Nom Nom Garter Hat

Nom Nom Garter Hat

You may be wondering why this thing is called the Nom Nom Garter Hat. The answer to that question is simple - it's because it will eat up your yarn scraps like "nom nom nom!" Before we get started, however, I should tell you a couple of things - first of all, you need roughly 50 yards each of your two main colors in order to get this hat going. Provided you have that, you can do your accent colors with quite small amounts of any worsted- or dk-weight yarns (or smaller, if you hold two strands together!). Also, I wrote my color combination out here so that you could make the hat with the exact same color scheme, if you wanted. Please, however, feel free to ignore my accent coloring (colors C - J), and do your own instead! If you choose to do this, however, you'll definitely want to pay attention to the length of the stockinette stripe on this hat - it is a better indication of the finished length than the garter stitch. To make the color pop, after all, you'll be blocking the snot out of this thing, and the garter will stretch a LOT.

Oh, and last but not least - I designed this hat back-and-forth, both for my peeps who avoid circular knitting, and because that's the only way to truly take advantage of the garter stitch. If you need help converting the pattern for circular knitting, just ask!

Sizes: Adult Small (Adult Large)

Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash (100% Superwash Wool; 220 yards [200 meters]/100 grams); #1948 Mystic Purple - one skein (color A), #908 Magenta - one skein (color B) & various scrap yarns in worsted & dk weights (colors C - J) - roughly 50 yards total

This is how I kept my colors straight!
My children thought I was working on a cool
art project, at least.

Needles: straight needles in size US 7

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette, 16 stitches = 4 inches in garter

So let's get started! First, then, using your color A yarn, cast on 82 (90) stitches. Then we'll work the edging rows like so:

Row 1: using color A, p3, knit until you have 3 stitches left in row, p3

Row 2: using color C, knit

Bricklayer's Lace Baby Blanket

Bricklayer's Lace Baby Blanket

The story behind this project is simple: I've reached the age where my friends are starting to have babies, so I've started to knit baby blankets. Therefore, as soon as I knew a friend was pregnant, I began looking for the right fiber at my local yarn store. And I passed this one by for months and months before I finally saw it knit up, and loved the way the stitches looked like rain drops. So I brought it home and found this lovely stitch pattern, which shows off both the yarn and the pattern. And it's a quick knit, since it's chunky and all!

Yarn: James C. Brett Flutterby (100% Supersoft Polyester; 192 yards [175 meters]/100 grams); #B3 Blue - 3 skeins

The pattern. For all the bricklaying
babies out there.

Needles: 32" or longer circular needle in size US 10

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 11 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

Okay dudes, are you ready to make a baby blanket? Then let's get started! First, cast on 96 stitches loosely. And then we'll knit the following set-up rows:

Set-up Row 1 (wrong side): knit

Set-up Row 2: knit

Set-up Row 3: knit

Set-up Row 4: knit

Pretty in Pink Cowl

Pretty in Pink Cowl

I've been staring at this page for a while now, trying to figure out what to say about this pattern. The problem, of course, is that I can only think of one thing - namely, that I'm super pleased by how well this little turkey turned out. It's light, it's springy, it drapes beautifully, and my baby CANNOT STOP GRABBING IT whenever I put it on (what can I say? The kid's got taste). It's also a very versatile piece, and looks good with anything from a flannel to a tank top and jeans. Just make sure to make it in a neutral-ish color, 'cause you're going to want to wear it every dang day.

Sizes: Small (Large) - fyi, the only difference in these two patterns will be the number of stitches in your cast on and the marker placement row. Also, the only reason I'm offering two sizes is based on head size - you're going to want this thing to fit snug up against your neck, and you're going to want the small if you have a smaller head, the large if you have a larger head.

Yarn: Berroco Folio (65% Superfine Alpaca, 35% Rayon; 219 yards [200 meters]/100 grams); #4524 Bailey - 1 skein

A closer pic of the lace

Needles: 16" circular needle in size US 5

Notions: Tapestry needle, five stitch markers

Gauge: 22 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

So let's do this! First, cast on 142 (152) stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Then we'll knit the following marker placement row:

Marker Placement Row: k35 (k40), place marker, k19, place marker, k34, place marker, k19, place marker, knit until end of round

And once that's done, begin to incorporate Miniature Leaf Pattern from page 215 of Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, which goes like so: