I have thoroughly enjoyed Lori’s African Journals - so much so I had to start one of my own. Just day-to-day journals… and I thought I would occasionally scan them in for you all to read.

Anyways… I had a fabulous Mother’s Day this past Sunday. Did you?

Summer Tank

So sorry for another long absence. A week away wasn’t what I had planned. But alas I’ve been cameraless for a week.

But I have gotten a lot done. One of the most important things I accomplished was finishing up the details of Summer Tank (formerly known as Linen Isle Tank).  It is now for sale on Ravlery…. thank you for your patience. And… this time there are more sizes! Hooray!

If you are signed up for the CCKnits newsletter you will be getting a 50% off coupon in your inbox Wednesday morning.

This is a fun summer knit – and lovely to wear. Yes, I have made quite a few for myself, five in fact….

happy knitting!

It’s a rather rainy day here… perfect for a bit of knitting. I have forgotten to share with you some lovely bunting I made for Easter… well, spring in general.

Inspired by Lori’s lovely bunting I decided it was about time I made some for myself.

I found that this was a simple and easy project to carry around with me while John played outside. It tucked easily into my purse and well, was generally addictive so I think I’m going to have to knit another.

Pattern:
1 skein Plymouth Kudo (worsted weight yarn, approx.  198 yds)
US #7 needles (I used 2 dpns since they were short and easy to carry around)
Size H crochet hook

Cast on 20 stitches using the long-tail cast on method.
Rows 1 – 6: K
Row 7: K2, ssk, k to last 4 sts, k2tog, k2
Row 8 – 10: K
Repeat rows 7 – 10, seven times
Row 11: k2, k2tog, k2
Row 12: K
Row 13: k1, slip 1 st k2tog pass slip st over, k1
Row 14: k
Row 15: slip 1 st k2tog pass slip st over
cut the yarn and bring it through the last loop to bind off.
Weave in ends

To create the cord, using the US Size H crochet hook, chain 14, *chain across the top of a pendant, chain 6*, repeat from * until you have desired length, chain 16, turn and single crochet into each of the chains to the end. Pull yarn through last loop and weave in ends.

I didn’t block  my bunting, but I suppose you could.

For my fireplace bunting which measures 70 inches I made 8 pendants.

Currently I’m reading “Below Stairs”. I love “Upstairs Downstairs” and Gosford Park - this is right in the same genre.

Joining with Ginny - Happy Knitting!

Hello friends! After such a lovely weekend it was back to work for me… fun doesn’t last forever!

Wednesday I headed over to Wiley Publishing to shoot knitting videos to complement their “Knitting for Dummies” ebook.

I was in for a surprise when I arrived. Not only was I to do the hand work but I was supposed to do the voice narration! AHHHHHH… I know that if I had known that before I arrived I would have said, “No way.”

Somehow I managed. I’m sure you’ll laugh when you see them. Next time I’m going to go with with cue cards… =)

Thankfully, Eric and Melanie were extremely patient with me and all my blunders. The raw footage would be hilarious!

I have put my poor little garden on hold until I finished theses videos so I didn’t mess up my hands too badly. Now that they are done (for right now) I’m off to spend some time in the dirt!

See you all soon!

Christina

One of the things that I remember about my childhood Easters are new dresses. My dad didn’t allow us to participate in Easter egg hunts or have  Easter baskets but my mom, for whom Easter egg hunts and baskets were a part of her childhood,  would always try to make us new dresses and a hat for Easter Sunday.

My favorite was a pink calico dress with little lace trim and a straw hat with a matching ribbon.

When was out on my own I would buy myself a new hat for Easter. (Yes, I adore hats.)

Now that I have my own little guy not only do I plan an Easter egg hunt for him and the cousins and an Easter basket but a new little something to wear is a must.

This year I made a little cotton vest and matching bow tie. The bow tie was sooooo much fun to make and hardly took anytime at all I plan on making a few more for Sundays. ( Lil J wore my outfit for Palm Sunday and an outfit his grandma purchased for him for Easter Sunday. But I did go ahead and make another tie for his Easter outfit. They are too much fun to make. )

I thought you all would have fun making them for your little ones so here is the pattern:

Bow Tie
Berroco Weekend i.e. cotton worsted weight yarn
US #7 needles
Tapetry needle
safety pin to secure neckband at back of collar

Co 10 sts.
Row 1: K
Row 2: K
Row 3: K
Row 4: K2, p6, k2
Repeat rows 3 &4 until piece measure 4″ from co edge to needles.
Row 5: K
Row 6: K
Row 7: K
Row 8: Bo in purl

Bow Tie Center
Co 3 sts and work 6 rows of garter stitch, bo 3 sts.

Neckband
co 3 sts and work in garter stitch for 11 – 12″ (depending on the collar size of your little one)

Using the tapestry needle and a piece of cotton, sew a running stitch up the center of the bow tie to gather it. Wrap the Bow tie center around the gathered section and sew the bow tie center together at the back. Find the mid point of the neck band and sew it onto the bow tie in the back. Steam lightly with a steam iron.

Note: the vest is my own pattern. If you are looking for a good substitute try Summer Vest by Tot Toppers

JK is reading me The Girl with a Pearl Earring while I knit at night. I’ve enjoyed it so far. I can relate to the descriptions of washing and ironing and scrubbing. Why do I find it so comforting to know that those menial tasks are so normal and have been part of life for centuries? We’ll see though… I am getting the feeling that the book is going to take a turn and I’m not going to like what is around the next corner.

Joining with Ginny…

For some reason I can never manage to host an event, take pictures and blog about it. Perhaps that skill of juggling everything will come to me one day. For now I’m just grateful for a sister who takes wonderful pictures and wrote a beautiful blog piece on the Easter dinner party I just hosted.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend full of rejoicing and family.

I’m savoring the memories of the wonderful day.

I’m also savoring the fact that I go all the napkin rings made. Hooray!

The family Easter dinner will be celebrated at my house this year. It’s always something fun to plan. Really it’s the first dinner party of the summer season.

This year I decided to have some “crafty” decorations. Well, to be honest, I am still finding inspiration from the original flower I made for the Mom’s Beads pattern. 

This time I decided to use the basic flower to decorate napkin rings. They are so easy to make. I’ve been making them while I watch Lil John play outside. 

Here’s the pattern:

You will need
US #7 needles – you can use straight, 2 dpns, circ – whatever you desire
US #1 needles – again you can use whatever you deisre, straight, circ, dpns
Worsted weight green cotton or wool 
Sock yarn in bright colors – pink, blue, white, yellow
Assorted small buttons
tapestry needle

 For the ring:
With the US #7 needle and the worsted weight green, co 6 stitches, knit 34 rows, bo leaving a long tail.

Sew the piece together using a tapestry needle, (end to end) to form a ring.

Next make a flower:

Small Flower:
Using a US #1 (2.25mm) , leaving a 4″ tail, cast on 3 sts.
Row 1, 3, 5, 7: P
Row 2: K1, yo, k1, yo, k1. (5 sts)
Row 4: K2, yo, k1, yo, k2. (7 sts)
Row 6: K3, yo, k1, yo, k3. (9 sts)
Row 8: K
Row 9: K
Row 10: BO in p.
Make 4 petals. Sew petals together, one over lapping the next, using the yarn tails and a tapestry needle. Wet block and pin into shape. Sew button into the center of the 4 petals.
Make the following number of small flowers: 3 white, 2 pink & 3 yellow.
Using a tapestry needle, weave in ends.

Now all you need to do is sew the flower to the ring. I made sure to sew my flowers to the ring where I had sewed the ring together so the seam did not show.

It get’s rather addicting to make the flowers  - I need to make 17!

happy knitting!

]]> http://classiccableknits.com/blog/2012/03/spring-napkin-rings/feed/ 3 http://classiccableknits.com/blog/2012/03/small-things-giveaway/ http://classiccableknits.com/blog/2012/03/small-things-giveaway/#comments Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:56:50 +0000 Christina http://classiccableknits.com/blog/?p=2625

Rain was trickling through the branches of our beautiful pear tree this morning as I made the family’s morning pot of oatmeal.

It is breathtaking in it’s garments of simple white flowers.

Last night we ate dinner out on the deck. Little white petals showered down upon us, sometimes sprinkling our food, other times falling at our feet.
“Is it snowing?” Lil John asked. How sweet! Yes, it was “snowing” spring snow – petals and the heavy scent of blooms.

I love the simplicity of childhood – it’s full of discovery and imagination.

I hope you all have a very relaxing weekend. Lil John has a terrible cough and runny nose so we plan to stay put and read lots of books.

If you are looking for some “free” patterns hop on over to Small Things. There’s a giveaway. And… if you don’t want to wait to find out if you won the giveaway there is a 25% off coupon for any CCKnits pattern purchase (only through the weekend)

happy knitting!

PS: for those of you who read the Small Things interview with me and are wondering about my mom and sister’s talent you can find them here and here. We’ve finally banded together to start a new project which you can see here!

All this warm weather so early in the year has made me question what in the world will it be like in August. I almost feel like going on a hunt for Australian blogs so that I can find out what they do during the warm weather months.

One thing is for sure. I am going to need light weight cardigans for the rest of “spring” and for those chilly airconditioned buildings that seem to pop up everywhere once the heat gets into full swing.

Don’t you find it hilarious that we have to have summer sweaters for “conditioned” air? It’s just such a mind twister. Oh, well. Apparently the world is more productive since the invention of air conditioning.

So I have turned my attention to knitting with some lovely lightweight yarns. Grass, by Plymouth is a lovely cotton and hemp blend that feels cool against your skein. It’s okay to knit with – in other words it feels a little hempy, but it drapes and wears so well it’s worth a little bit of roughness.

We’ll see how it turns out!

Hello Friends!

Spring has arrived in full force in central Indiana. It’s been absolutely amazing and several weeks early.

Yesterday we got out for our weekend walk and wandered among the gardens at our favorite summer haunt.

It’s been a favorite place to go in spring and see what is blooming. I dream of having an amazing garden like the Lilly gardens one day. Perhaps one day…

today I’ve been really busy in the garden but really don’t have anything beautiful to show you. My dad wanted to get rid of all of his daffodils in his front garden so John and I spent the morning digging them up so that we can replant them in our garden.

I know, wrong time of year to replant daffodils. But, oh, well. We’ll see if it works!

Now I’m stopping for a little tea and knitting before my little wee man gets up and we’re back to gardening!

ta-ta for now!

C