New Pattern Is Up

I wrote about this yesterday on my pattern blog, but I think I need to write about it here too. Yesterday I published the Polka Dots Baby Set in my Ravelry store.

This 3 piece baby set features a seamless raglan cardigan, hat, and booties in 2 sizes, 3 to 6 months and 6 to 9 months. It’s knit in 2 colors of worsted weight yarn. It features a 2-color seed stitch pattern knit stranded. 

The prototype. Blanket is not included in pattern.

The cardigan is knit from the top down with sleeves knit in the round so there are no seams. 

The hat and booties are knit in the round from the bottom up on 2 circular needles. 

Suggested needle sizes are circular size 6’s and 8’s. The 2-circular needles technique is used to knit in the round, but can be adjusted for double pointed needles or the Magic Loop method.

If you're interested, you can download the pdf file on Ravelry:

Linky-->  Polka Dot Baby Set

Note: The booties require laces. I have been making twisted cords. There are other ways to make laces too. I suggest you visit this web tutorial for twisted cords as well as inspiration and how to’s for a nice variety of laces.

Laces for Booties

Live long and prosper. \\//

WIP Report

As promised, a WIP report. I finished the knitting for the cardigan

and the hat.

Just need to finish the booties and blanket. I've also finished the body of the snow set.

I cast on for the first sleeve, twice. I had trouble understanding the instructions until it dawned on me it's supposed to be knit in the round. Suddenly, it makes more sense. So, I've frogged it again and started over. It's correct now.

Drops patterns (patterns by the Drops yarn company) are what I call bare minimum patterns. The bare minimum of instructions are written, and not always in standard notation, so you need to be an experienced knitter who understands how knit garments are constructed to do them. Even then they can be hard to understand. With this particular pattern, it is clear to me it's been translated from Norwegian into English, and lost a bit on the way.

Speaking of being on the way. At the beginning of the year I decided I was going to make a fairisle sweater in fingering weight yarn for myself in my continuing quest to master fairisle knitting. I chose my pattern, and ordered yarn.

I had been seeing ads on the internet for the Hobbii yarn company, which is located in Denmark. I decided to try them out because the prices are so good. I ordered some sock yarn first. It arrived in 3 weeks and I'm very very pleased with the quality of the yarn, so I decided I was going to order the yarn for my fairisle sweater from them. I chose their Universe variegated yarn for one of the two yarns, which is on sale as a clearance yarn. I fell in love with color number 08 which is purples, pinks, and coral/salmon colors.

Universe 08

However, when I ordered it, I accidentally ordered 18, which is similar but without the coral/salmon.

Universe 18

When my order arrived I was kind of horrified at what I'd done. I logged on and went to the site immediately to order the color I actually want, but to my dismay they were out of it, no chance of getting it because it's a clearance yarn. So I resigned myself to using what I had.

A couple weeks before the Covid 19 Stay at Home order was issued by our governor, I happened to get in contact with someone in the customer service department of Hobbii and told him of my plight. I asked if he knew of any way I could get the color I wanted. Well, a couple weeks later I got a notice they had more Universe in stock, including color number 8. YAY! I ordered it right away. They shipped it to me the next day, it arrived in US customs a few days later and has been there ever sense.

I received na email from Hobbii this week letting me know that it is taking up to 8 weeks for orders to get through customs. So my plans to have the fairisle sweater done before the North Idaho Fair are shot down. Oh well. Best laid plans and all that. I have to say, though, that I've never had as good service from a yarn company than I have with Hobbii. They reordered a yarn they wanted to clear out so I could get my color. That's really something. Hobbii.com

Live long and prosper. \\//

Kep 2020 Knitalong Project

I mentioned a few weeks ago I'd joined a knitalong on the Facebook page The Fair Isle Fisherman's Kep. I've finished my kep early. I couldn't stop once I got a rhythm going.

Fair Isle Fishermen's Kep

Pattern: Fair Isle Fisherman's Kep by Anne Sinclair
Size: Adult

Yarn: KnitPicks Palette
Content: 100% Wool, Fingering Weight
Colors: Asphault Heather, Cream, Silver, Pumice Heather, and Iris Heather

Needles: Circular size 3 and 4

Started: May 18, 2020
Finished: June 7, 2020

Comments: I love this hat so much! I used larger needles this time, same number of stitches. The colors worked out wonderful together. It fits me perfect. What's not to love?

The circular stitch pattern is from the book Selbu Mittens by Anne Bardsgard.

These two stitch patterns come with the kep pattern. They make a nice contrast to the circular pattern.

I put a pompom on the top because I didn't want a tassel.

I'm looking forward to wearing this next winter.

It's 81F degrees out right now so I won't be wearing it for awhile. It's been fairly wet and rainy and chilly. Some places actually got frost Tuesday night. Thankfully, we didn't. Temps went soaring today. It's hot and humid, and I see black clouds headed this way. Thunderstorms, I assume. There have been some pretty nasty ones the last couple weeks, but the worst ones have gone around us, rather than over us.

I've been knitting quite a bit lately. I'll talk about that tomorrow.

Live long and prosper. \\//

WIPs Report

I have WIPs to share. First is a new baby cardigan for KnitWits I finally got started. I had this funky idea. The fleece I have for this to go with has brightly colored bears over a hounds tooth check pattern in pink and white. It inspired this.

The bears are purple, lime green, blue, and yellow. I chose the purple and green for the first set. I kind of like it.

The second WIP is the beginning of a second Kep. I joined the Knit Along being held on the Kep Facebook group.

The first week we make the cuff band. I've been having a hard time with it. Lots of stress in my life right now. I cast on 5 times before I got it right. Brain just would not work right. Once I got it cast on, everything smoothed out. I got this far. The tan is too light. You can hardly see it. I don't like it. So last night I ripped back and took the tan out.

I looked in my stash for a suitable brown replacement, but there isn't any. So I decided to use some of the leftovers from my Margaret Tudor sweater I made last year.

It isn't want I wanted to begin with, which was natural sheep colors, but it's what I have. So I'm going with it. It looks much better, contrast-wise, then the tan did. I'll be happy with it.

I am going camping this weekend and will be taking both of these projects with me.

This is the baby cardigan I've started for a nephew and his wife who are going to have a baby boy later this year.

It's a Drops pattern. Not an easy one because the instructions are not that well written. They assume you are an advanced knitter. I've got it sorted out. The pattern has a cardigan, pants, hat, socks, and mitts. I have until August to get this done.

Going camping for the 3 day weekend. Trying a new-to-us park. Looking forward to getting away for a little bit. Will be back Monday.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Black and White Plaid

As promised, the finished necklace. It feels so wonderful to be able to bead again. This makes the surgery completely worth it.

Pattern: Squared Hounds Tooth by Bev Baines

Technique: Peyote With a Twist-Not Bead Crochet

Size: 20 inches, plus or minus

Beads: Size 11 Miyuki round beads
Color: Black (401) and White (402)

Started: April 22, 2020
Finished: May 10, 2020

Comments: This is actually a bracelet pattern, but I thought it would look great as a necklace. I am right. I love the way it turned out.

The designer named it Hounds Tooth, but it looks more like Plaid to me.

It was very labor intensive. I think I put at least 60 hours in to it.

I used a silver toggle clasp and bead caps. I made the end caps in peyote stitch.

If you are interested in this pattern, it can be found in the Facebook group Peyote With a Twist-Not Crochet. The pattern for the beaded end caps is there too. The patterns are free. They are only available to group members.

It is raining today, hard. We've had more than half an inch since it started last night. We needed it.

I had a nice Mothers Day. My daughters gave me flowers and chocolates. I spent the day finishing up the above necklace. Most of my time was involved with trying to find something to fill the peyote tube so it wouldn't collapse. I went back and forth to the hardware stores in Rathdrum (we have 2 and I did wear a mask) buying pieces of rope. I got 1/2 inch first. Way too big. Then I tried 3/8th inch but it wasn't quite big enough. So I went back for 7/16 inch, but there was no rope in that size, so I settled for a piece of flexible plastic tubing. It was too big too. I ended up using the 3/8th inch, though I still feel it's just a tad too small.

For dinner, my daughter went to Nadine's and got take out for us. I had the Shepherds Pie and it was divine! It was nice not to have to cook too.

Husband is still working on his thesis, as well as homework. It's finals week, and graduation was going to be next weekend, though they've cancelled it this year because of the virus. He is not done with his thesis yet. They've extended his deadline into June, and would have let him walk in the graduation ceremony if they had one.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Diamond Dog

Zoey has a new sweater! I call this Diamond Dog. I have never seen a dog who loves wearing sweaters as much as she does. She gets so excited when I ask her if she wants to put one on. She'll run to the sweater drawer, I open it, she grabs one and drops it on my feet. Then she hops up on the bed wiggling so hard with excitement that it's all I can do to get it on her. She's such a silly girl.

Pattern: Diamond Dog by me. Not available. I won't be writing up and publishing this pattern because dog sweaters have to be custom made according to your dogs size and I just don't want to deal with it. What I will tell you is I used Patons Basic Coat pattern in size large, customized for Zoey, and knit a fairisle diamond chart I got from a hat pattern.

Size: Large, customized for Zoey.

Yarn: Caron One Pound
Content: 100% Acrylic, worsted weight
Color: Baby Blue

Yarn: Premier Yarns Everyday Worsted Multis and Prints
Content: 100% Acrylic, worsted weight
Color: Winding River

Yarn: Red Heart Classic
Content: 100% Acrylic, worsted weight
Color: White

Needles: Circular size 5 and 7

Started: March 30, 2020
Finished: May 7, 2020

Comments: I just kind of winged this thing. I didn't even do a test swatch. I just picked the stitch pattern and started knitting. 

Close up of stitch pattern

I changed the foreground color (baby blue and white) at every pattern repeat. The background color is a variegated yarn. 

I did not do this in the round, so I had to sew a seam. Next time, I'll do it in the round.

For the first time ever, I mitered the corners on the back end.

I'm pretty lucky I got gauge, and it turned out good. It fits her perfectly.

More detailed pics. Side.

Back/Top

Bottom/Underside

You'll notice I didn't carry the diamond pattern all the way across. I decided to leave the bottom in one color. I wanted this to be easy peasy. Putting leg holes in fairisle wasn't something I wanted to face.

This is most of what the pictures were like of Zoey. She's a silly girl and very hard to get to sit still long enough to get a decent one. I have a lot of pictures of her back side too, as she suddenly runs away from me.

We had some awesome weather over the last weekend. I got to really enjoy the deck. Today it's dark and threatening. Rain is predicted from this evening through the next weekend. That's a good thing because pollen season has arrived. Yesterday I was sitting at the table and noticed my phone screen getting tiny little yellow dots falling on it.

My trees have started flowering but they are not very good looking. The plum is not only sparsely flowered, but it's sparsely leaved too. I'm a little worried about it. Most of my wild Service Berry bushes had no blooms, nor does it look like the Choke Cherries are going to bloom either. No Choke Cherry jelly this year.

I did not knit much the last few days because I got bit by the beading bug. It is so nice to be able to see my beading now! I got going on that Peytwist necklace and worked on it for hours every day. I bet I've put 60 hours into it. It's done. I finished it yesterday. I'll blog about it tomorrow.

In the meantime...

Live long and prosper. \\//

It's May 4th

Live long and prosper. \\//