Swans Island is having a 40% off sale on yarn!!!! I can't believe it! That is huge!
I just ordered some yarn for a scarf, and some Ombré & Friends Trio in Seaglass to make a Color Affection Shawl.
AND -- free domestic shipping on orders over $100!
It's Spring! Smell the fresh air!
I made a new hat that uses nupps and something that I call a "bud stitch" from a Japanese knitting stitch book. I hope you like it!
Blossoms & Buds Hat
Materials:
Swans Island Washable Wool sport weight, 1 skein (360 yards/100g)
16 inch circular & double pointed needles US 1.5 / 2.5mm needle
Gauge: 25.33 sts and 38.5 rounds = 4"/10cm
Directions:
Cast on 128 sts.
Work ribbing for 1.5" as follows:
Round 1: *K 1, p 3* around
Round 2: *K1, p1* around
Knit a round and inc 8 in last row (136 sts)
Purl a round, knit a round, purl a round, knit 3 rounds.
Work 10 rounds of nupp flowers chart (8 repeats of 17-stitch chart):
Tips for knitting nupps:
https://pattern-duchess.com/knitting-estonian-nupp-stitch/
https://knotions.com/nupps-how-to-knit-tutorial/
https://pattern-duchess.com/how-to-knit-estonian-nupp-stitch/
Find the one you like and go with that! Or if you prefer, substitute a bobble stitch, or just a bead!
Knit a round, purl a round, knit a round, purl a round, knit a round and decrease 4 in last round (132 stitches). Purl 2 more rounds.
Work 14 rounds of Bud Stitch until hat measures about 8", ending with Round 7 or 14:
Bud Stitch:
Rounds 1 - 4: Purl
Round 5: *Purl 5, insert RN into center of stitch in 4th row below the next stitch and pull up a long loop; yo; insert RN into center of stitch in 4th row below of the same stitch and pull up a long loop; yo; insert RN into center of stitch in 4th row below of the same stitch and pull up a long loop (5 loops made from one stitch - keep the loops all the same height); drop the stitch on the left needle* around.
Round 6: *Purl 5, knit the 5 new loops you pulled up* around
Round 7: *Purl 5, sl 3 as if to knit, k2tog, psso one at a time,* around
Round 8 - 11: Purl
Round 12: *Purl 2, , insert RN into center of stitch in 4th row below the next stitch and pull up a long loop; yo; insert RN into center of stitch in 4th row below of the same stitch and pull up a long loop; yo; insert RN into center of stitch in 4th row below of the same stitch and pull up a long loop (5 loops made from one stitch - keep the loops all the same height); drop the stitch on the left needle, p3* around.
Round 13: *Purl 2, knit the new loops you pulled up, purl 3* around
Round 14: *Purl 2, sl 3 as if to knit, k2tog, psso one at a time, purl 3* around.
(I made the yo’s and dropping the st off bold because that was where I kept forgetting to do them, and got off in my stitch count.)
Purl 1 round. Knit 1 round.
Work in stockinette stitch and decrease for top changing to dpns where necessary:
Round 1: *Knit 6, yo, k3tog* around
Round 2 and all even rounds: Knit
Round 3: *Knit 5, yo, k3tog* around
Round 5: *Knit 4, yo, k3tog* around
Round 7: *Knit 3, yo, k3tog* around
Round 9: *Knit 2, yo, k3tog* around
Round 11: *Knit 1, yo, k3tog* around
Round 22: Knit, dec 1 st at end of round
Round 13: K2tog around until 11 sts remain. Cut yarn leaving an end to weave in. Pull up tight and weave end in on wrong side.
I added a pom pom on top, but you can finish it off as you like! This hat would do well with blocking. I didn’t block mine, but I should have. If it were a gift for someone, I would have blocked it to make it prettier.
Happy knitting!
In this time of staying home, shopping has mostly been done online. I bought cookies, sugar free cookies, that aren't too bad. They go well with tea.
Because I couldn't go to Heavenly Yarns in Belfast, they kindly came to me -- sort of. I wanted to shop at a yarn store that I like to go to locally, because I wanted to help them out. Helen answered the phone and remembered that I used to own Unique One, and she even remembered my blog. She is very sweet!
I ordered two skeins of Peace Fleece for socks for a man, and two bright skeins of Berroco Socks for socks for women. Helen has a tremendous selection in her store!
That was just yesterday, and I got the yarn today! I'll wind the yarn up right away and get going making socks!
In other news, I ordered this from a store on the other side of the country:
It may look like a baby tribble ... but it is not (I wish it was though!). Neither is it yarn. It is a pom pom for the hat I am making, and it is soooooo soft. I love it. I got it at Knot Another Hat in Hood River, Oregon.
Both stores had free shipping to the end of the month!!!!! I hope you can order some yarn from your local yarn shop. Having had a yarn shop myself, I know from experience that March is always a hard month, and this March is a dismal one indeed. Having a little more yarn will make you feel good, and I know that your business will be appreciated!
Be well, be happy, and knit on!
I woke up to one of the warmest days in the year, and it made me smile. I love spring.
You may remember this yarn that I spun. It made me happy too! I knit a shawlette with it: the Cider Press Shawl by Marie Greene. It's in her book Knit Shawls and Wraps in 1 Week: 30 Quick Patterns to Keep You Cozy in Style.
I love it.
Every stitch looked different, every color plied with every color, and every weight of yarn from lace weight through chunky slid through my fingers. Yet, the magic of knitting pulled it all together to produce this wonderful shawl.
I was giggling with happiness and fascinated at what was being created in my hands.
Stay warm and happy!
My pink shawl is complete! Yay!
I started the Knit-a-long from Pattern Duchess (Mari-Liis Hirv) on July 1, 2019, though it started on June 24. I was late, but caught up quickly. I finished on March 6.
The shawl used three balls of Shadow Lace from Knitpicks.com, a 100% merino yarn that has 880 yards per 100 g. It is only available in white now; they've discontinued it. Bastards.
I got it because it was one of the only all-wool lace weight that I could find. Everything now has either alpaca (which I can't wear) or silk, which is fine but I didn't want a heavy, shimmering thing. I just wanted wool! Shadow Lace was a wonderful yarn to work with and now I wish I had bought more of it.
I knit with a US size 3/3.25mm needle, 2 rows per day, 5 days a week. It's amazing how much you can do if you only get time to do 2 rows a day!
Now it is done. ::happy sigh::
Be safe, and happy knitting!
I used to hate March, hate it with a passion. It was long and dark and snowy, but most of all, it was just more winter when I was ready to be having spring. Gahhh.
This year, we haven't had much snow on the coast of Maine, and it has been a relatively warm winter... probably because we got a new snow blower and two generators. So, this March seems to be easier than usual. Or, we could get the winter's worth of snow and cold all in one month, which would truly suck.
If that happens, I am prepared for it as well! I just finished knitting this sweater:
Pattern: Biscotti by Kiyomi Burgin
Yarns: Annabel Fox Chunky Donegal, 109 yards in 100g, 100% wool, 6.5 skeins, color 662 Alder; Berocco Vintage Chunky 136 yards in 100g, 52% Acrylic, 40% Wool, 8% Nylon, 1.3 skeins; color 6134 red
This is a very heavy sweater knit on size 11US/8.0mm needles. Wrangling would be the best way to describe it, or, in my case, one-armed wrangling. ::rolls eyes::
I have had this yarn forever. Well, nearly. I got it around twenty years ago, and it was the oldest yarn in my possession. It's a beautiful dark tweed, a gorgeous yarn, and I truly love it. I hope this sweater never wears out, because I will never have this yarn again!
I used only 6.5 of the 10 skeins I have. What is your favorite bulky weight item to make with around 375 yards of yarn?
I knit a gauge swatch in the round (the back is all big loops of yarn) and got 3 stitches per inch. The good thing is this sweater knit up really fast! It took me 12 days to finish it, but I had spinning and the pink shawl and a ZickZack scarf to work on too, so I only worked on it for about two hours at a time. It probably took me 36 hours to knit.
The only casualty was the cable from my AddiClick interchangeable needle set, which alarmingly separated from the metal bit in the middle of a sleeve.
Luckily, I had a couple other size 11 needles on hand and was able to finish the sweater. Which is actually pretty amazing that I had them, since I almost never knit with needles that large.
That cable is the one I used the most, and I have used it a lot since I got the set back in 2014. I emailed Skacel (info@skacelknitting.com) because I knew they had a lifetime guarantee on their needles, and I wanted to ask how to get another cable. They responded in a few minutes and emailed a form that I printed and filled out. I popped it in the mail along with the cable that broke, and got an email a day or two later that said the replacement was on the way! It will be here soon! If I hadn't had another needle to finish my sweater, I would only have had to wait about a week before the replacement arrived. I think Skacel deserves a big round of applause for their great service!
Have a super duper March, and happy knitting! Stay warm!