Happy New Year 2013!! And a Free Knitting Pattern

Hello,everyone! How did you spend your vacation? Went on a trip? Had a big party at home? Or spent nice quiet time?
We had a little busy days. My parents-in-law spent one night so that I cooked some speciality food for New Years. My kids were happy to meet their grandparents!
Then, we spent two nights at my parents' house, and had great meals.
I love new year holidays since we all get together and eat good food. It is like Thanksgiving in the States. Families get together and eat good food, right?

Today I love to share my pattern with you. These gloves fit 2-3 year olds. It's an easy work.


You'll need;

a circular needle     size 5 or 6 (either size is fine as long as you can obtain the gage.)

yarn (I used some leftover yarn.)

gauge     11sts x 17rows (stockinet)

Instruction

1) CO 32sts
2) 1x1 rib and knit in round.
3) keep knitting until 4cm from the beginning.
4) change to stockinet.  knit another 5cm

Leave a thumb
5) leave 6sts on a different needle and rest them.  26sts left
6) continue knitting for another 4cm.  total 12cm from the beg.

Decrease rows
7) (ssk, k9, k2tog) repeat.  18sts left
8) (ssk, k5, k2tog) repeat.  14sts left
9) (ssk, k3, k2tog) repeat.  10sts left
10) (ssk, k1, k2tog) repeat.  6sts left
11) (slip 2sts together, k1, put the 2sts over the k1, k2tog) repeat.  2sts left
12) break yarn and bind off.

Thumb
1) 6sts and pick up 6sts from the body.  12sts
2) knit stockinet in rnd for 4cm.
3) (ssk, k2, k2tog) rpt.  10sts  left
4) repeat 3) for 3 times.  4sts left
5) break yarn.

Knit one more.

Enjoy knitting and have a great year!!

by Sweet Snow Flakes

All rights reserved.

A New Vest for My Little Boy

Yay! Summer is here! We don't need a jacket anymore here in the Tokyo area. It's been a while since I posted last time because my baby keeps me busy, and also I often bake bread at home these days. Now, my son will be almost 7 months old and he can turn. He loves to move around but can't move much yet. I need to watch him more carefully not to touch anything dangerous or not to go anywhere I don' want him to go.

Anyway, this is my second vest from "Last-minute Gifts" that I knitted. The yarns are used some of my stash yarns. It's wool and cute green color for a boy.

I know it's summer but I wanted to knit a vest. Well, it didn't have to be a vest but I just had enough yarns for a vest. Also, I thought it would be nice to knit something in advance just in case I don't have time to knit anything in the fall. It'll be good for around 1-year-old boy and hopefully it won't be too small for him. I want him to grow bigger but not too much at the same time!! hehe Now, what should I make next?

Two Knitted Bonnets!

As I mentioned before, I like the book called "More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts" and knitted two bonnets from the book.   It was a pretty short work to get them done so that I made two.  The pink one was supposed to be donated and the yellow and my daughter was going to be wear the yellow and white bonnet; however, the yellow and white one became better than the pink one!  I know why!  It was just because the pink bonnet was my first work.

The yarn: Warm! Warm! (Yokota) 2 skeins (Well, 1.5 skeins are enough.) The needle: JP8 or similar size, I prefer a circular needle rather than regular knitting needle because the long sticks doesn't bother me at all! This pink is very girly!

Here I made a striped bonnet.

Easy Knitted Scarf with the Pattern

I knitted this scarf as one of the donations for the victims in Japan. It is a very simple design so that anyone can put it on!



Pattern

Finished Measurement
126cm (excluding fringes) x 9cm

Yarn
alpaca wool 80grams
                                                                                   

Needles
One set of straight needles and one crochet hook ---3.25mm (US3)

Pattern
CO 60 sts.

Row 1: K4, P4. Repeat 14 times to end.
Row 2: P4, K4. Repeat 14 times to end.

Repeat Row 1 and 2 until piece measures 126 cm from the beginning, or until your favorite length.  BO.

Make Fringes
Cut 60 pieces of 30cm-length of yarn
Use crochet hook to hook fringes on each side.  30 pieces each

Adjust the length, and the number of pieces as you like!

Help For Japan 2. Does anyone knit? "Handmade Scarves for Japan" Project

Hi, all! Ae you into both knitting and volunteering? One college group of Japan receives donations that are hand-knitted for the evacuees from the earthquake in March. The Japanese group started the project called "Handmade Scarves for Japan" and is going to give the donated items to the evacuees. Lots of people in the area where the earthquake hit still spend days in school gyms and don't even have own a room! In winter the areas have snow and cold breeze from the shores. It'll be a harder winter for them to spend this year. Then the group want your kind heart and some warm hand-knitted projects.

According to the website, it has to be HAND-knitted and wearable. Here are some samples;
1) scarves
2) mittens or gloves
3) shawls
4) hats or caps
5) neckwarmer
6) socks
etc...

No matter what you make, it must be hand- knitted. That's important.

Needless to say, the evacuees are in all the different ages and also the genders differ, so please make not only for women but for men, kids, adults, and different sizes!!

To join the project, you need to email them about what you plant to make, when to finish, and a number of items. They say it is just for checking what and the number of items. Click here.

For more details, please check out their website.

It's also on Ravelry and Facebook too.

Tubular Bind Off (twisted 1 x 1 rib) Tutorial

Tubular Bind off is always hard to remember. I learned this technique from my teacher the other day, but I can easily forget it. It's a little complicated for me.

Here, I want to share this with my great readers, and also it is a good note for me.

This time I knitted 1x1 twisted rib stitch for a few rows.

K2 P1 K1 P1 K1 P1 K1 P1 K1 P1 K1 P1 K1 P1 K2 (17sts in total)

1) Cut the yarn after knitting and use a thread needle. Insert the needle from left to right and take 2 stitches at once.

2) Pull the yarn.

3) Insert the needle into the 1st stitch from left to right.

4) Remove the stitch from the knitting needle and keep it on the thread needle.

5) Skip the 2nd stitch and insert the needle into the 3rd stitch from right to left.

6) Pull the yarn.

7) Insert the thread needle into the 1st stitch from right to left. Move the stitch onto the thread needle. The needle goes behind the 2nd stitch.

8) Now the stitch is moved to the thread needle. Insert the needle into the second stitch from the right side as if to knit. The needle comes from behind and insert it as if to knit.

9) Pull the yarn.

Repeat step 3) to 9) to last 2 stitches. Please remember that you always have one stitch on the thread needle during working.

Steps 3)to 6)are for knitted stitches and steps 7) to 9) are for purled stitches.


Last 2 stitches

10) Insert the thread needle from left to right. Two stitches together.

11) Pull the yarn.

This is how it looks like.

I hope it is clear enough.

Where do you keep your yarns and fabrics?

Poor my yarns and fabrics... They had been piled up in an ugly box for a while! Since we moved in here in Dec '09, my yarns and fabrics had been in one big paper box. Well, actually I didn't have lots back then, but slowly I learned how to manage my time with one small baby. So, slowly I started knitting and sewing again like before I had her.

You know it's hard to do things with a baby. My daughter was only 3 or 4 months old and she drove me quite crazy then. Now I know how to "control" myself and her.

Anyway, I got this basket to put both my yarns and fabrics last weekend. I thought it was big enough to contain all of them! However, the basket became full only with the yarns!! Ouch! So, I had to call the store and order one more... I should have known that...

But I think having two baskets is better than putting everything in one. I can just choose which one to open depending on my mood. "Do I want to knit today or sew something?" I haven't picked up the other one yet, but I'll get it this coming weekend.

Here is my yarn basket. One thing I wondered is if I will use up all the yarns or not... Am I just satisfied with the situation that I have lots of variations??? haha!

Knitted Men's Mittens (Free Pattern)

Men's Mittens Free Pattern!


I knitted mittens for my husband. It's getting colder and colder every day, but he didn't have mittens!

It was really easy to make.

PLEASE NOTE; I'm not a professional knitter and also English is my 2nd language. The instruction isn't perfect! But please try it out!


Size Men's Midium (22cm long)

gauge: 28sts X 12 rows

needles: circular needles US8 and US7
hook US8
*Note I use the magic loop method to knit in rounds. If you don't use this method, prepare double pointed needles.

a thread needle

yarn:brown 1 skein
beige a little
waste yarn a little

Hand

Prepare US8 hook. Use provisional cast on, CO34 with waste yarn. (You'll remove the yarn later.)

Row1-3: Knit 3 rounds with brown yarn.
Row 4: with beige color, K31, M1P, place a marker, K3.
Row 5: K35.
Row 6: Repeat Row 4.
Row 7: Knit 1 with brown yarn, Knit 1 with beige yarn. Repeat.
Row 8-10: Repeat Row4 and 5.

You have 40 sts.

Row 11:Rest 12 sts and knit 28 sts in round with brown yarn.
Knit 22 rounds or knit until piece measures 13cm.

K2tog repeat. You have 14 sts.
K2tog repeat. You have 7 sts.

Break yarn and thread through remaining sts.

Thumb
Take brown yarn.
Knit 8 rnds or 4cm.
K2tog You have 6sts

Break yarn and thread through remaining sts.

Cuff
Carefully remove the waste yarn and pick up 34 sts with circular needles.
With brown yarn, (1X1 Ribbing) Knit 1 Purl 1 repeat until piece measures 4cm.

Cut yarn and BO with tubular bind off.

Just make one more!!!

I'd like to thank Stitch Diva Studios, Savannachik, and Knitting Daily. They show us great instructions.

Huggable House

My daughter received a gift from her mom one day after Christmas. Unfortunately, she couldn't get it on Christmas but got new gloves her dad.

I finished this project around 11pm on the 25th, so my daughter found it in the next morning. Either it was too big and scared her or it was very new, she didn't try to touch it at first! Oh my... She still hasn't tried to touch it yet... but I bought this book to make this huggable house!

In More Last-minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson, I found this cute knitted house. I compared the price between Amazon.com and Amazon Japan because Japanese yen has been stronger than USD. Eventually I ordered the book from Amazon.

It was supposed to take 4 to 6 hours to complete, instead it took 12 hours. Isn't it lovely? But doesn't it look chubby? I think I put too much stuffing in it... It doesn't matterrrrrrr.

I'm making now is...

Legwarmers!

I am making ones for my daughter since it is getting chillier and chillier every day. Outside temperature these days is in the late 40's. Temperature suddenly dropped recently and I put a winter jacket to go outside.

Every time I feel cold, I try to remember the climate in Iowa. The first snow was usually in October or November when I was there. Oh... the chillness almost killed me every day in winter. I was like an Egyptian exploring in South Pole...haha. But seriously, it was suuuuuuper cold for me.

Anyway, I'll finish it soon and I hope she likes it.

Bobbly Bobbly

I knitted a hat again for my daughter.   Well, the pattern is as same as the green hat, which I wrote about it the other day.  However, this time the size of yarn and needles are different from the green one but the gauge is the same!!!  I did not have to modify the pattern at all.  I consider myself as lucky...  haha.  Seriously, don't you think so?  I often find cute knitting patterns and try to knit but it is hard to get the same or similar gauge as said.  So, I usually give up... 

Anyway, please take a look at this hat.  The material is wool, so it is so much warmer than the green one because the green hat is made of cotton.  It is getting chiller and chiller every day, so wool will be better for my daughter.

Hat Hat Hat

I knitted a hat for myself.  For my hat, I followed this fabulous pattern by katushika on Ravelry.  Check this out.  
http://www.ravelry.com/     Sorry, I'm not good at HTML thing, so I just tell you the website.  I hope you can find it easily!

Needle size I used is 3.3mm and the yarn is Motohiro Soft Cotton.  I used up 2 skeins of it.

My knitted hat

I just knitted a little hat for my sweet daughter.  I'm still not good at gauging, but I added bubbles and eyelets in the pattern.  So, the top of it may be strange... oops.  Until I became interested in knitting other than simple scarves, I just ignore the gauge.  I didn't even know that term "gauge."  As I try knitting different items, it became obvious to me too that gauge is really important!  Now I know it is important but the next issue came up that how to adjust my gauge to the original...  It is important to learn more!!!  Next time I'll do better I promise!

Knitting Knitting Knitting

Oh, I cannot stop knitting as you know. It makes me feel happy, comfortable, and is good to kill time too. Sometimes I almost forget that my baby is calling me and she almost cries when I notices that. Oops...it isn't good.

Anyway, my current work is a baby dress. I'm working on the skirt part now with a circular needles. It's a top-down pattern with dots I tend to use pink, red or white for her items, so I picked a combination of light blue and white this time. When you see her drawer, most of her clothes is either pink or red...hahaha. It is getting too much of those two colors and I wanted more variations. Anyway, It is an experimental one, so I really hope it will turn out well.

It is a knitted hat for my baby. It is still big for her but it will fit soon. This was not difficult to knit and took only a few days for me. I hope she likes it!