Herself the Elf

I meant to share this with you all before the 25th, alas, somehow time flew by and so here is my Christmas elf story a little late.

Every December, around the second week, I take the time to make a few things for people I love.

I used my Christmas fabrics to create a furoshiki wrap for Byron's ham that we brought to the gathering, as well as some sewing bags using the pattern Jane Bulls wonderful children's sewing book. I picked up at the local library.  I had the opportunity to use my pinking shears for the first time... so interesting.

I knit a pair of hand warmers for my friend Rob, using my Hand warmer Family which you can find as a free download on Ravelry.

When I created the design, I used Schachenmayer Bravo, a multicoloured man made full DK.

This time I used the new so so soft Sky DK from Garnstudio. It is a little bit finer so I used a 3.75 needle and  knit 4 more rows each on the cuff and hand portions.

My mum would have called it a Beatrix Potter colour, and I agree wholeheartedly.

I was pleasantly surprised at how calming it was to work with. I haven't knit with the brown family very often in my life. Fascinating the way it looked grey next to black.

and minky next to brown

I also used this bonny red shade to make a second pair.

It was fun to use straight knitting needles for a change. I like the way these cuffs keep your pulses warm as well as dress up those handy one size fits all gloves. Oh so cosy.

Stitches I love

We have a stock of super chunky Lumio so Imade a Trinity (Popcorn )Stitch cowl.

I previously knit a narrow colourful one in the summer with an odd ball of monster yarn.

In my library I have vintage books with Trinity (popcorn) stitch patterns.

The Lumio ball band directs the knitter to use 10mm pins, but I prefer my trusty 8mm. I find, generally speaking, a smaller tension, though taking more time to knit, stands up better to wash and wear. I cast on using waste yarn, in roughly the same thickness by using a nice bright smooth turquoise cotton doubled to match the Lumio. There are alternate provisional cast on's, but for grafting I prefer a few rows of waste knitting at either end.

Once the desired length of 30 inches was achieved I stopped at pattern row 3. This was so the graft row fits smoothly in with the pattern, and is almost undetectable.

The charm of Lumio is the reflective thread, a similar material to those silvery patches on a safety vest. A great safety feature for the winter pedestrian, especially in the city.
There is a lovely program on TV Ontario called Coast. The first episodes were about the United Kingdom. The presenters wore knits and in a particular episode a chartreuse trinity stitch cowl, probably in Rowan yarn. It looked so appealing and straightforward to figure out. I have not worked Trinity stitch in many years and found the experience just delightful.

Why I Love This Stitch
What a good pattern for the practice of understanding the knitting in your hand! It is a 4 row pattern, alternating every 2 rows. The purl side is the public side, a bit jarring at first, but really helpful in supporting focus. The texture of the stitch on both sides is appealing.

Thick soft yarn and bobble stitch are great mates. After I test knit the complete pattern you will find it as a free download on our Ravelry pattern page.