'Thoughtful Thursday' Knit A Square

Knit a square project.

 KasCare

Please knit a square (or more) and send them to Africa to make up blankets for the children.

Crocheting and knitting for charity, especially for children in need, is a meditative act of love. More importantly, it makes a difference. There are many millions of abandoned and vulnerable children and AIDS orphans in southern Africa, who live in dire poverty. Many lack the very basics we take for granted—love, shelter, food, education and warmth.

Your contribution of squares to this crochet and knitting project will add to the many thousands of 8"/20cm squares from around the world, which are joined into blankets and distributed to these children.
The finished blankets add more than warmth to the children’s lives. As co-founder of KasCare, Ronda said in a South African press interview:“ They are a currency we use to tell the children exactly how beloved they are. We tell them they are the future, unique and special.”
You can find the details of how you can donate on the website:
 www.knit-a-square.com and you can aslo subscribe to their newsletter Square Circle. As your squares arrive, they are collected, sorted and bundled into blanket packs by the KasCare Volunteers They then organise sewing and distribution days which are recorded in the Square Circle, so you can see and enjoy the results of your wonderful work.


The June Challenge is - 'What a beautiful world'
 to knit or crochet squares that commemorate the "World Environmental Day" and to celebrate our Planet. Maybe,beautiful squares in the colours of the Oceans, Forests, sunsets or showingendangered animals and plants.
Here is one of my squares I knitted for this challenge - A giraffe

Every 14 seconds a child will become an orphan!

We all understand how awful it is to be cold, but many of us have not experienced the misery of being cold all night, every night, hungry, and perhaps sick as well. Many of the children are themselves infected by HIV AIDS. As it is an auto immune disease, keeping warm helps their ability to stay well.
Keeping a child with HIV AIDS warm is vitalPlease help if you can.
www.knit-a-square.com
www.facebook.com/knitasquare

Leaf Panel Baby Jacket

The lovely thing about knitting for babies/toddlers is that it doesn’t take very long to finish – such tiny things that knit up quickly.
Easy Seed stitch, leaf panel and collar embelishes this addorable, easy to knit baby jacket.

SIZES  6-9 (9-12, 12-18, 18-24) months

Finished measuremens . 20'' (22, 24, 25.5)''

MATERIALS:
2 x 100grms Baby Soft Cotton or Double Knit Type Yarn
1 pair needles size 3.75mm (US 5)
1 pair needles size 4mm (US 6) or size to obtain gauge
4 Buttons

GAUGE: 22sts and 28 rows = 4inches in Stockinette stitch on larger needles.

SPECIAL TERMS :
YO - yarn over (1 stitch increased)
SSK - (slip slip knit) slip the first stitch as if to knit, slip the second stitch as if to knit, then slide the left-hand needle into the front part of both stitches and knit them together.
SSP - (slip slip purl)  as with ssk,slip the 2 stitches on at a time as if to knit to the right needle. Purl them together through the back loops.
M1 - ( make one)  An increase worked by lifting the horizontal thread lying between the needles and placing it onto the left-hand needle. Work this new stitch through the back loop.

PATTERN STITCHES
Seed stitch -
Row 1  (RS) *K1, P1, rep from * to end
Row 2 Knit the purl stitch and purl the knit stitch as they face you.
Repeat row 2.

Leaf Panel (panel of 10sts)
Row 1 (RS) k4, yo, k1, ssk,k3
Row 2 p2, ssp, p1, yo, p5
Row 3 k6, yo, k1, ssk, k1
Row 4 ssp, p1, yo, p7
Row 5 k3, k2tog, k1, yo, k4
Row 6 p5, yo, p1, p2tog, p2
Row 7 k1, k2tog, k1, yo, k6
Row 8 p7, yo, p1, p2tog
Repeat row 1-8 for leaf pattern


BACK 
With larger needles, cast on 54 (60, 66, 72) sts. 
(RS) Begin Seed St; work even until work  measures 1" from beg, end WS row.
 Change to St st; work even until back meas 6.5'' (7, 7.7, 8)'' from beg, end WS row.

Shape Armholes: (RS) 
Cast off 4 sts at beg of next 2 rows — 46 (52, 58, 64) sts rem.
 Work even until armholes measures 4.5'' (5, 5.5, 6)'' from armhole shaping, end WS row. 
Cast off all stitches loosely.

LEFT FRONT 
With larger needles, cast on 26 (28, 30, 32) sts. 
(RS) Begin Seed St; work even until work meas 1" from beg, end WS row.
 Establish Leaf Panel:
 (RS) Work 15 (17, 19, 21) sts in St st, work 10 sts in Leaf Panel, work 1 st in St st. Continue as 
established for 23 more rows, end WS Row 8 of Leaf Panel.
 Change to St st; (RS) work even until work meas 6.5''  (7, 7.5 , 8)" from beg, end WS row. 
Shape Armhole: (RS) cast off 4 sts, work to end — 22 (24, 26, 28) sts rem. 
Work even until armhole meas 2.5'' (2, 1.5, 2)" from armhole shaping, end RS row.
 Shape Neck: (WS) cast off 6 (6, 7, 7) sts, work to end —16 (18, 19, 21) sts rem
 (RS) Dec 1 st at neck edge this row  then every alternate row 1 time —14 (16, 17, 19) sts rem.
 Work even until armhole measures 4.5'' (5, 5.5, 6)" from armhole shaping, end WS row. 
(RS) Cast off all sts. 


RIGHT FRONT 
Work as for Left Front until work meas 1" from beg, end on WS row. 
Establish Leaf Panel: (RS) Work 1 st in St st, 10 sts in Leaf Panel, 15 (17, 19, 21) sts in St st.
 Continue as established for 23 more rows, end on WS Row 8 of Leaf Panel.
 Change to St st; (RS) work even until work meas 6.5'' (7, 7.5 , 8)" from beg, end RS row.
 Shape Armhole: (WS) Cast off 4 sts, work to end — 22 (24, 26, 28) sts rem.
 Work even until armhole measures 2.5'' (2, 2, 2)" from armhole shaping, end WS row. 
Shape Neck: 
(RS) Cast off 6 (6, 7, 7) sts, work to end —16 (18, 19, 21) sts rem.
 (WS) Work 1 row even. 
(RS) Dec 1 st at neck edge this row, then every alternate row 1 time —14 (16, 17, 19) sts rem.
 Continue as for Left Front.


SLEEVES 
With larger needles, Cast on 34 (34, 36, 38) sts. 
(RS) Begin Seed St; work even until work measures 1" from beg, end WS row.
 Change to St st and Shape Sleeve: (RS) Inc 1 st each side this row ,
 then every 6th row 5 (0, 0, 0) times, then every 4th row 2 (10, 11, 13) times — 50 (56, 60, 66) sts.
 Work even until sleeve measures 7.5'' (7.75 , 8.5 , 9.5 )" from beg, end WS row.
 (RS) Cast off all sts. 

FINISHING 
Sew shoulder seams. Set in Sleeves. Sew side seams. 
Buttonband: With smaller needles,  cast on 6 sts and work in Seed stitch until the band reaches the top of the leaf pattern.
Place the first button hole as so:  k1, p1, yo, p2tog, k1, p1,
continue in seed stitch placing  three more button holes evenly spaced.
When band is level with the neck shaping ending with a wrong side row, cast off in seed stitch. 
Button Band : With smaller needle cast on 6 sts and work in seed stitch until band is level with neck shaping ending on a right side row, cast off in seed stitch.
Sew bands in place.

Collar 
with smaller needle begin just after the button hole band  pick up and knit in seed stitch 20sts evenly, continue in seed stitch and pick up 24 (42,60,66) sts from the back, then 20 sts evenly to just before the button band.  64 (82, 100,106) sts.
Work evenly in seed stitch for  2.5'' (3,3, 3.5)''
Cast off. 
Sew on buttons.



While it is my pleasure to be able to share these patterns with you free of charge, I ask you to spare a thought for the Syrian refugee children. LILY- Love In the Language of Yarn is a non profit organisation I founded in the memory of Lily my grand daughter, we provide blankets and warm clothing to orphans and Syrian refugee children. If you could make a small donation to help towards transportation of these items it would be greatfully appreciated. Thankyou.

                                              Happy Knitting!

adapted from design by Cecily Glowik.

Easy Knit Lace Border

A knitted-on border is a great way to add an interesting edge to a shawl or wrap, or to add some decoration to the edge of a sweater or tank. I’ve used this technique many times. The most wonderful thing about a knitted-on border is that it gives you an edge that is not only decorative, but elastic enough to withstand severe blocking. Quite often, the stretch and openness of lace will be too much for a traditional bound off edge and an alternative must be found. There are many bind-offs specifically for lace, but none of them give quite the same decorative touch as a knitted-on border.

Cast on 15sts

1st row: K2, YO, P2tog, K7, YO, K2tog, K2

2nd row: P11, YO, P2tog, K2

3rd row: K2, YO, P2tog, K3, K2tog, K2, (YO, K2tog) twice

4th row: P10, YO, P2tog, K2

5th row: K2, YO, P2tog, K2, K2tog, K2, YO, K2tog, K2

6th row: P9, YO, P2tog, K2

7th row: K2, YO, P2tog, K1, K2tog, K2, (YO, K2tog) twice

8th row: P8, YO, P2tog, K2

9th row: K2, YO, P2tog, K2tog K2, YO, K1, YO, K3

10th row: P9, YO, P2tog, K2

11th row: K2, YO, P2tog, K2tog, K1, YO, K3, YO, K1, YO, K2tog

12th row: P10, YO, P2tog, K2

13th row: K2, YO, P2tog, K2tog, YO, K5, YO, K3

14th row: P11, YO, P2tog, K2

Rows 1-14 form pattern. Repeat for desired length.

This lace border can make a basic blanket, very special. Use the lace all around for a shawl, or on the top edge only for a crib or pram blanket. 

How to Make a Frilled Cast On and Cast Off.

The Frilled Cast On and cast off are extremely simple and gives a pretty, frilled edge that looks like crochet and blocks quite flat on a Stockinette Stitch piece, and is a nice alternative to Ribbing, Garter or Moss Stitch when you want an edging that is more decorative or delicate. A frilled cast on or cast off is a really cute way to add some girlish flair to an edge. While it does take more yarn and a little more time than usual cast on or cast off, it's really pretty and stretchy, making it a great choice for necklines on children's clothing.






Frilled Cast On:




 Step1: Cast on 4 stitches using preferred method.
Step2: Pull the second, then the third, then the fourth stitch on the needle over the first stitch.

Step3: Cast on 1 stitch.

Repeat these three steps until you have the required number of stitches.

It is important to remember that you are casting on 4 times as many stitches as you normally would for a garment or piece in the width you are making, and so you will need a lot more yarn for the cast on if you are using the long tail method.

Frilled Cast Off :

The frilled cast off can be varied greatly depending on how dramatic and how far apart you want the picots to be. You can work the cast off on just one stitch at a time to make the points very small, or you can do several at a time to make them very large.

For the purposes of this illustration, I chose to cast on two stitches and cast off four stitches for each point. No matter how many stitches you cast on, always cast off twice as many stitches for each point.

The first step to making a frilled cast off is to cast on the appropriate number of stitches at the front of the needle with the stitches on it.

Now that you have your new stitches in place, it's time to begin the cast off.

Do this in the same way you traditionally cast off, knitting two stitches and then passing the first stitch over the second.

The number of stitches you cast off at one time should be double the number of stitches you cast on in step one. In this illustration, that means I cast off four stitches.

To continue the frilled cast off, slip that one stitch that's now on the right hand needle pack onto the left hand needle as if to purl. Cast on the same number of stitches you did at the beginning and then cast off the same number of stitches again.

Continue in this manner until you have worked all the way across the row. When you're down to just one stitch on the right hand needle, cut the yarn and pull it through the final loop as usual.

There are many ways to change the look of a frilled edge. Using smaller needles or casting on fewer stitches will make your points smaller, while casting on more stitches make them bigger. You might want to experiment on a swatch to decide what look you like for a particular project.

Happy Knitting!

'Thoughful Thursday' LILY - Love In the Language of Yarn

The charity featured today on Thoughful Thursday is very close to my heart. I have set up 'Lily'-Love In the Language of Yarn in memory of my grand-daughter Lily Iris Gibson born sleeping 18th July 2010.

Our Mission is To bring love and a smile to all children in need around the world. We provide hand knit and crocheted items for children, mainly orphans but any child in need. We are a new organisation and our first assignment is to provide blankets for Syrian refugees in Turkey. For our second assignment with have teamed up with Premature Bebek a non profit organisation in Turkey helping to raise awareness of premature births. We have been asked to help provide knitted garments for several neonatal intensive care units in Aydin, Izmir and Bodrum. 

A premature baby, or preemie, is born before the 37th week of pregnancy. Premature birth occurs in between 8 percent to 10 percent of all pregnancies. Because they are born too early, preemies weigh much less than full-term babies. They may have health problems because their organs did not have enough time to develop. Preemies need special medical care in a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU. They stay there until their organ systems can work on their own. Premature babies are amazing – they can grow and thrive despite huge obstacles, and catch up to full-term babies in both size and development.

 Calling All Knitters!

Please Help us to knit for premature babies.


Here is a free booklet containing some helpful information a basic knitting patterns for premature baby hat, booties, cardigan and hoodie + pant set.


Knitting for Premature Babies

Can you spare a little of you time to knit for premature babies?




Email dbjones5559@hotmail.co.uk for the postal address.
You can also find us at:  https://www.facebook.com/LilyLoveInTheLanguageOfYarn where I will be adding more knitting and crochet patterns, links to patterns and information updated daily.


I hope this has inspired you to get your knitting needles out and knit for premature babies! You don't have to be a brilliant knitter, and it's very rewarding!

Please Help If You Can!

'Lily' is supported by businesses and individuals in Turkey, whether it be donations of yarn, Knitting and Crocheting or transportation of completed blankets and garments to receiving agencies.

'Lily' has no paid employees.  All the good work is done on a strictly volunteer basis.

'Lily' wishes to thank all those private individuals and businesses which support us.  Without you, there would be no 'Lily' - Love In the Language of Yarn.  We work hard for the day when we are no longer needed to help keep Children warm.

Dianne Jones - Founder of  'Lily'- Love In the Language of Yarn.

Simple Knit Evening Bags

Here is a knitting pattern for two very easy knitted evening bags, both are made from the same pattern just sewn up into different designs. One has short straps and the other has Longer strap for wearing over the shoulder.
 This is a very basic pattern made special by the choice of yarn. The yarn I chose is a ladder yarn because of the vibrant colours and texture. Because ladder yarn is considered a bulkier weight yarn it is knit on larger needles, smaller needles would minimise the ribbon effect.

Materials:
50grms ladder yarn
size 6mm needles
button or press stud for fastening
Lining material if required

Instructions:

With 6mm needles cast on 40 sts work in garter stitch (every row knit) untill work measures 36cm (15inches)

Cast off.

For short handles : Make 2. cast on 5sts and work i cord for 30cm (12 inches) or required length
For long shoulder strap: Cast on 5sts and work i cord for 120cm (47inches) or required length

Finishing:
For evening bag with short handles fold work in half placing cast on edge to cast off edge and sew side seams. Position handles and sew in place. I made a short i cord loop for fastening with a button, placed in the centre of opening, and I also lined the bag with a nylon lining material.










For bag with shoulder strap fold  by placing cast off edge 3/4 of the way and sew side seams. ( if you are going to line this bag you may find it easier to line before sewing side seams). Fold the top 1/4 down for flap closing and I placed a press stud in the centre to secure. Position strap and sew in place.

It really couldn't be any easier!

'Thoughful Thursday' The Military Heros Comfort Project

Have you ever stopped to think of just how much our veterans sacrifice for us? I don't do it nearly often enough. But consider what we ask -- if not expect -- them to do: leave their families, their homes, their lives in order to stay in a foreign land, with very little money, precious little in the way of creature comforts, and nonstop uncertainty and unpredictability. Oh, and they don't know when they leave if they'll ever see their families again.

All of this, just to make sure that we still have freedom -- freedom to speak out against the government; freedom to pursue whatever life path we wish; freedom from unjust governmental treatment; freedom to worship in whatever manner we desire; freedom to go about our daily lives without the fear that at any moment we will have bombs falling from the sky.

This is not to say that we will necessarily agree with every military conflict. However, it is to say that the people who have chosen very difficult lives in order to keep us safe and free have made tremendous sacrifices to help millions of people they do not know. That demands not only our respect, but also our appreciation.

As charity knitters, it seems the least we can do to help our men and women in uniform to pick up our needles in support of them. Today's 'thoughful Thursday'  featured charity is dedicated to helping these people know they are loved and supported, as well as their families.The Military Heroes Comfort Project is a group of crafters dedicated to making comfort items for Military cancer patients and their families at Military Hospitals.

 Comfort Items are awarded to local Heroes in recognition of brave service they have given to show appreciation for each service member's sacrifices, their love of country, their bravery, and commend their efforts to make the world a safer place. 

How can you help?


As they face the great battle of fighting the insidious cell called cancer, MH Comfort Project supplies comfort items, and sincerely hope they will be comforted with the hope, grace, gratitude, peace, and love in which these comfort items have been made especially for each of them by the hands of grateful fellow citizens of the United States and members of the Military Heroes Comfort Project team.  
M.H. Comfort are looking for donations of comfort items, no money please. Just items that make our patient, military heroes more comfortable: lap quilts, afghans, hats, slippers, socks, thank you notes, cotton and jersey material, batting for quilts, thread, yarn, hats (of all kinds), certificate paper, etc.

Please send your items to:

Military Heroes Comfort Project
R.J. Davis - President
3327 Nansemond River Drive
Suffolk, VA 23435

You can find all the details at M:H.Comfort on google+ 

M.H.Comfort are a relatively new volunteer group and have managed to donate over 150 comfort items to local military hospitals in Virginia. 

         Please help them if you can!

Here are a couple of free patterns to get you started.

 Family Hat Knitting Pattern

Size

To fit head circumference 35 (40, 45, 50, 55, 60)cm

Age approximately 6 months (12 months, 18 months, teen, woman, man)

Materials
Yarn:

Double knitting type (8 ply) yarn of your choice. Approximate quantities are 140m (160m, 190m, 240m, 270m, 300m)

Needles:

3.25mm and 4mm circular needle, 40cm long.
A set of 4mm dpns

Tension

22sts to 10cm over stocking stitch on 4mm needles

Abbreviations

K2tog = knit 2 sts together

Pattern

Using 3.25mm needles cast on 78, (90, 102, 108, 120, 132)sts, join for circular knitting and work 9.5 (9.5, 12, 14.5, 15.5, 16.5) cm of k1, p1 rib.

Change to 4mm needles and work 8.25 (8.25, 10, 12, 12.75, 14)cm st st (knit every round).

Decrease for crown:

Note: I have written the crown instructions for each size separately for ease of knitting. Follow the instructions for the size hat you are knitting.

Size 35cm K 2 rounds (K11, k2tog) 6 times (72sts) K 2 rounds (K10, k2tog) 6 times (66sts) K 1 round (K9, k2tog) 6 times (60sts) K 1 round (K8, k2tog) 6 times (54sts) K 1 round (K7, k2tog) 6 times (48sts) K 1 round (K6, k2tog) 6 times (42sts) (K5, k2tog) 6 times (36sts) (K4, k2tog) 6 times (30sts) (K3, k2tog) 6 times (24sts) (K2, k2tog) 6 times (18sts) (K1, k2tog) 6 times (12sts) (k2tog) 6 times (6sts)	Size 40cm K2 rounds (K13, k2tog) 6 times (84sts) K 1 round (K12, k2tog) 6 times (78sts) K 1 round (K11, k2tog) 6 times (72sts) K 1 rounds (K10, k2tog) 6 times (66sts) K 1 round (K9, k2tog) 6 times (60sts) K 1 round (K8, k2tog) 6 times (54sts) K 1 round (K7, k2tog) 6 times (48sts) (K6, k2tog) 6 times (42sts) (K5, k2tog) 6 times (36sts) (K4, k2tog) 6 times (30sts) (K3, k2tog) 6 times (24sts) (K2, k2tog) 6 times (18sts) (K1, k2tog) 6 times (12sts) (k2tog) 6 times (6sts)	Size 45cm K 2 rounds (K15, k2tog) 6 times (96sts) K 1 round (K14, k2tog) 6 times (90sts) K 1 round (K13, k2tog) 6 times (84sts) K 1 round (K12, k2tog 6 times (78sts) K 1 round (K11, k2tog) 6 times (72sts) K 1 round (K10, k2tog) 6 times (66sts) K 1 round (K9, k2tog) 6 times (60sts) K 1 round (K8, k2tog) 6 times (54sts) (K7, k2tog) 6 times (48sts) (K6, k2tog) 6 times (42sts) (K5, k2tog) 6 times (36sts) (K4, k2tog) 6 times (30sts) (K3, k2tog) 6 times (24sts) (K2, k2tog) 6 times (18sts) (K1, k2tog) 6 times (12sts) (k2tog) 6 times (6sts)
Size 50cm K 2 rounds (K16, K2tog) 6 times (102sts) K 2 rounds (K15, k2tog) 6 times (96sts) K 2 rounds (K14, k2tog) 6 times (90sts) K 1 round (K13, k2tog) 6 times (84sts) K 1 round (K12, k2tog 6 times (78sts) K 1 round (K11, k2tog) 6 times (72sts) K 1 round (K10, k2tog) 6 times (66sts) K 1 round (K9, k2tog) 6 times (60sts) K 1 round (K8, k2tog) 6 times (54sts) K 1 round (K7, k2tog) 6 times (48sts) (K6, k2tog) 6 times (42sts) (K5, k2tog) 6 times (36sts) (K4, k2tog) 6 times (30sts) (K3, k2tog) 6 times (24sts) (K2, k2tog) 6 times (18sts) (K1, k2tog) 6 times (12sts) (k2tog) 6 times (6sts)	Size 55cm K 2 rounds (K18, k2tog) 6 times (114sts) K 2 rounds (K17, k2tog) 6 times (108sts) K 2 rounds (K16, K2tog) 6 times (102sts) K 2 rounds (K15, k2tog) 6 times (96sts) K 1 round (K14, k2tog) 6 times (90sts) K 1 round (K13, k2tog) 6 times (84sts) K 1 round (K12, k2tog 6 times (78sts) K 1 round (K11, k2tog) 6 times (72sts) K 1 round (K10, k2tog) 6 times (66sts) K 1 round (K9, k2tog) 6 times (60sts) K 1 round (K8, k2tog) 6 times (54sts) (K7, k2tog) 6 times (48sts) (K6, k2tog) 6 times (42sts) (K5, k2tog) 6 times (36sts) (K4, k2tog) 6 times (30sts) (K3, k2tog) 6 times (24sts) (K2, k2tog) 6 times (18sts) (K1, k2tog) 6 times (12sts) (k2tog) 6 times (6sts)	Size 60cm K 2 rounds (K20, k2tog) 6 times (126sts) K 2 rounds (K19, k2tog) 6 times (120sts) K 2 rounds (K18, k2tog) 6 times (114sts) K 1 round (K17, k2tog) 6 times (108sts) K 1 round (K16, K2tog) 6 times (102sts) K 1 round (K15, k2tog) 6 times (96sts) K 1 round (K14, k2tog) 6 times (90sts) K 1 round (K13, k2tog) 6 times (84sts) K 1 round (K12, k2tog 6 times (78sts) K 1 round (K11, k2tog) 6 times (72sts) K 1 round (K10, k2tog) 6 times (66sts) K 1 round (K9, k2tog) 6 times (60sts) K 1 round (K8, k2tog) 6 times (54sts) (K7, k2tog) 6 times (48sts) (K6, k2tog) 6 times (42sts) (K5, k2tog) 6 times (36sts) (K4, k2tog) 6 times (30sts) (K3, k2tog) 6 times (24sts) (K2, k2tog) 6 times (18sts) (K1, k2tog) 6 times (12sts) (k2tog) 6 times (6sts)

Finishing

Cut yarn, thread through remaining stitches and fasten off

Darn in loose ends

Stash Buster afghans

These use up all those leftovers you have from your other projects very quickly. As you can see from the photo you can strand more than one yarn together to get a heathered effect or some special color and texture variations. You can use decorative stitches when making one of these but the color combinations add a lot of interest all on their own.
NOTE: You do need to pay attention to your knitting tension when working with different weight yarns. If you pull too tightly on the thinner yarn this will cause the afghan to buckle where the tension changes. Makes it hard to fold neatly when that happens.

---

Materials

Seven assorted partial or full skeins of yarn in coordinating colours. As you can see from the picture if I run out of one colour that I've chosen, I move on to another partial skein for when that colour comes up in the rotation again. That also adds interest to the colourway of the blanket.
Designate one color as the main colour for the afghan, you will need approximately 4-5 full skeins of that colour.
Knitting needles Size 8  -(4mm) or size that will work with the yarn that you've chosen
Large eye yarn needle

Finished Size

40" x 65" - this makes an excellant size for a recliner blanket or taking a nap on the couch.

Gauge

Totally dependant upon the yarn being used. The pattern is set up for knitting worsted weight yarn.

Afghan pattern

Using the MC loosely cast on 200 sts. Work in Seed Stitch (k1, p1, reverse on the next row) for 5 inches from the beginning of the afghan.
On the next row, work 25 sts in Seed Stich, place marker, knit to the last 25 sts, place marker, work in established pattern in Seed Stitch to finish the row.
On the next row, work the border in Seed Stitch using the MC, attach another color being sure to cross the yarn strands to avoid any holes on the border edge, purl the main body of the afghan to the marker, attach another skein of the MC, finish the row with the Seed Stitch border.
Repeat the previous two rows in pattern until the afghan measures 60 inches from the beginning.
The colourway as per the picture for the Blue Stashbuster Afghan is as follows - 

Colour	# of Rows
Light Blue	5
Main color	2
Green	3
Main color	2
Gray	1
Main color	2
Varigated	3
Main color	2
Dark Blue	5
Main color	2
Purple	3
Main color	2
Neutral/Brown	1
Main color	2
Light Blue	3	The 7 yarn colorway begins again here
Main color	2
Green	5
Main color	2

When the colorway begins again you're at a different point in the row number progression. This helps to add color interest to the afghan instead of having the same colors form the same row repeats throughout.

Continue to work in the established color pattern with the number of rows given above until the afghan measures 60 inches from the beginning.
Use the MC to work the final Knit or Purl row.

Work the remaining 5 inches of the afghan in Seed Stitch using the MC to complete the border. Bind off all stitches loosely.

Finishing:

Weave in all loose ends.

Easy Knit Handbag

If you're not careful it's easy to become obsessed with knitting bags! Not that that's a bad thing. This Easy Knit Handbag is the perfect project for beginners who are ready to try knitting more than just scarves. Knit with straight knitting needles, this pattern uses the stockinette stitch and garter stitch to create  texture. I love easy knitting patterns that are practical, stylish and fun to make! This free knit bag pattern is really cute you'll want to make it right away.

Materials:
100grm  Ribbon type yarn
100grm Double knitting type yarn
Size 4mm needles or size to obtain gauge
Two Handles
1 piece of cardboard 4inches wide x 10inches long for bottom of bag.


Gauge - Two yarns knit together
26 sts = 4”; 24 rows = 4” in Pat St
TO SAVE TIME, TAKE TIME TO CHECK GAUGE


Note
The base of the bag is double thickness with cardboard in between.


Bag Front


With 4mm needles and both yarns together cast on 24 stitches and work 10 rows Stockinette stitch ( rightside row knit, wrongside row purl).


Next cast on 10 sts at begining of next two rows  -44sts


Pattern
Work 8 rows garter stitch ( every row knit)
Next work 10 rows Stockinette stitch
 Repeat these 18 rows three times then a further 8 rows garter stitch.
Cast off.


Bag Back
Work same as the front.
Base/Side Strip
Cast on 30 sts and work in garter st for 24 inches. 
Cast off.

In the same maner make a second strip 10 inches long.


FINISHING
Lay the 10 inche strip on top of the 24 inch strip centering the shorter strip. Sew both long edges leaving the narrow edges open, this forms a pocket on each side and a double base. Insert cardboard between the 2 strips before completing the second edge and tack strips tog at bottom of pockets to hold cardboard in place. Sew one long edge to the front and one long edge to the back sections.
Place one handle at the cast on edge of thr front of bag, Fold cast on edge over to secure handle and sew in place. Repeat for bag back. Line if desired.




The secret of the knitted bag is choosing the correct yarn then adding your own little twist. Have a go and let your creative juices flow!