Knitting: Ribbed Knit Maxi Scarf in Pastel Plum (Free Pattern)

It's the right time of year to sit with some knitting, especially if you can whip up something cozy. So I'm sharing this simple pattern for a Maxi Scarf (it's nearly 8 feet long!) in a trendy Fall pastel. I designed this scarf for the Jo-Ann Fall Lookbook, which debuted a couple months ago, and it could honestly take the place of a sweater, or make a big statement with a pastel coat.

I'm loving the Fall pastel trend, aren't you? This dusty lavender is so beautiful. 

Especially in this chunky, "thick and thin," yarn, Patons Cobbles.

To knit this Maxi Scarf you'll Need:

• 5 Skeins Patons "Cobbles" yarn in Frosted Plum
• Circular Knitting Needles in Size 15 (10 mm)

Gauge: 4” is about 6 stitches and 7 rows.

To Make:

Cast on 18 stitches.

Row 1: Purl 3, Knit 2, Purl 3, Knit 2, Purl 3, Knit 2, Purl 3. 

Row 2: Purl the purl stitches and knit the knit stitches (Knit 3, Purl 2, Knit 3, Purl 2, Knit 3, Purl 2, Knit 3. )

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until your scarf measures 94” (or a length you prefer).

Bind off all stitches. Weave in ends.

Wrap up!

Knitting: Color Blocked Arm Knit Cowl (Tutorial)

Because my brain has this compulsion to keep iterating on an idea... even though I should have checked off the Arm Knit Infinity Cowl and moved on to the other things waiting for me I couldn't help but try a variation: color blocking.

I love it on sweaters and other apparel. Why not this cowl?

So I tried it in a couple of my favorite neutrals, grey and taupe. Very wearable, for me anyway.

And I tried it in charcoal and red. Kind of a lumberjack look. Reds are tricky. This is a bit too bright for me. Or maybe I just haven't found the right thing to wear it with.

But wouldn't this be fun in neon + grey? Or white + black?

Would you make one?  What colors?

Click through for the how-to.

P.S. **Do you crochet? I'm looking for testers for an earflap hat pattern in the works. If you are interested please email me with the subject "crochet tester" Thanks! ** 

Knitting: Arm Knit Child's Cowl (Tutorial)

Have you tried arm knitting an infinity cowl yet? You have to...! I keep thinking of other possibilities for this and thought I'd share one of them with you today (warning: there may be more)...

...an arm knit child's cowl. 

As you can see, it's smaller than the original. It loops just once around the neck, so no infinity twist.

To make it, follow the original tutorial for the technique but change up the pattern a bit:

Arm Knit Child's Cowl Pattern

1. Working with two strands together, cast on 9 stitches.
2. Knit every row for 10 rows.
3. Bind off all stitches.
4. Seam cast-on and bound-off edges together to form a  loop.
5. Weave in ends.

That should stretch nicely over your girl's head. Mine have loved theirs! So easy to wear. Audrey wore this all day to school--not just to and fro. That made me happy. I've had fun picking out yarn with them--the younger two opted for purple. That color seems to be the family favorite.

Knitting: Arm Knit Infinity Cowl (Tutorial)

I have something I think you are going to love! An "arm knit" infinity cowl! As in, knit on your arms instead of with knitting needles!

Have you heard of this trend? Maybe it's been around a long time and I'm just getting to the party. I don't know...

I will just tell you a friend of mine, Angie, had one of these infinity cowls and I thought it was to-die-for and then was even more intrigued when she told me she made it in about 30 minutes watching a Youtube tutorial. Seriously. She claims she is not a knitter.

So I watched and learned and I've made over a dozen of these in the past two weeks! That's no exaggeration. (As you may have learned, I tend to get compulsive about things I enjoy!)

I have made them for friends with January birthdays and for my sisters, just because. And a couple for myself. I would love to make one for each of you except for my list of other creative to-dos I shoved aside. And the laundry. So instead, I'll teach you!

You could just watch the YouTube tutorial (there are a bunch actually), but everyone does things a bit differently so I thought this project would benefit from a photo-tutorial and text explanation as well. Watching a long video isn't my favorite way to learn. And if it isn't yours either I have a tutorial with a few video snippets to show you how to make an arm knit infinity cowl.

So what color will you make?  I keep thinking I need more. It's not much of an investment of time or money (only 2 skeins of chunky yarn!) so you can go a little crazy.

And it's reversible. I'm wearing it "knits" side out in the taupe color and "purls" side out in the hot pink. I think they're both interesting. And these are super soft and snuggly so they're fun to wear.

Ready to get started? Click through for the details.

Knitting: Boatneck Sweater with Gold Buttons

 

What, are you kidding me? A knitting project?! I get so distracted by smaller projects that it's difficult to finish something more significant. I started this sweater for Audrey last October and it's taken me until now to finish it. Rather than working on it with focus I would pick it up when I was leaving town (which is not very often) since it was portable and so many things are not.

 

But then I realized that one doesn't really have the luxury of months to finish a project for a growing girl! I barely made it. The sweater was supposed to sit a bit lower on her hips. So I've been working on it the past few evenings to get it done, which has been so nice! Reminded me of when I was pregnant and every evening after the girls' bedtime we would settle in front of the TV and I would pull out some knitting or crochet to work on. It really is relaxing like nothing else.

 

This sweater is "The Dynamic Duo" pattern by Kristi Porter, published in Knitty back in the Spring of 2003. I substituted a different yarn: Lion Brand's Nature's Choice Organic Cotton in the color Macadamia. I bought the yarn years ago with a couple ideas for it and am glad I finally used it! It's got a great nubby texture, is super soft and I love the color. We'll see how it holds up...

 

 

Audrey likes it. And that's what really counts.

 

 

I followed the pattern with a few modifications, which I'm including here in case I want to do it again or any of you would like to try the pattern with this yarn. My gauge was a bit different with this yarn, so I knit a gauge swatch with size 7 circular needles and measured Audrey and figured out I should knit the sweater in a size four. I also wanted to lengthen the boxy shape of the sweater (turns out after the time it took me I should have added even more length!) and make taller ribbed section--I love the ribbing! So I knit 12 rows of ribbing (about 3 inches) and knit until the sweater was 8 1/2 inches long before beginning the armhole shaping

 

 

Audrey picked the gold buttons out of my button stash. I like the shine on this sweater and the fact that they are in the same color family as the yarn. I picked up her sweater skirt at Target a couple years ago and have been saving it for this ensemble. Cute and comfortable!

 

 

With this yarn this sweater looks positively handmade, which I love. I didn't even block it (maybe I should have?) because when I finished it waws laying as I thought it should and the stitches had a regular irregularity. It makes me want to knit more.

 

 

If Audrey outgrows it next week at least there are two younger sisters who will happily inherit it!

 

 

 

Knitting: Waldorf Doll Cardigans

This is one of the projects I let go before Christmas. I had planned to make Scarlett and Tess each a Waldorf doll similar to the one I made Audrey when Scarlett was born. And to go with the new dolls, little outfits complete with sweaters and overcoats. I thought I'd make the outfits for Audrey's doll too so she could feel included, and because I didn't love the outfits I made for her doll. The patterns seem so limited for these adorable dolls, especially when it seems they should have perfect modern, European looking clothing!

So I was thrilled when I stumbled on this Etsy seller while searching for a Waldorf doll kit. I love this sweater pattern and a few others she is selling! I made it a cardigan, per her suggestion for this variation, and I decided to add some crochet loops and sewn on buttons so my littlest girls can practice buttoning. I liked it so much I am thinking I need to try this girl-sized for Scarlett or Tess. Such a good basic!

I followed the pattern for the most part but I used KnitPicks Swish DK yarn, in Rouge, Marina and Serrano, with size 7 circular needles, added another row of ribbing at the hem and sleeves, and did the cardigan variation as I mentioned.

My older two girls haven't been much into dolls, which I why I haven't made them a Waldorf doll yet. Audrey has set the pace with her interests, but now Tess and Scarlett are clearly interested and even Audrey plays along sometimes. So I am optimistic about this, but due to the inherent risk I decided not to kill myself with this project in time for Christmas. I just barely finished the sweaters--as with most things they took longer than I estimated--and haven't started the two dolls yet. Perhaps Valentine's Day presents? When I do finish the dolls and their wardrobes I hope my girls will love them. If not to play with all the time then at least I hope they'll appreciate them and love the idea of Mom-made dolls when they are women.

FYI: Posting at TipJunkie with a Knitting Pattern

If you are a knitter, I wanted to let you know Tip Junkie asked me to create a tutorial for some new Red Heart yarn called, "Ribbons." It has a really unique texture and knits up into something that is hard to believe came off your needles. 

As you've likely heard me mention before, I really don't enjoy seaming a project, so I created the scarf in the round--I'm calling it a "Lei Scarf" and it's available free here and as a printable PDF as well. 

Click over if you are interested and have a good weekend!

Knitting: Sailor Blue Sweater for Scarlett

When I was a little girl my grandmother knit for me a navy blue cardigan. It had a matching hat with white angora trim and my initials on the chest. I found it in a box of childhood things last year. The combination of dark blue and white reminds me of snowflakes. It's not very often you see children in dark colors, like this blue, but I thought it looked beautiful on Scarlett and I've been wanting to knit her one similar since. 

So here it is. A sailor-blue cardigan sweater for Scarlett.

Scarlett really doesn't seem to mind wearing her older sister's sweaters, but she seemed a little bit excited that I was working on something for her. "Me? Me?!" she asked repeatedly. And she cuddled up with it as soon as it was sewn together. I had to take it away from her to block it.

This is a Lion Brand pattern I've used before. I love it. It's such a classic look, though the single button is a nice update, and more practical for my girls really. And, it calls for a worsted weight yarn, which means is project that goes rather quickly. That makes me happy.

The yarn is Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Sailor. Great color! I was a bit apprehensive about using a yarn with Modal but it worked up nicely. We'll see how it wears. Scarlett thinks it wears just fine, of course! I think it's a gorgeous color with her dark brown eyes.

I also love the button I found. A new (to me) line, Dritz "Belle Buttons." JoAnn carried a bunch that were more than the ordinary fare. This one is a great variegated blue (Item #BB370).

To be honest, I was hoping to have this sweater finished for Scarlett to wear last Fall, but it didn't make it to the top of the list, and she had plenty to wear. Spring is just as good I think. I'm going to make her a skirt to wear with it. And I have fabric for a coordinating Fall skirt as well. The sweater is roomy enough I'm hoping it will fit for a few seasons.



Knitting: One Last Scarflette...

 ...and then we can move straightway into Spring! I hope.

But, since I did make another (Chic) Scarflette I have to say that this one is my favorite. (I realize I say that every time, the nice thing about this particular project I guess, it continues to hold my affection.) But this is really pretty great! I used the least natural of yarns: Paton's Divine in Frosted Green and Lion Brand Homespun in Regency. I love the result! It is lightweight and fluffy and the "frosted" yarn has a look of angora.

This is for another of my friends, who has dark hair and dark brown eyes, and I think this color will be great on her. Of course everything looks great on her, even her newly acquired forty years!

Knitting: Pink and Green Scarflette

The weather here is flirting between winter storm and spring tease. One day it's clear blue skies and warm enough to go without a jacket and the next we're making tracks in a few inches of snow. So I thought a Scarflette still might be a gift well-received. Even though I'm leaning into Spring I had a Scarflette or two in mind for some friends with January birthdays. I'm a bit behind...

This is the Chic version of the pattern (available in my shop). I wanted to try something that looked a bit more funky for my friend who has a great sense of color (she's a floral designer so there you go!) so I went with pink and green. To be specific: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Lemongrass and Jiffy in Dusty Pink (such a perfect pink color!). I have always had a preppy affection for pink and green together! We'll see if my friend, JoAnn, feels the same way.