The Knitter's Life List

OMG! The new book "The Knitter's Life List: To Do • To Know •To Explore •To Make" by Gwen W. Steege is a book of powerhouse proportions for knitters of all levels and interests. The pictures alone are eye candy enough to make your fingers begin to yearn for their friends, the knitting needles!

I suggest exploring the lists at the beginning of each chapter - check off the ones you have completed and highlight the items from each list you are dying to try! (Or was that a hint to try dying?)

Do not look to this book for patterns; instead, look to learn about knitters, sheep, color and more in a fun and fantastical format. Read "Knitter's Life List" like a book - you'll be interested and entertained. You won't even know it's teaching you things you perhaps didn't know were missing from your knitterly knowledge!

~ Janine

Love

I'm in love... again...

Another yarn has grabbed me, dragged me into it's lair, and had it's way with me! Swoon! 

This time it's The Fibre Company's Road to China Light. What's not to love about a blend of 65% Alpaca, 10% Cashmere, 10% Camel and 15% Silk in fabulous colors like these:

It's so soft and lovely and a dream to touch and handle. So, it deserves a fabulous pattern as well. Here's what I'm making: 

It's the Hosta scarf by Nancy Marchant, published in the e-zine Twist Collective.

Hosta is a brioche stitch pattern. Nancy Marchant is the author of the definitive book on brioche stitch, Knitting Brioche, and she has a really great website briochestitch.com. Brioche stitch is not for the faint of heart. I won't try to explain it here, but suffice to say that it's a little bit addictive, a little bit difficult, and a lot amazing to look at. Check out Nancy's website for lots of information and instructions.

In the meantime, bask in the loveliness that is Road to China Light.

Basic Hemmed Hat Pattern

This past summer I was lucky enough to spend a little time in Brugge, Belgium - a wonderful city if you ever get a chance to go. I was introduced to a man who was starting a surfing company, and he asked me to make up a prototype of a knitted hat for him - apparently surfers, like snowboarders like knitted hats.  Three months later when I finally got around to whipping up a couple of hats for him, the end product was such a simple pattern that I thought I'd let our readers have it too. Here goes:

Sizes:        Child S (Child L, Adult M, Adult L) - approx. 17" (18.75", 20.75", 22.5")

Materials: Approx. 200 yards of worsted weight yarn
                US 7 and US 8 - 16" circular needles (or size
                      needed to obtain gauge)
                US 8 double pointed needles
                Scrap yarn for provisional cast on
                One stitch marker
                Tapestry needle

Gauge: 4.25 sts/inch with size 8 needle

Directions:

Inner Hem
Using scrap yarn, size 7 needles, and a provisional cast-on,** cast on 72 (80, 88, 96) sts.
Change to main yarn and knit one row.
Join work into round, being careful not to twist. Place marker at beginning of round.
Knit every round until piece measures 3.5" (3.5", 4", 4").

Outside of Hat
Purl one round.
Change to larger needles.
Knit every round until hat after purl row is the same length as hem before purl row.

Closing the Hem
Unzip your provisional cast-on, and transfer live stitches onto the size 7 needles.
Fold the material at the purl row, so that the wrong side is on the inside of the hem, and the two needles are held with the size 7 on the inside of the hat and the size 8 on the outside.

Knit one stitch from the size 8 (front needle) together with one stitch from the size 7 (back needle) - repeat around hat. This is similar to the way you would do a 3-needle bind off.
When round is complete, continue knitting the rest of the hat with the size 8 needle.
Top of Hat
Knit each round for 1" (or longer if desired).
Begin decreases:

• Row 1 - *K7 (8, 9, 10), K2tog,* repeat from * to * to end.
• Row 2 - K

Repeat these two rows, decreasing one K st before K2tog on every Row 1 (for instance, the next decrease row will be K6 (7, 8, 9) sts before the K2tog), until 16 sts remain.
Next Row - K2tog around.
Break yarn leaving a 6" tail. Thread tail through the remaining live stitches with your tapestry needle and pull tightly. Thread through the same sts once more to secure and weave in the end on the inside of your hat.

Here are some of the hats I've completed using this technique. In the red, green and navy hats, I used Artyarns Ultramerino 8. In the light blue hat, I used Cascade 220. This pattern is easy to adapt - try adding stripes or do your hem a different color than the main body of the hat. Finish off the top with a pompom or an i-cord for a fun effect.

** There are several ways to do a Provisional Cast-On. The one I like the best and used for this project is the Crocheted Provisional Cast-On. Click here for a good video tutorial on how to do this technique. If you prefer a knitted Provisional Cast-On, try this video tutorial.

Desperate Gifters VI: Four-In-One Gaiter

Project: 4-in-1 Gaiter 

Designed by: Nancy Lindberg

Book: 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders

This is a fast, easy, fun project that is sure to please everyone on your Christmas list! Choose a fine washable merino or a camel hair blend that will not only warm your loved one but glide through your hands. I used Karabella Aurora Bulky - a 100% extrafine merino wool. 

Purchase the book, a skein of yarn and needles to give lessons to the teen in your life. This turtleneck gaiter is done in ribbing so it will be great to knit on while watching those holiday movies!

~Janine

Desperate Gifters V: Tea Cozy Wrap

Tea Cozy Wrap
from Knits to Give by Debbie Bliss

I started this tea cozy on September 23^rd and finished it on September 25^th.  It’s a very quick knit and now that I’m more familiar with the pattern, the two additional cozies that I have knit were finished in a day.   I did run into a mistake in the cable directions, and the corrections have been added to the Debbie Bliss website. I did catch one remaining mistake: the final buttonhole row is missing the yarn over after the knit 2 together.  I used a pair of antique looking buttons from the shop, but this would be a great way to use up any stray buttons in your stash.  I think a mis-matched pair would add a touch of whimsy, especially if it was paired with a bright colored yarn.
 

 

For the version pictured here, I used Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran, and very little of the 50 gr ball was left when I was done. Other good yarns would include: Encore (the worsted weight does increase the size so it does not fit as nicely on the tea pot, but I believe going down a needle size to US 5 and US 6 would solve this). I’m always a fan of using yarn that can be machine washed (especially if the item is intended to be a gift) so I would recommend a washable DK or worsted weight for this project.

~ Liz

Desperate Gifters IV: Reclaimed Cashmere Lacy Scarf

Reclaimed Cashmere Lacy Scarf

Designed by Beverly Vasquez

 

The name of the pattern is a bit of a misnomer in this case, because I knit it out of Misti Alpaca Tonos Worsted.  I loved knitting this scarf – and I didn't pick the yarn or pattern. First of all, I have never met an alpaca I didn't love. It's soft, smooth and feels great on your hands when you knit it. My first project out of an alpaca yarn ruined me for cheap acrylic yarn for life!

 

But, more about the pattern, which comes from Luxury Yarn One Skein-Wonders. This is one of those bonus patterns that looks complicated but is actually fairly simple. In fact, I would recommend this pattern to someone who hasn't done much lace. There are only 3 different rows of instructions, and 2 of them are all knits and purls. The end result is a pretty lace and the way the decreases are spaced, they give a “mock-cable” look. It was very satisfying and knit quickly. The pattern said to knit for 40” which is “long enough” but I kept going until I ran out of yarn so mine is slightly longer (44").

An added bonus to this pattern is that it looks good on both the "right" side (the left photo below) and the "wrong" side (right photo).

~ Alison

Desperate Gifters III: Petal Shawlette

I am a bit of a sock yarn addict. I enjoy making socks, especially in the summer because they are transportable and small enough that you aren't buried under pounds of wool in the summer. Plus when you buy enough yarn for a pair of socks can also make “something else”. Which is one of the reasons Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders is a fun book – it helps you with the “something else” part.

I picked this pattern because I thought the lace was pretty, and I wanted to see what it would look like in a less busy yarn. I chose the Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere in the tonal black. With the cashmere it was really a pleasure to knit. The lace is fairly challenging, so it isn't conducive to a lot of multi-tasking, and I recommend putting in life lines just in case you need to back up. Even with the complicated lace, it knitted up fairly quickly because of the small size – and the prize at the end is the lacy border which was really fun.

I enjoyed knitting this, and am really pleased with the end result.

~ Alison

Desperate Gifters II: Doll's Summer Party Frock

This dress is designed for an 18” doll. I have no personal experience with the American Girl dolls, but I am pretty sure this dress would fit one. I knit it out of Regia Flusi. It took one skein.  It was great yarn to use and the color is so much fun. I think any doll would be proud to wear it to any summer picnic to which they were invited. 

I knit it on US 2 needles; I think I would use US 3 needles next time because I am a very tight knitter. The pattern is very quick and easy.  I did the sleeve holes slightly differently because I did one in the round and the other flat so I had to change the pattern so they would match (the pattern was unclear about how to do them and I prefer to knit in the round when I can).

 

This pattern is out of Sock Yarn One Skein Wonders. I love all the One Skein books and this one has a ton of great patterns in it. There is a large list of ones I plan to do when I get time. 

~ Cecilia

Desperate Gifters I: Swing Set Cardigan

This is the first blog post about some of the project samples we have completed for Desperate Gifters (our holiday promotion).

The Swing Set Cardigan from Little Crochet was one of the easiest and quickest projects I've made in recent times. It actually took me only one day to make from the first chain to the last stitch! 

I made the 18-30 month size and used the fabulous hand-dyed yarn Tosh DK from Madelinetosh. The yarn is 100% superwash merino and is scrumptious! I needed 2 skeins to complete the project. Other yarns that I think would have been lovely for this pattern are Berroco Comfort DK, Cleckheaton Country 8-Ply, or Sirdar Baby Bamboo. 

I wish I had a lucky little niece to make this for - but alas, they are all too old now.

The Trouble with Gauge

I am a big proponent of doing gauge swatches for knitting and crochet projects. I know sometimes that's not what people want to hear, but when it's a question of getting the right size or something that's too large or, worse, too small, gauge swatches are extremely important.

But, what happens when you're going out of town, and you pack a project that you want to start, but you only pack one needle or hook? You wing it! That's what I did when I went to DisneyWorld this past weekend with my son and his friend. I took a crochet project, the crocheted Maid Marian hat by Grace Akhrem. I want to make this as a Chemo Hat (check out my previous blog post on that), so I chose a worsted weight yarn that had no wool or other scratchy fibers in it - Classic Elite's Classic Silk. It's a lovely yarn, and it would be perfect for a chemo hat. I took the hook size recommended in the pattern - a #7 (4.5mm) which is between a G and an H hook. And, away I went.

{Sigh}

Well, I knew pretty soon that my gauge must be off. You start this hat by doing to the bottom portion from side to side. The pattern said I should complete 32 repeats of the 2 rows that make up the stitch pattern. I stopped at 28 repeats, because that's what fit around my head (and I have a big head). So I went ahead & started the top part of the hat, making a few adjustments to the pattern to accommodate the fewer repeats. After the first decrease round for the top, I decided to try it on:I have several rounds to go before the end of the hat - and I already look like a cone-head! I can only image what the hat would have looked like if I had done 32 repeats!

So what does it all mean? I'm back to the drawing board. I've decided that the yarn probably would be too thick and stiff if I went down one or two hook sizes; so I've abandoned the Classic Silk. (Don't worry, it will get used for something else!) Next, I'm going to try a lighter weight yarn - a DK weight instead of the called for worsted weight. I'll try it with the same hook size. And, guess what? I plan on doing a gauge swatch first!

Lesson learned! For the umpteenth time!

And, just in case you didn't see this on FB, here's a photo of me knitting in line at DisneyWorld. Aren't we knitters and crocheters lucky that we have something to occupy us while we have to wait?