New Pattern Design in the Works!

I've really enjoyed creating new patterns lately .... and the two that I've come up with (although they're fairly simple) have turned out rather well I think!

I have a couple of hanks of this beautiful variegated yarn in my stash .... it's a fingering weight wool/nylon blend called "Footloose" by Diamond Yarns. I really love the blue and purple hues!

So far I haven't found a pattern that I would like to use it for, so I'm thinking that it might be perfect for my next pattern creation! I've decided on a hat .... the fine yarn weight will make for a light-weight accessory that is more delicate than my previous chunky patterns, and I'm envisioning a lace pattern that will showcase the variegated shades of the yarn.

Hopefully this next pattern turns out as well as I'm anticipating!



Chunky Hugs & Kisses Mittens

I had made this hat using the Capucine pattern ... which I love! I used Crystal Palace Iceland yarn in "fuschia", which is super bright and fun.

 

Since I had quite a bit of yarn left over from this project, I decided to make some mittens to go with my new hat. When I couldn't find a pattern that I liked that used super bulky yarn, I decided to create my own!

The result was the Chunky Hugs & Kisses Mittens ... a mitten that uses super bulky yarn (so they're a super quick knit!), has a slim fit, and features an XO Cable along the back of the hand.

Chunky Hugs & Kisses Mittens 

 

Materials:

·      1 Skein Crystal Palace Iceland yarn (or super bulky yarn of your choice)

·      Size US 11 (or size needed to obtain gauge) DPNs or Circular Needles for Magic Loop if preferred

·      Cable Needle (or you can use one of your DPNs)

·      Stitch Holder or Waste Yarn

·      Tapestry Needle

Gauge: 

3 Stitches = 1” in Stockinette Stitch

Note: I designed these mittens to be quite fitted, and I have been told that I have rather small hands. This being said, if you have larger hands or prefer a looser fitting mitten then I would suggest either going up in needle size or casting on a few extra stitches (just remember to stick with an even number of stitches so that the ribbing works out properly).

Abbreviations: 

K – Knit

P – Purl

KFB – Increase 1 by knitting into the front and back loops of the same stitch

PM – Place Marker

SM – Slip Marker

C4F – Slip next 2 stitches to cable needle and hold to front of work, knit 2 stitches then knit the 2 stitches from the cable needle

C4B – Slip next 2 stitches to cable needle and hold to back of work, knit 2 stitches then knit the 2 stitches from the cable needle

K2TOG – Knit 2 stitches together

Pattern:

CO 22 Stitches and Join to Begin Working in the Round.

Rows 1-12: K1, P1 *

13: P1, KFB, K7, KFB, P1, K1, KFB, K7, KFB, K1 (26 sts)

14: P2, K8, P2, K14

On the next round, set up for thumb gusset increases as follows:

For Right Mitten: P2, K8, P2, K2, PM, K2, PM, K10

For Left Mitten: P2, K8, P2, K10, PM, K2, PM, K2

16: P2, C4F, C4B, P2, K to Marker, SM, K1, KFB, SM, K to end of round (27 sts)

17: P2, K8, P2, K to Marker, SM, K3, SM, K to end of round

18: P2, K8, P2, K to Marker, SM, K1, KFB, K1, SM, K to end of round (28 sts)

19: P2, K8, P2, K to Marker, SM, K4, SM, K to end of round

20: P2, C4B, C4F, P2, K to Marker, SM, K1, KFB, K2, SM, K to end of round (29 sts)

21: P2, K8, P2, K to Marker, SM, K5, SM, K to end of round

22: P2, K8, P2, K to Marker, SM, K1, KFB, K3, SM, K to end of round (30 sts)

23: P2, K8, P2, Remove Marker and Slip Next 6 Stitches to holder for thumb. Remove 2^nd Marker and Knit to End of Round. (24 sts)

24: P2, C4B, C4F, P2, K12

25: P2, K8, P2, K12

26: P2, K8, P2, K5, K2TOG, K5 (23 sts)

27: P2, K8, P2, K11

28: P2, C4F, C4B, P2, K4, K2TOG, K5, (22 sts)

29-31: P2, K8, P2, K10

32: P2, C4F, C4B, P2, K10

33-35: P2, K8, P2, K10

36: P2, C4B, C4F, P2, K10

37-39: P2, K8, P2, K10

40: P2, C4B, C4F, P2, K10

41-43-: P2, K8, P2, K10

44: P2, C4F, C4B, P2, K10

45-46: P2, K8, P2, K10

Draw yarn through remaining stitches and pull tight to close. Weave in end on WS.

Return 6 thumb stitches to needles from holder and join yarn. Pick up and knit 4 stitches to close gap, and join to begin working in the round (10 sts)

Rows 1-8: K10

9: (K1, K2TOG) * to last stitch, K1 (7 sts)

10-11: K7

Draw yarn through remaining stitches and pull tight to close. Weave in end on WS.

Make second mitten.

 

 

 

 

Rainbow Mittens

So, I finished these a few weeks ago but hadn't gotten around to posting them yet. Cute little mittens to match Lucas' earflap hat :)

Knitting for Baby Lucas

My best friend had her first baby, a boy, on September 2nd ... which provided me with the perfect excuse to knit lots of cute baby stuff! He's now about 2 1/2 months old, and seeing as I'm going to be visiting them this weekend I thought it would be nice to bring him a little something. This led to me going through the things that I had already made for him, so I thought I'd share.

This hoodie, which zips up the back, was one of the first things that I made for him. The pattern is available for free here. It's a fantastic basic pattern, and I've ended up using it several times. I added some narrow contrasting stripes to this one, which was made using Knit Picks Shine Sport in "River" and "Cream".

Since I loved the way this turned out, I ended up making another one for him using the yarn I had left over from the first one. This time I reversed the color scheme, using the cream as the main color and the blue as the contrast. I also increased my needle size in order to make a sweater that would be about a 6 month size - I used US4 needles for the ribbing on the cuffs and bottom and US6 for the main body.

Next, I made the hat and sweater from this layette pattern using Crystal Palace's Bamboozle yarn in "Neptune". This turned out cute,  but I'm not as in love with it as the first sweater. The yarn was a little on the splitty side, so it wasn't as nice to work with, and while the finished project felt nice, it wasn't super soft. Somehow I forgot to take a picture of the completed sweater before I gave it away, so I only have the hat to post :(

I came across this pattern for "no scratch" baby mittens, and they looked sooo cute! For Lucas, they're not really to prevent scratching, but they do make nice little mittens for when he's outside ... it certainly seems like they keep his hands nice and toasty! They required hardly any yarn at all, so I used some of the left over blue Knit Picks yarn from the sweater I made.

Lastly, I made him an adorable little earflap hat with a pompom on top. I used this pattern, which is available as a free Ravelry download. After looking through some of the other projects made using this pattern on Ravelry, I wasn't thrilled with the shaping of the top of the hat, so I did make a few modifications when it came to decreasing for the top. I've made notes on the changes I made on my Ravelry page for this project. Basically, once the hat measuring 5" from the ribbing (which is when the pattern tells you to start decreasing) I ignored the pattern instructions and decreased as follows:

First decrease row: K10, K2TOG around

Next row: K9, K2TOG around

Continue decreasing like this, knitting one less stitch between decreases each row. End with a row of K2TOG around. Thread yarn through remaining stitches and weave in end.

I used Knit Picks Felici self striping yarn in "Rainbow", which is sooooo soft! I love it, it was perfect for this project. I hindsight, I probably should have made sure to begin each earflap at the same point in the stripe pattern so that they would match, but it's not a big deal.

So, after reviewing what I had already made (and considering that I only had a couple of days to work with) I decided to make a quick pair of mittens using the Felici yarn to match his striped earflap hat. I'm using this pattern this time, and using US4 needles for a larger size since he's no longer a newborn. I've already finished the first mitten ... here's hoping I can finish the second one before Saturday!

Cable & Eyelet Hat

I cast on for this pretty hat with cables and eyelets for my grandmother's 80th birthday. I used JL Yarnworks' pattern "Hermione's Cable & Eyelet Hat", available here. From what I've read, the pattern is based on a hat worn by Hermione in the latest Harry Potter movie. I doubt that Jamma knows who Harry Potter is, but the pattern is very pretty nonetheless so hopefully she'll like it!

 

 Overall, I'd say that it was a success. The pattern was very clear and easy to follow, the only thing that I would change would be to make it just a little bit shorter ... it's a little on the long side. You could maybe leave out the last cable repeat, or shorten the ribbing section by 1/4" to 1/2" before starting the cable pattern. I should note that the pattern does give two size options (child and adult), and I followed the adult pattern. Perhaps following the child pattern would solve this length issue.

The yarn I used was Paton's Canadiana in "Medium Green Tea". I love the color, but I'm not thrilled with the overall feel of the fabric. It's a 100% acrylic yarn, which is a plus for grandma since it's easy to care for, but I think the pattern would perhaps be better suited to a wool or wool blend yarn. The finished product is still nice and cozy, so I'm not going to be too particular! 

Cabled Earflap Hat

I improvised the pattern for this chunky cabled earflap hat. For my first attempt at creating my own pattern, I think it turned out pretty well! I may still add a pompom to the top ... I haven't decided yet.

I've posted my pattern for those who are interested in giving it a try or in using it for inspiration.

Materials:

• 1 Skein Bernat Roving (120 yards) or bulky weight yarn of your choice 
• Size US 11 (or size needed to obtain gauge) needles for your preferred method of circular knitting - either a 16" circular needle plus DPNs, or a longer circular needle for Magic Loop
• Cable Needle (or you can use a DPN)
• Stitch Marker or Scrap Yarn

**Note:** While Bernat Roving is classified as a "bulky" weight yarn, it seems closer to a "super bulky" weight to me. You may wish to keep this in mind when choosing your yarn and measuring gauge.

Gauge: approximately 3 stitches per inch.

Abbreviations:

• K - knit
• P - purl
• C4F - slip next 2 stitches to cable needle and hold to front of work, knit next 2 stitches, knit 2 from cable needle
• P2TOG - purl 2 stitches together
• K2TOG - knit 2 stitches together

Earflap

CO 6

Row 1: K*

2: P*

3: KFB, K4, KFB (8 sts)

4: K2, P4, K2

5: KFB, P1, K4, P1, KFB (10 sts)

6: P1, K2, P4, K2, P1

7: KFB, P2, C4F, P2, KFB (12 sts)

8: P2, K2, P4, K2, P2

9: KFB, K1, P2, K4, P2, K1, KFB (14 sts)

10: P3, K2, P4, K2, P3

11: K3, P2, K4, P2, K3

12: P3, K2, P4, K2, P3

Cut yarn, and place first earflap on holder. Make 2nd earflap, but do not cut yarn.

CO 16 (I used the knitted cast-on method) for the back of the hat.

Attach the first earflap by knitting across as follows: K3, P2, K4, P2, K3.

CO 22 for front of hat. K1 to join and begin working in the round, and place marker for beginning of round.

Round 1: (P2, K4)*

2: (P2, C4F)*

3-10: (P2, K4)*

11: (P2, C4F)*

12-19: (P2, K4)*

20: (P2, C4F)*

21-28: (P2, K4)*

29: (P2, C4F)*

30: (P2TOG, K4)*

31: K*

32: (K3, K2TOG)*

33: K*

34: (K2, K2TOG)*

35: (K2, K2TOG)*

36: (K1, K2TOG)*

37: K2TOG*

Cut yarn and thread through remaining stitches. Weave in ends.

Finish by creating chunky braids to attach to each earflap. I used six 22” strands of yarn for each braid (the strands are folded in half, creating braids that are about 10" long). Use a crochet hook to pull each strand of yarn through the earflap until the ends are even. Braid strands together, secure, and trim ends until even.

Alternately, you could begin each earflap by working a 6 stitch I-Cord for 9” or 10” (or desired length).