Crunchtime Knitting. Bookmarks For When The End Is Nigh

                                                     Jumbo Stitch Cowls  

Boxy Cozy

Chunky Seed Stitch Rug 

Dropped Stitch Soap Sack

Gift Card-igans

Irish Coffee Cozy

Moleskine Cozy

Nae 

Quick Knit Baby Shrug  

Rolled Brim Hat

Seed Stitch Cowl

Tea Toter

Free patterns are easier to find

I post allot of pattern links here at the blog. 
I would say over 90% of what I post are free pattern links. (Thank you to all the wonderful designers who post those free patterns!) 
I don't have a problem paying for patterns. I have actually bought a few over the years but free patterns are always the best. 

I have spent the last couple of days combing through the blog and digging out the links I have posted and tried my best to gather them all together over there --------------------► to make everything easier to find. 

I will be checking the links periodically to make sure they are still good but sometimes they get past me. 
If you come across a link that is no longer working just drop me a note at knittinfun @ gmail dot com and I will see if I can find a better link for it, or at the very least, remove the bad one.
You can also email me at that address if you have or know of a link you would like to stick on the list. 

As far as the blog roll, I try and not let any of the links go longer than a month without a new post. Not that I am one to speak, but I like to keep up with active blogs. 

The links I post are what is interesting to me.  This is after all, my blog and record of my knitting and things in the crafty world that interest me. 
Having said that, I am always open to suggestions ;0)

 

Very Productive Knitting Day

Yesterday was probably the most productive knitting day I have had in a while.
The hat for my Mom is finished! I probably could have made the slouch a little slouchier (yes that is now a word) but I was just so over this hat and how long it was taking me that as soon as I got close enough I was ready to be finished with it.
I don't think she will mind though. It did come out wicked cute.

Sorry about the grainy pictures. As you can tell I still haven't found the right lamps for the living room and it was way too cold in the house to even think about getting uncovered and going to another room to get better pictures. Sorry.
And yes, I have the weirdest hair ever, it doesn't know if it wants to curl or be straight so it does both. Drives me insane!

I also finished the second and final cloth for my MIL's towel set.
Two gifts down in one day! Like a boss!
Plus..............................
I started on my next gift on the list.

Abbey decided I needed help with the last one.
She is checking for knots and kinks, yeah, that's what we will go with. She's inspecting!
She says it's a go! I can now use this yarn.        
Of course that is after she tasted it a few times first.
It's all about quality control around here.

 

I can't tell you what this going to be, but if you have been following me lately, you could probably take a pretty good guess.
And no, I apparently have not gotten over the linen stitch bug.
I really like this yarn, even though it is sometimes hard to deal with, once you get a handle on the fuzziness, it really is a pretty yarn.

 

So all in all I am glad it never got above 41 degrees outside yesterday, it made me sit and get some things finished so I can keep moving through this ever growing list. that and I don't have to cut the grass ;0)

Hats of all different sizes

The needles I ordered to re-start my Mom's hat came in Friday. Yay! 

I ordered some Clover bamboo 16" needles from a lady on Ebay and let me tell you, that was some super fast shipping.  

The one problem with my yarn is on the metal needles it was too slippery, on the bamboo needles you have to drag it around the needles. 

But I am a stubborn one somebody and pulling around is much better than slipping off the end of the needle every time I had change from purl to knit and back again. 

When it was time to sit down and watch some football I had a cute little slouch hat pattern picked out, just a basic pattern that I found on my Ipad. The pattern called for size 9 needles, which was what I tried the first time and it was just way too loose. So I decided to go up to the largest hat size and use my new size 8 needles.

                              

 

 By halftime I had finished the ribbing and had a good start on the cap.

As you can see, the stitches are much better on the size 8 needles.

            

 And by the end of the third quarter I had a cute little hat finished. Unfortunately, even making the largest size, there is nothing slouchy about this hat.  I followed the directions exactly and the hat, while adorable, is not what I needed for my Mom.  The cuff was an ok fit, but six inches then bind off, no, that was way to small. Not for a hat, but definitely for a slouchy.

Gauge? Did you ask if I checked my gauge? 

Pfffffffftttttt, it's a hat, it will fit one of the many, many people I have to knit for. 

I already have the intended recipient in mind, so it's all good.

                                                                                                              

So, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, I cast on 96 sts and tried again.

This time I decided to go with the old tried and true linen stitch to make it a denser fabric to keep her head warm, plus it will better match the cowl that goes with it.

It takes absolutely forever to get 7" on a hat in linen stitch for some reason. This one is going at 8 rounds to the inch. And I am knitting about as loose as I ever have to make it easier getting those stitches around on these bamboo needles. I think it is because I am having to physically move my stitches along, verses them gliding smoothly around, that is making it seem like the longest small project ever!

I haven't quite figured out in my head how to do the bind off in linen stitch, but I am sure I will figure it out when I get there. Hopefully this evening, Gotham is coming on ya know.

I do love the way it is coming out. 

I think she is going to love it!

Charitable Knitting ..........Maybe

 

I would love to be one of those awesome knitters who just knit away for charity but................
every year I start dreaming of patterns and whittling down that huge pile of 'forgotten zone' yarn.
I want to knit hats for homeless people,blankets for homeless pets, socks for the military, though sweaters for penguins never really clicked for me.

I get the idea, I get super excited about it, I plan, I pick out yarns and patterns....................
Yeah, usually that's about as far as it goes.

I don't know why I don't just make that push on through. I just don't.
I come up with every excuse in the book why I don't have time to knit and donate.
I knit, someone sees it and wants it and I give it to them instead of the intended charity.
Or worse, (yes I'll admit it) even keep it for myself.
I just absolutely suck at charitable knitting!
Though I could try and make myself feel better with the whole, "I gave it to someone who couldn't knit", thing. But that's not exactly the same is it?

I know once I actually accomplish knitting an item and donating it that the feeling would be awesome. I just haven't gotten to that point yet.

I saw the blizzards starting (already!) up north and that made me think about all of this. Why? Who the hell knows, but it did.  So now I am on an online hunt for the one project I want to get involved in.
I'm not going to lie about it, it's going to have to be small projects. Hats for the homeless maybe. There is no sense in me pretending I am going to take on huge awesome and very worthy charity knitting like sweaters and blankets for the homeless. Tho I would love to that will have to wait until I get old enough to get bored sitting around the house too much. Right now, that is definitely not my life.

Maybe by starting with something small and sticking with it I will get the bug and it will blossom and grow into more.

I went on a web hunt this morning and found a website that looks like it will be a great starting point for me.
KnittingforCharity.org

I'm going to have a looksee and get back to you......

Happy Veterans Day!

To all those who have taken the oath, served our nation and sacrificed great and small  

                                       THANK YOU!

I want to share some pictures of my two favorite Veterans 

Thank You Desire' and Cole
Love you! You are my favorites!

 

                    

   

          

 

              

Unfortunately all of the pictures I had from Desire's return home from Iraq back in 2008 were on an s-d card that just fell apart before I could get them transferred to my computer. There were a lot of great pictures and yes, I cried, allot, when I lost them.

Instructions for the Linen Stitch Cowl

I finished this cowl for my Mom last night as part of her Christmas gift. My plan is to add a slouchy hat and some cute wristlets to go with this. 

I posted this over at the Knittinfun Facebook page and promised to add instructions here this morning.

I say instructions because this is not a pattern really. I just looked online until I found something I liked and adapted that to my yarn and my needles. Which, I have to say, worked out perfectly together. 

 Excuse the chicken neck. I am getting old ya know ;0)

  

 Materials:

Red Heart Yarn: Boutique 

Size 9 16" circs

CO: 120 sts

You know the routine, join to knit in the round, being careful, yeah, yeah, yadda, yadda

R1: K1, Sl1 wyif (with yarn in front) as if to purl

R:2: Sl1 wyif, K1  

Repeat these two rounds until it's the size you want it.

That's it. The whole process. 

As far as measurements, (you're gonna love this) I just held it up to my own neck every once in a while until it felt right.

I did get to thinking last night that this would also be great for an infinity scarf with a cast on of about 240 and DO twist your sts when you join. 

Oh SNAP another project sprouting in my brain!

Maybe I shouldn't have started those dish towels for my MIL so soon!

Pattern Hunt: Kitchen Items

I have been blazing through my gift knitting list. I suppose mainly because most of the knitted items are not huge like blankets. No, this year it is all smaller knitted items. Cloths, scarves, cowls, most of which I can get through with a couple of nights of  intense t.v. shows. Ok, maybe the scarves and towels, four nights. But not much longer than that.
I do have to get some hats finished. I think my total count at the time is 5 (at the moment) I am so far ahead of the gift knitting game right now, I am sure that number will grow.
The hats are, for the most part, going to be basic beanies. Maybe with the exception of the one for my Mom, I think her's will be a slouchy.
But that's down to the wire knitting. I still have time for those.

So, I was knitting away on the red and white gift that I posted over at the KnittinFun Facebook Page  and it got the brain juices flowing. I love the way the pattern with that particular stitch looks. I'm sure if you look at the picture you can figure out exactly what that stitch is. And it got me thinking about hand towels. Old fashioned two stripe kitchen towels.

Well crap! I am half way through my Mom's cowl and my mind goes finding something else for me to want to do. Now it's a mad rush to finish her gift so I can get started.

I think I am going to grab some white cotton and do a couple of decent sized kitchen towels for my Mother In Law.

All I keep picturing in my head is white with two broad red stripes at the bottom. I already know the pattern I am going to use and trust me, you will like it.

So, on that note I decided to look up some more kitchen knitting patterns that I might need after I finish the MIL towel.
I am sure you have seen most of these before but here are some I like:

Bubble Up Towel

Christmas Joy Hanging Towel

Clean/Dirty Dishwasher Sign

Cloth and Towel Set

Not The Paper Towel

Simply Striped Kitchen Hanging Towel

One of  my 'go to' faves (basically all her patterns)
Columns Hanging Towel

Basket Rib Hand Towel

Every kitchen should have one
Grip Reaper Kitchen Towel

Knit Gridded Towel

If you have the patience to make 4 of the same thing (don't even ask)
Alexa's Placemats

And never forget the instructions right here on the blog for turning any dishcloth into a double ended hand towel
Frogs 
 


This should keep me busy a few days anyway.
That is after I get those nagging hand towels done that won't leave my brain alone.