pattern

So, as I mentioned the blog posts have slowed down but at home its been a mad dash to get projects completed.  The house is a disaster zone but we’re making great progress.

Even with all the housework I was able to work on a small knitting project for myself.  I found this Easy Lace Scarf pattern via Ravelry.com.  It’s a very easy to follow pattern but I realized I didn’t have enough yarn to make the scarf long enough so I improvised!

A lot of knitted hand warmers are worked in rounds.  This prevents the piece from having a seam. But if you don’t have supplies like double pointed needles or aren’t into knitting rounds just yet this is a great beginners option.

Lace scarf turned hand warmers. Here’s how:

Needle size: US 8
Yarn: Worsted weight

Lace pattern from Knittersreview.com
Cast on 22 stitches and knit 2 rows.

Now you’re ready to begin the lace pattern, which is as follows.
Row 1: (RS): K all sts.
Row 2: K2, p18, k2. (Those 2 border stitches on either end will always be knit in garter stitch—their role is to keep your fabric from curling.)
Row 3: K2, (K2Tog) 3 times, (YO,K1) 6 times, (K2Tog) 3 times, k2.
Row 4: K all sts.

Repeat rows 1- 4  10 times or till the piece measures 6 inches, then knit 3 more rows before binding off.  Create another piece the same size.

Once complete place them on top of each other with right sides together and hand stitch up one side. Doesn’t matter which side as they are identical.

The next step is to figure out where to place the thumb hole.  For that, place the piece over your hand and use stitch markers to figured out where to leave the opening.

Once again place the two piece on top of each other right sides together and hand stitched to the stitch markers and that was it. Turn right side out and your done.  Pretty easy and the seam isn’t even noticeable!

The yarn I used was a silk/cashmere blend so it had a lot of stretch to it which made them a little on the big side.  Nothing a warm wash can’t fix.

However, if I made them again I would keep the pattern the same but perhap use an acrylic yarn and smaller needles (US 7) so they don’t stretch as much.

Well, I went a little nutty during the grand opening of a new Joann store last weekend.  The store was by no means in the neighborhood but the extra drive was well-worth the trip.

I came away with two new dress patterns, and plenty of fabric.  I’ve made a couple of skirts in the past but haven’t really tried making a dress.  At first, I found way too many patterns I liked so I reverted back to my plan which was to stick to something super simple and something that I will wear a lot! 

So, Saturday morning I jumped all over the first pattern.  It’s a simple a-line dress with pin-tucked detail in a stretch knit fabric. 

Butterick pattern B5349

Review:  This is one of the few times I’ve completed a project that worked out perfectly!  There was no frustration or confusion in the directions even when it came to installing the invisible zipper.  It was well illustrated and all the instructions were on ONE SINGLE PAGE!  As we would say at work it was the ideal user experience! :)  

The knit jersey fabric has a lot of stretch and is something I haven’t work with but once I tested out my thread tension and followed directions, it was a piece of cake. 

I would say that the sizing of this pattern was a little on the big side but it’s intended to be a very loose fitting dress.  To give it a little more shape I will likely wear it with a skinny belt which also helps to dress it up a bit. I would show a photo of me wearing it but I’m way to judgemental!  It can also be dressed down and would make for a great swimsuit cover-up. 

Now that I’m invigorated by a successful first attempt, I hope to work on the second dress sometime later this week.  More progress to come.

crochet.dishcloth

Originally uploaded by dhop76

I had some Lily Sugar n’ Creme cotton yarn left over from a project so I decided to make a simple dishcloth. I made up my own pattern but its so simple that I’m sure it’s been done before. Here goes…

Chain 31

Row 1: half double crochet (hdc) into 2 chain (makes first stitch of row) ; hdc to end of chain (30 stitches total); turn

Row 2: Chain 2 (this will be the first dc for row); dc for 30 stitches; turn

Row 3: Chain 1; hdc; hdc for 30 stiches; turn

repeat row 2 & 3 until you have a square or in my case till you run out of yarn

Edging: hdc 2 rows around the entire square with coordinating yarn and presto! Your done. This works up really fast!

Final size should be around an 10 inch square