Last post

I have cleaned up the sidebar, taken out a lot of extraneous stuff, and am just leaving this here to redirect you to my new site. The links to the recipes, patterns and blogs will still work, but you'll find most of them on my other blog too.

Getting there

After a huge learning curve, I am on the way to getting my new blog how I want it. It has a very different look to this one, and I am having to abandon a couple of the widgets in my current sidebar, but I suspect that most people are here to read the posts rather than look at the stuff on the side! I like an uncluttered environment, so the new blog reflects that.

Wordpress successfully imported all the posts since I started blogging here back in April.

I am going to have to add my blogroll and knitting pattern links one by one, so that's going to take some time. I will leave this blog "live" for now.

Come and see me over at http://nicolaknits.wordpress.com

A new year, a new blog

Well, not really a new blog, but I am in the process of changing over to Wordpress. Reading a forum today reminded me of how crap Blogger is when you get a problem - it's impossible to get help and there's no way to contact a real person. I have had a dormant Wordpress blog for some time now and as someone was raving about how great their support staff are I thought it was time to change. Apparently it's easy to import all the blog posts from here into my new blog.

Of course, I'll have to set up the sidebar stuff again, but my techie son tells me he'll do it for me. So here I go, off to choose a fancy new template, etc. Wish me luck, and make a note on your computer that I'm going to be at

http://nicolaknits.wordpress.com

from now on, if all goes to plan.

Northern Baby knitting pattern

I took the time to write out the pattern for the hat and mitts today. Sometimes it's hard to figure out a design, but I think it's harder to try and explain it so that others can duplicate it. If you knit this and have any questions, feel free to email me. I have included many links within this pattern if you need help learning a new technique. In some cases (for example, the knittinghelp.com pages) you'll need to scroll down to find the video you need to watch.


NORTHERN BABY HAT AND THUMBLESS MITTS

Yarn: S R Kertzer Northern Worsted (worsted weight, 100% acrylic)
Needles: 4.5mm/US # 7 dpns (or long circular for magic loop)
4.5mm crochet hook
3 split ring markers: one of one colour, two of a second colour
Gauge: 5 sts and 7 rows to 1 inch

Mitts: finished size 5” circumference, 4.25” long
Hat: finished size 17” circumference, 6” depth at front, 7” at back

Mitts (make 2)
Using dpns or long circular needle for magic loop, cast on 24 sts.
Work K2P2 rib for 7 rounds.
Eyelet round: (K2, yrn, P2tog) around
Continue in st st for 17 rounds (work measures 3.75” from cast on edge)
Decrease round: (K2tog) around (12 sts left)
K one round plain
(K2tog) around (6 sts)
Cut yarn with a 6” tail, thread darning needle and draw yarn through remaining sts to fasten off. Weave in tails.
Drawstring: make a crochet chain 75 chains long, thread through eyelets, tie knots in each end and trim tails.

Hat
Using dpns, cast on 6 sts and distribute 2 sts to each of three needles.
OR use Emily Ocker-type start - make a loop with the yarn, use crochet hook to create 6 loops, transfer to circular needle for magic loop.
Rnd 1 and all odd rounds unless otherwise stated - Knit
Rnd 2 - Kfb into each st (12 sts)
Place marker for beginning of round (this will be centre back of hat).
Rnd 4 - (Kfb, K1) rep the instruction between brackets around (18 sts)
Rnd 6 - (Kfb, K2) rep around (24 sts)
Rnd 8 - (Kfb, K3) rep around (30 sts)
Rnd 10 - (Kfb, K4) rep around (36 sts)
Rnd 12 - (Kfb, K5) rep around (42 sts)
Rnd 14 - (Kfb, K6) rep around (48 sts)
Rnd 16 - (Kfb, K7) rep around (54 sts)
Rnd 18 - (Kfb, K8) rep around (60 sts)
Rnd 20 - (Kfb, K9) rep around (66 sts)
Rnd 22 - (Kfb, K10) rep around (72 sts)
Rnd 24 - (Kfb, K11) rep around (78 sts)
Rnd 26 - (Kfb, K12) rep around (84 sts)

Knit even on these 84 sts for 14 rounds.

Short row shaping for brim:

Purl 1 round.
Keep marker at centre back (CB) and place two other markers (on needle between sts) after the 21st and 63rd stitches of round. You have now divided the sts so that the centre 42 stitches are in one section, a quarter (21) of the sts are at the beginning of the round and the remaining quarter (21) are at the end of the round.
In other words:

CB marker 21sts marker 42sts marker 21sts
and beg/
end of round

Outside of hat (smooth or “right” side) is facing you. You’re at the start of a round.

K 21 to first marker, W&T, K 21 to CB marker, do not turn work

You are now working with the inside of the hat facing you. Continuing in same direction, P 21 to second marker, W&T, P 21 to CB marker, do not turn work

Outside of hat is facing you. K one round. Do not turn work.

P to 3 sts from first marker, W&T, P to CB marker, do not turn work
K to 3 sts from second marker, W&T, K to CB marker, do not turn work

Outside of hat is facing you. P one round. Do not turn work.

K to 6 sts from first marker, W&T, K to CB marker, do not turn work
P to 6 sts from second marker, W&T, P to CB marker, do not turn work

Outside of hat is facing you. K one round. Bind off.



Abbreviations:
Magic Loop (video link here)
Emily Ocker cast on (link here)
st(s).....stitch(es)
dpns.....double pointed needles
K.....knit
P.....purl
yrn.....yarn round needle (bring yarn forward between needle tips, take it over the right needle and bring it forward again between needles ready to purl)
P2tog.....purl two stitches together
st st.....stockinette stitch (when working in the round, knit every stitch)
K2tog.....knit two stitches together
Kfb.....knit into the front and back of next stitch, thereby increasing a stitch
rep.....repeat
CB.....centre back
W&T......wrap and turn (knit or purl to place stated in pattern, slip next stitch purlwise from left needle to right needle, bring yarn between needle tips to opposite side, slip the stitch back onto left needle, turn work ready to knit in opposite direction)

Tarot card bag pattern

Someone on Ravelry sent me a message complimenting my tarot card bag and wondering about pattern details. I had a dig through one of my pattern folders and found my handwritten notes. Surprised to find I hadn't already published this, I am doing it now.

This is a small bag which fits my mini Motherpeace tarot card set perfectly. It might not work for standard large rectangular sets. With a gauge of 5.5 sts/1 inch, my bag was about 10 inches in circumference, 5 inches deep and the pentagon base is about 3 inches across.

I used Araucania Pomaire cotton - a worsted (medium) weight cotton yarn and US#6 (4mm) double pointed needles. It's a large skein - I think this bag took used less than half, so a 50g ball will be enough if you substitute. Gauge is not as important as liking the texture of the fabric.
Also required - five split ring markers, one a different colour from the rest

Cast on 50 sts onto one needle. Distribute evenly between three needles and join into a round (I usually knit the first couple of sts with both strands of yarn, then drop the tail to continue).
Knit 3 rounds.
Next round (YO, K2tog) 24 times, K2 to make an even number of holes for drawstring
Knit 3 more rounds then purl 1 round.
Knit for about 30 rounds, putting in random purl sts for texture.


Decrease for base:
Purl 1 round.

Place markers - you'll need four markers the same plus one that looks different. The single colour will mark the beginning of the round and first decrease point, the others will mark the other decrease points. Use the markers to divide up the sts, 10 sts in each section. Tip - make sure that the decrease points don't fall at the end of a needle - it's easier to keep the markers on. Shuffle around the sts if necessary.

First decrease round - K2tog at beginning and end of each section (40 sts remain)
K two rounds plain
K2tog at beg and end of each section (30 sts rem)
K one round plain
K2 tog at beg and end of each section (20 sts rem)
K two rounds plain
K2tog around (10 sts rem)
K one round plain
K2tog around (5 sts rem)

Cut yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail, thread it onto a darning needle and draw the tail through the remaining sts to gather them up and fasten off.
Weave in tail on inside.
Make a twisted cord, crocheted chain or i-cord (or use a ribbon) as a drawstring and thread it through the eyelets.

Another little item finished

Made these today to match the hat. Hopefully they will fit little hands OK.

Photographed on a Monopoly board because we were playing earlier - and I have been raking in the money but took a break to get on the computer for a bit. Toy Story is playing so the kids aren't missing me!

Happy Christmas to all and best wishes for health, wealth and happiness in 2009.

A knitting-loaded post

It's time I updated my knitting progress here. I have two projects officially on-the-go at the moment, but I digressed yesterday with some baby/kid hats to give to my neighbour who's due to have a boy in a few weeks.

I've started a red sweater with very cheap acrylic yarn. It feels soft enough so I'm hoping that I don't do all the work then regret it! It'll be a seamless bottom-up one, as per Elizabeth Zimmermann's books, knitted in a K4, P1 rib. Raglan sleeves. Big foldover collar. I hope.


The first blue sock (elann esprit) is nearly done - just the toe shaping to go, along with some woolly nylon for reinforcement.


Yesterday afternoon, after I had finished all the cleaning, I spent a while in my sewing room downstairs (I should probably rename it my "knitting room" as I knit more than I sew these days). I ran up this hat - used the Bond to make a rectangle about 18 inches wide by 12 inches tall, leaving the live stitches to be picked up top and bottom with knitting needles. I knitted a crown on each end, sewed up the side seam, pushed one half inside the other and, presto, a double thick hat.


And in the evening, I went to knit night at my local yarn store. Feeling like a change of scene (yarn) I picked up a 100g skein of S R Kertzer's Northern Worsted in a variegated blue and started another hat. This time, I used a loop and crochet hook to start with 6 stitches, transferred them to a circular needle, and magic-looped my way around the crown of the hat until the increases were done and I could change to a 16 inch circ (thanks to Denise interchangeables)! After a couple of inches of straight knitting, I switched to garter stitch, added some short rows at the back, and it was done.....at 1am this morning.


There's enough yarn left on the skein to make a pair of thumbless baby mitts, I think, so that's what I'm going to do as soon as I get the chance.

That photo at the top is the pile of knitting library books I currently have. It's good to have a stack of these around while they're closed over Christmas.


And this is a pretty blue glass "bowl" which a friend of mine gave me today. I decided it would look nice on my coffee table with small balls of leftover yarn in it. (Better than a flower arrangement - no water required.)