Pattern #5!

Here's the newest pattern.  It's easy enough for a beginner to do and a quick knit for experienced knitters.  The holidays are coming and last minute gifts are always needed!  Arm warmers are always popular, everyone I've given a pair to over the past few years has been quite happy to receive them.  Cascade 220 is a great wool, and with the generous yardage you can make more than one pair of these little striped gloves!

Burtonesque Hand warmers

1 skein Cascade 220, col. 8555, black, colour A

1 skein Cascade 220, col. 8505, cream, colour B

1 skein Cascade 220, col. 9404, red, colour C

1 pair size 5 needles

1 crochet hook, size E

Gauge:  5 sts to 1” on size 5 needles

Stripe sequence:

Row 1:  A

Row 2:  A

Row 3:  B

Row 4:  B

Sometimes you just want an easy little knit.  These arm warmers are just the thing.  I love the movies of Tim Burton, especially Beetlejuice and a Nightmare Before Christmas.  These movies inspired this pair of arm warmers with their black and white stripes and red accents.  They are a quick and easy knit, suitable for beginners, and will make up quickly for holiday gifts.  And they’re just the thing if you’re going to meet the Pumpkin King.

Cast on 36 sts with colour A, leaving a tail of about 10”

(You will use the tails from the cast on and bind off to sew up the arm warmers, this is why they are longer than usual)

Work in stockinette stitch, following stripe pattern, until there are 39 stripes

(First and last stripe should be black)

Bind off, leaving a tail about 10” long 

Repeat for second arm warmer

Making up:  

Thread tail from cast on onto a darning needle and sew up for 23 stripes

Weave in end

Thread tail from bind off onto a darning needle and sew down 9 stripes

Weave in end

With colour C and size E crochet hook work 19 scs around thumb opening

Work a second round of 18 scs around thumb opening, making a slip st on sc #19

Bind off and weave in ends

Wear and enjoy!

Tomorrow's pattern

I think you'll like tomorrow's pattern, it's quick and easy and just the thing for last minute presents!  Perfect for beginning knitters too!

A Dark and Stormy Knit

Here's the newest pattern!  This one is a pullover, inspired by a new colour of Malabrigo Worsted at my LYS, Paris Night.  Malabrigo Worsted is one of the softest wools I've ever come across.  You can find it here, http://www.malabrigoyarn.com/.   I thought this dark purplish colourway was perfect for fall and have been wearing nonstop since I finished it, especially with the cold weather we have been having here in Portland.  (It's supposed to snow today, in fact.)  If you're here in Portland I hope you're home with a cup of cocoa and your knitting!

I apologize for the photos for this one, they didn't turn out as well as I had hoped.  One of these days I'm going to find someone to help me with the photographs, but for right now, it's just me and my second hand camera.  (Which doesn't always work like it should.  The flash appears to have a mind of it's own.  Sometimes it works, sometimes not.)  The sweater looks great on, with 3/4 length sleeves, and the feather and fan cuff.  If you haven't done lace before, don't be afraid.  This is a four row repeat, with the lace on only one row, so it's not too bad.  Be brave and try it!

As always, feel free to use the pattern to make yourself a sweater but please remember to reference me as the designer.  If you have any questions post them here and I will do my best to help.  Thanks for looking!

It was a Dark and Stormy Knit...........

3 skeins Malabrigo Worsted, col. Paris Night

Size 9 circular needles, 24”

4 st markers, one of a contrasting colour

Scrap yarn

Sweater is 34” around at underarm

Gauge: 4 sts to 1” on size 9 needles

Feather and fan from the top down

(Worked back and forth in rows)

Row 1:  (WS) knit

Row 2:  (RS) knit

Row 3:  (WS) purl

Row 4:  (RS)  k4, (k2tog 3 times, yo, k1 6 times, ssk 3 times) repeat to last 2 sts, k4

1x1 Rib

Row 1:  k1, p1, repeat across row

Repeat row 1 for all following rows

I love Malabrigo Worsted, it’s not only soft and a quick knit, the colours are wonderful.  I was in my LYS looking for yarn for a sweater when I stumbled across a new colour, Paris Night.  It didn’t work out for the sweater I originally intended it for, but while swatching it I came up with an idea for my own design.  The colours of the yarn bring to mind a windswept fall evening.  

Sweater is worked from the top down.  Because of this the feather and fan lace is worked in reverse, so the yarn overs are on the last row. 

Body: 

Cast on 80 sts

Place the contrasting colour marker for beginning of row and knit 1 row

Marker set up row:  sm, knit 8, pm, knit 32, pm, knit 8, pm, knit 32

Increase row:  sm, kfb, knit to 1 st before marker, kfb, repeat 3 more times

Knit 1 row plain

Here's a close up of the colour.  Love the grey and purple mix!

Repeat these two rows 15 more times, (208 sts)

Divide for body and sleeves:  

Knit across 64 sts for front, sm, place 40 sleeve sts on scrap yarn, remove marker, repeat once more

Body:  working on 128 sts left on needles, work 9 rows even

Decrease row:  sm, k1, ssk, knit to 3 sts before marker, k2tog, k1, repeat once more

Work 6 rows even

Repeat these 7 rows 3 more times, (112 sts)

Work 9 rows even

Increase row:  sm, k1, m1, knit to 1 st before marker, m1, k1, repeat once more

Work 7 rows plain

Repeat these 8 rows twice more (124 sts)

Knit for a further 15 rows

Work 4 rows of 1x1 rib

Bind of

Sleeves:

Using size 9 needles, transfer 40 sts from holder or scrap yarn

Pick up 1 st from underarm, knit across sleeve sts, pick up 1 st at end of row

Do not join.  Sleeve is worked back and forth on needles.

Work back and forth in st st for 9”, end with RS row

Begin Feather and Fan sleeve detail

Row 1:  (WS) knit

Row 2:  (RS) knit

Row 3:  (WS) purl

Row 4:  (RS) k4, (k2tog 3 times, yo, k1 6 times, ssk 3 times) repeat to last 2 sts, k4

Repeat these 4 rows 5 times more

Bind off

Wear and enjoy!

Feather and fan lace detail at cuff  

The Shop

I put my first item up on Etsy this morning with more to come.  (Etsy says the items will be up to view on the website in 12 to 24 hours.)  Wish me luck!

Tomorrow........

As if the project of doing one pattern a week for the next 49 weeks wasn't enough, I've decided to open an Etsy store in time for the holidays.  Wish me luck!  (the shop is under 1knittinkitten, if you want to stop by tomorrow and take a look!)

A Cloche Call

This little cloche was inspired by Portland's rainy weather and the sometimes cumbersome nature of umbrellas.  I hate getting rained on but find it's not always easy to carry around my umbrellas, especially when running errands.   There were two balls of Malabrigo lace weight, colour Frank Ogre, hanging out in my stash and I decided to put them to good use.  I used four strands together, (hold both ends of each ball as you knit), to make a warm, water-resistant cloche hat.  The blue version is made from a worsted weight yarn, Shepherd's Worsted in Misty Blue, available from my LYS, Urban Fiber Arts at 428 NW 11th Ave, in Portland's Pearl District.  If you aren't lucky enough to live in Portland, you can find Urban Fiber Arts here, http://urbanfiberarts.com/.  Thanks to the owner, Cindy Abernathy, for the use of Millicent the mannequin.

A Cloche Call

Chartreuse cloche: 2 skeins Malabrigo Lace in Frank Ogre                         
Blue cloche:  1 skein Shepherd's Worsted in Misty Blue

1 pair size 10 needles

1 pair 16” circular needles, size 9

1 button

Gauge:  4 sts to 1” on smaller needles
*Remember if you are using the Malabrigo Lace you will be holding 4 strands together as you work.  Use the ends from both the inside and the outside of each ball*

This cloche almost didn’t happen.  It originally started as a gauge swatch that I thought might look nice as a knitted headband.  As I was casting off on the final row of the band I decided to turn the work and keep going.  The hat kind of just evolved from there.  

Cast on 12 sts with size 10 needles and work in garter st for 6 rows

Buttonhole:  knit 5, k2tog, yo, knit to end

Work 7 more rows, place removable marker or scrap yarn to mark this row 

Work in garter st until piece measures 21”

Bind off, leaving last st on needles

Using the 16” circular needles pick up 101 sts along the 

edge of hat, between the last bind off st and the marked row

Mark beginning of row with marker

(Remember to switch to double pointed needles when there are too few stitches to fit comfortably on circular needles)

Join and work in stockinette st in the round for 2”

Decrease row 1:  ssk, knit 15, repeat to end of row

Work 1 row plain

Decrease row 2:  ssk, knit 14, repeat to end of row

Work 1 row plain

Decrease row 3:  ssk, knit 13, repeat to end of row

Decrease row 4:  ssk, knit 12, repeat to end of row

Decrease row 5:  ssk, knit 11, repeat to end of row

Decrease row 6:  ssk, knit 10, repeat to end of row

Decrease row 7:  ssk, knit 9, repeat to end of row

Decrease row 8:  ssk, knit 8, repeat to end of row

Decrease row 9:  ssk, knit 7, repeat to end of row

Decrease row 10:  ssk, knit 6, repeat to end of row

Decrease row 11:  ssk, knit 5, repeat to end of row

Decrease row 12:  ssk, knit 4, repeat to end of row

Decrease row 13:  ssk, knit 3, repeat to end of row

Decrease row 14:  ssk, knit 2, repeat to end of row

Decrease row 15:  ssk, knit 1, repeat to end of row

Decrease row 16:  ssk, repeat to end of row

Cut yarn, leaving a tail about 6” long

With yarn on a darning needle, thread through remaining sts and pull tight

Weave in ends

Sew on button to correspond to buttonhole

Wear and enjoy!

Monday's pattern........

I'm really excited about the new Monday's pattern.  I thought it was going to be one that I have been working on for a while, but I got inspired by yesterday's rainy day and came up with a stylish, yet quick knit.  Can't wait to hear what you think of it!