More Feminine Anouk

Okay, so now that Christmas has past, I can post a picture of the slightly more feminine version of Anouk at Knitty.com. Here's my version of it:



It's a wonderful pattern, but as I mentioned in a prior post, the colors were off for my family and I wanted a more feminine version of it, so here is how I altered it:

1. Instead of a flat border at the bottom, I wanted a lacy ruffled border.
To do this, I knit a lace rib pattern with approximately twice the number of stitches I needed to have at row 15, where I change color. The lace rib pattern was a multiple of 4 stitches plus 1 stitch. So, for the 12 month size, I needed 71 stitches at row 15, 6 of which are moss edge stitches. I multiplied 71 by 2 to get 142 stitches. Take the edge stitches away = 136. For the lace pattern to work, I need a multiple of 4 + 1 stitch. 136 is divisible by 4, so I just need to add 1 stitch to my final cast on number for 143 stitches. On row 13, I k2tog across the lace stitches as well as one stitch in the moss edge (to decrease the extra stitch I needed for the lace pattern) and I will have the requisite 71 stitches to continue the pattern as written.

2. Here is the lace rib pattern (multiple of 4 sts + 1) -- not sure where I got this from, but sure it is in several lace pattern books (any ladder lace pattern will work):
Row 1 (RS): K1, *YO, K2tog, P1, K1, rep from * to end.
Row 2 (WS): P1, *YO, P2tog, K1, P1, rep from * to end.
Repeat rows 1 & 2 for lace rib, ending with RS facing.

3. I also wanted the flowers to pop out more and be 3-dimensional, so I crocheted the flowers and added french knots in the center of the flowers. I tried doubled rowed flowers and they were too large, so I went simpler. To crochet the flowers:
Round 1: Ch 6, slip st in 1st chain.
Round 2: ch 7 (counts as first sc), (sc, ch6) 4 times, slip st into 1st chain of ch7.
Round 3: Work (1 sc, 1 hdc, 7 dc, 1 hdc, 1 sc) into 1st ch 6 loop, slip st into sc. Repeat for other loops. Slip st last st. Fasten off. Or if you want a double flower continue to repeat the above by slip stitching your way to the center of the flower, or even behind the currently formed flower.

Happy knitting!

Christmas time . . .

Okay, so I haven't blogged in a while, but then this is why I am not listed on any net rings -- can't blog weekly or even every month!

I have definitely been knitting and spinning the last couple of months. I finished a very cute and, er, more feminine version of Anouk from knitty.com. I loved the pattern, but the colors wouldn't work for my family, so I chose different colors. Because its a Christmas gift, the picture won't be up until after, but I definitely will post one. I also added some lace at the bottom, hence the more feminine part. I have plans to make another for a baby soon to be born!

I also finished my mother-in-law's shawl/lap robe using the ever so elegant and easy lace stitch, the feather and fan. I love the easy to remember 4 row repeat and the elegant look of the fabric.

I got an early Christmas gift, courtesy of my husband! He bought me the "Le Petit" Fricke/Strauch drum carder from Bountiful. I saw it test driven by Strauch at a couple of shows and knew he had made some nice design changes, but I didn't get to try it until I got mine. I love it! It cards my batts so nice. Yes, my husband let me play with it since we needed to make sure it was what I wanted and needed during the return time span. It also has a finer (128 psi) card cloth than most other drum carder brands (78-98 psi). This means I can card the very fine fibers I love (snooty fiber lover that I am) and still card the coarser fibers as well (those I rarely encounter). I can't wait to blend fibers.

I think this is where I will end, but photo of my Anouk soon, and details on the lace edging as well.