Jungle Bamboo Cloth

I’ve been teaching myself a number of new knitting stitches lately, and the bamboo stitch looked like it produces a lovely texture without being particularly difficult. I couldn’t, however, find a dishcloth pattern to learn the stitch on. So, I made up my own and it worked.

So I proudly present my first dishcloth design.

Jungle Bamboo Cloth
Free pattern (for personal use only).

Materials:

• US 7 / 4.5 mm knitting needles


• Georga Cotton from Easy Knit Yarn: Jungle


• Tapestry needle

Instructions:

Cast on 38 stitches.

Rows 1-6: K (produces a garter stitch border)

Begin bamboo stitch pattern:
Row 7: K4, P30, K4
Row 8: K4, *YO, K2, Pass the YO strand over both knit stitches* repeat 15 times, K4

Repeat Rows 7-8 seventeen times

Row 9: Repeat Row 7

Rows 10-15: K

Bind off and weave in ends.

Note that the reverse side has an interesting pattern as well.

© 2010-01-27 N0Nightowl

Wine-Twist Winter Accessories

The name for this set of knitted items comes from the colourway of the yarn, Wine-Twist from Bernat Super Value Ombres. I fell in love with the jewel-toned hues, and even though I had nothing particular in mind at the time, I just knew I had to do something with it.


I started with a scarf using the drop stitch, which I had just started to teach myself at the beginning of July. I chose this as my knitting project for attending the Polaris Con because it was so easily – I just had to keep track of four rows, so I could easily knit while listening to the speakers. Got most of it done at the con.

Wine-Twist Drop-Stitch Scarf
Free pattern (for personal use only).

Materials:

• US 6 / 4.0 mm knitting needles


• 1 skein Bernat Super Value Ombres Wine-Twist worsted-weight yarn


• Tapestry needle

Instructions:

Cast on 24 stitches.

Rows 1-8 K (produces a garter stitch border)

Begin drop stitch pattern:
Row 1: K
Row 2: Knit each stitch, wrapping the yarn around the needle twice instead of once when completing the stitch
Row 3: Knit each stitch, dropping the extra wrap off the needle as you complete each stitch
Row 4: K

Repeat these four rows until there is just enough yarn left to create an 8-row border in garter stitch (K all sts).

Bind off and weave in ends.

© 2010-01-18 N0Nightowl

Wine-Twist Mittens

After completing the scarf, I used my favourite mittens pattern (Patons No. 303, Beehive Publications (from the 1970's)) for the second skein of Wine-Twist yarn I had originally purchased. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you where to find this pattern, as it appears to no longer be in publication.

After completing the mittens, there was enough yarn left over in the skein to do a matching cloche, to complete the 3-piece set.

Wine-Twist Cloche with Flower Decoration
Free pattern (for personal use only).

Technique: French Knitting, also know as looming or spooling, used for the cloche, and regular single-pointed needle knitting for the attached flower.

Materials:

• Provocraft Knifty Knitter Round Loom -- green for small-adult size or yellow for large-adult size


• Knifty Knitter Hook


• US 6 / 4.0 mm knitting needles


• 1/2 skein Bernat Super Value Ombres Wine-Twist worsted-weight yarn


• Large metal button, preferably gold-coloured, with a shank on the back instead of button holes (the one I used was recycled from an old worn-out jacket)


• Tapestry needle

Instructions:

Actually, the instructions for this project are very simple, because I am just going to tell you to merge two free patterns by different folks.

Step 1: Make the rolled-brim basic cloche following the instructions that come with the round Knifty Knitter looms.

Step 2: Make a Lydia Flower, which is a free pattern from the Lazykate website. I tried to follow the pattern, but just couldn’t get it right to save my life (the number of stitches simply would not match up!), so I ended up adapting it to what worked for me. It looked best using two knit ruffle rounds rather than the three in the pattern. Also, my stitches looked ragged in the centre compared to Kate’s example.

Step 3: Sew the button to the flower and then the flower to the hat at a jaunty angle.

© 2010-01-18 N0Nightowl

Warm Scarf with Fuzzy Tips

Free pattern (for personal use only).

After an unusually warm fall, it's been a very cold winter in Toronto this year. My friend Hauntfox, for whom I made the Fuzzy Headband I blogged about in November, came to me shivering in December and asked if I could make her a nice light but really warm scarf like the pink one I did back in the summer when I was learning how to use the Provocraft long looms... and no, I never did get around to writing that up.

Here’s a picture of the original scarf, produced following the instructions that come with the long loom set. Note that this is double-knitting, which produces a bulky but extremely lightweight flat panel that is reversible. I made one modification to the base pattern, because casting off according to the instructions resulted in one end’s being much tighter than the other. Luckily, the ladies from the Yahoo Frame_Knitting Group I belong to gave me a solution, which was to replace the beginning loops back on the loom and then cast them off with the yarn tail the way the finishing end had been cast off.

This new scarf is incredibly simple to make, but looks quite impressive because of the richness of the boa texture at each end.

Technique: French Knitting, also known as loom knitting or spooling

Materials:

• Provocraft Knifty Knitter 10" long loom
  
• Knifty Knitter Hook
  
• 1 ball Bernat Boa Cardinal eyelash yarn
  
• 1 ball Red Heart Ltd. Comfort Sport black worsted-weight yarn
  
• Tapestry needle

Instructions:

Step 1: Using a strand each of the boa and the worsted-weight yarn held together, cast on using the figure eight wrap method and loom for 3 inches.

Step 2: Cut the boa strand, leaving a 7-8 inch tail, which you will weave in later. Do not cut the worsted-weight yarn.

Step 3: Add a second strand of the worsted-weight yarn and continue looming (each loop will be composed of two strands), until the scarf is the height of the person for whom it is being knit.

Step 4: Cut one of the worsted-weight strands, leaving a 7-8 inch tail to weave in later.

Step 5: Add a strand of the boa, and holding it together with the uncut worsted-weight yarn, loom for 3 more inches.

Step 6: Cast off with a crochet hook.

Note that the use of the fuzzy boa yarn means that both ends look practically the same, so there is no need to re-cast-off the beginning the way it was with the pink scarf, which was knit with a single strand of worsted-weight yarn only.


© 2010-01-10 N0Nightowl

New Year's Catch-Up and Demonic Lengths Scarf

Everyone keeps asking what was my New Year's Resolution, but I didn't make one this year. The usual "lose weight" is not available as a resolution this year. Since I was diagnosed as diabetic two months ago, weight loss is no longer optional -- it's mandatory. I'm simply counting calories, with the understanding that I'll be counting calories for the rest of my life. Once I lose all that I need to (23 pounds down, 77 pounds to go), I'll switch to maintenance calorie-counting. From past yoyo dieting, I know myself and recognize the fact that I'll never again be able to "eat normally", because, for me, eating normally means consuming comfort foods, and these are almost all high in calories, fats and carbs. [sigh] If I allow myself the least leeway, I'll fall back into temptation and the usual "just this once won't hurt", spiralling into multiple "once's" and the weight's piling back on. Hence, calorie counting will now be enforced for the rest of my life.

So, that left me searching for a new New Year's Resolution. Then I realized how far I am behind in getting all my projects and patterns posted to this blog. Well, folks, I am resolved to catch up.

I'm going to start with the long overdue pattern for the scarf that completes my Supernatural winter accessories set. I posted the pattern for the Demonic Thoughts Tuque back in July and the matching Demonic Hands Mitts project in August.


Demonic Lengths Scarf

Free pattern (for personal use only).

This short, sassy scarf knits up quickly and makes the perfect match for the accompanying tuque and mitts. The vivid red made these the perfect accessories for the just-past holiday period, and I received lots of compliments every time I wore them.

Materials:

• 1 ball Bernat Boa Cardinal eyelash yarn



• 1 ball Red Heart Classic Cherry Red worsted-weight acrylic yarn



• 4 mm knitting needles



• 4.5 mm knitting needles



• Tapestry needle

Instructions:

Holding together one strand of the Boa and one strand of the worsted-weight yarn, cast on 17 sts using the 4 mm knitting needles.

Knit 8 rows in single ribbing:
Odd rows: *K1 P1* repeat to end of row
Even rows: *P1 K1* repeat to end of row.

Cut off Boa, leaving a tail to weave in at the finishing stage.

Change to the 4.5 mm knitting needles and continue knitting with a single strand using the seed stitch.

All rows: *K1 P1* repeat to end of row.

When the scarf reaches 36 inches long, add a strand of the Boa to the worsted-weight yarn and switch back to the 4 mm needles.

Knit 8 rows in single ribbing, as above.

Cast off.

Finishing: Weave in the yarn tails and block the scarf.

Note: Normally, the addition of the Boa strand for the cuffs would cause them to be wider than the body of the scarf. Using the smaller needs and rib stitch should make them the same width as the scarf body. If not, even up the width when you block the scarf.

Below is a picture of all three items in the Supernatural winter accessory set.



© 2010-01-07 N0Nightowl