my favorite scarf too

I’ve been wanting to knit this for quite a while. I finally saved up enough pennies to get a skein of this super yummy yarn. I love the color changes and the pretty combinations of colors as you knit each row. This project is hard to put down.

I was knitting it while I had breakfast on the back deck this morning and you can see what a gorgeous morning it was.

Happy Monday!

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PS – the lilacs were a lovely surprise from Jerry who picked them on a country road for me.

PPS – I’m skipping the ‘dividing your skein into 2 equal parts’ bit in the pattern.

Miss Jane’s Soothing Face Cloths

Sorry I’m so long getting this pattern up, the weekend evaporated and things just got a bit crazy here, there was a skunk involved….

I was going to name these for Ophelia but for various reasons that wouldn’t make sense to anyone even if I explained, I named them after Jane who isn’t really a soothing creature but….anyway.

Miss Jane’s Soothing Face Cloths

Materials –

Any DK or worsted weight cotton, linen, bamboo or combination yarn that would make a nice washcloth, I used a cotton/bamboo blend yarn that I purchased here.
US size 5 knitting needles

Pattern -

CO 35 loosely.
Border-
Row 1 – K1, *P1, K1* repeat from * to the end
Row 2 – same as Row 1
Row 3 – same as Row 1

Stockingnette Section-
Note – the first and last 3 stitches of every row is K1, P1, K1 from now on.

Row 4 – K1, P1, K1, Knit to the last 3 stitches, K1, P1, K1
Row 5 – K1, P1, K1, Purl to the last 3 stitches, K1, P1, K1
Row 6 – same as Row 4
Row 7 – same as Row 5

Slip Stitch Ridge Section-
Row 8 – K1, P1, K1, P2, *slip 1 stitch purlwise with yarn to the back, P2* repeat from * until last 3 stitches, K1, P1, K1
Row 9 – K1, P1, K1, K2, *slip 1 stitch purlwise with yarn to the front, K2* repeat from * until last 3 stitches, K1, P1, K1

Repeat the Stockingnette Section and Slip Stitch Ridge Section until desired size ending on Row 7 of Stockingnette section and then repeat 3 Border rows.

Bind off loosely (I use this bind off method – K2, *transfer the 2 worked stitches to the left needle, and k2tog through the back, k1* repeat from *) and weave in loose ends.

Enjoy!

I’m getting some of these ready as gifts for Mother’s Day with some yummy Yardley English Lavender and Oatmeal & Almond soaps. Need to pop those in the mail tomorrow!

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little birds

A stitched finish – just because. I love these little bird samplers from Cherished Stitches. I finished up my favorite one (March) a while ago and it sat in a heap on the corner of my desk for ‘when I have a minute’…and became buried under other ‘when I have a minute’ things.

When I pulled the threads out for this they looked all wrong to me so I did my own thing. I’ve made up a few kits (very few) using ‘my own thing’ colors you will find them and other designs in this series at the webshop. Be sure to follow the designer’s instructions and only use 1 strand of thread. There is probably enough in the kits to use 2 but I don’t promise. There is definitely plenty for using 1.

I’ve made a tiny start on the May bird. I like this one because the colors remind me of two of my favorite Impie, Hattie & Bea fabrics. I’d like to take a moment to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all the shops who carry Impie, Hattie & Bea products, and another THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH to those who buy Impie, Hattie & Bea things at my webshop. Those few webshop purchases are what fund materials for the next product and yes there is something new in the works.

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PS – During one of my ‘waiting in the car’ knitting sessions, I came up with a pattern for face towels. I’ll share it here as soon as I have time to write it up, hopefully sometime this week.

to market

We headed over to the farmer’s market this morning. There isn’t much in the way of veggies yet but lots of plants and even some pretty flowers. I did get to use my new market bag to hold a few things. I have knitted this pattern a few times, I can usually knit up a bag in about 2 days. This one has taken almost a month to knit as I’ve been so busy in the sewing room. I plan to knit one more, remember this yarn?

Today I brought home a couple of cucumbers for Ethan who has been asking for some all week, and some goat cheese from a local goat dairy – so yummy, I love their cheese.

Still a bit of snow around here and I hear there is more on the way.

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PS – please see this post for yarn/pattern info.

week past

Last week seemed to fly. Jerry went out of town last Sunday for work, that trip lasted longer than expected so we are really glad he’s home. I’ve had computer troubles and spent lots of time on the phone with Ben and Matt (tech support) trying to get it sorted. All better now. Add to all that kid’s activities and 10+ hours a day in the sewing room and there isn’t much time left over for being crafty!

We did dye eggs for Easter which are still looking pretty. I baked some chocolate cupcakes and wanted to do a pretty blue icing. My sky blue color has gotten very gummy so it wasn’t easy to work with, time to get some fresh colors I think. I also cooked up one of our new favorite dinner dishes, I first blogged about it here.

Some teeny tiny progress on my own Traveling Stitcher from Little House and a bit of knitting in the car while waiting for kids. I’m using 2 skiens of this yarn (in Eucalyptus) and this pattern to make a summery wrap, not quite half way yet!

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at the weekend

It was a fairly productive weekend. I finished up a pretty big order of Impie, Hattie & Bea things for the distributor, squeezed in a teeny bit of knitting, some stitching, and tried out a new chicken recipe on the family.

I worked on both a large and small project stitching-wise this weekend. I’m nearing the halfway point on Quaker Sampler III from With My Needle and just need to finish up the over one and the bird on Feathered Friends – March from Cherished Stitches. I like several designs in this series and think I’d like to have a basket of little bird finishes.

I always forget that I can’t just dive into a knitting project but have to wind the yarn into something I can work with first. I sometimes remember to have this done when I buy yarn at a shop but when you buy through the mail you are on your own. I’ve looked at the handy ball winder and swift you can buy to make this quick and easy….but they’re quite pricey. I guess I’d rather spend that money on yarn and wind it by hand.

I finally got one skein of the yarn that matches Yzma’s eyes wound in a ball. I knitted a little swatch of the pattern I’m thinking of using to see if I like the look, not sure I do so I’ll pull this out and cast on fewer stitches and see what I think.

I cooked up a another batch of these sugar biscuits since I still had whipping cream that needed to be used up. These are really yummy with coffee. The chicken was very well liked even if it was covered in spinach…actually Kellen is the only one who raised an eyebrow. Here’s the recipe.

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PS – Ophelia had a busy weekend too!

and more knitting

I recently knitted a bag for my sister’s birthday. She has her bag and is already making beach plans so I can blog about it. I used pretty cotton yarn I found at Hobby Lobby (previous post) and this pattern. I’ve knitted 2 of these before so I felt like I could make a presentable gift having practiced.

I’m planning to make myself a couple solid colored shopping bags from the same pattern with the two blue yarns I’m holding. It was very hard to choose a color, in the end I went with Ice and Dark Sea Foam.

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a purple cloud

That’s what Ethan calls my new scarf.

Although I’m blogging about a scarf it’s only because I can’t quite show you what I’ve been stitching yet. I have something new in the works from Impie, Hattie & Bea and yes there is some purple involved. I’m hoping all the elements for this project will come together the way I imagine it and that I will have something to share with you for Spring – quite soon.

In the meantime, this is my new purple scarf. I used 1 skein of this yarn and cast on 25 stiches using size 10.5 needles. Knit every row and when the skein almost gone cast off. Simple and quick.

We have a new Winter storm rolling in today, I will probably be able to make good use of the scarf shortly.

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A miscellaneous posting….

I had planned to update the webshop and post about a new Impie, Hattie & Bea item that was available through Hoffmans, BUT…..bad weather has held up my shipment in Memphis so we’ll put that off til next week.

I’ve been busy knitting up a few gifts which I can’t show you yet and not stitching much this week, so I’ll just share a recent something I knitted for myself. Between dropping off and picking up kids last week, and wrecking the car, I stopped by my local yarn shop and picked up a skein of Malabrigo Worsted in the color Col China – pretty! I decided to knit this cowl. It knitted up quickly over a few snowy days and I’m very happy with it. I purchased another skein of the same yarn online to knit another, I think this will show off the pretty stitch details even better. I think Tyler might want the first one I made for those chilly mornings waiting for the bus.

Jane says hello!

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weekend report

A fairly quiet weekend here, just puttering around the house. I did a little ~

Sewing – Impie, Hattie & Bea products, watch for some style change news later this week.

Stitching – A little progress on LHN’s Needlework School, I’m reminded as I stitch this that I once visited Betsy Ross’ teeny little house in Philadelphia when I was a child. My strongest memory is of a very narrow, very steep staircase.

Knitting – I finished one knitted gift and mailed it and started another with this pretty cotton.

Cooking – I baked an Apple Crisp and tried this new dish out on the family – both pretty darn yummy.

Today I’m plagued by allergies, nursing a sore knee (I fell UP the porch steps), and still sewing more Impie, Hattie & Bea things.

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