Winter Storm 2016 Knitting

Nothing like a foot of snow to strand you at home and get you in the mood for knitting! Winter Storm 2016 allowed me to slow down and do a little guilt free knitting. I had purchased a few skeins of Downton Abbey yarn recently, not because I needed it, but because I love the show!

I decided on the Hermione Hat pattern for my daughter in a color she has not worn before but I have always encouraged her to wear. A day and a half later and here she is.

Ravelry link

My second Winter Storm 2016 project was to finish a pullover sweater for my grandson which I started last October. The pattern is A Simple Baby Pullover and the yarn is Vanna's Choice from Michael's Crafts.

Ravelry link

Now on to Winter Storm project #3 which will be fingerless mitts to match my daughter's hat!

A Katniss Cowl

I don't often find time to blog two days in a row. Sunday night we had ice and then snow on top of ice so I haven't left home since Sunday. The mailman hasn't delivered mail for two days and I couldn't make it to jury duty today. However, I am catching up on UFO's, Ravelry projects, photoshoots, and blogging.

My daughter loves The Hunger Games and really wanted to knit a cowl similar to the one that Katniss Everdeen wore in the movie. We found a pattern on Ravelry and I helped her start it back in January. It was a quick, chunky yarn kind of knit but she would get busy with classes and put it aside for a week or so. Then we would have to reacquaint ourselves with the pattern and knit a few more rows. I helped her refashion the neck section last night to a more wearable version of the Katniss cowl and she was able to quickly finish it up. This post is a little heavy on pictures but it was good to get out of the house so we really enjoyed the photoshoot in the snow covered field, or should I say, District 12!

Ravelry Link

If you would like to knit your own Katniss cowl, check out these links.....

Katharina Schnorr's blog

Pattern Information on Ravelry.com

My Katniss cowl and project notes on Ravelry

I'd love to see pics of your Katniss cowl!

Welted Fingerless Gloves and Shear Madness

A couple of years ago in Savannah, Georgia, I found this beautiful merino/silk blend fiber at Wild Fibre Yarns. It was very easy to spin so I spun it up pretty quickly and added the yarn to my stash because, as usual, I couldn't decided what to knit with it. I have always had my eye on the Welted Fingerless Glove pattern by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas. In my destashing frenzy of 2014, I matched up the yarn and pattern and, after a few evenings of knitting, ended up with these warm and cozy mitts.

Ravelry link

My first Ebay purchase many years ago was an assortment of 1200 small pearl buttons! I used 10 of them to sew onto the welts of the mitts.

If you are looking for some knitting or spinning inspiration, check out Shear Madness on National Geographic about a city girl turned sheep farmer with her husband and five kids. It just started last Saturday night. I missed it but caught up watching On Demand. I don't watch a lot of TV but this is pretty interesting stuff for knitters and spinners.I had to turn my head in one scene - a little more animal science than I needed to see!

One Row Lace Scarf (Stashbusting Project #2)

I'm doing pretty well on my New Year's Stashbusting Resolution. I bought this alpaca/wool/bamboo fiber at a Fiber Festival in 2011. Wow, has it been in my stash that long? I spun a two-ply yarn and ended up with about 180 yards. I didn't especially enjoy spinning this blend of fiber so I put the yarn away for 3 years!

I pulled it out a few days ago and did what I always do when trying to match up yarn with a project. I went to the Ravelry advanced search tool, plugged in my yarn weight, yardage, etc. and came up with an assortment of projects which would work for this yarn. I started knitting a cowl, changed my mind, fingerless mitts, changed my mind, and ended up with a favorite scarf pattern. I have used this One Row Lace Scarf pattern twice before and loved it. (One of them is blogged here)  It seems I always have to eliminate a couple of new patterns before I settle on an old favorite. I have to go through the process.

Ravelry Link

I should not have left this yarn in my stash for so long. I really like the color, the drape, and everything about this scarf! 

Handspun Boot Toppers

It's January so, once again, I'm making one New Year's Resolution and that is to do a little stashbusting. If I knit or sew just one project a week, that's 52 projects a year and I should make a dent in my inventory. Right? And that is a conservative estimate. Surely, I can make more than one project a week. I do realize that this challenge also requires me to stop buying fabric and yarn so I vow to only buy what is absolutely necessary that I can't find in my stash.

This brings me to Stashbusting Project #1. I bought a spinning wheel in 2008 and taught myself to spin. My first yarns were a little, actually a lot, on the chunky side, so I stashed them away. I ran across this boot topper pattern on Ravelry from Homespun Living which requires chunky yarn. I was a little short on yardage but adjusted the pattern and made it work.

Ravelry Link

Both of my daughters love to wear boots so I have plans for lots more boot toppers for my handspun and other skeins with minimal yardage.

Coming soon....my first fabric stashbusting project which is actually finished but getting my daughter to pose for pictures requires some convincing, bargaining, and sometimes a downright threat that I won't ever sew for her again!

Lyme Regis Scarf

My Lyme Regis Scarf is finally finished, blocked, and ready to wear. Since Spring has officially arrived, I'll be saving it for fall. I used all of the 212 yards of my handspun yarn with only 20 inches left over. I love the pattern from the Spring 2013 issue of Spin-Off and can't wait to spin more yarn to make another scarf.

 

Ravelry link

Ravelry Link

This is turning out to be my catch-up week. Finishing up knitting projects, hems, taking pics of projects, etc. I guess I don't have to finish one project before I start a new one, do I? Do you have a project that you hope to complete this week? 

Handspun Scarf WIP

I'm blogging about knitting this week because I'm having a little problem with my sewing project model. She thinks it's too cold to step outside for a few pictures and I don't have good lighting inside. I think I might have to get a contract signed stating that if I spend my time sewing for her, she can pose for a few pictures. Oh well, it's supposed to be warmer this weekend.

I bought this hand-dyed fiber last spring at the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival from YarnGeekFibers. It's blue faced Leicester wool and was very easy to spin into a 2-ply heavy worsted yarn. It has been in my yarn stash just waiting for the perfect project. The pattern is called Lyme Regis Scarf and can be found in the Spring 2013 issue of Spin-Off magazine.

It has a twelve row easy lace pattern repeat running through the center of the scarf.

Ravelry link

I especially like the ruffle on the end. It is shown on the cover of the Spring 2013 Spin-Off worn as an ascot type scarf.

I plan to have a catch-up photo shoot this weekend for my sewing projects. Until then, I guess I'll just knit!

Quick Knit Christmas Gift

Need a quick gift idea for someone on your list? These little dish cloths are so much fun to knit and so easy. They are made from Peaches and Cream cotton yarn that I purchased at WalMart.  I must warn you, however, that once you give these to someone, they will want more.

Ravelry link

There are several variations of this pattern. The one that I like can be found on Ravelry or here.  They also make a great bathtime gift if you add a pretty bar of soap or bath salts.

More Cafe au Lait Mitts

I finally finished my alpaca Cafe au Lait Mitts! I love the pattern and love the yarn. Alpaca is a very warm fiber so these mitts will keep my hands toasty this winter and leave my fingers free for keys, phone, etc.

Ravelry link

Since I love this pattern so much, I decided to go ahead and knit another pair of mitts with my brown alpaca yarn. I usually knit items for gifts so this is quite a treat for me. My sisters gave me the yarn a few years ago for Christmas and I've been waiting for the right pattern. If you're a knitter, check out this free pattern on Ravelry and let me know how your mitts turn out!

Ravelry link

September is National Sewing Month so I need to put away my knitting needles and get back to my sewing projects! I have a stack of fabric calling my name. I just can't decide what to make first!

Cafe au Lait Mitts

I like to squeeze in a little knitting between sewing projects so that I can keep the fiber stash under control and not get buried underneath. This little project isn't making a huge dent in my stash but the pattern called for just the right amount of yarn (130 yards) for this skein of alpaca from Alpacas of Cedar Ridge. The pattern is very easy to follow and it will definitely be a quick knit. The free pattern for the Cafe au Lait Mitts can be found on Ravelry.

Ravelry link

The stitch markers are from Ruth at Sewchic.blogspot.com. She had a giveaway recently for these lovely stitch markers that she created and I was the lucky recipient! I immediately added them to my mitt project. Thank you Ruth!

What are your favorite one-skein knitting projects? 

Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival

I took a little road trip with a friend to the Third Annual Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival last weekend in Lexington, Ky. This was my second trip to the festival and it just keeps getting better! I really didn't need any more fiber to spin but that has never stopped me before from buying more. There were lots of booths with all kinds of fiber related products and activities - spinning, weaving, knitting, felting, etc. I was especially interested in the natural dyeing. There were yarns dyed with marigolds, walnuts, cochineal, queen anne's lace, onion skins, and lots more. I moved natural dyeing up pretty high on my to-do list.

There were more fiber producing animals there this year such as alpaca, llama, sheep, bunnies, goats. 

My friend bought this French angora bunny at the festival. She is 7 weeks old and loves to be held. She rode the entire 2 1/2 hour trip home in my lap. She will produce lots of fiber for spinning in addition to being a sweet, gentle pet.

I almost got away without buying fiber until I walked through the last vendor tent. This bluefaced leicester wool from yarngeekfibers.com was calling my name. I couldn't resist. I've already started spinning it into a fairly fine yarn which I will 2-ply and make into I don't know what but I'll figure that out later.

I just happened to be in the livestock pavilion when the sheep shearing demonstration started. As much as I love to spin wool, I didn't watch this demo very long. I know the wool has to come off but that poor sheep didn't enjoy it very much!

Great festival. Great vendors. Can't wait until next year!

One Row Lace Scarf

Once in a while, I get a little worried that I am buying yarn and fiber faster than I am using it. When this happens, I pull out a skein of yarn and go to Ravelry to find a pattern which will work with my yarn weight and yardage. I bought this Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Lace a couple of years ago at Blueball Mountain Spindle and Needleworks in Elizabethtown, Ky. I loved the colors in it and thought it would be nice to wear in the fall. I tried several different scarf and shawl patterns before deciding on a simple pattern which I had knitted once before. I always end up with a simple, classic pattern but always have to go through the elimination process.

Ravelry link

The pattern is called One Row Lace Scarf because every row is knitted exactly the same, making it easy to memorize. The free pattern can be found here. It can be knit in many yarn weights just by adjusting the needle size. I double stranded the lace weight yarn and used a size 7 needle. It was a somewhat slow project to knit but it was worth the effort. I love the scarf!

What are your favorite tried and true patterns for destashing?

Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ)

This is one of those projects that every knitter should knit at least once. I just finished my fourth for no reason other than the joy of knitting it. It is Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket, or BSJ, for short. It was "invented" by Zimmermann in 1968 and has been knitted by thousands of knitters since. On Ravelry, a wonderful social networking site for knitters (and crocheters), there are 16,589 (16,593, the number increases daily) projects from members all over the world for the BSJ. If there are that many posted on Ravelry alone, I wonder how many thousands more have been knitted!

The jacket is knitted in one piece and then seamed at the shoulders. It does not look like a jacket during the knitting process. It doesn't really look like anything until it is seamed. The pattern can be found here and here.

Ravelry link

This is my first BSJ, knitted in 2008 with a hand-dyed fingering weight yarn. 

Ravelry link

This is my second BSJ, knitted in 2008 with a hand-dyed DK weight yarn. 

Ravelry link

And this is my third BSJ, knitted in 2008 with Jojoland Rhythm, a worsted weight yarn. The buttons are coconut. 

Ravelry link

The pattern is the same, regardless of the weight of the yarn that you choose. The larger the yarn, the larger the jacket will be. If you like garter stitch and a little challenge, try out this pattern. There are great message boards on Ravelry to discuss this project, ask questions, and share pictures.

Dew Drop Cowl

My daughter was on fall break from college last week and decided that she wanted to knit a cowl. I found this easy pattern on Ravelry and got her going on it. It is worked on 200 stitches so she wanted a pattern without purls. Not that she minds purling, but 200 purls at a time are a lot of purls. She knitted while watching TV. She knitted in the car on the way to a football game. We both knitted a little when we had the time and finished it pretty quickly. We used a self-striping fingering weight sock yarn from Patons.

The cowl is about 52 inches in circumference and can be worn draped around the neck or doubled as shown in this picture. I'm pretty sure I will be borrowing this cowl from my daughter once in a while!

Ravelry link

I'm on the lookout for more quick and easy cowl patterns. What are your favorites?

Knitted Pumpkins

Since this is National Spinning and Weaving Month, I decided that I should include a post on spinning. I started spinning a few years ago and have enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoy it so much that I hardly buy yarn any more if I can spin it myself in a reasonable amount of time. I ran across this nutmeg colored wool fiber at Blueball Mountain Spindle and Needleworks in Elizabethtown, Ky.  I spun up a worsted weight 2-ply yarn on my Kromski spinning wheel to make this cute little knitted pumpkin that I found on this blog. I knitted up a few of these last fall and posted them on Ravelry (the greatest knitting website ever invented). I decided that it is time to get them out and do a little fall decorating.

I'm off to find the rest of my pumpkin yarn so that I can knit up more little pumpkins! What are your favorite little pumpkin crafts?