Harlot-Inspired: A New Wearable for Me

More than once in my blog reading I come across ideas from other people's knits. This is no exception to that rule. The Yarn Harlot shared her favorite sweater pattern, the Top Down Wrap Cardi from by Knitting Pure and Simple, in her March 4, 2010 post, and I had to have it.

First step was to lay my hands on the pattern. Since it is not offered as a PDF download anywhere I had to go to the shop locator and hope that one of my LYS' carried it. Luck! Green Valley Weavers and Knitters had a copy.

I found that I had yarn to knit a test one and I cast it on this weekend. After one false start caused by how I was reading the pattern, I am now about 20 rows from dividing out for the sleeves.

I am excited about having a general use sweater that can be used year round where I live. I am knitting this first one out of Lion's Brand Wool Ease in Blue Mist, a lovely color for blue jean wear.

My ultimate goal is to knit one in Dream in Color Classy in a purple combo, the one pictured is Pansy Golightly. The yarn is handpainted and the variegation is muted so the colors just flow into each other. A wonderful look when it is knit up.

I hope everyone is finding new things to be excited about~!

Hand Warmers: Necessary and Lovely

So I should tell the story of getting started on handwarmers and show you some picks of my work. I know, and it is on to KIC swatches. Those cable needles should be here anytime now...



The handwarmer story begins with a pair (one of the first things I did with fingering weight yarn) I made for my mother out of Cascade Fixation. She keeps them at her computer desk at home and says the work really well without being overly warm.


Well, one day my dad complained that his hands were cold. So first they tried the Magic Gloves you can buy in WalMart, they are thin and very stretchy for good flexibility. He said that he still could not work in them because he could not feel what he was doing. So mom offered him the fingerless ones I had made her. She has not see them again except on his hands.


So one day I asked him how those were working for him. He said that they were okay however the end of them closest to his fingers rolled up and did not afford him any warmth on that part of his hand.


So I started looking around for a pattern for fingerless gloves. I found one that will should work, however wanted to knit something faster than all those little half fingers. So while we were visiting Colorful Yarns in Centennial we found a knit sample of the Fetching mitts made famous by Knitty.com. I also found they had the more manly version called Dashing. So I pondered those two choices, knowing I have yet to knit my first cable. Then we visited Purls of Wisdom and Jen shared with me a great spiral rib patterned version of handwrist warmers from CanadianLiving.com. Free pattern and all. I think the link will take you right to the pattern however you may have to sign up for their free newsletter.


I made my first pair just like the pattern called for and they turned out too big for dad, so I have them at work for me to wear. Then I downsized the pattern by using sz 5 needles and less stitches cast on. They are a perfect fit and I do not believe he has had them off since mom took them home to him. I have since made a pair for one of my co-workers and have another pair to finish for the other co-worker.


They are fairly fast to make once you get the hang of the pattern and they work up nicely in a wool blend like Lion Brand Wool Ease. So here is the debut of my other knitting assistants, these would be underlings to the Head Knit Inspector, Pedro, of course. Floxy joins us to show that the knitting has the stamp of approval from sheep and Sir Hops-Alot is keeping a close eye in case he is called upon to assist in the Frog Pond. So far, knock on wood, that has not been necessary and the worst I have had to do is TINK a needle or two for a row gone awry.

Hope you are living your dreams!

Hat Attack!

With weather like this wouldn't you want to knit everything you could to stay warm? This may be what brought on my Hat Attack!


I started out the new year with nothing to knit - if you can believe that. I finished all of my Christmas gift knits for 2007, on time, (that could be because I started them in August) and nothing left on my project list.



So I was free wheeling and antsy to get started on a new project list for the first quarter of the year. I went to my new One Skein Wonders: 101 Yarn-Shop Favorites book by Judith Durant and perused the multitude of patterns. I found the cutest hat, the Twirly-top Toque. I found some yarn and cast on, got started and realized that I did not own the necessary size of double pointed needles (DPNS) to finish the top. So after shopping three major craft stores I ended up ordering them from Knitting Warehouse. Once I finished that first hat, I discovered that the headband portion makes up beautifully on its own. So I made a couple of those.


By January 3rd, I was fully enraptured by hats and headbands at it became more so when I received my Knitting Daily newsletter that mentioned Cecily's Beanie. It is a free pattern obtainable by registering at Knitting Daily and it is a wonderfully simple, fast hat pattern, that so far fits everyone I have tried it on. Since January 3rd I have completed a baker's dozen of these hats. The picture only shows a few that I managed to keep in the house long enough to photograph them.


The pattern calls for it to be knit in the flat and seamed up the back. I retrofit the pattern to knit it in the round and can share that trick with you if you want, just let me know.

Pedro tried to keep warm on the couch and eventually shamed me into bringing his kitty igloo out and setting it up on the couch. Once that was done I did not have to look far for him. Even my dad was feeling it when he came to visit.























And, of course, there were more hats. I found that knitting them helped keep me warm. One, because I was wearing one in the house while I knit and even to bed one night, and two, because I was focused on my knitting and not on the temperature.



Hope your knitting is keeping you warm this year and that you are following your passion.