To Infinity (Loop Scarves) and Beyond!

New free pattern alert!!

I was recently asked to teach an Infinity Loop Scarf class at The Tangled Web and so I knocked out a pattern and some samples to bring to class. If you're not familiar with infinity scarves, they are basically just a gigantic loop - no pesky ends to deal with - which you wrap luxuriously and fabulously around your neck.

The pattern I came up with features a Ruffled Infinity Scarf:

(sample done in one of the ten trillion skeins of yummy Malabrigo that I've accumulated over the years)

And a Non-Ruffled version:

(sample done in Noro Taiyo)

Infinity scarves are fun and easy! They're great for using up odd bits of yarn, combining textured yarns, using self-striping yarns, and are a great mindless piece of knitting to pick up and put down. And of course, the holidays are coming up - they make a nice gift too.

I posted this pattern on Ravelry this weekend and had THREE HUNDRED downloads in the first 24 hours! Yikes.

Anyway, here's the link - go download and if you make one, please email me a picture or post on Ravelry or Facebook!

Easy-Peasy Baby Blankets!

I've been busy, busy, busy lately! First, in non-knitting, there was this:

The boy's Lego minifigure Halloween costume that consumed most of my waking moments for the past few weeks. That's a lot of cardboard and duct tape, folks! I didn't realize how much time I was spending on it, mentally and physically, until yesterday when it was finished and he wore it in his school's Halloween parade. I came home and actually didn't know what to do with myself!

Fortunately, there is always knitting. I set myself to finishing my two Easy-Peasy Baby Blankets. Here they are:

I increased to 126 sts on each - worsted weight cotton on a #7 needle (though next time I'll go up to an #8 to make it bigger faster - those last couple of increase rows were reallllllly long....) They both ended up about 22" square, which was a little smaller than I wanted, so I did 2 rows of single crochet around the edges to add about another 2" to the total width.

I really enjoyed these little blankets; I think they'll be my go-to baby gift for the next couple of babies that come down the pike. I like their plainness/simplicity and their garter-y goodness.

Here is the link*, if you have babies on the way who need a quick gift. Next post, new pattern and giveaway! Stay tuned!

[ETA: *It's the Marina's Soap Sock and Easy Peasy Washcloth pattern. I took the Washcloth pattern, which starts at one corner and increases up to 44 sts. I kept increasing up to 126 sts to make a blanket.]

Back to Knitting!

Sorry, folks, the blog got hijacked by the Phillies for a while there. But since they seem to be sinking fast, let's talk about something fun....like knitting!!

Yesterday on Facebook, Kris mentioned that she was about to become a new grandma (yay!) and asked, "...Anybody have any great but simple ideas for new babies from their grandma?"

Funny she should ask because I am in the middle of the same dilemma (as a friend and sort of great-aunt-in-law rather than a grandma). My usual go-to project for new babies is this, the Easy Baby Cardigan:

In this case (I think this was for my nephew), I also made the matching hat. A few weeks ago, after a baby lull of a year or so, I found out that a dear friend of mine was welcoming a new baby boy into her family and also that my husband's nephew's girlfriend had just had a baby girl.

I wanted to make something special for each baby, but didn't have enough emotional energy to make sweaters for both. So I poked around in my patterns and suddenly had an epiphany! What if I took this:

(Easy-Peasy Washcloth) and expanded it into a blanket? Light bulb! I love a garter stitch blanket and I love the simple eyelet edging on this. So I unearthed some cotton-blend yarn from the stash and started these:

What's great about this pattern is that it is the ultimate no-brainer. You can just put down and pick up without constantly checking a pattern. You can also control exactly how much yarn you want to use. I had 2 balls of cotton-blend yarn with 207 yds on each ball. So I increased until I had used up one ball and then started decreasing with the new ball of yarn.

I started these at the corner, but instead of increasing up to about 50 sts or so (can't remember exact #) for the washcloth, I continued until I had 126 sts, which was also when I ran out of yarn from the ball. I was shooting for a stroller blanket of about 24" x 24". 126 sts on a #7 needle got me to about 21". I only want to use the 2 balls of yarn for this, so I'm going to make up the difference by crocheting a 1.5" border with cocoa brown at the end.

I love these blankets because just as the rows start getting long and boring, it's time to start decreasing! That's where I am with the pink one; the blue one needs about 20 more rows.

So there you go, Kris. A couple of ideas for that precious new grandchild. Plus here's a whole page of baby patterns. And here's a page with some sets on it if the sweater/hat combo appeals.

Why Thank You, Mr. Halladay!

Pardon Me While I Go Off-Topic For A Moment...

Yippeeeee!!!

The Winner and Useful Information!

Thanks everyone for your input. Button "A" was the winner by a nose. Though the sweater is unabashedly peachy-pink, it's ostensibly a unisex design, so the anchor buttons may induce people to knit the little thing for their baby boys too.

The winner of the free pattern was Shirley, who also left this valuable information in her comment: For buttonholes: After placement of top and bottom buttons. The remaining buttonholes are evenly spaced between, measure the distance and divide by the number of buttons left plus 1. If 3 buttons are left, divide the distance say 12. 3+1=4 divide by 12 = 3 so you would center a button every 3 inches
Brilliant. Thank you, Shirley. I'm including this on the blog not only to share it with everyone out there, but also so I know where to look the next time I have a buttonhole band coming down the pike.

Here is the finished Baby Chestnut Hill Gansey Cardigan, with Buttons A and errant buttonhole discreetly (I hope) sewn up. We've taken pictures, so the pattern should be available soon. I will keep you posted. I've also finished the backs of the Child and Adult versions of this cardigan, so they're in the pipeline now too.

Help me!

Okay, I need help. Button help. Also buttonhole help, as evidenced by the photo below. I just finished the sample for the Baby Chestnut Hill Gansey Cardigan (which I am thrilled about - can't wait to make one for me - an adult-sized one, that is) and need to pick out buttons. That's where YOU come in. Help me choose which buttons by voting on the choices below.

But first, because you are all my dear understanding friends out there, I will share my shame. I am possibly the worst buttonhole distance estimator on the planet. No matter how scientific or mathematical or non-scientific or organic or holistic an approach I take, this is what I end up with:

Say what? What was I thinking? The second button from the top is where the buttonhole should be, but unfortunately is not. Go ahead and laugh. And this is like the 10 zillionth cardigan I've made, so I really should know better. If anyone has any tried and true methods for buttonhole distance estimation I'd love to hear them. [By the way, my patterns don't direct you to do this - it's just my wonkiness. The patterns say to space 3 buttonholes evenly on the band. I can't even follow my own pattern!!]

Now on to more pleasant subjects. Let's choose a button! Here is CHOICE A:

These are medium-sized goldtone anchor buttons. Classic and one of my all-time favorites.

Here is CHOICE B:

Teeny gold dome buttons. Small and tasteful, but too small?

Here is CHOICE C:

Medium peachy-pink flat buttons. Non-confrontational, but too boring?

Leave your vote in the Comments below! I'll also pick someone at random and email them the Momogus Knits pattern of their choice, just for being helpful!