I'm ready for Picture Day 2008

They are done! Suzannah gets the yellow sweater with buttons that she wanted. Augy gets the dark deep blue vest that he wanted. I didn't try to impose my taste on my children. I let them choose the yarn, pattern and buttons.

Suzannah choose some very cute hedgehog buttons for her sweater.




What I learned from knitting these two sweaters:

1. Cabling without a cable needle is easy as long as you don't pull your right needle too far away from your left needle as you are slipping the stitches off the right needle.
2. Cabling without a cable needle goes way faster than with a cable needle.
3. Loosely spun yarn, such as Steadfast Fibers Wonderful Wool, are easier to knit continental than English. Knitting it English undoes some of the twist and makes snagging frequent and annoying. Continental adds some twist and keeps the yarn together. At least that was my experience.

Double KNitting Scarflette

Double knitting is highly addictive. I started this project as a test, and couldn't put it down. Using luxuriously soft yarns, the double thickness gives just the right amount of warmth on a chilly day. I love the shape and size of Yarn Ball Boogie's Fourteen. This scarflette is similar in size and shape. Only it is double knit using dk weight yarn instead of brioche stitch.

This is a great project if you wanted to try double knitting, but didn't want to knit a potholder.

I followed Fashionable Life's directions for a button loop at the end.

Here are the directions. For more information on double knitting, Lucy Neatby's dvd Double KNitting Delight is a great resource.

Twenty Twenty Scarflette

Finished size: 4” x 21”

Materials

I used
Color A: Araucania Nature Wool Multy (100% wool; 240 yards per 3.52 oz skein) color 405 – less than one skein

Color B: Noro Cashmere Island (30% cashmere, 60% wool, 10% nylon; 110 yards per 40 gram skein) color 6 – one skein

I used size 3 needles
(Most people end up looser in double knitting than with regular knitting. Use the size that will give you a nice loose drapey gauge, but not so loose that the other side will show through)
Darning needle
2 large buttons

Gauge: 20 stitches per inch. Since this is a scarflette exact final size is not too important.





Using the Italian cast on and alternating between color A and B, cast on 40 stitches starting with color A (20 stitches in color A and 20 stitches in color B).

At the start of every row make sure that the color that you are not about to knit with is draped over the tail of the color you are about to knit.

Row 1: *Bring both colors to the back. Knit 1 with color B. Bring both colors to the front. Purl 1 with Color A and repeat from * four times. ** Bring both colors to the back. Knit 1 with color A. Bring both colors to the front. Purl 1 with Color B. Repeat from ** four times. : *** Bring both colors to the back. Knit 1 with color B. Bring both colors to the front. Purl 1 with Color A. Repeat from *** to the end of the row

Row 2: * Bring both colors to the back. Knit 1 with color A. Bring both colors forward. Purl 1 with Color B. Repeat from * twelve times. ** Bring both colors to the back. Knit 1 with color B. Bring both colors forward. Purl 1 with Color A. Repeat from ** four times. *** Bring both colors to the back. Knit 1 with color A. Bring both colors forward. Purl 1 with Color B. Repeat from *** to the end of the row

Repeat rows one and two until desired length. Bind off in Kitchner Stitch.

Cut off a length of yarn to make a buttonloop in the middle of one end. Try the scarflette on to determine the best placement for the button. Attach a button on each side of the scarflettte for ultimate reversible flexibility.