Pink Fluffy Knitted Cable Poncho

After finishing the knitted helmet liner I was working on during the Olympics, I needed another project to keep my hands busy for the remainder of this exciting viewing event. I checked the shelf in my sewing room cabinet where I keep projects still to be done and found a wonderful little knitting kit I had purchased a while back to make a fluffy pink poncho for my little girlie girl. So I pulled it out, gathered the appropriate needles, a little yellow sticky note to keep track of my rows, and I was ready to continue being productive while enjoying the last few evenings of Olympics coverage.

It's the cutest pink fluffy double cabled pattern from Patons, and it's worked on size 10 1/2 needles so it is working up pretty quickly.


It will be the perfect cozy covering for Gracie to wear to a spring tea party, or to storytime at the library, or just running errands with Mom. That is supposing that it fits her when I am finished with it of course. She's growing so fast, and as I've mentioned here before, I am a slow knitter! But if it's too small for her, I'll just post it for sale on my new For Sale page and let someone else's little girlie girl enjoy it.

The pattern is a simple one, just two rectangles each with two double cables going up the sides. Then you sew them together to make the poncho and add fringe.


You can see here one of the cables twisting its way up the side of the first piece. The yarn feels like the lightest fluffiest cotton candy, and looks like it too! It's Patons Be Mine yarn in Plushy Pink...love the name! Let's hope I finish it before the warm weather arrives!

The spring time giveaway prize that I showed in sneak peek format recently is now complete and ready for the "Good Eggs Giveaway." Be on the lookout for it here at Hooked On Needles and other crafty websites between March 24 and 28th. I'll be showing it off soon when I announce the sale of my very first pattern. It's an original, not my first original, but my first that I am producing to sell. This is very exciting for me so I hope you'll come and check it out.

I've also been working on preserving some very old quilt blocks for Lyn's Make-Do Memories Miniature Quilt Challenge so I'll be sharing that with you soon as well. My fingers have been very busy lately with all this, and a few paid sewing projects that I don't plan on showing - making valances out of leftover drapery panels, dropping dress hems and fixing holes in sweaters - not very exciting stuff, but it keeps me busy and helps people continue to use what they have. Definitely a worthwhile Make-Do challenge for all of us!

Happy Stitching!

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Knitted Helmet Liner Complete!

The Knitted Helmet Liner, started less than two weeks ago, is now complete and ready to send back to Patternworks. Here's how it turned out...

My ever-patient husband modeled it for me...can't you see the smile under there?

This pattern is free with purchase of yarns approved for making these helmet liners for the troops. Just go to Patternworks and click on the little ad towards the bottom of their main page.

I've been working on this project in the evenings while enjoying coverage of the Olympics, so now I guess I'll have to find another project to work on. I really thought this would take me much longer to knit since I am a slow knitter, but I was able to finish it pretty quickly. Those of you who are fast knitters could probably work one of these up in just a few days. The price was right too, just the cost of one skein of yarn. I hope the person who gets this one wears it well, stays safe and comes home soon to family and friends.

Happy Stitching!

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Big Bulky Knit Sweater - It's Finished and it's MINE!

After Christmas and all the projects I did for others, I felt the urge to make something for myself. I scoured my patterns and discovered this sweater pattern I had picked up from one of those little pads that hang off the yarn shelves in stores such as Michael's. I didn't have any of the yarn called for in the pattern, and I really did not want to go out and purchase new yarn when I have so much sitting in my cabinet. I tried a sample of this yarn, leftover from the wedding gift afghan I had made for my niece, and two strands of it held together worked up exactly to gauge. I gathered my needles and stitch markers and got to work.

I am happy to report that it is now complete!


The color is probably not something I would have chosen for myself, although green is a good color for me. But this was a good way to use up some of the leftover yarn, about 12 skeins to be exact.


See that thick cozy neckline? It is knit onto each front side as part of each piece. The only finishing work on the collar is to sew the back seam together and then turn under the center facings and whip stitch them to the inside of the sweater...very easy!




The turning row was marked by slipping a certain stitch on the knit side along the entire length of each front piece. This made a nice edge on the collar after it was turned and stitched.


And there's the back view of the turned collar and the rest of the sweater. You can see here that the bottom edge of the sweater as well as the ends of the sleeves turn up just a bit. This is because each piece begins with stockinette stitch which tends to roll on the edges. It's a design feature in this pattern, not an oversight!

So that's my latest project done just for me. It is very cozy, but quite bulky to wear. I think if it had been knit using just one strand of a heavier yarn, it wouldn't feel so substantial. But this is what you get when trying to use up yarn from your stash! I am pleased with how it turned out and will enjoy wearing it once our temperatures climb a little bit away from frigid and get into something a little more mild, like above freezing! Then it will be perfect to wear on its own to keep me warm and cozy.

I finished my first bag from the Bagalicious Club whose button you may have noticed on my sidebar recently. It is just so stinking cute and I can't wait to show it to you, so stay tuned!

Happy Stitching!

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Crocheted or Knitted Cotton Floor Dusters

Cotton yarn is wonderful to work with and can be used for so many different things. If you've been following Hooked On Needles for a while, you might remember that I made quite a few cotton dishcloths and washcloths. Some of you have even received them in packages from me or made them yourselves.

After making so many of the cotton cloths, I have accumulated quite a collection of leftover cotton yarn. This is what it looks like at the moment...


What a mess of yummy cotton! But have no fear! I have a way to use it all up in practically no time at all!

If you have wood floors in your home, chances are you have one of those name brand floor dusters which require the matching name brand disposable cloths that you use once and then throw away. Then you have to remember to buy more when you run out.

Here's an inexpensive and reusable solution that works just as well...

These cotton floor duster covers were made using the free pattern from Michael's website with some minor adjustments. The top one is crocheted and the bottom one is knitted. They both fit my name brand floor duster and they do a great job picking up dirt and dust (and lots of other things too!) from my wood floors. And since these also have cotton wrapped around the edges, they do a much better job on edges and in corners than the name brand disposables do.


The crocheted duster is made using single crochet in the back loops only, giving the duster these great little ridges for trapping dust and dirt.


The knitted version is made with small sections of garter stitch alternating on the front and back to produce these bumpy strips which also trap the dust and dirt very well.


The pattern from Michael's calls for stitching both the knitted and crocheted versions of these dusters in three pieces - one large piece measuring about 10 inches by 4 inches, and then two smaller pieces measuring about 2 inches by 4 inches. I decided to save myself some time and stitch both of my samples in one long piece, combining the numbers for the 3 pieces to get my cast on or chain stitch beginning numbers.


Then I just folded over the two ends and stitched the edges together to make my super easy, fabulously functional, and very frugal crocheted or knitted reusable cotton floor duster cover!


Much more colorful than the name brand disposables, don't you think?


It looks nice and clean right now, but after I use it on my floors, it will be ready for a spin through the wash. Just throw it in the wash along with towels or socks or whatever else you want, then hang it over a hook or shower curtain rod or clothes line to dry, and it will be ready to work for you again!

These handy dusters work up so quickly that I am making up as many as I can for my son's upcoming school Holiday Fair. Two other moms have also joined in on the fun and picked up their knitting needles after many years to make some for the fair too. With everyone trying to pinch pennies these days, I am hoping they will be good sellers at the fair and help to bring in a little bit of money for the school.

Happy Stitching!

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Basketweave Knit Stitch Pattern on Lollipop Oddball Blanket

The design I decided to knit on the Lollipop Oddball Blanket is sort of a loose basketweave design using just alternating groups of knit and purl stitches on the right side, and all purl stitches on the wrong side.

I think this pattern would be a suitable substitution for stockinette stitch in patterns such as a sweater or scarf, a full size afghan or baby blanket, or any other place where you want to add a little texture to an otherwise plain knit fabric. It does not pull in the stitches on the sides, nor does it draw them in from the top and bottom like some stitch patterns tend to do. You would still want to check your gauge if you are planning to use it for something that requires fitting, such as a piece of clothing. But for a scarf or blanket, that would not be necessary.

Take a look and see what you think...


I sort of made this up as I went along, and I really like how it turned out. There are dozens of basketweave patterns for knitting out there and I'm sure any one of them would look great in a blanket like this. But I just didn't feel like searching for a pattern so this is what came out of my needles! I'll share the written pattern for it below.


Here you can see the other five panels of this oddball blanket, each in a different color and stitch of the knitter's choice. That is what makes it an oddball!

I'll be crocheting a border in yellow around this Lollipop blanket before mailing it back to the person who will deliver it to the hospital for some sweet little new baby to enjoy. You can be sure that I'll share the border with you too, as soon as it is finished!

Here's the pattern for my version of a loose basketweave knit design...

Loose Basketweave Knit Pattern
Mary Grace McNamara of www.HookedOnNeedles.com

NOTE: This pattern is worked over a multiple of 8 stitches plus 8. The blanket pictured also has several rows of garter stitch at the bottom and top, and 4 knit stitches at the beginning and end of each row to make a garter stitch border, but I did not include those stitches in this pattern. You can begin and end your rows any way you like.

Using yarn of your choice and needles appropriately sized for the yarn, cast on a multiple of 8 stitches, plus 8 additional stitches.

Row 1: Knit

Row 2 and every wrong side row: Purl

Row 3: Knit

Rows 5 and 7: K2, (P4, K4) across the row until there are 6 stitches left, P4, K2

Row 9: Knit

Rows 11 and 13: K6, (P4, K4) across the row until there are 2 stitches left, K2

Repeat rows 3 through 13 until your piece is as big as you want it. Finish by working 1 row Purl, 1 row Knit, 1 row Purl, 1 row Knit, 1 row Purl. Bind off.

Happy Stitching!

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How to pick up a missed Yarn Over in Knitting

In my post few days ago, I began to share with you a very helpful knitting trick that can save a lot of time and frustration when knitting lace or any project with a lot of yarn-overs in the pattern. Imagine my own frustration when I realized the pictures I had taken to show this neat trick were wrong!

Anyway, here are the steps you can take to pick up a yarn-over that was missed on the previous row...


The first step in fixing this problem is the same as with fixing any problem...you must know that you have a problem! This is why I always mark and count my sections regularly on each row of my lace knitting. Once I had determined that I had missed working a yarn-over, I used the orange locking stitch marker to grab the yarn that should have been over the needle along with the cable, and I locked the marker in place.

To identify the yarn that should have been the yarn-over, just spread apart the stitches and find the strand of yarn that is going between the two stitches on either side of where the yarn-over should be. This is the yarn that would have been brought around your right needle as a yarn-over.


Continue knitting your pattern until you reach the orange marker again.


With your right needle, pick up the marked yarn strand...


...and place it on your left needle. Make sure that your left needle picks up the yarn from the front so that the yarn-over will be in the proper position.


This is how your newly placed yarn-over should look. Now you can remove the marker and continue knitting your pattern.

Isn't that much easier than picking back lots of stitches to get to your missed stitch? This handy trick has saved me hours of frustration already, which is why I'm happy to be able to share it with you!

Happy Stitching!

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Crocheted Picot Border on Tiny Dancer Oddball Baby Blanket

Who doesn't love a quick project every now and then to provide that much needed sense of accomplishment? That's one of the reasons I love working on the oddball baby blankets. A package comes in the mail, I pick out yarn that I think will go well with the project, I knit a few inches of the pattern of my choice, I crochet a pretty border also of my choosing, and I mail it back. No long term commitments, no huge financial or time investment. The perfect fast finish! Of course the real satisfaction comes when we read on the knittinghelp.com charity forum that the blankets have been delivered and appreciated.

Here's the latest one I worked on, and my second finished project for September...


It's called Tiny Dancer, and is made with sweet colors and dainty patterns.


It really is quite tiny too, since it is for a premature baby, only about 21 x 22 inches including the border. It has been worked with sport weight yarns in colors or variegated of each knitter's choosing.


After I knitted the last section in a pretty pink using the farrow rib stitch, I worked 6 rows of garter stitch before binding off. Then using a soft yellow and this method for crocheting around a knitted piece, I worked 3 rounds of single crochet to provide a substantial base for the decorative border. The pattern I chose for the border is just a little picot every 3 stitches, and it is very easy to do.

Crocheted Picot Border

* sl st in each of next 3 st, ch 3, sl st in same st as last sl st *

Repeat from * to * around. When you reach the beginning again, end with a sl st. Cut yarn, draw tail through loop and pull tight. Weave in ends.

If you are interested in working on an oddball baby blanket, just go to the Knittinghelp.com Charity forum and pick the thread that matches your location. Join in the conversation and let them know that you are interested in working on a blanket. They'll be glad to have you! Make sure you tell them that Mary Grace sent you!

Happy Stitching!

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Knitted Lace Shawl - Helpful Hints on Keeping Track

A few weeks ago, I shared with you my practice knitting for the Lace Shawl pattern I purchased over the summer, and my new-found confidence in my ability to knit this pattern.

I have begun knitting it in the very lovely Alpaca Lace yarn I purchased for it, and I am anxious to show you how it's coming along and share a few tips on how to keep track of where you are in lace knitting.

You can click on any picture to make it bigger. Take a look...


Thirty-six rows of very careful chart-following and concentrated knitting brought me to this point in my project, from 9 stitches cast on to 91 stitches on the needle. You can see the triangle design beginning to take shape. It's solid triangles pointing down and lacy, more open triangles pointing up. This design will be repeated throughout the shawl and will show up much better when the piece is finally finished and blocked to its proper size and shape. I think it is just lovely, and not nearly as hard to knit as I first thought it would be.


The chart section above the magnets shows the 12 rows that will be repeated 14 times, with the middle section of it that is marked by orange lines being repeated one more time for each time the 12 row section is repeated. This is what will make the shawl get wider and wider until, by the end of knitting, there will be close to 500 stitches on the needle. Whew!

To help me keep track of where I am with the repeats, I have written on my chart page the numbers 1 through 14. Each time I complete the 12 row section, I will cross off another number. This will ensure that I knit the required number of rows and repeats to make the shawl its proper size.

I also used my orange finepoint pen to highlight on the chart where I will place my stitch markers. You can see the orange lines going through the chart right in the middle of the 12-row section.


I am using two different types of stitch markers for this project. Above you can see the orange locking stitch markers on the table next to my chart. In the little pouch are more of the same stitch markers, only they are blue. These locking stitch markers will be used to mark the 14-stitch sections that are repeated within each 12 row repeat. I'll show below how this will work.

Next to the orange pen you can see a little plastic box which holds my very old and trusty multi-sized round stitch markers which do not open. These will be used to mark the places in the shawl pattern that don't change from repeat to repeat, namely the first and last two stitches of each row, and the little 5-stitch section in the middle of each row.


Also on the top of my chart, I have marked the row number at which each 12-row repeat will end, and the number of stitches there are on the needle at that point. So for where I am right now in the project, I have marked that the first repeat section ends at row 36 and there are 91 stitches on the needle.

The pattern includes information on how many stitches are increased with each repeat, so it is a matter of simple math to check if you have the right number of stitches. Jotting down this information at the end of each section makes checking the accuracy of your work much easier as you go along. It would be a real shame to finish 14 repeats of 12 rows (168 rows) of knitting only to find out that you are a few stitches short and your pattern is off.


In this picture you can see better the little circle markers I use for marking the first and last two stitches of each row. These are the yellow circles at the bottom of the picture. Then at the top there are two blue circles which mark the 5-stitch center section of each row. These are the only sections of the pattern that do not change count from row to row.

So I started the beginning of the first 12-row section using orange markers, two of which you can see on the left in the above picture separating the middle 14-stitch section of the first 12-row repeat. On the right, you see three blue markers which are separating the two middle 14-stitch sections at the beginning of the second 12-row repeat.



Here is how my needle looked at the end of the first row of the second 12-row repeat. On the right are the new blue markers. The orange have been removed from this section already. On the left the orange markers from the first 12-row repeat are still in place, and the blue markers from the beginning of the second 12-row repeat have been added. Once I count my stitches to make sure I worked the pattern correctly, I will remove the orange markers and continue with just the blue. I will continue alternating the orange and blue markers like this at the beginning of each 12-row repeat to help me keep track of my stitches.

Another helpful tool for lace knitting is called a lifeline which I will show you in a subsequent post. For now I will leave you with one piece of sound advice for the next time, or the first time, you pick up a lace knitting project: Count your stitches at regular intervals within each row and at the end of each row. It will save you lots of time in the end!

Happy Stitching!

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Triangle Lace Shawl project underway

During our recent vacation up north, I purchased a lace shawl pattern and some lovely Alpaca Lace yarn to make a Christmas gift for my mother. I was quite a bit nervous about starting this project since I usually stick to basic stockinette knitting with maybe a color change or two for interest. But I fell in love with this design, and the yarn was so scrumptious that I couldn't pass up the chance to step, or rather take a running leap, out of my comfort zone and just go for it.

But first I felt the need to practice on some scrap yarn, so here's what I've done...


As you can see, I didn't even take the time to lower my sewing machine into the cabinet and put my light blue background over the table! That's how anxious I was to get going on this!

After reading through the entire pattern several times trying to picture in my head what all the instructions and charts and abbreviations meant, I began. With my handy dandy magnetic board to help me keep track of the chart, my reading glasses, my circular needle whose nylon cable is bent and twisted so as to make me crazy trying to use it (this will have to be remedied before the good yarn comes out), my stitch markers, and my pattern, I started from the beginning and followed one instruction at a time. Working one row after another, I discovered that it really isn't all that complicated after all! What a revelation! What a relief!


So now that I have come to the conclusion that I actually can do this, I scanned the charts and the abbreviation sections of the pattern and then printed them out as large as I could on one page each. If I were 20 years younger I wouldn't have to do this step, but being now closer to 50 than to 40, my eyes aren't what they used to be! So it's a necessary step and I hope the copyright holder will understand.

I have gotten some good advice from my good friend Merry, of Noah's Ark Blanket fame, to make use of my stitch markers and to also use lifelines while knitting this pattern. Using a lifeline in knitting is not something I have had to do before, but I will definitely be using this technique for this project. I'll share a video with you so you can see how and why lifelines are used in knitting intricate patterns.

So that is what I have been doing to keep myself occupied in my cool basement sewing room during what I am hoping will be a short spell of very hot and humid summer weather. You can be sure that I will show you this triangle lace shawl project once I have started on the real thing.

Happy Stitching!

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Sherbet Knitted Oddball Blanket Complete with Pretty Crocheted Border

Here's one more Knitted Oddball Baby Blanket finished. This one is worsted weight and it was named Sherbet. Doesn't it look good enough to eat?


My knitted section is the pink one at the top of the picture. I used Bernat Satin yarn in a color called Sea Shell. It was so soft and lovely, I just couldn't resist! I worked my section using the Farrow Rib Stitch which is pretty popular for these blankets.


Here you can see the detail of the knit stitch, and the border I crocheted around the edge. For this border, I crocheted only two rounds of single crochet, then for the third round I worked a simple pattern of (2hdc, skip 1) along the edges and 4hdc in the corner stitches. For the final round, I worked 2 single crochet in each of the spaces between the half double crochet pairs of the previous round, and 3 single crochet between the 2nd and 3rd single crochet in each corner.

I think I'm on the list for just one more oddball blanket, and then I must take a break from working on them for a while. I was just contacted by our local library and asked to do a 4 session quilting class for children this summer, so I must prepare for that. I also have a few other things on my to-do list for Hooked On Needles, plus quite a bit of maintenance work I need to do on it. And I found out recently that the memorial golf tournament for which I am making an afghan to be used as a raffle prize is actually the beginning of August, when I thought it was sometime in the fall! Yikes! I better get on my horse here and get busy!

Next up will be the tutorial on beading in crochet, since so many of you have requested that!

Happy Stitching!

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18 inch Doll Knitted Sweater and Hat Patterns

My daughter has had the American Girl doll Samantha for quite a number of years now, along with some of her accessories and clothing. I even made a few little dresses for Samantha to match the dresses I made for Elizabeth. Very cute! But here's something she never had, up until now...


...a hand knit sweater and hat! Are those the cutest little things you ever saw? And guess what size needle these were knitted on...size 1! Yes, that's right, O N E, one! Oh my! And every stitch is perfect. Of course I would expect nothing less from my husband's Aunt M who knits every day of her life and has made some of the most beautiful knitted and quilted items you can imagine. This is an original pattern, and Aunt M gave it to me to offer right here on Hooked On Needles. Not only is she talented, she's generous as well!


She also sent me two sets for my girls to use for Samantha. This one is made with Bernat baby yarn in blue jacquard so it produces the striped pattern as you knit. Aunt M said that the sweater on the doll in the picture above which she sent me was made without considering the stripes on the left and right fronts of the sweater. But for this sweater that she mailed to me, she paid attention to where in the color pattern of the yarn each section started so that they would match up across the front. And she did the same with the sleeves. I think that makes such a difference when attention is paid to little details like that.


I love close-up pictures of anything. Here you can see the detail of the stitches and the patterns that the yarn creates on its own.


And here's the little pink set she sent me. Isn't that darling? So girlie!


On this close-up, you can see the seed stitch edge down the middle and the Knit 1 Purl 1 ribbing around the neckline, and all the perfect stockinette stitches on the body of the sweater.

If you would like the pattern for this hat and sweater, just send me an email and I'll forward the pattern. Please don't request the pattern in a comment. I just run into too many people who have their accounts set to no-reply. If you send an email, I will be able to simply reply and attach the pattern files. You can find my email address towards the top of my sidebar.

Thanks to Aunt M for sharing such a beautiful little doll clothes set!

Happy Stitching!

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