Easy Stripes

Easy stripes because the yarn did the work.  It's too hot to knit with wool,  I wanted to knit a bag with  this cotton.  Does the pattern look familiar?  Lately I have been obsessed  with the chevron stitch.   This is the lace version,  instead of a make 1, the increase is done with a yarn over. Knit in the round.

 Zig-Zag Cotton Bag

Size: about 10" x 12" measured flat
Gauge: 4 stitches to 1" Not critical, but for this yarn each stripe is 3 rows
Materials:
2 balls Lilly Sugar 'n Cream Stripes - Natural Stripes
7 (4.5mm) needles & 8 (5mm) needles to work in the round (I used 16" circular)
stitch markers, waste yarn

Bag:
With size 7 needles, provisionally cast on 38 stitches using waste yarn.  Change to main yarn and working back and forth knit 2 rows. Next row slip first stitch with yarn in front, knit to end of row. Repeat this row 20 times.  Change to size 8 needles for working in the round.  Pick up 10 stitches through both loops on the first short side, 37 stitches from the cast on, (make sure you pick up all the loops), 11 stitches through both loops on the last side. 96 stitches. Place marker and knit 2 rounds.  This will be difficult, but will get easier after a few rounds.
Start chevron pattern: Place markers every 12 stitches & don't forget the last YO!
Round 1:  *K1, YO, K4, S2KP, K4, YO* repeat to end of round
Round 2:  K
Knit these 2 rounds 18 times, for a total of 36 rows.
Next round. K5, SK2P, K4
 With size 7 needle knit 6 rounds garter stitch (Knit 1 round, Purl 1 round)  Bind off.
Handle: With size 7 needle, pick up 10 stitches centered at the short side, k 2 rows, decrease to 8 stitches and k 100 rows, increase 2 stitches, k 2 rows.   Pick up 10 loops in the center of the remaining short side and knit a 3-needle bind off.  (Or just sew it together)
Note: You may have to cut out some yarn when joining the 2nd ball to make the stripes work.
Abbreviations: K-Knit, YO- Yarn over, SK2P-Slip 2 together as to knit, knit the next stitch, pass the slipped stitches over
This is a free pattern for personal use only

 © 2012 OC Knitter

Where Did April, May and June Go?

And July is halfway gone.  Yes, I have slacked off in my posting.  I don't remember much about April.  May was spent knitting and ripping. A vacation in June left little time for knitting. It did not help that I lost my knitting notions case at a motel outside Yosemite. I am still lamenting the loss of my gold stork scissors, beaded markers, cable needles and more.

I was fortunate to be able to visit the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon.That's where the photo above was taken.

Now that I am back home, I have finished what I would have knitted while on vacation.

An Oregon Duck Sweater.  The O was improvised.  Apparently the Duck store doesn't sell O's.  Top Down Teddy Bear Sweater pattern from May 2008.

 An easy cotton market bag,

and a mini shawl.

I Felt Like Knitting a Bag

Zig Zag Bag

A friend gave me a box of 100% wool of questionable origin.    I think it was from a kit, but no patterns or pictures were with it.  Not good enough for an article of clothing but perfect for felting!  I wanted to make a bag using as many colors as I could. I decided on the chevron stitch knit in the round. This is my pithy pattern (subject to editing at a later date).

Starting with the base, cast on 48 stitches with  10.5 (6.5mm) circular needles 29" long.  Knit every row for until there are 24 ridges. Place a marker and pick up 24 stitches along one side, 48 stitches along cast on edge, and 24 stitches on remaining side. Join to knit in the round. There should be 144 stitches.  Knit every round  for 2 inches. Start the Chevron pattern. Put a marker every 12 stitches, if you like.

Chevron Pattern
Round 1: Knit 1, M1, Knit 4, S2KP, Knit 4, M1
Round 2: Knit

Knit 8 rounds of each color.  I used 9 different colors, but I think 8 would have been better.  At the top of the bag, knit 1 round decreasing, but not increasing. Finish with several rounds in garter stitch. Handle is 5 stitch i-cord 18" long.
Felt in washing machine.

M1 = pick up a loop in the strand between last stitch and next stitch and knit through the back (increase)
S2KP = Slip 2 stitches together as if to knit, knit the next stitch, pass the slipped stitches over the knit stitch
         (centered double decrease)

I have no idea how much yarn was used, but each round took about 5 yards.  The pattern is a multiple of 12, so you could make a different size bag.  And you don't have to make a base, you could just seam the bottom.  In fact, that's exactly what I am going to do, because I have yarn left over!

I Was Right

I finished the top down sweater.  But, just as I thought I don't like it.  I'm super critical about my work. It always happens when I knit sweaters for myself.

On the other hand, I am very happy about this shawl. All garter stitch, faroese style, knit from the top down.  I had only 3 skeins of the Manos del Uruguay wool yarn and used every bit of it.

And just for fun, I knit this shawl. Faroese style also.

What's Next on My Knitting Agenda

I've finished my blanket. It was hard to stick to just one project, but it is done. 

What next?  I have signed up for a mystery knit-a-long (KAL) on Ravelry.  Everyone in the group will make the same pullover sweater.  My usual problem knitting sweaters is that I get half-way along and get dissatisfied in some way and either rip it out or store it away in a closet.  Perhaps working with  a group I will finish.  I am using Avignon, a cotton silk blend by Classic Elite  that has been in my stash for many years.

On a sad note..
My sister's miniature dachshund Maddy died last week after a short illness. I had recently knit this blanket for her. She will be missed.

Did you notice that all these projects are beige?  Just a coincidence.

Here I Go Again...

starting the New Year with determination and resolve to work down my stash. The fastest way I know how is to knit a blanket with big needles and double yarn.  My first project of 2012  is a basketweave pattern on 91 stitches with US 15 (10mm) needles. I'm already halfway done using Caron's One Pound in Lace and Red Heart Fiesta in Buff together. It should make a nice wheelchair size throw to donate to the Veterans Hospital.  The idea is to use up this bit of acrylic yarn before I move on to my next project. That's likely not going to happen.

Knitting an Owl

 A simple cable stitch, buttons for the eyes and a little imagination.  It could even be a cat with the right embroidery. 

Knitting a Cowl

A few days ago, I decided to knit a cowl, a scarf knit in the round.  I chose a soft yarn, Classic Elite Inca Alpaca, 116 yards, in a dark blue.  I picked out a pattern, Feather and Fan, with a multiple of 17.

Round 1 Knit
Round 2 Knit
Round 3 *(Knit 2 together) 3 times, (Yarn Over, Knit 1) 5 times, Yarn Over, (Knit 2 together) 3 times* repeat
Round 4 Purl

I wanted  a little drape so I thought that 119 stitches would be right. I cast on with a #7 circular needle and started knitting. Too tight! Ripped out and cast on with #8, switched to #7 for the pattern, still too tight!  OK, maybe if I start the first row with the lace pattern, it will work. Start again, working alright, but  - Oh No! I twisted it when I joined.  Last chance before I dump the whole idea. Cast on 119 stitches with #8  needle, I used cable cast on and placed  markers every 17 stitches. I changed to #7 needle and knit starting with round 3, then joined.  Finally.  I knit until I ran out of yarn - (9 repeats of the pattern). ending with Round 3 and binding off in purl with the #8 needle.  Simple!

Knitting Interrupted

First it was Jury Duty, where knitting wasn't allowed. By the time I got home, I was too tired to knit.  Then it was a road trip vacation in the Southwest. No, I don't knit in the car.  But I was able to finish a few UFO's.  Hats to donate to the Knots of Love Charity.

And a hat for myself.

The Answer (so far) is Two

...Projects completed.  The scarf was easy (Peasy Scarf).  It took me a while, though.  I only worked a few rows at a time. Knit using one skein of Colinette Prism. Seventeen stitches on a #15 needle came out to 65 inches long.  I'm happy with the way it looks.  
The blanket is knit with one strand of durable Red Heart and one strand of JoAnn Stores Boucle Sensations. This is the fourth time I've used the Boucle yarn for a blanket, and each time I say never again.  But, I like the way the final product ends up to be soft and squishy.  My only regret is that I didn't use up all the yarn.  It will  be donated to the Veteran's Hospital.