Sky Scarf

I finally spent the time to learn to knit last year, and over the last 6 months, I have been knitting and crocheting more than I have been sewing.  I’ve been missing my sewing machine though, so I’m sure I will be making some things soon.  I have some home decorating projects in my short-term action plan.  Kimara over at Wee Folk Art posted about this Sky Scarf in December as she had given her granddaughter a knitting Christmas gift of all the yarn to make this sky scarf and they were going to work on it together.  I think it’s a lovely idea to give a gift that is not just “something” but the gift of dedicated time spent together.

The idea behind the Sky Scarf is that you choose a selection of sky colors of yarn (blues, grays, whites, etc.), and you note the color of the sky every day.  You knit two rows of your scarf in the colors of the sky per day.  Theoretically, after a year of knitting, you would have 730 rows of knitting (732 in Leap Year!).  I had also seen the sky scarf making the rounds on Pinterest, but hadn’t really thought about making one for myself.

Then I came across the Conceptual Knitters forum on Ravelry, which was started by Lea Redmond who designed the idea behind the scarf (see also pattern page on Ravelry).  Seeing the works in progress, I got inspired and decided to start one of my own!  Looking through the projects that people had in progress on Ravelry helped me decide on the type of yarn to use, size of needles, design of the scarf, etc.  I love Ravelry!  Not everyone has decided to do the color of the sky every day.  Some people decided to make a weight loss scarf with different colors representing losses/gains/etc.  Others are doing temperature changes because their sky color doesn’t change very often.  Some are adding beads to represent different things like snow or rain.  It is fun to read about all of the different interpretations.

I chose to use Knit Picks Palette in Sky, Blue, White, Silver, Mist and Ash.  Palette is 100% wool in a fingering weight.  I am using two strands of colors per day, so for example, if it’s a light blue sky day with puffy white clouds, I will use Sky and White.  For a snowy, overcast day, I am using Silver and White.  Dark stormy clouds?  Perhaps Silver and Ash, or Blue and Ash, depending on how the sky has changed throughout the day.  It’s been a lot of fun to remember to note down the sky each day.  I’m trying to keep to around the noon-time hour, but I’m not going to stress about it.  Here is my Ravelry project page which I’m keeping updated with my progress.  For Blue, Sky and Silver, I divided the yarn in half, so that I could do two strands of the same color if the day’s weather warranted it.

I started out using size 4 needles which is what the pattern called for.  However, the pattern is for lace weight, and I’m using fingering weight.  It wasn’t turning out too well (I’m a new knitter, so have to learn these things through trial and error!), so I took it out, and am now using a size 7 needle.  It’s working much better!  Lots of people are doing standard garter stitch scarves, but I decided I wanted to try a pattern.  I saw someone was using the Favorite Scarf Ever pattern by Lisa Bruce (SunshineWalks), and as that pattern (Ravelry link) had been in my queue for quite some time, I decided this was a perfect opportunity to try it out.  I had to watch several You Tube videos to figure out all the stitches (there aren’t really very many, I’m just new to them).  The 3-4 times that I started over were good practice for figuring out the pattern.  But now I’m moving along, and I’m so happy with it!  I probably won’t go for a whole year.  That would make a pretty long scarf.  I’ll probably just keep going until it’s a length that I like.  The scarf pattern actually calls for doing it in two halves, and then seaming them in the middle so that the chevron pattern is symmetrical when it’s draped over your neck.  I’m not sure I will do that with this daily weather concept, but we’ll see how it goes as I get further along.  I absolutely love the Favorite Scarf Ever pattern though and am already starting another one in a variegated yarn.

Now I just need to figure out how to keep all my yarn from tangling as I knit the daily rows.  You keep the yarn going and carry it up along the edge in a twist pattern.  So, my scarf has 9 strands coming off of it at all times, even though I’m only knitting with two at a time.  It’s already getting a little out of control.  I’m thinking I need a cloth basket with little partitions for each ball of yarn.  So perhaps my sewing machine WILL get some use this week!

My first knit hat!

Learning to knit has been on my “bucket list” for quite some time.  Years actually.  Well, I finally have started down the road — I say “started” since learning to knit is a continuing process.  A wonderful friend of mine taught me to cast on while we sat in swim lessons one day, and after teaching me a second time, I think I finally figured it out.  Here is my first completed project!  The Family Favorite Hat from a local yarn shop, Halcyon Yarn, where I also bought the Cascade Magnum yarn that I used.  The boys were with me, and they picked out the colors for our favorite team – Go Blue! (If you are ever in midcoast Maine, definitely check out Halcyon, it’s a gorgeous shop.)  Ravelry link to J’s hat.

Hat for J

I have already started on a second hat for K, in opposite colors (Ravelry link).  The two skeins of yarn that I bought should be enough to make three hats according to the lady at the yarn shop.  I felt confident enough that I even learned to cast on using a different method from some You Tube videos!  Thank goodness for You Tube videos!  (I used this one and this one.)  Here’s the start of hat number two.

K's Go Blue hat

I already have in my mind what I want to do for a third project.  A cowl using some Noro Silk Garden.

Learning to Knit

Lego-man and I are learning to knit.  Hooray!  My friend taught me to cast on a few weeks ago, and having a live person show me how (as opposed to reading about it in books or watching videos) was really all it took for a light to go on.  I’m still playing around, but have figured out the knit stitch, and even the purl!  Although, I don’t find purling very easy, but I guess it’s just a practice thing.

I need to learn to knit

So I can make these absolutely adorable gnomes by Alan Dart.

Not all crafting is successful

I did mention that I’m a brand new knitter, have never taken a class, etc., right? Okay, because it’s nice to have a reason for my poor little bunny who doesn’t quite look like a bunny. To be honest, I was a bit confused by some of the directions in how to assemble the bunny. Also, it was supposed to be knit with #2 needles, which I couldn’t do since they are so tiny, so I used #4. I’m sure that probably meant that I had to change some of the other instructions, but since I’m such a novice, I didn’t really know how to do that. Oh well. First attempts are always worthwhile! Perfection is not necessary in crafting. I’ll leave perfection to my friends with OCD and to mass manufacturers conforming to ISO standards and whatnot.

He looks much cuter in the pictures than he does in real-life. He’s a bit lopsided. My younger son seems to like him though. It was my first completed knitting project however. Hooray for me! I enjoyed the knitting and actually figured out how to bind off a project, so those are good things. The videos at Knitting Help were excellent.

Knitting little bunnies

I am not a knitter. I’m a wannabe knitter but have never made the effort to learn beyond getting some supplies and trying it out a time or two. So I was looking through my latest issue of Living Crafts magazine (awesome, awesome craft mag!), and saw these adorable little knit bunnies. They looked pretty simple. (Yeah, right.) Well, they are supposed to be knit on size 2 needles. Those are tiny. So, after several failed attempts, I stepped up to size 4, and progress went a little better. I finally have my swatch ready to bind off, and then, you tie it off in different places to make the ears, and sew up the body, do some embroidered eyes, etc., and voila! Of course, I’m having a bit of trouble binding off since I haven’t ever actually done that before. I’ll figure it out. I’m going to check out the “how to” videos at Knitting Help. And, I think I am going to start a class at my LYS (local yarn store). So, hopefully a picture of a bunny with be forthcoming.