The Summer Sampler Goes to Camp...

All righty! The Knitting Knurse is off to kcamp. I am taking many pointy kneedles (knitting kneedles only.) If you are new to the Summer Sampler party, please read the previous posts with the Summer Sampler label and catch up! If you are Old And In The Way, follow me...

This week's pattern (number 10) is called Eagle Feathers. The only special feature is the double yarn-over. On the return row, you can either knit and then purl OR purl and then knit (into the double yarn-over.) Which you choose to do is about how you wrap your yarn-over and what style you knit in. There is no right or wrong way, so do a small swatch to decide which way looks (and feels) best for YOU!

Here is the chart, and see my comment above! This one should slip off your needles. Because I expect to be away from my computer for the next two weeks, I am leaving you with next week's pattern (number 11) too. This one is a darling, and I call her Fire Flies. This pattern is really easy to work, quick to memorize and is a lovely all-over or ground pattern.
Here is the chart, and I suspect you will breeze through this one like syrup on an August night.

If you have a question or suspect I made a mistake on one of the charts or in my directions, post a comment before Saturday morning (New York time) and you will get a reply! If you post after that, I will see you all on August 18th. Knit on, in heat and humidity. Meow...

The Summer Sampler: and another thing...

This week's pattern brings us to number 9! If you are new to the party, please take a few minutes to read through all the posts with The Summer Sampler label and get up to speed.

We are making swift progress. I call this cutie Fritillaria. Fritillaria are really interesting flowers that I just adore. I learned about them in my Holland Bulb catalog, which makes lovely bedtime reading. This is the second pattern of the bunch that falls in the Estonian style. I think I made this one up too, but who knows for sure. To paraphrase EZ, anything we make up in knitting has probably been done before!

Above is page fifteen. Please note that only the odd numbered rows are charted, and I believe I got my odds and evens correct on the pattern page too this time! You can teach an old cat new tricks...

Following is a stitch tutorial, to help you along with my special instructions for pattern 9.
First, slip five stitches as if to knit them, and pass them back to the left-hand needle. You want to have the stitches presenting themselves with the back leg welcoming your right-hand needle.

Now don't forget the yarn-over. Insert the right-hand needle into the back leg of five stitches.
Knit five stitches together and leave all five stitches on the left-hand needle.
Make a yarn-over.
Knit another stitch through the same five stitches.
Let those five stitches off your left-hand needle. Don't forget the yarn-over....and five stitches become three (if you don't count those two yarn-overs!) With the yarn-overs, five=five!

Enjoy! I'll be back next week to leave you with TWO patterns before I evaporate for TWO weeks away from my computer. Until then, happy knitting!

The Summer Sampler Goes to the Beach

Happy Weekend! If you are new to the party, please take some time to review all the previous posts with The Summer Sampler label to catch up. You still have plenty of time. We are up to Pattern Eight, and I named today's pattern Surf Side, because it reminds me of small waves along the shore. It is straight forward and fun to work. Below you will find page fourteen. Please note that only the right-side (odd numbered) rows are charted. The even numbered rows are all purl, straight across! Mind those garter stitch borders though...

I'll be back next weekend, with more summer fun. Until then, knit on!

7/20/08: Page Fourteen correction posted! I got my odds and evens reversed on the page, but the blog chatter had it the right way. Everyone keep alert! Thanks Suzanna...

Mimosa

A new BadCatDesigns pattern is available for purchase, as a download from my Ravelry store. If you want more information, please use the link on the top of the left-hand edge of the blog.
The only challenging part of this pattern is the start, where you cast-on eight stitches circularly and join. The first few rows require some patience, to avoid twisting your work. After that, the lace is very straight-forward and fun.
The square shawl ends with some pretty crystal beads in the edging, for a bit of bling and some weight for nicer draping.
I designed this shawl to celebrate my father, Howard. He was a photographer who took wonderful pictures of flowers. The last pictures he took were of mimosa flowers. Although he has been gone for many years, we are approaching the anniversary of his death and I wanted to share this design to honor his memory.
Joyful knitting and thank-you.
Andrea

Hazy, Hot and Humid...

At least it has been most of the summer so far, here in lovely New York. Because hot and humid do not go very well with wool (no matter how thin the wool is) I have not been getting as much knitting done as usual. I am betting that might get even worse in August, eh? Have no worries, though. I will not leave you without more sampler charts. I promise. I just have to be sure not to felt my knitting with my sweaty fingers!



Before I get to this week's Summer Sampler chart, I wanted to share a few new goodies. A friend of my daughter's, who knows my passion for fiber, just got back from visiting Estonian. Can you believe the lovely book she brought me? I can't read a word of it, but the charts are excellent. The mittens are wonderful color combinations and a few even have lace in the cuffs. Maybe in the cold weather we should do some mittens, don't you think?

These pretty wooden tools jumped into my hands the other day, while visiting a new (to me) yarn shop in NYC. It is called Knit New York. They had very nice stuff, including these. The wood is perfectly smooth. I think I will enjoy using them.
Moving right along, I bring you Pattern Seven. If you are new to the Summer Sampler party, please take some time to review all the previous posts with that label. I call this pattern Blackberry Bramble. It is nice and simple and should fly right off your needles like the local, wild blackberries fly off my daughter plate.
Here is page thirteen of the pattern. I will point out that we are now passing the mid-point of our project (excluding the edging, of course!) Isn't that nice?

Our pattern naming poll for Pattern One is closed and the winner is Summer Fern, which was Lisa's offering. There were some great suggestions, and thanks to all of you who humored me by playing along! Stay cool and knit on!

Happy July Fourth!

In honor of the day, we are starting our post with patriotic furry flip-flops. You can make a pair this morning and wear them to your afternoon party. My daughter made herself a new pair and will share her technique with you! I give the keyboard over to her:
Here you see the first flip-flop, finished are ready to wear. You will need one pair of flip-flops with smooth, flat straps, one 5.5mm crochet hook (or close to that) and one skein of FunFur (about 60 yards/50 grams.)

First, you want to tie a normal double knot around the strap of the flip-flop.

Next, you want to turn it so that the end is on the inside, close to the sole of the flip-flop. Then insert your crochet hook into the loop created by the yarn around the band. Create a stitch by pulling your yarn through the loop with your crochet hook.
Bring the crochet hook around the bottom of the band and bring the yarn through the loop on your crochet hook, making another stitch.

Continue to make stitches, alternating top and bottom. Push your stitches down so that they are nice and close to one another. Keep going until you reach the toe separator.

Make sure that you end with a stitch on the top. Switch to the other strap with a bottom stitch, and continue as before.

When you reach the bottom of the second strap, cut your yarn and pull the end all of the way through your last loop. Wrap your end loosely around the back of the strap and pull your end through this new loop. Trim your ends.
Go see some fireworks!!

If you click on the Furry Flip-flops label at the very end of this post, you can see more of them...

Moving on, we have our regularly scheduled post! If you are new to the Summer Sampler Study party, please take some time to review the previous posts with the Summer Sampler label and catch-up! You have plenty of time.

This week's pattern is a real change of pace from last week's. The unique part of today's pattern is that it is Purl-based. The purl background will be on the front of your work and the knit on the back. Follow the chart closely so you don't miss those few stitches that are actually knit on the front. They give the pattern depth. Unlike the pattern last week, this basic motif is a traditional one and the oldest source I found for something like it was in a vintage German book. I call Pattern Six Summer Wheat, because once I got a few repeats, it reminded me of a wheat field. Page twelve follows, and is pretty straight forward!

I'll be back next week for another pattern, and until then knit on!

The Summer Sampler Project heats up! Hold onto your lifelines!

In honor of the official start of summer, which recently passed us, I thought I would warm things up...

I offer you Pattern Five. I call this pattern The Grand Spider. I believe I made it up...
A few quick notes before you dive in:
1) Only the odd numbered rows are charted. The even numbered rows are purl straight across.
2) I suggest you put a life-line in before you begin this particular pattern, even if you don't usually use them.
3) I suggest you make a 29-stitch swatch and work about 16 rows using one repeat of the shaded section to try this pattern out in scrap yarn before you add it to your Sampler.
4) If you don't enjoy working this pattern after giving it a fair try, replace the 7/7 with (knit two, yarn-over, double-vertical decrease, yarn-over, knit two.) It won't look the same but it will look pretty and work fine.


Following is a short stitch tutorial for the 7/7 move...

First, if you knit like most Americans, slip the seven stitches to be used and replace them so that they sit on the needles as illustrated above. If you knit in the European Crossed-Uncrossed way, this is how your stitches are already sitting. The point is that you can insert your right-hand needle into the back leg of all seven stitches more smoothly and with less stress on your hands and the yarn. For those of you working projects with nupps, think about the above concept...
Insert the right-hand needle into the seven stitches, and knit the seven together, but do not remove the stitches from the left-hand needle.
Make a yarn-over, insert the right-hand needle into the same seven stitches, make a stitch and again, leave the seven on the left-hand needle. You have three stitches made on the right-hand needle.
Again, make a yarn-over, insert the right-hand needle into the seven stitches, make a stitch, leaving the seven on the left-hand needle. You have made five stitches on the right-hand needle. Make a yarn-over and for the last time, insert the right-hand needle into the seven stitches, making your final stitch. You have seven new stitches on your right-hand needle. Allow the seven stitches on the left-hand needle to slide off.

Viola! Grand Spiders! It is actually really fun once you get into it. Remember to work loosely, and mind the order of those seven stitches when you purl them on the return row, because it is easy to cross them if you don't watch closely. Also, note that they are not turned the way you usually see them, so either purl them from the presenting stitch leg, or re-position them. Again, those of you working on nupps, think about how easy it would be to purl those stitches together if you wanted to...

A little surprise arrived at BadCatHouse this past week. Jane, who owns Jade Sapphire Yarn Company, sent me this lovely box, containing four balls of the Lacey Lamb I am working my Summer Sampler in.

I intend to give two balls each, to two different people. Some of you know the pleasure I get in seeing my designs knit by other people. Once I post the final installment of this project, I will ask those of you who have been working with me to send photos of your finished pieces. I think that the first two people who send me finished Summer Sampler photos will each get two balls for their next Sampler. How does that sound to you? I need to limit this offer to those of you in North America, because shipping to Other continents is just too darn expensive. If you are off my continent and want to play for the yarn, you are welcome to if you are willing to cover the shipping via PayPal, OK? OK...

And finally, this is the newest design I am working on. The yarn is Malabrigo Lace in the Paris Nights colorway. The beads are actually more purple than they read in the picture, because the glass is amber, but the have another color lining them, if you know what I mean. It is a triangle, and you see the center spine and pattern as it grows from the center. Tell me what you think.

See you next week, for some July Fourth fun. Until then, knit on!

BadCat goes to London!

I am posting pattern four a few days early, because I will be away until Monday and I wanted to be sure you all have another pattern to work on in my absence. Take a quick look and let me know if you see any issues in the next 18 hours, or hold onto them until I return! Pattern four is another delicate motif, which I decided to call The Garden Trellis. I hope you enjoy it.

Take a minute to vote in the poll on the left side of the blog, and name pattern one. Why not?

Next week I hope to have something with more substance for you. At a bare minimum I should have a few travel pictures. Until then, knit on!