KnitPicks Order and Ravelry Planning

The Husband was a very smart man this year and got me a gift certificate to Knit Picks to celebrate my first ever Mother's Day.  Very very smart man.  Over holidays and birthdays he has figured out what makes me most happy: yarn money (and dark chocolate).

When I get yarn money to spend, I like to plan out my projects before picking out my yarn. This is where the Ravelry Queue tab is SUPER useful!  I don't always stick to my queue plans, but it helps me tremendously to plan out what types of projects I want to knit in the future, and that helps me to organize my yarn orders with the right quantities I need in the colors I like most.

1.)  The Terrace Wrap

First up in my queue for the summer is this gorgeous lightweight wrap from Purl Soho.

The Terrace Wrap by Purl Soho

This wrap calls for 1236 yards (1130 m) of fingering weight silk yarn.  For this project, I'd like it to be super lightweight for summer, so I've decided to knit it in lace weight cotton yarn.  Knit Pick's Curio is perfect for this.  I'm guessing I will need to go down a bit in needle size and increase my yardage to get a similar fabric as the fingering the pattern was originally designed for.  For this I'm ordering 3 balls (2163 yards total) in Sagebrush.

2.)  Sockhead Slouch Hat

Next I plan to knit the Sockhead Slouch Hat by Kelly McClure.  This hat calls for 400 yards of fingering weight sock yarn.  For this I will use Knit Picks Hawthorn Fingering Multi Yarn in Forest Park.  I'll need to get 2 skeins and will have most of one left over after this project, but I'll use the extra in my next queued project.

3.)  2-Color Shawl to be designed

My next project will be a two color shawl that I'm designing.  It will use one varegated yarn as a contrasting color (the Forest Park Hawthorne above) and a solid yarn as the main color.  For the main color I'll be using Knit Picks Stroll Tonal Sock Yarn in the Pearlescent colorway.  I'll be getting one 100g skein for that project.

4,) Circe by Jenny Wiebe

The last project in my queue I'll be buying yarn for is a baby cardigan.  We just welcomed my little niece into the family this last weekend, so you betcha I'm planning out her Christmas present already!  I'm going to knit her a baby size of the Circe cardigan.

For this project I'll be using Knit Picks Comfy Sport yarn.  After chatting it over with my SIL, she decided on some super cute colors.  I'll be ordering 2 skeins of Marlin for the main color, 1 skein of Peapod for the bottom and polka dot CC, 1 skein of Zannia for the neck CC.  I'm thinking I'll make it for Christmas 2018 for her since I know from experience it isn't always ideal to put an infant in a sweater.  It should be a very fun and colorful knit when I get to it.  I'm thinking I might be able to work out a matching hat from the contrasting color leftovers.

I'm also ordering a US size 2 16" fixed cable needle.  I don't have this size in my needle inventory and I'll need it to make the sockhead hat.

So there you have it.  Four lovely projects planned for under $50 of Knit Picks' yarn!

1-Hour Kitchen Soap Mat - Free Pattern

I have been working on several longer-term projects recently, and I just needed a win... I needed a quick F.O. (finished object) to take the edge off.  I perused my yarn stash and found some KnitPicks Dishie in Honeydew that my parents had gotten me for Christmas last year.

I've had this idea in my head for a while that I want to knit myself a TON of dish cloths and retire all of my store bought ones to the rag bin, but I want to replace them in one fell swoop.  This time, had the urge to finish a project that I could use immediately, so knitting that many dish cloths was off the idea board.

I looked around my kitchen and saw two places I was using dish cloths other than in the sink.  I had one dish cloth folded in half next to my sink with dish soap, hand soap, and sink plug.  I don't like these things being on that little area of the actual sink, so off to the side they go.  I decided I could knit something to replace it at the exact size I needed.

I also had a folded dish cloth to the right of my oven where my salt shaker, pepper grinder, and nutritional yeast is (it's a vegan Parmesan-like thing).  My pepper grinder was leaving behind little pepper particles, so I had stuck a dish cloth there to catch them and keep my counter more tidy.  I decided to knit a second one exactly the same size for this space.

After measuring and approximating my gauge, I got to work.  I finished knitting both of them before we finished our movie the other night.  (We were watching Dances With Wolves, which was a great movie.)

This is a perfect beginning knitting project, or one to give you a quick FO when you just need to feel accomplished like I needed the other day.

To download the FREE pattern PDF on Ravelry, check out my designer's page here.

OR CLICK HERE FOR AN INSTANT DOWNLOAD.

5 Tips to become a Motivated Summer Knitter

As summer and warmer weather approaches, I can't help but feel a little sad.  As a knitter I thrive on chilly weather and cozy couches by the fire to knit.  Then summer comes along and my time at the needles takes a dramatic plunge, but it doesn't have to be this way!  You can have your yarn and knit it too!  Follow some of my tips below to keep the knitting obsession love going all year long.

1.)  Choose your projects wisely.

Are you going to want a bulky project on your needles (and on your lap) when the summer heat hits?  Definitely not!  I give you permission to put down that wooly cardigan you've been working on and cast on something airy and petite.  Loose-gauge knitting, simple lacework, or something small like a sock would be ideal.  Here are a few (FREE!) projects that would work great.

Claire by Lynn Anne Banks

Rose City Rollers shorty sock pattern, by Mara Catherine Bryner

Holey Square Shawl by Marianne Sigg

2.)  Explore plant fibers.

Wool and summer don't really mix well.  That's okay, because there are tons of plant-based fiber blends to choose from that can work well for household knits as well as apparel.  To avoid those sweaty-wool-palms try casting on in yarns made of cotton, linen, bamboo, hemp, flax, or even modal which is made from wood.

Personally, I love a good cotton blend like KnitPick's Shine Sport, which is 60% pima cotton, 40% modal.  They have 30 colors in this yarn line, and at $2.99 per 50g skein (110 yards), you can't beat the price!

KnitPick's Shine Sport

Another KnitPicks yarn that is great for summer knitting is their Lindy Chain yarn.  It is a 70% linen, 30% pima cotton blend, in fingering weight.  Perfect for lightweight summer accessories, and it comes in 26 different colors.

KnitPick's Lindy Chain (fingering weight)

No knitter's stash is complete without some cotton Dishie 100% cotton yarn to make dishcloths, towels, and other household items.  Dishie yarn is durable and has high absorbancy for cleaning around the house, but is soft enough for items like baby bibs.  KnitPick's offers Dishie in solids and multi-color shades.

KnitPick's Dishie (solids, worsted)

Dishie Multi-Yarn (worsted)

3.)  Make it mobile.

Again, size is important when it comes to summer knits, but so is the accessibility of that project.  Are you going to be likely to grab a large project bag with multiple skeins as you are running out for a summer adventure?   Keep your projects mobile by using a small project bag that you can easily toss into your beach bag or purse.  Here are a few handmade project bags on Etsy that would work wonderfully for a small summer knitting project.

Project bag by Piggy's Market

Zippered Project Bag by Aubrey Ann Sewing Co

Drawstring Project Bags by Sew and Tell Handmade

4.)  Keep it simple.

I love colorwork and striping as much as the next knitter, but in the summer I like to keep my projects limited to one or two colorways.  I also like to avoid projects that require extra notions and supplies such as cable needles, stitch markers, waste yarn, etc.  If I pick a project with a chart, I download the pattern PDF on my phone so that I'm able to read that pattern without printing anything out.  Here are a few simple (and free) patterns to consider for your summer knitting.

Oh, Helen! by Knits With Penguins Designs

Bonus!  This pattern has a mobile PDF download for easy pattern reading on a phone.

Honey Cowl by Antonia Shankland

How lovely would this be in a nice linen yarn?  

I could see sitting around a summer fire with this cowl for sure.

With a 4 round repeat (two of those knit stitches), this would be a fun and easy summer knit.

Simple Shawl by Jane Hunter

This shawl is in fingering weight and is primarily garter stitch.  Easy, squishy garter!

5.)  WANT that FO.

Let's be honest.  You aren't going to knit a lot in the summer on a project you don't WANT.  So, pick a project that isn't a gift knit for upcoming birthdays or Christmas.  Don't pick something with utility like you might in the winter such as gloves and hats.  Pick something you've been wanting just for you.  Do a little selfish knitting and love every minute of it!  That's why we all love knitting, right?  It's our "me time".  So make it even more your "me time" by making yourself something special.

Here is my little indulgence this summer:

Purl Soho's new Terrace Wrap

I've decided this will be my summer knit.
 I have a KnitPicks gift card from Mother's day
I'll be using to get some lace weight yarn to make
it even more light and lovely.

Do you have any other tips on how you keep yourself motivated in the summer to knit?  Leave them in the comments below!  HAPPY KNITTING!