New Digs!

I've moved everything over to Knitty Keen. See you there!

'morning all!

Just a quick, "Hi!" since I haven't updated in an age and seem to have forgotten that Geocities is no more so my free patterns aren't being hosted anywhere right now. If you are in need, please post in the comment for the particular pattern and I'll get one sent off to you until I can get things set up over on Ravelry.

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The Knot Cap and Neck Warmer pattern pages have been updated and the PDF's are available through Ravelry. As soon as I track down (or more likely redo) a copy of Elegant Eggs, I'll post another update.

Thanks so much for your patience!

Design-a-long: Lacy Tank

One of my Maryland Sheep and Wool purchases was four skeins of I Love Yarn's Sport/DK weight 100% Rayon in a lovely green/blue/gray colorway with the intention of making myself a nice tank top or shell.

I did swatches on US Size 6 (4.0mm) and 7 (4.5mm) and blocked both of them. Even though the swatches are on the small size, the one done on 7's definitely has a better drape than the one done on 6's and since drape is something that I really want for this project I'm definitely going to stick with the 7's for my project.

Usually one starts with a specific pattern in mind before swatching, but I have quite a few obstacles in place. The first, is that I had no suggested needle size for this specific yarn and since they really only sell it online and at Maryland Sheep and Wool, there is next to no info out there on it. My next obstacle is my size - not only am I plus-sized, but I also have a very large bust so there are very few (if any) patterns out there written for women my size. So what's a gal to do? Design her own!

Swatching
I had a decent idea of what I wanted to do - a solid portion over the bust with a lacy bottom that gently flared out. My swatches reflect that - I did a stockinette portion on the top with a simple lace pattern on the bottom and worked an increase row on the lace as well to see how it would act. I mentioned above that I really should have made the swatches larger to get a better feel of the drape, but I was impatient so I have smallish ones (these were done the night I got home from MDS&W).

Swatching can be a real PITA, but it's vitally important if you want your hours and hours of work to result in a garment that fits. Another thing you may be tempted to do is skimp on the size of your swatch, but you really should be aiming for at least a 6" square to get the best feel for your yarn and the resulting fabric. There will be lots of times where you can get away with a smaller swatch, but when you are making significant alterations to a pattern or starting from scratch you'll need that swatch to have the best idea of how the knit fabric is going to act.

In the next post, I'll talk about measurements and the chesty girl's best friend - bust darts!

Wooly Goodness

I was able to make it down to Maryland Sheep and Wool this year and here are long overdue pictures of my haul this year!

Zeilinger Wool Co.

Fingering weight wool/alpaca mix





Light Fingering Wool/Alpaca
(this picture does not do justice to the depth of color on these skeins)


Brooks Farm Yarn




Solo, Sport/DK weight 100% Wool


I Love Yarn




DK Weight 100% Rayon
(another where the picture doesn't do the yarn justice)


Koigu Wool Designs




Lots and lots of KPPM mill-ends





subdued grouping





brights


Not a bad haul. Everything has a specific project in place for it. In the interest of full disclosure I will admit that the KPPM was just bought willy-nilly, but since it's fingering weight it doesn't count ;).

Hooking It

One of the side projects I've been working on for the past month or so is a bunch of patches for an afghan. Afghan patches are a great little side project - you can have lots of fun playing around with stitch patterns and get a nice break from your main project without having a million WIP's (ask me how I know this).

Oddly shaped patches aren't an issue if it's a crazy quilt style afghan but for a group project they can pose a problem since it's much easier to deal with uniform squares and we always should be nice to the person actually willing to seam-up 200+ squares. Yes, you can always pick-up some stitches and add a few rows of garter stitch border to even out your squares, but that can be a bit on the tedious side with matching gauge and I can't be the only one who thinks garter stitch in the round is a total PITA.

This where a couple of rounds of crochet can help - you get almost instant gratification, it's much easier to frog back a row of single-crochets because the gauge is off rather than realizing it after a few rounds of garter, and crochet in the round has a uniform look to it so you don't have to deal with the jogs in garter stitch.

I was playing around with a mitred square and slipped stitches in this patch, but the slipped stitches affected my gauge and the square didn't turn out to be the 10" I needed it to be so I decided to add a mitered garter strip to make up the difference on realizing after it was done that my gauge was still way off and no amount of blocking would make it lay flat.

I put it aside to knock out a few granny squares and then had the idea to try a crocheted edging.


I had a few false starts where I had to play around with the spacing of some decreases to get my crochet gauge to match the square but I am very happy with the results.

Wrap it up

I saw entrelac knitting when I was first learning to knit and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. After a little bit of reading about it, I was put off by all of the hassle it entailed - picking up stitches and short rows looked like way too much work no matter how neat it looked. After the Quant pattern was published in the Winter '07 Knitty and then Eunny Jang's Entrelac Socks appeared in the Spring '07 Interweave Knits I wasn't quite as intimidated any more.

My knitting group did a Quant-a-long and I joined in. After lots of frustration in the beginning, I did finally fall into a groove with it but was still annoyed that my knitting looked so sloppy. I never did finish that Quant (my son's birth happened in the middle of it and I never picked it back up), but this past winter I made fingerless mitts with entrelac cuffs.

The beauty of Noro covers a multitude of sins, but I was still very unhappy with the finished look. Some more playing yielded slightly better results, but I was still unhappy with the look of the ssk's and p2tog's at the end of the short-rows.


You can see the line of different colored stitches running beside the short-row decreases. I tried several different ways to get rid of it, but it was still there until I decided to try wrapping the next unworked stitch like I did after picking up the stitches at the start of each rectangle to close the gap between each building block.


At the end of the row, before turning, bring your yarn forward. (see note)



Slip the next unworked stitch



Bring your yarn back



Slip the wrapped stitch back onto the right needle



Slip the next stitch as written



This is the result...

Instead of the decreases at the end of each short-row turning to the side and showing the stitches from the block below, everything now lays nice and flat. The wraps are just for structure and are not picked up and worked, the same way you don't work the wraps in a garter stitch short-row heel on a sock.

A little bit of extra work in an already fussy technique, but oh so worth it.

Knitting Daily has "Entrelac - Beyond the Basics" by Eunny Jang available as a free download right now and it's definitely worth snatching up since she has directions for both working entrelac flat and in the round. You have to register for Knitting Daily, but it's free and a wonderful source for patterns and techniques.

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Note
I don't purl normally when doing entrelac, but instead knit "backwards" so I don't have to turn my work. For those who turn their work at the end of each row, execute the wrap as follows:

After a p2tog
Bring your yarn backwards, slip next unworked stitch from your left needle to your right needle, bring yarn forward, slip wrapped stitch back onto left needle, turn work and work next row as written.

After an ssk
Bring your yarn forward, slip next unworked stitch from your left needle to your right needle, bring yarn backwards, slip wrapped stitch back onto left needle, turn work and work next row as written.

I give you...

Pookey!

With a bit of luck, the pattern will be going live this weekend.

Long time, no see

It has definitely been a year. Much designing has been going on but unfortunately, time to actually write and test patterns is still at a huge premium (dyeing is right out unfortunately). Slowly but surely, I will be waking Knitty Keen up from its slumber so keep your eyes peeled - there are some really exciting patterns in the works.

In the interrim - I've finally added my Neck Warmer pattern to Ravelry, so if you are over there, all three of my patterns are finally listed.

Long Time

I have been incredibly negligent of this blog and unfortunately it probably won't see all that much action in the coming months either as we are expecting our second child in a mere seven weeks. With a bit of luck, I'll get some more patterns uploaded, but the Knitty Keen Etsty store probably won't see any action until this summer.

Drumroll please...

The Knitty Keen Etsy Shop is now open for business!

Dyeing to See it!

Yes, I'm going to work that pun for all it's worth. I finally got around to taking decent pics of the yarns I dyed last week. I'm planning on doing a few more this afternoon so I can get the store stocked this weekend. Here's what's come out of the dye pot...

Aquamarine
100% Merino Wool, DK Weight
Kettle DyedI really like the way this one came out. It was supposed to be a Morning Glory colorway, but I had way too much water in the pot so everything blended so nicely. The yarn is so soft and it's hard not to stop petting it.


Morning Glory
100% Merino Wool, DK Weight
Kettle DyedThis was my first attempt at recreating a color way. I like it, but not as much as my first morning glory skein so I'll be messing a bit more with this.


Rouge et Blanc
100% Peruvian Wool, Worsted Weight
Hand PaintedWhen in doubt for a color name, go with a different language. This was a, "Let's see what happens," skein. I painted 75% of it with a dark, rusty red and at the ends it eases into pink tones before the cream. I'm looking forward to doing variations of this with different colors to see how it turns out.


Tropical Garden
100% Peruvian Wool, Worsted Weight
Hand PaintedI love the way the colors move on this skein - from a bright green to orange, yellow, medium green, dark blue-green and back again. I haven't looked at any pictures, but in my mind's eye it reminds me of a Bird of Paradise flower, or at least what it should look like. This one's a keeper.


Wood Sorrel
100% Peruvian Wool, Worsted Weight
Hand PaintedThis is my first attempt at mixing to make a specific colorway and I am very pleased with the results. I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show a while back and saw some purple wood sorrel and instantly fell in love with the colors. I'm planning on doing this colorway on some Merino/Silk fingering and some Peace Fleece tonight.

My most humble apologies

I was working up an Elegant Egg when I realized I made a glaring mistake in the pattern. I've fixed it and have uploaded a corrected version.

Elegant Eggs

No, it's not the pattern I said was coming. What can I say, I am easily sidetracked. Someone on one of my message boards asked me to share this pattern, so here it is.

Elegant Eggs

Enjoy and tell me what you think!

Patterns and Yarn Galore!

The Etsy shop stocking has been pushed back - with a bit of luck I'll have everything ready to go by next Monday. In the mean time, I leave you with the following pictures of two new patterns that will be going live this week as free downloads...

Handy Dandy Towel



I just finished making these up for a friend of mine to use as burp cloths and I plan to make myself some to use as hand towels in my kitchen. It uses the ever popular "Ball Band" dishcloth pattern with a garter stitch border at the top and bottom and an applied I-cord at the top ending in a loop with a button closure. The models were knit with Sugar & Cream Cotton on US Size 6 Needles. As shown the towels measure 9.5" wide and 13.5" long. Truly a handy-dandy item to have around in your kitchen or nursery!

To Drool For - Infant Bib




Again, I knit these up for my friend's baby. I got the inspiration from the Super Simple Bib pattern by Brandi Spray. I used increases rather than yarn-overs and incorporated a simple striping pattern. The bibs measure 7.75" wide and 5.5" long with a 10" long strap with several button holes for custom sizing. The models are knit from Bernatt Cotton Mill Ends and Sugar & Cream Cotton on US Size 6 Needles. This is such a fast project and a great way to use up your odds and ends of yarn from dishcloth projects - give a bunch to a baby you love today!

That's all folks - check back later for the patterns!

Hand-dye success!

Here's what I spent my Sunday doing...

Fingering, 80/20 Merino/Silk
Hand-painted





Fingering, Merino
Kettle-Dyed





Worsted, Merino
Kettle-dyed





Worsted, Merino
Kettle-dyed



I so love using my acid dyes. It takes a lot more prep-work than using Wilton's, but the actual dyeing process is quicker and I am loving the results. It is very interesting that I used the exact same stock mixtures for the two fingering-weight yarns and the difference came from the dyeing method. The hand-painted is very dark and exact while the kettle-dyed has a softer, washed-out look to it. I'm thinking Bengal as a name for the hand-painted colorway, and Sandstone or Autumn Wood as a name for the kettle-dyed colorway. Aquamarine is a logical name for the turquoise-colored skein, so I think that's a keeper. Nothing screams out to me for the Blue/Green/Yellow one, the names I have bumping around my head all seem cumberson or don't do the color combination justice.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I am going to try to recreate the two kettle variegateds tonight or tomorrow night. I took lots of notes, so lets hope that is enough.

Thanks for looking!

Well, you asked for it....

Here's the link to my Etsy storefront. I have a lot of personal knitting to burn through this week, but I'm hoping to get some work done on my patterns and yarn before the end of the month. I'm doing up some kettle-dyed variegateds on Sunday, so I'll have some pictures up by tomorrow night.

Just a little update...

My kitchen scale arrived on Friday and my yarn came on Saturday. I'm hoping to mix some dyes and get a few skeins of hand-painted done this week. I'm planning on putting things up in the Knitty Keen Etsy Shop by the end of the month.

I will also have a few new patterns available as free downloads by the end of the month as well, but you'll have to wait until they are posted.

In the works

My dye has arrived and as soon as I get some yarn, I'll be doing up some handpainted and space-dyed yarns to sell in my Etsy store. I will also be selling stitch markers and some of my patterns. Here's a preview of one that is coming soon -

Frogs in my pocket
(or on my coffee cup in this case)

Free Pattern - Neck Warmer

Honest - I'm still alive.

Much has been happening and much knitting (and a little bit of frogging too, let's be honest) has been going on. My husband lost his neck warmer on his way home from work the other day so I finally had the kick in the pants excuse I needed to get one finished so I could take some decent pictures and get the actual measurements. I did make several of these for Christmas presents this year, but they were started on the morning of the day they were to be given, so pictures and measurements (pretty crucial to a pattern) were not to be had.

Here it is in all it's neck warmer glory being modeled by my friend M. It is a very quick knit and only uses about 100yds of worsted-weight yarn although your own mileage may vary. Like it, hate it, ambivelant - let me know! Thanks for looking!

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Update: November 5, 2009

Since Geocities is now defunct, my patterns are being hosted at Ravelry. You can download the PDF directly from the Ravelry Neck Warmer pattern page. Not a member of Ravelry? You really should be. It's an incredible resource and FREE so what's not to love? Still not feeling the Ravelry love? Leave a comment and I'll email a copy of the pattern to you.

Thanks!

What's in the works

Here's what's doing...

• Teaser
  
  This is on a bit of a hiatus. I had hoped to have the pattern go live last week, but I haven't been able to make the time to finish the pictures and the remaining prototypes. With any luck, it will be up in the next week or two. To tide you over, here's another sneak peak...
  
  
  


• Socks By the Numbers
  This will be a free download - all the numbers you need to make socks sized from Preemie to shoe size 13. It has stitch counts and lengths for multiple gauges - 9 to 6 stitches per inch, and multiple techniques - toe up (short-row toe with crochet cast-on, figure eight/turkish cast-on), short-row and afterthought heels, and top-down again with short-row and afterthough heels. There are multiple cheat sheets for each combination of techniques where you can copy out the numbers for your gauge and the size sock you wish to make, as well a a sheet that can be used with Knitty's Universal Toe-up Sock pattern. It's not really a pattern per-se, but should prove very useful if you want to knit up socks for your 4 year-old nephew and only have his shoe-size.


• Neck-warmer
  This will be another free download for a simple neck warmer knit in the round. I was planning on making all of the men in my family scarves this year for Christmas but realized that I don't have that much time. This neck-warmer pattern knits up quickly in a few hours and has some nice stitch variations so it will work for men as well as women. Since I'm still working on the initial prototype, this will most likely be a few more weeks in the making, but with a bit of luck I'll have it up in enough time for a truly last-minute gift.

There are a few other ideas knocking around in my head, but holiday knitting is taking a definite priority right now so they'll have to knock around a bit more.