Longing for summer?

This spring has been so looooong. Feels like the summer is never coming! It's almost May and people are still wearing their winter jackets and boots in Sweden! Maybe I should knit me some grass to walk around on... this pattern is from www.lionbrand.com. It's free but you have to sign up to get access. There's both a knit and a crochet version.

Cute - and some not-so-cute - knitted bags

I want an orange handbag for spring. I have had a sort of love/hate relationship with the colour orange all my life. We're on speaking terms at the moment and it seems to be one of the trend colours for spring as I feel like I see it "everywhere". I've spotted orange shoes, sweaters and pants that I like - but no handbag. Well the hunt continues. I made a Ravelry search for bags just for fun and here's a handful of what I found.

Will start with this felted one, a favorite I've had in my queue for years. I first spotted it on a blog and then spent many hours trying to make up the pattern myself. That was before I found Ravelry and voilà, suddenly the pattern was just THERE and hundreds of people had posted pictures of their bag. But I STILL haven't finished it.
By Ishi-knit.  Bag in picture by Jillyolly on Ravelry.

Formal Boot Bag, free pattern by Laura Irwin here. This is a gem! It's partially felted and looks great with a metal chain like the original but I also like it the way raveler rbharper made it, with snap closure. And in orange!

Bag with cable pattern from Drops, free pattern here.

















And then I found some that were eh.. not so cute.

Tentacle bag from Yarn Visions, pattern here.

 Uterus Drawstring Bag by Just Stitched. Eh, what? I guess the name says it all! No lack of imagination here...

Cute, cute, cute

Anna Hrachovec is a toy designer and fiber artist in New York. She makes insanely cute installations. AND she has free patterns on the knitted toy website, www.mochimochiland.com. I think you should check them out. They're actually great gift for kids. And fast knits too. You should know by now that I favor fast knits, eh?

Tiny Perching Pigeons, free pattern here.

Baby Gators, free pattern here.

Little leafy lace cowl - free pattern!

My first fling with Malabrigo Lace resulted in this little cowl. I cannot talk enough about its softness! It's just so ridiculously soft... This is how I turned it into a cuddly cowl/wrap for Isola:

You'll need a little more than half a skein of Malabrigo lace and size 4 mm needles, OR size neede to get a gauge of 27 sts in stockinette sts.

Cast on 170 sts.

Work two rows of k1p1 rib.

Row 3: (right side) *p2, yo, k1, yo, p2, k2, k2tog, k3, repeat from* until 2 sts remain, p2.

Row 4: *k2, p6, k2, p3, repeat from * until 2 sts remain, k2.

Row 5: *p2, k1, (yo, k1) twice, p2, k2, k2tog, k2, repeat from * until 2 sts remain, p2.

Row 6: *k2, p5, repeat from * until 2 sts remain, k2.

Row 7: *p2, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, p2, k2, k2tog, k1, repeat from * until 2 sts remain, p2.

Row 8: *k2, p4, k2, p7, repeat from * until 2 sts remain, k2.

Looking for a new hairstyle for 2012?

Look no more, here are some that you can knit!

Make this in black and go Pulp Fiction style! Link to pattern.

Who can say no to Prncess Leia?

Or maybe you prefer Rapunzel tresses?

And don't forget your man.

Knitwear for four-legged family members

I used to belly dance a couple of years ago. (I miss the tablas and shimmies). And it seemed to me that most belly dancers preferred cats to dogs. I don't know why. I also feel that maybe the same is true about the knitting community, but to a lesser extent. Maybe it's because cats and knitters share the love of balls of yarn... In any case, a lot of us have furry family members, be it cats, dogs, guinea pigs or other creatures. Do we knit for them? Well, I know that none of my cats would be caught dead wearing anything that resembles cloth so I wouldn't even try. But I found some patterns online if you'd like to have a go. Click on the link to get to the pattern. Most of these models seems to be feel very comfortable in their outfits! Even the last one...

Log's Turtleneck

Cat Hoodie

Little Black Dress with Pearls

To humiliate the dog

Together in Tweed - wristwarmers for kids and their mums, free pattern!

I finally did find a fun project for my teeny tiny tweed! And I'd love to share it with you:



Child fits mother so hold your baby tight...

In this pattern I teamed up lovely tweed with soft alpaca. Just as good a team as mothers and their kids. Both yarns come in a wide color range so the choices of color combinations are endless. Make one pair to each outfit! One skein of each will give be enough for both mum and kids size!

You'll need
50 g Drops Alpaca
25 g Rowan Fine Tweed
One set of double pointed needles, size 3mm, US size 2,5.
Gauge 9 sts of k1p1 rib on 1''



Toddler size, 1-4 years.
CO 34 sts with Drops Alpaca. Work in rib, k1p1. Work 21 rounds.
Switch to Rowan Fine Tweed and begin to work in moss stitch like this:
Round 1: k1, p1 and repeat. At the same time, decrease 4 sts evenly by knitting or purling two sts together, wichever is applicable = 30 sts.

Heart Stealer Mittens - Free Pattern for Mittens!

She's a little bit of sunshine/ She's a smile to light your days/ She will steal your heart and keep it/ With her warm endearing ways

She's your precious little daughter/ With a sweetness from above/ Who will fill your years with laughter/ And your lives with lots of love 

Like I said in an earlier post, this poem always reminds me of Isola and her sweet smile. I thought I had to make her mittens holding my heart! Now you can make them too, they are fast knits and great gifts. 
I've used a sport weight yarn and double pointed needles, size 3 mm and the mittens fit any 2-4 years old. I made instructions for hearts on both hands but I think it's quite cute with a heart on only one too. You'll need one main color, one skein is enough, and scrap yarn of a constrasting color...