Happy New Year

Hope everyone had a happy New Year's eve last night!  Wishing you all luck in this year 2011!  And I hope you'll all like the pattern I post on Monday.  It's tricky one but a lot of fun!

          Hope you all got some great knitting related gifts for the holidays, I certainly did.  Two of my friends got me a gift certificate to Twisted, http://twistedpdx.com/, and I spent Monday picking out some great yarn.  (Look for a really colorful sweater coming soon!)  I think I'm also going to tackle the Twinkie Chan cupcake scarf as a belated holiday pattern for myself.  It's so sweet and cute I'm sure I'll be smiling all the time when wearing it!

Pattern #9

             I love all girly things, but I especially love bows.  There's something so charming about them!   I started looking around and there just aren't too many patterns for them.  So I sat down after the craziness of the holidays and whipped one up.  It gives you a chance to get comfortable with short rows, (one of my other favorite things), and it makes up in almost no time.  Once it's done, use a glue gun to glue it onto a headband or a hair clip.  It can also be sewn onto a sweater or t shirt.
            It's best to use a natural fiber for this project as you press it with a hot iron to set the shape once you're done.  You don't have to do the last step if you are using an acrylic or other synthetic yarn, but with wool I did.  I hope you enjoy this little accessory!
             As usual I have the copyright to my work.  Please feel free to use the pattern to make something for yourself but please reference me as the designer.  Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Tie One On

Small amount of dk weight yarn

(I used some leftover bits of Classic Elite’s Princess)

Size 3 needles

Bow measures approximately 5"

Gauge is not necessary for this project

I love girly accessories, especially bows.  (Well, maybe not those giant hair bows that everyone is wearing right now.)  This little bow is small enough to glue onto a hair clip, or onto a plain headband.  Make sure to use a natural material, such as wool or cotton, as you are going to press the bow with a hot iron.    

Cast on 24 sts

Work 4 rows in garter st

Begin short rows for right side:

Row 1:  knit 11, w&t

Row 2:  knit

Row 3:  knit 10, w&t

Row 4:  knit 

Row 5:  knit 9, w&t

Row 6:  knit

Row 7:  knit 8, w&t

Row 8: knit

Row 9:  knit 7, w&t

Row 10:  knit

Knit to end of row, working wraps together with their stitches

Begin short rows for left side:

Row 1:  knit 11, w&t

Row 2:  knit

Row 3:  knit 10, w&t

Row 4:  knit

Row 5:  knit 9, w&t

Row 6:  knit

Row 7:  knit 8, w&t

Row 8:  knit

Row 9:  knit 9, w&t

Row 10:  knit

Knit 1 row, working wraps together with their stitches

Repeat short rows 1-10 for right side

Knit 1 row, working wraps together with their stitches

Repeat short rows 1-10 for left side

Knit 1 row, working wraps together with their stitches

Next row:  bind off

Press bow with iron, making sure the setting is on high.  I used the steam function for my bow.  (I know this is counter to what you normally do with knitted garments but it works for this bow.  The steam helps to set the shape.)

Using size E crochet hook chain 11

Working into the second chain, sc, then sc to end

Work one more row of scs

Wrap small crochet chain around middle of bow, sew ends together

Weave in ends
Wear and enjoy!

Leftovers?

          I hope everyone had a great holiday!  Along with a great holiday there's a great holiday dinner.  So what do you do with the leftovers if you had turkey?  Here's a recipe I came up with a few years ago when I was trying to figure out what to do with leftover chicken.  I've gotten so many compliments that I thought I would share it with you!

Turkey/Chicken Curry Salad

This is a great way to use up your leftovers.  There are just a few ingredients and I bet you have most of them in your pantry right now.  This salad is great as a light lunch with tomatoes and crackers, or on a sandwich.  The tartness of the apple is a great contrast to the sweetness and spice of the curry.

Leftover turkey or chicken

1 tart green apple, I usually use Pippins

1 yellow onion

Curry powder to taste  (I get mine from the bulk spice aisle at Whole Foods)

Pinch of salt

Mayonnaise or Heinz Salad Cream to taste  (available at Cost Plus in the States.  It's like the British version of Miracle Whip and is a bit more vinegary which is why I like it.)

Cut turkey or chicken into cubes.  Cut both apple and onion into pieces about the same size as the poultry.  Place in bowl with turkey/chicken and add as much curry as you like.  Add in salt, then add half as much mayonnaise as you like.  Stir well, taste, then add more curry, salt, or mayonnaise.  (I have found when making this salad that sometimes you don't need as much of the condiments as you think you might.)  Enjoy!

Bonus Pattern!

             Here's a little christmas surprise, a bonus pattern.  I was knitting up a present for one of my friends when I realized that I didn't have anything planned for her partner.  Luckily I have a yarn store nearby, http://www.knit-purl.com/store/pc/home.asp, which carries a good selection of Cascade 220.  I found a great dark red, and started trying to figure out what to make.  Not everyone likes arm warmers but I figured everyone needs a hat here in rainy Portland.  I had made my friend a Cloche Call and thought that if I modified it the basic idea would make a great men's hat.  I omitted the button, made the garter band a bit thinner, and gave the whole thing a closer fit.  If you've made the Cloche Call, why not make a partner for your partner?
           Hope you all have a great holiday, and thank you to those who are following the blog, it gives me a lot of encouragement to see that people are coming here and viewing the patterns.  I always welcome suggestions and comments, and if you want to share, send me your pictures, I love to see what people do with the patterns!  As always, the patterns are for personal use, and please reference me as the designer when using them.

It’s Not a Cloche Call At All

2 double point needles, size 8

1 16” circular needle, size 6

Darning needle

1 ball Cascade 220 Superwash, color 855, maroon

Gauge:  4.5 sts to 1”

Here’s a simple men’s hat that I came up with when finishing a Cloche Call as a present  for one of my friends.  I was stumped as to what to knit for her partner until I came up with the idea of modifying the Cloche Call hat for men.  I omitted the side button and sewed the band together, still picking up and knitting in the round for the rest of the hat.  It’s a fast and easy knit just like the Cloche Call, perfect for making up as a last minute gift.    

Cast on 10 sts with size 8 dpns, you will only need two for the band.  Work back and forth on them as you would with any straight needles.  

Work in garter stitch for 20”, bind off, leaving last st on needles

Using smaller circular needles and starting at stitch left over from bind off, and counting that stitch as the first, pick up 100 sts around top of band

Join and purl one round, marking beginning of round with a marker

Work in st st until piece measures 5”

Decrease row 1:  ssk, knit 18, repeat 4 more times

Knit 1 round

Decrease row 2:  ssk, knit 17, repeat 4 more times

Knit 1 round

Decrease row 3:  ssk, knit 16, repeat 4 more times

Knit 1 round

Decrease row 4:  ssk, knit 15, repeat 4 more times

Knit 1 round

Decrease row 5:  ssk, knit 14, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 6:  ssk, knit 13, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 6:  ssk, knit 12, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 7:  ssk, knit 11, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 8:  ssk, knit 10, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 7:  ssk, knit 9, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 8:  ssk, knit 8, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 9:  ssk, knit 7, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 10:  ssk, knit 6, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 11:  ssk, knit 5, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 12:  ssk, knit 4, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 13:  ssk, knit 3, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 14:  ssk, knit 2, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 15:  ssk, knit 1, repeat 4 more times

Decrease row 16:  ssk across round

Cut yarn, leaving a tail about 9”

Thread tail onto darning needle and pull through remaining 5 sts

Sew garter stitch band ends together

Weave in ends

Wear and enjoy!

Hope all of you are ready for Christmas, it's just two days away!  I finished my baking last night at 10pm, finally done!  I just have two presents to finish and that may lead to a surprise posting tomorrow!  Keep an eye out for the bonus pattern........

Knit Night at Yarn Garden

I went to last night's knit night at Yarn Garden,  http://yarngarden.net/, and immediately remembered why I loved going to their knit nights on Tuesday.  Everyone there is at Yarn Garden is so nice, and the knitters that show up are so much fun it's hard to leave.  (But I had to because I take the bus and my transfer was going to expire.)  Thanks to everyone who complimented me on my cloche, I hope you all enjoy the pattern!  And thanks to Yarn Garden for supplying the wonderful treats!   Trust that there will be no more hiatus from this knit night for me!