Fresh off the needles: My First Mittens

Who knew a pair of mittens could make me so happy. I don’t know what it is but they just make me so inexplicably happy. On a whim, I cast these on one Friday afternoon and had them finished on Sunday morning. So, it might be the “instant” gratification that makes me so happy. Or it’s just that the yarn reminds me of a carnival. Who knows.

The Yarn

It’s not something I would normally use. I’m always drawn towards the beautiful colors of variegated yarns, but usually never buy them, because knit up, they just don’t suit my taste. But when I saw this Dorothy colorway by Dyebolical Yarns I couldn’t resist. The colors are so pretty and vibrant. My favorite part is the little pops of purple that it has. I hadn’t noticed it in the skein, but every now and then the purple would come up and I’d get so happy. The only way I can describe it is with the dancing lady emoji. 💃

The Pattern

I used a Tin Can Knits pattern and you honestly can’t go wrong with Tin Can Knits patterns. The pattern is called The World's Simplist Mittens and they weren't lying. The was so clear and to the point. Plus, there's a blog post to go along with the pattern so if  I got stuck there was an easy way to find an explanation. I couldn’t have chosen a better pattern to follow for my first pair of mittens. Really, it’s not an exaggeration to say this will be the only mitten pattern I’ll ever need. It comes in five sizes (toddler to adult large) and four different yarn weights/gauges (fingering to chunky). So, unless I eventually decide I want a different stitch pattern on my mittens, I'm pretty much set with this pattern.

So, what’s the verdict? Will you knit another pair of mittens?

I will most definitely knit another pair of mittens. Next time though, I plan to make them convertible so I can have a little bit of freedom for my fingers. I hadn’t worn mittens since I was a kid and honestly didn’t even think about the fact that you can’t use your fingers. So, honestly, I’m not even sure how much wear they will actually get. Right now I’ve used them mostly for scraping off my windows in the morning and driving.

Once I get the convertible mitts down there’s going to be no stopping me. I hope everyone is ready for endless mittens because I’m already planning on making at least 100 more pairs.

Have you knit mittens before? Let me know in the comment section or connect with me on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you.

Free Vintage Knitting Pattern: 1940s Valentine's Day Pullover

This 1940s pullover’s all over heart pattern is perfectly kitschy without being over the top. Styled the right way it’s perfect for a night out with your honey but can also be dressed down for a cozy night at home watching your favorite romantic comedy.

The Heart Pullover is knit in pieces from the bottom up with set-in sleeves. It has an all-over pattern of stockinette hearts against a reverse stockinette background. There are three sizes with bust measurements of 29”, 31” and 33”.

The pattern calls for 284(284, 340) grams of fingering weight yarn in 100% wool.

If you’d like to size this pattern up or down, I highly recommend Tasha’s knit-along on her website By Gum By Golly. Or check out some other sweater knitting resources.

Specs

Publication date: 1946
Publication name: Handknits by Royal Society
Gauge: 7sts x 8 rows = 1in x 1in
Sizes: 29", 31" and 33" bust

Freebie: Gift List Planner Printable

It's that time of the year again, time to start thinking about Christmas gifts. I don't know about anyone else, but I can get a little overwhelmed when trying to figure out what to buy everyone. That's why I created this little printable to help me.

This one page printable is perfect for planning your holiday gift giving. With it, you can be sure that when we get a few days before Christmas you won't be scrambling to come up with ideas because you forgot someone. There's enough space to brainstorm five gift ideas for eight different people.

Tips:

• Place it in a central area in the house and people can jot down ideas for what they want
• Print two copies double sided if you need more room.
• Use one box as a brainstorm for the person, (what are their interests, have they mentioned things they want?) Then the box next to it can be used to jot down actual items you intend to buy them.
• If you want to be more environmentally friendly, download the GoodNotes App and fill it out digitally.

If you like this printable and find it useful, please consider buying me a coffee so I can continue to bring you guys free printables. For more information about what it means to buy me a coffee click here.

Fresh Off The Needles: Keia's Sweater

I have to admit, this sweater had me 10 different kinds of nervous. Not because the sweater itself was hard. It’s just a plain stockinette sweater. No, this was my first time knitting a sweater for someone who isn’t me.

I offered to make my sister, Keia, a sweater sometime last summer. I was a little worried before I even started the sweater. I felt like there were a hundred things that could go wrong. My anxiety only intensified, when it looked like it was coming out way too big. But when I finally seamed the shoulders together, and Keia tried it on, it turned out it fit perfectly. That’s one downside to knitting a sweater bottom up, you can’t try it on as you knit.

The only thing I would change is I would knit the sleeves much smaller. They're not terrible, but they'd look and probably feel a lot better if they were a smaller.

Before I even cast on, I knew I might not have enough yarn. Initially, I wasn't aware of how big she wanted the sweater to be. When she told me she wanted it closer to a men’s small than a women’s small, I started to worry. Luckily, for me, I was able to just barely knit this entire sweater with the 10 skeins that I had ordered. I did have to sacrifice a round on the collar though.

The Pattern

My original plan was to find a pattern for a full cabled sweater. But in the end, I decided to to go super simple so I could get the general feel of what Keia wanted from a sweater before I dove right in with a complicated sweater. I used the Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns by Ann Budd. It’s well documented that I love this book. It’s perfect for when I’m knitting just a plain stockinette sweater and need a launching off point.

Since Keia didn’t want a super fitted sweater, I had a lot of leeway. She likes her cozy clothes to be a men’s size small, so that’s what I aimed for. Since she didn’t have anything that had the fit she was looking for. I used the yarn craft council to find the right measurements. It was and always will be an invaluable resource for sizing.

I knit the entire body in the round until the armholes then knit the fronts and back separately. The whole thing was a breeze really because I opted to do a drop shoulder instead of a set in sleeve. Sometimes I feel like going the dropped shoulder route is cheating, but then I realize, “who the hell said knitting was supposed to be hard?” I need to remember this every time I start making knitting more difficult than it has to be.

The Yarn

The yarn I used is Knit Picks Swish Worsted in the Jade colorway. This yarn has quite a bit of negative feedback on Ravelry. But I've used it a few times and can't complain too much. I'm not going to pretend like it wears super well because it doesn’t. It gets pretty fuzzy pretty quickly. But I like the look of fuzzy sweaters, and the fuzz doesn't shed, so it doesn't bother me too much.

Even though I’m super happy and proud that I’m at this point where I can pretty much make up my own simple sweater patterns, I’m 100% ready to just sit back and let someone else worry about all the nitty gritty math details. I swear that the next sweater you see me knit is going to be someone else’s design.

To see what other sweaters I have planned for the year, follow me on Instagram.

Fresh off the needles: The Pickle Hat

After one last heat wave a week ago, I think it’s safe to say we’re in the full swing of fall. It’s finally time we get to pull out our hand knits. I knit this hat that I’ve dubbed the Pickle hat approximately two heat waves ago and I’m so happy I finally get to share it.

The Pattern

This is the second time I’ve knit Seaforth by Karie Westermann. For whatever reason, when I knit it the first time, I decided to make the larger size, which I never do. The thing turned out too big and now I hardly ever wear it. It was so fun to knit, though, I knew I had to make another one.

The pattern is clear and concise, it even gives you some great tips so you can modify it if need be. I’m not all that great with lace patterns. I’m so not great at them that I’ve given up ever trying to knit shawls with lace. But this pattern is only four rounds and incredibly well written which makes it easy enough even I find it extremely simple.

The Cast -On

This is in no way anything revolutionary, but my new favorite cast on for hats is the German Twisted cast on, which is the cast on I did for this hat. It’s super stretchy and is incredibly comfortable to wear. I especially like it for baby hats. A lot of times, when I use a regular long tail cast on, my niece will grow out of the brim of a hat even though there’s a ton of room left in the actual body of the hat.

The Yarn

In January, I made it a goal that I would support indie dyers. My first purchase was this wonderful worsted weight yarn by Dyeabolical Yarns in the Okie Dokie Atrichokey colorway. I love this yarn so much. The color is perfect. But since I’m not too familiar with what an artichoke looks like, I was always thinking of pickles whenever I was knitting it. Hence the name Pickle Hat.

My favorite thing about this yarn? This was my first time using indie dyed yarn, so I wanted my pattern choice to be perfect. I think I cast on at least half a dozen different hats. This yarn held up through all of them. I love a yarn that can handle my severe indecisiveness. It also leads me to believe that it’ll wear well over time.

One of the main reasons I haven’t been buying more indie dyed yarn is because a lot of yarn dyers have shop updates, where they dye up batches of yarn and then put it all in their shop and when it’s gone, it’s gone. Without fail, I always miss them. Either, I find out about the update too late, or when there is an update, I don’t have the money in my budget to order. What I loved about ordering from Dyeabolical Yarns, is that she dyes to order. Which means, I was able to order when I had the money in my budget to do so and I don’t have to worry about it.

I couldn’t be more happy that this is the pattern I settled on for this yarn. They work so well together and it’s already becoming one of my favorite hats.

Wanna see more of my indie purchases? Follow me on Tumblr, and Instagram for constant updates.

Tutorial: Easy DIY notebook cover

This post contains affiliate links, which cost you nothing, but when you buy something through these links I get a small commission.

As someone who’s found it hard to transition my writing and note taking into the digital age, I love me a good old fashion notebook. But when you love notebooks as much as I do, and if you’re always picking up a new one every trip into Target, then you know that eventually, the pickings become pretty slim. That's what inspired me to start creating my own notebook covers.

Sometime last year, I finally joined Pottermore and was sorted into Hufflepuff House. Since then, I've been a diehard badger. I decided to create my own little notebook cover to show off my Hufflepuff pride. That's when I thought, “Hmm, maybe other people feel this passionately about their own Hogwarts House.” Doubtful, but I still decided to create printable book covers for all four houses.

The Printable

What's included:

[1] Four page PDF, each page has one cover sheet

These printables were designed for this specific Miliko notebook. I like it because the clear cover allows me to customize it with little effort. And I can be sure that my new custom cover sheet won't be damaged in my bag. I also dig that they come with different paper options: lined, dot grid and square grid.

Printing tips
Print on high quality
Use the page range function to choose which page you want to print
Use the borderless print function if your printer allows it.
Use a high-quality paper

The Tutorial

Gather Your Supplies
Miliko Transparent Hardcover Notebook
Scissors
Pencil or pen
Paper
Screw hole punch with 4mm bit
Paper clips
Printable book cover
Glue stick (optional)
Straight edge cutter (optional)
Piece of wood (optional)

Step One

Using a sheet of the notebook’s paper as a guide, cut the printable to size. I like to use paper clips here to avoid unwanted shifting while I’m cutting.

Step Two

Still using your notebook’s paper as a guide, on the back of the printable, shade in where the holes should go.

Step Three

If you’re worried about damaging your work table, place a scrap piece of wood down.

Double check to make sure you marked the holes on the correct side. Then, using the screw hole punch fitted with the 4mm bit, punch holes where you made your markings.

A few hanging charlies won’t be the end of the world, but let’s try not to repeat the 2000 presidential elections.

Step Four

Using a pair of scissors, clip the holes open creating a clean frayed edge.

Step Five

Push the frayed edges in between the spirals. I used a mechanical pencil, but you could use a pen cap, paper clip, knitting needle or anything that’s handy.

You can leave it as is. Or if you want some added reinforcement, you can use the glue stick and glue the new cover sheet to the first page of your notebook.

Now you can go and show off your house pride. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram and tag @thisgalknows to show me your finished house notebook. When you're done doing that, come back here and tell me what Hogwarts House you're in.

If you like this tutorial and printable and find it useful, please consider buying me a coffee so I can continue to bring you guys free tutorials and printables. For more information about what it means to buy me a coffee click here.

Fresh off the needles: Poison Ivy Sweater

Finally! I have a finished object to share. I’ve said it before, but, man, does my knitting mojo go away in the summer time. I’ve actually had this done for at least a month but wasn’t about to risk a heat stroke to take a few pictures to share with you guys. I finally got a decent day to take some pictures over the weekend and can finally share.

The Pattern

The pattern I used Columbia Minerva 747 from the Festival of Sweaters booklet. It was first published in the late 1960s. Which is my favorite fashion era, in case you were wondering. I wish I could share it, but since it’s still under copyright, I can’t. But you can buy it off Etsy here.

Sometimes, vintage patterns can be a bit hairy to work with, but this one was very straightforward and easy to follow. I didn’t even make too many revisions to it. I did end up casting on fewer stitches so that I wouldn’t end up with as much positive ease as the pattern called for. But that wasn’t too big of a thing. I also knit it all as one piece instead of in pieces like the pattern called for. Also, no big deal.

What I’ve learned

Button placement is important! I didn’t have a ton of problems with the spacing of the buttons. I found a great site that helped me figure out how to space them. So, I’m happy with that. But I didn’t even consider how far into the button band I should actually sew on my buttons. As a result, the cardigan kind of pulls apart when fully buttoned up. I’ll probably take them off and fix it. But it’s something I now know I have to think about beforehand to save myself a headache. I also chose buttons that are a little bit too small for the button hole I made. So, I might end up with a whole new button choice as well.

All that reverse stockinette? Did you really purl every row?

Yes! I’m aware that I could have turned the sleeves inside out then knit every row. But I’m a firm believer that you shouldn’t shy away from the purl stitch. I did for too long, so it takes me twice as long to finish a purl row than it does a knit row. So, I convinced myself that I had to purl every round of my sleeves. By the end of the second sleeve, my purling speed had improved greatly. I don’t dread the purl row anymore. This was probably the single greatest thing I’ve done for my knitting.

Why call it Poison Ivy?

Since I knit the bulk of this cardigan about a year ago, when I was watching Batman v Superman on repeat, I knew I wanted to give it a comic book inspired name. My first thought was the Kryptonite Sweater, but then when I realized that the stitch pattern had sort of an ivy feel to it, I named it after one of Batman’s villains, Poison Ivy.

I'm actually already planning to knit this sweater again but in a golden color. If you don't want to miss in progress shots, and more fun stuff, make sure to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest.