Jane Austen Boob-hugger

Found this great free pattern for a mini sweater (aka boobholder, aka The Jane Austen Boob-Hugger) from Ravelry. Couldn't wait to give it a go, never knitted anything from the top down before and after knitting this I'm never starting from the hem up ever again! It was super easy and super quick. Plus, I got to use another 2 skeins of the lovely Katri yarn by Novita. Still about a gazillion skeins in the closet..

Long story short, here's the link to the Mini sweater by Stefanie Japel.

Yarn: Novita Katri (100g = 160m, 100% acrylic)

Skeins: 2

Needle: 4mm

Only few little modifications: I wanted short puffy sleeves so instead of the suggested 5 increases I did about 11 and after parting the sleeves I skipped the stockinette rows and went straight for the 5 rows of garter with K3 K2TOG on first 2 rows.

Oh behold, Jane Austen, never were thine boobies so gently hugged!

Adorable Cabled Mittens

It's lovely seeing old friends. Dear friends. Friends so old and dear nobody even blinks when I pick up my needles at the dinner table while people are still eating, including myself, and start knitting away. People who despite not perhaps fully understanding the depth of my needle addiction have come into terms with the fact that when a lady must knit the lady must knit.

Roughly around coffee time the first mitten was finished so I excused myself and took my coffee outside to immortalize the creation on camera. While doing so, in the clear bright daylight, I decided I'm never taking photos of my creations again in conditions that require artificial lighting. There's nothing like a bit of natural light. Problem is, for the last few months we've had very little of it. But going towards the summer I hope to take more representable shots of the lovely little things that fall off my needles. 

Without further ado, let me present the latest mitten pattern. There's no thumb gusset, so it's easy to knit and  fits your hand nice and snug, at least the way I prefer my handwear. Again, not the most unique design, as probably all the known cables have been used in mittens a million times before, but to share the mittens I just made, here's the instruction below:

Yarn: Novita Katri (100g = 160m, 100% acrylic)

Gauge: 19 st & 27 rows = 10cm

Skeins: 1

Needle: 4mm

Instructions:

Left mitten: 

Cast on 36 st. Devide evenly on 4 double pointed needles. Knit rib for 13 rows (K2, P2). Knit according to the chart on needles I and II and stockinette with needles III and IV adding 1st on both needles II and IV=38st. Knit for about 28 rows, K2 on needle III, pick up 6 on a stitch holder, cast on 6 and knit 1 = thumb hole. Continue knitting until you've reached the tip of your index finger and begin cast off. SKP1 at the beginning of needles I and III and  K2TOG at the end of needles II and IV. Continue decreases on every row in this manner until 6 stitches remain. Cut the yarn and run the end through remaining 6 stitches twice; pull firmly and darn in the end.

Right mitten:

Work as mirror image.

Thumb:

Pick up the 6st from stitch holder plus 10 stitches from the edges of the thumb hole. Divide evenly on 3 dpns. Knit for about 13 rows. SKP1 at the beginning of each needle until 6 st remain. Cut the yarn and run the end through remaining 6 stitches twice; pull firmly and darn in the end.

Click to enlarge

Sanna's Cabled Mittens II

Sanna is a complete air head. She asked me to knit her a pair of mittens and then she just lost them while shopping. I mean, what's up with that. And then she asks me for a new pair. Same model, same size, same colour. The nerve! But I love her too much to refuse. Plus I'm not the one to tell her off, after all, I myself have lost about 5 pairs of sunglasses, a billion umbrellas, a few bags and a shoe. So, I knitted a new pair for my dear friend but still reserve the right to call her an air head.

This time I used Novita Katri (100g = 160m, 100% acrylic), my favourite. It's much thicker and hence warmer plus it doesn't itch at all. I used 3,5mm double pointed needles and the mittens took almost exactly one skein. The wrist part is longer this time, as a good pair of mittens doesn't only keep your fingers warm but prevents cold air from getting to where the sleeve ends and mitten begins. 

These mittens were tried and tested out today in the snow. Another gorgeous day in Winter Wonderland. Special thanks to my hand model, bravely playing in the snow at -15°C.

Instructions can be found here, on the original blog post.

Cushion covers

A few weeks back we went out for chinese on a friday night. We came home holding a receipt for a sofa we had just bought. No idea how it happened. One moment you're chewing on your chicken kung po and the next thing you know you've bought a piece of furniture. Talk about an impulse buy. We did leave the chinese some where in between, as it happens. Now that would've been impulse shopping indeed, buying the stained red mock-velvet curry smelling cubicle bench. Luckily we managed to reach the nearest furniture store in time before this uncontrollable urge to buy something took over. 


Now I must say, impulse buying or not, that was one of the wisest things I've ever done. I luuuuv this sofa. The small "loveseat" of a sofa I had before was so not made for two people, let me tell you. Maybe for two very small butted tiny little stick insects. But not for your average "i loves my chocolates"-kinda people like myself.


To cut the long story short, the sofa is dark grey and clashed a bit with the cushion covers I had in store. Not a problem what so ever, said I, and knitted two brand new ones. Very simple, elegant, easy to mix with other throw pillows. Lazy lazy knitting. There's no buttons, zippers, poppers. Nothing extra. Just a tube seamed up top and bottom. Not very convinient if you wish to wash the covers or change them. But I just figured I wont darn in the ends but leave the ends inside the pillow and if I ever need to take them off, I'll just unravel the seams!

Yarn: Novita Katri (100g = 160m, 100% acrylic)

Gauge: 16-18st = 10cm

Skeins: 2 per cushion

Needle: 5mm 60cm circular needle

Fit for a 40x40cm cushion

Rib cushion:

Cast on 144st. Knit in the round. Knit rib (knit 4, purl 4) for 40cm. Cast off loosely.

Moss knit rib cushion:

Cast on 144st. Knit in the round. Knit according to chart for 40cm. Cast off loosely.


Sow the bottom seam, insert pillow and sow the top seam. Don't darn in the end on the top seam, but slip the end of the yarn inside the pillow for easier unravelling should you wish to remove the cover some day.

click to enlarge

Taija's scarf

I have a nasty uninvited visitor who refuses to leave me alone. I had to stay home few days end of last week to take care of him (pain in the arse if you ask me). Yesterday I rejoiced as I thought I saw him packing. "Good riddance", thought I. But apparently he ain't goin no where. His name is Infectio Acuta Respiratoria Superior, although friends and close acquaintances call him Flu for short, and he's here to stay. For a few days more at least. He's a complete bitch and I hate his guts.


So, I'm stuck home with him and all I do is sleep and drink buckets of Glögi (=hot grape juice seasoned with cloves, ginger and cinnamon). But no matter how under the weather I am, I can't resist doing a bit of light knitting while I'm up. Once again, I started another project using Novita Katri. I can't stress enough how utterly wonderful this yarn is, soft, cuddly and affordable. Perfection!

This scarf is for another dear old friend of mine. She asked for a lacy red scarf and I'm guessing she'll be more than satisfied with this delightful creation. She is a unique piece of work, as is this scarf, so I thought it proper to name the pattern after her.


Instructions:

Yarn: Novita Katri (100g = 160m, 100% acrylic)

Gauge: 14 st = 10cm

Skeins: 2

Needle: 6mm

Cast on 35. Knit according to the chart below (click to enlarge). Cast off loosely when you have reached the desired lenght for your scarf. Weave in ends.
 

One step closer to being called a Cat Lady..

Yes, it's now official. I've gone bonkers. The proof: check out the hat I made last night. First of all, I spent the entire saturday evening home alone knitting this thing. And second, I find it the cutest, most adorable hat ever. I think it's the best thing since sliced bread. I must be off my rocker. What ever happened to my dignity and sophisticated style? Bah, humbug! I will from now on embrace my newly found love for all things OTT such as wooly hats decorated with massive pink roses.. Gosh. What's next? A reindeer jumper for christmas? Hmm... now there's an idea.


Instructions:

Yarn: Novita Katri (100g = 160m, 100% acrylic)

Gauge: 14 st = 10cm

Skeins: 1 for the hat, left over yarn for the roses

Needle: 6mm

Hook: 5mm

Cap:

Cast on 88 (makes a fairly loose cap) on double pointed needles or circular needle. EDIT: After few wears the cap became very loose indeed, so I'd suggest starting with 80 st instead of 88.

K2P2 for about 5 rows. Then knit stockinette.

After you've knitted about 30 rows stockinette devide the stitches in 4 parts placing a marker at the end of each quarter. K2TOG at each marker on all the following rows. After you've done this 4 times and you are left with 72 stitches, add additional markers half way between the excisting markers. On the rest of the rows you will then be decreasing the stitches at every marker, alltogether 8st/row. Knit until you are left with 8stitches, cut yarn, leaving a 15cm tail. Draw tail through the last stitches, draw tightly closed, and fasten on inside of cap. Weave in ends.

Big rose: (Novita pattern translated by yours truely):

Make a loop of yarn around your index finger. Crochet the first round on the loop. 1st rnd:  *2 ch, 2 tr, 2 ch,1 dc*, repeat *-* 4 times.The 1st round now has 5 petals. 2nd rnd: *2 ch, 1 dc in the middle of the petal on the back side, 2 tr between*, repeat *-* 4 times. 3rd rnd: crochet into every chain at the back 1 dc, 2 tr, 1 d tr, 2 tr ja 1 dc. 4th rnd: crochet *3 ch, 1 dc in the middle of the petal on the back side*, repeat *-* 4 times. 5th rnd: crochet into every chain at the back 1 dc, 2 tr, 2 d tr, 2 tr ja 1 dc. Cut yarn. Tighten the loop around the first round and fasten on inside. 

 
Small rose: 

Exactly as the big rose, just leave out 4th and 5th round. 

Petals: 

Bigger petals

Cast on 10. Crochet a dc on the 1st ch. 2 h tr, 6 tr, 1 h tr on the last ch. Do not turn the leaf around but continue to work on the other side of the chains: 1h tr, 6 tr, 2 h tr, 1ch. Cut yarn.

Smaller petals 

Cast on 7. Crochet a dc on the 1st ch. 2 h tr, 3 tr, 1 h tr on the last ch. Do not turn the leaf around but continue to work on the other side of the chains: 1h tr, 3 tr, 2 h tr, 1ch. Cut yarn.

Sow on the roses and the petals and voilà! Your slightly gaga flower hat is done!

Lacy scarf & cap

I'm starting to repeat myself but I'm Totally in love with this yarn!
So soft, so lovely..

Here's another set I made few weeks back..

As inspired by lacy scarf by Novita

Yarn: Novita Katri (100g = 160m, 100% acrylic)

Gauge: 14 st = 10cm

Skeins: 0,8 for the hat and roughly 1,2 for the scarf

Needle: 5mm

I used 29 stiches for the scarf and 112 for a loose fitted hat and just repeated the extremely simple pattern. 

Begin the cap with 3 rows of *K1, P1* and decrease when you feel like it ;)

 I decreased the stitches simply by not doing all the YOs on the pattern as I got to the desired height. I only did 4 YOs out of 6 on the first row, then 2 out of 6 on the pattern, etc.. easy-peasy!


I must say, if I had to do this hat again, I'd probably start of with maybe 90 stitches for the K1P1 and add the rest on the last layer, the hat is rather loose.. But it's not too loose so I wont re-do it.

Scarf= 18 x 175cm

Leafy scarf & cap

Totally in love with this Novita Katri yarn at the moment, it's 100% acrylic and oh so very soft!

Yarn: Novita Katri (100g = 160m, 100% acrylic)

Gauge: 14 st = 10cm

Skeins: 0,8 for the hat and roughly 2,2 for the scarf

Needle: 5mm

Scarf: Cast on 32. Work according to the pattern below repeating rows 1-16. When you have reached the desired lenght for your scarf cast off. 

Cap: Cast on 90. Devide on 4 double pointed needles or circular needles. Knit 1 purl 1 for the first 3-5 rows. Begin the pattern repeating the 10 stitches on the chart. After you've knitted the 16 layers on the pattern once begin the decrease as per Pic 2. With the remaining 18 stitches knit 2 together until you are left with 9. Cut yarn, leaving a 15cm tail. Draw tail through the last stitches, draw tightly closed, and fasten on inside of cap. Weave in ends.

"Tunturineule" scarf & cap

I've been trying to figure out, what on earth is Tunturineule in English, I've found very helpful Finnish-English knitting translations from http://www.katajala.net/marjut/neuleet/sanasto.shtml and other sites and found them very helpful in getting started. But this "tunturineule" remains a mystery, if anyone knows what it is in English, tell me!! EDIT: An anonymous reader suggested moss knit rib. Care to comment?

But here's the instructions for this chunky set anyhow:

Yarn: Novita Katri (100g = 160m, 100% acrylic)

Gauge: 14 st = 10cm

Skeins: 0,8 for the hat and roughly 2,2 for the scarf

Needle: 5mm

Scarf: Cast on 35. Knit according to the pattern below until you've reached the desired length. Cast off.

EDIT 11.1.2011:

To clarify the chart: there is 4 stitches on the rib that are repeated plus when knitting the scarf you'll need 1 extra stitch for right edge and 2st for left edge. When knitting the cap leave out the stitches outside the red lines here.

Cap: Cast on 94. Devide on 4 double pointed needle, 23 each. Begin decrease after 13cm. Decrease by 4 on every second row at the end of each needle. When you've reached top of the hat, about 18cm, *knit 2 together* until you have 8 stiches remaining. Cut yarn, leaving a 15cm tail. Draw tail through the last stitches, draw tightly closed, and fasten on inside of cap. Weave in ends.