Blue Moebius

This was a very quick and fun knit that I just completed for someone. It's made from Bernat Softee Chunky in the Denim color. The pattern is so simple that you can get it visually. Cast on 18 stitches. Knit 10 rows of garter stitch. Knit one row of elongated stitch (2 wraps around the needle). Repeat this pattern until scarf is desired length. At the end, I gave the scarf a 180 degree twist and used a 3-needle bind-off to finish/seam the ends. It fits nicely on the shoulders and goes well with denim jeans. I think the recipient will like it.

EKG Knit Hat

Here is the finished hat along with a photo of the graph/tracing that I used. The hat is a simple watch cap knit in wool using worsted weight yarn on size 6 needles (circular and double point). I was able to freehand embroider the pattern three times around the hat. I can't wait to send it to my friend who is finishing up her finals for the semester. (nursing school).

Knit EKG Swatch

This is a swatch I made for a project that has been in my mind for a long time. Originally, I was inspired to make a hat for a drummer. This drummer was quoted as saying that rhythm was everywhere, in heartbeats and handclaps. I later saw a pattern for a heartbeat hat and bought the pattern. However, as a biologist, I wanted to design my own pattern that showed the tracing of a normal EKG pattern. Add to that the fact that I have a friend who is in her final year of nursing school. Finally, she has been studying EKG's this past semester. It was time to knit. I looked at lots of EKG image tracings. This swatch has originally knit in intarsia to show the EKG pattern in the top example. I didn't like the way it looked. Someone else saw it and suggested that the Holbein Stitch (embroidery) would look more like a tracing. He was right. The bottom EKG pattern is in Holbein Stitch. I'll have the hat finished soon.

Mouse Pocket Scarf

I've been making this for a friend I used to work with. She loves all things Disney. Carrie asked me to knit her a scarf. Of course, I was happy to do this because I really enjoyed working with her. She chose the color and requested a Disney theme. I did a long search looking for knitttable images. I settled on the Mouse because it was easily recognizable and fit within the "pixellation limit" of a scarf. I used a pattern for a Mouse washcloth as the graphic. Originally, I tried knitting this in stockinette stitch with a seed stitch border, as per the washcloth. Unfortunately, the knitting simply curled too much for my taste. On my second, successful attempt, I knit the main portion of the scarf in seed stitch and knit the graphic portions on each end, UPSIDE DOWN. The Mouse graphic was then folded up and stitched to form a pocket. The yarn used was and acrylic, in lavender, about 2 skeins of worsted weight. The pattern for the Mouse can be found here:

Knit with Square Holes Around

It's drafty here. My chair is in the path of a sliding glass door. In Winter it gets pretty cold. I am still looking for a way to weatherstrip it more efficiently. In the meantime, I insulate MYSELF with knitting. The piece at left is a long rectangular wrap that I am making of Paton's Shetland Chunky Tweed in red. It is nearly finished and has used a total of 11 skeins. The center portion of the shawl was knit on size 10 knitting needles and measures approximately 20" x 60" before edging and blocking. The edging, nearly finished, is from Nicky Epstein's book, Knitted Embellishments. I liked it because of the modern, square holes. It was NOT fun to knit because of all the starting, stopping, casting/binding and loose ends. I still like the way it looks. I knit the edging on three sides of the shawl. The fourth (long) side will be plain garter stitch so that I have a solid edge near my neck and shoulders. I have not figured out how to block this thing yet. My house really doesn't have that much quiet real estate. Also, we are having new carpet put down soon. My husband would have a fit if I blocked anything on the new carpet for a while. The entire household is in an uproar as we prepare for some major fixing. I may just have to block this .....I have no idea....

Knit Sushi

Just a little knit sushi that I've been working on. I'm doing this freeform. There is no pattern. It's been fun to look at what other people have done in this area for inspiration. Now I've started pulling cookbooks and restaurant menus into use, too. I'll come back to this project from time to time, until I have a complete set that can go into some sort of fiber-based bento.

BTW, my husband is recuperating form surgery. It's been a long year. At his follow-up visit, we hope to hear that he is cancer-free. Knitting has helped keep me sane. Surprisingly, this last week, when he actually had the surgery, I was too fried to knit much. THAT'S how rattled I was.

Knit Periodic Table: With The New Elements

Here is the finished article. It's about the size of my dining room table, just under 4 x 6 feet. The picture was taken by my husband, who stood on a chair to get most of the piece in the frame.
Once the shawl/afghan was completed, I realized that there is NO way that I'm going to just drape this over a chair anytime soon. My fingers get tired every time I look at it. It's carefully folded (inside out) and on my desk. No cats allowed. In the meantime, I have gotten a few suggestions that I donate this , perhaps to a local science teacher. Admittedly, this is a good idea. My favorite teacher of all time, my chemistry teacher, was a knitter. She's definitely a spiritual part of this project. Here's my dilemma. Most people do not value handcrafts nearly enough. I'm not ready to part with this. Maybe. We'll see. I'll think about it. Put it in writing and I'll get back to you......