This week I started a cowl project using some of my handspun. The Quaker Cowl is a free pattern — perfect one-skein project for handspun worsted-ish yarn.
Author remilyknits
FO Friday: Tips Off
A little while ago, I spun some yarn. As I mentioned, my youngest son laid claim to the yarn almost immediately. “Mom,” he said, “you never did make me those gloves with no fingers like you said you would.” Way to lay on the guilt, kid! 🙂 On the other hand, it worked …
Project: Tips Off
Yarn: my very own handspun
I used the Fried Chicken thumb increases as a starting point, and I tried doing the fingers with an increase row right before the fingers (rather than casting on and picking up stitches between the fingers. Mixed results on the latter — I’m not convinced it’s easier or better than the usual way.
Julian has been wearing these night and day — so already they are a bit worn. It makes me so happy when something I make is well-loved.
New Pattern Release: Broken
Introducing my latest pattern: Broken!
Pattern: Broken
Designer: Rachel Henry (that’s me!)
Available: $6 as a single pattern/ $10 as part of the Lovelorn Collection
Yarn: Bohemia Fibers Barefoot Bohemian Sock or any fingering-weight yarn — uses about 450 yards
Design/Skills Needed:
This semi-circular shawlette is worked top-down. Four textured panels extend like spokes of a wheel, interrupted by broken-mesh wedges. The broad cast-on edge curves around your neck, and the full shape hugs shoulders like a shrug. The textured panels use a combination of slipped stitches, twisted stitches, and knit/purl patterns to create a faux cable. The lace panels use yarn-overs, ssk, and s2kp (a double decrease).
The pattern can be extended or shortened in 10-row increments, making it simple to customize the size and use more or less yarn.
The sample shows off the unusual “Walker” colorway by independent dyer Bohemia Fibers. Amy has a knack for creating beautiful and unusual colorways, and is especially well-known for her “inspiration” colorways.
Broken is part of the Lovelorn collection. Each of three shawlettes in the collection can be made with a single skein of fingering-weight yarn. Look for Heartsick (lace border worked sideways, crescent-shaped, short-row body) and Crushed (top-down, heart-shaped, lace and nupps).
Cast-On Monday: a last-minute hat, and another design project
This week I cast on for the sweater design I sold to CEY. It’s worked in the round, and I knit for about 2 inches before realizing that I’d put a full twist in by accident. Sigh. Rip. I’m back to where I was, and further … just wish I hadn’t wasted all that time.
I also cast on for a hat — the Cloche Divine, with Sugarbunny. Someone contacted me on Ravelry asking to buy the yarn, but I really wanted to make this hat from it. I offered to sell her the leftovers … but to do that I had to actually make the hat! It’s going super fast — I finished all the short-row gathers for the “bow” last night, and I’m about 2 inches from the crown decreases.
FO Friday: Cabled Ornament
Merry Christmas!
Project: Cabled Ornament
Pattern: Cabled Globe Ornament
Designer: Eunny Jang
Available: FREE! on Ravelry
Yarn: CEY’s Princess
This sweet little pattern worked up quickly. This ornament is a hostess gift for a friend who is having a big Christmas party. Her tree is all red and white :).
Cast On Monday: Liberty Wool Design Project
Does anybody still watch Letterman? Last time I did, they still had the “mailbag” theme song: “Letters, we’ve got letters! We’ve got lots and lots of letters! Leeetttttttterssssss!”
That’s how I feel when I get yarn for a design project: “Yarn, we’ve got yarn! We’ve got lots and lots of yarn! Yaaaaarrrrrrn!”
Classic Elite bought two of my designs for the Fall 2013 collection: a hat/mitten set in Liberty Wool, and a sweater in Alpaca Sox. I picked up all my yarn this week, and the colors are wonderful! Couldn’t be happier. I started the LW project first — so far, it’s just as I planned.
FO Friday: Handspun Chicken Mittens
I made something out of yarn that I made!
Project: Handspun Chicken Mittens
Pattern: Fried Chicken Mittens
Designer: Ellen Mason
Available: FREE! on Ravelry
Yarn: my very first handspun yarn
Fried Chicken Mittens is my very favorite “just a mitten” pattern. The way the thumb increases are done make for a superior fit! I knew I would be a bit short on yardage, and my handspun yarn was in two or three different weights. I started with the most irregular/bulky/fuzzy yarn at the cuff, and knit less cuff than called for. I knit the mittens two at a time, so that if I needed to turn them into fingerless mitts, they’d be at the same point. I joined in the mid-range yarn shortly after the cuff, and then swapped to the best yarn as that ran out.
I knew I would be cutting it VERY close.
As you can see, I ended up short by the tip of one thumb. I stole a bit of yarn from the first batch spun on my new spinning wheel, and called it good.
New Pattern Release: Crushed
Introducing my latest pattern: Crushed!
Pattern: Crushed
Designer: Rachel Henry (that’s me!)
Available: $6 as a single pattern/ $10 as part of the Lovelorn Collection
Yarn: Mind’s Eye Yarns Merino/Tencel or any fingering-weight yarn — uses about 400 yards
Design/Skills Needed:
This heart-shaped shawlette is worked top-down. The graceful wings hug your shoulders – this is a shawl that doesn’t slip off easily. The lace pattern of the body evolves into a nupp-enhanced lower border.
The main body pattern repeats every 24 rows, making it simple to customize the size and use more or less yarn. The sample was made with about 390 yards, and was 16” deep and about 45” around the neck edge.
The sample drapes beautifully in a merino/tencel blend, hand-painted by Lucy at Mind’s Eye Yarns in Cambridge, MA. This pattern will work best with solid or tonal colorway; anything more than mild variegation will likely be at odds with the lace pattern.
Crushed is part of the Lovelorn collection. Each of three shawlettes in the collection can be made with a single skein of fingering-weight yarn. Look for Heartsick (lace border worked sideways, crescent-shaped, short-row body) and Broken (top-down, half-circle, texture and lace).
Cast-On Monday: Fingerless Gloves for Julian
This week I started Julian’s fingerless gloves — which are different than fingerless mitts, because each finger and thumb has it’s own little cut-off bit! He was very specific about what he wanted. I wasn’t thrilled with any of the patterns I found online for child-size fingerless gloves, so I’m winging it. If they turn out great, I may write up the pattern as a freebie.
FO Friday: Hand-spinning Edition
Today’s FO Friday is brought to by Ladybug and Knittink.
I bought this braid at the Fiber Fest:
(Sorry about the glow-in-the-dark look — I can’t seem to get my camera to consistently play nice with bright red/orange hues these days.)
After a bit of practice with some white wool — about 40 yards worth — I took the plunge with my fancy fiber-fest roving and my brand-new spinning wheel. I decided to go for a 2-ply worsted finished yarn. I spun on the faster groove of the “fast” whorl (not the high-speed extra one I bought for lace), and plied on the slower groove of the “fast” whorl. I divided the roving in half lengthwise, so I would have about the same amount on each of the two bobbins, and got to work.
About four hours later, I had this! Plying especially was SO much easier on the wheel, compared to the spindle.
My orange-loving youngest son already laid claim to this yarn, because I owe him a pair of fingered fingerless mitts.
Remily Knits 