Wednesday, February 15, 2017

A Little Red Cross Stitch

It's mid February and chocolate is cheap just about everywhere.  Valentine's Day may be over and done with, but that's no reason to put away the red.  Red evokes senses of passion and warmth.  These feelings are important in these end of winter doldrums.  They pull us out of the bog and keep us going.  So when things are particularly down, try to keep your mind passionate and your heart warm.



This February I give you a simple cross stitch pattern done only in red.  Of course you can change the thread color to fit your current mood, but I've been in a bit of a red mood lately.  Or possibly it's that I've been seeing red lately.

It's been awhile since I've tried cross stitching a sampler.  Although this isn't a true sampler, (it only uses one stitch) it was fun to try different methods of filling in the stitches.  For the most part this was fun and went well.  I initially tried doing the individual crossed stitches that make up the ground one at a time, but they had a tendency to loosen up and try to come out when I moved my hoop.  In the end I ended up doing them in long chains along the diagonal.  Lesson learned.

On a lark I decided to have this one framed.  That was definitely a learning experience.  I think that I made most of the mistakes that were possible.  The people that I worked with were quite nice and understanding though.  It was done at Aaron Brothers Art and Framing in Santa Barbara,  CA.  Their website can be found here.    This is the chain website so it won't take you to the specific location.

Feel free to change the thread, the gauge, or the size.  Just please don't try to sell the patterns as your own.

If you would like to purchase a pdf download of this pattern from Etsy, it can be found here.

If you have any questions about the pattern, please email me at GridMammalCrafts@gmail.com and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.


Red Diamonds Cross Stitch Pattern

Materials:
·         18 Count Aida Clothe - Color: Off White
·         DMC 347 Thread
·         Tapestry Needle
·         Embroidery Hoop

Finished Size on 18 Count Aida Clothe:
·         Approximately 4.4” Wide x 3” Tall

Notes:
·         Each crossed stitch is done with two strands of thread over one square of 18 count Aida clothe.
·         All stitches are full crossed stitches.

Key:

Chart:



Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Little Sailor Baby Blanket

We've made it though January, with it's weather, aggravations, and and malaise.  Here's hoping for warmer outlooks both generally and metaphysically.  To help with this, here is a picture of beach coast line on a beautiful sunny day.


Some friends of ours recently welcomed a new addition to their family.  I enjoy making things specifically for people, and this family has been close to ours for some time.  Being that there is a strong naval background there, I chose to design a baby blanked for their little one on a nautical theme.  This should be prefaced by saying that I decided to do this only a couple of months before the baby was born and no one knew the baby's gender until its birth.

I decided to go with blue and white for a color scheme.  This seemed to hold the consensus for western naval colors.  I also wanted it to have strong lines and some texture.  So that the baby could enjoy and explore it as they got older.  In the end I decided to break the blanket into sections of three different textures.  Not liking seams though, I knitted this as one piece.  That meant that for most of the blanket I was juggling 5 different balls of yarn and having to remember to run the previous strand under the new strand whenever I changed colors.  No matter.  I like the way it turned out and hope that it lasts for years to come.

I'm happy to say that I finally completed this project on the day of the babies birth.  As I post this pattern, this little blanket is on its way to it new home with love and good wishes.

If you would like a pdf of this pattern and have a Ravelry account, a copy can be found here.

If you would prefer a pdf download from Etsy, it can be found here.

Feel free to change the yarn, gauge, or size to fit your needs.  Just please do not try to sell this pattern as your own.

If you have any problems that you think that I might be able to help you with, email me at GridMammalCrafts@gmail.com .

Little Sailor Baby Blanket

Materials:
·         Size 9, 5.5mm 32 inch Circular Knitting Needles
·         9 Skeins Knit Picks, Swish Worsted, Color: White (Color A)
·         7 Skeins Knit Picks, Swish Worsted, Color: Dusk (Color B)
·         Cabling Needle
·         Darning Needle
Gauge:
·         5 Stitches x 6 Rows = 1 inch x 1 inch in stockinette stitch
Finished Size:
·         40” Wide x 40” Tall
Notes:
·         The cast on was done with a long-tail cast on, alternating colors as defined by the pattern.  Use which ever cast on works best for you.
·         Each color swath was done with its own hank of yarn.  This meant less yarn had to be hidden, but most of the time five balls of yarn were in play in a row.
·         Be sure to twist yarns between color changes if you use multiple skeins of yarn.
·         Stitches outlined in red denote stitch sequences that are repeated in certain situations.  Check the written instructions for the correct count.
·         Bind off the white stitches in the pattern established.  Bind off the blue stitches purl-wise.



Textures

Texture 1: Double Moss Stitch

Row 1 (ws): k2, p2
Row 2 (rs): k2, p2
Row 3 (ws): p2, k2
Row 4 (rs): p2, k2

Texture 2: Woven Basket Stitch
Row 1 (ws): 11lp x 2
Row 2 (rs): 11lc x 2
Row 3 (ws): 11lp x 2
Row 4 (rs): 11lc x 2

Texture 3: Stockinette Stitch
Row 1 (ws): p4
Row 2 (rs): k4
Row 3 (ws): p4
Row 4 (rs): k4


Texture Layout

Instructions
Using a Long-Tail Cast On, cast on 212 stitches with this color order:
            28 stitches in Color A
            28 stitches in Color B
            100 stitches in Color A
            28 stitches in Color B
            28 stitches in Color A
Row 1 (ws):  (k2, p2) x 7 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k2, p2) x 25 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k2, p2) x 7 in Color A
Row 2 (rs): (k2, p2) x 7 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k2, p2) x 25 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k2, p2) x 7 in Color A
Row 3 (ws): (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p2, k2) x 25 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A
Row 4 (rs): (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p2, k2) x 25 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A
Rows 5 through 36:
            Repeat rows 1 through 4, eight more times
Row 37 (ws): k2, p26, (11lp x 2) x 7, p100, (11lp x 2) x 7, p24, k2, p2 in Color B
Row 38 (rs): k2, p2, (11lc x 2) x 51, k2, p2 in Color B
Row 39 (ws): p2, k2, (11lp x 2) x 51, p2, k2 in Color B
Row 40 (rs): p2, k2, (11lc x 2) x 51, p2, k2 in Color B
Row 41 (ws): k2, p26, (11lp x 2) x 51, k2, p2 in Color B
Row 42 (rs): k2, p2, (11lc x 2) x 51, k2, p2 in Color B
Row 43 (ws): p2, k2, (11lp x 2) x 51, p2, k2 in Color B
Row 44 (rs): p2, k2, (11lc x 2) x 51, p2, k2 in Color B
Rows 45 through 72:
            Repeat rows 41 through 44 seven more times
Row 73 (ws): k2, p2, (11lp x 2) x 6 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (11lp x 2) x 25  in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (11lp x 2) x 6 k2, p2 in Color A
Row 74 (rs): ): (k2, p2) x 7 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k4) x 25 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k2, p2) x 7 in Color A
Row 75 (ws): (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p4) x 25 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A
Row 76 (rs): (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k4) x 25 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A
Row 77 (ws): k2, p2, (11lp x 2) x 6 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p4) x 25  in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (11lp x 2) x 6 k2, p2 in Color A
Row 78 (rs): ): (k2, p2) x 7 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k4) x 25 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k2, p2) x 7 in Color A
Row 79 (ws): (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p4) x 25 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A
Row 80 (rs): (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k4) x 25 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A
Rows 81 through 216:
            Repeat rows 77 through 80 thirty-four more times
Row 217 (ws): k2, p26, (11lp x 2) x 7, p100, (11lp x 2) x 7, p24, k2, p2 in Color B
Row 218 (rs): k2, p2, (11lc x 2) x 51, k2, p2 in Color B
Row 219 (ws): p2, k2, (11lp x 2) x 51, p2, k2 in Color B
Row 220 (rs): p2, k2, (11lc x 2) x 51, p2, k2 in Color B
Row 221 (ws): k2, p26, (11lp x 2) x 51, k2, p2 in Color B
Row 222 (rs): k2, p2, (11lc x 2) x 51, k2, p2 in Color B
Row 223 (ws): p2, k2, (11lp x 2) x 51, p2, k2 in Color B
Row 224 (rs): p2, k2, (11lc x 2) x 51, p2, k2 in Color B
Rows 225 through 252:
            Repeat rows 221 through 224 seven more times
Row 253 (ws): k2, p2, (11lp x 2) x 6 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (11lp x 2) x 25  in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (11lp x 2) x 6 k2, p2 in Color A
Row 254 (rs): ): (k2, p2) x 7 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k4) x 25 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k2, p2) x 7 in Color A
Row 255 (ws): (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p4) x 25 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A
Row 256 (rs): (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k4) x 25 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A
Row 257 (ws): k2, p2, (11lp x 2) x 6 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p4) x 25  in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (11lp x 2) x 6 k2, p2 in Color A
Row 258 (rs): ): (k2, p2) x 7 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k4) x 25 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k2, p2) x 7 in Color A
Row 259 (ws): (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p4) x 25 in Color A, (11lp x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A
Row 260 (rs): (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (k4) x 25 in Color A, (11lc x 2) x 7 in Color B, (p2, k2) x 7 in Color A
Rows 261 through 288:
            Repeat rows 257 through 260 seven more times.
Bind off stitches in the color pattern established
Break yarn and weave in ends.