Long time no blog ~ Free hat pattern Op.18

Dear knitters,

So sorry that I have been occupied by work and homework and couldn't manage to blog and share my long-finished pattern....Op. 18...Why the dinosaur?  er.......... I like the contrast in color....er...

By the way, it's 2014 already.  How're you guys doing?  I hope the warm weather doesn't stop you from knitting.  (Well, it's always cold in SF so I can actually knit throughout the seasons)

Last November  I used some leftover yarns in diverse textures to knit a children's hat.  I would call it uni-sex, so it fits  either boy or girl under 6 years old.

Here is a reward for all your hard work last year: the  Op. 18 toddler's hat pattern.

Please note that the Mochi Plus I used is in rainbow color way.  By chance it is red when I knit Op. 18.  You may want to replace with solid red yarn.  Red does look good in this section though.

Material:

Yarn A ~ Lamb's Pride Worsted ~ Colorway 17 (Heather Grey) ~ 22 yards
Yarn B ~ Mochi Plus ~ Colorway 555 ~ 15 yards
Yarn C ~ Rowan  Felted Tweed Aran ~ Colorway 720 (Pebble) ~ 60 yards
Yarn D ~ Malabrigo Wosted ~ Colorway 27 (Bobby blue) ~ 30 yards

Tools:  US #7 (4.5mm) double-pointed needles
           US #8 (5.0mm) double-pointed needles

Size:  32 (34)cm head size

Gauge:  20 stitches X 27 stitches = 10cm X 10cm

Skills Needed:
Circular knitting, knit, purl, slip with yarn in front, knit 2 together, Bind off

Abbreviation:
K             = Knit
P              = Purl
K...          = Knit for the whole round
K2tog      = Knit 2 together
wyif         = With yarn in front
Slip          = Slip a stitch

************************************************************************
Instruction:

Cast on 60 stitches with Yarn A in round.

Repeat the following  pattern for 5 rounds:

<K2, P2> X15

***********************************
Change to  Yarn B

Repeat the following  pattern for 4 rounds:

<K2, P2> X15

***********************************
Change to Yarn C and start knitting with US #8 double-pointed needles

Repeat the following pattern for 15 rounds:

K...

***********************************
Repeat the following pattern for 2 times:

Round 1: <wyif, sl1, K> X30
Round 2: K...
Round 3: <K, wyif, sl1> X30
Round 4: K...

***********************************
Repeat the following pattern for 7 rounds:

K...

***********************************
Change to Yarn D
Start the decreasing section:

Round 1:    K...
Round 2:    <K2, K2tog, K2, P3, K2, K2tog, K2> X4          
Round 3:    <K5, P3, K5> X4                                                  (52 stitches)
Round 4:    <K5, P3, K5> X4
Round 5:    <K1, K2tog, K2, P3, K2, K2tog, K1> X4          

Round 6:    <K4, P3, K4> X4                                                   (44 stitches)
Round 7:    <K4, P3, K4> X4
Round 8:    <K4, P3, K4> X4
Round 9:    <K4, P3, K4> X4
Round 10:  <K1, K2tog, K1, P3, K1, K2tog, K1>X4

Round 11:  <K3, P3, K3> X4                                                   (36 stitches)
Round 12:  <K3, P3, K3> X4
Round 13:  <K3, P3, K3> X4
Round 14:  <K3, P3, K3> X4
Round 15:  <K2tog, K1, P3, K1, K2tog> X4

Round 16:  <K2, P3, K2> X4                                                    (28 stitches)
Round 17:  <K2, P3, K2> X4
Round 18:  <K2, P3, K2> X4
Round 19:  <K2, P3, K2> X4
Round 20:  <K2tog, P3, K2tog> X4

Round 21:  <K1, P3, K1> X4                                                    (20 stitches)
Round 22:  <K1, P3, K1> X4
Round 23:  <K1, P3, K1> X4
Round 24:  <K1, P3, K1> X4

Bind off all 20 stitches.

*******************************************************************************
I hope you guys like this pattern.

HAPPY KNITTING

Chic or Chic: Op. 16 Cowl Pattern

Hello knitters!

I'm now blogging while listening to some French children's song.  It's fun!!!  But don't get wrong, Cowl Op. 16 is absolutely for adult.    I had some difficult time deciding on what to do with the Morasol's Hasa yarn.  

The tweed of the Hasa yarn is favored by some knitter friends.  Sweet! 

Here is some info of Op. 16:

Material: 2 Skeins of Mirasol’s Hasa with Color way #2210

    

Tools: Circular needles US# 8 with 32” cord.

                  2 Cable needles

                  Stitch Markers (Optional)

Size: 71 (73)cm circumstances; 19 cm tall

Gauge:   18 stitches x  24 rows = 10cm x 10cm

In fact, due to the irregular spun of the yarn, it is necessary to arrange some extravagant, or I should put it, some unsubtle pattern for the cowl.  That's why I have the big cable, the "big X" designed for the center part in front.   Something 'overstated" would be a good choice.

How about the back?  I have something totally technically and graphically different for the other side of Op. 16.

Hope you like the wavy pattern as well.  It enhances the elegance of the cowl and make it more "chic".  

It was fun to do a lot of ssk (Skip, Skip, Knit) for this cowl. What a good practice!  I did it also for testing the needle tip of the Turbo Click set.   Two relevant blogs are listed here: 2 Weeks After and Finally I got the Turbo Click.  

Anyhow, I hope you all like Op. 16 cowl pattern, which is now available on Ravelry and Etsy.  

HAPPY KNITTING

Cosplay is fun: Review on Unofficial Harry Potter Knits

Hi knitters and cosplay fan,

I've heard about this very special issue: Unofficial Harry Potter Knits, just didn't get a chance to go to bookstore.  And one day I went to San Jose and visited Barnes and Noble.  Yeah, there are only a few mortar bookstores left.  Nice atmosphere inside the bookstore.  And of course I went to check on the magazine section.  There are not as many knitting magazine as the one in Tanforan Mall.  But something just got my attention promptly.  The YOU KNOW WHAT special...

About this special issue, I am sure not the only one reviewing it.  But here are my little thoughts that I would like to share.

My favorite pattern:
Ginny's Cardigan

This one is so adorable.  And I love the color too.  It's the one on cover.  Isn't the back of this cardigan beautiful?

Best cosplay character:
Severus Snape

He's just so easy to recognize.  And there are three knits that are presented with Severus Snape.  Dark.......

Besides all those beautiful patterns, there are two interviews in this issue.  One is with the OFFICIAL Harry Potter custom designer Jany Temime.  She mentioned something of the Ron's sweater in the Goblet of Fire the most popular sweater.  I wonder if she will have an OFFICIALl Harry Potter Knits book published in the future.  

My favorite character is Ron Weasley.  Too bad there is no knit particularly inspired by this character in this unofficial collection.   Hmmmm... 

The average level difficulty of this collection is pretty high.   They are all well crafted and designed by  amazing designers.  I would say the knits of this collection aims for intermediate and advanced knitters.  The easiest is probably the one called Modern Stripes House Scarves.  And it's very cool one too.  Nice color.

Anyway, all Harry Potter fans, go for it!  Or you've already got one....

HAPPY KNITTING

Wolffy knitting idea for this Fall: VOGUEknitting Early Fall 2013 Review

Hi Knitters,

Happpy Summer!  Though it's summer, it's not too late to prepare and choose a big knitting project for this fall.  I do have some ideas.  And I got them from VOGUEknitting Early Fall.

Last weekend I went to Safeway for grocery.  When I was looking at the jam shelf, something next to it  caught my attention.  It was a  National Geographical Kids Special with ANGRY BIRDS.  And next to it, VOGUEknitting Early Fall 2013.  I ended up getting both of them.  WEE.....

The majority of the patterns of this issue of VOGUEkniting is for sweater.   My favorite is a pullover with a vivid wolf pattern in front and a wide boatneck.  And the color is pretty cool and match my skin color.  I am considering knitting a small size of this pattern for myself.  Well, I haven't knitted anything for myself for a long..long...time.  Let's see if I can squeeze something for that.  I wish....

Besides the wolf pattern, there are also tiger, fox, bird, cat, and reindeer patterns...Wow...  That is included in the Urban Jungle section.

There is also a series of baseball jackets available in this issue of VOGUEknitting.  Cool.  

I really dislike instructions that are squeezed in a few pages.  Luckily, the editors of  VOGUEknitting did a very good job for the layout.  Knitting instructions are well typed in the last pages of the magazine.  There are enough space between lines of text and it makes them easy to read.  Thank you!

VOGUEknitting does not only contain knitting patterns.  There are also tons of advertisement and some articles about some technique issue on knitting as well as on dying.  Seven books reviewed in this issue by Leslie Petrovski.   A book called "The Knitter's Palette" me a lot.   I may get this book soon....It seems useful for designers.

Anyway, the copy of VOGUEknitting Early Fall 2013 I got is International edition.  It costs $6.99 US dollars.  Price reasonable.  Patterns beautiful and they are aimed for intermediate and advanced knitters.  I guess that's the end of this magazine review.

HAPPY KNITTING

Op. 12 Free Hat Pattern

Hi guys,

Happy Sunday.  Although it's not that sunny today, I do want to bright you some light and hope by offering a free knitting pattern today: Op. 12 Hat Knitting Pattern.  Hurrah!  I am quite pleased by the quality of the Mochi Plus yarn.  And besides this rainbow yarn, the other colorways are also very attractive and stunning.

Knitting Op. 12 is very easy.  Skills you need are the basics: circular knitting, cast on, knit, purl, P2tog and bind off by sewing.  The knit stitches I did for this pattern are rather loosely done.  The effect will be different if I have the knit stitches too tightened up.

*********************************************************************************

Material:  Mochi Plus Colorway 551 One Ball

Tools:      US #6 (4.0mm) Double-pointed needles
               US #7 (4.5mm) Double-pointed needles

Size:        Fits head of 44-52cm circumstances

Gauge:     20 stitches X 26 rows = 10cm X 10cm

*********************************************************************************

Abbreviations:

K           =  Knit
P           =  Purl
K5          =  Knit 5 stitches
P3          =  Purl 3 stitches
X10        =  Repeat 10 times
P2tog     =  Purl 2 stitches together

*********************************************************************************

Instruction:

Cast On 96 stitches with US#6 double-pointed needles.
____________________________________________________________________________

Ribbing:   <K2, P2> X 24

Repeat for 8 rows.

____________________________________________________________________________

Body Section: Switch to US#7 double-pointed needles

Row 1-6:     P2, <K1, P5> X15 , K1, P3

Row 7-12:   <P5, K1> X16

Repeat Row1-12 three times for totally 36 rows.
____________________________________________________________________________

Last Row:    P2tog X48

It results in leaving 48 stitches on the needles.
Sew all the stitches with the yarn to bind off.

Copyright 2013 by  eatinglemonknitknitknit.blogspot.com

*********************************************************************************

Op. 12 Hat Pattern is an easy and fun knitting pattern.  All it needs is 1 ball of Mochi Plus.  It's good for beginner to practice on the basic skills.  P2tog is an easy way to stitch decreasing.  I will blog about this very soon.  

Anyway, I will go enjoy my last hours of this weekend.  Questions regarding this pattern? Feel free to contact me.  

HAPPY KNITTING

P.S.  My fb page is now up.  Come by for the latest update and feel free to comment.

Op. 11 Hat Pattern

Yo Ho Knitters,

I'm so kind I finally finish this cute hat with an very interest pattern.  

The one you see in the picture is actually no. 2 of it.  I did something differently with the top, and ended up knitting with 3 balls of yarn.   Still, it was not very satisfying.   So I just kept it subtle and started it all over again.  

If you are a fast knitter, you can probably finish this hat within a day.  Learning from my own experience, I would recommend you to count the number of stitches for every row.  I know it's annoying.  But trust me.  It definitely worth spending the time.  

Skills needed for knitting Op. 11 hat are: knit, purl, psso, M1, k2tog, yo, sl 1, knitting in round, cast on, bind off.  I will soon do a tutorial for psso for your convenience.  

Although this hat knitted with Bobby Blue color, Op. 11 is suitable for both boy and girl.  

Op. 11 hat pattern is now available on Ravelry and Etsy.  

HAPPY KNITTING

Op. 10 Scarf Knitting Pattern

Hi Knitters,

Op. 10 scarf knitting pattern is now available!!! Hurrah!!! Please feel free to check it out on Ravelry and Etsy.

I tried to make a sharp contrast, in terms of the density of the pattern, of this kid-sized scarf: first with intense stitch and the second half with some simple lace patterns.

Op. 10 is good for knitters who wants to challenge themselves to become an intermediate knitters.  Yeah...by learning more techniques, you will have more fun knitting.  Op. 10 is apparently a good choice.  I enjoyed knitting this scarf so much.   Techniques you need to know:  cast on, bind off, knit, purl, yarn over, k2tog, skp, slip stitch.  

 And of course, as I told you before,  I love the Sublime yarn.  Kiss kiss kiss....

Obstacles? Yes.  Posing the scarf for photography was not easy. It gave me headache.  How to make this scarf look good?  How to show this beautiful scarf its best to the public, and make people fall in love with it even though  they cannot touch it at the moment?   And with reference of some knitting pattern collection, I finally got relieved by placing the scarf on a piece of floral cloth in dark background color.  Hope you like it.

HAPPY KNITTING

Op. 8 Scarflet

Hi Knitter,

I'm too proud to present Op. 8 scarflet and it's pattern.  YEAH.

The pattern of this scarlet is now available on Ravelry and Etsy.  Another YEAH!
The structure of this scarflet is, as other scarlet, needs extra attentions to build.  Leaves on both side, neck part which can be extended and the loop part.

To be honest, the loop is not as difficult as some knitters image: just separate the stitches into two parts.

Material: SublimeLustrous Extra Fine Merino DK Yarn Color Way294 Folie 120 yards (1 & 1/4 balls)

Tools: A pair of US #6  (4.0mm) needles

          A set of  US #6 (4.0 mm) double-pointed needle

Size: Length 82cm

             Wide Leaf 17cm

                       Ribbing  18cm

Gauges: 12 stitches X 16 rows = 10 cm X 10 cm

And since it requires something useful and advance in technical means, I will make some YouTube 
tutorials which hopefully will give a little hand to some friend knitters.

Scarflet patterns, unlike scarf patterns, are not common available.  And I'm quite amused and a little proud that I can contribute something to the repertoire.  ^____^  Thank you for all your support.

Sublime Extrafine Merino DK Yarn

Hi knitters,
Happy Lunar New Year!
Glad that I got some new Italian yarn with my red-pocket money. (hm..I shouldn't opened the envelop until the 15th of the calendar)  And this time I got something lustrous.

This yarn is made of 67% of extra fine merino wool and 33% of nylon.  At first I thought it contains some silk as it is quite silky to touch.  I was wrong.  (it does look silky, doesn't it?)

Anyway, I first bought two balls of Sublime merino dk.  The yarn is such an woolly appeal and I was so eager to make something great out of it.   Must not have a wooly  head while I am designing the pattern.  The color is also wonderful.  I believe the white string around the merino is the nylon part.  It's almost a sin to take your eyes away from it.  Innovative appearance.

I was about to make something for this Valentine's.  Well, it's probably good for next year. My fault: slow progress. 

I knitted with US#6 needles.  Well, so far so good.  Easy to handle, soft to touch.  So far no complaint about it except it's high cost.  Yet, I would say: it is worth the price.  Will blog about the scarflet soon.

HAPPY KNITTING

Op. 7

Hi Knitters,

Hat Op. 7 is done!  This is my first hat pattern.  With the basic concept of circular knitting in mind, skills required for this projects are few:

Cast On
Knit
Purl
Slipping stitch
Make One
Bind off

Easy enough?  Just like Op. 6, I always like to design with minimum skills to reach maximum result.  It's very nice to seem how the outcome can be so cute. Pattern now available on Ravelry and Etsy.

Most response from Instagram are positive feedback on the nice color team up for this hat.  It fits both boy and girl.  The size available is for kid aged 5-10.

Again, thank you for all the support from Instagram. 

Happy Knitting!

Op. 6 Scarf Pattern

Hi knitters

I'm glad to announce that scarf Op. 6 is done and the pattern is now available for free.

Op. 6 is a three-section scarf.  Though it's knitted with a combo of three different yarns in terms of color and texture, with three different stitch patterns for each sect, hand making  Op. 6 is in no mean technically difficult.  It's not for total beginner. Yet, it's fun to knitting for whom wants to do something more than just knit and purl.  I believe Op. 6 is good as a step stone to the intermediate level.

If anyone ever finish this scarf, can you be kind to add to your project on Ravelry.  Your compliment and referral would be my best comfort and encouragement.  

Happy Knitting

So here it is. 
Op. 6.

*********************************************************************************

Material:

Yarn A:      3/4 skein of Stitch Nation's Full O'Sheep color Aquamarine

Yarn B:      2 skeins of  SMC Select Brioletto color Natural/Undyed

Yarn C:     1 skein of Alpine Wool color Chili

Tool: 

US #9 (5.5mm) Needles

US #10 1/2 (6.5mm)Needles

Length:

204cm =             37cm + 118cm + 49cm  

Width:               A-17cm/B-22cm/C-14cm

Gauges:             Sect B 10cm X 10cm = 12 stitches X 22 rows (garter stitch)

Abbreviations:

K                            = Knit

P                            = Purl

Sl 2 WYIF            =     Slip 2 stitches purl-wise with yarn in front.  

*********************************************************************************

Overall Structure:

Cast on 34 stitches with Yarn A with US #9 needles

Section A  X 43

Change to Yarn B with US #10 1/2 needles

Purl 1 row.

Section B X 264

Change to Yarn C with US #9 needles

Purl 1 row.

Section C X 45

Bind Off all 34 stitches.

*********************************************************************************

Pattern:

Section A

Row 1:          <K2, P2>                                     X8 , K2

Row 2:          <P2, Sl2 WYIF>                            X8,  P2

Section B

Every Row:    Knit

Section C

Row 1:          <K2, P2>                                     X8, K2

Row 2:          <P2, K2>                                     X8, P2

 

P.S. Upsetting news: I just found out that Stitch Nation's Full O'Sheep yarn has been discontinued.  

Copyright 2013 by  eatinglemonknitknitknit.blogspot.com

Variation may not be a good idea

Hi knitters,

I designed a hat pattern which requires only simple techniques like knit, purl and slipping.  What I tried to do was to create something beautiful and simple.  So I tried to make a complicated pattern with the knitting skills mentioned above.  

I was wrong.  The pattern looked weird to me.  It was pretty but...something was just WRONG.  The first 2/3 was fine.  I made some variation for the last 1/3 and expected an interesting pattern would show.  Hm....Disappointment fell to me.  So I undid the last part of it and continue the same pattern until the end.

Sometimes, it's better to keep things simple and neat than complicated the matter and keep the faith that "change must be good".  Sometimes it doesn't work that way.

Anyhow, thanks to the help of those makers from Clover, I have my hat done.  I used those as stitch markers and row markers.  They worked great with size #8 needles.   It wouldn't work well for laces.  May buy something smaller for tiny projects in the future.  

Pattern for this hat will be available soon.  Thanks for reading and

HAPPY KNITTING

What is Teddy Lemon working on?

This is Teddy Lemon.  Teddy Lemon is very busy at the moment.

Guess what he's working on?

He's helping me in typing the pattern for Op. 5 and export it to a  PDF file.  And Op. 5 is what he's wearing on his head.

I actually had Teddy Lemon as my friend over 15 years.   And for a long long time he has been put in a spell for a big sleep by an evil witch....

"No.  You are the one who put me in a plastic storage box."  says Teddy Lemon.

"..........................................................." 

Anyway, he's now working for me as a model and a clerk. 

"Mission accomplished.  I should reward myself a glass of lemon tea for working so hard."  says Teddy Lemon.

"So Mr. Lemon, the headband on your head is so cute.  Where can I get a copy of the pattern?"

"The pattern is now available in Etsy and Ravelry."

"Thank you Mr. Teddy Lemon.  I would like to make one in different colors for you."

"That's very kind of you.  If you don't mind, make me another glass of lemon tea too please."

".............................."