Friday, October 28, 2016

works in progress

My son's Christmas stocking is in the works. Made with Knit Picks Wool of the Andes on a size 7 needle. It's coming along rather nicely and the chart went by much quicker than I thought it would.
I decided to duplicate stitch the eyes and eyebrows, which turned out pretty well and was much easier than working them in intarsia.


My sweater got put on the back burner, which is good because I was getting burnt out on both the cables and the squeaky acrylic.

I'm hoping to get this stocking done today; it is a rainy ugly day which is perfect for sitting in the house and knitting with warm cozy wool.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Mile Marker 333



Knit flat in garter stitch, this simple hat is perfect for when you are riding shotgun on a road trip. Easy to put down to pour your driver a cup of coffee or to snap a few photos. Play with stripes to create a colorful collection. This hat is great mindless knitting, and also suitable for beginners.

*note: Specific instructions for stripes are not included
 
Materials:
Worsted weight yarn, held double*
Size US 9 needles (5.5mm) or whatever it takes to get gauge

*Sample hats used Lion Brand Wool-Ease and Red Heart Soft

Gauge: 
12 sts= 4" in garter stitch

Instructions:

With yarn held double, CO 56 stitches.

Knit every row for 6"

Shape top of hat:
Row 1: *K6, K2tog, rep from * to end of row.
Row 2: Knit across
Row 3: *K5, K2tog, rep from * to end of row
Row 4: Knit across
Row 5: *K4, K2tog, rep from * to end of row
Row 6: Knit across
Row 7: *K3, K2tog, rep from * to end of row
Row 8: Knit across
Row 9: *K2, K2tog, rep from * to end of row
Row 10: Knit across
Row 11: *K1, K2tog, rep from * to end of row
Row 12: *K2tog, rep from * to end of row

Cut yarn and pull through remaining stitches. Sew side seam. Done!


Road trip

So one day for no reason at all, we decided to leave town.
In fact, we decided to leave the state. We drove out of California on October 8th... stopped in Nevada. Drive through Nevada and stopped in Utah... kept going through Wyoming, and ended up taking in the beautiful sights of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
This means...
I had some time to knit!


 
I cast on the sleeves for the Must Have Cardigan which is apparently a free pattern on Ravelry now. I purchased it as part of the Street Smart booklet of patterns. This pattern is so much fun to knit. It looks way more complicated than it actually is, and it's very easy to keep track of repeats and decreases. I am knitting the large size, and didn't really swatch. I just started on a sleeve and seem to have gotten gauge dead-on. I plan on modifying the length of the cardigan by at least 5 inches, and also not doing the V-neck. I feel like I'm investing so much time in making this a warm and cozy garment, why ruin the effect by knitting this deep V-neck? I'm using Red Heart Soft, which is an unusual yarn choice for me. But it is soft, and it was less than $30 for the whole lot, and it's readily available so I didn't have to wait for it to ship since, like I mentioned, we kind of left out of the blue.
I'm really loving the pattern. It's one that has been in my queue for quite some time.

While we were gone I did pick up some yarn to make the kids some sweaters. It's all wool/acrylic blend Plymouth Encore and I'm thinking about making the girl a Tomten jacket and my son a Wonderful Wallaby.



And also I should be receiving a delightfully huge amount of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes by Wednesday because I have finally decided to cast on for some Christmas Stockings for my family. I bought 4 (FOUR!) Mary Maxim Christmas Stocking Books and a ton of wool, and It. Is. Happening.
Me, my son and husband have picked our favorite stockings, and we guessed what the baby would like, and my husband is fully supporting me finishing the must have cardigan first and then it's on the the stockings full force. The last attempt at Christmas Stockings didn't go well, but I'm hoping this time I will beat intarsia!

Finally, I sort of came up with a hat pattern while in the Rockies. I'll post it as it's own entry but for now I leave you with a photo of me and my hubby wearing the finished hats.

Happy Knitting!