Showing posts with label sport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sport. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Sweetheart Beanie

Sweetheart Beanie

When it comes to making hats, I like to live dangerously. And what I mean by that, naturally, is that I like to use as much of my skein as humanly possible, like in this instance, where I knit the adult size of this hat and had about one yard of yarn left at the end. Of course, I mention this to give you a warning; while I knit this hat out of approximately 135 yards of this particular yarn, you may need more. On the plus side, if you knit both sizes, two skeins will definitely be plenty for both!

The finishing.
Sizes: Child (roughly 20" in circumference) and Adult (roughly 22" in circumference) (instructions for the Adult hat will follow those for the Child hat in parentheses)

Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Sport (100% Superwash Merino Wool; 136 yards [125 meters]/50 grams); #901 Cotton Candy - one to two skeins

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 5, one 16" circular needle in size US 6, one set of double pointed needles (dpn), also in size US 6, and a cable needle (cn) or dpn for cabling

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 22 stitches = 4 inches

So let's get started! Using your size 5 needle, cast on 108 stitches loosely (120 stitches for the larger hat), place marker, and join in round. Then we'll knit the following ribbing row:

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Twin Leaf Cowl

Twin Leaf Cowl

Oh, how I love this yarn. Straight-up cotton (which, despite its difficulties, I adore), and a white base with a neon green spray paint effect, this is the type of fiber that I obsess over and that my husband makes a bit of a squicky face when I purchase. But not even he can argue with the dainty loveliness of this light, one-skein cowl and its basic but delightful pattern. Yay spring!


The twin leaf motif.
Hey, I'm a poet and I don't... yeah, never mind.
Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Spray (100% Cotton; 153 yards [140 meters]/50 grams); #6 - one skein

Needles: One 24" circular needle in size 4, six stitch markers

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 24 stitches = 4 inches

Cast on 160 stitches, place marker, and join in round. And before we get started on the main pattern, which incorporates two panels of Twin Leaf Lace from page 210 of Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns (which I've modified for the round), we'll knit the following set-up rows:

Set-up Row 1: * k1, p1; rep from *

Set-up Row 2: * p1, k1 *

Set-up Row 3: * k1, p1 *

Friday, April 18, 2014

Sugar & Ice Cowl

Sugar & Ice Cowl

After I posted the Sweet Strawberry Cowl, I had a few people ask me if the same thing could be done in the round. And while the Sugar & Ice Cowl is by no means the same as the Sweet Strawberry (I omitted the shaping and made it two-color with the leftover yarn from the Daisy Chain Cowl), it does share certain characteristics, including reversible mesh at the top and bottom of the piece. If desired, it could also be made one color by working the middle portion in a simple stockinette.

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Sunseeker (47% Cotton, 48% Acrylic, 5% Metallic Yarn; 237 yards [217 meters]/100 grams); #04 Silver - one skein (color A) & Schachenmayr Down to Earth Cotton (100% Cotton; 142 yards [130 meters]/50 grams); #35 Pink Peony - one skein (color B)

The back. Yup.
Needles: One 24" circular needle in size 4, one 24" circular needle in size 7

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 24 stitches = 4 inches on size 4 needles (roughly - the Down to Earth Cotton knits that on size 3s, but I'm not worrying too much about it. Also, this is for stockinette, and the slipped stitch pattern will have a wider gauge)

Using your color A yarn and your size 4 needle, cast on 160 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round (please note: this design makes a cowl about 8 inches longer than the finished Sweet Strawberry. If you're looking for dimensions more like that cowl, I recommend using 20" circular needles and casting on 120 stitches to begin. The remainder of the pattern can be followed as written). Anyway, we're going to use a mesh pattern to begin with, which goes as follows:

Row 1: k1, * yo, k2tog; rep from *, end k1

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Daisy Chain Cowl

Daisy Chain Cowl

Technically, the name of this cowl should have something to do with snowflakes (since the stitch pattern is the Snowflake Eyelet and all). But I'm way too tired of winter to give this lightweight cotton v-neck cowl any name that isn't cheery, especially since it's a great warmer weather piece. It's also a top-down number finished with seed stitch edgings, which means you don't even have to block it, if you don't want to!

A not-very-good close-up of the stitch pattern.
Sorry.
Yarn: Schachenmayr Down to Earth Cotton (100% Cotton; 142 yards [130 meters]/50 grams); #35 Pink Peony - two skeins

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size 4, one 24" circular needle in size 4

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 22 stitches = 4 inches

So let's do this! First, then, using your 16" needle, cast on 127 stitches, place marker, and join in round. Then, knit the following set-up rows:

Set-up Rows 1, 3 & 5: k1, * p1, k1; rep from *

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Gumdrop Beanie

Gumdrop Beanie

As you can see, I'm still having fun with this yarn. But this time, I've decided to employ it for something other than fingerless gloves - a hat! And not just a hat, but a mid-weight, slouchy number with a touch of color detail for extra fun. So let's get started!

The back. Simple, but pretty.
Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Baby Micro (51% Virgin Wool, 49% Acrylic; 106 yards [97.5 meters]/25 grams); #03 Teal - two skeins (color A) & #05 Lilac - one skein (color B)

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size 3, one 16" circular needle in size 4, one set of double pointed needles, also in size 4

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 24 stitches = 4 inches 

Using color A and your size 3 circular needle, cast on 126 stitches, place marker, and join in round. Work in a * k3, p3 * ribbing until piece measures about 1.25". Then, switch to your size 4 circular needle and begin the pattern, as follows:

Rows 1 & 2: using color A, knit

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Spring Fling Fingerless Gloves

Spring Fling Fingerless Gloves

As you may be able to tell, I really struggled to come up with a good name for these gloves (the stitch I used, Russian Stitch, just didn't have much of a ring, or seem appropriate given the final product). I also struggled with finding the exact right way to deploy the yarn I had left over from the Little Arrowhead Fingerless Gloves, and ripped these bad boys out a couple of times before I was satisfied. Of course, the good news is that I am, indeed, satisfied with the finished product, which is a short, spring-weight fingerless glove that relies on a little bit of texture and a little bit of color for oomph. In general, I would also say that these fit a little on the large side, and if you've got super-petite hands, you're welcome to hit me up for revised pattern instructions. If your hands are small and above, however, I think one of the sizes below should work (I'm a women's small in most glove-like things, and the smaller size fits me fine).

Thumb and stuff.
Sizes: smaller (for a hand roughly 7 1/2" - 8" in circumference at the base of the thumb) and larger (for a hand roughly 8 1/2" - 9" in circumference at the base of the thumb) - directions for larger size will follow those for the smaller size in parentheses

Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Baby Micro (51% Virgin Wool, 49% Acrylic; 106 yards [97.5 meters]/25 grams); #05 Lilac - one skein (color A) & #04 Light Blue - one skein (color B)

Needles: One set of double-pointed needles (dpns) in size 3, one set of dpns in size 2

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 26 stitches = 4 inches 

Using your size 2 dpns and your color A yarn, cast on 55 stitches loosely (65 stitches) and distribute among your dpns as follows: 20 stitches on your first needle, 15 stitches on your second needle, and 20 stitches on your third needle (for the larger size: 20 stitches on your first needle, 25 stitches on your second needle, and 20 stitches on your third needle). Join in round, and knit 4 rows in the following ribbing row:

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Little Arrowhead Fingerless Gloves

Little Arrowhead Fingerless Gloves
I went with Legos for the photo this time.

As promised, I'm adding more fingerless gloves to the repertoire. And the Little Arrowhead pair has a couple of nice features, including a simple repeating lace pattern and the fact that both gloves can both be knit from the same pattern (so no left hand, right hand mumbo jumbo!). I should note, however, that these gloves are designed with a slightly looser fit in mind (as you can see from the pictures, they're not stretching tight over my hands or anything), and if you want them to be snug, you may want to knit them a size smaller than I give directions for. In fact, if you have itty bitty hands and want really tight gloves, I would even recommend casting on 45 stitches instead of the small size's recommended 54, omitting those 9 stitches from your second dpn. Remember, however, that this will make your cast-on and cast-off edges tight, and you'll have to take extra care to cast on and bind off such that you can still get your hands in these bad boys!
I just realized why I like this color.
It's the same shade we painted the house!

Sizes: smaller (for a hand roughly 7 1/2" - 8" in circumference at the base of the thumb) and larger (for a hand roughly 8 1/2" - 9" in circumference at the base of the thumb) - directions for larger size will follow those for the smaller size in parentheses

Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Baby Micro (51% Virgin Wool, 49% Acrylic; 106 yards [97.5 meters]/25 grams); #04 Light Blue - two skeins

Needles: One set of double-pointed needles (dpns) in size 3, one set of dpns in size 2

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 26 stitches = 4 inches

Using your size 2 dpns, cast on 54 stitches loosely (63 stitches) and distribute among your dpns as follows: 18 stitches on your first needle, 18 stitches on your second needle, and 18 stitches on your third needle (for the larger size: 18 stitches on your first needle, 27 stitches on your second needle, and 18 stitches on your third needle). Join in round, and then we'll knit the following ribbing row:

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Dimpled Eyelet Cowl

Dimpled Eyelet Cowl

Okay, I hate to sound like an orange-yarn-hating jerk here, but I'm SO GLAD I FINISHED KNITTING THE TWO SKEINS OF THIS STUFF I BOUGHT (since I already knit the Feather Lace Cowl and the Gathered Mesh Cowl out of the same yarn).  Pheee-eeeew.  And now that that's off my chest, let's talk about the pattern.  At heart, this thing is based on an upside-down picot eyelet, and it's knit from the top down with stitches added every other row for shape (this also helps stagger the eyelet pattern).  It's a shape that's been brewing in my head for awhile now too, so I'm glad it's finally come to fruition.  It's also got a very lovely texture!

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Sateen (100% Acrylic; 300.7 yards [275 meters]/100 grams); #24 Orange Poppy - one skein

Ze pattern, mes amis.
Needles: One 24" circular needle in size 4

Notions: two stitch markers or scraps of yarn, tapestry needle

Gauge: 24 stitches = 4 inches

Cast on 161 stitches, place marker, join in round. 

Set-up Row 1: purl 80 stitches, place second marker, purl

Set-up Row 2: knit, slipping second marker when you come to it

Friday, June 7, 2013

Tie-Closure Lace Cowl II

Tie-Closure Lace Cowl II (yeah, the picture is lopsided.  there was baby intervention)

First, let me apologize for how long it's been since my last pattern post - there was a disastrous family vacation and all kinds of illness that got in the way.  Of course, on the plus side, said disastrous vacation resulted in one good thing: I raided my mom's yarn stash and found a single decent skein, which was as petite as it was pretty (146 yards isn't a lot, you know) (also, mom, what's up with all the novelty yarns???).  So in exchange for stealing it, I promised to make it into something nice for her, even though I was limited by the very limited amount.  So I came up with this.  Also, both of the ties are made from my embroidery floss collection, although of course you could make them with the same yarn, or even ribbon if you didn't want to bother with the I-cords.

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca & Silk (50% Alpaca; 50% Silk; 146 yards [133 meters]/50 grams); #136 - this color is discontinued and older than either of my children, so I have no idea what the name of it is, but I used just one skein!
A poorly-lit close-up of the pattern.
Once again, I blame the baby.

Embroidery Floss: Sullivan's (100% Cotton; 8.7 yards [8 meters]); #45325 - one skein, but you will need pretty much the whole thing

Embroidery Floss: Sullivan's (100% Cotton; 8.7 yards [8 meters]); #45000 (Ecru) - also one skein, and you will also need all of this one

Needles: One set of straight needles in size 5 (well, I knit this on a circular needle, but you get the point - it goes back and forth), and two dpns in size 1, for knitting the embroidery floss

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

So let's get to it!  First, using your size 5 needles and your regular yarn, cast on 5 stitches and knit one row.  Now we're going to work some increases and get started on the pattern, which goes as follows:

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Feather Lace Cowl

Feather Lace Cowl
Okay.  So I had more orange yarn after making the Gathered Mesh Cowl, but my fingers weren't up to the task of knitting another cowl on size 4 needles (I don't know about you, but smaller gauges really tax my hands).  Anyway, since I wanted to use bigger needles, I definitely had to work another mesh/lace design, so I came up with this.  It's very simple, with the only shaping coming in the form of the bind-off, and it's reversible and great for spring!  So let's get to it.

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Sateen (100% Acrylic; 300.7 yards [275 meters]/100 grams); #24 Orange Poppy - once again, just one skein
A close-up of the pattern.  Once again, it's reversible!

Needles: One 24" circular needle in size 8

Notions: Stitch marker, tapestry needle

Gauge: 24 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size 4 needles (but since we're using 8's, who cares, eh?)

Cast on 180 stitches, place marker, join in round

Friday, March 15, 2013

Calla Lily Cowl

Calla Lily Cowl
My three-year-old's opinion of the piece?  "It looks like a funny one!"
Ah, where to begin with this one!  Well, for starters, I've been lusting after this yarn for months now; it's hard to tell from this picture, but it has a slight metallic edge to it that makes it super fancy/sparkly/delicious.  When I finally bought it, however, I struggled a little with how to use it.  Since it's a cotton base, it's a bit dense and heavy, and I wanted to come up with a pattern that would show its prettiness without bogging down.  I also hate finishing, so I wanted to make it a one-piece knit.  Originally, I had planned to make a cabled necklace-type thing out of it, but after I began, I realized that my initial design wouldn't show the yarn off the way I wanted it to.  Which is when I decided to open it up.  Ultimately, the design reminds me of a calla lily more than anything (obviously, from the name!), and it's a nice, not-too-warm way to keep wearing your knit goods into the spring and summer.  This pattern also has very pretty dimensionality, as you can see from the photo at the bottom of the pattern.

Oh, and before I forget - I recommend reading this pattern all the way through before you begin, since there are multiple pattern changes, as well as the initial increases and the finishing decreases.

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Sunseeker (47% Cotton, 48% Acrylic, 5% Metallic Yarn; 237 yards [217 meters]/100 grams); #10 Blue Turquoise - just one skein needed.

Needles: One set of double pointed needles in size 4, and a straight or circular needle in size 4 if you so desire (for when you're done knitting in the round)

I don't know why I take pictures of the balls. 
I guess I like to.
Notions: Tapestry needle, 7/16" button, large darning needle, depending on button hole side

Gauge: 24 stitches = 4 inches

So let's get started!  To begin, cast on 3 stitches and divide evenly between 3 double pointed-needles, join in round.  By convention, we're going to call the needle with the first stitch dpn 1, the needle with the second stitch dpn 2, and the needle with the third stitch dpn 3.

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: * kfb; rep from * (6 stitches)

Row 3: Knit

Row 4: * kfb, k1 * (9 stitches)

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Gathered Mesh Cowl

Gathered Mesh Cowl
So here's the thing.  When I started knitting this piece, I intended to do it differently.  First, I was going to knit it in Star Rib Mesh, from page 196 of Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, which includes a direction to "slip 2 knitwise" (and even includes a special instruction on why you really, really need to slip 2 TOGETHER knitwise to accomplish the look).  Of course, I didn't do this.  I slipped one stitch knitwise, then slipped the second stitch knitwise, which creates an entirely different effect.  Then, of course, I liked it.  And decided to gather it.  Which resulted in the following.

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Sateen (100% Acrylic; 300.7 yards [275 meters]/100 grams); #24 Orange Poppy - another one skein masterpiece.
Once again, the kid wanted to help. 
Of course, he still refused to smile.

Needles: One 24" circular needle in size 4

Notions: Stitch marker, tapestry needle, one 5/8" button

Gauge: 24 stitches = 4 inches

Cast on 180 stitches, place marker, join in round.  Knit two rows in seed stitch, or in other words:

First row of seed stitch: k1, p1 around

2nd row: p1, k1 around

Now it's time for the main pattern!

Row 1: * yo, (sl 1 knitwise, sl 1 knitwise - k1 - p2sso), yo, k1; rep from *