Friday, September 30, 2011

Week 18 of 52: Lacey 48 St. Hat

Well, I am back in the swing of things and on top of this weekly project! As I love making hats, I wanted to tweak my 56 St Hat one more time. I present the Lacey 48 St. Hat. It is very fast to whip up and can be done in just about one sitting. My friend popped by just in time to serve graciously as my model.

To makeup for Week 17 coming along so late, Berroco Sundae will remain on sale this week along with Nashua Creative Focus Bulky.

Week of September 30 to October 6:
Project: Lacey 48 St. Hat by Anne Lecrivain-Cozzoli
Yarn: 1 hank of Nashua Creative Focus Bulky (54 yds/100g, 75% wool, 25% Alpaca)
Needles: US 15/10mm 16" circular
Knitting Plan:
This is, again, pretty much a one sitting knit. I started around 3 this afternoon while children played. My friend and I knitted together while toddlers chased, preteens did their thing, and baby Bella cooed and watched. That peaceful setup lasted for nearly an hour and a half in which I was most of the way through the body of the hat. Then, I paused to make dinner, returning to complete a couple of body rows and finish out the decreases. Now that it is time to send everyone to bed (around 8), I already have ends woven in and photos taken. If you want to savor it, you could spread it over two evenings like last week's hat.
Notes:
a) Remember that markers are your friends. They will help you keep track of where you are.
b) If you use a long tail cast on, be very careful not to waste much in the tail. This hat used up nearly every inch of this ball of yarn. I did leave a very long tail and I found my self needing to cut it off (after weaving a bit in) and attach it to the working end to finish out the last 6 sts of rnd 8 and the remaining round 9.
c)Working with DPNs is not so bad, but you can avoid them by dividing your sts evenly onto two circular needles.
d) I didn't use it here, but someone recently shared that you could sew a button on the top of your hat instead of a pompom. Though I have a warm place in my heart for pompoms, I think that a big wonderful button would certainly be the cherry on top of this quick, cute hat.


If you are viewing this post far from driving distance from our store, then please remember that we will happily take phone orders. Here is color card. Call us @ (805) 654-9500. (There will be a postage charge for shipping.) Also, I want to mention that we have refined the 10%off sale to apply when you are buying the yarn for the featured project.
P.S. If this idea really lights you up, then you can also join a ravelry group here.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Week 17 of 52: The 56 [48] Stitch Hat



So, I am a few days behind (now way behind, actually). It took every minute available to get Vogue Knitting booth ready and I cast on this hat on our way to our first full day in the market place. This week's pattern is based on my 56 Stitch Hat. I had it most of the way done in the hour that it took to drive to Century City, but I could tell that I was being punished for not swatching - it was huge. So, the initial cast on became a very large swatch - 2.25 sts/in. - and the pattern was altered to the 48 Stitch Hat (even faster). Stay tune for a surprise this Friday to makeup for the lateness of this pattern.
Week of September 23 to 29:
Project: The 56 Stitch Hat by Anne Lecrivain-Cozzoli
Yarn: Berroco Sundae (62 yds/100g, 50% Wool, 50% Acrylic)
Needles: for 48 st version - US 15/10mm
Knitting Plan: Cast on and complete in one sitting (just about)
OR
Night 1: Cast on and work the height of the body of the hat
Night 2: Work decrease rounds.
Notes:
a) So, with my gauge change, I changed the pattern to only need 48 sts. This number is still divisible by 8 so you can follow the decreases as written.
b) Check your GAUGE! ;)
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If you are viewing this post far from driving distance from our store, then please remember that we will happily take phone orders. Here is color card. Call us @ (805) 654-9500. (There will be a postage charge for shipping.) Also, I want to mention that we have refined the 10%off sale to apply when you are buying the yarn for the featured project.
P.S. If this idea really lights you up, then you can also join a ravelry group here.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Vogue Knitting Live- THIS WEEKEND!

Hello everyone! I hope you all have marked your calendars for Vogue Knitting Live this weekend! We all have been running around like crazy people here at the shop trying to get everything ready, and we are really excited!

If you are going to be there, come see us in the market place! We will be there at Booth #4 selling kits of patterns that were designed by us here at the shop, 19 different designs total! Also, knitting Superstar Wendy Bernard of Knit and Tonic fame will be at our booth on Saturday from 12:30-1:30pm signing copies of her new book- Custom Knits 2!

We would love to see some familiar faces in our booth, so please come by and say Hi!

<3: Kaity

Friday, September 16, 2011

Week 16 of 52: Small Lace Bag












This project, Tsuki's Small Lace Bag, is the fastest project of the week so far. As this little green treasure poured off my needles, I was imagining making them to hold precious little presents this holiday season.I was also thinking of making a team of them to hold all the silly things that litter the interior of my purse. I really enjoyed working in Berroco's Bonsai, savoring the rich density of the stockinette stitches on the back side of the bag and enjoying the sheen of the yarn showed off in this leaf motif. If you enjoy this easy lace motif, which is kindly shared in both chart and written formats, then you should also make the lovely fingerless gloves also by this designer.
Week of September 16 to September 29:
Project: Small Lace Bag by Tsuki
Yarn: 1 hank of Berroco Bonsai (77 yds/50g)
Needles: US 7/4.5mm
Knitting Plan:
This little sweety is such a speedy knit.
Night 1- CO and work 2 repeats of the lace pattern.
Night 2 - Work 3rd repeat of lace pattern, top border, and BO.
Notes:
a) This pattern gives you options to knit it in the round or to knit it flat. I chose to knit it in the round.
b) For the knitting in the round option, it calls for a provisional cast on. I decided to do a regular cast on and picked up around the perimeter as for this project.
c) There is plenty of yarn to make an i-cord drawstring, maybe with little leaves at the ends. I used ribbon in the interest of speed.


If you are viewing this post far from driving distance from our store, then please remember that we will happily take phone orders. Here is color card. Call us @ (805) 654-9500. (There will be a postage charge for shipping.) Also, I want to mention that we have refined the 10%off sale to apply when you are buying the yarn for the featured project.

P.S. If this idea really lights you up, then you can also join a ravelry group here.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Week 15 of 52: Bainbridge Scarf








This little crisp cowl is the perfect thing to whip up as we wait out the steam afternoons of September, waiting for the weather to break into brisk, crisp mornings. This Debbie Bliss Andes is a delicious treat for the fingers, creating lovely halo as the alpaca blooms. It is a very fast knit which is good because I have a lot to do to get ready for our booth at Vogue Knitting Live.

Week of September 9 to September 15:
Project: Bainbridge Scarf by MintyFresh
Yarn:  1 hank of Debbie Bliss Andes (110 yds/50g, 65% Alpaca, 35% Silk); I used up almost every inch of yarn.


Needles: US 6/4mm; I went up a needle size since my yarn is little fluffier; this             choice only made my cowl a little bigger than the pattern sample.

Knitting Plan: 
You will be hard pressed to make this quick little project take more than oneor two sittings, but here is a plan for 3 evenings.
Night 1 - CO and work 2 inches.
Night 2 - Work remaining 2 inches and BO.
Night 3 - Work ties and weave in ends.


Notes:
a) So, I was in a big hurry when I picked up this yarn and needed to leave without winding it. Though I have a swift and ball winder at home, I lack a good place to set it up. In a pinch, I stretch the hankover two chairs and wind a ball by hand.
b) I used a long tail cast on to cast on the desired 144 sts. To estimate how long that tail should be, I wrap the yarn around my needle some multiple of the needed sts. (I did 24 wraps). Then, I fold that length of yarn over as many times as needed (6 times). It worked out perfectly.
c) I used a sewn BO.

If you are viewing this post far from driving distance from our store, then please remember that we will happily take phone orders. Here is color card. Call us @ (805) 654-9500. (There will be a postage charge for shipping.) Also, I want to mention that we have refined the 10%off sale to apply when you are buying the yarn for the featured project.
P.S. If this idea really lights you up, then you can also join a ravelry group here.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Vogue Knitting Subsribers Special Deal

Hey guys, Terry shared with me an email she received as a member of the Vogue Knitting E-Newsletter, that offered her a promo code to use when registering for Vogue Knitting Live in Los Angeles. The promo code will get you 50% off Marketplace tickets between now and September 13, 2011.

I'm not sure, but I bet you subscribe for their e-newsletter, they will send you an email with that promo code! It's worth a shot, especially if you were planning on visiting us at Vogue Knitting Live!!

Friday, September 2, 2011

Week 14 of 52: Storm Cloud Shawlette





I am working this pattern for the second time, so I must have a warm spot for its results in my little needling heart. The first time that I made it, I needed a fast birthday present for my mom and I whipped it up in a very long evening of very fast and focused knitting. This time around was a little more fun since I didn't have to rush it.
This week all the mohairs are 10% off when you purchase them to work this project (excluding Filatura Di Crosa Gold Line Superior).
Week of September 3 through September 9:
Yarn: Blue: Debbie Bliss Angel, 1 ball of 219yds/25g; and Green: Rowan Kid Silk Haze, 1 ball of 229 yds/25g
Needles: US 8/5mm
Knitting Plan:
Night 1 - Cast on and work through Row 20.
Night 2 - Work through Row 38.

Night 3 - If you feel ambitious, work through Row 72. If you want to take things a bit slower, work to somewhere around Row 56 or 60 and save the rest for the following evening.

Night 4 - In case you stopped early the night before, finish through row 72 and work the ruffle.
Notes:
a) I knitted my tail in as I worked rows 1 and 2.
b) Stitch counts following the increase rows -
Row 2: 7
Row 4: 13
Row 10: 25
Row 20: 49
Row 38: 97
Row 72: 193
c) After each non-increase even row, having dropped the yarn overs as I worked that row, I would give the whole piece of fabric a bit of a tug since the mohair is a sticky yarn by nature.
d) Somewhere between rows 38 and 72, I remembered a trick that I wanted to try with this project. When working the elongated garter, adding the yarn overs and then dropping them doubles the height of the odd numbered rows. I realized that I could work those odd rows by simply knitting (no YOs) them with a needle twice as large, a US15/10.omm. Even rows get worked with the US 8/5mm still. To set this up, the larger needle is held in your left hand at the start of odd rows and the smaller needle is in the left hand on even rows (perfect setup for interchangeables).









e) To apply the trick of the two needle sizes to my next one (the green), I began by working as the pattern reads through row 10. I then set up with the US 15 and US 8 tips to respectively work the odd and even rows. I returned to the pattern st for the paired rows of 19/20, 37/38, 71/72, which ensured that increasing happened as it should.

f) I worked the bind off with the larger needle. I had lots of grand ideas for binding off but ended up with a basic BO. On the blue, I only did 10 ruffle rows, mainly because I was getting bored. This decision worked out for the best because it turned out that I only had enough yarn to do exactly that.

If you are viewing this post far from driving distance from our store, then please remember that we will happily take phone orders. Call us @ (805) 654-9500. (There will be a postage charge for shipping.) Also, I want to mention that we have refined the 10%off sale to apply when you are buying the yarn for the featured project.
P.S. If this idea really lights you up, then you can also join a ravelry group here.