Another KP IDP ....

Wow!  Looking back at my records, it's been almost TWO MONTHS since I've had a design up on Knit Picks ... you all must have been wondering!  Well, all is well .... I was in the midst of working on some big projects for a couple of books that will be published this next year as well as working on projects to donate for a charity fund-raiser next weekend.

That all said, I have a new pattern up in KP's IDP -- Fun Felted Saddlebag.  This is a quick knit in bulky yarn on #10s, knit in the round for the body and then switching to flat knitting for the slip-stitch flap.  The strap is knit right in and I even designed a mini-bag that coordinates (and hooks to the strap to avoid losing it!)  Here are some pictures to whet your knitting-appetite:  

 I'm using mine as a knitting bag!  A place for everything and everything in its place!

Please check out this and my other designs on Knit Picks or directly from my Ravelry Shop!

 Happy knittin'

Mary C. Gildersleeve

By Hand, With Heart -- hand-knit designs
bhwh.mary@gmail.com

Free Pattern: Lent/Easter Basket

Wow ... I haven't posted here for a while! But my knitting needles have been so busy, I haven't had time to post.


Here is a Lent/Easter basket I designed for our family celebrations based on an idea in Hannah Fettig's Closely Knit -- a book I highly recommend you check-out: she has some amazing ideas in there!

I made the basket in maybe 3 hours -- finishing in plenty of time to set our table for Ash Wednesday (Feb 25, 2009), the first day of Lent on the Catholic Calendar. We kept our basket filled with an alms box, rosary box (for evening prayer) and flowers (to remind us that Easter -- and Spring -- WERE coming!).

Fettig's version of the nest was for a palm-sized nest with eggs for pincushions. I changed her design, working from the center-out, using thicker yarn and created a nest large enough to hold our Easter goodies: a family's worth of peeps, jelly beans, chocolate eggs, DVDs, family game and a parade of "custom-designed" hard-boiled eggs.

We're still using this basket for our Easter celebrations -- in the Catholic Church, Easter Sunday lasts eight days (till today) and the Easter Season is celebrated thru Ascension Thursday (when we believe Jesus ascended to Heaven) and ends on Pentecost (the day when the promised Holy Spirit comes down to us on Earth, the birthday of the Catholic Church!). Good thing I made this big!

I've decided to offer this pattern to you, my readers, as an Easter gift. It's mindless and fun knitting and really looks like a bird's nest in this glorious "dark sheep's gray" from Bartlett Yarns.

Easter Nest Basket (inspired by Hannah Fettig's "pin cushion nest" from her Closely Knit)

• needles (dpns/circs as needed): US size: 10.5, 13, 15
• yarn: 1 skein Bartlettyarns "Bulky" (80 yds, 4 oz.) in dark sheep's gray

w/ 10.5 dpns, CO 4 and join. K rnd;
k 2 in each st (8); k rnd on 8 sts;
k 2 in each st(16); k rnd on 16 sts;
*k1, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (24); k rnd on 24 sts;
*k2, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (32); k rnd on 32 sts;
*k3, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (40); k rnd on 40 sts;
*k4, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (48); k rnd on 48 sts;
change to US 13 needles
*k2, k2 in next st*; rep from * to * rnd (64); k rnd on 64 sts;
*k3, k2 in nest st*; rep from * to * rnd (80); k rnd on 80 sts;
working even on 80 sts, change to basket st --
rnd 1-2: *(p7, k3)*; rep from * to * rnd
rnd 3: k rnd
rnd 4-5: *(p2, k3, p5)*; rep from * to * rnd
rnd 6: k rnd
change to US 15 needles
rep rnds 1-6 of pattern; BO loosely (or do another few rnds to finish ball of yarn, then BO loosely).

Wash in hot water to felt; while drying, fill basket with plastic bags packed in to help shape (or use a large platter/bowl to shape). Here's a close-up of the side of the nest with the basket stitch just about-visible after felting.

ENJOY!

Latest Felted Project

Here's the latest thing off the needles: a felted backpack in olive/dusty brown made from Dale of Norway's Heilo.

Now, I really enjoy felting -- because you can have such fun with it. If you'll notice, I have a felted I-cord drawstring to close the bag. Once I felted everything and put it together, I needed to trim the cord as I'd made it too long. I took that cord, made a loop, sewed it to the inside of the bag and now I have somewhere to clip my keys! I also added a small, button-flapped coin pocket on the outside and a long, multi-pocket piece on the inside.

The straps are doubled, 10-stitch wide (like a really wide I-cord) and knit right onto the backpack (from the base to just under the flap at the top). Knitting them on (altho a bit more cumbersome than knitting them separate and sewing later), ensures a good strong bond to the backpack. The "X"s at the top are more decoration than for utility.

Here's the bag with one strap done and the pickup for the second strap. Here you can also see the pre-felted size. It was HUGE! The felting will shrink the knitting (so you can't see stitch-definition) about 40% (with more shrinkage in the length than the width). The final product -- as you can see above -- is a nice, wide bag that will be used by me ALOT!

Way Cool Wooly Lambs

Thanks to Gail's post on Life a la Cart, I have fallen in love with her felted wool sheep. Seems a few years back she bought the Fiber Trends "Felted Flock" pattern to stick in the kids' Easter baskets. Have I mentioned, that I LOVE THESE?

I think, though, I'd have to come up with my own design -- I HATE following directions. So I'll keep y'all posted on my unvention of a felted flock, ok?

BTW, I suggested to Gail who has little time but two children that will be getting these little darlings -- to get different colored ribbon to "collar" the lambs and add a little bell so they'd tinkle as well as look so cuddly cute!

New FO's to come off the needles ...

this week include:

• A carpet-bag style felted bag that's big enough to carry your knitting, library books or shopping! Done in Dale of Norway's "Heilo" -- with two strands held double throughout -- the bag goes together quickly on size 10s and felts wonderfully. A small pocket is hidden inside and the bottom has a knit-covered cardboard to keep the bottom shaping and allow the bag to "stand up". Really not too hard a project, even beginner knitters could do this one.
• A cozy lap blanket (38x38) and coordinating throw pillow in Coats and Clark's "Red Heart Grande" knits up quickly on 13s and is done in all garter stitch, so even a neophyte could handle this project. The blanket is knit in one piece (I HATE seaming) and the pillow front is knit on the bias with the solid navy blue back knit on as you go. A great first-time project for the daring.