Author remilyknits

Ravelry Monday: Comfort Slippers for Japan, Holes, and Knit Purl Knitting Bag

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First Pick: Comfort Slippers for Japan, by Reiko Arato ($2.50)

A sweet little pair of house slippers, using only 50 g of sock yarn — and the designer is donating the proceeds to the Japanese Red Cross.  Here is her message:

I was born and grow up in Sendai, Japan, and have lived in Shanghai, China since last year. My parents live in Sendai. Many friends also live there. For my hometown and Japan which had suffered serious tsunami damage, I had thought what I was able to do from Shanghai. Then, I decided to sell my pattern and to contribute the total amounts I received for Japan to the Japanese Red Cross Society.

I don’t usually buy patterns until I’m ready to start knitting, but in this case I made an exception.

 

Second Pick: Knit Purl Knitting Project Bag, by Nicole Montgomery ($4.99 at TrappingsandTrinkets)

I’m not much of a “bag” person usually, but I really like this one. Simple, stylish, plus a sheep! Who could ask for more.

Third Pick: Holes, by Frankie Brown (FREE! (donation to Children’s Liver Foundation suggested)

The latest pattern from Frankie Brown just plain makes me happy. I love the creative use of garter-stitch short rows to make square donuts that button together. Clever!

New Pattern Release: Rapunzel

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Introducing my latest pattern: Rapunzel! This simple girl’s top is designing with color-changing or self-striping yarn in mind, but will work with both plain and variegated colorways. It can be worn alone, or layered over a shirt in cooler weather.

1563 S in Rapunzel top

Pattern: Rapunzel

Designer: Rachel Henry (that’s me!)

Available: for $1.99 at Knit Picks

Yarn: Knit Picks Chroma Fingering

1553 S in Rapunzel top

Inspiration: I swatched for this pattern using Felici Sport, a great self-striping yarn.  I wanted to show off the striping with a wide horizontal band, then work downwards.  When KP accepted the pattern, they offered me the new Chroma yarn … I could NOT resist. I just love how it turned out.  I used mostly-stockinette throughout, to highlight the color changes, with an itty bitty braid to add interest.  As I worked, I was reminded of Rapunzel letting down her braid … just like the off-center braid on the top, hence the name.

1549 Rapunzel top

Design/Skills Needed: Rapunzel is worked top-down, beginning with a large cabled bandeau that is worked sideways from a provisional cast-on and then joined in a circle. Stitches are picked up from the bottom edge of the cable, and the rest of the body is worked in the round. The bottom edge is finished with a simple ruffle. The straps are also mini versions of the main braid, with ruffled outer edges.

I would be delighted to answer any questions or help any knitters working on this project.

<a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/remcat/5536426944/&#8221; title=”1549 Rapunzel top by WoofBC, on Flickr”><img src=”http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5051/5536426944_a6234321f0.jpg&#8221; width=”375″ height=”500″ alt=”1549 Rapunzel top” /></a>

Ravelry Monday: LEGO Brick Doorstop, Sock Yarn Scrap Bag Cowl, World’s Tiniest White Elephant

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First Pick: Lego Brick Doorstop, by lizzyastro (FREE! at instructables.com)

Giant LEGO brick!! Really, nothing more need be said.

Second Pick: Sock Yarn Scrap Bag Cowl, by dorisann allenson (FREE!)

Practical, pretty, useful, and a stash-buster to boot — this pattern would use up all my favorite sock yarn odds and ends and lets me show them off too? Perfect.

Third Pick: World’s Tiniest White Elephant, by Christine Grant ($3.50)

Made from pearl cotton, this teeny-tiny elephant is amazingly detailed. And yes, that is an egg. Wow.  This balances the tiny LEGO brick made large nicely, don’t you think?

FO Friday: Bike Helmet Earwarmers for Dad

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It’s Friday, and once again I have finished a project, but I can’t share it yet. (Also? This week we brought home our new puppy, Clewe, so we are a tiny bit busy and sleep-deprived. Yelp!) Time to go to the archives for a rewind FO Friday … let’s talk about the simple-yet-efficient earwarmers I made for my Dad.

1195 bike helmet earwarmers

Pattern: Bike Helmet Earwarmers

Designer: Amy O’Neill Houck

Available: FREE! on ravelry

Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted in Dynamite Blue

My Dad is an avid biker, so much so that he continues biking to work even in bitter cold Idaho winters.  The physical activity can keep most of a biker’s body warm, but ears suffer from lack of circulation and exposure to wind.  Wearing a full hat under a bike helmet makes the head too warm (and perhaps makes the helmet less effective?).  Enter the clever designer, who made this sweet little pattern.  The earwarmers are double-layered and slide right over the straps of the helmet, sitting perfectly in place to protect the vulnerable ears without interfering with the helmet’s function or overheating the rest of the head.

bike helmet earwarmers on my dad

The only mod I did was to make these in the round, rather than working flat and seaming.

Tips and Tricks: Penance Knitting

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Almost every knitter I’ve ever talked to has a project that they love, but can’t bring themselves to work on.  Sometimes it’s because there is a long stretch of “boring” knitting, like the endless stockinette in my Arctic Faery Ring Cardigan.  First there was the skirt (ENDLESS), which I powered through because at least there was decreasing every so often, plus cables to look forward to.  I did the sleeves two-at-a-time to avoid SSS (Second Sleeve Syndrome), but stalled out on the hood.  Seriously — I had the entire body done, the sleeves done and set in, but I couldn’t get myself to work on the hood. It was killing me.

1241 Arctic Faery Ring

Conversely, the other end of the spectrum of knitting difficulty can stall a knitter just as bad as doldrum knitting. I have a certain blanket that has languished since July because the border is tricky and requires my full attention. I can’t quit halfway through a repeat without paying (and paying) later on.  I don’t dare pick it up unless I know I have enough time and attention to finish a full repeat.  So my pretty, soft lap blanket sits with two borders done, and two still waiting.

0471 Yggdrasil blanket

The cardigan and the blanket both suffered further, because they were both for ME — no deadline, nobody waiting, no guilt to spur me on.  And, in the end, guilt is KEY for finishing this type of project.  I call the work “penance knitting” for a reason.  My technique is simple: I choose a very appealing project with pretty yarn and a fun pattern, and set it in front of myself.  Then, I require myself to knit a certain number of rows of my penance project, before I allow myself to work on the reward project.

I hate to say it, but right now my penance knitting project is my third (yes, third) Harry Potter scarf.  It seems like it’s taking forever, which is kind of true … because I keep looking at it and groaning.  Time to bump it up in the priority queue and get it done!  Here are the first two scarves, to further inspire and castigate me :).

9896 J models Harry Potter scarf

0381 HP Hufflepuff scarf

What project do you have, languishing in mostly-done state on the needles, that could be finished with a little penance knitting?

Ravelry Monday: Cthulhu Scarf, Ziprelaxagon, and Jardin Cardi

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First Pick: Cthulhu Scarf, by Merelen (FREE!)

What’s not to love about a Cthulhu scarf? This first-time designer has produced a clear, simple pattern that captures the horror that is the Great One’s tentacled madness. The scarf is mostly garter stitch, with Cthulhu’s face in washcloth-style knits and purls.

Second Pick: Ziprelaxagon, by Kirsten Hall ($6.50)

Seriously, how OMG cool is this pattern?  Perfect for all that gorgeous hand-painted sock yarn that tempts us sock knitters, then refuses to look pretty when we knit it up.  Entrelac meets short rows and beauty results. The designer re-assures us that despite the tiled effect, the foot and leg are knit in one piece — no interminable ends to weave in.  This one is definitely a challenge … but sometimes isn’t that just what you want?

Third Pick: Jardin Ruffled Cardi, by Nitza Coto ($6.50)

This is a sweet little cardi with pretty details. It reminds me a bit of Titania, which is one of my favorite sweaters.  I would knit it in some slinky cotton/silk/bamboo yarn and wear it all spring.

FO Friday: Butterfly Mittens

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This week, I don’t have (*gasp!*) a finished object I can share with you.  Lucky for us, I have made a lot of things over the years, so I will go back a few months and …. tada! Butterfly mittens.  (By total coincidence, but in a neat way, the designer of this pattern recently gifted all her previous customers with a free copy of her latest fingerless mitt pattern: Dextrous Mitts. Awesome little pattern! Thank you, Eskimimi Knits!)

1274 Butterfly Mittens (backs)

Pattern: Flutter Butterfly Mittens

Designer: Mimi Hill

Available: $4.50 on ravelry

Yarn: Stroll Tonal in Deep Waters, Stroll in Cocoa

1273 Butterfly Mittens (palms)

This was a great pattern — well worth the purchase price.  Clear, correct directions and easy-to-read charts, and a design to envy.  I chose “Deep Waters” and “Cocoa” because this was a gift project, and the mittens were meant to match the recipients winter jacket. The tonal blue colors made for gorgeous butterflies, don’t you think?

1259 Butterfly Mitten (with liner)

Alas, I was nearly done with the first mitten when I had to admit the truth: my loose-knitter ways had created a mitten that was going to be … not enormous exactly, but certainly larger than was proper. I could have ripped it out and done everything on a size smaller needle, but instead I decided to finish the tip a bit early (the original pattern has a third row of “big” butterflies, and use the extra space as a “design feature.”  Using fluffy & warm Suri Dream, I improvised a pair of thumb-less mitten liners that fit inside the slightly-too-large shell, filling it out admirably.

1256 Mitten Liner

1259 Butterfly Mitten (with liner)

1254 Mitten Liner

Other mods: I changed the cuff a bit, because I like a tubular cast on, two-color ribbing, and a longer cuff than the pattern called for. I also changed the thumb a bit, making it longer and continuing the gusset pattern rather than switching it up. I think I also did the thumb tip decreases a little more quickly than called for — I like a rounded tip.

1207 butterfly mittens (closeup)

Test Knitters Needed: Drop Everything and Kudzu

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I’m working on two projects for Classic Elite.  Both will eventually be FREE! to the world via CEY’s daily web-letter. Right now I’m working on the samples, and they are looking good.  I also need a few intrepid test knitters to help me eliminate any errors and clarifying confusing bits.

Dear reader, this is where you come in! One of the projects is quick-and-easy; the other is more involved-and-complex.  If you have time over the next 2-3 weeks to test knit a pattern, please let me know.  I’ll email you a test version of the pattern, you supply the yarn and mad knitting skillz.  You get to keep your finished object, and earn my undying gratitude ;).

Drop Everything Scarf

Quick and fun drop-stitch scarf, using ribbon-style bulky yarn.

image_25_1_2011(rev 1)

1369 Drop Everything swatch

Flavor text:
Ribbon yarns shine in drop-stitch projects. Katydid’s exceptional softness and drape make this straight-forward drop-stitch scarf something special, and just the thing to accessorize in springtime.

The pattern alternates between large sections of horizontal drop stitches between rows of garter stitch and vertical drop stitches between columns of stockinette.

The easy pattern repeat and big needles means it works up quickly. This project should appeal to experienced knitters and beginners alike.

Sizes: 6″ wide, 5 feet long
Approximate Hours to Complete: 6
Deadline: March 15
Tools needed: US#10 needles (6.0 mm)
Material needed: appx 250 yards of aran yarn, ideally a ribbon-style yarn
Pattern Difficulty: Easy
Pattern Style: written
Testing needs: Check for errors, test for ease of understanding drop-stitch directions

Kudzu Shawlette

This is a leafy lace shawlette, with a pattern that flows from one motif to the next. Intermediate-to-advanced level lace: stitch count varies row to row, and knitter must understand & execute sk2p vs. s2kp correctly.

image_25_1_2011-1(rev 1)

1373 Kudzu swatch

Flavor text:
In the southern US Kudzu flows over the land like waves caught in time. I tried to capture the impression of motion in this shawlette. The twisted rib grows leaves that expand to cover a lattice.

This lacy shawlette can be worn over the shoulders with a fancy accent button or shawl pin to hold it in place. It can also be wrapped twice around the neck for a more casual look.

Directions are be provided in both chart and written format.

Sizes: appx 10″ deep and 50″ long
Approximate Hours to Complete: 25-30
Deadline: March 22
Tools needed: US#6 needles (4.0 mm)
Material needed: appx 750 yards of sport or DK yarn, button (if desired)
Pattern Difficulty: Experienced
Pattern Style: fully charted and written
Testing needs: Check for errors, especially in the written directions.

Ravelry Monday: Mitts, Mitts, Mitts

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Happy Monday! Time to look back at the previous week’s recently added knitting patterns on Ravelry and pick a few favorites.

First Pick: Gotland, by Marias Garn (SEK 40, appx $6.25)

What really, really gets me is this combination of robot-trendy purl ringlets, and Victorian-ish colorwork roses. Love it, times a million. Great, now I sound like the judges on American Idol!! I could see these looking great in a number of palettes … how about pinky roses with grey-green leaves on a rusty-brown background, and creamy rings?

 

Second Pick: Argyle Wrist Warmers, by Emily Snyder ($2.50, available in mid-March)

Really charming two-color mitts that look like they have a lot more going on than they do.  I really love the clever increasing-diamond clocks on the thumb gussets. Clever! I would of course make them in deep purple and light teal blue.

 

Third Pick: Butterflies on the Lattice, by Melissa Walshe (FREE! at Melissa’s Blog)

What is not to love? Simple, stylish, elegant … and in worsted, a crazy-fast knit.  Is it too early to think Christmas??

FO Friday: Toy Gromit

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1541 toy Gromit

Introducing …. my very own toy Gromit!  I stayed up (too) late Friday night to finish, even though I had an agility trial the next day (which means rising at ungodly early in order to drive two hours to the trial, arriving there by 7 AM). The satisfaction of leaving this sweet little toy dog completed instead of in parts was well worth the delayed bedtime.

1539 toy Gromit

Pattern: Border Collie

Designer: Joanna Osborne and Sally Muir

Available: in Knit Your Own Dog (available for $8.49 on Amazon)

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette (leftover Cream, Merlot Heather (I think), plus tiny scraps of Semolina, Edamame, and Ash)

As I mentioned in my review of Knit Your Own Dog, the pattern is made up of a billion tiny pieces, all worked flat.  After I seamed and stuffed the first leg, I thought it would be fun to show the bits that go into a toy Border Collie.  Right next to the penny is the left rear leg.  Above the leg, you can the top of the head.  The rest is just a big muddle!

1534 KYOD Border Collie bits

In this photo, the legs and body are all seamed and stuffed. I used pipe cleaners chenille stems to provide structure for the legs.  (I learned from making some cool amigurumi last year that this is absolutely necessary.) The ears are still waiting to be sewn on, and the original tail is looking awfully big … I ended up chucking it and making a smaller version than called for in the pattern, to better match my dog. I’m very impressed with how the designers achieved a very dog-like shape.  Often knit toys approximate real shapes with blobby shapes and imagination — but this one looks like the real thing!

1536 KYOD Border Collie (in progress)

For the eyes I pulled apart two strands of Edamame and Semolina, and re-plied some of each into a single strand of greeny-gold yarn to match Gromit’s eye color.  Simple French knots make surprisingly convincing eyes.  I embroidered the nose with satin stitch … I’m still not 100% satisfied, but I have decided to call it done after cutting out the stitches once or twice and starting over. The collar is made out of Ash — again, to match the real Gromit’s awesome collar (a D Dogs Designs original).

1546 toy Gromit

1547 toy Gromit

1545 toy Gromit