My first KNITTED wearable

I have knitted a gauge swatch for this Beachcomber Tunic from Interweave Crochet magazine. The top half is knitted and the bottom half is crocheted. I'm using Knitpick's Gloss yarn in the color Sahara. It is a wool and silk blend. Nice! The gauge swatch came out just right, even though I dropped a stitch and did a brute force job of picking the stitch up again. It's obvious on the back but not on the front. I need a REALLY beginner knitting book to help me with these basics. I also realize that I have to keep the stitches nice and loose to stay with the gauge. One more thing I've learned is that cable needles are very weird. I feel like they're trying to pull the work out of my hands half the time. !

I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to keep up with my blog. I've started the Barbados Tee in elann's Cotolino, a cotton/linen blend. It will be a boxy tee. I'm hoping it will be cool enough for summer. The shell stitch is very small and I'm taking my time. So this could take awhile.

Pink Cloud Cowl

I whipped this up over the weekend from a free pattern available at Interweave Crochet. The yarn is elann.com's Super Kydd. Super easy, cute, and warm!

Finished Boteh

What a great pattern! It never got boring but wasn't too difficult either. I may make this again only in a variegated yarn. Or maybe I'll go all out and try it in Lorna's Laces Shepherd sock yarn. The Elann Sock it to Me is a fine yarn, but not as luxurious. I've already worn this a few times, even when it got to be a little too warm for scarf wearing.

Boteh Scarf

I found this scarf pattern through Ravelry. It is in the spring issue of Interweave Crochet, which I ended up buying. The yarn is elann.com Sock it To Me sock yarn in wool and nylon. I am about half finished. I really like the pattern.

Amy's Hat

I wanted to to something nice for my friend Amy. When she said she would like a Tam O' Shanter to go with her new coat, I said yeah! I helped her pick out the yarn, Lion Brand Wool Ease, and I have her a choice of free patterns to choose from. She chose the Square Tam O'Shanter from the Lion Brand web site. The top of the hat is done in a "flat knot" stitch which is rows of sc on sc and dc on dc. I like the way it looks. The top is crocheted in an octagon, then four of the sides are joined together to make a band with sc. Amy did not want the bobble border or the flower, so we left those off. The way the hat is assembled, 4 of the octagon sides are left unattached. I didn't like the way that looked, so I stitched them up. I added the pom pom. Now she has a hat to match her coat.

While I've been home...

I've finished the Sweet Pea Shawl from the Stitch N Bitch Happy Hooker book. The yarn is Olympic from Artful Yarns, a blend of viscose, cotton, and acrylic. The strands of the ply are a blend of natural colored cotton and shiny bits of blue, pink, and gold. The yarn is surprisingly light - perfect for a summer shawl.

The tank is the Designer Wannabe Tank Top, also from Happy Hooker. I changed the pattern quite a bit, using one color instead of three. I had to lengthen it by 4 rows and I probably should have done a couple more. Why can I get the gauge right for width but not height? The yarn is the delightful Callista from elann.com, a blend of viscose, cotton, and linen. I'm really liking these viscose + cotton blends. I just need to add some picot stitches to the hem and neckline to finish it.