Ravelry

I have made a bunch of beer cozies for other people and finally took the time to make one for myself. This pattern is great in that is uses just the right amount of leftover sock yarn to clear out my stash after knitting a pair of socks. I used the scrap yarn from a pair of socks that I knit my mom (project coming soon!)

I used the same free pattern that I followed for this cozy (using leftover yarn from these socks.) 

Ravelry

I tried sock knitting for the first time last year with these socks for Carter. I made another pair in the spring and this fall I did yet another pair. While most of the knitting for a sock is straight-forward, I always feel pretty accomplished when it comes to undertaking the heel of the sock. I knit these up using Paton's Kroy sock yarn in Spring Leaf Stripes. I ended up getting some more of this yarn in black for the heel and toe. I'm glad that I did because I like the contrast of the solid toe and heel to the rest of the striped sock. 

I got the yarn last summer on clearance from Joann's for a few bucks each. I wasn't super happy with the outcome of these socks...hence finishing them in December but not snapping a picture of them until May. It's not a pattern that I plan to revisit. 

The pattern was very simple and repetitive...almost entirely stockinette. I chose it because I wanted the stripes to really stand out but I decided that I prefer a bit more going on in a sock pattern for two reasons. 1) It's a little more fun to knit that way and 2) I think that patterns can add a better fit. I did modify the heel but otherwise I left the pattern the same. I'm just happy that I was able to use up some yarn and knock a pattern off my queue. 

Pattern: Free Self-Striping Knit Socks by Red Heart Design Team

Yarn: Paton's Kroy sock yarn, 2 skeins in Spring Leaf Stripes, 1 skein black 

Needle: US 2 DPNs

Ravelry
Kollabora

Carter asked me to knit him a pouch to hold his bluetooth speaker on Christmas Eve. I knit this up in January and give him it for Valentine's Day. I was extremely impressed with myself for knitting this, weaving in the ends, and sewing on a button in less than a month after Carter asked for it. In reality, I finished the case over just a few hours one weekend. I am sharing it with you now, almost a month after making it because I wanted to get pictures of it with the speaker inside it and had to wait until Valentine's Day to do so

I was originally going to make a pattern up myself until I found this a free project on Ravelry that was a Yugioh card holder. I just modified it slightly to meet the dimensions of Carter's speaker. I was able to find the width, length, and height of the speaker really easily on Amazon. The speaker is awesome by the way!

Materials:

This is project was made entirely with recycled materials! A free project!

Worsted weight yarn - mine was recycled from a sweater

Button - from my button jar.

Needles: US 5 DPNs

Time Requirements: 2-4 hours while watching movies and drinking wine with the roomie.

Free Pattern by Samiha Qureshi

Ravelry
Kollabora

Yesterday, I blogged about this ribbed beer cozy that I made for Carter. Today I am going to share a second cozy that I made for him. It is another free pattern but this one uses sock weight yarn instead of worsted so it takes a little more time to make but the results are equally satisfying. I knit this one up while watching the Bengals vs. Steelers playoff game.  

I think I like this one slightly more than the other one because I really like how I lined up the self-striping sock yarn. I knit in a 2x2 rib for 1 inch at the top in black, then switched to the self-striping yarn for the body, and switched back to the black yarn for the base. I used up almost all of the self-striping yarn that I had leftover from some socks that I knit this past fall. 

Carter said he likes this cozy more than what I shared yesterday because it's more fitted to the bottle. However this is a thinner yarn so it is possibly less insulated?

Yarn requirements: Sock weight scraps

Needles: US 2 DPNs or 9" circular

Time requirement: 2 hours

Free pattern by Jessica Landers

Ravelry
Kollabora

As a last a last minute addition to Carter's Christmas gifts, I decided to knit him a ribbed beer cozy. It was a super simple project and helped me use up two little balls of stash yarn! Yay! 

I liked making him this because A) I used up yarn,  B) it was free,  C) I got to give him a homemade gift, and  D) he said he wanted one of these right after I started the project! 

I ran out of the red on the bottom so the base is gray yarn!

Yarn requirements: worsted weight scraps

Needles: US 6 DPNs

Time: 1-2 hours

Free Pattern by Siouxsie Stitches

Ravelry
Kollabora

I have always wanted to make Christmas gifts for my family but I had avoided it because I wasn't sure what they would think about it. I know that Carter loves hand knit things but I was nervous about how my family would react to handmade gifts. In late November, my sister asked me if I would knit her a hat. She showed me a color she wanted and I went in search of a hat pattern. I found the Bray Cap hat pattern by Brooklyn Tweed and ran it by my sister before casting on. 

About the pattern, it was only the second knitting pattern that I have actually purchased. Everything I have made besides this pattern and one other have been free. It was $7.00 which I guess it a little high price-wise but in the same ballpark range of a sewing pattern. I didn't mind buying the pattern because it was supporting people like me who like to knit but have gone a step further and made a career out of knitting. I also didn't mind dishing out some money for it because it was so pretty and having a pattern from a group like Brooklyn Tweed meant I would be using something easy to follow and well designed. I had zero stress when knitting this because their pattern was so straightforward. I even learned a few new techniques with the case on! 

I plan on making this hat again but for myself so I would highly recommend this pattern to anyone looking for a hat to make!

Pattern: Bray Cap by Brooklyn Tweed ($7.00 USD)

Yarn: Cascade 220 in Doeskin Heather

Needles: US 4, 5, and 8 DPNs

Modifications:

I knit the ribbed brim for 2.25" instead of 2.75". After finishing the hat, I decided that it was too slouchy. I asked my sister since she would be the one who was wearing it and she agreed so I ripped out about half the hat and omitted the third repetition of rows 6-13 in the pattern. This made the hat the perfect length.

Ravelry

A couple of summers ago, I went to a fiber festival and got to see some seriously gorgeous handspun yarn from local vendors around my hometown. I left the festival totally inspired and with a lot of little scraps of handspun alpaca yarns scraps. I got them from the nicest lady and I nearly cleared out her colorful lot of little bundles. Fast-forward a year and a half and here I am. I hadn't touched ANY of the little scrap skeins I got because I knew I didn't want to use them for just anything plus some of them have so little that I needed to pick a project wisely that I could finish it with what little of each color I have. Then I was going through my Ravelry queue and saw a coffee cozy pattern 

I wanted to make mine a little more lively than the original pattern and started looking through my yarn stash. When I came across my little mini alpaca skeins, I decided to knit the cozy in a simple stripe pattern using four different colors. I did the ribbing in recycled lambswool. 

Like the knitted gift card pouches, this is a great, quick project that you can finish in an hour or so. I knit mine while rewatching Star Wars with Carter.

Inside out looks good too!

The original pattern doesn't save it's reversible but I think it looks great on either side!

What you'll need:

US 6 DPNs

Worsted weight yarn scraps in 5 colors.

Tapestry needle

Scissors

I modified the original free pattern by Andrea Piernock slightly by adding a few extra rows.

Pattern*:

Cast on 46 stitches

Being careful not to twist, join in the round.

(K1, P1) for 4 rounds with Color A

1. Knit one round with Color B
2. Knit one round with Color C
3. Knit until 3 stitches left, K2tog, Knit 1 with color D
4. Knit 1, SSK, Knit to end with Color E
5. Knit one round with Color A
6. Knit one round with Color B.

Repeat Rounds 2-6 four more times (36 stitches left on needles)

Knit one round with Color D

Knit one round with Color E

Knit one round with Color A

(K1, P1) for 4 rounds with Color A

Bind off

Weave in ends and enjoy!

*For my pattern:

     Color A = Gray

     Color B = Yellow

     Color C = Dark Blue

     Color D = Light Blue

     Color E = Purple

Knit Gift Pouches

It's probably fairly obvious that I like knitting and the main reason that I sometimes blog here is to share my little DIY projects with you. If you know me personally, then you probably know that I am absolutely terrible at starting crafts and completing them before I start something else. I like working on things here or there but I am bad at finishing them. I've been trying to get better. Another thing you probably know if you've ever seen my craft area is that I have a lot of yarn. A lot. I blame thrifting and recycling sweaters. It happens a lot. I've also grabbed my fair share of thrifted balls of yarn. Often times no labeled so I have no idea what it is. I've gotten better at not buying this yarn because knowing the brand and components of the fiber is something I've taken to caring about more recently. I'm rambling now so I will get to the point.

Knit Gift Pouch

These little gift card pouches. A quick project using tiny amounts of various yarns in worsted weights. I like these because I can make them so fast, I don't have time to set them aside for a different project. Plus they are only holding gift cards so I don't need to know much about the yarn fiber. I don't have to worry about how they'd hold up in a washer because I don't think many people will be washing them. I know that these are going to hold up better than a cardboard gift card box too. I can give a gift card away in these and rest assured that it will probably be passed around next year to a new owner with a new loaded gift card. A gift that keeps on giving. :)

So like I said, these are a quick little project. You can use tiny bits of scrap yarn and a spare button and then pass along to family and friends (though they will probably prefer the gift card inside it.) These are a great last minute gift packing idea.

What you'll need:

Free Gift Card-igans Pattern by Julie Tarsha

Yarn used: scraps

Needles used: US 6

Button of your choice

tapestry needle, cable needle, scissors

My Hat

So...I started knitting this hat in May and then I finished it in October and now I am sharing it with you now in December. It wasn't that I didn't like this hat, it just seemed to be never ending. Maybe that's because I knit a row here or there and didn't really force myself to get it finished in a timely manner. Knitting in the summer for a winter object in a too small for you size really gives a girl zero motivation to get anything done.

About the pattern, this was Purl Soho's free Traveling Cables hat and it was lovely. The pattern was really straight-forward and easy to follow. I liked how the pattern had the cable pattern written out too instead of having to follow a chart. Plus they included some good pictures on how to do the cables which would be helpful if this was your first cable project.

I used Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Azul Buscando. I love this yarn. It's so soft and easy to knit with. Easily one of my favorite yarns.

It's been unseasonably warm here in Indiana but if you're looking for a cabled hat to try, you could give this a go. Plus if it's been warmer than usual where you're at, maybe this will be done by next winter if you finish projects as slowly as I do! :)

Gnome, Santa, Gnome

I've been a sucker for gnomes since I was 13 years old...almost ten years. Yikes! When I found a free gnome knitting pattern, I decided that I wanted to knit a few up using some of my scrap yarn. In case you were wondering, I have a lot of scrap yarn. Double yikes!

Anyways, I knit the two gnomes up over the summer. I was adding the finishing touches to one of them yesterday and decided to knit another with a red hat and red body to make him look like Santa. I guess you could say that these gnomes could double as elves too. It is almost Christmas after all! 

I modified this free pattern, Travelling Gnome, by using double pointed needles instead of straight needles. By doing this, I avoided having to knit up seams. I simply knit every purl row instead of purling it for the BODY portion. For the beard and bottom, I followed the posted directions.

I used 100% recycled yarn for this project too. Here's my tutorial on how to recycle yarn from old sweaters.

These were really quick, stash busting projects that would make a great little toy or stocking stuffer!

I posted way back in January about my 2015 knitting ambitions. I am falling behind. Miserably. It's been a crazy semester between classes, student organization board involvement and volunteering. I am still hoping that I can meet my goal and do some serious knitting this summer when I can take a FOUR month break from my studies. Whoop-whoop! Anyways, I did manage to get one of the 15 knitting ambitions crossed off my list. I made a pair of socks (and used up some yarn in the process.) Sidenote: there are few things in life that give me greater satisfaction then using something up all the way... pens, chapstick, lotion, yarn, you name it. 

Ah these socks. I am not a huge fan of the color but I already had this yarn on hand. I tell myself that when I use up my stashed yarn then I can buy myself some fun colors or patterning sock yarn but until then I will use what I've got.

I started these in January and made it to the heel of the first one when I realized it was going to be way too small for my foot. I decided I could A) finish making them and give them to someone with small feet or try to sell them or B) unravel and try with a larger needle. I ended up going with B. I switched to a larger needle and they fit! With school I can't devote a lot of time to knitting but I managed to get a few rows in here or there. 

Overall, this was a really easy, straight forward project. I was able to follow it completely without having to reference YouTube. I think they turned out pretty well for them only being the second pair of socks that I have knit! And it was a free pattern which is always a plus!

Now on to my next project and hoping that I can finish it a little faster!

Sock Details:

Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Sock Yarn in Basalt Heather (I used just over 1 skein)

Needle Size: US 2 DPNs

Ravelry Link

Kollabora Link

Pattern Link

(Sadly I broke my Blog twice a month New Year's Ambition in April. :( I had this post all set up but between final projects, studying, final exams, packing up my apartment, cleaning my apartment, and moving home, time got the best of me. Here's to hoping that I can stick to the 2x a month for the rest of the year!)

My Project Details
Pattern on Ravelry 
Kollabora

I knit the body of this hat way back in the fall....probably Octoberish. Then I made the pompom for this hat in December and put it on the hat. Now I am sharing the project with you....I can't tell you how many compliments I have got on this hat already....I've been wearing it a lot. 

It's warm and soft and super cute. Who said you have to sacrifice style to stay warm? Another huge perk is that the project instructions are very clear and easy to follow plus the chunky yarn means you can knit one in a night! That's a win. I used yarn that I had on hand (win for not buying more!)

What you need:

1 skein chunky yarn (I used

US 15 circular or DPNs

Pompom maker 

Instructions:
See pattern on Ravelry for more details.

Ravelry
Kollabora

I don't think I will even quite understand the love of socks that my man has. Seriously. He wrote me a letter in October saying, "If all I got were socks for Christmas I would be so happy." That's a direct quote. Since he likes homemade gifts, making him a pair of socks seemed like the obvious option. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy these were. I was even happier to have them finished before Christmas.

I found the pattern on Ravelry and decided it was the one to try. It was free, it had been rated as easy by others, it was a design for men, and I liked the design. I used the yarn that the project called for and knit these up in a size medium. I used a little of 1 ball in the main color (Orca) and almost the entire ball of the toe/heel/stripe color (Tahitian Pearl.) 

I omitted some changes to the original design while working on these socks. I decided to skip the square block because I thought it was a little random. After reviewing the directions for the heel I was a little confused so I decided to use the Sweet Tomato Heel by Cat Bordhi. Her YouTube video was very easy to follow and I can officially say that I have made a heel which is just short rows! 

Sometimes I think that I underestimate my skills as a knitter. While I still have so much more to learn, I feel like I am doing a really good job as a self taught knitter. I used a Klutz book to learn and now I turn to YouTube for any additional help. Here's to trying new things! Hoping I can expand my knitting even more in 2015!

If you are new to knitting and looking to try out cables, this is a great beginner project. I made three last year: one for myself and two for Christmas gifts. With the cold weather setting in, I just made this one for my friend. 

Again this is an easy project. Taking only an hour or so. One ball of the yarn I used, yields two of these with yarn to spare. So cast on and make some of these for Christmas gifts for your friends and family. 

Supplies:

Yarn- I used Bernat Roving in the color Putty 

US 13 needles

Cable needle

Needle for weaving in ends.

How to

Cast on 17 stitches

1. P1, K15, P1

2. K1, P15, K1

3. P1, K3, *C3F, K3 K3FC, repeat from *, P1

4. K1, P15, K1

5. P1, K15, P1

6. K1, P15, K1

7. P1, *C3B, K3, K3FC, repeat from *, K3, P1

8. K1, P15, K1

Repeat rows 1-8 for 8 more times until long enough. Sew two ends together and weave in ends.

See my Original Post

Ravelry

Source

Check me out on Ravelry

I ordered the yarn for this project last winter. I had never ordered yarn online but I decided I wanted to invest in some higher quality, nicer yarn. So I did. I hadn't touched the yarn until Christmas break when I found this pattern and the yarn matched the pattern gauge.

Lately I have been getting more adventurous in my knitting. I learned how to two color knit or fair isle for this hat and used double pointed needles as well! They were both much easier than I had anticipated-just like cable knitting! I am really excited to keep continue adding new techniques to my knitting repertoire.

Yarn used:

Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Emerald, Molly, and Tiger Lily.

(I got these from another site.)

Close Up

I had made a pompom for the hat but it wasn't as big as I had hoped for and did not want to waste anymore of the emerald yarn for another one. I really like it sans pom too!

With all the polar vortex chills and blistering winds, this hat has really came in handy. I also took it up to Michigan for a ski trip. Super warm and soft!

Switched to DPN at decrease round 

I took apart a thrifted sweater using the method I showed you how to do in this post: Making Yarn Sorta for this hat. I used this pattern from Wool and the Gang!

You will also need needles that will meet the pattern's gauge of 6 stitches per inch. This is IMPORTANT! My gauge matched but I think I was supposed to use two strands of the yarn because I ended up with an infant sized hat.

I was excited for this to match my cowl and boot cuffs so I may have to knit another one in the correct gauge to wear around. This was my first try at knitting a hat though so I was pleasantly happy with how easy it was to make. It would have been nice for it to fit on my head but I know a couple of babies whose moms may want a hand knit hat! :)

See my project on Ravelry!

Because my first adventure in cable knitting was such a success, I just couldn't help but go back for more! So here's another go using a different pattern. I'll have to say that I like this one even more! We just got a bunch of snow at school so I have been wearing this pair and people have been complimenting me left and right. They are even more impressed when I share that I made it myself. :)

This headband/ear-warmers looks great with your hair up or down!

Yarn used: Bernat Roving in Lichen

One skein was enough to knit two ear warmers too plus extra yarn!

Needle Size: US 11

This is bad lighting, the color of the yarn is true to the photo above.

The free pattern from Beth Attwood that I used.

See my cowl here

I love Ravelry! It has been a wonderful resource for me as a knitter. It's free to be a member and gives you access to hundreds thousands of free patterns for both knitting and crocheting.  There are also patterns available for purchase. You can search for them on the site too! You can also stash your yarn and needles on the site so you can view your inventory online.

 What I love most though is you can queued things so you can go back and knit them later. You also have a projects portfolio where you can add pictures and notes in case you modified a pattern you used. You can also create your own patterns for others to use or purchase. 

In the patterns, you can also view yarn ideas where you can see what yarns have been used by other knitters and how many times. You can also view pictures to see if you like how that type of yarn knit up for the pattern. This is great for me because so many patterns call for super expensive yarn that I can't afford at this point in my life. (Cough cough, gorgeous Purl Bee patterns.)

One of the patterns I had queued was the Drop Stitch Cowl. It only took me about two hours to finish and was so easy to follow. What I loved is that it is knit in the round so it is seamless and you only have to weave in the ends! It also called for a bulky yarn and big needles so it knit up super fast. I love one skein projects!

Find the how to HERE!

What you'll need:

A Stitch Marker

Size 15  20 inch circular needles 

One skein bulky yarn- I used Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Lemongrass

An hour or two

I made ear warmers last winter. It knit up really quickly and was an overall easy project. It used less than half a of skein of yarn so can't complain there. They are great to wear in the winter and are totally in style too! You can also check this out on Kollabora here or on Ravelry here!

I modified this pattern for my ear warmers:

Cosy Posy Ear Warmer by Thrifty

What you will need:

Size 10 Knitting Needles

1 Skein Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick (Mine was in Charcoal)

A Brief Rundown:

This project is knit in a berry stitch (Row 1: K1, P1, repeat; Row 2: P1, K1, repeat.)

Since my yarn was thicker, I only used 1 strand vs the two used in the pattern.

At the end, I knit a small piece in the berry stitch instead of wrapping yarn around the seam. I made a button hole and used a button for closure to make it pop!

For my seam coverer:

CAST ON 6

Row 1: K1, P1, REPEAT

Row 2: P1, K1, REPEAT

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until the piece is nearly long enough to cover your seam.

(REMEMBER: you want it scrunched, keep this in mind when you measure!)

Row 3: K1, P1, K1, YO, P1, K1, P1

ROW 4: P1, K1, P1, K1, K1, P1, K1

(Yes, I realize this throws off the berry stitch a bit.

ROW 5: CAST OFF

Pre-assembly