Tag: Knitting

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Heart Cable Koozie

Knit koozies have become quite popular in Houston in the last few months.  After seeing some quite boring koozies at various local hotspots, I decided I should come up with some jazzier varieties.  Since then I’ve made koozies with cables, lace, camo, school logos, and super hero logos.  I’ve already posted the pattern for my most popular koozie, Batman.  The koozie that was most fun to knit had an interlocking heart cable.  I included the pattern below.

Heart Koozie 1

The pattern is slightly different from the koozie shown in the picture above.  I redid the “pointy” part of the heart cable so that it was more symmetric.  I haven’t made a complete koozie with the adjusted pointy part, but you can see what it will look like in the picture below.  (This is what your koozie should look like at Row 15.)

Heart Koozie 2

Difficulty:  Moderate

The heart cable is challenging.

Time Required:  2 Movies

Overall Experience:  Excellent

This is a quick project.  I carry one around in my purse to put on my glass when I go places.  I think someone has asked me about it every time I’ve used it.

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:

  • A small amount of worsted weight yarn in your color of choice
  • 4 US size 8 double pointed needles (DPN)
  • An appropriately sized cable needle (CN)

Directions:

All of the stitches are basic except for I2 (see below).  I tried to add links to anything besides a basic knit or purl.

I2 Stitch:  Increase 2 stitches by working (Knit 1 Through Back Loop (K1 tbl), Knit (K) 1) insert left needle behind the vertical strand running downwards between the 2 stitches just worked and work this strand K1 tbl.  Please leave me a comment if you need more details on this stitch.

Cast on 6 stitches using a cable cast on.  Distribute  the stitches evenly on three DPN

R1:  Purl (P) 6 (6 stitches)

R2:  Purl Front and Back (PFB) 6 times (12)

R3:  P12 (12)

R4:  *P1, PFB1, Repeat from * 6 times (18)

R5:  P18 (18)

R6:  *P2, PFB1, Repeat from * 6 times (24)

R7:  P24

R8:  *P2, PFB1, Repeat from * 8 times (32)

R9:  P32

R10:  *P3, PFB1, Repeat from * 3 times, P1, PFB1, P1, PFB1, *P3, PFB1, Repeat from * 3 times, P1, PFB1, P1, PFB1 (42)

R11:  *P1, K2, P7, K1, P7, K2, P1, Repeat from * 1 time (42)

R12:  *P1, K2, P5, Purl 2 Together (P2tog), I2, P2 tog through back loops (P2tog tbl), P5, K2, P1, Repeat from * 1 time (42)

R13:  *P1, K2, P6, K3, P6, K2, P1, Repeat from * 1 time (42)

R14:  *P1, Slip (Sl) 2 stitches to CN and hold in front, P1 from left hand needle (LHN), K2 from CN, P3, P2tog, K1, I2, K1, P2tog tbl, P3, Sl 1 stitch to CN and hold in back, K2 from LHN, P1 from CN, P1, Repeat from * 1 time (42)

R15:  *P2, K2, P4, K2, P1, K2, P4, K2, P2, Repeat from * 1 time (42)

R16:  *P2, Sl 2 stitches to CN and hold in front, P2 from LHN, K2 from CN, Sl 2 stitches to CN and hold in back, K2 from LHN, P2 from CN, P1, Sl 2 stitches to CN and hold in front, P2 from LHN, K2 from CN, Sl 2 stitches to CN and hold in back, K2 from LHN, P2 from CN, P2, Repeat from * 1 time (42)

R17:  *P4, K4, P5, K4, P4, Repeat from * 1 time (42)

R18:  *P4, Sl 2 stitches to CN and hold in back, K2 from LHN, P2 from CN, P5, Sl 2 stitches to CN and hold in front, P2 from LHN, K2 from CN, P4, Repeat from * 1 time (42)

R19:  *P4, K2, P9, K2, P4, Repeat from * 1 time (42)

R20:  *P2, Sl 2 stitches to CN and hold in back, K2 from LHN, P2 from CN, P9, Sl 2 stitches to CN and hold in front, P2 from LHN, K2 from CN, P2, Repeat from * 1 time (42)

R21:  *P2, K2, P13, K2, P2, Repeat from * 1 time (42)

R22:  *P1, Sl 1 stitch to CN and hold in back, K2 from LHN, P1 from CN, P13, Sl 2 stitches to CN and hold in front, P1 from LHN, K2 from CN, P1, Repeat from * 1 time (42)

R23-46:  Repeat R11-R22 twice

Bind Off and Work in Ends

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Nachtfalter Summer Knit-a-Long Week 4 Progress

I am way behind on this project.  I’m currently finishing up my PhD and things have been crazy the last two weeks.  I haven’t had much time to knit.  I have 9 of the 16 lace repeats I was supposed to have done finished.  Hopefully I have time to start catching up this week!

KAL Week 4

This is what the finished product should look like.

nachtfalterstargreen

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Nachtfalter Summer Knit-a-Long–Week 1 Progress

As I wrote previously, I am participating a summer knit-a-long.  Each Monday during the knit-a-long, Holla Knits will post the weekly goal.  This week’s goal was to cast on and knit half of the bottom ribbing.  The bottom ribbing is simple, but the twists make it interesting.  There is a forum on Ravelry where participants can discuss progress and challenges.  I’m having so much fun knitting with other people!  Below you can see my progress thus far as well as what the finished product should look like.

KAL Week 1

nachtfalterstargreen

(Ratings based on this week’s work only.)

Difficulty:  Easy

Time Required:  3 Movies

Overall Experience:  Good

(I tend to get a little bored on very repetitive patterns.  I’ll enjoy the lace much more once I get there.)

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Nachtfalter Summer Knit-a-Long

I’m very new to craft blogging.  (As in I started yesterday.)  Another blogger, reWOLLuzza liked my Saturday Night Purse post yesterday, so I decided to check out her (much more established) blog.  On her blog I found many beautiful patterns and was delighted to find that she is working with a couple of other popular blogs (Holla Knits and  Under the Red Umbrella)to complete a summer knit-a-long of her Nachtfalter pattern shown below.  I’ve never knit with other people before.  I am beyond excited.  The idea is that a group of knitters will work on the same project over a six week period.  “Cast On Day” is tomorrow, so I found the project just in time!  I quickly knitted partial swatches to check my gauge.  I’ll post my weekly progress here.

nachtfalterstargreen

Bottom ribbing gauge 1.5″

Gauge1

Butterfly Lace 1″

Gauge2

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Batman Koozie

Knit koozies have become quite popular in Houston in the last few months.  After seeing some quite boring koozies at various local hotspots, I decided I should come up with some jazzier varieties.  Since then I’ve made koozies with cables, lace, camo, school logos, and my most popular creation, Batman.  I’ll disperse some of the other patterns in the blog in coming months, but for now, here is Batman.

Batman Koozie

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.

Yarn:  Small amounts of four-ply black (B) and yellow (Y)

Needles:  Four US Size 6 double pointed needles (DPN)

Instructions:

Cast on 48 stitches with B and distribute among three DPN

Row 1:  Working in rounds, *Knit B (KB) 2, Pearl B (PB) 2, repeat from (*) until end (48 stitches)

Rows 2-4:  Repeat Row 1

Row 5:  KB 48

Row 6:  KB 48

*Note* After joining the yellow, I twisted the yarn on the wrong side every two or three stitches.  Long sections of yarn inside of the work make it difficult to place a glass inside.

Row 7:  Join Y, KB 17, KY 14, KB 17

Row 8:  KB16, KY 2, KB1, KY3, KB1, KY2, KB1, KY3, KB1, KY2, KB16

Row 9:  KB15, KY 2, KB1, KY4, KB4, KY4, KB1, KY2, KB 15

Row 10:  KB14, KY2, KB2, KY4, KB4, KY4, KB2, KY2, KB14

Row 11:  KB13, KY2, KB3, KY4, KB4, KY4, KB3, KY2, KB13

Row 12:  KB12, KY2, KB5, KY2, KB6, KY2, KB5, KY2, KB12

Row 13:  KB12, KY1, KB22, KY1, KB13

Rows 14-15:  Repeat Row 13

Row 16:  KB12, KY2, KB20, KY2, KB12

Row 17:  KB13, KY2, KB18, KY2, KB13

Row 18:  KB14, KY2, KB16, KY2, KB14

Row 19:  KB15, KY2, KB2, KY1, KB1, KY1, KB4, KY1, KB1, KY1, KB2, KY2, KB15

Row 20:  KB16, KY2, KB1, KY4, KB2, KY4, KB1, KY2, KB16

Row21:  KB17, KY2, KB1, KY3, KB2, KY3, KB1, KY2, KB17

Row22:  KB18, KY12, KB18

Row 23:  KB48

Continue in B

Row 24:  *k2tog, K2, Repeat from (*) 12 times (36 stitches)

Row 25:  *k2tog, K2, Repeat from (*) 9 times (27 stitches)

Row 26:  *k2tog, K1, Repeat from (*) 9 times (18 stitches)

Row 27:  *k2tog, K1, Repeat from (*) 6 times (12 stitches)

Row 28:  *k2tog, Repeat from (*) 6 times (6 stitches)

To finish, pull a loop through all 6 stitches on needle and pull tight.  Work in ends.

Difficulty:  Easy

Time Required:  2 Movies

The knitting is very quick.  Twisting the yarn behind the project is the largest time-suck.

Overall Experience:  Excellent

This is a quick project.  I carry one around in my purse to put on my glass when I go places.  I think someone has asked me about it every time I’ve used it.

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Saturday Night Purse

In addition to the Celtic Love Knot Scarf, I also made a purse for my friend Jenny’s fundraiser for her mission trip to Kenya.  I found this beautiful purse on cogknition’s site.  The pattern is freely available on the site.

Unfortunately, I did not have time before the auction to try to get the beautiful custom handles and leaves.  Instead, I was forced to purchase plain black bamboo handles from my local JoAnn. For the purse itself, I had a very difficult time achieving the crisp herringbone pattern shown in the picture.  The pattern is achieved by slipping some stitches from the left to right needle while holding the yarn in front of the stitches.  The purse is knit very tightly so that it is quite sturdy; however, I had a tendency to hold the yarn too tightly resulting in a non-existent herringbone pattern.  I ripped out my first attempt and started placing an extra needle under the yarn as I passed it in front of the stitches.  This helped, but the needle wasn’t big enough.  I ended up placing an extremely large (size N, 10mm) crocheting hook under the yarn as I passed the yarn in front of the stitches.  This process slowed me down, but I did achieve a herringbone pattern.  My pattern was still not as crisp as that shown in the picture.  Also, since I didn’t have the fancy leaves to put behind the roses, I didn’t think the knitted roses really looked like roses.  I substituted this Megan Mill’s crocheted rose instead.  Either I didn’t count right while making the rose, or the pattern had a problem.  It wasn’t necessary for the pattern to be exact, so I didn’t go back to see why I didn’t have the correct number of stitches left as I reached the end of Row 3.  I finished off and sewed the rose onto the front of the purse.

The purse turned out beautifully.  It is quite sturdy and both larger and heavier than it appears.  The knitted section of the purse ended up being about 8 in. tall and 10 in. wide.

Saturday Night Purse

Difficulty:  Moderate

The purse was constructed of a modified stockinette stitch, so the stitching wasn’t difficult.  The herringbone pattern was difficult to achieve as noted above.

Time Required:  8 movies

I didn’t like how the pattern was turning out, so I repeatedly knitted and ripped out stitches.  It would have taken less time if I hadn’t ripped out so much.

Overall Experience:  Good

The purse turned out really cute and sturdy.  I would make it again.

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Knit Your Own Cat

My fiance loves his cat.  I’m not so sure that he doesn’t love her more than he loves me.  A couple of months before his birthday I stumbled upon a book on Amazon, Knit Your Own Cat.  The cat featured on the front cover even resembled his cat, Kittyface.  I purchased the book.  Being an avid knitter, knitting a small cat looked like it would be a quick, easy project that would amuse my fiance.

 

Kittyface

When the book came, I was disappointed in the pictures of finished cats that I saw inside.  The instructions called for the knitter to knit each piece flat and then sew all of the pieces together.  Not only does this increase the amount of construction time, but it also resulted in unsightly seems along the backs of the legs and down the center of the cat’s back.  I made many alterations as detailed below.  The finished project turned out really cute!

Knit Kitty

Difficulty:  Moderate

The knitting itself was simple.  A stockinette stitch was used for most of the project.  However, the cat was knit extremely tightly on tiny needles, which made the knitting more difficult.  There are many color changes that require a lot of attention.  The construction of the cat is rather time consuming and difficult.

Time Required:  11 Movies

I thought this was going to be a really quick project.  Boy was I wrong!  The construction alone took me three movies to complete.  (I monitor time in the number of movies I watch while crafting.)

Overall Experience:  Good

The product turned out very cute.  I would only make it as a gift for someone I know would really enjoy it.  Someone offered me $20 for the cat.  I wasn’t willing to part with it for that price!

Pattern Tips and Alterations:

The pattern is copyrighted, so if you are interested in creating the cat above, please purchase the pattern and follow the alterations detailed below.  This is for the pattern “Tabby Cat Prowling.”  I do not include pictures of the steps because I decided to start this blog after finishing the cat.

Legs:  Knit the legs in a round rather than flat using double pointed US 2 needles.  To accomplish this, follow the directions as written for each odd row.  For the even numbered rows, knit rather than purling and follow the row backwards.  This removes all seams from the backs of the legs.

Side of Body Pieces:  I made the side of body pieces as they were written in the pattern.  Later during the finishing phase I used a revised Kitchener stitch detailed by Anonyknits.  This resulted in losing some of my body stitches and a slimmer cat.  If I were going to make the cat again, instead of binding off stitches along the top of the body, I would leave the stitches on an extra needle and use the actual Kitchener stitch.

Tummy:  I knitted the entire tummy white to match the coloration of my fiance’s cat.

Finishing:  Since the legs were knitted in rounds, they do not need to be sewn.  The directions tell you to embroider the face after sewing the cat together, but obviously that need to be completed before construction of the cat.  The cat should be sewn along the back as mentioned in the “Side of Body Pieces” section.