Justin's Mini Herringbone Scarf

Two Christmases ago, I intended to give my fiancé the fanciest scarf I had ever made: Purl Soho's Men's Mini Herringbone Scarf using Pro Lana Baby Alpaca Yarn in green, his favorite color.  This was the first time I had tried the herringbone stitch, and it ended up being a little too fancy for the time I had allotted myself, and just like that, the Christmas present turned into a Valentine's Day present. 

Now that Valentine's day is coming up again, I took a moment to photograph it, because it really is quite the scarf.

Herringbone stitch is the craziest thing.  You're using larger needles than the yarn calls for, so it seems like the knitting should go quickly, but that isn't the case at all.  Every stitch gets worked twice, and all the crisscrossing makes a shockingly tight, double-thick finished product that is as warm as it is beautiful.

It was totally worth the work.

5 Awesome Warm Weather Knitting Patterns

Now that the weather has warmed up and I'm finally finishing my last cold weather knitting project (more on that in an upcoming post), I've been developing a lot of crushes on warm weather knitting patterns that I can't wait to buy and try.

Move aside chunky wool; I want to be elbow deep in cotton and linen and bamboo asap!

So here's a list of my top 5 picks so far.

1. Agyness Top from Wool and the Gang.

Like most of Wool and the Gang's designs, this pattern comes in a knit kit along with their Shiny Happy Cotton yarn and optional needles. I would absolutely love to whip this up in their "coral crush" color and wear it over a bikini top at the beach this summer.

Color Blocked Infinity Scarf

I haven't been blogging a whole lot lately, but I've been knitting like crazy.

I just keep thinking of more and more knitted accessories I'd love to bring with me to Europe this winter.  Normal things like hats and scarves, but also wintertime skating-related things like a million different legwarmers.

I've got one pair of legwarmers on my needles at the moment, as well as my Antrorse sweater for the Very Shannon Summer Sweater Knit Along, a headband for a birthday present, and I just bound off this color blocked infinity scarf yesterday.

I've never had so many knitting projects going all at once before, and I'll be the first to admit that it's getting out of hand.  But I'm just so excited that fall is finally here!

This particular scarf was a really quick knit on giant needles with thick and cuddly yarn from my stash.  I didn't use a pattern; I just made it up as I went along.

Antrorse sweater knitting update

My Antrorse sweater is suddenly a wearable garment!  And it fits!  I'm so, so, sooooo excited about it.

By "suddenly" I actually mean "painstakingly gradually" given that I've worked on this project every single day for a month.  But that long stretch of time made it all the more shocking when I realized I had finally finished the body this afternoon.

Now that I've tried it on, I can't wait to get going on the sleeves because then it will actually be finished and ready to wear out in the world!

Work in Progress: Antrorse Sweater

It's been a week or so since I started knitting an Antrorse sweater in conjunction with the Very Shannon Summer Sweater Knit Along, so I thought I'd give you guys an update on my progress.

I started with 6 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas worsted cotton yarn and a lot of anxiety.  If I'm honest, I know that I do better with small, quick knits, and I wasn't sure how I'd do with such a big project.  (And I'm actually still wondering...)

Speed knitting, sidebar tweaking, and Instagram hashtagging

This weekend I went to the Denver County Fair and participated in my first-ever knitting contest: speed knitting!

I did not win.

But I fit in!  I've never attempted to knit as fast as I possibly can before, so I honestly didn't know how I would do.

I ended up knitting 1 row less than the winner, who was knitting continental-syle, by the way. Perhaps that's the way to go if a person wanted to become a speed knitting champion?

It was really fun to participate and to push myself out of my comfort zone, but I'm also happy to go back to knitting at my normal pace.  I don't really see myself getting into "training" for this the way I do with skating.  You never know, though, I may change my tune when next year's fair begins to loom on the horizon.

A knitting list

While I had a rough go of it with my last sewing project, my current knitting projects are coming along swimmingly.

Here's a list of knitting-related things that are making me happy right now:

1.  My skating partner and I just found out we'll be doing an 8 month tour in Europe starting in October.  Upon hearing the news, I immediately started daydreaming about all the fun things I could knit for the cold weather over there!  I'm starting with a pair of legwarmers for rehearsals in Holland, which is what I'm holding in the picture above.  I'm not using a pattern; I'm just making them up as I go along and I'm loving what's coming off my needles so far.

Sinkmates Pattern Review

If you only buy one dishcloth knitting pattern in your lifetime, make it Sinkmates by Lorilee Beltman.

The pattern is well written and easy to follow.  Plus the finished dishcloths are as cute as they are useful.

The best part, though, is that Lorilee is using this pattern to raise money for charity.  She's donating all of the money that she makes from this pattern to the Special Olympics.

As of July 18th, Lorilee had already managed to raise $2,800!

4 Small Things

Thanks for sticking by me while I took a bit of time away from the blog.  Words have been evading me for the past week or so.

This weekend I focused on a few small things that make me smile.  This is what they were:

1. (Another) new knitting project.  There will be a full post about it soon.

Knitting WIP: Saco Stripes

I'm going on vacation tomorrow!  In Hawaii!  Yay!

Rather than doing laundry and packing, I went to Fancy Tiger Crafts and picked out some shockingly soft bamboo yarn and a cute tank top pattern to knit on the airplane.  The pattern is the Saco Stripes tank top by Pam Allen.  Doesn't it look fabulous?

Image via Pam Allen on Ravelry

This project will be a collection of firsts for me.  It'll be the first time I've worked with bamboo yarn, the first time I've used a Pam Allen pattern (even though I've been eyeing her collection for ages), and the first time I've knitted a tank top.

It's a little bit scary any time that many firsts get together.

My biggest concern is the sizing.  I'm a really small person.  Like really small.  It's great for pair skating, but not so great for fitting into women's sizes (as opposed to kids sizes, which fit great). Keeping that in mind, my plan is to begin knitting the smallest size the pattern offers, try it on, then rip it out and adjust it accordingly.  Maybe it'll fit fine and I won't have to do that, but I'm not getting my hopes up just yet.

I love how soft my yarn is, though, and the pattern doesn't look overly complicated, so I'm thinking it'll all turn out beautifully in the end.

Jersey Knitting Brainstorm

In my head, I had a grand plan to knit a cute summer tank top out of the jersey yarn I made last week.  I did a little swatching today, though, and I realized that this yarn wasn't made for tank top knitting.

I tested out my yarn in stockinette stitch on US size 9 needles, and the resulting swatch was thick and sturdy, not light and breezy like a tank top should be.

At first I was slightly bummed out because I had been looking forward to making that tank top, but then I realized that this yarn is presenting me with the opportunity to make a completely different kind of knitting project than I normally make.  I can use this yarn to make something that's durable and washable and ready to be used thoroughly rather than delicately (like most of my other knits).  And now I'm excited about it again!

DIY Jersey Yarn

I love browsing the Wool and the Gang website.  Have you ever been to it?  They make knitting look so cool.

Anyway, they sell a jersey yarn that's made out of fabric roll cut-offs from fashion factories in Turkey.  It's a great concept because those cut-offs normally end up in the trash, so this yarn that they're selling is helping to reduce waste.  If you're in the market to purchase some yarn for a summer knitting project, I really think this is the way to go.

If you'd rather make your own, read on my friend...

Last week, I stumbled across a big square of pink(ish) jersey fabric in the sale area at Colorado Fabrics that I just knew would make an awesome ball of yarn and hopefully end up as a knitted tank top.

It was roughly 1.5 x 1.5 yards and it cost me less than $2, which is a total steal for yarn.

The Perfect Boyfriend Birthday Present

I successfully completed my boyfriend's Colorado Avalanche hockey team hat in time for his birthday (phew) and it was a total success!

The two most important criteria for a knitted gift were fulfilled:
1.  It fit.
2.  He really liked it!

Here are a few pictures of it in all its navy blue, burgundy, and white glory:

As usual, I made up my own pattern for this hat.

When doing so, I leaned a bit on the Precip pattern because I wanted this Avalanche hat to (at least vaguely) remind the viewer of snowy avalanches.  See it?  Maybe a little bit?

Anyway, Justin seemed really pleased with it, and I ended up learning a valuable life lesson:
Boys love receiving gifts in their favorite sports team's colors.

I'll be keeping that knowledge in my back pocket for further holiday use, and I'll also be writing up a pattern for this little guy sometime soon.

xoxo
Laura

Works in Progress

I usually only work on one knitting project at a time, and I almost never start a project and don't finish it, but apparently I'm in the mood to change my "usual" behavior.

It started when I accidentally dropped everything (including the knitting project I had just started) and read all seven Harry Potter books consecutively.  I didn't plan on doing it; it just sort of happened.  And then, when I finished the reading frenzy, I still didn't hop back on the knitting wagon.  I spent a lot of time thinking about things I don't normally spend time thinking about.  (For example, why did I spend hours designing a new iPad app in my head?)  All in all, it's been a weird couple of months.

Anyway, I started knitting the braided headband pictured below a very long time ago, and it will probably only take me an hour to finish the whole thing if I ever get around to doing it.

But when I picked up some needles again this week, it wasn't to finish that headband.  It was to make my boyfriend a really cool birthday present!

OK, to be honest, maybe I'll end up thinking it's more cool than he thinks it is, but I really hope he likes it.  It's made out of the Colorado Avalanche's team colors, after all, and he loves that team.  There is the minor hiccup that they are teetering on the edge of being kicked out of the playoffs just before the birthday, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I'll be posting pictures of the finished hat soon!

And maybe I'll finish the braided headband after that?  We'll see...

Do you have any half-finished knitting projects lying around your house these days?

xoxo
Laura

Link to Love: Penguin Sweaters

This week got away from me (as far as blogging was concerned).  My mom and her mom were visiting me onboard the ship all week, which was great.  Unfortunately, they're flying home today and we're all heading back to reality.

Luckily, I found the cutest thing ever on the internet just now...

Image via ABC Melbourne

Baby penguins in sweaters!

It turns out that the Penguin Foundation is asking for sweater donations for poor little penguins who got caught in oil spills.  The sweaters don't just keep them warm; they also stop the birds from trying to clean off the oil using their beaks.

For more info, check out the full ABC Melbourne article about it, and The Penguin Foundation's website.

The Penguin Foundation even includes a free penguin sweater pattern on their website.

I'm totally going to make one.  What about you?

xoxo
Laura

A Little Precip News

Guess what!  The Precip Hat knitting pattern is now available as a Ravelry download.

This means you can simply click the button below if you'd like to purchase it:



Yay!

In other news, I was messing around with my needles the other night and started knitting a headband inspired by hair braiding.  I didn't expect it to turn into anything, but now I want to make one for everyone I know!

There will be more on that headband in upcoming posts...

What knitting projects are you working on these days?

xoxo
Laura

Precip Hat Knitting Pattern

Today I'm really excited to finally tell you about a project that I've been working on behind the scenes for quite a while...

It's my first-ever dowloadable PDF pattern: The Precip Hat!

My goal was to make a cozy hat that was cheerful enough to fight the late winter blues (so a pom pom was obviously essential) and that could carry over into an early spring wardrobe as well.

When I was first drawing up the pattern, I intended the speckled stitches to look like fluttering snowflakes.  Then I knitted the hat with Blue Sky Worsted Hand Dyes Yarn in the lovely Dungaree color and I suddenly saw raindrops.

So that's where the name comes from; Precip as in precipitation.  In the two versions of the hat pictured above, I see snowflakes for winter and raindrops for spring!

To make this hat, you'll need the following materials:
- 1 skein Blue Sky Worsted Hand Dyes Yarn (100 yards).  I used the Putty color in the hat pictured above.
- Less than 1 skein (about 5 yards) Blue Sky Worsted Hand Dyes Yarn in a complimentary color.  I used the Dungaree color in the hat pictured above.

- 16 inch circular needle, US size 5
- 16 inch circular needle US size 7
- Set of five US size 7 double pointed needles

- 1 stitch marker
- Pom pom maker
- Scissors
- Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Gauge:
Using US size 7 needles, 4 stitches equal 1 inch.

Finished Hat Measurements:
20 inches in circumference
8 inches deep

There is a little bit of stranded/Fair Isle knitting involved in this pattern.  Hopefully it's just enough to keep it interesting but not enough to be overwhelming.

For that reason, this pattern is intended for knitters with advanced beginner skills or higher.  A basic understanding of stranded knitting is needed, but other than that you only need to know how to knit, purl, and knit two stitches together.

If you need a refresher on stranded knitting, I highly recommend reading chapter 3 of Stitch 'n Bitch Superstar Knitting: Go Beyond the Basics by Debbie Stoller.

The Precip Hat knitting pattern costs $6.00 and it comes as a PDF download that you can purchase on Ravelry right here.  Or, if you're a member of Kollabora, you can also click here to buy it.

Happy knitting!
xoxo
Laura

A Taste of Tomorrow

I hope you're having a lovely weekend.

I'm just putting the finishing touches on a new knitting pattern that will be making its debut on the blog tomorrow.

I seriously can't wait to share this one with you guys!

Stay tuned...

xoxo

Laura

Link to Love: Knit.fm Podcast

Images via knit.fm

I recently discovered knit.fm and I'm loving it.  It's a podcast by Pam Allen (whose lovely designs are available through Quince & Co) and Hannah Fettig (author of Knitbot) that's all about knitting.

I started with Episode 5: Yarn, and I learned things that I didn't know I didn't know.

For example, I prefer to knit with the softest yarn I can find, so if I'm going for natural fibers I usually gravitate toward baby alpaca.  What I didn't know is that 100% alpaca has a tendency to stretch out and droop over time.  That's why it's often blended with wool.  The wool provides a nice shape-holding elasticity while the alpaca provides the softness.  Pretty cool.

I'm looking forward to popping on my headphones tonight and listening to more knitting talk while I do a little knitting myself...

Happy listening!
xoxo
Laura

Link to Love: Sheepish Heart Bomb

Looking for a little knitting project to get you in the mood for Valentine's Day?

Why not join in on the One Sheepish Girl 2nd Annual Heart Bomb?

Image via One Sheepish Girl

The basic idea is to get people all over the world to make a heart, attach a nice note to it, and leave it somewhere in public.  Hopefully you'll be putting a smile on the face of whoever finds it.  The more people who participate in the yarn bomb, the more smiles will be created.  Head on over to One Sheepish Girl to see the details.

I participated in the heart bomb last year by making some hanging hearts and leaving them on my friends' doors on our ship.  This year I'm thinking of leaving some hearts outside the ship in either St. Thomas or St. Maarten.

I'll post some pictures when I've completed the project.

Happy heart knitting!
xoxo
Laura