Leftover scarflette - Free Scarf Knitting Pattern

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After finishing Min's scarf, I had a bit of the Merino Mia yarn left over so I improvised a quick, skinny scarf. Here's the pattern if you have some leftover yarn that's less than 100yds and you want to do something with it. It utilizes the fishnet lace pattern and a simple garter stitch.

Leftover Scarflette Pattern
Needles: US #7 or whatever size you want. The larger the needles, the airier your scarf.
Cast on 14 stitches or any multiple of 2 stitches.
Knit 2 rows.
Fishnet Lace Row: K3, *yo, k2tog, rep from * to last 3 stitches, K3
Repeat this lace row about 20 times, then switch to garter stitch and just knit 30 rows straight.
Repeat these two sections until the scarflette is as long as you want it, or you are almost out of yarn. Then knit 2 rows, and bind off. :) Enjoy!!
I blocked the scarflette by soaking it in a bucket of water with a few drops of Eucalan wool wash (or you can use a few drops of shampoo) for about 2 hours (30minutes or more is generally recommended), gently wringing the water out, rinsing it out in a bucket of clean water, and then blocking it to make it as open as I could. :)

Min-ee Wiki is done!

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I finally finished Min's scarf using the Drop Stitch scarf pattern that I seem to be addicted to. I cast on 36 stitches, and then introduced 8 rows of stockinette stitch after doing 8 repetitions of the drop stitch pattern. This was my third drop stitch scarf and so I wanted to change it up a bit.

This yarn, Prism's Merino Mia, is like a chameleon! It felt a little hard and unyielding when I bought it, and I wasn’t sure how it would come out in a scarf. After soaking it and blocking it though, it became so soft and airy! The finished product is just amazing! I tell you, blocking is awesome. Although it takes a while, it really does finish your project realy well. :) It's a gorgeous, soft scarf, and I hope Min likes it. :) Plus, it's really long! All of 82 inches.


My love affair with the Drop Stitch Scarf pattern

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I've fallen in love with the Drop Stitch scarf pattern by Christine Vogel. I am on my third drop stitch pattern in three weeks, and I'm very sure that I'll be making at least one more item using that pattern. LOL! You've all seen the stole I made in the Amethyst colorway of RYC SoftLux. I also made a scarf out of one skein of Malabrigo Silky Merino, in the Viena colorway. That yarn is sooooooooooooooooooooooo soft!! Wow! Just a pleasure to knit with. I didn't want to put it down for any length of time. Mm-hmm! Now I'm working on a scarf for my dear friend Min, using Merino Mia from Prism yarns. Enjoy!!

These first two pictures are of the scarf in the Malabrigo Silky Merino yarn, Viena colorway.

These two are of Min's scarf in Prism Yarns Merino Mia. I'm still working on it and hope to be done with it this week.

Hector Plahar Photography

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Our friend Hector Plahar, who also lives in the Bay Area with us, is the one I asked to take the pictures of my knitting. All the professional looking pictures are his handiwork, and I must say that I really love his work. If you need someone to take some pictures for you - at an occasion or just for fun, and you live in the Bay Area, just let me know and I'll put him in touch with you. I know he will quote you some reasonable prices. Here are some pictures he took of my yarn and some works in progress, that I just love. He also made the postcard that's the first picture.


The first lace item I knitted

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This pattern is Wisp by Cheryl Niamath. It was featured on the online knitting magazine knitty.com a few years ago. The first time I made it, it was for my mother-in-law. I finished the main pattern, but I wanted to knit a different edging for it. I haven't finished that and that particular project has been hibernating for about two years now. :(

Model: Megan May
Photographer: Hector Plahar

However, just last year, I made the purple version to wear for Irene and Kwasi's wedding on August 08, 2008. As I usually do, I cast on for this shawl a week before the wedding, and I finished it THE MORNING OF the wedding, while my hair was being done! Imagine that! It is a very simple pattern, and I loved working it, but I wanted to make it more fun, so I added the Falling Leaves pattern from the Harmony Guide Lace patterns book, and included some gold beads! :) It was fun!



I love YAAAAAARRRRRNNNNNN!

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So, here is one reason why I love Ravelry (in addition to the other 100 reasons why I love it!). People have their stash listed on there, and they also list yarn that they want to sell or trade. Hallelluyah! I can't tell how many different brands of yarn that I am coveting and drooling over like a hyperactive dog! Ahem! Back to the point. People on Ravelry are so nice, and they send the yarn almost immediately you pay them through PayPal. (I'm going to have to start asking people to pay me through Google Checkout...you know, supporting the hubby and all.)

Anyway, I am STILL digressing.

Here's the point: I finally took the plunge and sort of bribed my little sister to take pictures of my yarn stash so I could list them. Now I have a buyer for this gorgeous lace yarn that I have, but can't quite figure what to do with. Isn't that nice!! :) So, as a treat to myself and you all (muahahahahhahah), here are some yarn pictures...for the road (as we'd say in Ghana). Enjoy!


Falling Water in Sangria

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I found the Falling Water pattern (by Bonnie Sennott) on Ravelry.com (you can find me there under "awurama" or "Denise Twum"), and I fell in love with it immediately! Then, I found the yarn I used, Handmaiden Fine Yarn Great Big Sea Silk, at Tricoter in Seattle, and the deal was sealed! I made the scarf for my friend Marteki Martei, who had been working very hard with me on a side project, in addition to trying to complete her second year of medical school. The yarn is gorgeous, the pattern is divine, and the two seem to be made for each other!! :) I almost didn't give the scarf to Teki! :P



Photo Credit: Model - Megan May; Photographer - Hector Plahar

My first knitting pattern - Dreams of Spring I

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I came up with this pattern during the winter, when I was wishing for spring to come. I had bought some Shimmer yarn and mixed it with KnitPicks Shadow Lace yarn, so I wanted to make something nice with it. Here is what I came up with. It's pretty basic, but hey, it worked! I made two versions of it: one in green, and one in purple.

Model: Megan May
Photographer: Hector Plahar




Dreams of Spring I

Yarn: Shimmer by Crystal Palace Yarns, 90 yards/50gr – 2 skeins of Color 2850;
KnitPicks Shadow Lace Yarn; 440 yards/50gr – a third of one skein in Moss Heather
Needles: 1 set US #8/5mm straight needles

Moss Stitch
Row 1: K1, *P1,K1; rep from * to end.
Row 2: *P1, K1; rep from * to end.

Pattern
Cast on 27 stitches.
Knit 5 rows in moss stitch pattern (or garter stitch pattern)

Part 1
Row 1: K5 border stitches, *yo, ssk to last 6 stitches, K1, K5 border stitches.
Rows 2 and 4: K5 border stitches, purl to last 5 stitches, K5 border stitches.
Row 3: K5 border stitches, k1, *yo, ssk to last 5 stitches, k5 border stitches.
Repeat these 4 rows 13 more times to get 14 repeats of the pattern

Knit 10 rows in moss stitch pattern (or garter stitch pattern), then move to part 2.

Part 2
Row 1: K5 border stitches, *yo, k2tog to last 6 stitches, K1, K5 border stitches.
Rows 2 and 4: K5 border stitches, purl to last 5 stitches, K5 border stitches.
Row 3: K5 border stitches, k1, *yo, k2tog to last 5 stitches, k5 border stitches.
Repeat these 4 rows 13 more times to get 14 repeats of the pattern

Knit 10 rows in moss stitch pattern (or garter stitch pattern).

Repeat these two parts of the pattern until the scarf is as long as you desire. End with 5 rows in moss stitch pattern (or garter stitch pattern), and bind off loosely.

Note about border stitches: The border stitches must match the beginning 5 rows, so if you knit 5 rows in moss stitch, your border stitches must be in moss stitch. If you knit your 5 rows in garter stitch, your border stitches must be in moss stitch.

Fall Breeze Shawl Pattern

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Here is the second thing I designed. It's a very, very simple pattern, but the yarn just added another dimension to the pattern. Enjoy! :)
Model: Megan May
Photographer: Hector Plahar

Materials
Caron Simply Soft, Off-White Color; 315 yards/60z/170g- 1.5 skeins

1 set US #8/5mm straight needles

The border pattern “Lace Check” was taken from “Harmony Guides: Lace and eyelets- 250 stitches to knit”, edited by Erika Knight.


Lace Check Pattern (Multiple of 18+9)
Row 1(wrong side): Purl
Row 2: K1, *[yo, k2tog] 4 times, k10; rep from * to last 8 sts, [yo, k2tog] 4 times.
Row 3: Purl
Row 4: *[sl 1, k1, psso, yo] 4 times, k10; rep from * to last 9 sts, [sl 1, k1, psso, yo] 4 times, k1.
Repeat these 4 rows twice more.
Row 13: Purl
Row 14: *K10, [yo, k2tog] 4 times; rep from * to last 9 sts, k9.
Row 15: Purl.
Row 16: K9, *[sl 1, k1, psso, yo] 4 times, k10; rep from * to end.
Repeat these last 4 rows twice more.
(Total of 24 rows)

Shawl
Cast on 91 stitches.
Knit 6 rows in garter stitch.
Now knit 3 repeats of the lace check pattern (all 24 rows), and always keep 5 stitches on each side in garter stitch for the border stitches.

Main Body:
Still maintaining the 5 border stitches on each side, work the main body of the shawl in stockinette stitch until shawl is desired length (mine was 55 inches). To end, knit 3 more repeats of the lace check pattern (still keeping 5 border stitches on each side in garter stitch). End by knitting 6 rows in garter stitch, and then bind off loosely.

Finishing:
Pin out the shawl and steam press it if the yarn is acrylic. If wool, block using blocking wires and pins. For more information on blocking knitted items, visit: http://www.eunnyjang.com/knit/2006/12/how_to_be_happy.html