Thursday, December 3, 2015

Wood Work

Just released ... Wood Work. Knit in the beautiful Malabrigo Rastita with a slip stitch rib pattern on the cowl and hem. Pattern available on Ravelry and Love Knitting.


Wood Work © Paulo Chow


Wood Work © Paulo Chow


Wood Work © Paulo Chow

Happy Knitting!

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Finished Objects

It has been quite a long time since I have knit something from someone else's pattern. I have to remember that it is all written down for me and I don't have to figure out for myself what the next step is. 

Have you checked out the Indie Designer Gift-A-Long forum on Ravelry yet? You still have a few more days (until Friday November 27th) to cash in on the 25% off thousands of indie designer patterns. 
Use coupon code giftalong2015 on select patterns. You can find all the participating designers and patterns in the sale on Pinterest.

My first GAL finished project was Collingwood by Carolyn Macpherson. Love the texture on this hat and the fit is perfect.

Collingwood Hat Pattern by Carolyn Macpherson

I've already gotten a start on my second project, Waverleaf by Faye Kennington. This is a gorgeous scarf that uses short rows to create the colorwork design. I love the bright colours with the dark purple.

Waverleaf by Faye Kennington  © UkeeKnits  ~ Used with permission


And one more shout out to Carol E. Herman and her Passport Mitts. These mitts have a beautiful cable running down the backs and are worked in DK weight yarn. I think they would be lovely in a merino silk blend yarn.

Passport Mitts © Carol E. Herman Designs (used with permission) 

So ... what will you be knitting for gifts this year? 

Happy Knitting!

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Gift-A-Long 2015

Are you participating in the Indie (Independent) Designer Gift-A-Long this year? Do you even know what that is?

What is the GAL all about?
It’s prepping for the holidays as only fiber folks can, with special deals from tons of indie designers!
The Indie Design Gift-A-Long is a 6 week long KAL/CAL of holiday gifts made from patterns designed by 335 independent designers. Starting November 19th at 8pm (US-EST) through November 27th at 11:59 pm (US-EST) these 335 indie designers will be discounting between 5 - 20 of their patterns 25% off sale for this event.

But it's more than just a sale ... there are over 15,000 prizes of all sorts given out, games, and generally a lot of fun! The Gift-A-Long KAL/CALs will run from November 19 at 8pm US EST through - December 31, 2015 at 11:59pm US EST. 

This graphic is a great summary of what is happening over on Ravelry.



It's almost time, so head on over to Ravelry to find out more and join in the fun!

And if you're looking for the list of participating knit and crochet designers you can find a summary of all 335 of us here ... GAL Designers.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Left Over Sock Yarn

If you like to knit socks as much as I do, you end up with lots of odd sized balls of sock yarn left over. Not enough to make another pair of socks but too much to give away.

Take a look at Over Left Socks

Over Left Socks

These socks are worked cuff down with 5 colors of yarn in a slipped stitch pattern. No working with multiple yarns at a time like stranded colorwork does. 




And it's fun to try out different colour combinations of yarn.

Have a look at the colours others have used on the project page.

Happy Knitting!





Thursday, May 7, 2015

Socks

For the most part I like to knit sweaters, specifically cardigans and for smaller projects hats. In the past I knit a lot of socks but got away from knitting them as my sock drawer was full. Now, since the weather is warming up, I was looking for some smaller projects to work on and fell back in love with knitting socks. 

I had a tub full of sock yarn, mostly leftovers but also some full skeins just waiting for the perfect pattern.


The first socks I knit were some plain jane socks with some yarn my mom gifted me for Christmas last year. They are so comfortable!



Then I started thinking about creating 5 or 6 new sock patterns and creating an e-book. So, with 5 patterns designed and another 1 or 2 to do, the e-book is in the works. I will add each individual sock pattern to the Ravelry database as it is finished being tested but expect the e-book to be complete by the end of June. 





Perfect small projects for summer knitting.



Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Photo Shoot

This past weekend was amazing ... not only did I get to spend it with my sister but she did a photo shoot for me of a couple of my cardigans. She is a very talented photographer and I hope that we can do it again. Vancouver, BC Canada offers some beautiful backdrops for photography.


© KLMorgenstern
© KLMorgenstern






My newest design, Pitaya Cardigan is available for purchase on Ravelry.



© KLMorgenstern
© KLMorgenstern


























She also did a few pictures of Matomoko which is also available on Ravelry.

And here is my most favourite picture of the weekend! We were having fun laughing and really having a relaxing time.

© KLMorgenstern


To see more of my sisters photography you can go to her website KLMorgenstern Photography.


Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Picking Up Stitches

In all of my cardigan patterns, the button and buttonhole bands are picked up and knit after the cardigan body and sleeves are completed. This technique can often give knitters problems. How does one pick up stitches so they are even along the body of the sweater?

For this technique you will need: 

  • a cardigan with the fronts completed
  • a tape measure
  • a crochet hook approximately the same size as your knitting needles (one without a plastic grip so the stitches can slide from one end to the other)
  • knitting needles, either circular or straights
  • removable stitch markers



Step 1: Dividing front into sections

The pattern should indicate the total number of stitches needed along the front band. Depending on the total number divide this into 5 to 8 sections with approximately 20 stitches in each section. The fewer stitches in each section the more accurate your picking up will be

The Math

Example: This cardigan requires 109 stitches along the front. I've divided this number into 5 sections.
I know that 110 can be divisible by 5 evenly so 110 / 5 = 22 stitches in each section but I only need 109 stitches so 4 sections have 22 sts and 1 section has 21 sts (22 x 3 + 21 = 109)

Lay the tape measure across the front to find the length and divide this length into 5 sections. For this sample I have 20.75" length divided by 5 equals 4.15" for each section.

Using four markers, mark each 4.15" section.

Step 2: Using Crochet Hook to Pick Up Stitches

Using your crochet hook, pick up your calculated number of stitches from the starting edge to your first marker. 

If you don't want to eyeball the evenness of the picked up stitches you can count the number of rows in the section and divide it by the number of stitches you need to pick up. For example, if I have 44 rows in the section and I need to pick up 22 stitches I would pick up 1 stitch every 2 rows (pick up a stitch, skip a row).


I like to poke the crochet hook through the 2 strands of each knit/purl stitch along the edge, wrap yarn around hook and pull through. 



Step 3: Transfer Stitches to Knitting Needle

Once all the stitches required for the first section are on your crochet hook (for this cardigan, 22 stitches), they will now be transferred to the knitting needle. Slip each stitch from the non-hook end of the crochet hook onto the knitting needle.





Step 4: Repeat

Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the remaining sections along the front edge. 

Don't forget that some sections may have 1 stitch more or less than a previous section so the total number of stitches along the edge works out according to the pattern instructions.



Once you are finished all stitches should be sitting on your knitting needle and you will be ready to work a wrong side row.

Happy Knitting!

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Happy New Year

And another year is gone, a new start for a new year! 





Do you make New Years Resolutions? Maybe to loose weight, eat healthier, go on a yarn diet, finish all those WIPs .... I used to but found I just set myself up for disappointment and failure. Now, with my business, I make goals rather than resolutions. 

Here are some of my goals for 2015 (I figure if I post them for the world to see I will have more motivation to actually complete them):

  • Write/publish a sock pattern
  • Write/publish 2 pullover patterns and 2 cardigan patterns
  • Write/publish a crocheted pattern
  • Make a blog post twice a month
  • Post on Facebook at least once a week

I've already gotten started on a couple of them (holdovers from 2014 but I say they still count). Here's the first cardigan.



Pitaya is in the final stages of completion. Only the buttonhole and button bands left to complete on the sample, photography and then testing. BTW, if you want to test for me or be notified of new upcoming tests, send me an email to Designs By Cheryl Chow @ gmail dot com (remove spaces and use . instead of dot).

Until next post, Happy Knitting!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Hill Top

I am now ready for testers to test my Hill Top set of hat, mitts, and cowl. Test just one item or all three if you like. Sign up on Ravelry in the following forums. Deadline to complete the test is December 15th, 2014.

Hill Top Cowl Test


Hill Top Hat Test


Hill Top Fingerless Mitts Test



Yarn Requirements 
Sample knit using Hazel Knits Lively DK; 90% superwash merino, 10% nylon; 275 yards in 130grams; Colors Emerald City (MC) and Frost (CC)
Needle Size 
• Size US5 (3.75mm) needle(s) 
• Size US6 (4.0mm) needle(s) 
Gauge 
20 sts and 24 rows in colorwork on size US6 (4.0mm) needles is 4” (10cm) worked in the round 
Gauge is measured after wet blocking the swatch.
Happy Knitting!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Gift-A-Long Progress

A bit more than one day left to take advantage of the 25% off knitting and crochet patterns on Ravelry that are part of the 2014 Gift-A-Long. You can find my discounted pattern in this bundle. Use coupon code giftalong2014 to receive the discount. Sale ends Friday, November 21st at 11:59pm EST.

Here is the progress I've made on the Flowers and Tiles Top ... 6 squares finished (only 5 in the photo). 



I'm really happy with how the squares are coming together. The pattern is very  well written and easy to follow. Elena includes a great photo tutorial on how to join the squares together as you go. Very helpful for a new crocheter.

I'm going to opening up a test for a stranded hat, cowl, and fingerless mitts set in the next week. Here's a sneak peek ...




Yarn is from Hazel Knits ~ Lively DK in colors frost and emerald city. Beautiful superwash merino and nylon blend.

Happy Crafting!