mmm...mmmm..mm..mmm. Toasty.

I love making hand warmers. They keep my notoriously cold hands toasty, and they're pretty, but I don't think those reasons have much to do with it. I just like making them. I have many pairs and I'd be lying if I said I wore them all that much. But they're satisfying. They go from ball-o-yarn to wearable item in just a few short hours.


I was more or less successful in my learn-to-knit-lace endeavor. I had set out to make a double helix (dna) design on the hand warmers out of lace but that didn't work out. I just couldn't get the dna design expressed on something as relatively small as a handwarmer. So I gave up and made a spiral out of said lace. I'm quite happy with the result, and it was a great use of some fantastic yarn that was gifted to me by a friend. Also, these are great for larping. They keep your hands and arms warm without getting in the way the way fingered gloves do, plus they keep your hands protected from the horrors of weapon-related-blistering.

I'm quite pleased to tell you that next week I'll be having an extra-special guest designer. My good friend (and roommate) J.J. Carrera will be joining us with a Halloween costume for my cat that she put together. J.J.'s a writer and I'll tell ya more about that when her book comes out. In the meanwhile, she has graciously offered to fill in for me when I'm working on a project that just can't happen in one week. When I'm done typing this I will ball up my yarn, polish my needles and gird my loins to make an entry for the penny arcade Katamari Damacy contest.

Normally I would avoid doing a Penny Arcade project so soon after just having done one, but I couldn't walk away from trying to win that scarf. The idea of rocking it at PaxEast was just too much for me. I must enter. November is a big fan girl month for Knerdy Knits in general. I'm going to be doing a Dreseden Files project and a New Moon project (don't judge me). And I might make a Wheel of Time project what with the new book coming out but we'll have to see.

Lacey Handwarmers

©Megan-Anne Forsythe, 2009

Difficulty level: intermediate

Yarn: Any worsted weight yarn

Needles: Size US5 straight or circular needles

Abbreviations:

CO = cast on

BO = bind off

K = Knit

P = Purl

Sts = stitches

R = Row

YO= Yarn over

M1R= Make one Right (pick up stitch under stitch on right needle and knit it. Aka an increase)

M1L= Make one Left (pick up stitch under stitch on left needle and knit it. Aka an increase)

SkS= Slip Knit Slip (slip one stitch as if to knit, knit next stitch, Slip slipped stitch over knitted stitch. Aka a decrease)

K2tog= Knit 2 together (aka a decrease)

Skn= stockinet stitch (K on Right side and P on Wrong side)

M= Marker

Instructions:

CO 72 Sts

Work in K2P2 ribbing for 10 rows

Make lace: (purl all sts for Wrong Side rows)

Right side rows:

1. K
2. K24, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
3. K22, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
4. K20, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
5. K18, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
6. K16, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
7. K14, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
8. K12, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
9. K10, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
10. Sks, K7, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K last 2 sts, K2tog
11. K5, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
12. K3 sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
13. K1, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
14. K46, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
15. K44, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
16. K42, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
17. K40, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
18. K38, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
19. K36, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
20. Sks, K33, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog
21. K31, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
22. K29, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
23. K27, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
24. K25, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
25. K23, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
26. K21, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
27. K19, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
28. sks, K16, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to last 2 sts, k2tog
29. K14, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
30. K12, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
31. K10, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
32. K8, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
33. sks, K5, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to last 2 sts, k2tog
34. K3, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
35. K1, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end. Work wrong side (purl) row.

Work 2 rows skn, decrease one stitch at each end of both rows.

Work 6 more rows skn.

Make thumb gusset:

P all wrong side sts.

Right side:

1. K28, place st marker, K1, M1R, K1, M1L, K1, place st marker, K27 (to end)
2. K to M, K1, M1R, K3, M1L, K1, K to end
3. K to M, K1, M1R, K5, M1L, K1, K to end
4. K to M, K1, M1R, K7, M1L, K1, K to end
5. K to M, K1, M1R, K9, M1L, K1, K to end
6. K to M, K1, M1R, K11, M1L, K1, K to end

Next row: (wrong side) P to M. BO all sts between Ms, P to end

Next row: (right side) K to BO sts. Work K on other side of BO sts, and pull yarn tight creating thumb hole. K to end.

Next row: P

Work 7 rows K2P2 ribbing. BO Sew side seam. Enjoy their toasty glory.

Knit Happens

I never actually got around to seeing Julie/Julia but I heard about it, and surely that counts for something. It is in the spirit of the Julie and Julia project that I have begun my own.


Here is how this is going to work:
I am going to design and complete a knitting (and sometimes, when I'm feeling particularly non-conformist, a crocheting) project every week for one year. I will post a picture of the finished piece, and the pattern on this blog. I believe knitting patterns, like any other kind of art, ought to be free and thus they shall be. The only price of admission is you have to read whatever it is that I feel like talking about on any given week. I promise to keep it *relatively* short. I imagine that will be a harder task for me than the actual knitting....

This week I made a baby bunting as a gift for the Magnificent Mr. Jerry Holkins. He and his wife recently co-produced a baby girl, and all of us at Knerdy Knits (by all of us, I of course mean me) wish them the very best. I have a fairly well developed hero-complex revolving around Jerry, and have to admit that I looked upon the news that they had welcomed a daughter as an excuse to make him something without looking like a creepy fan girl. I don't know how successful the try-not-to-be-creepy endeavor was, but the bunting itself turned out fabulously. All in all a perfect way to kick off my year 'o knitting. I haven't yet worked out the whole file-hosting thing (I have many talents. Dealing with technology isn't one of them. I'm lucky I'm managing to type this without inadvertently setting the laptop on fire) so for now I will just be pasting the patterns into the end of each post. I would like to ultimately make them downloadable, but that sounds suspiciously like work on my part so no promises on when that will happen. For now, I would recommend copy and pasting them into your own file. Just for fun, I've decided to actually keep my blog relatively short today, what with how I said I would a paragraph ago.

Megan-Anne
I had a fortune, but the Greek stole it from me.

Penny Arcade baby bunting

© Megan Anne Forsythe, 2009

*The Penny Arcade logo is the sole property of penny Arcade.*

Difficulty level: Intermediate

Yarn (1 skein each):
Caron Simply Soft™ in Dark Country Blue (Color A); Persimon (Color B); Berry Blue (Color C); and White (Color D)

Needles:
1 pair size US8 Circular needles and 4 size US7 double pointed needles.

Notions:
6 Buttons, tapestry needle, stitch markers

Abbreviations:
CO = cast on
BO = bind off
M1 = make one stitch (pick up loop from bottom of stitch on left needle and knit it, knit next stitch. Also known as increasing)
PM = place marker
SM = slip marker
Skn = Stockinet stitch (K on right side and P on wrong side)
PU = pick up
K = Knit
P = Purl
Sts = stitches
Sl = Slip
Dpn = double pointed needle
K2tog = Knit two together

Instructions:
Bunting is knit in one flat piece from the bottom up. Bottom will be seamed at the end.

CO 83 sts onto circular needles with color A.
Row 1: K
R2: P
Increases (this helps give the bottom its shape):
R3: K15, PM, M1 K1 M1, PM, K47, PM, M1 K1 M1, PM, K15
R4: P
R5: K15, SM, M1 K3 M1, SM, K47, SM, M1 K3 M1, K15
R6: P
R7: K15, SM, M1 K5 M1, SM, K47, SM, M1 K5 M1, K15
R8: P
R9: K15, SM, M1 K7 M1, SM, K47, SM, M1 K7 M1, K15
R10: P, remove markers as you come to them, 99 sts on needles.
Next 10 rows: skn
Next 20 rows: skn, sl 1^st stitch of each row, and all rows from now on until otherwise noted.
Next 34 rows: work 25 sts in skn, work 49 sts from intarsia chart, work 25 sts skn.
Next 6 rows: skn

Make armholes:
K 25 sts onto dpn, K to end.
Next row: P25 sts onto dpn, P to end. 49 sts left on cicular needles.
Working just center 49 sts work 2 rows skn.
*k2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog. Next row: P* repeat from * twice (3 decreasing rows, 3 Purl rows) Break yarn. Place remaining center sts on stitch holder.
Front (right side) Place the 25 sts on the front right dpn back onto circular needles. Join yarn.
*K2tog, Kto last 2 sts, K2tog. Next row: P2tog, P to end* repeat from * 3 times. Break yarn, return sts to dpn.
Front (left side) Place the 25 sts on the front left dpn onto the circular needles. Join yarn.
*K2tog, Kto last 2 sts, K2tog. Next row: P to last 2 sts, P2tog* repeat from * 3 times. Break yarn, return sts to dpn.

Collar:
Beginning on the far right (with RightSide facing you):
K the 13 sts on the dpn onto the circular needles. CO 3, then K center sts onto the circular needles, CO3, K the 13 sts from last dpn onto circular needles.
Next row: *P2tog, P1* Repeat from * across. Switch to color B and work 5 rows in K2P2 ribbing. BO in pattern.

Button edge:
PU and K 46 sts along left front edge from just below collar to 2” above bottom.
R1: P
R2: K
R3: P
R4: *K4, BO3* repeat from * across
R5: *P4, CO3* repeat from * across (this makes button holes)
R6: K
R7: P
BO

PU and K 46 sts on right front edge from just below collar to 2” above bottom. Work skn for 4 rows. BO

Sleeves:
With dpns PU and K 30 sts from armhole. Knit in the round for about 7 inches. Switch to Color B and work 9 rows of K2P2 ribbing. BO in pattern.

Finishing: Block piece. Seam along bottom, and then seam front from bottom of button edging to bottom seam. Weave in all ends. Using a tapestry needle backstitch with one strand of color A around letters on intarsia (this step is very important. It really gives the letters definition.)