More Project Pictures

White Rose

Springtime in CT

Annis

Selbu Modern

Inspired Cowl

Rose Red

FO's Finally

Ok, so it's been so long since my last post that it's ridiculous!! I have been knitting ... just not taking any pics. So here's what I've been working on lately....

Selbu Modern in Evening Blue and Snow colorways.

You can find the pattern here.

Rose Red in Snow colorway.

You can find this pattern here.

Evening Leaves Shawlette in Evening Blue colorway. (Blocking leaf pattern)

You can find this great Never Not Knitting pattern here.

All these knits are knit in Epiphany by Cascade Yarns, a beautiful and soft blend of Royal Alpaca, Cashmere, and Silk ... TOTAL LUXURY!!!! You can find the yarn here.

Alana's Beautiful Patterns

Alana of Never Not Knitting created Cosette, this beautiful pattern, and she took such a great picture of the one I knit for her I just had to post it!!

Take a look at here other great patterns here.

Cosette Wrap

So I got a wonderful opportunity to knit a great shawl for a friend of mine who is totally fabulous, Alana at NeverNotKnitting!! Check out her website here for a much better picture of the shawl (I'm still working on photography ... obviously not my strong suit!!) and her beautiful version of Cosette here.

The shawl was amazing to knit ... so easy to follow ... the great part about it is the short rows, you start by casting on tons of stitches on your needles and once you start the short rows you work with progressively less and less stitches to finish the pattern. I was also surprised at how easy the picot edging was, it looks so intricate and feminine!!

Overall it was a wonderful experience and I HIGHLY recommend buying her pattern and knitting up your very own Cosette Wrap today!! Check out her Pattern Store here, totally awesome knits!!!

Another Textured Shawl

I've finally finished this Textured Shawl!! It's seemed like forever since I cast on. I really love the stockinette and textured pattern combo. You can see the modifications I did to this particular shawl here. I used Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca & Silk in Plum, it's a light DK weight yarn that it worth trying, very soft and silky ... beautiful drape!!

This is a great shawl to get your feet wet in shawl making, give it a try!! You can't go wrong because the recipe is free ... check it out here. Also, don't forget to try my Shawl Cast-On Tutorial to get you started.

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