Lacey Kerchief

This is the second part of a mulit-part series of kerchiefs I plan to
make. I love making lace, and I love having things to wear
over my hair on chilly or windy days, and these are perfect
for both those times.

The lace for the center panel is from a stitch dictionary,
and it reminds me of cables because of its strong vertical
lines and the sinuous twisting of the diamonds. The
written pattern for the kerchief makes it look much more
complicated than it really is. It's very intuitive, so this
should be flying off your needles in no time!

Holiday Knitting

Holiday knitting can really throw you for a loop. I don't have too many projects to finish for the holidays, but I also don't have a whole lot of free time, so it's all been spent knitting knitting knitting! It sounds a lot nicer than it is. I've actually been really stressed, and I feel pressured to finish stuff before it's really done just to save time and so I can move on to the next thing. But then I'd be really upset because it would come out terrible looking (I'm a perfectionist. Can you tell?)

Although, as I was walking along, knitting in public, I got kind of a mixed-bag compliment. Someone was really impressed with my knitting, saying "oh wow. It looks good, really good. Store-bought good!" I know how she meant it, and to be honest, that's the type of quality I'm aiming for. But I want to be better than mass-produced, cheaply made products. But I think that's just me...

Punkin hat!

I promised this, and I'm on a really productive roll, so here it is:

Punkin Hat

Nothing's cuter in the fall than a little punkin hat for your baby. This would be cute as a halloween costume for fussy babies who don't like dressing up, but it's also cute whenever. You'll need about 4 ounces of your main color yarn (I used orange for the main color, but conceiveably you could use a different color and it would look like a berry or a flower) and about 1 ounce of another, contrasting color. I chose green, but if you're going with the pumpkin theme brown or darker orange might also be cute. Experiment!

The gauge for this hat is 7 stitches per inch working stockinette in the round

To start, cast on 64 stitches in main color (MC) and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist.

Work 8x8 ribbing for about 4 inches. This makes up the majority of the hat. At this point, we start the crown decreases and change colors at the same time. It sounds harder than it is, trust me. :)

Round 1: k3 *k2tog with Contrasting Color (CC) K3 with MC, P3 with MC, k3 with MC* around.
Round 2: k2 *k3 with CC, k2 with MC, p2 with MC, k3 with CC, p2 with MC* around
Round 3: *k1 with MC, k5 with CC, k1 with MC, p1 with MC, k3 with CC, p1 with MC* around
Round 4: Knit with CC around
Round 5: *k2, double decerease* around.
Round 6: *K1, double decrease* around
Round 7: Double Decrease Around
Round 8: Knit around
Round 9: k2tog around


Knit icord for 1 inch.

BO, weave in all stitches, and enjoy :)

If you're interested in a PDF version with pictures, I have it up for sale at Ravelry.com. Just search for Punkin Hat. Thanks! :)

What's been going on in my life

Not much time left of 2012, is there? To date, I've made 165 projects, 36 of which I made this year, at least 7 of which I've designed myself. I've never really sat down and put the numbers to it, but that's actually really cool.
I'm really embarassed of my website right now. I haven't designed even a single webpage for years, so the entire site is kind of crap right now. I'm redesigning it so that I can put my ravelry patterns up on it for sale, for those people who dont have/want a ravelry account (though they should, Ravelry is the shit!) but it takes an awful lot of coding to get that kind of thing up and running. I still haven't finished the style sheets, I'm embarassed to say, but its coming together, agonizingly slow piece by piece. It doesn't help that I /still/ don't have home internet. It would take quite a bit more income for that to happen, so I only have between 2 and 3 hours at the library to get everything done for the day, in addition to the website. I'm still looking for a job, and I'm also looking into returning to college for at least a semester or two. It depends on the kind of job I end up getting, or if I end up doing this on a larger scale. We'll see on that front.
I also have been having trouble finding the time to knit! For starters, my mother's house was robbed earlier this month, and it's been terrible trying to deal with everything that entails, knowing that it's unlikely to ever amount to anything anyway (a word to the wise: robberies are rarely solved, so its far better to prevent it that to recover from it. Even a fake security system can help prevent you from becoming a victim. Hide your valuables well, and never all in the same place. Most importantly, make sure every door to the outside has at least a deadbolt lock, because it's the most difficult lock to break with brute force, other than a chain lock.) But I've also been helping a friend with an early thanksgiving party, which was super fun. There was drinking, and party games, and most importantly food. Though I wasn't really related to anyone there, it was like being at a family reuinion. <3 I love you guys! That is probably all the knitting distractions I have for this month (that was probably the only thanksgiving celebration I'll attend this year. I'll be making my own feast at home this year with my wife <3) but next month is looking somewhat iffy for knitting. I don't have a lot of knitted gifts to make, but I do have a knitting backlog, and a very important christmas gift to knit up as well. Juggling that, plus designing, plus christmas parties and get-togethers, plus having some semblance of a normal life (housekeeping anyone?) will be a little difficult until at least a week or so into the new year. Wish me fiber luck? Perhaps if we all have enough knitterly good will for the season, we can all get our gift knitting done ;)

Bunny Hat Pattern

UPDATE JUNE 2017: I'm leaving this version up on the blog, seeing as how it's knit to a different gauge and creates a different size from the updated pattern, but this is NOT the same pattern as the one for sale in my store. In my opinion, this one is a lot worse, and creates a hat too small for most newborns. It might fit an older preemie, maybe, but I'm not guaranteeing it;  the proportions are not really right. However, this post is really popular (in particular with certain pattern distribution sites... ) so I'm just leaving it and you get what you pay for.


I promised this for a long time, and I'm finally able to post it: The Bunny Hat!

Here's what you'll need:
- Size 7 Double pointed needles, or circular needles for working magic loop
- A stitch marker to mark the beginning of the round
- A yarn/tapestry needle
- Scissors
- About 2 ounces of worsted weight wool
- Stitch holders for the ears
Gauge:
 Seven rows per inch, working stockenette in the round

Cast on 64 stitches and distribute for working in the round. Join the work, and be careful not to twist it.

Work four inches in stockenette, give or take 1/4 inch for the rolled brim.

Decrease pattern:
1. *K7, K2tog* around
2. *K6, K2tog* around
3. *K5, K2tog* around
4. *K4, K2tog* around
5. *K3, K2tog* around
6. *K2, K2tog* around
7. Knit 8, then place them on a holder. Knit 16 stitches, and place the last 8 on a holder. Knit 8 more stitches to finish the round.
8. *K1, K2tog* around
9. *k2tog* around
Cut yarn, draw through remaining stitches

Ears (Make 2)
1. take 8 stitches off the holder, and place on a double pointed needle. Work Icord for 1.5 inches
2. Decrease at the beginning of each row until only 2 stitches remain. Bind off and cut thread.

Tie the ears in a knot, weave in all ends, and enjoy!

Actual Knitting Content!

Ahh, I never have enough internet time, but I've had way too much time for knitting, because I'm still unemloyed.  Because of that I've decided to start my own business, but I'm keeping most of the details kind of quiet until I have all my paperwork, etc., in order.



So, let's talk about my knitting. I've... I've done a lot, but it never seems to be enough, sadly.  I did a huge photo shoot last Tuesday while the weather was nice, so I  have at least a million photos.  I also finished formatting the patterns I wanted to post, but I left them at home this morning, so bummer on that. I'll have to wait until Monday to post those.



Bin 1 of 3 of my backlog of washing/blocking



So, knitting! I did a whole bunch of washing/blocking on Tuesday, while the weather was better than it had been for a while. It's been really hot and humid for October recently, but it's been cloudy and rainy without warning so I've been reluctant to actually put in the effort to wash and shape and everything if it might rain suddenly and ruin all my plans.

Board 1 of 4, just as the clouds were rolling in

 I was able to keep the knits out for four or five hours before the clouds started rolling in and there was another storm right around 5 or 6 pm. I like the rain, but it's been really frustrating for me because I only have time on the weekend and occaisonally an odd weekday and either the weather isn't good or my OCD/drug using neighbor is out "fixing" his car again, and he always complains if I make the law "ugly" for a few hours. Sigh.

 In June I started a cute little pixie hat, though I made it a good deal longer than the pattern specified, because I thought it would be adorable, and it was. My model is my realistically sized newborn baby, though it is able to sit up on its own, which is convienant for photos, but not very accurate. I took three photos because it's just so darn cute, but I might be kind of biased here, because I love baby stuff.

 

I also designed a cute Bunny Hat, which I'll make a Ravelry page for as soon as I post it, probably on Monday. It's made all in one piece with no seaming, just ends to weave in. It's actually a really simple roll brim hat where you just put some stitches on either side of the middle on holders, finish the hat as usual, and then work I-cord, knot it, and weave in the edges. Super easy, and it can be done in a few hours, and then your baby (or friend's baby, or oddly able to sit up newborn doll) can look like a cute rabbit-baby too!

 

I also made a cute little green green twist hat in yarn I dyed myself. Actually, I dyed everything so far phtographed on this page. It's been a really fun journey, chosing dyes, and dye concentrations, and it's just been really fun and exciting to be one step closer to customizing every step of the production process. I love the creativity involved! It's a really fun outlet for me. The twist hat was fun, too, because the pattern is really easy to do and easy to memorize and fun to watch develop. I kind of want to make one for myself, but the weather rarely calls for a hat, so I feel like it would be kind of a waste.

I mean, I'm totally for wearing a hat whatever the weather (fuck you stratosphere, you don't own me!) but my friends and girlfriend kind of.... make fun of me for wearing a hat, and I just.... usually don't want to go through the hassle. But I do sometimes anyway (fuck you people I love, you only own me a little bit!) So I guess I'll end up making one anyway? We'll see where my mood takes me.

 I also made this super cute Lotus Hat which I love. It's a little long for the width, though I think that was my own tension rather than any actual problem with the pattern. I love this hat. It's made with the yarn I originally dyed for the Whale Hat but I underestimated the yarndage, so I combined that yarn with some leftovers from the twist hat to make this little cutie, and I think it turned out well. I think it really does look kind of like a flower, too, so I think that helps takes it beyond just cute and kind of into the "timeless" category.

I kind of want one for myself, stem and all, but I think it wouldn't look the same. I have kind of a weird head, and I don't think it would enhance the flowery-ness of the hat at all.  Bummer. But at least I can put this on my own baby and enjoy it that way, ne?

Oh, this is my other hat pattern I need to write up and post on Monday. It's a cute (I think) little punpkin hat with instructions for sizes newborn-1 year. I'm working on larger sizes but I need some test knitters and I don't exactly have any, so... Soon maybe, soon.  I'm also thinking that I might make another pumpkin hat, because I like flower/plant based clothes, but I'm not sure I can do what I'm imagining... I'll let you know what happens.

My computer session is nearly over, so this is all I'm going to post for now, but I'll have more on Monday, and also a couple of patterns!

New website!

I know this is supposed to be my knitting blog, and I'll have an update about that soon, but I have other exciting news for now: I'm starting a website Cherishables Knits! I'm starting a business locally (fingers crossed!) and I will use this site for inventory, support, and special ordering. So far, the website is pretty much total crap, just to get it up and running, but I'll be updating it multiple times over the next several weeks, so expect rapid changes and eventually setting on a theme. Thank you for all your support!