Pulling on our big girl panties

We received so many supportive messages from our cyber friends. Thanks to everybody who took the time to reach out. There's not much creating going on right now but we'll make the most of what little there is. We'll fake it 'til we make it, as they say.....

Fortunately, for us, we have other people's work to show today. Our friend, Maria, finished her Papa Bear Sampler Scarf. She made it as a gift and we're sure the recipient will love it. We forgot to ask exactly which yarn she used but we know it's acrylic. Maria was unable to steam the finished scarf. Instead, she pinned it out and wet it well and left it to dry. This is interesting! because she got very good definition of her textured stitches even without resorting to "killing" the acrylic. We'll file that little tidbit of information away and pull it out some other day when we need to block the supposedly unblockable acrylic. This is how we learn, isn't it? We try. We pay attention. We share the info. And everybody benefits. Thank you, Maria. Your scarf looks great!!

Maria's Papa Bear Sampler Scarf

A couple of weeks ago, we pulled out a few cookies from the stash of baked ones in the freezer. We're still using up the lemon sugar cookies. We decided to paint them with Royal Icing in a dainty flower design. We gave them each a base coat of white and when that was dry we added leaves and flowers with waxed paper decorating cones in the same way you might paint leaves and flowers with a brush. Each cookie is unique because we didn't have a plan for uniformity. We played with 8 cookies in all, got tired and put the rest away. We are sure the sugar we've been main-lining since January is one of the causes of our low mood so, what to do with these 8 cookies? Back in the freezer they went. Each one in his own plastic wrapper.

~Please, feel free to drop by for tea. We'll have cookies waiting for you!

Tamara's Papa Bear Sampler Scarf

Now, isn't this just the manliest Papa Bear Sampler Scarf yet??? 

Tamara sent us this photo. 

She used just over 1 ball of On Your Toes 4 ply sock yarn with aloe vera. 

What great colours. Although, you know, we think any lady would love it, too.

Another finished scarf

Not by us!! No! We've been goofin' off baking cookies (as you well know).

No, this Papa Bear Sampler Scarf  is lilaclinny's (That's her Ravelry name.) She made it from Teksrena yarn which is new to us. The yarn description says it's similar to Kauni and comes from Lithuania. It's a lovely gradation from red to black. We think it suits the pattern perfectly. lilaclinny reports that she stopped at the 10th pattern because the scarf was plenty long. She sent it to school with her son as a gift for his teacher. Lucky guy! (or gal!)

Just a reminder....all the parts of the pattern can still be found on this blog (for free!). We've also prepared one .PDF that corrals the whole pattern into one manageable file. All the pattern stitches are written out as well as charted. It's available through our Ravelry store for $3.50.

If you send us a photo of your finished Papa Bear Sampler Scarf to show on this blog ....no matter when (we'll be here!)..... we'll send you a file for a gift tag as our thank you.

Another wonderful scarf!

Yesterday, knittingdancer (from Ravelry) sent us a photo of her Papa Bear Sampler Scarf. It's beautiful!! The colour is gorgeous (but still totally suitable for either a man OR a woman). Whoever receives this as a gift will be very happy, we're sure. The yarn is Wollmeise Sockenwolle and the colourway is Sanguinella. Isn't the background quilt beautiful, too?

Don't forget......If you knit a Papa Bear Sampler Scarf and send us a photo to use on this blog, we'll send you a little gift.....a file to print a gift tag to go along with it! Send your photo to us here: grandmacocosdesigns (at) gmail (dot) com

Birthday Biker Boy Cookies

Someone we love is having a birthday soon and Grandma Coco thought Cheryl should make some celebratory cookies. We have all week. What's the problem? Well, the problem is we're still learning and you know what that means. Everything takes much longer than you'd think. If you rush a cookie, you invite disaster. You could even get (gasp!) bleeding so for a novice, every decision is pretty much life or death. Cheryl doesn't like to live on the edge the way Grandma Coco does but in the end GC was right. We have a plate of pretty cool cookies for a dude who likes motorcycles and cigars.

Copyright © Cheryl Coville 2010-2011

In the beginning....there was a drawing. There always is. Remember it? We simplified and simplified (remembering the complexity of the snowman this past weekend).

We can hardly wait to make more.

Photos of   Papa Bear Sampler Scarves   are beginning to trickle in.

This lovely (handsome!) example was made by shoshieb (her Ravelry name) and it's a beauty! What a great lavender colour that any man (or woman!) would be lucky to receive as a gift. Well done, shoshieb!

If you have finished a Papa Bear Sampler Scarf, send us the photo to show on this blog and we'll send you a file to print your own gift tag.  Here's the address: grandmacocosdesigns (at) gmail (dot) com

All Wrapped Up

We've been working on gifts and inevitably the puzzle of how to package them must be addressed. Last year, we were completely smitten with our friend Karen's lovely gift boxes. This year, we tripped over a tutorial for Japanese Gift Bags on The Quilt Show. You have to register to see them but it's worth it. They're quick and very cute. And just the right size for a beaded micro macrame bracelet.

And what do we have here? Femmeng Kate sent us a photo of her Papa Bear Sampler Scarf. Very handsome! The yarn is lovely. It's Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label Fingering. Thanks for sharing the photo, Femmeng Kate! and thanks, too, for knitting along with us.

We've sent Femmeng Kate a file to print her own gift card to go with her scarf. Don't forget, we'll send you one, too, if you send us a photo of your completed scarf to show here on the blog.

The Big Reveal!!!

That's right! That's our  Papa Bear Sampler Scarf  all finished. We love it so much that we have to admit we've been wearing it. The awful truth is that we may not give it away after all. We are greedy....but not ashamed. (It's really nice!)

Here's what it looked like right off the needles. Yarn barf. Just like every other knitting project, it needs blocking to look its best. We know there are as many ways to go about this as there are knitters but we like to get it really wet. We soaked this in the bathroom sink in nice warm water (about body temperature). We left it for about 20 minutes. Then we worked some hair conditioner into it and rinsed it well. We think the big thing at this point is to remember how delicate the yarn is. You have to be careful you don't let the weight of the water-y wool damage it. Support it nicely. Squeeze out the excess water gently and roll it up in a big fluffy towel. Now, stand on it. No, really! This squishes out all the extra moisture into the towel. The knitting will only be damp when you unroll it.

We were fortunate that the big square foam mats (used for exercise, we think....people do that? exercise?) went on sale over the summer. We really like them. You can assemble them in squares for shawls or, in this case, in one long rectangle. We set them up at the deck door where the light was good and the kitty wasn't. Slowly, but surely, we pinned out the scarf, stretching it slightly to open up all the stitch patterns. Again, we don't want to be rough. We wouldn't want to break the yarn at this point.

It looks great! Now, it's just a matter of waiting for it to dry thoroughly.  The kitty will sleep on it. It seems to be an unwritten kitty rule. Anything new on the floor must be put there for her sleeping pleasure. But what pleasure there could be in sleeping on damp wool, we can't imagine.

FYI here's all the wool we had leftover. :)  

We would very much like to thank all of you who played along with us on this project. We enjoyed the knit and hope you did, too. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email us: grandmacocosdesigns (AT) gmail (dot)com ......... You know what to do with the symbols. Better yet, if you finish your scarf and send us a photo of it to show here on the blog, we'll send you a little gift as a thank you...... a .PDF file to print 2 gift cards to attach to your scarf. There's a place to include laundering instructions and plenty of room for a love note.

All the instalments of the pattern will remain here on the blog where they're available for free. If you'd rather, you can download the entire project in one .PDF through our Ravelry store

for the princely sum of $3.50 US.

For now, we'll leave you with this..................

ENJOY!

Week #12 of the Papa Bear Sampler Scarf Knit-along

It's hard to believe but here we are with the final stitch pattern. And it's a pretty one. And easy, too. Double Moss Stitch.  We have 47 stitches on the needles now. Please remember the 5 garter stitches at each end.

Row 1: K1, * p1, k1; rep from * to end.

Row 2: P1, * k1, p1; rep from * to end

Row 3: same as Row 2

Row 4: same as Row 1

Repeat these 4 rows, 9 times.

Final Border: Knit 7 rows of garter stitch. 
Cast off. (Yahoo!)

Next week we'll talk about blocking and we'll show you photos!!! Don't forget, if you send us a photo of your finished scarf to show here on the blog, we'll send you a little gift in return.

For a printable .PDF of this week's exciting episode, click here.

Week #11 of the Papa Bear Sampler Scarf Knit-along

Can you believe it? The penultimate pattern...... The Medallion Rib.

There are now 46 stitches on the needle. Remember the 5 garter stitch border stitches on each edge.

Row 1: (right side) P4, *yb (move yarn to back), sl 2 purlwise.

C2B, p4; rep from * to end.

(C2B = knit into back of 2^nd stitch on needle,

then knit first st. slipping both sts off needle

at the same time.)

Row 2: K4, * yf (move yarn to front), sl 2 purlwise,

purl the 2^nd st on left-hand needle, then the 1^st st,

slipping both sts from needle tog, k4; rep from * to end.

Row 3: Knit

Row 4: Purl

Repeat these 4 rows, 8 times, then work Rows 1-3 once more. Total 35 rows.

Separator: Knit 5 rows increasing 1 stitch by knitting into the front and back of a stitch somewhere in the middle of the last row. (47 stitches total)

For a printable .PDF, click here.

Next week, we'll tackle the final pattern in this assortment.

Week #10 of the Papa Bear Sampler Scarf Knit-along

Remember how last week we took it easy with a simple pattern? This week it's payback time. We're going to knit a fabulous stitch pattern which is a little more complicated....but not much. And it looks so great that all the effort will be worth it, we promise!

This week's pattern is the Star Stitch. It's a 4 row repeat. We've seen it worked in 2 different colours. Very cool. If you want to give that a try sometime, you use 1 colour for the first 2 rows and a different colour for the next 2 rows.

So, if you've finished last week's pattern, the Farrow Rib, you should have 47 stitches on your needle. Keeping in mind the 5 garter stitch borders on each edge, work the Star Stitch pattern a follows:

Row 1: (right side) Knit

Row 2: P1, * Make Star, p1; rep from * to end.

Row 3: Knit

Row 4: P3, Make Star, * p1, Make Star;

rep from * to last 3 sts, p3.

Make Star = p3tog leaving sts on needle, yrn (yarn round needle), then purl the same 3 sts together again.

Repeat these 4 rows, 9 times.

Separator:  Knit 6 rows, reducing 1 st. anywhere in the middle of the last row by knitting 2 sts tog.

(46 stitches total)

Only 2 more pattern stitches to go....unless you've run out of yarn. :(  Hang on..... You can just jump right to the final border when the rest of us get there in only 2 more weeks! (Can you believe that?)

You can find the .PDF here.

Week #9 - Farrow Rib

We don't know about you, but we've had a busy week so we thought we'd kick back with something really, really simple. Maybe next week all our brain cells will be working again and we'll get to something a little more challenging. For now, though, Farrow Rib sounds just about right. Only 2 rows. Simple. Are you running short of yarn? This is a great one to skimp on, if you are.

There are now 47 stitches. Remember the 5 garter stitch edge stitches.

Row 1: (right side) * K2, p1; rep from * to last st., k1.

Row 2: P1, * k2, p1; rep from * to end.

Repeat these 2 rows until you have about 5 inches worked, ending after Row 1.

Work the separator section:

Knit  5 rows even this time in garter stitch,.  No increase, no decrease. (47 stitches total)

You'll find a .PDF here.

And don't forget, for anyone who finishes his/her scarf and sends us a photo to show on this blog, we have a little present.

Week # 8 - Honeycomb Cable Stitch

This week's stitch pattern is no more complicated than any of the others but there are a few more rows.

There are now 48 stitches on the needle. Remember the 5 garter stitch border stitches on each edge.

 

Row 1: (right side) Knit

Row 2: K2, * p2, k2; repeat from * to end.

Rep the last 2 rows once more.

Row5: K1, * C2F, C2B; rep from * to last st, k1.

C2F = knit into front of 2^nd stitch on needle,

then knit first st. slipping both sts off needle

at the same time. 

C2B = knit into back of 2^nd st on needle, then knit

first st. slipping both sts off needle at the same time.

Row 6: P2, * k2, p2; rep from * to end.

Row 7: Knit

Row 8: As 6^th row. Repeat the last 2 rows once more.

Row 11: K1, * C2B, C2F; rep from  * to last st., k1

Row 12: As 2^nd row.

Rep these 12 rows 3 times, then work Rows 1 and 2 again.

Work the separator section:

Knit  6 rows this time in garter stitch, decreasing 1 stitch (by knitting 2 stitches together) somewhere in the middle of the last row.  (47 stitches total)

We're now 4 weeks away from finishing a lovely, warm scarf

for that special guy on our holiday gift list. Can you believe it?

We don't want to bum anyone out but.....2 months from today is.......You know.

For a printable .PDF, click here.

If this is Tuesday ...

... then it must be time for another installment of the Papa Bear Sampler Scarf adventure. We've had a very busy week but we're zoomin' along on our scarf. So many attractive stitch patterns to choose from. This week's is called Twisted Texture.

There are now 47 stitches on the needle. Remember the 5 garter stitch border stitches on each edge.

Row 1 (Wrong Side):  purl

Row 2: p1 * C2B, p1;  repeat from * to end.            

C2B= Knit into back of 2^nd st. on needle, then knit first st.,

 slipping both sts off needle at the same time.

Row 3: k1, * purl into 2^nd stitch on needle and then purl first stitch, slipping both stitches off needle at the same time, k1; repeat from * to end.

Row 4: knit

Repeat these 4 rows, 9 times. (36 rows)

Note that you start with Row 1 (the wrong side) on the left of the chart and note also the strange stitch symbols which I made up. Hope it’s clear. Please ask, if it’s not.

Work the separator section:

Knit  5 rows this time in garter stitch, increasing 1 stitch (by knitting into front and back of one stitch) somewhere in the middle of the last row.  (48 stitches total)

So far, so good! Only FIVE! sections left. 

And don't forget, we have a little gift for anyone who sends us a photo of their completed scarf.

For a .PDF of these instructions, click here.

Week #6 - Papa Bear Sampler Scarf Knit-along

We're halfway home! And not a minute too soon since we actually saw a TV advertisement for Christmas this week! They get earlier every year.

This week's offering comes with a charmingly old world spelling ... Chequerboard ... lest you need further proof that our stitch dictionary is really quite old. It's an attractive pattern and not very taxing at all to knit. Manly though, right? Cassie seems to like it.

There are now 46 stitches on the needle. Remember the 5 garter stitch border stitches on each edge.

Row 1 (Right Side):  k4 * p4, k4;  repeat from * to end.

Row 2: p4 * k4, p4; repeat from * to end.

Row 3: same as Row 1

Row 4: same as Row 2

Row 5: same as Row 2

Row 6: same as Row 1

Row 7: same as Row 2

Row 8: same as Row 1

Repeat these 8 rows, 4 times. (32 rows)

Right click to see a full-size, printable chart.

Work the separator section:

Knit 7 rows this time increasing 1 stitch (by knitting into the front and back of one stitch) anywhere in the middle of the last row.  The last row is a right side row. (47 stitches total)

You'll find a .PDF of this week's installment here. Finally! Sorry for the delay.

Papa Bear Sampler Scarf Knit-along - Week #5

We crave something simple but attractive this week. Some subtle texture. How 'bout Basket Rib?

Wouldn't this be perfect for a sock?

There are now 47 stitches on the needle. Remember the 5 garter stitch border stitches on each edge.

Row 1 (Right Side):  Knit.

Row 2: Purl.

Row 3: K1, * sl 1 purlwise, k1; repeat from * to end.

Row 4: K1, * yf (move yarn to front as if to purl), sl 1 purlwise, yb (move yarn to back as if preparing to knit), k1; repeat from * to end.

Repeat these 4 rows, 11 times. (44 rows)  If you think you'll be short of yarn (or if you're just plain busy or lazy this week) this one would be a good one to knit fewer rows of.....of which to knit fewer rows? :)..... Just finish with Row 4.

Work the separator section:

Knit 6 rows this time decreasing 1 stitch (by knitting 2 stitches together) anywhere in the middle of the last row. (46 stitches total)

You can find a printable .PDF of this week's installment HERE.

Week #4 - Papa Bear Sampler Scarf Knit-along

 
Each week sees us a little farther along. We're into fall now and this is the last installment of September. We hope you're enjoying this project as much as we are. So little work at one time for such a great pay-off.

.

This week it's  Plain Diamonds  for us. Just straight knit and purl stitches. Very simple but effective. There are now 46 stitches on the needle. Remember the 5 garter stitch border stitches on each edge.

Row 1 (Right Side):  k4 * p1, k8;  repeat from * to last 5 stitches, p1, k4.

Row 2: p3, * k3, p6; repeat from * to last 6 stitches, k3, p3.

Row 3: k2, * p5, k4; repeat from * to last 7 stitches, p5, k2.

Row 4: p1, * k7, p2; repeat from * to last 8 stitches, k7, p1.

Row 5: purl

Row 6: same as Row 4

Row 7: same as Row 3

Row 8: same as Row 2

Repeat these 8 rows, 4 times and then work Rows 1 - 5, once more. (37 rows)

Here’s the chart:

 

And here comes the separator:

Knit 5 rows this time increasing 1 stitch (by knitting into the front and back of any stitch) anywhere in the middle of the last row. (47 stitches total)

Week 4 means that we've completed 33% or fully 1/3 of the scarf!

A .PDF for this week's exciting episode can be found HERE.

Sunshiny cats, amazing socks and more

Cassie's getting a late start. Note all her toys strewn around her. She stays up half the night carting them around....and wailing. Why does she wail? If anyone knows, please do share. She is a happy kitty. She has food and toys and lots of love. She is a mystery. A beautiful mystery.

And now for something amazing........

These are the green socks. Finished. That's really not the amazing part....contrary to what some might think. Look closely. They are mates. True (pretty near!) identical mates. Amazing! We started with one single ball of Lang Jawoll Magic Superwash. It weighed 98 grm (with the label) when we started. We knitted and weighed (obsessively) because we wanted to use as much of the yarn as possible (if you remember), making the sock legs as long as we could WITHOUT (and we can't stress this enough) having to rip the first sock back because we ran short on the second sock.

You all know how much we like math. No joke. We weighed and we calculated how much yarn we used as we went along. We have notes like: 84 gr. left, 5 inches from beginning. We thought we had it calculated pretty well and in the end...... Success! We had very little wool left.

However.....it is a complete and total, mind-boggling FLUKE! that these 2 socks are so similar..... especially when you consider how long the colour repeats are in this wool. We doubt we'll ever be able to repeat such a performance. We should just retire now. Several claims were made on these socks while they were in production but in the end, they're going to Mr. Coco and they fit him perfectly.

Here's a question for anyone who has knitted with this wool before. Somewhere during the knitting of the ribbing of the second sock we found a loosely tied knot....not a break, just a knot. Is this the manufacturer's indication of the true centre of the skein? It seems to be at the appropriate spot. That would be cool, if it was intentional.

Another one of those Razzle-Dazzle what is this? puzzles?????

No, this is our version of this from Stitch Nation Yarn.

Aren't they just the sweetest little hats you ever did see?

Unfortunately, we don't have access to a little baby right now and Cassie was sleeping and not inclined to model (but wouldn't that have been adorable?). We do know where to find a cute little baby though. Can't wait to see her in it.

Don't forget tomorrow's Part 4 of the Papa Bear Sampler Scarf Knit-along. There's still lots of time to catch up, if you've been thinking about joining in. We're planning to have a little gift for anyone who completes their scarf and sends us a picture. (Just in case you needed more incentive.)

And finally.....don't forget you have until Wednesday to go here and leave a comment to win a copy of Norman's Blankie.