Elemental Stitches

Tom's Star Crossed Cowl - A Free Knitting Pattern

So it begins.  A few weeks ago I mentioned that we would be moving soon.  Tom is starting a new job in San Jose on Tuesday.  About 6 hours from where we are living at the moment.  We have been waiting for this time for months and I am so excited, relieved, and sad that it is here.  In the morning he is leaving for San Jose.  Brae and I are staying here until after the holidays. 
We are going to miss him, but I know that it is for the best.  This new path in life is going to provide us with so many opportunities!  I am so excited at what is to come this next year.  I have so much planned!

But, onto the free pattern.  Tom's job involves working outside in almost all weather and in unpleasant surroundings.  Its an active job and he cant bother with a scarf falling off or getting in the way.

So I thought a cowl would be the perfect solution!  Now the problem was finding a pattern.  One that a guy would like.  I had just finished making the Star Crossed Beret and I loved the pattern.  I decided to use it to make Tom's Cowl.  I didn't improvise the pattern much but it came out fantastic!  Here you go!

Star Crossed Cowl - Inspired by the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret  by Natalie Larson

-US10.5 16inch circular needle

-One ball of worsted weight yarn (I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Mocha Twist)

1.  Loosely cast on 72 stitches.

2.  Work 1x1 ribbing for 5 rows.

3.  Work following pattern two times.

Rounds 1-4, 6-10, and 12:  Knit all stitches

Round 5:  *Slip 3 to Cable Needle (CN), hold in back, K3, K3 from CN, K3.  Repeat from * until end of the round.

Round 11:  *K3, slip 3 to CN, hold in front, K3, K3 from CN.  Repeat from * until end of the round.

4.  Work 1x1 ribbing for 5 rows.

5.  Bind off loosely. 

I noticed that the cowl sits very nicely with the bind off edge on the top near the chin and the cast on edge on the bottom.

A Knit Hat and a Cowl

What a day!  I spent 6 hours chasing one of our falcons all over a desert butte.  Basically a mini mountain in the middle of the desert with awesome rocks.  We had to call off the search when it got dark.  My hubbie is getting up at 430am to climb the butte and track him before daybreak.  I am hoping he will be able to walk at all tomorrow.  He climbed that mountain 5 times almost to the top looking for his bird.  That is dedication.

Before we went out training I had Tom take a few photos of me and my knitted goods. 

While watching Gladiator the other night I started the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret. 

Needle - US 10½ and US 9 / 6.5 mm

Yarn - Red Heart Ltd. Eco-Ways

How much? - Less then 1 skeins = 186.0 yards (170.1m)

Colorway - Storm

I LOVE this hat!  I knit it slightly smaller then the pattern called for.  I was supposed to use a 10 circular for the brim and an 11 for the rest, but I didn't have those.  Instead I used a 9 and a 10.5.  That's close enough.  It came out great anyway.  Too bad this one is a gift.  I have another ball of this color left, so I think I am going to make one for myself.  Part of my dream to have a 100% handmade beautiful wardrobe. 

Here is another step closer to my handmade wardrobe.  I designed a Foliage Cowl to match my Foliage hat.

Needle - US 10½ / 6.5 mm

Yarn - Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky

How much? - 1 skeins = 137.0 yards (125.3m)

Colorway - Cape Cod - Varigated

I have never worn a cowl before, but they are cute and my neck gets cold a lot.  My hair is usually up in a clip or a ponytail and the wind bites at the back of my neck. 

Not sure what I am making next but I have to get a move on.  Time is getting short and my crafty gift list is still pretty long. 

If you want to keep track of my knitting you can check out my ravelry page.  I really like ravelry!  You should check it out if you haven't yet. 

Back in a couple days with more craftiness.

Spinning and Spinning, Round and Round

The last couple of days I have been wanting a break from knitting and embroidery so I brought out my spindle and finished up my very first skein of spun yarn. 

I made a common mistake and over twisted my yarn.  No worries however, I discovered through some research that you can correct some of the over twisting by hanging a weight on the yarn as it dries.  It worked pretty well.  There are still some over twisted parts that I can probably straighten when I roll the yarn into a ball for knitting.

Spinning is therapeutic.  If you haven't tried it you should.  For me its the repetitive motion of the spindle and the movements of your hands as they smooth the twist down the roving. Have you ever seen Mists of Avalon?  I love the movie and recommend it whole heatedly.  There is a part in the movie where Igraine, King Arthur's mother, is spinning on a spinning wheel and it's repetitive motion puts her into a trance.  Then she sees a vision of her future.  I can see where they got that idea from.  I get totally meditative when I spin.

This beautiful purple is the roving I bought in Solvang, Ca in September.  I am in love with the colors.  I cant wait to see what they fabric will look like knitted. 

What do you think I should make with my new yarns?  I haven't quite gotten my tension even yet so we will call this thick and thin yarn that I would average out to bulky weight.  I havent measured it yet, but I am guessing I will have at least 100 yards.  Maybe a hat?  You all know how I love to knit hats!

Fun places to see

-Needle Book - An inspiring craft blog with beautifully spun yarns

-Maine Woods Yarn and Fiber - Where I bought my first spindle and roving

-Megan and Abby - Youtube Spinning tutorial Goddesses

Working on the Gift List

I am quickly checking things off my Christmas gift list this year.  I finished three more hats this week.  This purple owl hat was supposed to be a gift for someone but I ran out of yarn and when I ordered more the color was way too different to use.  I am almost positive that I ordered the right color, so it must be the dye lot.  The experience taught me how much dye lots can vary in color.  I was so surprised to see the difference.

(EDIT - I have been thinking that I must have ordered the wrong yarn.  There is no way that dye lots can be that different can they?)

The hat turned out cute anyway.  Its not going to fit the adult it was made for, but it does fit Brae so she gets another hat.

Yes, it was warm enough today for tank tops; I wore one too.

The hat I am wearing is a Christmas gift for a very special person.  Its hard to find hat patterns for men.  I needed something interesting, but subtle and I found nothing perfect on ravelry so I decided to write my own pattern.  I love the crown.

I also finished another Foliage hat from Knitty.

This one I am keeping.  I also have plans for something pretty to match.  I will tell you more about that project later.  

Have a wonderful week!

Foliage Hat from Knitty Finished

One more Christmas gift finished.  I am on a roll this year!  I might actually get everything done...  maybe I should knock on some wood or something, so I don't jinx myself.

I am modeling this lovely hat myself and my happy friend Wes took the pictures.  This is the Foliage Hat from Knitty.  It is knit with Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky in the color Sky.  Which means this hat cost me $3.99 plus a blissful few hours of knitting.  I am definitely making another one.  I have two skeins of this same yarn in a different handpainted colorway.  I think I am going to make this hat with one skein and matching mitts with the other.   

Once I got past the beginning, which requires your undivided concentration.  The rest of the hat is pretty easy for a lace pattern.  It is something that you do after the kids go to bed, but before you are too tired to think.

I finally bought another ball of yarn to finish the owl hat so look out for those pics in the next couple days.

Knitting Circles

I took a break from embroidery to work on holiday gifts.  I am so happy to be getting started early since we will be moving in January.  I will be doing a lot of traveling right before Christmas and I won't have time for finishing gifts.  This hat is for an older man.

My husband volunteered his head for this photo.  He gave this hat 2 thumbs up!

I also finished another sock.  Note that is singular; still have one more to go.

I am still trying to get the pattern exactly right.  This time I forgot to do the second row of knitting after each toe decrease.  I am just being impatient.  Lucky for me, I have small feet.

I have started keeping track of my knitting projects over at ravelry.com.  You can find my page here.  Happy Crafting!

Not Perfect, Still Cozy

I finished the green socks.  My very first pair of hand knitted socks ever!  I made a million mistakes and they don't look the same (look closely at the toes), but I don't care.  They feel so warm and cozy! They have their own specialness about them.

After I finished these socks and the skull embroidery (will be up tomorrow after it dries) I immediately started on another pair of socks in blue, my favorite color.  I decided not to use the tiny needles and sock yarn until I am sure I can make two mostly matching socks.

The book in the above photo is The Knitters Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd.  It is an awesome book that any knitter should have.  I use it often.

I feel like the energy that a person puts into a project makes it extra special, almost magical.  Everything I make for myself or my family seems to have a personality of its own.  It becomes a close and treasured friend that keeps you warm and cozy on cold winter nights.  

My husband has said similar things.  He says that he can feel the love in every stitch and that my hand knits always keep him warmer then store bought items.  Isn't that cute!  I know what he means.  Do you feel this way about the crafty things you make for your families? 

Fall, Mail, Yarn, Projects

There is a lot of crafting going on at Chez Melissa.  The leaves are falling, a chill is in the air and a severe weather alert is in the forecast.  70 mile per hour Northern winds are scheduled for Tuesday evening.  These seasonal changes have caused my insides to scream for cozy yarns.  I forecast lots of knitting in my blog's future.  Today I was thrilled when I received this.

My Christmas Knitpicks order.  I have a lot of knitting to do this Christmas season!  Here is my favorite.

This beautiful hand painted sock yarn will become a pair of socks for me.  I can't wait to get started on them, but I wont let myself begin until I finish the green pair of socks.   Speaking of unfinished projects, I have a pile of them I am trying to complete.  Today I worked on hemming pants, sewing potholders, and I finished a quilt top that I haven't worked on in years.

These are some Christmas gifts that are almost complete.  Below is another that I am really happy with so far.  It an owl cable hat.  I need another ball of yarn to finish it.  I thought I ordered another ball in this shipment from Knitpicks but it looks like I forgot to order it.  I guess I will have to make another Knitpicks order now.  Oh darn!

There was also a little crafty instruction going on.  She embroidered for a good half hour.

What did you do this weekend?

Owl Embroidery and Learning Socks

I am very slowly working on the owl embroidery.  I usually get to it late at night while watching tv.  I am not sure what to do with this guy's belly.  I have all those tiny french knots for the spots.  I am thinking of filling in the belly with short and long stitch and the wing edges with something like the other owls wings.  What do you think?

Instead of embroidery I have been spending a lot of my time knitting.  I am trying to learn how to knit socks.  The thing is that knitting with needles below a size 7 is a real challenge for me.  I have had to guesstimate a bit on size so I can knit with US7 needles.  If anyone has an easy, beginner sock pattern out there that can be knit on size 7 or 8s please let me know!

My birthday went well.  I got a pile of cookbooks and some craft supplies.  I am excited to get a pom pom maker.  My handmade pom poms were terrible!  More pics of my b-day presents coming soon.

Childrens Knitted Fingerless Mitts Finished

I took a quick break from knitting my fair isle fingerless mitts after finishing the first one.  I still have to weave in all the ends before I start the next one.  My mom had to make a quick trip to Los Angeles which is about an hour away and I decided to keep her company on the trip.  I needed a quick and simple project that I could do while chatting.  Something I didn't have to think too much about.  I decided to do the same fingerless mitts pattern in a small ( the chunky version), aiming for something that might fit my daughter. 

The pattern is called Alice Mitts by Emily Nimz and I found it on Ravelry.

Instead of using chunky weight yarn I doubled some worsted weight Lions Brand Wool-Ease and took the plunge figuring that they would fit someone I knew. 

This is an awesome pattern.  Its super easy.  Basically you knit a tube then knit flat for a few rows before rejoining, making the thumb hole.  I can imagine a million versions of this.  Cables, fair isle, applique, embroidery... there are lots of possibilities.