Under 100 Knit Collection from KnitPicks

I'm back and I have a plan! What plan is that, you ask?  Well, a plan to better keep up with this blog :o)  I'm going to hold myself accountable to one blog post a week.  My goal is for these posts to go live on Monday, but we'll see how that goes.  I think just planning on one a week will be good for now - I might be setting myself up for failure if I picked a particular day, so better safe than sorry!

My sample shawl

So, where to start? I have a new pattern and it's part of a collection! I've been waiting to share with everyone all about this pattern and now I finally can!  The pattern is called Cirruncinus and it was one of the first sideways knit shawls I designed!  I fell in love with the stitch pattern used in the border of this shawl when I saw it in a stitch dictionary and really wanted to turn it into a shawl/scarf.  

Sample/test knitter's shawl - photo courteous of KnitPicks

Well, I worked at it and got the pattern figured out, knitted, and written out.  I submitted it for editing and must confess that I was feeling a bit smug because well, this was a sideways knit shawl/scarf and the editing of course was going to be a breeze, right??!!  Boy, was I wrong about that!  Overall the pattern was okay, but I had failed to take proper notes on how I finished knitting the shawl and had written it up how I assumed I had finished knitting it.  Well, that assumption couldn't have been more wrong!  Never was I more thankful for technical editing! I worked out the kinks for the ending of the shawl, sent it back to technical editing, and it passed with flying colors.  

Shawl blocking!

Copernicus was a big help during blocking - NOT!

I had a couple of options with this shawl - I could either self publish on Ravelry or I could try submitting to a magazine or publication.  I opted for the latter choice and started keeping my eyes out for a submission call that I thought my pattern would be a good fit for.  Eventually I got noticed of a call for submissions for a new Knit Picks collection featuring knitting patterns that used less than 100 grams of yarn.  I thought my pattern would be a good fit and the rest is history from there!

Sample/test knitter's shawl - photo courteous of KnitPicks

I'm really excited & honored to be a part of this collection!  Knit Picks was absolutely wonderful to work with and I couldn't be happier with how my pattern turned out, the photos they took and with the publication as a whole.  There are 30 patterns in the book and I don't think there is a bad one among them.  I plan to knit many myself since I have an abundance of single 100 g skeins of yarn in my stash.  The proper title of the book is Under 100 Knit Collection and is available as a hard copy book, ebook, or you can download individual patterns.  

Gateway to Fall MKAL

Every once in awhile I get the urge to do a mystery knit along (MKAL). The last one I participated in was during May 2011! Well, the urge struck again right around the beginning of October.  The search for a MKAL was on!  You see, I'm sort of picky in what I'm going to knit, especially when it's a mystery.  Before I commit, I spend a little bit of time checking out the designers available designs.  I just want to make sure that I'm going to be happy with what I end up knitting!  

I then stumbled about a MKAL that Cindy Garland of Wild Prairie Knits was running.  After checking out some of her designs, I decided that her style really was up my alley.  The bonus? One of the clue was released on my birthday! Oh and there just happened to be an indie yarn dyer who had kits made up for the MKAL!?!! I was hooked!! I even loved the name of the shawl: Gateway to Fall.

The Charcoal looks very blue in this photo; other photos are truer to color

The indie yarn dyer is Stunning String Studios and from what I can tell, she collaborates with Cindy Garland quite a bit.  The hardest part was then deciding on what color to order for my kit.  After consulting with friends and family (they might use the phrase "annoying them"), I ended up going with the Harvest Orange as my main color with Charcoal as my contrasting color.  The kit also came with beads in the same color as the contrasting color, two stitch markers, super floss, and a button.  I wish I had taken a photo of the kit when it arrived because it was packaged beautifully.  The yarn even came already wound! Not that I don't mind winding yarn, but it was a nice touch to have it ready to go.  

My other weird quirk about MKAL is that I don't really care for the mystery part.  I. LOVE. SPOILERS.  You see, I'm not someone who worries about spoilers for TV shows, movies, books, etc.  Spoilers don't really spoil anything for me.  In fact, I often have to seek out spoilers for TV shows and books, otherwise I can't stop watching or reading!  Now, don't take this to mean that I don't like surprises.  I am very good with birthday & Christmas presents.  The difference for me is that those gifts/surprises were meant for a specific day and mean something to the person who got them for me.  I know, I'm weird.  Okay, I'm getting off track here.  Back to the knitting. 

The clues for this MKAL were released over 7 weeks.  The first clue was released on October 1st and then every Friday there after.  I started out doing a good job of keeping up with the clues.  And then I decided to restart my shawl because my gauge was too tight.  So, I got behind.  I worked hard to catch up and sorta did, but eventually got off track with some life interruptions.  I knit the bulk of this shawl on Thursdays throughout the 7 weeks, as that is one of my completly free days of the week.  In fact, I tend to do most of my knitting on Thursdays.  I ended up finishing mine up just before Thanksgiving; I think it was on Tuesday or Wednesday.  My absolute favorite part of this shawl was the lace border (clue #8) at the end. Love it more than words and even express.  I am head over heels for lace patterns that have flow like this one does.  I had a couple of firsts in this pattern: first time doing beads (very easy with the super floss method!) & first time with a built in i-cord edge.

Spud! Part Deux

Hello! A friend, who happens to be an EXCELLENT knitter, recently pointed out to me that I've been slacking on my blog lately.  This message was exactly the kick in the butt I needed to get back blogging.  It was sweet of her to use the word "slacking" because the right word would be neglecting.  And before you ask, no, I didn't forget I had a blog, but simply was neglecting it.  I've even had a lot to write about!  Today I'm going to go back in time to July to talk about knitting Spud from Spud & Chloe at the Farm. 

Now, back in July I did a post about starting to knit Spud.  You can find that post here: Spud!  At that point I had just started Spud and was working on his body.  I've now completed Spud and let me say that I love him!  

The body was actually the slowest part of the knit, especially with doing all those twisted loops to create his wool.  I was pretty motivated to finish his body so that I could be done with those twisted loops.  I might have even said things such as "I don't know if I would knit this again....!"  However, now that some time as passed since I knit him, I can say that I would definitely knit him again. 

In my Ravelry notes I wrote that I cast on for the body on 7/13 and finished the body on 7/24 - that's only 11 days! The rest of the body really flew by - the head, the legs, the ears, the hair, and the tail.  I think I finished knitting all 4 legs in about an hour or so.  Oh! And he has a bow tie & collar! The hair and bow tie really made him, if you ask me.  The only part I left out was the leash.  

For this project I tried out the Knitter's Pride Karbonz double pointed needles.  I've previously knit with the Karbonz straight needles and circulars, both of which I loved.  The double pointed needles did not disappoint.  They might actually be my favorite double pointed needles.  The only problem I had with them is that the tip of the needle is very sharp.  Now, a sharp needle isn't really a problem and normally that's my preference.  It was when I was knitting the body of Spud that I specifically had a problem.  I think that I was knitting on the tighter side and it was a little difficult to knit the decreases - the knit 2 together stitches.  And by a little difficult I mean somewhat painful because the needle is that sharp.  However, I did survive injury free and it wouldn't prevent me from buying another pair of these needles.

This knit along also served as a great lesson in gauge.  In the photo below, three were knit with Spud & Chloe Sweater on size US 4 needles.  The littlest sheep was knit using Spud & Chloe fine.  We all do truly have our own unique tension (gauge) that we knit at :o)

Ravelry Project Page: Spud!
Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm) double pointed needles (Knitter's Pride Karbonz)
Yarn: Spud & Chloe Sweater in Ice Cream, Toast, & Turquoise
Approx. time frame: 7/13 to 8/20 - Note that it didn't take that long to actually knit; I'd estimate the total knitting time at less than a week if you worked on in throughout the week.

Summer Scarf

There a couple of scarf patterns that have been on my "short list" for sometime now.  Two on that short list are Jared Flood's Noro Striped Scarf and the One Row Handspun Scarf by Stephen Pearl-McPhee.  Another one on my short list? The scarf with the famous *k2tog, yo* repeat & variation thereof.  The first time I came across this pattern was in Interweave Knits Summer 2007 - The Montego Bay Scarf by Amy R. Singer.  This scarf is so popular that another variation of it was recently published in Knit Simple Magazine Summer 2013 - #05 Diagonal Lace Scarf by Dorcas Lavery. 

This scarf has been on my short list for a couple of reasons.   One is that it's the type of scarf you could wear in the summer.  It's a rare thing in the knitting world to wear knitted items in the summer, at least if you live somewhere with a hot summer.  That is why this scarf has stood the test of time and why there are many variations of it.  Another reason is that it's the type of scarf you can knit with a variety of yarn types/weights AND it looks good.  

I followed a pattern published by Blue Ridge Yarns called Diagonal Silk Scarf.  Again, it's similar to the other two, but not the same.  This version has a garter stitch border at each end with a stockinette border along the sides.  You wouldn't think that would look good, but it does.  Weird, I know.  

I knit mine with Luxury Linen by Blue Ridge Yarns in colorway Forest Heather on size US 6 (4.0 mm) straight needles.  I found this pattern and yarn to be the perfect marriage.  Both the yarn & this pattern are light & airy.  The downside of linen yarns is that they can be a little rough to knit with.  Though, I didn't find it particularly hard to knit with.  The more I knit with it and touched it, the softer it got.  Linen is like a fine wine that gets better with time.  

I gifted my finished scarf to a fellow knitter & friend because I felt that it was meant to be hers.    Maybe I also wanted an excuse to knit a second one :o)

The curse is broken :o)

I'm don't believe in curses.  Really, I don't.  Except when it comes to finishing garments.  I have a bad track record regarding garments!  I like the idea of them & the idea of knitting them.  I even enjoy knitting them when I actually knit them.  I just never seem to finish them.  I lose steam.  And it's not for lack of preparedness.  I do my homework - I research on Ravelry, I pick the right yarn, and I even (generally) gauge swatch.  I just have trouble finish knitting them once the "newness" of the project wears off.  So, when I decided that the May-June knit along would be a vest/cardigan - I was scared.  downright scared that I wouldn't finish the garment that I would be asking others to join me in knitting. 

Well, I'm proud to say that I did finish the vest/cardigan and it fits!  The curse is broken (if you believe in those sorts of things).  I'm pretty sure one of the main reasons I finished knitting this is because of all the support of the other knitters who joined me in this KAL.  I owe them all a big THANK YOU!  And, of course, I didn't want to let anyone down by not finishing.

Okay, on to the details.  The pattern is Aon and is part of the Weekend #296 pattern booklet.  There is no specific designer attributed to this pattern or the book for that matter, the designer is listed as "Berroco Design Team".  I knit the 36" (bust) size using Weekend yarn in color #5907 Mouse.  Needles?  Well, if you happened to read this post, you know that I have a little gauge problem and needed to go up in needle sizes.  I knit mine using US 6 for the ribbing and a US 8 for the body.  Specifically, I used my Addi Turbo needles for this project.

All three pieces done!!!

Modifications?  Besides using larger needles, I made the ribbing at the sides 1.5" instead of 1".  The originally ribbing put the buttonhole in at 1/2" or halfway through the (originally) amount of ribbing.  I kept this ratio for putting in my buttonhole.  

Side seam!!!

I even seamed!  Oh, did I not mention that this was knit in three pieces that needed to be seamed?  I have never seamed in my life!  In fact, you might say I've actively avoided seaming.  As it turns out, seaming isn't all that bad.  I actually enjoyed it, but I think that's because I really enjoy finishing techniques.  I used mattress stitch to seam my vest.  There is a great video of this technique here - shoulder seam/mattress stitch.  

This was my first time knitting with Berroco Weekend.  The yarn is an acrylic & cotton blend.  The only negative about this yarn is that it can be splitty.  I also ended up rewinding my yarn cakes into yarn balls because it did not hold up as a center pull cake.  However, that is expected considering the content: 75% acrylic & 25% cotton.  It's a great yarn for this type of garment and especially for the climate where I live (Houston). 

Spud!

Look who's knitting Spud!  It's me!  This is Spud from the book Spud & Chloe at the Farm by Susan B. Anderson.  Actually, I think of Susan B. Anderson as the queen of knitted toys.  My mom has even flow across the country under the guise of visiting my sister so that she could take a class on knitted toys by Susan B. Anderson.  Okay, she was really visiting my sister and it just so happened that Susan was teaching a class that same weekend!  All that is to say, if you get a chance to take a class by Susan B. Anderson, then I suggest you take that class - she's a great teacher.  

Back to Spud.  Spud is the next KAL in the summer knit along series we are doing at Park Avenue Yarns.  I got the idea for this KAL from a fellow friend/knitter and have been looking forward to starting this KAL for sometime.  The last time I knit a toy was when I first started knitting and I haven't knit one since.  I'm not sure why because knitting toys are a lot of fun!  The next best thing about toys? They don't require a lot of yarn!

For Spud you need the following: 3 skeins of Spud & Chloe Sweater in colors Ice Cream #7500, Toast #7506, & Firecracker #7509.  Spud is knit using US size 4 double pointed needles.  Since I didn't have size 4 dpns, I consulted my mom as to what length dpns I needed.  She said that Susan B. Anderson (um, apparently I just can't write Susan and need to write her full name) uses 6 inch dpns for all her toy knitting.  I ended up getting a pair of US size 4 6" Karbonz dpns.  Why the Karbonz?  I thought that having a sharp point would be good for knitting the toy, though I'm not really finding it all that necessary for this particular toy.  However, I can now say that I've tried all forms of the Karbonz needles - circular, single point, & double pointed needles.  I can't remember if I've given a review of a Karbonz needles, but if not, then I will work on writing one :o)

P.S. Susan B. Anderson doesn't only design toys!  She has lots of other wonderful designs.  You can check out all of her designs on her Ravelry designer page here: Susan B. Anderson Designs. She also has a great blog.

Madtosh Socks

Earlier this year I approached Mr. SpiderKate and gave him a choice of yarns that I could use to knit him a pair of socks.  I don't remember exactly what choices I gave him, but I do know what he picked out.  A man after my own heart, he picked out the Madelinetosh Tosh Sock in the colorway Stovepipe. I debated retracting giving him that choice.  I mean this is Madelinetosh yarn we are talking about.  I was going to use this to knit a shawl or socks for me!  I questioned him a bit to find out his commitment to wearing the socks "are you going to wear these?" and "are you sure you want this one?".  He didn't relent and assured me he would wear the socks because he loves socks and because they would be made by me.  What a sweetie.  

Next came the search for a pattern.  I wanted to knit something that wouldn't be too boring, but not too much of a crazy pattern that he wouldn't wear it.  I showed him this pattern and that pattern, on and on.  I heard a lot of that "that is okay" or "not that one".  But nothing either of us was really crazy over.  Then I found a pattern by Hunter Hammersen called Whippersnapper.  I knew that this was the pattern for Mr. SpiderKate's socks.  Just enough interest/detail without being boring but not too much pattern that it's too overwhelming for him to wear.  

I started these socks back in February and got through the leg, heel, gusset, & decreases pretty quickly.  In fact, I finished all of that within about a week of starting the socks.  Then came the never ending knitting that comes with knitting a sock for someone with a size 14 shoe.  The foot.  You can guess what I did next - these went on the back burner for a bit.  Well, I've picked them back up and plan on working a few rows on them when I can.  

A few notes on this pattern: I love how Hunter does her sock patterns.  She doesn't give a gauge in the traditional sense you see gauge listed for socks.  She gives gauge listed at stitches per inch (spi) and what size that correlates with knitting.  This gives you the flexible to pick what size needles you want to  use to knit your socks.  All you need to do is make a gauge swatch to determine your stitches per inch in your needle size & yarn weight and then follow the appropriate directions.  Such a good way to list gauge since it essentially forces you do to a gauge swatch (at least it forces you if you don't already know your spi for your chosen needle size & yarn).  

I'm knitting mine in the round using two circular needles.  I picked US 2 (2.75 mm) Karbonz needles.  My main reason for picking these needles & size is that I really wanted to try out the Karbonz and I didn't already own size US 2  twenty-four inch circular needles.  My gauge swatch gave 6.5-7 spi per inch.  I knew I needed a sock with approx. 9" circumference and with my gauge that meant I needed to cast on for the large size.  I'm really loving knitting with the Karbonz needles.  They are lightweight like wood and the steel tip gives them a nice, sharp point.  I keep describing them as a perfect hybrid of wood & metal needles.  If you haven't had a chance to give them a try, then I definitely recommend you do.

It's a baby blanket!

I've never really had the urge to knit a baby blanket.  In face, I've said countless times that knitting a blanket wasn't something that ever really appealed to me.  I know that sounds a little harsh, but it's true. I just never got the urge to knit one.  Then along came every knitter I currently know and it just seemed like they were all knitting blankets.  Some were knitting larger blankets and others knitting baby blankets.  I thought, I can do this!  I'm going to knit a baby blanket for my newest nephew!

You might be thinking that this was the first opportunity I've had to knit a baby blanket.  You'd be wrong, but I love you for thinking that all the same.  This blanket is slated for my youngest nephew aka my brother's third child.  Yup, babies #1 & #2 came and went without receiving a hand knit blanket.  I was knitting then, but I wasn't knitting like I am now or at least not like I've been knitting in the last three years.  It's a pretty bad excuse, but my excuse nonetheless.  I did knit baby #2 a cardigan and both babies #1 & #2 hats for Christmas gifts.  That's something at least!

The pattern I knit was the knitted pattern featured in Mollie Makes Issue #22 called Summer Sky Blanket by Nikki Van de Car.  I didn't realize this about the patterns in Mollie Makes, but all the patterns featured in the magazine are patterns from books.  Now, I knew that some of them were patterns from books, but I didn't realize that they all were.  I think that is a unique take on putting patterns in a magazine, but I digress.  In case you missed out on picking up this issues of Mollie Makes, this particular pattern comes from a book called What To Knit When You're Expecting.  On to the details....

The body of the blanket is all stockinette.  Which I simultaneously loved and hated.  I loved it for its simplicity and hated it because a blanket knit all in stockinette takes FOREVER.  Or it felt like it took me forever.  The border is then picked up and knit in what the patterns calls "rice stitch".  The rice stitch pattern is cute and reminds me of seed stitch, but with a twist.  The border knits up quick - each side is only 12 rows!  Loved knitting the border.

My blanket was knit using Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton in colors 632 (blue) for body and 619 (red) for border.  The body used a little under 3 skeins of yarn and I almost got away using one skein of yarn for the border.  I only needed the second skein to finish the very last row of border and then for the  final bind off.  Why blue & red? I picked blue & red in these particular shades because it's really close to the colors for KU, where my brother went to college.

This was my first time knitting with BSA's Worsted Cotton and I really enjoyed knitting with it.  It's a very nice cotton to knit with and what I recommend most at the store for baby blankets.  It also washes and dries well.  Oh! Needles!  I knit mine using Knitter's Pride Dreamz US 8/5.0 mm 32" circular needle.  Loved knitting with these needles & the worsted cotton.  I was a little worried that the cotton might not "move" as well on the wooden needles, but it was very smooth on the Dreamz.  Last but not least, here is the link to my Ravelry project page: Baby Blanket for nephew.

Pattern crazy

I've gone a little crazy buying patterns.  It's a secret...sorta. Shhhh! Don't tell Mr. SpiderKate.  I love LOVE buying patterns.  My love of patterns is born of two interests: the designs themselves & a chance to see how other designers layout patterns.  Okay, so what have I gotten recently?  Mostly I'm on a book buying spree.  The two most recent purchases were Botanical Knits by Alana Dakos of NeverNotKnitting and The Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet: Volume II by Hunter Hammersen.  Both books had pre-order incentives, which I think were very nice & generous.  Both of these books either included or gave an option to buy either the electronic copy ONLY or the print copy + electronic copy.  I opted for the print copy + electronic copy in both cases.  For today I'm going to highlight Botanical Knits, since I received my book in the mail yesterday :o)

This book is just gorgeous.  Let me say that again.  This book is gorgeous.  The layout is well done (I wouldn't expect anything else from Alana!) and the photographs are just stunning.  The book includes 12 patterns and is divided in two parts: Sweaters & Accessories.  There are 4 sweaters & 8 accessory patterns.  The accessories range from head to toe: hats, a shawl, gloves, & a pair of socks.  There is also a leaf pattern included at the end (literally the last page of the book) that Alana suggests as a way to use up any left over yarn from your projects.

Since I pre-ordered the book, I got some extra goodies with my book.  I received an exclusive pattern, Ivy Trellis Hat, which is really a preview of the next book in the series, Botanical Knits: Volume 2.  I knew that the book would include an extra, exclusive pattern, but I thought it would be just printed on paper and not really anything special per se.  Boy was I wrong.  This pattern came as you would expect to buy any of Alana's pattern in your LYS.  Love it.

The other extra I got was a sheet of sticky page markers.  These are super cute and say things like "cast on now", "must knit", and "great gift idea", to name a few.  At first I didn't really read what was written in the center of the sheet; I just figured that it was just more info about the book/stickers.  Upon further inspection I found that it included a buy one get one code to use on her other knitting patterns.  While it wasn't necessary for her to include that, it was really nice & generous of her to include it.  Oh, I should mention that when I got my link to download the electronic version of the book, I also got a code to download one of three (maybe it was four?) at 50% off.  I opted to get the Oak Grove fingerless mittens as I had been eyeing them for sometime.

What will I knit first? I'm not sure, but I'm kinda leaning towards the Ivy Trellis Hat (the extra included pattern) because I have half a skein of Madelinetosh Pashmina that would be perfect for it.  Though the Spring Foliage fingerless mittens would look nice knit with Pashmina as well.  Decisions decisions decisions :o)  For more discussion on this book or looking for a KAL to join, then I definitely recommend checking out the Botanical Knits group on Ravelry: Botanical Knits Rav group.

A lesson in gauge

Gauge is a four lettered word to knitters.  Except it's 5 letters and really it's more of a love/hate relationship with the word.  I learned this the hard way recently.  In a break from my normal KAL ideas, I decided that the next KAL at PAY (Park Avenue Yarns) would be a cardigan/vest.  I know what you are thinking - "But Kate, what about finishing your Einstein coat or your Rocky Coast Cardigan??!?!" - and I know!  My track record for finishing garments is not good.  It's just down right bad.  I have yet to finish one!  

Okay, let me explain myself.  I've been ogling the beautiful wall of Weekend yarn we have hanging in the shop and then I happened across a pattern booklet full of great designs knit in Weekend.  It didn't take long to convince myself that this is what the next KAL needed to be for the shop.  I am worried that I might not finish it, but I think that the KAL is going to keep me accountable.  I'm knitting mine using color #5907 aka mouse.  This happens to be the same yarn the sample in the booklet was knit in, which wasn't intentional.  Oh!  The booklet is Weekend booklet #297.  The pattern is the cover pattern, Aon.  You can also find Aon on ravelry here: Aon.

My first attempt; soon to be ripped out.

This pattern starts with a US 5 (3.75 mm) for the ribbing and then switches to a US 7 (4.5 mm) for the stockinette body.  I know that I should have checked my gauge, but I figured this isn't really a fitted item so I would probably be okay.  Well, I'm knitting away and then I start to hear comments along the lines that mine looks small.  Now, this give me some alarm and I did a quick check on my gauge and I was off, but it didn't seem like I was off by that much - at least that is what I told myself.  Then someone else said it looked small....and then someone else.  

Yeah, there is quite a difference!

Okay, it was time to face reality, stop knitting and restart.  Saturday night I  went home and did a gauge swatch on size US 8 (5.0 mm) needles and low and behold, it was very nearly on gauge OR at least close enough.   Before I was knitting between the 32" size & the 36" size.  I am definitely not between those sizes.  Now I'm knitting between the 36" size & the 40" size.  I still haven't ripped out my original yet, but I will soon.  At least I keep telling myself that I'm going to rip it out soon ;o)