ChemKnits

A Little Knit Alien

2012-02-20T21:21:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday, Keith! One of our first date weekends this year was to watch the entire Star Wars Saga on Blu-Ray. This little figure that I made for Keith's birthday doesn't have anything to do with Star Wars itself, except that Star Wars is on my brain as I write this post about a little knit Alien.

I knit the Alien with size 5 knitting needles and KnitPicks Wool of the Andes worsted weight yarn in Grass. I stared with 9 grams of yarn, and ended up with just over 1 yard remaining... too little for the scale to register! (To be fair, I did have another ball of Grass in the house so I wasn't worried about running our of yarn.)

The little Alien body looks like a cute little person. You could use this as the base for the creation of a number of different characters.

I used construction paper to make the eyes and glued them onto the Alien. So cute!

ChemKnits QR Code

2012-02-15T18:26:00.008-05:00

This was a fun little project, but I have to start off by saying that I am having troubleshooting issues with the knit QR code. My camera currently does not recognize it as a QR code at all. I know my chart is correct since that works. I decided to go ahead and publish this project anyway because the design is pretty cool. If you have any suggestions for troubleshooting this design, please let me know!

QR code generated at http://qrcode.kaywa.com/

Materials

1 ball KnitPicks Chroma Worsted in Galapagos (CC - 5 g consumed)
1 ball KnitPicks WOTA Coal (MC - 11 g consumed)
Size 3 knitting needles
Gauge - Not improtant for this project

The Chart

29x29 sts

The Pattern

Cast on 35 sts in MC
Purl (P) 1 row
Knit (K) 1 row
Odd Chart Rows (WS): P3 sts, work 29 sts of chart (p wise), left to right, P3
Even Chart Rows (RS): K 3 sts, work 29 sts of chart (bottom to top, right to left), K3
Continue working chart, knitting on even RS and purling on odd WS rows with a 3 stitch border on either side.
K 1 row
P 1 row
Bind off K wise.
Block and weave in all loose ends.

Now I cannot take credit for making a QR TAG out of yarn, I found a picture of a crochet QR tag on flickr. I tested this image, and Google Goggles does recognize it as a bar code.

What could the problems be?

I may have made a mistake in the knitting. I plan to overlay the chart over the image of the knit QR code to check.
The stitches may be too small. Maybe they're too uneven, or maybe I need to make each individual pixel bigger.
Maybe the yarn is too fuzzy, and the stitches do not have enough definition.

My plan was to make a laptop skin for my chromebook that had the knit ChemKnits QR tag on the back. Thankfully, this only took a morning to knit, so it is not a wasted experiment.

---------------------------------------

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

BU Hats

2012-02-11T17:21:00.022-05:00

My in-laws have affiliations with Boston University, so I decided to make them both BU themed hats for Christmas. Both hats were knit with KnitPicks Wool of the Andes worsted weight yarn in red and white.

Hat 1: Zsportz

This hat consumed 32 g of the red wool and 30 g of the white wool.

This was the first project that I knit with my KnitPicks options sampler kit, using one of the metal tips (size 7) on a 24" circular set (except for the cast-on and edging which were knit with the size 6 harmony wood needles.) I LOVE how flexible the cable is! 24" circulars are a little long for this project... I wish they had a shorter cable available for purchase. hurrah for the magic loop method.

The decreases weren't shown in the chart the way they were written, but the adjustment was simple. K8, K2tog (where the first K2tog is at the indicated position.) k 1 row, then K7, K2tog. (you want the second st of K2tog to be the same each time).

I wish that I had used smaller needles and more stitches... It is a cute hat, but the floats distort it a bit when it is on a head.

Hat 2: Opus Spicatum

This hat consumed 30 g of the red and 26 g of the white wool.

From the zsportz hat my gauge is 22 sts/4"... too tight for this pattern. I felt like that was a pretty loose gauge, and don't want to go up to bigger needles. I don't really mind if it comes out more of a beanie than a beret. Since there is a big increase in stitches after the brim, I used size 7 knitting needles for the whole project.

The rhythm of the pattern really easy to get into. Since there are no long floats, I like it MUCH more than the other hat. I think making it a beanie, I would shorten the brim more next time. I like the thicker brim for a beret. I was concerned that the hat would be too short, so I knit 4 extra rows of the zig zag pattern before starting the decreases.
____________________________

I am really happy with the way these hats came out!

Sam's Hat

2012-02-09T13:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Sam! Welcome to the 28 club.

Sam spends a lot of time biking in any kind of weather, and I wanted to make something for him that would be very warm, so I selected the Stripy Hat Knitting Pattern. Stranded projects tend to be warm to begin with, but this hat has a turned under brim!

I knit the hat on size 6 needles with Lion Brand Wool (Color 201; 3 ply, 2 strands dark brown, 1 strand natural white) and Oyster Heather (KnitPicks Wool of the Andes). 48g were consumed of the Lion Brand yarn, and 33g of the Oyster Heather.

Notes from working on the pattern

In the row where I was directed to increase 12 stitches, I *K8, M1* across until the last 4 stitches (112 sts total). I did this in the stranded pattern.
I messed up the striping pattern initially, but I realized this when I was on round 2 past the purled edge. Thankfully, I only had to drop 2 stitches and work them back up with a crochet hook to correct my mistake. I'm glad I realized this NOW and not later! The messed up floats will be hidden under the inside brim, so no one will even know (unless they read ChemKnits.)
Instead of knitting 38 rows in pattern, I only knit 30 (where it measured just over 13 cm from the purl row.) The original hat was designed for a 12 yr old, but from measuring the hat on my own head and looking at the number of rows left through the decreases, I think this should be sufficient.

I thought the hat looked pretty cute with the curled brim. This is more common in baby hats than adult hats, and wouldn't give the warmth I wanted for Sam's hat, so I went ahead with folding the brim under.

I pinned the brim down before starting sewing. I wanted to make sure that I preserved the elasticity of the hat, so I made my stitches at an angle (rather than just stitching straight across.)

Seahorse Mittens

2012-02-08T07:53:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Laura! I made a hat for Laura about a year ago, so I wanted to do something different for her Christmas present. The "Selbuvott or not" alias Selbu Sea Horse Mittens knitting pattern spoke to me. It is a stranded project, but more modern. I made a few modifications to the pattern which I will detail below.

I printed the charts out to cut and paste them together to be on a single page. Unfortunately when I lined them up, the alternative palm charts didn't line up with the seahorses. 105% magnification worked for the left miten, 110% was still too small for the right, 115% too big.... 113% was just right (that only took me 4 tries...)

I used size 1, 2.5 mm double pointed knitting needles and KnitPicks palette yarn in Cosmopolitan (27 g) and Blue Note Heather (34 g).

The only thing I didn't like about this pattern was the ribbed cuff. I'm using a chart found on p71 of the 2007 edition of SELBUVOTTER: Biography of a Knitting Tradition(Chart A from Annemor #12) Above and below it, I am going to use the arrow charts by the designer (but going in alternate directions.) (I was lucky when I chose this chart that is a 12 stitch repeat. The cast on for this glove is 60, whereas the seahorse mittens are only 48) Looking at the stitch count, I decided to start at 60 sts because this made gloves to fit my hand in the past. I proceeded with the cuff as follows:

start with 4 rounds of K2, P2 (cast on 60 sts)
Knit 1 round across in MC
1 round CC, Left mitten chart from this pattern, 1 round CC
1 round MC
Chart A from annemor #12 (just the middle part)
1 round MC
1 round CC
Then do opposite direction chart (for the left mitten, then the right handed chart and vice versa.)

I love this modified cuff pattern. I really want to turn this into fingerless mittens.

My gauge is getting bigger. When I compare these mittens to Keith's and then mine, these ended up being a lot bigger. Laura's hands are bigger than mine, and these aren't outrageously huge on me... In the lost package, there was a note where I said I would felt these down a bit if they were too big for her. Maybe I should start using smaller needles for these projects...

I loved the way the hot pink in the blue note heather played against the bright pink of the cosmopolitan. The charts were fantastic, and I hope that I can design mittens that are this brilliant in the future.

Sweet Caroline

2012-02-08T07:52:00.000-05:00

My friends Caroline and Alan are running the Boston Marathon in April to raise money for the Museum of Science Traveling Programs. Please support them as they train to run for such a worthy cause by donating in honor of Caroline's birthday!

I selected the Cabled Rangoli Hat for Caroline because I loved the texture and femininity of it. This isn't a warm hat for biking, but a cute hat for a not-so-cold day. I expected the hat to be more like a tam or beret, but it fits more like a beanie. I love the beauty of the flower when you lay the hat flat.

I knit the hat on size 5 round (and then double pointed knitting) needles with KnitPicks Wool of the Andes yarn in Wonderland Heather. The hat consumed 67 g (~1.4 balls) of yarn. I followed the pattern as directed until the very end where I repeated row 43 one more time so there were only 8 sts to pull together.

This hat fit well without blocking, but I decided that I may as well block it. I am really learning how taking the time to block knitting projects gives them a great finished look.

When I showed Caroline the picture of her hat (stupid USPS for preventing me from physically giving it to her), she got all excited because it reminded her of the sweater I recently made myself. The first time Caroline saw the sweater, she told me that I was welcome to make her one any time. I had knit the hat before completing the sweater, but I am thrilled that she loves it so much.

Happy Birthday, Caroline! Caroline is one of the biggest supporters of ChemKnits, so once again I ask you to consider sponsoring her as she prepares to run the Boston Marathon for the Museum of Science.

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

2012-02-05T22:26:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day of the Sticks, Hooks, and the Mobius: Knit and Crochet Go Cerebral exhibit. The curator asked me last minute if I had any knit molecules to supplement my charts. I ran through my house looking for any I had already knit (Peptide Beer Cozy, Hangover Beer Cozy and Caffeine Coffee Cozy) and then added 5 more molecules. I'm not sure if these made it into the exhibit, but I'm hoping that they will be returned to me.

I am not sure if any of my knit samples made it into the exhibit, but in the two photos you can see my knitting charts on the wall in the background!

Photo Credit Lafayette Gallery

The curator is hoping to make an electronic version of the exhibit. I will keep you posted!

The molecules I knit have a 2 row and 2 stitch border. I am not writing an official pattern for these items, but the charts are all available here at www.chemknits.com.

I love knitting molecules. Have you used ChemKnits Molecule Knitting Charts in any of your own projects? Share the links!

Sources of Knitting Graph Paper

2012-02-04T10:19:00.005-05:00

I created an excel knitting chart tutorial to show how I design knitting charts. Some people may prefer to draw their charts by hand. Knitting graph paper is different from normal graph paper because knit stitches are almost always wider than they are tall. The following sites came up from my search for knitting graph paper.

If you care about the aspect ratio of your final knit product, make sure to knit a swatch to determine your gauge. This way you can make sure to use the right kind of paper.

Create Knitting Graph Paper in Excel - I cannot make this list without mentioning my own tutorial! The instructions themselves show making the stitches square, but you can alter the width and height to accommodate the asymmetry of knit stitches.
Free Knitter's Graph Paper - Offers three different sheets of graph paper and mentions what kinds of yarns they are compatible with. (In my personal opinion, you should choose the graph paper that has enough stitches for the project you have in mind. Of course different types of yarns have different width to height ratios, but this depends a lot on the knitter.)
Actual Size Graph Paper - You can input the number of stitches and rows you want in addition to a few other parameters. In the end, you end up with a PDF of your knitting graph paper.
Knitting Graph Paper - Two different ratios (2/3 and 4/5) are available on multiple different sizes of paper.
Knitting Graph - 4 different sizes of printable knitting graph paper.
Sweaterscapes Knitting Instruction: Create Charts - Offers knitting graph paper and double-knit graph paper.
Design Chart - You set the ration and the size of the squares.
Asymmetric Graph Paper PDF Generator - This doesn't appear to be specifically knitting related, but it will certainly work fine.

You can always use standard graph paper to complete your designs. I find that it works

February is Birthday Month!

2012-02-02T11:32:00.008-05:00

So many of my friends are born in February. I didn't make most of them (my husband is the exception) birthday presents, so I will be posting their Christmas presents as a tribute to them with birthday wishes.

Andy turned 30 today. His frolicking deer hat was so cute and holidayesque that I had to post it on Christmas Day. Happy Birthday, Andy!

Of all of the February birthdays, Andy's hat is the one that didn't get lost in the mail. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that the package will show up... although as of today there has been no sign of it.

Support the Museum of Science Traveling Programs

2012-02-01T10:55:00.003-05:00

Dear Readers of ChemKnits,

Two of our best friends, Alan and Caroline, are running the 2012 Boston Marathon for the Museum of Science Traveling Program, a program that provides reverse field trips to schools who cannot send their students to the museum.

We are pleased to announce that ChemKnits will donate all of the ad revenue from the month of February to support Alan and Caroline in their endeavor. (Happy Birthday, Pals!)

Please join us in supporting Caroline and Alan as they prepare to run for science.

Sincerely,
Rebecca and Keith

Entrelac Hat

2012-01-29T18:43:00.035-05:00

This was my first time doing a tubular cast on. I used this method (which saved me the trouble of doing a provincial cast on.)

I was concerned that the brim would be too tight, but I slipped stitches off the needle to try it on my head and it feels okay. (Phew!)

Learning to knit backwards is a really helpful technique for entrelac knitting. This way you don't have to constantly turn your work, making the knitting much faster. I also find it useful to use an extra double pointed needle to pick up the stitches.

The designer of this entrelac hat designed a formula to help you create this hat with any yarn and gauge. You can no longer input your numbers onto the blog page itself, but the designer provided the formulas so you can create your own spreadsheet. I set mine up in a google document so you can do your own entrelac cap calculations. Please edit only the cells shaded in yellow. The other values will be automatically updated to tell you how many stitches to cast on etc.

I knit this hat with James C. Brett Marble Chunky Color MC12 using size 7 knitting needles (I used the gauge from the fingerless mitts knit in the same yarn to help with this.) This yarn is PERFECT for entrelac.

My Spreadsheet Results:

Measurements (These are the values that you measure from your swatch and then input into the spreadsheet):

Head Circumference 21.1 inches
Swatch Stitches 9 per 2 inches
Swatch Rows 15 per 2 inches

Gauge (st/10 inch) 45
Gauge (rows/ 10 inch) 75
Head circumference (st) 94 stitches
#stitches to cast on 47 stitches* (if you're going to make a tubular cast on starting with a provincial cast on)
Size of Entrelac Square 7 (The size of your beginning squares can be changed in the spreadsheet, too.)
number of squares 14
stitches for entrelac 98
Add 4 sts
add one stitch every 23 sts
Entrelac rows with full size squares 4 (According to the designer, using more Entrelac rows here will make the hat more slouchy.)
Top Decreases

Number of stitches: 56
first decrease: 0 sts
number of rows left: 14
decreases per row: 4
sts between decreases on first row: 12 (K12 , K2tog across)

Notes from my knitting:

I knit 7 rounds of ribbing before adding the 8th where I increased 4 sts
For me, the first entrelac round was clockwise. I would knit backwards until the 7th stitch, then K2tog(backwards). (there wouldn't be a complete K row first)
When I am decreasing from 7st squares to 6 st, I pick up 6, and then when I get to the last 2 stitches, I K3tog-backwards (or Slip1, K2tog, PSSO if I'm going in the other direction). This way the squares aren't too long for the next round when I only will pick up 5 sts.
I added a 3 st square row after the 4st row.
I wanted to decrease the top faster: Pick up 1 stitch and knit, K1, K2tog --> across
Next row: K1, K2tog -->, Followed by K2tog --> until 7 sts remained.

The hat is 101 g. So this took about half a skein. From the first skein, I have 67g remaining.

Wide Brim Skullcap

2012-01-25T10:23:00.005-05:00

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.

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: