guest post for MORGAN!

Up today, is a guest post! 

My bestie Morgan doesn't usually blog, but decided to break into the world of internet crafting my writing me a post. YAY!

I love her and you will too!

(Morgan and I at Graceland circa January 2010)

Hi!

My name is Morgan and I am Katie’s BFF. Besides being my confidant, # 1 people watching buddy, and driving skills judge buddy, she is my knitting coach. 

Back up! In case you didn’t know from readying this blog, Katie is a knitting genius. She learned the basics in middle school and self taught herself the rest. By high school she was knitting backpacks. At the time knitting was “cool” so I invited her on a family road trip to con her into teaching me to knit as we drove across Kansas. Ever since she has slowly been teaching me her ways.

Last December I called her and told her that my boyfriend wanted me to knit him a hat. I thought the whole thing was ridiculous because the hardest knitting project I had attempted to date was a shawl, which is still partially done in some drawer. She, on the other, thought I was serious and very blasé said, okay we’ll go to the knitting store when you back in town.

The day I got back in town for Christmas, Katie showed up in her Crown Vic to drag me to the knitting store. We bought yarn and off we went. 

For a first time hat knitter, I thought this pattern was fairly simple and easy. I actually knit half of it once and then took it out because it looked bad, and did it again. The second time I finished it in about two days. 

On an aside (and not being biased at all) if you need an knitting teacher Katie is the gal for you! If she can put up with my crankiness and stitch dropping dramas, she can deal with you. 

We called it ‘Evan’s Hat’ because that is what it is!

CO 8 sts

Round 1- knit all stitches

Round 2- (k1, p1) into each st across (16 sts)

Round 3- (k1, p1) across

Round 4- (k1, p1, k&p into same st) Rep 4 times (24 sts)

Round 5- (k1, p1) across

Round 6- (k1, p1, k&p into same st) Rep 4 times (32 sts)

Round 7- (k1, p1) across

Round 8- (k1, p1 into same st, k&p into same st) Rep 4 times (36 sts)

Round 9- (k1, p1) across

Round 10- (k1, p1, k&p into same st, k&p into same st) Rep 4 times (48 sts)

Work in k1, p1 rib for six inches or until you like the length. Bind off loosely. 

sea cap #566

I just finished this cowl. I started it during thesis last year at MICA. I need the catharsis of knitting to get me through my senior show. 

The yarn is a really pretty sea foam color of Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky, and it's super soft. I bought it on some trip Colin and I took to NYC during college at Purl Soho and finally started knitting with it last spring. 

When I moved from Baltimore, the half knitted scarf got packed up in my yarn box and just sat for about 9 months until the other day when I picked it back up.

I really like it, though I'm beginning to amass a large collection of cowls and infinity scarves. Today it makes me feel like a cupcake, wearing it with this pink sweater. 

Also, have you noticed how long my hair has gotten?!

Chunky Cowl - How To Knit it!

 Isn't this cowl cute? Big chunky cowls and infinity scarves have been SO popular lately, that I really wanted to knit up my own version of one. 

Being that this cowl is knit straight, like one big very long scarf, and then seamed up the short ends, it is super simple to knit. This makes for a fast and gratifying knitting project, and it's perfect for those last minute gifts you still have to give. 

You could knit one of these up in about 3 hours or less, so you could definitely turn at least one cowl out before Christmas morning on Saturday!

On to the tutorial...

I should say that this pattern is not really completely mine. I modified a stitch pattern that I found on this Norwegian knitting site, Pickles. The original scarf, called an Icelandic Sunrise Shawl has increases built in to make a triangular scarf. I simply modified the stitch pattern so that the stitches wouldn't increase. 
The pattern was just too interesting to not use! The way the pattern is knit feels a little wrong to a seasoned knitter, like you're doing something wrong, but trust me, it's worth it in the end!
The pattern has a 2 row repeat, so it's super simple to remember. 


To make the cowl I knitted, you will need:
9mm or size 13 Straight knitting needles
2 skeins of of super bulky wight yarn


Note: For the cowl I'm wearing in the above pictures I used Rowan Big Wool Fusion in shade 06. 
This is discontinued now unfortunately, but you can still find some colors online.
Regular big wool is still available through Rowan Yarns, and #061 concrete is the closet color match.
For the rust colored cowl in the tutorial, I am using Cascade Yarns Lana Grande in color 6029.
Both yarns have about 87 yards in each ball.

The right side of the knitted fabric will look like this. See the loops that stretch across the bias?

The wrong side of the fabric is equally interesting and looks like this.

Because the loops are on the bias, the knitting will make a slight curve.
This will become helpful once you seam your cowl, so you get a nice drape. 

Right side curve.

Okay. Cast on. You will need to Cast on a multiple of 4 stitches.
Both cowls I made used 16 stitches.

The first row pattern is as follows.
Knit one, yarn over (YO) with 2 wraps.
Do this until you reach the last stitch. Just knit the very last stitch. You don't need to YO after it.

This is what your right needle will look like after you have knit 16 stitches with double wrap YO's in between.

Now comes the confusing part where you will think you are messing up.
You need 4 stitches to work with. So take your right needle and slip the first knit stitch on it purl wise.
Now release both wraps of the YO. Just let them fall. Things will not unravel. Just trust me for a second, okay?
Slip 3 more of the knit stitches purl wise on to the right needle, releasing the YO wraps until you have a total of 4 big lonely stitches sitting on your right needle. Put those 4 stitches back on to your left needle, because now we are going to work with them.
The four stitches should look like the 4 above, big and LOOSE!
Never fear. Now you are ready to knit the second row of the pattern.

Row 2: Insert your right needle through all 4 stitches, as if you were to knit them all together.
Make a knit stitch, but DO NOT slip the 4 stitches off the left needle.

So, this picture shows me making the first knit stitch.

There it is, a knit stitch with the 4 live stitches still on my left needle.

Now wrap the yarn tail in front and get ready to make a purl stitch.

Ppurl into the 4 stitches, as if to purl all four stitches together.

Again, DO NOT slip the 4 big stitches off the left needle yet.

Now knit once more through the 4 stitches.

And purl once more.

Now that you have 4 stitches on the right needle, you can slip the 4 big loopy stitches you just knit and purled through off the left needle.
Now repeat the releasing of the yarn overs to get your next 4 active stitches. You will do this 3 more times if you are knitting with 16 stitches, as I am above. You will create 4 little clusters of looped bumps.
Remember, you just want to pick up the knit stitches to work, the YO's just make slack between the stitches to make the bumps on the front of the work.

So, in review
Row 1: *Knit 1, YO with 2 wraps*. Do not YO after last Knit stitch.
Row 2: *Slip 4 stitches purl wise onto right needle, releasing YO between each Knit stitch.
K1, P1, K1, P1 through all 4 stitches.*

Snake Cables!

I've been knitting a lot lately. It's cold, so I guess it seems like a natural inclination.

I have a big cowl in the works, since I've been seeing fluffy knit cowls all over. 

I also knit Colin a hat, which I shared here before.

My latest finished project if this hat I knit for myself. 

It's the same yarn as Colin's hat, just in a lighter colorway. This is Brae Tweed #810 in Lichen.

I really like this yarn. It's merino and donegal wool, baby llama and bamboo. So it's fluffy, but has a nice drape.

My hat was knit with a pattern from tiny owl knits, called the Parseltongue hat. 

The cables look like snakes!

Snakes!

I bought the pattern on ravelry, and the only adjustment I made to the hat was to knit the band at the bottom of the hat about 2" wide rather than 1" like the pattern suggests. 

The pattern knitted up really well. The tiny owl instructions are written very well. 

The only awkwardness I ran into is that I used smaller needles than she suggested to get the gauge right. 

I used size 7's, but apparently other people on ravelry use 9's or 10's to get the proper gauge. Do I just knit really tight fabric?

It snowed last night, so I'll need a hat to keep my head toasty.

Especially with a high temperature today of 28 degrees!

I finished the couch upholstery and throw cushions today, pictures tomorrow when there is daylight!

Gezelligheid Hat

I knitted a hat ya'll!

See all those pretty little v shaped cables? 

However hipster I might look in this hat, I did not knit it for myself.

This hat is destined to be mailed to Holland for Colin.

I'm calling it the Gezelligheid Hat because I read somewhere that gezelligheid means cosy in dutch.

And I want this to make his head cosy in cold wintertime weather in the Hague.

 I'm just modeling it to show you how pretty it looks and how many weird faces I can manage.

Glare is what happens when you take pictures with overhead light and a camera flash at night indoors...

---

Anyways, I knit this hat in two evenings of stop and go knitting after work this week.

It's an easy project, and I thought I would give you the pattern, in case you love my hat so much that you want to make your own.

If you've never knit cables before, this would be a great little intro pattern to work, since the cables are pretty small and easy to work with.

I found the original pattern on Ravelry. 

It was originally written by Smariek Knits. She calls it a Cap Karma Hat.

Her pattern stops the cable repeats at the bottom, so the top of the hat does not follow the V pattern and is all just knit.

Brooklyn Tweed has written a modification for the crown shaping so that the cables continue all the way to the top of the hat, through the decreases. It's a really clever modification actually.

My hat is a combination of the original cap karma with the Brooklyn Tweed modification added after 4 cable repeats.

Below I've copied the directions I followed, renamed for your convenience.

---

Gezelligheid Hat

---

You'll need:

-1 skein worsted weight yarn

I used Brae Tweed from Knit One Crochet Too in color 934 Slate

-one set of size 8 ( 5mm) double pointed needles

I used a fifth double point as a cable needle, 

but you could also use a traditional cable needle per your preference.

---

CO 96 sts, join with out twisting

Knit 8 rounds of *k2 p2* ribbing

Round 1 - k across

Round 2 - k across

Round 3 - k across

Round 4 - *CB4, k4*

Round 5 - k across

Round 6 - k across

Round 7 - k across

Round 8 - *k4, CF4*

Repeat rounds 1-8 three more times, or until desired length.

Decreasing - 

Round 1 - k all sts

Round 2 - k all sts

Round 3 - *ssk, k6*

Round 4 - *(sl next st to CN and hold in back, k next 2 sts, k st from CN) k4*

Round 5 - k all sts

Round 6 - *k5, k2tog*

Round 7 - k all sts

Round 8 - *k3 (sl next 2 sts to CN and hold in front, k next st, k 2 sts from CN) k4*

Round 9 - *k1, k2tog, k3*

Round 10 - k all sts

Round 11 - k all sts

Round 12 - *(sl next st to CN and hold in back, k next st, k st from CN) k3*

Round 13 - *k2, ssk, k1*

Round 14 - k all sts

Round 15 - *k2tog, k2*

Round 16 - *k1 (sl next st to CN and hold in front, k next st, k st from CN)*

Round 17 - *k1, k2tog*

Round 18 - k all sts

Round 19 - * k2tog*

Break yarn and draw through remaining sts, weave in all ends.

---

Abbreviations used above (and how I work them):

k = knit
p = purl
CO = cast on
CN = cable needle
ssk = slip, slip, knit. Slip 2 stitches from the left needle knit wise onto the right needle. Insert you left needle back into those 2 slipped stitches and knit them together as one knit stitch. 
sl = slip a stitch from the left needle to the right needle
k2tog = knit two stitches together as one stitch
CB4 = slip 2 stitches onto the CN and hold in back of work, then knit two stitches from the left needle, now purl 2 stitches from the CN
CF4 = slip 2 stitches onto the CN and hold in front of work, then knit 2 stitches from the left needle, now knit 2 stitches from the CN