Projects in progress

I currently have 4 knitting projects in progress, well 5 if you consider I've made one wrister and need to knit its mate. This seems to be a common affliction for knitters - we love to start different projects.

Sometimes I get bored with the current project and need a change. This is what happened with a toddler sweater. The sweater is nearly complete with only a sleeve to go but alas it sits neglected in a bag in my knitting corner.

Sometimes I just can't wait to use a new yarn or try a new stitch. For example the poor rose garden scarf that was tossed aside to play with the new yarn I won on ebay.

Or sometimes I just need to knit something fast so that I can get that "knitter-high" that only comes when you finish a piece. This is what happened to that ebay yarn scarf.

And of course I have a million different projects in my head - like the baby leg warmers I started.

Sigh...

Ted E. Bear

I decided to take a break from my hat and scarf knitting last weekend. Instead I made my first stuffed toy - a teddy bear. Lee says he looks more like gumby than a teddy bear... But I think he looks pretty good for my first attempt!


Little Rock doesn't mind his ambiguous shape.

Etsy Etsy

Wow May...I didn't realize it had been that long since I last posted. But rest assured I've been knitting. I took July off - it was just too hot to contemplate knitting. Then I started knitting again in August and have some new projects to post.

As well I've started an Etsy shop to sell some of my excess projects! Whatever money I earn will go to buy more yarn, as if my stash wasn't already big enough. Click on over to http://iveyrocks.etsy.com and let me know what you think.

Yoga Gauntlets

I've been having problems doing various yoga poses because my hands keep slipping. Trying to maintain Downward Facing Dog was becoming quite comical as my hands slid further down the mat. Being the resourceful knitter I decided to make some modified gauntlets to stop the skidding. Cotton seemed like it would be best for my yoga gauntlets so I picked up some Lily Sugar 'n Cream in Summer Splash and began knitting. Here is the pattern I devised.

1. Cast on 30 stitches using size 8 needles.
2. Work in Knit 1, Purl 1 ribbing for 8 rows.
3. Work in Stockinette for 8 rows.
4. Work in Knit 1, Purl 1 ribbing for 8 rows.
5. Bind off
6. Weave the seam together leaving a 1.5 inch opening for your thumb.

I wore the gauntlets to my yoga class this week and they worked ... no more sliding!

Handmade Baby Mitts

I saw some baby mitts on a friend's baby registry a few months ago and thought - I could make nicer ones than those. So I started experimenting. I picked up some Bernat Satin yarn in blue. It is super soft and nicer than some of the "baby" yarns I've seen.

The first knitting pattern I made went as follows:

• Using size 8 needles, cast on 18 stitches.
• Work in Knit 1 Purl 1 ribbing for 4 rows.
• Work in stockinette for 10 rows.
• Decrease by 2 stitches at begin and end of row. (16 stitches)
• Purl the next row.
• Knit, K2tog* repeat to end of row. (11 stitches)
• Purl the next row.
• K2tog* repeat to end of row. (6 stitches)
• P2tog* repeat to end of row. (3 stitches)
• Pull yarn through the remaining stitches and weave seam together.
  

Here is what baby mitt pattern #1 looks like when finished:
They measure about 4 inches by 2 inches.

The second baby mitt pattern went as follows:

• With size 8 needles cast on 22 stitches.
• Work in Knit 1 Purl 1 ribbing for 5 rows.
• Work in stockinette for 8 rows.
• Decrease - K2tog* repeat
• Purl
• Decrease - K2tog* repeat
• Purl
• Decrease - K2tog* repeat
• Pull yarn through the remaining stitches and weave seam together.
  

Here is what baby mitt pattern #2 looks like when finished:

These are slightly wider than the first pattern (2.5 inches instead of 2 inches) and seem easier to slide on baby hands.

Both patterns seem to fit tiny hands well.

Crafty gals

We are two sisters who love to craft. Join us as we explore knitting and other crafts.