Basic Cowl for a basic guy

 My husband Ken is a simple guy. He has the same clothes he had when we met 41 years ago. Once he liked a shirt so much that he bought three more like it. So when I made a cowl for him of basic K1,P1 in green wool, I thought he would like it. He now wears it all the time, even to bed! He has stretched it out so much that it is now doubled, on its way to being tripled. Home Run! (wish I could rotate this picture though)

Merry Christmas to all!

 

Dane's Guitar Mitts

 I designed this one on my own for my son for Christmas. Sorry, I really don't want to write up the pattern. I used a guitar motif that I found in my massive index of patterns. It is doubled knitted so you get two mitts in one!

My son Dane graduated from CU Boulder with a degree in classical guitar and sound engineering. Since there were not many jobs listed on Craigslist for classical guitarists, he went back to college an got a masters in accounting. He is now a CPA, but his first love with always be guitar. He is really, really good too, but being good at something doesn't mean you will be able to make a living at it. At least he can keep his hands warm.

Cats on Christmas Eve

 

What a difference a day makes

This was yesterday, the last day of fall. It was a delightful 58 degrees. This is taken from our dining room windows. 

This is today, the first full day of winter. It is -18 degrees (also taken from my dining room). We are not going out today and the kitties are curled up in my lap.

 

Deep Shade Blue Scarf

This is one of my favorite scarves. I made it from a wonderful yarn that has been discontinued. It was called Amazing Lace, an acrylic yarn that is so soft that it feels like alpaca. Fortunately, I purchased several of this yarn in several colors before it become extinct. This color is called Cobalt Blue, and all I can say is "No kidding." It is bright, bright blue.

I love doing lace and this is no exception. It comes from the book Scarf Style 2 (yes, I also have Scarf Style 1). This pattern is Deep Shade. Even if I have the book, I use my computer to track the rows. I take a picture of the pattern and using a PDF format, I can 'pencil' out each row when I finish it. 

Cable back fingerless

Sometimes, I just want to do mindless knitting. We may go for a drive and I need something to knit while in the car. I don't want an intricate pattern but rather one I can just move my needles, sometimes without even looking at them. This is one of those patterns. I use double-pointed needles which I understand many people do not like. But you have to remember I learned to knit very young, so it was never an issue of liking or not liking; it was just what you needed to use. 

The only problem with using double-pointed needles in the car is if you drop one, it usually goes under the seat. Then we have to pull over so I can crawl under it to retrieve it. Anyway, I made these gloves while we were driving through the mountains to see the aspens changing. It has a simple cable stitch up the middle. They fit very nicely so they are on my list to do again. 

The free pattern is in Ravelry. You can find it by searching fingerless gloves called Claws by Tera Johnson. I made these a bit longer than the pattern called for.

Double knitting - part 2

 My previous post about double knitting was about double knitting fingerless gloves with a cat motif. This one is done with a dog motif. I still forgot to take a picture of the final gloves turned inside out to show the beige side. Oh well, next time.

Trying double knit -- oh boy!

 I have been knitting since I was about 4. My mother and grandmother would spend afternoons knitting while talking and planning. I grew up on a farm and only had brothers, so I would watch them instead of playing cops and robbers with them. They finally decided I needed to learn and taught me. I honestly don't remember any of this. I just always knew how to knit. My first grade teacher had to explain to me that the K and P in the alphabet were not pronounced "knit" and "purl." It was too long ago to try to make comments about "yo."

I didn't play with dolls, but I did knit clothes for them. If I wanted to play with something, I had about 100 cats outside who wanted my attention. 

My point is that I am a very experienced knitted. But every now and then, I tried something new. This time, it is double knitting. I made these fingerless gloves and gave them away as gifts. But I can't believe I didn't turn them inside out and take a picture of the reverse! Guess I am going to have to make some more. The spots around the top and bottom are supposed to be paw prints, but it didn't quite work out so well. That's why I changed it to a heart border on the next pair.

These are the kitty gloves. I made a puppy one and will post that in the next few days.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cheshire-cat-mitts-2

Celtic Fingerless Gloves in Teal

 More fingerless gloves. This pair have a Celtic design on the back of the hand, made in a soft teal yarn. I ended up giving this pair away to a friend of mine as well. One of these days, I'll keep some of these gloves for myself!

This is a free pattern available on Ravelry, link below. It is a German pattern but it is translated well. It is a great pattern if you have never tried cable knitting before. It is a great pattern for those of us who love Celtic designs too.

 

 

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fingerless-gloves---stulpen

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fingerless-gloves---stulpen?set=&_rfoff=1

Yarn for Pooling

I went to the Loveland Yarn Festival last April and came across this yarn specially designed for pooling. I love it! I made a hat with pink and cowl with the blue. It is worsted weight so it is very warm. 

 

Kitty Cuffs

Once again, my love of cats and fingerless gloves combine. This pattern is also from Cat Knit (See post of November 20, 2022). I wish I would have used a darker color for the cats on the cuffs, but it still beautiful and comfortable. I used Woolike yarn from Loops and Threads. 

 

 

Lacy Hoods

Every year, I tried to make gifts for the wonderful women in my "Diva" group. We are a group of mothers whose children were in high school theater and became friends. Then our kids all went off to college and jobs all through the US. (Mine became a CPA in Fort Collins, CO and a film editor in Hollywood.) Although they may be scattered to the winds, we stayed together and meet about every six weeks or so. They are my dearest friends. 

Last Christmas I made each of them these cowl/hoods, mainly because one of my friends doesn't wear hats. They can keep the cold out from their neck and head with this delicate hood. I made hoods in beige, rose, light blue, and dark blue. One of these days, I'll make a purple one for me. 

This is a free pattern on Ravelry at this link. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jennylous-lace-cowl 

Flowered Headband for a Cold House

We live in a solar house. Although it is over 4200 square feet, our utilities bill is always under $15.00. No kidding! But there is a downside to a solar house: the temperature swings. 

We rarely turn on our furnace. My husband (who is an solar house architect) is so determined to keep our utility bill low, I have to spend the first hour of the morning bundled up. The south side of the house is all glass so as soon as the sun comes up, the house warms up quickly. The problem then it might get too hot by late afternoon. We don't try to cool it down because when the sun goes down we need that heat for the evening and nighttime. 

Now I am naturally able to take cool weather and in fact prefer it. So this is the headband I use in the morning until the sun does its duty.  It keep my ears warm enough as I drink my first (and second) cup of coffee. Unfortunately I don't remember where I got this pattern. It is done in double-knit stockinette so it is pretty thick. The yarn is a Lion Brand acrylic. I will do an update if I come across the pattern. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving (in U.S.)

 Hope you enjoy your holiday with friends and family and your turkey is moist and tasty!

Colorado Hats in a family of sizes

 

I live in the beautiful state of Colorado. Our home is south of the Denver area in the foothills. So here is my Colorado hat in three sizes. One of my best friends recently became a grandma. Her son is a friend of my son's so I have known him for a long time. When I heard they were having a baby, I knitted a family of Colorado hats for them, as well as some Denver Bronco booties (to be featured in the future). I was hoping to get a picture of the entire family in the hats soon, and when I do, I will post it.

Meanwhile, I included a free pattern for the infant hat. Enjoy.

Colorado Ski Hat – infant size

Worsted weight yarn in blue, red, white and yellow.  None of the colors need a full skein

Size 5 (5.0 mm) needles

Size 6 (5.5 mm) needles

Tapestry needle

Gauge: 8 sts and 12 rows = 2” in Stockinette

 

With smaller needles, cast on 52.  Work ribbing as: K2. P2 for 2 inches.

 

Switch to large needles and knit 2 rows.

Row 1: Knit --. Work row 1 of the chart. Knit remainder of the row.

Row 2: Purl --. Work row 2 of the chart. Purl remainder of the row.

Continue working the chart with the solid color on each side, remembering to change to white at row 5 and back to blue at row 11. Knit with blue

Crown:

Row 1: SSK, knit 11, k2tog six times (78 stitches).

Row 2: Knit and all even-numbered rows.

Row 3: SSK, knit 9, k2tog six times (66 stitches).

Row 4: Knit and all even-numbered rows.

Row 5: SSK, knit 7, k2tog six times (54 stitches).

Row 7 SSK, knit 5, k2tog six times (42 stitches).

Row 9: SSK, knit 3, k2tog six times (30 stitches).

Row 11: SSK, knit 1, k2tog six times (18 stitches).

Row 13: k3tog six times (6 stitches).

Cut yarn. Thread yarn with tapestry needle and yarn through remaining stitches. 

Sew back seam, matching the color of yarn to the hat.  Weave in all ends.

 

R

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13

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12

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Y

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10

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8

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7

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6

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5

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To purchase adult size, go to this site: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/colorado-adult-hat