hearts banner and precious doll, next up

We've had a cozy Saturday at home. I've gotten a little organizing done (OVER RUN with baby clothes here) and I'm currently working on this adorable heart banner for Sienna's room, using some Garnstudio Drops Alpaca yarn. It's coming along quite quickly. I think I'll do 5 hearts and see how long that turns out. I like odd numbers. Check out the pattern here. 

Next up, I'm considering making this adorable doll for her. Oh. my. I mean, it's so so cute. And I'm not a big doll fan. I think it's the giant head and tiny legs, plus the super precious sweater/hoodie she's wearing. And the scarf. Seriously.

Off to make cheesy chicken enchiladas for dinner now. Happy weekend knitting! This is the best, coziest time of year to enjoy our hobby, no?

Iberis Hat finished...what to knit next?

Just finished this hat, Iberis. It was such a fun knit, made out of Madeline Tosh Merino DK. There are a variety of options to choose from in the pattern - size, stitch combo, length. I chose the large size and the men's stitch pattern. I wanted it to be slouchy, but found the directions called for a REALLY slouchy hat. I knit mine to be about 23cm long and then did the decreases. I LOVE it. It turned out great and the stripe of diagonal mock cables is so striking. I never say this, but I'll probably make this hat again. I might even make it for Pinky, if he's lucky :)

Hmmm. I, of course, have plenty of things already on the needles that I need to finish, but I want to start something fun soon. I bought some neon yellow Manos del Uruguay to make another hat and hope to find some fur-like yarn in  mink color to make a pom pom for it. I will probably work on that first, but am looking at some options for projects after that:

This cowl is gorgeous. It would make a nice gift.

I'm in love with these. No pattern, but I think I can figure it out from the photos. SO lovely.

I still love this, too. Wondering if I would wear it much...

I've also been love loving this for a while now. So pretty. And not the full commitment of a whole sweater. 

And then, there's this star pillow. Oh my. Love. I may have to make it for S.

So many pretty choices. Maybe I'll just keep looking at patterns instead of actually getting started on something. :) Seems to be my favorite part of knitting, after all! 

bear claw blanket decisions...

Happy Saturday! I'll soon be posting an update from our lovely babymoon trip to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, but first, I need your input.

I've gathered a bunch of the Koigu I have (yes, used to be addicted to it), some Louet Gems in pale grey for the background color (purchased a bag of it at Stitches South a few years ago) and worked some graphic designer magic in Illustrator this morning to put it all together into a blanket design, with 2 options.

The pattern is the Bear Claw Blanket by Veronik Avery, from Interweave Knits Spring 2005. I have adored this blanket forever and am so excited to start. Here are my 2 design options:

I love them both! Right now I'm deciding between the gold or red center square color. I will later on choose a border color, as well, but feel free to leave input on that option, too. Let me know what you think! Here is a photo of the original finished blanket from the pattern. I had so many different colors of Koigu that I decided to save a little $ and make different colored squares instead of following the pattern. I would've had to buy so much yarn! I'm excited about my thriftiness and that the design worked out lovely with what I already had :)

Thanks for your votes! We'll see what happens...

UPDATE: Also making this, remember, so I must be slightly obsessed with red-orange square centers...

feast your eyes...

Best. Tumblr. Ever. countingstonesheep for all of your knitwear viewing pleasure. Lovely!

almost have the knitting bug back...

As many of you know, the first trimester of pregnancy can be, well, icky to say the least. I was fortunate to be able to eat ok through my first 13 weeks, but I sure did feel carsick most of the time, woozy and a little dizzy. Needless to say, that cut down on my desire to knit, considerably. As I start to feel better though and look at adorable little patterns, I'm noticing the growing desire to have something on my needles. I'm thinking I'll start with these two lovely patterns and go from there :)

Little Baby Sweater from Purlbee

Wool Leaves from Brooklyn Tweed

New matching fingerless gloves pattern - for gal and guy!

New Northwest Red Matching Mitts pattern available now on Ravelry and Etsy. Yay! This is a very easy, quick pattern. You can make BOTH pairs in one day, easily! What a great way to knock out a couple of gifts on your list at once. They are so fun and fast...I hope you'll check them out :) Happy Knitting!

What Would Jane Knit?

If you haven't seen this yet, please check it out! SUCH a lovely magazine for anyone who loves Jane Austen or the clothing from that era. The latest version of Pride & Prejudice has become my very favorite movie to watch when I'm feeling a little under the weather or just want to have a lazy day. Next time I'll choose one of these gorgeous patterns to work on while I watch. I'm currently reading Northanger Abbey, too. I'm just a bit obsessed. The Jane Austen Book Club is also a delightful movie to check out, if you haven't seen it yet.

Here are a few of my favorite patterns from the issue:

The printed magazine is on backorder for a bit, but you can still buy the digital version on Zinio.com.

The Sienna Cowl

Here's the newest Red Ribbon Fox Knits design: The Sienna Cowl. It is knit from less than 1 skein of Malabrigo Worsted yarn (color shown is Ronoake). 

It's available for purchase on Etsy and Ravelry: 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86298592/sienna-cowl-knitting-pattern-pdf

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sienna-cowl

This pattern is a quick, interesting knit that results in a cute cowl that can be worn pinned, as shown above, unpinned, or as a cute head scarf to keep your ears warm, as seen below.

ALSO, if you are new to knitting charts and want to learn to read them, this is a great pattern for you! The chevron seed stitch border is presented in a simple, easy-to-follow chart. Trust me, you can do it! It will expand your knitting horizons to be able to knit from charts. Seriously!

I hope you'll try this pattern. Isn't Malabrigo just the best??!!

Lately...

Here is what I've been up to lately:

Clockwise from top left: lovely fall in our front yard, GORGEOUS cowl sent as a gift from lovely Ravelers, Mattie shows off her winter raincoat, my handmade fox ring I created in my metals class.

I have been quite busy. And because I forgot to post this when I finished it, here is a sweater I have completed recently. I've been wearing it all of the time! The yarn is amazing, Berroco Voyage. Squishy and soft and lovely. The pattern is from this book, also by Berroco. You'll notice my cowl neck is a bit different. It looked funny when I just left it like the pattern says, so I folded it a bit and tacked it down. I love it this way! Proof that all is not lost when a knit doesn't turn out exactly like you expected. I am much happier with this style of cowl neck than that in the original design. I love happy accidents like this.

I'm currently working on a sweater for Pinky, finally! He always thought he would never wear one, but I think the chill here in the Pacific NW is getting to him, too. We went to Close Knit a few weeks ago and he showed me yarns he liked. He picked out a purple! SO proud of him for choosing a more unique man color. I'm making this pattern, Cambridge Jacket, by Ann Budd. Here is a crappy photo, because I can't find a larger one.

Pinky's will be out of this purple heather from Cascade 220, Rainier Heather, which is appropriately named for where we now live :) It's a really nice darker purple with lots of flecks of color.

Unfortunately, I've got knitter's elbow and wrist from working on it so far, so I haven't gotten as much done as I'd like. I recently switched to continental style knitting (or 'picking') instead of English style ('throwing'), but the gauge and fabric were a bit loose and uneven on my swatch for this sweater. (Yes, I actually did a swatch!). I decided to go back to English style knitting on this project because it is mostly stockinette and shows any inconsistencies in your knitting. I am already regretting it, just from a physical standpoint. The fabric looks great and even and I'm getting the right gauge, but I love the new style because it doesn't hurt me!! Try it out if you are having any pain in your right hand. It really did help me.

I cannot believe Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK! Whew. Craziness. This is the first year I will be cooking for a large group of people. Pinky's sister and her family and brother and his wife are coming to our house this year. We are also having a couple of friends join us who aren't traveling. We'll have 3 boys and 3 dogs and a baby and 8 adults!! Wish me luck :)

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and send me any favorite recipes for leftovers, if you have them. Turkey tetrazzini is one of my favorites! Not so healthy, but so yummy and comforting. Pretty much just noodles, turkey, cream of soup and cheese on top. How can you go wrong? Have a lovely one and enjoy your friends and family! 

xoxox

New purling method for continental style knitting

So, I have wanted for a LONG time to start knitting continental style, 'picking,' rather than the English style, 'throwing,' that I learned a long time ago. Because I've done some stranded colorwork and have learned to hold one color in each hand, I have become comfortable knitting continental style. BUT, purling has always been a pain for me to do...too slow and cumbersome and not worth giving up the speed I have with English style.

A friend at a knit shop tonight showed me how she purls. I also learned this evening that it is the Norwegian method of purling and that it is used because in Norway they do lots of colorwork knitting in the round. This method allows you to keep your yarn at the back the whole time, so you're not moving your yarn in between your stitches, from the front to the back. It seems like a lot of movement when you break it down slowly, but when you try it out a few times you will definitely pick up speed. If you've ever done a rib cast-on then you may feel that this method seems familiar.

Seriously, why have I never seen this before! Anyway, I'm working on a LARGE cowl neck for the sweater I'm making right now and it's all 2x2 ribbing. This new method may just safe my life and save my elbow! See what you think about it and let me know. Here is a link to knittinghelp.com's video:
Norwegian purling method

Flock Together Mitts - new pattern

So, I've gotten the designing bug. Here is my latest pattern, Flock Together Mitts, for sale on Ravelry and Etsy. They are super quick to make and would be a great gift :) Feathery goodness for your fall season...


http://www.etsy.com/listing/82679705/flock-together-fingerless-mitts-pattern

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/flock-together-mitts

Tea Latte Cowl pattern!

Well it's about time I had a new pattern. Here is the Tea Latte Cowl...a cozy, chunky cowl knit in a herringbone stitch on large needles. This is lovely and warm in a wool roving yarn by Patons, but it could work with a variety of chunky yarns. I've always admired the herringbone stitch. The stitch has such a classic look, but the chunky yarn adds a modern feel. I hope you'll try it out! Available for sale on Ravelry.

on the needles and off of the needles

Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone has had a fun weekend with friends and family. We just returned from a 3 day camping trip/family reunion with my husband's mother's family. This Labor Day tradition has been going on for 58 years! What a great thing to have in your family. We had a great time doing a little fishing, a little pot-lucking and a lot of hanging out. I LOVE camping in the Pac. NW. Hot during the day, but still in the 50's at night :)

So, I realized I hadn't posted about knitting in a while. I wanted to share some photos of finished projects as well as what is now (or about to be) on my needles. Here goes:

Westknits Earth & Sky Mystery Shawl: This was my first mystery project and it was fun! I am happy with how my colors worked together. It was fun to work on a small project that you didn't know what the finished piece would look like. I used Malabrigo Sock (gold), Koigu KPM (pale pink), and Shibui Sock (gray).

Stripe Study Shawl from Veera Välimäki. This was a GREAT knitting group project. I used 2 colors of Sanguine Gryphon Sock on this project. 

Bias Wrap Scarf. This was a pattern I picked up free with purchase at my new LYS, Close Knit. It is called the Firefly Scarf on their pattern, using Classic Elite's Firefly yarn. I used Baby Llama Glow from Plymouth Yarn Co. I modified the end of the scarf to have 3 button holes and a garter ridge so I could button it instead of just ending it in a point like the other end. I LOVE this yarn. It has a tiny bit of sparkle and is SO soft.

Chili Bean's Dress. The final finished project of late is a little crocheted dress I made for my sister-in-law and her baby girl that is due anytime now. It's the Mina Dress from Alicia Paulson and what an adorable pattern it is. It took me only part of a day to make and I can't wait to see it on our new niece. My sister-in-law has 3 boys already, so having a little girl will be so fun!

I'm working on these 3 projects right now:

Berrocco Ristretto. This one in a soft grey green color of the same yarn the pattern calls for.

Berroco Farrah. I'm doing this in the mustard yellow color of the yarn, Glint.

From Norway with Love. I LOVE this hat. I'm doing it out of a pale gray with the hearts in the Baby Llama Glow of my previously mentioned scarf. It's turning out fun so far!

Whew. So glad I posted some knitting stuff on my knitting blog ;) I've been back in the swing of things lately in the knitting world, so I had a fair amount to catch up on with you all! Fall is slowly approaching here in Portland. It's still nice in the evenings, but we finally have a summer during the day now. I'm still excited about these fall evenings that are inevitable soon. Preparing the closet with freshly knitted jumpers is always a knitter's favorite thing about fall! xoxo