UPDATE!!! 28's Cousin 53 is FINISHED!!!

YAY!!! I finished it..........

 This scarf was tons of fun to knit!!! I can see myself knitting this again and again. It's only 53 rows, alot of bang for the buck so to speak. OK here are the details........

The pattern: 28's Cousin 53! Scarf version II by Lynne Ashton found on Ravelry

The luscious yarn!

Yarn: Sweet Georgia Superwash DK Colorway: Rosebud
 Needle: I deviated from the pattern and used a Size #8

I lusted over this yarn since it came into my LYS. I just had to have it, of course I had no idea what I was going to knit with it, but nevertheless I added it to my stash. I didn't take long to find the perfect pattern. 28's Cousin 53! had been in my Ravelry library for awhile and then it hit me! Eureka! I had found a match for this luscious, lusty, lovely yarn.

I have to say I am over the moon with this scarf, I think it just might be my favorite project so far.

Blocking

Hope you can see the color variation

The pattern says "no need to block" but I chose to wet block as it had puckers at the cast on, probably because I used the 'cable cast on' for the first time ever and it was kinda tight...blocking cured this.

Knit on! my friends..........

Saroyan Scarf.....Finally finished







Finally finished and blocked my first attempt at lace knitting. This scarf pattern is very well written and easy to follow, even for me! Lots of fun to knit! 
The yarn is Malabrigo Rios colorway Ivy, a wonderful Pure Superwash Merino that is a dream to knit with and even better feeling after wet blocking. 
The Saroyan pattern was free on Ravelry at the time I got it. Free or not it is worth it! Thanks to Liz Abinante for an awesome pattern that I am sure I will knit again and again. Give it a try and knit on!

28's Cousin 53! Scarf Version

Trying to finish this beauty...only 9 rows to go til bind off........should be quick right? Nope not when its 514 stitches...LOL....will post a pic of the finished product....

Simple Tip For Staying on Track

  Ever been knitting and 50 stitches in the row you discover you are on the WRONG row?  We've all done it at one point or another.
My friend and knitting mentor Teresa shared with me a simple but very effective way to all but eliminate that stress from my knitting. It was one of those palm to the forehead moments for me.
So easy...wait for it.....here it comes....

Use a STICKEY note! Just put it directly under the row you are working on that way it blocks out the rows underneath so when you look at the pattern your eye automatically goes to the row to be worked. You can even make notes on it as you go.....Now why didn't I think of that?

Got an awesome tip to make things easier? Please share!!!!
Knit on my friends!!!!

Breaking the monotony.....

So you are knitting a baby blanket, sweater, afghan or a long scarf. You love the yarn and the pattern (else why would you be knitting it?) but it's the same stitches and color over and over. Getting kinda tired of the same old same old, BUT you wanna keep knitting something, so what do you do?
I break the monotony by keeping a dishcloth on needles almost all of the time. I know, I know it's just a dishcloth. Wrong! It's a lot more than that. The dishcloth is the perfect way to break away from the samey same of the long project you are working on. You keep knitting, you get to look at a different color and pattern, it knits quick and you have a useful item when finished. (Kinda instant gratification) 
They are also a great way to try and learn a new stitch or pattern!
Once you have stocked your own kitchen with these awesome little devils you can give them as gifts to your friends and family, careful you may get requests for more. There are dozens and dozens of patterns for these little gems. Enjoy!!!


Below is the pattern for the classic knit dishcloth pictured:

Lily Sugar & Cream works great and is inexpensive, but any worsted weight cotton will work

Needle Size: #7

Cast On 3 stitches

Knit 2 yarn over, knit to end(this is your increase row)

Continue knitting this row until you have 40 to 50 stitches on your needles

Knit one, K2tog, Yarn over K2tog, knit to the end of the row(this is your decrease row)

Continue decreasing until 4 stitches are left, K1K2tog, K1

Next row: Slip 1, K2tog, psso 

Finish off, weave in ends. Now you have a hand knit dishcloth for you or a friend!

This is a LONG Infinity Scarf I designed. I call it "The I Will Knit Whatever the ____ I Want Infinity" (you can fill in the blank).  Super easy and fun because you basically knit whatever stitch you want for as many rounds as you want. No stress right? Knit, purl, yarn overs, seed stitch, ribbing the possibilities are endless and totally in your control. Will post the pattern and other info as soon as I get it down on paper. If you are adventurous and want to 'Knit whatever the ____ you want', basic info is as follows: 

Yarn: Eco Duo by Cascade(almost 2 hanks) or any worsted weight yarn(approx. 400yds)

Size #10 circular needle 40 inches long

CO 200sts, place marker and join in the round and KNIT whatever you want!!! 

First Blog!!! EEK

Yep I'm a virgin to this blogging thing, so please keep that in mind. Sharing info about knitting is always a useful experience. We can always learn new and fun things from each other that make reading patterns, casting on, binding off and tons of other things easier in our knitting ventures....
Traditionally I like to knit quick and easy however, I ventured out a few weeks ago to socks!!! Wasn't as intimidating as I had once thought.
My vision is to share any and all tips, info, patterns etc., that encourage knitters of all levels.
I look forward to the experiences this journey takes me on..........