Semi-Beret

Semi-Beret

Yarn: Cascade Di.Ve' Teseo, Clr #32011-self-striping (50g-98yds; 45% microfiber/55%wool).

Needles: US 8 - 16" circular needle (for cast on and ribbing only); US 9 - 16" circular needle; US 9 - double pointed needles

Notions: 6 stitch markers (1-marker color #1 & 5-markers color #2); tapestry needle.

Gauge: 4 sts=1" on larger needle in-the-round (please use appropriate needles to achieve correct gauge)

Abbreviations: sts- stitches; k - knit; p - purl; m - marker; sm - slip marker; pm - place marker; m1 - lift bar between sts and knit through the back loop; k2tog - insert right needle into sts on left needle through front loops, knit together; ssk - slip 2 sts knitwise one at a time off left needle, insert left needle through slipped sts from left to right, knit together; CO - cast on; Stst - Stockinette Stitch - knit all stitches on right side; rnd(s) - round(s).

Note: Made for head circumference of about 22", measured around the crown. Ribbing circumference about 16" unstretched.

1) CO 64 sts with smaller needle. Place stitch marker for beginning of round, join in round being careful not to twist the stitches.

2) K1, p1 [1x1 rib] for 6 rnds (approx. 1"-1.5").

3) Increase rnd: *K1, m1, k2, m1. Repeat from * to 4 sts before m; K1, m1, k1, m1, k1, m1, k1, m1. (108 sts) Increase so that number of stitches are in multiples of 6.

4) Stockinette rounds: Knit in Stst for 4" to 4.5" (or to your preference…the longer the stockinette area the slouchier the hat.)

5) Decrease Set-up rnd: sm-color #1, *k18, pm-color #2. Repeat from * to end [6 markers total]. (108 sts - 18 sts between each marker)

6) Decrease rnds: *K to 2 sts before m, ssk, sm, k2tog. Repeat from * to end. Decrease 12 sts every other rnd 8 times. [12 sts remain]

7) Final decrease rnd: k2tog to end. [6 sts remain]

8) Cut yarn leaving about 6-10" tail, thread tail onto tapestry needle, draw through remaining sts, pull tightly and fasten off by weaving into wrong side of hat.

9) Weave in all ends. Block over a large pasta bowl or plate.

I accept full responsibility for any mistakes in this pattern, so please let me know of any mistakes. You can email me here.

Pattern by Claire Getman, © 2009.

http://clairebearknits.blogspot.com/

All content on this site is the sole property of Claire Getman, unless indicated otherwise, and cannot be reproduced without express written consent. Patterns are restricted to a single copy for personal use only. Any other use must be approved in writing by the author.

Shawl Cast-On Tutorial

Notice the straight edge of the shawl blocking above and the detail photo of the shawl Cast-on (CO) area below, no bumps or wonky transition from CO to knitting. The following CO is the reason why. It's the only CO I will use for shawls and once you try it you'll love it!!

This Cast-On as written gives you 9 stitches on the needles including a 2 stitch border of Garter Stitch on both sides/edges:

1 - Use a provisional cast on with a smooth waste yarn.

2 - Pick up 2 sts of working yarn through back loops of waste yarn.

3 - Knit 7 rows garter stitch.

4 - Pick up 5 stitches along the edge of the rows.

5 - Undo the provisional CO.

6 - Pick up & knit these 2 stitches.

With these 9 sts CO you're ready to start your shawl. For more or fewer border sts adjust step #2 accordingly. Or if you need more or fewer chart sts adjust step #3 accordingly. See two alternates below. (Note: The sts picked up with the waste yarn represent your border sts, the rows knit in garter stitch represent the sts needed for the chart.)

An example of needing 13 sts total CO:

1 - Use a provisional CO with a smooth waste yarn.

2 - Pick up 3 stitches with working yarn through back loops of waste yarn.

3 - Knit 9 rows garter stitch.

4 - Pick up 7 stitches along the edge of the rows.

5 - Undo the provisional CO.

6 - Pick up & knit these 3 stitches.

An example of needing 5 sts total CO (as when making Gail [aka Nightsong]):

1 - Use a provisional CO with a smooth waste yarn.

2 - Pick up 2 stitches with working yarn through back loops of waste yarn.

3 - Knit 3 rows garter stitch.

4 - Pick up 1 stitch along the edge of the rows.

5 - Undo the provisional CO.

6 - Pick up & knit these 2 stitches.

I hope this is helpful because once I understood this shawl CO it made my shawls look so much better. The finished result is seamless! Whom ever it was that invented this was a genius (a total perfectionist too)!!

If there are any discrepancies or issues with the above, please leave a comment for me so that I can correct or fine tune these notes. - Thank you

First Snow and a Textured Shawl

So we finally had our first snow of the year, it was beautiful. The next day we went up to NY State and it was even heavier there. Forgot my camera, but there was a 5" blanket of pristine white coating everything we drove by, it was glorious!!

On a knitting note ... here's my textured shawl, pictured here with a make-shift blocking board. You can see my Textured Shawl recipe here and it will connect you to the original 'recipe' as the designer calls it. I used 4 hanks of Blue Sky Alpaca's 100% alpaca sport weight yarn. I wasn't sure if it would be itchy to wear, but I wore it for the first time today and it's wonderfully soft and warm. The alpaca does shed a little, but it's still worth anyone out there giving it a try. Especially for those who are wool-sensitive, you'll love it!!

I was also thrilled because the pattern allowed me the freedom to use almost every last bit of yarn I have, all that was left was the tiniest remnant leftover. So exciting ... it's the little things, right?!

See an upcoming post for the shawl cast on that makes the smoothest edge.

Gail! My New FO

Although it's been months since I've blogged, I actually have been knitting! Lots of hats and quick knits for other people, and a baby blanket that I should have finished at least 5 months ago (because the little guy was born in June, oooops!!!!) Recently I've been on a search for a shawlette/scarf for myself for the winter transition. Something luxurious and green. What I found was one absolutely gorgeous skein of Halcyon Gemstone Soft Twist Silk yarn (sport weight/100% silk) ... a perfect match for my miniature version of Gail (aka Nightsong). You can find the original here, there are also some pages that will help you to knit this pattern here.

This was an incredible treat for me, a sumptuous yarn to knit with, which made knitting a dream. I was almost tempted to frog the whole thing and start all over again just so that I could knit with this yarn. If you try you'll never regret it, you'll love it and anything you make with it!!! Guaranteed!!!!

Time flies!!

I can't believe it's been an entire month since my last post. I must say there hasn't been too much on the knitting front as of late, unfortunately. Time seems to just keep flying by and I have very little time for relaxing and knitting. My latest project is a lace weight cardigan, inspired by Hannah Fettig's recent designs, it's a raglan cardi with some cable work. It's my own personal take on Wendy Bernard's 'The Favorite Sweater', which is so cute, but I'm tweaking a few things so that it will fit me a little differently, it's been fun to tweak/design a sweater again...it's been a long time since I've done it.

Above are a couple of my latest knits...

Knitting v. Workout

Time has really been flying by, I can't believe my last post was March 13th!!! We've been busy with life in general, all good things, but busy none-the-less. I have been pushing through the newsboy hat for weeks now, it was like torture when I tried to knit according to the modifications for a man's head and after trying it on my husband it looked like a floppy sweater with a brim on his head. So I had to re-evaluate the sizing and rip out most of the hat and eliminate most of the increases. Then had to undo the ribbing cast-off which was way too tight and use a much larger needle to cast-off. This has really been a learning process and I will be happy when the gift is finished and delivered to my friend ... Just in time for spring!!!

In the meantime ... after sitting at home knitting every single night for hours this entire winter, I realized that I can't fit into the majority of my clothing and none of my spring/summer clothes ... OUCH!!!! Time to hit the gym BIG TIME!!!! With a 1 hour+ playlist on my mP3 player for high energy workouts I should be ship-shape in time for Cape Cod in July!!! (That is if I ever get to it!)

The irony is (pretty amusing) that I've become much larger due to one of my favorite daily activities, Knitting ... much better than gaining weight while unhappy, right!?!?!

More Lace Knitting

I've been working on a few projects up to this point that are lace, not very successfully or happily, but recently there have been a few lace patterns that looked irresistible, also I have yarn waiting in my stash to be used ... calling out to me to knit it ...


The fine lace pattern is from the Spring 2009 Interweave Knits magazine, it's called Fountain Pen Shawl, love working the pattern ... really well written and very comprehensive, the designer even includes a lace BO so that you can achieve looseness while blocking your FO. For this pattern I had some Malabrigo Lace in the Purple Mystery colorway just waiting for me to knit it up. The yarn is really soft and cozy, yet light and airy too!! I'm really excited to continue with this pattern!!

This beauty is the Hemlock Ring Blanket and it's a free pattern (follow the Ravelry links to locate the original pattern). This pattern satisfies my desire to knit lace without it taking a year to finish the pattern. Also the Cascade Ecological Wool that I'm using is so beautiful to work with, plus I love the fact that it's not dyed or chemically treated ... always a plus when looking for 'Green' knitting projects!! This blanket should be a smaller blanket, like a lap blanket, so I'd say I'm almost half-way finished. I'm excited to finish this and I know it will be beautiful once finished and will perfectly coordinate our blue/beige couch!! Thanks to Jared Flood for making this version available!!!

Thank you to the ladies at Saybrook Yarn who are so sweet and helpful when ever I shop there!! I went in to buy The Cascade Eco Wool and originally I wanted a chocolaty brown, but they only had one hank left. I stared at two different colors for what must have been an hour. That wasn't working to help me see if I should have the color ordered or use the color they had in stock, so we found a skein of yarn that matched pretty closely to my sofa and compared to the colorways we were staring at. It turns out that the color they had in stock was an even better color, so I excitedly brought it home and cast on!! I was really surprised to find that what looked like charcoal in the store looks dark brown in my living room ... go figure!! It is so important it is to find a great LYS (or multiple LYS's) who are so patient, willing and helpful!!!

I've also been tackling a men's hat, like a Newsboy hat from the 1930's. I should probably say that the hat has been tackling me instead. I am determined to get it done before the spring officially arrives (my poor friend's head has been freezing all winter!!). I will post the pictures when I'm finished, if it's ever finished, not sure if I'm going to post the pattern though ... have to see how much finishing work is involved, it may not be worth passing on.

Ahhhhh ... Boston!!!

Recently we spent some time with my sister who lives a stones throw away from Boston. I lived in NYC growing up and since moving to CT, a much more rural area, I have longed for the hustle and bustle of city life. Since my sister arrived at Tufts to get her Masters in OT (so proud!!) she has been asking us to come visit, so we finally did. (She's so cute!!, but what happened to me? yikes ... I have no eyes!!!)

Although not directly in Boston, this area nearby was enough of a city to satisfy my longing. People walking every where, very little parking (not necessarily pleasant, but very city-like), dogs enjoying a nice walk with their owners on real sidewalks that didn't just randomly start and stop (you'd have to visit our area to know what I mean!!). It was great!! We ate at this cute little place the morning we left called Mr. Crepe, I got the Nutella stuffed one below, it was delicious!! I'm glad that my sister shared some of it with me, I'm starting to grow a fanny pack.



Here's the crepe maker on the left, he was so quick, every single one looked great ... you also can get an idea as to how huge the crepe's are in this picture, yum!! My sister making a silly face (somehow it's a family trait), Gman's getting his coffee fix ... it was such a cool spot, like a cafe/crêperie where you can hang out and eat or study, perfect for the college setting.

On the needles: I've been working on an English Driving Cap for a friend for what seams like a year, after multiple froggings it seemed like defeat, but I borrowed a store-bought version of the hat I'd like to make to use as a visual ... I think I'll get it this time (that is if the yarn can hold up to another knit and frogging). I'm also working on a beautiful blanket called the Hemlock Ring Blanket, it's like a huge gauge doily, totally awesome!! Also still working on some shawls, lace shawls, but I think I've just come to the conclusion that I just have no patience for lace knitting. I do, however, want to start the Whisper Cardigan by Hannah Fettig in the Spring Interweave Knits Mag (I just haven't received mine in the mail yet, harrumph). So maybe I'll use the lace yarn in my stash for the Cardigan, sounds like a nice compromise!!!

Family & Hand Knits

My brother-in-law finally has his fingerless gloves, and just in time for the winter to almost be completely over. He really likes them, but won't wear them to work (which is why I made them for him in the first place, ironically!!) ... he's afraid of ruining them. Hand knits are great because there are always more to be made and give away.

In many ways knitting has fulfilled the spirit of generosity within me, but there just never seems to be enough time each day to devote to making things for others ... you know with life and all getting in the way ... but I find myself falling asleep at night thinking about what projects I have, or my new-found love for entrelac and what colors I will be able to work with next. I think it's gone from love to obsession to disease. There are times when I just want to stop and do something else, but something compels me to keep coming back. I'll see a baby who needs a burp cloth, a mother-to-be and want to make a cozy blanket for her new child, or someone who looks like they need a scarf.

Or ... my sister who keeps reminding me that I have yet to make her the scarf that I have been promising her for over a year. Sorry Sis, but I promised you pics of the scarf I'm working on for you. It might be hard to see what it's going to look like finished since it's still in its beginning stages, but let me know what you think. ;)

Entrelac & a Hannah Fettig Knit

Entrelac is one of my latest endeavors and, so far, the most interesting type of knitting I've done yet. It doesn't hurt my brain like some lace knitting does, and once you have the general concept of the pattern down you're golden. It's a pretty straight forward way to make something really beautiful and multidimensional without much complexity. I LOVE IT!!!!

I used a free Entrelac Scarf pattern online and just started knitting. I decided to do something a little smaller to start, and since my friend's baby boy has been, let's say, rejecting some of his formula recently, I thought this would be a pretty and functional way to get started with Entrelac. Using some washable and relatively cheap (b/c of baby puke and all) worsted weight cotton yarn, it took very little time, although that's not saying much since the piece is no more than a 4x6" rectangle. Regardless it was a great intro to this great way of knitting and fun too!! I thought it would be really lumpy, you'll know what I mean if you try it, but it blocked surprisingly easily and very flat!! Here it is ...

I have also started and finished (another quick one!) one of the patterns in Hannah Fettig's book Closely Knit, the Bird's Nest Pin Cushion. The nest itself was a little challenging for me, but I realized it was because my dpn's were too small (I found this out because my nest only fit four eggs ... it should have fit at least five ... ooops!!). The yarn I used was Sirdar Eco Wool and the eggs were some left-over periwinkle 'Cloud 9' from Cascade. My mom loves it and I hope she will be able to use it soon!!

Alvina Scarf (Free Pattern)

Alvina Scarf
(A Reversible Cable Scarf)

Yarn:
Malabrigo Worsted Weight Merino Yarn (100% Merino Wool; 216 yds/100g) Jacinto #193 colorway, 2 skeins.

Needles:
-US 9 Circular (A very long circular will work best)
-Tapestry Needle for weaving in ends

Gauge:
4 sts/7 rows = 1" in Stockinette Stitch. (If gauge is slightly off, no problem.)

Size:
One size fits all. Scarf measures approx. 4.5"W x 6' H.

Note:
To make a smooth join between the two skeins, see this tutorial on Felted joins (scroll down page until you can view the video tutorial, very helpful!!).

Cable Stitches:
C8F - Slip 4 stitches onto your cable needle, hold to front of work, K1, P1 (2 times), then K1, P1 (2 times) from the cable needle.
C12F - Slip 6 stitches onto your cable needle, hold to front of work, K1, P1 (3 times), then K1, P1 (3 times) from the cable needle.

Directions:
CO 464 sts.

Rows 1-4: Knit (this will be your garter stitch border).

Row 5 (WS and all other WS rows): K4; *K3; [K1, P1] 4 times; K3; [K1, P1] 6 times, repeat from * 16 more times; K3; [K1, P1] 4 times; K7.

Row 6 (RS): K4; *P3; [K1, P1] 4 times; P3; [K1, P1] 6 times, repeat from * 16 more times; P3; [K1, P1] 4 times; P3; K4.

Row 8: Same as row 6.

Row 10: K4; *P3; C8F; P3; [K1, P1] 6 times, repeat from * 16 more times; P3; C8F; P3; K4.

Row 12: K4; *P3, [K1, P1] 4 times; P3; C12F, repeat from * 16 more times; P3; [K1, P1] 4 times; P3; K4.

Row 14: Same as row 6.
Row 16: Same as row 10.
Row 18: Same as row 6.
Row 20: Same as row 12.
Row 22: Same as row 10.
Rows 24 & 26: Same as row 6.

Rows 27-30: Knit (this will finish off the scarf and leave a nice clean garter stitch border).

BO: *K2tog, place stitch on right needle back onto left needle; repeat from * to end. Leave at least a 6" tail, cut yarn. Weave in ends.


Do not block ... the scarf takes on a very feminine flair unblocked, the cables create twists and ruffles naturally. This is what I think gives the scarf something extra!!

I accept full responsibility for any mistakes in this pattern, so please let me know of any mistakes. You can email me here.

Pattern by Claire Getman, © 2009.

http://clairebearknits.blogspot.com/

All content on this site is the sole property of Claire Getman, unless indicated otherwise, and cannot be reproduced without express written consent. Patterns are restricted to a single copy for personal use only. Any other use must be approved in writing by the author.

What's so funny?

I can't believe it's been over two weeks since I posted last!! Last week was sort of a recovery week after Gman's (hubby) vacation...and I finally got to do a photo shoot for some FO's. I would like to post some of these as free patterns, that'll have to come in the future though.

I've never been one to make hand knits so that they can be destroyed, but my friends 2 month old son is so cute he deserves cute burp-cloths too!! To me that's funny, so against my normal MO! Usually I'm more of the 'I'll knit your baby a big cozy blanket!!' type, but I've been working on so many things lately that I just wanted to knit something that would be quick and easy. I'm excited to say that I'm actually getting a handle on crochet and I've added crochet borders to both of the burp-cloths(there must be a better name?!). I'll show them once the second one is finished.

In the meantime ... the above are photo's of my recently designed scarf and fingerless mitts finally finished ... the Alvina Scarf is a reversible cable knit using Malabrigo Worsted (post for pattern soon to come!!).

What's really funny is that I'm so unphotogenic ... it took us about 40 pics just to get a couple good ones!!

What does a Frog say? and Blond Brains

I must laugh at my Oh-So-Blond brain (better than cry, right?)... you know, the whole getting the punch-line of a joke 5 minutes too late kind of thing?

Anyway, I just Googled frogging and realized that I frog so much that I should probably get paid to do it...is there a job like that somewhere out there? Frogging is probably one of my favorite things to do (Eureka!! I have found my calling!!).

Check out this Knitty article all about it, this article can do wonders for one's knitting stress level or ego for that matter. It is especially comforting to know that we who frog our knitting are not alone in the WWK (wide world of knitters).

Although it pained my heart the first few times I frogged, I have learned that ripping out hours of pain-staking work is just one of those things that a perfectionist knitter must do to create a beautiful hand knit, otherwise those flaws will be haunting your nightmares!!

Go Fly A Kite

Ok, so I lied the other day when I said I was going to do the Lacey Stole from Louet...I'm really doing this one instead...for real this time!!



It's called "Go Fly A Kite" (I found it on Ravelry!!)...it's really pretty and although I'm not really the lace wearing type...more of a plain Jane...I'm excited to be knitting lace for real. This is the same lace yarn that I was planning to use for the Lacey Stole, but since the Lacey stole called for sport weight yarn I thought that my yarn might be better used on a project that actually calls for lace weight yarn.



True confession: I hate lace knitting!! Or should I say that we have a Love/Hate relationship, maybe?!



I wish I could say that lace knitting is a treat and that as you go you start to see all your hard work unfolding that it brings joy to your heart and is beautiful, which would make you want to knit more and more and more. But I can't say that! In fact, I would probably tell any beginner not to even start lace. Here's why: As I knit this pattern I have to make sure that I keep my spot on the pattern chart, but inevitably I will move the wrong way, have to get the phone, or change the channel, or whatever (I think you get the idea) and all my spot is lost...so now I have to back track and figure out where I am, for the 500th time. Oh, and of course you have to make sure that you're knitting the correct stitches across the pattern or else you completely mess it up, and this is not the type of pattern where you can have an in depth conversation and remember how many repeats of the pattern you have already finished, or how many stitches are left to knit. Trust me, I've had to undue so many rows already for not getting that row right that I can't even count the times on BOTH hands.



Ok, end of rant!! :)



But ultimately this is a Love/Hate relationship...each time I put it down and see what has been knit so far I am amazed and say to myself, "Could this possibly be the thing causing such terrible torture for me all these hours? It's so lovely and light and airy!! How pretty and elegant this will look over a cute black dress...I should keep going and knit some more, maybe I'm just lace-challenged, it can't be that bad after all!!"

Now I know this is not the case for many, many knitters in this world, so to you lovers of knitted lace out there, please accept my apologies for my bluntness, but I must speak truth!! In lieu of my feelings, I am NOT quitting this project, this lace shawl challenge may drive me crazy, but I must finish it!!! And maybe, I'll grow to love lace knitting by the time I am finished......maybe?



Saga To be continued.....

Fingerless Wonders

Not that what I have created gives a great representation of these two patterns, but at least they are cozy!!! [That's all that really matters, right?!?!?!]Sorry for these pics, a bit fuzzy, I know I should stop taking my own pictures and let someone else do it, scheduling issues. Oh well! :)

The slightly modified fingerless mitts are made from two different colors of Plymouth Brushed Suri Alpaca (100% Suri Alpaca) from my stash that were left over from a couple of other projects. I had two colors left and wanted to make opposite mitts, I knit them on US 7 dpn needles and modified the original pattern by picking up stitches at the thumbs and extending the knitting there in 1x1 ribbing, and also made them a little longer at the fingers to make mine a little more suitable for our Connecticut winters.....sooo warm and cozy!!! [Perfect to keep warm while knitting.] The free and simple pattern is from knit and tonic, I'm sure I'll use it again and again. [Both were knit in one evening.]

The huge fingerless gloves are for my Bro-in-law who works outside a lot. He requested something to keep his hands warm and dry while he's working, but still have the dexterity...so these fingerless gloves, from Marnie MacLean were a perfect solution. I modified the pattern to the size of my BIL's hands and the yarn gauge I was working with (Cascade 220, charcoal black, 1 skein, on the same US 7 dpn's as for the fingerless mitts). The first one took me forever, trying to tweek the pattern so that it worked with my yarn, et al...but the second one took me no more than a couple of evenings tv time.

I absolutely love knitting patterns like this, because they are functional of course, but also because they are quick knits and there's great satisfaction in having something finished within a night or two!!

I hope you enjoy the links to these two great designers and there equally great, yet simple, patterns.

Huh? Back to English Class You Go!!

So many things strike me as funny, but I think this one tops the list!! It is wrong on so many levels that I must say (and forgive me for not being PC at all) this brings redneck to an entirely different level. Can you say, "Here's your sign!" or maybe "You might be a redneck if..."!! We might have to send this one to Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, or Larry the Cable Guy to see what they can come up with, there is definitely something Blue Collar Comedy worthy in this photo!!

In the meantime there's been another snow storm...what a winter wonderland!! Perfect weather for whipping up some cozy knits...this hat is from some left-over Brushed Suri Alpaca that a friend gave to me. I made her a herringbone cowl and since there was extra I made myself a beret. There was extra after that too, woohoo!! So now I'm working on some fingerless mitts, using a simple pattern from Wendy Bernard's blog. I'll share pics of the cowl, hat and fingerless mitts once I'm finished.

P.S. I'm going to post the Striped beret as a free pattern once it's been edited.

Lacey Stole

I was watching Knitting Daily a few weeks ago on PBS and saw Eunny Jang showcasing a Knit Along of the beautiful and simple Lacey Stole with Louet Linen yarn. It seems like something that would keep me interested and yet still knit while carrying on a conversation or watching tv. I purchased some lovely 100% baby alpaca lace weight yarn from my LYS, pictured above is Baby Alpaca Lace from Plymouth Yarn in color #2020.

This is my first official lace pattern, i.e. the yarn is lace weight, et al., so I'm a little nervous that it will take millions of hours to finish. My hope is that I won't get bored with it and them change my mind, which seams to be my MO. You can find my progress and the free pattern on Ravelry, and once I have a sufficient amount of it finished (and figure out how on earth to post my pictures) I will post some pics. I'm modifying the original pattern just a little, since the original pattern is in sport weight yarn, and mine is in lace weight, I will add a few extra rows of garter stitch all around the entire border for some more stability.

I Shall Conquer: Lace Knitting

Being someone who doesn't have all the money in the world to buy all the yarn I could ever possibly want, I am trying to stretch the yarn I have. So I have decided that knitting lace is the way to go. You can buy lighter weight yarns (i.e. more yardage) and use larger needles to show off the eyelets in the lace...the end result?....more for you money, yay!!

The purple yarn is Malabrigo Worsted hand dyed yarn. This is some of the softest stuff you will find around. It is very lofty and knits up really quickly, always a plus after knitting a project with fingering weight yarn. Malabrigo is hands down my favorite yarn, they have yet to go wrong. The merino they use is super resilient, even though it's a single-ply. Oh, and did I mention it's REALLY soft?

The fingering weight yarn pictured here is from Pagewood Farm, another excellent yarn company, the name of the yarn is Yukon ... a blend of merino/bamboo/nylon ... so soft. I used Yukon for my first pair of knitted socks and was really pleased with the results. The pattern for both these scarves is pretty simple for lace, and will knit up pretty quickly especially if you use larger needles, so if anyone is interested I'll post the scarf patterns, just leave me a note in the comments section.

Ever Enough?

After trying to knit, rip, re-knit, rip, re-knit, rip (I think you get the idea)...can I ever just be satisfied with something and finish it? Well, this pile is what's left of a couple of scarves, the blue one is fingering weight bamboo/merino/nylon blend from Pagewood Farms, so soft, maybe those would be better as fingerless mittens? The purple is some lovely angora/merino which will become something fuzzy and warm. In the meantime, between tearing apart the painstaking work of many days, I found a new LYS near my house. This is no trivial matter, it's something I've been hoping for all year. I have my favorites, which are at least 30 minutes away, not that I mind driving over 25 minutes to an LYS where I can find my favorite Malabrigo yarn or where I can talk to someone who is excited about knitting like me, but it is sooo much better when local!!

My husband is always asking me when the yarn I buy is ever enough, I guess the answer is, "NEVER!!!" What is it about the sight of colorful varieties of yarn in merino, silk, bamboo, even...dare I say...nylon (for the sensitive-skin-type) that sparks every knitter's heart a-fluttering and their mind going into 500 project directions at once? (Maybe it has something to do with the icy, grey New England weather we've been having?!)

So many projects in the works, and yet I buy more yarn...why is that? Why must we knitters always buy more yarn and add to an already growing stash? With so many other projects I shouldn't move onto anything new, but I just couldn't help myself. Maybe I'll finish something one of these days (novel idea)!

On-the-needles: Looking to start a 'Newsies' cap, you know the old style paper-boy cap, a classic look. I found some Sirdar Eco-wool dk that knits up pretty softly, yet will hold the shape of the cap nicely. I also found some absolutely decadent Baby Alpaca Lace from Plymouth Yarn, that will probably become a lace hat for myself.

Welcome!!

Welcome to ClaireBearKnits!! Since starting knitting seriously over a year ago I've wanted to create a blog, so after much procrastination...here I am! As a novice in the world of blogging I have lots to learn and look forward to lots of suggestions, comments and even critique (the only way to learn, right?).

I have been working on some new knitting projects, I'll post some pics along with a free pattern very soon.