Day 19 Advent Calendar Scarf 2014

Hello:
Last post for tonight as I really need to get some sleep. This is the pattern for Day 19 for the 2014 Advent Calendar Scarf by Kristin Benecken.  The triangles are made using two double decreases/  They are both s1, k2tog, psso, so the right leg is on top.  I love how the triangles/diamonds are stockinette on the tops and open on the bottoms.  I think diamond shapes are fairly common, but these, with their open halves, are really different.

Peace,
f1becat
shaping the planet with Day 19

Day 18 Advent Calendar Scarf 2014

Hello:
I really loved the Day 18 pattern for the 2014 Advent Calendar Scarf by Kristin Benecken.  It looks like cables, but there are none.The effect is just series of knits and purls between k2tog and lots and lots of YO'd.  I think the pattern looks a bit like bamboo.  Because the YO's and K are stacked directly on top of each other, you get those cool straight lines.  I have no idea where I would use this pattern again, but I am thinking about it.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with Day 18

Day 17 Advent Calendar Scarf 2014

Hello:
Sorry this photo is blurry.  It shows Day 17 of the 2014 Advent Calendar Scarf by Kristin Benecken.  Again, this was a fairly easy pattern.  Probably the most difficult stitch was to knit through the back loop.  This twisted stitch can be a problem if you are a combination knitter.  You need to make sure that your stitches are "seated" correctly.  The twist causes the knits to really stand out against the purls.  Even through the blur, you can see the contrast between knit and purl.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with day 17

Day 16 Advent Calendar Scarf 2014

Hello:
This is Day 16 of the 2014 Advent Calendar Scarf by Kristin Benecken.  This is not a difficult pattern, as it is just knits, purls, YO's and some K2Tog (knit 2 together).  The coolest thing is the rice stitch on the texture part.  I love how the stockinette and texture parts stand out from each other.  I thought the texture part was going to be seed stitch, but because you knit the knits and purl the purls on the wrong sides, you get this really neat looking rice stitch instead.  It's these little variations that make a certain pattern fun.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with day 16

Day 15 Advent Calendar Scarf 2014

Hello:
This is Day 15 of the 2014 Advent Calendar Scarf by Kristin Benecken.  I have to say that I just love this pattern. It isn't even that tough to knit.  You have to do a row of K, YO 5 times, when you purl bac, you drop the YO's so you have loose stitches.  Then you have to purl the 5 stitches through the back loop.  That was the toughest part.  I used a crochet hook to do that purl, then just put the finished stitch back on my knitting needle.  This made the giant purl quite a bit easier.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with Day 15

Day 14 Advent Calendar Scarf 2014

 Hello:
Yes, I am still here.  I have been crafting like crazy in between enjoying having my kids home from college.  I have finished my Advent Calendar Scarf 2014 by Kristin Benecken, but I don't have a good finished scarf photo.

The above photo is of Day 14.  This day included double YO's.  It made this really interesting mesh.  On the wrong side you have to purl and then knit into the double YO.  I find it a bit tough to keep the double YO's neat, and if I remember correctly, I had to move the stitch markers around.  But this is another cool mesh stitch.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with Day 14

Blocking!

Merry Christmas!

My 2014 Advent Calendar Scarf is being blocked.  Moogie helped me pin it out.  It was smaller than last year's scarf.  I dropped down from a size 2 needle to a size 0.  We blocked it fairly aggressively, especially lengthwise.  I like the narrower bit, but wanted it to be longer. I took photos of the different patterns, but some area blurry, so I will retake tomorrow.

Good night.

Peace on Earth!
f1bercat
shaping the planet with wet yarn.

All But Blocking!

Off the Needles!  It's super short.  I will see how much it grows when blocked.  This is Himes modelling it.

Off to watch our family's favorite Christmas movie, Die Hard.  More later.

Peace on Earth,
f1bercat

starting Day 24

I hope to post photos of all the days tonight... or tomorrow.

Pookie is home

We are struggling to find beds and bedding for the kids home from college because our basement flooded (long story), and so things are all boxed up and you can't get into some of the rooms right now because of plastic walls (really).  So Pookie and Himes are sleeping upstairs on old twin beds (they are both over 6 ft.  - 1.83 m). Anyway, we can't seem to find any bedding.  I know they took some with them to college.  Like each kid took the afghan I made for them.  But where are all the pillows?  Pookie swears that he did not take his pillow to New Jersey.  Anyway, I heard him telling Himes that we must have a Peeves in our house stealing all our "sh!t."

Sunday Morning Knitting

Hello:

Some people come to knit, some come to sleep.  Sunday morning knitting is such a great way to start the week.

GwenS, knitting around the sleeping Addie, was working on a pair of fingerless mitts.

Don't you just love the stitch pattern?

Wajio has tinked back to her dropped stitch and is back at work on her fair isle socks.

VanesaPolo was happy to have found some yarn in all of her boxes at home, and was starting something, anything to keep her sanity.

BlueWolfWalking was working on a new hat by Wooly Wormhead.  This one has a picot edge.

And Anerenbe was whipping up a hat with her usual amazing knitting speed.

I brought my Advent Calendar Scarf 2014, more to show off, and I was able to finish up a spacer section.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with knitting.

I am having so much fun knitting this scarf

that I almost wish I could quit my job and just be a production knitter.

Just saying.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with size 0 needles.

Advent Calendar Scarf 2014, Day 13

Hello:

This is the Pattern for Day 13 for the Advent Calendar Scarf 2014 by Kristin Benecken.

I love this pattern.  It is another mesh type pattern, like the Day 11 pattern.  I know that I will try to use this pattern again in something.  I'm not sure if you can see the texture of the mesh, but it is really interesting.  There are centered double decreases (slip 2 together as if to knit, knit 1 and pass the 2 slipped stitches over). 

I'm not sure if it would work, but it would be cool to put a bead in that decrease.  I think it would really stand out.  It might be overkill, but it could make a beaded cowl.  I will have to try this again in something.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with Day 13.

Advent Calendar Scarf 2014, Day 12

Hello:

This is the Day 12 Pattern for the Advent Calendar Scarf 2014 by Kristin Benecken.  This was another complicated pattern.

None of the stitches was too difficult, thought there is a 5 from one, and a centered double decrease.  But, the pattern is knit on the right and wrong sides, so you can't just relax and purl back.  Also, it isn't symmetrical within each repeat, so I had to look at the pattern carefully the whole time.

I am not really sure what I think about this pattern.  The little motifs look a bit like candle flames.  Or, perhaps they are leaf buds on stems. 

Anyway, I want to see what this one looks like after blocking.  That should open up the lace, and make the pattern more visible.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with Day 12.

Advent Calendar Scarf 2014, Day 11

Hello:

Does this pattern look familiar?  The Day 11 Pattern is the same as the Day 15 Pattern for the Advent Calendar Scarf 2013.  I liked this pattern so much last year

 that I made a cowl with the pattern.

I enjoyed this pattern again this year, and was thinking of making another cowl, but perhaps with a chunkier yarn.  I wonder what the pattern would look like knit in worsted weight?

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with Day 11 (Day 15 reprise).

Advent Calendar Scarf 2014, Day 10

Hello:

The Day 10 Pattern for the Advent Calendar Scarf 2014, by Kristin Benecken, was another relaxing pattern after the complications in Day 9. 

There isn't much to say about this pattern.  At first, I thought it was going to be a leaf pattern.  It has a bit of that look, but I have decided that it is more geometric than leaf like.  There is a double decrease at the top of the points.  But this is not centered.  The instructions are to sl1 k2tog psso: slip 1 (I slipped as if to knit) knit the next two stitches together, and then pass the slipped stitch back over the knit stitches.  This makes the right side of the decrease lie on top of the left side.

This pattern went relatively quickly (for me), and I was able to knit at work since the pattern was so easy to memorize.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with Day 10

Advent Calendar Scarf 2014, Day 9

Hello:

This is the pattern for Day 9 of the Advent Calendar Scarf 2014 by Kristin Benecken.  This was a super complicated pattern.

I don't remember making this pattern before.  Some of the complicated stitches included Make 5 stitches in one stitch, sl2 k3tog psso, and slip 1 over 3.

The Make 5 and sl2 k3tog psso make the bobbles.  You make 5 stitches in one stitch by k, yo repeated into the same stitch until you have 5 stitches on the needle.  When you come back on the back side, you purl those stitches.  Then, on the next right side row, you close up the top of the bobble by slipping 2 stitches (I slipped them together as if to knit), knitting the next 3 together, and passing the slipped stitches over.

The slip 1 over 3 makes what looks a bit like cables.  You slip a stitch (I slipped as if to knit), knit the next stitch, YO, and knit one more stitch.  Then pass the slipped stitch over the K YO K so that it forms a belt around the three stitches.

I like how the stitches look like smocking.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with Day 9.

Advent Calendar Scarf 2014, Day 8

Hello:

After the craziness of the Nupps on the Day 7 pattern, it was nice to relax with Day 8.  This doesn't mean that I knit the section without errors, but it was a bit easier.  The only "harder" stitch in the pattern was the double decrease.  The instructions are to sl2 k1 psso (slip 2 stitches as as to purl, knit 1 stitch, and pass the 2 slipped stitches over.)  This does not make a straight line up the decrease, but rather a slight zigzag.

I think you can see it pretty well in this photo.  I reall like how the tops of the triangles are stockinette/smooth looking, and the bottoms are the open lines formed by yarn overs and left leaning decreases.  Kristin likes to have slip 1 knit 1 pass over for her left leaning decreases.  Instead, I have been doing a slip 1 stitch as if to knit, put that stitch back on the left needle and knit 2 together through the back loop.  I think this is a bit faster than ssk, and for fingering weight yarn, it looks identical to me.

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with Day 8.

Eastsides Stitchers, Tonight and One Week Late

Hello:

Don't judge me.  I'm knitting as fast as I can, but, with my full time job, I am really struggling to keep up with the Advent Calendar Scarf 2014.  This means that I come home from work every night around 5:30, and knit until I fall asleep (often sitting on the couch with needles in my hands).  I stumble off to bed, sometimes as late as 2 am, get up by 6:30 and head off to work.  If I'm lucky, I can knit a bit at lunch or during Work Completion Zone, but usually, I start knitting again after I get home.  I am barely keeping up.  If I have trouble with a pattern, or make a stupid mistake or two which mean ripping back, I fall behind.  I was able to use last weekend to get back on track, thank goodness.  Anyway, this is a long excuse for why I am not posting every night.  I am simply too tired to even think of something to write.

Last week, after the regular Wednesday meet up for the Eastside Stitchers, I thought I would finish up my day's pattern, them post for both the day and the meet up, then I was so tired I did neither.  So it is Wednesday AGAIN, and I need to post about another Wednesday meet up.  Ok, I am going to try to post about both meet-ups in this one post.  It will be a miracle if I remember who was knitting what last week... I am counting on anyone who was here to pm me and let me know what I got wrong so I can fix it.

Also, some of the photos are horrible (sorry Julie and Jennifer). 

JulieMustKnit is making a reversible cowl. 

And I finally got a photo of Jennifer's first scarf, but I took it without a flash, and it is a horrible photo.

We need her to come to Wednesday knitting again so I can get a better picture.

CathieC has started her afghan project.

GwenS was knitting a hat.  At least I'm pretty sure this was Gwen's hat.

After almost a year absence, Amigirl returned to Wednesday night knitting.  She brought her beautiful Sprucey Lucy Socks.

She came again tonight and look!!

she is knitting the ribbing at the top.  She will have been knitting these socks for two years next week.  Can she finish before the 2 year anniversary?  I can say that they are well worth the wait.

NightOrchid brought a hat she was designing.  She brought the finished hat tonight to Show and Tell.

She brought the finished puppet mittens last week to Show and Tell.

And this week she brought a pair of socks she is knitting 2-at-a-time on double pointed needles.

ReadnitDream brought a pair of fingerless mits.  Last week:

and this week:

BlueWolfWalking brought a lace cowl.

This week she started a hat.  She is using some wool yarn from a friend's sheep.

Last week Wajio brought her finished lace cowl to Show and Tell:

and some faux fair isle socks to knit.

This week Wajio brought some netting to knit into a "Scrubby."

The only other photo I have from last week is this hat:

Whose is it?

BlueBerryMary brought a beautiful sweater for her Great Grand Niece.

She sewed the underarms tonight, even though Kitchener Stitch is not the best social knitting technique.  Just look at the smocking:

Chockelet joined us tonight with her Advent Calendar Scarf 2014.

She has started the Day 11 pattern already.
And, Domesticshorthair brought her Concentric shawl.

wow, I think that is everyone!

Peace,
f1bercat
shaping the planet with Eastside Stitchers.