Category: Knitting

Knitting Project Blue Lace Cowl

November 13, 2014 kimberlee 1 Comment

Life has been so busy lately it seems. I look back at the past month and realize I have not really accomplished much in the crochet and knitting department. One of the reasons may be because I have a lot of projects going – two crochet and three knitting – and I work on one for a day or two and then on another one. I think I am going to have to start focusing on finishing one thing before starting another. The problem with that plan is I get tired of working with the same yarn so I switch – or I think of some great new idea or find a new yarn that I want to use. The dilemmas of crochet and knitting, I guess.

I did recently finish this pretty blue lace crochet cowl. I love how it turned out!

I designed this knitting project myself and I am really pleased with the finished product. I showed it to my knitting friend today, who I meet with twice a month to knit and have coffee, and she really liked how it turned out. She had seen me knitting it a week ago when it was still on my needles.

The cowl is versatile and can be worn long – as show above – or doubled for warmth as in the top photo. The yarn I used to knit it with was something I had bought over a year ago and had in my stash – Red Heart Boutique Midnight. The yarn color is called moonlight and has shades of dark blue and some silver sparkles in it. It was easy to knit with and has a nice drape.

The above photo gives you a close up of the lace stitch and you can kind of see the sparkles in the yarn. I designed this cowl to be knit in the round so there is no seaming. I will eventually be offering the pattern available in my etsy shop and on craftsy in the future.

Next week I plan to share a crochet project and pattern on my blog and as a guest post on Skip To My Lou blog. I hope you are having a great week and getting more projects accomplished than I have lately.

Take care,

– Kimberlee

Categories: Knitting

Tags: blue cowl, knit cowl. knitting project, knitting, lace knitting

KAL for Circular Perspectives Cowl

September 24, 2014 kimberlee 8 Comments

KAL – stands for Knit Along. I think I have mentioned that before but just wanted to let anyone know who might not be familiar with it. I just finished this cowl that was part a KAL from the Mountain Colors yarn group on Ravelry. I really like how it turned out.

The yarn used to knit this cowl was from Mountain Colors – Crazyfoot yarn – and came in a kit with the five different colors. The cowl is knit on size US 6 circular knitting needles and is knit in the round so there is no seaming.

The above photo is of the yarn and how it comes packaged in the kit with the colors in the order to use. I ordered two kits as I liked both of the color combinations and I will be giving this finished one away as a Christmas gift – so glad to have something finished super early this year. I knit this project on my new Chiaogoo knitting needles. This was my first time using this brand of bamboo needles and I love them. They are very pointed for bamboo. I got the small size interchangeable kit so there are sizes 2 through size 8.

You can see how nicely the colors transition and how pretty the stitch is in the above photo. This pattern looks complicated but I thought it was pretty simple to follow as long as you used markers in between the repeats in the pattern. I would think that if you are an intermediate knitter you can knit this cowl. It was also simple enough to do while watching TV or Netflix. The pattern can be found on Ravelry at this link: Circular Perspectives Cowl

The cowl can also be worn long, in a single layer. I am looking forward to knitting the other one in the blue-teal colors but I am going to have to wait as I need to finish up a couple of other things I have on needles or a crochet hook.

Fall and Winter seem to be the time of year for me to really get into a crochet and knitting mood. Are you working on any new crochet or knitting projects? Tell me about them by clicking on Leave a Reply.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Categories: Knitting

Tags: Circular Perspective Cowl, KAL, knit cowl, knitting, knitting project, knitting with mountain colors perspectives yarn

Lace Tee Knitting Project

September 17, 2014 kimberlee 2 Comments

The lace tonal tee that I was working on for a KAL with the Artyarns group on Ravelry is complete. I actually have had it done for a few weeks but had to block it – which I did last week and I wore it to church this past Sunday. Also, it has been too hot here to wear it until this past weekend when it really cooled down here in Texas.

I am really proud of knitting this lace tee – sweater. I believe this is one of the most intricate lace projects I have ever done. The whole sweater is knit on circular knitting needles and knit in the round so there is no seaming . The project was part of a KAL – knit along – in a group on Ravelry for Aryarns. I think the only way to get the pattern right now is to do the KAL. The link to the KAL is: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lace-tonal-tee-knitalong

The above photo gives you a close up view of the lace pattern. The pattern is suppose to have more of a sleeve with the diamond border but I ran out of yarn and hated to have to order one more skein just for a few more rows. So, I just finished the sleeve with a round of knit and then the bind off for a small cap sleeve. I think it turned out fine.

The Regal Silk yarn from Artyarns that this is made with is a lovely yarn to knit with. The project is actually suppose to be knit with various skeins in a tonal color scheme but I already had this color in Parrot so I decide to just use it. Also, less weaving in of ends after the project is done since I didn’t do all of the color changes.

I plan to knit another one of these in the future. I think I will make it a little shorter though and not do an extra round of the middle diamonds as called for in the pattern. This is more of a tunic length for me. Also, I learned that the 100 percent silk yarn is very stretchy. Since this was my first time using this yarn or making this type of sweater I didn’t realize it was going to “grow” as you put it on. That’s okay though. I like how it looked with my tiered skirt that I made a few months ago and I think it will also look great with some leggings in one of the colors.

I hope everyone is having a good week. I am currently working on some new crochet and knitting pattern designs. Fall is in the air here in Texas and scarf, shawl and sweater season is soon to be here.

Take care,

Kimberlee

Categories: Knitting

Tags: artyarns knit along, colorful lace sweater, KAL, knit sweater, knitting projects, lace knit sweater, lace tee, lace tonal tee KAL

Knitting Project Lace Shrug

September 11, 2014 kimberlee 4 Comments

This knitting project is one of my recently completed patterns that I designed myself. The shrug is knit with Knit Picks Chroma Fingering weight yarn. This yarn is a lot of fun to knit with as it has such beautiful color changes and the yarn is also super soft. I cannot wait to design more projects with this yarn.

The color of this yarn is called Guppy so I am calling it the Guppy Lace Knit Shrug. The lace pattern I knit this with is a two row repeat and lot of fun to knit. I used size 7 circular knitting needles to knit this accessory.

The above photo is a close up of the back so you can see the pretty lace pattern and just how beautiful the color changes are in the yarn. I am so glad I decide to buy some of this yarn this past summer and try it out – it did not disappoint me. I also ordered some in a couple of different colorways with ideas for knitting some other accessories and possibly a sweater. The Chroma yarn also comes in a worsted weight which I ordered in one color thinking as the weather cools down it will be nice to have a heavier weight yarn for a scarf or shawl.

I have been designing a lot of new shrugs lately. I like having this type of accessory with me when at church or a chilly restaurant. It is not as bulky as a full sweater and just enough to keep the chill off of your arms and shoulders. Also, they are perfect for those that live in warmer climates because sometimes a sweater is just too hot in the fall and winter.

This pattern is available in my etsy shop or on craftsy if you are interested in knitting one. You can click on the highlighted link or the icons in the sidebar for either shop.

What knitting projects are you currently working on? Click on Leave a Reply to tell me about them.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Categories: Knitting

Tags: chroma fingering weight yarn, knit shrug, knitting, knitting pattern, knitting project, lace knitting, lace shrug

Knitting WIP for August

August 19, 2014 kimberlee 7 Comments

I have a few knitting projects that I have been working on this month. These projects were actually started back in July. Two of the projects are part of a KAL – knit along – from a couple of Ravelry groups I am in.

The first one that I started is for a KAL in a Ravelry group for Artyarns. This is my second time doing an Artyarns KAL and my first time using the Artyarns Regal Silk yarn. This yarn is a joy to knit with and very soft. I plan to knit more project with it in the future.

This is my first time knitting a sweater of this complexity. The project is called Lace Tonal Tee. I have knit sweaters before just not one that is this advanced. I am really enjoying knitting it and learning more about knitting lace and how to read charts as I go. This sweater is short sleeve and knit on circular knitting needles all in one piece. The sleeves in my photo are currently on “waste” yarn and I will be going back to knit them at the end using double point needles. I am about 3/4 of the way done with the sweater now. The KAL started on July 15th. I am hoping to finish it by the end of this week – that is my goal. This sweater is suppose to be knit using 4 various shades of yarn that go together to create a tonal effect but I already had the Regal Silk yarn in this color called parrot so I decided to just use that. Also, I figure I will have less yarn to weave in at the end if I am not changing colors often.

The other KAL I decided to join is a new group I recently found on Ravelry for Mountain Colors yarn. This project is for the Circular Perspectives Cowl. The pattern can be found and purchased on Ravelry – you can click on the highlighted pattern name to take you to the link. The pattern is designed by HeartStrings Fiber Arts.

So far this one is slow going for me. I am determined to get that lace sweater done so I have been focused more on that. Also, this one has 300 stitches in the round – that is a lot of stitches to knit. The cowl is knit with a fun lace pattern that isn’t too complicated so far. You use five different coordinating colors of yarn – it was a kit that I ordered from Paradise Fibers. I just switched to the second color. This is the pale sage to moss blue kit.

When I ordered my kit I could not decide on colors so I decided to get 2 kits. I am going to knit one of them for a gift. I also ordered some new bamboo circular needles – interchangeables – called ChiaoGoo. I learned about these from another knitter in a facebook knitting group I am in. I really like these needles. They are very pointed and so far work well for knitting this lace pattern. I have the KnitPicks nickel interchangeables and these seem just as good as those. They also came with a pretty little fabric case to store them. I prefer the bamboo needles for knitting lace over the nickel or aluminum needles.

The kit on the left in the above photo is the one I am currently knitting with.

My other WIP (work in progress) is actually almost done. This is knit with Knit Picks Chroma Fingering weight yarn in the color Guppy. I really love this yarn! It is super soft and knits well. They have so many awesome colors, too. This is my almost finished knitted piece. I am not going to tell you what it is going to be – as I will be doing a future post on the finished item once it is totally complete. You will have to come back for a visit in a month or so to see it completed.

I hope everyone is having a great month – it is hard to believe that August is half over. Enjoy the rest of the month!

Kimberlee

Categories: Knitting

Knitting Pattern For Lace Scarf

August 6, 2014 kimberlee 5 Comments

A couple of months ago I came across this Paton’s Glam Stripes yarn at Michaels on clearance and I purchased quite a few of the colors. I figured I would be able to design some pretty new accessory patterns with it.

I am sharing a couple of the projects I made with the yarn and a free diagonal lace scarf knitting pattern. If you click on the red highlighted text it will take you to the pdf pattern that I designed. Below is a photo of the scarf pattern.

This scarf is a great lightweight accessory. The pattern is fairly simple – a 2 row repeat and features bias (diagonal) ends.

This scarf is super quick and easy to knit, too. It is knit on size US 8 knitting needles. You can use other yarns, not just the Paton’s Glam Stripes, but I like how it turned out with the coral Glam yarn and the glitter parts on the bias.

I also knitted a shrug in the navy blue Glam Stripes yarn. The shrug pattern is available in my etsy shop. It features an openwork knitting stitch and is also pretty simple to knit.

I like how it turned out with the Glam yarn and I am looking forward to knitting more with this pattern and other yarns. I love to take a pattern and experiment with different yarns or even different needle sizes and see what I can create. Sometimes it can look totally different than the original I designed.

I am still working on my crochet project that I started a couple of months ago with the Glam Stripes yarn in black. I seem to be knitting or sewing more lately than crocheting so it is coming along slowly.

I hope you are enjoying the beginning of August and are getting some crocheting or knitting done. I currently have a few projects going and I will be sharing more of those in the coming weeks.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Categories: Crochet Knitting

Tags: accessory pattern, glam stripes yarn, knitting, knitting pattern, knitting projects, scarf pattern

Garter Lace Knit Shawl

July 16, 2014 kimberlee 7 Comments

I have finally finished my Noro Garter Lace Shawl. I started this project last summer and had set it aside. I got it out a couple of months ago and decided I needed to finish it since I was already a fourth of the way done. The shawl is very pretty and I love how it turned out.

The shawl pattern was from the summer 2013 issue of Noro Knitting magazine. The pattern is available on Ravelry for $5.00. It was a fairly simple pattern to follow but in my magazine there was an error on the one row of the lace pattern. I had figured this out on my own around the third repeat row of the lace pattern and I now notice that there is a errata statement on the Ravelry page – I guess I should have looked there sooner. So, if you decide to knit this look at the end of the pattern page and the row correction is there – save yourself a headache.

The yarn I used for this was not the yarn the pattern recommended. I used Noro Sekku yarn because I had 3 skeins of it and knew it would be enough to make this shawl. The Sekku yarn is a blend of mainly cotton, wool, nylon and silk. The yarn was okay to work with – not one of my favorites in the Noro yarns. It is a really fine yarn that was like knitting with floss. I really like the colors of the yarn though and how they look with the lace pattern. The colorway I used was number 8 – and it only took 2 of my 3 skeins so now I will have to figure out something to make with that leftover skein.

The reason I think this shawl took me forever to finish was that it is knit on very small size 4 needles. That needle size combined with the thin yarn I just felt like I was not getting much done. The end part of the shawl took forever to complete a row too because you had over 300+ stitches on the needles. I think it was taking me about 10 or 15 minutes to complete a row.

This shawl is a great summer project though as the yarn is thin and mostly cotton so it is not hot or too heavy to work with when it is hot outside. I do not like to work with heavy wool type of yarns in the summer time.

Overall I am pleased with the way this shawl turned out and look forward to being able to wear it. It will be a great shawl to keep with me for those chilly air conditioned places. There are also a lot of great colors in this shawl that will go with many things in my wardrobe.

What projects have you recently finished? Click on Leave a Reply and tell me about them.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Categories: Knitting

Tags: knit shawl, knitting project, lace knit shawl, lace knitting, lace shawl, noro lace knit shawl, shawl

WIP for June

June 18, 2014 kimberlee 4 Comments

WIP stands for work in progress and I have quite a few of those for this month. I typically have at least one crochet and one or two knitting projects going at all times but I got involved in a few extra this month and wanted to show what I have been working on lately.

I continue to work on my Noro garter and lace shawl that I started last summer and put aside. I really like this yarn and the project but it is like knitting with toothpicks on these tiny size 4 needles. I have a goal to get it done this summer though. I am a little more than halfway through with it now.

Below is a close up of the lace and garter rows. I now have over 250 stitches on my circular needles so it takes me at least 10 minutes to complete one row. I believe I will end up with over 375 stitches by the time it is finished.

My friend Karen and I decided to knit this advanced lace shawl called My Cat Stole My Heart. It is a pattern from Knit Picks. We usually meet and knit together at Starbucks twice a month and decided to do a KAL – Knit Along – together. She was planning to knit this for a friend and give it to her by September but the pattern is so long and very complex that she has changed her mind and will be knitting something a little easier for her friend.

The yarn I choose to knit this Cat Stole My Heart shawl is from Knit Picks – called Chroma fingering weight yarn. The color is called prism and I love it! The pattern called for lace weight yarn but I just couldn’t find one I really liked and decided to try it with this fingering weight. So far I am pleased with how it looks – this is my progress after about 10 days. I do not work on this every day because it is the type of knitting project that you have to really focus on and pay attention so you can not be talking to anyone or watching TV. I usually sit outside in the morning on my patio with my coffee after my workout and knit a few rows.

The below photo is a close up of the shawl – it is altering rows of a cat paw print and a lace heart design – the hearts go one way the paw print the other.

Around the same time I started the cat shawl I began a baby blanket for a gift for my neighbor who I just found out was pregnant and due any day. They are new neighbors and I had not seen them much the past few months and didn’t know she was having a baby. This is their first child and a little girl so of course I had to go through my stash and find a pretty pink yarn to knit a baby blanket. I never get to make pink things – other than for myself – since I have three sons. I am about halfway done with this little blanket. I am just using a simple diagonal knitting pattern (like for the dishcloths) that has a little openwork edge.

The dishcloths are a new obsession of mine lately since I participated in the May KAL with my facebook knitting group. I started another star pattern dishcloth in this red, white and blue stripe cotton yarn that I found at Joann last week. I like working on this for something simple that I can do while watching TV or talking to someone. Also, these dishcloths are very portable projects and easy to work on anywhere.

One of the other things I have started in the past few weeks is a crochet project using the Patons Glam stripe yarn I got on sale at Michaels back in May. I really like this yarn and I am designing a wrap and a shrug pattern with it. I have already knit a scarf with the yarn and I like how it looks and it is a nice yarn to work with.

I have also continued to watch some of my craftsy knitting class Lace Knitting Basics and Beyond with Eunny Jang. I am already familiar with knitting lace but I wanted to take this class to learn more about knitting lace patterns and reading charts. So far I am really pleased with the class and I like the instructor. She is easy to listen to and understand. You can click on the highlighted link to learn more about the class or click on the craftsy link in the right sidebar to learn more about their other knitting classes.

I would love to hear about your WIP – (work in progress) or any finished projects as well. Click on Leave a Reply to tell me about them.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Categories: Crochet Knitting

Tags: baby blanket, blanket, Crochet, crocheting, knitting, lace knitting, lace shawl, noro shawl, shawls, work in progress

Artyarns KAL Silk Halo Shawl

June 11, 2014 kimberlee 5 Comments

I recently finished another shawl that was part of a KAL (Knit Along) with the Artyarns group on Ravelry. This is the first time I have ever participated in an Artyarns KAL or used one of their yarns.

The yarn used to make this shawl was called Silk Halo. It is very soft and I enjoyed knitting with it. The yarn is 60% super kid mohair and 40% silk. The color I bought was called winter bouquet. It is a very pale blue and it has a little bit of cream or almost a tan color in it.

This shawl looked like a very complicated pattern but it was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. The pattern was a three part pattern where you knit part one, took a photo and posted it on Ravelry and then Iris, the designer of the pattern, sent you part 2. When you completed that part you took another photo and then you received part 3. It was a lot of fun. I think doing the KAL this way motivates you to complete the project so you can get the rest of the instructions. I think it took me about two weeks to knit this shawl and I also worked on a couple of other crochet and knitting projects in between knitting this one.

The shawl I knit was the shorter version. There is also a longer version so it would make it much wider but for that version you need two skeins and I only bought one. I think I will order more yarn in the future though and try out the longer version.

I am really pleased with the way this turned out and have already wore it a couple of times. I have a lot of things it will go with and the size and weight of it is perfect for our Texas spring and summer weather.

Currently I am knitting a couple of other projects that I will share in the future on my blog and crocheting a new shrug. I also have some sewing projects that I am working on as well. I have lots of things to keep me busy – if I get bored with one thing I work on something else. What projects are you currently working on? – click on Leave a Reply and tell me about them.

Have a great week!

Kimberlee

Categories: Knitting

Tags: Artyarns KAL, KAL for Silk Halo yarn, knit shawl, knitting, knitting project, lace shawl

Garter and Lace Knit Wrap

June 4, 2014 kimberlee 4 Comments

Recently I finished another knitting project. I started this knit wrap earlier in the spring. The wrap combines rows of knit stitches and then rows of lace using a solid color and a variegated color yarn. I am really pleased with how it turned out.

I was also able to get some photos of it when my roses in the back yard were in full bloom – I thought the colors of the wrap looked pretty against the roses.

This wrap is a rectangle shape – it measures approximately 70 inches long and 16 inches wide. I like the versatility of this accessory as it can be worn a variety of ways as a wrap and you can also wear it doubled around and ends tucked in for a scarf.

The yarn I used for this knitting project was Caron Simply Soft for the solid color turquoise and the multi colored yarn was from Hobby Lobby – I Love This Yarn in a color called Kaleidoscope. I love the vibrant colors in the Kaleidoscope yarn. Both yarns are easy to work with and very soft worsted weight yarns. I love working Caron Simply Soft and have made many projects with that yarn – it is also washable.

I have plans to design other projects using the same idea of combining the garter and lace rows. I currently have plans to knit a sweater next. I also think it is fun to combine a solid color yarn with a variegated coordinating yarn. The pattern for the wrap above is now available in my etsy shop or on craftsy if you are interested in knitting this fun wrap.

Currently I am working on a lace wrap that had become a UFO – Unfinished Object. I started this wrap last July or August as I wrote down summer of 2013 on the pattern. It is a pattern from Noro Knitting Magazine from spring-summer 2013. I really like the wrap but it is knit on size 4 needles and the yarn is like working with dmc floss – it is very fine. The yarn is Noro Sekku and is a blend of cotton, wool, nylon and silk. I think I bought it a couple of years ago on sale at my local yarn shop. Below is a photo of my progress – I have knit about two or three inches since this past Sunday night. I am determined to complete this by the end of this summer.

What are you currently working on? I am also going to be starting another shawl with a pattern I recently bought from Knit Picks. It is called My Cat Stole My Heart – it is a beautiful lacy shawl. My friend Karen and I are going to do our own KAL – Knit Along – using this pattern.

Have a great day!

Kimberlee

Categories: Knitting

Tags: caron simply soft yarn, knit scarf, knit shawl, knitting pattern, lace knitting, lace shawl, lace wrap, lacy wrap, noro wrap, shawls