M&K 2-Fingers

No knitting needles required, you knit this with your fingers.  The first scarf took me about 30 minutes to knit, the red scarf only 20 minutes!  Talk about a quick project. 

The grey scarf is knit with 5 sts and the red scarf with only 4 sts, it was surprising how much difference that made in the length.

This is a great pattern for using left overs and odd balls of yarn. 

The cardigan only took two balls of Silk Mohair, it is incredibly light but it still warm.  Knit with 6mm needle this yarn has 280m on a 50g ball!  The pattern is in SandnesGarn book Mix Dame.

Grapes Shrug, this was one of my holiday project this summer.  The pattern is here.  This was my easy project as the pattern row only happens every 6th row so lots of no think knitting in between.  The pattern calls for a worsted weight and I used Hempwol a blend of hemp and wool.  The hemp/wool blend  makes sure the pattern blocked out really well.

I've found that  if I get chilly it is usually because I have short sleeves and a shawl doesn't always work, especially if I am working.  The shrug solves the problem, warm arms and it stays on and doesn't get in the way.

I was working on this at Knitting in the Park this year, you can see pictures of this here.
 

Sandnes Kashmir Alpakka

I used different size needles to see how each yarn would feel with a larger and small needle size than the yarn suggests.

Here's a sweater a knit over a weekend.  This is a great pattern from Cabin Fever called Last Minute Baby knit from the top down, the gauge was 15sts to 4ins so I used Marble Chunky and I had enough left over from one ball to make a little hat.

This was a holiday project and I'm really happy with the way it knit up.  The yarn is SandnesGarn Duett and the pattern Vadis Designs Pullover with Interlocking Cables, you can see it in the Adult Pattern section.

I used the back as my no think project as it is plain after the twisted stitch ribbing. 

Note to self - when knitting on a deck with thick bushes underneath be very careful with your cable needle!  I lost one cable needle when I stood up forgetting my cable needle was in my lap and a double pointed needle as it rolled off the table and had to fall through the crack - oh well!

I took a workshop with Janet Armstrong at the Okanagan Knitting Retreat in May, the subject was short rowing.  We started Friday evening by using a provisional crochet cast on and short rowing to the point of the toe.  From there Rebel evolved!

This was a great way of using lots of different techniques in one project and I had fun knitting him.  His tongue hangs to one side because I wanted to use short rows, his tooth (he only has one) was knit with a slip stitch to create knitting on both sides at once.  His moustache was a loop stitch I used in the PolarKnit duster and then trimmed short. 

He has a nose ring, a tattoo, a pierce eye brow and a scar on his hair line.

I knit the eyes several times before I was happy, I used embroidery thread and 1.50mm needles, they are knit in the round using a technique I had learned from one of Lucy Neatby's DVDs.  His eye sockets were made using another Lucy Neatby techniques.  His eye lashes are a picot edge.

The hair was going to be I-cord but then I thought about all the ends I would have to sew in so instead a cast on varying numbers of stitches and then cast them off and then, of course, I had to add some beads to his hair.

Our latest free pattern Kath's Kozy is this cozy knit for your French press or Bodum. This one was knit with some Cascade 220 I had in one of my boxes of unused yarn.  The Cascade 220 is 100% wool so is ideal for keeping your tea or coffee warm.

This design came about because I had told Abby  from Abby's Tea and Spice who is just down the road from us about the skirt I had knit for my French press and I started thinking about how I could improve the design.

The original Frill Seeker yarn is still available and here are a couple of scarves I've knit with this.  This is softer to the touch than the Lace Effect Frill Seeker and one ball makes a really long scarf.

The picture on the right is just because I liked the way it looked!

For the adult clogs I used two different colours for the inside sole and top of the foot, I like the way the colours mix up when the wool is felted and Cascade 220 felts quickly. 

What a different in the before and after pictures.

Cast on 6 or 8 stitches and knit - well not exactly your regular kind of knit because you are just picking up a single loop of the yarn.  Yarn hmmm more like a ribbon that spreads out and looks like lace.

Now, my yellow socks weren't a problem to finish but these it seemed to take forever to finish the ribbing.  I think the next pair of socks will be top down - maybe!

These socks are knit from the toe up and with a gusset so, in my opinion, they fit better.  Knit with Perfect yarn for perfect warm socks.

I remember a long time ago back in England buying yellow wellies.  They even  traveled to Canada with us when we moved here.

Yellow socks to make me smile and remember yellow wellies and splashing through puddles when the boys were young.

Christmas 2010
Knit and Chat appy pot luck lunch.
 

Doreen and our hostess Mary Lou

We arrived at noon and had such a good time didn't leave until nearly 4:00pm.

From left to right Doreen, Mary Lou, Chris, Kathy and Ann.

From left to right Ann, Kathy, Janice, Nancy and Becky.

This was so different to anything I had knit before.  To start with you use sock yarn and 8mm needles.  The yarn is run triple from one ball of yarn using a technique called Navaho plying.  It starts at the right cuff and ends at the left cuff.  You use waste knitting for the placement of the Venus V on the back and the neck and front opening.

Because the yarn is making a stripe you can see where short rows have been used to create the shaping.  Judy's Magic cast on is used to cast on under the arm so that back and front are knit as one row.

You can see the pattern here http://kelyarn.com/baby_patterns.htm
and the adult pattern here http://kelyarn.com/adults_patterns.htm
 

This was a very quick knit and was completed within two evenings.  The kit was complete with everything including the wool to needle felt Lucy's 'happy stitch' tattoo.

These socks knit up really quickly because I would think, I'll just knit until I finish the burgundy stripe - but it never seems to end!

Who knew this skein of yarn would produce this kind of pattern on the sock.  Without trying they match even the different pattern through the extra stitches on the gusset.

October 2010

Lucy and lunch, note Lucy's boots.  The weather was bright and sunny and the information and techniques that Lucy shared with us was incredible.  If you have a chance to take a workshop with Lucy I highly recommend it.

October 2010

These hats are super quick to knit up.  The earflap hat was knit while at the coffee shop one evening.  I had knit the earflaps and cast on and knit the first couple of rounds and before we came home it was finished, even the crochet edge.

The ribbed hat is knit flat on 12mm needles and then sewn up the back, as you can imagine with the yarn and needles this hat was knit and finished easily in an evening.

One skein of Naturally Aspire Super Chunky is enough to knit these two hats or one hat and a scarf.

September 2010

A new free pattern the Diagonal Rib Scarf is just that a K3, P3 rib with the stitches moving over one stitch ever second row.  This is knit with the new Marks & Kattens Alpaca and uses just two skeins.

In progress and before blocking

Finished and blocked

August 2010

I've been getting ready for fall classes and I have had lots of requests for lace and bead knitting, this seemed the ideal project to teach both techniques.  The pattern is by Queen Anne's Lace and is called Winter Lace Scarves and is knit with double knit weight yarn.  A couple of other great things with the design is that it is knit from the outside edge to the middle and then the two pieces are grafted.  For our class we will be knitting both pieces at the same time.
I knit my scarf with SandnesGarn Alpakka and used just one packet of Mill Hill #6 beads.  I used the crochet hook method of adding the beads, I like the way they sit on the stitch.

Saturday August 14 2010
National Knit in the Park

This really is the best location.  Under the tree at Parkinson Recreation Center, last year we stayed dry even though it rained, this year we stayed cool even that the temperatures were around 35°

What a great day we had.  Some knitting, some chatting and lots of laughter.

July 2010

I started this top down jacket in hemp6 from the February Lady Sweater pattern on Ravelry except -
I used a crochet cast on to start because I knew I wanted a different neck line.  The crochet cast on meant that when I was finished I could take out the crochet chain and pick up live stitches and knit the neck line up.
I knew I didn't want a lace body on this because I would be using it instead of a light jacket.  The 3 stitch garter stitch pattern gave me some vertical line.
Three quarter sleeves were not going to work for a jacket and I don't like large floppy sleeves so I went with a shirt sleeve style finish.
Now, of course, nothing is perfect.  The garter stitch in the yoke stretched more than I expected and my sleeves are too long.  I intend to take off the cuff, take the sleeves back about the width of the cuff and then re-do the cuff.  The cuff is garter stitch and knit sideways so that every second row it is joined to the sleeve.
I may change the neckline again, but I'm still thinking about that.

June 2010