Knitting with Schnapps

Kozy Kovers for Kids

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Meagan's Rainbow

Meagan Blackmore lost her battle with cancer on August 19, 2013, leaving behind a devastated family, heartbroken friends and a world that lost a beautiful light.

Please keep her family in your thoughts as they deal with this incredible loss.

To me, although Meagan had grown up to be a beautiful, giving, wonderful adult, I remember her as a sweet, adorable little girl who always had a smile on her face. The Rainbow Connection was the song I sang to her when I baby-sat for her and even as an adult, Meagan loved rainbows. I hope that Meagan has found that Rainbow Connection we sang about so often.

When my friend Carolyn died, her family sent out cards with a quote from the book “The Little Prince” that she had chosen. I tried hard to take some comfort from these words and am trying yet again. I now have 2 stars that are laughing to find each night.

"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night . . . You--only you--will have stars that can laugh!" And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend."

Those of you who know me, know that when I am upset I tend to reach for yarn. Yesterday I cried too much about the unfairness of her life ending so soon to pick up my needles. Schnapps kept snuggling close and looking at me as if to tell me to get some yarn and see what happens. Today, with a hurting heart and tears streaming down my face, I knit this hat. I am calling it Meagan’s Rainbow in her honor.

If you use this pattern, please take the time to think of Meagan and her family. In Meagan’s honor, do something kind for someone else. She was a giving, loving person – help spread the light she gave so freely.

Meagan's Rainbow

You will need 5 weight yarn and size US 10.5 needles or some combination of needles and yarn listed below. I used Lion Brand Tweed Stripes because of the softness and beautiful colors. You could knit this in a solid color, but I think I will always make this in a multi-color yarn.

Abbreviations:
yo: yarn over
Sl1: slip one stitch as if to knit
k2tog: knit 2 stitches together as one
psso: pass slipped stitch over

Cast on 64 stitches, place marker and join, taking care not to twist stitches.

Work Brim:
Row 1: knit all stitches
Repeat Row 1 until the piece is about 3 inches long

Work Pattern:
Row 1: *yo, k3, yo, k1*; repeat around
Row 2: knit all stitches
Row 3: *k1, sl1, k2tog, psso, k2*; repeat around
Row 4: knit all stitches

Repeat Rows 1 - 4 until piece is about 6 to 6.5 inches in length
Work Crown:
Row 1: knit all stitches
Repeat Row 1 until the piece is about 7 to 7.5 inches long

Decrease Crown: switch to dpns when needed
Row 1: *k6, k2tog,*; repeat around
Row 2: *k5, k2tog*; repeat around
Row 3: *k4, k2tog*; repeat around
Row 4: *k3, k2tog*; repeat around
Row 5: *k2, k2tog*; repeat around
Row 6: *k1, k2tog*; repeat around
Row 7: *k2tog*; repeat around

Finish: Cut working yarn, leaving a 6-inch tail. Draw the tail through the remaining stitches, cinch closed and secure. Weave in ends and pass along some love in honor of Meagan!

The pattern is worked over 4 stitches. Work in increments of 8 stitches to keep the crown decrease the same.

To knit this using 6-weight yarn, use size 13 needles and cast on 48 stitches.

To knit this using worsted weight yarn, use size 8 needles and cast on 80 stitches.

To make it child size, use worsted yarn, size 8 needles and cast on 64 stitches. Adjust in increments of 8 stitches for individual sizes.

To knit this using sport weight yarn, use size 5 needles and cast on 112 stitches.

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Sunday, August 18, 2013

Introducing Love Nubs!

Thank you Peggy for the name! This is Schnapps' latest hat and I went with this name not only because of the look of the hat, but also because we were working on this when Meagan's fundraiser was going on and I was thinking about her and sending her love with every stitch.

Schnapps and I ask all of you to keep Meagan and her family and friends in your thoughts and prayers each day. Please send some hugs, hope and love to them all.

We used Knit Picks Brava Bulky for this hat. It's the first time I used this yarn and I love it. Very soft and great to work with. It is very reasonably priced, delivery is fast and it comes in great colors too. This is Solstice Heather.

This pattern knits a fairly loose hat........it made a fairly large adult hat. If you want to make a tighter fit, just decrease stitches in multiples of two.

Love Nubs

You will need 5-weight yarn and size 10.5 circular knitting needles or some combination of yarn and needles listed below.

Abbreviations:
kfb: knit into the front and back of each stitch
k2tog: knit 2 stitches together as one
p2tog: purl 2 stitches together as one

Cast on 64 stitches, place marker and join, taking care not to twist stitches.

Work Pattern:
Row 1: kfb each stitch (this will double your number of stitches
Row 2: *k2tog, p2tog*; repeat around (this will decrease to your cast on number of stitches)

Repeat Rows 1 - 2 until piece is 7 to 7.5 inches in length

Decrease Crown: switch to dpns when needed
Row 1: knit all stitches
Row 2: *k2tog, p2tog*; repeat around
Row 3: knit all stitches
Row 4: *k2tog, p2tog*; repeat around, end k1
Row 5: *k2tog*; repeat around

Finish: Cut working yarn, leaving a 6-inch tail. Draw the tail through the remaining stitches, cinch closed and secure. Weave in ends and pass along some love with a hug from Schnapps!

The pattern is worked over 2 stitches.

To make a smaller adult hat using 5-weight yarn and size 10.5 needles, cast on 58 stitches. Adjust in increments of 2 stitches for individual sizes.

To knit this using 6-weight yarn, use size 13 needles and cast on 44 stitches.

To knit this using worsted weight yarn, use size 8 needles and cast on 72 stitches.

To make it child size, use worsted yarn, size 8 needles and cast on 60 stitches. Adjust in increments of 2 stitches for individual sizes.

To knit this using sport weight yarn, use size 5 needles and cast on 104 stitches.

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Sunday, August 11, 2013

Introducing the Megstrong Square and the Body Nuzzler Square

Schnapps has been busy working on some blanket squares for Meagan's blanket. He's got new hat ideas in mind, but is finishing up the squares first. He and I are apparently a bit challenged when it comes to getting things perfectly square and exactly 12 inches, but we're getting better!

These patterns can easily be used for whole blankets, throws, shawls or scarves or even wash cloths. We've included instructions for changing the size. The cast on number of stitches was for my 12 inch square. Check your gauge if making a square. Multiply the number of cast on stitches for the width you want. For example, if making a baby blanket that you want 36 inches wide, cast on 3 times the number of stitches I used. If you want a 60 inch wide throw, cast on 5 times the number, etc.

The first square was knit using Lion Brand Pound of Love in a pale yellow. I'm calling it the Megstrong Blanket Square.

The second square was knit using Caron Simply Soft in a pastel aqua. We had about 7 inches of it done before we realized that it was 13 inches wide, so we had to rip it all out and start over. This square is knit using the pattern from the Noggin Nuzzler Cap, so I'm calling it the Body Nuzzler Square.

Schnapps and I ask all of you to keep Meagan and her family and friends in your thoughts and prayers each day. Please send some hugs, hope and love to them all.

The Megstrong Blanket Square

This was knit using worsted weight yarn and size 8 needles. To get a 12 inch square, I cast on 56 stitches. The pattern must be multiples of 3 plus 2, so adjust accordingly.

yo = yarn over

Row 1: Knit all stitches

Row 2: k1, *p3tog but leave on needle, yo, then p3tog (the same 3 stitches) again*; repeat from * to * to last stitch, k1

Row 3: Knit all stitches

Row 4: Knit all stitches

Repeat Rows 1 - 4 to desired length, ending on any row but Row 2. Bind off all stitches knit wise.

The Body Nuzzler Square

This was knit using worsted weight yarn and size 8 needles. To get a 12 inch square I cast on 54 stitches. The pattern must be in multiples of 4 plus 2, so adjust accordingly.

Row 1: k2, *p2, k2*; repeat from * to * across row

Row 2: p2, *k2, p2*; repeat from * to * across row

Row 3: p2, *k2, p2*; repeat from * to * across row

Row 4: k2, *p2, k2*; repeat from * to * across row

Repeat Rows 1 - 4 to desired length, ending on any row. Bind off in pattern.

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Saturday, August 3, 2013

The Braided Hope Blanket Square or more!

Schnapps and I have been busy this week! We packed all the gorgeous MEGSTRONG items that we had and shipped them to NY for the fundraiser. There was over 26 pounds in those boxes! I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity and love from so many! THANK YOU each and every one of you who participated! We have toys, household items such as washcloths and potholders, jewelry, scarves, bookmarks and just so many beautiful items crafted with hugs, hope and love. All are posted on our Facebook page if you'd like to see them.


MEGSTRONG boxes headed to NY!

Then, the Amazing Miriam had a brilliant idea! She suggested making a blanket for Meagan. All these items will sell to help Meagan, but sometimes, you just need the warmth of a hug from a handmade blanket. So, some of us are making blanket squares that Miriam has so generously offered to put together into a blanket for Meagan. We're hoping to have the squares done and to Miriam by August 18th or so, which I know is short notice, but if anyone would like to participate, we're doing 12 inch squares, either knit or crochet, made from worsted weight, machine washable and dryable yarn in only pastel colors. Any pastel is fine, but please keep to pastels only so they coordinate well with each other. And please only use worsted weight yarn for continuity! Also, please use a 12 x 12 template to make sure it's the right size and send a very long tail or small ball of yarn in case Miriam needs to crochet a border. If you'd like to send a square, email me at robin@delawareheadhuggers.org and I can send you Miriam's address, or you can just send the squares to me, as you do hats and blankets and I will forward them.

Since I really like the Braided Hope hat pattern, I wanted to do a Braided Hope blanket square. This can easily be increased to do an entire blanket also. It's a very easy pattern and no cables are involved at all. My square seemed to be a perfect 12 inch square, but the ribbing pulls in on itself a bit after it is blocked making it slightly smaller. Now, Miriam says that it should still work fine in the blanket, but keep it in mind if you are trying to make this to an exact size.

Now we're working on a new pattern for another square! We'll let you know how it turns out!

Braided Hope Blanket

I used Vanna's Choice worsted weight yarn and size 9 needles. If using other worsted weight and size 8 needles, you will need to add more stitches. I cast on 50 - you need a multiple of 4 plus 2.

Row 1: p2, *k2, p2*; repeat from * to * across row

Row 2: k2, *p2, k2*; repeat from * to * across row

Row 3: p2, *k2tog then without dropping the stitches off you left hand needle knit just the first stitch then drop both; p2*; repeat from * to * across row

Row 4: k2, *p2, k2*; repeat from * to * across row

Repeat Rows 1 - 4 until desired length. End on a Row 3 and bind off in pattern.

If making this a blanket, cast on for the appropriate size. For example, for a 36 inch blanket, cast on 150; for a 48 inch blanket, cast on 202; for a 60 inch blanket cast on 250, etc. If you are making a square and are concerned about the slight shrink due to the ribbing, you can always cast on an extra 4 stitches to begin with. That should give you plenty of room for a bit of pulling.

If using other yarn, check your gauge and just remember that this pattern is a multiple of 4 plus 2 and have fun!

And yes, you could make this into a scarf by simply working the 50 stitches for however long you want your scarf to be!

It could even be a washcloth or a dishcloth!

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Kozy Kovers for Kids