Super quick to knit, and the stitch pattern is easily memorized

This is a quick, super-warm knit done in a lopi-style yarn (in this case it’s a custom yarn of 80% alpaca, 5% merino and 15% bamboo, so it’s snuggly *and* luxurious!).

I used 6 oz (170 gm) yarn and US 11 (8 mm) needles to make a scarf 7 x 70″ (18 x 180 cm).

Please let me know if there are any mistakes or unclear bits in the pattern. Download the PDF and enjoy!

Quick Easy Peasy Scarf

There are holes in my socks, and it's ok

I was wondering about putting holes in socks on purpose, and this is what developed.  It’s an easy pattern; there are double yarn-overs, which you work with one knit and one purl stitch in the next row, and the rest is pretty much just plain knitting.

I used Jojoland Melody Superwash Fingering yarn in colour MS12 (a really lovely dark blue and burgundy shading), two balls of 220 yards (200 m) each to make socks with 10″/25 cm long feet and 10″/25 cm legs from top of the cuff to the bottom of the heel, and had a fair bit left over.

If you find a mistake or something that isn’t clear, please leave me a comment so I can correct it.  Even if you don’t find a mistake, please leave me a comment (we bloggers thrive on comments, doncha know)!

Here you go: Holes in my Socks!

A cascade of lacy leaves

Socks have fairly been flying off the needles around here lately….

The latest are the Maidenhair Fern socks, done in Yarn Treehouse Melody, 100% wool.  It took two 220 yard skeins.  This is the same yarn I used for the Socks of Hideousness but I like the colours much better. They remind me of forest shadows, all green and mysterious.  The pattern is a little lacy, and very warm and cozy.

The socks are worked top-down and the pattern is both charted and written out.   As always, if you try the pattern and find an error or something that’s not clear, please let me know so I can correct it!

Here it is: maidenhair-fern-socks.

April 5th Update: Allison left me a comment pointing out a typo in the written instructions.  Round 15 should read “P1, K4, YO, K3, SSK, K4, P1″.  I’ve corrected the file, and anyone who’s relying on the written instructions and downloaded the pattern before today will want to either hand-correct their copy or download the amended version.  Thanks so much, Allison!

A simple lace rib pattern adds interest to these socks

Time for another free pattern, this time honouring Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity and generosity, both material and spiritual.  She is also the embodiment of beauty, purity, grace and charm.

The lace rib pattern in these socks reminded me of the stream of coins running from one of her hands (her four hands represent the four ends of life: dharma, or righteousness; kama, or desires; artha, or wealth; and moksha, or liberation from the cycle of birth and death).  There is a photo in the pattern pdf file of our statue of Lakshmi that shows her bestowing her coins of prosperity.

The rib pattern is quite stretchy, and the socks have a generous instep, so they are good for people with a tendency to swollen ankles.  I stopped the patterning at the end of the gusset to make the socks more comfortable to wear in shoes.  My socks were done in some superwash fingering weight merino that I dyed myself, but 300 – 400 yards of any sock-weight yarn should work just fine.

The simple lace pattern is both charted and written.  You will need to know how to knit into the back loop, and how to knit two stitches together through the back loops.  If you’re uncertain how to do that, take a look here — knittinghelp.com has wonderful instructional videos.

The goddess is always calm and loving

Ok, here’s the file: Socks of Abundance

I’d love to hear from you if you make them!

A Sock of Hideousness

…when I bought this yarn?  It’s Yarn Treehouse Melody, a 100% wool sock-weight yarn which I’ve used before and quite like.  However, this melange of icky green and over-cooked orange — I can only say that it must have been cheap, and it must have looked better in the photo I ordered it from.  It has marinated in the stash for quite some time, but hasn’t improved any, so I figured I might as well sigh deeply and make some socks out of it.  Luckily, I have a dye pot and I know how to use it.

The pattern of the socks I like quite a bit.  It’s a simple knit and purl design, and the socks are knit top-down with a heel flap and short-row heel.  Should you also have some less-than-lovely yarn, or even some very nice yarn, and wish to make them, here is the PDF pattern for The Socks of Hideousness.

Not yet blocked, so a bit wrinkly, but you get the idea

Happy new year to everyone!  Here in Ottawa the day is bright and sunny and fairly cold.  Chickadees are all over the bird feeder by my window and the squirrels are cleaning up the seeds on the ground (and for once not fighting with each other).  The grouse is still finding things to eat in the crab apple.  There are deer and squirrel tracks all over the back deck.   It’s after 10 am and I’m still in my pyjamas…. I hope your day is as nice as this one.

The sock in the picture was designed for a man, and I think it’s got a classic look to it that even those guys who only ever want plain black socks would like.  It’s done in Farrow Rib, a multiple of three stitches (three plus one, if you’re knitting it flat rather than in the round).  I used Elann’s “Sock It To Me” — two balls of 210 m/50 gm superwash wool/nylon blend.  Pretty much any sock-weight yarn will do, of course.

Here’s the pattern, with my best wishes for a great 2009: Farrow Rib Socks download

Don't they look cozy?

It’s so windy today that even though it’s not that cold, it feels chilly and biting out there. One of the things I love about winter in Ontario is that the weather just requires fabulous knit things!

This is a simple pattern with eye-of-partridge heels for thicker socks, like boot socks or house socks.  For variety, I’ve made them with ribbing and/or cables down the leg, and stripes, but they have a rustic simplicity in plain stockinette, too.  The free, downloadable pattern is for plain socks, but you can choose your own embellishment, as long as it fits into 44 stitches.

Two skeins of Briggs and Little “Tuffy” (80% wool and 20% nylon) and a set of four 3.25 mm (US 3) double-pointed needles are suggested to make them (Tuffy is an 8 wpi aran-weight type yarn with 215 yds/197 m per 4 oz/113 gm skein).

Comfy Old Favourite Socks download

A simple cable pattern makes a lovely scarf

The waves scarf is a quick knit and easy to do.  I tried doing cables without a cable needle for the first time with this pattern, and it worked really well.  In case you don’t know how to do that, there’s a link to a tutorial in the pattern .pdf.

My wishes for peace, prosperity and good health go out to all!

Waves Scarf download

Mmmmmmmm, smooooshy

The design for this scarf was inspired by some yarn that my friend Moira gifted me with.  It is a blend of her own angora and some commercial merino that she had spun up and then hand-dyed.  I have some in a soft grey, and also some mint green to play with, lucky me!  This blue I used to made a scarf for her as a thank-you for the yarn.

This yarn wants to be petted and stroked and smooshed against your cheek, and I wanted the scarf to convey all that softness in its design.  If you happen to make this scarf, please send me a picture; I’d love to see it!

Moira’s Scarf