Tag Archives: knitting

More Linen Stitch!

I’m kind of in love with the linen stitch. It’s haunting my dreams and dancing through my head. I may have a problem. It’s so fiddly and such slow going, but I absolutely love how it looks.

And, even though it takes a while to work up, it’s a really simple pattern-so easy to memorize!

Cast on an even number of stitches and follow these 2 rows:

RS rows: (K1, bring yarn to front, slip 1, bring yarn to back) repeat to end.

WS rows: (P1, bring yarn to back , slip 1, bring yarn to front) repeat to end.

Easy! Let’s do it together.

On the right side, start with the yarn in back.Knit 1Bring the yarn to the front, between your two needles.Slip 1 stitch from the left needle to the right.Bring the yarn back to the back, and do the whole thing again (and again and again).Once you finish your row, flip your knitting to work back and forth. Start this row with your yarn in front.Purl 1.Bring the yarn back, between your needles.Slip 1 stitch.Bring the yarn in front again, and keep repeating until you reach the end.After a while, your right side will start to look like this (which people say looks like woven fabric. I don’t know if I agree with that, but it does look cool.)

And your wrong side will look all cool and bumpy and textured. I almost like it more than the right side.

I’ve made these samples using a different, random color each row, but the linen stitch looks great in one color, knit with variegated yarn or using two or three repeating colors. The linen stitch is a great way to play with color mixing!

Have you ever used the linen stitch before? What did you make with it?

Linen Stitch!

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Lately, I’ve been feeling some knitting wanderlust. You know that feeling- when you’re just not content working on any of the projects on your needles. I’ll do a couple rows on my husband’s sweater. A few stitches on a pair of socks that have been languishing since December. I’ll make something tiny and silly.

But, sometimes you just need to go digging through your stash of patterns and leftover yarn and start something new.

I found my copy of this pattern (the Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas). It’s been on my to-knit list for years.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the beautiful multi-hued yarn it calls for. But, I do have a bunch of little scraps of pretty Patton’s worsted wool.

So far so good! I love the way the colors get blended together. It’s funny, how such disparate colors end up looking so nice together (there’s no logical reason that neon green and bright orange should look good together).

And, I have totally fallen in love with the linen stitch. For whatever reason, this stitch is scratching my knitting itch. I love anything that uses slipped stitches, and changing color every row keeps me entertained.

Want to try the linen stitch yourself? Think about one of these fabulous patterns:

This over-sized cowl lives somewhere between cozy and classy. I love it!

honey cowl by Antonia Shankland

I don’t think I’d actually wear this jacket, but I’d love to make it. It looks like so much fun!

Linen Stitch Jacket by Doreen L. Marquart

This little draw-string bag is so cute! I bet you could find a million things to do with it! And, what a great way to use up little bits of leftover yarn.

Little Linen Stitch Bag by Cindy Walker

What would you use the linen stitch for?

Pattern Spotlight: Mini Mochis

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I love my job. Working with little kids is the greatest, and my students are so smart and goofy and interesting. I could hang out with them all day.

Except for one thing.

They are little germ factories.

I’ve been sick more days in the last year than in the last five years combined. And I 100% blame my students. One of them literally sneezed directly into my face two weeks ago, and another put both her fingers up her nose mid-sentence as we talked about her sewing project. Working with kids a glamorous job. That’s for sure.

Long story short, I spent the weekend holed up on my couch, drinking mint tea, going through boxes of Kleenex and binge-watching Parks and Rec on Netflix (which is a totally amazing show that I had somehow forgotten about).

I was half-drunk on Dayquil, and couldn’t muster the concentration to work on my husband’s sweater for more than a half a row, so I decided to do something fun, goofy, and above all else, simple.

So, I got out my sock needles, scrounged up a box of leftover yarn bits, and pulled up the MochiMochi Land website.

MochiMochi Land is the ridiculous (and awesome) brainchild of Anna Hrachovec, who spends her time designing tiny, goofy knitting patterns and making amazingly detailed art installations. She’s basically my hero.

She has dozens of tiny patterns available on her website.

My personal favorites include:

Snowmen!

Bunnies! (These are free!)

And gnomes!

They’re perfect sick-day knitting. They’re small enough you can completely finish one in a single sitting. They’re so adorable that you can’t help but smile when you see them. And, they have no discernible purpose (other than to make you feel better).

Hopefully, I’ll feel better soon. But if I don’t, at least I’ve got my tiny knitted minions to keep me company!

What do you work on when you don’t feel like working on anything?

Yarn Spotlight: Hawthorne

Ouch!

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At my “day job” (which hardly even counts as a day job, because it’s too much fun), I spend several hours each afternoon hanging out with elementary schoolers and teaching them how to use a sewing machine. It’s pretty rad. I love talking with them (they’re seriously goofy), and helping them figure out new skills. The best part is when they finish a project they are really proud of, and they go around, showing each other their awesome projects (I had a girl finish an owl-shaped backpack a month ago, and she’s so proud, she wears it to class each week).

But, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in sewing class. When you have more than a dozen 6- to 11-year-olds, sometimes things go wrong, especially with real-life sewing machines, scissors, pins and needles. Each week, we get a couple kids who poke themselves while pinning something and need a band-aid. Sometimes an especially tiny 6-year-old tries to carry their sewing machine and drops it on her toe. And I’ve even had a couple kids sew through their fingers with the sewing machine, while they weren’t paying attention. (I know… horrifying! They’re both OK now, though. Pro tip… always watch where your fingers go when you’re using a sewing machine.)

But usually, I manage to keep myself relatively injury-free. Sure, I poke myself with pins as much as the next person, but nothing bad, no scars or anything.

Until last week.

I reached into a bag of fabric which I thought was pin-free. It was not. The pin sliced a 1-inch gouge on the side of my right index finger. There was blood. It freaked out the kids. I had to step up and be all “No big deal, kids. It totally doesn’t hurt or anything.” But, I really wanted to be swearing like a sailor.

This cut is exactly where I wrap my yarn when I knit. (No!!) I had to forgo knitting for about a week, so I broke out a quilt that I started a while ago, and worked on that instead. It went well. I actually made quite a lot of progress on it. And, my finger was healing up nicely.

Until… the needle slipped and I sliced my finger open again. Same finger, same size injury, just shifted over about a half an inch. (I was at home, with no little kids around, so I swore loudly this time.)

So, I’m still on knitting bedrest, until my finger heals. And, I’ve got to say, it’s not super fun. I’ve still got that quilt to work on, but I’m itching to get back to my husband’s sweater, and a couple other projects I’ve been neglecting. If only it didn’t hurt so much to knit…

What do you do when you can’t knit?

(And, don’t forget to put your name in the hat for a copy of the Knit Picks Spring 2015 Collection! You have until Wednesday morning!)

Patterns: Dahlia Shawl and Puddle Jumper Socks AND a Giveaway!

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Holy crap, you guys! It’s finally here! Today’s the day I can FINALLY tell you about not one, but TWO patterns that I’ve been working on since May! AND, I get to hold my first ever On the Needles giveaway!

(I was going to try to play it cool, but I’m so excited, I can’t even pretend that I’m not freaking out.)

I have two patterns in the new KnitPicks Spring Collection. It’s a book. An actual, real-life book, and my patterns are printed in it.

For real. Here’s the cover (It’s not my pattern on the cover, but it’s still super cute!):

Want to see my patterns?

I’m totally in love with my Dahlia Shawl. I wear the prototype one all the time. It’s the perfect size to wear as a scarf, tucked into my coat, or as a shawl, wrapped around my shoulders. The modern lace edging is super easy to knit because it’s worked at the same time as the main body of the shawl. (And the yarn is merino and silk, and is totally gorgeous and drapes wonderfully.)

My second pattern in the collection are my super-cheerful Puddle Jumper Socks. They’re knit from the top down, with an afterthought heel, so they work up in no time. I love the stripe pattern, especially the way the third contrasting color really pops on the toe and heel.

So, I bet you’ve guessed what the giveaway is.

I’ve got two copies of the 2015 Spring Accessories Collection (one paper book and one ebook) to give away to two lucky readers. (It really is a great collection-there are lots of fabulous patters, not just mine. I particularly like the Pyra Mitts, the Modular Triangle Shawl and the Charm City Socks.)

If you want to try and win a copy, comment below and tell me what you’d knit first if you won the book! (Don’t post your address or anything-we’ll figure that all out later.) I’ll pick the winner at random in one week (on 2/25).

Good luck! (Now I need to go drink a nice, calming cup of tea.)

Husband Sweater: The Body

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My husband’s sweater is coming along (slowly, but I’m still making progress). It’s looking pretty good, if I say so myself.

I split off the arms a while ago and have been working on the body.

See?

I actually modified the body a bit from the pattern, which should make the sweater a little more fitted. When I was measuring my husband’s favorite cardigan to pick the size for this one, I noticed that the torso was slightly tapered. The chest measurement was 40″, while the waist was 36″ around.

I figured, why not add a little waist shaping into this sweater? That’s why we knit, right? To make beautiful, customized garments.

So, it was time to do some math (Yay!).

I knew I wanted to decrease 4″ (which comes to about 20 stitches, based on my gauge). And, I wanted to arrange the decreases in pairs underneath the armpits, along the “side seams” (this sweater is knit in the round, so there aren’t seams, but you can imagine where they would be). This means, that each time I work a decrease row, I’m decreasing 4 stitches (2 under each arm).

So: 20 decreases total / 4 decreases per row = 5 decrease rows.

I wanted the decrease rows to be spread evenly down the torso. Based on the Emilien pattern, there are 88 rows between the armpits and the top of the hem ribbing.

So: 88 rows total / 5 decrease rows = 17.6

Because you can’t knit .6 of a row, round to 18. So, I work a decrease row (decreasing 4 stitches under the arms) every 18th row (ish).

A couple inches doesn’t seem like it’d make a lot of difference, but you’d be surprised. Adding just a few k2togs will change this sweater from a standard, boxy cardigan to a cool, slightly fitted one. I hope my husband will like it!

Pulled out of shape

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I have a sweater that I totally love. It’s flattering and a really pretty color. It goes with just about everything. I love wearing it.

But.

It gets pulls in it if you look at it wrong.

I don’t know if it’s the yarn or the stitch pattern, but something about this sweater makes it super easy to pull. Velcro on my backpack will totally mess it up, and I’ve accidentally zipped it in my rain coat more times than I would like to admit.

Luckily, pulls aren’t too hard to fix, if you’ve got two minutes and a tiny bit of patience.

First of all: Don’t cut them off!! (I’ve had folks offer to cut off my pulls, and that makes me freak out. There’s nothing scarier than a non-knitter coming at my favorite sweater with a pair of shears. Holes in my beautiful sweater? No! *Shudder*)

OK, so here’s my pull. It was kind of fluffy, because it got velcro-ed, so I tugged on it a little bit to straighten out the fibers in the pulled ply so I could see what I was doing.

This pull is only one ply of yarn, so I have to get the rest of the plys out of the knitting to match this problem one. Look at the knitting at the bottom of the pull to find the rest of the strand of yarn. See it there? (If your pull is a whole strand of yarn, skip this step.)

I used a tiny sock needle to really yank on the yarn to get the whole strand to match the single ply. This will seem wrong, disturbing and uncomfortable. It will look worse before it gets better, but I promise, it will get better.

Now, here comes the fun part. Look to either side of your super-duty pull. See where the stitches are all tight from all your yanking? Use your needle to start moving yarn from the pull to either side and loosening up the stitches.

Keep moving along, tugging the tight stitches and evening out the yarn to make them match the rest of your knitting.

Once you’ve gotten most (if not all) of the pull redistributed, give your knitting a good tug in a couple of direction to set the stitches.

And, voila! Your sweater is good as new!

Husband Sweater: Slow and Steady

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I’ve been working away on the sweater for my husband, and I’m starting to make progress.

I’m already to the armpits! Woo! Now I just have to do the rest of the sweater…

The yarn I’m using is a really lovely cotton yarn, and I’m totally in love with the finished fabric. It’s crazy soft and luxurious-feeling (especially the swatch that I put through the washing machine)! I know my husband is going to love it.

But you know what I don’t love? Actually knitting with the stuff. There’s something about cotton that is kind of hard on my hands. I don’t know if it’s the fact that it has almost no spring, or if it is stickier on my needles than wool, but it’s a little bit of a pain to knit. Instead of sitting down in the evening and working through several X-files episodes, like I usually do, I’ve been slogging my way through a couple rows per night, which is making this sweater rather slow going.

But, I think I’m really going to like the finished product (or at least I hope I will!)

Are there any fibers you don’t like working with? Or am I just being crazy?

Inspiration: Bulky, Bulky Pins

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