some patterns are just magic...

I recently learned some wonderful news, we have another great niece or nephew on the way.

How lucky are we that our family keeps growing!  My lovely niece Hailey is expecting her first child.  Now what is a great auntie to do when the parents to be are not going to find out if it is a boy or girl?  Why create two blankets of course.  I’m knitting a pink basket weave patterned blanket for a little girl.  I’ve knit the pattern numerous times so a pink version will be a fun easy knit.  For a baby boy? 

I found this adorable pattern ‘all star blanket’ by designer Doris Chan to crochet.

The yarn is elsebeth lavold Eucool that I've in stash.  The colors; blue, red, tan and creame for the squares and brown for the connecting rows and trim.

 The magic of this pattern is how the shapes of the individual squares change with every round; Round one a circle, round two creates the star, round three a circle again and round four the square shape that will make up the blanket. 

Magic!  

I'm thinking 30x30, so I'll need about 36 squares.  I’m loving watching it progress.  Stay tuned for the ta-da…

oh chapeau

Did you notice the change this morning?  It really felt like fall!  The outside air so crisp and clear.  The perfect time for hats...  

abbey, zoe, libby, mara and sam model their new hats

My girls insisted that I make them each a new one and with that, I worked up a crochet hat pattern using noro sock, oh how I love noro sock yarn.  So pretty, long colorways, the texture is rustic and soft at the same time…If any of your blythe girls are in need of a new hat, the pattern is below...have fun!

Blythe doll Chapeau

Construction

Crochet

Abbreviations

ss…slip stitch

sc…single crochet

hdc…half double crochet

st…stitch

sts…stitches

Gauge

7 stitches and 7 rows = 1”
Finished Size 9-1/2” circumference at hat band and 3” tall

Difficulty

Easy

Material

Sock yarn- stash is good! I used Noro silk garden sock in the color way 269

Equipment

Crochet hook size 3.5/E

Darning needle (for sewing in ends)

Pattern

Create an adjustable loop and sc 6 into the loop.

R1: 2 sc into each stitch around (12)

R2: (2 sc into the 1^st st, 1 sc into the next st) (18)

R3: (2 sc into the 1^st st, 1sc into each of the next 2 sts) (24)

R4: (2 sc into the 1^st st, 1 sc into each of the next 3 sts) (30)

R5: (2 sc into the 1^st st, 1 sc into each of the next 4 sts) (36)

R6: (2 sc into the 1^st st, 1 sc into each of the next 5 sts) (42)

R7: (2 sc into the 1^st st, 1 sc into each of the next 6 sts) (48)

R8: (2 sc into the 1^st st, 1 sc into each of the next 7 sts) (54)

R9-R16: sc into each stitch around

R17: sc around and decrease 4 stitches evenly

R18-19 sc around

R20: hdc around

R21: (2 hdc into the 1^st st, 1 hdc into the next st) around

R22-24: hdc into each st around

R25: (2 hdc into the 1^st st, 1 hdc into the next stitch) around

R26: sc around

R27: ss into each st around

Finishing

Break yarn. Use a darning needle to sew in ends.

a bit of summer knitting

Want to make some cool washcloths?  Yes, I do…I was visiting the Yarn Harlots blog back in August and read Stephanie’s post about knitting up some washcloths and it sounded to me like the perfect summer knit.  Holding cotton in lieu of wool during this heat, how refreshing!

After stash diving I found my Sugar n cream yarn and started in on a very simple yet satisfying knit using the Bee-Stitch pattern.  Our really hot spell starts late August and goes till about the middle of October.  Another 6 weeks, oh boy. I imagine I can make up a pile of these...

As Stephanie suggested, cast on 31 stitches, knit 6 rows, then on the next row follow the 4-row Bee Stitch pattern, leaving the 1^st 3 and the last 3 stitches as knit. When almost square, finish up with 6 rows of knit before bind off.  Give this pattern a try if like many of us, you need a break from wool. 

The Bee-Stitch gives such a nice puffy texture, perfect for soap and water to mix into a nice lather before using, sweet as honey! Thank you Stephanie i.e. Yarn Harlot for such a great idea.

a bit of cozy for the girls

I found an adorable little bed frame that came with a mattress and pillow inserts on the bay and I thought they’d be perfect for a makeover.

Zoe and middie girl hanging out

After a good cleaning and light sanding, I spray painted the bed frame off-white.

Then once I had the dimensions, I made a dust ruffle out of a bit of stash cotton fabric.

The mattress and 2 pillow covers are sewn from a set of cloth napkins I purchased from the Rachel Ashwell collection (love the little flowers). The accent pillows are knit with crochet trim out of bits of Noro left over from the bedspread.  

The bedspread is crochet, single crochet using Noro silk garden sock yarn.  The fringe was added for a bit of whimsy. 

 Zoe seems to like sleeping on her new bed way more than the box she was put away in. haha… Such a fun little project and I’m glad to see that she is willing to share too! 

he is a diver boy…

I’ve completed the Dustland mitts for hubby, and I think he must like them,

as he let me take photos. 

It was a really fun photo shoot.  We went down to the boat at Oceanside harbor and I posed him in various positions. He turned out to be a very cooperative model, which I wasn’t expecting, haha…I think he will like these mitts because they are so lightweight and warm. 

Brooklyn tweed yarns, both shelter and loft are, in my opinion, the best for these qualities. Loft yarn along with this pattern by Stephen West are a great combination.

I’ve asked my diver boy to put them to the test this week and report back if they are doing the job I’d envisioned for him, warm hands after a cool dive in the beautiful pacific blue.

cuffs

Zoe is back from her spa vacation.  She spent a week in beautiful Idaho with Sarah Glahe of Kalidescope Kustoms.  Do check out her site to view some of her outstanding custom work with Blythe dolls. Sarah made sure that Zoe got lots of rest and sent her back to sunny southern California feeling refreshed and well, down right beautiful!  Thank you dear Sarah for taking such good care of her.  Now all Zoe wants is for me to make her new clothes and take pictures of her wearing them.  Lucky for her, I thinks it is so much fun to do...

I made her this little pair of blue knit boot cuffs to wear with her 'I'm heading outside' boots. Really easy to make and only takes but a bit of stash to whip up.  Enjoy…

Pattern below;

Blythe boot cuffs

Construction

Knit with sewn edge

Abbreviations

k…Knit

p…Purl

co…cast on

Gauge

10 st = 1”
Finished Size 2-/2”

Difficulty

Easy

Material

Sock yarn- stash is good!

Equipment

Needles size 0 and size 2

Darning needle (for sewing in ends)

Pattern (Make Two)

Using size 0  needles, CO 10 stitches

Row 1 knit

Row 2 purl

Row 3 KFB, K8, KFB 12 stitches

Continue in stockinette  till piece measures 1” from CO edge

Next row KFB, K10, KFB 14 stitches

Continue in stockinette until piece measures 2” from CO edge, ending with wrong side row

Change to size 2 needles

Right side row (K1, P1)*

Next row  (P1, K1)*

Repeat the last two rows two more times

BO in stitch pattern

Finishing

With darning needle and starting at the top stitch slip stitch sides on down to the cast on edge

Fold over top of cuff. 

Pattern Copyright © Karen Case

For personal use only. Do not reproduce or sell the pattern.

Any questions? Contact Karen kace520@cox.net

Karenlcase.blogspot.com

Dustland

I’ve started this project, Dustland Mitts, pattern by Stephen West, numerous times over the past weeks and I’ve just now managed to kick myself into gear with the first mitt.

Life has happened in a big way here in our world and it has derailed me off of my ‘creative’ path for a bit.  I find it interesting that when I’ve experienced a major life-changing event, I loose all my creative mojo.  I just can’t seem to get that part of my brain to engage, no matter how hard I try.  It seems to me that it would be of some comfort to sit and knit or draw, etc. but I have no interest or the ability to think continual thoughts what so ever. Jeeze…

I won’t go into a whole lot of detail, but we’ve lost a beloved family member, my mother in law, Betty. She passed away recently and I’ve been experiencing what we all do with loss, sadness and all that goes with these moments.  She was a dear, I consider myself so lucky to have known and enjoyed her company over the course of my marriage to her son, Rob.  The family held a beautiful service for her in memory of a life well lived.

Betty & Harry celebrating her 92nd Birthday in September 2013 

I’m knitting these mitts for hubby, using Brooklyn tweeds Loft in the color Hayloft. He is in need of a pair of cozy hand warmers when he comes out of the water after a dive.  He is an urchin diver off the coast of California, and he comes home mighty tired, hungry and chilled after a day of swimming around in the Pacific.  Hope he likes em.