Lucy's Blankie

This blanket was completed a while ago but I didn't want to post it until it had been gifted at the baby shower. The pattern is basically a riff on a pattern from the Lion Brand website called Glamour Baby. I heavily adapted the pattern to fit my yarn, gauge, etc. The main changes I made were to increase the width of the blanket by adding extra repeats and to ignore the instructions for how high to make each repeat. I went by what came out looking square for me which turned out to be 10 stitches x 12 rows.


The Ruffle:


I'm pretty proud of this ruffle. I got loads of help on the Ravelry forums to get the concept right. Basically, I picked up stitches all the way around, then I increased in every stitch on the first round. On the second round I increased every third stitch with an extra increase in each corner to make it full. Then I knitted around until I had just enough yarn left to cast off. The effect was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself :) I think the ruffle added an heirloom quality I was hoping for in this blanket. Thanks Ravelers for all the helpful hints!

Baby Blanket Blues

Here it is, my very first original pattern, free for you! That's right, a FREE PATTERN. I didn't think I would take this step, but here I am. I just wanted to keep this blanket simple and by the time I was done I realized I had made the whole thing up on my own! I was as amazed as you are, dear reader.

This baby blanket was made using a variegated yarn for the body in a simple combination of single, half-double, and double crochet stitches. The border is done in a solid color and forms a little picot edge. Change up the colors and the blanket could easily look very feminine.

So here are the oh so simple instructions for a nice little baby blanket appropriately titled:

Baby Blanket Blues

materials - approx. 600 yards worsted weight yarn in main color, 150 yards worsted weight yarn in contrast color for border. (I used Berella)

hook - size US L/8 mm (I like my projects to zoom along, I thought the fabric was just the right weight for a Texas baby with this hook.)

finished size of my blanket is 29" wide x 27" high, includes border

standard American crochet abbreviations used

all stitches made into both loops after foundation row

Pattern:

ch 75 (or number needed to reach desired width)

Row 1(foundation row)- sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc into each ch across, ch 2

Rows 2 & 3- hdc in each st across, ch 2

Row 4- hdc in each st across, ch1

Row 5- sc in each st across, ch3

Row 6- dc in each st across, ch 1

Row 7- sc in each st across, ch 2

Repeat rows 2-7 until out of yarn, ending on row 5 if possible, fasten off main color.

Border:

Row 1- join contrast color in right corner of last row, 3sc in corner st, sc in each st,3sc in corner st, turn corner, sc in each row, continue around, sl st in beg. sc, make sure all sides have an even number of stitches

Row 2- ch 3 2hdc in corner st.,* ch1 skip 1 sc, hdc in next sc* repeat from * to * across each side, 3hdc in each corner, join with sl st in first hdc

Row 3- ch1, 2sc in corner,* sc in each hdc, sl st in each ch1 sp( ch 4, sc in first ch, of same sp)* repeat from * to * across side, 3sc in each corner, sl st to join first sc, fasten off yarn


So there you have it, a simple but effective baby blanket. Just enough variation to keep you interested, but mindless enough to allow you to watch your favorite television cop show (in my case:).

Please comment here with any errors as this is my first time to write a pattern, who knows what I may have missed :)

Enjoy!

5/10 - hope to have better pictures later in the week

The socks that simply would not knit themselves

Knit and Crochet Projects 8-08 007, originally uploaded by tanyalizbeth.

OK, I know it's a long title, but it felt right. That photo was taken last summer to post to my Ravelry Projects page. It was supposed to be the place holder for my first pair of socks. You can see the lovely Trekking yarn and the pretty Harmony needle, extra long for magic loop. You even get a little shot of the gauge swatch proving what a good little knitter I am. The book was to show you that I was using the Yarn Harlot's basic sock recipe. What a great photo, so full of promise. fast forward to today, about 9 months later and those socks are not gracing my feet, oh no, they are in fact little more than a single inch of ankle ribbing. I have collected sock yarn since then, who hasn't I'd like to know, but to date I have not knitted a single pair of socks, not even a single sock for that matter.
My Ravelry buds jody26 and Tacha have become sock addicts and I still resist. I don't know why I hold back, sometimes I think it's the dreaded heel turn, sometimes it's grafting, sometimes it's those tiny little needles. I'm sure one day I will conquer that first sock. When I do, you all will be the first to know.

Just in time Knitting

I hadn't realized how fast my knitting had gotten until I turned out both these items in just a few days. Now, I'll admit, they aren't the most complicated items in the world, but I am still pretty proud of getting them both done in about 4 days.

My DH (modeling) bikes to work most days and was having some trouble with colder weather. He was pondering what items he could add to his wardrobe that would be bike safe. I had been on a neck warmer/cowl kick lately so I found a manly pattern and got to work. This pattern is very easy but the ribbing and short row shaping make it interesting enough to forestall boredom.




The hat (ravelry link) worked up much more quickly than I expected, though the fabric did not end up being as dense as I was hoping. DH still insists it 's warmer than the Cousteau hat (ravelry link) I made him last year, so I guess that's all the matters. I am just pleased that I was able to get these out quickly enough to be useful. I guess I am also tickled that he matches now too :)



The yarn is Bernat Cashmere (ravelry link) something, it's a blend and DH says it feels good on the skin. Sorry most of the links are Ravelry this time, some of the items can only be found there.

When Knitting Speaks

Maybe this will make me sound like a crackpot or like someone who's been sniffing the cashmere again, but I think knitting can speak to me sometimes. In this case a lovely skein of Misti Alpaca Chunky ,that called to me siren-like at my LYS, had convinced me it wanted to be something just for me, for a change. Alas, when this same skein of yarn was actually knit up it declared something else altogther. This lovely bit of knitting and the yarn it came from now reside in Maryland with one of my best friends.



Just as I was finishing this piece it began to speak to me: "I'm not really for you, you know?" , "Did you really think you could keep me?", "Did you forget you don't have enough neck to wear a cowl?". I never said my knitting spoke to me politely or even kindly, just that it spoke. So there you have it, another item that started out being for me is now snuggly around someone else's neck, oh well, the knitting was right anyway, I don't have enough neck for that pattern.



The details:
Cherry Garcia Cowl knit in the round on size 11's