Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride - A New Favorite!

It is the season for warm clothing. I love it.

With my yellow lab girl Ivy I am going to the dog park almost every day and wind proof items are definitely a must. So I started with mittens....with a touch of sparkle....and because I test knit my projects myself I made more...which led to a stash of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky.
Then I had a beautiful green, a coral read and a light beige in a bag and they wanted to be used together...so no mittens there. They got united in cowl! A bit christmasy but awesome!

No wind can go through this little wonder. I called it Truffles Cowl and the pattern is available on Ravelry. BUY HERE . So I still had a stash of green yarn and turned into another headband pattern, this time one in crochet. The bulky weight yarn makes this a super fast project and anyone can do this in a couple of hours. I got great feedback on Etsy from someone who has not crocheted in years and she was able to make one. Love it!

Here is the link to the pattern Fast Crochet Headband Kayla Pattern
I am ready for winter to come! Enjoy the season!

New Garter Stitch Shawl/Scarf/Wrap

There are just too many ways to wrap this piece so I finally gave up taking pictures. The yarn is fun to work with, too! A new 100% Merino yarn made by Schoppel Wolle from Austria, a self striping fingering weight yarn: Zauberball

And the best of it: only knit stitch! I called this shawl "Travelling Ruffles" because I knitted almost everything while on the go which makes this the perfect travel companion! The pattern is really super easy to remember. 
I think I will be making more garter stitch projects! 

Seeing Red! Wisconsin Badger Band Come Back!

After making 10 red headbands in a row from my own Begonia Headband Pattern I have to admit that I have seen a lot of red for a while. But it is for a great cause! My local yarn store Iris Fine Yarns is having a fundraiser to bring back the Wisconsin Badger Band at the Flag Day Parade 2013.
There will be hats in all sizes as well for sale at the October Fest Downtown Appleton on September 28/29. Let's hope for sunshine and lots of people to support this great idea.

Wrapped Around

Wrapped Around is the name of my newest shawl/scarf pattern. Only Garter Stitch! One can never have enough shawls and scarves I guess.

 This one is the right project if you are looking for something easy yet still entertaining here and there. The fabric feels wonderful -  squishy and soft!
Of course the yarn plays an important role as well. Malabrigo Sock and Ella Rae Merino Lace do the trick. One skein of each makes this also a very affordable project for many fun filled hours to come.
It is still so hot here in Wisconsin that I can barely imagine to wear this piece. But I know the day will come and then I will complain about the Wisconsin winter.

Page 2 On Ravelry's Patternlist!

Yesterday I listed my newest pattern on Ravelry: Walk in the Park Shoulder Wrap
It is always difficult for me to come up with a new pattern name and the idea for this one came to me because I actually wore it the day before on my Saturday morning walk to the local farmer's market with my husband and our yellow lab Ivy. It felt so good and so warm, just right for a walk!
And today to my surprise when I checked Ravelry's pattern listed by "what is hot right now" I found my wrap on page 2! I am very excited!

The wrap knits up so fast and it would make a great last minute gift for a friend. Or maybe the finishing touch to that sleeveless dress....well, a solid color might look even better?!

The patter is available right here:

 Pattern for WALK IN THE PARK SHOULDER WRAP

Little Miss CHANEL

I am sure Coco Chanel would have approved of this little cardigan. Yes, I made another one! This one is made out of Debbie Bliss "Bella", the softest cotton yarn with some cashmere and silk in it. Very yummy yarn! So now I really should finish the pattern instead of making more and more cardigans! 

Basic Top Down Cardigan Nr. 3!

These cardigans are flying off my needles. This size is for a 2-3-year-old....the yarn for number 4 is already in the house. This one took me four days only...yes, knitting in the movie theater and in the car helps a lot.
I will call it "English Rose" which is also the name of the color of the Malabrigo yarn I used. I love that yarn. Who can resist the softness and these wonderful colors? Usually I am no fan of variegated yarn but the Malabrigo yarns are different. Now I know why they are so in demand!

Top Down Baby Cardigan DK Weight No. 2!

Yeah, this could clearly become an addiction. Check out the fish buttons. I only had four so the fifth one is a different one. My goal is to make one cardigan per week. Number 3 is already on my needles. This one I think could be a size 6-12 months and currently I am working on a size 2 to 3 years in pink. I chose another fun Malabrigo yarn in superwash quality. These little cardigans are so much fun to make! The pattern will be available soon!

Basic Top Down Baby Cardigan

I like the top down baby cardigans but they all seem to be knitted out of worsted weight yarn. So I had to make a pattern of course.
I am knitting each size separately to find the perfect fit. This is my first version out of a Rowan yarn.

The size should fit a 0-3 month old and now I am working on the next size. Knitting goes fast and the increases keep it interesting and it is not a boring project at all. The next size is already on my needles...

Linea Lace Tunic Pattern

I really love this piece! It was fun to knit while sitting at the beach in Alabama (yes, linen is the go to material when you know you will be knitting at the beach). 

It is not warming at all and therefore a great cover up!

The pattern comes in three sizes and is on the oversized side. What I like most is that there is no shaping for neck or armholes and therefore the lace pattern does not change. It knits up fast and I am already thinking that I should make it in other colors like white or turquoise? I used Louet Euroflax Sport and this yarn comes in so many beautiful colors. 

The pattern is very detailed and suitable for the adventurous beginner.

Rowan's Kidsilk Haze Free Lace Scarf Pattern

I always get weak when I look at Rowan's Kidsilk Haze yarn. It is probably one of the best yarns and it has been around for quite a while! When it first came out I wasn't so excited and wondered what one would do with such thin thread. But since then many many yards have slipped through my fingers and I am quite sure many knitters have at least one ball in their stash. And that is exactly what you will need to make this one skein wonder! I called it "Marmalade" because my first version was made out of the color "Marmalade" and this is a very suitable name for such a yummy scarf! 
Wouldn't it make a great project for a gift? Who could resist.
Click here for the free download or you can print this

Materials:

230 yards of lace weight yarn. Used here: Rowan Kidsilk Haze col. 596 (25g/229y): 1 ball, tapestry needle to weave in ends, scissors.

Knitting needles size US 7(4.5 mm). A needle with a very pointy tip is highly recommended for this project (e.g. Skacel Addi Lace needle)

Gauge: 17sts/26 rows = 4”/4” worked in Stockinette Stitch (= knit on RS, purl on WS). The gauge is not critical for this project.

Measurements: 10 ½“/52” 

Pattern:    

*  means repeat from *

purlwise means to insert needle from right to left into stitch as you would for a purl stitch

Cast on 42 sts (or if you want a different width cast on any multiple of 6 for example: 24/30/36/42...sts)

Row 1: slip first stitch purlwise with yarn in front, k2tog, yo, *k4, k2tog, yo rep from *to last 3 sts: k3.

Repeat Row 1 until have about 2 yards of yarn left to bind off.

! Bind off in this way to ensure a looser bind off edge:

knit 2 stitches, * then insert left hand needle into front of both just knitted stitches and knit them together, k1 then repeat from * to end of row.

Finishing:

Weave in ends. No blocking required.

ENJOY!!

Beach Knitting

How much better can it get than to spend spring break in Alabama at the beach - knitting of course. I picked a linen yarn and a very repetitive lace pattern for my little vacation. The sand hardly sticks to the yarn and I think I will remember the lace repeat forever, I love it! Plus the Skacel Addi Lace Turbo Circular needle is awesome for knitting two stitches together. This will be a boxy shaped sweater in case you want to know what I am making. No neck opening, everything straight so even the not experienced lace knitter will have a blast to make one! I am inspired to make more beachy designs this summer. Who said knitting is only for the cooler time of the year? With the right project and yarn it is a year round pleasure. I could not live without it.

Kate Middleton's Angora Wedding Shrug/Bolero in Mohair?

I have been selling this pattern for a while now and the yarn used for this project seems to be a problematic fiber. Knitters who are allergic to angora can't use it, in the UK a similar yarn is hard to find or simply one does not want to spend as much money on this project. 

So I made one for myself out of a different fiber. I used Debbie Bliss "Party Angel" which is a much thinner yarn and that's why I double stranded it. I made it exactly 50 rows longer so I can wear it as a cardigan and I used a size US7 needle instead of the US8 to get to the same gauge. I love the result! 

And there are many other manufacturers producing a similar yarn: Rowan "Kidsilk Haze", Cascade Yarns "Kid Seta Noir", Schulana "Kid Seta" and I am sure there are many more.

Spring is in the Air?

Oh well, not really! But the milder weather and hardly any snow makes me think of spring. I have started these felted crochet flowers before Christmas and now I finally got the hang of finishing the pattern. Valentine's Day is coming up so I called them "Felted Flower Valentine". They don't require special crochet skills, only chain, single and double crochet. Felting is also a very forgiving technique. I have made quite a few so far and I just throw them in with my regular laundry on the hot setting. One can imagine that doing laundry is a little more interesting when a felted flower appears! 

LOOOOOOVE IT!

The few warmer days we had made me think of summer. Well, now it is not "warm" any more (still sounds funny to say that when you live in Wisconsin) but I am so excited about my latest design! Knitting with linen is just wonderful and the result unexpected. Not sure yet if this will be a sweater or just a top. But the sleeves could be an option! 
Then it is also very difficult to come up with the perfect name for a design. Please post any ideas you might have! So far I am thinking "Linea". I can't wait to sew it together. Now I am imagining there could be more in linen! A whole collection of linen yarn garments! Hope you like it as much as I do!

Downtown Slouchy Beret

It has been a while since I have posted! Time really flies. Finally we got some snow and it got quite cold, too. This is the right time to think of hats! I have made two of these slouchy hats and "test drove" them on several walks with my doggy friend Ivy. Usually I am not a hat fan but these slouchy hats look more flattering.
The first one is made out of  Debbie Bliss' Glen . This yarn looks not attractive at all in the ball but knitted up it turns out to be wonderful! My second one, the grey one, I used Rowan Cocoon , a much heavier yarn but also very stunning. I can't say which one I like more!

And here, that's me in gray and my friend Gwen in blue:

As always you can buy my pattern on Ravelry.

BUY HERE