Awareness Ribbons Stitch Pattern

As October nears I am busy knitting up items with a Breast Cancer Awareness theme.  I searched for something that resembled the Awareness Ribbon shape and didn't find exactly what I was looking for, so I pulled out my new notebook of graph paper and got to work making my own stitch pattern.  It can be used for any kind of Awareness cause, just use yarn in the appropriate color.  I'm sharing the pattern here and on Ravelry for free.

This pattern is worked in multiples of 6 + 1.

R1: Knit
R2: *P1, K1, P3, K1, repeat from *, ending with P1
R3: K2, *P1, K1, P1, K3, repeat from *, ending with K2
R4: *P3, K1, P2, repeat from *, ending with P3
R5: K3, *P1, K5, repeat from *, ending with K3
R6: *P2, K1, P1, K1, P3, repeat from *, ending with P2
R7: K2, *P1, K1, P1, K3, repeat from *, ending with K2
R8: *P3, K1, P2, repeat from *, ending with P3
R9: K3, *P1, K5, repeat from *, ending with K3
R10: Knit

Repeat R1-R10 until desired length.

It's a somewhat subtle pattern, but it is recognizable as well.  Enjoy!

Knitting updates

So many projects have been completed the past few months, but I have started keeping a better record on my Ravelry page since I found my other methods to be less permanent.

My first completed project was a purple scarf.  I just improvised a stitch pattern as I had limited internet access and no books.  It turns out that pattern makes the scarf curl some, but it's still a cute scarf.

When I was ready for another project I decided I should find a pattern and created my own loop scarf.  When it was done and I had yarn left, I decided to turn the stitch pattern into a matching hat.

I then felt ready to plunge into a special order hat, a bearded hat to be specific.  That was double layered.  I think I'm about 2 months into this hat but can see the finish line now!

I created a sunshine-y bucket/floppy style hat with sunflower colors as well as a hat out of self patterning yarn that looks almost like it has ears.

I started what I thought would be a purse, using a "x"s and "o"s cable effect, but the cables pulled it in so much it works better as a notions bag.  I did manage to create one cabled purse though, I just need to finish it off with a ribbon handle.

I made a cowl that can double as an earwarmer, or is it an earwarmer that can double as a cowl?  Either way, it's very practical in black and white!

Somewhere along the way I made a cropped cardigan for myself out of yarn from what is now a LYS to me. I definitely want to get into more cardigans :-)

I've got some breast cancer awareness items in process as well as a blanket for a baby girl due any day.  In que are a couple special scarves, fingerless mitts, and slipper socks.  Plus I have a lot of replacement knitting to do, #1 on that list are blankets for the kids.

Grand Re-Opening News!

I'm planning a Grand Re-Opening of DenKnits Etsy Shop for the beginning of October with a special twist.  October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, which holds a special place in my heart, and I'd like to kick off my shop with a bunch of BCA themed items whose profits will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Why I neglected the blogosphere for five months

I still don't like telling this story, but I can bear to write a bit more than the condensed version.  We awoke in the middle of the night, May 14-15, to a fire in our living room.  My family, including the dog, made it out a front window and our cat was found later alive and well in the basement.  We had little more than the clothes on our backs and as it turned out, not much else was salvageable.  Thanks to the generosity of family and friends and what turned out to be pretty darn good insurance, we managed to accumulate a couple more earthly goods.  Our "home" became a hotel and then an apartment.  Our house turned out to be a big ticket redo or find somewhere new.  We decided to move to a new town, just across the state, where we also had some family.

We are in a new town, a new school for the kids, new friends, the house had to be filled with new, or new to us, furniture and decor.  There were more new clothes to buy, dishes, electronics, the list goes on and on.  Once all the work was done there was time to reflect and I realized the past four months feel like a dream and I just woke up in a new life.

Besides the fact that Den went through this, what does this have to do with DenKnits?  Well, first off, I lost all my yarn stash and supplies.  I lost all my Etsy shop pieces.  I even lost a good share of my personal handknits.  When I got back to purchasing a couple of needles and some yarn, I knit just for me.  After a couple of months I got back to doing a couple special order and shop items.  I've now accumulated two hats, a scarf, a cowl/earwarmer, and a clutch specifically for the shop, with a couple projects on the needles and many plans for many other items, just need more hours in the day!