WooHoo!
You can now purchase my patterns on line at Patternfish.com. I have my Noteworthy Fingerless mitts pattern up and ready to buy. I’m adding all my available patterns as I have time to do so.
Patternfish is a really cool site. It has over 4000 patterns for sale and more are added every day. You can find your favorite knitting designers there.
I look at their home page everyday because the new patterns show up and I like to see what folks are doing.
Check it out!
I just received a very nice comment from one of the designers at Manos del Uruguay and she sent me this link which has more information about the company policies, their social aim, yarn and other products. I couldn’t stay on the site very long. . .it was making me drool:)
I was rooting around on the internet and drooling over yarns when I found this site about Manos del Uruguay yarn. I absolutely love this yarn and wish I knit with it more often.
In December 1991 I wanted to treat myself to some “good” yarn. I went shopping at a LYS, “Creative Fibers” that was located in Richfield MN and browsed for a very long time. I ended up buying enough Manos Del Uruguay to knit a sweater. It was the most money I had every spent on yarn in my life, $128.00. That was a huge amount of money for my meager income of 19 years ago. I was so in love with this yarn! I went home and rolled it into skeins, just so I could feel it run through my fingers. It took me two years to decide on a project. I wanted to knit just the right thing!
I designed and knit a cardigan sweater while on a cross country ski trip with some friends. While others were skiing (I like to stay warm and inside with my wool) I knit up this sweater. (It was a 5 day trip).
During the first 5 winters after I finished this sweater I wore it everyday. I was so proud of it!
Instead of ribbing I had a rolled hem and collar.
Big blue buttons.
And a pattern of diamonds done with knit purl stitches
I still wear this sweater. It comes in mighty hand in this 20 below weather we’re having lately!
Look at the great shape of this almost-20-year-old sweater! That $128.00 that I spent turned out to be a very good investment.
Well, I’ve finally finished this vest. . . it was meant to be a jacket but I didn’t like how the sleeves looked on it. But it is really comfortable and fun as a vest.
The base yarn for this vest is knit in garter stitch swatches in yarn I bought in Ireland 6 years ago. I love how it feels, durable and warm. I think I have enough left to knit a “regular” sweater.
I started this vest during the 2008 summer Olympics. . . yup. . . I started it that long ago but it is done! (Unless I add sleeves to it)
The buttons are from a box of buttons that my mom gave me. . .I think they are some kind of animal horn or wood. . . all I know is that they are not plastic.
The button band and collar are knt in Lamb’s Pride yarn from Brown Sheep. I knit the sleeves out of that too but they didn’t turn out how I wanted. I tried to make champagne glass shaped color pattern for the sleeves. But they are too bulky.
I had so much fun crocheting the little circles. . .white in the center and pastel colors on the outside! Except one day I did too many and got a cramp in my thumb!
I woke up this morning, put on my favorite pair of hand knit socks and blew out BOTH heels! Dang, I hate it when that happens. I always darn them and keep wearing them but my darning pile is starting to grow almost as big as my knitting UFO pile!
I finally finished these socks yesterday! I started them last summer. . .geesh. . .nothing like leaving work on needles forever.
I knit them in Alpaca Sox by Classic Elite Yarns. The fiber is soft and scrumptious and all the hardwork I did with my travelling stitches barely shows! Between the alpaca in the yarn and the marbled grey/black of the yarn my work gets a bit lost. Live and learn. At least they fit, are toasty warm, and the recipient loves them!
The “arrows” are travelling stitches – worked over 6 stitches – they look like little railroad tracks except there are three rails. The front, back and top and bottom of foot have the stitches pointing down. Sure wish they showed up better.
I was going to write out the pattern for these but you have to move the stitches around so much I’m not sure if it’s worth it.
Now I need to get to my darning pile!
A lovely guitar playing friend of mine ordered a pair of my mitts. . . I’ve made quite a few pair of these and always in wool. However, my friend is allergic to wool. So I just jumped in and decided to knit them in cotton. I knit these fingerless mitts in Comfy Sport from Knit Picks – colors are Cypress and October.
I wasn’t sure how they would work up in cotton and I must say they are really soft and worked up quickly. Cotton sure doesn’t have the memory of cotton though. . . I’m afraid the ribbed cuffs might splay out on her. I did wash and dry these once and the blocked out nicely.
You can find this pattern in Ravelry
or at my Etsy Store
I knit this vest for my father-in-law and love how it turned out.
I knit it in Peace Fleece, the background color is called Father’s Grey.
I’m still in the process of editing the pattern but hopefully it will available for sale soon.
He seems as pleased with it as I am.
I wanted something with color but not too much color.
I wanted a “manly” vest and I really like the stripes alongside the button/neck ribbing.
I steeked the front band, armholes and neck while knitting.
This yarn worked up wonderfully and sewing the steeks back went easily.
What a great model heh?!
I’m still in love with twined knitting!
These cowls/neckwarmers/headbands work up so quick and take very little yarn.
The black is solid, the gold is slightly variegated.
The blue is a mohair blended with shiny nylon.
The beige and white is knit in alpaca and silk… verrrry soft and squishy!
Wear them as neck warmers or as head bands over your ears. Dual purpose!!
I can’t decide which side I like better as the outside, or one might say, the “public side”.
Last year while at Shepherd’s Harvest I bought some hand spun angora from Cozy Rabbit Farm. I love this stuff! It is super soft, a dream to knit, and super warm.
This scarf took 1.5 oz of this yummy angora. The scarf measure 38″ x 3 1/2″ and is so light and airy! I wrap it around my neck and it keeps me comfy all evening while knitting! The pattern is a very simple rib on size 7 needes: Row 1-knit, Row 2-k1,p1. Repeat.
I can’t wait to order more of this yarn!
I also knit this scarf with “novelty sheep yarn” from the same Cozy Rabbit Farms. It is also hand knit and hand dyed. This scarf used 200 yards of 2 ply.
I modified the lace pattern for this scarf from one I found in Mary Thomas’s Book of Knitting Patterns. She calls this pattern “horseshoe imprint” and it is found on page 175 in her book. She has the repeat occuring over 10 (+1) stitches. I made it 12 stitches wide instead, adding a stitch to each side. On the sides of the scarf is running a “faggot” lace stitch over 4 stitches.
Finally some good photos of the twined mittens I knit.
These were knit in Gems Merino sport weight and I used 5 different kinds of beads for the design.
The beads in the cuff were knit in. . . the beads on the back of the hand were crocheted on.
here you can see them with the coat they were meant to match! I thinnk they match perfectly!
I am so enamored with this twined knitting thing. . .wait till you see the neck cowls I’ve been twining!