Reiana's tie

I had some lovely orange yarn that came in a grab bag and I wasn't sure what to do with it, then it struck me, a tie would be perfect!  My daughter loves orange and the yarn was a drapey bamboo.  I couldn't find any suitable patterns online so started figuring out my own.  It took a couple tries, but the end product looks like a tie and can be worn a couple different ways.  I still have plenty of the bamboo so I'm planning to knit up more to post on my Etsy shop soon!http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fuSm60f6GnybrADGhMC_5YnWJjWkkQXruk82MMIHIIg?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yQ8AQ_N61Tz6qQyb4A4dy4nWJjWkkQXruk82MMIHIIg?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yWIEewZcZ6wzJMAieAiEHYnWJjWkkQXruk82MMIHIIg?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SNio6eA_HcXLDVHiYh0DUInWJjWkkQXruk82MMIHIIg?feat=directlink

Cozy hat

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ia-TWz3cxeeIL9t5KADeSInWJjWkkQXruk82MMIHIIg?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JjLf0qAyXlkfmEcHb4V0B4nWJjWkkQXruk82MMIHIIg?feat=directlink

I Got some silky pinkish yarn in a grab bag I picked up and I wasn't sure what it would be but wanted to use for something.  After several test knits I decided to pair it with some thin but textured white yarn I'd gotten a while back.  I also got a size 15 9" circular needle in my grab bag so I cast on 100 stitches with that and decided to make a hat.  I knit around the whole time and decreased once it was seeming long enough.  I had a bit of a challenge casting off using just the 9" circs but managed to figure it out after discussing the issue with knitting buddy :-)

I tend to have issues with gauge so my hat was quite large around the "brim" part, so to fix that issue I knit up an I-cord out of just the pink yarn and then sewed that on while scrunching up the brim a bit.  It now fits perfectly!  I  had originally planned to add a flower on it as well, where the I-cord was joined, but I was too anxious to wear it and now it doesn't seem as necessary...

I'm no longer a one project gal...

Heck, I've even started quite a stash collection!

I started knitting one project at a time and purchasing yarn as I needed it for that project. I've been doing it that way for a couple of years, with a couple yarn splurges when I found yarn i loved or a great deal. Much like the chicken and the egg, I'm not sure if I started stashing first or multiple projects. All I know is I decided this weekend that weekends are great for casting on multiple projects to work on throughout the week. It's easier to think creatively in batches or something. Of course the couple of grab bags from DBNY certainly helped!!! Then again, the past couple of months have been good for yarn shopping now that I think about it. I've had the chance to visit my LYS a couple times, found yarn at the thrift store (great deals), and got a gift card to Joann's for my bday. And the couple of times I went out shopping for project yarn, I'd pick up any good looking skeins on sale.

So, here I am, a normal knitter, finally!

Knit Jewelry - REDO

Oooo.... Aaaahhhh! Isn't it pretty? I am really pleased with my first attempt at knitting jewelry!

I ordered my beads first and then strung them onto the wire. I picked up some smaller sized needles and started knitting. I picked up a bead here and there and finished it off with a toggle clasp. It was a fairly quick knit but it is a little tough on the hands to use wire. I will definately be making more of these! I think some earrings might be nice too, just have to get the hooks for those.

***Ok, so my pics just won't show up directly in this post :-(  I'm linking to them instead, hope that works!***

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3AxqPD7cfaZUUgrK1z-94n4CyFaFLY4KdNffHlMoXH4?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/T918Y7ZN0ZZzytoYGqO1TH4CyFaFLY4KdNffHlMoXH4?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_PpqxlNK407tEZDDI805cn4CyFaFLY4KdNffHlMoXH4?feat=directlink

Tweed

  

I had this lovely tweed yarn and I wasn't sure what to knit it into. I decided to go with a cowl but I'm still not sure it's the right match. I did a basic 2x1 rib for a little stretch but still showingn off the flecks of color. It's really comfy and a nice size, but I'm just not loving it I guess. I'm thinking it might make a nice pair of little gloves... I really should've gotten more than one skein of this because it would make some real nice bigger items...

A little shopping

Found some nice yarns at the thrift store the other day... I've looked there a couple times and usually they just have the really crafty looking acrylics but this time they had some nicer stuff. Two of the yarns are lightweight (maybe even lace weight?) in a light purple (without a tag) and a light green (with an old tag). Then a nice ball of a dark green mystery yarn. A bright green Red Heart sport weight (with tag). They had a bin full of what is probably crochet floss or something, but there was a white with gold that I thought might be nice so I grabbed that. Finally, I found 4 skeins of a red, black and white varigated yarn (some with tags) that had a UFO still attached!

Another day I was at the Barnes and Noble with the kids and found a great stitch book. It has over 500 stitch patterns! It's a little big for travel but great to start making up patterns at home. I also stopped into Michael's to see what was on sale. I found some bulky brown yarn (for a purse?) and a silky green yarn (perhaps a hat?) but not much on sale. I decided to check out the jewelry section to see if they had anything I could use to make knit jewelry. I found some thin wire, some hemp, and some beads. I finally stopped into my LYS too! I picked up a lovely purple & brown skein of a wool blend that I think will make a nice pair of socks for me. Also a big ol ball of yarn in black, grey's and white which will likely become a purse (or maybe two!).

Finally getting an amount of yarn I think qualifies as a stash! LOL

Some new stuff...

Here are a couple of projects I worked on lately... the first is my attempt at dying. I knit a double seed stitch in a light grey cotton yarn and wanted it to have a tint of purple. Obviously, that is not what happened! I used mostly grape with a touch of fruit punch "drink mix" and this picked up and held all the red tones. It is not horrible, just not what I was going for. I still need to do another vinegar wash to hopefully retain the color since this is cotton. It's too short to be a good scarf so I'm going to have to put some buttons on it or something.

The second and third pics are the scarf that I knit up using ribbon yarn. It's very slinky and fun. Not sure yet if this one will be a keeper for myself or if I'll put it up on Etsy. So, it will sit here for now :-)

Playing with new yarns

Went on a little online shopping spree at joanns.com a bit ago and started playing with the new yarn a couple days ago. I made it a point to get different types to experiment with.

First up was the Color Infusions Memory String in Silver. I thought this would be awesome to try knitting jewelry. My first impression was disappointment, the amount I got was so small I didn't imagine it would make much. So I started with a ring but it was the wrong size so I frogged and started again. The second one was ok, but the amount of leftover made me think I should try for a bracelet instead. Well, all this frogging was not good for the yarn. It started wearing away the silver and revealing the white underneath. There wasn't enough for a bracelet so then I tried mixing it with regular yarn but that looked worse. I went back to a ring and had one that was decent, then the dog got a hold of it :-(. That was the end of that. I would definitely not get that again and would have to look for something more wire like for jewelry.

I then started playing with the N.Y. Yarns Tweed. I chose the green colorway and was surprised that there were hints of pink and orange in it. Knitting it up hides the strange flecks of color though. My original plan for this was a purse or bag but as I knit with it I decided it was too soft of a yarn to not wear. I tried to get some inspiration buy looking at what others had done with this yarn on ravelry.com but still haven't decided for sure.

My most successful yarn find so far was the Lion Brand Yarn Incredible, which is a ribbon yarn. I chose the Accent in Black colorway, a blend of black to dark grey to light grey. I knit every row using a size 17 straight needle until I was out of yarn. It's has a nice drape and it quite fashionable looking. It's not a super warm scarf but it keeps the cool air off your neck.

I also got a bunch of Lily Sugar and Cream yarn. Some in a Strawberry Cream colorway and some in their Christmas colorway. In shades of pink from bright to white the Strawberry was perfect for Breast Cancer Awareness cloths. One, a kitchen hand towel to hang from a handle with a ribbon design and the other a wash cloth in a simple diagonal ridge.

Now off to play some more!

Matcy matchy 2

I couldn't get all the pics to post in one, so here is the scarf that goes with the hats and the wristwarmers I just posted about.

Matchy matchy

I had lots of this interesting yarn and found a pattern just for it for a hat and scarf. I made a couple of the hats and then started on the scarf long, long ago. Then there was a birthday coming up... so I thought I'd finish the scarf as the birthday gal already had the matching hat. I didn't really end up following the pattern for the scarf and just eyeballed when to do the "pattern" rows. After finishing the scarf I still had plenty of yarn and thought something more was needed. So I made up a matching set of wristwarmers. I cast on 26 stitches in the round using size 10 dpns. I then knit for some rows and did the "pattern" rows whenever I thought it looked needed. One of them turned out looking possibly a little longer, but it's pretty hard to tell :-D

Reiana's Slipper Socks

We found the slipper socks! They were hiding with a box of books... They've been worn a bit so they're broken in looking, but I still love how the pattern on top turned out :-)

Hats

Recently fulfilled a couple of requested knits, both hats. The above pic is of a basketweave patterned hat requested by my son. He wanted something with a pattern but nothing too crazy. I didn't have the size 8 dpns called for so I used size 7. I didn't make any adjustments to the pattern otherwise though because it was meant for an adult and I was knitting for a kid. Plus the pattern indicated that it turned out pretty stretchy. It did feel like it was going to be too small, but I can actually fit it on my head, so it's just a snug knit.

I made the above hat for my sis after she saw the one I made for myself. Of course, I forgot to photograph mine! It's made with Lion Brand Homespun using a pattern made by Lion Brand just for this yarn.

Recycled Knitting Pics

2 pairs of kids jeans cut into strips and knit into a scarf and then ends weaved together; worn by an adult above; worn by a girl below

Jean Scarf with better coloring above

Recycled pjs, knit into a light scarf, above

This is as far as several hours painstakingly unraveling a sweater has gotten me!

Blankets for boys

My boys wanted some warm blankets so let them pick out Lion Brand Homespun in their favorite color and I got to work. BTW, blankets take forever, even with this thicker yarn! I started the red one first and it took me about a month to finish. I did a simple seed stitch to play off the lumpy style of the yarn. I then did the green one and it took longer. I was back home by then and it was also started to warm up so I was short on inspiration. I still finished it in less than 2 months. This was done in a 2x2 rib, just for a different look. I cast on about 180 st for each blanket. I guesstimated that 4 skeins would be a nice blanket size so I just knit until those were used up. Turned out perfect, just around 4 feet long. They fit a kid just right, and could be a lap blanket for an adult.

Awesome Dishclothes

I bought a bunch of cotton yarn on sale and was looking for a quick project so I found some dishcloth patterns. I started out with the one on the right, called Double Bump. Then as I was searching and searching I came across the peace sign pattern. I thought it went well with the tie-dye-ish yarn colors so I cast on the Peace Washcloth. Both very easy wash/dish cloth patterns that look great in solid or patterned yarn. I even found a nice hippy to gift them too :-)

Recycled Knits

I've got kids that wear through clothes like it's going out of style... They get stained, holey and too small all the time. As I was sorting what winter clothes would get packed and which ones were done for I remembered an e-newsletter I gotten around Earth Day that talked about knitting with recycled materials. So, instead of trashing the worn out stuff, I decided to cut it up into strips and try knitting with it.

My first project was with two pairs of holey jeans. I wasn't sure what I was making, I just had a couple ideas in mind. I tried a couple different size needles and ended up having to use my size 50 needles because the jean was too thick for anything else. I was hoping to make a bag of some sort, but the jeans I had didn't go that far. I ended up with a longer cowl-ish, necklace-ish thing. Haha... I was thinking if I add some flashy embellishments it could fit in on Etsy. So, while not what I had in mind, it's certainly not a failure either.

Next I had a pair of PJs that were too small for my daughter. I was able to make a cute little lightweight scarf for her. She thought it was hilarious because she could have people touch what they thought was a scarf and then tell them it was her pjs :-)

So, after cutting and knitting a couple of items I learned some things about working with recycled materials. The most important is to cut out all the seams, pockets, and lumpy parts. I tried working with the seams on my first two and came across two problems. The first being that, especially with jean, it's just too lumpy. Secondly, with the pjs, the seams can become unraveled during knitting and leave you with a hole.

After I cut out all the lumpy parts I start cutting my strips. I try to make the longest continuous piece possible, using the "z" way of back and forth cutting. When I have all my strips I make a ball out of it, just putting ends of strips together, not knotting them together.

I've started on my first unraveling too. The yarn is pretty thin, it was quite difficult to find a starting point, and the process itself is very tedious. I'm not sure how many more unraveling's I'll be doing because my fingers are starting to hurt!

Slippers for DH

Yes, I know, pretty plain... these were made more for practicality than beauty. Just some basic slipper socks for about a size 11 mens.

Magic 8 CO 10(20) stitches
Knit 2 rounds
*kfb, knit to last st on first needle, kfb, kfb on second needle to the last st, kfb
Knit 1 round
Repeat from * until 26(52) st
Add 3rd needle to beginning of work, these first two needles will be the heel
Knit in the round for about 40 st or 5 inches
Begin heel:
Knit heel to last st, slip st, wrap, and move st back
Purl to last st, slip, wrap, and move st back
Knit to 2nd to last st, slip, wrap and move st back
Purl to 2nd to last st, slip, wrap and move st back
Continue to Knit (or Purl), slipping & wrapping until there are 6 st not wrapped
Knit across, pick up 1st wrapped st & knit, wrap the next already wrapped st and move st back
Purl across, pick up 1st wrapped st & purl, wrap the next already wrapped st and move st back
Continue to Knit (or Purl), picking up wrapped st, until all wrapped st are knit (or purl)
Wrap the first and last st on the needle not being worked
Begin knitting in the round again, picking up the wrapped st
Knit two more rounds
Begin 2x2 rib, knitting around for about 19 rows or 3 in
CO on row 20

Feeling reinspired

Finally finished blanket #2! Recipiant is very happy :-). As I was getting to the end I was getting more involved, mentally I guess you could say. Got through the last skein in just a couple of days. Then I was still thinking about knitting... I was kind of surprised as I expected to want a break.

So today I cast on my next project... Slipper socks for DH. He has an ideal slipper sock in mind, so this will be a test. The last pair I made (which were my 1st attempt at the genre) did not pass muster. This time I have the luxury of having the feet available for measuring.

I like to get the CO and increasing out of the way before deciding on a pattern an am now at that point. Although I first need to decide if there should be a pattern at all. The pair I'm replacing did not pattern except to have a color change around the cuff. I don't really have an ideal color match in my stash for that, so we'll see about that when we get there.

I know I haven't posted pics in a while and do intend to, however my 1st blanket is in the wash, the slipper socks done in between the blankets are MIA, and the camera battery needs a charge...

Girls slippers

Doing this as a copy and paste so hope it all translates correctly :-). Pics to follow...

fig 8 co 20
knit round 2 rows
add one by knitting into front & back of first stitch & last stitch of each needle
knit one round
add one to the first & last stitch on each needle
knit round
add one to the first & last stitch on each needle
knit round
add one to the first & last stitch on each needle (36 stitches)
knit round
add a needle to the heel section
r1-4: knit round
r5: knit heel, k2, yo, *k2tog, yo, repeat from *, end with k2 (19 stitches now on this needle)
r6: knit
r7: knit, on top needle k9, k2tog, k to end
r8: knit
r9-12: repeat r5-8
r13: knit heel, k2, c4b, repeat for top
r14: knit
r15: knit heel, c4b, k2, repeat for top
r16: knit
r17-18: repeat r13-14 except c4f
r19: knit heel, k4, *c4f, k2, repeat from *
r20: knit
r21-24: repeat r13-16
r25-32: repeat r5-8 twice
begin heel:
k heel to last stitch, slip stitch, wrap, and move back
purl to last stitch, slip & wrap, move back
knit across to 2 nd to last stitch, slip & wrap
purl across to 2 nd to last stitch, slip & wrap
continue slip & wrap until 5 on each side are wrapped
knit across, pick up 1 st wrapped stitch & knit, wrap already wrapped stitch
purl across to 1 st wrapped stitch, knit wrap & stitch, wrap already wrapped stitch
continue picking up wraps until all have been, wrapping the first & last stitch on the front needle

begin knitting around again, picking up the wrapped stitches
after 2 knit rows, continue knitting round in 2x2 rib until desired length (~3 inches)

Downtime...

Most of my knitting is done while I'm working on the road, thus when work is in "downtime" my knitting seems to do the same.

I've been home for about 2 mos now and I've not completed much. I was working on a blanket while on the road and was able to get that done once home. Perhpas unfortunately, the next project was to be a blanket also. These take too long to get that sense of accomplishment that keeps one going.

I managed to cast on and get going, but got side tracked by a yarn sale and did some slippers. I was very happy with the results and was able to get back to the blanket for a while. That slowly dropped off though as it seemed to be getting nowhere.

I'm just about to the end of skein 3 of 4, so the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to glow and I hope to get this finished within a couple weeks.

Once I finish I hope to post patterns and pics of these recent projects. Then I'm going to work on smaller & funner projects...

Windy City Twist... FInished

Finished this scarf for myself after taking a brief hiatis to do some christmas projects. Ended up liking the pattern and the way it worked out very much as the scarf took on some length.

Fingerless Gloves to match...

After I made my Windy City Twist I still had some of the yarn left so I decided to work on some wrist warmers. I wanted to use the basic rib but also wanted to add in some interest with cables resembling a twist. I couldn't find a pattern was working for me, so I just got started with the rib. Then I decided to just start putting in cables and see how it worked out. It wasn't quite what I had in mind, but I like it and I made it up so that somehow makes it better :-) It was kind of complicated getting the cables to work on the left glove, but making it work backwards on the right glove was even more of a challenge. With that being said, here is my pattern:

BOTH GLOVES: CO 36 st on 7 dpns

k1, p1 in the round until ~4 1/2 inches

LEFT GLOVE

k1, p1, k16, *k1, p1, repeat from *; work this for three rows or ~ 5 inches

Begin the cable pattern

1) k1, p1, k2, c4b, k4, c4f, k2, *k1, p1, repeat from *

2) (begin knitting out of the round) (k1, p1)x8, k1, p16, k1, p1

3) k1, p1, k1, c4b, k6, c4f, k1, *k1, p1, repeat from *

4-6) even rows repeat row 2

5) k1, p1, k2, c4f, k4, c4b, k2, *k1, p1, repeat from *

7) k1, p1, k3, c4f, k2, c4b, k3, *k1, p1, repeat from *

8) (begin knitting in the round) k1, p1, k16, *k1, p1, repeat from *

9) k1, p1, k4, c4f, c4b, k4, *k1, p1, repeat from *

10-20) even rows repeat row 8

11) k1, p1, k4, c4b, c4f, k4, *k1, p1, repeat from *

13) k1, p1, k3, c4b, k2, c4f, k3, *k1, p1, repeat from *

15) repeat row 1

17) repeat row 3

19) k1, p1, c4b, k8, c4f, *k1, p1, repeat from *

21-22) repeat row 8

23) bind off

RIGHT GLOVE

(k1, p1) x9, k16, k1, p1; work this for three rows or ~ 5 inches

Begin the cable pattern

1) (k1, p1) x9, k2, c4b, k4, c4f, k3, p1

2) (begin knitting out of the round) k1, p17, (k1, p1) x9

3) (k1, p1) x9, k1, c4b, k6, c4f, k2, p1

4-6) even rows repeat row 2

5) (k1, p1) x9, k2, c4f, k4, c4b, k3, p1

7) (k1, p1) x9, k3, c4f, k2, c4b, k4, p1

8) (begin knitting in the round) (k1, p1) x9, k17, p1

9) (k1, p1) x9, k4, c4f, c4b, k5, p1

10-20) even rows repeat row 8

11) (k1, p1) x9, k4, c4b, c4f, k5, p1

13) (k1, p1) x9, k3, c4b, k2, c4f, k4, p1

15) repeat row 1

17) repeat row 3

19) (k1, p1) x9, c4b, k8, c4f, k1, p1

21-22) repeat row 8

23) bind off