Wool Free and Lovin' Knit

Log Cabin Dishcloth -- This month's Christmas Knitted Gift Idea

This month's Christmas knit idea is a simple log cabin dishcloth which was inspired by the log cabin blanket I knit.  

I used Bernat Handicrafter cotton but any good workhorse cotton will do. The cotton should feel dry and a bit like knitting with string because that's what will make it a strong and absorbent cloth. 

Pair one of these with some fabulous dish or hand soap for a friend, neighbor, teacher, hostess etc. 

Start with a 1" square in the middle.  In this yarn that was a cast on of 5 stitches and 6 rows.  On the 7th row (right side facing) bind off all but the last stitch, then, pick up and knit the stitches down the side closest to your left hand (every other row works well). From this point on you will knit for 7 rows and bind off on the 8th (right side facing you).  

You just continue to work around the sides like this (alternating colors in a way that pleases you) until your dishcloth is approximately  8" by 8 " and you've completed an even number of sides.  

Bind off the last row completely by pulling the yarn snuggly through the last stitch, weave in the ends, and you've got a lovely looking dishcloth. 

When you are finished, place it on the ironing board, use some blocking pins to straighten your corners, and then give it an quick press using the cotton steam setting on your iron.

Choose colors to match a friend's kitchen decor or go with Christmassy reds and greens.  These will knit up quickly (an evening or two at most) and are a practical gift that keeps on giving. 

Just seven more months until Christmas -- how are you doing with your Christmas knitting? 

Tea Toting Owl -- A Free Pattern

 

This month's Christmas Knit is a simple gift idea to knit for your tea loving friends.

As an herbal tea lover, I usually carry my own bags with me when I travel.  So I created this little "Tea Toting Owl" for a fun place to store a teabag or two.  

Cherry Picks Pillow Pattern Goes Live

Well, I'm pretty excited today.  My first pattern with Knit Picks has just gone "live".  It's the Cherry Picks Pillow Pattern and you can find it here.  It's just $1.99 for a download and the cost of making this pillow with pattern and yarn is under $20.00.

Happy Easter one and all!

Chirping In With My Cherry Picks Pillow

"Use whatever talent you possess. The woods would be silent if only those birds sang who sang best."    --Henry Van Dyke

Back in January I shared a personal design of mine here on the blog,  the Cherry Picks Pillow.  Your comments were very kind.  Then several  fellow designers on Ravelry encouraged me to write up the pattern and submit it to KnitPicks (and I'm so thankful for their encouragment).

Cherry Picks Pillow -- Pattern to go live next month

 I was hesitant at first because it is not a very complex design and I couldn't imagine that anyone would want to actually buy the pattern if I took the time to write it.  But in the end I took Henry Van Dyke's words to heart (the quote above is a personal mantra) and I wrote up the pattern, sent it off to a tech editor, had a test knitter give it a run, and then submitted it to KnitPicks.   And, guess what?  They loved it.   No one was more surprised than me. 

The pattern should be on-line sometime next month.  I'll keep you posted.   

"From My House to Yours", Happy Holidays!

I know that Christmas still feels a long way off and some people might not even like to think about it, but for us knitters, the 25th of this month is a gentle reminder that there are just 9 more months to knit for it.   

This month I share with you a Christmas ornament  I designed that you can personalize in just about any way you like with different weights of yarn, different colors, stitch patterns, buttons and ribbons etc.  Let your imagination go wild!

"From My House to Yours"

It's a simple recipe.  

1.  Start by casting  on enough stitches in the yarn of your choice to create a 3.5" wide strip.  You'll knit in stockinette for 5" and then switch to your roof color(s).   I like to decrease every other, row starting on row 2, until there are 3 stitches left on the needle, then bind off.   (Make 2 )

2. Knit up one more small strip (1" wide and 2" tall) for your door and sew on a small button for the doorknob.  Slip stitch (or use fabric glue) to attach this to the right side of one of your house pieces.

3.  Place your two house pieces, wrong sides together, and seam both sides of the roof using a mattress stitch.  Put some stuffing in the the roof, then continue seaming down each side of the house leaving the bottom open. 

4. Lightly stuff  the rest of your house (I just used a polyester stuffing but you could add a sack of potpourri  or cedar chips if you like) and then seam up the bottom end. 

5.  You may wish to add some ribbon to the top just below the roofline.   I recommend 1/4" width.   Measure the circumference of the area you want to put the ribbon, cut to size, and apply with fabric glue or slip stitch with fine thread in a matching color.

6. For the final touch, thread a good length of Jute through the top using a darning needle, tie at the desired length and cut. 

There you have it -- a cute little Christmas Ornament that says, "From My House to Yours, Happy Holidays". 

A Sheep's Mug Mat

So my "Christmas knit" this month is actually more of a gift idea than a decorating one.  I call it "A Sheep's Mug Mat" (mug mat being a fancy name for a coaster).   

I used this Drop's pattern (small size) to knit up the round mat using short rows.   For yarn I chose Berroco Linsey (Shell), a cotton/linen blend which I love.  

I knit the sheep parts  in Knit Picks fingering  (Bison)and attached them with fabric glue (you could also slip-stitch them on with invisible thread).   

I think it makes a great mug mat.  A set of 2 or 4 of these would be a great Christmas gift or you could just do one up for yourself.

"Santa in the Middle" Christmas Ornament, A free knitting pattern

Yes, I know it's January and Christmas is a LONG way off (11 months today to be exact) but I am working on a plan this year to knit at least one Christmas-themed project each month.  I'm hoping that by the time Christmas does roll around I'll have a box full of knitted goodies to display and/or  gift to others. 

This month I created a cute little ornament to hang on a door handle or on your tree.  I'd seen several sewn versions of this ornament and thought it would be fun to try knitting one. 

I think these would be great for a secret Santa gift exchange, your school or church Christmas craft fair, or a perfect hostess gift.    Use my free pattern to try one yourself and be sure to let me know how it turns out!

FREE Pattern: "Frosty" Plush Pal Applique

Looking for a quick, fun and seasonal applique to dress up a hat, scarf, pocket, pillow or bag? 

 

Meet Frosty,  my new plush pal applique!   Enjoy this free knitting pattern. Get ready, set and knit one! 

Materials Required:

Berroco Plush yarn (white)

4 dpns size 4 (this smaller sized needle creates a denser fabric)

Small amounts of orange and black cotton

1 pr. of small black buttons

 Finished size variable -- sample shown is a 3.5" circumference. 

Frosty's head:

Cast on 1 stitch 

Row 1:  Knit, Purl, Knit into stitch (3 stitches)

Row 2,4, : Purl

Row 3, 5, : Knit forward and back into each stitch (12 stitches)

Row 6 -- divide 12 stitches onto 3 dpns (4 per needle) being careful not to twist your stitches. Join in the round placing a stitch marker to note the start and knit all stitches. 

Row 7 & 9: K f& b

K 8 & 10: Knit around

Row 11:  (Knit forward & back, knit 1) repeat to end

Row 12 (and all following even rows) knit around. 

Row 13: (Knit forward and back, knit 2) repeat to end

Row 15: (Knit forward and back, knit 3) repeat to end

Row 17: (Knit forward and back, knit 4) repeat to end. 

Continue on in this manner until your circle is the size you want for Frosty's head.  Loosely Cast off knit wise. 

Carrot:

Using a small amount of orange yarn, cast on 5 stitches leaving a 1 inch tail. Knit in garter stitch 3 rows.

Next row, knit 2 together, knit 1, knit 2 together (3 stitches remain)

Knit 2 rows garter stitch

Next row, knit two, pass first stitch over second. Knit two together (one stitch remaining) thread yarn through remaining stitch and pull tight leaving a 1 inch tail. 

Frosty's Face:

Position carrot on face and pin.  Then use yarn tails to tack point in place and slip stitch around body of the carrot. 

Using a strand of dark black cotton, stitch on a smile -- be sure to tack both ends of smile firmly in place. 

Finally position the buttons for eyes -- use a single strand of your black yarn or black thread to stitch the buttons in place. 

Your applique can now be slip-stitched onto a pocket, hat, scarf, bag etc.   Anywhere that needs a little of Frosty's magical touch!

Be sure to let me know what you do with your Frosty!