Knit update: July edition

Knitters are prepared. We have plenty of yarn to keep us busy probably way after we die. I am not a fast knitter. I prefer to knit with sock yarn mostly so that will extend my knitting process. Sometimes I switch it up and double the sock yarn to get worsted weight which is a bit faster for hats.

This project called for 3 strands of sock yarn so I was down to try it. I have lots of sock yarn leftovers and mini-skeins so I am always looking for projects to make me feel productive and get my yarn stash lower.  I laugh because yarn, in general doesn't weigh much so in the grand scheme probably didn't put much of a dent in my stash.

So the pattern I found is called Scrappy Birthday Cowl. It calls for 3 strands of sock yarn (which can be a little tangled) and lots of bobbles which is a nubbin or boobles (my term) of yarn so it'll just use up more yarn so I was game for this. 

The fun thing with using different strands of yarn, you can achieve some interesting looks depending on our choices. I decided to use a dark, almost black green yarn to be used thoughout the entire cowl and throw in other colors similar or contrasting because I wanted the bobbles to stand out a bit. Overall, the cowl has that dark tone with some pops of color.

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Scrappy Birthday cowl is done. Lots of #bobbles with 3 strands of #sockyarn to make a thick, warm #cowl for someone. #2020yarnstashdown

A post shared by Debbie T (@moodybq) on Jul 24, 2020 at 2:17pm PDT

This cowl is heavy, way heavier than I thought it would be. Definitely for colder weather than SoCal. I am thinking of gifting this to my SIL who lives in MD.

And here is another cowl but in a single strand of fingering weight which may be okay for California but only for those really cold spells. This cowl hugs the neck so we will see. Also it sits tall (about 14 inches) but can be scrunched down and my neck is not long & elegant enough for this cowl to work for me. This why there is no photo of me wearing it. It really is pretty though. I'll put it in the gift pile for now.

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Wolkig cowl is complete!! I am not a fast knitter but have many projects going at once so I can choose. Only 1 row repeat and even I messed that up by k3tog instead of p3tog during the entire pattern. I didn’t even realize my error till I was almost done so I was consistent in my knitting. I’ll have to wait and see if this will be useful for SoCal.

A post shared by Debbie T (@moodybq) on Jul 28, 2020 at 10:03am PDT

I have a couple more sock yarn projects waiting in the wings, a hat and another cowl. Seriously, I need to stop with the cowls. I do want to start another shawl. I volunteered for a test knit of a hat in worsted weight so I can get that done fairly fast. at the beginning of the year, I gave myself a goal of completing 25 knit projects and currently I am at 11. Hats are the easiest for me to get to my goal but I am trying to challenge myself with bigger projects.

I do want to start another 10-stitch blanket because I heard a little birdie say another baby is on the way. Not me...

Deep Breaths

So,  a wrench was thrown in my life and the daily one minute vlog got thrown to the side. Everything is fine but I had some very normal things to do with my elderly mother. As plugged into technology as we all are, it's good to focus on real life and family.

So I will catch you up on other things with my Instagram photos and mix it up. I'm sure my followers won't mind..all 4-5 of them!

I’ve been inching toward something different hair-wise and @jean_randall_stylist delivered. So happy! 😍

A post shared by Debbie T (@moodybq) on Feb 20, 2018 at 7:51pm PST

Did I show you my new hair?? I wanted to do something a little different but didn't know exactly...so I let my niece figure it out to surprise me. The picture doesn't really show the exact color but my hair is a darkish chocolate brown with little pops of bright red. You get the idea.

I didn’t make my blanket deadline for #ravellenics2018 but I’m still working on it. One more strip! #justkeepknitting

The Winter Olympics are over...I finished a cowl and  Hector's Shiny Magikarp hat and more of my 10-stitch blanket. I decided the blanket is big enough for my lap and naps so the final strip is in progress. The yarn I'm using is the green, brown blend so stay tuned if I have enough yarn.

I'll end this post with my two kitties!

My sweet #Philthecat

A post shared by Debbie T (@moodybq) on Feb 23, 2018 at 8:38pm PST

Black cat chooses to sleep on my black purse and laptop bag. #camoflauge #shadowthecat

A post shared by Debbie T (@moodybq) on Mar 8, 2018 at 11:09am PST

Cowl Curling

I've been finding my knitting mojo again which is really nice and relaxing for me.

Another challenge coincides with the Winter Olympics so I listed a cowl and finishing my 10- stitch blanket as my goals. The cowl was finished fairly fast in a couple of days. It's a cowl type that I normally wouldn't consider for myself mostly because of our SoCal weather is not that cold. we usually wear cowls as accessories not practicality. 

My friend Jayna showed me a cowl she bought which is close fitting to her neck yet a lighter yarn with looser stitches to allow air circulation. I searched for something similar in the Ravelry database and found Hallgrimskirkja cowl and paired it with some Noro Taiyo sock yarn. This particular yarn is cotton, wool, silk and nylon blend which will be nice since I didn't want something too scratchy near my neck.

I liked the result so much I casted on for another.

Still half a skein left so I’m casting on for another cowl. #teampuckthis2018 #ravellenics2018

A post shared by Debbie T (@moodybq) on Feb 12, 2018 at 12:30pm PST

14 inches tall. Light yet soft and snuggly.

A post shared by Debbie T (@moodybq) on Feb 10, 2018 at 10:14pm PST

I've already used this for our outings to the Redondo Beach pier. It's been very chilly at night and this cowl is perfect, providing the right amount of warmth for me. I also earned a medal in the Cowl Curling category. 

A post shared by Debbie T (@moodybq) on Feb 10, 2018 at 9:57pm PST

Free Pattern: Boho Hobo Infinity Scarf

Boho Hobo

How this pattern was discovered... I was stashbusting my leftover balls of yarn knitting a length-wise scarf, I would trim the ends off from the fringe and add those bits to my gallon sized Ziploc bag, I think have trimmings and pieces starting to almost the beginning of my yarn addiction.

I began thinking, what can I do with these little random lengths of yarn? And the Boho Hobo was born!! I began knotting the strands together, mixing colors and weights at will. Everything was included, fingering, DK, sport, worsted and bulky. Nothing was left behind even the crazy novelty yarn I had no clue how to use.

I cast on and in the beginning, it didn't look like much but I persevered. As I was knitting, I'm thinking someone must think this is nice, right? This entire week, I bring my mom to the infusion center for her IV iron therapy. The nurse on Monday sees me knitting on this unknown entity, asks what I'm knitting. I say, I think it may be a scarf but I don't have enough yarn scraps so probably a cowl. The nurse replies, It's pretty.

Aha moment!

I keep knitting until I run out of scraps and then began to make more to add on. The length I stopped at was about 44 inches. Bind off and mattress stitch the ends together and wow! I can't believe how cute it looks.

I am now in the process of cutting up my leftover yarn balls into smaller pieces so I can knit another one.

So if anyone is interested in making their own Boho Hobo, I am posting my notes although it's not set in stone...do whatever you like!

Boho Hobo Infinity Scarf: 

Ingredients: lots of yarn scraps knotted together (this can take the longest so don't be afraid to ask family and friends with finger dexterity to help).

Needles: US size 8 (I knit loosely). Choose a size to get the fabric and drape you desire. 

Gauge: not necessary

Cast on desired # of stitches. I choose 28 stitches which gave me about 6 inches width. 

For each row, slip the 1st stitch purlwise, knit to end of row. Knit all rows to get garter stitch which will be reversible and let the knots fall where they may on either side of fabric. Sometimes the knots will get caught on the loops but just work them through gently.

Continue knitting until desired length. Mine was 44 inches, the length is entirely up to you and/or recipients preference.

Bind off and stitch the ends together. 

Feel free to knit and sell your Boho Hobo but please link back to this pattern please. Also if you knit your own, please leave a comment or photo! :)

Start of project

Endless possibilities

My ball of knots

August

Summer is flying by much to the kids' dismay but we are enjoying every moment of it. The days seem warmer than usual due to increased humidity so we stay cool inside and then go for nice long walks in the evening. Did you see the supermoon? That was really cool and neat to see at midnight with the kids. We pulled out the binoculars and could see pretty good details. 

I've been knitting too, Christmas is around the corner. I have  several new things to show off.


First up is a nice crescent shaped shawlette/scarf that uses fingering weight yarn. It's called 504 King West and it's free on Ravelry. I am always attempting to use stash yarn which made a little dent. I really like this but these colors are not my taste so I will gift this one.





I found another stashbuster called Bandanna Cowl from Purl SoHo in NYC where I just was a couple of weeks ago. I like how this looks although it may not be used that much here in LA, I think my snowboarder friends will like it's usefulness while boarding on gusty days.


Boot cuffs! A cute accessory that looks like tall thick socks but no! It's an illusion. Girls get it and believe me, actual socks would be too warm. My calves are big so I would use these, I can barely find boots to fit over the calf so sadly these will be gifted to my family/friends with smaller calves. 

To complete my headband theme, I found a cute headband pattern called It's a Cinch. Also free and a quick gift.  This is the first headband which is knit as pattern states. It's pretty wide so I also knit a narrower version. 




I knit these socks last month but had to rip out the toes again because they were too short. I really wanted to keep them. I don't remember if I posted pics of them but here they are. Show-off Stranded Socks. I love the shades of purple. 



Wow, that was a lot more than I realized. I have some WIPs to get to like socks, a shawl, 2 scarves and always, my hexipuff project.

See you next time....

It's finally Fall

We had a couple of unusually hot days in November but now the temps have dropped into a cooler pattern with a couple of rainy days coming soon.

That means lots of knitting especially for gifts and Christmas...

Handsome kid, if I do say so myself.

This neckwarmer was a special request and then they requested one for their dog. :-)
The buttons add that extra touch for the stylish gal/guy. I really should knit more as gifts but I'm easily distracted....

Lacy button cowl

See? Cowls are in this year and this one has a button too. There are more ways to wear this so I'm thinking of knitting this in another yarn and compare how they come out....

Knitting Catch Up

I've been distracted (in a good way) with knitting gifts. Lots of easy type hats, cowl & scarves. I love the quick results but my poor wrists can't handle all the movement which causes my carpal tunnel to flare up. That's my signal to change activities and take a break.

I've been behind to photographing all my latest projects also. I finish something and it's practically snatched out of my hands & claimed which I guess is a good thing but I don't get the time to take proper photos of it.

I finished a matching cowl set for a guy & his dog as requested from his GF/wife/SO. It was nice free pattern for a cowl with buttons & I was surprised that men were drawn to it. I've had that cowl in my gift pile for a few years and none of my family members claimed it. Then I show it randomly to some people and everyone wants it along with their dog!!




Here is an Instagram photo of the cowl when I finished it in the car a couple of weeks ago. Really nice tonal shades of blue for a guy & I had just enough for the dog's cowl (Chihuahua).

I have another skein of the same yarn but in green which may be another cowl or a hat. I haven't decided yet.

So many ideas churning thru my head for so many things I want to knit!

Have a Happy weekend!

Cowl Day

Today I will focus on another type of easy gift giving. I always try to make gifts for the kids teachers and I try to make something special. Sometimes I get a bit too ambitious for my own good and end up having to rush to finish. After many years, I have now figured out that simplicity is good.

The easy, fast projects have included coffee cozys, fingerless mitts and scarves. This year I decided to make cowls which is like a scarf but circular so it's a scarf loop that can be worn hung or doubled up for more warmth.

I had some super bulky yarn (Lion Thick & Quick) which makes the projects a snap. The first project I knit is called Bulky Ribbed Cowl that is free on Ravelry.

It is so warm and cozy although not as practical here in SoCal but it will be a nice if you're travelling to a colder area. :)

This should fight off the biting chill of winter.

This is the truer color.

I wish I could pull off the cowl look but I don't think they look so good on me. This would be nice when snowboarding or in the mountains. Hmmm.

Next up is the drop stitch cowl. It uses the same bulky weight yarn but with the dropped stitches, the cowl is opened up more for a less dense fabric and a more fashionable accessory.

Pretty sky blue yarn.

The openwork allows the cowl to be a lot taller so it can even be worn as a hood too. Multi-functional!

I still don't think I can pull off this look.

So I already started on another drop stitch cowl in pink for J's teacher who shall be totally rocking this cowl!!  :)

Knitterly mood

I can't seem to focus on my socks so instead I pick other things to knit. I have plenty of non-sock projects waiting to be finished but no, I have to start a completely new project. Yes, I admit that I have a problem.



First up is the Everdeen beanie from the book Weekend Hats. Lovely and stretchy, I think I will keep it for myself. :)

And the Infinitude scarf (although it's a cowl) which I have a like/dislike attitude. I like the idea of looping it around the neck up to 2-3 times without the ends coming undone or losing the scarf but it just doesn't feel right or comfortable to me so I set it aside for the gift pile.



Now I'm off to find more stuff to start so I ignore my socks...

Projects Galore

I finally got some photos of latest projects so have a look and maybe you'll be inspired.

First up is the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf which really takes advantage of the long colorways of Noro. Usually I don't enjoy knitting scarves because I get bored or tired but this one was lots of fun. I think the anticipation of seeing how the colors play out kept me going.

pretty colors

Visually interesting.

I think I will gift this to my SIL for the holidays...she doesn't wear lots of brights so the colors in the scarf should be a nice pop.

Next up is the Snelle Annabelle cowl. This is for Josh's teacher who loves pink. This was another fun knit and only took one day. I like the leaves that go all around.

Hot pink.

Last, but not least is the Vilai socks. I joined a sock yarn club this year and this is the first pair that I knit with particular brand of yarn.

The colors are gorgeous and the pattern was challenging for me. I had to pay close attention to the chart and it sure paid off. The only think I didn't care for the pooling of colors in the foot portion. The leg chart broke that up  but the pooling will be hidden by shoes so not a big deal. I also knit it a tad short so I will give them to Hannah who has smaller feet.

Vilai socks

So that brings up the next question, what shall I knit up next?