Trish Knits.com

Category: Finished Objects

It’s DONE!

Yesterday I hosted the knit group and we had a blocking party for my longstanding Color Affection shawl. It’s done, it’s blocked, and ready to be given to its intended recipient. I get to do that tomorrow, which will make for a nice Monday.

First, the “deets”:

Color Affection Shawl while blocking

Pattern: Color Affection, by Veera Välimäki
Yarn: Dream in Color Starry, colors Tea Party, Cloud Jungle, and Deep Sea Flower
Needle Size: 3 (but I’d go larger on the next one)
Date Started: Early October 2012
Date Finished: May 19, 2013

Notes:

I read a lot of the comments about modifications people have done to this pattern before proceeding. In the end I chose to do a KFB increase instead of M1L and M1R, as this is garter stitch and KFB is very unobtrusive in that case.I was also concerned about the overall finished depth of the shawl from top to bottom, because the recipient is tall. Sp I added an extra repeat in the short row section. Next time I think I would add depth in the two-color section instead.

I have to say that even though it took me forever, I really enjoyed this project. It was simple because it was garter stitch, but it held my interest because of the frequent color changes. That, and because of the (really simple) short rows, every time I showed it to someone while it was in progress, they commented about how “different” or “complex” it was. I liked feeling smart! Haha… if those people only knew how easy it really was.

Of course I did have some 11th-hour drama. I was planning to have the gang over on Saturday for knit group and blocking, and of course I waited until Friday night to bind off. Let me tell you, there’s nothing like binding off 400-and-something stitches late, late at night, and feeling like you’re cooking along, only to glance back about 200 stitches to find that you DROPPED one. Yeah, I did. And of course, pulling out the bind off yanked on the stitches pretty severely, even though it was loose, so I had to re-knit that last row, one stitch at a time as I undid the bind-off. Crap! Well, ok, I said more than that to myself at about 2 in the morning, that, and I may have cried a little. But it got done, and I took a wee nap at about 4:30 a.m. (I mean nap, too, because i had to be up at 6 on Saturday morning because of kid commitments.)

After all that, here’s what it looked like before blocking:

shawl before blocking

So as I was saying, yesterday I held knit group at my house so I could have help with the blocking. Tammy and Jessica helped with this and I am grateful to them! It was Jessica’s first time coming to our little group, and she just dove right in! I hope she comes back again so we don’t put her to work next time.

The shawl was out drying and blocking on my dining room table for most of yesterday and today. This afternoon my husband passed by the table and spied this:

Clyde the Cat laying on the shawl

Apparently Clyde thinks this luscious new shawl is for him! Of course we informed him otherwise.

I loved the shawl but it is not for me so it is not my colors. So, before I lose my mojo for this project, I cast on for another one right away:

Cast on for new Color Affection Shawl

Apparently, I am a glutton for punishment.

The new one is purple (of course!) with green and blue. I hope it is as much fun as the first one.

I’m hoping I’ll be able to get photos someday soon of a happy recipient in her new shawl. She doesn’t mind the camera, luckily, so watch this space for some fashionista photos very soon.

Ciao for now!

May 19, 2013
FO Report: Going in Circles Hat

Going in Circles Hat, Completed
Project Name: Going in Circles Hat
Source: My Own Improvisation
Yarn Used: Vanna’s Choice Worsted
Needle Size: G,E crochet Hooks
Date Started: January 20, 2012
Date Completed: February 18, 2012

Notes:
It took me something like 10 years, but I finally created the hat I’ve been seeing in my head all that time. I once bought a hat at a craft fair. It was simple, crocheted with basic acrylic yarn. At the time I hadn’t yet discovered any other fiber so this didn’t seem unusual to me. What I liked about the hat was its shape, and how it was stiff enough to hold its shape, despite ridiculous amounts of abuse and years of being balled up in the hat and scarf box at the bottom of the coat closet.

I tried, over the years, to emulate that hat, but never succeeded. Until now. It is crocheted, with two strands of worsted weight yarn held together, with a hook I would normally have used for only one strand of that same yarn. It was hard on my hands, but my goal was to create stitches so stiff that the hat would hold its shape on its own. And I did it.

My mother-in-law chose the velvet ribbon and flower bow and helped me by sewing them on. For that I am grateful, because I am so terrible at sewing!

And now I am making a second one, so I can be sure that the idea for this hat wasn’t luck, but logic, so that I can write up the recipe and share it. Look for that soon, I hope. (Yes, it’s a recipe and not a true pattern; I made it up as I went and can be made to fit by taking measurements and then crocheting until the right size has been achieved. Therefore, a typical pattern with exact sizing and numbers of rounds and stitches just won’t work in this case.

Either way, stay tuned. It’ll be soon.

Bye for now!

March 19, 2012
FO Report: Greenleaf Center Christmas Scarf

Greenleaf Center Christmas Scarf
Project Name:Greenleaf Center Christmas Scarf
Source: My Own Design (yay!)
Yarn Used: Caron One Pound
Needle Size: U.S. 9
Date Started: July 15, 2011
Date Completed: September 24, 2011

Notes:

(This scarf was knitted as a donation to the Greenleaf Senior Center in Washington, DC.)

Ok, so you know how everything old is new again? Well, it’s kinda that way with this scarf. I didn’t invent anything about this pattern. I just did a sort of knitting mash-up of several things I already know how to do. I bet you do, too. So, let me explain what I did.

The scarf is in three parts. It starts with 8 rows of 2×2 rib, then transitions to a basic seed stitch pattern, with a plaited cable in the center, and ends with 8 rows of ribbing again. All of these stitch patterns can be found in Barbara Walker’s “A Treasury of Knitting Patterns” (the blue one). But I will describe them in my own words, below.

Yarn: Heavy Worsted Weight Yarn. (In my example I used about half a skein of Caron One Pound. Wool would be nicer, but it’s what I had that was washable, which is a requirement for the recipient.)

Needles: I used a size 9 circular needle. In general, use one or two sizes larger than you normally would, so your scarf is a little loose and drapey.

Cable needle

2 stitch markers

2×2 Rib Pattern
Row 1: *K2, P2* across, end K2.
Row 2: Sl first st P-wise, P1. *K2, P2* to last 2 sts. End P1, K1. (this will give you a good selvedge on both sides.)
Row 3: *K2, P2* across, slipping firs stitch p-wise. End K2.

Seed Stitch Pattern
Row 1: *K1, P1* across.
Row 2: Repeat Row 1. (You will be knitting the purls and purling the knits, as they face you.)
Note: Always sl first stitch of every row P-wise.

Cable Panel (worked over 13 sts)
Row 1: P2, K9, P2
Row 2: K2, P9, K2
Row 3: P2, sl next 3 sts to cable needle and hold in front. Knit next 3 sts. Knit 3 sts from cable needle,K3, P2.
Row 4: K2, P9, K2
Row 5: P2, K9, P2
Row 6: K2, P9, K2
Row 7: P2, K3, with cable needle, sl next 3 sts to cable needle and hold in back. Knit next 3 stitches. Knit 3 sts from cable needle. P2.
Row 8: K2, P9, K2

Begin Scarf:
CO 34 stitches. I did the knit-on cast on, but long tail or something similar will do. Knit the Rib pattern for 8 rows (or however many rows suit you… end on row 2 of pattern.)

Seed Stitch/Cable Pattern Setup Row: Follow seed stitch pattern for 11 sts. (your 11th st should be a k.) Place marker, if this helps you. Begin cable panel, P2, K4, M1, K4 P2. (The M1 is very important because it will give you the correct number of sts you will need for the cable pattern.) Place marker. Do seed stitch pattern for remaining 11 stitches, starting and ending with a K stitch. (Note: You will now have 35 stitches on the needle.)

Rows 2 through 8 –Follow cable pattern for center of scarf, and continue the seed stitch on the 11 stitches on either side.

Repeat Rows 1-8 of cable pattern with seed stitch sides until you’ve reached your desired length. End pattern on Row 1, being careful to do a decrease in the center of the cable panel. When you reach the end of the row, you should now have 34 stitches on the needle.

Begin 2×2 rib pattern, starting with Row 2. Continue for 8 rows, ending with Row 1. (This is so the two ribbed ends will match.)

Bind off, and you’re done!

In general, my rule of thumb is to make the scarf as long as the recipient is tall. I made mine about 5 feet because chances are good my recipient will be a wheelchair user.

I hope my instructions are clear. If not, email me at trish@trishknits.com and I will try to help. Happy Knitting!

September 24, 2011
FO Report: Halloween Scarf

Halloween scarf completed

Project Name: Halloween Scarf
Source: http://circe.canalblog.com/archives/2009/04/23/index.html
Yarn Used: Various, but featuring Vitreous Humor, by Insubordiknit
Needle Size: 13, for the eyeball yarn
Date Started: June 2, 2009
Date Completed: June 9, 2009

Notes: I knit most of this scarf on my Singer Cord Knitter, so each cord went fairly quickly. The eyeball yarn cord was knit by hand on size 13 needles. I actually have a little bit left over so I’m trying to decide what to do with it. I think I’ll keep it for decoration. I braided most of the cords loosely and tacked them together a little bit but I did not tack down the eyeball cord in case I ever want to recycle it for another scarf. I’ll try to get a photo of my daughter wearing it tomorrow. It looks much better on a person than on a chair!

Yarn Yummies

Look what I got in the mail yesterday!

Cascade Eco Alpaca

It’s Cascade Eco Alpaca which I purchased from The Loopy Ewe for 20% off. Sheri is hosting a knitalong for Jared Flood’s Girasole pattern, and well, I had to jump on the bandwagon! The knitalong is supposed to run through October 1, but I doubt I will finish in time. But, wow, the yarn is SO soft and SO yummy… I had to jump at the chance to get some at a discounted price. Oh wow, even though I know I can’t start my blanket just yet, I really want to! I can’t wait to have that yarn in my fingers. Yummy!

Well, I guess I better get to bed before I turn into a pumpkin… just wanted to share the day’s knitting news with people who I know would understand and share my joy. I’m sure most of you know what it’s like to live with people who love you but only tolerate your knitting? That’s what it’s like for me most of the time. Nobody here shares my excitement over the softest yarn ever or the joy of a completed project. (Though I do think my daughter is coveting a skein of the Eco Alpaca at the moment–guess I’d better be sure to count them before casting on for my project!) So, thank you for reading and sharing in the moments with me. It’s great having a community of knitters to share these little things with.

Until next time…

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June 9, 2009
Mine Enemy the Yarn

I am just about fed up with knitting right now. Do you see this yarn? It mocks me. I’ve been trying to make a mitered square a la Vivian Høxbro, and for some reason, no matter how easy it seems, I’m always messing up. Somehow one leg of my square is always bigger than the other. They’re supposed to be, well, square, which would, of course, imply that the sides must be the same size. Why, oh why can’t I seem to count?

I have this goofy idea of making a mitered square knitted version of the Babette Blanket, where, instead of crocheting individual squares, I’ll be knitting mitered squares and knitting them onto each other as I go. I’ll use the basic layout of the Babette blanket as my guide, and various colors of Noro Kureyon yarn. I can see it in my head. But this first square is going to be the death of me. I’ve started it, and ripped it out completely, twice now. I’d love to see this idea starting to take shape, but here I am, months into the project, and I still only have this yarn ball to show. Can you hear its maniacal laughter? Dr. Demento is running through my head right now. (“They’re coming to take me away, ha ha, ho ho, hee hee, they’re coming to take me away.”) Shut up. You know you hear it. Stop laughing at me.

My daughter, on the other hand, is having much better luck with her knitting. Tonight Diana knitted two more little hearts! Only this time, she got my huge bag of polyfill out of the closet (we call it, “monkey butt,” in honor of the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sock Monkeys that I hope to knit and stuff their butts with it someday… ok, don’t ask). So she made this teeny little heart pillow as practice, because she wants to make a bigger one. I think she’s getting the idea of the heart shape down. Cool, huh? My daughter is a knitter!

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February 23, 2009
And You Thought Valentine’s Day Was Over!

Tonight I finally finished my Valentine’s Day treats for my co-workers. Phew! I only go in the office two days each week (I work from home a lot!) and the last time I was in was last Tuesday. There was no way I was going to be done by then.

Earlier in the week my daughter was touched by a friend at school who has recently suffered a senseless family tragedy. So, tonight as I was knitting on the last heart of the bunch, she asked me to teach her how to knit them. You could have knocked me over with a feather. Diana can do basic garter and stockinette stitch, and can weave in her ends like a champ. But these hearts, as small as they are, contain slipped stitches, double decreases, and short row shaping. Typically she gets very frustrated when trying new things, but I didn’t want to discourage her from trying. So I bit my lip about saying that really I just wanted to get mine done and go to bed, and we pressed on.

“They’re small, Mom. I can do it, she said.”

And she did. The blue one in the front of the picture is all hers. Her heart came off the needles a little wonky and she wasn’t happy with the shape. But, I suggested that she take out the darning needle, and as she was weaving in, tug here, and pull there, to get the heart into shape. She did just that, and her heart actually came out shaped better than any of mine. (I opted not to weave in any ends, and use them instead as ties around the baggies. Am I lazy, or what?)

I am so proud of her! Perhaps somewhere there’s a real knitter in her yet.

To refresh your memory, the heart pattern is on page 155 of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop

Playing with the Blog Again!

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll find that things look REALLY different around here! I’m like my mother, I guess, who re-arranges the living room furniture or the kitchen drawers when she gets restless. (You can’t ever go there in the dark and sit down if you haven’t been there in a while; the chair that you thought was where it’s always been might be somewhere else altogether!)

But for me, it was about more than just being restless. I loved my previous theme. A LOT. But different people come to this blog for different reasons, and I wanted to have a way to highlight knitting content versus family/personal content. This way, hopefully it will be easier to manage just one blog, instead of trying to juggle three. I was constantly updating this one anyway, and throwing in family content, and my others have been sadly neglected. I’m hoping this solution will be the best of all worlds for me, and I would love to hear your feedback!

Thanks, as always, for reading.

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February 16, 2009