First Official Patons Knit-Along: Color Exploration

We’re proud to announce the first Patons Blog Knit-Along! All of the Patons bloggers will be knitting a beautiful Fair Isle tam, and you’re invited to join us. This pattern can be downloaded today, exclusively on the Patons Blog.

Download the Fair Isle Tam

Each blogger has their own personal style, and they’ve all selected their own colors. We also want to see what colors you select!

We’re inviting you to join us in this Knit Along for constant support and inspiration. The pattern is available today – download it and join in!

Never done fair isle before? No problem! Some of the bloggers are new to colorwork and will be working through the process as well. Take a leap and combine your own colors and see what you get.

Here’s what you’ll need to knit the Fair Isle Hat:

Patons Classic Wool (100g/3.5 oz; 223yd/205m)

5 shades – 1 ball each

Set of 5 size 4.5 mm (U.S. 7) double pointed knitting needles or size needed to obtain gauge. St markers.
Note: Set of 5 needles works best for even stitch distribution and keeping work in quadrants.

Comment here and let us know if you plan to knit along! We’ll be posting our color selections starting next week.

FO: Fair Isle Socks

Fair Isle Socks from the Patons Pattern Book, Socks in the City.

One thing is for sure, my feet are going to be toasty this winter! For this project, I used Patons Kroy Socks in Coal for the main color and Patons Kroy Socks in Mexicala Stripes for the contrast color. Even though these socks took a little time to make, they were well worth the extra effort. I followed the pattern exactly and I will admit, they are a little big. This can easily be adjusted since they are big foot-length-wise. The pattern calls for 2 balls of Coal and I actually ended up using 2.3 balls. As for the Mexicala Stripes, I only used 1.7 balls. I also recommend recreating the pattern chart. I used a spreadsheet program to make mine. However, you can definitely do this the old-fashioned way with a pencil and a sheet of graph paper. Overall I love these socks and cannot wait for it to get cold enough outside to wear them. Which, here in Austin, TX, happens around mid-January when we dip down into the 40′s for a week or two.

-BrennaLePurl

Tiny Shoes

Problem: You’re sitting at home one rainy evening, feeling like you don’t want to go out or talk to anyone. you’re bored with tv, bored with books, sick of all your works-in-progress, and racking your brain for an idea that will help pass the time until it is acceptable to crawl into bed.

Solution: Make some Tiny Shoes (aka Baby Mary Jane Slippers).

There are multiple reasons why this solution works. First, they are dang cute and any tiny person (or tiny person’s parent) would be crazy not to love these tiny shoes. Second, the Patons Bamboo Baby yarn (shown here in Soft Green) is wonderfully soft and easy to work with (though I do recommend very pointy needles for this pattern, as there are some tight increases in the first row). And there is enough yardage on each skein to make lots of tiny shoes (good to have on hand for last minute tiny person gifts).

Third, and perhaps most importantly, these tiny shoes are ridiculously fast to make. Each shoe takes only about 20 minutes start to finish (a little longer if you discover a Law & Order marathon that you must pay attention to). And if you decide you actually do need to get out of the house, you can go pick out some cool buttons for the straps.

Now you will know what to do when you next face the prospect of a boring evening. You can thank me later, after you have spent an evening or two creating an army of tiny shoes.

-AndreaK2tog

Stop monkeying around

For more weeks than I care to think about, we have had some yucky crud going through our house. All of us have had a back-to-school sinus infection, the baby got that, plus more, and consequently my husband and I have missed quite a bit of work. Thankfully, he and I weren’t down and out at the same time because we had to juggle our schedules to work strange hours in order to stay home with one or more child. Unfortunately, I’m afraid my knitting has suffered.

Fall is the time of year that I yearn to knit even though I knit all year long. In my part of the world fall brings cooler weather and I love scarves, warm wooly socks, mittens and hats. It brings to me thoughts of the holidays and gifts I want to make for family, friends, and co-workers. Some of my indulgences these past few weeks have been cruising the Internet for Christmas gift pattern ideas, reading a good knitting-related book, and it was my birthday.

Not much progress really…
Pattern: Basic Knit Sock Monkey
Yarn: Classic wool (best yarn in the world!)
Colors: Aran, Bright Red, Dark Beige Marl (new)

Life just gets in the way of knitting now and again. I’d like to think that knitting is the most important thing, but that would be nuts. Our busy lives have to have balance. I rest in knowing that someday my husband and I will be “empty nesters” and we’ll have more time on our hands than what we’ll know what to do with.

No…I know what I’ll do, I’ll knit.

–knittinjen

Un-seam-ly Progress

Don’t you hate when life gets in the way of your knitting/crocheting? This pesky business of “making a living” and “feeding yourself” and “doing laundry” are really take a bite out of my leisure time. Don’t even get me started on friends and family! Anyway, without a lot to show you progress-wise with my hexagon blanket, I thought I’d make like you’re reading a boring book and skip to the end! Seaming!

I usually claim to loathe any part of knitting or crocheting that isn’t knitting or crocheting. Finishing was not my forte. I say “was”, because I’m learning to love the fine art of finishing. Poor finishing can really destroy all of the hard work you put into a project. A couple of people left comments about what a nightmare this blanket could be to put together. For whatever reason… I’m not concerned. I think I’m going to seam-as-I-go, which means, despite having but a few hexagons completed, I need to decide how to put this thing together!

Seaming Option #1: Whip Stitch

I’m calling this “whip stitch”, though it might have a different name I’m not aware of – any ideas, folks? It’s pretty much a no-brainer:

Thread a needle with whatever colour yarn you like. Insert your needle under the double-v at the side edge of your right piece and then through the double-v at the side of left.

Work from side to side, joining one stitch at a time.

I worked with the right sides facing, though I’m not sure it matters, as the result looks pretty much the same on both sides of the work. Here’s the front:

And the back:

I used red yarn so y’all could see what I was doing, but obviously the results would be less conspicuous if you chose a matching yarn.

Seaming Option #1: Slip Stitch Crochet

This is a technique I picked up somewhere on these crazy internets though can’t recall where. I think it appeals to those who loathe sewing and love crochet, as there is no needle involved.

With right sides together, hold your pieces together like a sandwich – let’s pretend it’s grilled cheese!

Notice that you’re looking at two lines of “V’s”. Think of the outside stitch of the top (grey) ‘V’, and the outside stitch of the bottom (white)’V’ as the bread. This makes the inside stitches – the ones that are touching – the cheese! This technique is all about the bread.

Insert your hook in the bottom slice of bread:

Then in the top slice of bread:

Now with some working yarn, yarn over your hook and pull it through the whole sandwich:

Now move to the next stitch in the, er, slice:

Allright, so I’m losing the grilled cheese analogy here, but hopefully you understand what I mean! You’re essentially creating a slip stitch through both thickness, but only through the outside stitches. By skipping the inside stitches you leave space for the two edges of crochet to meet up really squarely. It’s almost invisible from the front:

And leaves a neat row of stitches in the back:

So am I gonna whip it, or make grilled cheese? As much as I love the neat appearance of the slip-stitch technique, I don’t think I want my blanket to have such an obvious right and wrong side. I also find the slip-stitch seam a little more time consuming (though I’m sure I’d get quicker with practice). I think the good old-fashioned whip stitch is going to put this puppy together. I hope I can make like Devo and Whip it good!

-juliaknits

FO: Hooded Cardigan

Hooded Cardigan from Patons Pattern Book: Next Steps Six – Learn to Cable

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool

What a fun cardigan to make! As I mentioned in a previous post, this pattern was meant for my needles. I really think that the Patons Classic Wool suits this pattern perfectly. The yarn allows for a nice cable definition and the color (Moss Heather) is just light enough for the cables to really pop. I just love how the cable pattern is on the back of the cardigan and continues, seamlessly, up to the hood.

Throughout the project, I did make a few modifications to the pattern. I adjusted the cardigan to be knit in one piece. Since this pattern is worked from the bottom up, once I got to the sleeves, I put whichever piece (left side, right side or back) I was not working on, on scrap yarn. Instead of casting off, once I got to the top of the back and front pieces, I kept the live stitches on scrap yarn. This allowed me to graft (Kitchener Stitch) the shoulder seams together. I worked the sleeves from the shoulder down using Magic Loop. Shaping the hood was a lot of fun. It was like turning the heel of a really big sock! Instead of using a zipper, I decided to go with 4, 1″ buttons. Figured these would be more user friendly for my 3-year-old son. I also decided to add a light flannel liner. Found this cute dinosaur print at the fabric store. Using less than 1 yard, I cut out a piece, ironed the seams and then hand sewed it into the cardigan using matching thread. Did not even have to use my sewing machine!

Coming soon to a Patons blog near you…. another finished project!!! You didn’t forget about the Fair Isle socks did you?

-BrennaLePurl

First Time Felter

I have never felted anything before. It’s not because I haven’t wanted to try, but I never wanted to badly enough to pay $2 at my apartment building’s laundry room to run one thing through the wash. I recently moved however, and my new place has a washer/dryer. (I’m still giddy with excitement over doing laundry for free whenever I want. Sometimes I wash one pair of jeans and leave them in the dryer for hours after the cycle is done just because I can).

In the midst of this exciting new laundry situation, I happened upon the felted wine bottle bag in Patons’ Classic Holidays book and decided to have a go at felting. I followed the instructions that were in the back of the pattern book and, voila -

Felt! I probably should have checked on it halfway through the wash cycle, as it’s a little more felted than I would like, but I think it turned out ok. Since I had so many issues with holes in the striped wine bottle cover I did previously, I kept the striping to a minimum and decorated the solid block of color with fun buttons. (I thought about doing a snowflake design in white on the purple section, but was unsure how that would turn out after felting). Instead of making the twisted cord for handles I used some ribbon.

A note about reading patterns the whole way through – I did the decreases on the bottom of the bag entirely wrong, following instructions for version A instead of felted version B like I was supposed to. Oops. The resulting bag bottom is much rounder than it should be due to the quicker decreases (over 9 rounds instead of 16 rounds as called for). Will we knitters ever learn this lesson? Maybe. Ok, probably not.

-AndreaK2tog

The light at the end of the tunnel

My last message to you may have been a bit overdramatic – at the time, it seemed that the combined issues of gauge and missing yarn left me up knit creek without my paddle.

However, I’ve come to you today to tell you that it’s all going to be okay – not just for me, but for all of you as well. These knit disasters we occasionally find ourselves in? they’re just temporary! With a well rested and thoughtful mind, you can find the way out of just about any problematic situation.

Here’s how I handled it:

To recap, I realized that my vest was running small, and worried it might not fit the recipient. In addition, I managed to lose all of my remaining yarn for the project. These two problems combined made my task seem almost hopeless.

I emailed my friend and got every conceivable measurement she would provide. It turns out that her waist is actually fine with the current vest size. Her bust is a bit larger, but I was just getting there anyways – I worked out a scheme to increase a few stitches gradually on the sides in the bust region, and I’m optimistic the vest will fit. Crisis 1 under control!

I ordered additional yarn to replace the missing balls. Dye lot is a notorious issue when it comes to adding yarn late in the game. I jumped in and hoped for the best. This might just be some amazing luck, but my new Patons Angora Bamboo matches perfectly. Even held in the light, I can’t tell the difference. So crisis 2 averted as well!

I’ve made some more progress and am just a few inches on the back and a neckline away from completion!

The moral of this story is clear – when things look like they’re falling apart, take a breath, look forward, and don’t give up. There’s soft cushy yarn at the end of the tunnel.

-jencraft

Ooo Ooo Eee Eee

Much to our surprise our pregnancy, about 8-years-ago, turned out to be double the blessing. We were expecting twins. Those boys are now seven and in the second grade. Serious complications for me following the delivery prompted many doctors to strongly encourage us to not have more children. We obliged being happy to have twins. Low and behold, about a year ago we discovered we were pregnant and are now parents to another healthy boy (and thankfully, no serious complications for me this time around).

Being sons of a knitter they are bound to receive things that they wouldn’t have ever thought they should need or have. For example, when the twins were about 3-years-old I knit them funky dolls and even though they are dolls, they were thrilled that their mom made them unique gifts and they promptly named them ‘Sticky’ (not because they were covered in goo, but because they are skinny, twiggy and stick-like). Even now they still have their ‘Sticky’ on their beds.

I am taking full advantage of the boys while they are young. Knowing full well that when they get into tween-age, they will adamantly refuse to not only wear a hat, mittens, scarf or anything else that might keep them warm, they wouldn’t dream of wanting a toy (or anything else, except food) made by their mother!

They need Monkeys. Monkeys are boyish, right? Shoot, these two boys of ours act like monkeys – climbing trees, sliding down the hand rail to the basement, and hanging from the basketball hoop. And lord knows they’re smelly! I think they can relate…

Did you know Patons Classic wool has new colors? My selections are Light Grey Marl, Dark Grey Marl, Dark Beige Marl and of course, Aran and Bright Red. Each boy will receive their own, personalized Basic Monkey. My grand plan is to knit each their own accessories using some of the left over Classic wool from past projects: Felted Slippers and Felted Mitten Garland.

Ooo, Ooo, Eee, Eee,
–knittinjen

Magic Loop Madness

Seaming. Just typing the word sends shivers up my spine. I try to eliminate any and all seaming from a project. It can be done, especially when the ‘Magic Loop’ technique comes into play. A dear friend introduced this technique to me about a year ago and I have to say, I was a bit skeptical at first. You see, it is a technique that takes a little patience, a little practice and most importantly, determination. Do not fear ‘Magic Loop’ my friends, for it is a most valuable knitting technique.

The Hooded Cardigan has been a fun project so far. Since I am anti-seaming, I decided to knit the sleeves differently from what the pattern called for. Instead of starting with the cuff, I picked up stitches around the shoulder and am working my way down. Sure, you could use double pointed needles to achieve this, but why would you when the magic loop only requires ONE long circular needle?

Here is how it works:

Step 1: Pick up required number of stitches around shoulder/arm hole on one long (32″ or longer) circular needle. Slide the stitches onto the cable part of the needle.

Step 2: Count stitches and make note of where the half lies. Grasp cable and pull through the center stitches. Make sure not to put a crimp in your needle though!

Step 3: Hold the cable and pull it out of the stitches until your stitches are on the needle portions of the circular needle. Make sure the working yarn is on the back needle. Slide stitches on the front needle back onto the cable.

Step 4: Use front needle and knit all stitches on back needle. When you’ve knit to the end of the needle, you’ve knitted half a round.

Step 5: Turn the needles so both tips are pointed to the right and slide the now-front needle into the stitches that are on the cable.

Ta Da! You have now completed one full round. Keep doing this until you have as many rows as you need.

Magic Loop does take a little practice. The first time around may be a little shaky and you may notice that your tension is a little off. Keep practicing because with each loop, this issue fixes itself.

-BrennaLePurl