Thursday, December 28, 2017

lovely pattern

The below came across Pinterest.  It is found at:

http://podkins.tumblr.com/post/130726698252/what-a-lovely-knitting-stitch-pattern-found

It is found on the blog site called:

MINGKY TINKY TIGER + THE BIDDLE DIDDLE DEE


Sunday, December 17, 2017

Slippers from Joe's Toes

Darling slipper idea came across Pinterest tonight.  It is from a site called Joe's Toes.






































The site is found at:

https://us.joestoes.co.uk

One can find everything that is needed to make these slippers.

Monday, December 11, 2017

Dar's distraction socks



Dar makes amazing socks faster than I can blog!  These are amazing!  And the sock blockers are a thought for next year's Knitter's Christmas gift exchange.  I love them!  If I made socks that beautiful, I would have blockers for every pair and they would decorate my walls!

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Fuzzy's poncho

I went to the Guyan Brunch today with Moppy.  It was lovely and wonderful to spend a couple of hours catching up with Moppy's life.  Food was terrific!  Fuzzy was serving as hostess and was wearing a WONDERFUL poncho that was very flattering (of course, Fuzzy would look good in a gunny sack) and dressy.  So here are the details of the poncho.  As with all knitted things, the poncho was absolutely twice as pretty in person.  Fuzzy said that someone at Lady of Fatima or St Joe had made this item and her mother had purchased (?) it there.





Here is a closeup of the fabric showing the different yarns:



It would seem that to know how big to make it, one just needs to measure the person from elbow to elbow for width and then from shoulder to place that one prefers bottom to hit and double for length.



Fuzzy's poncho hits her as shown below...kind of about wrist length.



The next two photos show the other side.  The poncho is reversible:







You can see that the white looks like specks on the "knitted side" while they are floats on the purl side.  It would seem to me that there are three colors of yarn.....the white somewhat thicker yarn, the pink yarn and a variegated green/yellow color.....it is very wonderful!  or perhaps there are only two colors:  white and a variegated yarn.....

Saturday, December 9, 2017

Christmas party gift

For the Knitting Christmas party I received a lovely gradient yarn kit from Mary Jane in the colors of Mary's nursery.  It is fingering weight wool.  I took a brief look on revelry tonight for some ideas.  However, don't forget that I could use one of the patterns in the posts I have already done in gradient.  The blanket below is done on size 6 needles with fingering/sock yarn.



https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nelly-teppe

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Wine and knitting

Interweave just sent me an e-mail that tickled my fancy.  It is about pairing wine and yarn.....oh, my gosh....what a wonderful idea!  Here is the URL:

https://www.interweave.com/article/knitting/sip-n-knit-wine-knitting/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=kd-jre-nl-171206&utm_content=985586_EDT_KD171206&utm_medium=email&k=%2BnR0E2TjwpeWpGDM2L4CSJMUEcArttgJ8%2B6vHkAwjlw%3D

Wine cozy for Christmas

I decided to make a wine cozy for my gift for the knitting group exchange.  None of the patterns that I found on-line were exactly what I wanted.  The closest to what I wanted was designed by Kim Kotary for Red Heart and can be found at:

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/cable-knit-wine-cover

But I wanted to use larger yarn and I wanted to knit in the round.  Here is a photo of my finished project:



And here are the directions.  I used left over yarn from the sweater that I am knitting for the twins for Christmas.  I will put brand and type in here when I get time.  I used four double pointed needles size 10.  I cast on 24 stitches.  My normal cast on worked OK.  I divided the stitches evenly among 3 needles.   I then did a k2, p2 rib for 5 inches.  At that point double check that the cast on will go over the large part of the bottle.

Next row, k2, m1 across.  36 stitches

There are seven rows to the repeat.

Row 1: [K2, P2, K6, P2] repeat (I think there are 3 repeats).  end P2.

Row 2: [K2, P2, make cable by holding three stitches in front and knit next three stitches, then knit the three stitches on the cable needle that were held in front]  repeat (again I think that there are 3 repeats), K2.

Row 3 Repeat row 1.
Row 4 Repeat row 1.
Row 5 repeat row 1.
Row 6 Repeat row 1.

Repeat these 6 rows until the entire cozy measures twelve and 1/2 inches or desired height on wine bottle.  Begin the bottom:

[K1, sk2p, k5, sk2p] 4 times, k2—34 sts.
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: [K5, sk2p] 4 times, k2—26 sts.
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: [K3, sk2p] 4 times, k2—18 sts.
Row 6: Purl.
Row 7: [K1, sk2p] 4 times, k2—10 sts.
Cut yarn leaving a long tail. With yarn needle, thread tail
through remaining 10 sts and pull to close opening. Using
mattress stitch, sew side seam.
FINISHING
Weave in ends.

Explanation of stitches used on Kim Kotary's pattern:

 Special Stitches
3/3 LC = 3 over 3 Left Cross – Slip next 3 sts to cable
needle and hold in front, k3; then k3 from cable needle.
 M1 = Make 1 (Increase) – Lift strand between needles to
left-hand needle and knit strand through the back loop,
twisting it to prevent a hole.
sk2p = Slip next stitch knitwise to right needle, k2tog, lift

slipped st over the k2tog st and off needle.


Saturday, December 2, 2017

Blanket for Mary's Twins

The amount of time and energy that Sarah and I have put into deciding what blanket to knit for the twins, we could probably have knit three blankets.  However, we have finally bought the yarn!  Hurrah! Sarah said that she received her shipment today and is ready to start knitting.

We bought Blue Sky Fibers Worsted Cotton in Mediterranean and Caribbean.  I flipped a coin to see which color went to which person....Sarah received the Caribbean:



And I am to receive the Mediterranean:



So now the final picking of the pattern so that Sarah can get started.



Start by looking at which of the patterns we have on hand for this weight yarn.  The pretty lace pattern that is shown above is Adama.  Much to my surprise it is already in my library.  Sally had made the cowl ....and it is the right size needles.  We will only have to do a little bit of a calculation to see how big to make the blanket in this pattern.

I like this next one very well, too:



It was knit on size 7 needles.  However, I think we could use size 9 just as easily....size of blanket is not very crucial.  It can be found by using Orange Flower Yarn as search term on Ravelry.

Little Dove is knit in this yarn (found on Ravelry)



And we could go back to the basket weave that I was thinking about in the beginning:



I found a suitable pattern for this blanket at:

https://stockinette.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/basketweave-baby-blanket/

Ok...one more addition:  I think that if we did the Adama Cowl lace pattern we would use size 9 needles.  Cast on 125 stitches for the pattern plus 10 stitches for the garter stitch border.  The Adama pattern gives a stitch chart for working flat so it shouldn't be much of a problem to just work flat the entire time.  There also seem to be written directions for the lace on page 3.  The lace is broken up with bands of garter and knit stitches that we could improvise .....I think it is very doable if this is what we choose,

Oh, wait....one more ....the Fifty Four Ten Studio on the porch blanket is actually an actual design for Blue Sky Fibers Cotton worsted.  We might have to buy one more skein.  There are several nice blankets on the site on Webs using Fifty Four Ten Studio as the search term.



Hm......why can't I seem to make a final decision.......

In January 2021, I am attending Vogue Knitting Live and found a wonderful pattern for a baby blanket called The Princess and the Pea.  There is more information about this blanket on my slide show using Knit This Purl That as search term.  It calls for many colors and is very pretty.  See photo on the slide show.








Monday, November 13, 2017

Blanket for twins

Sarah and I are trying to come up with a blanket we both want to knit for Mary's twins.  We have somewhat settled on colors.....but still trying to figure out yarn.  Sarah has two stores close to where she lives.  The Must Love Yarn has Classic Elite Sprout Bulky and Classic Elite Seedling in worsted weight.  The Other store has Cumulus by Juniper Moon and Debbie Bliss Eco Baby that is a bit too thin for our project.  I have been looking at Cascade Ultra Pima and Ultra Pima paints on Love knitting.  One of the things that slightly tips the scale in favor of the Cascade yarn is that it says it washes and goes in dryer where some of the others have comments of less than perfect washing and drying on Ravelry.  I have also found another cotton yarn by Cascade that says it is machine washable and dryable made called Luna and Luna Paints.  However, this yarn has been discontinued and is not as easy to find.

My first ideas were to use three colors....however, I am now also open to all one color with a bit of a pattern.  The main reason that I am doing this blog post is to show Sarah some of the blankets that I have liked.  So here goes.  The one to the side is made out of Sprout which is available at the yarn store near her.













The next one is called Color Convergence by Yiyo on Ravelry.  It calls for using two colors and carrying them up the side.  At least one of the colors would be a self striping yarn.  Ultra Pima comes in  Ultra pima Paints ....the color I was looking at is Blue Green 9125..perhaps used with the grey Ultra Pima.  Although the Smoke color of Paints is very pretty 9123.  It is a bit hard to imagine just how that might turn out....but I do like the look of the blanket below.



Here are the two colors of the Paints that I was looking at:


Here is one I just found via google:


I am still looking for the directions.



The next is a striped blanket I found in one of my books.  It is knit on size 10 needles.  But I think that we could adjust for a different size yarn if we wanted to do that.  Or even double a less thick yarn.






The next blanket is just an idea....I am thinking grey for the part that is white in the photo and perhaps the Cascade Ultra Pima Paint yarn for the part that has the funny bumps.....


I loved the next blanket's colors, but they are not really Mary's nursery colors....but I am wondering how it might look with grey where the white is and a solid blue or teal where the dark brown is and a Ultra Pima Paints where the mottled color is?




The next is all one color with some texture.  I saw it:

Fifty Four Ten Studio on the Porch blanket on Webbs



Here is a photo of what Sprout looks like knit up from Ravelry


And here is a photo of a self striping blanket knit on size 10 needles that I saw somewhere;



This is the blanket that I had originally liked....too many choices......The blanket below is called strips the squares by Jennee Garcia.



I also have some very nice plain white cotton yarn that I bought on my Fiber Festival trip last month.  I am thinking that I will do pattern work with it such as the following (these could be done in just one color as well)

I found on line the following general rule of thumb about doubling thiner yarn to knit it on larger needles:

In general, I’ve found that 2 strands of lace weight together equal a sport / DK weight, 2 strands of fingering equal a DK / worsted weight, 2 strands of DK equal a heavy worsted / bulky weight and 2 strands of worsted equal a bulky / superbulky weight.

So if we decide to use the Cascade Ultra Pima yarn, we could double the DK weight to knit on approximately size 10 needles.  It calls for size 5-6 as it is.  Bulky yarn (weight classification 5) is generally thought of as being yarn that uses size 9 to 11 US knitting needles (5.5 to 8 mm) and that measures a gauge of 12 to 15 stitches per 4 inches/10 cm.


The next photo is on Ravelry ....free pattern called Garter Block Baby Blanket Pattern By Meg Hollar.  It is knit on size 10 1/2 needles


Next one is Geometric Baby Blanket Pattern By Shannon Cook



Yarn at Love Knitting:  Cascade Luna Paints.  They have 10 skeins.  Size 7 needles.  It says it can be washed and dried in machine.  It has been discontinued.  164 yards in skein.  I am wondering if it might be nice with a border of the dark blue?



Here is a photo of a baby blanket made with Luna from Ravelry:



Tic Tac Toe Blankie with seed stitch border



And here is the Tic Tac Toe knit in Luna Paints.  We might want to double the Luna Paints.....hmmmm so we have enough yarn?



Sarah found a gorgeous yarn by the Fiber Company.  They yarn is Road to China Light.  It is made in Peru and is lucious.

Yarn weight: Sport   Hank weight: 50 g
Fibre: 
65% baby alpaca, 15% silk, 10% camel, 10% cashmere
Length: 
145 m / 159 yds per 50 g hank
Tension / Gauge: 
24—26 sts / 10 cm / 4 in
Needle size: 3.25—3.5 mm / 3—4 US / 10 UK

I was looking for something on Ravelry that might be appropriate for my favorite Colors:  blue (3774), natural (3728, Turquoise (3735), and light blue (3731)... Of course, I am not looking at these colors in person as Sarah is.  And it isn't out of the question that we might each just choose our favorite color and make a solid blanket from this yarn.  The yarn is so wonderful that it might be the best choice?

But here are a couple of ideas:



I see this blanket done with the dark blue as the main color and the other three colors as the dots.  I have ordered the pattern just in case this is what we choose.

I found a color way that I particularly liked.  This is not taken from a knitting pattern, but rather from an add of some sort:

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Knitting at the Wild Ramp

We had an unusually big group today at the Wild Ramp.  And in addition, we had an unusually large number of finished projects to share.  Maybe because it is winter?  Or at least late fall.  But it definitely felt as if summer is over today.....knitting season....genealogy season....holiday season....

Betsy and I arrived at the same time.  Betsy was wearing her newest creation.




This gorgeous poncho is knit as a rectangle and then sewed in just one place:



I see many possibilities for this project!

Christine who was sitting very close to me today was working on a scarf.  This scarf uses a solid yarn and a variegated yarn in alternating stripes.  The knitter works from small stripes to much larger stripes as the project progresses.  But what I am trying to capture here is the GORGEOUS variegated yarn and how it works with the stripes.



I am playing with the ideas for Mary's twin's blanket and didn't want to loose the thought.

Betsy had already started her next project.



Her fabric looks exactly like that in the above photo



It is a mindless project, which is GOOD!

The yarn is Berroco Mileflore.  The pattern is Aldo by Berroco and made for this yarn.  It is called Jolana.  It is exceptionally pretty in person.  The pattern is filed in dropbox in shawls folder.  The color of the Berroco yarn is Terra



















And last but no least were Dar's socks.



I think that the pattern is Somebody's Teddy Bear from Mash.....Can't do it from memory tonight.


Saturday, November 4, 2017

Cotton yarn at SAFF

I looked early in the day at some lovely hand dyed yarn at a stall close to the main door.  

http://www.stonyhillfiberarts.com

Cindy's cotton yarns are breath taking.  But I didn't buy.  Later someone asked me if I had seen the amazingly soft yarns and described Cindy's booth.  Still I didn't buy.  Then everyone got tired about 2.  And it was decided that we wouldn't come back the next day. Hmmmmmmm.....Which of the baby kits was I going to buy for Mary?  I needed to go ahead and make that decision!  And I went back while everyone waited on me and bought from Cindy.  I am not one bit sorry even though I have still not decided for sure that these are the colors to be used in Mary's baby's blankets.  But here are some photos.  Some are patterns that I bought for the inspiration in color ways.  Some are the WONDERFUL natural color yarn that would be great baby blankets done by using aran patterns or basket weave or some such texture patterns.  This yarn is incredibly soft!




























And here is the shawl that Cindy had hanging in the booth.  It is crocheted.  However, I found inspiration in the color way.  It reminds me of the shawl that Mitzi knitted that Sally and I coveted.  Mitzi said that it was too heavy and gave it to Mary Jane.  So my thoughts are that these fingering yarns from Cindy might be perfect to use in that shawl to make it lighter!  The color way reminds me of that shawl.











And it didn't occur to me at the time, but as I review the photos, I see that the crazy soft yarn does come in colors.  We could just order the yarn from Cindy in any of the colors we choose.  I think that THIS is the project Sarah and I want to make!  YEA!  Cindy says that this yarn is best knit on size 6-7 needles.  I am very excited!

I am going to put this yarn upstairs in the playroom in one of my big, African baskets.  It is too pretty not to display!  I have put the patterns that I bought from Cindy in a folder in the kitchen that is labelled Cotton.