Colorblock Towels

The good people at Knit Picks gave me the opportunity to make another project for them -- a set of tea towels.

The pattern is well written, easy to follow, and error free.

CotLin is a beautiful yarn, and the colors they selected are lovely.

The provisional cast-on, and three-needle bind off mean that there's no seaming.

These are very quick to knit, and would make a good, easy care gift.

Project Details:
Pattern: Colorblock Tea Towel Set
Designer: Laura Wick
Yarn: Knit Picks CotLin DK (70% Tanguis cotton/30% linen) in Chartreuse, Sprout, Harbor, and Loden.
Needles: US 6 (4mm) and US 7 (4.5 mm)

You can also find these towels pictured in the May 2012 Knit Picks Catalog, and on the Knit Picks website.

A (Very) Hungry Caterpillar

One of my knitterly friends recently had a son. To share in the celebration and welcome the little guy, and because I am a knitter, I just had to make something.

I do have a few guidelines that I like to follow when making this type of project.

1. It cannot be something I've made before.
2. It has to be designed or customized just for them.
3. It has to be something that will suit the child and the family.
4. It MUST be machine washable.

I spent a good deal of time wondering what to make.

To be honest, I was really at a loss.

 I did the only sensible thing I could - I did a knitted toy search on Ravelry, hoping and praying for inspiration to strike.


While scrolling through the search results, I came upon this project and pattern:

Creepy Crawly Caterpillar by LaTina Steele

It brought mind one of my favorite picture books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. My lightening strike moment had arrived!

I used the Creepy Crawly Caterpillar pattern, but changed the colors to match the character in the book -- green for the body and feet, red for the head, purple for the antennae. 

I added three body segments which meant working rows 23-39 a total of four times, got everything stuffed as I went, and sewed all the pieces together. 

I then got some felt and cut it (free form) to match the face in the book, securely sewing each piece.

The only thing that remained was to purchase a copy of the book to include with the gift.

 

I was so pleased and excited with the way this turned out. Thankfully, this was a book that they didn't yet have, and both Momma and Baby seem happy with it. I hope it will bring enjoyment for years to come.

Project Details:

Pattern: Creepy Crawly Caterpillar

Designer: LaTina Steele

Yarn: Peaches & Cream (100% cotton) in Emerald (green), Red, and Deep Purple

Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm)

Other: Stuffed with polyester fiberfill, face cutouts from polyester felt

Petits Diamants

Last summer, I went into Michael's Arts and Crafts and saw they had Patons Stretch Socks yarn on sale, so I purchased several balls, each in a different color. My plan was to make one pair of ankle socks with each ball. I made some plain ribbed socks for the first pair, and these are the second.

The pattern is one I improvised, consisting of a lattice pattern on top, stockinette at the toe, heel, and on the bottom, and a 1x1 folded ribbed cuff. They are knitted toe up, with a short-row heel.

These I planned as very short ankle socks, and I definitely achieved that. If I were to do it over again, though, I would have made them a bit longer -- another pattern repeat and a longer cuff.

I really like the color of these (the colorway is Algae), but I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of this yarn. It's a cotton/wool/nylon/elastic blend that just doesn't have the softness or smooshie-ness that I like in sock yarn.

I have now knit several pairs of socks from yarns that are primarily cotton, and I find that I feel the same about all of them -- the cotton makes them hard on the feet. This disappoints me because wool is very warm, and I live in a very warm climate. I had hoped that the cotton blends would extend the sock wearing weather, and it does, but I find myself reaching for the wool socks first and saving these as a last resort. I also won't wear them if I'm going to be on my feet a lot. I think that wearing them is to the feet what knitting dishcloth cotton tightly is to the hands.

One positive is that I have found socks made from this yarn to be very sturdy and have had no issues with holes.

I really like the patterning on these, and the fit (apart from being a bit short) is perfect. I think I would knit them again, but with a different yarn.

In fact, I don't think I'll be making any more socks out of this yarn. Anyone have any ideas for other projects? I think I still have at least 2 balls in different colors.


Details:
Pattern Name: Petits Diamants
Pattern Designer: Brenda McCunn
Pattern Source: Not available (yet) -- I improvised this design
Yarn: Patons Stretch Socks in the Kelp colorway
Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) Knit Picks Harmony double-pointed needles

Gone To Pieces

It appears that everything I'm actively working on right now is knit in pieces, then seamed together.

A LOT of pieces.

Take, for example the Nautical Blanket (this is a Ravelry link, because KP is no longer selling the kit, so it's not on their website), knit with Knit Picks Wool of the Andes:

And that's not even all of the pieces!  It's 27 of the 30 the pattern calls for.

I still have another 3 of the star squares to make. 

Then there's the edging of each square, the seaming, the edging of the blanket, and possibly the addition of some backing material.  Did I mention I'm making this as a Christmas present?  I must maintain my diligence.

I'm also working on two baby blankets.  I VERY slightly modified one of the Nautical squares, and am knitting up each square the same but with complementary colors.  I've decided to call them the Moderne blankets.

I'm pleased with the way each square is coming out, and I think the finished product will be perfect.  They will be a little late, though, as the twins they are for are already about 3 months old.   I LOVE this yarn.  It's Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima, and it's a dream.  Soooo soft and lovely.  It's not like working with cotton at all. 

There is also another secret project that I've finished and will (hopefully) be able to share soon, and another that I'm busy working on.

Speaking of work, it looks like I need to get back to it.

Shaker Throw

Now that the catalog is out, I can share about it!

I've completed the Shaker Throw from Knitter's At Home.  It's a Knit Picks project from the May/June 2010 catalog.

 

This lovely little lap-ghan (it's 40" X 46" including the fringe) is worked in panels of honeycomb and cables, then grafted together.

Yes, that does mean plenty of sewing, and lots of ends to weave in,

  

but in the end, it's not that big of a deal. 

And you end up with a lovely lap blanket.  

The edging is also knitted separately and sewn on with the fringe being knitted into the edging.  It was a new technique for me, and one I really like.  

Knit with Simply Cotton Organic Sport Yarn in the Marshmallow colorway.

Do make sure to check for errata before you begin.

SWTC Warehouse Sale

Last weekend (Friday and Saturday), SWTC had its annual warehouse sale. Of course, I had to go. They had a selection of their lovely yarns on sale for $10-$20 per bag. I didn't get some of everything, but I did make quite a haul.

When I went last year, I fell in love with the Craft yarn from the Vickie Howell Collection. It is a blend of cotton and milk fiber, and is quite soft. It was included in the sale again this year, so I picked up 5 bags.

Craft in Sandi (burgundy), Adina (black), and Carol (white).


I also found myself unable to resist picking up some Therapi. There were only these 2 colors available, and I usually don't use these colors, but it is so nice that I had to get it anyway. It is a blend of Bowlder (Jadite) fiber, fine wool, and silk. The color on the label didn't match the colors on the website, so I'm just calling these Mustard and Terracotta.

Therapi in "Mustard" and "Terracotta"


I also picked up a bag of Rock from the Vickie Howell Collection in Jonas (a fantastic blend of blue, gray, and black) at the request of Jay, who I very recently taught to knit. He's working on a scarf with it, but also requested one of the bags of Craft in Carol. Of course I said yes.

Rock in Jonas and Craft in Carol


Though I didn't get any, they also had Gianna, Vegas, Inspiration, some novelty bamboo, and some single balls (no bags) of Love.

In the end, I got 8 bags of yarn - that's 80 balls - for the amazing price of $1/ball.

The entire haul - Craft, Rock, and Therapi


I love this sale.

Boring

A new month has arrived, and I have nothing to say really.

Last Saturday, the Knitwits met at my LYS, which, though small, was very accommodating and has some Really Lovely Yarns. I picked up 2 balls of Noro Silk Garden in colorway 84, and 3 hanks of King Tut cotton in 329. I don't currently have plans for either beyond a swatch of the Noro, but they were too beautiful not to buy.

I've finished knitting up a new pair of felted clogs for J. He went through his last pair so quickly that I've had to let him know that this pair has to last for a while or he must learn to knit. I've also started, and am half finished, knitting another pair for myself. Mine are starting to get a bit ragged and worn through on the bottom, so it's time. I figure that I'll just felt them at the same time when I've finished knitting mine. Pictures of before and after next time.

I had been spinning up the most beautiful bombyx silk, but my dog got ahold of the roving, and, though I saved it, I just haven't had the desire to finish it. I'm sure I will though, as I've plans to turn it into a swallowtail shawl, and am eagerly anticipating the knitting.

Sherbet Socks

So, I finished the clues for the stole KALs I was working on, but didn't feel like moving on to more lace right away. Instead of working on my Galveston Shawl (which has been languishing ever since I started the stoles), I started a pair of socks.

Most of the socks I'd knitted were made out of wool. Well, when you live in the desert, having wool on your feet during the summer is NOT a pleasant experience. Because of this, a while back I purchase several balls of sock yarn that were primarily made of cotton. These socks were made from one of those balls of yarn.


The yarn is Sockotta in the 505 colorway, and they are knit on Knit Picks size 1 (2.5 mm) dpns. The colors remind me of rainbow sherbet and so that is what I've named these. Even though they are simple toe-up, short row heel, stockinette socks, I had to restart these 5 times before I was finally accepting of the way they were working out.

The first time I wasn't happy with the way the color repeats were going, so I checked the ball band. The recommended needle size was a US size 2, so I frogged and started again with 2s. Not only did this not help with the color repeats, the guage was way too loose. Thinking this would improve if I started with a smaller needle and gradually worked up to the 2s, I started again, this time with US size 0. I gradually worked my way back up to the 2s. It didn't help. So I decided to just go back to the 1s. I started again, but the gauge was just as loose as before -- maybe even worse! I kept on, telling myself it would get better. It didn't. I checked my needles again, and it turns out I had grabbed my US size 3s instead of the 1s. Back to the frog pond. I got started again with the 1s, and though I still don't love the way the color repeats are going, I'm happy with the gauge of the fabric. And I'm NOT starting again.