Simple Hand and Wrist Warmers

I started a new job recently and my hands kept getting cold in the office.  I thought, "I can do something about that!"  I didn't want anything that required knitting fingers or thumbs, so this pattern only includes a thumb hole.  After knitting the first one with ribbing at each end and stockinette for the rest, I decided I wanted the second one to be a bit more snug.  So the second one is entirely ribbing.  It's your choice as to whether you want stockinette or ribbing - or you could do one of each, too!

I used Malabrigo Finito (120 Lotus colorway) and 3.5mm dpns.  One skein of Finito is 185m and I didn't quite use the full skein.  Obviously, the amount of yarn needed will be affected by how big around and how long you choose to make the warmers.

c/o 64 sts. (20 sts, 24 sts, 20 sts across 3 dpns)

Knit 1 foundation row (you could go straight to the ribbing, but I always prefer a foundation row)

R 1 - 10: K2, P2

R 11 - 55: K in the round (if you choose to make the warmers entirely in ribbing, then the ribbing will continue in this section)

R 56 - 65: Knit (or rib) flat on dpns to create the thumb hole

Rejoin in the round

R 66 - 67: Knit (or rib) in the round

R 68 - 69: I chose to decrease a few stitches, which is optional.  For the knit only warmer, I K2tog at the beginning and end of the 2nd dpn on round 68 and 69.  For the ribbed warmer, I K2, P2 for 24 stitches so that was into the 2nd dpn, then K2tog and P2tog, and continued in rib for the rest of round 68.  Round 69, I K2, P2 for 23 stitches, then P2tog and K2tog to incorporate the 2 decreased stitches from the previous round into the pattern.  Either way, you should have 60 total stitches after these two rounds.  You can also decrease a few more if you prefer.

R 70 - 72: Knit (or rib) in the round

R 73 - 78: K2, P2

Knit 1 ending foundation row

Bind off in your preferred method

Ensley's Cable Hat

This is a cute little child's hat with simple cables.  I was sort of winging this pattern as I did it, so if there's anything that doesn't make sense, please ask.  I may have just accidentally left out a detail.  Use this pattern as often as you like as long as it's only for personal, not commercial use.

Yarn: Kenzie by Hikoo
Needle: 16" circular 3.75 mm / US 5 and dpns for once decreasing starts
1 cable needle
1 stitch marker

I did not do a gauge swatch beforehand.  I'm bold like that.  Or just lazy.

c/o 112 sts (intended to be 20-21" around)
Place marker and join, making sure not to twist.

Row 1: K all the way around (I often like to do a foundation round before beginning the pattern.  If you do not like this, skip this row.)
Row 2: K4, P2, K2, P2, K4, P2
Continue in ribbing for approximately 1.25"

For this hat I used a simple C2B: slip 2 sts to cable needle and hold to back of work, K2, K2 from cable needle

Pattern:
Row 1: C2B, P6, K4, P2
Rows 2 & 3: K4, P6, K4, P2
Row 4: K4, P6, C2B, P2
Rows 5 & 6: K4, P6, K4, P2

Continue in pattern until work from beginning measures approximantely 6", ending after Row 6.  I made this hat a bit on the long side so that the brim (ribbing section) could be folded up or left down, depending on how much the wearer (or their parent) wanted covered.  And to give a little room to grow!

This is probably the best time to switch to the dpns.  There are 7 pattern sections.  I split them as 2, 3, 2 across 3 needles.

Row 1: C2B, P4, P2tog, K4, P2
Row 2: K4, P5, K4, P2
Row 3: K4, P2tog, P3, K4, P2
Row 4: K4, P4, C2B, P2
Row 5: K4, P2tog, P2, K4, P2
Row 6: K4, P3, K4, P2
Row 7: C2B, P3, K2tog, K2, P2
Row 8: K4, P3, K3, P2
Row 9: K4, P3, K1, K2tog, P2
Row 10: K4, P3, C1B, P2
Row 11: K4, P3, K2, P2
Row 12: K4, P2, P2tog, K1, P2
Row 13: C2B, P3, P2tog, P1 (final cable!)
Row 14: K4, P5
Row 15: K4, P2tog, P3
Row 16: K4, P2, P2tog
Row 17: K4, P3
Row 18: K4, P2tog, P1
Row 19: K4, P2tog
Row 20: K3, K2tog
Row 21: K2tog

Use remaining yarn to loop through remaining sts, pulling tight, then weaving in the ends.  Using Kenzie by Hikoo, this pattern used almost exactly one skein; I only had a couple feet left.

Happy knitting!

Jay Astrid Cowl

I recently finished a cowl for myself, which I'm really happy with.  I love the pattern and I really love the yarn.  I used Colinette Jitterbug for the yarn, which is 100% Merino wool.  The color way is "Jay" which explains part of the name of the cowl. I actually bought this yarn a few years ago and have kept it in my stash, waiting for the right pattern.  I finally found it!  It's really beautiful yarn with extra splashes of color that offset the main blue and black.

I found a pattern on Ravelry called Astrid by Delusional Knitter Designs.  It's not free, but it's definitely worth the few dollars I paid for it.  It's a great pattern and I've already used it again!  In this case, I changed it slightly to suit what I wanted.  I cast on 232, which is a bit less than what the pattern calls for, but I didn't want it quite as big around.  I also removed a few rows as I didn't want it as wide as what the pattern called for either.

I'm thrilled with how this cowl turned out.  I look forward to wearing it regularly when it's chilly again!

Going Away Gift

Some good friends from church recently moved out of state.  I've known them for 25 years, so I was sad that they were leaving.  I decided to make a shawl for Cathy to let her know how much I appreciate her friendship and support over the time that I've known her and her husband.

I had a skein of yarn in my stash that I thought would be great to use for this gift.  It was Anne by Schaefer Yarn Company.  It's 60% Merino wool, 25% Mohair, and 15% nylon.  According to Ravelry, this yarn is now discontinued, which is a shame because I thought it was really nice to work with.  The pastel colorway of the skein I had was called "The Brontes."

Through Ravelry I was able to find a free pattern to use called Multnomah by Kate Ray.  It's a relatively simple pattern with the edging being a little more complicated, but still fairly easy.  I made this shawl larger than what the pattern called for, partly because I thought it looked too small when I got to the point where I should start the border, and partly because I just wanted to use all of the yarn that I had from this skein.

I knit the body of the shawl until I had 331 stitches and 53 yo’s. I then knit the border until I didn't think I had enough yarn left for another repeat. I didn't note how many repeats I ended up doing, but I think it might have been 8.

I'm really very pleased with how the shawl turned out.  Even better, Cathy was thrilled with it!  I was able to get a couple quick pictures of her wearing it during a visit back to the area.  Unfortunately, because they were quick pictures, I think I caught Cathy with her eyes half closed.

I hope she feels like this is a long-distance hug any time she wears it!

Mochi Diagonals

I recently finished a lovely scarf made with Mochi Plus yarn, which is 80% Merino Wool and 20% Nylon.  I used a pattern called Alternating Diagonals, which can be found in Vol. 1 of the Vogue Stitchionary.  I've used it before with a different colorway of this yarn.  I think it provides great texture without being too busy for the changing colors.  What do you think?

Here's what it looks like to be worn, without wrapping it around my neck:

This soft scarf is for sale and will go to the first person to comment that they want it. The cost is $35 to cover the cost of the yarn, plus whatever additional cost for shipping if it needs to be mailed.  If there are any questions about it, don't hesitate to ask!

Mom's Christmas Gift

I made a shrug to give Mom this past Christmas.  It's a fairly simple pattern from Berroco and can be found here for free.  The pattern states to repeat rows 2-4.  I was a few rows into it before I realized that, and I didn't want to pull it out and start over, so mine looks a little different since I repeated rows 1-4.  The edges of the shrug curl a little more than they would if I'd followed the pattern exactly, so I wouldn't recommend it, but it's certainly not a disaster.


I used Madelinetosh Vintage for this project.  This yarn is 100% Merino wool and is machine washable, which I figured would make care of the shrug a little easier for Mom.  It looks comfy, don't you think?

Thank You Scarves

I was able to visit with some extended family at the beginning of the year.  It was a great trip and I really enjoyed getting to visit with people that I love and don't get to see very often.  To thank them for their hospitality, I made two scarves - one for each of them.

RuThan's scarf used beautiful Malabrigo Twist yarn in the Piedras colorway.  The scarf was a free one that I found through Ravelry a while back.  It's called Fence Rows Scarf and can be found on this blog.

Tom's scarf was knit with bright, bold yarn from Virginia van Santen Painted Yarn, which is 100% merino wool.  I just used a simple shifting rib pattern, since the yarn provides a lot of color and texture on its own.

I hope they enjoy their thank you scarves!

Donated Scarves

One of my coworkers is a member of Rotary and she's heading up a big dinner event next month.  Part of it is a silent auction, so I donated two scarves to be bid on in the silent auction.

The first one was a merino wool scarf made with Punta yarns Merisoft yarn.

The second scarf was knit with Mochi Plus, which is 80% wool and 20% nylon.  I used a neat cabling pattern from one of my Vogue Stitchionaries.

I've asked my coworker to try to let me know how much they go for, but whatever the amount, hopefully they'll be a bit of help for a good cause!

Shawna's Dickie

When one of my new coworkers learned that I knit, she said that there was something she'd love for me to knit for her.  She has a motorcycle that she rides regularly (during the nicer part of the year), but her neck and top of her shoulders/chest/back keep getting cold, even though she has layers on.  She was wondering if I could knit some sort of dickie for her.

Fortunately, I was able to find a free pattern on Ravelry that was exactly what she was looking for - Basic Neckwarmer by Anna Hromova.  It's pretty simple except for when it calls for a 3-in-1 stitch, which I'd never heard of before.  Apparently it's also called a kyok (kint-yarn over-knit) and I was able to find a short video on YouTube that showed and explained how to do it.  Once I got that down, it moved along pretty quickly.

I bought a couple skeins of Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in Thunderstorm colorway, although I only used a little bit of the second skein.  I probably wouldn't have needed it at all except that I knew I would need more than what the pattern called for since I would need the bottom part to be a little bigger.  Shawna insisted on paying for the yarn, so I only asked her to cover the first skein, since I still have most of the second skein to use on something else.

I was happy with how it turned out and Shawna was thrilled when she saw it.  She used it for the first time over Labor Day weekend on a day that was quite chilly, windy, and rainy.  She said it was perfect and kept her completely warm!  Another successful project!

Mom's Milkweed Shawl

After knitting a Milkweed shawl for myself, I decided that I liked the pattern so much that I wanted to knit one for Mom as a Mother's Day gift.  It took me a while to find the yarn I wanted to use, but I finally decided to use some sugar cane yarn that I had on hand.  Mom already has a sugar cane scarf that I made for her soon after learning to knit, but I know she likes it, so I just chose a different color.  Mom seemed really happy about it, so I hope she enjoys wearing it!

Birthday Yarn

For my birthday back in April, Mom sent me a few skeins of lovely Noro Chirimen yarn.  I was thrilled!  There was a shawl pattern I'd found a while back and had set aside, not having the right yarn for the project yet.  The pattern is called Milkweed Shawl, which I found through Ravelry.

I decided the use the Milkweed pattern for this Noro yarn.  I got so into it that I completed the project quicker than I usually do!  I ended up running out of yarn a few rows before the end of the pattern, but I was close enough to the end that the pattern still looks good.  I love how this shawl came together with the yarn!

Lettuce Knit

A couple months ago I completed a scarf made from one skein of Socks that Rock!  It's a colorway called "Lettuce Knit" and the colors just make me think of spring and Easter.

I gave it to Mom as part of her birthday gift last month.  She loves the pattern, which is called Alternating Diagonals and is part of the Vogue Stitchionary Vol. 1.  It's a pattern I've used a few times because it's great at providing texture to colorful yarn.  I hope Mom enjoys it!!

Just Sleeves

A while back I was talking to my Aunt Kelly about if there was anything I could knit for her that she would want and use.  She said sleeves!  There are times when her arms get cold, but putting on a sweatshirt or something makes her too warm.  She just needed sleeves.  So that's what I did!  I used Dream in Color Classy yarn in a mix of red and black, since those are colors that Kelly likes.  I made the sleeves in a simple K2, P2 rib about 13 inches long. This picture was with one sleeve finished and the other nearly finished.

First Ever Clothing!

Last week I finished my first ever knitted garment!  I chose something fairly simple for my first piece of clothing, so I purposely wanted something without sleeves.  It took me a long time to complete this project because I kept setting it aside to work on other things, but I was thrilled to finally finish it.  I used Cascade 220 and the pattern is called Cherry Bomb.  Here I'm showing it off at River City Yarns!

Mochi Plus Scarves in Oklahoma

Last month I sent two scarves to my Great Aunt Lois in Oklahoma.  I told her to keep one and give the other to her daughter Stephanie.  They were made from the same yarn (Mochi Plus) and the same colorway (567), but I used different patterns for them, both found in Vogue's Stitchionary Vol. 1.  Here they are!

Phil's Scarf

Almost everything I've made so far has been for women.  I bought some yarn back in September in Dallas that has nice "masculine" colours.  I bought three skeins of lovely Mochi Plus at Yarn & Stitches, so if you're ever in the area, check out the store!

I'm only about a third of the way into the scarf, but I asked my brother if he'd like it, and he said yes!  I haven't knit anything for him yet, so I'm excited to complete this for him.  Here's how it looks!

Sebastian's Hat

Last month I knit a little baby hat.  My cousin Lorrin gave birth just last week to her first baby, Sebastian, and the hat was for him!  I thought it turned out nicely, especially since this was my first experience with cables!

And here's a picture of a week old Sebastian wearing the cap!

New Yarn

There is a yarn I bought a couple skeins of back in August, some beautiful Manos Maxima.  It feels so wonderful and the colours are really nice.  Here's a photo of the lovely scarf I made from it:

Initally, this was the only colour of Maxima that the LYS had in stock, but they finally received several more colours.  I bought two skeins each of three gorgeous colours:

I can't wait to knit with them!

Malabrigo Hat & Scarf for Jiffy

As I mentioned in my last post, I was almost finished knitting a hat and scarf from Malabrigo yarn. They're now finished and I've even found a home for them! They will soon be sent to live with one of my best friends, Jiffy. Here are a few pictures of the finished products as I was modelling them!

First Socks & Almost Hat

I took a workshop in May to learn how to knit socks.  I finished my first pair last week and finally wove in the ends a couple days ago.  So here's the first pair!

I recently finished a scarf made from Malabrigo yarn and I had enough left over to make a hat. I think the colours in this yarn are so beautiful!





I'll be selling this hat and the matching scarf when it's all finished, so stay tuned!!

Merino Wool Scarf For Sale!

I recently finished a lovely merino wool scarf knit with Punta Yarns Merisoft yarn.  It's hand-dyed yarn, so the colors are quite varied but still muted.


The stitch pattern creates a double-sided scarf, so there are two different "looks" to it. This pattern also creates a fairly thick fabric, so it's great for cold weather!


To give you an idea of how it looks on, here it is on me!


The cost of the scarf is $35, which is to cover the cost of the yarn and the cost of mailing it to whoever buys it. The first person to comment here that they want the scarf will be the lucky buyer!!

Edit: This scarf has now been donated and is no longer available for sale.

Mom's Birthday Gift

When Mom came to visit at Christmas, I asked her to look at a little book of shawl patterns that I have.  She made notes on a few that she thought she might like, so I knitted one for her birthday last month!  It's a Pocket Shawl made with alpaca yarn.  So here a couple pictures of me modelling Mom's shawl before I sent it to her:



This was my silly "artistic" photo:

Hitchhiker

A couple weeks ago I completed a project I'd been working on and was really excited about it.  It's a shawlette called the Hitchhiker.  It's a pattern that can be purchased at Ravelry for a few dollars.  It looks great and it's unique.

I was really looking forward to wearing this to work.  But when trying to wrap it around my neck, it just doesn't seem to lay right.  So far, I haven't figured out a way to wear it in a way that I like.  I'm hoping I can sort something out soon.

Baby Alpaca Scarf 2

Just today I finished weaving in the ends for my baby alpaca scarf.  I really love the feel of it, and I finished it in time for a serious cold snap!

Finished Cotton Supreme Scarf

I finished this scarf earlier this week. I'm thrilled with how it turned out and have been wearing it the last few days. It's soft and colourful and I love it!