Month: August 2017

Knitting

Whew, A Neckwarmer When It Is Too Hot To Think About Knitting!

Iris Rose

I don’t know what it is like where you live but here in Alberta where we are normally starting to think about fall, it is hot, hot, hot!  We have had a record heat wave this summer with little or no rain and none in sight.  I am not complaining, only commenting on the unseasonal weather.  Sorry, that’s what Canadians do isn’t it, comment on the weather in every conversation?

Even though it is hot, I always find time to knit or crochet and I have made a neck warmer or cowl to match the cable hat of two weeks ago.  I like the look of a matching set but mostly I wanted to use up the last bit of the self striping yarn that I had.  I still have a bit left so maybe some mittens will be forthcoming or maybe not.  Maybe I will liberate myself and throw that last bit of perfectly good yarn away and move on to something new!

I am still finishing the UFO pile with only, I think, four or five left.  My problem is that I keep starting new things so that resolution to finish it all never gets fulfilled.  I am sticking to working only from my stash though so one resolution is still working for me.  I am going on a yarn shop day in a couple of weeks so that will be the ultimate test of my will power.  I hear that Vegas is taking bets at 10 to 1.

Anyhow, I will keep plugging along and here, without further rambling is my neck warmer aka cowl pattern.  It is close to the neck to keep you warm and buttons to keep your hair tidy.

Cable Neck Warmer

 

This neck warmer is designed to match my Cable Hat and use up the remainder of the skein of self striping chunky yarn that I used for the hat band.  It can easily be made larger by increasing the number of cable sections and/or knitting more rows.  It can also be knit in the round if you prefer.  I made mine to button as I hate to pull anything over my head except a hat when I am on the way out the door.  I also like my cowls or neck warmers to be close to my neck but easily removed when indoors, think overheated shopping malls.  I also used a larger needle than I used on the matching hat to give a little more drape to the fabric.

Materials: Chunky yarn, 40m or 44 yds for the ribbing and 80m or 88 yds for the body.  I used Sirdar Crofter Chunky self striping for the band and Bernat Softee Chunky for the crown because that is what I had in my stash.

Tools: 6.5mm or US 10.5 needles, stitch markers to separate cable sections if you need to.

Abbreviations:          

K = knit

P = purl

C4F = slip the next two stitches to a cable needle, hold it in front of your work and knit the next two stitches on the left needle. Knit the two stitches from the cable needle.

K2tog = knit two stitches together

YO = yarn over

 

Ribbed Edge: Using the self striping yarn, cast on 80 stitches, don’t join if you are using a circular needle.

Row 1: (K2, P1) to last two stitches, K2.

Row 2: (P2, K1) to last two stitches, P2.

Row 3: Repeat Row 1.

Cut yarn leaving a tail to weave in

 

Cable Section: You will start on the wrong side of your piece.  Join contrast yarn.

Row 1: P1, (K1, P4, K1, P6), repeat six times, K1, P4, K1, P1.

Row 2: K1, (P1, C4F, P1, K6), repeat six times, P1, C4F, P1, K1.

Row 3: Repeat Row 1.

Row 4: K1, (P1, K4, P1, K6), repeat six times, P1, K4, P1, K1.

Rows 5 to 20: Repeat Rows 1 to 4 four more times.

Row 21: Repeat Row 1.

Cut yarn leaving a tail to weave in.

 

Ribbed Edge: You will start on the right side of your piece.  Join in self striping yarn.

Row 1: (K2, P1) to last two stitches, K2.

Row 2: (P2, K1) to last two stitches, P2.

Row 3: Repeat Row 1.

Cast off loosely knitwise on the wrong side.

Ribbed Ends:

Button hole side:

With self striping yarn, pick up and knit 20 stitches along one end with the right side facing you.

Row 1: wrong side, (P2, K1) six times, P2.

Row 2: K2, P1, (YO, K2tog, P1, K2, P1) twice, YO, K2tog, P1, K2.  Three buttonholes made.

Row 3: Repeat Row 1.

Row 4: (K2, P1), six times, K2.

Row 5: Repeat Row 1.

Cast off purlwise.

Plain Side:

With self striping yarn, pick up and knit 20 stitches along one end with the right side facing you.

Row 1: wrong side, (P2, K1) six times, P2.

Row 2: (K2, P1), six times, K2.

Repeat Rows 1 and two once more and then Row 1 again.  Cast off purlwise.

Block your neck warmer and weave in the ends.  Sew buttons on the plain side to line up with the buttonholes on the other side.  I sewed a couple of buttons on the hat band to match the neck warmer making a set.

 

Knitting

Love Shrimps? Easy dinner tonight!

Iris Rose

 

I like to cook, I really, really like to cook.  I find that putting together a dish that looks and tastes great is almost (and I did say almost) as satisfying as finishing that great sweater.

Earlier this week I put together a shrimp dish that hit the spot both in taste and eye appeal.  This recipe is for two but can be easily expanded to feed more.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did and we will be back to either knitting or crocheting next week with a neck warmer to match last week’s cable hat pattern.

Ingredients for main dish:

Shrimp, fresh or frozen, about 250g or ½ pound or more if you love shrimp as I do.

One zucchini, cubed

Four small tomatoes, cut into wedges

One clove of garlic, chopped

¾ cup of cream or whole milk

1 Tbsp of butter

¼ cup of mixed chopped herbs (I used parsley, basil and sorrel)

Pepper to taste

½ cup grated parmesan cheese (fresh is best)

Fettuccini for two

 

Marinade for shrimp:

¼ cup olive oil

2 Tbsp lemon juice

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp chili flakes

Mix all of these in a sealable food bag or container.  Add the fresh or thawed shrimps and refrigerate for a couple of hours. 

For the main dish, start with bringing a pot of water to the boil for the pasta.  Start the pasta cooking.  In a sauté pan over medium high heat, melt the butter and cook the zucchini until it just starts to soften.  Add the chopped garlic and stir it to release the fragrance.  Start heating a second pan for the shrimp.  Add the tomatoes to the zucchini and stir.  When the tomatoes are hot, pour in the cream, stir it quickly and then add one half of the cheese.  Turn down the heat to low.  Place the shrimp, without the marinade in the waiting hot pan and cook until done, turning half way through.  This should only take a couple of minutes, don’t overcook.

Drain the pasta and, dividing in half, serve on two plates, top with the sauce and the rest of the cheese.  Serve the shrimp over the pasta sauce and serve.

Knitting

New Hat With Cables!

Iris Rose

             

I went stash diving last week and came up with two pretty yarns that look really good together.  I found a single skein of Sirdar’s Crofter Chunky (clearance basket!) and one of those unknown fibre mill end bags that looks just like Bernat Softee Chunky (sale at Michael’s, I am the Queen!).   As a result, today I have a new hat pattern for you.  I know, I know, winter is a long way off but now is a good time to start your gift knitting and this hat is part of a set.  Plus, the matching cowl will be coming at you in the next couple of weeks and small projects are great for summer knitting.

The hat is knit in chunky yarn and is a great way to introduce yourself to cables.  It is a fairly easy knit but you will have to pay attention to your row count.  There is no chart for the cables but the pattern is written out with clear explanations and I am always available for questions here or on Ravelry.  I really need to get a better model don’t I!

Dig through your stash and find that perfect yarn for that special knitworthy someone or maybe use this free only here on my blog pattern for charity knitting.  Either way, just have fun with it.

At the end of this post I am featuring a photo of the start of a new crochet pattern that I am working on.  I thought it was time to switch up my craft choice for this project and get my crojo working again!

 

Cable Hat

This is an easy to knit hat, standard size, that lets you branch out a little from plain stocking stitch.  It is knit in the round so no seams!  To finish, all you need to do is close the top and weave in a couple of ends.  If you need to adjust the size, use a larger needle up to 6.5mm or US 10.5.

 

Materials: Chunky yarn, 40m or 44 yds for the ribbing and 90m or 99yds for the crown.  I used Sirdar Crofter Chunky for the band and Bernat Softee Chunky for the crown because that is what I had in my stash.

Tools: 5.5mm or US 9 circular needle (40cm, 16”, or smaller), 5.5mm or US 9, DPN’s, stitch markers.

Abbreviations:          

K = knit                       P = purl

K2tog = right slanting decrease, knit two stiches together

SSK = left slanting decrease, slip two stitches knitwise and place them back on the left needle. Knit them together.  An easier left slanting decrease is to simply knit two together through the back loop.

S2K1PSSO = centred double decrease, slip two stitches, knit the next then pass the two slipped stitches over the knit one.

C2F = twist two knit stitches: knit into the back of the second stitch on the left needle, leaving it on the needle, knit in the front of the first stitch on the left needle and move them both to the right needle together.

C3F = slip the next two stitches to a cable needle, hold it in front of your work and knit the next stitch on the left needle. Knit the two stitches from the cable needle.

C4F = slip the next two stitches to a cable needle, hold it in front of your work and knit the next two stitches on the left needle. Knit the two stitches from the cable needle.

 

Band: With the yarn that you are going to use for the band, cast on 78 stitches and join to knit in the round.  Place a marker at the join to mark the beginning of the round and slip it at the end on each round.

Rnds 1 and 2: (K2, P1) twenty-six times around.

Rnd 3: (C2F, P1) twenty-six times around.

Rnds 4 to 6: (K2, P1) twenty-six times around.

Rnd 7: (C2F, P1) twenty-six times around.

Rnds 8 to 11: Repeat Rnds 4 to 7.

Rnds 12 and 13: Repeat Rnds 1 and 2.

Change yarn here if you are using two colours or continue with the same yarn for a single colour.

Crown: The crown is divided into six sections of thirteen stitches.  If you are unsure of the pattern, use a stitch marker between each section.  Make sure that you use a different colour or have some other way to note where you rounds end or your cables will be messed up.

Rnds 1 and 2: (K4, P1, K7, P1) six times around.

Rnd 3: (C4F, P1, K7, P1) six times around.

Rnds 4 to 7: (K4, P1, K7, P1) six times around.

Rnd 8: (C4F, P1, K7, P1) six times around.

Repeat Rnds 4 to 8 three more times.

Repeat Rnds 1 and 2 one time.

The next round will start the decrease for the crown.  You will be decreasing on every third round so make sure that you keep track of the cable rows separately from the decrease rounds.  You will need to switch to DPN’s, or two cable needles or magic loop when the stitch count drops.

Rnd 26: (K4, P1, SSK, K3, K2tog, P1) repeat six times around.

Rnd 27: (K4, P1, K5, P1) repeat six times around.

Rnd 28: (C4F, P1, K5, P1) repeat six times around.

Rnd 29: (K4, P1, SSK, K1, K2tog, P1) repeat six times around.

Rnds 30 and 31: (K4, P1, K3, P1) repeat six times around.

Rnd 32: (K4, P1, S2K1PSSO, P1) repeat six times around.

Rnd 33: (C4F, P1, K1, P1) repeat six times around.

Rnd 34: (K4, P1, K1, P1) repeat six times around.

Rnd 35: (K4, S2K1PSSO) repeat six times around.

Rnds 36 and 37: K all stitches.

Rnd 39: (C3F, K2tog) repeat six times around.

Rnd 40: K all stitches.

Rnd 41: (K2, K2tog) repeat six times around.

Cut a long tail and take off the remaining eighteen stitches around with a tapestry needle.  Pull tight and thread the tail to the inside.  Secure it by weaving through the stitches in the last round and trim.

Weave in any other ends and trim.  Block your hat lightly if you choose but do not block the ribbing band.

And here is a sneak peek at my latest effort with the hook.  I have been visualizing this piece for some time and thought I better get off my duff and work it out!

 

Knitting

Knitting Machine Rehab

Iris Rose

I have spent the last couple of weekends rehabbing two of my knitting machines.  I have been machine knitting along with hand knitting and crocheting since the late 1980’s (yes, I really am that old) and had put my machines away in 2004 when we moved and spent the next few years living in a fifth wheel trailer and travelling, which is a story for another post.

I have four Singer knitting machines, two acquired recently.  Three are standard gauge and one is bulky gauge.  When we eventually settled here in Calgary and I set up my craft space, I had room for only one machine and chose the standard gauge Singer 560 to leave out permanently.  It seemed the best choice as it knits a finer yarn than I would normally choose to hand knit and has a lace carriage and ribber as well.

As I said, I set it up with my craft space but, with the ordinary busyness of life, it languished under a sheet, unused and lonely.  I joined a facebook group for machine knitters and found my mojo again this spring.

My very pretty wrap made on a standard gauge machine, Singer SK560

Like any piece of machinery, being idle is not good for a knitting machine.  The needle retaining sponge was flat as a pancake and the needles, which I had reused from another machine after straightening them all out which is never a good idea, really needed to be replaced.  The cheapskate in me is the one who straightened them out; I had no part in them being bent in the first place.  I bit the bullet, after a frustrating and stitch dropping trial at making a wrap that I found posted in a YouTube video, and bought a new sponge strip and needles.  The wrap turned out lovely by the way.  The stitches were all picked up and spaced correctly, whew!

Machine knit earflap hats!

Anyway, back to the rehab, all of the needles came out and I thoroughly cleaned the bed and rail and installed new needles.  We scraped out the old sponge and replaced it with new and the machine now knits beautifully.  It is amazing how much lint was trapped in all of the nooks and crannies!

While I was on a roll, I thought about my bulky machine and how much I liked using it in the past for big areas of plain stocking stitch.  I pulled it out and cleaned it this last weekend.  The needles were all in excellent shape and only needed to be cleaned with a good alcohol soak and a wipe down.  My fingers are now grey with old grease.  I guess I should have hauled it out sooner!  I replaced the sponge on the needle retainer bar and the machine looks like new.

I have a matching ribber for this machine and thought about setting the two up together on another table to use.  I pulled out the ribber and, much to my dismay, found it had been broken during one of the moves that we made.  Both of the plastic end caps are snapped and the bracket for the pitch leaver is smashed.  I have looked on line and cannot find any parts available as these machines were manufactured in the 80’s and 90’s.  I really don’t know what I can do to replace the plastic pieces, maybe 3D printing?  The ribber is usable but I don’t know for how long.  If I took a picture of myself when I found the damage you would have seen me crying.

I am going to start up again with machine knitting and will show you some of my work and post some patterns here as they are developed. 

I am also working on a crocheted shawl pattern that I have been designing in my head for a while.  It is time to actually make it and develop the pattern for you.

Knitting

The 3F’s of Project Mangement

Iris Rose

Every couple of months (okay six months, okay, okay, every year or two) I find myself surrounded by unfinished projects that I have started, in some cases, who knows why, and really have the urge to clean up.  This usually happens when I can’t find a single available 5mm needle when I know that I have several or when I can’t see my table top.  Sometimes the avalanche when I open the closet door is an incentive as well.

When any of these things happen, and sometimes all of them happen at once, I have a 3F day or maybe two days, okay a week.  Finish, frog, or fro out.  I know that fro is not used this way but I like the rhyme.  It also reminds me of two year olds cleaning up and right before the tantrum which describes me to a tee on 3F day.

Finish is, of course, the best action for an almost complete project.  Projects do not go in the finish pile if: they are ugly and will never fit anyone and that’s why they are not finished, they are so old that the style has already come and gone a second time so waiting another forty years is just foolish, or I just plain hate working with the yarn in question.  Anything that is not in one of the categories above is placed into a bin.  Every time I want to start a new project (which is every minute of every day) I force myself to finish one from the bin.  This method works most of time although once in a while I change the finish status of the UFO to frog just so that I can start something new!  The only one who really cares is me and I like crafting too much to work on something I hate.

Frog is next on the to do list.  All of the projects that I can’t bring myself to finish are set aside so that I can rip out, rewind and reuse the yarn.  This goes for the too old if the yarn is still nice, the ugly and will never fit anyone, again if the yarn is still nice and the I hate working with the yarn if it is because the yarn didn’t suit the pattern.  Maybe it just needs a larger or smaller needle or hook or to be paired with a contrast to dilute the impact.  I usually set aside an evening or two to accomplish restashing these never to be finished projects.

Fro is a hard one.  I, like any yarnie worth their salt, hate to throw away “good yarn” but have learned the hard way (remember I mentioned an avalanche?) that you just can’t keep everything.  Try throwing away a truly unlikeable project that you know you will never finish made with yarn that you will never like.  It is freeing in a way that you can’t imagine!  I have reached the point now where, when I look through my stash and wonder why I ever kept all of those ten metre or less pieces or even those part skeins of so-so yarn, I can gather them up and put them in the garbage can.  Yes, (and I can hear the response to wasting yarn) it is great to donate to charity groups but, if the yarn is too old or really awful to work with, why inflict it on someone else to work with or wear.

Get over the guilt and try your own purge and you will find that you may have some really lovely finished things, some really lovely recycled yarn and a great big space where all of the uglies lived!

New pattern alert: I have published a paid cardigan pattern on Ravelry this week.  It is lace and stocking stitch in multiple sizes.  Have a look!   http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/roses-and-lace-cardigan