE OF THE PICTURES ACCURATELY PORTRAYED THE COLOR.  It was very frustrating.  And, of course, she rejected the eight I sent her.  (I had sent 1 or 2 earlier in the day from other shops with similar results.)  But I was determined.  I wanted this yarn, there were lots of colors to choose from.  The five she had chosen from the Madelinetosh website may not be accurate reflections of the colors either and given the short supply I found at retail shops, mail order may have been out too.  I narrowed it down to two, called D1 in from the car and we picked Mourning Dove.  The 'shop girl' offered to wind the skeins for me, but knowing my companions were waiting, I declined.

a couple of inches into the Honeycomb pattern
I wound one ball and cast on while we chatted at D1's place before we went out for dinner.  I chose to do a knitting-on cast on so I didn't have to guess at a tail length.  The first few rows of stockinette create a rolled edge, so just join (being careful not to twist) and go.  If you join on the first row, it seems as if the 'right' side of the cast on will get pushed to the wrong side of the work, BUT, because the edge rolls, I think that is the better choice.

The pattern includes 4 size alternatives; I cast on 220 stitches for the long 2 skein version.  The pattern suggests using a longer needle for the 220 stitch version, but I am using my trusty 24" circular.  The stitches are pretty squished.  About 3 rows in, I got a little nervous about the 'join being careful not to twist,' so I grabbed a second size 8 circular needle and knitted about half the stitches onto it.  This allowed me to slide the stitches apart on the needles to see there was no twist. I breathed a sigh of relief, kept knitting and moved all the stitches back to one needle.

The Slip Stitch Honeycomb pattern is very simple and pretty quick:
Round 1: *P1, slip one purlwise* repeat
Round 2, 4: Knit around
Round 3: *slip 1 purlwise, P1* repeat

D2 will be home for a visit in two weeks and I think I can have it done by then.  Then again, I still have to go to work and we are hosting a handful of friends for a Super Bowl party, so she might have to wait a bit!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

HPKY Shawl

Finished this shawl tonight. The usual issue for me: knitting has been done for months, ends just needed to be sewn in.  In my defense, the pattern called for leaving the ends and adding to them to create fringe; as I finished the shawl, I decided I didn't want fringe.

The finished measurements are 15" x 75".

I have this project on ravelry if you want more information.