Kaitlin's Scarf

Here is Kaitlin's Scarf. A Double Moss , 2x2 cable , which is completely reversible.

Here is the pattern:

2 skeins of Misti Alpaca chunky, on size 11 needles,

3 stitch markers ( the safety-pin kind work best), cable needle.
Use the 3rd stitch marker as a row marker to keep track of when to cable next by hanging it off one of the selvedge loops. As the scarf is reversible, it makes it easier to tell when you are on the correct side for cabling if you don't want to look at the pattern, and then you can just read your knitting instead of counting rows. Also,I knit the first stitch of every row and slip the last stitch with yarn in front to make a chained edge.
57 X 6 1/2 inches
SM= slip marker
Cast on 24 stitches. Place a marker after stitch 8 and after stitch 16.
Row1: * K2,P2* 11 times,P1, Slip 1 with yarn in front.
Row 2: K1,*K2,P2* 11 times, slip1, WYIF
Row 3: K1, P1, K2,P2,K2, SM,*K2, P2 * twice, SM, P2, K2, P2, K1, S1 wyif
Row 4: K1, p1, K2,P2,K2, SM, *,K2,P2* twice, SM,P2, K2, P2, K1,S1 wyif
Row 5:: same as row 1
Row 6: same as row 2
Row 7: same as row 3
Row 8:K1,P1,K2,P2,K2,SM,place first four sts on cable needle, hold to front. Knit2,P2, then K2,P2 from Cable needle, SM, P2,K2,P2,K1,S1wyif
Mark the row you cable on to make it easier to keep track, and repeat rows 1-8 for pattern . Cast off in pattern, weave in ends, block and enjoy.

On this scarf, I actually cabled every 6 rows, but I think it is easier to keep track of on every 8 rows, and makes a looser cable.

Enjoy!

Scarf Attack, part 2

Here it is, December 23rd, and I have finished 2 scarves, with 1/2 of the third one done. What happened? Well, it turns out that knitting on large gauge needles ( size 11s) gives me a case of Knitter's Elbow, and the neck pain to go with it. Oy. Something about the way I knit at that gauge sets off pain in the small muscles of my forearms. But I have the yarn, the idea, and the deadline. But the flesh won't cooperate. I can knit for 1/2 hour, and then the pain sets in. Pushing it only makes it worse. Rest is the only cure, but how long can you rest? How to get these done? Frustration is setting in!
I finished the second one by a combination of resting for a week, then limiting the time to 20 minutes at a clip, changing to 14 inch straight needles so I could rest the needles on my lap, using cushions to prop up my elbows. Neck exercises and hanging my head over the side of the bed with my head suspended in my hands helped a bunch, as well as Advil and heat.
Here are the scarves so far:

The middle one is Lauren's Scarf: A double Moss pattern with 1x1 ribbing cable. I like the fluffiness of this pattern, and it is a snuggly scarf, same size as the green one. The purple one is Kaitlin's Scarf, but it is half done. It is also Double Moss on the sides, but here the cable is 2x2 ribbing. I think it makes a more raised cable, and it is easier to work with the Double moss, as the whole thing is K2,P2. I like all of the patterns, I just can't knit with such large needles!

Meanwhile, for breaks, I resumed knitting a top-down cardigan version of St Brigid which I'd begun last winter and put aside as the weather warmed up. This is on size 6 needles, and for some reason doesn't hurt my arms! I can knit on this one for 3 hours at a clip ( with short breaks, of course). Very odd. But I'm glad I can do something! It would be very hard if I had to stop knitting entirely. Shudder....

Anyway, I am going to try to finish that last scarf! Otherwise, she will get an IOU...
Next year I will remember why I don't knit to deadlines!

Celtic Braid Cardigan

In October, I made the now yearly pilgrimage to Rhinebeck for the NY State Sheep and Wool Festival. What a euphoric extravaganza of delightful fiber! It was fantastic to walk through the vendors offerings, touching and fondling and oohing and ahhing. I found a glorious skein of beautiful brilliant blue yarn at the Decadent Fibers booth, and I had to have it. This skein was 490 yards, huge, but to make the sweater I envisioned, with cables and flourishes, I thought I'd need 3 skeins probably. They happened to have 3, and although they were hand dyed by the same dyers, of course it is very challenging to get them exactly the same, so there were differences in the intensity and value of the color. However, I didn't care, so I bought them! This yarn is 50%merino, 30% silk and 20% mohair. I was a little worried about the itchiness of the mohair, which I usually don't like, but this yarn was soft and slightly fuzzy with a bit of a sheen.
This cardigan was fun to knit. I started with a top down raglan with some idea of the cables I wanted to use ( mainly the saxon braid and a simple 4 stitch cable) and kind of winged it from there, trying on as I went, to get the fit. It was a lot of fun to design, and despite the slightly differing colors of the skeins, it is fine to my eye. The zipper makes it a close hug of a sweater, perfect for those cold days, but the comfortable yarn makes it soft and light weight. And of course, it is blue! I ended up using only about 1200 yards, so I still have around 300 left.

Scarf Attack

Each of my lovely nieces requested a scarf for Christmas in her signature color. Here is the first of three.

It is Reversible Cable and Seed Stitch Scarf, and here is the pattern:

 2 skeins of Misti Alpaca chunky, on size 11 needles,

 3 stitch markers ( the safety-pin kind work best), cable needle.

Use the 3rd stitch marker as a row marker to keep track of when to cable next by hanging it off one of the selvedge loops. As the scarf is reversible, it makes it easier to tell when you are on the correct side for cabling if you don't want to look at the pattern, and then you can just read your knitting instead of counting rows.

57X6 1/2 inches

Cast on 24 stitches. Place a marker after stitch 8 and after stitch 16.

Row 1:(K1,P1 ) 11 times,K1. Slip 1 With Yarn In Front, turn

Row 2: K1,(K1,P1) 3x, K1, Slip Marker, (K1,P1) 4x, SM,(P1,K1) 3x, P1, Sl1 WYIF, turn.

Row 3 and 5: As row 1

Row 4:As Row 2

Row 6: K1,(K1,P1) 3x,K1, SM, Slip next 4 sts onto cable needle, hold to front. (K1,P1) 2x, then (K1,P1) 2x from Cable needle, SM ( P1,K1) 3x, P1, Sl1WYIF, turn.

Continue until almost out of yarn, bind off loosely, block, enjoy!

Now I have 2 more to make. I'm thinking of trying variations on this one, but who knows. Must swatch!

Holiday Cats

While doing some wrapping of gifts, I had the candy canes on my table, and was astonished to find my cat enjoying them!

I never would have thought a cat would enjoy peppermint candy canes!

I finally had to take them away for fear that the sugar would hurt him!
Do you think I can still give these to the kids??? They are organic, after all....

Gluten-Free Magic Cookie Bars

As it is Thanksgiving, here in the USA, I thought it appropriate to say Thank You to my readers by sharing something delicious! After being gluten-free for several years, I find it is always fun to try to replicate favorite recipes without changing them overly much. For years my favorite cookies were on the back of the Eagle Brand Condensed Milk can, but the graham-cracker crust has wheat in it...so, this year I decided to see if I could make a gluten-free version. So, here it is!
Gluten-Free Magic Cookie Bars ( makes 2 dozen bars)

2 cups Rice Chex, smushed
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter
1 (14oz) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups ( 12 oz) semi-sweet Ghiradelli chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut ( sweetened is fine)
1 cup chopped walnuts


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place 1/2 stick of butter in 13x9 inch baking
pan, and put in oven until butter melts.
2.Sprinkle Rice Chex evenly over melted butter in pan
3.Layer chocolate chips, then walnuts, then coconut over Chex and butter.
4.Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the whole thing by using a can
opener to punch 2 holes, and in criss-cross weaving pattern, layer milk over
top of coconut.
5. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars. Store
covered at room temperature or freeze to deter immediate devouring of the whole plate of cookies.
To unfreeze, leave out for 1/2 hour on a plate. Calories: 205 each.
If you cut them in half, then it is only 100 calories each, and you can eat twice as many! Plus, they are full of omega 3s and antioxidants from the nuts and chocolate...what's not to like?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Simon Says

In the blogosphere, there are a few blogs I read often, and one of them is http://fibermania.blogspot.com/ .Melody manages to delight and inspire me regularly, so it is always fun to see what she is up to. Last week she knit the fabulous Simon Cowl, out of leftover sock yarns, and it just delighted me. The lovely colors and the simple elegance of the design were in perfect harmony. I thought that would be a lot of fun to knit, and she so graciously shared the pattern here: http://fibermania.blogspot.com/2009/10/in-dyeing-mood-when-i-see-yarns-like.html .
Naturally, I don't have any sock yarn lying around, mainly because I don't knit socks, and I don't have any appropriate size 3 needles either  and so I had to consider how I would get the perfect yarn for this project, which probably is coolest if 2 alternating colorways are used. A trip to the yarn store was certainly in order.While there, none of the sock yarns enthralled me, but I got the idea to knit this in Blue Sky sport weight alpaca, of which I happen to have a bunch at home. I got another skein in white, a set of size 3 needles, and headed home after a lovely lunch with a friend who met me there to help fondle the yarn. On the way home, who could resist a church used clothing sale? I stopped in, and found the softest loveliest light blue Eileen Fisher sweater for $10! I had to buy it!So, pondering all of this wonderful wooly fun, it seemed a dyeing day was in order, so yesterday I got out my dyes, and searched the house for yarn to dye. I found a couple of skeins of sock yarn which were not blue enough, and some Blue Sky sport alpaca in a turquoise, which would do nicely to add variegation to the project. I mixed up a batch of brilliant blue acid dye, and a tiny bit of yellow, and dyed the white yarn green and blue, and overdyed all of the other yarn and the sweater with the blue dye. Here is a shot of the drying results:

So, now I have enough sock yarn and enough alpaca to play with, and a lovely mottled blue sweater, which is taking too long to dry! I am very happy with all of this blue! Isn't it amazing how many shades and types of blue there are? The lighter shades came to be as I dipped the yarn in the big pot at the end of the immersion process so the dye had nearly exhausted. It tends to strike pretty fast, and the pot I used was a bit small so the sweater dyed unevenly. Which is fine with me, actually, as I like a bit of shading and interest in that way. I'm looking forward to winding the yarn and playing around with it, and maybe even knitting the cowl that started this particular diversion! . It is sometimes difficult to read blogs, however, because my cat gets in the way:

Anyway, that is my plan...