Blossom Coasters

Blossom Coasters is the third pattern in my flower series. The Blossom Facecloth and Blossom Rug are the other two. I'm actually thinking about designing a Blossom baby blanket. :)

These cute flower coasters take less than an hour to knit. Knit them in cotton or make them in wool and felt them. It’s a perfect project for scrap yarn. The peachy and greens ones are made from Lily Sugar 'n Cream worsted weight cotton. The pink variegated one was knit in Galway Paint, a feltable wool. Your coasters will be smaller if you knit them in wool and felt them.

Each 5" coaster uses about 21 yards of worsted weight yarn on size 7 (4.5 mm) knitting needles. You'll need a pair of straight needles for the petals and a set of double points to use as you decrease to the center of the flower. The petals are cast on and knit in a row, then you join in the round to knit the center.

When you purchase the Blossom Coaster pattern you will receive two patterns--the coaster pattern and the Blossom Facecloth pattern!

The pattern prints on both sides of a sheet of paper. Fold it in half to form a little booklet that you can tuck in your knitting bag.

The pattern includes the coaster, a rug, and a facecloth.

 For more information, visit my Ravelry pattern store to see all my available designs, current pricing information, and purchase pattern downloads.

Diamonds Are Wild Scarf

Diamonds are Wild is a graceful lace scarf that is a fast knit in garter stitch. Using garter stitch makes it completely reversible--no right or wrong side!

The pattern includes complete written instructions, a lace chart, and a stockinette stitch option. You'll need 220 yards of lace weight yarn and a pair of size 5 (3.75 mm) knitting needles to knit the scarf.

The pictured scarf was knit with 220 yards of Knit Picks Gloss Lace in Mango on size 5 (3.75 mm) knitting needles. It measured 6" wide x 61" long. I gifted this one to a friend of mine. She loves it!

You may also knit the scarf in fingering weight yarn using size 6 knitting needles and omit a few pattern repeats for the same length scarf.

The pattern prints on both sides of a sheet of paper. Fold it in half to form a little booklet that you can tuck in your knitting bag.

For more information, visit my Ravelry pattern store to see all my available designs, current pricing information, and purchase pattern downloads.

Guppies! - a pattern

Guppies is a seriously fast and easy scarf to crochet. They are worked in a row from nose to tail, one after another. All you need to make them is a size H crochet hook and some worsted weight yarn. You'll need about 18-20 yards per guppie or 200 yards for a scarf of 10 guppies. Make it fun by using novelty yarns, scraps, etc. Here's a picture of what the guppies look like.

I had to call it Guppies because of how fast the fish fly off your hook!

This is a free pattern. You can download the pdf pattern from Ravelry by clicking here on GUPPIES! The pattern prints out on both sides of a sheet of paper. It folds up into a small brochure that you can tuck into your project bag. And it's easy to save a copy to your computer in case you lose the printed copy.

I hope you like it!

Block & Windows Scarf pattern

I call this one Blocks & Windows because of the filled blocks and open windows in the pattern. This is filet crochet and is easy to do. It also works up fast!

The pictured scarf was crocheted with lace weight yarn and a size G (4 mm) crochet hook. It takes about 250 yards of lace weight yarn for a scarf that is 62" x 7" (blocked size). It works up well in fingering weight too.

Begin with one block and increase by steps. Work even in pattern before decreasing back down to one block at the other end.

Learn how to add stitches at both ends of the same row. (I had to learn how to do this for this scarf even though I've been crocheting for many years! LOL!) A crochet symbol chart of the pattern is included to help you understand how the design works or if you have trouble visualizing the written instructions. (Writing crochet instructions is more challenging than knitted ones are! I have some great testers who help me insure that the instructions are clear and accurate.)

Make a stole from of this design by adding more steps to make it wider. You'll need about 750-800 yards of laceweight to do this.


The pattern can be found in my Ravelry pattern store.

For more information, visit my Ravelry pattern store to see all my available designs, current pricing information, and purchase pattern downloads.

The Orchard Hill Shawl

The Orchard Hill Shawl is a graceful leaf bordered shawl that blocks to a half circle shape. The pattern is written for a dk weight yarn (408 yards) but has options to knit the shawl in a worsted weight (320 yards) or fingering weight (550 yards). The 6 page pattern includes full written instructions, a lace chart, and a stitch tutorial.

The picture shows the shawl knit in dk weight yarn with Noro Silk Garden Lite in colorway 2011 on size 8 (5 mm) needles. This shawl measures 61" wide along the top edge by 24" long at the center back.

I'd rate it intermediate due to the shaping. The shawl is divided into three sections: 1) a plain stockinette section, 2) the leaf lace, and 3) ends in a pointy edging.

The pattern can be found in my Ravelry pattern store.

For more information, visit my Ravelry pattern store to see all my available designs, current pricing information, and purchase pattern downloads.

A Join-As-You-Go Tutorial

I've been working on two blanket projects recently. One is a strip blanket pattern that is in the works and the other is a Blocks of the Month project with my knitting group. I've come up with an easy way to join the strips as you knit them. This gives you a very strong and flexible join between pieces. And no seams to sew when you're done!

This method works on any pieces that have garter stitch along the edges.

The white stitch is from the last row worked. The peach yarn on the needle is the working yarn. The yellow block is to be joined to the peach block that I'm knitting.

Here's how it's done:

Knit across the right side row until you have 1 stitch left to knit. Slip that (white) unworked stitch from the left needle to the right needle. (Picture #1)

Look at the edge of the strip where you will be joining this row. See the bumps hanging out at the edge? Find the purl bump that is closest to the edge of the yellow block that matches the row you are knitting. (You'll be joining a right side row to one garter ridge in the strip on the left. )

Go up under this yellow stitch and lift it onto the right needle next to the white stitch. (Picture #2)

Now take your left needle and insert it through both stitches from the left to the right (Picture #3). Yarnover with your working yarn (peach) and knit these 2 stitches together. Join complete! (Picture #4)

Turn the strip you are knitting and knit the wrong side row.

You're ready to knit the next right side row and join the next row.

School of Fishies Scarf pattern

Here's another new knitting pattern -- The School of Fishies Scarf.
It's a fun to knit scarf in garter stitch without any seams. Simple increases and decreases shape the fish.

Cast on and knit the fish in a line from nose to tail. The pattern is written for worsted weight and size 8 needles but you can use any weight of yarn you like with the appropriate needle size.

I used about 130 yards of worsted weight for a scarf of 12 fishies that is about 60" long and over 3" wide. The picture on the left shows the sample scarf I knit with Noro Kureyon.

It would be fun to knit it using a different color for each fish. You could even add some beads for eyes.

Single fishies could be used for appliques. Make a funky headband or belt out them.

The pattern is formatted as a little brochure. Print it out on both sides of a sheet of paper, fold it in half and tuck it in your knitting bag.

The pattern can be found in my Ravelry pattern store.  

All money from pattern purchases will be donated to Pet Refuge.

For more information, visit my Ravelry pattern store to see all my available designs, current pricing information, and purchase pattern downloads.

Sunrays Baby Blanket -- a crochet pattern

The Sunrays Baby Blanket pattern to crochet is now available. This easy one piece blanket starts at the center and works out in rounds.

It uses single crochets, double crochets, and chain stitches. The increases create 6 rays or wedges that end in a shell border.

I used 3 balls of Baby Bee Sweet Pomp from Hobby Lobby to make this 40" across baby blanket. That's about 1,000 yards of sport weight yarn with a size H hook. (I used 2 colors in the pictured blanket because I couldn't find another ball of the Sweet Pea colorway in the dyelot I needed. I added a ball of Bare Blue and alternated it with the Sweet Pea to have enough for my blanket. I like how it turned out.)

If you make Sunrays in cotton it would make a nice tablecloth or use a fine weight wool for a shawl. You'll need to change the hook size and you may need more yardage if you do this.

The pattern contains written instructions and a crochet symbol chart for the baby blanket.The pattern can be found in my Ravelry pattern store.

For more information, visit my Ravelry pattern store to see all my available designs, current pricing information, and purchase pattern downloads.

February at last!

January is my least favorite month of the year. It so cold, snowy, and gloomy. I'm so glad it is over. It wasn't a fun month.

It started with me coming down with the stomach flu on January 2. I was just feeling myself again when hubby went in for outpatient hernia surgery on January 14. This is the first time either of us has had to have any surgery beyond oral surgery. It was very stressful and tiring for both of us. It was hard keeping up with my chores that had to be done, his chores that had to be done, plus taking care of him. He watched a lot of TV and I knit when I had time to set down. Hubby was off work for a week. He went back for a few hours after his post-op visit with the surgeon. He's healing well and getting back to normal activities.

There are a bunch of new patterns just waiting for me to have time to release them or finish them up. Here are two that were used for the Holiday Mystery Gifts KAL in 2009.

Cozy Ears Hat
This crocheted hat is a modern take on the vintage pony tail hats of the 1950s and 60s. It wraps around the head covering the ears and ties under the chin. It’s a soft and fuzzy hat that will warm your ears (and not crush your hair). Make it from that odd ball of novelty yarn that is lurking in your stash (or carry along a novelty yarn with some worsted weight yarn). About 60 yards of bulky weight yarn and and size J hook.

A Sassy Little Bib
Scraps of cotton worsted weight yarn, a fun button, and about an hour of your time are all you need to knit this cute little bib. It looks a little like a handbag, doesn't it? Use one color of yarn for the bib and a different color for the straps, or use the same color for both. About 50 yards of worsted weight cotton yarn on size 8 (5 mm) needles.

Both of these patterns are available as free pdfs on Ravelry. They're both formatted as little fold up booklets printed sideways on both sides of a sheet of paper.

Click the name of each pattern to go to the Ravelry page where you can download the pattern. You'll have to be logged in to access them. (If you're not a member of Ravelry, hurry and go sign up. It only takes a few minutes to become a member and have access to thousands of knitting and crochet patterns.)

I love seeing the photos of projects made from my patterns or having people favorite (heart) my patterns.

Have fun with these!