Summer Knitting
I’m not usually much of a knitter in the summer, but I’ve knocked out two projects start to finish over the past month, and I’m eager to cast on for another this week. I’m not sure why I’ve suddenly picked up my needles again during the season I am least inclined to use them, except we’ve been under some stress about the possibility of local wildfires again. We’re entering the months where this was an issue for us last year, and there’s only so much we can do to prepare, so I’ve needed something to keep my hands and mind occupied.
The first project is called Buttons, a beautiful kid’s sweater designed by Dani Sunshine. For yarn, I chose the Wilder Hase base from @angoramoose. This yarn is made up of 50% Corriedale, 40% CVM and 10% Angora Rabbit, and it’s really lovely to knit with. It was obviously intended to be knit in such a way that you attach the buttons as you’re knitting, but I decided to omit them. I love the look of reverse-stockinette on its own, and I think doing it this way will be a bit more practical for my farm girls, who are always climbing trees and hanging out with curious goats that like to nibble on anything and everything.
The second project I finished is the Berta shawl by Amy Christoffers, a free pattern. I knit this using a beautiful DK handspun from @allinkawsay_yachay. It’s made of 50% Merino and Mulberry Silk + 50% Suri Alpaca, and is some of the most beautifully rustic yarn I’ve ever worked with, so I decided it would go nicely with the garter stitch lace in Berta. And because I didn’t want to waste even a single bit of the yarn, I added the tiniest fringe and I’m really happy with how it turned out.
Click the video below for a closer look at both projects:
Mini Knit Dish Scrubbies
Like many knitters, cotton dish cloths were among my first real projects as a beginner. I chose the Waffle Knit Dishcloth pattern by Debbie Andruilli to practice my stitches on, and I still use the heck out of those dish cloths even now, though never in my kitchen. Instead, they reside primarily in the bathroom because although I can appreciate a good, full-sized washcloth in the shower, I find all that fabric too cumbersome when trying to scrub dishes in the kitchen sink.
Recently, I pulled out the very last cleaning sponge from a bulk pack, and instead of ordering more, I decided to try something new. I wanted to make dish cloths that could take the place of sponges in terms of size and functionality, but I had to make enough of them that I could grab a fresh one each day or have enough for single use jobs (like cleaning eggs) before tossing them in the wash, and not have to worry about running low at the end of the week before the clean laundry was sorted again.
So I’ve been making these dish cloths en masse, and although they are dead simple to knit, it took a few tries before I landed on my favorite method, so I thought I’d jot down a few notes here in this post to reference for later.
Right now, I’m enjoying making these scrubbies in sets of three, where each set contains a seed stitch, garter stitch and basketweave stitch cloth. I’ve been making a set of three anytime I sit down to watch a show lately, and It’s just enough variety and instant gratification to keep things interesting. Plus, it’s a light, portable project to work on in these summer months, and would make a great gift idea for the holidays or a housewarming present.
Lindsay’s Favorite Mini Knit Dish Scrubbies
Note: I’m using size US9 (5.5mm) needles, but choose your needle based on your gauge preferences.
Hold three strands of worsted weight dish cotton together (I’m using Knit Picks Dishie cotton)
Cast on 12 stitches
Choose which stitch pattern you want to knit, and continue below
For Garter Stitch
Knit 20 rows, or until the cloth reaches your preferred length
Bind off all stitches and weave in ends
For Seed Stitch
Row 1 (Right Side): *Knit 1, purl 1; repeat from * to end of row.
Row 2 (Wrong Side): *Purl 1, knit 1; repeat from * to end of row.
Repeat Rows 1-2 until you have complete 14 rows, or until cloth reaches your preferred length
Bind Off all stitches and weave in ends
For Basketweave Stitch
Step One (rows 1-3): *knit 3, purl 3, repeat from * across
Step Two (rows 4-6): *purl 3, knit 3, repeat from * across
Repeat step one and step two one more time until you have twelve rows
Bind Off all stitches and weave in ends
That’s it! Pile them up in a basket near your kitchen sink, or bundle them up to give away as gifts.
PIN IT FOR LATER
Simple Sport/DK Weight Socks
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There are so many beautiful sock patterns out there, yet over the past couple years, I find myself repeatedly gravitating toward the method I’m sharing today because they’re simple, quick to make, durable, and most of all they fit my feet well. Every time. Without fail.
So I wanted to share my method for making these here because I’m asked about them often enough that I figured it was time to just go ahead and write a blog post about them. Apologies in advance to those who are newer knitters. If you’re looking for a sock pattern to guide you through the process, this probably isn’t going to be the most helpful of instructions because I’m not a pattern writer and I don’t spell everything out for you, but if you do some research on the basic construction of a sock, this might still be doable.
Another note before we begin: I almost always use US2/2.75mm circular needle for sock knitting rather than DPNs, so I’ll be writing my notes as such. Also, because sock yarn gauge tends to vary, I will often adjust my cast on number by four. So although I wrote the notes below using 52 stitches as the cast on number, I consider it more of a baseline. If the gauge seems light, I’ll cast on 56. If the yarn seems thicker than normal, I’ll go down to 48.
If you make these, I’d love to hear how they worked for you. Also, if you read through my notes and have suggestions or questions for clarity, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.
Simple Sport/DK Sock Notes
Using a US2/2.75mm circular needle and two strands fingering weight sock yarn held together, cast on 52 stitches with the German Twisted Cast On method.
Cuff
Divide the stitches so they are distributed evenly in half between each needle. Join in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches, and work 20 rounds K1, P1 ribbing.
Leg
Knit 30 rows.
Garter Heel Flap
For this next section, work only half (26) of the stitches on the needle flat (back and forth) to create a heel flap. The other half of the stitches will be set aside for now, and will make up the top of the foot.
Knit 26 stitches. Turn your work and knit the same 26 stitches until you reach the beginning. Continue until you have 30 rows and 15 garter ridges, ending on a wrong side.
Turn the Heel
(Right Side) Continuing on just the 26 heel flap stitches, knit until you are 9 stitches away from the end. SSK and then knit one. Turn your work so you’re facing the wrong side, and with yarn in back, slip the first stitch from your left needle onto your right needle. Knit until 9 stitches away from the end and SSK, knit one, and then turn.
(Right Side), With yarn in back, slip the first stitch on your left needle to your right needle. Knit until you are 7 stitches away from the end, SSK to close the gap and then knit one. Turn your work so you’re facing the wrong side, and with yarn in back, slip the first stitch from your left needle onto your right needle. Knit until 7 stitches away from the end and SSK to close the gap, knit one and turn.
(Right Side), With yarn in back, slip the first stitch on your left needle to your right needle. Knit until you are 5 stitches away from the end, SSK to close the gap and then knit one. Turn your work so you’re facing the wrong side, and with yarn in back, slip the first stitch from your left needle onto your right needle. Knit until 5 stitches away from the end and SSK to close the gap, knit one and turn.
(Right Side), With yarn in back, slip the first stitch on your left needle to your right needle. Knit until you are 3 stitches away from the end, SSK to close the gap and then knit one. Turn your work so you’re facing the wrong side, and with yarn in back, slip the first stitch from your left needle onto your right needle. Knit until 3 stitches away from the end and SSK to close the gap, knit one and turn.
At this point, all the heel flap stitches have been worked, and you have now turned the heel.
Pick Up Stitches
With right side facing, knit the heel flap stitches. When you get to the end, begin picking up stitches along the side of the heel. Pick up 16 stitches total.
Knit the 26 stitches that belong to the top of the foot.
Pick up 16 stitches along the other side of the heel flap, and place marker if needed to indicate beginning of round.
Gusset Decreases
Arrange the stitches on your needle so that the picked up stitches and the heel flap stitches are on one needle together (needle 1), and the 26 top of foot stitches are on the other (needle 2).
Continue knitting on needle 1 until 3 stitches remain. K2tog, K1. Knit the top of foot stitches/needle 2. On needle 1 again, K1, SSK and then knit until you reach the beginning of the round.
K1 round.
Continue in this way, decreasing the stitches for the gusset at the beginning and end of needle 1 every other row until the number equals the number of stitches on needle 2 (26).
Foot
Continue knitting in stockinette until you are 1 inch away from where you want your sock to end.
Toe Decreases
Make sure you have an even number of stitches on each needle.
Row one: Needle 1: k1, SSK, knit until 3 stitches remain, k2tog, knit last stitch. Needle 2: k1, SSK, knit until 3 stitches remain, k2tog, knit last stitch.
Row two: knit all stitches.
Repeat rows one and two, decreasing every other row, until you have 12 stitches remaining on each needle. Graft the toe closed with kitchener stitch and weave in ends.
