Monthly Archives: February 2016

Inspiration: Leap Day

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Happy Leap Day, everyone!

Has Leap Day William visited you yet?  Once every 4 years, he comes from deep in the Mariana’s Trench and brings candy and rhubarb in exchange for children’s tears! (What? That’s just a weird thing that I think about because I watch too much 30 Rock?)db34caa16f10394fd0836c17844e5951Maybe Leap Day is a silly made-up TV holiday, but I’m going to celebrate it.  It’s the one day, every four years when you get magical extra time to do all the things you don’t usually get to do!  After all, “Real life is for March.”

So, in honor of Leap Day and Leap Day William, let’s talk about the blue and yellow projects that I would never normally make!

First off, a dog sweater.  I know some dogs need sweaters, but mine is not one of them (in fact, he has so much fluff that he needs haircuts every two months… it’s ridiculous).   That being said, dogs in sweaters are the cutest/dumbest things in the world.  And, I’m trying really hard not to be that kind of dog owner.  So, Ollie will never get one of these (unless I make an exception).

Dachshund or Small Dog Sweater 2 by Copper Llama Studiodog_sweater_020_medium[1]I also firmly believe that ponchos are dumb (I suppose some people can pull them off, but I am not one of them).  But I will run around the house trailing three blankets from around my shoulders, because that makes more sense, right?  Although, I have to admit that this poncho is actually kind of attractive.  But, no!  I refuse!  No ponchos!

Golden bough/Gyllene grenverk by Ann Linderhjelmponcho2_medium[1]And, of course, I think socks should be comfy, cozy, and above all, practical.  (After all, they’re the things you wear on your feet and stuff into shoes.)  You definitely should never spend weeks and weeks making beautiful cabled brioche socks.  (Uh, oh… I can feel my convictions starting to slip- they’re so pretty and squishy…)

Cushy Cables Brioche Socks by Kirsten HallIMG_3400_medium2[1]And, you know what else?  Vests.  Vests are really stupid.  Why make a whole sweater, and not make the arms?  Don’t your arms get cold?  Mine do.  But, this one looks nice and comfortable, I suppose.  With all those cables?  And those super cute toggles…  Sigh…

Estes Vest by Hana Jason3108957975_2cce62321b_z[1]

Apparently my Strongly Held Beliefs about what I should and should not knit are not so strongly held, after all.  Maybe I’m being moved the spirit of Leap Day?

What’s on your list of “Never-Knits?”  Would you ever make an exception?

(Ooh!  And don’t forget the 52 More Weeks of Dishcloths Giveaway!  You’ve got until Wednesday to enter!)

Husband Sweater Update!

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I’ve been cranking away at the sweater I’m making for my husband, and I’m making good progress!

The shoulders are done and I love the seed stitch and reverse stockinette, though they look a little narrow, but they should stretch out with wear/blocking.  I have to trust the pattern- Ann Budd hasn’t let me down before.  And, I’m almost to the bottom of the hem!  Just an inch or two more, and it’s on to the sleeves.

I’m really pleased with how the yoke and neckline have turned out.  I really wanted to make a Henley sweater for my husband.  I think Henley are very flattering, and fall nicely in-between a fancy-pants cardigan and comfy-casual pullover.  Also, we all know how much I like buttons.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASo, I started the sweater following Ann Budd’s instructions for a cardigan leaving off 2 stitches from the mid-line on each side to accommodate the extra width of the button band.  I joined up the underarms and worked back and forth for a few inches.  Then, I began to work the sweater in the round, casting on 4 stitches at the center to get the full stitch count.

I kind of improvised the button band (do you know how lovely and relaxing this sweater has been?  I haven’t had to take one note the whole time!  And I only have to knit it in a single size!  Delightful!).  I picked up and knit stitches on either side for the button bands, working a 2×2 rib, and making “k2tog, yo, yo, k2tog” button holes on the left side (I had to check with my husband’s shirts- I can never remember which side buttons go on!).  After binding off each side, I picked up and knit the neckband, which went from the edge of one button band to the other.  I worked the neck in a 2×2 rib, too (except the ends, where I knit 3.  That’s a trick I picked up from an old knitting book to compensate for the curling that inevitably happens at the edge of your knitting) and worked a final button hole in line with the others I worked on the left side.

Then, I  sewed the bottom ends of the button bands into place, overlapping them and trying to make them as flush with the body of the sweater as possible.

I’m very pleased with how it’s turning out!  Now I just have to make the rest of the body, the sleeves, and pick out the buttons.  Almost done… right?

Oh!  And don’t forget to sign up for the 52 More Weeks of Dishcloths giveaway!

Dishcloth Mania!

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I got a lovely surprise in the mail the other day!  Apparently KnitPicks made a beautiful book of all the 52 Weeks of Dishcloths patterns that they published for free all last year.  32978[1]The book is filled to the brim with literally dozens of patterns for beautiful dishcloths.  Some are simple and classy (Checks and Eyelets Facecloth):55829220[1]Some are silly and fun (Pumpking Dishcloth):55834220[2]And everything in-between.

I’ve even got three patterns included in the book, the Maritime Dishcloth:55807220[1]The Pinwheel Dishcloth:55826220[2]And, the Snowbank Spa Cloth (It’s a “spa cloth” because I like alliteration.  You could totally use it as a dishcloth):55831220[1]I’ve got an extra copy of the book , so let’s do a giveaway (I love doing giveaways!  They’re the best!).  To enter, respond below with your favorite dishcloth from the collection!  I’ll pick a winner some time next week.

And, if you don’t win, or if you’re too impatient to wait until your copy of the book arrives, all the dishcloth patterns are available here for free!

Emergency!

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I’ve had a streak of bad luck lately, or at least a streak of poor planning.  It seems that every time I leave the house to go somewhere I end up with a ridiculous amount of  downtime (meeting up with a friend who’s late for coffee, sitting in a waiting room, or just getting to work early).  And even worse, I haven’t been able to use that time for knitting.

I know!  The horror!

Either I forget my knitting bag altogether, or I run out of yarn, or I left by pattern book on the coffee table at home. It’s very frustrating, because as a knitter, time not spent working on a project is wasted time.  And I hate wasting time.

So, I’ve decided to make myself an Emergency Knitting Kit to put in the glove-box of the car.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOK, it’s just a little project bag and the half-finished socks I started a couple months ago, but it’ll still work.  Socks are perfect for this- simple, easy to do a row or two and put down, and small enough to be stashed in my car.

I know it’s silly, but I’ll definitely feel better knowing that I always have knitting ready and waiting.

Do you have Emergency Knitting?

A New Sweater On My Needles

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It’s time for a new sweater!  This one’s for my husband, and I’m not going to make it into a pattern or anything (which feels oddly luxurious- I guess I’ve been writing a too many patterns).

I actually ordered the yarn back in the fall, when the plan was to knit this sweater as a Christmas present.  Of course, things happened, and I ran out of time.  Isn’t that the way it goes?

Anyway, I ordered a bunch of skeins of KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Cobblestone Heather in their last big sale.

25697[1] Now, this is a 100% acrylic yarn, which is not something that I would normally use to make a sweater.  But my husband picked it out.  He tends to run warm, and Seattle basically never gets below 40 degrees, so he refuses to wear anything with wool.   (OK, maybe I’m being dramatic. But the point still stands, he won’t wear wool.)

Brava seems like a decent alternative to wool.  It’s nice and soft and squishy, and actually has a bit of wool-like spring.  Unfortunately, it has a bit of that “acrylic sheen” to it, so I think it looks a little cheap- but that’s probably something that only a knitter would notice.

I’m thinking of doing either a crew-neck or a heneley sweater, top down (because I love me a good top-down sweater.  Seriously, if you’re even thinking of improvising your own sweater, try Ann Budd’s book Top-Down Sweaters.  It’s the best!).

I want to keep the sweater fairly plain (because that’s what my husband likes), stockinette, but featuring some subtle texture across the shoulders and chest.  Something like this:OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe top portion is a simple moss stitch, which I think would look good across the top part of a men’s sweater.  The bottom is just stockinette (so I can measure gauge).  In between, I tried a couple things to figure out the transition.  On the right, I just went straight from moss stitch to stockinette, and on the left, I added a couple rows of reverse stockinette.  I think I like the reverse stockinette stripe, I think it would add structure and a bit more visual interest to the sweater.

But I have a little time to figure it out before I get down to the transition point.

What do you think?

Inspiration: Dogs!

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Did you watch the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show yesterday?  Because I sure did!

I realize it’s super silly, but I just love seeing all the breeds.  Isn’t it amazing how different they all are?  And the pups just look so happy out there running around with their heads held high putting on a show.  Delightful!

I think my favorite aspect of the show (other than when a dogs jump on their handlers, which makes me feel less guilty about our dog jumping on us when we get home from work) is how each breed seems like they have a totally different personality.

A personality that I can interpret through the medium of knitting patterns.  Because I’m me.

Best in Show this year was a German Shorthaired Pointer named CJ.   Pointers are hunting dogs, and can’t you just see him running around a little pond lined with cat tails, and retrieving a duck for his owner?   2016_bis_winner[1] And, in this scene, I imagine his owner would be wearing a cream-colored sweater with leather buttons and a shawl collar.  Something with a lot of cables.  It would be preppy, yet functional.  Warm, yet stylish.

Something like this:

Snoqualmie by Michele Wang Snoqualmie_04_medium2[1] The Best in Show Runner-up was as Borzoi named Sassy Girl.  I feel like Sassy Girl would not like getting her paws dirty.  I could see her accompanying her owner on a trip to Saks Fifth Avenue to get a new rhinestone collar and a silk pouf for her to lie on in front of the fire.2016_bis_runnerup_winner[1]I think this pretty girl would appreciate a beautiful square shawl of Orenburg lace, as they both hail from Russia.

Gaïa by Marie Adeline Boyer14023700106_f5601136ef_z[1]My favorite breed, though has to be the Tibetan Terriers (not that I’m biased or anything, but my dog, Ollie, is a Tibetan).  They’re such happy little dogs, and when they’re shown, they have such dumb little haircuts.  (How can they see!?)

Little Diamond Hunter won his breed (and of course he did- look at that shiny coat!), but was sadly beat out by a bulldog for Best in Group.

NP29619004[1]Ollie was devastated.WP_20160216_005But he consoled himself by burrowing further into the couch and tangling himself in a blanket.  Because that’s what Tibetan Terriers do- they’re champion couch hanger-outers.

In fact, if Ollie (and probably Diamond Hunter) could pick a knitting pattern, I bet they’d pick this gorgeous blanket- it’s the perfect combo  of comfortable and fancy,  just like Tibetans.

Ribbon Weed by Kate BostwickThrow_Hero_2_medium2[1]

What was your favorite dog?  What pattern would you pick for them?

I’m Three!

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It’s official!  On the Needles is out of its terrible twos!  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

It’s been three years of three-days-a-week blogging, sharing patterns and writing in excessive detail about the fluffiness of yarns and the drape of knit fabric.  Thanks so much for coming along with me on this adventure, I really appreciate every single hit and “favorite” and I love hearing about everyone who tries one of my patterns!

Speaking of patterns!  I just checked over on Ravelry, and apparently I’ve published 44 patterns-  that’s more than one pattern every month since I began this whole knitting-as-a-job thing!  And, I’ve been included in 5 pattern collections from KnitPicks!  (And there are more in the works!)

I absolutely love sharing my favorite activity with you guys, and I’m constantly surprised when people actually show up to read what I write!  So, thank you for reading (and knitting)!  Here’s to 3 more years!

Pattern: Split Back Tank

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As promised!  Another brand new free pattern!  This one’s a little different than my usual knits.  You know I love bulky yarn, and anything with wool.  I love big winter sweaters, cozy socks and fluffy blankets.  Basically, I like anything that you would hibernate in.

This pattern, on the other hand, is a definite departure.  It is light and summery, drapey and girly.

It’s the Split Back Tank!55759220_mediumKnit in a lovely washable cotton-linen blend at a nice big gauge, this tank top is both fast-knitting and lightweight.  The Split Back Tank is worked from the bottom up in a single piece with literally no sewing-up!  (A three-needle bind-off finishes the straps and a row of single crochet closes up the neckline and arm holes.)  And, the A-line shape and open back makes it flattering on just about everyone, yet incredibly comfortable.  I like to wear mine with jeans and sandals for a cute-yet-put-together look!55759220_5_medium2Get the free pattern here!

Inspiration: Valentine’s Day

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It’s Valentine’s Day this weekend, and I haven’t gotten my husband anything.  To be fair, we said “no presents” this year, but I always have trouble with doing “no presents.”  I think it must be a knitter thing.  Or maybe it has something to do with my Midwestern upbringing.  Either way, I feel a compulsion to make something. It’s a problem.

And since I’ve only got a couple days, any gifts I make will have to be very small.

I could go completely silly (yet adorable), and make a herd of these tiny heart-carrying bunnies.  But, I don’t think I can translate this pattern before Sunday.  If only I’d taken French in college, instead of German!  Dang.

Valentin by Anisbee Anisbee20_medium2[1]Or I could make something marginally more useful (again, the Midwesterner in me is showing- I love a useful gift!), like these adorable nesting baskets.

Heart Nesting Baskets by Sonya BlackstoneHeart_Baskets_3wm_medium2[1]But my husband is not the kind of guy that likes cutesy little things like heart-shaped baskets.  Maybe he’s the kind of guy who likes miniature little cupids on strings?

I could knit up one of these guys (sans halo):

Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi Angels by Anna Hrachovecangels2_mail_medium[1]and add a teeny bow and arrow:

Valentine Cupid Bow and Arrow by Linda DawkinsValentine_medium2[1]And, hey presto!  Cupid!

Oh, I don’t know.  That’s probably too silly a gift for my husband, too.  I suppose I’ll just get a bottle of something yummy and make him dinner.  You know, like a boring grown-up.

(But that doesn’t mean that I won’t make a teensy Cupid for myself!)

Do you have any Valentine’s Day knitting plans?

Yarn spotlight: Lindy Chain

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Aah, nothing like curling up on a cold Februrary morning with a big basket of chunky wool and a pair of needles, ready to make that oversized, insanely cozy sweater.

So, that’s why I’m currently thinking about fingering-weight linen, and light, gauzy garments.  What can I say, I’m fickle.

I want to introduce you to Lindy Chain!  (Fair warning, KnitPicks gave me a bunch of this yarn for free when I did some design work for them, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt, but I swear I’m telling the truth!)

5420254[1]Lindy Chain is an interesting yarn, perfect for summery, drape-y things like tank tops and light sweaters.  I could even see making a sun dress or skirt out of it!

This yarn isn’t just spun, like a regular yarn, it’s actually a teeny tiny thread crocheted (or possibly knit) into  a chain, like this:OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThis open, loose structure give the fabric you knit with Lindy Chain a beautiful, summery drape.  It’s gorgeous!

Interestingly, though, when you wash and dry this fabric, it shrinks up like nothing I’ve ever seen before.  (And I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to hand-wash a tank top.  Sorry, but I’m not made that way.)  So, be sure to wash and dry your swatches if you plan on washing and drying your finished product.

So, there it is!  Lindy Chain!  (And later this week, I’ll have a free pattern for this pretty-cool yarn!)