Short Attention Span

While I am still working on a blanket and a wrap... I could not resist casting on a scarf and mittens to match... the pattern was in my head and I had this lovely Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK in burgundy, so off I went, and here is the scarf and the start of the first mitten. I like the cable and moss stitch pattern and I am placing that same pattern on the back of the mittens...

I will post the pattern here next week when I am done, so check back. It is not very difficult, and would be a great project for those either new or a bit rusty to cabling.

This week our golf course is hosting the Canadian Tour Championship golf tournament, and as such, we give up our course to the pros, but in return get to watch them on our course, and get to play some otherwise private and unavailable golf courses from around Ontario. Hubby and I are taking an extra day off and doing just that, so I will have some nice golf photos to post this week too. A bit too cold for swimming this last week of "summer", but perfect for golf.

I have been busy knitting shawls and blankets, and planning the next projects...

One is this cardigan

from Vogue Knitting - fall 2009.
I want to make it from the Alpaca handspun from Lancaster. Here is the huge one pound skein on my swift, ready to wind into a ball. I expect it to take a few sessions of winding... and winding... and winding...

It has turned chilly again, and I have been in jeans and sweaters, I even put on socks and shoes (SHOES!)... the only good thing about all this is that my shawls and long sleeve sweaters and cardigans can come back out of the closet. It is always mixed feelings as fall approaches. Hopefully we have a few more jabs at summer before we set into it. The other good thing about fall is the Kitchener Waterloo Knitters Fair on Sept 12, 2009. I recommend this for anyone who can make it there... it is HUGE, with two big halls filled with knitting booths, yarn, patterns, kits and packed with knitters... what a rush.

Aurora - the new Noro Sweater!

Here is the finished cardigan from the Noro Aurora yarn. It is knit from side to side and then the bottom edge is picked up and knit down in ribbing. I like the cropped fit, and the touch of sparkle in the yarn.

What do you think?

Trendsetter Treasure

I started a big scarf/wrap with some yarn from The Needle Emporium tent sale. It is Trendsetter Treasure, a 100 gram skein of many different yarns, woven end to end, so that as you knit it looks like you change yarns every half inch or so, but the ends are attached and it flows seamlessly to the next yarn. I have the purple heather colour.

I have cast on 50 stitches on 6mm needles and started with 4 rows of garter stitch, then I am working 5 edge stitches of garter on each end and stocking stitch in the center. Every once in a while (totally random) I throw in a reverse stocking stitch row (purl on the right side) for texture on the plainer yarn bits.

I like the look so far, and it is fun to see what yarn will show up next. There are boucles, chenilles, and eyelash yarns, in several colours, browns, blues and purples. I have three skeins of this, so it should make a big wrap. The regular price of this yarn was $35 a skein, but I snagged it for $6 each! I think it knits up better than I imagined when I grabbed it in the mad dash for bargains that night. Cool.

Here's a zoomed, blurry photo of the bunny in the back yard. I did not get too close as he was so relaxed and cute to watch.

hi Sharon!

Scarf-Mitts

I wanted to make some warm, soft mittens, and maybe a scarf to match... The inspiration was some hand dyed Merino Alpaca from Shi Bui, purchased from Lancaster Yarn Shop.

It is a thick, soft yarn with well defined stitches.

Yarn: Merino Alpaca (ShiBui) 3 skeins in green - 100 grams, 120m, per skein

Needles: 5mm (US 8), 5 mm double points for working the mittens in the round.

Make Stitch /or/ Make One: make a new stitch here in any way you want. Here are some ways.

Pattern: start with scarf, cast on 20 stitches. Row 1: Knit across. Row 2: K2, Purl 16, K2.

Repeat these two rows (maintaining the 2 stitch garter stitch borders on the sides) until 12 rows are done.

Reverse pattern: (right side facing) Row 1: K2, Purl 16, K2. Row 2: K across this row. Work these two rows for 12 rows, then reverse back to original 12 row pattern. Keep repeating this two block pattern over and over until you have about 7 feet. You want enough length to wrap once around the neck and still reach all the way to your hands without being too tight!

Mittens: Right Hand... with right side facing at the end of the scarf... Rib across... K1, P1 for 20 stitches. Place a marker on needle and cast on 12 new stitches. Take these 32 stitches and place them on 3 double points to start knitting in the round. Join in a circle (without twisting stitches) and continue to work ribbing (K1, P1), for 3 inches. Keep moving the marker, it marks the start of the row. After 3 inches of ribbing, work in knits only for 5 rows. Then start thumb: After marker: Knit one, Make stitch, knit one, make stitch, then knit rest of row.

Next and all even rows: Knit all stitches.

Third row: after marker: knit one, Make one, knit 3, make one, knit across rest of row.

Fifth row: after marker: Knit one, make one, knit 5, make one, knit across rest of row.

Seventh row: after marker: Knit one, make one, knit 7, make one, knit across rest of row.

Ninth row: after marker: Knit one, make one, knit 9, make one, knit across rest of row.

Work one more row knitting all stitches.

Next row: after marker: knit one, slip next 11 stitches onto stitch holder, cast on one new stitch and knit across the rest of row.

Continue to knit around the mitten for another 4 inches (32 stitches around).

Shape top of mitten: [Knit 2, knit 2 together] acoss the row. Next row [knit 2, knit 2 together] across the row. Next row [Knit 1, knit 2 together] across the row. Cut yarn and gather remaining 6 stitches and securely close.

Thumb: with double point needles: arrange the 11 stitches, and pick up 4 more stitches from the opening in the mitten. Work around on the double points for almost 2 inches, then Knit 2 together around the thumb until only 4 stitches are left, cut yarn and thread tail through remaining stitches to secure.

Left mitten: Pick up all the stitches from the other end of the scarf (make sure the right side is facing you.) Cast on 12 new stitches and split them onto the double point needles. Place your marker before the last 2 cast on stitches. Work in K1, P1 ribbing for 3 inches. Now work 5 rows in knit stitches, then start the thumb insert in the same manner as the right mitten, inserting it after the marker. After you place the thumb on holder, continue to knit the 32 stitches for the same length as right mitten, and close the top in the same way too.

Work thumb the same as right mitten.

Sneak Preview

Here is a photo of the weekend project... a quick knit that turned out awesomer (is that a word?) than I anticipated.

Don't have time to post a pattern for a day or two, so just look and enjoy the green yummy woolly tangle, and wonder.... do I need to knit one of these too?

PS. did spell-check and they don't like awesomer. I'm going to leave it though, it totally still applies.

Handspun Laceweight Scarf

Here is a simple fashion scarf, using laceweight yarn. The yarn I use here is a handspun by Tabi Ferguson from the Roving Spinners. It is 30% silk, 37% alpaca and 33% mohair, hand spun with 2 plys, AND tiny glass seed beads threaded as it is woven. Such a work of art, I had to find something worthy to knit. I suppliment the yarn with Berroco, Glace, a rayon ribbon yarn, that is the same colour, to add stability to the scarf (keeps it from curling into a thin rope.)

Yarn: 350 meters of lace weight yarn, and one 50 gram skein of ribbon.

Needles: 4mm (6US)

Cast on 30 stitches with Ribbon yarn. Rib (K1, P1) for 2 rows.

Break off ribbon, and join lace yarn. *Knit 6 rows. Row 7: [Knit 1, Yarn Over] repeat brackets until last stitch, knit 1. Row 8: Knit the stitches, and DROP all the yarn overs. Row 9-14, Knit every row. Row 15 & 16: repeat rows 7 & 8. Rows 1717 - 22: Knit every row.*

Ribbon Rows: attach ribbon yarn (don't bread the lace yarn - just carry it up the side) Knit 2 rows with ribbon, then cut 4" tail (woven in later), and resume with lace yarn. Repeat the whole block of 22 rows from * to * above.

Continue to do 2 rows of ribbon, between 22 rows of lace weight, until length of scarf is perfect (mine is 9 feet long). Finish with 2 rows of K1, P1 ribbing in the Ribbon Yarn instead of the 2 rows of knit, and cast off the ribbon yarn. Sew in all the ends, dampen and block.

Suddenly two things done!

You plug away at lots of projects, too many on the go at once, and it seems to take forever, then within 24 hours I finish TWO things and I am a day away from done a third!! Must be some mysterious knitterly time warp or something. Here are the Noro Cardigan and the Hand Spun Lace Scarf on the drying rack, waiting for buttons and ends sewn in...

Patterns will be posted this weekend, and the final photos of the Ribbon Pullover, that is almost done too... This is the best time. You see the results and get to try on the cool new stuff, AND you can guilt-free start planning the next big project, the next masterpiece, the next one-of-a-kind fabulous creation, the elusive PERFECT knit! Anticipation is half the fun!