"The Graduate" Skinny Necktie Crochet Pattern

This tie was made for my son's Grade 8 Graduation. 

Materials
1 skein of Mica by Berroco (40g, 108y/100m, 31% cotton, 26% silk, 23% nylon, 20% linen)
4.5 mm crochet hook
3 mm crochet hook
yarn needle
measuring tape


Instructions
With 4.5mm crochet hook ch 8
Row 1: sc in second ch from hook and in the next 6 ch, ch 1, turn- 7 sc
Row 2: sc in each st across, ch 1, turn
Repeat row 2 until piece measures 4" from foundation ch
Decrease Row: sc in next 3 sc, sk 1 sc, sc in next 3 sc, ch1, turn - 6 sc
Continue to sc each row until piece measures 12" from foundation ch
Decrease Row: sc next 2 sc, sc 2tog, sc next 2 sc - 5 sc
Continue in patt until piece measures 18" from foundation ch
Decrease Row: sc next 2 sc, sk1 sc, sc next 2 sc, chain, turn - 4 sc
Continue in patt until piece measures 48" from foundation ch
Do not fasten off
Switch to 3 mm crochet hook
ch 1
now working along one side of the tie sc in each turning ch, in the back loops of the foundation ch and along the other side of the tie. 
cut yarn, fasten off, weave in ends
block if desired


For insturctions on how to tie a tie click here. I prefer the Pratt Knot for this crochet tie.

Click on the images to get a better close-up look at the tie.

Athabasca Spring Scarf Knitting Pattern

This lightweight spring/summer scarf is named for the Athabasca River, which can be seen clearly from the air as one arrives to the well-known oil town, Fort McMurray, Alberta. I began knitting this scarf just before my journey up to the northern Alberta town and completed it while there visiting my mother. The colours that appear in these sumptuous yarns remind me of hues of green and blue that can be seen from the airplane window high above the town. It is beautifully stunning countryside!

Materials
Yarn A: 1 skein of Punta Cotton Hand Paint  Colour Hp10 (100 % cotton/ 214 meters, 235 yards/ 100 grams)
Yarn B: 1 skein of Nuna by Mirasol Shade 1017 (40% wool, 40% silk, 20% bamboo/175 meters, 191 yards/ 50 grams) 
1 pair of 6mm knitting needles


Notes
This pattern is really all about the yarn. If you choose beautiful yarns, your scarf will look amazing! This pattern is very simple and is great for beginners or experienced knitters that want a great pattern to sit and relax with.
Yarn B will be carried along the side when you knit the rows of yarn A. Just simply wrap A and B around one another when you carry B so that yarn B is hugged more tightly to the edge of the scarf thus diminishing the appearance of a loop.

Instructions
With A CO 47 sts
Row 1-3: k
Row 4: With B *k1, yo twice, k1* repeat to end
Row 5: continuing with B *k1, slip 2 yo off needle, k1* repeat to end
Row 6-9: with A k 4 rows
Row 10: with B *k1, yo, k1* repeat to end
Row 11: continuing with B *k1, slip yo off needle, k1* repeat to end
Repeat Rows 1-11 until your yarn is nearly finished. End with 3 knit rows in yarn A. BO loosely and weave in ends.

Quilting Up North

In Northern Alberta there is an oil town called Ft. McMurray. The list of reasons for going to Ft. McMurray is short- to make money. People from all over the country and probably North America come to Ft. McMurray to make their tidy little fortune working in the oil sands, or 7-Eleven. Even gas station attendants make $18-$20/ hr. Sounds tempting, n'est pas? Well, there is a bit of a trade off. Like the freeze your ass off temps, the lack of stuff to do, and the dismal man-made landscape.
Ft Mac is smack dab in the Boreal Forest and rests beside the point of two converging rivers. The natural landscape is stunning. Unfortunately there is not much that is "nice" or "interesting-in-a-good-way" about the town. I don't want to dump too much on Ft. McMurray as there is a community of people that live there, but even they admit that it isn't much of a place to call home.
I visited the Northern Alberta town recently to visit my Mum. She is not an oil worker, but makes more than she ever has in her life as part of the management team at a major Canadian discount retailer in the shopping mall. She works long, hard hours and earns every penny of that salary.
While she had to work I found my little oasis in an otherwise culturally deserted town. I found Suzy Q's Quilt Shop by doing some online research. All I came up with was the name and address of the shop, not even a photo. This shop is located in the downtown core and has a very unassuming store front. Also, it was a short walk from my Mum's place-though my Mum did offer to leave work and drive me there. Of the seven days in Ft. Mac I was at Suzy Q's three. Here is a tour of the shop:

I especially love the way the dragonfly's wings are stitched.

Quilting Kits

Natural Resources

Wool for needle felting, spinning, wet felting. Suzy Q's also has yarn and other knitting supplies, embroidery patterns, and beads.

This is the owner. She called this machine her "baby".

The ample workspace. My stuff is the second table from the right. I brought my knitting to work on.

I actually really liked this fabric. I am very attracted to orange and green. This fabric went 50% off in the boss is away sale over Easter Weekend.

A quilt hanging out in the work room.

Some photos of my latest additions to my fabric stash. As mentioned before there was a 50% off sale on some of the fabric. The fabric I really liked was included! What luck!! On Saturday everyone got a plastic egg with an additional secret discount tucked inside. My additional discount was 15%. This lot of fat quarters only cost me $22. A steal!!!

I adore the colour and pattern on this fabric. I picked up two versions of it. First of all I am attracted to circles and secondly I am am attracted to leaves.

Well, that concludes my tour of Suzy Q's Quilt Shop in Ft. McMurray, Alberta. Happy quilting and crafting.

DeVine Neck Warmer: Knitting Pattern

Materials

• Diamond Yarn Luxury Collection: Lima 100% Peruvian Highland Wool (or any aran weight yarn) 160m, 100g 1 ball or similar weight yarn. I used colour 1984-Tobacco Row.
• Yarn needle
• 3 buttons at least 20mm or 3/4"
• 5.5 mm straight needles

Gauge: gauge for this pattern is not that important, however this pattern using the above mentioned materials will have finished measurements of 23" long and 7.5" wide.

The neck warmer can be worn with a button open, or with the top button in the middle buttonhole and the middle button in the bottom buttonhole for an accidentally on purpose twist.

my buttons are made from coconut

CO 38 sts.

k 6 rows in garter stitch.

Next row: k4, pm, k to last 4 sts, pm, k to end

NOTE: first 4 and last 4 sts are always knit. This creates the garter st border of the neck warmer.

A note about the increases: increases are achieved by knitting into the front and back of the same stitch and likewise for the purl increase, purl into the front and back of the same stitch.

Begin vine leaf pattern.

Vine leaf pattern (middle 30 sts):

Row 1 (WS): k7, p5, k4, p3, k11.

Row 2: P9, p2tog, knit inc, k2, p4, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, p7 (32 sts)

Row 3: K7, p7, k4, p2, k1, p1, k10.

Row 4: P8, p2tog, k1, purl inc, k2, p4, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, p7. (34 sts)

Row 5: K7, p9, k4, p2, k2, p1, k9.

Row 6: P7, p2tog, k1, purl inc, p1, k2, p4, ssk, k5, k2tog, p7. (32 sts)

Row 7: K7, p7, k4, p2, k3, p1, k8.

Row 8: P6, p2tog, k1, purl inc, p2, k2, p4, ssk, k3, k2tog, p7. (30 sts)

Row 9: K7, p5, k4, p2, k4, p1, k7.

Row 10: P7, yo, k1, yo, p4, k2, p4, ssk, k1, k2tog, p7. (30sts)

Row 11: K7, p3, k4, p2, k4, p3, k7.

Row 12: P7, [k1, yo] twice, k1, p4, k1, m1, k1, p2tog, p2, sl 2 knitwise, k1, p2sso, p7. (30 sts)

Row 13: K11, p3, k4, p5, k7.

Row 14: P7, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, p4, k1, knit inc, k1, p2tog, p9. (32 sts)

Row 15: K10, p1, k1, p2, k4, p7, k7.

Row 16: P7, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, p4, k2, purl inc, k1, p2tog, p8. (34 sts)

Row 17: K9, p1, k2, p2, k4, p9, k7.

Row 18: P7, ssk, k5, k2tog, p4, k2, p1, purl inc, k1, p2tog, p7. (32 sts)

Row 19: K8, p1, k3, p2, k4, p7, k7.

Row 20: P7, ssk, k3, k2tog, p4, k2, p2, purl inc, k1, p2tog, p6. (30 sts)

Row 21: K7, p1, k4, p2, k4, p5, k7.

Row 22: P7, ssk, k1, k2tog, p4, k2, p4, yo, k1, yo, p7.

Row 23: K7, p3, k4, p2, k4, p3, k7.

Row 24: P7, sl 2 knitwise, k1, p2sso, p2, p2tog, k1, m1, k1, p4, [k1, yo] twice, k1, p7

Rep rows 1-24 4 more times

K 2 rows in garter st, remove stitch markers.

Buttonhole row: k4, yo twice, BO next 2 sts, [k12,yo twice, BO next 2 sts] twice, k4.

K 2 more rows, BO.

Weave in ends with yarn needle, block, sew on buttons.

handmade buttons by AB Originals

I purchased these at the Knitter's Frolic in 2009 in Toronto.

John Galda is the man behind the buttons. I also purchased tagua nut, deer antler, spalted maple, and ebony buttons.

my neck warmer is lined with vintage fabric

If you would like to line your neck warmer:

*cut a piece of fabric 1/2" wider and longer than your blocked and completed neck warmer.

*fold each side 1/4" twice and iron seams.

*stitch around border with sewing machine or by hand

*whip stitch the lining to the knitted neck warmer with wrong sides facing

*do not sew over button holes!

**a note about source: the leaf repeat pattern, though may be published in other material, was published in "Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book" in Chapter X Stitch Dictionary. I have made use of the dictionary to produce a pattern for this neck warmer.






Check out one blogger's experience knitting this pattern here

Skinny Scarf Pattern for Learn to Knit Kit by LadeeBee

This pattern can used with any yarn and needles as long as you are pairing up the right needles with your yarn. Go to your LYS (local yarn shop) if you do not have the Learn to Knit Kit by LadeeBee to find your needles and yarn.

This is a suggested pattern to accompany the kit, but you can choose to do anything you like! Freeform knitting can be fun and you may discover interesting designs as you alternate between knit and purl. But if you feel like you need to make something functional, a scarf is the perfect project for any beginner. 

"Skinny Scarf"

Materials

• Yarn A
• Yarn B (alternate colour if your kit came with more that one colour)
• knitting needles (included in kit, appropriate for the balls of yarn included)
• yarn needle
• scissors

Abbreviations

k: knit CO: cast on patt: pattern

p: purl rep: repeat BO: bind off

Pattern

CO 20 stitches with Yarn A

Row 1: k2, p2, rep. until end of row. turn work.

Row 2-10: repeat row 1

Row 11: switch to Yarn B, or continue with same. Note: cut yarn leaving 2" tail, join new yarn by tying a knot as close to the stitch as possible. You will weave in the ends later using a yarn needle.  k2, p2 rep. until end of row. turn work.

Row 12-20: continue in k2, p2 patt. using yarn B (or same).

Repeat last 20 rows until you have approx. 20" or yarn left. BO, weave in ends.

Garment Care

machine wash, cold water, lay flat to dry.

Questions or Comments?

I invite you to post them here.

Good Luck with your knitting adventures!
--LadeeBee