My Knitting Life

Miles of Yarn

I had a wind-a-thon today with yarn that has been staring me in the face for a while. School has been overwhelming yet fulfilling: great kids and lots of work. (I’m convinced that politicians have no idea what they ask teachers to do every day, but that is a topic for someone else’s blog!)

I wound over 1.6 miles of yarn. That sounds ridiculous, but I will knit this yarn in the remainder of winter and spring! (If you go to the bottom of your Ravelry projects, you can see how many miles of yarn you’ve knit—hilarious!)

My little wall of choices! These skeins are always staring at me!

Here’s what I wound:
Magpie Fibers Nest, a 100% Corriedale Sport weight in a dusky lavender (from handworkslc.com )
Miss Babs Estrellita Sparkled Sock yarn, part of the SSYC Joyful Jubilee Knit Kit, purchased at Simply Socks Yarn Company.
Several mini-skeins to use for cuffs, heels, and toes, including the colorway “Jupiter.” All 3 of these mini-skeins are from Emma’s Yarn Practically Perfect Sock Smalls.

Next I wound some Lichen and Lace Sock (no link, but check out the shop on Etsy) along with some Mirasol Hachito.

Finally, I wound some BackCountry Knitter Sock Yarn called Magpie (local dyer, not currently in production), Greenwood Fiberworks Gold Dust Yarn in Natural, along with a skein of Malabrigo’s Mecha Thereza.

Final photo is all the wound balls, ready to grab and become a new project! Much of what I purchased is from small, local yarn shops or local dyers. They are my go-to choice for spending money. I appreciate their hustle and dedication to fiber arts!

Socks? Hats?
My Knitting Life

February to May

I bought these yarns (Malabrigo Ultimate Sock, 3 skeins in Whole Grain, and Louisa Harding Amitola, 2 skeins in Tick Tock) in December 2023 to make stranded yoke sweater. After my rough start to 2024, I decided to begin knitting this in mid February for Bang Out a Sweater. Clearly I didn’t finish by March 1 so I took my time finishing it in Me Made May.
I only bought one skein of the Amitola yarn, knew I was going to run out because of the pattern I chose (stranded knitting not only at the yoke, but also at the sleeve and hem bottoms), and went on a furious internet search for another ball. I don’t remember where I bought that second ball, but I am always happy that small LYSs keep their inventory up to date online.
It’s mid May, and not quite cold enough to wear this. But I will remember this sweater when autumn rolls around!

My Knitting Life

Christmas Knitting + Bonus Free Pattern

I made several people quite happy with my knitting needles this Christmas. Probably my most popular gifts were some Harry Potter house mascot hats for Son, DIL, AND SIL. These were a big hit, a HOMERUN, especially when my son called a few days later and said how much he loved his hat! I changed up the background charts for the Slytherin and Ravenclaw hats because knitting those tiny squares was tedious.

Also, over the next few years I am going to make my knitting patterns free instead of selling them. So for starters, here’s the pattern, Sofa Support!

Home Projects Patterns · Knitting Patterns For Sale · My Knitting Life

Sofa Support

New furniture needs a pillow refresh. Handmade? Store-bought? I looked at the normal places and found pillows ranging from $50-$90 (ok, so it was Pottery Barn). I saw nothing that I loved, and at that price, it better be something that I love! Being pretty sure I could knit with better yarn and come up with a design that is more to my liking, I developed a pattern!

Click the link to buy the pattern–it’s only a buck!

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sofa-support

For this pattern you’ll need some bulky yarn, big needles, and some pillow forms.

This pattern is actually three pillow patterns in one. Pillow 1 (pictured right) starts from the narrow edge and the stripes of the yarn are a little wider.

Pillow #2 starts the knitting on the long edge to create thinner stripes.

Pillow #3 is a slightly smaller rectangle, knit from the short side.

All three…bright and pillowy!

All of the pillows are knit with a little bit of negative ease so they stretch nicely over the pillow forms.

I finished by adding those spicy little corner tassels! See the pattern for more instructions!

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sofa-support

Free Knitting Patterns · Hello World! · My Knitting Life

Diamondweave Hat

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Not tight enough to be a beanie, yet not loose enough to be a slouch, Diamondweave Hat delivers highly textured diamonds that float over background purl stitches. As you know, “textured” means you’ll be moving a lot of stitches around, so be prepared. But the payoff is a beautifully patterned hat that has depth and drama.

Click on the link below for the free pattern pdf. Enjoy!

diamondweave-hat-4-2023-1.pdf