I liked the way this turned out. It wrap is lightweight, and the pink tones blend very well with the grey of the wool. I don’t typically wear wraps or scarves, but I might be able to fit this into my wardrobe.
The pattern was easy to memorize and grew on each repeat for a scalloped edge. The wingspan is very long compared to the depth of the wrap, but it would make a good scarf.
This was a fairly easy blanket, though not one for knitting mindlessly. It is both charted and written. It took a lot of time – DK weight yarn in a baby blanket size is a lot of stitches! I was pleased with the results, and it is already in the hands of the recipient, who is awaiting the arrival of the new addition to the family any day now.
I did not block the blanket – the pattern worked up uniformly, and I thought that blocking it might smooth out the texture of the pattern more than I wanted.
If you check out previous posts, I nearly completed the pattern Bent’s Fort Cardigan and was not happy with the outcome. I doubled up the yarn, thinking it was too light, and the finished (almost finished) product was too heavy, too bulky, and too big. I spent hours over several weeks unwinding this project – not only did I have to separate the doubled strands into two balls, but I had to alternate color rows since this is a mosaic pattern. While I suspected that this might be a problem while I was knitting the fabric, I trudged through the project until time to block, and then realized the error of my ways.
The price my impatience pays is learning patience by taking way too much time to unwind a bad project.
I really liked the pattern and decided to modify it and try again. (Here’s the original from Interweave Knits)
This time, I’m using one strand of the colored yarn – and it also seems to be working up with a crisper contrast with the black. This time, I will be making a more traditional cardigan, rather than the draping “waterfall” style. I suppose that one positive point is that I already have the sleeves done – they turned ot fine, and I did not unwind them.
I probably won’t make much progress on this project for a while – I have other projects that I need to complete – but I’m looking forward to seeing if this works.
This captures my cross stitch fancy. I ended up purchasing several mini-cross stitch versions of masterpieces.
Georgia O’Keefe is one of my favorite “masters” – I have enjoyed her perspective, style and (most of) her subjects. The Poppy is among those favorites.
You can see the size – only a few inches wide and tall. It was quick to stitch and an enjoyable and relaxing project. I used perforated paper for this project (made specifically for cross stitch and available at any cross stitch supply store), which worked well.
You can find these and other downloadable patterns (many to choose from!) on Etsy. Check out Elcin Ozcan from Cross Stitch Obsessions.
Where have you been all my life? This is a terrific accessory for knitting! I don’t remember where I purchased my set (it is available at Yarn.com (Webs) for one), and you can also purchase it from the company (Cocoknits).
These stitch stoppers are one of those designs that you wonder “Why didn’t I think of that?” Simple, elegant, and effective. If you peruse back in my recent posts, you can see where I am using them on all my WIPs. These are simple shapes that fit on the end of your needle (note the different sizes), and have enough friction that they don’t slide off.
(Note – This is must my happy reporting, I am not getting paid or free product from the manufacturer or dealer)
PS – Cocoknits also sells patterns and other neat tools and accessories.
I have been looking for a way to use some of my yarn inventory that has been hanging around for a while. In this case, a pink/mauve very fine cotton (?) yarn that I made into a shawl and did not like the results, so I ripped it back into a ball, and it has been languishing in my yarn stash for years.
It occurred to me that if I blended this yarn with something else, it might look much better (soften the harsh and variegated pink tones). I paired it with a grey wool and I really like the resulting color tones.
Unfortunately, the yarn band for the pink is long gone, but the grey is Erika Knight Wool Local, which I purchased a few years ago on a vacation in Scotland. I believe that it might also be available in the US.
The pattern is Swan Shawl, published in Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders, part of the One-Skein Wonder series of books, available from Amazon.
This is my travel project (or mindless knitting project). The pattern is easy to memorize, it grows from the bottom up, and you simply add sections on either side at the end of each repeat (it helps to add stitch markers as you go). I’ll be interested to see how it blocks when completed.
This was a fun scarf to make. Fairly easy to memorize, and I really like the texture of the finished scarf.
This is Beeswax Scarf, by Amy van de Laar, available on Ravelry. Worth the price of the pattern. I used nearly 3 skeins of Lion Brand WoolEase in color Forest Green Heather (it’s a richer color than represented by the photos).
This is a great portable project, though if I got distracted I had a little trouble keeping track of where I was in the pattern rows. It has great texture – I did not block this because I wanted to retain the almost origami texture.
The pattern makes up a very nice, warm scarf which would be a great gift for any one
I really tried to like this project. I enjoy mosaic knitting, and this was a good stash-buster – used two skeins of yarn that I had stashed.
The problem is, I don’t really like the yarn – though the colors worked well together, I wasn’t crazy about the finished wrap. (Sorry for the downer). That’s probably why it took a while to post – you can see that I finished it in November, and am posting it more than two months later.
Pattern is Zina by Christine Burkhard, available for about $5 (euros) on Ravelry.
This was a great and an enjoyable project, and it worked up very well. Just a personal preference issue, I think. I will try to find someone who can appreciate it more than I.
For my first “design” (not really), I’m fairly pleased with this. The yarn is soft and possibly too warm for my taste, but the color is rich and I’m pleased with the style.
The photo color does not do justice to the yarn. I don’t care for purple, but this yarn was rich with different tones, so I’ll gladly make an exception in my wardrobe.
The Wisdom of Knitting 