Tag Archives: lace knitting

New knitting pattern now available!

I’m proud to present my “Tree hugger neck cuff”

I have been having some great fun with this one! I’m happy I finished it before it got so hot!! I actually had a camping opportunity to wear it and it kept me cozy all night. . . . and I looked good:)

Tree hugger neck cuff on me
Tree hugger neck cuff on me

This pattern is now available on my Etsy site And I will put it for sale on Ravelry too!

Soft as fairy hare knit scarf
Soft as fairy hare knit scarf

This pattern is not for the weak of heart. Use a provisional cast on and work back and forth. The stitch count changes on every row. Whew, it took me a while to memorize this pattern. The pattern is both charted and written out. The scarf consists of three parts, each of which are written in a different color in the pattern for easy reference.

Grey Tree Hugger Neck Scarf
Grey Tree Hugger Neck Scarf

The blue scarf is knit using Kimmet Croft Fiber’s Fairy hare–a wool angora blend that I just love. Though for this pattern the silk/wool blend from Rovings, Inc. has better stitch definition.

Neck Cuff Cose UP
Neck Cuff Cose UP

I love how the leaves on the bottom have a scallop edge that sits so pretty.

Lovely neck scarf on Hannah
Lovely neck scarf on Hannah

The first scarf took a while but the second one (blue one) I was able to knit fairly fast. The stitch count changes every row, and it is included in the pattern so it is easy to double check your work.

Lace Neck Scarf
Lace Neck Scarf

Hand Knit socks with feather and fan lace pattern

I need some help deciding which one is better. . . or shall I keep them both?

I knit these socks using the feather and fan pattern with a 4 stitch cable in between. The fun part is that I moved the pattern around.

I was thinking of writing up a pattern for this and couldn’t decide how to place the patterns. . . so I made two socks slightly different.

Each sock has 3 feather lace patterns and 3 4-st cable patterns.

Sweet warm toes
Sweet warm toes

One sock has the feather lace going down the center of the front with cables at the sides. This puts two feather patterns in the back with the cable in the center of the back. On this sock I ran this center cable down the entire heel.

Who said she was a dancer?
Who said she was a dancer?

The other sock has the cable running down the center of the front with two feather patterns down the side. This puts two cable patterns on each side of a centered feather lace down the back of the sock. I ran these cables along the side down into the heel too.

Standing tall
Standing tall

The placement of the designs also gave the top of each sock a different scallop. . . I still can’t decide which I like better. I think I like the one with the feather lace down the center front and the cable running down the center back and down into the heel.

Let me know which one you like better!

Happy knitting,
Shawn

fingerless gloves and cowl

I had a great time knitting these gifts!

cablewristwarmers.jpgknitcowl2.jpgsnowyknitcowl.jpg

The fingerless glove pattern I found on line. It was a joy to knit, especially since I could finish one in a night.

The blog that contains this pattern is in German but if you scroll down she has also provided it in English.

The yarn is a sock weight from Fairy Hare fibers. . . a blend of Angora and Merino. I love the saturated color too.

The cowl I made up myself. I started at the head end and worked down. I worked short rows over the back of the head to avoid bulk under the chin. Then I did a few rows of ribbing at the neck to pull it in a bit. The bottom is a simple lace pattern with increases worked in. I wanted a lace pattern that would scallop the edge but when I started I wasn’t home with my pattern books, so I guessed at a lace pattern that might work. It didn’t scallop like I wanted, but looks nice none-the-less. I added about 5 rows of garter stitch on the shoulder edge so it wouldn’t roll. It turned out okay and I have a general idea of what I would do different next time. The important thing is that the recipient loves them and has worn them both!! (Even though the cowl makes her look a bit like the flying nun.)

What did Santa bring me? With a small dent in my checkbook, my knitting library has expanded!!
I got “Handknitting with Meg Swansen” from Schoolhouse Press. This is a cool little book. It has a pattern for gloves in which the fingers are knit like an I-cord. Then stitches are picked up along the “float” to open up the tube to fit your fingers. I can’t wait to try this!

Book #2 “Poems of Color, Knitting in the Bohus Tradition” by Wendy Keele. Over the holidays I fell in love with Bohus Knitting. While rooting around on Ravelry I found a few site links to some Great pictures of Bohus sweaters that took my breath away. Had to know more about it and this seems to be the definitive book about this Swedish Tradition.

Book #3 “KNitting in the Old Way, Designs & Techniques from Ethnic Sweaters” by Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts and Deborah Robson. I’ve started reading this one too. Lots of good general information about sweater construction. Seems I can never get enough of this kind of information. One of these days the info will actually stay in my head.:)

Book #4 “the Art of KNitting, Inspirational stitches, textures and surfaces” by Francoise Tellier-Loumagne. I”ve wanted this book forever. A gift certificate to Borders, a trip to the knitting section where I saw this book and snatched it right up!! It is full of color photos of landscapes and knitting and stitches. I saw this book 5 years ago when I took a class with Prudence Mapstone. She had one and I’ve wanted one ever since. This is a truly inspirational book. It was only yesterday that I saw past the pictures and realized there is text in the book too. Now I wish I had a week off to read!