Keeping Hubby Happy & Warm

We've made it through our first winter in our new house and the one thing we've learned:  our new house is COLD.  My husband complains almost constantly and keeps raising the thermostat (neither of which really helps).  So when I was between knitting projects in February, it dawned on me that I should knit hubby a lap blanket/afghan to keep him warm and happy :)

So I struck a deal with him:  I would knit him a blanket if he let me choose the design and colors.  I knew I wanted a pattern that was simple and modern.  I came across this Walt Painted blanket pattern by Danielle Romanetti that I really liked and went about expanding the baby pattern to be husband-sized.  However, after doing some test knitting, I realized the purl front & back that she uses in her pattern was going to be a nightmare when I enlarged the pattern.  So instead, I used the basic pattern from Zig Zag Pram Blanket by Debbie Orr and made some changes to include garter stitch chevrons.  Since these are free patterns, I feel okay explaining how I incorporated both into my blanket.

First, since I knew my husband wasn't going to treat this blanket with any particular care, I decided to use inexpensive acrylic yarn from my local craft store.  I'm only about halfway through knitting my blanket, but I plan for the finished size to be about 42" wide by 60" to 64" long.  Since I'm still working on it, the yarn amounts below are estimates:

My materials 

3 skeins ( maybe more) of Caron Simply Soft in Gray Heather (main color - MC)
2 skeins of Caron Simply Soft in Country Blue
2 skeins of Red Heart Super Saver in Tea Leaf (green)
1 skein (maybe 2) of Caron Eco Ways in an off-white

So, first was to adjust the chevron garter stitch from the Walt Painted Baby Blanket.  Here's what I came up with:

Garter St Chevron
R1 (RS) :  K5, * kf&b, k5, sl1 knitwise, k2tog, psso, k5, kf&b, repeat from * to * until last 5 sts, k5.
R2 (WS):  Knit

Stocking St Chevron (worked only in main color)

R1 (RS):  K5, * kf&b, k5, sl1 knitwise, k2tog, psso, k5, kf&b, repeat from * to * until last 5 sts, k5.
R2 (WS):  K5, purl to last 5 sts, k5.

For my blanket:

With MC, cast on 220 sts with #7 needle (this creates a 5 st border on my blanket).

Worked 5 repeats of Garter St Chevron (10 rows total).  Then worked 6 repeats of St St Chevron (12 rows total).

*Changed to Country Blue and knitted Garter St Chevron for a total of 20 rows.  Then I changed back to the gray (MC) and knitted in St St Chevron for 6 rows.*

I repeated from * to* two more times for a total of three blue stripes.  Then I did the same pattern repeats to create:

3 green stripes
3 off-white stripes
3 more green stripes
3 blue stripes
(total of 15 colored stripes in all)

After finishing my last blue stripe, I'm going to switch back to gray (MC) and work 12 rows (6 repeats) in the St St Chevron and finish with 9 rows of the Garter St Chevron (end on right side).  I'll bind off loosely on the WS to finish my blanket.

As I said, I'm not done yet, but I like how it's coming out.  A hearty thanks to the two designers for coming up with such great patterns!  I'll post more photos when it's finished :)

Ode to Spring (and a new knitting pattern)

I've been talking about Spring for a while now and I know it's not here yet.  But we are about to change our clocks, and it is getting lighter every day.  So I've been celebrating Spring with some new projects, hoping this will encourage the sunshine and warm weather.

First up is my latest knitting pattern - the Loopy Loop Necklace.  (You can click on this link to get the pattern on Hubpages)  This pattern is inspired by some of the bold statement jewelry I've seen in stores for Spring.  The design uses a basic i-cord to make the pendant (a video tutorial is posted with the pattern).  Then I added some bright colors with a simple wrap embroidery stitch.  I love how it came out!

And to welcome Spring when it finally arrives, I've made a new wreath for our door.   This Scrap Fabric Wreath is easy to make using strips of fabric, a wire wreath form, and the decorations of your choice.  The best part is that you can make a wreath for any holiday or season just with the fabric you choose.  I wanted a Spring decoration, so I chose sunny yellow and bright pink, but you could make a wreath that is more rustic by using plaids and denim, or that celebrates your school by using the school colors.  The options are endless :)

I hope these projects help you prepare for Spring's arrival!!

Valentine's Day Special: Free Knitting Pattern

To celebrate Valentine's Day, and what we hope will be the last weeks of winter, I've posted a new knitting pattern on my Hubpage:  Blooming Colors Scarflet.
This short scarf features a variety of patterns to show off your choice of beautiful colors.  I used half skeins from my stash for this project, but I think it would look fantastic in a combination of self-striping yarns (Noro Silk Garden or Lion Brand Amazing come to mind).

This scarflet also has a bit of a vintage vibe.  I might be watching too much Downton Abbey :)  I hope you enjoy this pattern!

Think Spring!

I love spring.  The world seems to be bright, everything is blooming and starting over again.  It makes a girl's mind turn to...new jewelry!!

And with my mind on new jewelry, I've recently posted two new jewelry tutorials on my Hubpage.

The first is this Beaded Ribbon Necklace.  Using 48 inches of ribbon and your favorite beads, you can make a fresh fashion statement and bring new life to your spring wardrobe!  And who doesn't want that?

Number 2 - This Etched Plexiglass Bracelet is one of my favorite projects!  I love wearing this bold bracelet, and have gotten a lot of compliments on it.  I'll admit, this is a more advanced project and it helps to have some drawing experience.  But the results are well worth the work you put into it :)

New FREE Knitting Pattern: Back & Forth Cowl

Just in time for the new year, I've posted a new knitting pattern!  My Back & Forth Cowl pattern is posted on Ravelry.com as a pdf download.  You can also use the link to the right under my FREE Knitting Patterns (please let me know if these links do not work).

This colorful cowl was designed using slipped stitches and knit stitches to look like a woven textile. Similar to my Reindeer Tracks Cowl pattern, this cowl was created to show of the changing colors of variegated yarn but would also look wonderful in a solid color. This pattern is easy and appropriate for beginners who are familiar with knitting in the round and slipped stitches. This cowl would also look great made with bulky weight yarn!

This pattern is shown as a long cowl that can be doubled around the neck for a snug fit (about 36 inches in length). However, the pattern includes instructions for knitting a shorter draping cowl, or making it longer for a looser doubled cowl.

Hope you enjoy this new pattern.  Let me know what you think! 

Friday Favorites: A Little Somethin' Somethin'

 Just for you - a little something special :)

I've posted a new free pattern on my Hubpage for this knitted flower.  This is a quick knit and easy to assemble.  And it uses two of my favorite materials:  scrap yarn and vintage buttons!

My pattern includes directions on turning your flower into a pin, but you can really use these flowers as decoration on sweaters, hats, household items, whatever.  And you can change up the look of your flower with your choice of yarn and buttons.

I hope you enjoy this pattern!

More Knitting Hints

I've added some knitting articles to my Hubpages blog that I thought might be of interest to you :)

How to Pick the Right Yarn for Your Knitting Project

How to Pick a Sweater Pattern

A Review of A Stitch in Time, Vols 1 & 2 (knitting books)

I hope these articles are of interest and help to some of you.  I'll be posting some new patterns in the next few weeks!