Grahm

I certainly have been on a cowl-kick! For me, there’s something about designing something functional as well as visually interesting on such a small canvas that really gets my knitting mojo flowing!

After working on Sugar Plum, which was cable heavy and very feminine, I wanted something a bit more masculine with a good amount of structure, clean lines, and a little something extra to make it special. After a few swatches and rip out sessions, I settled on a wonderful marriage between ribbing, simple cables, and a smidge of striping, just for fun.

Personally, I love how the density of the fabric allows it to stand up like a turtle-neck under a coat, as well as the great stitch definition on account of my yarn choice (yes, Lana D’Oro again--I just can’t keep away from this stuff!) However, my favorite part about this cowl is that its knit extra long and then folded, so it’s double-thick, extra warm, and showcases two different panels of color and stitch pattern so that it can be coordinated with multiple outfits or jackets.


Finished Size | 19 in. / 48.25 cm in length, 10 in / 25.5 cm in width

Materials | Worsted weight yarn. Approx. 215 yards / 196m of each of 2 colors. Shown in Cascade Lana D’Oro (MC) 1042 and (CC) 1087. US 5 / 3.75mm circular needle, 16 or 24 inches / 40 or 60cm long

Gauge | 20 sts and 26 rows = 4 inches / 10cm in stockinette stitch

I knit this in the round using a 24” circular needle. I would recommend a 16”, as things start to get a bit tight when cabling, but it is do-able. So as long as you stick to the gauge, you don’t have to go out and buy new materials if you already have a 24” at home.

It can be argued that I have a tendency towards a type-A personality, and therefore suffer episodes of perfectionism that I willingly indulge—particularly with regards to my knitting. My motto is: If you’re going to spend the time doing something, do it right. And while this can be applied to really anything in life, you know it meant that, before learning that a crochet hook can be a knitters best friend, I would rip out half a scarf just to fix an unwieldy stitch some two-feet ago. Now, it means taking the time to research the most appropriate cast-on or bind off methods for a particular project, knowing which yarn will hold up best, as well as refining my techniques with each new project. For me, being mindful of my knitting and taking the time to use the proper techniques really transforms the act of knitting from being just a crafty past time into a real art.

So, with that said:

In the ribbing portion, I used the joggles stripe method and carried my yarn. This helped to minimize those unsightly “jumps” in the color work, as well as the need to weave in pesky little ends on every row. It’s a very simple technique, and a great tutorial can be found here.

I also knit my cables without a cable needle, and I promise you—once you work it a few times, you’ll never go back to using your fiddly cable needles or DPNs.

Lastly, to bind off, I used a basic bind-off and just made sure to knit my knit stitches and purl my purl stitches. This resulted in a very clean bind off that didn’t add any unnecessary bulk.

As I mentioned above, the Lana D’Oro knits up very sturdily and allows the fabric to really “stand-up”. While the yarn is very economical, it doesn't compromise on softness. But if you’re into softer, still, splurge for some Rowan Kid Classic to increase its drape an overall plushness. And with a change in color palette, this can easily suit a woman as well.

So, regardless of wool choice, or lucky recipient!, this is the perfect knit for the eventual frigid onslaught of winter weather that I’m sure (I hope!) we will be experiencing soon. After all, I have all these hand knits waiting so very patiently to fulfill their wooly destiny!

This pattern is available for $3.00 through Ravelry.com using paypal, no accounts required. It is immediately delivered as a 2-page full-color PDF download with photos.

Thanksgiving Wishes

I hope you and your families celebrated a wonderful holiday! Mine certainly did…with a whole lot of turkey and 10-pounds of mashed potatoes. Note to self, when mum says “a little more than 5-pounds”, she doesn’t mean double! This year I was lucky enough to have the entire week-end off (including Black Friday...which I spent happily snuggled in bed) and was able to get some quality knitting time in.

For now, here's a little baby knitting. These little cuties were made a bit over a month ago in anticipation of my sister visiting with her twin boys. I’ve been a bit delayed in writing a post about them.



Saartje's Bootees by Saartje de Bruijn
Yarn Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, 3 skeins: 203, 027, 202
Needle US 3 / 3.25 mm

The construction of the booties is really interesting. They are knit flat and then turn in on themselves, and with a little seam here and seam there, voila! They pop into shape and look absolutely adorable. I’ll admit that they are a little fiddly when it comes to seaming and casting-on new stitches for the strap, but with such a quick little knit, how can you go wrong?

My only gripe was that, even with the correct gauge, these were FAR too large for the boys. I had to quickly knit up another pair with smaller needles (us 1) and substituted the 1 strap and button with 2 longer I-cord straps that tied together. It was a very sweet alternative, and they fit perfectly. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo-op, so you'll be left to use your imagination on this one...unless I get motivated enough to make another pair.

And here’s a little taste of something new I’ve been working on…


More to come later : )

Sugar Plum Cowl

The chill of fall has always had a way of making me crave all things warm and woolen, and this year is no exception.


Specs
• Finished Size: 22" x 8" blocked
• Gauge: 22 stitches = 4" in stockinette
• Yardage: about 200

Materials
• Cascade Lana D'Oro 50/50 Wool & Superfine Alpaca blend in 1069 (Plum Purple), 1 hank
• US 5 Knitting Needles, or needles to obtain gauge.
• Cable Needle (optional)
• Blunt Tapestry Needle and remaining project yarn for seaming

Anyone who has knit cables knows that they are a wonderful way to add a bit of soft bulk to a garment, not to mention oodles of texture and character. So it comes as no surprise that this autumn has inspired my knitting more than ever with projects full of lush cables and springy bobbles—and oh BOY, do I have things up my sleeve!

Sugar Plum incorporates cables and bobbles into a quick little knit that is great for both holiday gifting, or a little self indulgence :) This design was initially inspired by juicy little sugar plums, you know the ones; T’was a night before Christmas, and all through the house… But it really came to life after the owner of my LYS took me into the inventory room and cracked open a seemingly inconsequential tattered brown box, only to expose hanks of jewel-like Lana D’Oro.



This new line of 50% wool and 50% superfine alpaca yarns by Cascade comes in unbelievable solid and heather colorways and combines the strength and clean blocking of wool with the soft halo of alpaca, not to mention it feels wonderful to the touch. While I would recommend this yarn hands down, if you’re trying to stash-bust, any worsted weight will do. Just be sure to use only yarns made from animal fiber or a sufficient block may not be achieved.



Although small, this project is an exercise in technique. To start, it incorporates bobbles and cables, all of which were knit without cable needles. Additionally, in order to achieve the horizontal cable I craved, I chose to knit lengthwise which called for a cast-on leaving live stitches as well as a smart hem. Visit Knitty.com for a thorough tutorial for both provisional cast-on and kitchener stitches for both knit and garter stitch, that when executed with care, renders a virtually invisible hem.

While this pattern is meant to knit up as a classy and unbelievably soft cowl, with a few additional hanks of yarn, the pattern motif will lend very well to either a scarf or a doubly long cowl that can be twisted and used as a hood. Knit on and be creative!

This pattern is available for $3.00 through Ravelry.com using paypal, no accounts required. It is immediately delivered as a 2-page full-color PDF download with photos and charts.

Please contact me at egknits@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

Happy Knitting!

Fresh off the Needles!

When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, ‘tis near Halloween! anonymous

Now that the fall is most definitely in our midst, my needles have swiftly been-a-clackin'!


Waffle Scarf
Yarn: Berocco Vintage Wool in Cracked Pepper
US 5 circulars

It dawned on me that after almost 3-years, I had yet to knit Shaun up a proper fall scarf. I browsed through Ravelry and found several choices and had him choose (with only a slight bit of suggestion on my part!) a quick-to-knit, yet interesting pattern. We opted for the Malabrigo Waffle pattern, which is actually just a basic waffle stitch, a.k.a., the double seed or "box" stitch. Despite it's simplicity, the stitch pattern truley showcases the yarn--too bad I had just invested my pennies in a few hanks of the new Berocco Vintage wool! Regardless, the scarf came out wonderfully, that is after a bit of steam blocking and a few frogs due to some mischievious cats ;)


If I ever chose to re-knit this, I'd opt for a 100% wool so that the curling could be abated with a good submerged block.



Lichen Cowl by Lolly
Yarn: Nashua Yarn (Magenta/Pink)
US 5 circulars

While working on my graduate classes, I went on a complete knitting sabatical during which I experienced several 'minimalism' frenzies where I chucked a good portion of my stash. Some of the finer quality skeins remained, two of which were a ballerina pink and magenta from Nashua Yarns. The tags were misplaced a while back so I'm not sure about the exact spects, but they're on the lighter side of worsted and knit up beautifully. It's unbelievable to me that I've had these sitting around for going on 3-years now, and I've only just found the right pattern, and to boot, I still have about half a skein left of each!

This pattern combines 3 of my favorite qualities in a knitted garment: bright colors, stripes, and knitting completely in the round. 4th on the list would have been the minimal weaving in of those pesky little ends, but it wasn't until just now that I realized I could have just as easily carried my yarns. A notion I will most definitely apply in future pursuits! I suppose I might as well knit this up again, seeing as how I do have so much in the way of leftovers :)...[early] Christmas knitting, anyone?

Happy Knitting!

Mia

"In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats."
- English Proverb

Any cat owner knows just how true that is. And by the way, I'm making a great deal of headway with this blanket, although it seems that each time I take it out to work a few more rows, Mia leaps onto my lap and settles down for a nap. Naturally, before the blanket even came to resemble much more than a table runner, it was already peppered with its share of kitty fur! I've come to discover a way, though, of folding it into fours so that despite her splaying right in the middle of my work, I can still flop it over and back every couple of minutes to complete a whole row without jostling her. As it is, if I do try and shoo her away, she'll just retaliate by frolicking around and chasing my yarn strings. I suppose it's easier for me to just let her be :).