Knitting Projects: Close to You Shawl and a Lesson Learned

So here I am, showing off my latest knitting project - the Close to You Shawl by Justyna Lorkowska.  This is a free pattern available on Ravelry.  And I love it.  The pattern is rather repetitious, but I love the interesting, yet casual design it creates.  I'm really happy with this project.

This shawl uses fingering weight yarn and as a Christmas present to myself, I splurged on this beautiful purple variegated yarn from Gnarled Paw on Etsy.  This yarn wasn't super expensive, I think it was $18, but more money than I might normally spend.  How much money you spend on yarn is a personal choice, but I'm glad I decided to spend more for this yarn.  The stunning color changes in this skein made it well worth it, IMHO.

I now see the value in investing more money for yarn, occasionally, to create a stand out item that you will enjoy wearing.  Lesson learned.

Free Knitting Patterns: Knit Accessories for Sock Snowmen

I recently posted a tutorial for three different ways for making sock snowmen for Christmas and the winter season.  These guys are so cute I couldn't stop making them!  The best part was dressing them, and I enjoyed knitting some special items for each one.  So I wanted to share these knitting patterns with you here.

The sizes for these accessories will vary depending on the  size of your snowmen, but these patterns will give you an idea of how to start.  I don't have any gauges on these patterns because I just winged it with whatever scrap yarn I had on hand.

Knitted Scarf - Seen on Standing Snowman Figure and Gift Bag Sock Snowman

Used heavy worsted weight yarn and #8 needles

Cast on 5 stitches, knit every row in garter stitch to desired length, trying it on your snowman as you go.  I made mine 12 inches long for my standing figure.  Bind off and weave in your ends.  I didn't bother blocking any of these items.

Knitted Wreath - Used Magdalena Roslaniec's  Little Christmas Tree Wreath pattern (English directions are further down the page) with changes

Used sport weight yarn and #4 dpns

To make a smaller wreath, I cast on 12 sts using a #4 needle and sport weight yarn.  I knit my 3 cords for the braid as i-cords, making each one about 6 1/2 inches long (40 i-cord repeats).  The resulting wreath is just under 3 inches in diameter.  I added some ribbon as a bow and some beads for decoration.  I simply hot glued this wreath to my snowman figure.

Knitted Hat - Seen on Female Figure and Smaller Standing Snowman, along with Top Head in Snowmen's Heads in a Row

For Female Figure - Used heavy worsted yarn and #7 dpns
For Smaller Figure - Used sport weight yarn and #4 dpns
For Snowman's Head - Used heavy worsted yarn and #8 dpns
*see additional notes below pattern

Cast on 24 sts on dpns, place marker and join in the round.
Work three rounds in k2, p2 ribbing.
Rnd 4:  Knit all sts.
Rnd 5:  *Knit 4, k2tog* all around (20 sts remaining)
Rnd 6:  Knit all sts.
Rnd 7:   *Knit 3, k2tog* all around (16 sts remaining)
Rnd 8:  Knit all sts.
Rnd 9:  *Knit 2, k2tog* all around (12 sts remaining)
Rnd 10:  Knit all sts.
Rnd 11:   *Knit 1, k2tog* all around (8 sts remaining)
Rnd 12:  Knit all sts.
Rnd 13:  *K2tog* all around (4 sts remaining)

Cut yarn and pull through remaining sts.  Weave in ends.

For Female Figure - I pushed in pointed top to flatten hat and glued a pom pom on top.

For Smaller Figure - I did an extra round of knitted sts after Round 10 and Round 12 to make hat taller.  Here, I left the point and glued on a plastic snowflake for decoration.

For Snowman's Head - Again, I did an extra round of knitted sts after Round 10 and Round 12 to make hat taller. I also added a pom pom to the top point of hat.

Knitted Sweater - Seen on Smaller Standing Figure (Child), about 8 1/2 inches around waist

Used heavy worsted weight yarn and on #7 and #8 dpns

Cast on 28 sts on #7 dpns, placed marker, then joined in the round, careful not to twist stitches.

Knit 4 rounds in k2, p2 ribbing.  Then switched to #8 dpns.
Knit straight for 3 rounds or to desired length.
Next rnd, start decreases with *K2, k2tog* all around.
Then knit 1 round.
Next rnd, *K1, k2tog* all around.
Then knit 1 round.
Switch back to #7 dpns, work 3 rounds in k2,p2 ribbing.  Bind off in pattern and weave in ends.

I decorated my guy's sweater with some felt  holly leaves and berries.

I hope these patterns give you some ideas for dressing your favorite sock snowmen!

It's Getting to Be That Time of Year: Free Knitting Patterns for Christmas Ornaments

It's time again for my knitting group's annual ornament exchange.  The rules are always the same:  everyone who wants to participate brings a handmade ornament to exchange.  The ornament does not need to be knit, but it does need to be made by the person bringing it.

We haven't had our exchange yet, so I can't show you the ornament that I made.  But I thought I'd share some fun FREE knitting patterns I found for some cute ornaments.

First, the Little Christmas Tree Wreath by Magdalena Roslaniec - I made the ornament above following Magdalena's pattern.  The only changes I made were to use some ribbon for the bow instead of knitting my own, and gluing on some small beads as decoration.  I really enjoyed this pattern.  It's a quick knit, great for using leftover yarn, and makes a beautiful ornament.

I love Magdalena's pattern so much that I made a smaller version as a brooch or pin.  To make this smaller wreath, I cast on 12 sts on a #4 needle.  I knit my 3 cords for the braid as i-cords, and made each one about 6 1/2 inches long (40 i-cord repeats).  The resulting wreath is just under 3 inches in diameter.  Again, I added some ribbon as a bow and some beads for decoration.  I sewed a pin back in place on the back, but I think you could also use a stick pin to attach it to your clothing.

And a few shameless plugs for my own free ornament patterns:  These Cozy Little Snowmen are knit in the round from the head up through the hat.  These guys are a quick knit and great for using scrap yarn.  Once knit, you can add whatever facial features and accessories that you wish.

And this Yarn Ball Christmas Tree Ornament is a variation on my Yarn Ball Bookmark.  You can find the directions for the tree ornament at the bottom of my free pattern for the bookmark on my Hubpages.

Hope these free patterns give you some ideas for knitting your own Christmas Tree ornaments.  I also shared some patterns for Christmas ornaments last year that you might want to check out.  Best wishes for the upcoming holiday season!

Back from a Break with the Rochambeau Cowlette

Rochambeau Cowlette by Carina Spencer

I took a long break from knitting and blogging this summer.  I just wasn't feeling like knitting and couldn't find many patterns that inspired me.  Then summer turned into fall, and fall turned into late fall, and so here we are.

But a few weeks ago, I came across the Rochambeau Cowlette pattern by Carina Spencer.  This is not a free pattern, but I had been looking at lace shawl patterns, thinking about how I rarely knit shawls but wondering whether I would really wear one if I did. 

Enter this beautiful lace cowl pattern.  I love that it's lightweight and features all the pretty detail of a lace pattern, but without all the fussing of wearing a shawl.

I knit mine in Cascade Heritage.  My gauge was off so my cowl came out shorter than the sample, but I like the shorter length on me.  The pattern suggests that you go up 2 to 3 needle sizes for your bind off.  I went up 2, but wonder if I should have gone up another size.  My cowl curls around the edges (as you can see in the photo).  Maybe one more needle size would have combatted this.

Oh well.  I still am happy with my cowl and I think I'll be wearing it a lot this fall and winter.

The Big Reveal: Notes and Final Thoughts on My Knit Summer Lace Top

I finished my Drops Design Erica Lace Top last Sunday for the Very Shannon #TTTKAL.  It's taken me a few days to post because I'm not sure how I feel about it.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I went down a needle size to get gauge, and that, in combination with using a linen/cotton blend yarn, meant that my lace work didn't open up as much as the sample in the Drops pattern.  I still like my finished lace top, I just don't love it. 

So I may keep this top, or I may frog it to knit something else.  I'm not sure yet, but in the meantime I do have some notes to share for this pattern:


1.  I've already posted some general tips for knitting Drops Design patterns.   This particular pattern may seem daunting due to the number of charts involved.  But if you want to knit this top, you just need to buckle down for the journey and trust that you won't be asked to do more than you can handle at any one time.

2.  Through most of the pattern, you are working 3 to 4 charts all at the same time.  I find it helpful to put a post-it sticker on each chart to mark the row I'm working on.  Then I just move the post-it up as I knit the chart.  Most people don't seem to think of this, but it's the easiest way to keep track of your place on the chart.

And although the pattern doesn't call for this, I placed stitch markers between each change of pattern/chart as I knit across a row.  This was an easy way to know where you are when working.

3.  Although there are a lot of charts with this pattern, A.2A, A.2B and A3 stay constant and are pretty easy to memorize, so you only need to focus on the chart for the center stitches.

4.  That said, I still used a post-it note on both charts for A.2A and A.2B to keep track of where I was so I didn't zone out and do the same stitch pattern on both sides.

5.  I'd also suggest that you keep notes on which rows you do your side decreases on, so you can do them in the same place on the second piece.

6.  I only did a few very minor modifications to this top:

• On the 2nd and 3rd repeats of Chart A.1, I did the 4 st decrease on row 11 instead of row 13 so that my k2togs would be completely hidden in the garter stitch.

• When I knit what I considered my front piece, and I was working my last repeat of Chart A.1,  I omitted the first 4 rows of garter stitch to make the front neckline just a little lower than the back.  I compensated for the difference in length by knitting my front straps a little longer by 4 rows to match the back piece. 

• Small thing, but when I was seaming the front and the back together, I left about a 2 inch vent at the hem on both sides (which you can't see in the photos).  I just liked it better that way.

7.   If you run into any problems understanding the Drops Design patterns, which can be quite brief, you can always look at the other finished projects on Ravelry.  There are some great finished projects and photos posted there.

8.  And the fun/annoying thing about this pattern is that once you get through knitting the front piece, you get to do it all over again for the back piece :)  Actually, if you don't want to go through knitting all the charts again, you could knit another gauge swatch and do the math to knit the back in just Stst.  Just as an option.

Update #3 - Knitting with Seams vs. Seamlessly

I've finished the back side of my Drops Erica Singlet lace top for the Very Shannon Tees, Tanks, and Tops KAL, and I've knitted about 1/4 of the front side of this top.  I had to go down a needle size to get gauge and as a result, my lace work isn't really opening up as the Drops sample does.  I'm not happy about this and have been all over the place with different ideas to fix it.  I've tried going up a needle size (it didn't really help much).  I've planned to buy a different type of yarn and re-start the project.  I've thought about frogging the back of this top and using this Cotlin yarn to knit another tee pattern.

In the end, I decided to love my top for what it is and keep knitting.  Although my lacework is not as open, I think it is still pretty and there are advantages to using this thinner Cotlin yarn.  My top is nice and light, and very soft.  I think I will enjoy wearing it in the warmer months.  My gauge block with thicker cotton yarn had better stitch definition, but was very heavy.  I think this heavier cotton would make my top quite hot and uncomfortable in the summer.  I don't think I would wear it much.

Erica Singlet by Drops Design

Some knitters might think to knit this Drops top in the round to save time.  At first glance, it might seem like the right thing to do.  The pattern would be quite easy to knit in the round and it would make this project a little quicker. 

However, in some cases, there is a reason to knit a garment in separate pieces and to maintain side seams.  As noted in this great Twist article, side seams provide stability and structure to a garment.  With a close fitting sweater or top, your body provides the shape for the garment.  A fitted top will hug your curves and therefore does not need a lot of structure built into the garment.  And sometimes you want a garment to show off your shape and curves, like this cowled tank from Knitty.

But a loose fitting garment, like this Drops lace top, needs the side seams to maintain its shape, particularly as it hangs away from the body at the bottom edge.  The loose A-line shape of this top was one of the things I really loved about this design, and the side seams are what's maintaining that shape.

Patterns really need to be looked at on a case by case basis to decide whether they need seaming.  Generally, however, if you want your knitted garment to maintain its own shape, or give your body a different shape, that it's going to need some seaming to offer support.  Check out the Twist article for more great information!

Update 2: Tips for Knitting Drops Design Patterns

Drops Design 169-20 Erica Singlet

I haven't made a lot of progress on my lace tank that I'm knitting as part of the Very Shannon Tops, Tanks, and Tees KAL.  I've been sick and have a lot of excuses.  What I can say is that Drops Design knitting patterns can be a bit of a challenge to American knitters if you're not used to them.

I've knit a few Drops Designs in the past.  Drops Designs are wonderful because they release A LOT of FREE patterns, but they're written in the European style which is not what most American knitters are used to.

European patterns tend to write the whole pattern as one paragraph, with no breaks between steps, and only include the necessary information to follow the pattern.  These patterns often rely on charts instead of written instructions.  American patterns tend to be broken down into sequential steps, with line breaks in between.  This makes them easier to follow and to keep track of where you are in the pattern.

Regardless, I've never had a problem with any of the Drops Design patterns and I thought I would lay out some tips for knitting from them:

1.  Make sure you choose to view the pattern in US English.  The first time I tried to follow a Drops pattern, it was set on British English, which I thought would probably be the same.  It's not.

2.  Setting the pattern language to US English should include the measurements in inches in addition to centimeters, but the size diagram will probably still be just in cms.  Take a moment to do the math and change this to inches (unless you're comfortable working in cms).  Write down the measurements in inches on your diagram for quick reference.

3.  Read through the ENTIRE pattern before beginning.  This is just a good rule of thumb to always follow (one I have trouble with myself), but is especially true with Drops patterns.  For instance:  with the Erica Singlet, the pattern lays out the order which to follow all the charts up the front of this top, THEN tells you, in paragraph 3, that you should have started the side decreases back during the second chart.

4.  Copy and paste the pattern into Word to break it down and rearrange it as you need it.  This is, I think, the best way to manage these patterns.  In Word, you can insert line breaks between steps as it makes sense to you.  You can rearrange the directions to move important instructions to the top of your pattern.  And, if necessary, you can enlarge any charts to make them easier to read.

If you are not able to copy and paste the chart, then use a highlighter to mark where each new step begins.  You can even use different colors to indicate a stitch change, an increase row, or other directions.

I hope these tips helps so that you aren't frightened off from trying one of these great Drops Designs!