Learn to knit

Simple but excelent

About a month ago I finished this cardigan for Ella.

The construction is oh so simple but never the less it's quite clever.

I love the I-cords on the inside which make sure that the fronts are kept in place.

I dived into my collection of buttons to find two suitable buttons and I think that these turned out really well.

Even though I love this little cardigan there are things that I, in hindsight, would have done differently. For example I should have picked up less stitches at the armholes. But... I was in a hurry and didn't want to unravel... Also, I should have continued to pick up stitches for the edging along the side of the fronts. Experience is a good thing ;-)

Some facts:

Pattern: Garter Stitch Baby Kimobo by Joji Locatelli

Yarn: Malabrigo lace in the color Dusty

Needles: 2 mm

I think I'll knit another one making these changes. And also, I'm not going to knit another one on 2 mm needles... I'm happy about the result but it takes ages and there's a slight possibility that it will be too small by the time I finish it.

Baby Blanket

Last year when I was expecting I made this blanket:

It is the Tweed Baby Blanket by the famous Jared Flood. I chose Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light because of its softness even though I knew it would pill. The softer the yarn, the more it tends to pill... But you know, for a newborn baby it has to be soft. You can see by the photos that it has been used a lot.

The pattern has now been updated with a version with three colors instead of two, and I'm very much tempted to knit this three colored version. Maybe not as a baby blanket but just as a cozy knitted piece for the sofa.

Brioche Hat Pattern

Way back when I had my old blog I made a pattern (in English and Danish) for a brioche stitch hat. Some people have been asking for the pattern, so here we go: (I can't garantee that there's no errors in the pattern. Please let me know if you find any)

I’ve made a pattern for a women's size and a men’s size. The Women’s size is in brackets.

Yarn: 2 skeins of Rowan Scottish Tweed DK

Needles: Small circular needle 4 mm and dpns 4 mm

Cast on (64) 72 stitches

Join in the round.

(Remember to mark the first stitch)

• Round 1: *purl 1, YO, slip 1 purlwise*, repeat until the end of round.

• Round 2: *YO, slip one purlwise, knit 2 together (one knit stitch and one YO)*, repeat until the end of round.

• Round 3: *Purl 2 together (one purl stitch and one YO), YO, slip one purlwise*, repeat until the end of round.

Repeat round 2 and 3 until the hat measures (13) 14 cm. End with a round similar to round 3.

Decreases begin: (Change to dpns when suitable)

*YO, slip one purlwise, knit 2 together (one knit stitch and one YO)*, repeat (6) 7 times. YO, slip one purlwise. Knit 2 together (the first stitch has a YO, the second stitch is single), place the stitch on the left needle and pass the next stitch (with its YO) over. Place the stitch on the right needle. There should be 2 stitches less now.

Continue in brioche stitch:

*YO, slip one purlwise, knit 2 together (one knit stitch and one YO)*, repeat (6) 7 times. YO, slip one purlwise. Knit 2 together (the first stitch has a YO, the second stitch is single), place the stitch on the left needle and pass the next stitch (with its YO) over. Place the stitch on the right needle.

Repeat brioche stitch and decreases 2 more times in this round.

Continue in brioche stitch and make the decreases on every 4^th round with 2 stitches less between every decrease.

When there are 8 stitches left (not including the YOs) break yarn and thread through remaining stitches.

Weave in loose ends.

You might want to sew in some elastic as the hat is not particularly stretchy.

Hue i patentstrik

Jeg har skrevet opskriften for en damestørrelse og en herrestørrelse. Damestørrelsen står i parentes.

Garn: 2 nøgler Rowan Scottish Tweed DK

Pinde: Lille rundpind 4 mm og strømpepinde 4 mm

Slå (64) 72 masker op.

Strik rundt på rundpind på følgende måde:

(Husk at markere første maske)

1. omg: *1 vrang, slå om, 1 vrang løs af*, gentag omgangen ud.
2. omg: *Slå om, 1 vrang løs af, strik omslaget og den næste maske ret sammen*, gentag omgangen ud.
3. omg: * Strik omslaget og den næste maske vrang sammen, slå om, 1 vrang løs af*, gentag omgangen ud.

Gentag 2. og 3. omgang indtil huen måler (13) 14 cm. Slut med en omgang der svarer til 3. omgang.

Herefter begynder indtagningerne: (Skift til strømpepinde, når det passer)

*Slå om, 1 vrang løs af, strik omslaget og den næste maske ret sammen*, gentag (6) 7 gange. Slå om, 1 vrang løs af. Strik de næste to masker ret sammen (første maske har et tilhørende omslag, anden maske er enkelt), sæt masken over på venstre pind og løft næste maske (med tilhørende omslag) over. Sæt masken over på højre pind. Der er nu taget 2 masker ind.

Strik igen patentstrik:

*Slå om, 1 vrang løs af, strik omslaget og den næste maske ret sammen*, gentag (6) 7 gange.

Strik de næste to masker ret sammen (første maske har et tilhørende omslag, anden maske er enkelt), sæt masken over på venstre pind og løft næste maske (med tilhørende omslag) over. Sæt masken over på højre pind. Patentstrik og indtagninger gentages 2 gange mere, så der i alt er taget ind 4 steder på huen. Sammenlagt er der taget 8 masker ind på omgangen.

Fortsæt i patentstrik samtidig med at der tages ind på samme måde på hver 4. omgang med to masker mindre i mellem indtagningerne hver gang.

Når der er 8 masker tilbage (omslagene er ikke talt med) lukkes af ved at trække tråden igennem maskerne.

Hæft enderne.

Sy evt. elastik i kanten, da huen ikke er så elastisk.

The Silver Neckwarmer

I have been looking for the perfect cowl pattern this winter, and I knew what yarn to use. Some lovely soft Malabrigo Silky Merino yarn in my stash just yearned to become some kind of neckwarmer. I found a pattern on Ravelry.

Twisted Rib Neckwarmer

I don't have much experience with Malabrigo other than the Malabrigo Lace that I use for the Garter Stitch Baby Kimono. But as you know it's soft soft soft, and no one can really claim that it itches. I'm curious about how it keeps shape over time, though...

Goodbye mitts

Soon there will be no need for these anymore.

They have been warming Ellas hands during the cold winter ever since she was born back in November. It was a quick and fun little project to knit. You can find the free pattern here.

Unfortunately I don't remember what yarn I used.

I'm back!

After a good long blog break I'm now longing for posting again. Many things have happened since my last post a year and a half ago - wow that's a long time! Among other things I've become a mother to a gorgeous little girl, Ella. Of course this means a lot on the knitting front, as she's an obvious reciever of my knits.

Also, we've moved to a bigger place, and now that we're facing spring, a lot of things will happen in the garden. So maybe once in a while I'll be doing a post about that.

Right now I'm knitting the Garter Stitch Baby Kimono for Ella.

She's growing so fast and I just hope to finish it in time. It would be a great little spring cardigan. I've chosen to knit it in Malabrigo Lace on 2 mm needles - don't know what I was thinking! But I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel...

See you soon :-)