I managed to finish the lap blanket for my mom by Christmas day. It doesn't exactly look like the scratchy purple afghan my grandmother knit in the 1970's like I was shooting for, but it does have a retro essence. I washed it with tons of fabric softener to make it soft and nice-smelling.

I didn't measure the blanket before I gave it to my mom, but I'm guessing it was about 30" by 30". (Pretty small, but big enough to be cuddly and warm on your lap.)

To border or not to border? (That is the question.)
This blanket features a garter stitch border with picked-up stitches, plus a final single crochet edging. The reason I did this is because I realized halfway through knitting it that it needed a bit more width. I wasn't about to frog the whole thing and start over, so when I finished the body of the blanket I added the borders and they actually worked beautifully, adding extra width and heft plus a nice finished look.

If you don't want to add the borders, when you begin the blanket you could cast on more stitches to make it wider. Keep in mind that the feather and fan lace pattern is an 18-stitch repeat, plus there are three selvage stitches on each side. So, instead of casting on 114 stitchs like the pattern calls for, you could cast on 132 stitches, which would give you one extra pattern repeat on each row while continuing to have three selvage stitches on each side. If you want to cast on less stitches than that, the extra stitches could be added to the number of selvage stitches on each side rather than increase the number of pattern repeats.

Supplies:

Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted. Five skeins: one champagne (#218), two light lavender (#233), two variegated brown and lavender (#7149). You will have leftovers of each color.

Size 10 circular needles, 32 inches (The blanket is knit flat but circular needles are used to accommodate the number of stitches.)

To knit the lap blanket:

Cast on 114 stitches in lavender.

Rows 1 - 3: Knit.

Row 4: Knit.

Row 5: K3, purl across row, end with K3. Throughout the entire blanket you will maintain the three selvage stitches at the beginning and end of each row.

Row 6: K3, *K2TOG three times, (K1, YO) six times, K2TOG three times*, repeat across row, end with K3.

Row 7: Knit.

Repeat rows 4 - 7, changing colors every four rows. I carried the yarn up the side to avoid having to weave in tons of loose ends. I also added a random four row repeat in champagne roughly in the middle of the blanket ... just because.

Continue the four-row repeat until the blanket reaches the desired length. End with the four-row repeat in lavender, knit thee rows in lavender, and then bind off.

To create the first border:

In champagne, pick up 79 stitches along the edge of one side (a non-cast on or bind off side) and knit five rows in garter stitch. Bind off. Do the same for the opposite side.

In champagne, pick up 102 stitches along the cast-on edge and knit four rows. Bind off. Do the same for the opposite side , which is where you did the bind off.


To create the second border:
In lavender, do a single crochet border around the entire blanket.


I machine washed my blanket and then blocked it on a towel on the dining room table. The pattern looked much more defined after blocking it, plus the little mistakes I made seemed to blend in better.

My friend Sheila sent me this fun, quickie pattern for a soap bag. Her niece makes handmade soap and needed a way to enhance her sales, so Sheila designed the sack for her.

"The nice thing about the sack," says Sheila, "is if you use a wash cloth or one of those net scrubbies when you shower, you can take the soap sack right in to the shower with you. For children or elderly who have a hard time hanging on to that slippery bar of soap, the sack keeps the soap from slipping out of your fingers. I love the gentle exfoliating as well."

I knit Sheila's soap bag last weekend and enjoyed the combination of stockinette, YO's, and drop stitches. Plus I was able to finish the bag in under two hours. The soap I used is E. Barrett & Company French Soap in Ocean and it smells heavenly.

The first thing I ever learned to knit was a garter stitch scarf. The second thing was a drop stitch scarf. It was exciting to have learned a new trick (wrapping the yarn around the needle two times per stitch and then dropping it on the next row), although back in those days I was so focused on perfection that I usually ended up frogging it. Drop stitch isn't about perfection, it's about ... well, dropping perfection. Knit with variegated Noro yarn gives it a casual, rustic look.


This pattern is a slightly revised version of one I acquired from my local yarn shop. It is a very, very common pattern so I feel okay posting it here. The scarf is knit in Noro Taiyo, which I find softer than Kureyon, and is approx. 70 inches long and 6 inches wide.

Note 1/7/12: Today I saw a similar scarf for sale in an upscale women's clothing catalog. The retail price was $109. Feels good knowing I can make my own for the cost of a skein of yarn.

Supplies:

Noro Taiyo (one skein, 220 yards) or Noro Kureyon (two skeins, 110 yards each). Taiyo is a cotton/silk/nylon/wool blend and Kureyon is 100% wool. Both are Aran weight.

Size US 11 needles

To knit the drop stitch scarf:

With a cast on of 20 stitches, knit two rows.

On the third row, knit across the row wrapping the yarn twice around the needle for each stitch. (The way I do it is insert the right needle in to the stitch on the left needle, wrap the yarn around the right needle twice and then complete the stitch.)

On the fourth row, knit across, dropping the double-wrapped stitch as you go. (In other words, knit the double-wrapped stitch as if it were a regular old single-wrapped stitch and ignore how big and clumsy it looks.)

The scarf will look quite imperfect as you go, but don't let that bother you. Just give the drop stitched rows a gentle tug once in a while to pull down the long stitches.

Repeat the four rows until your scarf reaches the desired length and end on rows two and three.

You can easily modify this pattern by changing the needle size, increasing or decreasing the number of stitches you cast on and/or the number of garter stitch rows between drop stitched rows.

I wrote about this scarf last month, but wanted to officially post the pattern with decent pictures. That's my sister Hil modeling the scarf after I gave it to her last night. She's just starting to get a baby bump.

It's a simple one row lace scarf knit on big needles. The Malabrigo yarn that I used is pillow soft. I'm sensitive to wool and usually can't wear it next to my skin, but this yarn didn't bother me at all when I tried on the scarf.

I'm on a big washcloth kick right now-- they can be finished in one or two evenings and are simple enough to knit while watching a movie. My goal is to have a supply on hand for birthdays and special occasions throughout the year. They make nice gifts when you fold one or two in to a small basket and include a bar of scented soap.

Supplies:

-Fantasy Naturale 100% Cotton Mercerized (you can knit both patterns with one skein of yarn)

-Size US 8/5 mm straight needles

A lightweight, incredibly soft scarf perfect for a cool evening. Knit with 100% bamboo in a simple mesh pattern. Appropriate for beginners and more advanced knitters looking for a simple project that doesn’t require too much concentration.

This reversible scarf is approximately 3" wide and 60" long. To make a wider scarf, cast on a multiple of three stitches plus two (for example, 26, 32, or 38 stitches). To see variations of the pattern knit by others, please see my post titled More mesh scarves.

Abbreviations:

K1: knit one stitch
K2TOG: knit two stitches together
YO: yarn over

Supplies:

Southwest Trading Company 100% Bamboo (one ball)
Straight needles size US 10

Note: Your scarf-in-progress will look different than mine because it needs to be lightly blocked when finished to flatten it and open up the pattern. I block mine by dampening it with water and laying it flat on a towel on a table.

To knit the scarf:

Cast on 23 stitches

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: Knit

Row 3: K1 *K1, YO, K2TOG*; repeat from *, end the row with K1

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until scarf reaches desired length, ending with row 3.

Knit two more rows and then b ind off.

Lightly block the scarf to flatten it and accentuate the pattern.

Update: Here is an example of the same pattern knit in pink and white bamboo. This is one of my favorite scarves because the bamboo isn't scratchy against my neck, plus the pink just makes me feel pretty.

Today was a cozy, rainy day, and I spent it curled up on the couch with a cat in my lap, knitting and watching movies. This scarf was the perfect project for today-- mindless enough that I could keep an eye on my movies, but not mindless enough to be boring.

.It's knit with Berroco Bonsai, which is 97% bamboo and 3% nylon. It has a bit of a shine to it and sort of glistens. The pattern is a classic called feather and fan. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmm mmmmm Abbreviations:

K1: knit one stitch

K2TOG: knit two stitches together

YO: yarn over

Supplies:
Berroco Bonsai yarn (three skeins, 77 yards each) or any worsted yarn of your choice

Size US 7 straight needles

To knit the scarf:

Cast on 24 stitches.

Knit three rows in garter stitch.