Contest Announcement!!!

Ok, it's been a little quiet around here (me included), so maybe a little contest would get everyone swatching!

Starting on April 1st, and ending May 1st, I will send a prize package to the knitter who manages to post the most swatches on this blog. The prize package will consist of some goodies to help you assemble your final blanket, as well as a few other suprises.

I will also have an update for you all by this weekend. I've finished 3 more squares for my afghan, but just haven't had time to photo them.

Until later, happy knitting!

I started a little already!!

I just wanted to say hi and show you guys what I have made so far. First is the button to the left. Please take it and post it on your blog!!

Next are my afghan squares!!

Pattern for Square #01:
http://knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/afghans/madeby.htm

Pattern for Square #02:
http://knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/afghans/cables/cl4.htm

Pattern for Square #03:
http://knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/afghans/cl9.htm

Pattern for Square #04:
http://knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/afghans/allmylove.htm

Pattern for Square #05:
http://knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/afghans/log-cabin-square.htm

First Swatches

Hi Everyone! I am so happy to be able to show off my first swatches. All of these patterns are from the Vogue Stitchionary Volume One.

The first is Stockinette Window Pane (#160 in the book if you are following along):


Next is the Diagonal Slip Stitch (#55):



This one needs a little blocking as you can see. The last one I finished is the Woven Herringbone (#52):

Basically, I decided to make each square 4x4 inches, and adjusted the needle size or number of stitches until I got to the proper size, or at least close to it. I figure that I can block them all to the same size if I need to.

Wendy had a question about yarn recommendations (from the previous post), so please chime in if you have any advice. I chose wool for my blanket just because it is so warm. The Knit Picks Wool of the Andes is also very affordable, which influenced my decision. A natural fiber should also work well if I need to block these out to make them the same size. The one thing I did not consider is that hand washing an entire afghan could be a challenge, so if washing is a concern, you might consider a yarn such as an acrylic or superwash wool that you can throw in the washing machine. That's my two cents, but I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks as well.

Until later, happy knitting!

Ciao!!

Hi Everyone!! I've made it back from Italy, and with three swatches already completed for my afghan. I promise to post pictures of them by this weekend when I recover from my jetlag!! For now, welcome to Lisa, Lia and Wendy, our three new members! I can't wait to see everyone's progress.

In the meantime, if you need some inspiraton for stitches, may I suggest Lion Brand's Stitch Finder. They seem to adding new stitches frequently. I'm planning on linking websites on the side bar, so if anyone else knows of a good resource for stitch patterns, let me know and I will add it.

Until later, happy knitting! :)