House Elf Knits – Stylish Fashions for Freeing Your Elves!

A friend is cosplaying as Xenophilius Lovegood for the opening night of the final Harry Potter film, and will be handing out copies of The Quibbler. This is my contribution. It's a very simple pattern, I had to estimate the size of a house elf. Feel free to share, modify, comment, etc.

If you’re a progressive witch or wizard, you are well aware of the deplorable conditions suffered by house elves across the country. If you are looking for a way to free your elf in style, look no further! This is a quick project even for muggles, and with two stylish looks (one lacy for female elves, one simple for for males) you can create styles to please any discerning individual! This project is a great way to use up scraps of different colors or show off your handspun.

Materials needed: 200 grams/440 yards worsted weight yarn, size 6 circular needle (at least 36 inches long), size 6 double-pointed needles if desired, one large button for closure.

Cast on 4 stitches, divide onto double pointed needles or use magic loop method on circular needle, join to work in the round.

Round 1 (and all odd-numbered rows): Knit

Round 2: KFB (for male version) or *k1, yo* (for female version), 8 stitches total. Place a marker after each stitch, using a different marker to indicate the beginning of the round.

Round 4: KFB or *K1, yo* 16 stitches total.

Round 6: *k to last st before marker, KFB or k1, yo last stitch*

Continue alternating one round of plain knitting and round 6 until there are 21 stitches in each section. Work arm holes as follows.

Round 1: Cast off 21 stitches (entire first section), knit 2 more sections plain (42 stitches), cast off 21 stitches (entire fourth section), knit to end of round.

Round 2: Cast on 21 stitches using backwards loop or knitted cast-on method, knit 2 more sections plain (42 stitches), cast on 21 more stitches, knit to end of round.

Round 3: Work as round 6 above

Round 4(and all even rounds): knit.

Continue alternating rounds 3 and 4 until there are 42 stitches in each section.
Work button hole as follows.

Round 1: Cast off 6 stitches, knit to end of round.

Round 2: Cast on 6 stitches, knit to end of round.

Work 6 rounds in k2, p2 ribbing. Bind off loosely. Attach button to correspond with button hole, this will vary depending on the size of your elf. Block flat if desired. When worn, the top of the circle will fold down to make a collar. It would also be easy to pick up stitches around the arm holes to create sleeves for your elf.

Presenting the Alaine Sock Knit-Along!

It's here, knitters! I am hosting this knit-along to give everybody a chance to try out my new Alaine Socks, named and designed for a friend of mine. I'm going to be offering the pattern here for free during the knit-along, and afterward it will be available to download via ravelry for $2.50. The pattern is going to be released in pieces as we go through the knit-along so that everybody can enjoy the surprise factor. This is a lace sock, so it's probably best for female feet and you probably don't want a yarn whose colors are too wild. Semi-solid/kettle-dyed yarn would be ideal. That said, I'm using a hand-painted yarn whose colors are rather subtle.

If you have questions, comments, suggestions, corrections, or any other feedback please leave your comments on this entry. :)

Thanks to everyone who participated in the knit-along. This pattern is now available for purchase only.

Free Pattern - Gulls and Garter Washcloth

I love the Gulls and Garter stitch pattern. It's lovely and interesting, it looks good in both variegated and solid yarn, and it's fun to knit without being too difficult. As I mentioned, this would make a nice stitch pattern for kilt hose, and is done in multiples of 8 stitches, which works well for socks in general.

Cast on 41 stitches (or a multiple of 8 stitches plus one).

Rows 1-4: slip first stitch purlwise with yarn in front. *K1, P1*
Row 5: slip first stitch purlwise with yarn in front, k1, p1, k1. Work in pattern to last four stitches. *k1, p1* twice.
Continue until cloth is desired length. Work rows 1-4 again. Bind off in pattern, weave in ends, enjoy!

Gulls and Garter Pattern:

Rows 1 and 3 (wrong side): k2 *p5, k3* until last 2 stitches before border, k2.
Row 2: k2 *With yarn in front, slip 5 stitches purlwise, k3* until last 2 stitches before border, k2
Row 4: K4, *insert RH needle under strand 2 rows below, k next st on LH needle, drawing loop through st on needle and under strand in one motion, k7; rep from *, end last rep k4.

Here's how it comes out:

Personalizing Kilt Hose

I have had an upsurge in purchases of my basic knitted kilt hose pattern lately. The pattern has some notes on customizing the hose by using different stitch patterns in the leg, and I thought I'd share a few favorites. Please be aware that the calf shaping will mean you'll need to be careful about pattern repeats and read your knitting to make sure everything lines up correctly. That said, here are a few nice (and relatively easy) stitch patterns you can use to spruce up a pair of hose (all of these are in the round):


Herringbone Stitch

Multiple of 4 stitches.

Round 1: k all
Round 2: *k2, sl 1 purlwise, k1, yo, pass slipped stitch over these two stitches*

Mistake Rib

Multiple of 3 stitches.

Round 1: *k2, p1*
Round 2: *k1, p2*

Double Rib

Multiple of 6 stitches.

Round 1: *k3, p3*
Round 2: *k1, p1*

These are all nice stretchy stitches that look lovely on hose, and I'll try to get photos up soon.

I will be posting a new washcloth pattern this week, and the stitch pattern from the washcloth would also look great on hose. I will share the stitch pattern when I post the washcloth.

Still kicing!

Though I reserve this blog mostly for publicizing my patterns and sharing information on some of my products which are available, I thought I would make a quick post to let people know I currently have no waiting list for custom-made knitwear, including kilt hose and bonnets. I am always working on personal projects, and I can't guarantee a time frame, but it's likely to be closer to 6-8 weeks than the year plus wait I've had in the past.

I also offer other services including hand-dyed fibers and yarns, handspun yarns, pattern design, tech editing, pattern translation French/English, charting, writing out charted patterns, test knitting, and article writing/editing. Drop me a line at russetlodgeknits at gmail dot com if you're interested. You can also visit my design page on ravelry or my facebook fan page (links on the left) and check out my latest items for sale at http://shekure.etsy.com. My personal blog ramblings are availble at http://unaspenser.livejournal.com.

Sweetheart Kilt Hose Pattern Available!

I've just put my Sweetheart Kilt Hose pattern up on Ravelry. I designed this pattern for my husband for Valentine's Day 2008 (finished them over a year later), and now, here it is!

Patterns for Dowload

I realized there isn't anywhere specific on this blog where you can find the patterns I have available for sale. Both these patterns are $5 and come as a PDF.

Here is my Bonnet/Tam Pattern:

And my Basic Knitted Kilt Hose:

Free Ribbed Beanie Pattern

Here is an easy little pattern I cranked out when my husband needed a new hat. Feel free to give it a whirl. :)





Ribbed Cap

Size - One size fits all

Measurements :
Head size 21" (lightly stretched, fits my head at a whopping 23")
Depth 7" (If you have a large head, you may need to increase this. Just try the hat on as you go.)

Materials
1 50 g ball worsted weight yarn (I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Forest Heather)
1 size 6 circular needle, 1 set size 6 double-pointed needles, yarn needle

Gauge
20 sts = 5" over k4 p4 rib, lightly stretched
*take time to check your gauge and adjust accordingly*

Pattern
CO 104 sts, join in round, mark beginning of round.
Work in *k4 p4* rib until piece measures 6" from cast-on edge.
Shape top:
Round 1: *k1 k2tog, k1, p1, p2 tog, p1* 78 stitches remain
Round 2: K all K stitches, P all P stitches
Round 3: *k2tog, k1, p2tog, p1* 52 stitches remain
Rnd 4: same as rnd 2
Rnd 5: *k2, p2tog* 39 stitches remain
Rnd 6: same as rnd 2
Rnd 7: *k2tog, p1* 26 stitches remain
Rnd 8: *k1, k2 tog* k1 18 stitches remain
Rnd 9: k2tog 9 times - 9 stitches remain

Cut yarn, pull through remaining 9 stitches and draw up tightly to secure, weave in ends.

Voila!

P.S. I now have a facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/russetlodgeknits. Come check it out!

Still Kicking!

So, along with all the knitting projects I'm cranking out (and believe me, I'm cranking out a lot), I've become hopelessly hooked on spinning my own yarn! My first piece of eye candy is some single ply lace-weight merino which will become the Vernal Equinox shawl. Isn't it lovely?

Here's the other project I'm working on. It's some Navajo-Plied Corriedale cross from Wooly Treasures in shades of black, eggplant purple, blue, and light green.



I fantasize about painting my own roving and rehabbing thrift store sweaters into lovely fiber, but those are way on the back burner behind all my folks on the list.

If you get a chance, check out my etsy shop for an easy way to purchase my patterns, and bookmark it! Soon there will be much more loveliness.

Worldwide Knit in Public Day!

This Saturday, June 13, is Worldwide Knit in Public Day. If you have any interest in knitting or other crafts, check out the website at http://wwkipday.com. If you search the events for Boise, Idaho, you will notice that yours truly is hosting a knit-a-thon! If you're in the area and would like to swing by and say hi, please do! I'll have knitting supplies to swap/share/give away and some goodies too, and I'll be glad to teach anybody new who shows up how to knit. If you're interested, check out the facebook event (search Worldwide Knit in Public Day) or drop a comment. :)

Happy knitting!