Man Coasters - An Adventure in Coaster Making - October 2011

So, Justin is prayer leader of the church's men's ministry and has decided that he wants to host a few events, including a breakfast (upcoming).  One of the things I realized is that we don't have enough coasters for the number of guys they want to have in attendance.  With this in mind I grabbed my yarn and a Tunisian crochet hook and got cracking.  I have only made 8 squares and 1 circle so far, but there will be more (for future events).  The circle one was an experiment to see how it would work out.

For the circle, (round 1) chain 5, slip stitch together, (round 2) chain 3, through the center double crochet 14, connect with slip stitch, (round 3) chain 3, double crochet 22 [increase evenly throughout the round each time], connect with slip stitch, (round 4) chain 3, double crochet 32, connect with slip stitch, (round 5) chain 3, double crochet 42, connect with slip stitch, (round 6) chain 3, double crochet 54, connect with slip stitch, cut yarn, tie in ends.

For the squares, use the basic Tunisian stitch.  It is 20 stitches across and 18 vertical bars (rows) plus the casting off row.

I hope this inspired you today!

Blessings!!!!

Knit Needle Storage and Organizer! - October 2011

I found a crochet hook organizer at the yarn shop in town and I LOVED IT!  So... I took the idea and expanded... quite literally... for knitting needles.  Here's MY pattern for making a DIY hook/needle organizer.

First, cut out the material.  You'll need enough lengthwise to set your needle or hook in the middle with the bottom folded up and the top folded down and still have some overlap (about 3 inches) and enough widthwise for each of your needle pairs or hooks to have about 1/2" to 1 1/2" of space side to side.  Also, you'll need two strips for ties, about 14 inches in length and 3 to 4 inches wide.

First, iron out the two tie strips.  (Tip: use water to make and keep crisp creases.)  This will be like the bag handles I have made before, the only difference is one end will be left unsewn and the other end will be sewn because it will be the "free" end.

Iron each tie strip in half (for a midpoint to measure the width of the tie).

Fold out the tie strips and measure the width of the ties from the center (mine were 1" wide ties from 3" wide strips).

The "free" end: trim the edge at an angle then cut a slit along the ironed seam at the middle.  Iron a fold into the end similar to the sides so there are no fringes when it's sewn together.

Extra tip: iron the ties before you sew.  

Sew the ties together along the edges (as close to the edge as you reasonably can).

Now for the body.  Fold the top and crease it twice.

Sew a seam across the top.

Measure the two folds at the top and bottom as folded around the needles/hooks.  Iron the two folds.

Sew the top and bottom creases to give stability.  The sewing should be as close to the edge as possible.

Fold and crease (with iron) the sides twice.  Sew the sides.

Pin the two ties together to one side and sew them on.

Below is a picture of the pre-pocket version.  The sides have not been sewn together, only creased in preparation for the last step.

Measure 1/2" to 1 1/2" (depending on the size of the needle or hook) and mark.  Safety pins will work for this, or fabric markers (or a pencil).  Sew from the bottom to the middle starting on one side, working across the bag to the other side for the pockets.

Once the organizer is sewn together, insert needles or hooks and...

... roll it up!!  Tie the ends to to keep it from unrolling.

Hope you enjoyed this idea!

Blessings!!

Hot Pads Again - October 2011

I wanted to take a break from the projects I have been working on, and since I found the huge bag of yarn for $5 at the church's thrift shop, doodling seemed like a great idea!  I am super excited about these because this is the first yarn I've worked with in a while that actually shows pattern well!  No, seriously, when I post for the hoodie you'll understand why!  Both of these are so super simple I can't even take credit for the patterns.  So, I'll just list the patterns as patterns and say have fun!

Little Squares Trivet
needle size - 9.00 mm
yarn weight - worsted
gauge - 4x4" 12 st x 13 r
finished size - approximately 10 x 10 "

Using yarn from two skeins (or balls) of yarn, cast on 31 st.  (I used one variegated and one solid.)
Knit 8 rows in garder stitch.  (There should be 31 stitches in each row.)
Set 1:
Row 1: k5, p3, k3, p3, k3, p3, k3, p3, k5
Row 2: k8, p3, k3, p3, k3, p3, k8
Row 3 and 4: repeat row 1 and 2
Set 2:
Row 5: k8, p3, k3, p3, k3, p3, k8
Row 6: k5, p3, k3, p3, k3, p3, k3, p3, k5
Row 7 and 8: repeat rows 5 and 6.

Repeat sets 1 and 2 until approximately 8 3/4" long.
Knit 8 rows in garter stitch
** Last 2 stitches of last knit row, leave on needle:
    Handle: k2, turn
        repeat until there are 10 to 12 rows of handle.  Cut yarn (at least 3"),
        (with tapestry needle) sew handle to body, tie in ends.



Diamond Trivet
needle - 9.00 mm
yarn weight - worsted
gauge - 4x4" - 12 st x 20 r
finished size - approximately 15 x 20" (by diagonals)

Note 1: can make this pattern shorter by using fewer rows.  End on even row.
Note 2: I changed colors on this one because I ran out of maroon yarn.

With yarn from two skeins (or balls) cast on 2 st.
Increasing:
Row 1: inc 1, knit to end, turn  (3 st)
Row 2: inc 1, knit to end, turn  (4 st)
    repeat to row 6  (8 st)
Row 7: inc 1, k2, p1, k4, turn  (9 st)
Row 8: inc 1, k to end, turn  (10 st)
Row 9: inc 1, k2, p to 4 from end, k4, turn  (st in row = row # + 2)
Row 10: inc 1, k to end, turn (st in row = row # + 2)
    repeat rows 9 and 10 until there are 50 stitches on one needle (end on even row # 48).
    (can change yarn here)
Decreasing: 
Row 1: k2tog, k3, p to last 4, k4, turn  (49 st)
Row 2: k2tog, k to end, turn (48 st)
    repeat rows 1 and 2 until there are 2 st on needle.  (decreased st by one on each row)
Last row (without handle): k2tog, cut yarn (3-4"), tie in ends.

Optional handle:
Last row is first handle row: k2, turn
    repeat until there are 10 to 12 handle rows, cut yarn (3-4"), sew handle to body
    (with tapestry needle), tie in ends.