More Cozy Knitwear in the Sunny Summertime

I'm currently working on a project for the knitting guild.  I'm partnering with some of the other members to catalog the various techniques and patterns that have been done over the last 20 years.  Oh boy are there a lot!!

We seem to have an affinity for shawls and hats.  Those are the most prevalent.  Some of the ones I have not done before, I will be doing for the Lace Lovers Guild for the yarn bombing in November.

Some of the patterns include the Leni hat, the 21 color slouch, brioche starter hat, quick ombre hat, prism hat, anthology hat, owls hat, baable hat and so many more.  I also have seen koigu feather and fan cowl, zickzack scarf, grey gardens headband, thanks, it has pockets cowl, whistlewood hat, simply harika, da Vinci cowl.  Every one of these is available on Ravelry.

All I have to do is pair up yarn, needles and pattern.  Sounds so easy, yet it really isn't.

Cozy Winter Wear in Summer

It's summer.  It's hot.  It might be a dry heat.  Or if you live where I do, it's humid.  But as we all know, winter is coming.  I'll be doing a workshop of simple and easy winter accessories.  What fiber to use?  Weight of the yarn used? What patterns to use?  We'll take a look at this and more.

Fibers not to use:  cotton, linen, hemp.  Fibers to use:  wool, alpaca, llama, acrylic, silk.  Why?  Plant fibers keep you warm, but not for long.  They absorb liquid and hold it to your skin making you colder.  Some animal fibers keep you warm, even when wet, others not so much.  It also comes down to affordability.  what can you afford to buy?  Especially if you are giving away the fruits of your labors, cost will play a big part.

What weight do you use??  This depends on a variety of things.  How cold does it get where you live?  How hot do you run?  How much stitching do you want to do?

If you live in the arctic, you probably don't want to knit a lace weight single layer hat.  Conversely if you live in somewhere like Brazil on the equator, you probably don't want to crochet a super jumbo yarn hat.  Are there exceptions?  You bet.  Older people who tend to do a lot of sitting get cold faster.  Younger people who are more active or people who experience hot flashes won't appreciate that very heavy head gear.

So I offer one source where you can choose the weight of yarn and an approximate age/size of the recipient.  It's Red Heart's Gotcha Covered #1 and Red Heart's Gotcha Covered #2 from purple kitty.   Knit Hat and the Crochet Hat  These are very basic beanies or toques  They work up quickly if you choose a small head or larger yarn.

Next thing up would be to keep your hands warm.  Mittens work up quickly but they have to be the same size.  If you have trouble with this, try working them at the same time  I tend to like the basic mitten pattern from Bev's Country Cottage.  The pattern can be found here.  There's also a glove pattern that I find to be interesting.  I'm not sure where I first saw it but I suspect it was from one of the books I learned to knit.  It's a garter stitch pattern.  Here is a similar garter stitch pattern from Elizabeth Zimmerman on Ravelry.  Again if you have second glove syndrome or trouble with making things the same size, do two at a time on either long straights or circular needles.  

Yarns to use for gloves and mittens should be on the thinner side.  Why?  You need dexterity.  What yarns should you use?  Animal fibers, possibly synthetics in worsted weight or thinner.  

Have You Ever Played Bingo for Yourself?

 My knitting guild is doing a bingo game for this year.  I may have mentioned it.  You receive your card and fill it out with your own choices.  You then decide if you want to try for 25 in '25 or go in a row, column, or diagonally.  Or throw caution to the wind and just keep working on your WIPs as you want.  This is a year long endeavor.  

I have had to modify this a bit because I can't find the wreath frames and the Roman shades are being replaced by shutters, the purple socks have had to be changed to a different color.  It turns out I can't make out the stitches in that color purple.  On the other side of things though I have finished the crochet dress, 4 blankets for charity, 6 hats for charity, 100+ squares for the granny afghan queen size of the 342 needed, 4 square granny sweater, so far I have kept up with the jar scarf and I finished on time the cup cozy to teach steeking.  I can also cross out 4 mittens for charity.  Oh, my center is to put away all the books and printed patterns I have.  I succeeded in doing this with my knit and crochet patterns and books.  The sewing ones I have not found yet so I'm not counting them.

This might sound like gloating but I can assure you it isn't.  The blankets for charity, hats and mittens were in part found items in my home.  Others in those were ones I made.  Sometimes things just find their way into my house and I know I can find a home for them.  Then everything went topsy turvy in the move 5 ish years ago and only now am I getting things organized.  It's been long and interesting.  I'm discovering things I had forgotten.  I'm getting to greet things I knew I had but could not find like old friends.  And for my granddaughter who is interested in learning the crafty ways, I'm setting up a place for her to keep her supplies.

Here is the dress.  This was just a quick try on.  I wear it with a tank dress underneath to help preserve modesty and to help it keep its shape.  It's an alpaca yarn and has shown a tendency to grow.

I can't find a picture of the four squared granny sweater nor the coffee cup cozy.  The granny squares won't be enough.  I didn't order enough yarn when I started it.  And no I can't order more.  The colors are changed or discontinued.  Oh well, it won't be queen sized.  Updates will keep coming.

What Do I Listen To

When you knit and crochet or do almost any other handcraft, do you listen to something?  Watch something? 

I listen to audiobooks.  I listen to podcasts.  I listen to old movies on replay for things I need to pay attention to.  I listen to and watch new to me movies and tv shows for the things I don't need to pay attention to.

Audio books or book series I like include Mrs. Polifax, Harry Potter, The Cat Who, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings and the Little House series.  Are there more?  You bet.  But these are the ones in my current rotation.

I like the old black and white holiday movies because they have been watched so often

that I don't have to pay that much attention to them.

Mystery Projects

 Let's suppose you want to do a mystery project on your own time.  Sometimes this can work with the ones you see online.  Sometimes it doesn't.  How can you set up your own?

1.  Choose if you want to knit or crochet the project.

2.  Choose what you want your finished object to be.  Blanket?  Shawl?  Scarf?  Sweater?  Something else?

3.  Pick the website, book, or a Pinterest search that has a variety of different stitch patterns for you to choose from.

    A.  write out twice as many stitch pattern names as you will need for the finished object on slips of paper

    B.  Find a receptacle to put them in with the source nearby.

    C.  Determine how long the stitch patterns will be done.

4.  Determine how often you will be doing the mystery project, once a week, once a month, something else?

5.  Gather your yarn and tools to be placed with the stitch patterns.

Now it's time to start.  Pick a slip.  Look up the stitch on the slip and create your first stitch pattern. 

This can be fun.  If your stitch counts change from one to another stitch pattern, consider having a section of resting stitches where you increase or decrease from one count to the next.  It also puts a visual break from one type of stitch pattern to the next.

You can add to the mystery of the finished item by having a variety of fibers and colors and grab  a new one each time you work on this project.

Broomstick Lace

Lace Lovers is another local guild to which I belong.  They are dedicated to teaching traditional handicrafts and embellishments that beautify, add warmth and are generally amazing for the simple way things are formed.

I'll be teaching broomstick lace.  

Have you tried this technique before?  It's really fabulous for blankets, shawls, and purses.

Why is it called broomstick lace?  Back in the 18th century when it was invented, the handle of the broom was used to hold the stitches until they were worked off.  

How do you do it?  Chain the number of stitches for your project or just a swatch.  Do it in a multiple of 5 for your practice swatch. Put the loop on the "broomstick" or in today's crafting, a very fat knitting needle, size 19 to 50.  Use a crochet hook that you usually use for the size yarn you have.  So for worsted weight, use a US G to I hook.  Insert the hook into the second chain from the end and pull up a loop.  Put it on the needle.  Do not twist.  Insert the hook into the next chain from the end and pull up a loop.  Put it on the needle. Keep doing this until you have no more chain stitches.  Use your hook and go into the first 5 stitches.  Draw up a loop.  Wrap the yarn around the hook and pull through.  This is your chain 1.  Now insert the hook back into the 5 loops and work 5 single crochet.  Drop the loops off the needle.  Insert the hook into the next 5 loops and work 5 single crochet in the loops.  Drop the loops off the needle.  Continue this until you have no more loops to work single crochets into.

Without turning (because broomstick lace is worked from the front in each direction), put the loop on the hook onto the needle.  Working in the back loop only, pick up a loop from the second and each single crochet across, one at a time, and put them on the needle.  Now follow the chain and single crochet directions from above.  Keep going in this manner.

IS it easier to see how to do it?  Yes it probably is.  Can some people follow just written directions?  yes.

Granny Square Vs. Granny Alternative

 I think most if not all of us know what a granny square looks like.  Here is a 4 round pattern for the granny square.

ch 4.  join with a sl st in the first ch.

rd 1: ch 3 (this counts as a dc now and throughout) 2 dc in the ch 4 ring, ch 1, * 3 dc in ring, ch 1.  Rep from * 2 more times.  Join with a sl st in the top of the ch 3.

rd 2:  ch 3, 2 dc in the ch 1 sp, * 3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc in the next ch 1 sp (corner formed).  Rep 2 more times.  In the first ch 1 sp, work 3 dc, ch 1 and join in the top of the ch 3 with a sl st.

rd 3: ch 3, 2 dc in the ch 1 sp, 3 dc, ch 1 in the next ch 1 sp, * 3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1 in next dc.  Rep from * around.  Finish the first corner as rd 2.

rd 4:  ch 3, 2 dc in the ch 1 sp, (3 dc, ch 1) in next 2 ch 1 sps, * 3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1 in next ch 1 sp,  (3 dc, ch 1) in the next 2 ch 1 sps.  Rep from * around.  Finish the first corner.

Now let's analyze this.  The square increases on each side by 3 dc and a ch stitch on each round.  This keeps it square.  IF you find that the corners start to twist, it can be corrected in the short term by turning every other round.  In the long term, practice. practice, and more practice and some experimentation with the number of chains between each segment of 3 dc and in each corner.

Now the granny alternative.  This also makes a square but you will quickly see how it differs.

ch 4, join with a sl st in the first ch.

rd 1: ch 3, 2 dc in ring, ch 1, * 3 dc in ring, ch 1.  Rep * twice more and join in the top of the ch 3.

rd 2:  ch 1, sc in the ch 1 sp.  * ch 3, sc in next ch 1 sp, ch 3, sc in the same ch 1 sp ch 3.  Rep * twice more.  End with ch 3, sc in first ch 1 sp, ch 3 join with sl st in top of first sc.

Rd 3: sl st into the ch 3 sp, ch 3, 2 dc in the same ch 3 loop, ch 1, * 3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch 3 loop (corner formed in the corner loop) ch 1, 3 dc in the next ch 3 loop, ch 1.  Rep from * three times more.  End with a corner in the last ch 3 loop, ch 1.  sl st in the top of the ch 3.

rd 4:  ch 1, sc in ch 1 sp, ch 3.  sc in ch 1 sp of prev rd, ch 3.  Make a corner loop in the corner.  

rd 5:  sl st into the ch 3 sp.  ch 3, 2 dc in the same ch 3 loop,  ch 1.  3 dc, ch 1 in each ch 3 loop,  3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1 for each corner.

As you can see rd 1 has 1 segment of  3 dc on each side the same as the more frequently seen granny square above. Rd 3 also has 3 segments of 3 dc on each side the same as the more frequently seen granny square above.  Rd 5 will also have 5 segments of 3 dc.  The ch 3 loops are where the increases happens.  So the math works for both.  The alternative will have less chance of twisting.