Vacation Knitting

On a recent road trip, I had to decide what projects to take.  Every knitter knows  that the most important part of packing for a trip is the knitting.  I chose my own   Easy Stripes  bag pattern with the hopes that I could refine the instructions.  I took two balls of Lily Sugar'n  Cream Stripes in the Country Stripes colorway and one skein of Cascade Souk, a silk wool blend with long color changes.
Both projects didn't take a lot of space and were cool enough to work on  in the summer heat.   But the only changes I made were to slip the edge stitches of the strap and make it longer.

I had enough of the cotton yarn left over to make a Bear Sweater that was given to a  Pacific Northwest bear.

More Blankets

Two more blankets. The yellow one was knit just to use up some stash yarn.  I combined a bulky white mohair with a nylon yarn that really couldn't be used by itself because it would easily snag. When knit with another yarn it became soft and squishy.

The blue one was knit with a double strand of acrylic in a diamond pattern that looks good on both sides.  After I finished it, I put it in the washer and dryer to block.  It came out beautifully.   It was given as a wedding present, but I haven't heard if it was well received yet.  Do newlyweds still send thank you notes?

Blanket

I love knitting blankets.  They make great TV knitting, especially because I watch a lot of subtitled programs. I was very happy with the way this latest one turned out. The yarn did all the work. 

 Not really a pattern - more like a recipe
 Size  about 40" x 45"
Yarn: Rainbow Boucle by Purl Essence - Blue Multi 1 skein (621 yards)
          Sincerely By Purl Essence - Navy Blue - 2 skeins (322 yards each)
          available at JoAnns
usually, when I combine a multi colored  with a solid colored yarn, I like to match the darkest color. 

Needles: US  #13
 I cast on 91, (but if I make it again, I would cast on 87 or 89) with 1 strand Boucle and 1 strand Sincerely
Seed stitch for 10 rows
Seed stitch for 7 stitches, stockinette for the center, and seed for the last 7 stitches.
Knit until you have enough yarn to do a top border of 10  seed stitch rows and bind off.
A little measuring and math is required!

This blanket was donated to Patriots and Paws.

A Knitting Challenge

I thought I would challenge myself, so I signed up for a shawl knitalong.  The yarn was a lovely cashmere lace weight, a special price for those who signed up and the pattern was free.  Several weeks were allowed for the project.  Did I mention that size 3mm needles were involved?  And short rows? And lace charts?  Perhaps I overextended myself.  After a lot of dropped stitches and ripping back, I finished by the deadline.  As I started to block it, I noticed a major mistake. I don't know how I missed it. Right in the middle of the back -  lace holes in the wrong place.  Can I live with it?
I am thinking about it.
But, this challenge did teach me a few things. Black was probably not the best color choice.   Lighting is very important.  A good manicure might have prevented snags and dropped stitches.  Watching  subtitled TV programs should have been  left for another time.
I am still thinking.

Success at Moebius

Moebius knitting was a technique that I had wanted to try for a long time. So before the holidays I bought some yarn, checked Ravelry for a pattern, got out my needle and sat in front of the computer.
A short time later,  a bulky cowl was ready for gift giving.
YouTube Moebius Cast-On    Yarn: Loops and Threads Charisma   Needle size: US15.
Pattern:   Bulky Mobius Cowl

Then, after the holidays, I decided to make another cowl for myself.  I brought needle and yarn  to my knitting guild meeting to cast on.  I could not remember the correct way to start.  I must have tried six times, failing each time. When I got home I checked YouTube again and realized I was holding the needle wrong. Success finally!  Yarn:  Noro Iro  Needle size: US11
I think I will remember the cast-on without having to look at YouTube again,

I haven't cut the yarn because I'm still not happy with the bind off.

Cutest Sweater Ever!

Recently, I had the opportunity to test knit this pattern called Rampljus - translated from Swedish as "limelight".  Designed by Yarn-Madness, a talented new designer from Sweden, the pattern went on sale through Ravelry today.   I knit the 4 year old size and used Cascade 220 Superwash wool, one skein of each color.  Knit from the top down, it was fast and easy.  It will look great on a special little girl.  So cute!  Fun to knit!  I'm going to cast on for another one.
I love this design!

Two More Reasons to Knit

Not that I need any reasons. Though, I will have to knit twice as fast now.  Pictured are my grandtwins wearing their side buttoned sweaters. A fast and easy knit.  The part that took the most time was sewing on the buttons.
 Since the weather is warming up and sweaters are not needed.  I knit two cotton sun hats.

 But not all my knitting has been baby sweaters.  I knit a hat for myself out of  Noro Silk Garden. Pattern is Curvy One-Ball Lace Hat by SweaterBabe.

And one for a friend using Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool.

Yes, I know, they are wool.  Wearing them will have to wait.

I Learned Something New

I just finished this vest.  Knit from the top down (the way I knit just about everything) in MadelineTosh Chunky - color Twig.  The pattern is called  Memory Vest by Vera Sanon and is modeled by  my mannequin.  It has an interesting waist stitch border above and below the slip stitch pattern - almost like a crochet chain.  It is sometimes called Estonian braid, lateral braid or braid horizontal. I didn't find it in any of my stitch dictionaries but there are online videos with good instructions.  The stitch was easy to learn but took a little practice to get the tension right. I think it would also look good on a hat band.

I also completed this scarf.  A pattern called "A Little Bit Bohemian".

A good start to 2013.

A Cowl and a Cunning Hat

 Not a lot of finished knitting lately.  I did knit two projects that I really liked the way they came out.

The pattern for the cowl is called Flurries.  An easy pattern with Stockinette and Brioche stitch.  I only changed the pattern a little bit. I added a garter stitch border on the button side.  Who knew I would even need a cowl?     I did wear it on a trip to  the mountains.  And then it was more of a fashion accessory.  What makes it great is the yarn I used, Mericash,  a merino and cashmere blend  (20% Cashmere).  Very soft!

Do you recognize the hat? This is what I had planned with the yarn you saw peeking out of the tote bag in the last post.

Featherweight Finally Finished

It took a while, and a lot of ripping and knitting, but I'm pleased with the result. The pattern is called Featherweight and is one of the more popular cardigans on Ravelry. I changed it a little bit by doing garter stitch on the cuffs and collar.

First holiday gift hat finished, also.  Another popular pattern called Capucine.  Do you see a trend here?
Again I changed the pattern a little bit by knitting garter stitch and skipping the tassel on the crown.  Not quite sure who will be the recipient.

And last of all, I made my Easy Stripes pattern in a solid color. It is a little small for a market bag, but just right for a project bag.  I have the yarn and pattern for my next gift hat. It's a pattern I have wanted to knit for a couple of years.  Can you guess?