double pointed needles Archives - engineeredcreations

December 6, 2019

House Spirit Cardigan Pattern

The shower theme for my new nephew was Harry Potter, so naturally I wanted to make him something Harry Potter themed. I searched for existing Harry Potter patterns, because I knew there were a lot of them, but nothing really stood out to me. A lot of the fashion from the movies prominently used stripes (in the scarves, in the ties, etc.). My mind kept coming back to the thought of a cardigan and stripes. I decided to make a baby cardigan that while not explicitly referencing Harry Potter, nodded at the theme with the color choices. The pattern features four areas of bi-colored stripes. I decided to use the color schemes from the four houses from Harry Potter for the four regions. The idea of using the colors also added some symbolism. Using all four represented wishing the best qualities of each house on the baby: courage, loyalty, intelligence, and leadership. I chose to use a variety of buttons to add a little whimsy. I ended up making a second sweater for my daughter because it was just too cute!

The pattern is available in sizes 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months, and 18-24 months. If you need another size, I can make that happen!

Buy the pattern for $5 on Etsy here or on Ravelry here.

Materials:

Go to this link to buy a kit with everything you need to make this cardigan on Amazon.

Worsted weight yarn in two to nine colors (You may choose to use two alternating colors for all of the striping or use different colors for each quadrant and the band, as I did. I used yarn I already had at my house, but most of it was Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice. The colors I used where charcoal grey [A] for the bands, scarlet [B], gold [C], green [D], silver [E], blue [F], bronze [G], yellow [H], and black [I])
US 8 24” circular needles
US 8 double pointed needles
Tapestry needle
Buttons
Needle and thread to sew on buttons

Stitches Used:

Please comment below with any questions!

January 20, 2019January 20, 2019

Sweetheart Hat Pattern

I wrote a guest blog this week over at Her Exchange about self-care through creativity, especially knitting and crocheting. If you read the article, you’ll read about how after having kids, I really lost the joy in knitting in crocheting due to real or self-imposed deadlines and closed down my Etsy shop. I have decided to change the focus of my shop and reopen! Instead of selling finished products, I’m going to try to start selling my patterns. And if I’m being truthful, I really enjoy the design aspect of coming up with a new pattern more than I enjoy making that pattern over and over for clients.

Without further ado, here is my first pattern: the Sweetheart Hat. I designed this hat for my daughter as a Valentine’s seasonal hat, but hearts are really always in season, so she doesn’t have to put it away after the holiday. The pattern features my favorite heart cable that I’ve been putting on everything since college. The hat can be worked in sizes baby through adult, but the cable size does not change so the cable will be more prominent on the baby sizes and less prominent on the adult sizes.

Buy the pattern on Etsy here or on Ravelry here.

Materials:

Go to this link to buy a kit with everything you need to make this hat on Amazon.

Worsted weight yarn
2 Size US 8 needles for cable
5 Size US 6 double pointed needles for remainder of hat
Cable needle
Tapestry needle

Stitches Used:

Please comment below with any questions!

January 2, 2019

Horizontal Cable Knit Hat

Life got busy around the holidays, and I got behind on posting! One of my recent projects has been a new hat for Zoe. Baby heads grow so fast and none of her hats fit! The little jacket she wears all the time doesn’t have a hood, so she needed something to keep her little downy noggin’ warm. I was in love with some horizontal cabled hats I saw on Pinterest. I often make up my own patterns, but was interested in the construction techniques of this hat, so I bought a pattern I liked at Posh Patterns on Etsy. The pattern was quick, easy, and I love the way it turned out. We’ve already had many comments on it as we are out about town. The pattern can also easily be adjusted to use a different type of cable and now I have new ideas for how to construct a hat!

October 1, 2018October 27, 2018

Basic Knit Hat

I like to make up patterns for cute character hats, but each of those hats typically begins with a simple base hat. For examples, see my Baby Turkey Hat, Oscar the Grouch Hat, or Elmo Hat. Here are instructions for my favorite base hat. I love this hat because it is very forgiving in respect to size. It’s very stretchy and the rolled brim allows it to be longer or shorter as needed.

Here is my daughter Zoe modeling the newborn size hat. (She is going to be Zoe from Sesame Street for Halloween, and this is the base for her Zoe hat.)

Here is my son Jack wearing the child hat. He is actually toddler-sized, but I made it larger so he could wear it longer. (She is going to be Elmo for Halloween, and this is the base for his Elmo hat.)

Materials:

5 US Size 6, 7, or 8 double pointed knitting needles (see table below to determine size)
Worsted weight yarn (my favorite is the Vanna’s Choice brand)
Tapestry needle

Stitches:

Size	Head Circumference (in.)	# of Stitches to Cast On	Knitting Needle Size	Hat Circumference (in)	Hat Length Before Decrease (in)
Micro-Preemie	9	36	6	8	3
Preemie	11	48	6	10	3.5
Newborn	13	60	6	12	4
6 months	15	72	6	14	4.5
1 year	17	72	7	16	5
Toddler	18	72	7	16	5.5
Child	20	84	6	19	6
Small Adult	21	84	6	19	6.5
Medium Adult	22	84	7	21	7
Large Adult	23	84	7	21	7.5
XL Adult	24	84	8	23	8

Hat Instructions:

With yarn, cast on number of stitches in the table for the size desired and distribute them evenly on four double pointed needles.
Join in round (being careful not to twist!) and knit each round until the piece is the length specified in the table. The brim of the hat will be rolled. Unroll it to measure your length.

Crown (skip even numbered rounds for micro-preemie and preemie sizes):

R1: (K4, SSK, K2tog, K4) around

R2: K all stitiches

R3: (K3, SSK, K2tog, K3) around

R4: K all stitiches

R5: (K2, SSK, K2tog, K2) around

R6: K all stitiches

R7: (K1, SSK, K2tog, K1) around

R8: K all stitiches

R9: (SSK, K2tog) around

R10: (K2tog) around

June 28, 2014

Superman Koozie

I created a Superman inspired koozie pattern. The main design is achieved through fair isle stranding. The crisp, raised border is cabled. Enjoy! You can also buy the koozie here.

Disclaimer: Feel free to make this pattern for your personal use, for your platypus, for charity, or to sell. The only thing I ask is that you please do not sell it on Etsy. If you are interested in purchasing a koozie from my Etsy store, you may do so here.

Materials:

5 Size US 4 double pointed needles
Vanna’s Choice Yarn in Sapphire (B)
Vanna’s Choice Yarn in Scarlett (R)
Vanna’s Choice Yarn in Radiant Yellow (Y)
Stitch Holder or Extra Needle

Stitches Used:

Gauge:

10 stitches and 15 rows = 2″ Stockinette Stitch

Instructions:

Cast on 48 stitches with B. Distribute stitches evenly on four of the double pointed needles.

R1: Knitting in round being careful not to twist the cast on stitches, (kB 2, pB 2) 12 times.

R2-R5: (kB 2, pB 2) 12 times

R6-R11: kB 48

R12: kB 15, kR 18, kB 15

R13: kB 14, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with R, kR16, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kR 1, knit held stitch with R, kB 14

R14: kB 13, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with R, kY 2, kR 12, kY 2, kR 2, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kR 1, knit held stitch with R, kB 13

R15: kB 12, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with R, kY 2, kR 5, kY 6, kR 3, kY 1, kR 2, kY 1, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kR 1, knit held stitch with R, kB 12

R16: kB 11, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with R, kY 2, kR 4, kY 10, kR 4, kY 2, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kR 1, knit held stitch with R, kB 11

R17: kB 10, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with R, kY 2, kR 5, kY 10, kR 4, kY 3, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kR 1, knit held stitch with R, kB 10

R18: kB 10, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in FRONT, kB 1, knit held stitch with R, kR 1, kY 1, kR 7, kY 14, kR 1, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in BACK, kR 1, knit held stitch with B, kB 10

R19: kB 11, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kB 1, knit held stitch with R, kR 17, kY 4, kR 1, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with B, kB 11

R20: kB 12, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kB 1, knit held stitch with R, kR 18, kY 1, kR 1, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with B, kB 12

R21: kB 13, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kB 1, knit held stitch with R, kR 1, kY 1, kR 16, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with B, kB 13

R22: kB 14, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kB 1, knit held stitch with R, kR 1, kY 2, kR 13, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with B, kB 14

R23: kB 15, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kB 1, knit held stitch with R, kR 1, kY 7, kR 6, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with B, kB 15

R24: kB 16, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kB 1, knit held stitch with R, kR 5, kY 5, kR 2, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with B, kB 16

R25: kB 17, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kB 1, knit held stitch with R, kR 10, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with B, kB 17

R26: kB 18, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kB 1, knit held stitch with R, kR 8, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with B, kB 18

R27: kB 19, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kB 1, knit held stitch with R, kR 1, kY 4, kR 1, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with B, kB 19

R28: kB 20, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kB 1, knit held stitch with R, kR 1, kY 2, kR 1, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with B, kB 20

R29: kB 21, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kB 1, knit held stitch with R, kR 2, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with B, kB 21

R30: kB 22, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in front, kB 1, knit held stitch with R, slip next stitch on cable needle and hold in back, kR 1, knit held stitch with B, kB 22

R32: kB 22, kfb of next stitch with B, k2tog with R, kB 23

Continue with B only

R33-R36: k48

R37: (k2, k2tog) 12 times

R38: (k2, k2tog) 9 times

R39: (k1, k2tog) 9 times

R40: (k2tog) 9 times

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 2 Movies

Overall Experience: Excellent

April 6, 2014

Crafternoon Tea Preemie Hats

Some ladies in my Sunday School class are interested in learning to knit and crochet. We decided to add a missions component to the learning experience and make preemie hats to donate to local NICUs. We had our first meeting yesterday and it was a blast! We taught some crochet skills and made some hats. I wanted to show off some of the hats and give the ladies some digital resources concerning what we learned yesterday.

Stitches Learned

Yesterday we taught the basics of crochet to the beginners. We taught some combination of the following stitches. If you didn’t learn all of them, no big deal! You can learn them next time. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Shanda or me anything you would like. The links below describe the stitches using words and figures. The Crochet Crowd also provides a great series of YouTube videos for beginners. After you learn these basic stitches, you can make any of the hats featured above!

Patterns

I had several patterns printed out yesterday and wanted to make them digitally available to everyone. I found these patterns on Ravelry, which is a great source for everything knitting/crocheting. If you join Ravelry, friend me! My profile is here. Feel free to be creative with the patterns!

Micro Preemie Hats – Crochet

Both of the hats we made have an added on edging.

Wrapped with Love – Crochet

Baby Cowboy Hat – Crochet

This turned out looking a little more like a Fedora than a cowboy hat. I might edit it a little next time I made it.

Baby Bear Hat – Knit

I made one edit to this pattern. The pattern calls to knit until the hat is 6″ long. That is very long for a preemie hat. I knit it to 4.5″. It looks about right.

Preemie Football Hat – Knit

Enjoy the patterns and feel free to ask me questions!

April 6, 2014

Preemie Football Hat

Some ladies in my Sunday School class are interested in learning to knit and crochet. We decided to add a missions component to the learning experience and make preemie hats to donate to local NICUs. We had our first meeting yesterday. Since I wasn’t sure about the skill level that would be coming, I wanted to have some simple hat patterns on hand for the people with some experience. During my search I found some cute football-inspired baby hats, but they weren’t scaled down to a preemie size. I decided to make up my own pattern to include preemies. These hats are heartbreakingly tiny.

Materials:

4 Size 8 double pointed needles
Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Yarn in Toffee (B)
Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Yarn in White (W)
Tapestry Needle

Gauge:

8 stitches = 12 rows = 2 inches stockinette stitch

Stitches Used:

For a 1 to 3 lb Preemie

(Hat has an 8 in circumference that stretches to 10 in. The hat is 4 in from edge to crown.)

Using W, cast on 32 stitches

R1 – R2: (K2, p2) around (32 stitches)

R3: K32 (32 stitches)

R4 – R13: With B, k32 (32 stitches)

R14 – R16: With W, k32 stitches (32 stitches)

R17: With B, (k2, k2tog) around (24 stitches)

R18: K24 (24 stitches)

R19: (K1, k2 tog) around (16 stitches)

R20: K16 (16 stitches)

R21: (k2tog) around (8 stitches)

Cut the yarn with several spare inches. Thread a tapestry needle and pull yarn through all 8 stitches on needles. Work in ends. With W, thread tapestry needle and embroider the laces on the football using the picture for placement.

For a 3 to 5 lb Preemie

(Hat has an 10 in circumference that stretches to 12 in. The hat is 4.5 in from edge to crown.)

Using W, cast on 40 stitches

R1 – R3: (K2, p2) around (40 stitches)

R4: K40 (40 stitches)

R5 – R16: With B, k40 (40 stitches)

R17 – R20: With W, k40 stitches (40 stitches)

R21: With B, (k2, k2tog) around (30 stitches)

R22: K30 (30 stitches)

R23: (K1, k2 tog) around (20 stitches)

R24: K20 (20 stitches)

R25: (k2tog) around (10 stitches)

Cut the yarn with several spare inches. Thread a tapestry needle and pull yarn through all 10 stitches on needles. Work in ends. With W, thread tapestry needle and embroider the laces on the football using the picture for placement.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 1 TV episode

Overall Experience: Excellent

March 29, 2014

Bombshell Shorts

I finally finished my Bombshell Shorts! It took me a while because I had several other projects in the works at the same time. They turned out adorable. I love love love them. The pattern was very customizable. My goal here is to share how I customized it and what I would do differently if I made them again.

The length of the shorts is customizable. The length that is suggested is longer than I would wear, but a short length suggestion isn’t given. I knitted the band at the bottom of the shorts and knit the first 8 rows of the first 16 row repeat before joining. I like the length of the front of the shorts, but my butt requires more material in the back. They are shorter than I would prefer in the back. I would knit 12-16 rows of the first 16 row repeat before joining if I were to make them again. Ideally, the back could be made longer. At least on me, the difference in length in the front and back is noticeable if you are really looking. I don’t think there is really any way to do that with this pattern.
The pattern suggests that the knitter can decrease for butt shaping if a gap starts to form, but doesn’t give any details on where to decrease. I didn’t have a noticeable gap until I reached Row 8 of my fourth 16 row repeat. I made a size medium and decreased as follows:
- Row 9: Pearl each stitch until two stitches before the first 4-Stitch Cable, pearl two together, follow established pattern until last 4-Stitch Cable is complete, pearl two together though back loops, pearl until end of row (following rows will have two fewer pear stitches in back panel)
- Row 10: Follow pattern until second 4-Stitch Cable is complete, pearl 1, pearl two together, Celtic Cable, pearl two together through back loops, follow pattern until sixth 4-Stitch Cable is complete, pearl 1, pearl two together, Celtic Cable, pearl two together through back loops, follow pattern until end of row (the following rows will have one fewer pearl stitch on each side of Celtic Cable)
- Row 11: Pearl each stitch until two stitches before the first 4-Stitch Cable, pearl two together, follow established pattern until last 4-Stitch Cable is complete, pearl two together though back loops, pearl until end of row (following rows will have two fewer pear stitches in back panel)
- Row 12: Follow established pattern
- Row 13: Pearl each stitch until two stitches before the first 4-Stitch Cable, pearl two together, follow established pattern until last 4-Stitch Cable is complete, pearl two together though back loops, pearl until end of row (following rows will have two fewer pear stitches in back panel)
- Row 14: Follow established pattern
- Row 15: Pearl each stitch until two stitches before the first 4-Stitch Cable, pearl two together, follow established pattern until last 4-Stitch Cable is complete, pearl two together though back loops, pearl until end of row (following rows will have two fewer pear stitches in back panel)
- Row 16: Follow established pattern
My shorts bunch a little bit in the front crotch area. If I were to make these again, I would try to work out some shaping in this area.

Difficulty: Moderate-Hard

Time Required: 40 Movies

Overall Experience: Excellent

March 11, 2014

Owl Baby Hat

My cousin Amber asked if I could come up with a pattern for a baby owl hat. I combined the hat from my Hello Kitty Hat with an adorable owl keychain I saw on Ravelry. The outcome was quite cute. She wanted the main hat color to be peach. I usually work in jewel-tones, which aren’t available in baby yarn. I made this hat in pastel baby yarns. The yarn is so unbelievably soft! It was quite a bit less stretchy than what I normally use, so I had to start over with larger needles halfway through the project. I should actually start recording my gauge and experience with different fibers.

Materials:

5 Size 8 Double Pointed Knitting Needles
US Size 0 Crochet Hook
US Size 2 Crochet Hook
1 Skein Bernat Softee Baby in Soft Peach (P)
Small amounts of crochet thread in black (K) and white (W)
Small amount of orange yarn (O)
Scraps of various sport weight/baby yarn (I used the following: Bernat Softee Baby in Flannel (G), Lion Brand Jamie in Little Boy Blue (B), Lion Brand Jamie in Light Yellow (Y), Bernat Softee Baby in Little Mouse (N))

Gauge:

9 stitches =13 rows = 2 inches Stockinette Stitch

The hat is about 14″ in circumference unstretched and stretches to about 19.”

Stitches Used:

Knit (k)
Pearl (p)
Knit two together (k2tog)
Twist two stitches to left (tl)
Twist two stitches to right (tr)
Pearl twist to right (pr) – taking needle to front of work, k 2nd stitch on left-hand needle, p 1st stitch, slip both stitches off together
Pearl twist to left (pl) – taking needle to back of work, p 2nd stitch on left-hand needle through back loop, k 1st stitch, slip both stitches off together
Chain (ch)
Slip stitch (sl st)
Single crochet (sc)
Half double crochet (hdc)
Double crochet (dc)
Triple crochet (trc)

Instructions:

Band:

Cast on 72 stitches with P, knit in round being careful not to twist

R1-R4: (k2, p2) 18 times (72 stitches)

R5: (tr, p2) 18 times (72 stitches)

R6: (k2, p2) 17 times, k2, p1 (71 stitches), leave last stitch unworked, this stitch becomes the first stitch of the next row

R7: (pr, pl) 18 times (72 stitches)

R8: (k1, p2, k1) 17 times, k1, p2 (71 stitches), leave last stitch unworked, this stitch becomes the first stitch of the next row

R9: (tl, p2) 18 times (72 stitches)

R10: (k2, p2) 17 times, k2, p1 (71) stitches), leave last stitch unworked, this stitch becomes the first stitch of the next row

R11: (tr, tl) 18 times (72 stitches)

R12: k71, leave last stitch unworked, this stitch becomes the first stitch of the next row (71 stitches)

R13: (tl, k2) 18 times (72 stitches)

Knit each following row until the hat is 5 inches long.

Crown:

R1: (K4, K2tog, SSK, K4) 6 times (60 stitches)

R9: K60

R10: (K3, K2tog, SSK, K3) 6 times (48 stitches)

R11: K48

R12: (K2, K2tog, SSK, K2) 6 times (36 stitches)

R13: K36

R14: (K, K2tog, SSK, K) 6 times (24 stitches)

R15: K24

R16: (K2tog, SSK) 6 times (12 stitches)

Cut the yarn with several spare inches. Thread a tapestry needle and pull yarn through all 12 stitches on needles. Work in ends.

Owl (Adapted from Owl Keychain Pattern):

With G and size 0 hook ch3 and sl st to form ring.

R1: Ch3, work 7 dc in ring, sl st in third ch of ch3 which acts as first dc (8 dc)

Fasten off G and work in ends.

R2: With B sl st between any two dc from R1, ch2 (acts as first hdc), hdc in same space, 2 hdc in each space around, sl st in second ch of ch2. (16 hdc)

Fasten off B and work in ends.

R3: With Y sc between any two hdc from R2, ch1 , (sc, ch 1) in each space around, sl st in top of first sc (16 sc, 16 ch)

Fasten off Y and work in ends.

R4: With P sc in any ch 1 space from R3, sc in same space, ch 1, (2 sc, ch1) in each ch 1 space around, sl st in top of first sc (32 sc, 16 ch)

Fasten off P and work in ends.

R5: With N sc in an ch 1 space from R4, 2 sc in same space, ch 1, (3 sc, ch1) in next 10 ch 1 spaces, 3 dc in next ch 1 space, 2 hdc in next ch 1 space, sc in next ch 1 space, 2 hdc in next ch 1 space, 3 dc in last ch 1 space, sl st to first sc (44 stitches)

R6: Ch 1, turn, skip first stitch, sc, hdc, dc in same stitch, trc (mark stitch with extra yarn or stitch marker), dc in same stitch, sc in next 5 stitches, dc, trc in same stitch (mark stitch with extra yarn or stitch marker), dc, hdc in same stitch, sc, sl st

Do not fasten off.

With O, embroider beak as shown in picture.

Eyes (Make 2):

With K and size 2 hook, ch3 and sl st to form ring.

R1: Ch 1, sc 8 in ring, sl st into first sc (8 sc)

Fasten off and work in ends.

R2: With W, sc in a sc from R1, sc in same sc, (2 sc in each sc) around, sl st to first sc (16 sc)

Fasten off leaving long tail for sewing. Sew the eyes onto the owl using the picture for placement.

Owl (continued):

Modified sc (msc): When you insert your hook under top 2 loops of the stitch below, also insert it under the hat loop directly underneath the stitch on the owl, yarn over, bring loop through hat loop and owl stitch, yarn over and bring loop through both stitches on hook.

R7: Ch 1, turn, msc in each stitch around, 2 msc in marked stitches, sl st in first msc.

Fasten off and work in ends.

Difficulty: Moderate

Time Required: 5 Movies

Overall Experience: Excellent

February 22, 2014

Tennarisukka Ankle Sock

I’ve been participating in Socks with Sarah, verrrrry slowly. Most days I only knitted one row. I finally finished my first sock. I’ve been making Tennarisukka ankle socks. The pattern for the socks is free, and they have really fun texture. They fit really nicely and are much cuter than the white sports socks I wear all the time. These are definitely my new favorite socks.

Difficulty: Easy-Moderate

Time Required: 10 Movies

Overall Experience: Excellent