cosmicpluto knits!

knitting olympics win…and fail

Win:

I finished my socks! As I predicted, once I got down to it, the second one only took about a day and half to finish.

Fail: I was motoring along on my black Terra sweater, getting ready to finish it up tonight and block it so I could wear it tomorrow. Body and sleeves totally done, one buttonband done. Fits awesomely. I go to get the last skein of yarn to wind….

…and I left it at work. Booooo.

I guess it’s being left behind while I take off to Boston for a week!

raspberry beret pattern

This lightweight, easy to knit hat is an accessory you need in lots of colours! Worked in fingering weight yarn, it is perfect for those skeins of sock yarn or laceweight that are just too beautiful to hide. A bit of slouch makes for a flattering fit.

Work this up in a single yarn, or mix it up with one for the ribbing and a complementary yarn for the rest of the hat – I used Koigu KPPPM for the ribbing and a doubled laceweight yarn for the rest.

SIZES
To Fit: Baby (Child’s S, Child’s M){Child’s L / Women’s S, Women’s M, Women’s L}
Brim Circumference: 16 (17, 18){19, 20, 21} inches / 40.5 43, 4648, 51, 53] cm

MATERIALS
Fingering weight yarn – approximately 180-215 yards / 165-195 m per 1.75 oz / 50g skein
Total Yardage: 150 (165, 195){210, 235, 260] yards / 136 (150, 178){190, 213, 236] m

If using 2 different yarns, you’ll need 15% of the total yardage for the ribbing, and then 85% of the total yardage for the body of the hat.

Shown in Koigu KPPPM for the ribbing (35 yards / 32m) and Skaska Designs merino/silk laceweight, held double (390 yards / 354m), for the body of the hat. Shown in Women’s M.

Pattern download through Ravelry and payment by Paypal (no accounts needed).

$4.50 USD

ready to go!

I finished my gloves with time to spare! I knit the fingers at work yesterday and wove in all the ends.

No pattern for this one, just 3 balls of black Baby Ull, some 2.25mm double points and lots of stockinette. I started with 72 sts and decreased down to 44 for the hand (at 8 sts/in) – told you I have small wrists! They’re nice and long and super comfortable too.

Instead of finishing the tops of the fingers like the top of a hat (cut a tail, pull through the live sts) I chose to graft them instead. I have another pair of knit gloves that I did the usual pull-through finish with, and they always have a bit of a hole left at the top. This way is nice and secure at the ends.

I also finally managed to find a top to wear for this performance (and probably others) – I really didn’t know where to go to buy these kinds of clothes anymore, but I ended up at Le Chateau and found just the thing (cheap too). The full effect, although I’ll be wearing a different skirt:

Nothing to do tonight? Come see me and lots of other great people perform! We are the Trampions, a Queen tribute show – Lee’s Palace at 10pm, tickets $12. See you then!

two > one

All the SG-1 love is awesome! I mean, it certainly stayed on the air for ten seasons for a reason, but still. That 200th episode? Hi-larious. I’m alllmost tempted to go back through for a handful of favourite episodes, but I might wait on that a while.

Anyway, finally off the needles are the DK-weight mittens I wrote about awhile back. I actually colour corrected these photos so you can see the proper colours – a great plum and a neutral beige. I used Tanis Yellow Line DK weight for these, less than half a skein of each colour!

I knit the outer mittens really fast, as stranded colourwork often is. Then I had the whole ripping and reknitting of the linings a bunch of times. Then I stalled out on the thumbs – they were done except for the lining thumbs for ages before I finally picked them up again this weekend. And you know what? They definitely weren’t as bad as I thought they were going to be, although I did need to change to double points when the magic loop just wasn’t working for me.

As for the cursed lining, the frustration was totally worth it. Double thick mittens lined in cashmere? Yes please. And I only used 15g of laceweight cashmere for the linings! And just in time for a forecasted snowy week.

Carter Cardigan*

I know you guys have been waiting very, very patiently for this one!

Carter Cardigan
Feeling the chill? Cozy cables are just what you need! The ribbony Sheepfold Cable runs up the fronts of this aran weight cardigan, flanked by tiny three stitch braids that are echoed on the sleeves. A tidy garter stitch waist detail adorns the otherwise simple and easy back. Functional pockets and a mini shawl collar complete this classic everyday cardigan.

Many thanks to Jesh, Suzanne and Dr. Steph for test knitting and input!

FINISHED SIZES
Finished Bust: 30 (33, 36, 39, 41){44, 48, 52, 56} inches / 76 (84, 91.5, 99, 104){112, 122, 132, 142] cm
Total Length: 21.5 (22, 22, 23.5, 24){24.5, 25, 26.5, 26.5} inches / 55 (56, 56, 60, 61){62, 64, 67, 67} cm from shoulder to hem

MATERIALS
Aran Weight Yarn 950 (1030, 1100, 1250, 1350){1400, 1550, 1725, 1850} yards / 865 (937, 1000, 1138, 1228){1296, 1410, 1592, 1683] m
Shown in Araucania Toconao, 8 skeins for size 36.

US 7 / 4.5 mm straight or circular needles
US 8 / 5 mm straight or circular needles
stitch markers
tapestry needle
waste yarn
buttons

10 page PDF pattern contains directions, cable chart and schematics. This PDF file contains fill-in forms, so you can fill in the number for your size right on the computer! Then you can save the file so that your numbers are all set for the next time you open it, or print with the neat typed entries. Just click on the space to type!

Available through Ravelry (no account needed), payment by Paypal.

$7.00 USD

*here is where I reveal my extreme dorkitude and admit that I have been watching Stargate: SG-1 for the past several months. From beginning to end. All 10 seasons, plus the two movies. I just finished this week, and I already miss it!

Beauchamp Cowl

The Beauchamp Cowl is up for sale! And of course, I’ll be donating 50% of the purchase price of this pattern (and all my patterns) to MSF and the Canadian Red Cross for Haiti relief, through the end of January.

This fast and fun cowl is snuggly, warm, and a great intro to stranded colourwork knitting to boot! Worked in either fingering weight or DK weight yarn, this is a great project to use up all those little bits of sock yarn or a special fibre.

FINISHED SIZE
19 inches / 48 cm around, 10 inches / 25.5 cm deep

FINGERING WEIGHT VERSION (Shown in Koigu KPPPM)
158 yards / 143 m of main colour (MC). This is the background colour.
84 yds / 76 m of contrast colour (CC) 4 yards / 3.6 m of yarn is used for each CC stripe.
US 2.5 / 3 mm 16 inch circular needle

Gauge: 32 sts and 40 rnds = 4in square

DK WEIGHT VERSION (shown in Handmaiden 4ply Cashmere)
130 yards / 118 m of main colour (MC). This is the background colour.
65 yards / 59 m of contrast colour (CC)
US 6 / 4 mm 16 inch circular needle

Gauge: 24 sts and 28 rnds = 4in square

3 page PDF file includes chart, photos, and instructions on working either a fingering weight or DK weight version of this cowl. This pattern would be great for a first stranded colourwork project!

Available through Ravelry, payment by Paypal (no account is required for either).

$5.00 USD