Spotted Christmas Stockings

This was a free pattern at webs, yarn.com, a couple of weeks ago. Here they are blocking. I used their Berkshire Bulky Yarn, one ball each of forest, oatmeal, colonial, and plum to make two stockings. Nice yarn, pretty stockings, quick project. Not the greatest photo, but you get the idea.





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Warm Snuggly

A matching hat and cowl, knit in the round with bulky yarn.

Materials needed: needles US size 10 (6.0 mm), or size needed to get gauge. Hat can be knit on 16" circulars, switching to double points during the decrease rows. Cowl can be knit on circular needles, 16" or 24", or even 29" for the largest size. Yarn used for the samples was 2 balls of Serenity Chunky by Premier Yarns in Red Ochre. This is a super soft acrylic yarn that has 109 yards per 100 gram ball. Other yarns of similar size that can be substituted include Knitpicks Cadena, Malabrigo Chunky, or Cascade 109 LE Bulky. (Someone suggested to me that using 2 strands of Cascade 220 would also work.) I made the hat in S/M with about 2/3 of a ball and then used the rest of the yarn for a medium size cowl.

Pattern includes hat in 2 sizes, S/M for the average woman or teenager, M/L for men or anyone with a bigger head. Cowl is 3 sizes - small is kind of neckwarmer, medium is more drapey, and large is big enough that you can probably pull it down over your shoulders. (I suggest 3 balls of yarn for the large size.)

PDF file, instant Ravelry download, $2.00

Mabel Sock Yarn

Here's a little taste of what I've been up to. I've been dyeing some new sock yarns. I'm calling this Mabel, which is a 100% Washable Merino Wool yarn, with lots of twist. Lots of twist means soft durable socks without nylon, and it's less splitty when you work with it.

You can read more about it find it for sale here: Traci Knits Etsy Shop

Great Gansey Socks

The Great Gansey is a cuff down, slip stitch heel flap, round toe sock, inspired by the simple but beautiful geometric patterns and tightly knit fabrics of the traditional gansey or fisherman’s sweaters from Britain, Ireland and Scotland. Patterning is created from a combination of knit and purl stitches, which makes it a relatively fast and easy project.

Sizing is included for a range of gauges - guide is given for choosing a size based on 7, 8, or 9 stitches per inch.

Motifs are charted for those who prefer knitting from charts and also translated to text, for those who don’t like charts.

$5.00, instant download of PDF through the Ravelry store:

Gargoyle Dishcloth

I like my gargoyles year round. I probably have half a dozen scattered throughout my house, perched on top of book cases and hutches, where they steadfastly do their job of keeping away evil forces. As it turns out, they are also a source of inspiration.

I like a little bit smaller dishcloth than most you’ll find out there, and the added advantage of that is that dishcloth cotton usually comes in 2 or 2.5 ounce balls, so you can make 2 of them from one ball of yarn!

Pattern has charted design for those that prefer to knit from charts, and text for everybody else. Gauge is not important. For a better looking picture, use the smallest needles you’re comfortable with. Add a spooky or goofy face to yours with scrap yarn.

$2.00, PDF file, instant download from Ravelry.

I bought some really pretty hand dyed Blue faced Leicester roving (which I believe was actually top, most folks just call it all roving, but that's a subject for another post) from Hampton Artistic Yarns on Etsy in a color called Boyfriend. I don't know what drew me to this color. Smooth transaction, by the way, I'd do it again. I don't remember if I've spun bfl before, if I did it was a long time ago.


I was in the mood for a little color experiment and there are a few ways to approach a delectable bit of top. First off, I like to play with the fiber a little bit. I run it through my hands, give it a few gentle tugs to get a feel for how it will draft, gently pull it open and loosen it up a bit. I think this is especially important for hand dyed tops or rovings, because I like to make sure I'm not going to have any sticky parts when I start spinning. At the same time, I think about how I want the colors to appear. I decided to do this:


I wanted lots of repeating color changes, so I split it apart in long thin strips and rolled it into loose balls, doing a little more predrafting as I went.

I spun half of it on one bobbin and the other half on another, in 2 different thicknesses.
I let them rest for the day then wound them into balls on my ball winder so I could ply each bobbin of singles back on itself. What I ended up with was different looking yarns of equal weight.

This one is around 81 yds, 10 wpi, which puts it in the DK neighborhood:

And here's the 42 yd, 7 wpi bulky version:

Of course, I like them both. The finer you spin it, the more the colors gather together and lose their individual definition. The yellows stand out more in the bulky one.

Paper Lanterns Dishcloths

This trio of dishcloths was inspired by the beautiful shapes and textures of paper lanterns.

I’ve always thought it would be wonderful to knit a bunch in various colors and use them as napkins for a party. They would be really nice rolled up with flatware inside and tied with a place setting card. Invite your guests to keep them as a memento of the party, which gives you an excuse to knit more of them.

PDF file contains the patterns for all 3 lanterns. $4.00

Traci's Crochet Collection 1

Crochet-Collection-1-cover, originally uploaded by TheHomeBody.

4 cute little bath and kitchen items, 1 new dishcloth to crochet. All are made with worsted weight crochet cotton and an H 5.00 mm hook. Includes tips on using nylon and acrylic yarns for making face and pot scrubbers. Also includes tips on making a larger or smaller dishcloth. PDF format. $5.00

Thick and Quick Cabled Neckwarmer

You'll need one ball of Wool-Ease Thick and Quick, size 13 needles, 3 big buttons and a cable needle to make this very stylin' neckwarmer/cowl. Stuff you need to know: Knit, Purl, Cast On, Bind Off, Knit 1 Front & Back, Knit 2 Together, yarn over. Simple cables, easy repeats, quick results. Pattern is delivered in PDF format. $2.00

The Chelsi Scarf

Big hook + chunky yarn = fast and easy lacy crocheted scarf. Get out your K hook and a couple balls of Bernat Softee Chunky, an inexpensive yarn that's easy to find. Good for beginners, great for last minute gifts. PDF format. $2 at the Ravelry Store.