Gray Orange and White Granny Square Blanket

After many hours I have completed another granny square blanket!  This one is a little different from the last one I made both in color and stripe width.  I think the wider stripe look more modern.

 I love the burnt orange and gray together and the white keeps it from getting too dark.

And this blanket is also much larger......3 skeins larger.......bringing the total to 9 six ounce skeins.  Many more hours in this larger size too.  You would think that I would be tired of making these blankets but I already have a new color combo in mind for the next one........going to take a little break and then start it.......

Diana

Granny Square Blanket

Oooooh, look what I made!

One giant granny square,  That's it.  I think what makes it special is the color combination.  Not very granny like, I know, but it will fit perfectly in my master bedroom once I paint over the brown.  And get new gray carpet......

Diana

New Way To Add Yarn While Knitting NO KNOTS OR ENDS TO WEAVE IN

I was knitting this morning and just when I started making some real progress my yarn had a nasty knot in it.  Not the kind of knot where I tangled it but instead the kind where the manufacturer tied the end of one run to the beginning of the next one.  Drat!  Hate those.  

I hate having the knot show in my "perfect" knitting and I don't like how bulky it looks if I use the traditional method of adding yarn.   I had been toying with an idea for a while and now I decided put it to the test.  Get out your needle felting stuff and I will walk you through it.

First, start with the end of your yarn and the beginning of the yarn you want to add. 

Overlap them about 1/2 inch and punch your needle felting pen into that area, rolling and punching about twenty times.

 It will look pretty funky but continue punching until you can not pull the yarns apart with a gentle tug.

Trim off any fuzz until the yarn is the same width as the rest.  That's it!  You can't even tell that you added yarn and you can't see it in your project.

I tested several different types of yarn......acrylics, blends, wool and straight cotton.  The only one it didn't work with was the 100 cotton (the kind that you make dish clothes with) because it wasn't fuzzy enough.  The needle just made a mess......see above.  Oh well......

I love this method and now I keep my needle felting stuff with my knitting basket for quick fixes.

Diana

Ran Out of Swiffer Sheets

Obsessed with my new hardwood floors.  Can't walk on them with outdoor shoes (they might have gravel trapped in the treads that might scratch the floor.  Can only walk on them with special indoor shoes (pink flats with grey trim) or socks on.  Must dry mop when the light hits floors just right and you can see dust.  Can only use the special-read that as expensive- cleaner we bought from the store that sold us the floors.  All furniture must have thick felt pads on legs so they slip and slide when you try to sit on them.  Soooo, when I ran out of pre-moisten Swiffer sheets for the kitchen and bathroom tile floors I decided to forgo their harsh cleaners that always seem to dry out way before the job is done anyway and make a much gentler cover that could also be used on the wood floors.  I am all about keeping it simple.......... So I knitted a cover.  I had to run to the store to get a cute shade of green that would match the Swiffer.  It only took a couple of hours, if you don't include the time it took to knit and then undo the first two tries.  Plus I recorded the each and every step so I could make more of these.   Like I said, keeping it simple.

Here is the pattern, for all those of you who like to spend hours knitting things you can buy at the store for way less money.  Be sure and use all cotton yarn and size seven needles.  You might have to add or subtract stitches based on the gauge.

Cast on 22.

Row 1- Knit across.

Row 2-Perl across.

Row 3-Knit across.

Row 4-Perl across and at end cast on 24 more stitches.

Row 5- Knit across and at end cast on 24 more stitches.  You should now have 70 stitches on your needles.

Repeat  rows 1 and 2 until the widest area is about 4 1/2 inches long.

Bind off 24 stitches, knit 22 and bind off 24 stitches.  Cut yarn leaving about 24 inches of a tail.

Perl the remaining 22 stitches on the needles with more of the yarn.

Knit 22 across.

Perl across.

Knit across.

Perl across.

Bind off the last 22 stitches.

Your finished piece should look the the picture above.  Fold the two long ends in half towards the center and stitch along edges.  It kind of fits like a puzzle cuz you bring the one inch area that has 22 stitches in towards the handle too.   Hide all the loose yarns and slip onto Swiffer. 

This really does dust well, catching the dirt in the stitches.  Plus you can use it dry or wet and then just throw it in the washer and dryer.

Diana 

Woolly Sheep

Who says a sheep has to be white!  I found an easy pattern on line for a sheep to knit.So I grabbed some left over yarn that I thought reminded me of the woolly sheep you see in the European countryside and soon had myself a baseball size lamb of my own.  He is so fluffy!  And I got to learn a new stitch in the process call a loop stitch.  A little daunting at first until I got it down.  Then it really was easy.  I think I will try a few more!  Diana

Pretty Pink Cloud

In my part of the country the cold weather has already rolled in so it is time to get out the knitting needles,  I made a pretty pink scarf for myself!

 I used #9 needles and cast on 14 stitches.  Then I did a simple box stitch for the whole scarf. 
row 1:  *knit 2 purl 2* repeat to the last two stitches and then knit 2
row 2:  *purl 2 knit 2* repeat to the last two stitches and then purl 2
row 3:  repeat row 2
row 4:  repeat row 1
Continue in the above pattern til scarf is desired length.

I decided to put a spilt in the scarf to make wearing it easier.

This is the yarn I used.  It is soooo soft.  Great for the coming snow.Diana

Monkey Model

I made another hat and scarf for an American Girl doll. I don't have one myself but my grand children suggested I use my sock monkey as a model. It is very close in size to the doll and putting clothes on the monkey makes me happy......I know, wierd but true. These were knitted in a few hours. I used 10.5 needles which made the hat and scarf a breeze. A little girl at church just got her first American Girl doll for Christmas so I am giving these to her on Sunday. Diana

Ruffles

Here is another wrist warmer I knitted. I used tiny number 2 needles so this took a long time! I couldn't find a pattern I wanted so I made this up as I went along. Using soft 4 ply yarn I cast on 50 stitches. Using three double pointed needles, I joined the ends to form a circle and then used a pattern of k3 p2 for 4 1/2 inches. The thumb hole was made by stopping the circular pattern and treating the next two inches as a regular flat project. You have to keep track of the stitches because sometimes it is k3 p2 but the next row would be k2 p3. You get used to how the previous row stitches look and that helps out a lot. Then I rejoined the circle back together and k3 p2 til the glove is 8 inches long. The last four rows to make the ruffle are as follows. Row 1 k1 increase k1 increase until you have 100 stitches. Row 2 knit around. Row 3 k1 increase k1 increase until you have 200 stitches ( I added a four needle now) Row 4 knit around. Bind off. I hope you all can understand the pattern. I not much of a knitter but this worked out pretty well. Diana

Wrist Warmers

I used to wear leg warmers back in the 80's (that really dates me!) but these are so much cuter! Wrist warmers. And so easy to knit. (If you want the pattern I can email it).Diana

Big Hat Little Hat

What to do when it is snowing and chilly and all you want to do is watch an old black and white movie? Knit! But I need a simple, no brainer pattern that won't be a distraction from the movie. I found this great rolled brim hat pattern at http://knitting.about.com/od/hatpatterns/p/roll-brim-hat.htm and went to work. I even had enough yarn left over to make an American Girl doll hat and scarf. Dolls get cold too! To make the hat I chained 40 and then followed the big girls' hat pattern. Of course I only made it tall enough for the doll. The scarf is chained 100 and then knit 2 perl 2 till it is about 2 1/2 to 3 inches wide. I did add a bit of fringe. All this from one ball of varigated yarn from Walmart. Diana

Wash Day

I love knitted cotton dish rags! They are the best! And they are fun to make. Especially for someone who has commitment phobia when it comes to crafting. And they are small enough that a complicated pattern isn't too scary.


Here are a few poems to give with them as gifts. Let me know which one you like best!


1) I am a little wash cloth, So useful I can be, In the kitchen I will clean and rub, Your dishes I shall scrub, Or use me in the bathroom, & I can wash you in the tub.


2) I'm a little Dish Rag, Knitted just for you, I wash your dishes, And so much more I do like, Cleaning your counter, Or a spill off the floor, Then, throw me is the washer, I'm as good as before, So think of me, I'm knitted just for you!

3) Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm a dish rag.

I'm rather leaning to #3
Diana