Sunday, February 25, 2007

Couple-O-Snuggles!

Nope, I haven't forgotten about the Snuggle Project.  I'm still working on it, just not as ambitiously as I could.  I do have a few done, however so here are the finished products!  I just get so easily distracted!!

The purple one is a cotton mat that I was originally going to use as a placemat many years ago.  I saw a design in Knitter's Magazine by Lily Chin, I believe.  It is knitted in the round, with a few temporary sts in between the "sides", then framed by a twisted st.  It is cut up the middle of the temporary sts, they are unraveled for fringe.  The twisted st keeps everything in place.  In my design, I used a linen stitch so it would look like a woven mat.  It is a reversible stitch, too, so it looks nice on both sides. You can see that I made my slipped sts too tight, cause the ends ripple.  So I never finished the placemats, but this will make a nice mat for a sweet furcritter who needs some comfort. 

Along the same lines, the green mat is my better attempt at the knit & cut.  Again it is made in the round with temporary sts at the "sides" with a twisted st to hold it all together.  This one was done in stocking st, so I put a seed st border around the whole thing to keep it flat.  I started to fray the fringe, but it didn't look right, so I left it as is.  It is nice & soft & cozy! 

The brown & cream one is a fisherman rib st, reversible so both sides look nice.  This one is wonderfully thick, so I think it will be best for the purpose it is intended to serve!  I may possibly do more mats with this st, because it does make it so cushiony & soft!  Then again, I love to experiment with new st patterns, so who knows what I may come up with next!   Its a nice feeling that I might make a difference in the life of a helpless animal!

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Stitch Pattern For Tribble's Blanket!

I had a request for the stitch pattern used in Tribble's Blanket (aka Snuggle Blanket)!  I modified a brick slip stitch pattern found in an old Better Homes & Gardens afghan book.  It may exist "published" out there somewhere!  So here is how I did it...Have fun!

CO a multiple of 5 sts, minimum of 10 sts.

Colors A (main color) & B (or small amounts of multiple colors, if you'd like!)

Row 1 - With color A, K across.
Row 2 - With color A, P across.
Row 3 - With color B, K2, *slip one with yarn in back, K4, repeat from * to last 3 sts, slip one, K2.
Row 4 - With color B, P2 ,*slip one with yarn in front, P4, repeat from * to last 3 sts, slip one, P2. 

Repeat rows 1-4. 

Obviously in my version, I used a different color every time for my "color B"!  I wove the ends in as I knit, so it wouldn't make me crazy at the end trying to finish it off!  I also put a wide garter stitch border around it, because it does curl.  This afghan was a great way to use those small scraps in an attractive way.  Enjoy!