Knitting Warm

My sister has some serious health problems.  And she is always cold.  In a recent stay in the hospital she asked me to knit her a bed jacket without arms.  That sounded like a shawl or capelet to me.  A search on Ravelry led me to a pattern that fit the requirements.  So, in spite of it being very, very hot here lately, I knit Warming a Cold Shoulder.  Instead of using handspun as the pattern called for, I dug into my stash and found some washable Wool-Ease that would work.  I used two strands together to get gauge.  Constructed from the top down like a raglan sweater, it has a seed stitch collar and border.  I like the way it turned out and my sister was happy with it.
Warm is good.

December.  Sadly, my sister has passed away. She was a wonderful sister of many talents who shared my love of crafting. I will miss her.  Rest in peace, sister.

Bigger Beary Easy Sweater

I wrote this  pattern for a bigger bear sweater for charity knitting last year because my knitting guild received a donation of 14 inch bears. It's the same pattern as my Beary Easy Sweater with a couple of minor changes (more stitches are cast on and 3 stitches for the front border).  The skills you will need to know are:  how to cast on, knit and purl, increase by knitting in the front and back of a stitch and bind off.  It is easy for a beginner and provides an introduction to top down construction.

Bigger Beary Easy Sweater

Top down seamless sweater for a 14 inch bear

by OC knitter

Materials: worsted weight yarn about 54 yards,

needles US 8 (5 mm), 4 markers

Gauge 16 stitches = 4 inches

Begin at neck edge: Cast on 38 stitches.

Rows 1 & 2: Knit

Row 3: (WS) Knit 3, Purl 4, place marker, Purl 6, place marker, Purl 12, place marker, Purl 6, place marker, Purl 4, Knit 3

Row 4: (RS) increase row *Knit to stitch before marker, knit in the front and back of that stitch (Kfb), slip marker, Kfb, repeat from *3 times, knit to end of row. 8 stitches increased.

Row 5: K3, P to last 3 stitches, K3

Row 6: *K to stitch before marker, Kfb, slip marker, Kfb, repeat from *3 times, K to end of row.

Repeat rows 5 & 6 six more times. (102 stitches)

Row 19: (WS) K3, P to next marker, K to next marker, P to next marker, K to next marker, P to last 3 stitches, K3

Row 20: K to marker, bind off 22 stitches, K to next marker, bind off 22 stitches , K to end (remove markers as you come to them).

Row 21: K3, Purl to last 3 stitches joining fronts and back, K3. (58 stitches)

Rows 22 - 26 : Continue knitting on the right side and purling on the wrong side, keeping the first 3 and last 3 stitches in knit stitch.

Row 27-29: Knit

Bind off. Weave in ends.

Abbreviations: K- Knit, P-Purl, RS- right side, WS-wrong side, Kfb- knit in the front and back of the stitch

Please use this pattern for charity or personal use.

©2014 OcKnitter

Kennel Cozies

I don't have a pet, but I often knit for people who do.  A knitting group that I belong to had a request for snuggles to donate to animal shelters. This is my interpretation, a thick blanket to line a kennel.

I used rug yarn, doubled, and knit a garter stitch rectangle. Then I picked up stitches along all sides and knit in the round, increasing 2 stitches at each corner.  After a couple of inches, I stopped increasing and knit a few more rows before binding off.  You can see where I used up a lot of different colors.  I don't think the animals will mind.

Another Knit I Probably Won't Wear

But I love the pattern!  This shawl  pattern, called "Simply Soft", a free pattern on Ravelry, has everything I like.  It is knit on big needles, looks the same on both sides, is large enough to tie or drape. The pattern is easy enough to follow so  it makes good TV knitting. I used 2 balls of machine washable Patons Lace Sequin with some left over.  I plan to make this again in a different yarn.

I'm Not the Only One...

...who knits something, then hates it and rips it out.

I spent quite a bit of time knitting this cowl - only to realize that I would never wear it.  The pattern is from Knitters Magazine called Sandy Circle.    Although I was using the yarn called for, it was in a different colorway.  The color and the pattern conflicted.  So I ripped it out and knit this:

A double loop cowl.   Pattern is called Downtown Cowl, yarn is Unforgettable by Red Heart in Echo colorway.  This is something I will wear.

What to do with Novelty Yarn?

Knit a blanket!  I have knit enough blankets, afghans and lap robes to put  several in every room in my house and the houses of friends and family.   I have given away  lots to charity.  But it is still the project I turn to most, especially for TV knitting.  I had several skeins of Sirday Kool Kidz chunky that I got from the knitting guild donation bin that I paired with  Rainbow Classic Black from JoAnns  to make this blanket. It turned out soft and warm, but it is not my style.  It  looks like confetti to me.

Starting the New Year...

...by posting a cowl knit last year.    I really like the way the yarn and the pattern came together.  It is a simple 4 x 4 rib pattern done in the round. The stitch count is a  multiple of 8 minus 1 to make the spiral rib.  I cast on using the crochet cast-on, (which is my new favorite), and purled two rows before starting the rib.  I ended the same way and bound off in purl.  The yarn is Ella Rae Latte.  Yes, I gave it away, to a very knitworthy person. I do think I'll make one for myself, though.

I'm Still Here

Holiday Knits

 Lately, I've knit lots of hats.  They are to give away to friends and family. I usually put them out so everyone can try them on and choose the one they like.  Patterns, all found on Ravelry, are clockwise  from top left, Say It With Color, Man Hat, Urban Legend, Wurm and Lady Lorrraine.  Unclaimed hats will go to charity.

I also knit a couple of cowls for gifts. I already know who will get these.  Both knit using the same pattern, called Daughter Approved by Susan Ashcroft.  The darker blue one is wool, and the other one is acrylic. I like this pattern because it is long enough to wrap twice and both sides look the same. 

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?