My First Knitting Pattern*

Last year I learned to knit. It was something that I always thought was way too intricate for me to ever really do, let alone excel at. I stepped my game up this year, mostly because I have more than enough garter stitch scarves, and I want some diversity in my overflowing closet of scarves scarf collection. After dozens of...cast on, knit a few rows, stare perplexedly at the pattern, stretch it out, wrinkle my nose, and unravels... I came up with this pattern*

*as a novice knitter, and a horrible follower of directions (ask my husband about that one) I will try my hardest to put this in "normal" knitting pattern lingo. If you're like me and "co 56, k4, p1 blah blah blah doesn't paint a good enough picture for you, I will also write it in a way that makes sense to me. 

Sorry about the grainy pics! It's winter time, thus, very dark in the mornings still. 

I used one (120m) skein of Bravo Big, which is a bulky yarn. (Similar to Lion Brand Hometown USA, but a much bigger skein. You could substitute 2 skeins of Hometown for this.) Sorry I don't have more information, I threw out the label a while ago/most of it was in German anyway. 

Knit using size 15 circular needles 

cast on 56 stitches and join the ends together, making sure the stitches aren't twisted.  

Knit four stitches (counting the join as the first knit stitch) then purl one stitch. keep doing this until you are almost out of yarn, then cast off loosely & weave in ends.

in Knitter lingo I think that would be:

CO 56, join ends *K4, P1* until you are almost out of yarn, cast off loosely & weave in ends.

  

It is reversible, and looks cool both ways.  

I prefer the Purl side though. 

On a side note, my big accomplishment of the week: Re-covering my ironing board. It got some much needed new padding (by way of a sacrificed old towel) and a cover that hurts my eyes much less than the pink swan number it was sporting previously. I'm proud of this because I love ironing. L O V E it. I'm not kidding. 

Special thanks to Liz Miller for the yarn! :) 

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The [Won't Fall on the Ground and Get Run Over] Stroller Blanket

I can't believe it's October already! The leaves are changing, it's starting to get cold, and today, it looks very gray and wintery. *sigh* 

On a happy note, the other day my friend/next door neighbor hooked me up with a bunch of fabric. Amongst which was this super-adorable monster print. I was instantly in love! I needed to make it into something that would get a lot of use, so I can see it all the time and be happy. It was a whole yard (which I don't usually get because fabric is pricey over here) so I could make a blanket for Dom! 

I'm pretty sure anyone who has a kid has put them in a stroller in the winter, and threw a blanket on them, because I know I would love to be chaffered around while bundled in a blanket. Then as you're trekking through the snow, suddenly your child gets claustrophobic, and Incredible Hulks their way out of their cozy bundle. Leaving your Brookstone Nap blanket mangled, wet and dirty wrapped in the tires of your stroller. Yes? 

NO MORE! 

Introducing The [Won't Fall on the ground and Get Run Over] Stroller Blanket! 

It's a simple square blanket with straps, super easy.

You need:

1 yard cotton fabric

1 yard Fleece/minky/flannel 

1 hair elastic

2 buttons

sewing machine

First things first, wash and dry your fabric. 

Press and cut the cotton fabric into a 36x36" square. 

You will have a strip left over.

Cut that strip to about 15" long (the one pictured was shorter, but if I were to do it again, longer would be better) then cut the strip in half lengthwise. 

Fold and press your two pieces in half, and stitch along the long open end. 

Press open the seams, turn them right side out, re-press, and tuck the open ends into the tube. 

Cut the metal piece off of your hair elastic, and cut the remaining piece in half. You can melt the ends with a lighter to keep them from fraying. 

Insert the elastic loops into one end of each strap. Pin in place and sew. I ended up hand sewing this part because my machine did not like going over the elastic. 

Now take your nicely cut 36x36" square of cotton fabric, and line up its selvedge edge with the selvedge edge of the fleece (minky/ flannel/ whatever you use). I do this because it is the factory straight edge. The cuts they make at the craft store are rarely ever straight.  

 See:

Use the cotton as a stencil, and cut the fleece to match it. 

Sandwich your strap pieces (elastic end inward) between the fleece and cotton (which are right side together) eight inches from the outside edge, one on each side. Pin all the way around the  blanket, and stitch, using a 1/2" allowance. Leave a 5-6 inch opening to turn the blanket right side out. 

This is what you will get! Hand sew the turning hole shut. 

Press it nice and flat (on the cotton side, fleece and minky don't like to be ironed) re-pin around the edge, and top stitch. 

I used about a 3/4" allowance. 

Sew a button to the base of each strap. You will use the strap to attach the blanket to your stroller frame so it can't get thrown off. 

If you fold the blanket in thirds, and roll it up, the straps can also be used to tie the roll together for tidy storage. 

I had to bribe him with fruit snacks to model this thing for me. Crazy kid. 

It's wide enough that it can be tucked in around his body, and there's enough room at the top that he doesn't feel like he's in a straight jacket. 

And it's just short enough that it won't hang all over his wet boots! 

--CJ 

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