Designs by KN blog

Just as spring dandelions are multiplying like rabbits in the yard, my yarn stash continues to surprise by reproducing all over the house. A couple days ago I opened the drawers of a small nightstand to discover it was packed with leftover scraps of cotton yarns.  There was yet another “yarn octopus” lurking in one drawer, along with partial balls of cotton sock yarn, fashion crochet thread & scads of kitchen cotton oddments.  I spent a pleasant hour sorting out the mess and detangling the octopus.

Once the scraps were rewound into tidy little balls, I grabbed a size H crochet hook and started to crochet.  The first project was one of my personal favorites, the Shell Point Chenille Facecloth.  This cloth is versatile.  Depending on yarn choice and hook size, the finished result can serve as a doily, table center, coaster, dishcloth and, yes, a facecloth or spa cloth if made in a soft yarn.  I started with scraps of Lily Sugar’n Cream for the first cloth but just like potato chips, you can’t stop with just one!  Before I knew it I had a whole spring-blooming garden of cloths (as posted on the Designs by KN Facebook page “Whether cooking or crafting, don’t you just love using up leftovers?”)

Once this cloth garden was complete I switched to a size G hook to work with some of the thinner cottons found in the nightstand drawer:  remainders of Aunt Lydia’s Fashion Crochet (size 3) that were so pretty together I decided to create a colorblocked version of the Liquid Gold Chain Mesh Scarf:

Before using all the leftovers of this particular cotton, it was actually long enough (measures 4″ wide by 60″ long) so the last two colors (red & black) were set aside for another project.  Here’s the finished scrappy scarf:

Since the household yarn stash keeps reproducing, ”yarn paintboxes” like this appear from time to time.

That’s o.k., they keep me busy and activate the Designs by KN brain cells to create new ideas and patterns that will be enjoyed by others.

Next week will be time to participate in the 3rd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, organized by Eskimimi Makes.  Should be even more fun than detangling a yarn octopus!

My mom and I often remark on the principle of giving and receiving. Sometimes it seems that the act of giving is followed by receiving something unexpectedly.  We don’t consciously think about it when giving voluntarily but occasionally we marvel about events that transpire later on.

This week’s giving project involves turning more stash yarn into baby, teen and adult hats to be donated to a charitable cause, such as Pine Ridge Reservation and the Ravelry group that supplies them (For the Children of Pine Ridge.)  Here are a few completed so far:

Rib-look Newborn Baby Hats

Knit Hat (for anyone!)

Crochet Hat

This will be the third batch of items sent to For the Children of Pine Ridge, which has a collection point in a town not far from here, making it easy to give.  I was so surprised to receive a hand-written thank-you note (a rarity these days) from One Nation Walking Together so will continue to contribute to their cause.

Unexpected news received this week was a “check in the mail” (always fun!) as well as the announcement of the winners and contents of the Crochet 2013 Day-to-Day Calendar and the Knitting 2013 Day-to-Day Calendar.  Although I wasn’t one of the top winners this time, five Designs by KN patterns will be included in the calendars (to be released later this summer but available for pre-order now.)

I also worked on several design submissions and sent them off (now the wait begins.)  As I focused intently, three of my cats decided to “help.”  Bill settled into the chair in the sun, Patches crawled into the basket of yarn, and Andrew made himself comfortable on a blanket I was consulting:

One more surprise was received by many of us along the Front Range of Colorado: a spring snowstorm!

Six inches of new spring snow was a welcome event, helping to combat the severely dry conditions of the past month.  A few days after the snowstorm, we attended our first Colorado Rockies game of the season. Unfortunately it was cold, windy and rainy so we dressed accordingly, in layers, with extra socks, gloves, parkas and lap quilt in tow.  I intended to wear the ”baseball beanie” made a few weeks ago but discovered there was not a single purple, black, white or silver scarf in my wardrobe to match!  Since it was early morning on game day, there was time to quickly crochet a chunky scarf.  By game time, this hat and scarf set was ready for use:

Better Late Than Never Beanie

Chunky Stripe Scarf

It came in handy in the miserable weather conditions (we left early when a rain delay was called in the 4th inning.)

Until next time, keep on giving of the work of your hands.  You never know what surprises may come your way in return!

FO Friday has arrived again, springing upon me much too quickly.  As I said in the last post, where does the time go?

Seasons are changing, as evidenced by our Spring Snow Crabapple trees bursting into bloom this week. Not only are they spectacular to view against the blue, blue Colorado sky, but the fragrance is heavenly.

Another sign of spring was the first surprise thunderstorm (wind, intense rain, hail, lightning & thunder at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday) as well as a funnel cloud sighting well east of here earlier that afternoon, which prompted tornado sirens to sound. Fortunately no damage, but behind that first storm front lurks more bizarre spring weather on the way, including rain, cold, and yes … spring snow!

If the weather turns frightful, I am prepared.  My FO for the week is a new pair of soft and cozy Twist’n Stripe Socks.  Some time ago, my design for these socks was published in Debbie Macomber Blossom Street Collection, Book 3.  I was digging in my yarn stash the other day and discovered some unused hanks of Plymouth Yarns “Happy Feet” sock yarn, so decided to use it for a two-color version.  If a spring snowstorm hits, at least my feet will be happy and warm in their new socks!

Along with sharing project ideas and FOs on the Designs by KN Facebook page, I’ve been recommending favorite knit/crochet book titles enjoyed over the years.  Also, the Designs by KN website has been updated with news on the home page and two additional pages: Projects & Photos and Book Recommendations. Check them out if you’re interested.

Funny story:

Spring cleaning has its rewards. Despite the grungy work, happy surprises may await you.  I was vacuuming the living room and decided to give the furniture a once-over too.  I moved one of the couch pillows and discovered …  a long-lost size H crochet hook!  Some would think it weird, but knitters & crocheters will appreciate my joy at being reunited with one of my favorite tools.

Stitch on.

Where does the time go?  Here it is Friday already & I almost forgot … not only is it a Friday, but it’s the day we post our week’s production of finished objects (FOs) in the “I Blog” group on Ravelry.

So what have I accomplished this week? Besides household chores, laundry, yard work, staining the deck, grocery shopping, baking muffins, cooking dinner, trips to the bank & post office, taking walks and watching numerous spring training/Opening Day baseball games on TV, hmmm … I must have fit some knitting & crocheting time in there somewhere!  Ah yes, I do have a few things to show.

The Vintage Wheel Squares crocheted from leftover scraps of Tahki Cotton Classic were assembled into this Vintage Wheel Table Runner. I arranged the squares in an offset diamond pattern for a runner that measures 17″ wide by 40″ long.  At least it’s something different!

On the charity front, I just completed this Oliver’s Cap and Mariners Scarf set for the Christmas-at-Sea program (patterns here), in various wool-blend yarns from stash.  Hope it helps to keep a mariner warm when out on the water and away from home this Christmas (for a touching, appreciative piece on what our knit/crochet gifts mean to these seafarers, see this post by Paige Sato, manager of the volunteer program.)

Since Easter Sunday is just around the corner, these are some Easter-themed projects I posted on the Designs by KN Facebook page this week, in case you’re in the mood for some last-minute seasonal stitching:

Easter bonnets …

Rib-Look Newborn Baby Hat

Easter bunnies …

Baby Washcloth Bunnies

Easter basket …

Butterscotch Basket

Coming up next weekend will be our first trip to watch the Colorado Rockies play at Coors Field.  It will be good fun to start a new season of baseball. I’m already imagining the hours of knitting/crocheting time ahead while watching games, either in person or at home on TV.  That means more FOs to come!

I’m looking forward to the start of the 3rd Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week coming up Apr. 23-29, organized by Eskimimi Makes.  The topics for the 7 days of blogging have been announced so if you’d like to join in the fun, check out the details here.

Knitting Daily posted this announcement about the new eBook “Interweave Knits presents A Step-by-Step Guide to Knitting Cables, with 4 staff favorite patterns.” My Recedere Hat appears in the banner along with three other cable projects in this book, available for download now.

Photo copyright Knitscene/Interweave Press

Happy Easter, happy baseball Opening Day(s), and happy spring stitching!

A few posts ago I mentioned receiving some good news, and hoped to be able to share it soon.  Well, the day has come!  I’m very pleased to report that Interweave has released a new eBook title, available for download now:  Interweave Knits presents A Step-By-Step Guide to Knitting Cables with 4 Staff Favorite Patterns.  And one of the four “staff favorite” patterns is my Recedere Hat! (click on Table of Contents tab)

Photo copyright Knitscene/Interweave Press

The description reads: “Editor of Interweave Knits magazine Eunny Jang guides knitters of all skill levels through the basics and beyond of knitting cables.”  How fun!  The other three patterns in this eBook, which offers cabled projects of various skill levels, are Ladybug Headband, Hawthorne Pullover and Cable-Down Raglan.

Early this morning I discovered that this downloadable eBook is available now and was pleased to see Eunny Jang’s name in the description. Later today I’ll be watching an episode of “Knitting Daily“ on PBS. Eunny is the charming host of the program and I always enjoy her warm greeting at the opening of the show, as well as her expert knitting instruction.  Thanks to everyone at Interweave for selecting the Recedere Hat to be included in this exciting new eBook format!

On the crochet front, a shawl project was completed this week. Nine balls of NuMei Cotton Chenille in a luscious blue teal color have been sitting in a plastic bag in my stash for oh, at least three years.  I was in the mood to crochet another Spring Snow Shawl and when I spotted the chenille decided to give it a try. For this version I increased the width by chaining 64 to start, but worked on a smaller size hook than called for (size H with this worsted weight chenille, to prevent the possibility of worming) which resulted in a shawl about 22″ wide.  The ball band states “Cotton chenille is not an elastic yarn” and even though I knew that already, I persevered through some tough crocheting (hard on the hands/arms/shoulders) to a length of about 60″.  Thank goodness the stitch pattern is easy and enjoyable, so the result was worth it … a soft, cozy shawl to wrap up in, destined as a gift for a family member:

I also worked on some more Vintage Wheel Squares this weekend, and as I was digging in the bag of cotton yarn scraps I discovered a half-finished C’s Kerchief … so I finished it! (this one is in Plymouth Yarns “Wildflower DK.”)

In other news, the 3rd Annual Knitting & Crochet Blog Week has been announced (and supremely organized) by Eskimi Makes:

It will run from April 23-29, 2012 and Designs by KN will be participating in the fun.  Check out all the details at Eskimi Makes.

In nature news, we noticed a pair of turtledoves outside this weekend. They were first spotted sitting side-by-side on a tree branch at the corner of our back deck. They are nesting in a juniper tree right outside our kitchen window!  When the babies arrive there will no doubt be a cheerful, noisy ruckus greeting us every morning (in another tree not far away, blackbirds have been building their nest as well.)

Welcome springtime!

As mentioned on the Designs by KN Facebook page, I’m currently re-reading (for the fourth time!) the fun-filled “Stitch ‘n Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker” by Debbie Stoller.  It’s such a good read, colorfully and cleverly illustrated, and an excellent compilation of instruction, history, inspiration and patterns to keep crocheters amused and busy for quite some time.  Even if you already know how to crochet, you will find the author’s writing style entertaining, informative and humorous, and may pick up some useful tips along the way.

This week has been one in crochet mode, which is probably the reason I pulled “The Happy Hooker” off my bookshelf the other evening when searching for something to read before bedtime.  FOs completed include an assortment of Vintage Wheel Squares crocheted with stash leftovers of Tahki “Cotton Classic” accumulated over time.  Some of the squares will be used as home dec coasters or doilies, but I will probably assemble a number of them together into a larger piece such as a colorful patchwork table mat.

Earlier in the week, I used another stash yarn (Red Heart “Symphony”) to create this Shortie Shell Capelet.  I wasn’t really following my own finished pattern, but rather some first-draft scribbled notes in one of my design journals. After completing and photographing this version, I realized it doesn’t quite match the finished version shown on the pattern page but it’s close!  I was having so much fun crocheting round and round that I just went off on a tangent until I felt it was long enough to serve as a shoulder-hugging, soft and light-as-a-cloud accessory.

On a sad note this week, my heart goes out to the victims of the wildfires currently raging in our region’s foothills. I imagine there will be a need for comfort items for those who have lost everything, so will be ready to donate knitted/crocheted pieces or whatever is suggested, once the needs are known. Thoughts and prayers are with the families who have been affected by this disaster … also praying for some rain to alleviate the extremely dry and warm conditions that have turned our state into a tinderbox.

Hook yourself a good read at your local library, or find one through the vast assortment of downloadable titles now available online. After all, reading about knitting and crocheting can be just as enjoyable as the stitching!

Ah-choo! The first bout of seasonal allergy-caused sneezing just hit me.  Yes, spring has arrived.

My growing fondness for using up yarn oddments from stash is leading to more springtime scrappin’ projects. Over the weekend, I had an idea to use some sport-weight cotton scraps in a log cabin square, intending to work it into a small baby blanket. The square is one designed for a contest sponsored by Red Heart and Crochet Today! magazine a few years ago.  It was selected as one of twelve squares that were reworked into a coordinated color scheme and assembled into the Contest Favorites Heart Squares Afghan. My square (#3, February) was built in the log cabin technique and featured a heart in the center with touches of embroidered embellishments.

For the scrappy cotton version, I simply worked the basic square in five different colors of sport-weight on a size G hook. When it reached a size of 14″ square, for some weird reason I decided to fold the corners to the center.  When I did so, an unusual graphic pattern resulted.  After slip-stitching the seams on the back side and inserting a 12″ pillow form, this was the result:

Here is the original square as published in the magazine.  The free patterns for each square in the afghan are available on the Coats & Clark website:

Photo by Rose Callahan, copyright Crochet Today!/SoHo Publishing

Another cotton project completed over the weekend is this aqua version of my newly-released pattern Sunny Day Mob Cap:

On Saturday afternoon, we took a short road trip to visit family, so of course I took a car-travel project with me. I grabbed a few leftover single balls of Cascade 220 wool and set to work on my fave “when I’m too tired to work on anything else” project — Knit Hat (for anyone!)  So far I’ve completed three of them, which will eventually be donated to a charitable cause.

Time to visit the Designs by KN craft room to see what scrappy projects can be put together next.  Sure hope I don’t spend the whole day sneezing instead of knitting and crocheting!

The sunshine has returned, the stomach flu bug has departed, and spring has officially arrived.  To celebrate the changing seasons, I’m happy to announce the release of two new patterns for little ones.

First off, for your crocheting pleasure, here is something sweet for baby’s feet!

Cheery Cotton Baby Shoes 

And for knitters, here’s a hat to protect tots from the spring and summer sun:

Sunny Day Mob Cap

Although I didn’t plan it that way, these two patterns coordinate well enough for a nice little gift set!

The advent of spring also means sunshine and cheer for baseball fans!  We’ve been watching spring training games on TV and eagerly await Opening Day. Yesterday I grabbed some purple yarn off the shelf and began crocheting.  Soon I held in my hands a new hat to wear to our fave team’s home games.  I stitched up a “Better Late Than Never Beanie“ in Colorado Rockies team colors (purple, black, white) and look forward to wearing it.  From past experience, we know that there will still be some bouts of winter weather greeting us when sitting outside at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, so this hat will come in handy on those not-so-sunny days of spring.

Hope you enjoy these new (& not-so-new) project ideas.  Watch for more in the coming months from Designs by KN … and if you’re on Facebook or Pinterest or Ravelry, stop by to visit us there too!

Thanks.  Wishing you all a sunny day!

… to bring you minor surgery and the stomach flu! Both events are responsible for the lack of recent blog posts from DBKN.  I’m only just now recovering and beginning to feel human again.

It’s a bummer when your daily knit/crochet fun is interrupted by illness. Once over the worst of it, I received a request from DD for a gift for an upcoming baby shower she has been invited to … something for a little girl, in pink.  My standard go-to gift for baby girls is usually Lacy Baby Hat and Scalloped Lace Baby Socks, but this time I added a blanket.  Worked in various pink and white yarns from stash (Loops & Threads Snuggly Wuggly Baby Sport and Impeccable Worsted, TLC Baby Amore) this gift set includes a modified version of the Garden Path Baby Blanket I designed for Debbie Macomber’s Blossom Street Collection, Book 3:

It was a pleasant way to pass the hours until my strength and appetite returned. Now to stay healthy for awhile and move ahead with more springtime knitting and crochet projects … and blog posts!

Time to spring ahead … not only with the clock but also with new projects. The last batch of FOs are tucked away for future needs, whatever may come along. My second box of donations to the Ravelry group “For the Children of Pine Ridge” arrived at its destination this week. With those projects completed and out the door, it was time to start new ones.

Yesterday I intended to work with leftovers of Tahki “Cotton Classic” (one of my fave yarns) but discovered one lone ball of a beautiful coral-colored yarn in stash (Lion Brand Yarns “Microspun”.) I started crocheting and in just a couple hours created this “skinny scarf” version (one square wide) of  DBKN’s Old World Scarf:

Such a pretty color for spring!  I’ll get back to the Tahki “Cotton Classic” soon.  Over the next week or so on the Designs by KN Facebook page, I’ll be featuring several DBKN patterns that have been worked in it, such as this favorite V-Stitch & Shell Cap:

A few days ago I decided to create a striped version of the Cuddle Cable Baby Blanket. Since there was a quantity of red, white, and blue yarn in stash, it quickly became dubbed the “Election Year Blankie”:

Of course, a new blanket attracts cats like a magnet, so our 20-year-old Patches (found out today she’s 96 years old in human years!) took advantage of a quick snooze when it was set aside for a few minutes …

The accumulated stash of this and that from 40 years of knitting and crocheting revealed a new surprise yesterday: a quantity of another lovely yarn, Filatura di Crosa “501″, which has been hidden away for several years. It’s a sport-weight in a soft cream color.  Over time, different projects were attempted with it but nothing was ever quite right.

Then I remembered the perfect project to match this yarn:  my #16 Basketweave Pocket Scarf from “60 More Quick Knits“!   Since I’m enjoying some free time this weekend, the scarf is progressing well …

This is a good project to work on while watching baseball spring training games.  Looks like there’s a game on TV right now, so off to knit and enjoy!

P.S.  Received some good news the other day which I hope to be able to share soon.  Stay tuned!