Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Four Toe Potbellied Drawstring Treasure Bag


The Four Toe Potbellied Drawstring Treasure Bag

Much easier to make then name ; ) Works great for using up your bits of yarn.

5 ½” by 6 ½”
19 yards of black
16 yards of purple
23 yards of blue
11 yards of burgundy
5 yards of mauve

All yarn used in worsted weight acrylic
Size 8US dpns
Exact gauge is not essential to this project



kf/b = knit into the front and back of the next stitch
sl 1 pw = slide one stitch purl wise
sl 1 kw = slide one stitch knitwise
yf = yarn forward
yb = yarn back
yo = yarn over the needle making a new stitch
k2tog = knit two stitches together
k2tog tbl = knit 2 stitches together through the back loop



Cast on 6 stitches
Kf/b all stitches ( 12 sts. )
Place evenly on four dpns ( if using circular needles place markers every 3rd stitch to show end of needles )
Kf/b, knit to stitch on needle, kf/b. on all needles
Repeat last round
Change to purple yarn
Repeat last round 3 more time ( 13 sts )
1) knit 5 rounds
2) * sl 1 kw, k12 * to end of round
3) knit 2 rounds


Change to blue yarn
1) knit
2) purl
Change to black yarn
3) k1, * sl 1 pw, k1 * to end of round
4) k1, *yf, sl 1 pw, yb, k1 * to end of round
Change to mauve yarn
5) knit
6) purl
Change to blue yarn
7) k2, * sl 1 pw, k1 * to end of round
8) k2, * yf, sl 1 pw, yb, k1 * to end of round
Change to black yarn
9) knit
10) purl
Change to mauve yarn
11) k1, * sl 1 pw, k1 * to end of round
12) k1, *yf, sl 1 pw, yb, k1 * to end of round
Change to blue yarn
13) knit
14) purl
Change to burgundy yarn
15) knit
16) p2, * yo, k2tog tbl, k1, p2 * to end of round
17) k2, * yf, k2tog tbl, p1, k2 * to end of round
18) p2, * yo, k2tog tbl, k1, p2 * to end of round
19) k2, * yf, k2tog tbl, p1, k2 * to end of round
20) knit
21) knit
Change to black yarn
22) k2, * yo, k2tog * to last 2 sts of round, yo, k2
23) knit
24) knit
25) k1, * k2tog, yo * to last 2 sts of round, k2tog
26) * k2, p2 * to end of round
27) * k2, p2 * to end of round
28) * kf/b, k5 * to last 4 sts of round, kf/b, k3
29) bind off loosely, weave in ends.
Drawstring cord
I made a I cord 1 yard long with the blue yard, using size 8US dpns for a good thickness.
Weave cord through the last round of yarn overs, going in at the beginning of round. Pattern is worked to leave a small area between the yarn overs for the drawstring, to add strength.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Lace Top Bag

Now add free pdf for purchase in my ravelry store


Lace Top Bag
I adapted a lace pattern called little arrowhead lace, for the opening of this bag. It’s in many pattern stitch books, including harmony guides and different sock books.

I just wanted to play with the lace pattern a little bit as well as trying a different way of doing increases. You do a yo then in the next round you knit in to the back loop of that stitch. I think it worked well.
10 yards Frosty Green Redheart worsted weight
16 yards Aspen Print Redheart worsted weight
34 yards Café Redheart worsted weight
Size 6 ½” by 7 ¼”
Size 8US dpns
Exact gauge is not essential to this project

Stitches
Kbl = knit through the back loop
Psso = pass slid stitch over
Yf = yarn forward
Yo = yarn over needle
K2tog = knit 2 together

Cast on 31 stitches with Frosty Green, join in the round.
1) k1, *yf, sl 1, k1, psso, k1, k2tog, yf, k1* repeat to end
2) knit
3) k2, *yf, sl 1, k2tog, psso, yf, k3* repeat to last 5 sts yf, sl 1, k2tog, psso, yf, k2.
4) knit
5) repeat 1 - 4
Change color to Aspen Print.
9 - 11 knit
12) *k5, yo* repeat to last st. k1.
13) *k5, Kbl* repeat to last st. k1.
14) *k5, yo, k1, yo* repeat to last st. k1.
15) *k5, Kbl, k1, Kbl*, to last stitch k1.
16 - 21 knit
Change color to Café.
22) knit
23) purl
24 - 26 knit
27) purl
28 - 30 knit
31) purl
32) knit
33) * k5, k2tog, * to last stitch k1
34) knit
35) * k5, k2tog, * to end
36) purl
37) * k5, k2tog, * to last stitch k1
38) knit
39) * k5, k2tog, * to last 3 stitches, k3
40) knit
41) * k5, k2tog, * to end
42) knit
43) * k2tog, * to end
44) knit
45) * k2tog, * to end

Cut yarn thread through remaining stitches, weave in end securely. Weave in all other ends. Make I-cord about 24” long, or to desired length. Weave through first row of lace yo’s cloeset to body of bag.



Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Footsteps?

This happened yesterday morning. I posted it on a group on Ravelry. I'm adding a little more detail here. Early yesterday morning at 6:47 am, Brent and I heard someone walk up to our bedroom door and turn the knob, the door flew open. No one was in the hall but our dog, who sleeps right in front of our bedroom door. She was looking around puzzled. The footsteps were loud enough to wake us, like someone wearing boots but not the big heavy work boots like my guys wear. It sounded urgent, a brisk purposeful step, that stopped right outside our door. My guys are night owls, so it's not unusual to hear boot steps any hour of the day or night, what was unusual was the way they came up to the door, then stopped, plus the sound of them, this is a little harder to get across in words. I know the sound of my guys walking around, it didn't sound like them. Also Brent woke at the same moment, it takes a lot to wake him, especially when we had gone to bed only a few hours before ( yeah the boys are not the only night owls ) The knob clearly turned, we were expecting to see one of our boys come in, but they were still in bed sleeping. I woke them when I went into check and see if it had been them. We live in a mobile home, so it’s very easy to hear if someone is moving around, even the cats moving on the other side of the trailer can be heard through closed doors, so I know they weren't messing around with us. The knob is loud, it kind of snaps back when you let it go. We both heard that, but I also saw the knob turn, pause then the door flew open, hard enough to hit the wall. This is not the first time footsteps have been heard or doors seen opening or closing for that matter. A little background, I moved into a trailer for the very reason I had never heard of a haunted mobile home before, I'm quite sure now that it does happen, whether or not they're just visiting remains to be seen. A few months ago I watched my sons bedroom door open then slowly close. I saw a shadow go down the hall. When I called out Hi, thinking it was my son ( we were the only ones home ) the shadow disappeared. I went to see if some how he gotten by me, knowing full well that there was no way he could have, I found him still asleep in his bed. The door to their bedroom was sticking due to a bent hinge at the time. We have spent time trying to debunk things like this whenever it happens. I can see a door popping open with our swamp cooler on, but why the pause or footsteps. We tried to recreate it over and over. Last summer is about when the doors opening and footsteps started. We are very careful to keep our bedrooms doors closed, as my sons cat can be very bad. Over the last year we keep finding them open after we know they were closed tight. The thing that struck me as odd was that the cats stayed out, when they would normally jump at a chance to get in our bedrooms. One of the first things I recall happening with footsteps was one raining evening I heard someone walking across the floor of the room Brent has been adding onto our trailer. At that point there wasn't a roof over that part of the floor. I looked out the window and saw someones feet walking back and forth in the rain. Both my kids love walking in the rain, I thought for sure it was my younger son, so I called to him to come in. There was way too much lightening to be playing around like that. When he didn't answer me I went to the door and looked out and called him again, I could still see someones feet ( up to the knees ) going back and forth in the rain. It was about then that I realized these were cowboy boots. My guys don’t wear them. At the same time this is sinking in my son answered me from the back of the trailer, whoever was walking out there turned to me, I could still only see the legs but the feeling that came over me was enough to make my hair rise. I stepped out into the rain to get a better look, if some guy thought he could just walk around MY place I had another thing to tell him, when a feeling of total fear came over me. Not the fear of a person being in my area or anything like that, not even the fear of a possible ghost, I've long since gotten over that one, but a "you need to get the hell out of here"fear. I could see the legs coming toward me. I jumped back in and slammed the door shut. I ran to the window to see if anyone was there. No one was. This is in a closed in yard with good sized dogs. They never made a noise. I heard the same footsteps out there going back and forth from time to time all last summer.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy 4Th of July

Happy 4Th of July

I hope everyone has a wonderful safe day.