ChemKnits

Wide Brim Skullcap

2012-01-25T10:23:00.002-05:00

Keith loves his K1B hat that I made him a few years ago, but he seemed bummed about the idea of not getting a hat for Christmas when he saw me making so many for other people. I decided to make him a simple watchman's cap with yarn that I love (Lion brand fisherman's wool 2:1 brown:white twist).

This is a variation of my generic skullcap knitting pattern in that I've made a much longer ribbed brim so it gives the hat a large fold. This is a great way to be sure of the fit. It is hard for me to measure men's hats on myself because my head is pretty small, and it could end up with the hat being too short for them.

Materials

Size 6 knitting needles
Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool (worsted weight yarn) 63 g.
Gauge: 5 stitches/inch; 7 rows/inch over stockinette.

Wide Brim Skullcap Knitting Pattern

Cast on 90 sts. Work 33 rows in P5, K4 ribbing
Increase 10 stitches: K9, M1 across (100 sts)
Work 30 rounds in stockinette (K every round)
Crown Decreases:
- *K8, K2tog* across (90 sts)
- K 1 round
- *K7, K2tog* across (80 sts)
- K 1 round
- *K6, K2tog* across (70 sts)
- K 1 round
- *K5, K2tog* across (60 sts)
- K 1 round
- *K4, K2tog* across (50 sts)
- K 1 round
- *K3, K2tog* across (40 sts)
- K 1 round
- *K2, k2tog* across (30 sts)
- K1 round
- *K1, k2tog* across (20 sts)
- K2tog across (10 sts)
- K2tog across (5 sts)
Cut yarn and pull through remaining stitches. Weave in loose ends and enjoy your skullcap!

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Abbreviations Used in this pattern:
Kfb - increase by knitting into the front and back of a single stitch.
M1 (Make 1)- increase stitch by picking up yarn between two stitches, twisting and knitting.
K - knit
P - purl
I-cord - knit stitches on dpn's without ever turning the needle (effectively knitting in the round with a small number of stitches.)
SSK - decrease by slipping two stitches then knitting them together. Alternatively, you could slip one stitch, knit one stitch and pass slipped stitch over.
K2tog - decrease by knitting two stitches together.

This knitting pattern was created by ChemKnits for your personal or charity use. You are not to distribute, sell or reprint this pattern (or objects created from this pattern) without the permission of ChemKnits. © 2012 ChemKnits

Jenn's Tam

2012-01-21T16:25:00.003-05:00

I love the color teal, but I am not the only one. One of Jenn's wedding colors was teal, so I knew that it would be a great color to incorporate into her Christmas hat. The fair isle tam was a really fun project. I really love colorwork, and I was interested in trying another hat shape.

Used size 6 needles for the brim, transitioned to size 7 for the rest of the hat. I selected one of my favorite yarns (KnitPicks Wool of the Andes - which just underwent a modest price increase) in Blue Ink (navy) and Spruce (teal). The hat consumed 46g of the main color (navy) and 23g of the contrasting color (teal).

This is a project that absolutely required blocking! The fit was a little wonky before blocking, but I was amazed how easy it was to create the circular look.

Jenn's hat is one of the projects that as of 1/5/12 is still lost in the mail. I won't comment each time a lost project shows up, but I want everyone who is waiting for their gifts to know that I still haven't lost hope!

Theobromine Knitting Chart

2012-01-17T09:16:00.002-05:00

I love chocolate, so why haven't I provided a theobromine knitting chart before? This is a chart that exists in the heterocyclic hat and I didn't want to step on any toes. (I made my own version of caffeine for the caffeine coffee cozy knitting pattern, but I didn't see any reason to make my own version of a molecule that already existed out there unless I needed it for a project.) However, when preparing for my display in the Sticks, Hooks, and the Mobius: Knit and Crochet Go Cerebral exhibit, I realized that theobromine is a molecule that people know, so why should I leave it out?

Theobromine Knitting Chart - 21 x 21 sts

Enjoy making your own chocolate themed knitting projects!

Crochet Granny Square Scarf - My First Crochet Project!

2012-01-14T11:19:00.010-05:00

I have tried to learn how to crochet on many occasions, but I am pleased to finally share with you the journey towards my first finished crochet project!

I purchased the Granny Square Scarf Kit from KnitPicks because the description said:

"Learn to Crochet with this fun and classic pattern for Granny Square Scarves! Designed by crochet instructor and author Linda Permann, you will learn the basics of crochet while making each granny square with a simple combination of double crochet and chain stitches. By following along instructions with full color photography, you will be hooked on crochet in no time at all. Linda?s expert use of color and motif make this a versatile design that can be expanded on far beyond scarves to make crocheted blankets, wraps, bags and more."

There are great step by step photos that show the construction of the square, and how you make the stitches into the square like circles. What the kit does NOT do is teach you how to crochet. There is no tutorial on what a double crochet is. Once I went to one of my learn to crochet books (Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crochet) to look up the stitches, then I was able to get started.

Watch me go! With the exception of a little blip* (will be explained below) I was off and crocheting really fast! Is crochet faster than knitting? I'm still not convinced, but even as a beginner these granny squares grew very quickly under my fingers, and I really enjoyed the rhythm of it.

When I finished the first square (see the one with the bow on it, below), I realized that I was making the DC (double crochet) stitch incorrectly. When compared to a properly completed square, there wasn't a lot of size difference, so I ended up using both in the scarf. (Isn't it the imperfections that make things beautiful?)

I was using a size 6 (G) crochet hook for this project, but my squares ended up being a little smaller than they should have been. Through round 4 of the squares, Colors A, D, E and G were only used 3 times, where colors B, C and F were each used 4 times. I too this usage into account when I decided to add one more round before connecting the squares (making the color H around round 6.)

The squares through round 4 as directed

My choices for the colors for the added 5th round

I am now ready to connect the squares together!

I was nervous about connecting the squares together, but it went so easily! I think I want to use crochet to join things together in the future.

I went to a bigger hook (size H/8; 5 mm) for the single crochet edging. I started the edging in the center of one of the sides so I could hide the beginning better than if it were on one of the ends.

I kept track of the yarn usage from this project. With the exception of Color H, each of the other colors used under half a 50g ball of Wool of the Andes.

I blocked the scarf, but I'm not sure how much good it did. The final scarf is 6' long x 5" wide. The scarf isn't the softest thing I've ever created, but it is certainly sturdy. I am already dreaming up the colors (and calculating yardage) I want to use for a granny square afghan... (Gulp! Why is it that I find dozens of afghans that I want to make?) I think that this would make a good blanket project because there are little bits of completion as I go.

I am so glad that I decided to weave in ends as I went.... look at how many ends I ended up snipping off by the end of the project. This pile weighs 8 g, and there were more snips that I threw away!

Is this a good learn to crochet kit? Not really. But is it a great learn to make granny squares once you know what the basic stitches mean? Yes.

Lace Doily

2012-01-11T09:45:00.011-05:00

I still have some crochet cotton left over from when I made my lace garters. I love the heirloom lace doilies that have been passed down in the family, but I have been curious if I can create them in colors other than white. (*I know I could make them in colors, I want to see if I love them as much.) I decided to make a less classic doiley for my first try. If I find this project tedius (like I found my lace scarf) - then how can I make an entire lace shawl?

Right off the bat I can see that this vintage lace pattern is missing one thing that I look for in my knitting patterns.... no stitch count when there are increases in a row. This ended up not being a bit issue, but there were points where the lack of stitch count made it difficult.

I didn't realize that the border was crocheted, but I figured that I would be able to handle it okay. (Ironically my learn to crochet kit would arrive later that same day!)

Blocking the doily was simple, much easier than I thought. If you look at the last photo above, it was a mess when it came off the needles. This really shows the importance of blocking!

This doily is so delicate, it makes me really want to make a shawl. Do you have any suggestions for me?

Big Button Hat

2012-01-09T11:23:00.001-05:00

I've had a re-wound skein of Rowan big wool in my stash for a while. I wasn't sure if I had a whole skein of this yarn, but then I used my Food Scale and I do have 100 g! I love having a scale in my kitchen, it makes it easy to make pasta dough, and it comes in handy for my knitting projects.

I fell in love with the big button hat knitting pattern as soon as I saw it. (To find the pattern, you will have to scroll down on the page.)

Even though I had a full skein of yarn, I was concerned that I would not have enough to finish the hat. I therefore kept careful track of the pattern and how many rows I had left:

K 7 garter rounds. Turn, bind off 6 sts (48 sts remaining) K till end of row. (this is the WS and part of the button flap)
Turn, knit across then join to knit in the round.
I knit 22 rows before I began the decreases *Originally I had only knit 18, but the hat was going to be too short. I ripped out some rows and added more before I began the decreases again.
I started the decreases with *K6, k2tog* across. I also added a K across row after the *K4, K2tog* and the *K3, K2tog* rows. Otherwise I followed the decreases as written.

This was a super fast and easy project, and was completed in one cozy afternoon. I hope that the woman who received this last Christmas enjoyed it!

After all of my concerns, I still had 20 g of wool remaining at the end. I haven't decided how I'm going to use this yet, but I have some ideas...

Benzene Knitting Chart

2012-01-08T15:22:00.004-05:00

Today the exhibit Sticks, Hooks, and the Mobius: Knit and Crochet Go Cerebral that I'm featured in opens at the Williams Center for the Arts Gallery at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania until Feb 5, 2012. If you visit this exhibit, you will find a series of my molecule knitting charts and some samples of knit molecules. Of the knit molecules, one that has not been published* is benzene, so I am pleased to share this chart with you today!

*Benzene has not been published individually, but has been featured as part of a star in rejected Christmas Stocking motifs.

Benzene knitting chart: 12 x 9 sts

The sample was knit in size 11 knitting needles with Black and Grey Marble Wool Ease Thick and Quick yarn with a 2 stitch border around the entire piece.

Fingerless Mitts

2012-01-05T16:57:00.001-05:00

I received to large skeins of James C. Brett Marble Chunky last year. The yarn is a really pretty two ply in shades of pink (Color MC12). Many of the women on my Christmas list love pink, so I thought it would be great to whip up some warm accessories for them.

This yarn is very soft for 100% acrylic. I love that it will be completely machine washable. I knit these with Size 7 DPN's, as I wanted them to be tight enough to stay warm.

I was initially concerned that the designer wouldn't indicate what rows were cable rows.... but she did (rows #17, 23, 29). The only real modification I made to these cabled mitts is that I made the cable on the right hand turn in the opposite way (Cable 6 back). For the hand, I bound off on 5th 1x1 ribbing row. On the thumb, I knit 1x1 ribbing for 2 rounds, then bind off in 1x1 ribbing for a total of 3 rib rows.

These mitts are a little short on the hand, but they keep your fingers completely accessible which can be a plus when you work with your hands a lot. If you're wearing a sweater anyway, then these will still work great to keep your wrists warm as you're working. This is a fast, fun project that can easily be completed in an evening.

Annemor #13

2012-01-02T12:12:00.016-05:00

Selbuvotter: Biography of a Knitting Tradition is one of my all time favorite knitting books. A few years ago, Keith picked out the Annemor #13 design and KnitPicks Palette in Marine Heather (a blue-green) and Marble Heather (gray) for his mittens. I'm not sure why it took me so long to get to this project, but I was able to complete these mittens for the Christmas 2011. I was concerned looking at the Marine Heather that it would come off feminine, but when it was combined with the gray it looked beautiful, but still masculine so I was thrilled!

With the start of this project (August 2011), I realized that palette has increased from $1.99/50g to $3.39/50g. I am disappointed by this price change, but since Palette is one of my favorite yarns, I will continue to use it.

Annemor #13 is sized for Women's Large or Men's medium, and I was afraid that the mittens would be too small for Keith. I used size 2 (2.75 mm) knitting needles rather than the size 1 (2.5 mm) needles that I usually use for these kind of mittens.

Some notes from my knitting:

Because of the 63/64 stitch discrepancy after the first set of increases on the cuff, there was one extra stitch in the first row of the mitten. I therefore left out one of the increases for the thumb.
On the back of the thumb, I did a double decrease on each side of the checkerboard for the very last row. (S1, K2tog, PSSO, K until last 3, K3tog)

I did not weigh the skeins before I started the project. I was concerned about having enough gray because it appeared to be running low (I had used it in a number of other projects). I knew from the past mittens and gloves that I've made that two 50g balls of palette are enough for 2 sets of hand accessories. Thankfully when I weighed the yarn the numbers look good: Left Mitten - 25 g, Marble Heather remaining - 22 g, Marine Heather remaining - 39 g. At the end of the project: Right Mitten - 26 g, Marble Heather remaining - 7 g, Marine Heather remaining - 27 g. There is enough Marine Heather for another set of mittens!

The remaining wool after this project was complete. Note that I did not start with a new ball of Marble Heather.

Gift Time 2011

2012-01-01T10:53:00.001-05:00

I had a blast knitting hats for everyone* for Christmas/Chanukkah this year. (*Laura got a hat recently, so this year she got mittens.) This isn't all of the presents that I knit, because I had already shipped some of them to Boston. I hope everyone liked their gifts!

Time to Make a Sweater Again!

2011-12-28T09:57:00.038-05:00

I made my first sweater when I was 18... and haven't made a sweater since then (I am 27 now.) It is time for me to give it another shot. I haven't been scared to make a sweater, but I have been afraid of my fluctuating weight and being unable to wear something I worked hard to finish. Enough worrying... Here I go!

6 balls of Swish DK yarn in Indigo Heather. (CotLin DK was recommended, but Swish has the same yardage/weight and I wanted the sweater to be wool.) but in both of these, 16 sts/4 inches is really loose gauge.... Both recommend 5.5 st/inch on size 5 needles....

My bust measures 35/36 inches, so I'll have to see how my swatch goes before I select which size (M or S) to make.

First swatch: Size 4 needles - cast on 28 sts . While I started knitting this I read that another knitter had to go up to size 10.5 needles to get the gauge (also not knitting with cotlin yarn). My gauge was 6 sts/inch; 8 rows/inch. (vs. 16 sts, 28 rows/4 inches.) Too tight. Switch to larger needles.

Second swatch - size 6 needles. Cast on 24 sts. 11 sts/2 inches; 7 rows/inch. still 1.5 st/inch too many.

Third Swatch - size 8 needles. Cast on 20 sts. Gauge: 14 sts/3"; 13 rows/2 inches. Could be blocekd to be 4/4.5 sts/inch 6.5/7 rows/inch. I don't want to go to much bigger needles... so I think I'll go with this one. Therefore, since I'm in between two sizes, I'll go with the M version.

I don't want to be afraid to rip out this project and start over if I'm not happy. On round three of the lacy neckband. It is a little loose for my liking, but it is hard to say how it will actually be since I am not that far in. If I am unhappy with the neckband once I'm into the yoke a bit, then I will cast on in smaller needles for the lace, and the switch to bigger needles for the rest of the sweater. Thankfully, the lacy neckband is essentially a thick rib, so once I got into the sweater a bit more it became a reasonable size.

I LOVE the swish DK yarn. It is so unbelievably soft, it is an absolute pleasure to knit with.

The yoke of the sweater.

It was a little hard to get into the rhythm of the lacy ribbing at the bottom of the sweater, but after the first round it was easy to keep track of the pattern. If I were to make this sweater again, I would start this ribbing higher up (maybe just after increase round 4... making sure I had the right number of stitches, of course.) I stipped the lacy ribbing after 6 repeats of the pattern because the sweater had reached the length I wanted.

It has been really easy to try on this sweater as I went, and I've been amazed by how nicely it fits!

I finished the main body of the sweater on 11/1, but I was too tired to start the armholes, even though it would take a short amount of time to finish the whole sweater. Better to let the project take an extra day than to make some big mistakes! I did take this opportunity to weave in all of my extra loose ends.

34 g remaining of the 6th ball. SO therefore I used 266 g of Swish DK yarn to complete this project.

Finished dimensions of my sweater. The measurements are closer to a small than a medium, but this is what I wanted. Thank goodness knit fabric is so stretchy, because this sweater fits me PERFECTLY!

I cannot articulate how happy I am with this sweater. I have so much more knitting confidence now, that I am ready to go off and knit more garments.

I could have made the sleeves longer, but I really love the cap sleeves of this sweater.

Today is the 3rd year anniversary of ChemKnits! Thanks for sticking with me for so long.

Frolicking Deer Hat

2011-12-25T09:16:00.012-05:00

Merry Christmas, Everyone! The following is on of the silliest knitting projects I have every made, and I'm sure that Andy is going to love it.

The frolicking deer hat is designed as a double width hat, and is pretty huge, both in length and width. I only knit one layer, one “frolicking” deer and two normal deer (using only 3/4 of the total stitches - 108.) I also altered the bordering charts (removing over 10 rows) to make them shorter, and shorten the final decreases on top.

I cut and paste the charts together to help make what I needed to finish the hat. Since I had fewer stitches, I had to modify the decreases, too.

Even with the modifications I made to the chart, I still was very concerned that the hat was going to be too large. I kept comparing it to a hat I made for Keith's brother (will be published at the end of this month.)

Since there was no ribbing in the brim, it curled a bit. I basted it closed with some yarn and then wet the hat to block it. Problem solved!

I had to cover the hat while it was blocking so Indy wouldn't think it was a toy for him!

I knit this Reindeer hat on size 7 knitting needles with KnitPicks Wool of the Andes yarn. I used 44g of Evergreen (MC) and 25 g of Cloud (CC).

Once again, I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Silly Elf

2011-12-24T14:49:00.008-05:00

When I saw the pattern for this Holiday Elf, I knew that I needed to put all of my other knitting projects on hold to start this. Size 2 (2.75 mm) knitting needles, and KnitPicks Palette inHanddyed Red and Green, White and Almond (store dyed.)

This Elf knit up really quickly. I didn't even mind weaving in ends as much as I usually do!

Although I have been weighing most of my projects recently, this one seemed to be small enough that it isn't worth it.

I didn't have small enough beads for his eyes, but I think I love him just the way he is
Isn't he delightful?

Idea: make a little halloween elf? Black and orange..... Of course, I have no orange... oh wait I may still have orange!! I never did end up making a Halloween elf... maybe next year....

Creating Twisted Stitches: Knitting through the Back Loop

2011-12-23T09:49:00.000-05:00

Twisted stitches are useful, and beautiful. Many stitch patterns take advantage of k-tbl (knitting through the back loop.) I created the following video to demonstrate this technique.

Knitting Through the Back Loop; Creating Twisted Stitches:

Dyeing Yarn with Food Coloring on the Stovetop

2011-12-19T16:52:00.002-05:00

It almost feels silly to share this video tutorial with you now, as over the last few months I've shared many different yarn dyeing tutorials with you. Unlike some of the more advanced techniques, this video will show you how to dye yarn a single color on the stove top. Good luck!

VIP Fibers - Free Samples

2011-12-14T08:20:00.002-05:00

When I was researching services to spin pet fur, I came across an offer for free samples from VIP fibers! You can select up to four different species. The species change all the time, so you may need to check back for more options. (When I ordered the samples, there were 8 options, now there are over 71!)

Sticks, Hooks, and the Mobius: Knit and Crochet Goes Cerebral

2011-12-12T23:28:00.002-05:00

What do you think of when you think about ChemKnits? The name of this blog was formed from the fusion of two of my biggest passions, chemistry and knitting. The name of this blog inspired me to design a series of molecule knitting charts and molecule based knitting patterns (including Caffeine Coffee Cozies, Resveratrol Wine Cozies and "Antibacterial" Cozies.)

I know other scientists who knit, but I never realized how many people would be interested in these molecule knitting charts. I am pleased to announce that 10 of my molecule knitting charts will be featured in the exhibit Sticks, Hooks, and the Mobius: Knit and Crochet Goes Cerebral opens at the Williams Center for the Arts Gallery at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania between Jan 8 - Feb 5, 2012. The curator of the exhibit contacted me last week to ask if she could use some of my charts to be the backdrop of a 3D knit molecule. I answered with a huge yes!

I do not live close enough to Easton, PA to go see the exhibit myself, so I would love to hear your impressions about this exhibit (and not just my tiny piece, there is going to be a lot of cool stuff going on there!)

Pet Hair Yarn

2011-12-11T13:10:00.010-05:00

Indy's fur is so soft, it would make a luxurious yarn. In the past when I researched custom spinning services, I came across some people who would spin pet fur into yarn.

I thought this was strange at first, and you might too. But considering that yarn is made form sheep, rabbit, goat and alpaca hair, why would dog hair be any stranger?

Today I am going to focus on services that will spin your pet hair into yarn for you (note that they may have to make it a wool blend to complete your pet yarn. )

VIP Fibers - uses no filler. $12/oz ($30 for short/coarse fibers) 3 oz minimum
Spinning Straw into Gold - $9-13/oz. Order minimum $25.
Jumaka - $0.25 per yard (~$17/oz) for sport weight 2 ply yarn

Now you need to make sure to keep your pet's fur clean and free of moths/other fiber eating insects. Many of the services will clean the fibers for you, but this may involve additional cost.

Scarf - Three Years in the Making

2011-12-08T10:24:00.003-05:00

I am so excited! After three years I finally finished my lace weight Feather and Fan scarf (the pattern used to be free, but now you need to purchase it from a KnitPicks Ebook.)

Why did it take me so long to finish this scarf? Projects go faster when I know that I am making progress. With this scarf's simple 4 row pattern repeat, it grew at such a slow rate I had no measure of how close I was getting. (Yes, I can measure length... but the difference between 2 and 3 feet doesn't appear to be very different.) I ended this epic project with YO Row, K row, bind off K wise.

The scarf before blocking

The length of the scarf before I blocked it.

I blocked the scarf to 9" wide, and ~ 6 feet long. The pattern held its shape fairly well without blocking, but it looks so much more polished once I took the time to complete the finishing.

I knit the scarf on size 3 knitting needles with KnitPicks Shadow Lace yarn, color Snorkel. The scarf required 1.4 skeins (70 g).

The oldest edge of the scarf has bloomed a bit, but I know that with some wear the entire scarf will age more consistently.

Journey of My First Lace Project (at least the first one that I started):

Call me crazy, but I already have multiple lace projects in my queue. Hopefully these will go by faster than 3 years!

Zelda Triforce

2011-12-05T11:27:00.009-05:00

My brother goes to college in Wisconsin, but for whatever reason doesn't like to wear hats and scarves. He loved the dark mark scarf I made him a couple of years ago, so I wanted to find something equally as silly that he would love a hat... the Zelda Beanie.

I cast on 100 stitches, not 99 like in the pattern. I was therefore able to keep equal distance between each of the squares in the chart. The hat measured 5.5 inches long after finishing row 34 in the pattern instructions. I decided to try to make it to 6" (3 extra rows) before starting the decreases (at row 35 in the instructions). Because I was knitting the pattern with 100 sts (not 99), I ended up with a K3tog at the end of the first decrease row.

The hat required 40 g of the MC (Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool Yarn (201) Maple Tweed) and 10 g of the CC (KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Worsted, Oyster Heather). I knit the hat on size 6 needles.

I had a wonderful surprise when I gave my brother his hat over Thanksgiving. Turns out that the new Zelda game became available that week! He was all excited to go and get the game, and therefore loved the hat even more. (He was also glad that I chose subtle colors for his hat.) Happy Chanukkah, Jacob!

Celtics Logo Knitting Chart

2011-12-02T14:40:00.003-05:00

The next step on my run of Boston sports teams... Boston Celtics Knitting Charts. Go Boston!

Boston Celtics Logo Knitting Chart V. 1 - 35 x 27 sts

Boston Celitcs Logo Knitting Chart V.2 - 35 x 27 sts

Boston Celtics Clover Logo Knitting Chart V.1 - 17 x 18 sts

Boston Celtics Clover Logo Knitting Chart V.2 - 22 x 23 sts

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Lovely yarn

2011-11-30T10:50:00.000-05:00

I love hand dyed yarn, whether it comes from dyeing yarn in my own kitchen or yarn dyed by someone else. Purple is one of my favorite colors, and was the dominant color of my wedding. One of my bridesmaids, Jamie, gave me this stunning handdyed (and handspun!) purple colorway for my bachelorette party.

Beautiful shades of purple. And 18 oz!!

The yarn was spun by Frank Osborne of Oasis Fiber. (Contact at: 505-384-4277 or email oasisfiber@yahoo.com) The fiber looks heavy worsted, and there are 18 oz (510 g) of this yarn. What should I make out of it?

I'm still learning how to use my phone to create blog posts. Even though I have rotated this photo on my phone, whenever I try to re-import it into blogger it still shows upside down! Hopefully I'll learn a way to fix this up sometime soon...

More Pictures of the Anemone Coat Check Scarf

2011-11-27T14:31:00.000-05:00

I designed the Anemone Coat Check Scarf because I wanted to solve a problem. When going to restaurants and parties in the winter, I would often brave the winter cold because I was afraid of losing my gloves and hats while hanging my coat. This coat check scarf is a big pocket, so you can store your mittens inside the scarf and securely hang all of your knit accessories on a hanger.

This pattern is available to purchase ($1.99) through Ravelry.

This was my first time using KnitPicks Capra yarn, and I have to say that I loved the way it felt on my hands. This project took just over 2 skeins of yarn, leaving enough of one skein for another small project.

The buttons I used in this scarf I also purchased through KnitPicks, but unfortunately they have been discontinued. I still have 3 of these buttons left, but I really wish that I could get a couple more this size for another knitting design I have in mind.

The hardest part of this scarf was aligning the snaps to sew them onto the scarf correctly. It was easy to sew one side of the snaps to the same position of the buttons, and for the other side I started at the corner and worked my way up the side. I would quickly fix each snap into place while I had some of the other ones snapped to make sure I had things aligned correctly.

The Anemone Coat Check Scarf is a fairly quick knit, and although there is a lot of repetition, I didn't find myself getting bored.

I am now waiting for cold weather so I can have the chance to wear this scarf out!

Dip Dyeing Yarn on the Stove

2011-11-23T16:52:00.004-05:00

Space Dyeing Yarn will give you random variation of a single (or multiple) colors. Dip dyeing yarn will give you more regular gradients of color, and if your skein is long enough you can end up with a beautiful gradual striping pattern.

There was enough dye left over to dye another skein of wool green:

Quack!

2011-11-20T13:03:00.017-05:00

Just like with the Fetch! project, I decided I would rather knit this duck dog toy in the round. This time it is a very simple conversion: Just knit the rows where it says purl!

I decided not to felt the duck, so I knit the bird with size 3 needles so it would be tight enough to stand up against Indy's teeth. The pattern consumed 2 g of Berroco Peruvia in brown, 3 g of KnitPicks Wool of the Andes (WOTA) in Evergreen, 1 g of WOTA daffodil and 8 g of WOTA lake ice heather.

I wasn't sure if I would have enough of the lake ice heather to finish the back of the body... but I am prepared to have a short and fat duck if I have to! I cut rows 26-33, and picked up at row 34 in the pattern instructions. When I finished with this color, I had about 16" remaining. Man, I could have done one more row in the mid-section! For my other color changes:

Row 40 I switched to brown.
Row49 use some scrap white for a single row .
Row 50 changed to green
Row 68 changed to yellow

I had rescued a squeeker from Indy's Monkey toy, and felt that it would be perfect to include in this duck toy. I wrapped the squeeker in the pollyfill stuffing, and then inserted it inside the gray portion of the duck.

Indy already loves this toy. Too bad he cannot have it for keeps until Christmas!