Free Pattern - Knitted Boot Cuffs

As warmer weather comes to the USA, we start to look for projects that are small.  I'm working on low cost items for our church youth group.  They are having a Gift Shop in the fall to raise money for themselves and fingerless mitts, crocheted dishcloths and boot cuffs are the perfect thing to work on over the summer.

I found this FREE pattern on Craftsy by Codi Hudnall.  Super simple and a very fun knit.  I'm going to be making loads of these in 2 different sizes.  

I used Lion Brand Heartland in Mammoth Cave.  The one in the photo is a size medium and used about 3/4 of the skein.  I'm rather "fluffy" and they fit me fine.  My grown, 23 year old, daughter is petite and these were far too big for her.  She'll need a small so, I'll be making those two sizes for their gift shop.

It's supposed to be raining all week in the Heartland, which also means tornado weather.  So, I guess I'll be quite happy to stay indoors and knit away!

Best,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

Speaking of sizes.....Need to keep track of sizes, especially if you make holiday gift giving goodies?  Use plastic bread ties! 

A Nice Substitute

I did a post a few weeks back about mill ends yarns.  It's made by plying together random mill ends of yarns and they make these wacky color combinations.  They are not always easy to come by on line or in your local yarn shop.  We have a new Hobby Lobby store that just opened in my neighborhood!  Weeeee!

I set off to see if I could find anything resembling mill end yarn during their grand opening.  What I found was Yarn Bee Dazzling, by Hobby Lobby, for $5.99.  Two ply yarn with a metallic thread added for subtle sparkle, which you can't see in the photos at all, I'm sorry to say.  

I picked a lovely skein called Pastels fully expecting a rather babyish color way.  I was most pleasantly surprised to find that that was not the case.

 The yarn is super soft, 3.5 oz 256 yards and the label reads (4) medium worsted weight.  It's more like a DK (3) weight to me.

Beautiful shades of soft blue, white, grey and turquoise.  

Here you can see a bit of the iridescent thread.

I knit this one to measure 12" from cast on edge to bind off edge, but could have easily gone to 16" before casting off.

The other skein is called Tropics.

I  did a rolled hem edging on the cast on as well as the bind off.  With the tail I did a simple whip stitch around the rolled edge and gave it a little tug to cinch it up.   The picture doesn't do it justice.  It's actually really pretty.

Here's the purple(ish) metallic thread in the Tropics skein.

I'm sorry my photos are not the best.  It's snowing heavily in Nebraska without the sun.

Shades of emerald green, red, dark purple and turquoise are perfect for Mardi Gras!  Hobby Lobby had a few other colors that I'm going back for now that I have tried it!

 

I used Stacy Trocks free pattern on her Fresh Stitches site.  You can find that here.  Scroll down and you will find the pattern.  You can also purchase some mill end yarn from her while you're there.

If you try out this yarn and Stacy's pattern, I'd love to see them!

Best,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

Think out of the box....I found these Christmas ornament hangers in the 75% off bin.  That's about $.62 for 100.  I'm going to use them as removable stitch markers.

Free Pattern - Mill Ends Cowl

I've been on a mill ends yarn kick lately!  I first found out about them from Stacey over at Freshstitches.  It's made by plying together random mill ends of yarns.  What a great way to recycle yarn that would normally end up in the trash.  They work up into this wacky combination of colors.

If you pop over to Stacey's blog, you can download a free cowl pattern.

It's so much fun to knit these up.  Super easy knitting in the round, and a very affordable gift as well.  One skein makes one cowl.

I like a snug fit, so I cast on 96.  I knit some with a 2 x 2 rib on the cast on and bind off edges.  I knit a seed stitch edge on some and a simple rolled edge on others.

To change it up a bit on some, I added an eyelet row when the yarn changes color. When you get to the place where the colors change, add a stitch marker to the right needle, then *yarn over, knit 2 together (repeat from *) for one round.  Remove your stitch marker, then just keep knitting until the next color change.

I think Stacey is on vacation for awhile, but she might have some skeins left if you hurry over there.

My local yarn shop Personal Threads had some on hand.  You can see here what they look like in hank form.  

Thanks for stopping by,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

I use snap barrettes to keep yarn tails in check!

Free Pattern! Tiffany Cowl & Headband Knitting Pattern

Free pattern on Craftsy

The wonderful folks over at Craftsy and working with Cloudborn Fibers, a new yarn company.  Their yarn is exclusive to Craftsy and can't be found anywhere else.

A few months ago, Cloudborn asked me to design something using their yummy yarn!  A privilege indeed.  They sent some super soft Baby Alpaca Bulky fiber in light blue and cream.  I immediately saw Tiffany's signature blue!

Cloudborn has made this yarn in a perfect blend of baby softness and a lovely halo for the most luxurious feel around your neck.  It has great stitch definition and no splitting as you work.

The cowl is knit in the round, no purls, except for the rib sections.  Wear it down or wrapped around your neck....

(if you look closely you can see me in my daughters sunglasses)!  I always think this is funny for some reason.  Anyhoos....

The seed stitch headband coordinates beautifully without being too matchy, matchy.

I wish you could feel the softness of this squishy goodness!

This is a beginner pattern, however, still satisfying for all levels of skill.

Find the free pattern only in my Craftsy shop

Find the yarn, Cloudborn Fibers Baby Alpaka Bulky only at Craftsy

There are 11 different weights to choose from and all are on sale!

If you do not want to invest in 4 skeins, you can easily make this with two skeins and a shorter cowl.

Here are some pattern details for you:

Measurements:

Cowl circumference - 72” (183cm) 

Cowl width - 11” (29cm) 

Headband circumference - 18” (46cm) 

Headband width - 4” (10cm)

Needles:

*US size 10.5 (6.5mm) 32” circular needles 

*Optional needles: if the circular needles are a bit fiddly when knitting the headband, use US size 10.5 (6.5mm) straight or even double pointed needles will work.

Yarn:

*Cloudborn Fibers Baby Alpaca Bulky (5); 109 yds/100g (100m) 

Two skeins in Sky Blue (A) 

Two skeins in Ivory (B)

Notions:

*one stitch marker 

*tapestry needle

Thanks for stopping by,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

As gift giving time approaches, think about adding some tags to the gift bag!  I found these by searching on Pinterest.  I'm sorry I don't have the links for you.  While you're over at Craftsy getting your free pattern, type "free tags" in the search box and a bunch will pop up for you!

Print them off, cut them out and you're done!