Philip Pullman: The Amber Spyglass
The last in the His Dark Materials trilogy; it's in the to-be-read line up.
Thomas Friedman: The World Is Flat
Yet to be read...
Amy Butler Greenfield: A Perfect Red
It's next on the list to read! I'm anxious to get to it.
Woohooo! I just realized my Rainy Day Scarf is pictured on the Stash and Burn Episode 40! I don't know why it took me so long to see it!
I love that scarf... I should knit another one in Alchemy's Synchronicity.... hmm... or maybe Berroco's Boho...hmmmm.
You can get the free pattern here, if you don't have it already :)
Need a little gift for a special kitty in your life? Here is my little Christmas gift to all of you... a pattern for a small catnip mouse that you can knit for that feline someone whom you love! It only takes about 20 minutes to knit one, so you have plenty of time to knit one for your kitty by Christmas!
I (of course) do not have a picture of this catnip delight, but I will add a picture when I get it. For the moment, imagine a rather fat Brown 'N Serve sausage, pointed on one end (for the nose), with a tail and two loops of yarn for ears. :D
Yarn: Lush (50% wool/50% angora) by Classic Elite. I think one skein will make around 10 to 12 mice, maybe more. You could use any worsted weight yarn, but cats like angora blends.
Needles: size 4 double pointed needles.
Cast on 21 sts, leaving a long tail to sew up with later (and also it makes the mouse’s tail, too). Join into a circle and knit 16 rounds.
Begin decreases for head:
Next round: knit 2, knit 2 together through the back loops, knit to last 4 sts in the round, knit 2 together, knit 2.
Repeat this decrease round until there are 7 sts left. Next round: knit 2 together three times, knit one. Cut yarn, leaving a long tail which you then thread onto a darning needle and pull through the remaining 4 sts. Pull them up tight, and then pull this yarn to the inside, to make little loops for ears at the beginning of the decrease rounds, tacking each loop in place. (You can just secure this on the inside and leave the ears off if you don’t want to bother with the ears. My cat likes to pull at the ears with her teeth. It gives her something to do.)
Thread the cast-on tail onto a darning needle and run it in and out around the cast on edge, making a mini drawstring bag sort of thing. Fill the mouse with catnip or, if you prefer, fiberfill stuffing (some cats are on a no-catnip diet, having abused the substance at some point in life, no doubt.) Pull on the cast-on tail, closing the drawstring tight; tack in place several times to secure the opening, making it as tightly closed as possible and leaving the tail outside. Tie a little knot about half an inch from the end of the tail so you’ll have something to hold onto as you dangle the little critter in front of the cat. Or you may want to just throw it on the floor and stand back.
I love new toys. Google can always be counted on to provide them for me (God bless 'em!). So a couple months ago (maybe more, maybe less) when I heard about the new fun thing Google was offering I signed up for the beta. If you are interested, you can take a look (click here). Be forewarned that it is only available for PC's. Mac owners will have to wait a while. And don't flame me; I write this blog everyday on my cute lil' iBook running Mac OS X. I just happen to have a few computers around the house, including some PC's.
Google's new toy is called "Google Page Creator" and it will bring web page creation to the masses, apparently for free. The free part sounds a little too good to be true, so I don't know how long that will last, but for now it is great. They're only inviting a few people at a time (people who have gmail accounts) to come use the Google page creator, but eventually it will be available for anyone to use -- at least, that's the idea. I feel very lucky that I was invited to play with this fun new toy early on.
Basically, all you have to do is type and click buttons, and voila! A web page springs to life! I spent a little while this morning playing around with it. Funny, how fate provides with what you need just when you need it, sometimes. Just yesterday I pored over the problem of the free patterns here on my blog; when I only had two or three free patterns, readers could just click on the "Free Patterns" category link in the left sidebar, and go to the patterns. It was easy to scroll down a little to browse the two or three patterns. Now that I have six free patterns, it's not as happy an experience. Eventually, I will have even more free patterns here. I wanted to create a separate page or set of pages, listing the patterns by title so that visitors could simply click on the pattern they wanted and go to it, without having to scroll forever through other stuff they don't want.
Then, today in my morning email was the invite from Google Page Creator, opening a door to solve my problem. So here it is: the new & improved Unique One Free Patterns web site. (Enjoy!!)
This pattern has been available on the Unique One website for a couple of months, in the "Current Newsletter" section. I thought I'd move it over here and offer it to my blog readers who may or may not already read the Unique One newsletter on line or get a hard copy of it via the mail.
I like this little scarf because it is reversible -- looks the same on both sides -- and it was fun yet relatively easy to knit. I say "relatively easy", because although it requires yarn overs and a couple slightly funky decrease methods, and it looks like it has a lot of rows in the pattern repeat, you really only have to remember two of the rows in the pattern. Just repeat stuff a lot. And every other row is simple knit one, purl one ribbing. It took me a couple pattern repeats to get the flow going, but once I "got it", everything was honeycakes and mead from then on out. I hope you have as much fun knitting it as I did! I'd like to try it in the new merino lace yarn that Victoria just ordered from Skacel (arriving mid-May), or oooh, ooooh, ooooh, that hand-dyed laceweight silk, "Andrea", from Schaefer, that I have sitting right here...... Ooops. Not enough time. But I will put it on my list!
RIBBED LEAVES ALPACA SCARF
Materials: 3 skeins Frogtree Alpaca fingering weight yarn; size 6 needles
Finished size: 72 inches long x 7.5 inches wide
Directions:
Cast on 66 sts. Work in Ribbed Leaves pattern as follows.
Rows 1, 3,5, & 7(RS): *K1, P1, yo twice, [K1, P1] twice, K1, R2dec, [P1, K1] 5 times, P1; repeat from * to end.
Row 2 & all WS rows: work in K1, P1 rib, working double yo’s as 2 stitches.
Rows 9, 11, 13, & 15: *[K1, P1] 6 times, L2dec, [K1, P1] twice, K1, yo twice, P1; repeat from * to end.
Row 16: work as Row 2.
Repeat these 16 rows for Ribbed Leaves pattern.
Work in pattern until scarf measures 72 inches long or desired length. Bind off loosely.
Abbreviations used:
K = knit
P = purl
yo = yarn over (wrap the yarn around the needle once, treat this wrapped yarn as a stitch in the next row)
R2dec = slip purl stitch to right hand needle, slip knit stitch to cable needle and hold in front, slip next purl stitch to right hand needle, slip knit stitch from cable needle back to left hand needle, slip 2 purl stitches back to left hand needle, purl 2 together, knit 2 together.
L2dec = with yarn in back, slip knit stitch to right hand needle knitwise, slip purl stitch to cable needle and hold in back, slip next knit stitch to right hand needle knitwise, slip purl stitch from cable needle back to left hand needle, leaving 2 knit stitches on right hand needle, knit these two together through the back loops, purl next 2 stitches on left hand needle together.
Bobble-Edged Hat
This hat pattern was included in the Unique One Fall Newsletter and, since the next newsletter will be coming out in a month or so with an all-new wicked cunnin' scarf pattern (which I LOVE, if I must say so myself, wait til you see this one) -- I thought I'd put the Bobble Hat pattern here on my blog for safekeeping, for my loyal readers, for eternity or for as long as the internet lasts. Enjoy!
Bobble-Edged Hat
Materials: 2 balls Paintbox yarn from Knit One Crochet Too (a worsted weight single ply wool which has 100 yards in a 50-gram ball; you actually only need about 150 yards for the hat); size 7 16" circular needles and size 7 double pointed needles; tapestry needle to weave in ends.
Size: fits average-sized woman's head
Special Abbreviation: MB (Make Bobble): knit into front and back of next stitch twice (4sts). Turn, P4. Turn, K4. Turn, P2tog twice. Turn, k2tog through the back loops.
Cast on 96 sts using size 7 16-inch circular needle. Join and work bobble edging as follows: Row 1: Purl. Bobble Round: K2, *MB, K5; rep from *, end last rep MB, K3.
(Purl a round, knit a round) twice (2 garter ridges).
Work in K2, P2 rib for one inch.
Purl 3 rounds.
Work textured rib pattern as follows: Round 1: (K5, P1) around. Round 2: P1, (K3, P3) around, end K3, P2. Round 3: P2, (K1, P5) around, end K1, P3. Repeat these three rounds for pattern. Work in textured rib pattern for 3 1/2 inches.
Purl 3 rounds.
Continue in stockinette stitch and work decreases as follows:
Round 1: (K6, K2tog) around.
Round 2 and all even rows: Knit.
Round 3: (K5, K2tog) around.
Round 5: (K4, K2tog) around.
Round 7: (K3, K2tog) around.
Round 9: (K2, K2tog) around.
Round 11: (K1, K2tog) around.
Round 12: Knit.
Next Rounds: K2tog around until 6 sts are left. Cut yarn, pull tail through remaining sts, pull tight. Weave in ends.
Here, as promised, is a picture of the Unique One Firefly Gang attending the Serenity movie in their Jayne Hats:
From L to R: Tracy, Stacy, Grace & Victoria. Y'all look WUNNERFUL in yer Jayne Hats!!
And Tracy was so gracious as to write out the pattern for her Jayne Hat, mostly because I begged and whined unceasingly for her to do so, and she is allowing me to post it here. Thanks, Tracy!!! Please leave her a comment of appreciation here on this post, and I'll make sure she reads it. And go see the Serenity movie! Here is her pattern:
Lambs Pride Bulky in A. Autumn Harvest, B. Sunburst Gold, and C. Rust
Size 10.5 needles--16" circulars and double points
Basic hat is knit first, then stitches are picked up around the edge for the earflaps. This fits a 22" head and would easily stretch to a 23" head.
CO 60 loosely in A. Autumn Harvest on circular needles; join, being careful not to twist.
Place a stitch marker at the beginning of the round, k 20 stitches, place a second marker, *k1, p1* rib for the rest of the round. Repeat this pattern for five rounds.
The 20 K stitches will be the forehead of the hat.
Change to K each round and continue with A. Autumn Harvest for a total of four inches (edge to end, including the ribbed section).
Cut A. Autumn Harvest and join B. Sunburst Gold. K around for four inches (total hat length, 8")
K2tog for two rounds, switching to dp when there are not enough stitches to go around the circular needles. Cut 12" tail, pull through the stitches and weave in on the inside of the hat.
Earflap:
Hold hat open side up. Pick up 16 stitches with C. Rust starting at the edge of the K stitches (pick up in the ribbing).
St st for three inches (k one row, p one row); end after a P row.
Do short row: K 13, sl 1, TURN WORK AROUND, bring yarn forward, p 13, sl 1, TURN WORK AROUND, k to end of row.
St st for two inches; end after a P row.
Decreases:
K until there are 3 st left, k2tog, k 1
P until there are 3 st left, p2tog, p 1
repeat these two rows until you have six stitches left on the needles. Bind off. Leave 6" tail.
Pick up 16 stitches on the other side of the hat, this time ending at the K area. Make earflap again.
Finishing:
Make pompom out of C. Rust, do not trim for evenness. Attach to top of hat. Cut a few 6" pieces of C. Rust and dangle from ends of earflaps. Flip earflaps up; the short row will help make the flaps flip up.
Roll in straw and wear pearched high on your forehead. And, go see Serenity in the theater so that Jayne will fly again!
I guess you all know how I can go on and on and on about how great Alchemy Yarns is. No, I don't work for them. No, I don't get a cut of their sales. I just love them.
Back in June, at the TNNA show, Gina and Austin gave me a sample skein of Sanctuary yarn, and I whipped up a simple scarf and gave it to them. It was pretty, I must admit, but 99% of its beauty was the yarn itself. Okay, I'll take 1% credit for it being beautiful, too. Anyway, they took a picture of it and put it on their website: Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page. And you can not only see the scarf, but you can also get the pattern for it -- it's free! Hope you have as much fun making it as I did, and I hope you try some Sanctuary. I love that yarn.
Also, make SURE you check out the great picture of the Alchemy Yarn pet pig, Purl! Purl and her canine friends send off every shipment of Alchemy Yarn with their blessing. (The cookie they get from Darla, the UPS driver, may play a part in this.) Thanks for the picture, Gina & Austin!
Going shopping this summer? Here's a handy little bag you can knit that won't take up much room in your purse, but when you stuff it full, it'll hold a LOT of stuff. It's great to take to a Farmer's Market! And you can knit one in a couple of evenings:
Net Shopping Bag
Yarn: 2 Balls Lingarn -- or 140 meters of any worsted to heavy worsted cotton/linen blend. It would also be nice in hemp, or 100% linen, all cotton, or any tough, not-very-stretchy fiber.
Needles: size 13 double pointed needles; size 13 circular needles, 16"
*Note: the bag is started on double pointed needles; switch to the circular needles when it is feasible.
Base of Bag:
Cast on 9 stitches, divided on 3 double pointed needles. Join.
Round 1: (K1, yarn over) around (18 sts).
Rounds 2, 3, & 4: Knit (on Round 2 knit into the backs of the yarn overs to close them up a bit).
Round 5: (K1, yarn over) around (36 sts.)
Rounds 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, & 11: Knit (on Round 6 knit into the backs of the yarn overs to close them up a bit).
Round 12: (K1, yarn over) around (72 sts).
Round 13: Knit.
Round 14: Purl.
Round 15: Knit.
Round 16: Purl.
Body of Bag:
Round 17: (yarn over, K2tog) around.
Round 18: (K2tog, yarn over) around.
Repeat rows 17 & 18 until bag measures 12" from last purl row. You can make it longer or shorter at this point. Just remember to buy more yarn if you want to make the bag longer!
Bag Top & Handles
Knit two rounds, knitting into the backs of the previous row's yarn overs to close them.
Next round: Knit 9, bind off 18, knit 18, bind off 18, knit 9.
Next round: Knit 9, cast on 40 (over the space where you bound off 18 in the last row), knit 18, cast on 40 (over the space where you bound off 18 in the last row), knit 9. (116 sts) *You could cast on more here if you want longer handles. If you have extra yarn!!
Knit one round. Bind off all stitches.
Actually, you could make this bag big enough to carry laundry or beach stuff in, if you wanted. Just make the base larger (you would knit 12 more rounds plain after Round 12, increase by yarn-overing every other stitch, knit another 24 rounds, then do the increase round again -- that would make it plenty big; you could stop anywhere in between, of course); then knit a much higher body, maybe 24 inches?
Have fun knitting the bag! Go shopping!
It's another rainy day.
I knit this scarf way back in January & February. I love the yarn; it's a wool/silk blend from The Purled Llama . The yarn is called "Melena" and the color is called "Beth" (yes, it's named after me!)
I had the scarf on display at the NETA knit and spin weekend in February, and several people asked for the pattern to knit it. I assured them I'd write down the pattern, but I never did get around to it. But this morning the rain reminded me of the scarf's wavy pattern stitch, so I finally wrote down the pattern. And here 'tis:
Rainy Day Scarf
1 skein “Melena” or a couple hundred yards of any wool/silk heavy worsted weight yarn*(see note below)
size 5.5 mm (US size 9) needles
tapestry needle
Finished measurements: 55 inches long, 4 inches wide (unblocked).
Cast on 28 sts.
Work in Wavy Pattern
Rows 1 - 4: (K 2, P 2) 7 times.
Row 5 & 7: P 1, (K 2, P 2) 6 times, K 2, P 1.
Row 6 & 8: K1, P 2, (K 2, P 2) 6 time, K 1
Rows 9 - 12: (P 2, K 2) 7 times
Row 13 & 15: K 1, (P 2, K 2) 6 times, P 2, K 1.
Row 14 & 16: P 1, K 2, (P 2, K 2) 6 times, P 1.
Rows 17 - 20: (K 2, P 2) 7 times
Rows 21 & 23: K 1, (P 2, K 2) 6 times, P 2, K 1.
Rows 22 & 24: P 1, K 2, (P 2, K 2) 6 times, P 1.
Rows 25 -28: (P 2, K 2) 7 times
Rows 29 & 31: P 1, (K 2, P 2) 6 times, K 2, P 1.
Rows 30 & 32: K1, P 2, (K 2, P 2), K 1
Repeat these 32 rows until you rund out of yarn; bind off; weave in ends.
*note: The Wavy Pattern could be adapted to suit any gauge yarn; it is a multiple of 4 sts/32rows. Just increase or decrease the number of times the K 2, P 2 (or P 2, K 2) is repeated in the middle. Actually, I guess you could even use it to make a baby blanket or an afghan. Or a pillow. Hmmm.....
I hope the sun comes out soon! The silk in this Melena yarn really looks lovely in sunlight.
(thinking: I bet this scarf would also be gorgeous in Alchemy Yarn's "Synchronicity" or "Bamboo").
I came up with this pattern for the 2004 Isaac Evans knitting cruise. They are a simple but attractive pair of gloves with a cabled cuff, moss stitch hand and stockinette stitch fingers and thumb. Come into Unique One sometime and have a look at the sample! The gloves are easy and quick to knit with DK or light worsted weight yarn:
Yarn: Wings, by Classic Elite, 2 skeins. Needles: size 2 double pointed.
Twisted rib stitch:
Rnd 1: *k2, p1* around
Rnd 2: *RT, p1* around [RT = knit into the second st on the left needle, then knit into the first st on the left needle; transfer both sts to the right needle]
Rnd 3: repeat rnd 1
Rnd 4 *LT, p1* around {LT = knit into the back of the second st on the left needle, then knit into the first st on the left needle; transfer both sts to the right needle]
Moss stitch:
Rnds 1 & 2: *k1, p1* around
Rnds 3 & 4: *p1, k1* around
Directions: Cast on 48 sts (long-tail cast on). Join, being careful not to twist sts. Work twisted rib pattern for 16 rounds. Work garter stitch (knit a round, purl a round) for 4 rounds, making 2 ridges.
Knit 1 round.
Make thumb gusset: The thumb gusset is worked in stockinette stitch (knit every stitch), while the remainder of the glove’s circumference is done in Moss stitch. You will now begin increasing for a thumb gusset as follows:
Rnd 1: M1, k1, M1, place marker, work remainder of round in moss stitch.
Rnds 2 & 3: knit to marker (no increases); work remainder of round in moss stitch.
Rnd 4: M1, k3, M1, work remainder of round in moss stitch.
Rnds 5 & 6: same as rnds 2 & 3.
Continue to increase 2 sts on each side of the thumb gusset every 3rd round until there are 17 sts in the thumb gusset. Work as established, keeping thumb gusset in stockinette stitch and the rest of the glove in moss stitch, until the thumb gusset measures 3”.
Next round: thread the 17 thumb gusset sts onto a piece of yarn to be worked later. Cast on 1 st to cover the gap, rejoin and work to end of round in moss stitch pattern. (Total sts remaining = 48 sts).
Hand: Work even in moss stitch pattern until piece measures 4 ¼ inches above the base of the thumb gusset, or to the base of the little finger.
Next rnd: Work in pattern across 19 sts; place next 11 sts on a piece of yarn to be worked later (for the little finger); cast on 1 st over the gap; work in pattern to end of round (38 sts.)
Work even in pattern for another ¼ inch. Work fingers as follows:
Index finger: In stockinette stitch, knit across 7 sts; cast on 2 sts to bridge the gap; place the last 7 sts of the round on a separate needle and knit them(16 index finger sts). Place the rest of the hand stitches on a piece of yarn to hold them, or use an extra needle or stitch holder. Arrange these 16 sts sts on 3 dpn and knit around until index finger measures 2 ¾ inches. Decrease for top: *K2tog; rep from * to end of rnd. Break yarn. Using tapestry or yarn needle, thread the yarn through the remaining sts. Pull firmly, closing the tube, and weave yarn in on inside of finger tip.
Middle finger: Reattach yarn at
base of index finger; slip next 6 sts on a needle and knit across them; cast on 2 sts to bridge the gap; slip the corresponding 6 sts on the other side of the hand on a needle and knit across them; pick up 2 sts at base of index finger (16 middle finger sts). Arrange sts on 3 dpn and knit around until index finger measures 3 inches. Decrease for top as for Index finger.
Ring finger: Reattach yarn at base of middle finger; knit across 12 remaining sts from the hand; pick up 2 sts at base of middle finger (14 ring finger sts). Arrange sts on 3 dpn and knit around until index finger measures 2 ¾ inches. Decrease for top as for Index finger.
Little finger: Put the 11 sts for the little finger on 3 dpns and reattach yarn at base of ring finger; knit around the 11 sts; pick up 1 st to bridge the gap (12 little finger sts). Knit around until little finger measures 2 ¼ inches. Decrease for top as for Index finger.
Thumb: Reattach yarn at base of thumb; knit across 17 sts placed on a holder earlier; pick up 1 st at base of thumb (18 thumb sts). Arrange sts on 3 dpn and knit around until thumb measures 2 inches. Decrease for top as for Index finger.
Make second glove the same as the first.
Finishing: Weave in loose ends, using these ends to close up holes around bases of thumb and fingers. Block, if desired.
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