i've recently re-discovered my pinterest account. and realized there is so. much. good. stuff. on there. here are some of my very colorful knit favorites. most of these are courtesy of the very wonderful knitter and pinterest extraordinaire, meredith.
p.s. don't you love these collages? since picnik is closing down (tear), all premium services are free. meaning, you're going to be seeing a whole lot of fancy collages until the ants carry away the picnik.
this is the finished rag bath mat for my new black and white bathroom, which is made from one half of a duvet cover, and 2 contrasting pillow cases. i created the 'yarn' from the duvet/cases using the rag bath mat tutorial then knit up the mat using the pattern below. you could just as easily use sheets or old tshirts for this project as well. in the end, the mat is super plush, and a great way to recycle your old linens. and, you get a fresh new look for your bathroom floor!
to make this, I only needed 1 side of a king size duvet cover and 2 pillow cases (and still had leftovers). when making them into 'yarn' i kept the pillowcases separate to easily make the fair-isle stripes, and 1 continuous ball for the main color.
to knit, i started with my main color, used 1 pillowcase for the first stripe, carried over my main color for the middle stitches, joined in my second pillowcase for the 2nd stripe, then again carried over my main color for the last set of white. since there is a fair amount of carrying over, i made sure to keep my yarn loose, and always carry over on the wrong side. the knitting on this is pretty simple -- just stockinette stitch with garter stitch borders (on all edges).
Striped Rag Bath Mat Pattern
Gauge: Varies - determine your own gauge to custom fit your mat
Needles: size 19
Yarn: made from sheets/duvet cover and pillow sheets
Finished mat size: 27" long
CO 22 stitches
Bottom Edge
row 1(right side): k2, k4 in main color A, k3 in contrast color B, k4 in color A, k3 in color B (by joining a second skein of B), k4 in color A, k2
row 2(wrong side): knit across row, making sure to knit with contrast yarn B as you come to it, and carrying your main A yarn in the back of your work
row 3(right side): knit across row, continuing your contrast yarn vertical stripes
Middle
row 4 (wrong side): k2, p til 2 sts remain, k2
row 5 (right side): knit across row, continuing contrast yarn vertical stripes
repeat rows 4 and 5 until about 1.5 inches before desired length
Top Edge
row 1-2: knit across row, continuing constrast yarn vertical stripes
row 3: knit across entire row ONLY using main color A (discontinue stripes)
BO all stitches
CO = cast on
k = knit
p = purl
sts = stitches
BO = bind off
i have a sickness. a starting-blankets-that-I-never-finish sickness. i seriously don't know what's wrong with me. BUT, I did rip out (or I plan to rip out) a feeble-attempted-start of a crochet blanket, in order to start this new one, so they pretty much cancel each other out. this all started when in my new bedroom linen planning, i saw an old hudson bay blanket on ebay. it was perfect. and, i waited patiently for 7 days watching people slowly bid on it, with 1 problematic person who kept outbidding everyone as soon as someone new would come along. in the final 20 minutes, i got scared of this person's desperation and thought that they could possibly win it, so I needed a backup plan blanket. so, i went on ravelry, and started hunting down similar looking blanket patterns that i could knit to ease the anxiety. i started this blanket here.
so, i sat there knitting this thing (more like casting on) while the ebay countdown happened, telling myself who needs that one when you'll have this nice handknit one. you don't have to win. of course, i won the blanket, and now i can't stop knitting this one...so i'm going to have a knit replica of a hudson blanket. how does this happen??
i came across a baby blanket from purl soho that they made replicating the multicolored hudson bay blanket, and thought i'd try a regular sized one, in just black and tan. the only downside....it's garter stitch. making a full sized blanket in garter stitch is mind-numbing. however, i never knew i could knit so fast. and it's really easy to do while i do other things (watch tv, ride trains) so i'm not really complaining too much. i was a little scared thinking it would look sort of beginner-ish (associate garter stitch with new knitters) but I kinda like it's basic-ness. the stripes help too.
in the midst of january, happy new year! the beginning of the year i've been focusing more on fixing up the apartment, specifically all kinds of new linens, blankets and bed-things for the bedroom, and towels and shower curtains for the bathroom. i'm trying to make an effort to balance things out - a little vintage, some new, and a bit handmade.
this is my current project. a new bathmat to match my new black, white and mint green bathroom. it also coincided with the buying of new bed linens, which meant the throwing out of old bed linens, which equals new knitted bath mat! though, i'm not sure i'm loving the 2 vertical black/white stripes. ideas?? should i rip this thing out and use a different pattern?
also.....today, i'm excited to announce that i am a guest blogger over at whipup.net! go check it out...i wrote a tutorial on how to make this festive yarn pom pom garland. a pretty little DIY decoration for a party, a kid's room, or wherever you need a little bit of color.
the other day i came across the amazing work of karen barbé and fell in love. she is a textile designer, but also has fantastic sewing and embroidery skills, with an eye for making the most extraordinary geometric designs. i love how everything she makes is simple and beautifully understated. karen has a fantastic blog filled to the brim with exciting and refreshing projects, and a lovely shop with the most adorable, and functional, items.
lately, i've been making a bit of progress on grandma's quilt. after taking it over to my friend's house for an evening of quilting + dinner, i ambitiously thought i could draw out the fans, lay the pieces out and baste the 'quilt sandwich' together in the span of 3-4 hours. after 4 hours and i'd barely been able to draw out 1 row of fans i knew i needed to re-evaluate. this thing is HUGE. also, that clover water soluble blue marker only drew about 2 rows before it gave out completely.
the next day, i headed over to one of the only quilt stores in NYC, the city quilter, and picked up some water soluble mechanical fabric pencils (one in white; one in gray). the markings from these aren't as dark, but i was able to mark the whole rest of the quilt using just a few leads.
the first 2 pictures are the clover marker marks, and the second the mechanical pencil. i ended up drawing the fans using this little cardboard guide. i made it by cutting a long strip of cardboard, drawing out a straight line down the center, and then stabbing it to make little holes every inch. the first hole at the bottom is the anchor (and i'd stick a pin through it and never pick it up till all of the fans were drawn), then i'd stick my pencil in each hole, one at a time and swing it around, drawing the arcs.
i made my template with the largest arc at 13". i'm realizing most people stop at 8". my quilting hoop is only about 11" so i have to do some partial arcs sometimes. i'd go with 8" next time.
also, 2 straight days of marking this quilt, i came across this amazing blog, with instructions on how to freehand baptist fans. which i may try the next time. marking these things seriously was the worst.
however, in the end it's turning out pretty well. i've quilted a few fans so far and all seems to be going well. i even love the fans on the plain muslin. you can really see how they stick out. i'm realizing this is going to take MONTHS to finish though. yikes.
i've always had a thing for making gigantic knit/crochet things that aren't your typical "knit" items. like the rag bath mat or the crochet bathroom rug. here are a few of my favorites, some for inspiration, some with patterns. my only obstacle is finding yarn big enough to make these things. maybe i should be looking at the hardware store instead of the yarn store.
my friends gina and jason have just opened up a new shop, Land-Rich, with beautiful classic items inspired by raw nature.
the current edition has four amazing ornaments filled with simple, raw elements. my favorites are the reindeer moss (essential food for reindeer) and the tallow bulbs (small versions are just $10!). just in time for the holidays!
i've always been a fan of tv dinner style trays and decor, and absolutely loved this wallpapered tv tray from design*sponge.
this is such a clever and perfect way to making a vintage item beautiful and modern. i've been a long admirer of this wallpaper and have considered adding it as a touch of color to one wall in my living room. but having it cover something useful, such as this cute little tv tray is perfect.
and a tv tray stand wouldn't be complete with the most adorable tv dinner plate. i love this porcelain version of the old plastic types. and it even keeps your food separated!
then there's also the plastic version of the prison lunch tray. i actually bought a set of these in stainless steel a while back, but it looks like only the plastic version is offered now.
i've noticed a few ideas and tutorials popping up out there that i'd like to try around my apartment. first there was the most beautiful toilet paper roll decor from design*sponge that i've ever seen. originally designed as "kid art"...hmmmm...
i really liked the idea of it, but something about toilet paper rolls just seemed...not fitting. then i came across this design with cans!
green + sturdier than cardboard rolls + functional! i love that you can actually store things in the cans. maybe this would be the perfect decor/storage in the craft/office room.
this is such a clever and perfect way to making a vintage item beautiful and modern. i've been a long admirer of this wallpaper and have considered adding it as a touch of color to one wall in my living room. but having it cover something useful, such as this cute little tv tray is perfect. 
