Catching Up

First off, it was pointed out to me that there is a typo in the new bib, "This Bear's Repeating". Rows 10 and 11 said to "Cast on 3 stitches..", but actually, it should have said "Cast on 2 stitches". The stitch count at the end of the row is correct and I'm sure most of you could figure it out, especially if you've knitted any of my other bibs, since they all follow the same basic format most of the time. (not always!) In any event, I've posted the corrected pdf version. It only affects the bib and not the washcloth.

Speaking of bibs, I've been asked to take part again in the Dishcloth Calendar for next year. At first, I didn't think I would do it again, but I changed my mind and have been working on some new designs. I can't post any pictures since they're all top secret, but I have to say that one of them is my most favorite design yet!! How's that for a tease?

I've had some really nice emails lately from knitters who took the time to let me know how much they like my designs and to thank me. My head is getting pretty swelled up and I can't tell you how much it means to me! Just for fun, I checked out my design page on Ravelry to see who (if anyone) was knitting the designs. I was floored by how many have been knitted and most of the comments have been very nice. I did, however, get an email from a knitter who wants me to make some designs for girls! The reason that I don't do any is because I only have grandsons! Every time I knit a bib, I know exactly who is going to wear it! I just can't see Marty wearing a pink bib. He's the reason I started designing in the first place. I didn't do it for the money (obviously). I just did it for fun and to try and use up some of my cotton stash. I never dreamed it would turn into this not-for-profit business!! Still, I will give it some consideration, but understand that I don't have any source for inspiration! What do girls like anyway?

On the knitting front, I've just been working on my calendar designs, but I did mange to knit another pair of the Nemo socks for grandson #2, so he and his brother don't have to share them. I didn't post a picture, because they look exactly alike. I did make a different pair for Jack. The yarn is Regia and I think it's called "Indian Ocean" from the Jupiter series. The yarn was supposed to make rings and look very "spacey". Unfortunately, since I made such a small pair, the color didn't work out that way. Still I think they look okay for a boy.

I really liked the look of the ribbing on the leg. My friend, Kathy, is always knitting her "plain vanilla" socks and I just love them. I decided to do a miniature version and I'm happy with the results. I even took a break from knitting for the grandkids and made a pair of socks for myself! I can't believe I did it, but they came out pretty nice. I'm thinking that I might even do it again! I just used a basic pattern and kept it simple since the yarn was so pretty. It's Regia again and this was Square Color in Candy.

It's really hard to take a picture of your own feet!

This Bear's Repeating...

Here's a new bib and washcloth pattern as promised. I think they would look nice knit up in a baby green or a baby pink as well. I tried to keep the design gender neutral, if you will. As always, the pdf is in the sidebar, but I'm also posting the line by line directions, just in case! I also included a few tips to address some questions I've received. I hope they help and that you have fun with them.


This Bear's Repeating...Bib

Copyright 2009 by Elaine Fitzpatrick. Permission is granted to make and sell items from this pattern provided that credit is given to me as the designer. Permission is not granted to reproduce the actual pattern, or post it, or distribute it, without my express permission. I worked hard to produce this pattern for you, so please respect my copyright and play nice!

Size: approximately 8" from neck edge to bottom and 8" wide

Materials: One skein of worsted weight cotton if you are using the bib for meals. If, on the other hand, you want to use it as a “drool” bib, I recommend using a superwash wool. The cotton has a tendancy to absorb the moisture, whereas the superwash wool will wick the moisture and keep baby nice and dry! The bib pictured was done in Peaches & Crème in Lt. Blue.

Needles: Size 6
Gauge: 4.5 sts. per inch, not critical

Abbreviations:
k = knit
p = purl
sts. = stitches
dec. = decrease
dpn. = double pointed needle

When you reach the I-cords on the bib, it is helpful, but not necessary, to drop down a needle size to make the cords slightly tighter.

Pattern: Cast on 11 sts.

Row 1: knit.
Row 2: Cast on 3 stitches and knit across row. (14 sts.)
Row 3: Cast on 3 stitches and knit across row. (17 sts.)
Row 4: Cast on 3 stitches and knit across row. (20 sts.)
Row 5: Cast on 3 stitches and knit across row. (23 sts.)
Row 6: Cast on 3 stitches and knit across row. (26 sts.)
Row 7: Cast on 3 stitches and knit across row. (29 sts.)
Row 8: Cast on 2 stitches and knit across row. (31 sts.)
Row 9: Cast on 2 stitches and knit across row. (33 sts.)
Row 10: Cast on 2 stitches and knit across row. (35 sts.)
Row 11: Cast on 2 stitches and knit across row. (37 sts.)
Row 12: k13; p11; k13.
Row 13: knit.
Row 14: k11; p6; k3; p6; k11.
Row 15: k16; p1; k3; p1; k16.
Row 16: k9; p6; k1; p5; k1; p6; k9.
Row 17: k15; p1; k5; p1; k15.
Row 18: k7; p8; (k1, p2) 2 times; k1; p8; k7.
Row 19: k16; p1; k3; p1; k16.
Row 20: k5; p9; k3; p3; k3; p9; k5.
Row 21: k14; p2; k1; p3; k1; p2; k14.
Row 22: k5; p9; k2; p5; k2; p9; k5.
Row 23: knit.
Row 24: k5; p27; k5.
Row 25: k9; p3; k13; p3; k9.
Row 26: k5; (p3, k1) 2 times; p11; (k1, p3) 2 times; k5.
Row 27: k7; p1; k5; p1; k9; p1; k5; p1; k7.
Row 28: k5; p2; k1; p5; k1; p9; k1; p5; k1; p2; k5.
Row 29: k7; (p1, k2) 2 times; p1; k9; (p1, k2) 2 times; p1; k7.
Row 30: k5; p3; k1; p3; k1; p11; k1; p3; k1; p3; k5.
Row 31: k6; p3; k3; p3; k7; p3; k3; p3; k6.
Row 32: k5; p1; k2; p1; k3; p1; k2; p7; k2; p1; k3; p1; k2; p1; k5.
Row 33: k6; p2; k5; p2; k7; p2; k5; p2; k6.
Row 34: k5; p27; k5.
Row 35: knit.
Row 36: k5; p12; k3; p12; k5.
Row 37: k16; p1; k3; p1; k16.
Row 38: k5; p10; k1; p5; k1; p10; k5.
Row 39: k15; p1; k5; p1; k15.
Row 40: k5; p10; k1; p2; k1; p2; k1; p10; k5.
Row 41: k16; p1; k3; p1; k16.
Row 42: k5; p9; k3; p3; k3; p9; k5.
Row 43: k14; p2; k1; p3; k1; p2; k14.
Row 44: k5; p9; k2; p5; k2; p9; k5.
Row 45: knit.
Row 46: k5; p27; p5.
Row 47: k9; p3; k13; p3; k9.
Row 48: k5; (p3, k1) 2 times; p11; (k1, p3) 2 times; k5.
Row 49: k7; p1; k5; p1; k9; p1; k5; p1; k7.
Row 50: k5; p2; k1; p5; k1; p9; k1; p5; k1; p2; k5.
Row 51: k7; (p1, k2) 2 times; p1; k9; (p1, k2) 2 times; p1; k7.
Row 52: k5; p3; k1; p3; k1; p11; k1; p3; k1; p3; k5.
Row 53: k6; p3; k3; p3; k7; p3; k3; p3; k6.
Row 54: k5; p1; k2; p1; k3; p1; k2; p7; k2; p1; k3; p1; k2; p1; k5.
Row 55: k6; p2; k5; p2; k7; p2; k5; p2; k6.
Row 56: k5; p27; k5.
Row 57: knit.
Row 58: k6; p7; k11; p7; k6.
Row 59: knit.
Row 60: k8; p3; k15; p3; k8.
Row 61: knit.
Row 62: knit
Row 63: knit
Row 64: knit

Shoulder Shaping:

Row 65: k13, bind off the next 11 stitches knitwise, and knit remaining stitches.

You should have 13 sts. on each side. Place first 13 stitches on a holder and work on remaining 13 sts. as follows:

Note: As you look at the bib, this will be the left side.
Knit one row.

All the decreases are made on right side rows. I have included a couple of tips below.

(Right side) Dec. 1 st. at neck edge every other row 2 times. (11 sts.)
(Tip: I find it easiest to decrease these neck stitches by slipping the first stitch knitwise, then knitting the next stitch, and passing the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch. Because the cotton is heavy, it can be a little difficult to slip two stitches and then knit them together.)

Knit one row.
Dec. 1 st. at shoulder edge every other row until 5 sts. remain. (For these decreases, you should knit the last two stitches together.)

Knit one row.
(Right side) Dec. 1 st. at neck edge and 1 st. at shoulder edge. 3 sts.
Slip these 3 sts. to a dpn and work an I-cord for approximately 12 inches. Fasten off and run end down through middle of I-cord. Don’t worry if the I-cords look a little wonky. A firm tug will usually straightened them out and after the bib is washed, you won’t even notice! A good tutorial for making the I-cords can be found here: http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knitting-tips

Join yarn to neck edge and work right side to correspond to the left side.

Tip for right side. Join the yarn at the neck edge and knit across row. On the next row, decrease at the neck edge by knitting the last two stitches together. For the shoulder edge, decrease by slipping the first stitch knitwise, knitting the next stitch, and then passing the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch.

Weave in ends.

This Bear's Repeating...Cloth

Copyright 2009 by Elaine Fitzpatrick. Permission is granted to make and sell items from this pattern provided that credit is given to me as the designer. Permission is not granted to reproduce the actual pattern, or post it, or distribute it, without my express permission. I worked hard to produce this pattern for you, so please respect my copyright and play nice!

Size: approximately 8" X 8"

Materials: One skein of worsted weight cotton. The cloth pictured was done in Peaches & Crème in Lt. Grape.

Needles: U.S. Size 6 (4 mm)

Gauge: 4.5 sts. per inch, not critical

Abbreviations:
k = knit
p = purl
sts. = stitches
dec. = decrease

Pattern: Cast on 37 sts.
Rows 1-7: knit.
Row 8: k5; p27; k5.
Row 9: knit.
Row 10: k5; p12; k3; p12; k5.
Row 11: k16; p1; k3; p1; k16.
Row 12: k5; p10; k1; p5; k1; p10; k5.
Row 13: k15; p1; k5; p1; k15.
Row 14: k5; p10; (k1, p2) 2 times; k1; p10; k5.
Row 15: k16; p1; k3; p1; k16.
Row 16: k5; p9; k3; p3; k3; p9; k5.
Row 17: k14; p2; k1; p3; k1; p2; k14.
Row 18: k5; p9; k2; p5; k2; p9; k5.
Row 19: knit.
Row 20: k5; p27; p5.
Row 21: k9; p3; k13; p3; k9.
Row 22: k5; (p3, k1) 2 times; p11; (k1, p3) 2 times; k5.
Row 23: k7; p1; k5; p1; k9; p1; k5; p1; k7.
Row 24: k5; p2; k1; p5; k1; p9; k1; p5; k1; p2; k5.
Row 25: k7; (p1, k2) 2 times; p1; k9; (p1, k2) 2 times; p1; k7.
Row 26: k5; (p3, k1) 2 times; p3; k1; p11; (k1, p3) 2 times; k5.
Row 27: k6; p3; k3; p3; k7; p3; k3; p3; k6.
Row 28: k5; p1; k2; p1; k3; p1; k2; p7; k2; p1; k3; p1; k2; p1; k5.
Row 29: k6; p2; k5; p2; k7; p2; k5; p2; k6.
Row 30: k5; p27; k5.
Row 31: knit.
Row 32: k5; p12; k3; p12; k5.
Row 33: k16; p1; k3; p1; k16.
Row 34: k5; p10; k1; p5; k1; p10; k5.
Row 35: k15; p1; k5; p1; k15.
Row 36: k5; p10; k1; p2; k1; p2; k1; p10; k5.
Row 37: k16; p1; k3; p1; k16.
Row 38: k5; p9; k3; p3; k3; p9; k5.
Row 39: k14; p2; k1; p3; k1; p2; k14.
Row 40: k5; p9; k2; p5; k2; p9; k5.
Row 41: knit.
Row 42: k5; p27; k5.
Row 43: k9; p3; k13; p3; k9.
Row 44: k5; (p3, k1) 2 times; p11; (k1, p3) 2 times; k5.
Row 45: k7; p1; k5; p1; k9; p1; k5; p1; k7.
Row 46: k5; p2; k1; p5; k1; p9; k1; p5; k1; p2; k5.
Row 47: k7; (p1, k2) 2 times; p1; k9; (p1, k2) 2 times; p1; k7.
Row 48: k5; (p3, k1) 2 times; p11; (k1, p3) 2 times; k5.
Row 49: k6; p3; k3; p3; k7; p3; k3; p3; k6.
Row 50: k5; p1; k2; p1; k3; p1; k2; p7; k2; p1; k3; p1; k2; p1; k5.
Row 51: k6; p2; k5; p2; k7; p2; k5; p2; k6.
Row 52: k5; p27; k5.
Row 53 -60: knit.

Bind off and weave in ends.

Green Jeans

I've been wanting to make a pair of cabled pants for some time now, but I just haven't found a pattern that I really liked, so I decided to do my own. I just love the way these came out. I did a double knit in the crotch to make it thicker and it just blends so nicely with the cables, if I do say so!

The yarn is Araucania Nature Wool which softens up very nicely after it's washed. I'm not sure why this yarn is more absorbent than the Cascade 220, since they're both 100% wool and the same weight, but I'm pretty pleased with the Araucania.

I just love the color, it's such a nice kelly or Irish green. This is my favorite color anyway, so maybe I'm totally biased, but it makes me think of Spring and the nice weather to come. These will be great for St. Patrick's Day too, since that's a big holiday in this family!

I tried to do a bib to go along with the Irish theme, but it was pathetic so I ditched it. I do have a new one, unrelated to anything, that I hope to post in another day or two. My husband is having heart surgery though, so it may be a little longer. Please keep him in your thoughts!

I fought the sock and the sock won....

I seem to be having a severe knitting slump. Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's life in general, maybe it's just me. In any event, my needles have turned against me and now not much is coming out the way I want it to. Take for example these little socks I'm working on for my grandson, Jack. The yarn self-stripes to look like a clown fish. Very cute and very orange, Jack's favorite color (well, it was his favorite color, this week it might be purple!) I decided to just do a basic top down sock and let the yarn speak for itself. I just didn't know it would have such an annoying voice.

This version has been ripped out no less than five times. The heel is driving me crazy. At first, I tried doing just a plain heel flap and gusset, but the stripes wouldn't come out the way I wanted. Then I decided to try a short row heel. The stripes are more like what I had in mind, but the execution is really poor. Look at this tiny scrunched up heel!

I always have trouble trying to do these heels and I don't know why. What I really need is my internet friend, Kathy, to sit beside me and show me in person. Alas, she lives in Iowa and I'm stuck here in Massachusetts. A little too far for a road trip! I guess I just need to have Jack try them on and see what happens when they're on an actual foot.

This wouldn't be quite so bad, except that I also tried a pair of socks for myself. Here is the result of three straight knitting days:

It's a very soft and pretty Malabrigo sock yarn. It's knit on tiny needles and it requires constant concentration. I never quite understood the second sock syndrome until I started this pair of socks. Now, I get it. If you look at this picture, you'll notice that there are no needles, that's because I've decided to rip the whole thing and start over with something not quite as time-consuming.

If these two projects weren't bad enough, let me present project number 3. Socks for the baby:

At first glance, they look perfectly fine, but after I finished knitting them and held them up against each other, this is what happened.

One cuff is half an inch longer than the other! Grrrr. At least this was an easy fix. Rather than ripping out one, I just knit a second pair to match!

The yarn is Araucania's Ranco. Both pairs have been washed and tossed in the dryer with only a little shrinkage. I do want you to know though, that I am capable of doing some things right. Here's a pair for my grandson, Micah.

I love this yarn! It's so soft and it washes and dries like a dream with hardly any shrinkage. I'd tell you what it is, but I found it on Etsy and whenever she posts it, it sells out almost immediately, so I need to make sure that I get mine first!

With all the cold weather we've been having, my daughter-in-law was using baby leggings to pull down over the baby's socks to keep his legs warm. I thought I would try just making him a pair that look like knee socks.

This is Knit Picks Essential yarn and is really nice and soft. I'm not sure that I have the length right, so they may have to be tweaked. Now that they're done, it's supposed to be up to the 50 degree mark tomorrow.

At last, I leave you with a final pair. I found a similar pattern on Ravelry, but I just couldn't justify the price of the kit, so I attempted to copy it.

The yarn is Cascade's Heritage. My socks aren't as cute as the original, but I still think the boys will like them.

Now, I think I'll go and try to knit something other than a sock.

Calorimetry

Here is a really great knitting project if you're looking for something that is fun, quick, a little different and practical! My niece, Eliza, has beautiful hair and likes to wear it in a ponytail quite often. Unfortunately, (as you probably know) ponytails and hats aren't always compatible. I decided to try the famous Calorimetry pattern, an enlarged headband that buttons at the neckline. Here's Eliza modeling my version (without the ponytail!)

Many of the reviews on Ravelry said that the pattern tends to run big, so I scaled it down. Eliza is nine years old and her head measures 22 1/2" measuring from her nape and around the top of her head. The pattern says to cast on 120 stitches, but I did 88 stitches. The yarn is Cascade 220 (what else?!) and I used U.S. Size 8 needles for a gauge of 5 stitches to the inch.

The headband is made with short rows, but there is no wrapping so if you've never worked with short rows before, this would be a good project to get a feel for the technique. Because I wanted the hat to be scaled down a bit, I also did thirteen repeats of Row 5 instead of fifteen. I thought it also needed a little something to jazz it up so I decided to add the flowers to give it a real feminine touch! I couldn't find the type of flower I was looking for, so I just came up with my own version.

I don't doubt that someone else has already thought these flowers up, but in case you'd like to try them also, here's how I made them. First, I cast on three stitches and knitted an I-cord about 12 inches long and left a sizable tail.

Next I just ran the needle through the cord at about one inch intervals, so it's reminiscent of that ribbon candy you see at Christmas. I just kind of eyeballed it. I wanted five petals, but you could do as many as you like, depending on the length of the cord.

After you have run the needle through the cord, you just pull the tail to gather it up.

Ta da! One flower done. Just run the tails through the hat at the appropriate spot and attach them securely.

I added a french knot with a contrasting color to finish the flower off. The cord for the white flower was purposely a little shorter so that flower would be smaller. The light turquoise flower measures about 2 inches across. The white one is just slightly smaller.

Keep in mind though that the hat stretches, so don't place the flowers too far down, otherwise they'll end up by the ear.

I got to see Eliza play in one of her basketball games yesterday and I have to say that her headband was a huge hit with all the girls. Obviously, she didn't wear it during the game, but on the way out of the gymnasium, lots of parents were commenting on it. I think she was quite pleased with it too.

Oh and in case you're wondering, her team did win. Go Holy Cross!

Mittens for Eliza

My little niece turns eight this month, so being the only girl in the family, I decided to test out a design I had rolling around in my head. I wanted to make her some snowflake mittens that were a little different. I had hoped to use one of the snowflake designs that Alli had already designed, but they were all too big for my purpose. So instead, I just decided to chart my own design. I like to use wool for mittens and I like to knit them fairly tight. This is just a basic mitten pattern that calls for double pointed needles (although I always use one long circular and magic loop). It's the same pattern that my grandmother used for years to make all of us mittens when we were little.
I've knit it so many times, that I almost don't even need to look at the pattern anymore. I just knitted the mittens and then did a duplicate stitch to add the snowflakes.

It was much easier to do the embroidery before doing the thumbs, as there was a hole to help maneuver the needle around. At first I considered trying to do them with intarsia, but the floats would just be too annoying. I also had added little white stitches around the perimeter of the flakes, but I decided they detracted from the design, so I eliminated them as well.

I also wanted to make the Owl Hat as Eliza loves animals. It's been made and posted on Ravelry a number of times, so it was helpful to read the reviews. The consensus was to move the owl motifs closer to the ribbing, which I did. I had my little grandson try it on for size, and I ended up making it longer. I may have to adjust the height anyway, but I'll have to wait until after the birthday to tell for sure!

It's been so dark and miserable here in the Northeast that I've had difficulty finding any decent light to photograph projects. Whenever the sun has shined, I've been cooped up at work!

Of course, I had to make mittens to go with the hat. There's a pattern called "Give a Hoot" that I wanted to use, but I couldn't get the gauge right, consequently, I ended up doing the mittens myself. They visited the frog pond more often than Kermit! I ripped them so many times, I almost gave up on them entirely. I just didn't like the way they looked. I'm still not entirely happy with them, but I know that Eliza will love them and that's all that counts. Right?

This is yarn that I had in my stash. It's by Sirdar and it's Denim Sport Aran. It was really nice to work with, but I wish that it had a little more wool content. I hope they'll be warm enough!

Of course the down side to this pattern is having to sew all those buttons! I had them left over from the days when I made and sold little English smocked dresses. They were the perfect size, but nine owls on the hat and a pair of mittens equals 22 buttons! Too much sewing when I'd rather be knitting! Happy Birthday Eliza and please try not to lose any of the mittens the first time you wear them!

An Irish Hat

My Christmas knitting projects are all over and done. I managed to knit a hat for both my son and my daughter-in-law, a pair of socks for both Jack and Mickey, a pair of pants for little Marty, and three pairs of fingerless mitts. Of course, because I waited and did them all at the last minute, I didn't get good pictures of any of them. It was dark and rainy and I had to get them wrapped, so all that "work" is undocumented! (What did we do before Ravelry and blogs?) In any event, I decided to just knit something for myself. I like hats with brims and they are so hard to find. Most of them have to either be felted or they're so ugly, you wouldn't wear them anyway. Roxi of Lamb's Ear Farm posted a picture on the knitlist of this new hat she had designed. I immediately wrote and asked (okay, begged...) her to let me know when it was available as it was just what I wanted!

It's called the "Limerick Hat" and although it's not posted on the website yet, you can still order it. I used Cascade 220 Heather in Turtle Green. I decided it was time to really start using up my stash, so I'm trying not to buy any more yarn unless I absolutely need it. Yeah, right. I figure that resolution ought to last for at least another week or two!

The hat is knit in three steps. You knit the brim, which is folded, then you knit the cable band and seam it. Once that's done, you pick up the stitches along one side and knit the top. I altered the directions because it was too peaked for my taste. I omitted the plain knit rounds in between the decrease rounds for the last five rows. It lays flatter and looks more like a traditional hat. Finally, you have to sew the brim to the other side of the cabled band. It wasn't too difficult, but I also had to make the cable band a little shorter to fit the brim, otherwise, there would have been tons of ease to try to work in. It's not a fast knit, meaning that it took me two nights, instead of one, but it's relatively easy.

I would have posted a picture of me actually wearing the hat, but I didn't want to frighten any of you away, besides, my camera has been acting up and I didn't want to have it die altogether from the shock of seeing me actually in a picture!