Knitting with Sara

Don't you just love fall? It's time to pull out the warmer garments and snuggle up, and I just love it. And then there's also the cute fall accesories...like pumpkins!!! Fun fact about me: I hate the color orange. This has made decorating with pumpkins very challenging in the past. Since pumpkins are the essence of fall, I was determined to find a solution! I happened to have yarn in maroon, beige, and graphite that match my living room and compliment each other perfectly! Additionally, they're the same yarn weight and the perfect (non-orange) colors for fall! I had been seeing these adorable knitted pumpkins all over my instagram and pinterest feed, and I caught the fever. I knew I neeeded to knit up some pumpkins, and I needed to knit them immediately. I saw a few pumpkins that had cinnamon sticks as the stem, so naturally, I rushed to the store and bought some! Sadly, I can't smell them, but they do add a little something extra to the pumpkins, so I'm glad I ...

For some reason, I am very concerned about my plants getting cold in the winter. I don't know if it's because their pots (old candle jars) feel cold to the touch or because a few years ago I accidentally killed all my plants when I opened the window next to them in the middle of winter. To be fair, I also didn't like looking through the clear glass of the old candle jars and just seeing the soil. Regardless, it makes me sad to think my plants go cold in the winter. Realistically, I'm sure these sweaters don't actually do much to keep my plants warm, but it makes me feel better. I initially started knitting these last year when I bought my first set of double pointed needles. I thought this would be a good way to practice with them. I figured if they turned out bad, I was the only one who would ever see them. It took me a while to decide on a pattern for these. First of all, I needed something that would look okay in the round. This pattern isn't the best for tha...

  The Adamantem Tote Bag is done y'all! I've had this bag in the back of my mind for a few months now, and I'm so excited to see it done! Like most designs, it's not originally what I had in my mind, but I love the way it came out. I came up with the name by simply looking up "diamond" in Latin which is Adamantem. I thought it was a pretty name, so I stuck with it. The Adamantem Tote Bag  is lightweight and easy to carry small things. The tight stitches help prevent it from stretching out when holding heavier things. The design is simple and clean utilizing knit and purl stitches. The top border is in seed stitch and a contrasting color to the rest of the bag. The body of the bag features a diamond design. Have you seen that stitch definition?? The edges use selvedge stitches which makes seaming super easy.  It is a classic look that will never go out of style.  I used leftover Stylecraft Chunky yarn from the Blanket Sweater I knitted a few months ago. This ya...

My second top! I bought this as a kit from We are Knitters. The Dive Tee was so easy to make! It is worked flat in two panels, and through construction you end up with sleeves and a nice collar! I was so excited while knitting this because the pictures made it look so cute (at it is!!). I was surprised at how long it took me to construct everything. Seaming generally takes me a while but I always thought it was just because I was bad at seaming. I think it takes everyone this long though. I planned to spend my morning constructing, and I ended up spending all day on it. I also didn't take into consideration that I was going to have to knit the sleeves and collar which obviously takes time, too. The yarn, Pima Cotton by We are Knitters, was so nice to work with! It's very soft and didn't dry out my hands like most cotton yarns do. I picked up some fun new skills with this pattern as well. The pattern was fairly well written and easy to follow. I would have appreciated some m...

  Here is my finished Tulip Wrap Tank by Knitatude! I loved knitting this up! The yarn ( Lion Brand Truboo ) was a dream to work with! It is so so soft, and the drape is beautiful! The pattern was written so well. As someone who has never knitted a top, this was a great intro! My only complaint was that I found it hard to adjust the straps. I have a small torso, so this is always a concern for me. The pattern was written well and pointed out how to make the straps smaller. I would have appreciated some recommended changes with lengths, but maybe that's just me not wanting to think. Ultimately, it came out a little bit lower cut than I wanted it to be, but it fits me great! Lets talk about that yarn some more, though. It is so soft!! I could just play with it all day. It's the perfect yarn for a summer garment because it absorbs the chill in the air so it keeps you a nice temperature. One of the things I was worried about with a summer knit garment was getting really hot, but th...

I just finished my Woven Cable Earwarmers by Erica and Eleanor! Well, I actually went with a variation on it. The pattern calls for 18 stitches of cable area, but I only had 12 and one less cable on each cable row. I did the edge the same way as the pattern, so instead of 26 stitches, I had 20 stitches. I LOVE how this turned out! I think it is just as cute as if I had followed the pattern! This was a super fun, quick knit for me. For whatever reason, I was just itching to do some cables. I keep seing pictures on instagram and pinterest of knitting with cables in it. They lookes so squishy, and it has been a while since I've done something with cables. This was the perfect project to satisfy that itch. The cables look so intricate yet they were so easy to create. This pattern is great for fooling someone into thinking you're a better knitter than you are. I really impressed my aunt with these, but they were actually super easy and quick for me to knit. Cheers to cables!  Patter...

The Twisted Diamond Earwarmer pattern was inspired by the Barfi Stitch . The design has clean lines that draw the eye. It is visually interesting without being too ornamental. The selvedge stitch combined with the ribbing makes a beautiful edge. The diamond pattern down the center is gorgeous. This pattern would be great for men or women! I must admit, this pattern took me HOURS to figure out. I started and restarted it so many times I can't even tell you. It was difficult because I was going off of a video that repeated the pattern instead of having it just once. I mostly had to just look at it and figure out the pattern. I must say excel spreadsheets were also super helpful. They were the grid I needed and not mention coloring in the cells. Even when I thought I had finally figured out the pattern, it still wasn't quite right. Shoutout to excel for allowing me to make easy adjustments to the pattern so I could get it right. This pattern was so worth the pain, though. It'...

I am always looking for headwear I can knit myself. I have a weirdly small head - not quite adult size but larger than a child. Since I can't buy stuff made in the store, I like to just knit my own things. This headband is perfect! I love the vintage vibe it gives and the adjustability for sizing!  This headband is simple but is a great accessory for any outfit. It works well any time of year. Since mine is a little wide for my head, it'll keep my ears warm in the winter. In the summer, however, it doesn't warm my ears so much that it's uncomfortable to wear. This headband is quickly becoming my go-to accessory when my hair is in my face, and I need it out immediately. The pattern recommends using worsted weight yarn, but I made a few with chunky yarn (leftover from my blanket sweater !!), and they worked out great! I also did 9 sts wide instead of 11 sts. Again, my head is weirdly small, so this fit me better. To be honest, I also had trouble figuring out how she did t...

Does anyone actually use trivets anymore? I find that half the people I talk to don't even know what they are. I guess everyone just puts hot dishes on the stove to cool off, but if you're looking to put your dishes elsewhere and worried about burning the surface, I've got a great pattern for you to try! I did some research on the best yarn to use for heat resistance, and I found my best choice would be 100% cotton. There are other options out there, but I felt this was the most affordable option for me. As is recommended by the pattern I followed, I used  Lily Sugar 'n Cream 100% cotton yarn . I believe 100% wool will also absorb the heat. I used the  Easy as Pie Dishcloth Pattern  by Twisted Yarn Shop. The main thing I deviated from in the pattern is the number of stitches I used. I casted-on 17 stitches instead of 15. This made the diameter of the "pie" 7" (as opposed to the original diameter of 6"). I felt like this size was a better fit for a tr...

Let me introduce you to my weekend project, a drawstring earbud pouch! I designed this pattern because my brother happens to misplace his earbuds frequently. I thought if he had a safe, brightly colored place to put them, it might be easier for him to keep track of them. I know I certainly keep better track of my things when they have a specific place to go. This pattern can be made with any DK or fingering weight scrap yarn. The size was specifically designed for the earbuds that come with an iPhone but can be modified to fit any pair of earbuds. The pouch's cirucmference can be increased in multiples of 4 stitches, and the depth of the pouch can be increased (or decreased) in the stockinette portion by adjusting the number of rows. This pouch can also be used to hold anything from earbuds to coins to stitch markers! Materials :  Needles: 3.25 mm/US 3 double-pointed needles (4) Yarn: worsted or dk yarn (light yarn); 10-15 yards in total Tapestry Needles Gauge: 6 sts x 7 rows = 1” ...