Requests!

I have extended the offer of handknits to any Facebook fan for little to no cost! So far I've done three requests and am looking for more. Only one has been delivered so I don't want to share too much on the others yet...

Number one was a slouchy hat, to cover poufy hair :-). I got some lovely yarn from one of my LYS, Lizzie Ann's. It turned out to match the winter coat perfectly. I used a cable hat pattern I got in a knitting e-newsletter and it worked up just right. I blocked it like a beret and it gave just the right slouch after that.

Next up was a hat and/or wrist warmers in bright colors. I had recently picked up some yarn that fit the bill perfectly, and I had enough to make both requested items. I used a cable pattern for wristers but modified it more to my liking, and then took that idea to make a hat pattern. Those still need to be rinsed and blocked before I can send them off.

Lastly I made some super warm mittens. They are your basic mittens in black but were needed in a larger size than can be found in stores by the requester. An extra touch of cross stitched BCA ribbons were added in pink. Those also need to be rinsed an blocked once I confirm that the finished measurements sound like the right size.

So what next? Looking for more takers so I can keep busy with items people really want and not just a bunch of hats that sit around my house!

I finished up the year knitting

Since my last post I've been very busy with work but have managed to keep knitting in my little spare time.  I just haven't had the time to post here and just barely get pics taken of my finished works :-/  So I'm here to recap the last quarter of my knitting year...

I learned how to spin with a drop spindle!  I really enjoyed it and can't wait to try it again... this time I'll be less ambitious (I tried a 2-ply with black embroidery floss)

 I made a fairly simple hat for the DH using two yarns held together... it's really warm but the soft yarn just didn't take away all the itchiness of the wool.

 I made myself a hat using my homespun wool!  I didn't have enough for a whole hat so I had to supplement with some other yarn.  It can get itchy as wool does, but I grin and bear it because it's so colorful!

 Don't mind that woman in a mustache and beard, it's just a creative knit hat!  This was a special order and sure to look better on the recipient than me, but I needed to have a shot for my records :-)

 I did some gift knitting this year... These are fingerless knits for the MIL.  I made her a second pair in a lovely gray recycled yarn that had a beautiful cable on top, but don't seem to have a pic of those.  I like the pattern so much I have them on my mental list for myself.

 I also made some slipper socks for the FIL as a Christmas gift.  They took about 1 1/2 skeins so I used the left overs to make a quick hat.  I seem to have not taken pics of that either, but it's still around the house so maybe someday :-)

 I made another Dandy Neckerchief from Ravelry with a very pretty yarn I found at Tuesday Morning.  I believe I used 1 1/2 skeins and made a matching hat by modifying the stitch pattern.  Of course, I don't have a pic of that hat either...

 Probably the item I'm most happy with would be this lovely blanket I made for my mom for her birthday.  It's in colors to coordinate with her living room.  I really loved the stitch pattern and after repeating it 10 or 20 times I memorized it!  I can tell it's going to be warm because I stayed toasty as I knit.

I made a couple other gift knits that I don't have pics of (yet?  I'm hoping the recipients send me some!).  My sister received a loop scarf/cowl that I made with three color yarns held two together at varying intervals.  The blue, green and purple really do mimic a peacocks coloring if I do say so myself.  Each one of my children received a set of fingerless mitts and a simple winter hat in colors to match their winter coats.

I made another baby blanket (did I post about the first one here???) for a cousin who recently had a baby.  I found a really fitting but a bit complex pattern that included color work of farm characters.  It was my first real color work and I did not like how the back left hanging yarn that could get caught on little fingers or toes.  I ended up deciding to sew on a backing of blue gingham print cotton material.  I did takes pics of that but have not edited them yet so maybe next time...

Just before year's end I started a scarf that may or may not be for DH (depends on what he thinks of the final look) which I've still got on the needles as my standby, easy to travel with knit.  I also got to work on a little something for myself... a sweater!  I had some LBY Homespun from year(s?!?) ago that I made something with that I was not all that happy with anymore so I frogged it and got started.  I didn't really find an existing pattern that I really liked and thought would work.  I used the idea from several top down raglan style sweaters to get my stitch numbers and figure out where to increase.  From there it was all my own mind's idea.  I hope to write up a more official pattern and put it on Ravelry for free.

I was knitting my sweater as the countdown to 2012 began and finished it up first thing 1/1/12.  I've already soaked it and am blocking it now, hoping to wear it to the last holiday celebration tomorrow!

Even though I haven't had much time to keep up everywhere, I have been trying to make an effort to keep my Raverly project page up to date.  There are even some pics there (taken via camera phone) that I'm not posting here.  So go check it out sometime :-)

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!

Still busy knitting...

Wow, surprised to see it's been about a month since my last post.  I have been knitting and posting quick updates to my Facebook fan page, but haven't taken that extra time to write a longer update.

My recent knitting has consisted mostly of family and personal knitting.  I used some mystery yarn found at a thrift shop to create myself a hat.  It's a little lacy and a little baggy, but not the snood I thought it would be.  Turns out, I really like it just the way it is!

I finally finished the strap on a bag I'd started I don't remember how long ago and gave it to my daughter.  It's the perfect size to hold books, but the downside to that is it stretches the strap out bit.  Fortunately, since it's a knit strap, we can just put a knot in it and keep going while still looking fashionable!

My sis really liked my white hat and wanted something similar.  The yarn we settled on wasn't the same thickness of my white yarn, and I changed to a different lace pattern.  This resulted in a hat that was not baggy enough, so my daughter got another knitted item!

I was able to knit up a cowl that met what my sis had in mind, so she didn't end up empty handed.  I knit up this thrift store find with a simple rib to start and end for the stretch factor and knit around in the middle.  It's a basic pattern, but that's all you need sometimes when the yarn is so interesting.

I have also been working on socks for DH.  These have been going on for quite a while (in relation to my other projects).  One sock has been successfully completed, however I now have SSS (Second Sock Syndrome).  I haven't even made it to the heel of the second sock yet and am trying to force myself to knit at least a little on them every day.

Another item I started (and finished) for myself was a shawlette.  I'd never really thought of making myself a shawl, but found some beautiful drapey feeling yarn that I bought ball of without knowing what it might be.  I later got to thinking about a shawl and a search through Ravelry found that I did have enough yardage to make a mini version.  I'm really pleased with the results and overcame a couple of knitting fears in the process; lace patterns really can be memorized & enjoyable and charts really can be read!

I actually enjoyed this pattern so much I cast on another one... however that was rather quickly frogged.  With two balls totaling approximately 240 yds, I was already cutting it close... Then I came to the part of the first ball that was cut.  I should say, this yarn was part of a grab bag, which is usually prone to some kind of issue, hence the awesome price.  After a little playing with the pattern and contemplation, I decided to pull it out and look for something else.  Still looking for that something else...

My daughter was the recipient of one more item that was another first for me.  It's called a Sleeveless Cardi and is knit like a raglan sweater.  I hadn't tried my hand at a sweater yet and never realized how simple raglan sweaters could be!  Once I got the concept of what was happening, I got really excited that I could create all kinds of things and have added that to my mental que.  This project started because in many of my recent grab bag purchases I would end up with a ball or two (or more) of the same yarn, color and lot!  I wanted to do something big with it but wasn't sure what.  A friend suggested a sweater so I started there, coming across the pattern I did was a perfect match as the weather is slowly warming up here.  I think she looks just darling in it!

With so many knit items going to my daughter, my sons (one in particular) were feeling left out.  They really wanted a shirt but there isn't much similar to the above in a less girly version.  At this point, I settled on a simple sweatband for the most left out feeling son to wear for soccer season in the school colors.  I may just get started on some raglan sweaters for them and hope I can finish by the time the weather cools down again!