Reversible Cables Neck Warmer/Scarf

I bought some lovely golden-orange yarn. I made a 10,000 Blessings Scarf with two skeins. Wanted something in reversible cables for the other two skeins, so I experimented. Then, when I finished one skein, it was a nice length for a short neck warmer, so I stopped. I’m thinking something with yarn-overs for the fourth skein…

Reversible Cables Neck Warmer/Scarf

a gift to you, from me, on my birthday

One skein of yarn makes an approximately 33” scarf (photo); two skeins should make about 65”.

Materials: Silky Wool by Elsebeth Lavold ; Colorway:  74 Orange (DK / 8 ply; 45% Wool, 35% Silk, 20% Nylon)

Needle: US 5 – 3.75 mm

The cables in this scarf are worked over four stitches.

C4F: Slip the first two stitches onto a cable needle; hold to the front. Knit next two stitches, then knit the two stitches off the cable needle.

Cast on 40 stitches. On every row, slip the first stitch as if to knit.

Ribbing: K4, P4 across for 10 rows.

Cable Pattern:
Next 2 rows: C4F, P4 across.
K4, P4 across for 6 rows.

Continue cable pattern to desired length.
K4, P4 across for 4 additional rows.
Bind off.

a different kind of waiting game

The first workday of the month always goes by quickly, generally due to spending most of my morning preparing a monthly report. Today was no exception. Additionally, I began a different kind of waiting game.

For nearly a year, I’ve been playing the wait-for-appealing-job-announcement-for-which-I’m-qualified, wait-for-phone-call-and-or-interview, wait-for-thanks-no-thanks-letters-if-I’m-lucky-to-hear-anything-at-all, rinse-and-repeat games. Now it’s the pending-approval waiting game.

Along the way today were nice and not-so-nice surprises : learning a co-worker is getting married ; comraderie-building with future — knock-on-wood — boss ; eating left-over Halloween cake ; changing my Tibetan photos calendar to a new page ; not freezing at work ; learning son had a work-related accident. You can decide which was which.

The Luxor capelet is almost finished. I completed the end ties while watching DVR’d Criminal Minds episodes tonight. Then, because I have so much left-over yarn, I frogged the bind-off and will continue knitting the body of the capelet until I run out. I’m like that : hate bits of leftover yarn of which there’s not enough with which to do anything else. It’s like hot dogs and buns … I like things to come out even.

Photos when the ends are woven.

[Brownie points if you can spot the tell-tale signs of a cataloger in the above paragraphs.]

NaBloPoMo

Once again, I will try to successfully complete NaBloPoMo…

Today is, of course, also All Saints Day, a day my mother loved… based on the idea that all the righteous were honored on this day.

And it is the Día de los Inocentes — or Día de los Angelitos — the first day of the Día de los Muertos. I hope someday I can be in Mexico for this celebration.

This year I’ve spent the day with the younger generation of my family, celebrating a little of my own private joy, and knitting a beautiful capelet with Lana Grossa Luxor, a yarn I purchases last January (or maybe December).

And now to sleep ( … perchance to dream). I wish good, restful sleep to all those dear to me who are struggling for the same.

“Knit” it your way

Saw ths today and just had to share:

The Hamburger Dress by Joy Kampia

Topped off, of course with:

The Sundae Dress

(Yes, I know they are crocheted.)

Rib, felt, wool or cotton?

So…

I have this new drink bottle —

— and I want to knit a bottle cozie.

I’m thinking some kind of ribbing, so it hugs at the narrow part and fits around the wide parts. This idea eliminates making a felted cozie (I have a couple of cute patterns for those).

Perhaps an undulating ribbing…

The thing is, I want it to be absorbent, too.  Wool, then, or cotton??

Any ideas appreciated.

Future of Knit Mags

I am perhaps slow to become aware of the availability of digital subscriptions to the knitting magazines, but I think I am happy about it.

Usually, I browse the current issues of knitting magazines at my local bookstore, then select which ones to purchase. Subscriptions are certainly less expensive per issue than buying off the newstand, but we all know not every issue of every magazine is a “keeper.”

So, recently I noticed that Creative Knitting (you can get a sample digital issue at that link) and Verena US edition are available as digital subscriptions at a lower price than the print subscriptions. I will be placing my orders shortly.

I see some real benefits to this option. First, issues should be immediately available; no waiting for or loss in the mail.  Second, while I like to look at magazines (and read books) in hand, when I want to knit a pattern, I like to have the instructions handy on my computer or PDA.  Third, storage (and weight). How many of us sacrifice our magazine stash for space.  And space brings me to another advantage — at least, I hope it will be an element of the digital issues — and that is organization. Being able to find that particular pattern which you cannot remember the cutsie title of the article, or the issue the magazine, just the color, or type, or technique, or yarn!

Primarily, though, I wonder if — and hope that — this option may enable the publications to continue to exist.  We’ve all heard the falling circulation for newspapers, and with the hundred and hundreds (at least it seems that way) of magazines now being published, can they be far behind?

Off to check which other magazines are offering digital subscriptions . . .

Dem’s da breaks

Not a good way to head off to a job interview:

Although I don’t wear it often, this is was one of my favorite “special” beads. While trying to put it on a spiral beaded neckchain this morning, it slipped, bounced and shattered in my bathroom sink.

Somewhere I have a photo of how it used to look; I’ll try to find it later.

Oh. The interview. Well, who really knows until they call. Or don’t.

(I’m not as blue as I probably sound, so no worries, friends.)

Diamond Ribbed Hand/Wrist Warmers

— this is now my FIRST pattern available on Ravelry ! ! — 

Early this week, a co-worker showed me she had made these. On Thanksgiving Eve, I grabbed a skein of Patons SWS (Natural Demin) and made a pair.

My gauge with the recommended needle was only 5/inch instead of 5.5/inch, so they were a bit bigger. I like them okay, but want to do them over in smaller needle size.

In the meantime, I had an idea about diagonal ribbing, but the stitch patterns I found for “diagonal rib” were not true ribs. I determined that I would use increase/decreases to get the shape I wanted.

On the first attempt, I increased (then decreased for the second half) only at the end of every row, after casting on only 2 stitches. The result is an elongated diamond shape. It makes a nice little wrist-warmer, with a pointed overlap on the underside. The top of the hand is well-covered, and there is less bulk under the wrist.

The second attempt, increasing (decreasing) at the beginning and end of each row makes a nicely squared piece. I worked even for a few rows at the middle to have a wider area over the pulse point.  The finished “hand-topper” can be worn three ways: folded with points toward fingers, folded with points toward elbow, or not folded at all.

I love the thick fabic of the K1P1 ribbing that this method provides. Only problen ow is that I have one each of three wrist-warmers and need another skein of yarn!
Patterns follow.

Diamond Ribbed Wrist-Warmers

(These are fast to knit: about wo hours for a pair.)

Patons SWS, Natural Demin

US Size 6 needles

Cast on two stitches.

·         Slip 1^st stitch on needle as if to purl; bring working yarn from front to back between slipped stitch and remaining stitch.  K1, P1 in the remaining stitch. Turn.

·         Slip 1^st stitch as if to purl on every row.

·         Continue in K1P2 ribbing across every row.

·         Increase IN PATTERN* in last stitch of every row until there are 31 stitches (or until half the desired length, i.e., half-way around wrist including 1 ½ -inch overlap for closure).

·        Make one even row, then begin decreasing at end of each row until two stitches remain; cast-off.

*IN PATTERN INCREASE:   If last stitch is a knit stitch, K1P1 for increase.

If last stitch is a purl stitch, P1K1 for increase.

©2008 Cynthia S. Wetzel

 

Diamond Ribbed Hand-toppers / Cuff-warmers 

(Probably about 3-4 hours a pair.)

Patons SWS, Natural Demin

US Size 6 needles

Ribbing Gauge: 6 rows, 4 knit stitches = 1 inch

Cast on three stitches.

·         K1P1 in 1^st stitch, K1, P1K1 in last stitch.

·         Continue to increase in 1^st and last stitch of each row, in K1P1 pattern throughout row, until wide enough to reach around wrist.*

·         K1P1 even for 9 rows.

·         Now begin decreasing at beginning (K2tog or P2tog) and end (SSK or P2tog) of each row until three stitches remain; cast-off.

·         Seam together along the 9 even rows.

*Measure wrist; calculate number of stitches to gauge for widest row (model was 51 stitches).

©2008 Cynthia S. Wetzel

ROAK/PIF

I guess PIF (pay it forward) is not as recognizable an acronym as RAOK (random acts of kindness), but both occurred to me yesterday.

Sitting in a line of traffic at a signal light on my way home from work, movement in my side-view mirror caught my eye. The gentleman behind me was getting out of his car. As he walked forward toward my car, I also saw why: the door to my gas tank was open. I rolled down my window to thank him, and realized he was replacing the gas cap as well!!

What an encouraging event in these trying days. Oh, and he had out-of-state plates on his car!

As I drove home, I recalled the very first “accident” I had as a new driver. I had exited the highway on my way home from college, and was sitting at the stop sign at the end of the exit ramp, behind only one car waiting for traffic to allow us to turn left. I saw the car in front of my move forward, and thought it made the turn, but ran into it because it did not.

I was horrified and scared to death. I don’t remember what kind, or whether there was any damage. What I remember is that the grandfatherly gentleman let it go.

There must have been some kind of damage to my vehicle though, because I had to tell my father. All was well, though, and he related that his father, my grandfather had been rear-ended in a similar manner by a young girl once. And he had not reported the accident, but allowed her to go her way without getting into trouble….

ROAK & PIF

I will look out for my chances to “pay forward” the stranger’s kindness from yesterday.

OT: Happy Dance

Pardon another post with non-stitching content.

Since I finally found a countdown code to fit my sidebars here, today seemed a good day to put up the countdown to commencement… because I received notice from the Graduate Studies office that my application is processed and everything in order for this point in time. All that’s left are my comprehensive exam and the last six hours of my coursework! Definitely a needed smile for the day.