leaflets!

the perfect little accompaniment to the harlequin cowl! a delightful pair of mitts with a dainty little band of leaves around the lower edge, knit in the round in a solid color which sets off the leaf pattern. if you know how to knit and purl, you've got it made in the shade!!

why not give 'em a whirl!

                                   

Leaflets

Supplies:

Set of 4, size 6 dpn’s.

100 yds. of aran/worsted yarn

Stitch markers

Gauge: 16 stitches/28 rows = 4 inches

Terms:

pl = place marker

sm = slip marker

rm = remove marker

kfb = knit in front and back of stitch

k2tog = knit two stitches together

Welted Leaf (in the round)

Row 1 and 2: knit

Row 3: *k4, p4; rep from *

Row 4: k3, *p4, k4; rep from *, end p4, k1

Row 5: k2, *p4, k4; rep from *, end p4, k2

Row 6: k1, *p4, k4; rep from *, end p4, k3

Row 7: k5 * p4, k4; rep from *, end p3

Row 8: p2, *k4, p4; rep from *, end p2

Row 9: p3, *k4, p4; rep from *, end p1

Row 10: *p4, k4

Row 11 and 12: knit

Mitt:

Cast on 32 stitches. Join to knit in round and place marker to indicate beginning of round.

Purl 3 rounds.

Knit Rows 1 – 12 of Welted Leaf pattern.

Purl 3 rounds.

Next round:

Knit 15 stitches, pm, knit 2 stitches, pm, knit 15 stitches.

Knit 1 round.

Next round:

Knit 15 stitches, sm, kfb twice, sm, knit to end of round (15 stitches).

Knit 1 round.

Repeat these 2 rounds until there are 20 stitches between markers ending with a knit round.  

Next round:

Knit 15 stitches, sm, purl stitches between markers, sm, knit to end of round.

Repeat this round once more.

Next round:

Knit 15 stitches, sm, purl 1 stitch, cast off purlwise 18 stitches (2 stitches will remain between markers), sm, knit to end of round.

Next round:

Knit 15 stitches, rm, k2tog, rm, knit to end of round.

Knit 6 rounds.

Purl 3 rounds.

Bind off purlwise.

Work in loose ends.

Repeat for second mitt.

let me introduce the 'harlequin cowl'! yowser!

well, i've done it! i've put together a pattern, checked it twice, and am puttin' it out there! a freebie for you and yours! hop on it!

how did this come about? well, now that you ask, here goes: after spending countless hours cruising through cowl patterns on ravelry and not finding one that blew my hair back, the lightbulb went off and i decided that i was capable of designing one that i wanted to knit! so... out came the barbara walker books! i knew that i wanted to use this yarn which was a solid color (shocking, i know) and that i didn't want to do a lace pattern but stitches that created a relief pattern just through the use of knit and purl stitches. the patterns i ended up with were king charles brocade and welted leaf, which i had to adapt for knitting in the round - no big deal, really!  

the yarn i used is a lovely little number by noro which of course, has been discontinued! it is called 'cash iroha' and is comprised of 40% silk, 30% lamb's wool (as opposed to sheep!), 20% cashmere, and 10% nylon (i'm sure it was added for durability!) in a skein containing 91 meters. very soft and luscious but evidently not a popular item since it has already been abandoned by the company - sad, so sad!

i managed to score three skeins and used almost two for the cowl. i am very pleased with the outcome and i gifted it to a friend that it looks gorgeous on since she has beautiful red hair! if you decide to knit this pattern, i hope you enjoy it as much as i did!

Harlequin Cowl

Gauge: 16 stitches/28 rows = 4 inches

Yarn: 200 yds. aran/worsted weight yarn

Needles: size 6 circular and size 7 circular – 16 inch

King Charles Brocade (in the round)

Row 1: *p1, k9, p1, k1; repeat from *

Row 2: *k1, p1, k7, p1, k1, p1; rep from *

Row 3: *p1, k1, p1, k5, (p1, k1) twice; rep from *

Row 4: *(k1, p1) twice, k3, p1, k1, p1, k2; rep from *

Row 5: *k2, (p1, k1) 3 times, p1, k3; rep from *

Row 6: *k3, (p1, k1) twice, p1, k4; rep from *

Row 7: *k4, p1, k1, p1, k5; rep from *

Row 8: *k3, (p1, k1) twice, p1, k4; rep from *

Row 9: *k2, (p1, k1) 3 times, p1, k3; rep from *

Row 10: *(k1, p1) twice, K3, p1, k1, p1, k2; rep from *

Row 11: *p1, k1, p1, k5, (p1, k1) twice; rep from *

Row 12: *k1, p1, k7, p1, k1, p1; rep from *

Welted Leaf (in the round)

Row 1 and 2: knit

Row 3: *k4, p4; rep from *

Row 4: k3, *p4, k4; rep from *, end k1

Row 5: k2, *p4, k4; rep from *, end k2

Row 6: k1, *p4, k4; rep from *, end k3

Row 7: p1, * k4, p4; rep from *, end p3

Row 8: p2, *k4, p4; rep from *, end p2

Row 9: p3, *k4, p4; rep from *, end p1

Row 10: *p4, k4

Row 11 and 12: knit

Cowl:

Cast on 96 stitches on size 6 needles. 

Place marker and join to knit in round (marker indicates beginning of new row).

Knit 4 rows of k2, p2 ribbing.

Change to size 7 needles and knit one row.

Purl one row. 

Knit Rows 1 – 12 of Welted Leaf pattern.

Purl one row.

Knit Rows 1 – 12 of King Charles Brocade 3 times.

Purl one row.

Knit Row 1 – 12 of Welted Leaf pattern.

Purl one row.

Knit one row.

Change to size 6 needles and knit 4 rows of k2, p2 ribbing.

Bind off in rib pattern.

Work in ends and block.

Finished cowl is 9 ½ inches tall and 24 inches round.

good things!

when i posted last week i only talked about one project that came off my needles this past month.

i would be remiss if i didn't take a moment to mention some of the other objects that are no longer in ball form but now actually have a shape and point of being and are no longer part of my stash - a very good thing!

first up - this lovely headband for my dear friend and god-daughter emma. 

this project comes with a little story and when i'm finished you'll see why emma and i are like two peas in a pod! we were at church about a month ago when during the service i noticed a young woman a couple of rows in front of me that had an intriguing  hairstyle with her hair piled on top of her head. below that, wrapped around her head was a knitted headband. of course, this immediately caught my attention and i found myself spending the remainder of the service fixated on the construction of that headband. i just couldn't seem to take my eyes off of it! after a potluck dinner following the service i was preparing to go home when emma came running up to tell me good-bye and give me a hug! in the course of our hug, emma leaned into my ear and whispered "did you see that girl with the knit headband? do you think you could knit one for me?". and there you have it! like minds think alike!

so here is my take: 

the pattern consists of a horseshoe cable with seed stitch on each side. i started with 28 stitches - 6 stitches in seed stitch, 16 stitch horseshoe cable pattern, 6 stitches in seed stitch. i repeated the horseshoe cable pattern 17 times.

i stitched the bound off edges together and ran a gathering stitch and pulled it together a bit and then knit a band of eight stitches in seed stitch long enough to go around the band to cover the seam. in retrospect, i probably should have gathered it just a tad bit more but, hey, i'll do that on the next one. btw, i used brown sheep worsted weight yarn that i had in my stash! busted!

and here is my dear sweet little emma in her new fashion accessory! she loves it! and she probably would want me to tell you that this isn't the way she really wears it but she was so excited when she opened the package that she had to put it on then and there!

next up: this little number called: here and there cowl

I used one skein of noro taiyo sock yarn - 420 meters. i got the pattern at close knit and knit it in the round to avoid a seam - can you believe that it was NOT written to knit in the round? i can't, but, hey, to each his own! this yarn had a rough hand to it and i can't fathom knitting a pair of socks with it - i think they would be very scratchy and my feet just don't need that!

and last, but not least, is this hat - buckthorn cap designed by franklin habit. the yarn is blue moon fiber arts, socks that rock lightweight in the colorway: it's not all about me Brown  and silkie socks that rock in the colorway: It's about me. It's about me all the time.
this was the october rockin' sock club colorway and one of the patterns.

it involved stranded colorwork shaped like a buckthorn branch. i love the crown shaping and the little idiot cord loop at the top!!

and that's a wrap for this report! and that's a good thing!

falling into fall!

help me, i think i'm falling

in love again!

when i get that crazy feeling,

i know i'm in trouble again!

carly simon

at long last, fall has arrived! we were blessed with an overly long summer that just didn't seem to want to stop! we were still having sunny, warm days that allowed us to continue wearing shorts until way into october - guess that's what global warming will do for ya!

ya know, you've just got to have some of that traditional northwest fall weather to put ya in the mood - the mood for fall knitting, i.e. sweaters, scarves, gloves, hats, etc.! frosty mornings, falling leaves and rain, lots of it! and now, we've got it - rain has arrived!

i started fall off with the following:

this is the third installment in the Miss Babs World Tour 2012. the destination for fall was Sierra Nevada, where the trees are dressed in lovely shades of yellow, orange and brown just like this fabulous yarn! the color in the first two pictures is pretty close to the actual yarn which was a beautiful mix of colors hand-dyed by miss babs.

included in the trip paraphernalia was this northumbria dk - bfl yarn and the pattern for this lace cowl and mitts designed by cecily glowick. this yarn was like knitting with butter - so soft and smooth - an absolute wonder to knit!

that's how one works their way into fall in my book!

head games!

                                                    Head games, in the first degree 
                                                    Head games, yeah, always you and me 
                                                    Head games, why do you do it baby? 
                                                    Head games

well, not the type of head games that foreigner sang about! more along the line of hats, and the desire for a good warm one when fall weather puts a chill in the air!

here are a few:

at the end of september, i took a class in felted hats at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival (offf). our wonderful instructor, carin engen, led us through the process from beginning to end and this was the end product from that experience! kewl, eh? i think so!

after class, i picked up some merino fiber while shopping in the vendor areas and repeated the process about a week later just to see if i could do it my self and, voila, i think i've got another winner!!

i may have shared this little number in an earlier post but in case i didn't i'll run it by you again. i picked up this roving at the black sheep gathering in late june in eugene, oregon. it is from blarney yarn in the colorway "sour apple II". i used my drop spindle to spin it during the 'tour de fleece' in july. the pattern is "urchin" by ysolda teague. the pattern is at knitty.com. 

 this hat is from the purl soho website and is called the "thank you hat". i had just enough malabrigo rios, leftover from a shawl i knit earlier this summer, to complete it! whew!

this hat pattern is "wurm" a freebee on ravelry that has been on my hit list for a long time! the yarn is twisted from blue moon fiber arts in the colorway: sea scum, sea scum run. this yarn has tried to have a life in several other projects but this, at long last, is where it finally has found a home!

when this pattern, designed by franklin habit, showed up in the deep fall issue of knitty, i knew it needed to hit my needles and sooner than later so here 'tis! it is called 'uhlan' and will be perfect to keep my hubby's head warm as he marches through the brush chasing bambi! (run, bambi, run!)

think i'll take a break from hats for a moment and pound out a few cowls and such! i've got some new yarn from miss babs that really wants to get needled!

oh, by the way, 10/22/2012 - finished! 'nuff said! go beavs!

socktober rocks!

 this is it! the month for socks and i've got a great pair on my needles! well, actually only one since i have miraculously finished the first one this early in the month. my problem now is getting back on the horse to finish the second one, the so-called second sock syndrome!! the orange and black colorway of this yarn is not in honor of halloween but in tribute to my beloved beavers!! the yarn is ebullient by Frog Creek Fibers in the colorway: Go Beavs!. this sock is a combo affair with the leg in the 'tidal wave' pattern; the heel in cat bordhi's 'sweet tomato heel', and the toe is finished in a 'star toe' pattern. this is the first time i've tried the 'sweet tomato heel' and i'm anxious to see how it 'feels' when i wear the socks. it wasn't a terribly difficult heel to knit but it did seem to take longer than other heels.

remember that sweet little hat pattern that i posted several weeks ago? well, here it is on it's rightful owner - trew henry cross! we welcomed 'hank' to our world on monday, october 15 at 12:33 pm. isn't he a cutie? and isn't he handsome in his hat? judging by the smile on his face,  i think he likes it!

it took 'hank' awhile to decide that it was o.k. to come out and play so with time on my hands, i knit this hat for him! i used leftovers in rowan felted tweed yarn, a wonderful wool yarn.  i did a basic fair-isle checkerboard alternating colors in the body and topped it off with a pompom! i hope it will keep 'hank' warm during the cold winter months ahead!

the long and short of it...

is...i'm late! nuthin' new for me as it seems to be my usual mode of operende! time just seems to slip, slide away.

anyhoo, speaking of long and short, here are my socks from the past three months.

july:
pattern: bmfa - "summer of love lace socks" designed by jc briar.
yarn: regia bamboo - 45% bamboo, 40% wool, 15% polyamid

a soft and comfy (thanks to the bamboo) pair of anklets with a fold down top - perfect for a chilly summer morning or evening! these little cuties were knit from the top down starting with the lace border.

 august:
"a manly sock" - a plain vanilla, top-down number with a knit2,purl2 rib. 
a subtle, nondescript sock, perfect for a guy that isn't into anything flashy but wants a sock that feels good on his feet - these are 'the bomb'!
the yarn for these has been in my stash for way too many years! it is brown sheep 'wildfoote' luxury sock yarn (75% washable wool/25% nylon) in the colorway: tom cat. perfect for cattin' around!!

september:
a plain vanilla toe-up sock that just goes up and up and up! i used my favorite gusset heel that i can now knit from memory - thank you very much!! 
i'm really getting tired of small wads of left-over yarn from socks with normal leg heights of six inches, so i threw caution to the wind and decided to knit the entire skein to see what i'd end up with. and...there you have it!! almost knee high but not by the 4th of july!
one small caveat...skeins sometimes don't have exactly the same yardage! surprise! surprise! fortunately, by chance i picked the smaller skein for my first sock instead of vice versa as i had about 5 yards of yarn left over once my second sock matched the end of sock one! i wouldn't have been a happy camper had things gone the other way!
yarn: marks & kattens clown; 45% bomull (cotton), 40% superwash ull (wool), 15% nylon

so...what to do with those extra sock leftovers? well, knit a hat, of course, and make it a small one!!

here's another one for a new baby knit out of fingering weight leftovers from a sock i knit earlier this year. 
this is how i did it:
cast on 90 stitches on size one (2.50mm) needles, place marker and join to knit in the round.
purl 4 rounds, knit 3 rounds; repeat and then purl 4 more rounds. change to stockinette stitch (which is actually just knitting when you are working in the round! a kewl deal!) and knit all rounds until piece measures 3 1/2 to 4 inches from beginning.
begin the top of the hat as follows:
knit 13 stitches, k2tog, pm; repeat 5 times to end of row.
knit 1 round.
next row: knit to 2 stitches before marker, k2tog, slip marker; repeat to end of round.
knit 1 round. 
repeat these two rows until there are 3 stitches. with these 3 stiches knit i-cord for approx. 3 inches (enough length to tie a knot in end), cut a yarn tail approx. 6 inches. thread yarn on a yarn needle and pass through stitches and pull tightly. thread yarn down through i-cord for a couple inches. tie i-cord in an overhand knot.

voila! a toasty cover for a new little head! oh, happy day!