Knitting in Technicolor Pattern is Ready

 Gorgeous in technicolor! First in a series of 4 patterns.

You can easily get up to 4 blankets out of all this yarn. Now THAT'S good use of your money and all this yardage. Inspired by my Technicolor Crocheted Chevron Blanket, here is the first in a series of four knitting patterns.

A two row repeat makes it an easy project. Seventeen colors of worsted weight yarn produces a gorgeous blanket anyone would love. Feel free to use any color combination you like. Make it larger or smaller to fit your needs.
A matching hat in the same color order would be cute! So would a pair of matching booties!

If you are a new knitter and ready to move on from scarves, this pattern is for you! I am always available to help with any questions as you go along.

All the information you need is listed in the pattern. Yarn colors and brand are given to make it just as shown in the photos!

It measures:  36” W x 64” L (92cm x 163cm)

Click here to find the pattern on Etsy

Click here to find the pattern on Ravelry

Click here to find the pattern on Craftsy

Pattern #2 in the works.....Knitting in Technicolor Waves!

Best,

Sheila

Yarn tip:

To keep track of what row I am on, I make a "chicken scratch" after every  row on a piece of paper.  A chicken scratch looks like this after I have knitted four rows:

IIII

A Trip to Our Nations Capital and Shopping!

My husband and I were on a recent trip to Washington, DC, 

Rehoboth, Delaware, 

Alexandria, Virginia and 

National Harbor, Maryland.

We visited family, attended a wedding, and walked!  Why is it when you go on holiday, there is SO much walking?  Of course, when there is much walking, there is much shopping!

Just LOOK at all this gorgeous, porcelain dish ware from Pip Studio!  Very Cath Kidston and Greengate looking, but available in the USA!  Awesome sauce!  I bought the two fruit bowls in the top photo.  Now, I don't know what I will do with them, but does that really matter?  It would be a perfect yarn bowl!  Oh how I wanted to buy more from this lovely shop in Alexandria, Virginia.  

Decorium, "suppliers of whimsy and inspiration", was the most beautiful shop and the first one we walked in to when we got to King street.  Jeff Albert, the owner was there to greet us with a smile and he was very tolerant of my aggressively friendly nature.  All of the staff were so very kind and helpful.  I mention this as I have been to many a city where this was not the case. 

Beautiful shades of robins egg blue, the prettiest pinks and warm reds.  Those jugs......I must have picked them up a dozen times!  Pip also has this line in khaki, which is equally gorgeous.

What table wouldn't be stunning with any of these plates, bowls, tea cups, teapots and pitchers?  The photo is a bit deceiving.  These bowls and plates are very large indeed.  It was terribly difficult to resist, but one has only so much room in a suitcase and the airlines only allow two carry on bags, one being a ladies purse.  That's ok, I'll be back and will plan accordingly!

Pip Home, "happy products for happy people"!

I picked up two kitschy tea towels in a Rehoboth Beach, Delaware shop.  I love these by Catstudio .  You might recognize the design.  They are the folks who make those gorgeous, embroidered pillows.  They also make drinking glasses, of which I have several, aprons, beach towels, mugs and plates.  Just tons of fun stuff!   Great memento of our trip.  I purchased the Delaware towel as well.

I found these cute journal books which I use to jot down knitting and crochet patterns, renderings, ideas and doodles.  Isn't that Fifty Shades (illustration by Sooshichacha) book darling?  Peter Pauper Press puts out the best books!  The one on the right is Gustav Klimt's Tree of Life frieze (c. 1909).  If you pop over to their site, they are part of their small format journals.  We usually buy some kind of historical book as well, to remind us of where we have been.  In the last photo, you'll see one for Washington, DC.

I also like to pick up Christmas ornaments on my travels.  Our tree is full of them!  Everywhere from the US and Europe.  I put the year on them to remind us of our trips.  I don't have a photo, but I also like to buy charms for my charm bracelet and I found only one shop that carries them.  The White House gift shop had several and I purchased a tiny White House....of course!  My bracelet is getting nice and full too.  I go to the Iowa State Fair every year with one of my besties and they have two new ones every year.  If you are familiar with state fairs, think.....butter cow, corn dog, cherry pie, corn stalk.....!

The trip was super!  White House tour of the east wing, Lincoln and Washington Monuments.  WWII, Korean and Vietnam Memorials.  The Hope Diamond, Cherry Blossoms, food trucks, art museums, row houses, brownstones, family, new friends, beaches, a wedding, shopping and no plane delays!  Whoo hoo!

There you have it!  It's Saturday and Easter is tomorrow.  To my Greek Orthodox followers.......Christos Anesti (Christ is Risen)!

Happy Easter!

Sheila

On My Needles...Knitting in Technicolor

After the blog post and huge success of my four Technicolor Blankets to Crochet patterns (thank you so much, by the way), I had a fair amount of requests for the same look but blankets you could knit.  Who am I to deny a knitter?  So, I am translating them into knitting patterns.  This is the first in a series of four.  I had some comments from hookers that they could not find one or two of the colors from the crochet patterns, so for the knitting patterns I have substituted those hard to find colors for similar ones that are more readily available.  I should have this first of four patterns ready next week.

Thank you also for the HUGE response and lovely comments to my blog post... Cath Kidston Inspired Blanket!  I'd love to see photos of yours, so be sure to send me a snap shot!

You can find all my pattern shop links at the top of my blog or follow the links below!

Click here to find Technicolor Blanket pattern and Cath Kidston Inspired Blanket pattern on Etsy

Click here to find Technicolor Blanket patternand Cath Kidston Inspired Blanket pattern on Craftsy

Click here to find Technicolor Blanket and Cath Kidston Inspired Blanket pattern on Ravelry

Best,

Sheila

Yarn Tip:

Does a pattern call for worsted weight yarn and you only have sport weight in your stash?  Hold your sport yarn double throughout to get a worsted weight gauge of 5 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch on US size 7 needles.

Crocodile Stitch Scarf in 50 Shades of Grey

The older I get, the more practical I get!  I'm not always sure if that is a good thing or not.  When I was younger, clothes were SO very important to me.  In my 20's I worked full time at our local courthouse as a bailiff for the county judges, so you had to be dressed professionally.  I adored straight skirts (as I was quite thin then), colorful blouses and jewelry.  It was the '80's after all!  Big shoulder pads, Disco, tons of color and big earrings!  Happy Hour was $1 pitchers and 25 cent draws.

Now I'm in my mid 50's and my closet is full of black, grey, white and the occasional colored top.  So, this Crocodile Stitch Scarf is right up my alley!  I adore this pattern from Bonita Patterns on Etsy, but I feel the full size scarf is just too bulky for large girl like my self.  Bulk on a plus size is NOT what we need.  I decided to make a smaller version of the pattern.  It looks a bit bib(ish) to me at the moment.  I think I'll add a tassel  at the point.  

Worn under the coat would be pretty, but I prefer my scarves and shawls on the outside of my jackets.  I've also added a button and just poked it through the other tail.  I think it looks nice worn either way.

Prism Sparkle from Mary Maxim in Cobblestone is lovely.  It is DK weight (3).  The photos do not do the yarn justice as you cannot see the bits of subtle sparkle.

This pattern is perfect for gradient yarns as it shows them off beautifully!

The cute little scissors I found on Etsy .  Quirkiest little thing and works perfectly.

Best,

Sheila

Edit date:  4-6-14....I used 4 skeins of Mary Maxim Prism Sparkle.  
Each skein is 290 Yards (265m)

Yarn Tip from Craftsy:

If you're substituting yarn from a pattern:

To figure out how many yards of your substituted yarn you'll need, calculate the total yardage from the pattern's yarn first.  Use this formula...Number of skeins x yardage per skein = total yardage needed for pattern.  

So, for example, if your pattern uses three skeins of yarn that each have 240 yards, then multiply three by 240 to get a total of720 yards.

Cath Kidston/Greengate Inspired Bakeware and Blanket

If you're like me and LOVE everything Cath Kidston you will understand my joy at these incredible finds!  I let out a little squeal when I saw them, in a Michael's no less!  If you are in the USA, you should have one near you.  For my overseas followers, Michael's is a wonderful craft store.

Just LOOK at these measuring cups, dipping bowls and measuring spoons!  Doesn't it scream Cath Kidston?  I was like a little kid playing with the measuring cups.....stacking and unstacking them, admiring them, enjoying their lovely colors.  I found them in the isle where they have all the bins for things costing $1 - $5.00.  Not the bins in the front of the store where everything is $1.

 The spoons were $5.....and come in two different colorways.  Red and blue.  The little dipping bowls, in the 2nd photo, were $3.  The stacking measuring cups were $5.  All are ceramic, not plastic or melamine.

Of course, I then ran over to the yarn isle to pick out my colors for a baby blanket.  The pattern is ready to purchase from my Etsy shop!

I snatched up a few of each for future presents.  They also had big spoon rests and decent sized coffee mugs with the same designs.  If you are not familiar with Cath Kidston, find her site here.

Visit my Etsy shop
Craftsy shop

Till next time,

Sheila

Yarn tip:

When winding yarn from a hank, snip a little piece off and tape it to the yarn band.  Mark the label with any notes from your project.  You'll have a handy reference if you use that yarn again.

Food tip:

I use lemons all the time when I cook.  I love how they look in a bowl on the counter, but that is not the best way to store them.  They last 4 times longer when I store them in a ziplock bag in the fridge.

Bonfire Wedding Blanket

 I created this for my cousin, Eleni, as a wedding gift! Gorgeous in the colors of her big day...yellow and orange. Her mother and I are very close and I have received many a handmade gift from her during the milestones in my own life, so choosing a wedding gift for her daughter was easy!

 The hash tag (#) pattern is so common in technology, I just had to design something that is relevant for today’s young people. The clusters are at an angle lending to the hash tag pattern (see in the 3rd photo down).  Get your own custom buttons....."made with love" would be cute!

 Lightweight, colorful, reversible and easy to crochet with a one row pattern repeat. 

 Gradient yarn produces a stripe pattern without changing colors! The edge is a simple 4 row single crochet, but feel free to substitute any edge you like!

 This would be lovely in a smaller size for a baby!  Look close and you can see the hash tags are at an angle as opposed to on top of one another. 

 40” W x 67” L

                                                                                       (102cm W x 170cm L)

Tools & Materials:
*4 skeins Patons Lace (2) in Bonfire. 498 yards (455 meters); 3 oz. (85 gms) 
Any lace weight (2) will work. Approx. 1992 yards (1821 meters) total needed for the blanket
*crochet hook size K/10.5 (6.5mm)

Skill level: easy
Abbreviations given for American and United Kingdom terms
Find the pattern:
Etsy
Craftsy
Ravelry

or use the tabs at the top of the page!

Have a great weekend,

Sheila

Pattern storage tip:

I keep all my paper patterns in a 3 ring binder.  One binder holds all my scarf patterns.  Another holds all my baby patterns and so on.  I use clear, three hole page protectors to keep each one in and when I want to knit or crochet that project, I remove it from the binder in its page protector and take it to the yarn shop to buy my supplies!

Knit Socks On Straight Needles and a Crusty Bread Recipe

 I posted last week about finding an easy pattern to knit socks on double pointed needles.  After making several pairs, I popped over to the Barnes & Noble book store to browse sock pattern books.  Can you believe I only found one book!  But what a book it is!  Knit Your Socks on Straight by Alice Curtis!  Brilliant!  I have seen this book online and in book stores for quite some time, but never picked it up to flip through.  Big mistake!

 Beautifully written, easy to understand and tons of photos.  This is the first pattern in the book using worsted weight yarn you can find in your local Hobby Lobby, Michaels, WalMart or fabric store that sells yarn.  Alice shows you pics every step of the way.

 How cute are these little gingerbread people and snowmen?

 I adore these moccasocks house boots made with chunky yarn!

 Flip flop socks....whoduthunkit?  Use your sock or fingering yarn for these.

 I love these for St. Patricks Day!  A pair for you and a pair for your little leprechaun! 

Now, on to the bread.  This is the most awesome artisan bread I have ever made!  No kneading, no rising, no bread machine.  Crusty outside a with a chewy center.  If you follow Lucy at Attic24, you may have tried this already.  The only draw back is it must rest for 12 hours or more.  I put the dough together about 3:00 in the afternoon.  The next day at 3 in was in the oven.  The recipe states 12-18 hours but the 24 hours was just fine.  If you put up the dough in the evening, you can be baking the next morning.  The recipe is in American terms, but if you pop over to visit Lucy, she has the English terms for you.

Have a great week,

Sheila

Yarn tip:

Not sure which size to knit from a pattern?  Compare pattern measurements from your favorite sweater.

Bread baking tip:

You'll know when you bread is baked fully when the inside reads 195 degrees fahrenheit  (90.55 celsius) with a food thermometer.