Knitting

Every year my company does a drive for cash and school supplies for Della Lamb, a local women’s and children’s organization. I might have opened my big, fat mouth and told the rest of the department that my team loves children more than they do, and that we could raise more cash for the kids.

Four days in, and things are heating up a bit. One group is offering tango lessons for $10 a pop, another is selling baked goods, and another is soliciting donations from their vendors. I’m glad my little challenge is helping out the kids, but would love for my team's ego to survive.

So, for a donation of any size, I will send you copies of my paid patterns Inside Out Socks, Jupiter Socks, and Dine & Dashing Scarf and Hat. I will send the last 2 asap. The inside out sock I’ll need to photocopy, so that will come next week. (psst, here are all my free knitting patterns).

If you can’t pitch in a couple bucks, but have ideas for how we could raise funds in the next week using a Polynesian fire sword dancer, that would be helpful as well! We have until August 4th.

I tend to knit popular patterns. I see them often enough to remember them, but since I don't hang with many knitters, no one I know owns the finished object. Still, I think it's time to round up some of the more obscure, yet still lovely, patterns I want to try. These three patterns all have fewer than 10 projects on Ravelry, but are worthy of many, many more.

Green T by Holly Priestley

Love this. It looks really easy to make - lots of stockinette with a little pattern to keep you from going insane. I think the neck line is nice and elegant. If I could ever get sweaters to fit, it might be worth a try.

Box-Pleat Top by Zoë Scheffy

I am so tempted to make this. Maybe a little longer than the pattern suggests and cinch it with a thick belt? Hotness.

Danube Socks by Cailyn Meyer

Sock knitters are pros at knitting for their own enjoyment. You put endless hours into socks, just to shove them into shoes and not have anyone notice them. Admire the socks - they deserve it. Oh, and this is a free sock knitting pattern. Nice!

As of yesterday, I'm older.

I think it's a sign you're living a good life when your birthday rolls around and all you want to do is the same thing you do nearly every free weekend. Walk the dog, coffee, Buffy marathon, finish a shawl and a tasty dinner. Nothing exciting, but nice in a comfortable way. Not a bad way to end a year who's dominant theme was settling in.

I got myself a couple skeins of Sappho II and the Barbara Walker Treasury of Knitting Patterns and it's sequal.

Happy Birthday to me.

Here's the shipwreck shawl I finished with a wool/bamboo blend. I planned ot use it as a table cloth for the kitchen table, but apparently I should have read the pattern. I ended up about 25% short on yarn and had to stop about 20 rows short. Still love it, though, so what else can I do but find a new table?

So... when wearing a circular shawl, do you look like you're wearing a table cloth?

The new nephew got not only a qulit, but a hedgehog and a mushroom. I'm trying to buy his love. I feel no shame about this.

What more does it take to win Favorite Aunt status than a mushroom and a hedgehog?

Still plucking my way through Mom's madli shawl. I'm hoping I can get it to the smooth sailing point and do the bulk of it on my trip to Turkey. Meanwhile, I'm working on a new pattern for this skein of Malabrigo sock.

Grapey.

On our grand adventure through the South, we kept seeing these awesome upright swifts in the museums. It was pretty clear I needed one like that, instead of the ubiquitous table top ones. For all you non-knitters out there, swifts are used to roll yarn into balls so it doesn't get tangled.

I was thinking that I'd have to dig through a lot of dusty antique stores to find one, but nope one popped up on Craigslist on my first try. Destiny.

Yeah. Grimy.

Disassembled, scrubbed with Murphy's oil soap, replaced and tightened the screws, reassembled and now it's functional. It's still missing some slats. It'll be a lot more involved to fix that, since I'd have to do all of them. It'll probably never happen.

Behold, the power of Murphy's soap.

I've been reordering and prioritizing my long, long list of projects. Spring is beginning to flirt with Kansas from across the room, so the need for warm things is waning.

Next up are a silk lace stole for Mom to wear to Michelle's wedding. I'll do Madli's Shawl from Knitted Lace of Estonia. This will be the most difficult and most luxourious thing I've made to date. It will be the start of a long and fiscally dangerous love affair with silk.

Are you in love? I am.

I just picked up this yarn today to make a Shipwreck Shawl. It's a wool/bamboo blend. I plan to use it as a table cloth. I don't really understand wearing circular or square shawls.

This photo is really an excuse to show off this gorgeous bowl I picked up in Jackson, MS. Envy is appropriate.

I have finished things as well. The ubiquitous Traveling Woman with 4 pattern repeats from some yarn that was well over due for GTFO my stash and a slightly modified  Mulnomah prayer shawl for Grandma.

Made while traveling. Appropriate.

Cancer, this is my way of saying I'd appreciate it if you'd die in a fire.

Also on my list of potential projects for this summer -

• New washclothes for the kitchen
• Fancy guest towels for the bathroom
• Freshly embroidered towels for the kitchen
• A red Spanish Armada for another table cloth, possibly in silk I dye
• A new quilt for my bedroom
• Finishing those stupid socks that have been around for over a year

Whatcha making?

I'm running (wheezing?) my first race - 4 miles - in two weeks, so I feel like I needed something special to kick it off. I wanted to make a pair of plain mitts that had enough give that I could wear them over those cheap, knit gloves you can pick up anywhere when it's extra cold and that they went high enough that I could curl my fingers in for extra warmth, if needed.

Calling this a 'pattern' is a little ridiculous, because it's really just a variation on Eunny's End Paper mitts. After two false starts getting gauge on the Endpaper mitts, I just re-wrote the pattern to fit my gauge and wants.

Mitts!

I worked two at a time using the magic loop method.

This has not been test knit, so there might be mistakes.

Supplies

• 75% of a skein of Plymouth's Happy Feet
• Size 2 32" circ
• Size 1 32" circ
• Darning needle

Notes

1x1 ribbing - K1 p1

Gauge

2" stockinette in the round = 14 sts x 19 rows

Size

7" around the knuckle, unstretched

Instructions

Cuff

Cable cast on 48 sts using the larger needles. Join to work in the round. Distribute sts so 24 are on needle 1 and 24 are on needle 2.

Work 20 rounds of 1x1 ribbing.

K two rounds

Thumb shaping

Increase rounds - K to one before end of needle 1, m1, k1. K1, m1, k to the end of needle 2.

Even rounds - K two rounds.

Repeat last three rounds 6 more times; 62 sts ttl.

Palm

K24, put 14 sts on scrap yarn for the thumb, k24.- 48 sts on needles.

K even for 1 3/4” - 2”, or until just after the knuckles. Switch to smaller needles.

Work 1x1 ribbing for 1” or until the length desired. Bind off.

Thumb

Join for thumb using the larger needles. K14 and pick up 2 sts in gap.

Work 10 rounds 1x1 ribbing.

Bind off and weave in ends.

Sitting on the couch is kind of like jogging.

I've been overcommitted. Completely over-scheduled and over-extended in every area, and nothing is coming together quite right.

Somehow, I skated past the holidays with almost no gift crafting. Selfish Knitters would be proud.

My sister got a pair of Snapdragon pop-tops that I contemplated keeping. I really liked them and loved the yarn. Ysolda is on my short list of favorite designers, and her patterns are really well written.

I have another skein of this yarn. I'm planning to make a lacy cowl out of it, using one of the charts from the Estonian Lace book. That is, if Amazon ever delivers it.

Snappy and warm

I've been wanting to make the Hemlock blanket for a while. I'd been thinking I'd make it for some baby, but somehow a hand-knit getting beat up bothers me more than a quilt gettting tattered. So I decided to make it for my other sister for her b-day. She'll treat it well.

Keeping the floor toasty

Finally, when snowed in over Christmas, I finally made my first Saartje booties. I have no idea how I've avoided making these for so long with all the tiny people entering my life. This went to my cousin's new baby, Sophie.

Almost as cute as Sophie... almost.

This weekend will be something for me. I'm going to finish my Vine Yolk cardigan that I've been working on since November. Just in time for Spring...

I told myself for every project worth's of yarn I bought, I had to finish two project from the stash. This has completely sucked all joy out of making things. I lazily jump from project to project, starting, but never finishing. I only have attention for small things.

Like booties.

Don't get too close. You'll get baby rabies.

These are craft felt, decorated with random stuff I had. They still aren't as cute as the examples, but they make me want to go steal a baby and put bows in its hair.

My attempt at punk and sporty

Some will be baby shower decorations, some gifts for my nephew and cousins' belly bumps. There's a lot of reproducing going on.

Purty

And... adorable.

I was highly productive while avoiding writing my final paper. Now that I'm trying to finish my sister's Christmas present, I'm working on everything but it. Deadlines are crafting dementors.

I knocked out my first clapotis for a friend. It's about 3.5 skeins of Cascade Luna. I still don't know how I feel about cotton yarn, but this stuff was nice to work with, and seems to wear nice.

Holy clap.

I think I only did two repeats, both horizonatlly and vertically. I finished it in a weekend, by far the fastest I've ever made a scarf.

All that's left to do is hand-sew the binding on the quilt I made from this fabric. I'm pretty happy with the result. The owner should be making her world debut in about 2 months, so I'll post the top after I give it to her folks.

I'm pretty pleased with my quilting, though. I did something other than stippling.

Back up.

I bought fabric for the nephew's quilt. It's fishy, so I think he'll grow up to be a marine biologist. Hopefully, I'll start that this week or next.

I made Oliver some catnip toys using scraps from the quilt.

Kitty toys

First wiff of catnip

Kitty approved

As it gets colder, I'm discovering that normal socks are no match for the coldness of my hardwood floors. Not being much of a slipper person, I made these worsted weight socks. They are too thick to wear with shoes, but they are perfect for keeping my toes warm around the house.

These socks are knit toe up with a short row heel using the magic loop method. They are a very fast knit - I'm a slow knitter and completed them in less than a week. The pattern includes charted and written instructions.

Cold floors are no match

Thanks to karinamaza, moilulu and LiveIIKnit on Ravelry for helping test.

Size

Adult women's

Gauge

2"x2" in stockinette st = 9.5 sts x 12 rows - it is not necessary to get row gauge.

Materials

• US size 5 (3.75 mm) 40" circular needles
• 90 gr Cascade 220 worsted
• Cable needle
• Tapestry needle

Notes

• W&T - Wrap and turn - slip the stitch to the right needle, bring yarn to front, slip stitch to left needle.
• CF - Cable front - Slip 3 sts to cable needle, hold to front, k3, k3 from cable needle
• CB - Cable back - Slip 3 sts to cable needle, hold to back, k3, k3 from cable needle
• YO - yarn over
• SSK - Slip slip knit
• K2tog - Knit two sts together

Cable Chart - click to enlarge

Chart Key

Chart

• Row 1 - P5 k6 p1 k6 p5
• Row 2 - P5 k6 p1 k6 p5
• Row 3 - P5 CB p1 CF p5
• Row 4 - P5 k6 p1 k6 p5
• Row 5 - P4 k2tog k5 YO p1 YO k5 SSK p4
• Row 6 - P4 k7 p1 k7 p4
• Row 7 - P3 k2tog k6 YO p1 YO k6 SSK p3
• Row 8 - P3 k8 p1 k8 p3
• Row 9 - P2 k2tog k7 YO p1 YO k7 SSK p2
• Row 10 - P2 k9 p1 k9 p2
• Row 11 - P1 k2tog k8 YO p1 YO k8 SSK p1
• Row 12 - P1 k10 p1 k10 p1

Closeup of pattern on top

Toe

Create a slip knot. Cast on 24 sts in addition to the slip knot (12 on needle, 12 on cable) using Figure 8 cast on.
Knit even one round. Do not knit the slip stitch. When you come to it, just drop it off and pull the slip knot out.

• Increase row: K1, m1, k until one st remains on needle, m1, k1. Repeat on other needle.
• Even row: K all stitches.

Alternate increase row and even row until you have 44 sts total, 22 on each needle.

• First needle - K21, m1, k1 (23 sts)
• Second needle - K1, m1, k until one st remains on needle, m1, k1. (24 sts; 47 stitches total)

K one round.

Foot

Work chart on first needle, k second needle.

Continue until sock measures 2.5" less than the length of the foot (approximately 3 repeats), stopping at the beginning of needle 2. Remember to note the last row worked.

Final row of chart worked: _____

Heel

The heel is a short row heel worked across the 24 stitches on the second needle.

• Row 1 – Knit to last stitch. W&T
• Row 2 - Purl to last stitch. W&T
• Row 3 – K to one stitch before the wrapped stitch. W&T
• Row 4 - P to one stitch before the wrapped stitch. W&T

Repeat rows three and four 5 more times. There will be 7 wrapped stitches on each end.
Now we need to pick up the wrapped stitches.

• Row 1 – K to the first wrapped stitch. Pick up the wrap around the stitch, place it on the left needle, and knit the wrap and the stitch together. Turn. Twisting the wrap will keep it tight and neat.
• Row 2 – P to the first wrapped stitch. Pick up the wrap around the stitch, place it on the left needle, and knit the wrap and the stitch together. Turn.

Repeat until all the wrapped stitches have been worked.

Leg

• Needle 1 - Continue working chart from the row you noted above
• Needle 2 - P1 [k2 p2] 5 times, k2 p1

Continue working chart on needle 1 and ribbing on needle 2 until there are six repeats of the chart.

Ribbing

• Needle 1 - P1 [k2 p2 k2 p2 k2 p1] 2 times
• Needle 2 - P1 [k2 p2] 5 times, k2 p1

Repeat until ribbing measures one inch.

Loosely cast-off and weave in ends.

Ribbing on the back allows the socks to stretch to fit many foot sizes.

Finished a damson last night. I do like it, but I fear that it's one of those things that knitters love and wear and non-crafters think are weird. There is something about making things that makes you completely blind to whether or not you should actually wear them.

I'll wear it 'backwards', so that the back bunches up in the front. Can't quite do the shawl thing. It's a little too 1940's Poland for my tastes.

Anyone else see a BSG raider?

I also finished the quilt top for one of the baby quilts. I went with a slight variation of Layout #3. I don't have any backing fabric, so odds are this one will sit on the shelf for a while.

I'll put up a pattern for this...soon...

I can't really decide if I'll actually give it away. I kind of want to drape it on Pico's chair, but that's all but a death sentence for the poor quilt.

Couple finished projects I've been sitting on for a while.

I've been eyeing the owls sweater for many, many moons, and I've finally gotten around to making it. I did edit it to be a cardigan since I like them better. It only took a little finangling to move the start of the row to the middle of the front and then added 5 sts of garter st on each side, with a button hole every 12 rows.

I'm pretty smitten with it. It's pretty stinkin' warm though.

A hat and hooters

Here's the pattern on Ravelry.

Also made this hat, which was my first soiree with Malabrigo, my new bff. I'm not planning to write it up as a 'real' pattern, but here are my notes, if you're up for an adventure.

The hat

Supplies

• Size 8 needles
• Malabrigo worsted weight, about 2/3rd a skein
• Darning needle

Stitch Patten

Hold yarn to front, sl 2 sts to right needle, move yarn to back, move 2 sts back to left needle, k3- repeat

The last stitch will overlap the next round. That off-sets it each round.

Texture

Instructions

• Cable cast-on 96 sts
• 1.5 in 2x2 ribbing
• Next row - increase every 10 sts to 105 total
• Work 5” of pattern
• pm every 26 sts
• Decrease one each row at the markers, adjusting to stay in pattern (this is the part I really should have written down...)
• When 12 sts remain, pull tail through remaining sts and weave in ends

My Cathedral Socks have been published on Knitty.com. If they brought you to my site for the first time, you might want to check out my other patterns, many of which are free. You can see them previewed in the right sidebar, or view all of them on the patterns page.

S/M, skipping rounds 1-4

M/L in Schaffer's Anne

I tried canning this year. Dad hooked me up with 3 beer flats of tomatoes, so I tried to make salsa. It turned out okay, but holy cow that was a lot of work for a dozen pints of salsa.

I don't know why I do these things. I don't even like salsa all that much.

I say tomato.

Whipped up a pair of these for G-ma K. They were an amazingly fast knit (four days), and after using light fingering weight yarn all summer, worsted was a nice break.

I didn't follow the pattern for the heel or the toe.

Big and comfy.

Fall is breaking through. Hooray for sweater weather.