Cable Scarf Complete!

It’s been quite some time since my last update, but now that Fall is here I’ve had time to work on some of my projects.  My latest completed project is a blue/purple cable knit scarf.  This was my first true cable knit project, and I’m very happy with the result.  This is also the first fringe I’ve put on something I’ve knit.  I wasn’t sure if I would like it, and looking at it I wish I would have made the fringe a little bit longer, but for a first it’s not bad.

Looking at my current projects I’m shocked I don’t have 5 other things I’m working on.  Besides the Doctor Who scarf and some socks I started making, I don’t have much going on for serious projects.  I may have to throw a puppy sweater into the mix for Gizmo.  We’ll see!

Happy Knitting!

Stitchin’ in Stallis!

Like to knit or crochet?  Come join us at Stacey’s Bar the 2nd Wednesday of every month from 6pm – 9pm.  This is an informal group of knitters and crocheters who get together once a month at a local bar in West Allis to knit, talk, have a drink, and share ideas.  All levels are welcome.  Our next meeting is Wednesday, September 8th.  Stacey’s Bar is at 6711 W. Beloit Rd., West Allis, WI.

Click here to view our flyer.

Hats, Socks, and Bugs

A couple weeks ago after coming back from the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair, I found myself in a local yarn shop just browsing for yarn.  I came across a beautiful purple (of course) yarn with multiple textures and colors in it.  In some places it’s as thing as a dk weight yarn, and in others it’s very chunky.  I didn’t realize this until I got home and started knitting with it, but it seemed to work out.  It also has gold and red undertones in it, which look great outside.

I decided to use this purple yarn to knit my first hat.  Finding a pattern for the hat was difficult enough, since I don’t really wear hats, and wasn’t sure what I wanted.  I settled for a slouchy style hat, since it would be a bit looser to wear and looked like it didn’t have many details.  I opted not to make the striped part of this pattern as my yarn changed colors subtly without having to change out my yarn.

Surprisingly I finished the hat today (I thought it would take much longer), and I’m extremely happy with the result.  Gizmo is modeling it for you in this picture.  I’ll be keeping an eye out for more yarn to make a similar hat, although I really need to make an effort to stay away from purple.

Another project I’ve been wanting to tackle is amigurumi.  I had received a couple crochet books last year for Christmas, but have struggled with getting the hang of it, as I’m not an expert at crocheting.  I’ve read that it’s suggested to use wool yarn when making these small objects because it stretches a little more and is a bit more forgiving than acrylic or cotton, but until recently I’ve stayed far away from wool.  It wasn’t until this week that I came across a new amigurumi knitting book, Knitting Mochimochi, which has some seriously cute amigurumi knits, better than any other book I’ve found out there.  In the book there’s a pattern for “Bite-Free Bed Bugs.”  They had a pretty easy design and used techniques I already knew, so I decided to tackle it first.  From start to finish it took around 1 – 2 hours of work, which isn’t bad for starters.  This little guy also has a knit night cap with stars embroidered on it to keep him warm while he’s sleeping.  It’s apparent that this is my first amigurumi knit, however with practice I’m sure they’ll improve.  To anyone looking to knit amigurumi, I strongly recommend this book over the others that are out there.  Here’s a link to Mochimochi Land, the author’s site dedicated to her knitting of tiny creatures and objects.

Last, but not least, I’ve been on a missing to find sock yarn.  I haven’t knit socks yet, but I want to make something cozy I can wear around the house in the winter, not something practical to wear with shoes.  While at my LYS this afternoon I came across some light purple yarn that I think will be perfect.  I haven’t picked out a pattern yet, but I have a feeling this may be my next “big” project.  The lady at the yarn store had a chart which determines how much of whatever weight yarn you’re using you would need to knit a pair of socks, which was really helpful, since this is new to me.  I chose to use a thicker yarn (as opposed to a fingering weight yarn typically used for socks) for a couple reasons – the socks will be completed sooner with a heavier yarn, granted this yarn isn’t even worsted weight.  Also, a thicker yarn seems like it’ll make a softer sock, more along the lines of cozy rather than practical.  I’ll update once I start making them.  Wish me luck!

2010 Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair

Last weekend I was able to get out of town and attend the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair.  With this being my first “yarn fair” I was surprised at everything it had to offer.  There was weaving, yarn spinning, and a lot of yarn!  I picked up four skeins of yarn, all with purple in them (for those of you who don’t know me, I’m addicted to purple).   The one on the left is called Stardust, it shimmers nicely in the sun, not too sparkly.  I plan to turn it into a wrap for this fall when it cools off a bit.  The second from the left is a boucle, which I have no current plans for, but couldn’t resist.  The third is Noro Taiyo, which I’ve already balled up and am hoping to turn into a bag.  The fourth is a purple silk that I plan to turn into a camera case and an iPhone case, if I have enough left over.

I’m looking forward to the next yarn fair, Stitches Midwest, which I’ve heard is even bigger.  I’m assuming many of the same vendors will be there, but there should be a better selection of classes.  Hopefully I’ll be able to walk away having learned something new.

Cables are Fun!

I can remember looking through knitting books as early as six months ago, saying to myself that I would never do cables, I didn’t like them.  Well, along the way I found a pattern for a reversible cable scarf, and changed my mind.  Last week I sat down to learn cables, and it came pretty easy to me.  Instead of using a cable needle, I just use a spare double pointed needle to slip the stitches onto.  The basic technique for cables is to slip a number of stitches onto a cable needle, knit (or purl) the next stitches of the same number, and knit the stitches you slipped onto the cable needle back onto the main needle.  It’s really pretty easy.  I would say the most difficult part is if you’re a tight knitter, sometimes it can be difficult to stretch the yarn enough to get it back onto the needle since it’s being pulled diagonally.

To the left is the scarf I started on.  The pattern can be found here.  It uses a basic k2, p2 rib pattern and 3 cables in the middle.  So far it seems to be going pretty well.  I used Bernat Softee Chunky in Teal for this particular scarf.  I’m planning to attempt another cable scarf soon, which I should be able to display here once it’s started.

Happy Knitting!

Got Wine?

My latest project was inspired by the need for a gift, but the desire to make something.  I had intended to give a bottle of wine as the gift, but wanted to be more creative than that.  I set out to Ravelry to see what my options were, and found this simple wine bottle cozy!  Here’s a link to the pattern if anyone’s interested in making their own.  My first one, one the left, was made using leftover yarn from another project.  Once it was completed I decided I’d rather make something more custom, so I ran out and picked up the purple yarn and started another one.  It was a pretty quick knit, all things considered, but was fairly simple as it involves a 3k,3p ribbing knit, some yarnovers for the holds the tie fits through, and stockinette stitch for the body.  The bottom uses simple k2tog decreases along with rows of knit, so nothing to complicated.  The tie around the top is a long piece of yarn, twisted until it folds on itself.  The end result is a simple, yet charming wine bag.  I’m not sure if it would be reused or if there’s a real practical use for it sitting on a shelf, but if you’re looking to give a gift and want to use something other than a store bought wine bag, this is the way to go.

Fingerless Gloves!

Not much to say in this post except that I finished my fingerless gloves!  It took me about a week to finish them, but it was well worth it.  I’m looking forward to making more in the future, the biggest challenge I’m finding though is getting decent  synthetic yarn in darker colors.  For these gloves I used a 25% merino wool 75% acrylic yarn, which worked great, but still has that wool feel to it that I don’t particularly care for.  The pattern I’m using (which I really like) calls for a light worsted/DK yarn, and with the exception of wool blends, which I’m trying to stay away from in the future, the majority of yarns in the stores are baby yarns, which come in pastels, not the dark rich colors I’d like to make these gloves out of.  If anyone has any suggestions on a decent light worsted/DK synthetic yarn please let me know!

Double Pointed Needles and More!

Over the past couple weeks I’ve been expanding my yarn and needle horizons.  I’ve purchased some new yarn made from sugar cane (100%), specifically Araucania Ruca yarn, which is apparently made from sugar cane and because this fiber doesn’t absorb color as well as some other fibers, it only comes in beautiful pastels (according to the lady at the yarn store).  I have to say it’s the softest yarn  I’ve ever held.  I came across it at another yarn store just outside of Madison, but at the time had no idea what I’d make out of it, and if just one would be enough, so I didn’t get any.  At the store I purchased it at they had a lacy scarf made out of it, and it looked pretty nice.  I asked where I could find the pattern and started making my own.  The pattern wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, it’s just a combination of yarn-overs, k2tog, and purling, not bad.  It doesn’t seem like it’ll take long to finish, that is if I stop acquiring new projects as I have been.

My other adventure over the past couple weeks has been getting better with double pointed needles.  These are used to knit in the round when you have fewer stitches than would be appropriate to use circular needles for.  My first attempts weren’t too bad, but I feel that I’ve progressed quickly and am confident my newest project will turn out great.  I’ve decided on a pair of fingerless gloves.  I’m using size 5 needles and Naturally Caron Country yarn in deep purple.  It was a little difficult at first as holding double pointed needles can be a bit awkward, but the yarn was also difficult to knit around in the first couple rows as it bunches together.  As the gloves are getting further along it’s getting easier and quicker.  I’m hoping to have my first fingerless glove completed within the next week, we shall see.

Last, but not least, I knit some dishcloths for my grandmother.  She had heard that I’d taken up knitting and was making dishcloths, so she asked me to make her  some.  This is currently my favorite dishcloth pattern as it has a neat eyelet around the borders, but is very quick and easy to make.  I recommend using Lily Sugar’n Cream yarn for these, but any similar cotton yarn would work as well.

Happy Knitting!

Afghan

Well, it’s not afghan season, but I’ve decided to start making an afghan anyway.  I’ve always been intrigued by the work that goes into the blankets I’ve acquired from family members who knit or crochet.  When I started looking into what goes into an afghan I was afraid to take on a project so large, but luckily I came across a pattern that’s fairly easy yet creates an interesting pattern.  The pattern I’m using can be found here.

My version of this afghan has a chocolate brown as the main color and pink as the secondary color.  I’ve decided to use Caron Simply Soft yarn as it has a soft texture and is available in a large variety of colors.  I have not yet figured out how many skeins of yarn this project will take, though I’ve already purchased 3 skeins of brown and 2 of pink.  I have a feeling I’ll be buying more to finish this project successfully.

I started working on the afghan this past week and am already 19 rows into it.  It’s 270 stitches across and I haven’t counted how many rows it will be when it’s finished.  I’m knitting it on a size 7 circular needle, although the first six rows were knit on a size 6 needle, per the pattern instructions. 

 

Below is a more detailed photo of the stitch pattern repeated throughout the afghan.  The same pattern will repeat throughout the colors until the final rows, which will repeat the knit stitch that was performed in the first six rows.  I’m hoping to add the pink yarn this week, at which time I will provide an update.

Doctor Who Scarf Update and Knitting in the Round

It’s about time for a Doctor Who scarf update. Over the past couple weeks I’ve made some progress on the scarf, as you can see, but knitting on size 4 needles makes for some slow knitting. I’ve made the transition from 14” straight needles to a circular needle to avoid having to hold such a long needle. I’ve found knitting on a circular needle takes less effort to maneuver them. I’ve also started to favor shorter needles more recently, I’m actually thinking of getting more circular needles for other projects, just to avoid having a long needle sticking out from under my work.

To the left is the stash of yarn I’ve acquired to help accomplish the infamous Doctor Who scarf. It was somewhat difficult to gather all this yarn as it came from various sources. I was also concerned because it’s not all the same fiber. Some is wool, some is acrylic, and some is cotton. It is often not recommended that these fibers be used together, but it’s working well so far.

Another thing I came across while researching how to knit this scarf is that there are many patterns. The pattern I’m using, The Original Scarf, suggests that the use of various fiber types should not impact the result as long as the knitter is able to adjust their tension if necessary. I’m only into the third color, involving both acrylic and wool fibers so far, and haven’t had any noticeable issues. I also think because the stitches are so small it’s less obvious that there are combined fibers. The website I’m using also insists that these colors match the original scarf closer than any other combinations. Having never seen the original scarf, I can’t agree or disagree with that statement, but it’s a good observation if nothing else.

To the right is my Doctor Who scarf so far. One of the problems I ran into is that the original scarf was 66 stitches across and about 11” wide, as referenced by the above website, however when I first did 66 stitches across on size 4 needles I ended up with a scarf 13.5” wide across as well.

After undoing my scarf and restarting several times, each time using a different number of stitches across I settled on 50 stitches across. This number seemed to work at first, however once I started knitting and the knitted yarn came together better off the needle, my scarf measured 9” – 10” in width. I decided I wasn’t going to undo it since I was already done with the first color. I decided this is my Doctor Who scarf, and it doesn’t need to be 100% identical to the original. Once I accepted this I was able to continue on.

Once my scarf was underway I decided I wanted to tackle double pointed needles. I had bought a set about a month ago along with a sock-making book, with hopes to make warm fuzzy socks for those cold days. Well, it’s starting to warm up now, but there’s always room for fuzzy socks. There’s still a long way to go until I master sock-making, but I was able to knit my first circle on double pointed needles.

The small circle to the left was knit on size 8 double pointed needles. To use these needles, you must first cast on your desired number of stitches, and then divide them evenly among a total of three needles. The fourth empty needle is used to knit, just as you would move stitches from a needle full of stitches onto an empty one when using straight needles. You eventually end up going in circles, emptying one needle and using that as your new needle. I was happy to have made a small circle. Next are socks!

Over the past week I’ve accomplished quite a bit. I never expected to figure out double pointed needles so quickly. I figured out while knitting what I thought was garter stitch, that the stitches are different when using double pointed needles because you’re never turning your work over to knit the other way as you would with straight needles. In order to knit garter stitch on double pointed needles you would have to knit all the way around on the first round, and then purl all the way around on the second round, and continue until the length of what you were making was complete. This really helped me understand how different stitches work, even when using straight needles. This coming week I’m hoping to progress further on the Doctor Who scarf as well as start another project. Happy Knitting!

Fearless!

Over the past couple weeks I've overcome several knitting feats. I picked up a book called Fearless Knitting by Jennifer E. Seiffert, and it has to be the best knitting book I've found yet. It takes you beyond the basics and helps you overcome what you thought you couldn't.

I've managed to knit several new items.

Sample Ribbing Pattern - This was done by using several variations of the knit and purl stitch. This sample contains a k1, p1 pattern, a k2, p2 pattern, and a knit entire row, purl entire row pattern:

Sample Textures (Checkerboard & Zig-Zag) - These patterns incorporate the use of charts/graphs to guide the knitter through different combinations of knit and purl stitches to create a patttern or texture:

A "pick up and knit" pattern (knit two different ways without sewing them together) - To complete this the left side of the pattern is knit in garter stitch (knit every row) while slipping the first stitch of every other row. To attach the left side the yarn is not cut, but is attached up the entire right side, and the piece is turned sideways and knit in garter stitch again until complete:

Some pretty nice dishcloths - This pattern was included in the Fearless Knitting book and uses a combination of garter stitch and yarn-overs to create the eyelets around the edge:

Overall I’m pretty happy with what I’ve accomplished. I restarted my Doctor Who scarf last night since it needed to be re-gauged. It’s supposed to be 11” wide, and mine was 12.5” – 13”. I’ll update my Doctor Who Meter soon!

Happy Knitting!

Doctor Who Scarf

Well, I've started my Doctor Who scarf, which I've been talking about for nearly two months now. I finally have all the yarn I need and have started. I'll try to keep this page updated with progress.