Insulated wall

Daughter snapped this photo for me while we were browsing at the Knit Stop yesterday afternoon. 

Baby Bath Sets

Little project from the summer; three baby bath sets of a washcloth and hyperbolic crochet scrubby each.

Saturday

I should probably be starting the laundry. Or making a grocery list, or cleaning up from last night's slumber party. I also have work to do today since it's budget season pretty soon, and camp forms to fill out, and dinner to plan. But instead I've opened the blinds to let in the late summer morning light, turned off the TV and the radio, and am sitting here with my coffee and a blanket for a baby, knitting her a warm welcome to the world.

New Year

School for my kids started in the middle of last week, and that always seems like the real beginning of the year to me. Even though it's August right now, some leaves are beginning to show their fall colors. The mornings have been a bit foggy and cool, and I can tell that it won't be long before I start pulling out the shawls and wraps and cowls. I haven't been knitting much over the summer due to lots of evening work sucking up my free time, but there are some pending babies at work that will need presents before long. I even had a dream the other night about knitting knee high socks and going to a wedding.

Bright Stripes Blanket

Making a baby gift for my daughter's teacher. I am modifying the bright stripes blanket pattern from More Last-minute Knitted Gifts by casting on fewer stitches on a slightly smaller needle and making the white stripes a bit smaller.

State of the Stash

Kids helped me pull out stash for a photo earlier today. Pictured: everything, my WIPs, and theirs.

Sock around the (Disney) world

Took a trip to Florida with the family last week. In lines, on boats, on trains, on the monorail, at restaurants, or just sitting down, I worked on a sock. Here it is waiting for the park to open.

Entrelac

Only three tiers into this entrelac project but semi-addicted already. Using Knit Picks Chroma fingering I got for Christmas.

Misnomer

The "short rows" at this point in my Vitamin D are anything but short.

Math!

Sock and I await the beginning of elementary math bowl.

Scraps in situ

The small one and I placed my nine-sided crochet rug in her room today. Used up lots of worsted leftovers and random acrylic/blends from the stash.

Modern Boy

Working on a baby blanket for a friend as my TV knitting. Pattern is loosely the Moderne Baby Blanket patter from the first Mason-Dixon Knitting book. It's becoming my go-to baby blanket gift.

Speaking of books, a very talented member of my family has written one.   Everyone ever should buy two copies.  Less than $6 for the Kindle version, and also available in hardcover.

Tulip Rib Socks

This sock is constructed from the top down with a ribbed cuff and heel flap. A lace pattern grows out of the ribbed cuff and and forms columns of tulips down the leg and foot.  The lace and rib pattern will stretch to fit a variety of sizes.  

Materials

Needles: Set of 5 doublepointed needles, size 1.5 (or size needed to obtain gauge)

Tapestry needle

Yarn: 350 yards sock/fingering weight yarn. Solid or semi-solid yarns will show off the lace pattern.  Recommended yarns: Koigu Knitter's Palette Premium Merino (2 skeins, 350 yards); Collinette Jitterbug (1 skein, 400 yards)

Gauge: 8 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch

Size: Women’s medium

Abbreviations:

K - knit

P - purl

ssk - slip, slip, knit slipped stitches together

K2tog - knit two together

yo - yarn over

* - repeat between * until indicated otherwise

Cuff

Using long tail cast on, cast on 64 stitches. Join to work in the round, taking care not to twist stitches. Tail from cast on will serve as a marker for the beginning of the round. 

Arrange evenly on four double pointed needles (16 stitches each).

Work K2, P2 ribbing for 10 rounds.

Before beginning the leg, knit the first stitch of the round with the fourth needle. Slip the first stitch on each of the other three needles to the previous needle so that there are still 16 stitches on each. First and last stitches on each needle should be a knit stitch.

Leg

Work Tulip Rib pattern 7 times or to desired length of leg, ending with row 8 of the pattern.

Tulip Rib pattern:

Row 1: *K1, P2, yo, ssk, P2, K2, P2, K2tog, yo, P2, K1* four times

Row 2: *K1, P2, K1, yo, ssk, P1, K2, P1, K2tog, yo, K1, P2, K1* four times

Row 3: *K1, P2, K2, yo, ssk, K2, K2tog, yo, K2, P2, K1* four times

Row 4: *K1, P2, K2, P1, yo, ssk, K2tog, yo, P1, K2, P2, K1* four times

Row 5-8: K1, P2, *K2, P2* to last stitch, K1

Heel

Heel flap is worked back and forth on the 32 stitches in the last half of the round. The stitches on the first and second needles form the instep and will rest while the heel is fashioned.

Slip the stitches from the third and fourth needles on to one needle.  Turn the work to begin working the heel on the wrong side. 

Row 1 (WS): Slip 1 purlwise with yarn in front, purl to end of row

Row 2 (RS): *Slip 1 purlwise with yarn in back, K1*, repeat to end of row

Repeat these two rows 15 times. Repeat Row 1 once more.

Heel turn begins on the right side of the work and incorporates short rows to form the three-dimensional heel.

Row 1 (RS): Slip 1, K16, ssk, K1, turn.

Row 2 (WS): Slip 1, P3, P2tog, P1, turn.

Note the gap that is evident between the unworked stitches on the needle and the last worked stitch in the short rows.

Row 3 (RS): Slip 1, K to one stitch before the gap, ssk, K1, turn.

Row 4 (WS): Slip 1, P to one stitch before the gap, p2tog, p1, turn.

Repeat Rows 3 and 4 until all heel stitches have been worked. Knit across all stitches.

Gusset and Foot

Rearrange stitches as follows. Slip half of the heel stitches (Needle 1) to a free needle (Needle 3). Slip instep stitches on to a single needle (Needle 2). Needle 2 now has 32 stitches. 

Beginning with Needle 1, which has half of the heel stitches, pick up 16 stitches along the heel flap. Work across Needle 2 in next row of Tulip Rib pattern. With a free needle, pick up 16 stitches along the heel flap and knit across the remaining heel stitches.

Needle 1 now holds half of the foot stitches, Needle 2 has the instep stitches, and Needle 3 holds the other half of the foot stitches. Beginning of round is at center bottom of foot.

Gusset Row 1: Knit to last three stitches on Needle 1, K2tog, K1. Work across Needle 2 in established Tulip Rib pattern. On Needle 3, K1, ssk, knit to end of round.

Gusset Row 2: Knit Needle 1. Work across Needle 2 in established Tulip Rib pattern. Knit Needle 3 

Repeat these two rows until there are 16 stitches on Needles 1 and 3.  

Work even on Needles 1 and 3, maintaining Tulip Rib pattern on Needle 2, until foot is 1.5 inches shorter than desired length, ending with Row 8 of Tulip Rib Pattern.  (On my sample socks I had 13 repeats of Tulip Rib from cuff to toe)

Toe

Toe Row 1: Knit to last three stitches on Needle 1, K2tog, K1. K1, ssk, knit to last 3 stitches on Needle 2, K2tog, K1. K1, ssk, knit to end of Needle 3.

Toe Row 2: Work even.

Repeat these two rows until there are 28 stitches remaining. Repeat first row until there are 16 stitches remaining. Knit stitches on Needle 1 to bring yarn to side of toe for finishing.

Finishing

Slip stitches from Needle 3 to Needle 1. Use kitchener stitch to join toe stitches together. Break yarn. Weave in ends.

Weekend Vitamin

Making slow progress on my Vitamin D. Almost to the end of the first skein of tosh light. Only one more row to separating for the sleeves.

The pattern calls for knitting the sleeves flat, before the body. I think I will do the body first and come back to do sleeves in the round to avoid seaming them up.

Pictured here is current status, with the fuel for making it and the process improvement homework that is cutting into my knitting time.

Vitamins are Healthy

I'm about to attempt my first fingering weight garment, from the Vitamin D open cardigan pattern. I bought this Tosh Merino Light with Xmas credit to the LYS and just wound it up to start swatching.

Out with the old

Happy new year! My worsted scraps are resolving themselves into this.

Hat Trick

Over the last few days, I've made three hats. Love winter break.

Flat Four Coaster Set

Coasters worthy of holding any of your favorite beverages, such as a Half Cycle IPA from local Indy brewery Flat 12 Bierwerks.  The pattern stitch forms a firm, dense fabric that holds its shape well and lies flat.

Materials:

• Size 3 straight or circular needles or size to obtain gauge
• About two ounces fingering weight yarn such as Koigu KPPM (for a set of 4). Sample shown is worked in madelinetosh tosh sock in the Filigree color. 
• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Note: Yarn is held double throughout. You can pull one end from inside and outside of a center pull ball of yarn, or hold two separate strands together.  

Gauge: 22 stitches per 4 inches in pattern stitch with yarn held double

Pattern:

Holding yarn double and using long tail cast on, cast on 22.

Row 1 (WS): Knit to last stitch, slip 1 as if to purl with yarn in front

Row 2 (RS): Knit 1, *slip 1 as if to purl with yarn in back,  knit 1*, repeat from * to last stitch, slip 1 as if to purl with yarn in front

Repeat rows 1 and 2 nineteen more times for a total of 40 rows, or until piece is just shy of square, ending with row 2. 

Bind off all stitches loosely. Weave in ends.  Make three to four more.

Variations: 

• Stripe by alternating between two colors, changing on the right side and carrying yarn not in use up the side. 
•  Cast on 66 and work as written until piece is 16 inches long to create placemat

Small Tiles

Took a break from mini socks to finish this pair of adult socks. Pattern is Small Tiles from More Sensational Knitted Socks. Need to get them mailed before Christmas.

Peppermint KAL

Clay Purl, a yarn store on Nashville, Indiana, is having a holiday knitalong of my Peppermint Stick socks. Visit their site at http://claypurl.com/ for more information about the shop. There is also a group on Ravelry where the KAL is being discussed. Pattern is available on Ravelry as well.