Knit Kitchen Hand Towel

Ravelry Project Page - Knit Kitchen Towel
My reworked version of a classic knit kitchen hand towel pattern. I smoothed out the transition from the body to the top and rewrote the top to be wider and adjustable for desired length.

Kitchen Towel

Materials: 100 grams cotton yarn; 9 needles. 5/8” button

Body
Cast on 64 stitches.
Knit 3 rows
Row 1: K7 (P2, K4) across to last 3 stitches, K3.
Row 2: K3, P4 (K2, P4) across to last 3 stitches, K3
Row 3 to 6: Repeat rows 1 and 2 alternately.
Row 7: K3, P4 (K2, P4) across to last 3 stitches, K3.
Row 8: K7 (P2, K4) across to last 3 stitches, K3.
Repeat Rows 1 to 8 seven more times.
Repeat Rows 1 to 6 once more.

Top
Row 1: K3, P1, P2tog, P1 (K2, P1, P2tog, P1) across to last 3 stitches, K3. (54 sts.)
Row 2: K6 ( P2, K3) across to last 3 stitch, K3.
Row 3: K6 (P2tog, K3) across to last 3 stitches, K3. (45 sts.)
Row 4: K3, P3 (K1, P3) across to last 3 stitches, K3.
Row 5: K3, K2tog, K1 (P1, K2tog, K1) across to last 3 stitches, K3. (35 sts)
Row 6: K3, P2 (K1, P2) across to last 3 stitches, K3.
Row 7: K3, K2tog (P1, K2tog) across to last 3 stitches, K3 (25 sts)
Row 8: K across.
Row 9: K1, K2tog across. (13 sts.)

Rows 10-36: K across.
Add or subtract rows here to fit where the towel will hang.

Row 37: K2tog, K4, YO for buttonhole, K2tog, K2, K2tog. (11 sts.)
Row 38: K across.
Row 39: K2tog, K7, K2tog. (9sts.)
Row 40: K across.
Row 41: K2tog, K5, K2tog. (7sts.)
Bind off. Weave in ends.
Sew button to middle of row 9.

Working with Vintage Patterns

Working with Vintage Patterns

1) The vintage patterns I post here are worked mostly with thread and the thread weights used in the patterns are the same standards today. However, anything that is not worked in thread will be using a yarn that is no longer manufactured. At Vintage Knits they have compiled an extensive listing of discontinued yarns, arranged by weight of yarn, by brand name, and if known, with fiber content and yardage. This information is a big help in finding a subsitute yarn to work with.

2) The patterns found at lady_n_thread are American but if you get your hands on a pattern that is British/Australian then you will need to use a stitch conversion chart.

3) Very early vintage patterns may have a different interpretation of stitches and the abbreviations of terms may also vary from today's. This site has collected the stitch instructions from a number of publications published in the early 1900's — Pre 1930 Crochet Stitch Instructions.

Scarfs or scarves - which is the plural of scarf?

While writing the previous blog post about the Red Scarf Project, I needed to find an answer to the question - what is the plural of scarf? Is it scarfs or scarves?

The answer is both are correct. Scarfs was predominantly used prior to the 20th century and scarves is the current preferred usage. However, both spellings can be found throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and this really cool Google books n-gram shows that in English (both American and British) the switch from scarfs to scarves began to occur around 1930.

I'll stay with the current trend and use scarves but it's nice to know that I wouldn't have been wrong with scarfs. Probably the only wrong answer would be to mix the two spellings in the same post!

Source:
Grammarist

Red Scarf Project - Foster Care to Success

The Foster Care to Success Red Scarf Project has a number of programs which provide assistance to college bound foster youth. One of them, The Red Scarf Project, gives students a Valentine’s Day care package that includes a handmade red scarf. Knitters and crocheters from the faculty, staff and students of Framingham State University recently sent a donation with over a dozen scarves and the package included two scarves that I made.

Ravelry Project Page - Red Scarf Project - Scarf #1

Yarn: 2 skeins of Lion Brand Heartland - Redwood
Needle size: US 10.5
Pattern: Cast on 35 stitches. Work Mistaken Rib pattern.

Ravelry Project Page - Red Scarf Project - Scarf #2

Yarn: 2 skeins of Lion Brand Heartland - Redwood
Hook size: L (8.0 mm)
Pattern: Chain 33. I used the Corded Shells pattern (#211) from 280 Crochet Shell Patterns by Darla Sims but any crocheted shell pattern would work just as well.

Candy Cane Cover

I like to make and give little holiday/seasonal gifts for friends and coworkers; so this year I designed a candy cane cover that fits the bill perfectly. There was also the added bonus that they are very quick and easy to make.

Materials:

Lion Brand Heartland yarn - Redwood

Sulky Holoshimmer thread - (silver #6001)

Crochet hook, size G (4.0 mm)

Finishing Materials:

6"-7" Candy canes

3/8" Silver ribbon

Tapestry needle

Sissors

Notes:

The gauge is not important to overall size

Work the stitches holding the yarn and thread together as one.

Candy Cane Pattern:
Row 1: Ch 33; dc in 4th chain from hook (first 3 chains count as dc), [ch1, skip next ch, (dc, ch1, dc) in next ch] 4 times, (ch 1, skip next ch, dc in next ch) 10 times, dc in last ch. (21 dc)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in same space, * [ch 1 (dc, ch1, dc) in next ch1 space], (ch 1, sc) in next ch1 space* repeat from * to * 9 times ending by skipping dc and sc in last dc.

Row 3: *Ch 3, sl st in next ch 1 space*, repeat from * to * around ending with sc in last st. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Finishing:

Thread candy cane through row 1.

Cut 9" of ribbon and tie a Martha's favorite bow where desired.

The Power of Photos

Ravelry Project Page - Baby Hat

My cousin is a gifted photographer and takes exceptional portraits. A while ago she asked for knitted hats to use when photographing babies and I made a few different types. She photographed her granddaughter in them and the results are stunning!

Her photos are such a cut above my usual static shots and they certainly add polish and sophistication to the end result. I so wished she lived closer because I would beg her to photograph all my work.

Ravelry Project Page - Bumblebee Hat

Ravelry Project Page - Munchkin Hat

Itty Bitty Monkey

Cute little monkey! She/he (I haven't decided which yet) turned out really well but I had to rewrite most of the pattern in order to use the most important amigurumi crochet technique - the magic circle.

Reading through a pattern before I start working allows me to get an idea of how the project is going to be put together and to interpret any directions I may not understand. The instructions for this pattern were clear and easy to follow but I immediately noticed that it did not use the magic circle to start any of the pieces. The magic circle is a clean way to start crocheting in a circle and is the preferred method used in amigurumi. Even worse, the instructions for the arms, legs and body started at the widest areas and ended by narrowing to a few stitches which were finished off by gathering them together. You can never ever make gathered crochet stitches look as neat and clean as starting with a magic circle.

So before I started crocheting the Itty Bitty Monkey I went through the entire pattern and rewrote the necessary sections to start with a magic circle.

The ears and tail were both fine as written and needed no change.

The head and snout directions were also fine as written but just needed to start with the magic circle.

The arms, legs and body patterns had to be completely rewritten because starting with a magic circle meant the pieces were now being worked in the opposite direction from the written pattern.

The pattern book Itty Bitty Animals By Sheila Leslie is available at Annie's ePatterns Central and my Ravelry project page for the Itty Bitty Monkey is here.

The Itty Bitty Monkey is just the thing for this internet meme!