Latest Project...

My latest project--a custom baby sweater made for my friend to give as a present. If you've looked at my work in the past you know I usually keep my color palette in the earth tones, but my friend requested a girly sweater so I got adventurous and dove into pinks.
For the design I used a combination of my two cardigan patterns: I used the same construction as Baby Cardigan v2 but used the eyelet raglan design of Little Coffee Bean.
For the yarn I used Plymouth Encore Worsted--1 skein for each of the 2 colors.

Chunky Monkey Pattern--3T version...

A finished version of my Chunky Monkey Pattern, made is size 3T, modeled by my adorable neighbor Evie!

How cute is she?! I couldn't have asked for a better model for this pattern. It's a little big on her, but she'll grow into it!

As I had mentioned in my previous post about Chunky Monkey, this pattern is sized from 3 months all the way to 4T. It's a pattern you can use throughout your child's baby years and well into their toddler years. And because it uses chunky weight yarn, it will knit up super fast no matter what size you make.

Click the "Buy now" button below to purchase a PDF of this pattern (which you can download right away upon purchasing).

Made by hand...

I love hand-made things. They have such character and uniqueness. As our world gets more & more cluttered with generic stores that all produce the same thing (and most likely produced by people who are not receiving a fair wage for their labor), how nice is it to buy something that is made by a fellow crafter that you can't find just anywhere?

If you are also a fan of all things hand-made, I highly recommend checking out etsy.com. Recently I have purchased clothing labels, buttons, screen-printed t-shirts, and a 2010 day planner. All of these unique items were made by other crafters and I wouldn't be able to find them anywhere else. Here are some of my most recent purchases from etsy.com:

Screen printed t-shirt

(find it here)

Day Planner:

(find it here)

Everything is very professional--if you think hand-made means macaroni necklaces and popsicle stick picture frames, then you are in for a big surprise. All of the items I purchased were extremely well constructed, professionally packaged, and arrived in my mailbox within days of placing the order. I find it an awesome site especially when looking for a gift for someone. It was recently my husband's birthday. He's a huge VW bus fan (we have a 1966 one in our garage). On etsy.com I found a t-shirt screen printer who did VW buses! Not only that but I got to pick the color of the t-shirt and the color of the VW bus. How cool is that? A unique gift that you can't find anywhere else.

Check it out and support hand-crafters!

It's a new year...

It's 2010-can you believe it? I'm usually not a big "New Year's Resolutions" kind of person--I feel you can choose to make life changes at any point in the year, so why put it off until January 1? But I do like the freshness that a new year brings (not to mention getting a new calendar-am I the only one who loves a clean new day planner?) and I can't help but think about my current goals and what I can do to get closer to attaining them.

What are my goals? I want to continue growing The Brown Stitch, creating more patterns & growing my skill set. I'd love to have a new pattern published at least once a month. It can be a little tricky at times, since I also have a day job that takes up 50 hours a week, but I think I can do it. I'd like to start waking up earlier, to get some good knitting/designing time in before I have to leave for work. That will be goal #1 for 2010! I'll let you know how that one goes--I'm guessing a lot of coffee will be involved in attaining this goal...

Speaking of growing The Brown Stitch, If you check in on this blog now & then, you noticed last year I put up 3 patterns for sale. All of my "for sale" patterns provide a multitude of size ranges & all have been reviewed, checked & double-checked by professional tech editors. Until now you could only buy my patterns on ravelry.com or here on my blog. But starting now you can also buy them on patternfish.com!

If you haven't been on this site yet you must check it out. It's a library of thousands of knitting & crochet patterns. New patterns and old patterns, by well-known designers and up-and-comers too. What I love most is how specific your search criteria can be, as well as how clear all of the pattern info is presented. You can check out my designs on patternfish.com here:

www.patternfish.com/pub/elizabeth_smith

Chunky Monkey...

Chunky Monkey Baby/Toddler Vest is my latest design and the pattern is available for sale. It's a cardigan-style vest and knits up super quick.





The pattern is sized for a large range of baby & toddler sizes: 3-6 mo (6-12 mo, 12-18 mo, 18-24 mo, 2T, 3T, 4T). It's knit using Cascade 128 superwash, a wonderful chunky weight yarn that's soft and offered in beautiful colors. You can purchase this yarn at The Knitting Experience in Brunswick, Maine (but they also have an online store for those of you who don't live in this area).
Other chunky-weight yarns will work well too--so long as you get 3.5 sts per inch.

The pattern costs $5 and you can purchase it by clicking the "buy now" button. Here are some additional details about the pattern:





Construction: Chunky Monkey is knit in one piece from the bottom to the underarm using circular needles, then the back piece and each front piece is worked separately. Shoulders are attached using the 3-needle bind off technique, although notes are given if you’d prefer to seam shoulders together by hand instead. Buttonband, neckband, and armband ribbing is created by picking up stitches at the end.

Sizes: 3–6 mo (6–12 mo, 12–18 mo, 18–24 mo, 2T, 3T, 4T)

Finished Chest Measurement: 19.75 (20.75, 22, 23.25, 23.25, 24.25, 25.5) in/50 (53, 56, 59, 59, 61.5, 65) cm

Gauge: 14 sts & 22 rows = 4 in/10 cm (3.5 sts & 5.5 rows = 1 in/2.5 cm)

Supplies:
• Yarn: Cascade 128 Superwash or any chunky weight yarn that provides gauge

-Main Color (MC): 1 (1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2) skeins/118 (128, 138, 148, 158, 168, 178) yds/108 (117, 126, 135.5, 144.5, 154, 163) m

-Contrasting Color for Ribbing (CC1): 1 skein/128 yds/117 m

-Contrasting Color for Stripes (CC2): 1 skein/128 yds/117 m (Although only approx. 10 yds/9 m will be needed, so if you have scrap chunky weight yarn lying around, that will work.)

• Size US 10 24 in (6 mm 61 cm) circular needles (or size needed to provide gauge)
• Size US 9 16 & 24 in (5.5 mm 41 & 61 cm) circular needles (or 1 size smaller than size needed to provide gauge)
• Extra size US 10/6 mm needle (circular or straight, for 3-needle bind off)
• 2 stitch markers
• 3 stitch holders
• Tapestry needle to weave in ends and attach buttons
• 4 (4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5) buttons, size ¾-1 in/2-2.5 cm

Oversized Cowl

An easy, quick project that will give you instant gratification—not to mention keep you warm as the temperature starts to drop this fall.
This cowl is knit in the round in one piece using super bulky weight yarn. I used Reynold’s Blizzard which I got at The Knitting Experience in Brunswick, Maine.
It features a row of eyelets that serve two purposes. It gives visual interest as well as provides a place to weave in a crocheted tie. This tie can be used to cinch up the neck and keep you even warmer—perfect when worn under a vest or coat. Worn with or without the crocheted tie, this cowl will feel great not to mention knit up super fast!




Gauge:
2.5 sts = 1” in k2,p1 ribbing pattern

Supplies:

• Size 13 & 15 24” circular needles (note: a size 15 isn’t 100% necessary. I just prefer to use a larger needle to bind off for this project to ensure the bind off edge is loose & flexible)
• 2 skeins of Reyond’s Blizzard (132 yards)
• 1 stitch marker
• Size N crochet hook (if you want to create the crocheted tie)

Directions:

• Using size 13 24”needles, CO 72 sts very loosely, pm, join for working in the round
• Row 1: *k2, p1; repeat from * to marker
• Row 2: repeat row 1
• Row 3: YO, k2tog, *p1, YO, k2tog; repeat from * to marker
• Row 4: *k2, p1; repeat from * to marker

Repeat row 4 until piece measures 11”

• Using size 15 24” needle (optional), BO all sts very loosely in pattern (i.e., BO 2 sts knitwise, BO 1 st purlwise, etc.)

For crocheted tie:

• Using size N crochet hook, chain 86 sts
• Cut yarn and secure through last loop
• Weave crocheted tie through eyelets on cowl

As an alternative, if you'd prefer a slightly less oversized and shorter cowl, cast on 60 stitches instead of 72 and follow the same directions, except only knit for 7 or 8" instead of 11"

Touch of Grey Belted Cardigan

A great layering piece, this buttonless belted short-sleeved cardigan is knit in one piece with limited seaming. Sized from XS-XXL, it is knit on circular needles, working back and forth from the bottom to the underarms. At that point the sleeve stitches are cast on and the back and front pieces are divided and each worked separately. Short rows are used to shape the shoulders. Front and back shoulder stitches areattached by binding off the stitches together using the three-needle bind off technique. Finally, stitches are picked up and knitted to create the neck band ribbing, sleeve ribbing and front bands. The only seaming you’ll have to do is at the underarm on each side—that’s it!



You can purchase this pattern for $5 using a credit card (via pay pal).Click the "buy now" button-after you enter your credit card information, a link will be emailed to you. This link will allow you to download the pattern right away.

This pattern provides detailed descriptions and a review of all necessary techniques. Special techniques used include: cable cast-on method, short row shaping, three-needle bind off, and creating an i-cord (for the belt). If you have not done some of these techniques in the past, this is a great pattern to try them out on.




Below is information regarding the sizes and supplies you will need for this pattern:

To fit bust sizes:
XS (S, M, L, XL, XXL)
To fit bust sizes: 28 (32, 36, 40, 44, 48) in / 71 (81.5, 91.5, 101.5, 112, 122) cm

Finished Garment Size:
Bust: 26 (30, 34, 38, 42, 46) in / 66 (76, 86.5, 96.5, 107, 117) cm
Length: 19.5 (20, 20.5, 21, 21.5, 22) in / 49.5 (51, 52, 53.5, 54.5, 56) cm
Armhole Depth: 6 (6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5) in / 15.5 (16.5, 18, 19, 20.5, 22) cm

Sample is knit at size S, being worn with negative 2 in / 5 cm of ease.

Gauge: (in garter st) Make sure both stitch & row gauges are accurate.
Before blocking:
17 sts & 32 rows (16 ridges) = 4 in / 10 cm
After blocking:
17 sts & 26 rows (13 ridges) = 4 in / 10 cm

Supplies:
• Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky 6 (7, 8, 9, 10, 10) skeins
o 638 (727, 816, 905, 994, 1083) yd / 584 (665, 746, 828, 909, 991) m
• Size US 9 / 5.5 mm 29 in / 74 cm (or longer) circular needles (or size need to obtain gauge)
• Size US 7 / 4.5 mm 29 in / 74 cm (or longer) circular needles (or 2 sizes smaller than size needed to obtain gauge)
• An extra size US 9 / 5.5 mm needle (straight or circular) to be used for three-needle bind off
• Size US 7 / 4.5 mm double pointed needle (DPN) to make the i-cord belt
• Stitch markers
• 3 stitch holders
• Scrap yarn
• Tapestry needle
• Row counter (not necessary, but helpful)