Little Red Cape Pattern (Photo Heavy)

This is the first time I have every written out a USM or any pattern. Please read carefully and ask for clarification if you need to.

Hood

KP#3 throughout the project

PF (pull forward) 80 needles

Hang rag hem or weighted hem

Knit 8-18 rows WY (waste yarn)

Knit 16 rows of main yarn

Using the transfer tool pick up the beginning loops and hang them on the working needles to create a casing.

Reset RC (Row Counter) to 000

Knit 44 rows of MY (main yarn)

Bind off using a crochet bind off (closed)

Fold the rectangle in half and Kitchener-stitch the edge opposite from the casing.

Mark the center of the back/bottom of the hood where the row of Kitchener meets the back edge with a stitch marker or contrasting yarn.

Mark the center point between the Kitchener row and the join of the casing with a stitch marker or contrasting yarn on both sides of the bottom edge of the hood.

Back

PF (pull forward) 110 needles

Hang rag hem or weighted hem

Knit a few rows WY (waste yarn)

Reset RC (Row Counter) to 000

(Optional eyelet row– knit 4 rows, create eyelets as desired. My eyelets are 5 needles apart. Continue to knit to row 80)

Knit 80 rows of MY (main yarn)

Decrease stitches to EON (every other needle)

Move stitches over so that there are no empty our out-of-work needles

Knit 10 rows

Bind off using a crochet bind off (closed)

Mark the center of the back at the top edge with a stitch marker or contrasting yarn. This is where the center hood and center back will attach.

Remove rag hem and WY

Front

PF (pull forward) 110 needles

Hang rag hem or weighted hem

Knit a few rows WY (waste yarn)

Reset RC (Row Counter) to 000

(Optional eyelet row– knit 4 rows, create eyelets as desired. My eyelets are 5 needles apart. Continue to knit to row 50)

Reset RC (Row counter) to 000

Right upper side of front

This will create a slit in the middle of the upper front

PF (pull forward) 55 needles on the left side of the front piece to FNWP (forward non-working position).

Knit 30 rows of MY (main yarn) adjust weights accordingly.

Row 31 - Decrease EON (every other needle).

Move stitches over so that there are no empty out-of-work needles

Knit 10 rows

Bind off using a crochet bind off (closed) but leave the right side of the front piece on the needles. PF (pull forward) the needles to FNWP (forward non-working position)

Reset RC (Row counter) to 000

Left upper side of front.

Push the 55 needles on the left side of the front piece to FWP (Forward Working Position).

Knit 30 rows of MY (main yarn) adjust weights accordingly

Row 31 - Decrease EON (every other needle)

Move stitches over so that there are no empty out-of-work needles

Knit 10 rows

Bind off using a crochet bind off (closed)

Joining

(Right sides together) - Match the Hood center bottom with the Back center bottom and sew together using a modified mattress stitch.

CE (casing edge)

M (stitch marker)

CM (center marker) (also marks Kitchener row on bottom edge of the hood)

FLS (first left stitch of a row)

FRS (first right stitch of a row)

CFS (center front split)

Bottom edge of Hood

CE………………..M………………..CM………………..M………………..CE

Top edge of the Back

FLS………………..M………………..CM………………..M………………..FRS

1. Match the Hood bottom edge and the top of the Back here. Remember that the outer ¼ edges of the hood are to be seamed with the front of the cape.

(seam here)

  CE………………..M………………..CM………………..M………………..CE

FLS………………..M………………..CM………………..M………………..FRS

2. With the knit side (right side) facing you, seam the Back and Front shoulders together.

   (seam here)                                                            (seam here) 

       FLS………..HOOD & CENTER BACK SEAM…………..FRS

       FLS………..………........……..CFS.…….……....…..………….FRS

3. Stitch the remaining ¼ edges of the Hood bottom to the remaining inner edges of the Front on either side of the CFS (center front split)

DO NOT seam the casing to the front, but leave it extended over the edge of the center front split.

                               (seam)          (seam)

FLS………..………........……..CFS.…….……..…..………….FRS

4. Blanket stitch the side seams of the Front and Back

5. The shoulders will have a sharp corner, which I stitched down to give a soft curve to the shoulder. This area can also be trimmed, add epilates, etc.

6. CFS (center front split) Beginning on the left side of the CFS at the base of the Hood, sc (single crochet) to the end of the CFS on the right side. Chain 1, turn and sc in the next 3 sts (stitches), chain 4, skip the next 4 sts and sc in the next 8 sts, sc in the remaining sts of the CFS slst (slip stitch) in the last sc. Crab stitch to finish the edge of the CFS placket.

Sew the buttons onto the left side of the placket. This is a garment for a female so the placket should have a right-over-left flap (if you are wearing the garment, the right flap will lap over the left side. The buttons will be on the left side. 

REMEMBER: I used large buttons. Adjust the number of buttonholes and the size of the buttonholes to your buttons.

Trim

Bottom of the cape trim

Trim color yarn (white) sc 1 row. Crab stitch 1 row.

Edge of hood trim

Where the casing is folded (face edge), sc between the knit stitches for 1 row. Crab stitch 1 row.

I-Cord

I don’t use a rag hem for the I-Cord tie.

PF 4 needles and double ewrap cast on. Hang some weight and knit the length of cord desired. Bind off. I use the yarn tails to do a quick 1” seam along the beginning and ending of the I-Cord. Pull it through the Hood casing and steam the cape.

Eden's Hooded Cape Update

I was pert near finished with Eden's cape and decided that I did not like the direction it was taking. So... Yep I ripped it our and started over.

Big Daddy downloaded "The Wire" and I worked on Tator Tot through a couple of episodes.

Tank Top for Eden

This has been a very dark, very could have been dreary weekend. I know technically, the weekend was over yesterday. Big Daddy was off from work and the kids off from school so I'm call'n it the weekend. Eden was looking at my yarn and picked out a variegated skein that I had purchased to make another tam. She needs another hat like... well... This is what we came up with for my 11-11 project for today.

The yoke an body are knitted separately and then kitchener stitched together. 

GRRRRRRRRRR!!!! It is simply too dark to get a good picture of the tank.

The second row has a few eyelets to give a soft scallop to the bottom.  Then I single crocheted a row along the edge followed by a row of crab-stitch.

The photo is too dark to see the detail... I just had to use it for the Cutie Pie in the pic.

The neckline has a row of single crochet and a row of crab-stitching. The sleeves have a single row of crab-stitching.

The back of the neckline is lower than the front.

The Idiot String

When I have multiple items to knit on my USM that require the same weight and approximately the same number of needles, I will piggy back the knitted pieces to save time and work more economically.

This works well when I have a set of dishtowels, dishrags, etc.

There are few ways to accomplish this task without having to rehang the hem or knit waste yarn over and over and over…

I usually start out by hanging my rag hem and then knitting about 8 to 10 rows of WY. If there is not much yarn I will knit it all to avoid cutting it into shorter un-reusable pieces.

Then I knit 1 row of yarn (or ravel cord) that I call idiot string, some call it pull-row, release-row, or slip-row. Why I call it idiot string? Because when I forget to knit it in, I smack myself in the head and say “Idiot! String?”

Mamma would really be upset with me if she knew about this little conversation that I have with myself because she never let us use the words: idiot, stupid, and fool. But, we won’t tell Mamma now will we?… grrrrrrrrrrrrr…

How many items that I plan to knit will determine the number of idiot strings I will add to my beginning WY. There are times that I only knit one idiot string and have faired well with it.

Let’s say I am going to knit four pieces so I would begin in this way

Rag hem – waste yarn, idiot string, idiot string, idiot string, and idiot string.

Then I would use a double e-wrap, crochet cast on, or any other cast on that my project required. Then knit my first piece. Cast off in the desired method.

Now, instead of ripping out the idiot string and the waste yarn to remove the knitted piece, then re-hanging the rag hem, knitting the waste yarn and another idiot string—I simply pull up the beginning of the knitted piece and re-hang the next row of idiot string (make sure the knitted piece is hanging to the back of the hem. Cast on for your next piece and knit!

The original knitted piece is laying behind the newly added piece.

Another method I use is to complete the first piece, then add some waste yarn or another idiot string and cast on the next piece. This works really well when knitting small items like dishrags assembly line style.

Crochet cast of using the latch tool. Leave the knitted piece on the USM

Knit 8 to 10 rows of contrasting waste yarn.

Cut the waste yarn

Afterthought Idiot String - Pull out the loop on the right end (or left end) opposite of the end of the waste yarn.

Cast on the second piece.

Push the cast on row against the waste yarn and USM bed, push the needles into forward working position and make sure that the latches are open.

Knit the desired number of rows

Cut the loop on the opposite side of where you cut the last row of waste yarn.

Pull each end of the Afterthought Idiot String at the same time

Then pull from one side or the other GENTLY DAMMIT!

The knitted piece will begin to separate from the waste yarn.

Now remove the waste yarn.

TA DA!!

Zade Hudson's Blankie Finished!!

Third time is the charm.... right? Sure it is! I finished Zade Hudson's blankie after 3 attempts at it. The first one looked great but I decided I wanted it BIGGER!! So I ventured off and tried another pattern that well... sucked nuggets and so like a good girl, I went back to Diana and followed her direction only expanding the  amount of cast on needles to 81.

I took these with my iPhone and no flash. The sun has decided to take a vacation far away from Temple, Texas

The blankie is lying on a queen-size bed.

The edging. 

Zade Hudson... little sweet man

Diana's USM Slipper

I took a break from writing... errrrr typing my team assignment and tried my hand at Diana's USM Slipper.

to be cont....

Now I have to work in some time to work on a new glove pattern that Cynthia sent to me this morning...

Hudson's Blankie: Day 2

I decided that I wanted Hudson's blanket to be a bit bigger and therefore I have started over casting on 141 needles, beginning with 3 needles in WP and adding 3 needles every-other-row.

Kat has visited my studio several times today to see if the sewing machine has miraculously produced a dress for her... SNORT! I have accomplished moving an old computer desk upstairs and pulling the machine out of the box. I have such a mess and I really need to finish Hudson's blanket and finish my team assignment too. I am too distracted by the mess that has invaded my workspace!

One more slice to knit then on to Kitchener stitching the completed circle and edging.

My mother did not knit, but she is with me when I do. She had a cuckoo clock that she loved and when we moved to Milford, Texas in 1972 the cuckoo clock was broken. I still have that clock, broken bits and all. I use the weights to anchor my knitting on the USM and every time I look at them I think of mom.

Prayer Scarf for Charlie

I have been promising to make a prayer scarf for Charlie. His favorite color is blue (and sometimes green) and since I had a skein of I LOVE THIS Yarn #80 Royal and was up at 6:30 AM so I decided to knock this one out.

Icthus, Magen David, & Menorah

The eyelets are really not wonky, I just have not completed the blocking of the scarf. I had a bit of yarn left so I made a yarmulke based on the top portion of Diana's Tam.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

It seems that everyone is either pregnant or just had a wee one and therefore gasp I am behind on knitting! I am coveting a new USM so that I can have the Queen Kong of Bond machines. Until then, I am knitting small baby blankets and adding a decorative crochet edging. I spent most of the weekend knitting up some new rag hems that will accomodate the larger sizes that I intend to knit with the monster machine I am dreaming of. I told Big Daddy that I needed longer weights and he came up with two 4-foot and two 2-foot lengths of rebar and even painted them for me.


They work great!
I do love a man who knows how to fulfill my wants and needs and does it while recycling too. I wanted something to hold the larger 1-pound skeins of yarn so that the yarn would roll off like paper-towel or... err toilet tissue... The result is what I call my "Holy Roller"

Big Daddy's creation made of left-over fence posts, a dowel and an old 2 X 4

A man that recycles makes me hot... oh wait... that could just be menopause!

The Holy Roller sure made knitting the diamond baby blanket flow so much easier than chasing the yarn around my studio. Not to mention having to pick out Siberian Husky hairs from the yarn.

Katherine Olivia's Diamond Blanket off of the machine

I will let the blanket rest for awhile before starting the crochet edge. Eden watched the process all the time remarking just how beautiful the blanket is (pink is her favorite color) and just who is this baby that Goodie is taking time away from making her things? Eden loves to talk and practices talking and talking and... She was looking at photos that are on my screensavor, one of which is a photo of Big Daddy when he graduated from medical school. She said, "Pop Pop is a docter, is that right Goodie?" I told her that she had it right. She was unusually quiet for a few minutes then she put her little hand on my shoulder and stated, "Pop Pop is a doctor Goodie, but you are the Queen and I am the Princess!" Now that girl certainly does have a firm grasp on the natural order in the universe. I can't wait until Big Daddy comes home...

Eden's Fiesta Skirt

USM
KP 2
MY= Caron - Black 4-Ply (You will not need all of this yarn for the skirt)

Trim Yarn= Red Heart CLASSIC Mexicali (You will not need all of this yarn)

CO 100 needles - closed CO

Knit to desired length (this skirt = 12 inches)

Waistband - change to the Mexicali yarn and knit 20 rows, fold to create a casing for elastic.

Mattress stitch the edges of the skirt and waistband.

Cut elastic 2 inches less than waist measurement. Insert elastic into knitted casing and bind edges of elastic.

Using a size H crochet needle, single crochet around the bottom of the skirt. Join. Slip-stitch in first sc space of first row, 2 double-crochet in next sc space, single-crochet in next sc space. Repeat all around the bottom of the skirt evenly. Bind off. Weave in ends.