There's still time to knit a cabled scarflette!

I always tell myself that 'next year' I'll have all my Holiday gift-making done way in advance (um, I think I said "October" last year... HA!). Of course it never happens and I find myself scrambling to figure out what to make. Grrr.

Thankfully, this year the stars were aligned and I found a fun yarn on sale (LionBrand's Wool-ease Thick and Quick) and a great pattern for a lovely cabled neck warmer by Robyn Grauer here on Ravelry. The warmers use only one skein, knit up in an evening and, are super soft and warm. It was such a satisfying knit that I made four! I played around with cable patterns and colorways on each.

I did make a few modifications to Robyns pattern. Here's exactly what I did for the one in the pic:
1 skein LionBrand wool-ease Thick & Quick in Pumpkin
Size U.S. 13 knitting needles
Cast on 18 sts
Knit 4 rows
I used the "Cruller" cable pattern from LionBrand's online stitch library (a great resource). I put the cable pattern section in brackets [ ] below.
Row 1: K4, P2, [K2, P2, K2], P2, K4
Row 2: K3, P1, K2, [P2, K2, P2], K2, P1, K3
Row 3: K4, P2, [K2, P2, K2], P2, K4
Row 4: K3, P1, K2, [P2, K2, P2], K2, P1, K3
Row 5: K4, P2, [Sl 3 sts to cable needle and hold in back, K3, K3 sts from cable needle], P2, K4
Row 6: K3, P1, K2, [P6], K2, P1, K3
Row 7: K4, P2, [K6], P2, K4
Row 8: K3, P1, K2, [P6], K2, P1, K3
Row 9: K4, P2, [Sl 3 sts to cable needle and hold in back, K3, K3 sts from cable needle], P2, K4
Row 10: K3, P1, K2, [P6], K2, P1, K3
Row 11: K4, P2, [K2, P2, K2], P2, K4
Row 12: K3, P1, K2, [P2, K2, P2], K2, P1, K3
Repeat Rows 1-12 for pattern until piece reaches desired length (I think I did about 7 repeats)
Knit next two rows.
Next row (buttonholes): K2, YO, K2tog, K5, YO, K2tog, K4, YO, K2tog, K1
Knit next row. Bind off all stitches.

Wow, it looks complicated all typed out like that, but it really is very easy and once you get going it knits up super fast. Happy knitting! :-)

Golden

Although the leaves are long gone in some parts of the country, here in California (in my neighborhood at least) the change is reaching it's peak. This is my favorite time of year... and this is the gorgeous golden mess that our Ginko trees left on the sidewalk in front of our house this week:

We also went gold inside as I gave the kids' art table a much needed refresh. Of course, in my excitement I neglected to take a "before" pic, but let me just tell you it was a mess. Left outside in the rain after a finger painting adventure.

 

The color was supposed to be orange (by request) but ended up way more golden (school bus) yellow. The seat covers are an asian-inspired patchwork print that I had in my fabric stash. It was a lot more work than I anticipated but I love how it came out.

Hoping things are "golden" in your life + have a fabulous weekend!

A sweater for sweetpea

Just before Thanksgiving I finished this adorable sweater for my little sweetpea. The pattern is "Helena" from Knitty. I used Patons ultra soft Silk-Bamboo yarn. I think the colorway is "Plum".

The sweater is a pretty quick knit. I modified the pattern to have only four repeats on the lace. I also wanted a short-sleeve, because a.) I thought it would look really cute and b.) I was afraid I might run out of yarn. I also added vintage brass buttons, instead of ties.

The only bummer is that, in my inexperience, I picked up too few stitches along the front and neck, so it has a bit of a pucker. Drat! I might try blocking to see if I can get it to lay flatter. Otherwise, I'm thrilled with how it turned out!