Building Blocks Blanket — Four New Squares/Free Pattern 1/4 UPDATED

Jamie, Kathy and I have been working on the “Building Blocks” blanket, a pattern published by Skacel using their yarn, HiKoo Simplicity. We all, including Robin and Marybeth, love this cushy, true worsted weight superwash yarn. It comes in a myriad of wonderful colors and possesses a great hand. It has been WONDERFUL to work with. While the pattern is beautiful, we tweaked it. We knit each vertical column of squares as one piece — when you change to a new color start with right side facing and knit the first row, then five rows of seed. AND we cast directly on to each preceding vertical row and attached the next vertical row of squares at the beginning of each right side row to the panel before. There are not any seams and every square is precisely the same size. Now we are going to increase from twelve to sixteen squares for a better size blanket. I thought you might be interested in the patterns we come up with as we go. You could use these for washcloths, scarves, blanket squares, cowls, and so much more.

The first is one of my favorite stitches based on any multiple of four stitches plus one more (so if you want four repeats, 4 x 4= 16 + 1 more = 17 sts total. It has been referred to as faux honeycomb, royal quilted stitch, quilted stitch, and more. It is a SLIP STITCH TYPE PATTERN, which is where you will find it in Barbara Walker Volume One.

FAUX HONEYCOMB SQUARE
Cast on 50 stitches and seed 5 rows.
Row 1: seed 4, *yarn forward (yf), slip 3 sts as if to purl, yarn back (yb), k1; repeat x 10 total,
K1, (FIRST TIME YOU COMPLETE THIS ROW ONLY– k2tog, p1, k1, p1 = seed 4 edge
And 49 sts).
Row 2: seed 4, p to last 4, seed 4.
Row 3: seed 4, k1, *put RH needle UNDER carried yarn from previous row — from under up to LH ndl and knit carried yarn together with next st, k3; repeat x 10 total, end seed 4.
Row 4: seed 4, p to last 4, seed 4.
Row 5: seed 4, k2, *yf, sl 3 as if to purl, yb, k1; repeat x 9 total, yf, sl3 as if to purl, yb, seed 4.
Row 6: seed 4, p to last 4, seed 4.
Row 7: seed 4, *k3, k carried strand with stitch above as described before; repeat x 10 total, k1,
Seed 4.
Row 8: seed 4, p to last 4, seed 4.

Complete Rows 1-8 a total of 7 times, and rows 1-4 once more. Oblast row just before the seed edge make one to increase back to 50 sts.
Seed 5 rows and then bind off loosely in seed stitch.

 

Customer Ravelry Recommendations

After visiting with several customers this week and hearing what they were liking on Ravelry, it seems right to make sure the intel gets out there. Kate and Christine both have some wonderful favorite designers which got lost in the multitude of patterns that come through Ravelry each day. There are also a couple that I noticed along the way. Here’s hoping something inspires you. Very popular: short knit socks. I found one called Pinky but had trouble downloading it — let me know if you find it! xx M.E. and Summit Yarn

 

In Which the Hexipuff Blanky is Contested

As of tonight I have completed 32 hexipuffs and they are all sewn together. I was feeling pretty pleased with myself, too. I lay them out on my pillow and they just looked so pretty and like I had accomplished a fair amount. When I came back from my shower my brief moment of narcissistic illusion was at an end. Smidgen, my not small black cat, my Queen of everything had booted Nikkers and taken over the Land of Hexipuff. I managed to reclaim my pillow but she is still firmly rooted on my knitting. Sigh…

 

Current Customer Projects and New Arrivals

Had a great visit with Kate yesterday. She and I are both near the end of the Juneberry Shawl — I just need to be somewhere quiet to work on the edging because it requires some focus. Kate feels much the same. Everyone wave and wish Kate well! She is moving back to Florida to get her PhD but I’m sure she will be back eventually. We plan to Skype on Fridays!

Jamie and I have finished the Building Blocks blanket but as written it is small. We are going to go through the stitch dictionaries this Friday night and add four more squares. Jamie: I buried all my ends–now I am caught up to you! Yay!

The Indulgence in Missoni colors arrived for those of you who are interested! I can offer it for $20 a ball and some colors arrived in sweater quantities.

We are missing Chris, who is now basically consumed with getting everything ready for the family summer digs. Hoping she has a great time!

Cheryl is making baby bootees and baby socks in bright happy colors. Jan is working on Cable Brannigan and baby pods. Martha always has a sock on needle and a lace project or four up her sleeve. Kathy is doing the Undertow Shawlette. Tola got me hooked on the Beekeepers Quilt and of you get a chance go watch the videos on Tiny Owl Knits blogged. I dare you to be depressed when listening to her…she is the happiest person in the world.

 

Where Summit Yarn Lives

Here is a video tour of my little thotful happy spot, Summit Yarn. Looking forward to seeing you here real soon!
xx M.E. and Summit Yarn Studio

 

New and Notable On Ravelry

Will enlarge the Ravelry photos for you below. Went to see the new Fast & Furious AND the new Will Smith movie (Alien Earth). I don’t care what the reviewers say, I enjoyed them both. The stunts and effects were awesome and it was an afternoon meant to just escape the heat and reality. I did manage to spill soda on my shirt and while cleaning that off spill a whole serving of hot cheese goo on my white shorts. Went to bathroom to wash goo off shorts where some woman just had to say: if it feels so bad on your leg just think how bad it is for the inside of your body. Really, want to kick me while I’m down? I should have swirlyed her into submission but I was too busy. This is why you always wear clean underpants. Anyway, I digress. Have a great day!

 

Memorial Day in USA and Gary has a rare day off

Today (Monday) was Memorial Day and our 24th wedding anniversary. We were married just days after graduating together from the same medical school. I had spent the last days before our nuptials, spending as much time as I could with my Granny, who was in hospice. We spent our time embroidering a message for Gary and I to hang in our home through our life together. We based it on a doily her mother had embroidered. It said: Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be. I can see it from where I sit writing this blog. She passed the day after we were married.

Frankly, I don’t know how we plowed through the first year. Gary’s mother died the day after we got back from our honeymoon…breast cancer. Gary’s favorite grandmother passed that summer. I lost my Dad to a years long illness that Spring. AND we were struggling interns.

Being an intern just means you graduated from medical school. It meant stay out of the way and do no harm. It meant stay alert and stay awake. I started sleep walking after being on call because it was so stressful to see children sick in ways that were so critical and emergent. Gary recalls whole conversations where I would tell him, in my sleep, that I was checking the blood pressure and urine output of…the clothes hamper in our apartment. I still have zero memory of that event, but Gary swears it is the truth.

We have buried two children and adopted (with our whole being) our beloved son, Brian. We have traveled and seen the beauty inherent in this World. We have survived more ups and downs than we can number anymore. We are two very different people whose lives have grown together and become intwined in innumerable ways…much like the Scotch Broom and Red Rose Bush next to our front door. I can no longer see where one starts or the other ends. They support each other through the heat of summer and protect each other through our wind blown winters. We have become the same. We are so very lucky and grateful to have come so far through so much. Now we know we can survive anything together…even when we feel cranky with each other, this surety remains.

 

A New Llama Ratty for Nikkers

Jamie was a super friend and knit a bunch of new ratty toys for Nikkers as George has eaten all the old hand knit toys except one which is brought only once George has been put in my sons room for the night. Nikkers is enthralled–eyes fully dilated.

I finished the Undertow Shawlette with one skein. It measures 40″ wide and 13.5″ deep. It is pinned and drying at the studio. Can hardly wait until it is dry! Here are some photos:

 

CONFESSIONS

At times running a local yarn store can be very sedentary, and at other times it can be a major work out — shifting yarn around to put on close out, bring in new yarn, and creating new, appealing displays. This past winter I had a months long major illness and every time I have tried to go back to the gym, I wind up in the store with my head on the table wondering if I will ever really get back to normal. So, Monday I went back AGAIN to the gym and did a ten minute cardio and thirty minutes of lifting. Felt great, stiff a little but not like I needed to sleep for three days. Repeat process yesterday. Again I feel great, maybe a little more tired but not like before.

I am always aware to avoid certain gas producing foods for lunch on workout days — hummus is TOTALLY OFF THE LIST. You get the idea. However, the gym owner moved the sit up bench into a narrow hallway and even under the best of circumstances, sit ups are chancey. Sure enough — one, two, three sit ups and on the third sit up that little narrow hallway became the echofart chamber of doom and death. Not bad enough I can barely breathe, but the kid in the hallway on the Captains Chair (an AB device) turned green and melted. The old guy on the couch behind me…well, he found reserves to move even he didn’t know he possessed. I found the guy who works the desk sitting on the floor trying hide the fact he was laughing his ass off. I refuse to be embarrassed. You squeeze things…like the abdomen…it’s simple physics: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. They should move the sit up bench somewhere else. :-/

 

Open House and Free Yarn Tasting This Friday 5pm To Closing

Please be invited to an open house and FREE yarn tasting event at Summit Yarn this Friday from 5pm to closing. There will be a wide assortment of samples to try as well as the wonderful Euro Yarn rep to answer all our questions

In addition there are yarns marked down for clearance, the dollar bins are refilled and this week’s special is Colinette Jitterbug, regularly $25 marked to $18 for this week only.

The new Noro is in with sample garments and the range of weights includes worsted, sock and lace…all containing cotton for nice warm weather knitting and crochet.

Now am off to go trim six sets of cat nails. I startled one of my babies this morning and my room still looks like a crime scene. Three band aids to one hand. No knitting today. :-/