Author Archives: Coffee Tea Knits

The Sheltering Tree Shawlette

Posted in April 2021 by

The Sheltering Tree Shawlette is knit with Urth Yarns that I purchased a few years back. Urth Yarns have partnered with Trees for the Future to plant trees for a positive impact as stated in their label below:

The Sheltering Tree Shawlette (text and images for personal use only)

The Sheltering Tree Shawlette is knitted flat from the top to bottom and is triangular in shape.

Yarn: Urth Yarns Merino Sock (75% Extrafine Superwash Merino and 25% Nylon Yards: 440 Grams:100)
Knitting Needles: Circular US #6 knitting needles
Gauge: 24 stitches/ 4 inches (blocked and in stitch pattern)
Abbreviations:

  • K: Knit
  • P: Purl
  • Kfb: Knit front and back (knit one stitch first in the front and then knit the same stitch in the back before slipping it off the left needle – 1 stitch increase) 
  • K2tog: Knit the first two stitches together on the left needle (1 stitch decrease)
  • pm: place marker (4 markers needed)
  • sm: slip marker
  • RS: right side
  • wyif S1: with yarn in front slip one stitch purlwise
  • WS: wrong side
  • yo: yarn over

With a size US #6 knitting needle cast on 4 stitches with this yarn

  • Row 1 (RS): K1, pm, Kfb, Kfb, pm, K1
  • Row 2 (WS): K1, sm, K4, sm, K1
  • Row 3 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, pm, K2, pm, Kfb, sm, K1
  • Row 4 (WS): K1, sm, K2, sm, P2, sm, K2, sm, K1
  • Row 5 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, Kfb, sm, K2, sm, Kfb, Kfb, sm, K1 
  • Row 6 (WS): K1, sm, K1, P2, K1, sm, P2, sm, K1, P2, K1, sm, K1

Shawlette Stitch Pattern [Repeats] and Stitch Increases:

  • Row 7 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, [K1, wyif S1] once, Kfb, sm, K2, sm, Kfb, [K1, wyif S1] once, Kfb, sm, K1
  • Row 8 (WS): K1, sm, K1, P4, K1, sm, P2, sm, K1, P4, K1, sm, K1
  • Row 9 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, [wyif S1, K1] twice, Kfb, sm, K2, sm, Kfb, [wyif S1, K1] twice, Kfb, sm, K1
  • Row 10 (WS): K1, sm, K1, P6, K1, sm, P2, sm, K1, P6, K1, sm, K1
  • Row 11 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, [K1, wyif S1] till 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, K2, sm, Kfb, [K1, wyif S1] till 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, K1
  • Row 12 (WS): K1, sm, K1, Purl till 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, P2, sm, K1, Purl till 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, K1
  • Row 13 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, [wyif S1, K1] till 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, K2, sm, Kfb, [wyif S1, K1] till 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, K1
  • Row 14 (WS): K1, sm, K1, Purl till 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, P2, sm, K1, Purl till 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, K1

Repeat rows 11 – 14 till the desired length for the shawlette is reached. Make sure there’s enough yarn for 6 rows of garter stitch and eyelet border.

Garter Stitch rows:

  • Row 1 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, Knit to 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, K2, sm, Kfb, Knit to 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, K1
  • Row 2 (WS): K1, sm, knit to marker, sm, P2, sm, knit to marker, sm, K1
  • Repeat these two rows one more time (you can repeat these more times if you have enough yarn)

Eyelet Row (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, [K2tog, yo] till 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, K2, sm, Kfb, [yo, K2tog] till 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, K1

Bind off Row (WS): Bind off using a stretchy bind off method.

Weave in the ends. Wash and block the shawlette.

Happy Earth Day 2021!

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.

The Upside Down Dishcloth

Posted in March 2021 by

The Upside Down Dishcloth

     I’ve made mitered square dishcloths (July 2020 post ) by casting on a specific number of stitches and then knitting the double decreases every other row to create the mitered square. The Upside Down Dishcloth is a garter stitch mitered square dishcloth knit flat and in reverse. The advantages of knitting a reverse mitered square include fewer stitches to cast on and an avoidance of playing yarn chicken. With this reverse mitered technique dishcloths can be knit as large or as small depending on the yardage of yarn available. It’s also a great way to use up leftover over yarn from other projects. For the Upside Down Dishcloth, a few stitches were cast on and the mitered square dishcloth was knitted with double increases every other row.

Yarn: PREMIER HOME® COTTON CONE YARN Colorway: Jelly Dots 
Yarn: Lily Sugar’n Cream in Colorways: Country Red (for the single crochet border)
Knitting Needles: US #8 and US #7
Crochet hook: US size 7 or 4.5 mm crochet hook
Gauge: Not needed for this project
Abbreviations:

  • K: Knit
  • P: Purl
  • Kfb: Knit front and back (knit one stitch first in the front and then knit the same stitch in the back before slipping it off the left needle – 1 stitch increase) 
  • rm: remove marker
  • sm: slip marker
  • wyif S1: with yarn in front slip one stitch purlwise
  • RS: right side
  • WS: wrong side

The Upside Down Dishcloth (text and images for personal use only):

  • Cast on 5 stitches with US #8 needles
  • With US #7 knit
    • Row 1 (RS): K1, pm, Kfb, pm, K1, pm, Kfb, pm, wyif S1
    • Row 2 (WS): K1, sm, K2, sm, P1, sm, K2, sm, wyif S1
    • Row 3: K1, sm, knit to 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, K1, sm, Kfb, knit to marker, sm, wyif S1
    • Row 4: K1, sm, knit to marker, sm, P1, sm, knit to the marker, sm, wyif S1
  • Repeat Rows 3 and 4 till the desired dishcloth length is reached. 
  • Bind off stitches loosely with US #8 knitting needles.
  • Crochet edging: Starting at the cast on edge to the right of the center knit stitch, pick up and single crochet around the dishcloth edge. At the two non-mitered corner single crochet twice into the same corner edge stitch. Slip stitch into the first single crochet border stitch and crochet 10 chain stitches. Slip stitch into the single crochet stitch on the other side of the center knit stitch.
  • Weave in the ends.
  • Wash and block the dishcloth.

Enjoy!

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.

Goes with Everything Earwarmer

Posted in February 2021 by

Goes with Everything Earwarmer

     This month has been quite overwhelming in terms of snow and icy temperatures. I’ve spent most of the month staying indoors bundled up in sweaters and other knitwear for warmth and of course keeping busy with knitting, weaving or crocheting. I had some of Malabrigo Rios yarn left over from knitting the “Goes with Everything Cowl” last month. There was just enough yarn leftover (about 27 – 28 grams) to knit the Goes with Everything Earwarmer.

            The earwarmers I’ve knit in the past have been knit in the round. I wear them but I’ve found that they tend to curl up in the back when my hair is tied up in a ponytail or a bun. To avoid the earwarmer from curling up in the back, I knit Goes with Everything Earwarmer flat from one side to the other with a series of increases and decreases.

It is first knit in garter stitch pattern for a couple of inches, then increased by 2 stitches every other row for another inch or so (customizable) in seed stitch pattern. The earwarmer is knit straight in seed stitch pattern with no increases or decreases for a specific (customizable) length, and then decreased every other row to the original number of stitches. It is knit again in garter stitch for a couple of inches and then bound off. The two garter stitch sides are joined using the zig zag crochet method.

Goes with Everything Earwarmer Pattern (text and images for personal use only):

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn – Rios in the RIO877 (Queguay) colorway
Knitting Needles: US #6 and #7 for knitting the earwarmer. US #8 for casting on and binding off.
Crochet hook: US size 7 or 4.5 mm crochet hook
Gauge: 16 stitches/ 4 inches (this pattern is generic so gauge not so critical)
Abbreviations:

  • K: Knit
  • P: Purl
  • Kfb: Knit front and back (knit one stitch first in the front and then knit the same stitch in the back before slipping it off the left needle – 1 stitch increase)
  • K2tog: Knit the first two stitches together on the left needle (1 stitch decrease)
  • pm: place marker
  • rm: remove marker
  • sm: slip marker
  • wyif S1: with yarn in front slip 1 stitch purlwise
  • RS: right side
  • WS: wrong side

The seed stitch pattern:
Row 1 (RS): *K1, P1*; repeat from *…* to end of the row
Row 2 (WS): *P1, K1*; repeat  from *…* to end of the row
*Knit in seed stitch pattern: Knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches

With a size US #8 knitting needle cast on 9 stitches start knitting with US #6 knitting needle the following garter stitch pattern:

  • Row1 – Setup row (RS): K1, pm, K7, pm, wyif S1
  • Row2 (WS): K1, sm, K7, sm, wyif S1

Repeat Row 2 – 18 more times (about 2 inches in length)

Increase section (2 stitches increased every other row):
With US #7 needles knit this section in seed stitch pattern

  • Row 1 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, *knit in seed stitch pattern till 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 2 (WS): K1, sm, K1, *knit in seed stitch pattern till 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, wyif S1

Repeat these two rows 5 more times for a total of 19 stitches (customize to your size by adding or subtracting these row repeats to the length that will cover your ears)

Straight knitting with no increases or decreases section (customize to your size by measuring the number of stitches from one ear to the other and knit about 2 to 4 inches less for negative ease):
Continue in knitting with US #7 knitting needle and seed stitch pattern

  • Row 1 (RS): K1, sm, *K1, P1*; repeat from *…* to 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 2 (WS): K1, sm, K1, *P1, K1*; repeat from *…* till marker, sm, wyif S1

Repeat these two rows till the knitted piece measures about 15 inches from cast on edge (add or subtract row repeats to your specific size)

Decrease section (2 stitches decreased every other row):
With US #7 knitting needle and seed stitch pattern

  • Row 1 (RS): K1, sm, K2tog, *knit in seed stitch pattern till 1 stitch before marker, K2tog, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 2 (WS): K1, sm, K1, *knit in seed stitch pattern till 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, wyif S1

Repeat these two rows 5 more times decreasing the number of stitches to 9 (if your stitch count was more or less than 19 stitches, add or subtract these row repeats till 9 stitches)

With US #6 knitting needle knit the following garter stitch pattern:

  • Row1(RS): K1, sm, K7, sm, wyif S1
  • Row2 (WS): K1, sm, K7, sm, wyif S1

Repeat these two rows 9 more times (about 2 inches in length). Bind off with US #8 knitting needle and hold the remaining stitch with a removable stitch marker.

Crochet join (optional):

Insert a size 7 or 4.5 mm crochet hook in the remaining stitch, chain one, and align the two sides facing RS of the knitted piece together on the RS. Use the zig zag slip stitch crochet join method to join the two sides together (several online video tutorials are available on YouTube for this crochet join method).

Alternately, the two sides can be joined with any other join method of choice.

Weave in the ends, wash and block the earwarmer.

Stay warm

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.

Goes with Everything Cowl

Posted in 2021, January 2021 by

 Goes  with  Everything  Cowl

Hello fellow knitters and crocheters, welcome to my first blog post of 2021. It’s common to write about one’s knitting and crocheting goals for the year, but I will skip all that. Instead, I will write about how I knitted the Goes with Everything Cowl. I chose this name for the cowl because the yarn colorway seems to go with everything I have in my wardrobe. I purchased this yarn (one skein) a couple of years ago on a wonderful summer vacation trip. This cowl was a quick and simple knit and I’m satisfied with how it turned out. I’ll be wearing it quite a bit during this frigidly cold winter.

The cowl is knitted flat in a rectangle from one corner to another. The two shorter sides of the rectangle are then joined to make a warm and comfortable circular cowl. You begin with casting on one stitch and increase two stitches every other row till the desired width is reached. The cowl is then worked on for the desired length with no net increase. Lastly the cowl is decreased two stitches every other row till one stitch is left on the needle. The shorter sides of the knitted rectangle are then joined together using the zigzag crochet join method.

Goes with Everything Cowl Pattern (text and images for personal use only):
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn – Rios in the RIO877 (Queguay) colorway
Knitting Needles: US #7
Crochet hook: US size 7 or 4.5 mm crochet hook
Gauge: 16 stitches/ 4 inches (this pattern is generic so gauge not so critical)
Abbreviations:

  • K: Knit
  • P: Purl
  • Kfb: Knit front and back (knit one stitch first in the front and then knit the same stitch in the back before slipping it off the left needle – 1 stitch increase)
  • K2tog: Knit the first two stitches together on the left needle (1 stitch decrease)
  • pm: place marker
  • rm: remove marker
  • sm: slip marker
  • wyif: with yarn in front
  • RS: right side
  • WS: wrong side

The seed stitch pattern:
Row 1 (RS): *K1, P1*; repeat from *…* to end of the row
Row 2 (WS): *P1, K1*; repeat  from *…* to end of the row
*Knit in seed stitch pattern: Knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches

With a size US #7 knitting needle cast on 1 stitch with this yarn

Increase Rows:

  • Row 1 (RS): Kfb and turn to the WS row
  • Row 2 (WS): K2
  • Row 3 (RS): Kfb, Kfb
  • Row 4 (WS): K1, pm, K2, pm, wyif S1
  • Row 5 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, Kfb, sm, wyif S1. Place a removable stitch marker for the RS row.
  • Row 6 (WS): K1, sm, K1, P1, K2, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 7 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, K1, P1, Kfb, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 8 (WS): K1, sm, K1, [K1, P1] 2x, K1, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 9 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, [knit in seed stitch pattern*] till 1 stitch before marker, Kfb, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 10 (WS): K1, sm, K1, [knit in seed stitch pattern*] till 1 stitch before marker, K1, wyif S1

Repeat rows 9 and 10 till the number of stitches for the preferred cowl width is reached. The width for this cowl is about 7.5 inches.

Length increase Rows:

  • Row 1 (RS): K1, sm, Kfb, [knit in seed stitch pattern*] till 2 stitches before marker, K2tog, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 2 (WS): K1, sm, K1, [knit in seed stitch pattern*] till 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, wyif S1

Repeat these two rows till desired length is reached. The length for this cowl is about 19.5 inches.

Decrease Rows:

  • Row 1 (RS): K1, sm, K2tog, [knit in seed stitch pattern*] till 2 stitches before marker, K2tog, sm, wyif S1
  • Row 2 (WS): K1, sm, K1, [knit in seed stitch pattern*] till 1 stitch before marker, K1, sm, wyif  S1

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 till 6 stitches left on the needle ending on the WS row

  • RS row: K1, sm, K2tog, K2tog, sm, wyif S1
  • WS row: K1, rm, K2, rm, wyif S1 (do not remove the RS removable marker)
  • RS row: K2tog, K2tog
  • WS row: Bind off (hold the remaining stitch with a removable stitch marker)

Crochet join (optional):

Insert a size 7 or 4.5 mm crochet hook in the remaining stitch, remove the stitch marker, chain one, and align the two shorter sides of the knitted rectangle together on the RS. Use the zigzag crochet join method to join the two sides together (several online video tutorials are available for this crochet join method).

Alternately, the two sides can be joined with any other join method of choice.

Weave in the ends, wash and block cowl.

Stay warm and stay safe

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.

2020

Posted in December 2020 by

2020 has been quite a year hasn’t it? It will not be forgotten any time soon. The coronavirus pandemic with the stay at home order, minimal social gatherings, travel restrictions, ongoing family and personal health issues, hurricane, hailstorm, power outage, milestones and events not celebrated etc. pretty much describes 2020 for me. 

And yet I am grateful for all the positive things that did happen this year. Births happened, weddings happened, culinary adventures happened, bread baking happened, gardening happened, neighborly and community kindness happened, knitting and crafting happened, and the courage to design and publish knitting patterns happened

Free patterns available on my July 2020 to November 2020 posts
Some more of my makes in 2020

Stay safe and warm wishes this holiday season!

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.