Falling Leaves Cowl

This was another mindless knit. I needed something easy for my overnight job, and thought plain garter stitch would show off the texture of the yarn well.

It's been a long time since I did anything in straight garter, and it was kind of a relief.

This piece is 30 stitches of garter on size 11 needles. It's a bit too wide. I will probably make the next one a bit more narrow. Have another skein in another colorway, equally mish-mashy of colors, a bit more primary.

The buttonhole row knits as follows: k5, (k2tog, yo2, ssk, k4) x 3, k1. There was too much fabric on either side of the outside buttonholes. Live and learn.

This is one skein of Loops & Threads Country Loom in colorway Falling Leaves, all but a few yards, knit on size 11 needles.

Button Loot!

I figured, since I have numerous projects that need buttons, I would pack them all into a bag and carry them off to the local craft store to find some. That way I can make sure I find the perfect buttons that not only look good, but also fit through, and stay through, my lovely little button holes.

I may love buttons, but I never seem to actually sew them on. So here's to changing that.

See some button love, below, with finished project posts to follow!

Edit: I started sewing buttons on before I took a picture of them, so just keep an eye out for finished projects...

Mitered Hanging Towel

I definitely enjoyed this pattern, the Mitered Hanging Towel.

I've been knitting for long enough that I can whip through most small patterns, but have had a limited diversity in my projects, so still find novelty in simple things.

I had never done a miter before! I definitely enjoyed watching the shape take form. This project is quick, even if it's not as quick as the Grandmother's Favorites I've been making for years and recently abandoned.

I do have one gripe, though. And it's my own mistake

Has anyone else fallen out of love with the longtail cast on for flat projects? Always stuck with a purl row already on your needles?

I've been rethinking my obsession with this particular cast on, so decided to utilize a cable cast on for this project.

I wish I had stuck with the longtail.

This pattern is designed to be made with a longtail cast on. The pattern is written so that the initial border will only be complete if you use it. I didn't, so my first garter ridge section is one ridge short.

Whoops.

The dishcloth was also way bigger than I was expecting!

Will make again, next time with one needle size down (because I knit loose, so the fabric on mine came out a little thin), and with a longtail cast on.

This dishcloth was knit on size 7 needles with just over half a skein of Lily Sugar'n Cream Twists in Green and half a skein of Lily Sugar'n Cream Solids & Denims in an unknown colorway because I lost the label.

Bernat Pop! Here Be Water Dragons

My sweetie of a mum gifted me some acrylic Bernat Pop! in Blue Blaze. It's a lovely mix of blues, but I don't usually like self striping yarns, though I have been knitting with more acrylic as of late.

I didn't tell her about the self-striping part, but did tell her I would make her a scarf.

So I'm making this lovely doodle, the Here Be Water Dragons. I think the long color changes will look good in this pattern.

I've already had a little trouble with needles size. The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, and this one is aran weight, so, when I started it initially on size 10 needles (like the pattern called for), I thought the fabric might be a bit dense.

So I ripped it out and started again on 11s! Well, I'm pretty sure the fabric was too loose on 11s, so I've ripped it out again, and gone back to 10s, and I'm going to stick with the 10s.

I'm planning on steam blocking this when I'm done, so I'm sure once I've "killed" my acrylic, the fabric will be plenty drape-y.

Problem.

Bernat Pop! only has 280 yards, while the pattern calls for 350-380 yards.

This means I'll have to do less repeats in the center section of the scarf. To make sure I have enough yarn for the third section, the narrowing section of the scarf, I'm going to weigh the yarn ball when I finish Section 1, do as many center repeats as I can, and then start decreasing when the amount of yarn left matches how much it took to do the increases.

That should work, right?

I'm pretty sure it will.

Also, hopefully my mum will actually wear this scarf. The last time I made her something fancy (a Nikolai crescent shawl in Cascade 220), she ferreted it away in a drawer and never wore it because it was "too nice." Fingers crossed.

EDIT: I've frogged this.