Candy Cane Scarf

Christmas knitting






Wearing a candy cane around your neck in December let's the world know that you love Christmas and you're not too shy to shout it out. This year, Christmas is appearing a wee bit early to Casa Knitionary. This week we have our grandson and I needed something lightweight to knit that could be picked up for a few minutes, or even seconds, and then when picked up an hour or perhaps a day later, I'd know where I was. This is a pattern that requires minimal thinking, making this free pattern (from me) great for social, travel or tv knitting. I knit the original in 2014 and then loaned it to a friend and never got it back. She moved. I think she thinks I gave it to her, and so it seems I did! And since then, every year around December first I wish I had knit one back in summer, so this year, finally--did it! I also made a little button Santa because I was previewing a few crafts for my favorite almost 5 year old, but this would have been too frustrating for him so I just made the one. But isn't he the cutest? Also, these days our grandson seems to be less interested in crafts and more interested in playing Spiderman in which Grammy and Papa play minor roles to his magnificent starring role.


It's unreal to have a Christmasy post right now because it's as hot as blazes here. Today and the next few days it's in the high 80s. It was 101 the other day and then cooled down to 96 the next day. And us with no AC. Yep, no AC. It's common to not have ACs around here as we rarely seem to need them, but this week we were miserable. I really hate heat. It's 4:30 and I finally feel a faint breeze so will open up the windows and let the cool evening air come in and prepare for the next day of another 87. 👎 This heatwave breaks on Monday I think. I hope I haven't melted by then.


Now, ta da, back to the scarf. The pattern is designed for dk weight yarn, but you can use any weight yarn, then add or decrease stitches and create your own masterpiece. If you have any questions about that, just PM me and I'll try to help you. Knitters on Ravelry have made scarves in many colors, not just red and white. My next one is going to be a rainbow blast of stash because I STILL HAVE STASH and I'm a gal on a stash busting mission. 


Candy Cane Scarf, free pattern by Kristen Rettig

My Ravelry Project page with all the yarny details.


In other knitting news, I just signed up for a test knit. I've been staying away from tests for awhile but this one sang to my heart with the promise of using a beloved member of my stash (Shibui Maai in Tar) and stripes, yay stripes, with nothing more difficult than a k2tog. Summer knitting bliss. Summer seems to require easy knitting as well as easy reading and nothing can be easier than than listening to this audiobook, Food, A Love Story, by Jim Gaffigan. The author is the reader and he had me laughing out loud throughout the entire book.  I loved it and think you will too, unless you are a vegetarian. He really does love his meats. I listened to the bulk of it while going through my family ephemera/photos which made that (somewhat difficult) experience much more palatable. More about that later. 


Hope you are cool where you are! xo Kristen



This post has an affiliate link(s). If you purchase something from an affiliate link, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting the blog.  If you'd like to make a comment, please click here or scroll down. I reply to each comment and that response will appear directly below your comment. If you would like a personal reply, please know that I use the Blogger platform and they do not give me your contact information when you comment. If you would like a personal reply you can contact me using the contact form on the right side at the very end of my website. If you would like to receive Knitionary posts by email, please subscribe here.  

painting bricks

knitting











The best way to love your stash is to use it up, am I right? Here is a beginner friendly pattern that is addictive to knit and will gobble up your oddballs. Can you believe that the basket above is 95% gone?


Painting Bricks Blanket by Stephen West

My Ravelry project page


I jumped right into this project minutes after the pattern was released! As the designer says, it's great for using up scraps. I used worsted and dk weights, plus fingering weights doubled.


There are two sizes, but for an in between size you can add or subtract 20 stitches which is one repeat, and of course you can make the length any length you want. I cast on for the smallest size but added 20 more stitches just to make it a little wider. It measures 45" x 63".


Very fun, but beware, very addictive! I just kept going until I ran out of the background color. 


I love it so much that I've started a new afghan with whites, grays, browns, pinks and terra cottas. As those are my beloved colors, I will have enough stash for sure. 



With these two throws and my 100 bunting flags, I'm doing really well with my epic stash declutter. Yay! And in other declutter news, I'm half way through my photos and family ephemera declutter/organization. What a job that is. I will make a post on that soonish.



If you'd like to make a comment, please click here or scroll down. I reply to each comment and that response will appear directly below your comment. If you would like a personal reply, please know that I use the Blogger platform and they do not give me your contact information when you comment. If you would like a personal reply you can contact me using the contact form on the right side at the very end of my website. If you would like to receive Knitionary posts by email, please subscribe here.  

on the needles in June and two book recommendations

book review

My June knitting so far has been colorful and easy. Something about the approach of summer I guess, but I want to keep everything simple with no deadlines, no making to fit, no looking at graphs, just easy peasy pleasy.

I've finished the bunting flags--all 100 of them--I think, although I haven't counted them. I do know that I'll miss knitting them! With the same colorful stash I'm knitting the Painting Bricks lap blanket and almost 3/4 done with that. I found myself reaching only for the brights, so I've started a second, pastel only version. The new one is on my patio and waiting for me for when I want to sit outside and knit and listen to the birds chirp. I've also started a new Candy Cane Scarf, a free pattern from yours truly. And then when I feel like knitting with skinny yarn and tiny needles I work on my 14 Color Scarf. Lastly, I haven't forgotten the little advent stockings. They are on hold but I will get back to them in earnest once I finish at least one afghan.  Project links are in the caption of each picture below and ALL are knit from stash. Yee gads, my monster stash sure translates into a lot of projects!

The real reason for today's post is because I have two book recommendations that I love to bits. First is The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. It's scrumptious. It's the early 1950s in the midwest and two brothers have an adventure and meet interesting characters along the way. Our heros and their companions have a bit of Frank Capra in them, a bit of Mark Twain, and a splash of Damon Runyon too. Heartwarming.

The second is The Boys, a Hollywood memoir by Ron Howard (child actor and now director) and brother Clint Howard. It's a sweet story about a somewhat ordinary family who happens to be in the glaring Hollywood limelight and manage to be nothing like the Hollywood brat pack we heard so much about. The audiobook is read by the authors. Entertaining.

LMK if you've read either as I'd love to know what you think. Also, any book recommendations?
 



Summer Bunting

Painting Bricks. This brights version is 3/4 finished.

Painting Bricks Pastel version

Candy Cane Scarf--free pattern by me!  I recently updated some of my patterns and you may get an update notice, but no need to reprint. The update updates some non essential info like my website name.

When I want to work with tiny needles I get out my 14 Color Wrap.
OK, this was not from stash, but a kit I just had to have!

These little sweeties are just too darling and fun. I've put them aside for now, 
but will get back to them in a few weeks. 



This post has affiliate links. If you purchase something from an affiliate link, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting the blog. If you'd like to make a comment, please click here or scroll down. I reply to each comment and that response will appear directly below your comment. If you would like a personal reply, please know that I use the Blogger platform and they do not give me your contact information when you comment. If you would like a personal reply you can contact me using the contact form on the right side at the very end of my website. If you would like to receive Knitionary posts by email, please subscribe here.  



 

flag bunting in progress

featured

 









I love my flag bunting so much. It's so festive! There was a lot of interest in how I was going to display my little knitted triangles, so now that I'm a seasoned bunting pro and half way finished, I have some tips:

The pattern is free: Summer Bunting by Julia Marsh. My one modification was to switch the decreases--k3, k2tbl, k to last 5 sts, k2tog, k3. I just prefer that look.

My Ravelry project page.

I'm using worsted and dk weights as is, and fingering weights knit with two stands held together. Size US 6 needle. I also added a few thicker weights, aran and chunky, but cast on 31 or 33 stitches instead of 35. They all ended up to be of similar size.

Outdoors screams for brights, and even though this was meant to be a scrappy only project  to use up my leftovers, I had to purchase a bright green, yellow and purple for color pop. Nothing seems to be too bright for outdoors and I mix them in with my more muted colors.

You'll need to make a lot of flags. An astonishing amount. It surprised me how many I need and I'm only half finished with my patio. 

Block and weave in ends as you go.

I used low-sag nylon twine to string together. For reference, the twine is about as thick as a toothpick.

I hung them by piggybacking them onto the same cup hooks we are using for our lights. This makes them easy to hang and remove. Because our California sun is so bright and fading is a problem, these will be hung for special occasions only, which for us, will be often. 🎉

Each strand is bagged and labeled because the nylon strands are cut to fit a specific spot. They take just a few minutes to hang.

If you are looking for an easy breezy summer knit that gobbles up those leftovers, this is it!

Best travel knit ever. Add an extra set of needles and teach someone how to knit (some for you).



Check out Ravelry! So many adorable free patterns.

Rett's Flower Bunting by Loretta Grayson


Garter Stitch Bunting by Faye Reed



This post has affiliate links. If you purchase something from an affiliate link, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting the blog. If you'd like to make a comment, please click here or scroll down. I reply to each comment and that response will appear directly below your comment. If you would like a personal reply, please know that I use the Blogger platform and they do not give me your contact information when you comment. If you would like a personal reply you can contact me using the contact form on the right side at the very end of my website. If you would like to receive Knitionary posts by email, please subscribe here.  

my eden

garden

It's time to show Eden, our magnificent climbing rose that heralds the entrance to our compact vegetable garden. Every year Eden is beautiful, but this year it is a show stopper. It's breathtaking! Let me sing the praises for Eden because it has it all: beautiful bud and long lasting bloom that continues to be gorgeous at every stage. The color stays strong and maintains its fragrance throughout. As the bud opens, the bloom unfurls with what seems like a hundred petals. It also has healthy, glossy foliage, is disease resistant and a rebloomer through fall. Each bloom will get successively smaller, but always so welcome. While Eden is our most beautiful and best performing rose, a contrast on the other side of the bower is Joseph's Coat. It rarely performs well and this year it has petered out already. We have decided to remove that rose this winter and replace with another Climbing Eden.

Our vegetable garden is coming along. We've harvested some early tiny summer squash and the thinnings of the dill, onions and lettuces. It looks like I'll be picking radishes soon. The tomatoes have little green tomatoes, a little late in setting as we've had uncharacteristically cold nights and tomatoes like to set their fruit when the evenings are milder. Warm weather is here and by looking at the tomatoes I think we'll have a good crop.


















And inside the home we are busy too! The oranges just keep getting sweeter and juicier. I'm so glad we still have some for my brother. Yes, my brother is finally visiting! I haven't seen him in three years! Good thing he is here for ten days because we have a big project. We have six bankers boxes of memorabilia from our family--mother, father, aunt, six uncles, two cousins and our grandparents, and even tidbits from our own childhoods. My mother had been safe keeper of all. Her method of keeping it safe was to stuff it into boxes in absolutely no order, then giving to me to store in my attic. My brother and I cannot leave these boxes for our children to deal with; it's just not a nice thing to do and the buck must stop here. So right now, while we still can, my kind brother and I going through each box, taking out each paper one by one, then deciding what to do. We have a process and I promise in another post to let you know how we are going through sentimental family items. Our plan seems to be working very well so far. 

I don't want you to think I am cracking the whip and putting my lovely visitor to toil non stop. Not at all! We set the timer for 1 hour and get as much done as we can, occasionally stopping to go down memory lane and have some laughs. When the timer goes off, we stop where we are and do something fun, like lunch. Seriously, I have planned some good dinners and let him pick our menus-- tacos and mom's pinto beans (we grew up in Southern California and love our Mexican food), also shrimp risotto, Thai stuffed poblanos, and mom's spaghetti bolognese plus plenty of dinners and lunches out.





If you'd like to make a comment, please click here or scroll down. I reply to each comment and that response will appear directly below your comment. If you would like a personal reply, please know that I use the Blogger platform and they do not give me your contact information when you comment. If you would like a personal reply you can contact me using the contact form on the right side at the very end of my website. If you would like to receive Knitionary posts by email, please subscribe here.  



 

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