Tag: knitting

Back to Blogging

Published on by kountingsheep2 Comments

It’s been far too long since I’ve written a blog post. I’ve started and stopped writing a new post multiple times in the past 3 years, and it’s partly because I was embarrassed about the noticeable gap in posts, and partly because I wasn’t sure how to jump back in. But like anything that is worth doing, sometimes you just need to start small. So this is me taking a small step to get back into writing blog posts.

There are a lot of changes that have happened in my life since I last hit “publish.” I went through a divorce and learned how to navigate the single mom life, worked at my local yarn shop for a few months, moved into a new house, went back to school and got certified as a speech therapy assistant, and started a new career working in education providing speech therapy. During this time it was necessary for me to take a step back from designing and public posting on social media, and yet I did still manage to get a design published in a book (Berry Patch Square in 60 Quick Granny Squares *Amazon affiliate link). It’s been a whirlwind to say the least, but I have missed designing patterns, and I want to get back into designing and writing again. I have also still been journaling and reading lots of books, so I would like to add some of that content onto the blog as well. I used to do reviews and journaling videos, so maybe that will come back as I ease back into a more public persona of my creative endeavors. I have managed to publish a few new designs each year, which you can check out on my Patterns page on the website or find on Ravelry.

I mostly needed time to let my crafting be a source of happiness and comfort, rather than deadlines and expectations, self-imposed or otherwise. But now I feel ready to revive some things I once loved doing as I move forward into another chapter of my life. I’ve got a milestone birthday coming up in March, and I want to start a new decade of my life returning to things I once loved doing as a way to reclaim what I abandoned or let grow stagnant. In other words, I don’t want to just survive my life anymore, I want to make intentional choices to thrive and enjoy creativity once again.

So this is me writing to say that I am still here. Still crafting and creating. Ready to write again.

Sanders Mittens

Published on by kountingsheep

Remember when this image went viral last year as a whole mood for what was happening in the world? Well I’ve got a pattern for that!

As soon as I saw this image of Bernie Sanders hunkered down in the cold with these cozy mittens, I knew it needed to be a knitting pattern. That very same day I pulled out a pencil and some graph paper to chart out a similar colorwork pattern as to the ones shown in the picture. By the end of the day, I had a Sanders Mitten and my version of the pattern was born.

I wanted to make sure my mitten pattern would be available in at least two sizes, so I picked a totally different color palette for the second pair of mittens. Of course the smaller ones would be for me, so I went with pinks and reds. What I didn’t realize is that when I substituted in the red color, little hearts appeared!

I also wanted to make sure the pattern would be beginner friendly, so the colorwork does not use more than 2 colors per row, has solid rows of knit in between each chart for a break, and no colorwork on the thumb or top decrease section. I also used a 9” circular to knit my mittens, which helped make the entire project just fly off the needles. A light blocking helps smooth everything out, and I recommend starting the second mitten right away so you won’t have second mitten syndrome, like I do a year later! I made the two sample mittens in the two colors but didn’t finish the respective mates. Now I need to find them and finish them! Thankfully my testers were able to finish a pair of mittens during testing, so the pattern is fully tested and edited.

And there you have it, the Sanders Mittens knit pattern by Jenny GL! You can find the pattern on Ravelry here and on Etsy here. Make sure to tag me @kountingsheep and use hashtags #kountingsheep and #sandersmittens on Instagram if you post your project.

Scrappy Squares Blanket Pattern

Published on by kountingsheep

Introducing the newly revised Scrappy Squares Blanket Pattern. Knit up all your scrap and leftover yarn into this fun and whimsical blanket. Easy to follow instructions with tips on how to create your own fun Scrappy Squares Blanket.

Available to download from Ravelry here and in my Etsy shop here.

This pattern is great for beginner knitters looking to learn simple increasing and decreasing. These squares are addicting to knit! Download your copy of the pattern today!

Redo

Published on by kountingsheep

image

Several years ago I made the above pictured hat out of my handspun yarn, and as soon as it was finished, I knew it was the wrong pattern for the yarn. The complicated cables got muddled in the self striping sequence and the softness of the yarn didn’t lend well to the structure this hat needed. When I wore it, the hat constantly slid down my head and was too floppy. I loved the yarn but I didn’t love the hat.

image

Fast forward to last week when I decided to frog the hat (and matching fingerless mitts, which also didn’t work for the same reasons and had developed a hole needing mended) and make something that I would love to wear. I knew a simpler pattern would help showcase the yarn, so I decided to knit a garter stitch hat instead. The finished hat is perfect now, sitting just right on my head and not sliding off, not too slouchy, and the garter stitch gives the soft yarn just the right structure it needs.

image

The handspun was one of my most favorite ones ever so I couldn’t stand to have a finished object that I didn’t love to wear. Now I am super happy with the new hat and so glad that knitting can always be taken out and redone.