anna knits - cable knit headband pattern

I finished my cable knit headband a few weeks ago, and I am now getting around to posting the pattern. It is a quick knit, and a great way to practice cables. See my progress here and my inspiration here. Enjoy!

~ Cable Knit Headband Pattern ~

I used 2 strands of Rowan Pure Wool 4 ply yarn in Toffee (453) together on a size US8 needle, but you could also use a single stand of worsened weight yarn, or even a thicker yarn for a chunkier headband.

Cast on 18 stitches

Round 1: K6, P6, K6

Round 2: P6, K6, P6

Round 3: K6, P6, K6

Round 4: P6, K6, P6

Round 5: K6, P6, K6 

Round 6: P6, K6, P6

Round 7: K6, P6, K6

Round 8: P6, slip 3 stitches to cable needle or double pointed needle and hold in the back, K3 from the left hand needle, K3 held in back from the cable needle or double pointed needle, P6

Repeat rounds 1-8 until your headband is long enough - you can test it around your head, but know that it will stretch out after it is blocked. My headband took 13 rounds.

Blocking will help to flatten out your headband, although I like a little curl to the edges. 

After blocking, attach the ends with mattress stitch. 

See the Ravelry posting here.

knitting, etc. - baby booties

I was talking to a friend of mine today about knitting baby blankets. They are a great gift for knitters to make for expectant mothers, but they can be time consuming projects (it is a blanket after all!). Our conversation got me thinking about other baby items that might be a little quicker to knit up. And that's when I thought of baby booties! Here are some of my favorite patterns:

Baby Mocs from the Purl Bee:

No Button Baby Booties by StitchLeft:

Fortune Cookie Baby Shoes by Sheila Zachariae

Also check out my knit octopus for handmade baby toy inspiration - but don't include the pipe cleaners!

knitting, etc. - my craftsy picks

Knitter friends: Have you ever had the idea for a knitting project and searched the internet for the perfect pattern just to end up with a million tabs open and no way to compare all your options? Introducing Craftsy: The latest way to browse thousands of patterns - including hundreds of free ones! - and easily save them to a custom wishlist. An account is free, and if you are a designer, you can easily upload your patterns and sell them with no fees. Plus, there are tons of great classes to sign up for, and other craft sections, like jewelry, crochet, quilting, and cake decoration.

To illustrate how Craftsy works, I pulled together some of my favorite knitted shawl patterns:

During New England summers, you never know if the temperature is going to drop. That's why I feel shawls are such a great summer knitting project. On my Craftsy page, I tried to pick designs that were (1) pretty, and (2) easy enough to knit up fast, but challenging enough not to be boring. Here are some details:

I hope you enjoy the page, and please let me know if you try any of these featured shawls! Once I'm done with my current tea cosy commission, I hope to start one of my own.

crochet, etc. - crochet camera purse

How cute is this crochet camera purse available on Etsy?

It is by Meemanan. 

Want to make your own? Check out this pattern by Sky Magenta on Ravelry for a similar crochet camera purse. 

anna knits - knit bulldog update 1

I've embarked on another knit dog from the book Knit Your Own Dog. I made a knit pug a few months ago, and while it was challenging, I was happy with the result. See my knit pug progress here, here, and here.

A few days ago, my bulldog looked like this:

Now he looks like this:

I just need to finish making the ears. Then all the parts will be done and I will be ready to sew and stuff.

There are a bunch of great posts about this pattern on Ravelry. Here is one of my favorites by Ravelry member justmichelle:

Overall it seems like it is going to be a challenge to put it all together. Wish me luck! 

anna knits - 4 and 6 cup tea cosy patterns

Today I finished two spiral top tea cosies. I was asked to make one medium and one large cosy by a family friend, and I took the opportunity to update the Spiral Top Tea Cosy pattern I posted on this site to include sizes medium (4 cup) and large (6 cup). Check it out here!

anna crochets - heart bookmark

Since it is Valentine's Day week, I've been experimenting with crochet hearts. I ended up making a bookmark, which I am really happy with. Here is the pattern for you to try:

~ Crochet Heart Bookmark Pattern Idea ~

I used Cascade 220 worsted weight yarn in red and pink and an H/8 5.00mm crochet hook. Please note that this is less of a pattern and more of a pattern idea as you will be required to crochet a heart based on your own preference. There are many tutorials out there for crocheting hearts. Good luck!

Step 1: Crochet a heart. I used this photo pattern from the blog Cornflower Blue Studio  Please see below**.
Step 2: Crochet a second heart.
Step 3: Attach a second color yarn with a slip stitch to one of the hearts.
Step 4: Chain 30 (or as long as you like).
Step 5: Attach the other end of the chain to the second heart.
Step 6: Tie in loose ends.

Have a happy Valentine's Day!

** (12/10/14) A reader alerted me that the Cornflower Blue Studio pattern is no longer accessible. I found the same pattern with great instructions on another blog, a creative being.  Enjoy!

*** (2/12/17) Unfortunately the link from a creative being is also no longer accessible. Thanks to reader Madeleine for letting me know! I found a tutorial for making the same type of crochet hearts on Youtube from Chic and Cheap (Easiest Crochet Heart Tutorial). Happy Valentine's Day!

anna knits - spiral top tea cosy (large)

If there is one thing Nemo the storm is good for, it is knitting. I finished this spiral top tea cosy today. It is a large (6 cup) tea cosy. You can get the free pattern for the small (2 cup) size here -- I plan to update the pattern for medium and large pots this weekend!

This is made with Cascade 220 yarn from Jimmy Beans Wool.

knitting, etc. - braided headband

I've been wanting to try a knit headband for a while. (I blogged about it here.) I've also wanted to try the braided knit pattern. So when my sister sent me this Braided Knit Headband from LuluKnits I decided to make it my next project.

The pattern calls for pulling from 2 balls of yarn for size 8 needles, or using bulky yarn. Not sure if I have enough worsted weight yarn in my basket to make 2 balls of the same color, but if so I will start it tonight! 

See how my braided headband turned out here. 

knitting, etc. - knit headband

I think my next project - after these fingerless gloves - will be a knit headband. I love this cabled one from The Sweat Shop of Love on Etsy. (Pattern available here for $2.)

I don't have the yarn needed to make this exact headband right now, but I might try to make one with smaller needles to match the gloves I'm making. Perhaps focusing on the heart motif...

Valentine's Day is coming up!

anna crochets - paperclip ice skate ornament

Still need presents for the holidays? Make a few of these paperclip ice skate ornaments! They are fun, easy, and oh so cute.

I saw a picture of crochet ice skate ornament on instagram (via sheepishknitcrochet), and thought it was a neat idea. I searched for a pattern on Ravelry, and found this one by Suzetta Williams, which I've tweaked to my liking. Here is my pattern - enjoy:

~ Crochet Paperclip Ice Skate Ornament ~

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn (I used Cascade 220) in a Main Color (MC) and White 

G crochet hook
Two jumbo paper clips

Step 1: With the long edge of the paperclip at the bottom, and the smaller loop facing right, put a slip knot onto the paperclip as shown using your MC.

Step 2: Double crochet (DC) 1 stitch around the paperclip into the smaller loop, and then DC 6 stitches into the larger loop as shown. Remember to crochet over the yarn tail!

Step 3: Chain 2. DC 4 stitches. This is the end of the MC for this skate. Bind off leaving a 1 inch tail.

Step 4: Starting from the opposite side as where you ended (in other words at the back of the skate), single crochet (SC) 4 stitches with white.

Step 5: Chain 1. SC into 4 stitches, and then chain 30 stitches.

Repeat steps 1-3 to form another skate.

Step 6: pull the existing white chain through the new skate and use that to crochet steps 4 + 5 (without chaining 30 stitches at the end).

Step 7: Bind off and sew in any loose ends.

Merry Christmas to all!

knitting, etc. - knit ornaments

I stumbled across these knit ornaments on Twitter. They are so cute!

The pattern is available for free on the blog Wooly Wormhead. I can't wait to make one! 

anna crochets - fleur de lis cup cosy

This weekend I made a fleur de lis cup cosy for an LSU fan:

You can find the free pattern for the cosy itself here. I free-styled the fleur de lis, and will try to write out the pattern for this blog soon!

I made the packaging out of a white piece of cardboard.

PS: Made a bit smaller, this pattern would work well as a wrist band for an LSU football fan!

knitting, etc. - weird knits

My coworkers shared some interesting knitwear with me today:

The second is called a privacy scarf. I think it would be nice if it included a hole from breathing. I don't see any patterns for for these on Ravelry, but I'm sure things will start to pop up soon. 

anna crochets - crochet bookmark

Want a quick, easy project for extra yarn? Try a crochet bookmark. You can use any color combinations you want!

~ Crochet Bookmark Pattern ~

I used Cascade 220 worsted weight yarn and an H/8 5.00mm crochet hook.

Round 1: Chain 21, or desired length of your bookmark. 

Round 2: Single crochet in second chain from hook. Single crochet across (20 stitches).

Round 3-4: Chain 1. Single crochet across. 

Round 5: Chain 1. Single crochet across. End off.

Create fringe if desired. A video showing you how to make fringe is available here.  

anna crochets - hurricane cozy

Stuck inside because of the hurricane? I spent my afternoon whipping up this crochet cup cozy, and now you can too! (Scroll down for pattern)

~ Cup Cozy Pattern ~

I used Cascade 220 worsted weight yarn and an H/8 5.00mm crochet hook.

Round 1: Chain 28, or enough to fit tightly around your cup, and join to the first chain with a slip stitch. Be careful not to twist your chain!
Round 2: Single crochet in each chain around.
Repeat round 2 twelve times, or until cozy is as tall as you desire. End off.

The heart appliqué pattern I used was from the blog Cornflower Blue Studio.** The pattern has easy to follow illustrated instructions and is available for free here!

** (12/10/14) A reader alerted me that the Cornflower Blue Studio pattern is no longer accessible. I found the same pattern with great instructions on another blog, a creative being.  Enjoy!

crochet, etc. - pumpkin bowl

How cute is this crochet pumpkin bowl from the blog One Sheepish Girl?

You can find the free pattern here. I am eager to try it after crocheting this tea cup pincushion, which has a similar pattern. 

cleaning, etc. - orla kiely for method

While getting ready for President Obama's speech, I decided to do some household cleaning. My go to cleaners are Method products, so I am super excited to see that Method has teamed up with pattern maker Orla Kiely for a limited edition set of cleaners.

I have always loved Orla Kiely prints, and the new Method collection is no exception!

needlepoint, etc.

Now that I have finished my union jack tea cosy and knit pug, I need a new project. Rather than knitting, I am thinking of doing some needlepoint. I really enjoyed making my needlepoint iphone case, so something like that would be fun.

For inspiration, I love this Obama modern cross stitch by Wall Work on Etsy.

This embroidered card from Blue Eye Brown Eye on Etsy is also a great DIY idea.

I also really like this Midsummer Sprigs ABCs Counted Cross Stitch Sampler by Alicia Paulson.

Alicia Paulson also has a free embroidery pattern for days of the week dish towels, which might be a good project for me to start doing embroidery.

Any suggestions for needlepoint projects?

anna knits - spiral top tea cosy

Done with another spiral top tea cosy! I mentioned in an earlier post that I was working on a neon yellow tea cosy for my Etsy store. Between then and now, a buyer asked for it specifically, so this neon yellow cosy is not for purchase. There is still another super cute, spiral top tea cosy available though. Get it while you can!

You can also download the pattern for this spiral top tea cosy for FREE here.

Here is how the neon yellow cosy turned out:

I wrap my tea cosies for gifting in a little tissue paper and yarn, and attach one of my business cards with a personalized note on the back. I made my business cards with Avery business cards from CVS.

All the pictures are taken with my iPhone using Instagram, and the collages are made using the iPhone app Pic Collage.

See my Ravelry entry on this tea cosy here.