Knitting as Germ Warfare?

As it does every week, Saturday has rolled around. Today is a sunny, lonely Saturday, as the boys and their parents have some sort of "germ." So, it's just me and Pop Pop having a lazy day, with none of this

Gotta wipe those faces after Mitchell's ice cream!

or that

or this other...at our house, at their house, or anywhere in-between

and it is a little sad. 

Don't worry...there is knitting! As my preferred way to keep busy while waiting out the germs (rather than warring against them) as we watch golf, work the Wordle, Quordle and Spelling Bee, knitting is keeping me sane and helping me to drink in these quiet moments. So, what am I knitting?

Here are some face-washers I'm working on for the kiddos. Mama has requested grey, as they are to be kept in the kitchen for after meals. 

My free pattern, Gramma's Favorite Dishcloth

And here are some cats, in miniature (as you may have come to expect from Pretty)! 

Cat in a Bag, Cat in a Box, Cat on a Life Preserver

The cats are much lazier than the apple conquering t-rexes,

and I'm not sure a cat on a "floatie" is a good idea (claws, you know!),

Don't pop the preserver!

but they were sure fun to knit! Thanks MochiMochiLand makers!

I have a few more face-washers to finish, but I am thinking of doing something really bananas with my knitting soon, so I hope you'll come back in the next couple weeks to hear about it! In the meantime, there is nothing quite so lazy as a Saturday afternoon nap, and I think that I will indulge. 

How about you?

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

¡Todas Las Cosas Nuevas!

You know how you can look at a thing for years and years, and then one day, it's like you're seeing it for the first time again? Like when the daffodils bloom...you've seen them every year, but this year, it's like they bring fresh hope because SPRING IS COMING!

Something like that happened to me in the last couple of weeks, when Rosemary Kiladatis contacted me to let me know she had finished translating my dishcloth pattern into Spanish! THANK YOU Rosemary! She asked if she could do this a few months back, so she could teach knitting to more people (which I am always for). Wanna take a look? Here's a link to the pattern on Ravelry: Gramma's Favorite Dishcloth (Grandmother's 2nd Favorite)

So, if you're looking for a little something fun and easy to knit, give it a shot. And if you'd like some cute pics of a couple of boys who never stop moving, well I aim to please with that as well!

Just like a good run through the spring rain, I love the concept of a good, old-fashioned fresh start. Ephesians 4:20-24 says this:

That, however is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

I love that. I absolutely love that God is a God of second chances. And third chances. And fresh starts. This is what the story of Easter is all about. 

What new things are you looking forward to this spring? 

While you wait, thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Oh, and I have a new sweater, too!

Saturday Pattern-day!

That's right! Today is the day! I have written up the FREE instructions for my Squishy Baby Blocks, and the pattern is live on Ravelry (and here)! 

You've seen the blocks on my project page, and in the blog, and now you can make your very own! There is no gauge or yardage listed in the pattern, because this one is really good for scraps. I used worsted yarn with 4mm needles, but that's really just a suggestion. Use what works for you. Well, maybe try to get about 5 sts/in if you want to follow the pattern exactly, but you only need a small amount of yarn for each block. 

All in all, my hope is that you get creative and have some fun with these. Even beginners can go crazy, because there isn't anything fancy going on...no knitting in the round, no increases or decreases, no fancy pattern or texture, just knits and purls, and very little counting. So little stress and so much fun...WHY AREN'T YOU KNITTING YET???

Oh, I haven't given you the link...riiiight. Well, here it is: Squishy Baby Blocks, a free download from Ravelry, and here is a link to go to a copy of the pattern via Google Docs: Squishy Baby Blocks

So NOW what are you waiting for? Go make some blocks! You know you want to...

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit Squishy Baby Blocks in Good Health!

Buy the Pattern...

If You Don't Buy the Pattern
by Pretty Knitty

If you want to knit a scarf, but you don't buy the pattern,
what you will usually get is a scarf.
If you want to knit a hat, but you don't buy the pattern,
you will probably still get a hat.
If you want to knit socks, but you don't buy the pattern,
you might just end up with fingerless mitts.

But, if you want to knit a horse, you should buy the pattern.
If you don't buy the pattern, your horse may end up looking more like a hump-less camel...or maybe a sea-monster...creepy!

Lesson learned, I guess...? (sigh!) Probably not...

Still, I am truly hoping that I can redeem this poor, wannabe horse by adding ears, legs, a mane and tail. In the meantime, pray for this poor creature, knitters!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!
(But do me a favor...if it's a complicated knit, just buy the pattern.)

Which Came First?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg-hat?

Well, in Pretty's house, the Egg-Hat clearly came first. . .12 of them, in fact!  Of course, once a knitter produces 12 hats for eggs, the knitter also feels the need to display the art, like so:

But this knitter realized, somewhere around hats eight and nine, that she had no pretty platter or other such dish, upon which to display her eggs!  So, what do you think she did?  She bought one, of course. . .(enter the Chicken)!

Yes, yes, she knows that this is a rooster.  It is also a whimsical, 2-quart casserole dish, with a wire basket for carrying.  It is really quite lovely on it's own, but it is SPECTACULAR when it holds a dozen hatted eggs, fresh from our favorite farm!

Now that Pretty has a grandchild, new holiday traditions are afoot!  I am just giddy with the thought of a little Peanut asking, "Gramma, can I help you get out the Easter chicken?," someday!

I hope that you have some pretty things about your house this spring, and I hope that the big questions in the universe (Chicken or egg? C'mon! Which is it?) don't stop you from smelling the flowers around you here and now.  

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

What did you say?

Sometimes I know just what to say.

Sometimes I have a lot to say, but I shouldn't say any of it.

Sometimes I say it anyway.

Sometimes I am too busy to say much of anything to anyone.  I think that these are the times that God protects me from myself.  Today is one of those days, so lets talk about knitting.

Today, as I turn the next page in my stitch-a-day calendar. . .

. . .I notice that it is yet one more variation of holey fabric.  Sometimes it bugs me when I look for variety but find a bunch of the same-old, same-old.  This year, I am hoping to not be so bugged by that.  I have cast on a new sweater (but have not taken pics yet), and I am planning to knit toy after toy for my dear Peanut (she soooo loved those dolls!).  I have two books of mochimochi patterns, and I just downloaded 7 patterns for jelly bums, so it seems that 2012 will be the year of the knitted toy at Pretty's house!  After all, toys don't really care what you have to say, as long as you play with them. . .

I promise pictures, as soon as my life doesn't feel so full of holes!  Today it just feels like time is slipping by so fast, and I am not getting much accomplished. . .but I hope to have some project progress sooner rather than later!

I hope that you are having knitting success so far this year!  Is 2012 the "year of something" for you?  Tell me what! 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Counting Sheep, and Writing Patterns

Another busy week in the land of Pretty! There is a BIG ORDER in the shop, and I did not have enough inventory to fill it, so I was up late creating and counting sheep and birds (animosity abounds in Pretty's poly-clay!) for two nights already this week! (Now they are glazed and drying, waiting to be fit with their findings and made into beautimous knitting jewelry!)Pretty's birds were featured in a treasury last week (squee!), and business is picking up! There are plans afoot for more charms and beads and row counters for the winter and spring, so keep checking into the shop often!

In Knitting Knews, you have heard that there are Scarfies, and Mittens and Hats (oh, my!) in the making for the girls in Pretty's family, and I have been hard at work on those as well! Here is my latest cast on hat, to match a scarf Wifey-Poo already has in her wardrobe. I am knitting it on size 11 (8mm) DPNs that I have from my Grandma's stash of knitting tools! They are long, and a bit cumbersome, but I imagine her using them, and I just love them. . .so far, I like how the hat is working up as well! Maybe I will get around to writing up the pattern?
Maybe, Maybe not! Right, Corrie?After all, this hat and scarf turned out really well! Here it is on the intended recipient:I just LOVE that Dollface gets a knitted gift, and she runs right into the bathroom to try it on, adjust and primp, and admire it in the mirror! It does a knitting mom's heart good!And I even love it when she rolls her eyes at all the photo ops she is forced to endure, posing in a pout, just like the supermodel she is at heart!This pattern I did write up, and it is SUPER easy! I know there must be similar patterns out there, but why not add another to the mix? I hope that some of you can use it! Before I pass it along, let me just take a moment to say, as always:

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

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Bulky Hat and Scarf in Northland Snowfall

Needles: 10.5 (6.5mm) for hat; 13 (9.0mm) for scarf
Yarn: Northland Snowfall, or similar bulky yarn
Gauge: I am a bad knitter, I did not really measure gauge, but my daughter's head is on the medium/large size, and this hat was made roomy, to accommodate lots of hair piled up in a bun on top of her noggin.

The HAT:
(Size 10.5 needles)

Cast on 48 sts (using a very stretchy cast on) and join to knit in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
K2, P2 around for 5 rounds.

Increase for body, or "making room for all that hair":
Knit one round, increasing 8 sts evenly around (56 sts).
Knit one round.
Knit one round, increasing 8 sts evenly around (64 sts).
Knit 22 rounds in Stockinette (knit every round). Hat should be approx. 6.5-6.75" long.
If you don't have a lot of hair, or you have a smaller head, you can get away with as few as 15-16 rounds of Stockinette, which is how I would knit this hat for myself, or for my DIL.

Decrease for crown:
Knit 6, K2tog around (56 sts).
Knit one round.
Knit 5, K2tog around (48 sts).
Knit one round.
Continue decreasing in this manner until you have 16 sts.

***K2tog around (8 sts).***
This round is optional. You can stop with 16 sts and finish off, if you like.

Draw yarn through remaining stitches twice, and fasten off, weaving ends to inside of hat at cast on edge and top of crown.
The hat pictured above took just about 1.25 balls of the Snowfall yarn, then I added a little tassel-thingie (after the photo shoot) at Dollface's request. Embellish at will!

Easy, no? The scarf is just as easy! Read on!

The SCARF:
(Size 13 needles)

Reversible Cable is worked over 4 sts, continuing the pattern of K1, P1 IN THE CABLE.
Step 1: Place two sts on cable needle held to the front
Step 2: Knit 1, Purl 1
Step 3: Working the two sts from the cable needle, Knit 1, Purl 1

Cast on 16 sts, and work K1, P1 rib for 6 rows.
Row 7: *Work reversible cable, (K1, P1)x2, and repeat from *
Rows 8-12: K1. P1 across
Row 13: *(K1, P1)x2, work reversible cable, and repeat from *
Rows 14-18: K1. P1 across
Repeat rows 7-18 until the scarf is as long as you like.

(I used two 50 gram balls of snowfall for my scarf, and it is approx 60" long.)

Bind off in K1, P1 pattern and weave in ends.

Now, put on your hat and scarf, and be warm!

Designing Women

I love Designing Women! I loved the TV show in the 80s, and I love the Designing Women that I have come to know throughout my life. I am also learning to really appreciate all the work that goes into knitting design lately. . .and here are a few of my favorite designing women:

Knitting Nonstop - A good friend that I first met on Ravelry, and now know in person. . .yay! She designs knitting patterns for very lovely sweaters, bags and SOCKS! You know how I love to knit socks! Oh, and she is (apparently) the master of the Woolmeisse purchase!

SpinDyeKnit - A good friend I met online, through her blog and on Ravelry. Always there with words of encouragement, even when her day is not going too well. On her blog, even her commenters make me laugh! And she designs the most beautiful lace shawls and scarves. . .I am enamored by her work!

Cozy Spirit Yarns - Can I just tell you again that I love Ravelry? I also know this designing woman from my online time there! Cozy designs and creates the cutest little, free-spirited critters (and she dyes luscious yarns - her color sense is amazing), and she has two etsy shops you can link to from her blog as well! This blog is a really Cozy place to hang out. :)

And this week, I became a Designing Woman myself! I talked in my last post about the shawl I have been working on for the Mothers of Soldiers group on Ravelry, and the design is finally finished (and I hope there are not too many mistakes!). If you would like a free copy, you can download it here, or there is a link on the right side of the blog page! Here is a finished pic of the scarf I made from this pattern in bulky Malabrigo Rasta, the color is "Abril". Yummm!
And, since I seemed to be on a roll, I uploaded another free pattern as well! Remember the Christmas Mittens I made this January? Well, I had written up that pattern in this post, but now you can also download it here!

I am pretty proud of myself, and I am so happy to share with you! (Still figuring out how to link the patterms in my sidebar. . .they are over there, but I know there is a better way. . .bear with me!) I hope to design more patterns eventually. . .it's so fun to make something exactly like I see it in my brain! The writing of the pattern is a little tedious, but even that part is enjoyable. . .omgosh! I think I just found myself another hobby. . .! Aaaargh! When am I gonna knit? LoL! Who am I kidding, knitting is like jello. . .and there's always room for jello!

Thanks for stopping by, and. . .
Knit in Good Health!

Post #98 - the one with the Mittens

Wow! I have almost posted 100 times to my blog! That is seriously some kind of amazing! And I guess twice a week for 49 weeks so far since I started, yep. . .98 is right about where I should be! By the way, there is a 1-year anniversary coming up verrrry soon, so stay tuned!

As you may have guessed, this post will contain my first pattern! Now, before you get too very impressed, it's a simple pattern for mittens. And it's not that much different than many other mitten patterns. There is a slightly complicated part, if you want a flap on your mittens, but it's really not all that hard, and I am not claiming to have invented the idea, this is just how I do it. . .and anyone can make these.

So, here it is, for those who have been waiting (Annie!):

Mittens with a Flap
Materials:
Double pointed needles or long circular needles (for magic loop), size US 4 (3.5mm)

Worsted Weight yarn, less than 100g (I used Cascade 220 for the red ones, and a superwash I can't remember the name of for the tan ones)

1 stitch marker (for working thumb gusset)

Waste yarn (to hold thumb stitches)

You may at some point want to use a row counter, but it's not necessary. However, my lengths are measured in rows, rather than inches or cm.

Gauge:
5.5sts and 8rows/inch, but shhhh! I never check gauge. If they are looking too small after a few rounds, rip 'em out and start over with a few more stitches. If the row count I give you doesn't look long enough, knit a couple more rows!

Size:
To fit my hand, woman, medium-sized, shall we say?

Notes:
Take them while you knit. Record your adjustments, get comfortable with the procedure, and you should be able to adapt the flap to any other mitten pattern out there!

Cast on 36 sts loosely and divide onto double points or magic loop for knitting in the round.
Join without twisting, and work k2, p2 ribbing for 24 rounds.

Start at Row 1 again (if using a counter), and knit all stitches, increasing 4 evenly around (40 sts total). At this point, I put the stitches on 4 dpns (10 sts on each) unless I am doing magic loop.
Round 2: Knit all stitches
Round 3: (Rt): k1, kf&b, k1, kf&b, place marker, knit around (incs made on "front" of mitten)
-------- (L): k16, place marker, kf&b, k1, kf&b, k1, knit around (incs made on "front" of mitten)
Rounds 4 & 5: Knit around, slipping marker as you come to it.
Round 6: (Rt): k1, kf&b, knit to one stitch before marker, kf&b, slip marker, knit around
-------- (L): k16, slip marker, kf&b, knit to 2 sts before end of "front", kf&b, k1, knit around
Rounds 7 & 8: Knit around, slipping marker as you come to it.
Rounds 9 - 20: Repeat rounds 6-8 four times more. There are now 52 sts total.

Top of Hand:
Start at row 1 again.
Round 1: (Rt): K2, slip 13 sts onto waste yarn for thumb, cast on 1 stitch, and knit around.
-------- (L): K17, slip 13 sts onto waste yarn for thumb, cast on 1 stitch, and knit around.
Round 2-10: Knit around plain. (You are back to working on 40 sts now)
Round 11: k20, p20 (The purl bumps mark the placement for the flap on the back of mitten.)
Round 12: Knit around plain.
Round 13: While decreasing evenly 4 sts around, work k2, p2 ribbing.
Rounds 14-20: (k2, p2) around
Bind off loosely, and cut yarn.


Thumb:
From the waste yarn, place 13 stitches on dpns or circular needles, and pick up and knit an additional 4 sts in the "gap" where the thumb joins the hand. Then knit around the other 13 sts as well, this is round 1.
Round 2: knit around, with one k2tog where the thumb joins the hand. (16 sts total)
Rounds 3-15: Knit around.
Round 16: k2tog around, cut yarn leaving a long tail. Using a tapestry needle, draw tail through lives stitches once or twice, then bring to inside of thumb to knot and weave in the end.

Flap:
Cast on 18 sts to an empty dpn or the cable needle (if magic-looping).
With same needle, and the mitten back facing you, wrist ribbing at the bottom, pick up and knit a stitch in 20 purl bumps on the back of the hand.
Join and arrange these 38 sts to work in the round, 18 free sts, 20 sts on the mitten back.
Rounds 1-8: (k2, p2) across the 18 free stitches cast on, k across the other 20 sts.
Round 9: k1, m1, k16, m1, k21 (40 stitches total)
Rounds 10-22: knit around
We are now finished counting rounds.

(k4, k2tog) around until 16 sts remain.
(k3, k2tog) around until 10 sts remain.

Place stitches on parallel needles and graft closed, taking care to make the top of the mitten "flat" in the same direction the mitten will lie flat OR

Cut yarn and draw through all live stitches, as for thumb, bringing tail to inside of flap to knot and weave in.

Make another mitten, preferably for the other hand. lol!

And that's all there is to it! Simple, huh? And quick, I tell ya! Now, winter's not quite over, so go whip up a pair, and make a bunch for next winter, too! They make great Christmas gifts!

Knit in Good Health!