Swatchless

As August nears, I start searching out sources of embroidery floss.  It is a tradition of sorts.  Since 1994 I have made large, colourful, and sometimes very intricate friendship bracelets as birthday presents for a buddy of mine.  I have found a way to get them to his door usually on his actual birthday.  Some have been mailed from Japan, and Egypt, others have been left in mailboxes, or tied on the front door.

birthday bracelet

This kind of bracelet takes a little bit of time to complete, but luckily you can put the project down and pick it up again later.  They are a great portable project for road trips, and I used to often keep one on the go in my pocket at summer camp.

x and o bracelet

All of those little dots of colour are actually knots, two knots per dot….that’s a lot of knots!  Each knot, made thinking of the one that will wear it.  These knots can be tied to make so many different patterns–from diagonal stripes, chevrons, X and O, or even fish!

Ask any teenager, and they’ll let you know that friendship bracelets like these are meant to be worn until they fall off.  Some even claim that you get a wish when that happens.  All I know is that there is great sentimental attachment to these cotton strings.

So….a big happy birthday to my bracelet wearing buddy!  Check your mail box soon.

Buy the pattern for this cozy set for $4.00 CAD

August brings with it the threat of some chilly evenings, specially for those out camping.  This hat and mitts set were designed for a quick end of summer knit.  Toss them in with your camping gear, and be toasty warm all night.

Knit in the round with a garter stitch border, they are decorated with butterfly stitch.  Knit the hat in cotton and enjoy it as a summer beanie.  Knit it in wool or alpaca it will warm you all winter long, and you will be forever remembering the beautiful butterflies of summer.

Model: Milena

This pattern is suited to someone who is an intermediate knitter or beyond; it is a great way to practice knitting in the round, and add a new stitch to your repertoire.

Skills:  Cast on, Knit, Purl, Knitting in the Round, Increasing, Decreasing

Size: Adult Small
Yarn: worsted weight yarn
Needles: 4 mm DPNs or circular for hat
Gauge: 4.5 sts per inch, 6 rows per inch in stockinette stitch

Buy your .pdf copy of the Butterfly Hat and Mittens pattern now for only $4.00 CAD

Get out there and enjoy your chilly autumn nights in style!

If you like this pattern, you may also enjoy some of my others.

You know when inspiration hits, and you can’t really seem to put a new project down?  I know that sometimes it’s easy to get lost in a book.  This time I got lost in a pair of mittens.  For some unexplainable reason I just kept picking up the needles to knit just a little bit more, and before I knew it, all that was left was to knit the thumb.  Thumbs are quick to knit, so I cast on for the second mitten, and then I had to do the cuff before I forgot what I did with the first one…Next thing I know it is past midnight, and I am done!  The picture doesn’t do justice to the colour of the yarn, but I’m thrilled with the results.  I think it’s a record!  On Tuesday this was a bag of fluff.  On Saturday it is a pair of mittens!

Knitting with handspun is interesting, the colour of this pot luck roving does not stay constant, so each mitten changes colour slightly, and the thumbs don’t match.  I like it though….it’s proof that they are hand made, and they are definitely unique.

Now that they are done, I can get on with other important things like doing my dishes!

After the harrowing canoeing adventure on Wednesday, I decided to stay on land for most of the day on Thursday.  I spent part of rest hour watching over the children as they relaxed under the trees and I finished up some i-cord ties.  I am thankful that my camera revived itself enough to take several photos.  I think the water has ruined some of the electrical workings on the insides.  I can’t turn the flash on or off anymore.

Pattern:  Top Down Bonnet (Ravelink) by A. Bizilia (blog).
Yarn: Cotton Supreme Batik (which I now adore!)

I noticed that the colourway “summer camp” seems to match the paint at Camp Hyanto perfectly.  I love the combination of these natural colours, the colours of the beach on a sunny day.

Camp is certainly a peaceful place to be when the sun shines.

There’s nothing like eating watermelon with feet dangling off the dock, toes dipping in the water, listening to the loons call from a distant corner of the lake.

I’ve taken a few days away from the computer to sit in the woods, by the water, and enjoy the company of family.

My knitting came with me.  I picked up a ball of brown Life DK from Wool-Tyme.  This yarn is such a joy to work with. It feels like wool, it has a nice shine and softness to it, the brown colour has glints of green, blue, pink, orange in it–it will coordinate with many outfits, and it is completely machine washable–something VERY important for baby clothes. It is the same brand of yarn that I made the Eilidh sweater from.

I’m working on a little sweater for a friend who has just had a baby girl.  Making up the pattern as you go is such fun, but you have to be sure to either keep notes, or finish it fast so you remember what you did in previous rows.  I’m trying the “finish it fast” approach.  The ends got sewn by Monday morning!

front view

back view

I really like how the neck turned out, the cables continue from the front and back, framing the neck, and meeting up along the shoulder.  I think I might incorporate these ideas into other projects.  What is best (in my opinion) is that I did not have to sew ANYTHING!  There are no stitches picked up either!

front of neck

The body is knit from the bottom up, in the round.  The front and back are knit flat, but the shoulders are joined by a three needle bind off.  I like the look of the neck as it is, so I will not add any ribbed border.  The sleeve openings are also nicely defined by the seed stitch.

back of neck

I look forward to seeing this sweater in action.  I hope it could be a dress this fall, and a sweater next year.

Ever since I saw the Top Down Bonnet pattern on Ravelry by Adrian Bizilia (helloyarn) I was smitten!  I made the original bonnet with the anime face on it, and sent it to a friend in Japan.  The ears aren’t sticking up, but they are there!

I’ve also made it without ears, and with stripes, for another friend’s baby.

Today I worked up another little variation.  I added some lace…

This is the lace pattern that I used.  Since I worked it in the round, row 2 and 4 are knit.  If this were worked flat, row 2 and 4 would be purl rows.

Row 1: (K1, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK) repeat

Row 2: knit

Row 3: K2tog (YO, K3, YO, Slip 1, K2tog, pas the slip stitch over *this decreases 2 stitches*) repeat

Row 4: knit

After working 12 rows of lace, I cast off knitwise.  The edge kept rolling, so I added another border.  I will not admit to crocheting, because I didn’t actually use a hook.  This is my process:

Pick up a stitch through the cast off edge.  Work a chain of single crochet 2 times then crochet through the border again 2 stitches away from the first stitch.  Continue this (or something like it) around the edge of the bonnet.  It helped the border stay flat, and I think it makes it extra cute.

What do you do to spice up your regular patterns?

I sent out a request for test knitters for the hat pattern I wrote up earlier in the week, but I think everyone was feeling a little opposed to knitting winter hats while it’s so hot!

It’s a challenge to proof-read a pattern without going through the steps all over again, so….voilà…another hat!  This time it is made with Lion Brand Cotton Ease, a lovely soft blend of cotton and acrylic.  It is light weight and has more drape than the wool version.  It’s machine washable too!

The pattern will be available as soon as I can get a few good photos of it in action.

I knit a wool hat today.

It is close to 35 C with the humidity.  It’s the kind of heat that makes you want to go outside and lay on the grass under a sprinkler…if only we could have sprinklers.

This is the kind of heat that conjures up memories of being in a phone booth at noon in Kyoto in August.  It’s a sticky muggy heat when sweat seems to trickle at even the thought of moving.

And I knit a hat……I must be going crazy.

Now, to find someone crazy enough to model it….

Note:  The pattern will be coming soon, in case someone in the southern hemisphere feels like wearing wool.

In the middle of Eclipse, during the tent scene, I found myself reaching for pen and paper to jot down the design for Bella’s striped hat.  I paused, realizing what a geek this action made me, but continued to write furiously, until I had figured out most of the striped pattern.

image source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com

For some reason, this picture shows the hat in green and white stripes, but in the movie I’d swear it looked more grey.  In any case, I came home and rummaged through my stash, and came up with this design.

Here’s the pattern, in case you’d like to make your own. [Ravelry]

click to get .pdf pattern

Bella’s Eclipse Hat

Needles: Size 4.5mm – 5.5mm DPN (what ever size you need to achieve gauge)

Yarn: grey and white worsted weight yarn

Gauge: 4.5 sts per inch

Cast On 88 stitches in grey.

Join in the round, being careful not to twist. Work 2 inches of K1, P1 ribbing.
Knit 5 rows white
Knit 3 rows grey
Knit 2 rows white
Knit 1 row grey
Knit 3 rows white
Knit 5 rows grey
Knit 2 rows white
Knit 3 rows grey
Knit 1 row white
Knit 2 rows grey
Knit 3 rows white

Working in grey yarn only begin decreases:
(K9, K2tog) around. 80 sts remain
K round (K8, K2tog) around. 72 sts remain
K round
(K7, K2tog) around. 64 sts remain
K round
(K6, K2tog) around. 56 sts remain
K round
(K5, K2tog) around. 48 sts remain
(K4, K2tog) around. 40 sts remain
(K3, K2tog) around. 32 sts remain
(K2, K2tog) around. 24 sts remain
(K1, K2tog) around. 16 sts remain
K2tog around. 8 sts remain
Break yarn and draw through remaining stitches. Weave in all ends.

any guesses?

A colleague had mentioned a while back that after cancer surgery her arm is getting swollen, particularly in the warm weather.  As lymph nodes had been removed, some of the lymph fluid pools in her arm instead of following the usual path around the body.  In a conversation she mentioned that she wanted to suspend her arm from something while she sat at her desk….that got the wheels started.

Note:  All loops or noose-like ideas were rejected, as were things that could injure you if you accidentally ran into them.

The end product of my brainstorming was this contraption (any ideas for a name?)

Here are the instructions (if you’d like to make one)

Cut a pool noodle into a ball (about 2.5 inches in diameter).  This will be the core of the device.  We chose pool noodle foam because it is light and flexible and easy to cut with a box cutter or exacto-knife.

Choose your favourite sock yarn and needles.  I used Kroy, and 2.25mm needles.

Cast on 6 sts.

INCREASES

Row 1: knit into the front and back of each stitch [12 sts]

Row 2: *kfb, k1* 6 times

Row 3: *kfb, k2* 6 times

Row 4: *kfb, k3* 6 times

Continue to increase (adding stripes if you wish) until there are 90 sts. total

Knit for 1 inch (graph a pattern for yourself if you are interested)

DECREASES

Row 1: *K2tog, K13* 6 times

Row 2: *K2tog, K12* 6 times

Row 3: *K2tog, K11* 6 times

Row 4: *K2tog, K10* 6 times

Insert ball and knit around it.  Continue to decrease (adding stripes if you wish) until there are 6 sts remaining.

Knit a 6 stitch i-cord for 1 meter.

Hang this device from the ceiling.  We tied it around the supports for the ceiling tiles.

as seen from below

I’m not sure if it works this way for people of any height, but fortunately for my colleague, this device can be suspended in the correct position to grasp from a seated position, but when the force of the hand is removed, the elasticity of the i-cord raises the very light ball up above the height of her head when she is standing.

If using material that is heavier than foam, be careful–it could give you quite a goose egg if you run into it.