by

Weaving Ends is Fun

Have to share this! From the artist’s mother –

I watched this tutorial with my 9 year old daughter. We’re working on teaching her to knit. She sat next to me, enthralled with you, and went so far as to draw a picture of you doing your tutorial video, complete with the coffee cup (that is identical to some we have), and the quote “Weaving ends is fun”. Anne makes an appearance in her rendering as well.

Love the level of detail, including the camera and the dog in the bed on the floor. Thank you, Feisty Irish Wench, for scanning this and sending it to me! Delightful.

by

Log Cabin Scrap Blanket

When I describe myself as a knitter, I always use the word “stashless”. This is true – I never, ever buy yarn unless I plan to cast-on with it right away, knowing exactly what I’m going to make. I have ZERO stash.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t have a “yarn closet” full of yarn. Oh, boy. I have little bits of leftover yarns from decades of projects. I’m able to use up some of these leftovers in the sample bits I knit up for demonstration in the videos, but I love it when I can sink my teeth into a great use of leftover yarns.

So here we have the Log Cabin Scrap Blanket. Log Cabin is a traditional quilting technique that has been adapted over the years into both knitting and crochet. This one is knit.

This pattern is a FREE RAVELRY DOWNLOAD, and includes links to a six-part video tutorial. The video is also at the bottom of this post.

Size: approx 47” by 63”
Needles: size 7 US (4.5mm), circulars or straights
Yarn: Use up your leftover worsted yarn bits! For best results, stick with one fiber type for the whole blanket. Either animal (wool, alpaca, angora, etc.); cellulose (cotton, linen, bamboo, etc.); or acrylic. You’ll also want to stick with one weight of yarn. If you choose to pick a border color as I did (in black), you’ll need an additional 1100 yards of yarn for the size I indicate above.
Additional Materials: tapestry needle for weaving in ends and seaming, and clippie markers are always helpful
Gauge: 5 stitches per inch in garter stitch

Frequently Asked Questions on this pattern can be found here.

Be sure to check out my other video tutorials.

, , , ,
by

For the Love of My Kidneys

It’s a fact. Two of my favorite things make my body hurt – knitting and running.

I knit for a living, sometimes more than 10 hours a day. I get tendonitis in my right elbow (I think it’s commonly called “tennis elbow”), and I get pain in the back of my right hand. One time a massage therapist told me that I have the forearms and hands of a world-class athlete. Yay, me!

And then there’s running. Ah, running. After the plantar fasciitis healed, my hip started popping. That healed and currently my hamstrings are so tight that I wince ever time I sit down. (For the past couple of weeks, I’ve taken it down a notch to just walking.)

I’m not about to stop doing either of these things, because I love them so much. My go-to solution for every single ache and pain in my life? Ibuprofen. Has been for years.

I buy the jumbo, 750 tablet bottle. It works so well that I try not to think about how bad it is for me. But I know it’s going to eventually ruin my kidneys.

From Drugs.com: “A case-controlled study suggested that patients who consumed 5000 or more pills containing NSAIDs during their lifetime may be at increased risk of end-stage renal disease.”

5000 pills? Ummmm, yeah. I just did the math, and I’ve certainly bought more than 6.6 jumbo bottles in my life.

I’m really trying to cut back. (I’m also trying to kick the habit of drinking a giant Diet Coke every afternoon, but that’s another story.) So I’m trying something new and having really good results with it. I know other knitters get these pains, too, so I’m excited to share.

Who knew rubbing stuff on your skin actually changes what’s going on inside? This is new to me. For the past several weeks I’ve been using Snake Oil products, and taking fewer ibuprofen.

Amy, the co-owner of Snake Oil, is a great gal. I love it when I can buy stuff I need from other small businesses, especially when they’re run by cool people. Here are the Snake Oil products that I’m using daily –

Rosy Boa –

This is what I’m using on my hands. I put my knitting needles down and rub this stuff in right where it hurts. I take my time and give myself a little hand massage, which also must be beneficial. It’s amazing how quickly it works.

Sidewinder –

This stuff is like a volcano of pain relief. It’s what I’m using on my hamstrings and elbow. Again, I give myself a little massage (gently on my elbow, deeper on my hamstrings), and let it get to work. I adore the spicy scent.

Amy is a knitter, too, and she and I have gotten to know each other over the last couple of months. I told her that I wanted to share her products with other knitters, and she suggested offering a coupon code for verypink readers. Love her! Through March 31st, enter “VERYPINK20” in the promo code field at checkout, and get 20% off everything on their site. Such a generous offer.

Aaaaaand here’s a totally unrelated sleepy Tippy photo.

by

Today’s Work

The house is clean, the sun is shining, the dogs are napping, and it’s time for me to get to “work”. I put “work” in quotations, because I’m enjoying this project way too much to call it that.

It will soon be a new pattern + video tutorial on a traditional log cabin style blanket. I think I’ll call it a Log Cabin Scrap Blanket, because I’m putting together the pattern as a way to use up small bits of leftover yarn scraps.

Here is my stack of “quilt” blocks so far –

I might just forget how to work a purl stitch while I’m making this. Not a single purl in the whole thing.

Maybe I’m blinded by my love of this project, but I think the wrong side of the work is pretty, too.

Time for me to get off the computer and back to “work”.

by

Fiona Baby Sundress – Updated!

The Fiona Baby Sundress is a pattern I released about 4 years ago. I’m re-releasing it today to include an updated pattern, larger size range (newborn to Child Size 2), and a six-part video tutorial.

The fact is, I’m way better at this whole pattern writing thing than I was four years ago.

This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download. The video is available at the bottom of this post, and links to the six parts are listed in the pattern.

Materials:
Yarn: Worsted-weight cotton in two colors for main color (MC) and contrasting color (CC).
– 0-3 months: 170 yards in MC, 60 yards in CC
– 3-6 months: 190 yards in MC, 65 yards in CC
– 6-12 months: 220 yards in MC, 70 yards in CC
– 12-24 months: 235 yards in MC, 75 yards in CC
– Child Size 2: 260 yards in MC, 80 yards in CC
(For the pink dress pictured here, I used Bernat Cottontots, widely available at craft and fabric stores. I used 1 skein of Sweet Cream for the CC, and 1 skein of Cheeky for the MC. Note – I JUST had enough of the pink yarn to finish the dress in the smallest size, knit without any modifications. I ended up with about 1 yard leftover!)

Needles:
– Size 7 US 16” circular needle (or longer cord if you prefer to use the magic loop method)
– Size 7 US double-pointed needles (DPNs)
– Cable needle

Additional Materials:
– Stitch marker
– Tape measure
– Tapestry needle for weaving in ends, attaching straps, and duplicate stitch motif

Gauge: 5 stitches per inch

, , , ,
by

Linen Stitch

The Linen Stitch is a simple, two-row repeat that makes a dense, flat fabric that looks woven instead of knit.

Want to give it a try? Download the free Ravelry PDF, which includes a link to an instructional video on the Linen Stitch. (The video is also available at the bottom of this post.

For a little variation, here is the stitch knit in two-row stripes. Cool zig-zaggy look!

And here it is knit by holding two strands of yarn together as if they were one –

Maybe you already have ideas for projects using this stitch, but here are some of mine. Placemats, table runners, rugs…yes, all of my ideas seem to revolve around home decor.

Have fun!

, , ,