Ellen's Baby's Blanket - Knit Pattern

 
This square-shaped blanket is knitted diagonally using just knit stitches (K), yarn overs (YO), and knit 2 togethers (K2tog). Gauge is not that important, just keep measuring along the edge of the blanket as you knit until it reaches the length you want for one side, then start decreasing. For my blanket, I increased to a maximum of 161 stitches in the middle row.

Coloring can be all one color, or striped. The blanket shown has asymmetrical stripes of two colors - no real pattern, just freeform, though each stripe is worked over an odd number of rows so that consecutive color changes occur on different sides of the work.

Needle size: US 9 (5.5mm) - I used a circular needle to manage the large number of stitches in the middle rows.

Yarn: KnitPicks CotLin in Flamingo and Raindrop (2 50g skeins of each color)

Increasing side:
C/o 3 stitches.
Row 1: K1, YO, K2.
Row 2: K1, YO, K3.
On each row, continue in this pattern (K1, YO, knit until end of row) until the length of one edge is as long as you want one of the sides of the square blanket to be.

Decreasing side:
Row A: K1, K2tog, K to end of row.
Repeat row A until there are only three stitches left in the row.
Bind off.

New Knit Finished: Comic Artist Wristlet!

I finished my comic artist wristlet (finally!) this week, so I have something to wear to prevent my tablet from thinking my palm wants to make squiggly lines all over the bottom of my comics.

More project pics and yarn/needle details are listed on Ravelry here: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/vixxyn/comic-artist-wristlet. Leave a note in the comments or send me a message on Ravelry if you want the simple pattern to make a wristlet or two of your own!

Icicle Manicure

New York had its first major snow of the year over the weekend. The ground turned (very briefly) white, and though the snow is mostly melted by now, the inspiration for this manicure remains. The Icicle Manicure is an elegant white and silvery ombre style that is subtle enough to wear to work, but fun enough to enjoy, too.

Nail polish needed:
- Soft pearly white
- Silver or blue glittery color (sheer is best)
- Clear top coat

Optional materials:
- Acrylic nails and nail glue (I use fake nails because I have a bad habit of picking at my natural nails when they get longer, so they never grow out. Acrylics prevent me from reaching my real nails to pick!)

Directions:
Step 1: Apply acrylic nails (if desired, otherwise skip this step)

Step 2: Paint each nail completely with two coats of the soft white base. Let dry after each coat before applying the next.

Step 3: Using the sheer sparkly color, paint the top 2/3 of each nail with one coat. This looks better if you make a messy line at the bottom instead of going straight across. Let dry completely.

Step 4: Again using the sheer sparkles, paint the top approximately 1/3 of each nail with a second coat. Make the line messy again. Let dry.

Step 5: If the color gradation to the tips isn't very pronounced, you can do another coat of sparkles just at the very tips. Otherwise, proceed to the last step.

Step 6: Cover with two layers of clear top coat.

A closer look at the finished result. I love how the color fading is just enough to be seen, but not too overwhelming.

Pokeball Crochet

I originally created this Pokeball to fit my little sister's Pikachu plush, who is about 8" tall. You can modify this pattern to fit larger or smaller toys as needed.

Materials needed

• 1 skein of each color, worsted weight:
• Red yarn
• White yarn
• Black yarn
• Crochet hook size I/9 (5.50mm)
• Stitch marker - I find that a bobby pin works well
• 2 zippers, black
• Sewing needle
• Black thread

 Brand of yarn doesn't matter, but if it's for a child's toy try to pick something soft that they will enjoy hugging and playing with.

Skills needed

• Crochet
• Chain stitch (ch)
• Single crochet (sc)
• Switch yarn colors at end of row
• Basic sewing to join two surfaces

Instructions

Ball
Row 1: with red yarn, ch8
Row 2: bringing the first stitch around to form a circle, sc twice into each stitch. You should now have 16 stitches in the circle.
Row 3: sc twice into each stitch so you have 32 in your circle
Row 4: sc twice into first stitch,* sc once into next stitch, sc twice into next stitch,* repeat portion from ** to finish the row
Row 5: same as Row 4
Row 6: sc twice into first stitch,* sc once into next TWO stitches, sc twice into next stitch,* repeat portion from ** to finish the row
Row 7: same as Row 6
Row 8: sc twice into first stitch,* sc once into next THREE stitches, sc twice into next stitch,* repeat portion from ** to finish the row
Row 9: same as Row 8
Row 10: sc twice into first stitch,* sc once into next FOUR stitches, sc twice into next stitch,* repeat portion from ** to finish the row
Row 11: sc twice into first stitch,* sc once into next FIVE stitches, sc twice into next stitch,* repeat portion from ** to finish the row
Row 12: sc twice into first stitch,* sc once into next SIX stitches, sc twice into next stitch,* repeat portion from ** to finish the row
Row 13: sc twice into first stitch,* sc once into next SEVEN stitches, sc twice into next stitch,* repeat portion from ** to finish the row
Row 14: sc twice into first stitch,* sc once into next EIGHT stitches, sc twice into next stitch,* repeat portion from ** to finish the row
Rows 15-18: sc once into each stitch
Row 19: sc twice into first stitch,* sc once into next NINE stitches, sc twice into next stitch,* repeat portion from ** to finish the row
Rows 20-23: sc once into each stitch
Row 24: sc twice into first stitch,* sc once into next TEN stitches, sc twice into next stitch,* repeat portion from ** to finish the row
Rows 25-27: sc once into each stitch

Switch to black yarn and hide the knot on the inside.
Rows 28-30: sc once into each stitch
Row 31: sc once into each of the first 21 stitches. Then ch 100
Row 32: sc once into each stitch, combining your new ch into a circle with the portion that you kept continuous (make sure it doesn't get twisted!)
Row 33: sc once into each stitch

Switch to white yarn and hide the knot on the inside.
Rows 34-60: repeat rows 1-27 in reverse order. Bind off at the end of the last row.

Button
Row 1: with white yarn, ch8
Row 2: bringing the first stitch around to form a circle, sc twice into each stitch. You should now have 16 stitches in the circle.
Row 3: sc twice into each stitch so you have 32 in your circle

Switch to black yarn
Row 4: sc twice into each stitch. Tie off.

Finishing
Sew the button to the top (red) half of the Pokeball so that it sticks out over the black portion, immediately opposite the continuous part of the black band. Sew the zippers along the inside of the black band so that when the zippers are pulled shut, the pulls are near the button. Enjoy!