Pancake Day

It's pancake day. Pretty difficult to do anything meaningful with a knitted pancake, so I focused on the lemons. Who would have thought it would be so difficult to photograph a lemon?  I spent a lot of Sunday afternoon lying on my stomach on the landing where the light is best trying to photograph lemons.  It's only just occurred to me that I could have sliced some - it might have made it easier.  I used to have a lovely plate for setting out lemon slices, but a jackdaw came down the chimney and broke it.

Below is a pattern for the leaves. Knitted in perle cotton on 3.25mm needles.
Leaves

Cast on 3 sts.
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: K1, p1, k1
Row 3: K1, *yon, k1 rep from *. (5 sts)
Row 4: K1, p3, k1
Row 5: K2, yon, k1, yon, k2. (7sts)
Row 6: K1, p5, k1
Row 7: K3, yon, k1, yon, k3. (9sts)
Row 8: K1, p7, k1
Row 9: knit
Row 10: K1, p7, k1
Row 11: K2, sl1, k1, psso, k1, k2 tog, k2
Row 12: K1, p5, k1
Row 13: K1, sl1, k1, psso, k1, k2 tog, k1
Row 14: K1, p3, k1
Row 11: sl1, K1, psso, k1, k2tog
Row 12: K1, p1, k1
Row 13: Sl1, k2tog, psso.
Cut yarn and pull through final stitch.

If you knit through the front of yarn over from the row below, you get a more solid effect (like the one below). If you knit through the back, you get a bit more of an eyelet effect.

Simple flowers and leaves for beginners

Lots of sunshine today, making everyone chirpy.  I decided to knit some small flowers so that I have a collection by me ready for when I may want to decorate something.  Adding a simple flower (or lots) to a bag, or scarf can make all the difference.  Here is a very easy pattern for a flower that will be about 1" (2.5cm) across.  You can embroider the centre, or add a bead.  (The instructions for the bit of crochet will have to come another day as I can't remember how I did it).

Flower
Cast on 3 stitches
Knit a strip 6cm long and cast off
Secure a length of yarn to one corner
Sew a running stitch all along one edge and pull it tight into a circle
Sew the ends of the strip together.

Leaf
To make a very simple leaf which would go with this small flower, knit a small square.
Using DK and 3.75mm needles,  cast of 4 stitches and knit 5 rows. 
Cast off
Place it at an angle to the flower.

When they really knew how to recycle and improvise

This 'snowdrop' necklace comes from the days when they really knew how to recycle and improvise.
The Feb-March issue of Stitchcraft in 1945 showed readers how to make this necklace from the small petrol tubes that you got from the tobacconist when you wanted to refill your cigarette lighter.  The tube was cut in two and then the petals were cut from the two halves.  Then the halves were threaded with beads.  The drawing below shows how it was done.

Nifty heh?

Casting off

Picture above shows a bit of garter stitch knitting being cast off.
It's March and cold, but the primroses are out.  In the Language of Flowers they mean 'Hope'.

If you have cast on and knitted some rows, then casting off is a piece of cake.  Just need to make sure you don't do it too tightly so that your knitting pulls in along the cast-off row.  Some knitters use a size larger needle in the right hand to ensure a nice even cast-off.

The video below is one of the best I have seen for casting off which in America is called 'binding off'.

Funny Thing about Brioche Stitch

I know there are different kinds of Brioche Stitch, but even the basic instructions seem to vary.  I gather that it's not unusual for people to  have a bit of bother with it and so it's probably  not one for beginners.  After creating a lot of very weird looking effects by using instructions in books I found some demos on You Tube and actually created something that looked right.  I'm not entirely convinced it's the Brioche Stitch the books were telling me about, but hey - it worked.

Use a multiple of 3 stitches
*With Yarn in front, slip1 purlwise, K2tog with the yarn still at the front*  repeat to end of row
After every K2tog you have to bring the yarn back to the front again.

Just keep repeating this row.

This sample is in a vintage aran yarn - Patons Capstan which was all the rage in the late 70's. 
It gives a comparison with K1,P1 rib (at the top of the picture).  Interesting from the point of view of construction.