What does a Garden Gnome do when she is not gardening, in the kitchen or doing genealogy? Well the answer might just surprise you so read the entries to find out more. This blog focuses on everything we do to make our house a home. There will be a strong emphasis on home energy efficiency and do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. At the same time there will also be crafts, knitting and crocheting projects along with any other little tips we do to create that down to earth, I want to be here home. Please enjoy your visit :)
Learning new knit stitches and stitch patterns greatly expands the items you can knit. Video tutorials are great for learning new knit stitches because the provide a good visual of the technique. At some point I will be making my own video tutorials but for now I'm relying on those already made. The following video shows how to do the Kitchener stitch aka grafting. This stitch is used to finish socks and other items where grafting is needed. Start with about 12 inches of yarn to close the stitches using the Kitchener stitch. When you are finished closing the stitches, pull the end through to the inside of the sock. Weave the end through several stitches and them trim the end.
I've been knitting and crocheting since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Like many who enjoy knitting I have a yarn stash that seems to just keep growing. This happens because if I see a yarn I like I will buy enough to make something from it and there are always left-over bits and pieces of yarns, not quite enough for a large project but enough that can be worked into other projects. Two of my favourite ways to use up left-over yarn is slippers and granny square afghans.
Mitered squares are extremely easy to knit. If knit from cotton yarn they can be used as is for wash cloths. However, they can be joined together to form an afghan. The centre decrease forms a seam that can be oriented to create a pattern for the final afghan. Here is a video of the basics. At the end of the video there are pictures of a mitered square I made and the pattern for you.
Now that you've watched the video you have a good idea of how to proceed with this project. The knitted mitered square is done in garter stitch using only one other stitch. This is an excellent beginning project for someone just learning to knit.
The basic mitered square starts with a set number of stitches equal to 2 sides of the resulting square plus the 3 shaping stitches. While it is not immediately apparent to a beginner, the piece is being knit from corner to corner in a diamond shape fashion with the 2 bottom edges of the diamond formed by the cast on stitches (1) and the 2 top edges of the diamond formed as the rows are knit. Once a few rows are knit a peak becomes apparent (2) that when divided onto 2 needles the shape of the corner becomes clearer (3). The final piece is square with a characteristic diagonal line from the decrease stitches (4). I used size 4.5 mm needles and 4 ply cotton weight yar.
Mitered Square Pattern
Cast on 63 stitches.
1. K 30, S 1, K2tog, SYO, K 30
2. K
3. K 29, S1, K2tog, SYO, K 29
4. K
5. K 28, S1, K2tog, SYO, K 28
6. K
Continue in this fashion decreasing 2 stitches total on the right side (odd rows) and knitting the even rows until 3 stitches are left.
S1, K2tog, SYO, cut yarn and draw tail up though remaining stitch.
"Home is the wallpaper above the bed, the family dinner table, the church bells in the morning, the bruised shins of the playground, the small fears that come with dusk, the streets and squares and monuments and shops that constitute one's first universe." -- Henry Anatole Grunwald
I am a wife, mother and grandma who enjoys the many aspects of homemaking. A variety of interests and hobbies combined with travel keep me active. They reflect the importance of family, friends, home and good food.
