I’m sitting here in Florida, looking out my sliding glass door. It’s a beautiful Fall day. Sky is bright blue, ducks are walking around the pond and the trees are as green as can be.I miss the Fall. I miss the crisp fresh air, the leaves turning in the fall.
So I decided to knit an Autumn Afghan. I picked 5 Fall colors and and easy ribbing pattern. The big fat size 35 needles is making this project knit up quickly. The pattern is an easy 2 row repeat.
Autumn Afghan
Entire throw is worked with 2 strands of yarn held together. Cast on 58 stitches. K1b = Knit into back loop and P1b = purl into back loop
Row 1: (WS) k1b, p1b, *k1b, k1, p1b, p1*, repeat from * to * to last 4 sts, k1b, k1, p1b, k1b
Row 2: (RS) k1b, *k1b, k1, p1b, p1*, repeat from * to * to last 5 sts, k1b, k1, p1b, k1b, k1b
Repeat rows 1,2 for pattern until throw measures 50″, ending with pat row 1. Bind off working pat row 2.
Enjoy!
Lately, I’m knitting caps. All kinds of hats and caps. Why? I have no clue. I don’t wear hats. I give them away and keep a few samples in my knitting bag to show my knitting students. Maybe I should start wearing them. They are quick and easy to make. I can typically get one done in a day or two of knitting. Sneaking in some knitting in between folding a batch of clothes or putting off doing the dishes.
When I’m working on projects that will take a long time such as a sweater or afghan, sometimes I just need the satisfaction of completing a project. So caps do the trick for me. In fact, I feel the urge to go cast on a new hat….see ya!
Wow, time flies when you are having fun…I can hardly believe it’s been a year since I last posted. I’m going to try and be a lot more consistent and write about my knitting.
So here’s what has distracted me over the past year. The biggest being granny moving into assisted living. She had been living with us for 5 years and had gotten to the point where, for her safety, she needed more care than we could give her. It was extremely difficult to make the decision with her. After several months of a million details and trials, she moved.
Needless to say, it’s been a huge adjustment for her and for our family. She thinks she’s back in college and living in a dorm room. She’s happy. Everybody she meets is somebody from her past. Now our household is trying to get back to semi-normal. Moving her stuff into storage and re-claiming our rooms to our own liking.
I started working part-time after taking so much time away from work to care for granny.
So life is good. Everybody is healthy and happy.
Now let’s get busy and knit!
I started working this hoodie at the beginning of summer, and just got it finished last week. Haven’t had a chance to wear it yet, but the weather is starting to turn cooler and I’m sure I’ll be able to wear this any day now.
This was my first attempt at a hoodie. The yarn is Patons Shetland Chunky, color is High Plains Varg. It was a fun project and working these pockets, hood and zipper was a good challenge. Here is a
close up of the zipper which was hand-sewn in using a whip stitch. I bought a zipper longer than the pattern called for, just in case, and I found the zipper too long. So rather than return the zipper for the proper size, I just cut the top of the zipper off at the appropriate spot and then whip stitched about 20 stitches in place between the first and second tooth of the zipper on each side. That will hold the clasp in place without it zipping right off the ends.
The fit is actually the best fitting sweater I think I’ve ever done. Usually my sleeves are bulky under the arms, but this sweater fits great and clingy without being tight. I love the fall colors of this yarn and can’t wait to wear it out in public.
Update: Since writing this post, I have received my Ravelry invitation and have had so much fun setting up my profile and projects. Be sure you register for an invitation, you’ll be glad you did!
A couple of weeks ago I ran across a great new knitting resource for knitters and crocheters. Thought I would check my place in line at Ravelry.com and see how close I am in joining in the fun of beta testing. I saw this video preview which shows some of the features that this new website will have.
Now I really really can’t wait to get on the website. The folks at Ravelry are still inviting hundreds of people each day and week to join. Now I’ve only got 10,000 or so knitters in front of me in line!
Related Posts
Go check out the CraftGossip Blog Network and see the article and pattern for making knit swatches in popular quilt patterns.
I was thinking that this would be a fun Christmas card project….or knit up a supply to have on hand as thank-you cards. What a great way to give a hand-made gift to a friend.
Well, we’ve all known it, and now studies are proving it…..Knitting is relaxing!
Study: Knitting Elicits Relaxation Response - Associated Content
“Interviewed in the press release, Gary Scholar, a health and wellness consultant for the employees of the American Hospital Association, focused on the benefits of knitting and crocheting in relieving stress. He said that the activities could benefit both people under the stress of chronic illness and people under the stress of leading hectic lives. Scholar also thinks that crocheting and knitting would benefit children dealing with chronic illness. Scholar is the publisher of a recent book about a bunny who learns to knit in order to relax and gain the self confidence necessary to participate in a dance recital. The name of the book is ANGORA: I’m Knot Just Fluff, I’m Always Enough.
Ilana Rabinowitz, of the Lion Brand Yarn Company, stated that over the years the company had encouraged their customers to share their individual anecdotes about how knitting and crocheting had changed their lives, and that the company had collected over 500 personal stories with testimonials to the soothing and beneficial effects of the hobbies. “
What does your knitting do for you? How have you used your knitting time as a stress reliever?
Fun knitting wallpapers for your computer screen. Several different color schemes to choose from.
Do you remember the first scarf you worked on as a beginner knitter? This designer has taken the ordinary scarf and made it cool. I like discovering new and interesting ways to use knitting. A new take on an old standby.
This project comes from a website all about Robotic designs. The project is Knitted Police Tape. See several pictures of this project and also the yarn the knitter used as well as the pattern.
Do you have any interesting projects that take an old concept and give them a new spin? Let me know so I can highlight it here!
Do you have a favorite pair of needles or a set of needles you use all the time? I love these needles. I carry them in my knitting bag and always have the right size needle when I want to start something new. This set comes with screw-on needles and several different lengths of cord for making circular needles. There are little stoppers that can be screwed on to one end of the cord with the needle on the other end making them into 2 separate “straight” needles. There is also a “coupler” which will allow you to hook together 2 cords extending the length of the circular needles.What I enjoy the most is when changing between sizes of needles. Easy to just screw in the next size needle and start knitting.What needles do you recommend?
