Spring Garden Tee

Announcing the completion of my new design project! The Spring Garden Tee!

I just love it! It is so feminine and girly!

Here are some more shots of it that wouldn't fit into my photo collage.

What I strive to offer with all of the patterns that I put up is a nice size range. Just like the Watermelon pattern and also the Playful Stripes pattern, the Spring Garden Tee is sized from 3 months- size 6. Just perfect for daughters or granddaughters of different ages.

Also this pattern, like the others, offers simple construction. The Spring Garden Tee is worked in one piece from the top down with no seaming whatsoever! I think that the instructions are easy to understand and this project works up fast. This top could easily be knit up in only one weeks time!

Nice Sleeve Closeup

Here is some more pattern information for those who are interested in knitting this design:



SIZE
3 months [6mos, 9mos, 12mos, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] (shown in size 2)

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Chest: 17 [18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25] inches (0 inches of positive ease)

Length: approx 10 [10.5, 11, 11.5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16] inches after blocking

MATERIALS
Rowan Calmer [80% Cotton. 20% Polyester Fibre; 175 yd/160m per 50g skein; color: #482; 2 [2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3] skeins or approx 270 [285, 300, 315, 330, 350, 370, 390, 420] yds of any dk weight yarn.


1# 16” US #6/4mm circular needle for smaller sizes
1# 24” US #6/4mm circular needle for larger sizes
1# 16” US #5/3.75mm circular needle for neck and sleeve edging.


(You may need to use US #5/3.75mm double pointed needles for smaller sizes).
2 pieces of scrap yarn to serve as stitch holders
Tapestry needle
Stitch markers

GAUGE
24 sts/36 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch on size 6 needles

I love how this pattern takes no more than 3 skeins of Rowan Calmer to knit! Rowan Calmer is one of my new favorite yarns. Its so soft and springy and easy to work with. The softness of the cotton blend is ideal for sensitive baby skin.

I hope that you enjoy knitting this pattern as much as I did! Remember that if you ever have any questions or problems with any of the patterns that I offer, I am always here to help.

Please also email me if you are a yarn shop owner and are interested in carrying this or any of the NeverNotKnitting patterns. Contact me at nevernotknitting@gmail.com for wholesale pricing information.

This pattern is now available in French. Click here to purchase the translated pattern!

Knitting or Blogging

With my current work schedule and all the stuff with putting together this year's Men's Spring Knitting Retreat (which is going to be AWESOME!), I felt that I could either knit, or blog about no knitting.

I Chose To Knit
It appears that Ted, Wondermike and I will be doing a live radio interview on the Friday of the retreat. Once it's fully confirmed, I'll provide all the details (because you'll be able to stream the show/interview live if you care to listen), but in preparation for the interview, we had to really delve into what is the purpose of the men's knitting retreats.

I was reminded again about the odd ways that men are perceived when they knit in publish whilst knitting on the plane this past week (see baby blanket below). I had one of three typical reactions:

1. Completely Ignored - Folks would pretend I wasn't doing anything more interesting than reading the in-flight magazine.
2. Disdained - My seat mate was a somewhat redneck sort of guy who actually grunted a bit in disgust when he realized what I was doing right next to him (is knitting contagious?)
3. Fawned over - One of the flight attendants went on and on about how amazing it was that I knit (and I wasn't doing it with any other appendage than my hands, despite the fact that I'm male).

Being with 45 guys in a few weeks, just enjoying knitting without any other energy spent on dealing with the fallout of knitting in public will be a complete joy.

I can't wait to feel normal(ish).

Current Knitting/Crocheting
First of all, I still haven't finished the crochet baby blanket...or maybe I have...I need help in deciding.

I completed a rather plain, wide border, using varying width of random striping of the colors in the blanket, and then I started to do a simple 5 double-crochet shell edging. When I was about halfway through with the final edging, Thaddeus asked me why I was putting such an old-fashion border on such a contemporary looking baby blanket. I value is aesthetic eye in these matters, but I still thought I'd ask readers which they prefer...a plain, squared off border, or a shell border.

Leave a comment as to which you prefer (by the way, the color of the blank is much more like the first photo than the second).

I also got some additional work done on the knitted baby blanket, using the Asherton Scarf pattern as the stitch pattern.

I love this blanket...love the colors, love the fabric and love that it's reversible.

Finally, I needed a quick, but elegant second birthday gift for a friend who's birthday was this past week. I was able to knit up a beautiful Neck Warmer (Crafty Andy's Urbanite Neck Warmer pattern).

I also got to use some of Regina's Nature Buttons. The light-weight ceramic she uses was perfect on this alpaca fabric and her glaze colors are incredibly rich and perfect on knitted items.

My friend tried it on, and she looked MUCH better than I do in it and she loved it.

NeverNotKnitting Podcast : Episode 18 : The Murphys Law Felted Clogs

Episode 18

Shownotes:

Dancing Ewe Yarns

Sienna Cardigan

Knit Chickens Pattern

My Knit Chicken in progress

Something Red Sweater

Knit and Tonic

The Spring Garden Tee

Rowan Calmer-My New Favorite!

Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Dyed Cotton

Eyelet Cardigan

Tomato

Flair

Baby Bolero

Baby Bobbi Bear

One Fish Two Fish

Barbara on Ravelry

The Murphys Law Felted Clogs

NeverNotKnitting Ravelry Group

*Dont forget to enter this episodes drawing!

For the month of May, Dancing Ewe Yarns is offering a special discount of 20% on the entire selection of Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton

and free shipping for all orders that include this yarn.

This offer is exclusive to the Nevernotknitting podcast listeners and blog readers.

In order to receive your discount, click on the Dancing Ewe link and in the checkout process enter in the special code " NNK1 "

Click HERE to download the MP3

Color and More Color

Reader Mary Lou sent me a link to a blog I read often, but specifically to a video of Kaffe talking about his early roots in knitting:

http://blog.timesunion.com/fiberarts/kaffe-speaks/15895/

I would highly recommend watching this to both hear Kaffe's views on color but also see the rich colors in his designs and his home.  Just beautiful.

Current Crochet/Knitting

Knowing I will never be able to do color combinations as sublime as Kaffe, except maybe through trial and error, I still love working with color.

In addition to finishing my latest Crochet Interlocking Wave Scarf using Koigu's KPPPM yarn, I also started another Koigu Cross Stitch Scarf.  I just started the Cross Stitch Scarf, so I'll post a photo next time, but here is the finished Interlocking Wave Scarf:

The color is shown off best in the first photo, the stitch pattern in the second, and the length/size of the scarf in the third.  A while ago, I promised to donate proceeds from the sale of this pattern to the Men's Spring Knitting Retreat Scholarship Fund and thanks to generous folks buying this pattern, I've contribute about $125 to the scholarship fund...thank you!

A New Challenge - A New Blog Button

It's the first of May and I've decided to challenge myself to blog for 31 days in a row.  To support that effort, I've enrolled in the 2012 WordCount Blogathon.

Premier Blogathon Post
With a new resolution comes a new fiber craft! - Well, at least new for me.

Someone sent me information on Fiber Hooking and I have to admit I wasn't overly thrilled by the idea.  On it's face, it looked a lot like latch-hook rug making, and I had done that in the past.

But then I saw two things that intrigued me -

1. It wasn't latch-hooking, but a different kind of looped hooking that used longer pieces of yarn and pulled loops up through a tight woven/linen fabric.
2. The designs and colors used in them were just incredibly beautiful!

So I decided to try it.  I got the initial supplies (stretcher bars, flat-head tacks, and a fiber hook).

Then I chose my favorite design among the many great choices.

The kit was for four excellent looking sheep face coasters.  I LOVED the fact that it had one black-sheep in the group, and I also love the color choices the designers had made.

So, I stretched the linen fabric over the stretcher...

Fiberhooked my first sheep face (of course, I hooked the black sheep first!)...

Then I hooked in the background (great color)...

And then I hooked a few more adorable sheep faces.

Now I have to add in the remaining backgrounds and voila! (sorry, no accent) I have incredible coasters.

I have to say while I was initially attracted to the designs because of the simple graphics and rich colors, I was very impressed with the yarn quality, the canvas and the detailed instructions for Fiber Hooking.  I have also come to love working on this project.  If only I could bring it with me when I fly to work.

Check out all the designs and equipment here on FiberHooking's site.

Any thoughts on which one I should do next?

Little Oak

The first pattern in our new Coastal Kids collection is now available for purchase!

Here is Little Oak, the tiny children's version of my original Gnarled Oak Cardigan 

from the book Coastal Knits!

Although I love the adult version of this sweater, I think that I might love this tiny 6 month size even more! 

It is so sweet to see a miniature version.

Although the original adult sweater was designed for women, I definitely think that the

 baby sizes could work for both a girl or a boy. 

Knit up in this beautiful glowing brown, I think it suits my little guy very well.

Here is the pattern information:

Please note that the smaller sizes require a smaller gauge.

SIZE

6 months (12 months, 18 months, 2)[4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14]

Shown in size 6 months and size 4; to be worn with 1-2” /  2.5-5 cm of positive ease.

MATERIALS

Sizes 6 months (12 months, 18 months, 2) 2 (2, 2, 3) skeins Becoming Art Theia Sport (75% Merino Wool, 15% Cashmere, 10% Silk; 260 yd / 238m; 4 oz / 113g); in Tulgey Wood OR 380 (430, 500, 575) yds / 347 (393, 457, 526) m of a sport or fingering weight wool blend such as Madelinetosh Tosh Sock.

Sizes 4 (6, 8, 10, 12, 14) 3 [4, 5, 5, 6, 7] skeins Madelinetosh Tosh Merino DK (100% Merino Wool; 225 yd / 206 m; 3 ½ oz / 100g); in Sequoia OR 675 (795, 955, 1110, 1270, 1385) yds  617 (727, 873, 1015, 1161, 1266) m of a dk or sport weight wool blend such as Madelinetosh Tosh Merino or Madelinetosh Tosh Sport.

Sizes 6 months (12 months, 18 months, 2)

US3 / 3.25mm 24” / 60 cm circular needle and set of 4 dpns

US2 / 2.75 mm 24” / 60 cm circular needle

Sizes 4 (6, 8, 10, 12, 14)

US6 / 4 mm 24” / 60 cm circular needle and set of 4 dpns

US5 / 3.75 mm 24” / 60 cm circular needle

Stitch markers, 4 scraps of yarn to hold underarm sts 1 safety pin marker, 2 stitch holders, cable needle, tapestry needle, 5 (5, 6, 6)[5, 5, 6, 7, 7, 8] medium buttons ½ (½, ½, ½)[1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1)”/ 1.5 (1.5, 1.5, 1.5)[2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5] cm in diameter, sewing needle and matching thread

GAUGE

Sizes 6 months (12 months, 18 months, 2) 28 sts and 38 rows = 4” / 10 cm in St st on US 3 / 3.25 mm needles or size needed to obtain gauge.

Sizes 4 (6, 8, 10, 12, 14) 24 sts and 30 rows = 4” / 10 cm in St st on US 6 / 4 mm needles or size needed to obtain gauge.

A note about yarn choice and gauge:

For this design, I felt that a thicker yarn knit at a tight gauge made the leaf and cable motif at the yoke really stand out. If you happen to knit loosely, you may find that you are more easily able to achieve the same gauge by substituting a thinner yarn such as a sport weight for the larger sizes and a fingering weight for the smaller sizes. Remember that although the thickness of yarn is a personal preference, the most important thing is that you are able to match the pattern gauge.

Since all of our Coastal Kids patterns are available in a wide range of sizes, 

Big Sister has a matching Little Oak of her very own!

Here is the size 4 on my very very petite six year old daughter. :)

It's not often that I come across a sweater pattern that can be knit for both of them and myself as well!

Our family will be enjoying this design for years to come and I hope that yours does too!

Purchase the pdf below or look for the pattern in print at your local yarn shop.

Be sure to check out Hannah's blog on May 4th for the release of our next Coastal Kids pattern...

Mini Water's Edge!

Bobble Stitch: Gooseberry Pattern

The Gooseberry stitch is the perfect textural stitch. It looks very like some crochet stitches. This knitting pattern is great for handbag.

Knitting instructions:
M5: [(purl 1, knit1) twice, purl 1]all in the next st.
Cast on a multiples of  2sts + 5.
Row 1(RS) : Knit all sts
Row 2: Knit 2, * M 5, knit 1; repeat * to last st, knit 1
Row 3: Purl all sts
Row 4: Knit 2, * slip 2 with yarn in front, purl 3 sts together, pass slipped sts over purl st, knit 1; repeat from * to last st, knit 1.
Row 5: Knit all sts.
Row 6: Knit 3, * M 5, knit 1; repeat * to last 2 sts, knit 2.
Row 7: Purl all sts.
Row 8: Knit 3, * slip 2 with yarn in front, purl 3 sts together, pass slipped sts over purl st, knit 1; repeat from * to last 2 sts, knit 2.
Repeat rows 1-8 until you have reached your desired length.
Please let me know if you cannot understand anything. Happy knitting!

View more: Textured Knitting Stitch Patterns