Mountain Fern Beanie- Test Pattern For Blackthorne&Free

One of my preschoolers is having a birthday this week!  I think every child should get a little something on their birthday. Especially, if they have to be stuck at school! This Mountain Fern Beanie is perfect for him. He is such a fun and active little boy.  I just know this will come in handy for those cold days on the school playground! My favorite go-to yarn for kid knits is "I Love This Yarn" from Hobby Lobby.  It is soft, durable, and affordable.  It also doesn't have a lot of "shine" that is common for acrylics. For this hat I used the Dark Olive as the main color and Ivory Tweed as the contrasting color. The pattern is designed by Blackthorne and Free.  Check out her work on Instagram. She is amazing!  I just love testing her patterns. Sofia had to model it for me. She adores knits and all things with pom poms! I will be sure to update this post once the pattern is live on Ravelry. I know you'll want to knit it up too.  My twin nephews have already chosen colors for their beanies!

The Clove Beanie- Test Pattern for HocknChain August 22, 2018

Introducing The Clove Beanie by HocknChain!!!

UPDATE: Pattern has been released!!! https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-clove-beanie

I absolutely adore working with other fiber artists because it opens the door to so much creativity within the community!  This week I got the honor of testing this amazing pattern! I believe it will be released sometime this month or next! 

HocknChain is a lovely designer based out of Chicago!  You can see more of her work on her IG and FB! 

IG: @hocknchain

FB: https://www.facebook.com/HockNChain/

So, on to the goody good details!  I was super excited to get started and ran to Michael's to pick up some of the recommended fiber. Unfortunately, and just my luck, my local store did not carry what I needed. So, I settled with a gorgeous skein from another brand.

Got home and caked up the yarn and started to knit.  I quickly realized that the yarn I had chosen was just not right for this pattern.  The Clove Beanie features some amazing texture and I felt that this fiber was taking away from it.  It just wasn't fair! I wanted the texture and the fiber to come together like a match made in heaven!

I frogged the project and started again with a different yarn choice.  This time I got into my stash (I'll never actually knit all the fiber I have) and pulled some of my Lion Brand Scarfie.  I was nervous that it was not going to look right but it was the only bulky fiber left in my stash! And, honestly, I was pretty anxious to get this beanie on the needles! 

The Lion Brand Scarfie is a size 5 acrylic/wool fiber. The skeins are huge weighing in at 150 g. and boasting a generous 312 yards! I did not even put a dent in the massive amount of yarn this skein offers. I probably used about 100 yards +/-

I love the transitions of color.  It is a slow progression from black to cranberry! While the color changes do not make the texture pop in the same way a solid would. The hat came together nicely!

Now, for the hat/pattern!  You guys.... this pattern is so FUN!  I got to use two new stitches and actually had to watch a video tutorial!  This really came in handy and I am glad the designer added this in as part of her pattern!

The designer is meticulous in her pattern set up. It is extremely easy to follow and all info is provided.  It states this pattern is intended for an intermediate knitter. However, I think that a confident beginner can take this on without a problem.

I hope that you will grab this pattern from @HocknChain upon it's release!  This hat will make a lovely, fun, modern, and fast knit for gifting this holiday season!  (Oops! D id I just make you think of Chirstmas?!)

The Avonlea Skirt August 24, 2018

The Avonlea Skirt

My social media is full of photos of adorable children who are excited for their first day of school! Everyone is dressed to impress!  The little ones are wearing their new shoes and outfits. All are accessorized with big hair bows and even bigger smiles!

The Avonlea Skirt was directly inspired by the excitement of this season and my love for all things vintage!  I, of course, had to have something extra special for my own little student!  I wanted her to have a great first day of school too!

This pattern is designed to have a bit of a vintage feel.  The DK weight yarn is light weight and knits up quickly!  I hope you enjoy knitting it for your little girl.  Please share the finished results here or on Ravelry!  I would love to see this skirt in action!

Sweet Sofia testing the twirl of her Avonlea skirt.

MATERIALS: US 6/4.00 mm 16" circs US 8/5.00 mm 16" circs US 8/5.00 mm straight needles Yarn Needles (for sewing) 2 buttons 323 yrds of DK/Light Worsted Yarn  (I used Stylecraft Special DK in Midnight Blue) Stitch Marker

ABBREVIATIONS: K- knit P-purl pm- place marker M1- make one sl1- slip one purlwise

PATTERN TECHNIQUES/SPECIAL INFO: Knit Top Down Knit in The Round Knit Folded Edge for Skirt Waist Band Stockinette Stitch Basic Sewing/Construction Skills Sewing on Buttons Garter Stitch Long Tailed Cast On Bind Off in Ribbing

GUAGE: 10 stitches and 12 rows = 2" in stockinette

SIZE: 4/5t

SKIRT: Cast On 91 stitches onto US 6 circular needles. Cast on using the Long Tailed Method. Join to knit in round being careful not to twist stitches. Row 1-14: knit (creating the stockinette pattern for waist belt) Waist belt should mesaure 2" from top to bottom. Row 15: Fold waist belt in half and seam by knitting. (Check out the link for extra help in knitting a folded edge) Row 16: Switch to US 8 circular needles and K7,M1 to end of row (you should have 104 stitches) Row 17-30: PM to mark the start of each round and knit all rows. Row 31: PM to mark the start of a round. K8, M1 to end of row (you should have 117 stitches) Row 32-45: PM to mark the start of each round. Knit all rows. Row 46:  PM to mark the start of a round. K9, M1 to end of row (you should have 130 stitches) Row 47-60: PM to mark the start of each round. Knit all rows. Row 61: PM to mark the start of a round. k10, M1 to end of row (you should have 143 stitches) Row 62-75: PM to mark the start of each round. Knit all rows. Row 76: PM to mark the strart of a round. K1, P1 (this row of ribbing will help to keep the bottom of skirt to not roll as much) Bind off in ribbing. Finished Skirt Measurements: Waist Belt: 1"x 9" (for 18" hips) Top of Waist Belt to Bottom Hem: 11.5" Width of Skirt at the lowest part of the hem is 34" or 17" folded in half

SUSPENDERS:

Cast On 8 stitches onto US 8 straights. Row1: sl1, knit to end of row Repeat Row 1 til your piece measures 36" in length (or adjust it to your child's height).  Folded in half, it should measure 17.5-18"

 CONSTRUCTION:

Fold the strap/suspender in half. Sew that folded edge to the inside seam of your skirt. This will keep it hidden. Bring both halves to the front and sew them to the front (outside seam) of your skirt. Add decorative buttons to the straps.

This skirt is super cute paired with a vintage top.  I always add a pair of cartwheel shorts under because my little girl is active!  And it is the best way to keep some form of modesty while wearing a skirt at this age.

Note: Acrylic yarns do not really need to be blocked. However, if you would like to pin it to keep the hem from curling you can. What I do is hang the skirt upside down for a little while and let the hem get udjusted. Adding more of the 1x1 ribbing to the bottom will make your skirt longer as well as take away from the curled hem.

Also, I buy all of my Stylecraft Special Dk from Good Fiber Yarns on ETSY. I have been a client of hers for a long time and she always ships sooo fast! Well priced too! ETSY: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GoodFiberYarns FB: https://www.facebook.com/goodfiber/

Helpful Links:

Folded Edge for Skirt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncZA1ljxRmk&t=116s Long Tail Cast On: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXA3gBNiSiM&t=7s Binding Off In Ribbing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObMG_EVAnas