Knitting: Grandmother's Favorite Shoulder Shawl!

As part of the Craft Yarn Council program to become certified, I need to prepare three lessons in knitting.  Often when I am teaching beginners we use the Grandmother's Favorite Wash Cloth pattern.  It is so easily memorized and everyone needs a washcloth.

My plan was to do something a little different.  I was in Michaels when they first opened and found a lovely color way in Caron Cakes.  I had thought of using it for an entrelac scarf but it turned out the color repeats were too long.  Well, if you are going to go to that much work for a scarf or shawl, it should look impressive. It really did not with those long color ways, so I tore it out after about three or four rows of squares.

The yarn was then available and so soft and lovely to work with that I thought a nice triangular shoulder shawl/scarf would be a good way to use it, plus would teach the simplest part of Grandmother's Favorite.

This is what it looks like:

This was knit just as Grandmother's Favorite Wash Cloth (Cast on 3 stitches, turn.  K2, YO, knit to end of row...every row. ) is knit until you get to where you want to start decreasing.  (To make it as square cloth you K1, K2tog, YO, K2tog, K to end of row to decrease until binding off 3 stitches.)  Instead of doing the decrease to make this a square shawl, when I got to where I thought I needed to start the ending part of the triangular shawl I did a K2, *YO, K1, K2tog,  Repeat from * until the end.  You might have to fudge a bit at the end to finish out that row.  After the eyelet row, knit one garter ridge/2 rows then bind off.  It makes a perfect little shoulder shawl.  I only had about 5 yards of yarn leftover...!

Using US size 8 circular needles and the Caron Cakes worsted weight yarn, the shawl measures 20 inches deep and 47 inches across at the top of the triangle. 

Sewing Today: Project Bag

One of my favorite things to do is to help someone learn to knit.  Knitting gives me hours of pleasure and satisfaction when I am physically unable to do anything else. I feel productive as I turn out mittens and wash cloths and blankets and sweaters and toys for others.

Recently I was approached to teach a lovely young woman to knit.  Such a delightful prospect!  As I was thinking about her and what she might need, I decided to initiate her into the process of becoming a "bag lady"!

It is my opinion that every project needs a bag to keep tools and supplies together. Well, I have many many bags as I seem to start more projects at one time than I can quickly finish.  In my own defense I will say that often I am dogging along as fast as I can on one project when someone needs a wash cloth or some other small thing, so I put down the prior project and begin, and usually quickly finish, the needed item.  What can I do but put the partially finished item into a bag to wait patiently for my return?

So, I made a little project bag.

Needed items:  2 fat quarters of cotton fabric, one packet of grosgrain ribbon in a color to coordinate. Sewing machine or needle and thread.

1. I sewed both pieces , right sides together, leaving a section un-stitched so I could pull the fabric right side out again.  Ironing the right side out fabric is a good idea, especially where the un-stitched section is.

2.  I folded the doubled fabric over on the two short ends and stitched a channel where I was going to insert the grosgrain to make the draw string.

3.  Next step was to sew up the sides to the point where the casings were. double-stitching a few times to reinforce that spot but not stitching through the casing. 

4.  Cutting two pieces or the grosgrain that were twice as long as the length of the casing plus about 6 inches, I then threaded the grosgrain through the first side casing and back through the second side casing.  When through I tied the ends together, leaving a little slack  between the knot and the edge of the bag.

5.  Taking the second piece of grosgrain, thread it through the two casings in the opposite direction, thereby creating a drawstring closure for the bag.

Simple drawstring project bag for knitting, or anything else that needs bagging,...

The bag was then ready to give to my little friend.  It was just big enough that I could also give her a little zippered tool bag with handles for her tape measure, sewing-up needles, needle gauge, crochet hook, small notebook and pencil for keeping notes, etc.  I did not fill it with anything but the blunt needle case that I love so much.  She will have her own other tools that she will choose and love.

Our first meeting went well. I think she is a natural knitter.  We started with Grandmother's Favorite Cloth.  This is the perfect useful starting place for a knitter.  The knitter learns to cast on, knit, yarn over, increase, decrease, and cast off.  Purling is just the back side of knitting so...a perfect beginner project, especially since when you are done you have a wash cloth or dish cloth for yourself or someone else....

After that, the sky is the limit.  No need to makes scarves if you want to make gloves...