Coboda Scarves, Cowl, Mitts & Hat

Coboda is an easy and fun scarf to knit for yourself or gifting. Coboda stands for Cast On, Bind Off, and Do Again! It's the kind of scarf that makes you want to start another as soon as you finish the one you are making. They are addictive!

So much so that I uses this technique to create 2 different scarves, a cowl, a pair of fingerless mitts, and a hat! LOL!

These are great projects for using up odd skeins of smooth textured worsted weight yarn in almost any fiber. No blocking needed!

You'll need size 8 needles for the scarves and cowl and size 7 for the mitts and hat. The lace edging is knit as you go. The short and long scarves start with just a few stitches, increase and work even. The long scarf then tapers back to a few stitches. I used 2 balls of Patons Bamboo Baby for the long scarf and 1 skein Lion Brand Amazing for the shorter one. The cowl was knit with a single skein of Yarn Bee Diva Sequin.

Long scarf - 200 yards

Short Wrap Scarf - 147 yards

Cowl - 200 yards

Hat - 125 yards

Fingerless mitts - 95 yards

The cowl is a little more challenging. You begin with a provisional cast on. After knitting is complete, unzip the provisional cast on, remount the stitches and join the edges with a graft. I'll show you how. (Or cast on normally, bind off at end, and sew the seam if you prefer.)

The hat and mitts both start with a provisional cast on and are grafted at the end. The hat uses no-wrap short rows to form the crown. The mitts use these short rows to form the thumb gusset. The hat is very easy to resize by changing the number of stitches you cast on and the number of "wedges" that you knit. That hat and mitts were knit using 2 skeins of Wisdom Yarns Poems in sweet pea.

The Scarves/Cowl pattern are in one pattern and the Mitts/Hat pattern are offered in another pattern.


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

Nectar Cowl to crochet

Nectar is an quick to crochet lacy cowl. Wear it over a plain top to dress it up, around your neck for some extra warmth, or pair with a coat to keep out chilly breezes.

You can make this with one 200 yard skein of sock yarn and a size G (4 mm) crochet hook. It is crocheted from the bottom up in a continuous spiral. My blocked cowl measured 30" around x 9" tall. I used Sensation Truly in truly purple for this sample. The pattern contains both written instructions and a crochet chart.

I blocked my cowl to open up the lace. You don't have to but your cowl will be smaller in size.

I've included instructions for making the cowl longer or wider.

Use up some of those single skeins of yarn in your stash to make this cowl. Choose a smooth textured yarn in any weight and choose a crochet hook larger than the  yarn label recommends. Yarn requirements will change if you use a different weight of yarn.

The 2 page pattern can be found in my Ravelry pattern store. All money from this pattern sales will be donated to the Mercy Corp.

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

Fly Boy Baby Blanket

How about a cute baby blanket with wings to knit for a new arrival or a baby shower gift?

Fly Boy Baby Blanket is a free pattern you can download from my Ravelry pattern store. Here's a closeup of the wing motif. Knit it in a girly color and call it angel wings. :-)

I used over half of a skein of Lion Brand Pound of Love in denim blue for my baby blanket (or about 700 yards). I used a size 8 (5 mm) circular knitting needle to handle all the stitches. Finished size was 30" x 30" and it relaxed a bit more after washing.

The single page pattern includes written instructions and a chart. Have fun!
Click the link below to find the pattern in my Ravelry pattern store to download.

**PATTERN STORE LINK**

Crazy year

2012 has been a very crazy year for me.

The first part of the year was spent dealing with my ailing FIL. He was in and out of the hospital and nursing care facilities for months. He almost died a couple of times. Finally, he is home and doing as well as can be expected at his age. The situation has brought hubby and his brothers closer together.

Hubby and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary without any fanfare. I'm still waiting for him to take me somewhere or do something special to celebrate this milestone. Maybe next year?

After we finally got my FIL settled, my dad began having health problems. It started with an out of rhythm heart, breathing problems, and finally a diagnosis of lung cancer. He has enough serious health issues that radiation is the only option left to deal with the cancer. We are all praying that this works. Losing my dad, especially at this time of year, is something I'd rather not think about.

If that were to happen, my mom has always told me she would move in with me. Hubby and I have been thinking about this and what we would need to do to make that happen. Lots of changes and moving things around in our modest home for this to work. I'm reorganizing my studio, destashing, and trying to clear things out to make more room.

I can't muster up much holiday spirit this year. Keeping my hands busy with a crochet or knitting project is what is helping me keep my sanity.

Coral Reef Shawl to Crochet

I somehow missed posting this one when it came out in 2010.

Coral Reef is an easy to crochet, top down triangle shawl made in lace or sock/fingering weight yarn with a size G (4 mm) crochet hook. You'll need 462 or more yards of yarn. The rainbow shawl above is made from a single skein of Noro Kureyon sock yarn. The coral pink shawl below was made with one skein of Touch Yarns Kid Mohair Merino laceweight yarn.

The stitch pattern looks like branching coral in the ocean as you can see below. It is not a granny square shawl. The shawl ends with a simple shell border.

The blocked size of the coral shawl is: 58” x 28”. It’s easy to make it larger simply by working more repeats.

You could make it with almost any weight of smooth textured yarn in your stash with a crochet hook a size or two larger than usual for that yarn.

The 3 page pattern features written instructions and a hand drawn crochet chart. This pattern can be found in my Ravelry pattern store.

Have fun!

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

Dream Catcher Shawl to crochet

Dream Catcher is my newest crocheted shawl design. This crescent shaped shawl is constructed from side-to-side beginning with a single motif. When it is wide enough, you begin to taper down back to one motif at the end.

The 10 row repeat is easy but does require some attention to stay on track. The result is well worth the effort. Blocking is truly magic for this shawl! Finished size: 83” neckline x 24” long at center back. You’ll need 600-650 yards of fingering/sock weight yarn and a size G hook. I used 3 balls of JL Yarn Vinca in color #2 to make this shawl.

The 6 page pattern features written instructions and two crochet charts. This pattern can be found in my Ravelry pattern store.

Have fun!


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

Serape Bag Recipe to crochet

I had a wild idea to crochet a bag out of Noro Kureyon sock yarn to make the most of the long color run. I used a size G (4 mm) crochet hook and about 550 yards of sock yarn. (My skein of sock yarn weight more and clearly had more yardage than the standard ball.)

The colorway I used reminds me of a Mexican serape. I constructed it from the bottom up in a seamless spiral and felted it afterwards. The top has eyelets to thread a drawstring to carry it by or attach a swivel clasp to carry it as a shoulder bag. Make the same size bag I did or use the instructions as a launching board to create your own unique bag.

I lined the bag and added some pockets.

Unfelted Size: 14” tall sides x 25” around - about 15” long if you include the bottom - bottom is 4” (?) wide x 12.5” long - handle holes are 1.5” from top edge

Felted Size: 13” tall sides x 22” around - bottom is 4.25” wide x 10” long - handle holes are 1.25” from top edge. It shrank more in width than height, the opposite of a knitted project. It’s narrower than I would have liked. If I make it again, I will definitely make it wider.

Click on the link below to download the free Serape Bag Recipe. You can view my store page even if you are not a member of Ravelry. Have fun!

Simple Knits pattern store click here