Holiday Decor

The holidays are underfoot and I've started a decoratin' up the store!  This year I'm continuing the 2006 pom-pom experiment and takin' it to the walls. I finished the garlands shown above last week, and I'm in love, they look perfect!  Only 2 walls and 2 doors to go.  

My pom-poms are made with the Clover Pom-Pom Maker (sz. Lg), which are available at  Knit-O-Matic.  I use any kind of acrylic yarn, but the silky stuff is harder to work with and the chunky stuff goes faster. Red Heart Super Saver gives good pom-pom value, and is affordably available at Walfart.  Also, be sure to have a couple pairs of cheap, sharp scissors on hand - a trip to the dollar store will pay off. 

Finished Owlie Hat!

I'm sorry it took a week to get this up, it was caught in photography. So here is our Owlie Hat! I bet if you made it in white you could call it Hedwig, or if you made it in Grey it could be called Errol. Anyway, if you hadn't already figured it out, the cables are owls!  I only gave one a pair of eyes (poor, blind owlies). We used Manos Merino Worsted, and I can't explain how soft & comfortable it is!  It's kind of like a cross between cuddling with a baby and slipping into jeans that fit you perfectly. Anyway, the Malabrigo is clearly a fantastic yarn for hats, scarves, mitts, gloves, and anything else that comes in contact with skin. 

As always, you can find us at knitomatic.com

Instant Gratification Holiday Gifts - Free Cowls

FYI:  I just posted a bunch of super fast, super easy, super impressive Holiday Gift Ideas over on our news blog! 

As always, you can find us at knitomatic.com.

Instant Gratification Holiday Gifts - Free Cowls

FYI:  I just posted a bunch of super fast, super easy, super impressive Holiday Gift Ideas over on our news blog! 

As always, you can find us at knitomatic.com.

Finished - Aviatrix Baby Hats

Finito!  I made these two little Aviatrix Baby Hats with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran for my cousin`s new twins. Luckily, the babies are fraternal, so I got to use the pink and the blue!  The Cashmerino was really nice to work with and I think it will be especially well received (the palette is right on and the texture can`t be beat). The pattern was pretty straight-forward. It took a bit more time than I expected, but it looks great and is more interesting than a plain, old hat.  

I think the pattern would work especially well with a slightly textured yarn, which would disguise the short-row wraps. On the blue I tried unwrapping the wraps and knitting them in, but it didn`t make a difference in appearance, so just knit right over your wraps like Jussi directs. I was also a big confused bu the yarn suggestion - they used a DK, but knit it on a 4.5mm needle and got a gauge of 4.5 sts per inch. I wen`t with the suggested gauge and used a yarn thant knits up at 18 sts & 24 rows over 4 inches. 

As always, find us at www.knitomatic.com!

Maximum Beret - New FREE Pattern!

Maximum Beret

Maximum Beret

Maximum Beret - inside-out

Maximum Beret - inside-out

Yay! Finally finished, here`s our new Free pattern for the Maximum Beret!  It is made in reverse stocking stitch (purled) to make the most of the stunning variegated yarn, Manos del Uruguay Maxima, and create texture in the easiest way possible.  1 skein makes a fast, easy, sensational looking hat! You can download the pattern through our website, knitomatic.com.

Sarah, the Leafy, Slouchy Hat

This is a pretty good representation of the colour.

This is not an accurate representation of the true colour.

This is not what the colour looks like, but you can see the leafy stitch.

I finished my Leafy Hat!  I don't know why, but I'm really into the idea of leaf motifs in mottled green yarns.  The pattern was very good with they yarn - I advise using the yarn with a tight type of stitch. 

I made some pattern modifications - nothing exciting or dangerous. The girl in the pattern pic must have a big head, because I had to downside the pattern substantially. If you have a larger head, just go with the original pattern cast-on.

1. I used 3.25mm needles for the ribbing
2. I cast on 80 sts. After the increase round the stitch count is 96 sts.
3. For initial increase row I used twisted M1 increases, but for the pattern section I changed the increases to M1L, M1R, M1L, M1R (per section) to make sure my leaves branched out.

The hat fits me snugly, but the style doesn't really suit me since the slouch isn't slouching enough for my head. If I was so inclined, I could rip out one pattern repeat (1 round of leaves) and it would be a beanie/toque. 

Anyway, the Berroco Blackstone Tweed is really nice and feels nice and looks great. I just need to find the right pattern for my little keppie (the diminutive of yiddish word for head), but this hat will look AMAZING on someone who doesn't have an undersized head. 

As always, you can find us at knitomatic.com.

Finished Object: Burberry Cowl

Et Voila - I finished my Burberry Cowl, and it looks and feels great! Me happy. :-) To recap the details, I used one skien of Cascade Eco Duo in colour 1705 (natural/beige). It was really, really easy - not a bad way to learn cables, actually.

I used the pattern for the Aran size yarn (the pattern graciously accommodates 3 weights of yarn - worsted, aran and chunky) , but my row tension was a lot looser than theirs, so I only worked 4 pattern repeats and then worked a few extra rows in stocking stitch to get it to the right length. I opted for a grafted finish, but if you aren't you can also use a 3 needle bind off, which is really very easy. The yarn is fuzzy and very forgiving, so if you do opt to graft, it doesn't have to be the world's best graft. 

After working it, I think this pattern would also look great in the Malabrigo worsted or chunky (the semi-solid colours), The Dream in Color Classy or Groovy, or even the Cascade 128 or Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. 

Oh yeah, once again, I'll reiterate - the Cascade Eco Duo is divine!

As always, you can find us at knitomatic.com!

Maximum Beret

   Maximum Beret - Outside/Right Side 

(click on the photos and you can get a closer looks at the    stunningness!)

    Maximum Beret - Inside/Wrong Side

I'm supposed to be working on the last sample for the Seedy Slouch Beret, but I'm taking a detour through the Manos Maxima.  This colourway (M9097) is so stunning I had to make a sample with it, just to show off. I don't know how the shaping is going to work out. I started out using my Basic Button Beret pattern, but the colour started to pool  after the second set of increases, so I skipped them and just worked straight for 10cm after the first increase. My only concern is that it may not be long/tall enough. I'm also working it in reverse stocking stitch (purl) because the yarn is so stunning on the wrong side and it gives the hat a bit of easy texture.

As always, you can find us at knitomatic.com

More Design Process: Sea Creature Beret

Another hat design that's bogged down due to technical difficulties, the Sea Creature Beret, size Small. I'm just going to work up a size Medium and then I'll publish the pattern (freebie). :-)

As always, you can find us at Knitomatic.com

In Progress: Burberry Cowl

Check out our "Tuesday Night" Cowl in progress.  I call it my Burberry Cowl because the design is based on  cabled snood/cowl by Burberry Prorsum. The pattern is a freebie and is working up very nicely and extremely easily. It's just straight stocking stitch for 24 rows, except for 2 cable rows, and you only make 2 cables on these rows. does that make any sense? Probably not. It's simple, definitely good for novices and subway knitters. 

The author was even nice enough to write it for 3 different gauges of yarn: worsted, aran and chunky.  I'm working the aran version with Cascade Eco Duo, which by the way, feels like knitting with babies. The colour change in this shade is very subtle, even more subtle than in the photo (I had to play around with it because the yarn photographs very soft). 

As always, you can find us at Knitomatic.com

Finished Object: Star Crossed Eco Beret

This is a good picture, but the focus is very soft. By the way, my head is a Small and the hat is a Medium.

This is a better picture of the hat, but not a good picture (no chin). 

This is the hat flat. I enhanced the picture a bit so you can see the cables - they are not actually that distinct to the human eye - at least in this yarn. 

This was a very satisfying finished object - I'm very happy. It is the Star Crossed Beret (free pattern on Ravelry) made with 1 skein of Cascade Eco Duo.  First things first - the yarn is like knitting with BABIES!  You know how cute & soft & squishy & cuddly babies are? Well that's what this yarn feels like. and wearing it feels like cuddling with a baby. 

Next, the pattern is pretty simple. I went down a needle size (5mm & 7mm) because the yarn they used has more loft to it. One part of the pattern instruction was vague, and I interpreted as follows:

• 1 x 1 rib for 1 inch
• worked R1 to 12
• increase round
• worked R2-12
• worked R1-6
• worked decreases

The finished size feels like about a Medium/22". If you have a really big head you can work R1 to 12 one more time after increase round.

As always, you can find us at Knitomatic.com

It GREW!

Well, I made up a hat with the Coliumo, thinking the size was good and might even fit my little head, but some yarns just don't behave as expected.  After washing it GREW.  Back to the drawing board/calculator.  This one turned out big, but I expect it will fit a big head with big hair. I made another one before it in seed stitch, washed it today, and it was HUMUNGUS. I ripped that one and will re-knit it when the yarn dries.  This is why I like designing small things.  ;-)  


As always, you can find us at Knitomatic.com

The Design Process: Seedy Slouch Beret

This was my third attempt at this hat, a size Medium. 

This was my second attempt at this hat, a size Small. 

I've been working with the Araucania Coliumo, making up little hat patterns. Unfortunately the yarn GROWS after blocking, so the design process has been a bit slow and the pattern has been revised several times. Because of the growth. I'm also being cautious and working up each size before publishing - just one more in a size Large and I'll post it. 

As always, you can find us at Knitomatic.com

Finished Object Alert! Gnarled Cable Beret

Finished object alert!  Liane just finished whipping up this cool cabled beret, the Gnarled Cable Beret (free pattern on Ravelry.com). We managed to eke it out with just one skein on Dream in Color Groovy (colour is visual purple). The cables are really cool, I love wonky looking things.  :-)  I think it would also look good in the Cascade 128, Malabrigo or Merino Chunky. Maybe even Cascade Eco Heathers, but I can't be sure about that one. Anyway, nice cabled beret that looks a bit different. :-)

As always, you can find us at knitomatic.com