What Am I Doing?

This is for a class on the brioche stitch which is good for teaching the stitch, both working back and forth and in rounds and increases. It also uses the Channel Island Cast On, so is a good teaching project. It took awhile to get used to the pattern and it was easy to make mistakes. Ripping out was a pain! And I did a lot!

Pattern: Baby Brioche by Jen Hurley a free download on Ravelry

Yarn: Knitting Fever Painted Desert

Needles: US #6

 

No, I'm not in a dishcloth mood but the shop has a lot of new knitters so we're trying to offer classes for them. One series we're doing is a dishcloth each month, so I try to use a dishcloth which will teach a new skill.

Pattern: Heart Shape Cloth by Mary Marcontell-free download found on Ravelry.

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Fantasy Naturale Solid

Needles: US #8

Since before Christmas I've wanted to make this sweater and I finally found the yarn I wanted and got it started. The pattern is Woodburne and the yarn is Ultra Alpaca. The sweater is seamless with shaping taking place between the cables in the back.

This is such a fun knit. I'm enjoying every stitch. Celestarium is growing. The color is really a darker blue so the silver lined crystal beads really shine. I have about 40 rows left plus the border which is a 5 stitch (I think) attached garter stitch edging.

Ravelry has a new feature where every day they show you patterns you might like. This is one of the recommendations. When I saw the little girl modeling it she reminded me of my 3 year old great grand daughter. She wants to have hair like Rapunzel, so it is always hanging in her face and won't wear barrettes or binders. She loves anything princess so this crown headband should be perfect and maybe she will wear it. The yellow one is hers and the orange one is for her 5 year old sister. "Fitting" will take place Saturday.

Isn't this done yet? It seems to be taking forever but I am past the half way mark. The pattern is Matsuri by Berroco. My first comment was that I didn't like to work the blackberry stitch but this stitch is called berries in a basket and doesn't have purl 5 together so is much easier to work. It is also for a class. It makes for good social knitting-so it should be done!

This project got frogged. I test knit and am "tech editor" for Kimberlolly in Germany and this is her next pattern which just went out to testers after it has been "tech edited".  At first I was real excited about it, but I couldn't live with the way the edge looked where the yarn was carried up the side so on this piece I tried adding the darker yarn to both edges and tried I-cord which didn't work because it wasn't elastic enough and then tried doing the edge garter stitch in the darker/heavier yarn but I'm not going to go through with that hassle. It really is a beautiful shawl but not for me.

A New Year

Blogger is finally letting me post pictures, so I guess I'll still be posting. I've been very poor about blogging lately. Maybe because my knitting projects have taken so long I didn't have finished objects to post about. Now that 2013 is here I have 3 finished projects.

 

Farbenfroh is a drop stitch patterned shawl which is a good way to show off hand painted yarn. The pattern is written so any amount of yarn can be used, so is good if you only have 1 skein of a beautiful yarn. This was a test knit.

Needles: US #4

Yarn:Schaefer Yarn Company Anne

Pattern: Firebird by Rosemary Hill

Yarn: Unknown. Got it at a benefit for Ann Swanson, unlabeled. Knowing Ann only used/bought natural fibers, I'm certain it is wool. It was stiff to work with and hoped it would soften up when washed. I think it might have, but dumb me, I sprayed a little starch on it to keep its shape.

Needles: US #4

Pattern: Lila and Claudine's Advent Scarf. This was a fun pattern to knit during Advent. A different stitch came out each (only 20 days-to give some leeway to skip a few days) along with a little meditation. The meditations weren't too "religious" but gave you some thoughts and to help relax and remember the reason for the holidays during the preparations.

Needles: US # 7

Yarn: Three Irish Girls Springvale Sock

Two Quick Projects

Each month at Amazing Threads I teach a technique class which I sometimes follow with a project using that technique or stitch. These are 2 of the recent projects.

 

The scarf is using an elongated stitch called Seafoam.  I used a US 10 1/2 needle with Handmaiden Fine Yarn Sea Three and a pattern originally written for a Susan Koman fundraiser, Ribbon of Hope.

This neckwarmer is so soft and cuddly. It is a pattern I've written to use the Fisherman Rib stitch, incorporating crochet cast on and Jenny's Elastic Bind Off and uses a US # 7 needle. The yarn-- I just love! It is a new line from Juniper Moon Farms and this is their worsted weight called, Chadwick 60% merino and 40% alpaca. The information on Ravelry says it is Aran weight but I think it knit up at a heavy worsted weight.

Marina Scarf

Little did I know when I started this scarf that this is where it would end up! Our grand daughter broke her wrist on a ripstick (a skateboard which swivels) and needed closed reduction under anesthesia. She wanted to wear the scarf to surgery; MD said she could, anesthetist said no. All is well now, except she won't get her pink cast for 2 weeks. Note the pink "tail" on her cap.

Yarn: Marina

Needles: Size 13

Pattern: Cast on 8 stitches and knit (using the loops in the tape as yarn) until yarn is used up. Bind off.

Wham Ban Thank You Lamb Neckwarmer

Excuse the goofy picture of me-I was taking the picture myself, holding the camera out in front of me. This neckwarmer is just what it says! I love the way it can come up and cover the nose and mouth when it is really cold. Easy, easy to make and fast-I made it in one evening.

Pattern: Wham Bam Thank You Lamb Neckwarmer by Susan Chang

Yarn: Malabrigo Rasta
Needles: US # 13

Christmas Knitting Started

This week I started my Christmas knitting. I don't have much planned--yet. Above is one of two idenical Christmas stocking for my great grand daughters. Below is a Green Bay Packers neck scarf for my daughter in law.

Walk Through the Woods Kerchief

I was at this point and had just about decided to frog, but when I laid it out like this I thought I'd knit one more repeat of the border before making my final decision. I just wasn't sure I liked the pattern. Maybe because it wasn't my usual lacy shawl pattern.

I did one more repeat and liked it much better, so did finish it. In fact, I've worn it once and received several compliments on it.

Pattern: Walk Through the Woods Kerchief by The Sexy Knitter.

Yarn: 100% super wash merino dyed by Lorajean of Knitted Wit colorway Two Roads.

Pattern, Yarn and Button were from Wool Girl Sock Club. www.woolgirl.com.

Button from Wooden Treasures.

Wavy Scarf

This was a fun knit.Yarn: Great Big Sea by Hand Maiden. 50% Silk, 10% Wool, 20% Seacell. I have no idea what seacell is, but the yarn was soft, had a nice drape and easy to work with.

Pattern: Provided by Hand Maiden Fine yarns from Canada.

Argosy

Pattern: Argosy from Knitty.com Winter 06.

Yarn: Noro Sock Yarn. The colors are beautiful, but I hated working every stitch with this yarn. The wool is scratchy, full of foreign material. It is spun unevenly from huge clumps to finely, too tightly spun which twists back on itself.
Needles: Size 4.