Our Balmy Garden

Easy! Cozy! Chic! Here it is, my pattern for my favourite piece to date, my mini-poncho!

The pattern was adapted from the "Pepper Wrap" on the Daily Knitter free pattern site, but I made enough changes that I think it will be helpful to list it as a new pattern. Many thanks to them for providing such a great foundation pattern!

I love the colours that came out as I was knitting this project, it totally cemented my love for Noro yarns. And this blend is so soft against the skin, never itchy at all, you can wear it over a t-shirt!

Super-big thank you to Kirsten for taking a stunning photo of my poncho for me to post on here! Check out her foxy photos on her website!

 Click on the image to see it larger for detail!

"Wrap me in Sweet Clover Mini-Poncho"

Size 10, 29" Circular Needle

NORO Yarns Silver Thaw 50/25/25 Wool/Angora/Nylon Blend

I used 1.5 skeins, leaving more than enough to make a cute little matching piece!

CO 176 sts

*Please note: spaces between lines are not intentional, just a quirk of the cut & paste process. Ignore and knit on, happy crafter!

Rounds 1-2: Knit round
Rounds 3-4: Purl round
Rounds 5-6: Knit around
Rounds 7-8: Purl around
Rounds 9-10: Knit around
Rounds 11-12: Purl around
Rounds 13-14: Knit around

Rounds 15-16: Purl around
Rounds 17-18: Knit around
Round 19: [K1, YO, YO] 176 times.
Round 20: Knit round, dropping all YO stitches
Round 21 - 22: Knit round.
Round 23: [K9, K2tog] 16 times.
Round 24 - 25: Knit round.
Round 26 - 27: Purl round.
Round 28 - 29: Knit round.

Round 30: [K1, YO, YO] 160 times.
Round 31: Knit round, dropping all YO stitches
Round 32 - 37: Knit round.
Round 38 - 39: Purl round.

Round 40: Knit around.

Round 41: [K8, K2tog] 16 times.

Round 42: [K1, YO, YO] 144 times.
Round 43: Knit round, dropping all YO stitches

Round 44 - 50: Knit round.
Round 51 - 52: Purl round.
Round 53-54: knit round

Round 55: [K1, YO, YO] 144 times.
Round 56: Knit round, dropping all YO stitches

Round 57 - 58: Knit round.

Round 59: [K7, K2tog] 16 times.
Round 60-66: Knit round.
Round 67 - 68: Purl round.
Round 69 - 70: Knit round.
Round 71: [K6, K2tog] 16 times.
Round 72 - 73: Knit round.
Round 74: [K5, K2tog] 16 times.
Round 75: Knit round.
Round 76: Knit round.
Round 77: [K2tog, YO] 96 times
Round 78: Knit round, making sure to knit all YO stitches.

Round 79 – 80: Knit round.

Bind off all stitches.

First of five projects complete, Fuzzy Paws for Ki! Look, he thinks they are boxing gloves!

Quick Fuzzy Paws Pattern

Size 10 DPN

Chunky weight Noro Yarn

CO 30 sts, divide between 3 needles and close to knit in round

Stockinette stitch 3.5-4 inches.

Make thumbhole: Knit 2 at beginning of a needle, bind-off 5 sts, continue around row. On next row, single cast-on 5 new sts over space left by bind-off. Continue stockinette stitch.

Knit 1 inch more, then K2, K2tog, K2, K2tog, K2 on each of the three needles. Knit once more around, then bind off (loosely, too tight and it will pinch the edge of your sweety's fingers)

Here is a pic of my two favourtite guys wearing their homemade toques. These were both done using different weights/gauges of Shibui's Ribbed Border Stockinette Hat. It is easy and lovely and my go-to hat pattern. I am not going to reproduce it here because they sell it at lots of lovely knitting stores and they deserve every penny they get for it, but I will put a link so you can see how it looks in all different yarn weights.

Click here to see the Shibui pattern page and find a retailer

Men Love Waffles Button-Scarf

After making my Daddy a warm cozy birthday toque I had some yarn left and wanted to make a stylish accent to go with it, but I didn’t have enough to make a full length scarf. This waffle-texture, one-button neckerchief did the trick!

Size 13 needles

Sport-weight alpaca yarn

CO 25 sts

5 rows: [K5, P5] 2 times, K5

5 rows: [P5, K5] 2 times, P5

1 row: K5, P5, K1, make buttonhole, K1, P5, K5

4 rows: [K5, P5] 2 times, K5

*5 rows: [P5, K5] 2 times, P5

5 rows: [K5, P5] 2 times, K5*

Repeat pattern between *’s to desired length, much shorter than an average scarf as it only wraps once and overlaps enough to button loosely.

Bind off, work away ends.

Attach a big chunky button using a yarn needle. I used an organic bamboo button.

If you are short on yarn as I was it can be finished short and be made longer by wet blocking it which sets the stitches very nicely.

*I am not including instructions for how to make a buttonhole because I am HOPELESS at it. For a video instruction check Knitting Help’s website in the Link section. And good luck. And if you have a good buttonhole method please share.

Currently I am working on a hat to match my mini-poncho, which I plan on getting a good photo of and posting the custom pattern here ASAP. They are both being done in a wool/angora/nylon NORO blend that knocks my wooly socks off. I am mostly posting this to remind myself to post that completed pattern and pic. Because I forget stuff :p

ALSO...working on finishing a pair of very glamourous fingerless gloves for myself that make me giggle with glee. I made one and then something really uncomfortable happened to my hand at work last week and Ki makes mean faces when I try to knit. I have to do it on the sly. Stealth knitting.

AND, i am workshopping prototypes of items for wedding-party items. I got to buy really chubby knitting needles for the first project, I love them and they don't hurt my hands even when they are tired, puurrrrrrrr :)

Busy busy busy, whew!