Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Turtle Knitting Chart


Turtle Knitting Chart: 7 x 14 sts

I'm not really sure what turtles have to do with my spring/summer knitting chart theme that I was working on, but this turtle is the last in this summer's set. Sure, you see turtles in the summer, but when I think "turtle" my mind doesn't immediately go to spring/summer.

I hope you enjoyed the series!
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This pattern was created by ChemKnits for your Personal or charity use. The charts and directions of this pattern are not to be republished without permission of ChemKnits. © 2011 ChemKnits

Monday, August 29, 2011

Anemone Coat Check Scarf Knitting Pattern



In the winter, what do you do with your accessories when you go somewhere? You may stuff them in the sleeve or pocket of your coat, and cross your fingers that they won’t fall out. I have always been greatly concerned about losing my accessories because of the amount of time I put into knitting them. This concern gave me the idea of the coat check scarf – a scarf that you can put your gloves into to keep them safe while your coat is on a hanger.

This is the time I've decided to sell a knitting pattern. You can purchase it for $2.50 through Ravelry.




Fit your mittens inside the scarf, button it up and it fits on a hanger beautifully!

Materials
  • 3 – 50g balls of DK weight wool, Capra Cashmere Yarn in Admiral (Affiliate Link) 
  • Size 6 (4.00mm), 16" circular knitting needles
  • Yarn needle (for weaving in loose ends)
  • 3 buttons
  • 3 snap fasteners
  • Sewing needle and thread (in appropriate color) for attaching buttons and snaps.

I created a video that will help with the Anemones Bobble Stitch (Stitch Reference - Good Housekeeping Traditional Knitting):


Don't worry, I will continue to design and publish more free knitting patterns here at ChemKnits!

Friday, August 26, 2011

Knitting in the Round with Double Pointed Needles

Many of my free knitting patterns involve knitting in the round. I have occasionally been asked why I use double pointed needles. I have more sizes of double pointed needles than circular needles, and frequently the circumferences I want to knit are too small for circular needles anyway.

The following video will show you how to join to knit in the round after you have cast stitches onto three double pointed needles. I created this video in conjunction with AllFreeKnitting.com.

Knitting in the Round with Double Pointed Needles




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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Purple Separation


All of these colors came from a single purple dye in one pot.


I had read that purple is one of the hardest colors to get when you dye yarn, but I had never had trouble achieving this color. I know that red and blue dyes absorb at different rates, but if the dyebath has been stirred properly then you still will get a solid color.

When I was making a space dyeing tutorial, I noticed that the McCormick's NEON Purple dye appeared to have separated a bit, so I wanted to see if I could acheive this by space dyeing yarn with just purple dye.


Looking at the space dying - looked like there could be some color separation from the purple color. This is what started the investigation in the following video.



Space Dyeing Yarn - Color Separation with Purple Dyes (10 drops of dye were used in this tutorial)



Blue and red dyes absorb at different rates, so as the color dissolves around the dyebath, we get varying amounts of each color on the wool, leaving us with pinks, blues and purples instead of a single color. I think the final effect is beautiful, and plan to take advantage of this color separation more in the future.


The finished skein - I would say that the purple dye did separate into red and blue!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Toy Dragonfly Knitting Pattern



Oh it sure feels good to be knitting again. I have been tearing through ideas that I've drawn up in my design notebook. The dragonfly was a concept I had a long time ago (as soon as I had dyed this yarn), but for some reason I never got around to knitting it. I am pleased to finally present to you: A Knit Dragonfly Plushie by ChemKnits.



Materials
  • Knitting Needles: 4 dpn Size 1 (2.5 mm)
  • Yarn: Hand dyed KnitPicks Palette yarn
  • Gauge: Not important for the completed project
  • Misc: yarn needle, pollyfill stuffing
  • Finished Size: 3.5 inches tall, wingspan ~4 inches.


The hand dyed yarn used to make this knit dragonfly. I was hoping it would mimic the iridescence of the wings.


Instructions to Knit the Dragonfly Body:

1. Cast on 6 stitches. (This will be the front of the head)
2. Join to knit in the round, Kfb across the row (12 sts)
3. K across the row
4. Kfb across the row (24 sts)
5. K across
6. *K2, K2tog*, repeat from * across the row (18 sts)
7. K across
8. K2tog across (9 sts)
9. K across
10. Kfb across (18 sts)
Rows 11-22. Knit across (this is a total of 12 rows)
23. K2tog across (9 sts)
Rows 24-47. Knit across (this is a total of 24 rows)
Using the polyfill stuffing, stuff the body of the dragonfly to the desired firmness.
48. *K1, K2tog*, repeat from * across the row (6 sts)
49. K across
50. K2tog across (3 sts) Cut yarn, pull through remaining stitches and weave in loose ends. Congratulations, you are now done knitting the dragonfly body!

Instructions for the Wings (Make 4)
Cast on 3 stitches. Work I-cord until the wing measures 3.5 inches (or until it is 2x as long as you want your wing to be.)


Finishing
Tie the cast on and bind off edges of the i-cord wings together. Sew the wings onto the body of your dragon fly. If necessary, block the wings to get the desired shape. Weave in all of your loose ends.
If desired, make small eyes through embroidery, gluing on googly eyes or making a little i-cord button eye such as in the fly knitting pattern.


The wings stand up without any assistance.


Enjoy your knit dragonfly!

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Abbreviations Used in this pattern:
Kfb - increase by knitting into the front and back of a single stitch.
M1 (Make 1)- increase stitch by picking up yarn between two stitches, twisting and knitting.
K - knit
P - purl
I-cord - knit stitches on dpn's without ever turning the needle (effectively knitting in the round with a small number of stitches.)
SSK - decrease by slipping two stitches then knitting them together. Alternatively, you could slip one stitch, knit one stitch and pass slipped stitch over.
K2tog - decrease by knitting two stitches together.

These knitting pattern was created by ChemKnits for your personal or charity use. You are not to sell, distribute or reprint this pattern without the permission of ChemKnits. © 2011 ChemKnits

Thursday, August 18, 2011

A Little Blue Bird



Eek! I'm so excited to start knitting again that I had to do a fast project. I returned to a pattern that had been in my queue for ages but for some reason I had never finished: A Blue Bird.

The blue is a saturated blue Palette fingering weight wool I made in a tutorial on dying yarn with food coloring on the stove. I used size 1 (2.5 mm) knitting needles for this project.


The hand dyed yarn used to make the bluebird.

The body of the bird was knitting up in a very pyramidal fashion. There was still a bit of a point at the bottom after I stuffed it, but this could be adjusted through blocking since I"m using 100% wool. Next time, I would increase the bottom faster.


The point at the top is supposed to be the bottom of this bird.


I prefer projects where all of the shaping comes from the knit stitches. I was disappointed when I discovered that the head is formed by weaving yarn around the neck and then pulling it tight.


Doesn't the body resemble an acorn (left) before the neck was formed?

Berroco has a lot of nice patterns, but I don't like the way they are written out. They don't provide their abbreviations (which wasn't a huge deal in this case) and they write out multiple rows on one line. It would be easy to skip some important directions! I didn't have any trouble this time, but then again it's a really simple pattern.


The pieces to assemble into the finished bluebird.


I may have over tiny-ied myself out this time. I had trouble sewing on the wings!


Having some fun taking pictures with my latest knit toy.


He's so small he fits in the palm of my hand!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Space Dyeing to Make Multicolored Yarn



Space dyeing yarn allows you to create a multicolored colorway in a single pot. This is one of the many yarn dyeing tutorials I have created with AllFreeKnitting.com. I will be sharing more information about the other tutorials in future blog posts.


How to Space Dye Yarn (written instructions to go with the video):
  1. You will need: Water, white vinegar, food coloring, 100% wool yarn wound into a skein, heat (from the stove).
  2. Set up the dye bath: Add 1T white vinegar per cup of water in the dye bath. You want just enough water to cover the yarn.
  3. Add the yarn to the dye bath before you turn on the heat. This will help reduce movement in the dyebath for when you add the dye so we get maximal separation between the colors. Sure, we want some mingling of the colors, but we do not want to end up with a solid color!
  4. Turn off the stove after the dyebath is simmering. If you choose, you can adjust the skein in the pot with a spoon.
  5. Drop food coloring into the pot, adding each drop in a different spatial area. In this tutorial I had 7 drops of food coloring total. DON'T STIR THE POT!
  6. Let the yarn sit until all of the dye has absorbed to the yarn. If the skein is cool enough to touch, wash with luke warm water and mild soap until the rinse water runs clear.
  7. Let the skein dry, and enjoy!

Important things to remember when space dyeing yarn:
  • You want as little movement in the dyebath as possible - so DON'T STIR! Be patient.
  • Less is more when you are adding the dye - you can always decide to add more later if you don't get the saturation you want. Remember, you want a multicolored yarn, so if you add too much dye you run the risk of getting a single color.

More yarn dyeing tutorials coming soon!


The finished yarn from yarn dyeing tutorials by ChemKnits. Check out my YouTube channel for more tutorials.


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Do you have a knitting project that you are super proud of? Submit your favorite knitting projects to KPOTD. You might find yourself selected as the Knitting Project of the Day!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Welcome Indiana! (Puppy Welcome Ribbon Knitting Pattern)



I have loved looking at dog knitting patterns, but I have not had the opportunity to do much pet knitting (with the exception of Paw Socks.) I welcomed a puppy of my own yesterday, and I wanted to greet him with something that I had made. Since I do not know Indy's size (and he's going to grow a lot over the coming weeks), I didn't want to make him a sweater. I therefore decided to design a simple ribbon to welcome my new puppy.



When you look at this ribbon, you will see I's rotated around the length. You could imagine that this ribbon is saying "HI HI HI" across it, which wasn't the goal but makes this "welcome ribbon" more applicable to pets whose name doesn't begin with "I".

Materials

  • Knitting Needles: Size 5 straight needles
  • Yarn: Remnants of KnitPicks Wool of the Andes yarn in two colors. Grey (MC) and Burgundy (CC)
  • Gauge: Not important for the completed project
  • Misc: yarn needle to weave in loose ends.
  • Finished Size: 1" wide, 21" long

Instructions


The chart that is representative of the pattern on this ribbon.

Cast on 127 stitches
Row 1: Wrong side. Carry yarn in front of the P stitches. *P1 (MC), P5 (CC), P1 (MC), P1 (CC), P3 (MC), P1 (CC)* Repeat between ** across until the last 7 stitches, P1 (MC), P5 (CC), P1 (MC)
Row 2: *K3 (MC), K1 (CC)* Repeat between ** across the row
Row 3: *P3 (MC), P1 (CC), P3 (MC), P5 (CC), P3 (MC), P1 (CC)* Repeat between ** across the row until the last 7 stitches, P3 (MC), P1 (CC), P3 (MC)
Row 4: Repeat row 2
Row 5: Repeat row 1
Row 6: Knit across the row
Bind off purl-wise, keeping tension to match the cast-on edge. Weave in your loose ends. Block if necessary.



I am so excited to bring Indy home, I can barely contain myself!



However you look at it, you can see the I's (or the Hi's if you choose to look at it that way)



With the thickness, it almost looks like a leash... I'm not sure if it would be strong enough to function as one, but it is certainly an idea. Maybe a leash cozy?



He loves to play games!

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Abbreviations Used in this pattern:
Kfb - increase by knitting into the front and back of a single stitch.
M1 (Make 1)- increase stitch by picking up yarn between two stitches, twisting and knitting.
K - knit
P - purl
SSK - decrease by slipping two stitches then knitting them together. Alternatively, you could slip one stitch, knit one stitch and pass slipped stitch over.
K2tog - decrease by knitting two stitches together.

This knitting pattern was created by ChemKnits for your personal or charity use. You are not to distribute or reprint this pattern without the permission of ChemKnits. © 2011 ChemKnits

Sunday, August 7, 2011

A Search for Free Mustache Knitting Patterns

I was doing research for Knitting Project of the Day when I rediscovered knit mustaches. These little "masks" are whimsical, and occasionally also useful to help keep you warm. These are the free mustache knitting patterns that I found through my search:

  • Fu Manchu Mustache - A stand alone mustache with long sides (a Fu Manchu.) I'm not sure how this knit mustache is staying on the face of the model, but it does look really cool! I love the suggestion to insert a pipe cleaner into it to allow you to shape your knit mustache.
  • Incognito - "Respect the 'stache!" You can hide your face from the cold with these cowl neck accessories, and choose amongst three different mustache knitting charts to have the best disguise! There is now a new variation where you can replace the mustache with "hot lips" available for free Ravelry download.
  • Knitted Crustache - A 2D mustache and a beard (with mouth opening) that are held to the face by a tie around the back of the head. You may need to create a free Ravelry.com account to access this free knitting pattern.
  • Mustachio Nosewarmer - It goes over your nose (flesh colored), and ties around the back of your head. You then attach your knit mustache to the bottom of this nosewarmer. Hilarious!
  • Bearded toque - This is a hat with an attached beard, apparently the mustache is detachable so you can change the colors. Looks like a great way to keep warm in the winter! You may need to create a free Ravelry.com account to access this free knitting pattern.
  • The 'Stache - A knit mustache shaped necklace. Like a monocle, but for your upper lip.
  • It's a moustache, for your fingers! - This "fingerstache" is a charted knit mustache wrapped around your finger. When you hold it over your upper lip, you have a mustache!
  • Incognito! - A knit version of the classic fake eyes, nose and mustache. Looks pretty awesome to me! You may need to create a free Ravelry.com account to access this free knitting pattern.
  • The Stitch London Tashtastic Moustache Patterns - It looks like they are offering many of the free patterns from above in their efforts to raise money for prostate cancer. These knitting patterns are free, but they encourage donations to support the cause.
  • Beard Hat - This beard knitting pattern appears to be knit with a fluffy novelty yarn to give a particular hairy feeling.
  • Santa Beard - So this doesn't really fit in with many of the other mustache and beard knitting patterns, but it is a beard... just a specific one! (Scroll down to see the knitting pattern instructions in English.)
  • Moss Stitch Beard - This isn't a bushy beard, but more like one that has been closely trimmed. The moss stitch is good for looking like stubble!
  • Short Beard - Another mustache and beard knit to look like closely trimmed facial hair. I really like the mustache on this one, the detail is very good. You may need to create a free Ravelry.com account to access this free knitting pattern.
  • Oh, Brother! - This knit beard/mustache is held to the face by a tie around the back of the head. It is pretty simple, and the mustache is part of the fabric with the beard, with just a slit for your mouth to show through.
  • Bushy Brown Beard - It almost looks like the mustache buttons across the upper lip in one of the photos. You may need to create a free Ravelry.com account to access this free knitting pattern.
  • New! Freestanding Knit Mustache by ChemKnits - a simple mustache with a bit of a curl, you can add on strings or tape to attach this to your upper lip.

Keith has already requested a knit mustache, so I imagine that I will be creating one of these soon!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Setting Up to Knit Again

Written July 18, 2011 as I frantically tore open my knitting boxes. I haven't knit since completing the garters I knit for my bridesmaids. Unpacking my knitting supplies was not a priority when you consider setting up a kitchen and bed for sleeping. I am thrilled to finally open up my boxes and be able to start knitting again. (Even though it is 90 degrees outside. Man, Chicago is hot!)


Packing is so much easier than unpacking!

Unlike my yarn and knitting needles, the knit afghans were among the first items unpacked. I haven't decided where I can store them safely yet, so for now they are sitting on a chair in the corner of our living room.


My knit afghans (from top to bottom): My Sampler Afghan, diamond afghan, brown afghan my Grandma made, and my 10 hour afghan.

The last time the knitting cupboard was a blank slate I didn't have such a large yarn stash. I no longer can stack everything in it so I can see all of the yarn at once.


My knitting cupboard - a blank slate!



It is always so neat when you first put everything in the cupboard!

There are some larger skeins and miscellaneous knitting accessories that are too bulky to fit easily into the cupboard. Well, I can fit them in there, but then I won't be able to see anything else!


I'm running out of space!

I am so excited to start the new projects in my queue. (Yes, I have a lot of WIP's... but I have a need to get some tiny projects under my belt. I've been working on my WIP's for months!)


I tossed my design notebook and all of my WIP's into my knitting basket. So much to do... I can't wait!