New Pattern Fingerless Gloves - super super easy!!!!

So I finished the fingerless gloves named - Beaute.  I think they should work out well.  I am happy with them.  They are not knit on double pointed needles so for individuals who are a bit shy of the double pointed needle they are perfect. 

They are also fun to knit and a super quick project.  I knit them while playing bingo as I mentioned in a previous post.  I like the color and the yarn worked out well although I may not be able to keep them.  I am sort of alergic to certain types of fibers.  For example, I knit a sweater for my friend made from Misti Alpaca.  I loved this yarn, wanted it, needed it and then I knitted with it.  Day after day my eyes ran.  It was such a difficult project, I just couldn't wait to be done.  I still think Misti Alpaca is a beautiful yarn.  But it is not one I can knit with and enjoy my project. 

I have worked with Classic Elites Alpaca Sox and I didn't have the same experience.  I love the loftiness of the Classic Elite one.  Beaute is made with Mohair which is just as tuff on my eyes.  But, I didn't feel it all of the time so it was a bit easier.

I also finished working on my first book.  It is a collection of my leaf scarf designs.  We'll see how well this works out.  You never know...  It was alot of work and I hope I did it correctly.  Here is the cover

With everyone having difficulty keeping up with the bills, handmade gifts are a great substitute for the expensive brand name gifts.  I have always believed in handmade gifts.  I think they mean more.  Hopefully this is the type of knitting book that people will want and find extremely useful.  I hope they will want to knit every scarf.

Oh well, now I can focus a bit on the green sweater and see what else I come up with.  I still have the Jade Sapphire to decide what to do with.....  :)

Happy knitting to all..

ColourMart Cashmere Blend - Fabulous

The scarf came out soooo soft and wonderful.  I am extremely pleased with the yarn.  I think I may use the rest to create a cardigan if I have enough. 

I started some cute fingerless gloves yesterday while playing video bingo with my friend.  We had alot of fun but, no winning :(

I had the opportunity to visit an Asian market today and got a few fun things.  Other than that I am going to finish the gloves and post them hopefully tomorrow.  I think they will be a nice pattern for beginners or intermediate beginners.  Hopefully they will turn out as I imagine.

Off to knit

Scarf washing now!! Yay now what to make??

Ok so the cashmere is taking a bath as we speak and I am going to work  on the pattern in a few.  I have to finish that green sweater but, I love to work a bunch of projects at once.  I guess my mind never stops.  So on Tuesday, my friend Cindy and I went to Newbury yarns in Boston.  We were treated wonderfully and of course I could not leave without some type of yarn.  I selected Jade Sapphire's Lambswool.  It terrifically soft and it is a pale green.  I will need to see what I can create with this dainty lace yarn. 

I also still have tons of lace from knit picks and some mohair from Colourmart.  I am thinking right now about some fingerless gloves but, which yarn to use for those.  I think I need something with a soft look to give off a slightly romantic feel.  I am still working on it though.  When choosing yarns, I try to think about what I want the end product to look like.  So I will have to look through my stash and see what I can come up with. 

In the meantime I am excited to finish working on my pattern Swirl.  I am still writing up the pattern but, I hope to give knitters a new idea of what they can do with 1 or 2 balls of great sock yarn.  Swirl is created with Classic Elite's Alpaca Sox and it is really fun to work with.  The bloom helps the sweater and I can see knitters getting very different looks with this sweater from fluffy to sleek depending on their yarn selection.

Here is a photo of Swirl -

Hopefully, I will have the pattern listed this weekend along with my cashmere scarf which I am leaving a surprise for today.

Off to block - my favorite!!!  :)

Happy Knitting!

The Art of Blocking Finished Knits

I had alot of anxiety regarding blocking when I was going to try my first time.  I read and checked various blogs.  I compared and looked for answers and ultimately said oh what the H@@@  let's give it a try.

I tried and what do you know it worked.  Each time I block my scarves or sweaters I get better at it.  In order to block you really don't need anything special.  I thought today after looking at some finished knitted projects that I would try to give my advice to the art of blocking.  After all you only need a few pins to start. The pins that don't have the meltable colored balls on top are the best. Trust me from experience. 

The first important thing to remember is what type of fiber are you working with.  Each fiber reacts individually to blocking and it is important to determine if blocking is right for your fiber.  For example, when blocking cotton, I tend to pin it out and then steam it with my iron lightly - I stress lightly - you are not ironing it.  If you are working with a merino or wool, I tend to put the item in a knit garment bag (got one at the dollar store) and throw it in the washer - on delicate cycle with a little woolite or other gentle cleanser.  Make sure you do not use hot or warm water!!!!  Very Important.   Then when it is done.  Pull it out and start to pin. 

Pin to what you ask.  You really don't need one of those terrific boards (although knitpicks and webs has some really nice ones).  I use my ironing board (get an alternate pad) or my counter, table with a towel.  I don't tend to measure and check and measure and pin.  I tend to use my eyes but you can do the alternate pinning measuring and so on if you choose.  The most important thing is to remember what you are trying to achieve with blocking.  If you want to elongate the stitches then pull length wise.  I mean pull that is the point.  My friend calls it aggresively blocking.  If you want to widen the stitches then pull width wise.  An example of useing the art of pulling in the right way is my MoonLight shawl -

For this shawl what I wanted was a circular motion.  I achieved this by pulling lengthwise and equally pulling width wise.  I first pin one end.  Then move down the shawl a little at a time and stretch length wise and width wise.  Each time I adjust the pins to make sure I am achieving the look I want.  Once done , this was the result.  If you are working on a lacy open shawl scarf or sweater, the point to remember is everywhere there is a hole on the edge stick a pin.  The point is to accentuate the details of the lace not just flatten it.  The holes (or eyelets) add detail and should create a flowing dainty look.  For example -

Look at Raindrop and see the gentle waves on the top fo the shawl.  This is achieve by placing the pins on the point you want to pop out.  Then I place additional pins to create the gentle swoop instead of a sharp edge. 

Hope this helps a little with the blocking.  If you are in doubt with how to do it, create some swatches with different shapes and patterns and give it a go.  You may be pleasantly surprise how fun and thrilling it is!!

Introducing Frost

Here is Frost.  The latest pattern for fall.

I really like how this came out.  The yarn purchased at Colourmart - http://www.colourmart.com/ is terrific.  I will have to get some more in another color.  After washing it was so light and flufy it is perfect for this scarf.  The pattern is available on Etsy and Ravelry so take a look and see if it is the right pattern for you.  Well I am off to knit some more and do some laundry.  :)

Bamboo design

Here is what I came up with - after taking it out only 3 times -

I have two cables and a lace chain going down the two fronts of the cardigan. I am hoping to end it with a tie and tassle type look. The yarn is really great. I did knit a sweater from 100% bamboo and it is a bit slippery. This is a blend so the feel is really soft and it looks like it might have more staying power. The moda dea product also has quite a bit in the skein which adds to the greatness of it. I have almost completed the body of the sweater and have only gone through 2 skeins.

In part of the pattern I am going to use a chart to explain the stitches rather than writing them all out. I am hoping this will be acceptable. I find charts to be easier sometimes because I like to knit on the train. The train does not offer lots of space to unfold huge patterns and so a chart can be a lot easier.