Lace bookmarks.

With Mother's Day and a slew of birthdays around the corner, I needed some fun but quick gifts. Enter the lace bookmark as a perfect solution to this: it knits up in about an hour (if you do it distractedly during a movie, as I did), uses up the bits of odd-and-end yarn that float at the bottom of stashes everywhere (especially the dainty fancy bits that are just too nice to throw out, as I keep telling myself). I made one and it was just so incredibly gratifying.... and I had so many more nice bits of yarn... that it turned into a full-blown pattern test. Par for the course, really, given my incessant need to reinvent the wheel. (I'm terrible at just blindly following directions. It makes for interesting knitting and terrible baking, but it seems to be just how I'm built).

Most of the patterns available on Ravelry are 9 stitches wide, plus a few stitches perhaps for borders. I've tried my hand at five different ones so far, many of which are very nearly the same thing with slight variations. I'll go over why these variations may be compelling, but let's get the winner out of the way:

The best one I tried my hand at is Tina's over at Peacefully Knitting. It's a lovely pattern, truly - improves on the others and is structurally superior. I knitted it up once, then quickly frogged it to alter the pattern quite a bit, principally adding: (a) two differently sized chevrons (b) two stand-alone YOs in the middle, (c) then a nice direction swap of the chevron points for the second half, and finally (d) a bit of fringe. Not only did these alterations satisfy my deep-seated contrarian instincts, they really just also attest to my love of symmetry. You can see, however, in comparing Tina's above to mine below that this symmetry makes for a less tree-in-a-box looking pattern, but that the lace becomes a bit more spiderwebbish.

All of the bookmark patterns I worked over are generally articulated around either a two-point chevron (worked over 6 rows) or a three-point chevron (worked over 8 rows). I prefer the three point chevron, for the same reason that I prefer the patterns that called for no border at all: because the devil is in the blocking, not in the kind of side structuring done whilst knitting that we often feel drawn to (I understand all too well -- it is much faster, but it will give you heavier fabric, and this is lacy!). For this to lie flat and rectangular, you must block. I know, I hate blocking too. My cats love it, because they've assumed I've somehow dissected a toy mouse and laid it open for their amusement -- but trying to keep them away form the blocked goodie is a headache in itself.

Another quick note on blocking, before we get into the knitty-gritty of the pattern changes: some patterns call for starching of the bookmark. I find that this depends entirely upon the fiber used. The Koigu merino I settled on only needed blocking with water - which means less sticky cats! Hurrah!

Now back to our yarnovers. The pattern for a chevron done over 13 stitches goes like so:

Two-Point Chevron

• row 1 (RS):  knit
• row 2 (WS): k2, p9, k2
• row 3 (RS):  k2, k2tog, k2, YO, k1, YO, k2, skp, k2
• row 4 (WS): k2, p9, k2
• row 5 (WS): k3, k2tog, YO, k3, YO, skp, k3
• row 6 (WS): k2, p9, k2

continued for a Three-Point Chevron

• row 7 (RS):  k2, k2tog, YO, k5, YO, skp k2
• row 8 (WS): k2, p9, k2

For visually oriented folks like myself, we can figure both chevrons like so:

...where the colors indicate the stitches indicated by the legend below:

This is our basis. We'll build it up, flip it and reverse it along a median like the full version on the left below. So one two-point chevron, followed by two three-point chevrons, then our center:

• knit across RS for two rows, purling across the WS of these

• next RS: one row of two central holes [K2, KTOG, K2, YO, K1, YO, K2, S1,K1, PSSO, K2]

• then knit two more RS rows across, as before the last RS row, before...

  
  ...finally resuming the pattern in reverse. This is essentially just swapping rows 3 and 7 above, but I've copied it below:

Two-Point Chevron

• row 1 (RS):  knit
• row 2 (WS): k2, p9, k2
• row 3 (RS):  k2, k2tog, YO, k5, YO, skp k2 
• row 4 (WS): k2, p9, k2
• row 5 (WS): k3, k2tog, YO, k3, YO, skp, k3
• row 6 (WS): k2, p9, k2

continued for a Three-Point Chevron

• row 7 (RS):  k2, k2tog, k2, YO, k1, YO, k2, skp, k2
• row 8 (WS): k2, p9, k2

 



  A few notes on yarn choice:
I tried a very fuzzy alpaca (Garn Studio Drops) that was undoubtedly the worst. I checked with a lace-weight angora as well, and clearly fuzzy yarns are no bueño for this project. Went again with a barely fuzzy Malbrigo silk yarn in a nice warm fuschia, and it came out nice, although the weight is probably a bit too much. A wool blend of similar weight was simply to heavy and too fuzzy to allow the lacework to show nicely. When I brought out the fingering-weight Koigu Merino shown to the left in black, choirs sang and angels chanted and all that whatnot. Why did I bother proving what was obviously true from the get-go? Hmmm? To reinvent the wheel, of course.

Christmas toy garland

For a long time, I hated Christmas.
I grew up in a strict southern fundamentalist family and as a result, Christmas was a very dour affair. Don't get me wrong: they're wonderful in many ways, but at Christmastime, when the focus is on Jesus-and-Jesus-only, things were always less fun and more serious. That is, until I spent Christmas with a lovely family of atheists in the tiny Lorraine village of Marat-la-Petite. Atheists, as it turns out, really know how throw a Christmas. Two days of endless eating, dancing, gift-giving, gift-receiving, game playing, and eating again, and again... afterwards, it occurred to me that there are a lot of things about Christmas that are really great. So the following year, I challenged myself to give it my all and to try and really like Christmas. That means the whole shabang: stockings, wassail, wreath, tree, and a knitterly (and crochetty, too) garland for said tree.

This garland is knit using primarily Red Heart yarn in a variety of colors, and using size US6 dpns. When crocheted, this is done with crochet hooks in sizes G or H. Some crocheting can be avoided and replaced (such as in the Wreath), but not in the way that I have made the Snowman or the Gingerbread bits. Each independent part of the garland is somewhere around 5" tall, more or less, and took me about 1-2 hours to construct (most pieces took 1 hour or less, actually, while the Snowman and Gingerbread House took an entire movie apiece). For a 10'-long garland, the components are as follows:

1. Lightbulbs (12 total)
2. Snowmen (2)
3. Candy Canes (3)
4. Wreaths (3)
5. Gingerbread Folks (2)
6. Gingerbread Houses (2)

(24 pieces, spaced at 5" apart = 120" = 10 feet)

LIGHTBULBS
I used Red Heart in black and Caron Simply Soft in bright colors for Kimberly Chapman's simple, fast, and gorgeous design, which can be found here: http://kimberlychapman.com/crafts/knit-patterns-christmaslights.html



SNOWMAN(crocheted)
NB: I used the Sliding Loop technique to begin , which feels easier and tidier to me.
Materials

• Red Heart in white (body), black (hat & eyes), orange (just a tiny bit for the nose), and blue (or whatever color you want, for the scarf)
• Crochet hook, size H
• Knitting needles, size US6 (for the scarf)
• Tapestry needle
• Small amount of Poly-fill

Lower Body.
Let's start Mr. Snowman by increasing from the bottom up for three rounds:
rd 1: dc 10 times into the sliding loop. Join with a slip st and tighten loop. (10 st)
rd 2: ch 3. *dc 1 into next st, then dc twice into following st. Rep. from * until end of round, join with slip st. (18 st)
rd 3: ch 3. *dc once each into next two st, then dc twice into the third st. Rep. from * until end of round, join with slip st. (23 st)
Begin decreases:
rd 4: ch3. *dc once each into next two st, then hdc the third and fourth st together. Rep. from * until end of round, join with slip st.
rd 5: ch3. *dc once each into next st, then hdc the second and third st together. Rep. from * until end of round, join with slip st.
NB: Now is an excellent time to stuff the lower body with Poly-fill.
rd 6: ch 2. hdc in all st, join. (8 st)
Begin Frosty's head by increasing:
rd 7: ch 3. *dc 1 into next st, then dc twice into following st. Rep. from * until end of round, join with slip st. (14 st)
rd 8: ch 3. *dc once each into next two st, then dc twice into the third st. Rep. from * until end of round, join with slip st.
Decrease again:
rd 9: ch3. *dc once each into next two st, then hdc the third and fourth st together. Rep. from * until end of round, join with slip st.
rd 10: ch3. *dc once each into next st, then hdc the second and third st together. Rep. from * until end of round, join with slip st.
Stuff head with Poly-fill.

Hat Brim.
rd 1: Switch to black, form Sliding Loop and dc 10 times into loop.
rd 2: *dc once into st, dc twice into next st. Rep. from * to end of round. Break yarn.

Hat Top.
rd 1: Form Sliding Loop and dc 10 times into loop. This is the top of the (top hat's) hat top.
rd 2: Now to go 3D and begin the walls of the hat! Twist the work so that you are creating the hat top-down; when you join this round, you should have a bottle cap shape. ch 3 and dc once into each st on the rim, join with sl st.
rd 3: ch 3 and dc once into each st on the rim, join with sl st. Break yarn.
Stuff hat with Poly-fill. Join to the hat brim and to the Snowman's head, simultaneously, with tapestry needle and black yarn tails. Face.Nose: Attach orange yarn to a stitch in what you want to be the middle of Frosty's face. ch3, tie off, cut tail short (but not too short!).
Eyes: Affix strand of black yarn onto one white stitch, draw the ends through the body so that they don't show.
Scarf.
Switch to dpns and knit. You don't have to knit it, I suppose, but I think the knit/crochet contrast is nice.CO 4 st.
rows 1-2: K across all st in Garter st.
rows 3-x: Continue in Stockinette st until scarf measures about 7" long.
last 2 rows: K two rows in Garter st. BO and break yarn.Add fringe if you want. Tie scarf and affix on tail to Snowman's body. Done!

CANDY CANE
Knit as an i-cord.
Materials:

• 2 dpn, size US6
• Red Heart Super Saver Solids, Red & White
• Tapestry needle
• Small amount of Poly-fill

CO 8 st with white.
row1: P
row2: [switch to red] K
row3: [begin i-cord] K
row4-5: [white] K as i-cord
row6-7: [red] K as i-cord
Repeat rows 4-7, stuffing with poly-fill as you go, until the end of 9th section of white, at least. Break yarn, leaving at the top a fairly long tail for both colors, around 5" long.
You should now have a peppermint stick measuring roughly 5", if you have the same gauge as I; let's curve the top so that it becomes a cane:
Using a tapestry needle, use end of red yarn to snug up the 'back' of the i-cord in a mattress stitch motion, moving down the body of the cane. As you move down the seam, pull the working yarn as tightly as possible; this will cause the tip of the stick to curve down. When it has curved sufficiently, knot the tail to the body of the cane to fix the yarn with all its tension. Now insert the needle up through the interior of the cane, drawing up the yarn until it comes out the uppermost curve of the cane; this will form part of the loop that it used to attach it the garland.
Use the white tail at both ends to close up the tips of the cane. Once the upper end has been closed, pull the needle with top end of the white yarn through the interior of the cane in the same fashion as you did with the red yarn; this forms the other half of the loop.

WREATH
NB: The body of the wreath is knit as an i-cord, while the bow is crocheted in red.
Materials:

• 2 dpn, size US6
• size G crochet hook
• Red Heart Super Saver Solids, Green & Red
• Tapestry needle
• Small amount of Poly-fill

Wreath.
CO 8 st in green with your 2 dpns.
row1: P
row2: K
row3: Begin i-cord.
Continue as i-cord, stuffing with Poly-fill as you go, until piece measures roughly 8-9". Bind off and break yarn, leaving a long enough tail to seam together two ends to form a ring. This doesn't have to be done terribly neatly, because we'll be covering this join with our red bow.

Bow.
Using crochet hook, ch 4.
row1: sc across (4 st)
row2: dc once in each st (4 st)
rows 3-6: Repeat row 2
row 7: Wrap around join area on wreath, and sc together the two ends of your red strip, forming a ring.
First tie strip.
row 8a: ch3, then dc into the very first st, and dc into the next st. (3 st)
rows 9a - Whatever: Repeat row 8 (with 3 st per row) until this strip (along with another) would measure long enough for you to be able to comfortably tie them into a bow. (NB: for me, this was around 10 or so inches, and it wasn't super easy to tie the bow.) Break yarn.
Second tie strip.
row 8b: Go back to the bottom of the red ring joined to the wreath, where you started the first tie strip. There will be two unoccupied stitches, and into these 2 st is where we will: ch3, then dc into the very first st, and dc into the next st. (3 st)
rows 9b - Same-Number-of-Rows-as-You-Used-for-the-First-Tie-Strip: Repeat, as with first tie strip.
Tie bow, and ta-da!



GINGERBREAD FOLKS (crocheted)
Materials:

• size G crochet hook
• Red Heart Super Saver Solids, Brown & White
• Tapestry needle
• Small amount of Poly-fill
• 2 buttons

Head.
row 1: ch3. sc across into all 3 links. (3 st)
row 2: ch 3, dc twice into first st, dc once into second, dc twice into third st. (5 st)
row 3: ch3, hdc into first 2 sts, dc into 3rd st, hdc into 4th & 5th sts (3 st)

Auburn University insignia: a stitch pattern.

Although (or perhaps because) I’ve attended no less than 13 schools (from K through graduate schools) in my life (and then worked in more than that!), I’ve not a drop of school spirit. 

My father, mother, and brother, however, do have school spirit. And I'll leave it you to guess just which school they went to.

Strawberry Cap

Pattern

This pattern (with stitch charts) can be downloaded as a .pdf here: 

> download now <

Enjoy!

Luminares Lightshade

Growing up in San Antonio Texas, I remember setting out luminares: paper bags filled with sand and votive lights to line the street for holidays. Needing a lampshade for my overhead light, I set out to knit a cover that would be reminiscent of those luminares, principally using leftover stash yarn. Despite the large gauge needles, in retrospect, adding more yarn-overs would allow for even more light to pass. I made a frame that allows the cover to hang a bit down from the light (good for letting light through as well as avoiding too much heat on the wool). One of the best parts is that this is a two-days-or-less project (I let the glue set overnight and made the frame the next day). 

This pattern can be downloaded as a .pdf here: 

> download now < 

Queer Fiber Arts Committee of Brooklyn

Meeting up with QFAC 

Every first Saturday at 2pm, bring your knitting, crocheting, hand sewing, cross stitching, and sassiness on over to Outpost. We will tell stories about our first kisses, secret dance moves, and plans for world domination via yarn-built spaceships, all whilst crafting cute gloves and scarves and eye pillows and whatnot.

Should you need help with your crocheting and knitting, fear not! Help will be at hand. All manner of craftiness is welcome; and if you’re simply not feeling up to crafty snuff, do come by and share a cup of tea (or coffee… or beer… or a cupcake!)

This is a monthly event. How else would we have time to knit spaceships?