Fair Isle Hat

I've been trying my hand at fair isle or stranded knitting, but really had no instruction or visual aids to go by.  I was going by something I heard years ago about always having the yarn go under the color change so there won't be a hole.

By putting the yarn under each other, it required physically changing the position of the yarn after each stitch, which not only slows down the knitting process, but gets old very fast.

So I did some research on line and came across this wonderful video showing how to knit stranded work without tangling or changing position!  I feel like a silly goat that the items I've knit with color change so far have been knit completely wrong, not to mention the hard way.

If you are new to stranded work, take a moment to view this video from the Philosopher's Wool Company.  She calmingly walks you through the two handed technique.

This brings us to right or left handed knitting.  I have always held the yarn in my left hand.  This technique requires holding yarn in both, one color in the left, one color in the right.

I have found that I am completely uncoordinated using the right, but I'm sure with some practice I can master this. 

I started out with a simple hat, using scraps that I had laying around. 

Knitting this was SO MUCH FUN!  I love working with colors and using the technique from the video, it goes super fast. 

I'll send this hat out to my grandson, Warren who loves skiing and sledding.  With the stranded work, it is like a double knit and sure to be an extra warm hat!

A Couple Hats

I always tend to over buy yarn for projects and usually have quite a bit left over.  So when I purchased yarn for my current project, I did the math and ordered just what they called for. Well, this time I am running SHORT! 

Don't you just want to cry when that happens?  No only will I not get the same dye lot, but now the yarn is no longer on sale and I have to pay full price for 2 balls of yarn.  Woe is me! Well, the order is in and should be shipped soon.

Here are a couple of hats that I made with left overs from previous projects:

This one is my own design, knit for my son who has a huge  head, using left overs from a sweater knit for my daughter:





This one is knit from a pattern I found on Ravelry by Susan Moskwa called Joey.  This one was knit for my son in law with left over yarn from a sweater knit for my grandson.  This was a super fun pattern and it is FREE! 

What do you do with your left over yarn?

Little Man Sweaters

I'm always looking for fun knits for my grandsons and I recently found this really fantastic pattern on Ravelry for wee ones.  Of course it is a unisex design, but boy oh boy, it sure fits the bill for a little man's sweater. 

The pattern is Abate by Alicia Plummer. It is so well written that I didn't ever.. not once.. question what I was doing on each and every step. It is knit top down in the round so there is very little seaming. And it has the best underarm attachment that I have done to date.

I would definitely recommend this pattern if you need to make a sweater for kids. 

I knit up this one for my Grandson Gavin that just turned 3 last June.  I used Vanna's Choice Acrylic and it came out soft and snuggly, just like Gavin.

I liked the pattern so much, I did another for my other Grandson Warren, who just turned 7 this past May.  I did a little modification and added some textured design around the chest. For this one, I used (GASP!!) Red Heart with Love acrylic.  Now, I am a huge yarn snob and usually won't allow Red Heart in my house, much less knit with it.  But, after constant complaining from the mothers about the inability to wash and wear, I caved and bought some.  I am actually quite surprised that it didn't squeak on the needles and it is much softer than the regular Red Heart.

Anyway,  the pattern is FANTASTIC and I will probably make it again with some modifications. Definitely a great skeleton pattern to build your creativity!

Keep your needles clicking ♥

Freestyle Knitting

My most recent shawl project is finished with a bit of a twist with the design.

I normally follow patterns or design elements that require full concentration, calculation and counting. But for this one I decided to try something a bit different.

I had a hank of stunningly gorgeous handdyed yarn with a bit of sparkle that I bought at a fiber festival. This is the WINK line from the Periwinkle Sheep. I am such a huge fan of Karin's handdyed yarns that I use it when ever I can.

My thoughts on this shawl were that I really wanted the yarn to stand out so I didn't want to have a design element that would take away from the beauty of the yarn. As I loving cast on for the shawl I told myself not to rush, listen to the yarn and decide where to go as I knit.

 

 

After I completed a few repeats with some texture and lace elements, I felt that some cable work would fit nicely along the bottom. And it did!



I must say, that this was one of my most enjoyable knitting experiences with no counting, charting or hard thinking.  And what beats kntting up a hank of the Periwinkle Sheep's handdyed gorgeous yarn?

What is on your needles?

Knitting with Cashmire

I couldn't resist this super soft cashmire blend yarn and I found the perfect shawl pattern on Ravelry to knit with it.

The pattern is called triplicity and is by Michelle Hunter and can be found on Ravelry.  The pattern is easy to read and is a fun knit.  Three different textured stitches are used, so it feels like a sampler in progress when knitting. I highly recommend this pattern!

Here is my version, soft and scrumptious! 

Don't forget to block it when you get done.  I think that is almost as important as the knitting for a nice finish.

A Spash of Color

This week I dug out some roving that I purchased last year and finally spun it up into delicious yarn.  I usually strive to have consistant thickness, but this time I let the roving speak and become what ever it wanted to become.  I ended up with 268 yards of fun, bright orange creamsicle, thick and thin yarn.  I don't know what type of wool this is, but I am guessing some mohair and some costswold based on the crimp.  But who cares?  It came out lovely and the color just makes me smile! 

I also knit up a couple of baby girl hats in sweet lavender and pink. I think there is something telling me that my son and his girlfriend will have a girl this time.. or perhaps just wishful thinking. We found out this week that a new baby will be joining our family sometime in December or January and I am really looking forward to this new baby! Keep your fingers crossed for a girl.. but boy oh boy.. boys can be fun too!

I am working through my original patterns... Remaking the items so I can retake photos, so I started with my hooded scarf. I absolutely love working this scarf and I think I finally got a half way decent photo this time. Remember... I am in upstate NewYork where the wind and snow can get the better of anyone. This is the perfect hood and scarf for our type of weather. 

Sunday Morning Knit Wit ~ Knitting with Beads

Good Morning!  When we last left off, I was working on a pair of Two at at Time Toe Up socks.  After working on them for 2 weeks, I finally decided to rip them out and move on to another project.  Maybe if I try again from scratch I will have better luck with them.

So for now, I have redirected my efforts on learning how to knit with beads. I have several shawl patterns lined up in which I want to add beads, so I thought I would practice on a scarf before I tried the shawls. 

I'm using a method that my close friend, April has described during our knitting group and I think it is much easier than stringing the beads on the yarn.  You will need a very small crochet hook (I'm using size 2.  I can't tell what alpha size it is, but you will get the idea from the photos... it is very, very small).

After charting out the pattern and determining where bead placement, have a small bowl filled with the beads and the crochet hook handy.

When you are ready to place the bead follow the steps below:
1) Put the bead on the crochet hook

2) Pull the working stitch off the left hand needle with the crochet hook:

3) Slip the bead off the hook and onto the working stitch:

4) Place the working stitch back on to the left hand needle:

5) Knit the stitch and continue with pattern.

So far, I am really enjoying knitting with beads in this method.  For this project I am using a very delicate lace weight mohair yarn and size 3 knitting needles.  Because the mohair is so extremely light and almost weight-less, the beads are adding some weight which I think will make the scarf more practicle for daily use. 

I hope you will give this a try and let me know what you think!  April - thanks so much for sharing your technique with me!  Once this scarf is done, I'm going to cast on the "Dog Gone Lifeline Shawl" and add some beads to it!

I also finished spinning 4 oz of this wonderful mohair wool blend this week.  The colors are amazing when looked at closely with shades of blues and bits of lavenders and purples.  It is about a fingering weight yarn and I think will make a lovely wrap. ... another project on my to do list!

Enjoy your week and Happy Knitting! 

Bamboo / Wool Blend Scarf

Wow! I just finished knitting a scarf with a bamboo / wool blend yarn that is absolutley beautiful.

I never worked with bamboo yarn before and I am amazed at how easy it is to work with. A few years ago I switched to wooden knitting needles and bamboo yarn and wooden needles are a match made in heaven. The yarn simply glides and seems to form effortlessly with the pattern.

I used traditionally cables on each edge and a braided cable through the center for this charcoal beauty. It is soft, warm and simply perfect!



Find more knit scarves in my etsy shop and artfire studio.

Hooker Spotlight ~ Knotty Stuff

This week's Hooker Spotlight is on Knotty Stuff.



Trendy.. Cozy.. Fabulous..
You will find all that and more at KnottyStuff's shop. I love the varity of stitches, colors and patterns. Come take a peek at some of my favorites from this shop:








I love how Karyn describes how her shop came to be:
"I started KnottyStuff as an outlet for my craftiness. Like many who have picked up a pair of pointy sticks in the past few years, I was ‘hooked’ immediately. I’m an ardent lover of anything fiber, and a day doesn’t go by that I’m not knitting or crocheting. I do aspire to learn how to spin and weave, but my head is brimming with ideas of combining crochet and knitting with sewing to make all sorts of knotty stuff!!!"

I can't help but feel warm and cozy when looking at her shop. Her photos are so great that I couldn't feel more welcome in her etsy store if I were in an actual B&M shop.

Come by and visit her shop and you will see exactly what I mean!

The Yarn Takes Over~~

Did you ever start a project with a specific design in mind but as you were working it the material just took over and the end product was not at all what you set out to make?

That happens to me quite often, in fact, very rarely does something come out as planned. Perhaps it is because I don't use patterns or write anything down. I usually just pick up a string of yarn and the hook or needles and as the piece is worked, it takes on it's own life. Oh, I will usually have a vision in my head of what I am going to make. Most of the time, it will come out fairly close to what I set out to make.

But there are times when I start one thing and the end product is totally different! That is the case with this wallet/ clutch that started out as a felted book. I had started knitting this as a cover for one of my newest toddler books, but by the time it was complete it had transformed itself into a wallet!

Hummm... how DID that happen?