Tag Archives: knit

Project Tea Cozy- Finishing Up

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It’s done!  Woo! My tea pot isn’t naked any more!

I finished up the top of the tea cozy last week, working it just like the top of a hat.  This week I’ll start by working the spout opening the same way I would work the thumb on a mitten.  I transferred the 12 reserved stitches (saved on my stitch holder/safety pin) to my dpns, then picked up and knit 4 stitches in the little cast on edge.  I then worked a little 2×2 ribbed cuff around the spout and bound off.  Easy!img_3389Then I sewed up the bottom of the handle hole (I still need a better name for that), so now it fits snugly on my tea pot without me having to safety-pin it in place.img_3402But, you know what… It looks a little… sad?  Like it’s missing something.

Something like a pompom.

So I made a nice, tight 2″ pompom with bits of all 7 colors and sewed it on top.  img_3667Perfect!  It’s all finished and ready to go out on its maiden tea voyage!  I can’t wait.

And, next week, I’ll write up the pattern in a nice finished form and you can make yourself a tea cozy!

(And, don’t forget!  I’m giving away a copy of Knit Picks’ new Garter Ridge collection on Friday!)

Dolls with Arne and Carlos

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Last weekend, I did something really cool.

I got to meet Arne and Carlos!

(Of course I didn’t get any pictures, because… introvert.)

Arne and Carlos were in town for the Nordic Knitting Conference, and my mom and I spent Saturday in their Knitted Dolls class, where they walked us through their ridiculously cute doll pattern.img_3561They were fantastic teachers, and really nice people who took time to talk to everyone in the class.   They even signed everyone’s books!  (If you read Norwegian, let me know what this says… based on my high-school German and context clues, I think it says something about knitting, but I’m not sure.)img_3564The dolls are worked from their toes up, and I managed to almost get my legs finished in class.img_3583And, I’ve been working on the rest of my doll since then.  She’s still missing most of her head (which is a little creepy), but she’s coming along well.  I ended up making her super girly, but that’s OK.  I love her little blue top and stripey tights.  And who doesn’t love a pair of bright red shoes?

img_3574I’ve got a big pile of yarn in almost every color of the rainbow for this project.  So my next step is to decide what color to use for her hair (do I want her to be blonde?  Red-head? Or maybe she should have purple hair?).  And, of course, I need to make some clothes for my not-so-little dolly!img_3557This pattern is so much fun!  It’s not as fast as I thought it would be- my doll is probably going to be close to 18″ tall- but I am having a great time knitting her up.  And the clothes!  Who doesn’t like knitting miniature sweaters in every color of the rainbow?

Have you ever knit an Arne and Carlos pattern?  What did you make?

Project Tea Cozy: The Spout

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It’s spout time!

My original idea was to make a gusset for the spout, in the same way that I would make a thumb on a mitten.  But then I cast on, started knitting, and promptly forgot about that.

Oops.

So, I had a big rectangle of knitting that wrapped nicely around my teapot.  I knit it until it reached the split between the spout and the ‘body’ of the pot, in between two stripes (so I wouldn’t have to worry about making a hole and maintaining the colorwork pattern at the same time).  First I thought I would make a simple 8-stitch button hole, but that didn’t seem right.  I thought it would make the tea cozy pull funnily, and I want a little cuff around the spout of my tea cozy.  So, I decided to do a slight variation.

I knit to where I wanted the hole to be, then transferred 12 sts to a stitch holder, then I cast on 4 sts using a backwards-loop cast on, and knit the rest of the row.

img_3357The way I made the hole reduced my total stitch count by 8, so now I was working with 112 sts instead of 120, but that felt right to me. After all, I was going to decrease for the top of the cozy in a few inches.  I continued knitting, following the established pattern without any more shaping until I got to the top of the 10 colorwork repeats I had planned.img_3366And, when i put the unfinished cozy on my tea pot, it fit surprisingly well!  I still have to seam it on the bottom and the top needs to be knit.  The spout hole fit really well, sure the safety pin is pulling a bit, but the when I knit up those stitches into a little cuff around the spout, I’m sure it’ll fit like a glove!

 

Inspiration: Knit Skirts

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I’m a traditionalist, especially when it comes to knitting.  Sweaters are fine. Hats are great.  Mittens and gloves are a-OK.  Leggings are questionable, and vests are to be tolerated at best.  And skirts are right out.  Why would you knit a skirt?!  It would be so bulky… And it couldn’t possibly wear well over time-  it would pill and sag like nobody’s business.  (And no one wants a pill-y, saggy skirt.)

Well.

OK.  I’ve been tempted.

The weather is turning cool and autumnal, I’ve got apple cider in the fridge, and I’ve broken out my scarves for the first time in months.  It’s delightful.

And, I was thinking how nice it would be to have a little knit skirt.  Nothing too fancy, but something cute that I can wear with leggings and boots.  I’ve even got a big bag of charcoal gray worsted weight in my closet, waiting for me to find a project for it.

Hmmm.  I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to look at a few patterns.

I like the simplicity of this one, but I think it would be pretty tedious to knit.  Let’s find something more fun!

Simple Straight Skirt by Churchmouse Yarns and Teassimple-straight-skirt4_medium21I love the cables on this one.  It seems so archetectural.   But is it too fancy?

Dickson by Norah Gaughanngv13_dickson_lg_medium21I love the simple cable/seed stitch detailing.  The cable positioning is really flattering.

Bryn Mawr Skirt by Nancy Eisemanclsoe-up2-sweater-skirt_medium1
I like the use of ribbing and cables on this one.  Even though it’s super-thickly cabled, the elasticity of the ribbing should keep it fairly flattering. (And, while it’s real short, that could easily be fixed.)

The Bum Cosy, by Shireen Nadirdscf1908_medium21Choices, choices!  Maybe I’ll have to design one that combines my favorite parts of all four skirts…  Which one would you choose?

What?! More Patterns?

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That’s right, knitters!  I’ve got another brand-spanking-new pattern, just for you!

(Actually it’s kind of 4 patterns in one!  I know!  Crazy!)

Last week, Knit Picks published another great collection, Knits for Everybody.  It’s such a smart book- I know I’ll be keeping my copy close at hand.330131Knits for Everybody is a collection of four super simple patterns (hats, sweaters, socks and mittens), useful staples that everyone can use (and make customize, if that’s how you roll).  But here’s the awesome part:  They are literally for everybody.  The sweater sizes go from a 3-month-old baby all the way up to a Men’s XXL.  The hats fit everyone from a preemie to a big-headed adult (like me).  And, my socks go from a 4″ foot circumference all the way up to a 10.5″ circumference.330131071My sock pattern is a super simple knitted sock with a heel flap in literally every size.  But here’s the cool part:  You can follow the directions to knit from the top down (my favorite), or from the toe up (my second favorite), and end up with virtually the same sock.  That way you can use whichever method feels right for you.330131081And, I’ve provided two slightly different variations: Socks (knit in sock weight, with a long ribbed cuff) and Slippers (knit in super-squishy worsted with a shorter cuff).

Of course, you can jazz up these socks and slippers whatever way you like.  Add stripes? Yes.  Change the ribbing? Why not!  Work some cables? Sure!  You can customize these socks (or any other pattern in the book) with no problem for socks that are truly your own!330131091Want to win a copy of Knits for Everybody?  Tell me which pattern you would make, and who it would be for. Socks for your auntie?  A hat for your nephew? A sweater just for you?

Bear With Me

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I forgot how fun these bears are!

They’re quick and easy, with just enough challenge to keep me interested. (Perfect for  marathoning intense TV shows.  This one was mostly knit while catching up on The Night Of, which is very good, but not a “fun” watch.)

I tried something a little different on this bear.  The official knit-in-the-round pattern has you leave arm holes in the body by working the chest/back back and forth.  Then, when the body is done, you go back and pick up stitches around the armholes to make thearms.  That way, the bear ends up being a single piece of knitting.

But sometimes you don’t want to bother with picking up and knitting.  (Or at least I don’t.) So I didn’t.  I knit the body straight through, from the top of the head to the bottom of the toes, not an arm hole to be seen.  Then I cast on for the arms and worked those separately.

Then, I stuffed the body, formed the ears and the neck.  I stuffed the arms and sewed them in place.  And wouldn’t you know it- it looks super cute, and felt much simpler (at least to me) to knit up.

IMG_3145I’m very pleased with this little dude.  I’ll probably wait to get out my felt and embroidery floss to add the face to a bunch of bears at once, assembly-line style.

I’ll definitely be making more of these guys!  Maybe I’ll try to send in another big box o’ bears  this Christmas.

Anyone want to join me?

Getting Cozy

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Yesterday was a cool, rainy day.  And, I spent it with my husband and my dog, sitting on the couch and watching Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell on Netflix.  It’s very interesting, and is just oozing creativity.  I read the book years ago, in college and only have a vague memory of what it was about, so it’s been fun to get to watch it as someone “new” to the story.

It’s based in the early 1800s, in England, and there’s all sorts of magic, fairies and prophecies flying around.  It’s all very Gothic.

And they drink a lot of tea.

So, yesterday, instead of making myself a dozen individual cups of tea to get me through the marathon, I brought out my tea pot.  And it occurred to me how embarrassing it is that I have never made a tea cozy for myself!  (I know!  A knitter with a naked tea pot- how uncivilized!)

IMG_3121Anyway, this was just a long way of saying, I’m going to design and make a tea cozy.  I’ve been thinking about walking you through my design process, from idea to finished pattern, but I haven’t found the right project.  I didn’t want something as big as a sweater (because that would be boring for you guys- all that math, and all that waiting for me to knit), but something little, like socks or mittens are too easy- to make those, you just plug a design into a formula- no math at all.

So, a tea cozy it is!  It’s big enough that we can do something fun with it, but small enough that it won’t take months and months to finish.  I’m excited.

I’ve got some yarn left over from a “colorwork phase”, that I think might work well.

These dark greens (and fuchsia) are really pretty DK-weight, in a nice squishy, soft wool.IMG_3133And these are a slightly finer Sport-weight wool (a little itchier but sturdy, with great stitch definition.  And anyway, teapots don’t care about itchiness, right?).  I like these colors, too.  They’re very cheerful.IMG_3126

I think I’m leaning to the bright colors of the sport-weight.  Maybe I can do something cool with slipped stitches, or fair isle…

Right now, I’m just trying to get a feel for what I might knit up.  My next step will be to get out my sketch book and make some doodles.

Do you have any thoughts, opinions or ideas?

High Five!

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I finished my gloves!  Finally.

All I had to do was find four tiny buttons and sew them in place.  I didn’t even have to weave in any ends.

I guess I just get distracted easily.

Also I have about thirty-seven different projects going on at all times.  It’s a problem.  But not one I plan on fixing any time soon.

Anyway! I found four tiny mother-of-pearl buttons in the jar of buttons I inherited from my grandmother.  They’re a quarter inch across, paper-thin, and they almost match.  (They match enough for my purposes, anyway.)OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERACute, right?  I love them.  If ever there were buttons that could make big, squishy, rainbow-colored gloves classy, these are them.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERANow I just have to wait for it to get cool enough to wear gloves.

Have you ever had a project wait for a simple finishing touch for an unreasonably long time?

Summertime, and the living is… muggy

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It’s officially been summer for about a week, and it is officially summer.  It’s hot and muggy and there isn’t even a breeze.

(OK, fair enough, it’s “Seattle Hot”, so it’s in the mid-to-upper 70s.  But I’m officially a hot-weather weenie, so it’s hot to me.)

Ollie agrees- he needs a haircut, and is impatient for us to fill up his kiddie pool.13495497_10106435157559480_5717683599402702824_o (1)I’m currently working on a big cabled sweater (a Christmas gift for someone, so I can’t tell you about it) which is just too much to be knitting right now.  All that wool!

What I’d like to be working on is something light and breezy.  Something at a tiny lace gauge.  A lovely, summery tank top.

This tank is simple, drapey and lovely.  If I worked in an office, it would be super cute to wear with a blazer or a light cardigan.

Bonny by tincanknitsIMG_4731-ed-sm_medium2[1]I love the little details on this top- the tiny cap sleeves, the delicate lace at the hem, the split sides.  So cute!

22.2 Top with lace edges by Karen Noe22.1-Top-m_medium2[1]I love the all-over lace and the flattering, swing-y shape.  I would totally wear the heck out of this tank.

Just a Wisp by Pamela SchwabDSC_6755_medium2[1]I can’t wait to finish the big sweater so that I can make myself a new tank top or two.

What summery projects do you like to make?

Big Head

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I think I made the world’s longest hat.

No joke.  It’s really big.

It’s an Antler Hat from tincanknits.  I thought I followed the pattern, but something happened.

The hat on the right is a normal, long-ish beanie that I made for my husband.  The hat on the right is the one I just knit up. It’s like twice the size!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAEven if I fold up the brim, it’s so long!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI look like a silly gnome when I wear it.WP_20160612_15_18_04_ProI need to rip out the crown and take out a couple pattern repeats.  After all, the pattern is absolutely gorgeous, and looks great in my Tosh DK.  It’s just too long.  Look at that great cable!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI feel like I’ve been on a streak of not-quite-correctly finished knitting projects.  Oh well, it just means I have more knitting to do!