Slouchy Problems

Posted by Hirono

slouchy 1

I love these slouchy beanies – so much so that I knit three last week – but there are two things I just can’t seem to get right.

First, the slouch. I can’t seem to achieve the perfect droop, without them looking like a Rasta hat. I think my problem here is that I don’t know when to stop and begin the decrease! I’m so determined to knit up the entire skein of yarn that I just keep on going and going, even though I know deep inside that I’ve gone too far. I just hate to have a little bit of yarn left that it either become a waste, or sit in my yarn stash that I’m trying so hard to pare down. This is when my inner cheapo gets the best of me.

Second issue is the decrease. I can’t seem to get the perfect tip, without looking, uum, messy. I’m doing the k2tog (knit 2 together, for the right slant) and ssk (slip, slip, stitch, for the left slant) really carefully and I don’t know what I can do differently to make it look cleaner.

If I don’t improve, I’m going to have to start hiding them with a cutesy pom pom or something, and I don’t want that since I look at these slouchy beanies as something Samuel L. Jackson would sport. They need to look like a bad ass mother f-er.

Anyway, I’ve got more work to do on this one.

Infinity Scarf = Infinite Possibilities

Posted by Hirono

This lace pattern will most likely go down as one of the most frequently knit patterns in my knitting history book. I don’t know how many of these scarves I’ve knit in the last few years but the surprising thing is that I’m never sick of it. It’s simple but interesting enough that it keeps me intrigued even after many repetitions.

I knit up a few more over the last weeks for the holidays (I have another green one, a black one, and a grey one that are not pictured). Some were made into an infinity scarf by binding the ends together, while the other ones (the wider ones) remained a shawl. A few went to my friends who will give them away as Christmas gifts, and the others will be gifted to my own friends.

It’s amazing how many different ways you can wear an infinity scarf and a shawl. I tried a few, but I know there are so many more.

Infinity Scarves:

scarf 1

Cascade 200 Sport in Lemon (4147)

Cascade 220 Sport in Cerise (7802)

Cascade 220 Sport in Como Blue

Shawls:

Cascade 220 Sport in Cerise (7802)

Cascade 220 Sport in Primevera (8903)

Knots of Love: Groovy Slouch

Posted by Hirono

No, no. It’s not a Rasta hat that’s on Ms. Penguin’s head. It’s a Groovy Slouch from Knots of Love!

I found an organization called Knots of Love while looking for a charity to donate my money and time to this holiday season. This time of year always reminds me how blessed I am, and I feel the need to extend help to those in need. According to the Website, the donated caps are given, at no cost, to “men and women undergoing Chemotherapy, burn victims, brain surgery patients, head trauma patients, and individuals with Alopecia.” It also accepts blankets for babies in NICU. In addition to the monetary contribution, I thought this will be a great opportunity to put my knitting skills to a good use.

The Website has lots of lovely knit and crochet cap patterns we can use. I went ahead and knit up Groovy Slouch from the catalogue of patterns and I love it! It’s a real quick knit and I love its simplicity. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to donate this particular cap because I used a yarn that is not on the approved list, but once I obtain the right yarns, I’ll be knitting this up again.

slouchy beanie 1

This is what the finished cap looks like. I had to get some help from the Penguin to get a good shot of the cap from the side. I used Cascade 220 yarn and it’s super warm and cozy, perfect for those chilly nights.

What Can I say … I’m Addicted

Posted by Hirono

I knit up a bunch of seed-stitch cowls using Blue Sky Worsted Cotton yarns while binge-watching “Scandal” last two weeks. The show makes me want to dress up in smart pant suites and carry Prada bags around town like Olivia Pope, although the only scandal these days around the house is figuring out who drank the last Whole Foods ginger ale in the fridge, or who didn’t fill up Brita. (I’m guilty of both, but please don’t tell my husband.)

Well, one can knit up a whole lot when she’s spending four hours a night after the baby and the husband are asleep watching television. But now that my Scandal fever has subsided (it got pretty stupid after the whole B613 plot line), I regret for being so unproductive and shaving off precious sleep time while indulging in guilty pleasure, but I’m glad I at least have a rainbow of cozy cowls to show for!

I think I become equally obsessed with knitting these cozy neck warmers as I got with watching the show. I just couldn’t put down the knitting needles. They knit incredibly quick just like the show’s plot, and the pattern is timeless like all the chic wardrobe worn by stunning Live, Abby, Quinn and Mellie, my absolute fave. I think Blue Sky Worsted cotton is my favorite yarn at the moment. And I love the fact that you can toss them in a washer because it’s 100% cotton.

Because I didn’t know what to do with all these cowls, I decided to extend them to my friends. I was going to sell them on Etsy but wanted to reach out them first to see if any of them was willing to support my knitting addiction. I’m so happy to report that many contacted me immediately after posting the photo on Facebook and these cowls are ~~almost sold out!~~ (Updated on 12/4/14: All the cowls have been sold! Insert happy dance here!) Yipee! That totally made my day! I get so excited when things I make find a new, loving home. I hope they enjoy the cowls as much as I enjoyed knitting them.

For more information about the cowls, including the pattern, please see here and here.

In Progress: Ridiculously Big Cowl Neck Sweater

Posted by Hirono

I seldom post pictures of my craft projects in progress because I’m always afraid that I won’t finish them. I might mess them up royally and I have to frog them (which happens often), or I might just get bored (which happens often as well) and decide to put them away in a drawer where all my previous unfinished objects come to live, or die, permanently. Then what? It’s depressing.

Well, I’m currently nursing a sore right arm, an injury I incurred during nights of non-stop knitting, so I don’t have photos of finished projects to post. All I can do to at the moment to calm my knitting urges is talk about some projects in the works and pray that I’ll soon get to finish them all.

I have three sweaters in progress, including this simple, black sweater knit top down, in the round. I wanted something simple with no designs like cable, is oversized so I can layer, and with a ridiculously big cowl neck.

I did manage to finish the piece and knit up the ridiculously big cowl neck one night but I think that re-aggravated the injury so the sleeves would have to wait for at least a few more weeks until I’m completely healed. The bright side is that this will give me some time to decide if I want the sleeves short, ¾ lengths, or full. Any suggestions?

More Seed Stitch Cowls

Posted by Hirono

These are the Blue Sky Worsted Cotton yarns I purchased, with an intention to knit a baby blanket for a friend. The combination looked so lovely at first but it didn’t work for me when I actually knit them together. I think it’s because some of the colors are so similar (too similar, in fact) and the dark green skein stood out like a sore thumb. Whatever the reason, this combination just wasn’t meant to be.

Individually, however, they are stunning! It’s worsted cotton so it’s nice and slippery which makes knitting – especially with Turbo Addi needles – such ease. I’m so glad I decided to turn some of them into simple seed stitch cowl (others were knit into a pair of fingerless gloves). Of the three I knit so far (here’s the first one I knit and the pattern), the lavender one is probably my favorite.

I purchased a few more skeins of the same Blue Sky Worsted Cotton yarn to turn them into more cowls. There goes my plan to reduce the yarn stash but it’s just too much fun to knit with them! Maybe I’ll sell a few to justify the impulse purchase!

Let the holiday knitting commence!

Blue Sky Worsted Cotton in Lavender (644)

Blue Sky Worsted Cotton in Azul (628)

PATTERN: Seed Stitch Cowl

Posted by Hirono

Cats might have nine lives but this skein of yarn lived just about 10. I initially purchased this cozy Blue Sky Worsted Cotton (in Bone) yarn from Purl Soho, along with several other pastel colors, to knit a baby blanket for a friend who’s expecting her first baby in December. I actually finished the blanket but I didn’t like how it turned out (it was too narrow) so I frogged it and tried again with some necessary tweaks. But even after knitting six skeins of yarn twice (and blocking the blanket twice — eek), I still didn’t like it. I took that as a sign that these yarns were meant to become something else.

I got the idea to knit a cowl after reading this post from Knit and Bake. It’s a very straightforward seed-stitch but its simplicity is so lovely it made me swoon. I love a seed stitch – it creates such wonderful texture and warmth. I can’t wait for the temperature to drop so I can adorn my neck with this cozy cowl. And a great part is that this knits up in no time. I finished mine in about 4 hours, while watching the old Sex and the City episodes when the baby was a sleep at night.

Seed Stitch Cowl
(This pattern was inspired by a cowl by Knit and Bake. I changed the needle size and the number of cast ons.)

Supplies:

Circular needle (20 inches or shorter) or four double-pointed needles in US size 10.5 mm
1 Skein of yarn (100 g). I used Blue Sky Worsted Cotton in Bone (80).

Instruction:

Cast on 77 stitches. Knit in the round, while trying not to twist. K1, P1 all the way across the row, until you have just enough yarn to bind off. Bind off loosely.

The finished cowl measured 24 in (circumference) x 8 in (length).

Just a quick note: I like my cowl really loose. If you like yours a bit more snug around the neck, reduce the number of cast on stitches. As long as the cast on ends in an odd number, you’re good to go!

Is it fall yet?

One Trick Pony

Posted by Hirono

I’m all about repurposing a pattern. I just change up a few things here (widen the width) and there (lengthen the length) and turn the same one pattern into several different garments – like converting a lace scarf into a poncho, shawl, cowl, shrug, blanket, or whatever. This is an infinity scarf I knit, using Debbie Bliss’ Lazy Scarf pattern. I mattress stitched the ends to make a one big loop.

I’m not only cheap financially, but I’m also stingy with exerting effort. Am I lazy? Yes. Am I a one trick pony? Perhaps. But who cares if the one trick I know is really really cute.

Project: Lacy Poncho
Pattern: Inspired by Lacy Scarf by Debbie Bliss
Recipient: My sister for her birthday
Yarn: Cascade 200 Sport (3 skeins)
Color: Azure8892, purchased at WEBS Yarn

Here’s the pony gallery! I’ve knit so many of the same thing in the last year. Most of them were gifted or sold to friends.

Lacy scarf collage

Oh, and this lap blanket.

Easy Bolero

Posted by Hirono

I often preface my knitting projects by calling them “easy.” The reason is because I usually select patterns that are truly simple to make. They usually require no intricate stitches and I seldom use patterns with complicated charts to read. If you know the knitting basics, any beginner knitter will agree with me. This goes for items I create on my own, like these baby hats and these lace ponchos.

I think my latest project earns the title of the easiest garment I’ve ever knit. It’s a bolero. And a cute and wearable one at that!

I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a bigger “AHA” than when I figured out the construction for a bolero. What? All I do is knit one long piece, sew together the arms, and pick up the sides? That’s it? No seaming together pieces? How can something so cute be so simple?!?

Yep, that’s exactly how I knit this bolero: I knit a panel (that looks like a shorter but wider scarf) using a simple stockinette stitch; create sleeves by sewing two sides of the panel together; and pick up stitches around inside the panel using a rib stitch and knit 2 purl 2 all the way around.

It’s a little difficult to explain it without any visual aids but I’m sure I’ll knit another one of these little shrugs soon and I’ll post a tutorial then, for anyone interested.

Boleros are so awesome because it’s light and perfect for breezy summer nights, just like ponchos. It’s also a great remedy for someone like me who loves summer dresses but don’t feel comfortable showing bare shoulders and arms.

I used one skein of Cascade 220 Sport in Doeskin Heather.

PATTERN: Easy Fair Isle Baby Hat

Posted by Hirono

baby hats

My BFF Maya recently requested a custom knit bag with a 1 stitch x 1 stitch Fair Isle pattern, like the beautiful Arctic Wrap from The Purl Bee. She saw and felt the actual wrap on our recent trip to Purl Soho and fell in love with it. I think turning it into a bag is a marvelous idea and I’m delighted to make it for Maya, but I panicked a little because I’ve never knit a Fair Isle pattern before.

Over the weekend, I dusted off a few skeins of leftover Amy Butler yarns and made itty bitty baby hats to practice the pattern. I didn’t want to commit to a large project so I settled on the hat … but I had so much fun with it that I ended up knitting three in two days. I knit as I went, with no pattern, which allowed me to make them very quickly. I think I’m now ready to knit that custom bag for my BFF!

I’m no expert in pattern writing but if you would like to try making the hat, here it is! It’s a great solution to use up your yarn stash, especially if you have some half-used skeins you didn’t know what to do with!

Happy knitting!

Supplies:

Circular needle in US size 7, in 16 inches (You can omit the circular needle if you’re just using the double pointed needles)
4 double pointed needles in size 7
2 different color yarns (about 25 grams each)
A pair of scissors to cut off yarns
Tapestry needle to bind off loose ends

Note: The first number in the pattern is for the small size (pink) with a 14 inch circumference; the larger size (gray and yellow ones are the same size), in parenthesis, is for a 16 inch circumference.

Direction:

Using circular needle US size 7 in 16 inches, cast on 80 (88) stitches with Color A (pink).

Knit 2, purl 2 in a round and repeat this rib stitch until it measures about 2 inches.

Now, add Color B (yellow) and knit, alternating colors at each stitch. You might need to M1 at the end of the first row to avoid repeating same color twice. Continue to knit until the entire hat measures around 4.5 (5) inches. Note: Because you’re knitting in a round, you don’t have to worry about purling the alternate rows. You can knit all the way around to create a stockinette stitch.

Cut off Color B. Using Color A only, knit for 1 (2) inches. At this time, the hat should measure around 5.5 (7) inches.

Hat pattern

Begin decrease:

Row 1: k2tog, k2. Repeat this for the entire row. Change the circular needle to double pointed needles. Note: If you are left with uneven number of stitches, simply stay as close to the pattern as possible.

Row 2: K2tog, until you are left with one stitch.

Bind off lose ends. Add a pom pom on top (optional). I ran out of yarns but I would have loved to put it on the top!