Chain Chain Chain

I had forgotten about these lovely, quick scarves that I made a couple of years ago. However we recently traveled to the East Coast, and I needed some quick, instant gratification projects to keep me sane. Also, I was on a plane for almost 6 hours each way. Did someone say perfect knitting time? Oh yeah! I pulled out my huge size N crochet needles, grabbed a few (ok a lot) skeins of my super-bulky lovies, and went to town.

I didn’t do anything different from the previous chain scarves I had made. In fact, I made one in my favorite color combination, Thunder and Grassy Green (I’ve probably made about 5 in this combo).

I also tried a Sea Blue-Grassy Green combo, and I love how it turned out. So very pretty, and very similar to the Thunder/Lime scarf above. Green and blue (in all different shades) look so good together!

I tried turning up the heat on the chain scarves by working with 3 colors instead of 2, in one of the scarves (it’s getting hot in here!). I quite like the effect. I think the two shades of pink and white play very nicely together.

Now that I’ve started, I don’t want to stop. I’m thinking of these color combos next.

           

  

 

                                                    

And here's the whole color palette that I have available to work with!

What colors do you think I should make for my next chain scarves? Let me know in the comments below. If I create your suggested color combination, I will send you a 30% off coupon to use in my Etsy shop!

Have a lovely week!

Evelyne....again

One of the first designs I came up with (if you can call it a design), was a simple lace scarf for my MIL. At that time I hadn't yet discovered bulky and superbulky yarn, so I swooned at the thought of all things lace! I still love lace, but the "bulkies" give me such awesome instant gratification that I keep forgetting my first love. Anyway, I just wanted to share a few pictures of this sample of my Evelyne scarf, handknit by my friend Sara (a friend I made in college in 2001!).

   

As always, I'm so grateful for my partnership with my fellow small business owner and photographer extraordinaire, Kwaku of Nkadu Photography, and my ready-for-whatever go-getter model Lilia!

I hope you enjoyed the photos, and see you next week!

Throwback Thursday - Colliding Stars Scarf pattern

A year or two ago, my friend Melissa of Colliding Stars (who just got two adorable baby hats that I wrote about here), asked me to knit a lacy scarf for her. At the time, I had just lucked into a huge stash of Classic Elite Waterlily yarn, and quickly whipped up this lacy scarf for her using a diagonal lace stitch I had fallen in love with recently.    

Now that the temperatures are heating up and we are very clearly heading into summer, I thought I’d pull it out so you could also whip up your own Colliding Stars scarf.

   

I'm thinking this pattern would look great in cotton yarn (I have some Classic Elite Sprout yarn that would work perfectly for this! ).

With this scarf, you can stay cool when out in the sun, and wrap up all comfy-cosy when indoors in air-conditioning. Check out the pattern instructions below, or easily download the pattern PDF from Ravely here: Colliding Stars Scarf.

See you next week!

Colliding Stars Scarf

Finished Dimensions

8in x 80in

Yarn

Classic Elite Yarns Waterlily (100% extra fine merino; 100 yd [91m] /50g): #1919 Petunia, 2 skeins

Needles US #13 (9mm) straight needles

Notions Crochet Hook E/4 3.50mm Tapestry Needle for weaving in ends

Gauge Not important

Notions 2 stitch markers

Abbreviations k2tog - knit 2 stitches together wyif - with yarn in front yo - yarn over

Pattern Instructions Cast on 21 stitches (or a multiple of 5+2 stitches, and 4 edge stitches)

Setup

Knit 2 rows, keeping 2 edge stitches on each side separated by the stitch markers. Knit the first stitch on each row and the slip the last stitch purlwise on every row to create a selvedge.

Diagonal Ridges Pattern (Edge stitches not shown)

Row 1: K2tog, yo, *k3, k2tog, yo; rep from * to last 5 sts, k5. Row 2: P2, *K3, p2; rep from * to end. Row 3: K4, k2tog, yo, *k3, k2tog, yo; rep from * to last st, k1. Row 4: K1, *p2, k3; rep from * to last st, p1. Row 5: *K3, k2tog, yo; rep from * to last 2 sts, k2. Row 6: K2, *p2, k3; rep from * to end. Row 7: K2, *k2tog, yo, k3; rep from * to end. Row 8: *K3, p2; rep from * to last 2 sts, k2. Row 9: K1, k2tog, yo, *k3, k2tog, yo; rep from * to last 4 sts, k4. Row 10: P1, *k3, p2; rep from * to last st, k1.

Repeat pattern until scarf is as long as you would like. Knit 2 more rows and bind off all stitches (or until there’s one stitch left on needle if you want to work the optional crochet edging).

Optional Crochet edging 1. Switch to crochet hook, chain 4 stitches, and sc to first selvedge stitch on the side. 2. Sc into next stitch, chain 3, and sc into same stitch. Repeat row 2 all along one side of scarf and cast off.

Finishing Instructions Weave in all ends. Soak/wet scarf and block to desired dimensions, making sure to open up eyelets so the scarf is light and airy.

Gifts Ahoy! Part Deux

Of all my family members, I think my sister has the most handknit items from me. This holiday season was no different. I had knit one of my newest loves, a bulky slouchy striped hat (oh yes! I forgot to mention that I fell in love with hats this holiday season) in light grey and bubblegum pink. This hat right here. (I modified the Ushya Hat pattern by Jane Ellison to knit my hats.)

Missy said she wanted this very hat, and a scarf to go with it. I started a striped scarf to match the hat, but she wasn't digging the stripes, so we decided to just knit half the scarf in grey and the other half in pink.

However, after I'd finished knitting with the grey, I thought I'd add a touch of something, so I knit two rows in white before joining with the other color. Then I thought, why not add a bit more color? So in went some charcoal grey and a darker pink to round it out.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take photos of my finished experiment before she left, but the gods of winter made her town so cold (3 degrees Fahrenheit) that she had to bust out these big guns. Here she is enjoying her gifts. :)

Enjoy the rest of your week, and stay warm!

Some Sheila love

The past few months have been rather hectic around here, so I haven't had the opportunity to knit as much as I would like. It's also summertime, so it's a little difficult staying indoors playing with wool when it's so bright and beautiful outside. What I have been doing though, is playing around with knitting different versions of one of my simplest patterns, the Red Sheila scarf. What do you think of them?

The scarves will be listed in the NiseyKnits Etsy Shop shortly.

Which of these scarves is your favorite? Let me know in the comments section below. Enjoy the rest of your week!!

It's been a long time...and some WIPs

I've missed my blog, and you my lovely friends! How is everyone doing? I hope it's warming up wherever you are, and you can see a glimpse of summer. Woohoo! My family traveled for the whole month of May, and I had intermittent access to the internet, which is why you haven't seen much of me. As I mentioned in my last post, I hope to make it up to you soon. Now that the weather is warmer, I'm sure you are wondering how knits can still be relevant. I used to think that way, until I realized that it's a good time to knit lacy items (like some of the works in progress I'm going to show you). It's also a wonderful time to plan for the second half of the year.  The Christmas holiday season is my busiest time, as people are looking for gifts for their loved ones. Plus, it's getting cold!! Brrr!!!

Anyway, during our travels I didn't get to knit as much as I thought, but I still got a few items finished. I worked on a few Berry Lacey scarves, finished a wrap using a modification of Christine Vogel's Drop Stitch Scarf pattern, and also finished two of the buttoned infinity scarves. Here they are.

I would love to hear what  you think of these scarves. What other colors would you like to see them in? Please leave a comment below and let's have a chat. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week!

Updated Berry Lacey pattern

I thought I'd pop in quickly and share some fun news. I updated my Berry Lacey pattern, complete with new pictures and two versions of the scarf, so you can quickly knit one if you'd like. It's a very quick knit and the results are extremely gratifying. All the samples were knit in Malabrigo Silky Merino, but the scarf can be knit in almost any yarn you like. It looks pretty great in chunky weight yarn too.

You can size it up or down, make is a scarf, or expand it to a shawl. Either way, you'll love Berry Lacey. If you aren't a knitter, email me at niseyknits@gmail.com and I'll be glad to knit a custom one for you.

You can download the pattern here: Berry Lacey 2013 or visit my Ravelry pattern page for the Berry Lacey pattern.

Have a great week everyone!

Ideas for spring knits

I think we can safely say that spring is upon us right now. So, I was wondering which of these patterns I should knit up for my Etsy Shop. What do you all think?

A pretty little scarf for spring

Spring seems to be popping up in numerous places, (although some places are still dealing with snow). Look chic this spring with this delightful little scarf that will brighten up any outfit. One end of the scarf is inserted into the other so the scarf stays put around your neck. Pretty and functional is how this scarf rolls!

This pretty little scarf is going for $27 in my Etsy shop, and is available in different colors. Let me know what color you are hankering for, and I would be glad to whip one scarf up for you! Go on and enjoy the weather wherever you are. Have a great rest of the week, and savor the weekend!

Designer Spotlight: Circles + Dots by Olga Buraya-Kefelian

I have wanted to feature this pattern collection on my blog since it came out, but it never seemed like the right time. Well I think this week's post is just the right time to highlight Olga Buraya-Kefelian's "Circles + Dots" pattern collection from Quince & Co. (who make such beautiful yarns! Oh, and I have a crush on their website!). The designs are classic and stunning, and all those circles and dots make me giddy with joy. There are 5 patterns in this collection: a pullover, a cardigan, a hat, a scarf and a pair of mitts. Just a little of everything for every kind of knitter, right? First up is the Effervescence Cardigan, which is the first of the collection that caught my eye. I love the front detail in this pattern and can very well see myself knitting this cardigan.

The Compass Pullover is my second favorite in this collection. (For someone who rarely knits clothing, it's interesting that I was drawn to these pieces in the collection. Maybe it's a sign to take a step of faith and start knitting some sweaters? Hmmm.) This top is just sleek and eye-catching, and I could immediately see myself rocking it with some fun jewelry and a pair of jeans during the fall.

Next up are the accessories!! Woohoo!! You all know how much I love my accessories. The Cowry Hat is a sexy, little slouchy hat that makes me so happy. I'm slowly but surely venturing into hat knitting and design, and the level of detail on this hat makes my little knitterly heart sing. The ebb and flow of the design as it snakes along the hat is quite hypnotic. I'm going to stop talking now, and show you the hat. :)

Then there's the Gyre Scarf, a simple, straight-to-the-point stockinette stitch scarf that has some garter chevron action and little open "dots" at the edges to add a little spice. I love, love, love it!

And last but definitely not least, the Flotilla Mitts. Who doesn't love some flirty little mitts covering up their hands and wrists? These mitts are a little longer than usual, with a few dots breaking up the stockinette stitch used.

I love Olga's design style, and I think this collection is just stunning. Which of these is your favorite? Which of these would you wear? Do let me know in the comment sections, and have a wonderful weekend!