Sunday, January 28, 2018

Knit a hat in any size and any yarn

Pinterest sent me an e-mail today that is a lesson in knitting hat from the top down in any yarn and in any size.  It can be found at:

http://www.10rowsaday.com/top-down-hat1

and

http://www.10rowsaday.com/top-down-hat2





Sunday, January 7, 2018

I am still in Peru and have started Mary's pouf

I am with Mary and Alberto and babies in Lima.  Unfortunately I have come down with a terrible head cold.  So I am in self-imposed isolation upstairs in Mary's condo.  Thank goodness I saw the babies a lot in the hospital while we did Kangaroo of I would find this time unbearable with the darling boys downstairs and me upstairs.  But I don't want to give this to anyone!

I even worried about knitting on the blanket while I am sick even though I know viruses don't live for long on surfaces....still.....so I have started the pouf.  I like it a lot!

Here is the URL for the pattern:

http://www.craftpassion.com/pouf-knitting-pattern/2/

And the photo of the pouf that the designer made:



Mary had suggested that this would be a good project if I would knit it for her, so I brought yarn with me and size 11 needles.





And here is what the fabric looks like:


My gauge must not have been as large as that of the designer.....so after a few segments I decided to rip out and start again with more stitches.  I have chosen to go 1/2 again as large and here are the measurements I am going to try.  I have tried to keep everything proportional:

62 stitches cast on becomes 94 stitches cast on

Knit all stitches and turn.
Knit 66 stitches and turn.
Pass first stitch from left needle to right  then knit 48 stitches and turn....continue as pattern works....

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Patterns on Pinterest

Pinterest send a couple of knitted items that caught my fancy today.  I liked the way the below uses bright colors and different knitting stitches for the stripes:



This was shown on:
http://www.thesweatshopoflove.com/blog/2011/08/09/hot-stripes-hanging-dish-towel-and-dishcloth-patterns/

And Lion brand had a simple shawl that looked warm and comfy in bulky weight yarn:



This was knit on size 13 needles and took 555 yards.

Free Pattern found at:  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/honest-warmth-shawl

Monday, January 1, 2018

A Stash of one's own



Sally sent me a message over the holiday season 2017 that I particularly enjoyed:

......
 I received the book “A Stash of One’s Own “. Reading this statement made me think of you... and myself.  

“Most of my yarn is for knitting, but some of it has a more complicated destiny as support staff: It is there to make me want to knit. It’s absolutely possible that I need the green Merino to inform how I’ll use the blue alpaca, and that ball of gorgeous variegated yarn? You bet I’ve had it for ten years, and I completely admit that it’s a yarn pet. I have no intention of ever knitting it, but it’s earning the real estate it takes up with how it makes me feel about knitting. It is the textile artist’s equivalent of a painting hung on the wall. It’s there to be beautiful and to help me dream of possibility. “

Don't know why Sally and I feel that way (as well as most of my knitting buddies), but it is indeed a fact that just seeing the yarn and the potential uses that that yarn might have makes us feel very happy.