Stick a fork in it, it is done!

The blanket is finished!

Pattern: My own.  But you can find a pattern online for this, or it is also published in the book Knitting for Baby.  I took a pattern for a dishcloth, commonly called Grandmother’s Favorite and made it large enough to be blanket size.

Yarn: Tahki Cotton Classic – 12 skeins

Needle: Size 5 US

I just love the miles of garter.

Now that this is done, I can go on to making my favorite item – socks!  Stay tuned.  I am going to post all my little tricks to making socks.

This blanket is killing me!

I am making a simple garter stitch blanket for my new grand daughter.  I have been working on this on and off since some time this summer.  It was well before we found out if she was a boy or a girl because I am using that ambiguous baby green color.  She was born a week ago, so now I definitely have to get it finished!

The yarn I am using is Cotton Classic by Tahki yarns.  I love this cotton yarn.  It is by far one of the best cotton yarns on the market.

It is a simple pattern that I actually got from a dishcloth pattern.  I did some searching in the tubes and found out that it is called Grandmother’s Favorite dishcloth.  You can find a free version of it here.  I did basically the same thing, only I knit 4 stitches before the yarn over instead of two.  If you really, really need a pattern for something this simple there is one available in a book called Knitting for Baby:30 Heirloom Projects with Complete How-to-Knit Instructions .  Personally I don’t think you need the book to make the blanket, but we all have are own quirks about knitting.

I knit it doing the increase instruction until it was the desired length along one edge, then I  started the decrease instructions.  That’s all there is to it.  Easy Peasy I call it. I’ll post a photo by the end of the week.  And I mean it.  It will be done by the end of the week.  I should have it done by Thursday so that it can be delivered to my grand daughter on our weekend trip this Friday.  This means I need to get off the computer and knit instead.

And speaking of washcloths – I found this also in the tubes which you can see here.  Very cool.  I like the idea of using crochet cotton better than the thick kitchen cotton also.  The problem or good thing is I have ample stash of both kind of yarns.  I’ll be making wash cloths as my mindless knitting project on my monthly 12 hour round trips to visit my kids and grand daughter.  By the end of the year I should have a nice collection of washcloths and will have used up some not-so-desired-anymore yarn too.

And so that is what is on the needles this week.  If you come looking here and there has not been a new post, you will know it is because I am still vigorously working on a deadline.  Wish me luck!

Catching up on small items

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to post more often to my blog.  To that end I present all the little items I have made since my last post.  All pattern links are linked to Ravelry.  You must be a member to see the patterns. It’s free, so join today why don’t you!

Pattern:Star Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson (free on Ravelry)

Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted

Needles: Size 11

After I made this I decided I am not a slouchy-beret person.  It is now my daughter’s hat.  She didn’t hesitate for a second to “take it off my hands”.

Infinity scarf/cowl:

Pattern: Self made.

Yarn: Tilli Tomas Asteroid Jade

Needles: Size 11

This is 2 skeins using an odd number of stitches and the seed stitch.  I knit it till I got the length I liked.  Then I sewed the two ends together.  I like to wear it doubled.  It hides my creepy aging neck.

And lastly I have a baby cardigan.  I made this for my new first grandchild, born January 10.  So of course I have to brag just a little.  I wish I had a photo of my new grandchild wearing the sweater, but we do not live close to each other.  After this weekend, I will have a ton of photos!

Pattern: Garter Yoke Baby Cardi by Jennifer Hoel

Yarn: Lion Brand Microspun in a deep, rich Purple (the photo does this color no justice)

Needles: Size 4

This is a super quick, very well-written pattern.  I highly recommend it.  It knits up quickly and will make a perfect last minute shower gift.

That’s all for now.  But there is always something in my hands.  The list is never ending.

Pas de Valse from Twist Collective

Today I am posting my finished sweater from the Twist Collective website.  It is Pas de Valse.  Here are my terrible photos.  When I get new ones taken, I’ll change these out.  In the meantime I just had to show you the beautiful collar.

Pattern: Pas de Valse from Twist Collective (linked above)

Yarn: Karabella Lace Mohair (2 plus a little of a third skein) and almost 3 skeins of Misti International Alpaca Perlita.  You can substitute any lace yarn for the Perlita as I believe it is discontinued.

Needle size: Size 8

Here is a mirror shot of the collar on me. This photo does not do it justice.

In case you are not a member of Ravelry, here is my posting from that site too.

I LOVE this sweater and I will make another one again in a different yarn.

The pattern is perfect as written.  The only thing I did different is that I made my sleeves separately and set them in.  The yarn I chose is very open with size 8 needles.  Because of that I could not get a sleeve as written with the short rows that I liked.  So I drafted my own.

I was dead on on stitch gauge, but off on row gauge so I had to change the numbers as written to achieve the shaping and such at the same time as the pattern is written.

I did the lettuce crochet edging around the collar edge, but opted for a nonlettuce look around the back.

I am sorry for the awful photos, but I wanted to show the collar.  It is so lovely and it is was I fell in love with.  I’ll need to buy a shawl pin.  But in the meantime, I am happy to wear it as shown.  It is destined to become one of my all time favorites.

I called it “Keeping my Sanity” because making this got me through a rough couple of months. I didn’t even swatch, I just picked up the yarn and needles and started.  I figured that someone would be able to wear it if I couldn’t.  Not only did I emerge from this time healthier and 30 pounds lighter, I also got a beautiful sweater too!

Also the size sweater I used is about 5″ smaller than my actual bust size and it fits perfectly.  I highly recommend going smaller than you think.  If I had knit this to my size, I feel it would not look so good, especially pinned closed.

And I truly believe that this can be knit from the top down, which I may just try to do with the next one.  The only mod needed would be to stitch the collar to the back neck edge when complete. And instead of an after-thought sleeve, I would do the simultaneous sleeve as written in BW’s book Knitting From the Top Down.

I rate it a 5 start and highly recommend it.

Simple Topdown Raglan

This is a simple top down raglan sweater. It is designed the same as a sweater in Noro Mini Knits book. Only the pattern in the book is written to be made in pieces and has errors in the sleeve cap shaping. I tried knitting this sweater from that pattern, but got frustrated and worked it my own way. The advantage of this is that it custom fit for my daughter.

Pattern: My own. Based on a design from Noro Mini Knits seen here (If you are a Ravelry member)

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease, Raspberry color

Needle size: Size 7 US (4.5mm)

I recommend Knitting from the Top by Barbara Walker as a good reference for this type of knitting. I do design my raglan designs slightly different. Barbara put in a one-line sentence that stated that after you reach the shoulder width you do not need to increase your stitches every other row, but can vary it for each section to get the custom fit you need. This sweater has less increases in the sleeves than the back and front. My daughter has thin arms. If I were to increase every other row then they sleeves would be way too wide. Also the front and back are not increased at every other row either. I needed to get the longer length in the armhole than I needed width. Therefore those sections have been changed also. I use my row gauge times my armhole depth to find out the total number of rows needed to reach the under arm. I then chart that section out and work out the increases before I start.

My daughter tells me this is going to be a favorite because of its design. She also wants more in other colors. Seeing how she also knits, I think I’ll just pass the pattern onto her.

Radiate from Knitty Spring 2009

I finally finished a sweater! The yarn took on a few incarnations until I settled that it wanted to be this design.

Pattern: Radiate from Kitty Summer 2009

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease

Needle size: Size 7 US 4.5 mm

Gauge: Same as pattern

Modifications:
1. Used stitch amount from the small size and knit it to the medium length. In my opinion, the armhole depth on this design is a little tight. I had knit it with the length of the small, but when we tried it on it was too tight. I went back and restarted using the length of the medium and it fit much better. I think this effects the way the sweater sits off the shoulders and around the neck. We were much happier with the longer armhole depth.

2. Because my daughter has pencil thin arms, I did not work the increases in the sleeve area of the yoke for the 4th increase. This worked out perfect for the right size sleeve.

3. An a-line design would not look good on my daughter, so instead I added shape waisting, taking in 3″ at the waist and then back out at the hips for a more hour glass shape. When she wears it buttoned at the top it still gives a nice hour glass shape.

4. Sleeves are only 2″ long instead of 6″.

I was disappointed with the way the increases are showing. At least they are all in the same place, so it looks like a design feature. Next time (and I’m sure there will be a next time) I’ll put the increases closer to the slip stitch to hide it better.

Also I want to comment on the gauge. I think the 18″ over 4″ in pattern gauge is when you get to the lower portion of the garment. With all the slipped stitches in the yoke, you are not going to get that gauge, nor are you going to get the gauge listed in plain stockinette either. If you want to do a test swatch, then I suggest you make a swatch with the stitch pattern as written for the lower portion of the sweater.

Overall it is a great pattern that works up quickly.

I am surprised at how much I like this yarn. I am not an acrylic fan and cotton can be harsh to use and wear.  But this yarn seems to be the right combination of the two.  And it is economical. I have already started another project with this yarn and am planning more. It feels great to knit with, washes nicely and doesn’t shrink.

My Knitting Notebook

This is my new knitting notebook. Here I will share all my deliciously fun knitting activities. The fun part of knitting today is the sharing we can all do on the internet. I get inspired seeing what other people have done and it gives me new ideas all the time. I hope that sharing my work here does the same for others. I also have this desire to freely share my knitting knowledge with the rest of the knitting community, so I plan on adding tips and tutorials also. This knitting notebook is set up for that purpose.

To kick off my knitting blog, here is a photo of my last completed project. This is a little bunny from the book Debbie Bliss Toy Knits. It was given as a gift to some friends who are expecting their second grandchild.