Finally found the perfect pattern for this yarn

There are two types of yarnies in this world:  The ones who pick a pattern and then find the yarn, and the ones who love a yarn and search for just the perfect pattern.  I am in the latter category.......I cannot resist buying yarn, so I just buy as much as I can get of any yarn I love, so that I'll have enough when the perfect project appears.  With this yarn, I found some at the Tuesday Morning store in Fort Collins and some more at the store in Lincoln Nebraska.  I ended up searching 3 other locations where I didn't find any.  When I finished my search, I had 6 balls, so I got on KnittingParadise and asked if anybody had some.  A wonderful woman said she had bought 4 balls because she really loved it but didn't have a pattern in mind, so she sold it to me at her cost plus shipping.  And it turned out to be just enough yarn to finish the Cuff-to-Cuff Sweater on the Red Heart website.

Sentimental stitch markers

I was going through my grandmother's jewelry box and found a few dangly earrings without mates.  I brought them home and got out my jewelry pliers and got to work.  1 jump ring and 1 lever-back earring change a dangly earring into a stitch marker.  These can be used for both knitting (around the needle) or for crochet (open the lever-back and hook it around the stitch/row you are marking.)

Finished with shawls for a bit

I finished two shawls in 8 days.  These are for my mother to give as gift to caregivers, and I must say I whipped them out in record time.  In the interest of full disclosure, there's no counting or pattern involved in either of these, so that could explain why they finished so fast.

Boneyard shawl

 Multnomah shawl

And now that these are both done, I can move on to other projects in the bucket list.  Ah yes, another day, another pattern!  Getting up the nerve for a Kaffe Fassett vest.  Wish me luck!








 

Experiments

I enjoy doing knitting for the Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne, the Wyoming Childrens Home, and the homeless shelter in Cheyenne.  It gives me a chance to try new patterns, or to experiment with patterns and stitches.  The following experiment turned out so well that I decided to write down the pattern.

I LOVE the star stitch.  Easy to do, with lots of visual interest.  So I incorporated it into a pattern for earwarmer / headband.  The close-up of the stitch should illustrate why I like it so much.

Star Stitch Headband/Earwarmer

Joanna Perkins

Supplies needed:                    Worsted weight yarn (less than 150 yards)

                                                Size 8 needles (gauge is not particularly important)

                                                Large decorative button

Star stitch:  Purl 3 together, do not remove from left needle, wrap yarn around right needle, purl 3 together again, then remove the three stitches from left needle.

Kfb                       Knit into front and back of same stitch to increase

K2tog                    Knit two stitches together to decrease

K2togTBL             Knit two stitches together through the back of the stitches to decrease

Pattern:

Cast on 7 stitches.

Row 1, 3               Knit across

Row 2 and even rows through row 20     K1, Kfb, K to 2 stitches from end of row, Kfb, K last stitch.

Row 5 (WS)         P3, *P1, star stitch* once, P1, P3         (11 stitches)

Row 7                   P2, *P1, star stitch* twice, P1, P2        (13 stitches)

Row 9                   P1, *P1, star stitch* 3 times, P1, P1     (15 stitches)

Row 11                 P4, *P1, star stitch* 2 times, P1, P4     (17 stitches)

Row 13                 P3, *P1, star stitch* 3 times, P1, P3     (19 stitches)

Row 15                 P2, *P1, star stitch* 4 times, P1, P2     (21 stitches)

Row 17                 P1, *P1, star stitch* 5 times, P1, P1     (23 stitches)

Row 19                 P4, *P1, star stitch* 4 times, P1, P4     (25 stitches)

Row 21                 P3, *P1, star stitch* 5 times, P1, P3     (27 stitches)

Row 22 and 24     Knit across

Row 23                 P1, *P1, star stitch* 6 times, P1, P1

Continue Rows 21-24 for approximately 12”, then begin Row 1 of decrease pattern on RS row.

Row 1 and odd rows through Row 17      K1, K2togTBL, knit to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1

Row 2                    P4, *P1, star stitch* 4 times, P1, P4     (25 stitches)

Row 4                    P1, *P1, star stitch* 5 times, P1, P1     (23 stitches)

Row 6                    P2, *P1, star stitch* 4 times, P1, P2     (21 stitches)

Row 8                    P3, *P1, star stitch* 3 times, P1, P3     (19 stitches)

Row 10                 P4, *P1, star stitch* 2 times, P1, P4      (17 stitches)

Row 12                 P1, *P1, star stitch* 3 times, P1, P1      (15 stitches)

Row 14                 P2, *P1, star stitch* 2 times, P1, P2      (13 stitches)

Row 16                 P3, *P1, star stitch* once, P1, P3          (11 stitches)

Row 18                 Knit across                                            (9 stitches)

Row 19       ##      Knit 4, BO stitch #4, Knit 3                    (7 stitches)

Row 20                 Knit 3, CO1, Knit 3

Row 21                 Knit across

Bind off all stitches

## Row 19, Use a one row buttonhole if that is your preferred method, and eliminate row 20.

Sew on button, weave ends in and trim.

NOTE:  If doing this pattern with chunky/bulky yarn, you can use appropriate size needles, end increases with Row 17 (just do the number of repeats for the stitches on the needle), do the Row 21-24 repeat until the headband is ready for decrease and end with a P3 start row, then pick up the decrease pattern at Row 10.  This keeps the offset pattern in effect.

Shawls, prayer shawls ..... and prayers

In my previous post, I noted that I am busy knitting shawls for my mom's caregivers at Missouri Rehabilitation Center in Mount Vernon.  I finished the two prayer shawls for her favorite personal attendants, and have moved on to the shawls for the wives of her two favorite physical therapists.

The prayer shawls were done in Lion Brand Homespun in the Trinity Stitch.

The first shawl is almost done.  The yarn is Caron Simply Soft, and the pattern is the Multnomah Shawl, recommended to me by Gerry, who was absolutely right about it (as usual!).  This is a go-to pattern for not having to really concentrate on the knitting.  Although it is technically a shawlette when done with a sport weight or sock weight yarn, I opted for worsted weight to make a complete shawl size.




 
I decided for all of these shawls to knit them in easy-care yarns, since I won't be around to recommend laundering instructions.   I have one more shawl to make, and I'm thinking about the Boneyard Shawl for it, also in Simply Soft in variegated colors.  It's another no-thought knit, which should be good for more car time.

So that covers shawls and prayer shawls.   Now for the prayers.  My mom went home on June 28, but she and my dad decided that she would get more therapy if she went temporarily to a nursing home that offers therapy, rather than using home health therapy 3 days a week.  She has gone to West Plains, so John has called friends to ask them to check up on her and stop by for visits.  We pray for further improvements in her medical condition, and gains in her ability to do more of her own personal care.