Friday, June 8, 2012

Sale on Classes!!!



Take note!!!  Classes are on sale again!

By the end of the weekend, paperwork for the rest of the year will be in the book at the Lebanon store.


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Time to start thinking about Christmas

It's time to start thinking about what gifts you are going to make for family and friends.  Does Mom need a new pair of fingerless mitts?  Maybe Dad or Husband needs a new hat to stay warm while working on snow removal.  Warm socks would find a welcome home with anyone on your gift list.  Does someone need an afghan in a drafty house?  Classes that teach the techniques for these ideas and more are going to be starting up in August.

What is your knitting or crocheting gift list looking like?  Are you doing anything for coworkers?  Do you create for charity?  Let the me know in a comment.

Are there techniques you would like to learn that I have not offered?    Let me know of interests you have.  I'm always interested in what others might want to learn.

Do you have a wish to see matching hand crafted stockings to hang by your fireplace?  A Granny pentagon or an elongated sock design can both help fulfill this wish.

How about a knit tree skirt?  Crocheted snowflakes or icicles?  A nice crocheted popcorn garland to wrap around the tree?

Have you had a desire to knit a sweater for a gift?  Pattern ideas will be coming in the future.  Check with yarn companies for patterns for a start.

         www.lionbrand.com  www.caron.com    http://www.patonsyarns.com/       www.redheart.com
           http://www.michaels.com/Yarn-Needle-Crafts/projects-yarnandneedlecrafts,default,sc.html

How dependent on Electric we are

Well, Sunday night brought a turn of events no one expected.  It was raining and a little breezy and suddenly as I was finishing cooking supper (I'm happy for gas that I can light with a lighter) all the electric from pockets of town was gone.  (Transformers were taken out.  Some by trees and others by the wind that we didn't seem to have.)  We were in one of those pockets.  I have learned the difficulties faced by 19th century and earlier peoples in doing things by candlelight.  It was too chill for the doors to be open but too hot from all the candles to be completely closed up, which was needed to keep the candles lit.  I had to stop work on my ripple swatch in baby yarn.  I could not continue on the Granny Square Baby Cardigan which was also done with baby yarn.  I could and did work on a popcorn swatch and kept a neighbor from being stir crazy with worsted weight yarn and a crochet hook and she said she would work some granny squares for Warm Up America for me.

Warm Up America blocks are a great hot weather project as there is no great mass of yarn in your lap.  They work up quickly.  The blocks give you ample opportunity to practice different stitches.  A 7 x 9 inch block is a great swatch size to test drive.


Saturday, June 2, 2012

Granny Square Baby Cardigan

I have had several requests for one of the baby sweaters I use in my classes.  Here is the pattern.  The basic granny square pattern is not mine.  It is one of those things that is out there that everyone seems to know.  I would welcome everyone to make one to check the directions I have here.  Please let me know of mistakes or things that are not clear.  Please send pictures of yours.  I'd love to see them.  This pattern as written will fit a newborn under 10lbs.

Materials needed:
      2 colors baby yarn or sock yarn, 6 oz each A and B
      size 7 steel hook (or size needed to obtain gauge)
      yarn or tapestry needle

Gauge:  Finished Granny square should be 2 inches.

Stitches used in project:  Chain, Slip Stitch, Single Crochet, Double Crochet, Half Double Crochet, Decrease

Abbreviations:  Dc = double crochet, R = Row, Rd = Round, Sc = Single Crochet, Sl St = Slip Stitch, Ch = Chain, Prev = previous, Rep = Repeat, Dec = decrease, Sk = Skip, St = Stitch

Granny Square (Make 64)

With A: Ch 4, join with sl st to form a ring.
R1:  Ch 3, 2 dc in ring, ch 1, * 3dc in ring, ch 1.  Rep from * 2 more times.  3 dc, ch 1 and sl st in top of ch 3.  Fasten off.
R 2:  With B, join in any ch 1 sp.  (Ch 3, 2 dc,  ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1) in same ch 1 sp as join, * 3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1.  Rep from * around.  Fasten off.
R 3:  With A, join in any corner sp.  (Ch 3, 2 dc, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1) in same ch 1 sp as join, * 3 dc, ch 1, (3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1).  Rep from * around, end 3 dc, ch 1 in final side ch 1 sp and sl st in top of ch 3.  Fasten off.

Half Square Triangle Granny (Make 4)


With A, Ch 4, join with a sl st to form a ring.
R1: Ch 4 (counts as 1 dc and ch 1), 3 dc in ring, ch 1, 3 dc in ring, ch 1, dc in ring. Fasten off.
R2: With B, join yarn around the ch 4 of prev rd, (ch 3, 2 dc, ch 1) in same sp. (3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1) in next ch 1 sp (corner), 3 dc in last ch 1 sp. Fasten off.
R3: With A, join yarn in sp between ch 3 and dc of prev rd. Ch 3, 2 dc in the same sp, (ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1) in ch 1 sp of prev rd, (3 dc, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1) in corner ch 1 sp, (3 dc, ch 1) in last ch 1 sp, 3 dc in sp bet 2nd and 3rd dc of prev rd. Fasten off.


Assembly

       Join the squares with a whip stitch or overcast stitch, making sure all the squares are showing right side up (whichever side you decide is right). Use the yarn that you used for the last round of granny squares (A)

         Make a panel that is 4 blocks tall by 5 blocks wide.  Now add for the shoulder and neck shaping.  At the top left corner sew across the top 1 whole block, a half block to make a slide from the top of the block just added to the row below, skip the next block, a half block in mirror image of the first and finally a whole block.  See the pictures for help.  (22 whole squares and 2 half square granny triangles)  Now add the sleeves.  Make two panels 2 blocks high and 3 blocks wide (6 whole squares for each sleeve back) and sew on each side starting at the shoulder.

To make the sweater fronts

         Each front is 2 blocks wide and 5 blocks high with one exception.  The other half square granny triangles are placed to open the neck up in a V shape (9 whole blocks and 1 half square granny triangle for each side). The sleeves are 2 blocks high and 3 blocks (6 whole squares for each sleeve front) long. Sew  them to the fronts at the top on the opposite side as the half square granny.  See the pictures for help.  Place the sweater back wrong side up, put the fronts over the back, properly aligning the sleeves and the sides.

 Join the squares with a whip stitch or overcast stitch, making sure all the squares are showing right side up (whichever side you decide is right).  Seam along the top of the sleeve/shoulder on both sides and bottom edge of sleeve and side seam.  Leave the bottom square on sides unseamed for a vent feature.

Finishing into a cardigan

Note:  The button bands will fill in the space between the fronts.

R 1:  With B, join at the bottom left corner of cardigan, ch 2, hdc in each stitch up the front center, around the neck (work 2 hdc dec in each corner at the back neck) and down the other side of front center.  Turn.

R 2:  Ch 3, work dc in each st as the prev row, keeping the dec in line.  Turn.

R 3:  Rep R 2. Turn.

R 4: Dc in each st on button side of the cardigan and around the neck and along the V neck on both sides.  Tr in each st on the button hole side and evenly space 4 buttonholes (ch 1, sk the next st) along the left side for boys and right side for girls.  Work the button holes at the same level as the seams.  Option:  Work a button hole 3 sts from the bottom edge if desired.

R 5:  Working along bottom edge of cardigan, sc in each st and 2 sc in each dc or ch 3 along the fronts.  Fasten off.  Weave in all ends.

Sleeves:  Sc in each st along edge with B.  Fasten off, weave in ends.

Sew 4 buttons on the opposite side to match the buttonholes.  As of 6/12/12 I have no buttons on this sweater.  You can just make out the buttonholes as dark spots on the left front at the edge.




I'm updating this pattern to include this chart for seaming for added clarity.

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Sleeve }         {     }           {
Fold in half
across the center Left Front Right Front Back  <> show sleeve
Make 2 placement
{} show side seam * show shoulder seaming