Modern Wife

Tag: knitting

  • Column of Leaves Scarf

    Column of Leaves Scarf

    My grandmother wearing the column of leaves scarf

    I finished the Column of Leaves Scarf I had been working on over the past month. Just in time for my Grandmother’s 86th birthday celebration. There she is, trying it on, with a beautiful smile on her face.

    She got into a crazy car accident last June during my cousin’s wedding. My grandmother had just gotten off a flight from the Philippines the night before, and she was feeling tired after lunch. She flipped her car into a ditch and was caught in her seatbelt upside down, unable to get out of her car. She honked her horn for help. It was 107 degrees Fahrenheit that day. Someone came up and broke her car window open. She crawled out of the wreck by herself, unscathed, unbroken, and with not even a speck of dirt on her dress. The cops couldn’t believe an 85 year old lady could crawl out of a total wreck without a scratch. They dubbed it “The Miracle on 8 Mile Road.” Words cannot express how so very happy we are that she is alive and well.

    This Column of Leaves pattern by Brooke Nelson is such a good one, and a joy to knit. I still have two skeins each in orange and cranberry of Debbie Bliss Cathay, which is 50% cotton, 35% viscose and 15% silk.

  • Winter Knit Hats for Toys

    Winter Knit Hats for Toys

    Even toys get cold in the winter. So I knit these tiny pompom hats to keep these toy elephants warm. A sweet little present for my husband, who collects and make toys.

    Knitted with Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk DK. Pattern from Knit Simple Magazine Winter 2009

  • Pink Shrug

    Pink Shrug

    I knitted this pink shrug from the pattern “Molly” in the book, “Junior Knits” by Debbie Bliss. I used Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran. It’s still a wee bit big on my daughter, but she’ll grow into it soon.

  • Orange Frock Camisole

    Orange Frock Camisole

    It’s cold and windy outside. I’m bundled up in blankets and have no intention of getting up to get any exercise. But I finished this top in less than a month, taken from the free Frock Camisole pattern from Knitting Daily. Just little shock of clementine to remind me that all winters come to an end eventually and someday, someday it will be warm outside again.

  • Knit Socks

    Knit Socks

    I met this lady at my local Stitch ‘n Bitch and she was knitting a pair of socks at once on a circular needle. My curiosity was peaked though it seemed a bit intimidating. The next time I was at a yarn store, I came upon this book, 2-at-a-Time Socks: Revealed Inside. . . The Secret of Knitting Two at Once on One Circular Needle Works for any Sock Pattern!

    It seemed a bit complicated at first, and I had to frog my first few attempts, but after a few tries, I finally did it!

    Two at a Time Knit Socks

    I finished it just in time for Christmas. We call it the Cindy Lou Who socks (from the original cartoon animation of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”) because of the pointed toe.

  • Cosmo’s Wool Sweater

    Cosmo’s Wool Sweater

    I finally finished Cosmo’s Wool Sweater!!!

    It took me about a month from when I cast on to when I bound off. I would have been done sooner had I not taken a few days off from the project.

    Now here’s the fun part. Pictures!!!

    Wool Dog Sweater

    Wool Dog Sweater

    Wool Dog Sweater

    Wool Dog Sweater

  • Knitted Baby Booties

    Knitted Baby Booties

    Knitted Baby Booties

    I knitted these baby booties for my cousin, Lissa. I got the pattern from Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation, “One-Hour Baby Booties,” page 217. I used a chunky alpaca yarn (I don’t remember anymore what brand) I’ve had left over from last winter. Less than a skein was just perfect. I had only about 6 inches left of the yarn after I was done.

    Knitted Baby Booties

    The pattern called for loops at the ends of the straps and buttons for closure on the sides, but buttons pose such a safety risk for the little ones. I wouldn’t want the buttons to come loose from kicking and suddenly become a choking hazard for the little infant. So I just crocheted the straps to the booties on both sides and sewed flowers onto the straps for accents.

  • Knitting Needles Roll-Up Case

    Knitting Needles Roll-Up Case

    I desperately needed a way to organize my growing collection of knitting needles. Stitch ‘n Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook has a pattern for the Roll-Your-Own Needle Case on page 234. I knew I eventually had to have something similar before I go insane.

    knitting needles roll up case

    My husband was sewing bags and wallets with upholstery fabric at the time, so I asked him if he could make me something like the one in the book. He had me lay out my knitting needles in a row, and came up with this awesome case:

    knitting needles case

    Unlike the SnB pattern, my knitting needles roll-up case has varying pocket lengths for varying lengths of needles. There is an accordion-style pocket with a flap for odds and ends like stitch markers and row counters and such. It also has a flap across the whole width of the case to keep the needles from coming out of the top when it’s rolled up. You never can tell in our household. Sometimes things just find a way of flipping and flopping all around when there’s a kid in the house.

    Here is a list of my knitting needles (US sizes):

    • #15 Takumi straight needles (made of bamboo)
    • #13 Susan Bates straight needles (acrylic)
    • #10 Takumi straight needles
    • #8 Takumi straight needles
    • #8 Brittany double pointed needles (made of birch) 7″ long
    • #7 Brittany double pointed needles 7″ long
    • #6 Takumi straight needles
    • #6 Brittany straight needles
    • #6 Brittany double pointed needles 5″ long
    • #5 Brittany straight needles
    • #5 Takumi double pointed needles 7″ long
    • #3 Brittany double pointed needles 5″ long

  • Winter Knitting Projects

    As soon as we moved in to Camden, Maine for the winter, I found a little knitting and needlepoint shop in the village called Stitchery Square. I bought several skeins of Debbie Bliss alpaca silk double knit yarn (80% baby alpaca and 20% silk) in bright pink and made matching Mama and Baby scarves.

    The scarves are knit in a 2×2 rib with US size #6 straight needles. For Baby’s, cast on 32 stitches, then knit 2, purl 2 till the end of the row. Repeat for each row until one skein of yarn is used up. Bind off. Easy does it!

    Mama’s is similar, except I cast on 44 stitches. Knit 2, purl 2 till the end of the row and repeat. When one skein is used up, add a second skein of the same yarn, and bind off at the end of the second skein. The rib makes the scarf so soft and thick, very snugglicious!

    I used the same yarn and 2×2 rib pattern, this time knitting in the round with double pointed needles, for making legwarmers for the little one, which actually wound up being pulled over snow boots to keep the snow from getting into the boots.

    I also made myself a pair of arm warmers using the same Debbie Bliss alpaca silk yarn, the same 2×2 rib pattern with double-pointed needles.

    For both my arm warmers and my little one’s legwarmers, I cast on 48 stitches, divided among three double pointed needles. With a fourth double pointed needle, I knit into the first stitch I cast on, forming a triangle. Knit 2, purl 2 around and around until the end of the skein. Bind off.

    arm warmers for mother in lawFor Christmas, I made my mother-in-law a pair of these luxuriously soft armwarmers using Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran. Cashmerino Aran is thicker than Alpaca Silk, containing 55% merino wool, 33% microfiber and 12% cashmere. Knitting them in 2×2 rib pattern thickens the fabric even more, but the vertical lines are slimming.

    For my mother-in-law’s arm warmers, I cast on 60 stitches, divided among three US size #8 double pointed needles. Knit 2, purl 2 all around till the skein is used up. Add the white Cashmerino Aran, knit 2, purl 2 for 3 rows, then bind off. The white cuffs give it that winter snow edge to finish the look.

    I still had a lot of leftover Cashmerino Aran in white, so I made earwarmers for Mama and Little Onematching earwarmers for the little one and me. I based mine on the Head Huggers pattern in Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation, page 59, but left out the decorative flowers and leaves. I just wanted a simple and classic look, not too many floral frills. For the smaller earwarmer, I started out using the neckwarmer pattern, then just carried on as it made sense to fit my little girl.

    These earwarmers are really warm. Sometimes I forget and leave them on while indoors, to keep my hair out of my face like a hairband. Before long I get a headache from being too warm.

    failed mitten projectOne more project using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran is my 3-year-old’s mittens. I originally tried making up my own pattern, but failed miserably. Look at this pathetic-looking mitten on the right. At first I thought I’d make arm-warmers-cum-mittens, thin in the arm part, tapering off in the wrist, ribbed for elasticity. It was really a bad idea, but I just had to see it come to fruition before I realized I needed to humble myself and look to the master knitters for complicated projects like mittens.

    Junior Knits has a pattern for mittens for 3-year-olds. In fact, you can see the pattern in its entirety in the “Search Inside” function for this book on Amazon. The pattern is called Nell mittens.

    I modified it slightly by changing it from a button wrist to one that’s ribbed. I also decided to knit it in the round instead of using straight needles.

    Using double pointed needles US size #7, I cast on 30 stitches, divided among 3 double pointed needles, and knit 3, purl 2 in the round for 15 rows. On rows 16 to 20, I knit all 30 stitches around.

    From here, refer to the Nell mittens pattern, starting at “Shape thumb.” Instead of doing the purl rows, do knit rows since we are knitting in the round, except on the 7th row where one must follow the pattern exactly.

    knitted mittens

    Happy knitting! Stay warm!!!

  • Learning to Knit

    red scarfI mentioned to my husband once while passing the yarn aisle at a craft store that I had never knitted before. It was more of a wistful sigh than a real wish. At that time I was balancing working at home and taking care of a two-year-old. I had no time to pick up a new hobby.

    Christmas 2006, my husband got me knitting books, various sizes of knitting needles and some yarn. I was so excited! As soon as the holiday season was over, I got to work learning how to knit.

    I was horrible. My swatches looked like a wet hamster. My sweet man and my toddler rescued these unfortunate creations from the trash and wrapped them around naked troll dolls. When I finally got the hang of it, I finished my first knitted piece – a red scarf for the most amazing man in my life.

    I have since learned how to purl, and how to mix knit and purl together to create ribbed, stockinette and every other combination the two could make. It’s been a great year. Here are some of the items I made:

    pompom hatPompom Hat

    Most commercially available yarns have an easy to follow pattern inside the label. This chunky acrylic yarn had a pattern for a pompom hat. I knitted it with straight needles and sewed the seam together all in one night.

    It was really rewarding to have a finished project after just a couple of hours. This was my second knitting project, after the red scarf, and it gave me a chance to practice knit and purl. I also got a lot of compliments from grannies everywhere we went.

    Pompom hats rock!

    space invaders tank top and hatSpace Invaders hat and tank top

    The tank top is from the Mud Flap Girl Tank Top pattern on Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation, page 132, except I replaced the Mud Flap Girl design with the Space Invaders design.

    I used Lion Brand 100% cotton yarn (black) and Lily Sugar ‘n Cream 100% cotton yarn (green) instead of the recommended wool/cotton blend. My swatch calculations were off, so the tank top actually fits too loose on me. I’m not too happy with my ratty crochet edging either, but I learned a lot and had fun, which is all that matters anyway.

    The hat, I just made up as I went along, using the same Space Invaders design and the same 100% cotton yarn. I used straight needles and sewed the seams together.

    orange and green knit bikiniOrange and green bikini

    I made a few tiny modifications to the bikini pattern in Stitch ‘n Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook, page 224. The yarn the pattern recommends, Classic Elite Star, a 99% cotton and 1% lycra blend, is a discontinued line, so I could only get one skein each of orange and green from Ebay.

    I made the neck straps thicker at 3 stitches, instead of the crocheted chain stitch the pattern called for.

    I wore this bikini swimming all summer and it was great! Unlike nylon or polyester bikinis, this pair absorbed water more, so drying it on a clothesline took slightly longer than drying a synthetic fabric, but not by much. It was definitely dry after hanging it overnight.

    Malaya in black hat with multi-color fuzz

    Black hat with multi-color fuzz

    Shortly after we came to Maine for the summer, I made this hat out of the Lion Brand Mystery yarn, Onyx Prism, which is acrylic and wool in black with multi-color fuzzies randomly interspersed. I did the whole hat in garter stitch, straight needles then sewed the seam. This hat is a lot of fun, almost like a granny hat.

    hamoock pillowHammock Pillow

    Jay wanted a pillow to take with him when he relaxes on the hammock outdoors, so I made him this technicolor hammock pillow with chunky yarn left over from making the pompom hat earlier in the year. Malaya helped me stuff it, and immediately after, wanted a pillow of her own.

    hoppy hoppy the hairy pillow petHoppy Hoppy

    This is just a basic rectangular pillow knitted in Lion Brand Fancy Fur, Stormy Sea, a hairy polyester yarn. After I finished sewing the seams, Malaya helped (over)stuff the pillow and named it “Hoppy Hoppy,” the weasel.

    I love that I can make something as simple and clunky as this hairy pillow and she can turn it into a fantastic creature just by the sheer strength of her imagination. She pets it, hugs it, talks to it and takes it places. It has become her all-time favorite furry pet and I couldn’t be happier!

    space invaders arm warmersSpace Invaders Arm Warmers

    More use for my stash of 100% cotton yarn and the same Space Invaders design pattern from my tank top and hat above.

    I learned how to use double pointed needles on this project. It looks complicated, but once I got one row deep, it all went like clockwork. It’s simple enough to make without a pattern.

    These arm warmers look awesome on her, too. They make her look like a little videogame geek. I love it!