HUGe - Part 3

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This is Part 3 in a series on the 2008 HUGe swap.
Click here for Part 1.
Click here for Part 2.
Related post: 08Jan2009 post - 21 Photos - Elann HUGe 2008 Swap, Group 1 box

7 Bangles

Bangle #7:

Bangle #7

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do for Bangle #7. I had an idea in my mind about doing a lacy type pattern that would allow the color of the bangle to show through. I started by trying out the Miniature Leaf pattern from BW1, held it over a few different colored bangles and did really like what I saw. I tried the lacy pattern on a silver/mirror finish bangle and a red colored one. Neither lookde quite right to me.

Version 2 was this zig zaggy pattern which you can see is too subtle for this project. You could barely see the zig zags and it is even less noticeable when considering that only a thin sliver of the middle section would exposed on the bangle. I was afraid people might look at it and think the pattern was just totally random or just botched up.

In the end I decided to try the Double Texture Cable from BW3 pg 70. I thought it was interesting because half the cable is plain stockinette and the other half is seed stitch. Unfortunately the pattern loses some impact on this black yarn. You can see what the swatch looked like in the photo above.

Elann Baby Silk yarn, black color

The yarn I used for this is a fingerling (sock) weight yarn, Elann Baby Silk. I've had this yarn since August 2005, and it took me 3 years before I finally dug it out to do somethnig with it. This one was a challenge to knit because the dark yarn made it difficult to see, and I was knitting it using 2.75 mm (US2) needles.

Black bangle

I used a black colored bangle for this one. The upside of using a black bangle is that with black yarn, I didn't have to worry about the bangle showing through in a bad way. :-) Seaming this took quite a bit longer than any of previous bangles due to the difficulty of seeing black yarn.

My personal notes on how I made this bangle:

Elann Baby Silk, Black
2.75 mm (US2)
Black bangle.
Circumference = ~11.25 inches (29 cm)
Width (all around) = 3 inches (7.5 cm)

Cast on 22 stitches.
Rows 1, 3, 15, 17, 19: K7, (P1, K1)x2, P4, K7
Rows 2, 16, 18, 20: P7, K4, (K1, P1)x2, P7
Row 4: P7, slip 4 sts to CN & hold in back, (K1, P1)x2, K4 from CN, P7
Rows 5, 7, 9 , 11, 13: K7, P4, (P1, K1)x2, K7
Rows 6, 8, 10, 12: P7, (K1, P1)x2, K4, P7
Row 14: P7, slip 4 sts onto CN & hold in back, K4, (K1, P1)x2 from CN, P7
Repeat Rows 1 to 20 for pattern.

7 Bangles

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Bangle #8

Bangle #8

As basic as this cable came out, it actually took me 5 tries before I decided on how wide the cable should be and how many rows to cable on. I had an idea of using the Eccentric Cable from BW1 and started with a 3-over-3 cable every 6th and 12th rows. Then tried 4-over-4 cable ever 6th and 12th rows. The cable didn't seem wide enough, so third try was 6-over-6 cable every 8th and 16th rows. Then I changed the interval by doing a 6-over-6 cable every 12th and 24th rows. I didn't like the Eccentric Cable style, so changed this back to cabling every 12th row.

Red bangle

I knit this one with sock/fingerling weight yarn, Elann Sock It To Me in the latte color using 2.75 mm (US2) needles. The yarn is the same one I used for Bangle #6. And I used a transparent red bangle like the one above.

My personal notes on how I made this bangle:

Elann Sock It To Me, Latte
2.75 mm (US2)
Red bangle.
Circumference = ~11.25 inches (29 cm)
Width (all around) = 3 inches (7.5 cm)

Cast on 26 stitches.
Row 1 and all odd rows: K7, P12, K7
Row 2 and all even rows except for 6 and 18: P7, K12, P7
Row 6 & 18: P7, CF12, P7
Repeat rows 1 to 24 for pattern.

CF12 = Slip 6 stitches onto cable needle and hold in front. Knit 6 stitches. Knit 6 stitches from cable needle.

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Bangle #9

Bangle #9

Here's Bangle #9. At this point I finally felt like I could finish the project before the deadline. I needed to make 10 items, so making one more should be a cinch. I was really worried about making the deadline to mail the bangles to Theresa, because I was making these bangles at a rate of 2 per month.

This was knit in the same yarn as Bangle #8, Elann Sock It To Me in Latte color with 2.75 mm (US2) needles. I decided to take a break from cables and do a simple Double Seed Stitch pattern. I used a charcoal colored bangle for this one.




My personal notes on how I made this bangle:

Elann Sock It To Me, Latte
2.75 mm (US2)
Charcoal bangle.
Circumference = ~11.25 inches (29 cm)
Width (all around) = 3 inches (7.5 cm)

Cast on 24 stitches
Rows 1 & 2: * K2, P2 *
Rows 3 & 4: * P2, K2 *
Repeat Rows 1 to 4 for pattern.

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Bangle #10

Bangle #10

I still had plenty of the Elann Sock It To Me Yarn to make another bangle with it, however it was definitely time to use a different yarn and/or color. Looking at the 9 bangles made so far, there is a heavy slant towards the browns/tans. I think it is a good neutral color for most people, but really, it can be too much of a good thing!!! So with 4 brown/tans, 2 reds, 1 purple, 1 blue, and 1 black ... what color should be next? Purple is one of my favorite colors, although I don't think there are as many people out there would would like a purple bangle. So I nixed purple for bangle #10. I went back to the black Elann Baby Silk, using a simple Moss Stitch pattern.

Black bangle

Like the other one I made with black Baby Silk yarn (Bangle #7), I also used a black bangle for this one too. I was so happy to finally finish my 10th bangle, and before the due date too!

My personal notes on how I made this bangle:

Elann Baby Silk, black
2.75 mm (US2)
Black bangle.
Circumference = ~11.25 inches (29 cm)
Width (all around) = 3 inches (7.5 cm)

Cast on 24 stitches.
Rows 1 & 2: * K1, P1 *
Rows 3 & 4: * P1, K1 *
Repeat rows 1 to 4 for pattern.

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Voilà! Here are all the bangles I made for the 2008 HUGe swap:

10 bangles

Project Summary:

Materials:

Assorted Bangles

Yarns:

Cleckheaton Country 8-Ply, brown
Elann Baby Silk, Black
Elann Highland Wool, Ruby Red
Elann Luxury Merino Superwash, Capri
Elann Sock It To Me, purple
Elann Sock It To Me, Latte

Needle sizes:

2.75 mm (US2)
4.0 mm (US6)

Pattern:

Swatch Bangles

Stitch patterns used:

4-Over-4 front cross cable every 8th row
6-Over-6 front cross cable every 12th row
Chain Link Cables, BW3 pg 213
Double Broken Rib, BW1 pg 12
Double Seed Stitch, BW1 pg 11
Double Texture Cable, BW3 pg 70
Moss Stitch, BW1 pg 11
Pattern # 120, NKSL pg 73
Seed Stitch, BW1 pg 11

Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2009. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.

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HUGe - Part 2

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This is Part 2 in a series on the 2008 HUGe swap.
Click here for Part 1.
Click here for Part 3.
Related post: 08Jan2009 post - 21 Photos - Elann HUGe 2008 Swap, Group 1 box

Bangles #1, #2, #3, and #4

Bangle #4:

Bangle #4

I decided to use the same pattern as Bangle #3 for Bangle #4. The only difference is the yarn and color. I used Elann Highland Wool in Ruby red color. Despite being the same pattern, I think Bangle #3 in the Elann Luxury Merino Superwash came out better. I think the stitch pattern stands out better in the blue color.

Well, I thought I'd insert a photo of a the ball of yarn here. Unfortunately I can't seem to find my photo. Boo.

Red bangle

Bangle #4 is made with a red bangle, like the one above.


My personal notes on how I made this bangle:

Elann Highland Wool, Ruby
4.0 mm (US6)
Red bangle.
Circumference = ~11.25 inches (29 cm)
Width (all around) = 3 inches (7.5 cm)

Cast on 52 stitches, join in round.
Round 1 & 2: Knit
Round 3 & 4: * K2, P2 *
Repeat rounds 1 to 4 for 22 rounds have been completed.

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Bangle #5:

Bangle #5

I wasn't sure I wanted to try another cable stitch after making Bangle #2 (the purple one) because I wasn't 100% happy with how that one turned out. I think it had something to do with the "non-standard" cable pattern and how the cable pattern stretched out when it was attached to the bangle. Then in June, I showed Theresa the first four bangles and she told me she preferred the cable and seed stitch pattern more than the other one. So I decided to give cables another try, this time choosing a more "standard" cable. I am more pleased with the results this time.

Red bangle

I knit this one using Cleckheaton Country 8-Ply DK weight superwash wool yarn in a brown color. It is the same yarn I used to make my this scarf. I used 4.0 mm (US6) needles. I don't know what I was thinking but I started this one in the round, knit a few rounds, and then realized that what I really needed to do was knit a skinny strip. So I had to start this one over again. After I knit my skinny strip, I attached it to a red bangle like the one above.

Bangle #5

Here's what the bangle looks like on my wrist. I like this one so much more than the purple one I made that I might even make another.


My personal notes on how I made this bangle:

Cleckheaton Country 8-Ply, brown
4.0 mm (US6)
Red bangle.
Circumference = ~11.25 inches (29 cm)
Width (all around) = 3 inches (7.5 cm)

Cast on 16 stitches.
Row 1, 3, 7, 9: P4, K8, P4
Row 2, 4, 6, 8, 10: K4, P8, K4
Row 5: P4, Cable Crossing, P4

Repeat rows 1 to 10.

Cable Crossing: Slip 3 stitches to Cable Needle and hold in front. Knit 3 stitches. Knit 3 stitches from Cable Needle.

To get the cables to cross in the opposite direction, just hold the cable needle in the back.

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Bangle #6

Bangle #6

I decided to try another cable pattern for my next bangle, but something different than the basic cable I used in bangle #5. It took me a while to knit this one due to the thin sock weight yarn and itty bitty 2.75 mm (US2) needles. I think the color is off in the photo above because I took that photo at night with bad nighttime lighting. The yarn is Elann Sock It To Me, in latte color, which I picked up July specifically for this project (thanks Theresa for the suggestion!). Of course other stuff fell into my shopping cart, I mean, who buys just one ball of sock yarn??? I picked up some more of my favorite yarn, Elann Luxury Merino Superwash DK. For the cable pattern, I chose a cable pattern that was simply called "pattern 120" from NKSL pg 73. I think it turned out ok on the bangle. I like the cable pattern more than the one I used for the purple bangle. If the bangle above looks vaguely familiar, it is because you had seen it back in July. :-)

I was originally going to use a bangle with a silver/mirror finish, however decide not to when I didn't like how the silver showed through the tan colored knitting. So I used another one of these charcoal colored bangles instead. At this point I wasn't sure what I'd do with the silver bangle, maybe find a lacy pattern where the silver can intentionally show through and create a (hopefully) neat effect.


My personal notes on how I made this bangle:

Elann Sock It To Me, latte color 42837
2.75 mm (US2)
Charcoal bangle.
Circumference = ~11.25 inches (29 cm)
Width (all around) = 3 inches (7.5 cm)

Cast on 26 stitches.
Row 1, 5: P7, K2, P2, K4, P2, K2, P7
Row 2, 4, 6, 20: K7, P2, K2, P4, K2, P2, K7
Row 3: P7, K2, P2, CB4, P2, K2, P7
Row 7: P7, FC, CB4, BC, P7
Row 8, 18: K9, P8, K9
Row 9: P9, BC, FC, P9
Row 10, 16: K9, P2, K4, P2, K2
Row 11: P7, BC, P4, FC, P7
Row 12, 14: K7, P2, K8, P2, K7
Row 13: P7, K2, P8, K2, P7
Row 15: P7, FC, P4, BC, P7
Row 17: P9, CF4, CB4, P9
Row 19: P7, BC, CB4, FC, P7

Repeat rows 1 to 20.

CB4: slip 2 onto cn hold back, k2, k2 from cn
CF4: slip 2 onto cn hold front, k2, k2 from cn
BC: slip 2 onto cn hold back, k2, p2 from cn
FC: slip 2 onto cn hold front, p2, k2 from cn

To be continued... Click here for Part 3.

Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2009. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.
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HUGe - Part 1

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This is Part 1 in a series on the 2008 HUGe swap.
Click here for Part 2.
Click here for Part 3.
Related post: 08Jan2009 post - 21 Photos - Elann HUGe 2008 Swap, Group 1 box

The Elann HUGe Swap has been going on for some years now. This is my first time participating in it. I never participated before because I didn't have time. This year (2008), I thought I could squeeze in some time to do this, but I found I lacked any creativity to come up with a project for the swap. Thanks to T, I did find something that looked both fun and do-able. And here's the end result:

10 bangles

It's a project based on this Swatch Bangle pattern. I'm clueless. Call me Ms. Unfashionable. I had no idea that bangles are the "in" thing. Vicki told me this when I mentioned the Elann HUGe swap to her back in May. Well ok, I think I can make my own and it sure as heck won't cost me $140 to $180 to make each bangle. I managed to find the bangles for about $6.50 each. Yay!

It all started with these:

20 Bangles

I only needed to make 10 items for the swap. Notice that there are 20 of them in the photo above. I must have felt optimistic when I picked up these bangles! They are black/white, red metallic, red transparent, brown transparent, black, charcoal metallic, and silver.

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Bangle #1:

Bangle #1

It all started with this bangle:

Brown bangle

This brown bangle is somewhat transparent. The interior side is smooth, the exterior is faceted. At first I was unsure of how this would work out in the end for this project. Surely smooth interior and exterior sides would make this much easier.

I used Elann Highland Wool in Ruby color and 4.0 mm (US6) needles to knit this one. I thought I would start off with something simple for my first bangle. The stitch pattern is seed stitch. I did not want to knit the width of the bangle and then have to seam both the width AND the bangle circumference. No no no. We could not have that. I am lazy. So I worked this in the round (around the circumference), and knit as many rows as necessary to obtain the width (around the front & back) I needed, then I merely had to seam it once along the circumference.

Seaming up the bangle

Seaming was tricky since I found it difficult to see what I was doing. I think I need better lighting in the family room where I do my knitting.

My personal notes on how I made this bangle:

Elann Highland Wool, Ruby Red.
US 6 (4.0 mm)
Brown bangle.
Circumference = ~11.25 inches (29 cm)
Width (all around) = 3 inches (7.5 cm)

Cast on 52 stitches, join in round.
Round 1: * K1, P1 *
Round 2: * P1, K1 *
Repeat Rounds 1 & 2 until 22 rounds total have been completed.

Cut yarn leaving 35 inches of yarn for seaming. There was 18 inches of yarn left after seaming. So I used 17 inches of yarn for seaming.

ETA: This bangle went to Benne.

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Bangle #2:

Bangle #2

This is Bangle #2.

It all started with this bangle above. It's sort of a charcoal grey metallic finish.


This one took me much longer than many of the other bangle because it took me 2 tries before I got the width correct and I had to frog it once due to a glaring mistake. It also didn't help that I was using sock weight yarn and size US2 needles. This meant working a greater number of stitches which made it felt like I would never finish. Then once I got into the rhythm of the cable pattern, I was so carried away with it that I knit the piece much too long! Seaming also seemed to take a while but that was because Miss M was squirming next to me which made it difficult to concentrate. I wasn't too happy with the seaming as it is more obvious than I would like. It's due to having to seam across the width of the bangle since I could not knit this cable pattern in the round (as I did for Bangle #1). Overall, the finished piece didn't come out exactly as I had imagined it would when I saw the cable panel in BW3 (Chain Link Cable). I think this might be due to the cable panel stretching (up/down-wards) when it is placed on the bangle. The knitting (before attaching to bangle) looked better when stretched out laterally left/right.

A few years ago, I imagined learning how to knit socks so I picked up 2 balls of sock yarn with the intention of doing this. Fast forward a few years later. Have I knit any socks? Nope. None at all. So I decided to use some of this sock yarn for the bangle. I started out with US1 (2.25 mm) needles then restarted using US2 (2.75 mm) which looked a little better to me. Since I could not knit this in the round, I ended up having to seam twice.

I love this cable pattern. It has a very interesting look. Despite having to use 2 cable needles to work the pattern, it is not difficult at all.

Personal notes on how I made this bangle:

Sock It To Me, in purple
US 2 (2.75 mm) & 2 cable needles
Charcoal Grey Metallic bangle.
Circumference = ~11.25 inches (29 cm)
Width (all around) = 3 inches (7.5 cm)

Cast on 25 stitches.
Row 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15: K8, P9, K8
Row 2, 4, 6, 10, 12, 14: P8, K9, P8
Row 8: P8. Slip 3 to CN1, hold in Front. Slip 3 to CN2, hold in Back. K3. K3 from CN2, K3 from CN1. P8.
Row 16: P8. Slip 3 to CN1, hold in Front. Slip 3 to CN2, hold in Front. K3. Pass CN1 to the Back. K3 from CN2. K3 from CN1.
Repeat rows 1 to 16 until piece is long enough to fit around bangle (~11 inches).

ETA: This bangle went to Marta.

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Bangle #3:

Bangle #3

I really liked how Bangle #3 came out. I'm pretty sure part of it was knitting with my favorite yarn, Elann's Luxury Merino Superwash DK yarn. This yarn is very soft in my hands. Here are two photos of the yarn. I don't think either really captures the true color of Capri Blue.

Elann Luxury Merino Superwash DK, Capri Blue

Elann Luxury Merino Superwash DK, Capri Blue

I chose to knit this in the round in order to avoid seaming twice. I probably would have knit this with 3.75 mm (US5) needles if I found 2 available circulars. Unfortunately I could only find one 3.75 mm circ, so I knit this with two 4.0 mm (US6) needles instead. I'm pretty certain that two of my 3.75 (US5) circular needles are tied up on the toddler mitten last seen in my December 24, 2006 post and December 25, 2006 post! Please don't ask me where the mitten is. It was lost before we moved house, and got further lost (is that possible?) during/since the move. Yes, by the time the mitten resurfaces, it will be too small for Miss M to wear.

Bangle #3 is also made with a charcoal grey metallic colored bangle, like the one above.

Anyhow, I don't think it is any coincidence that I chose the Double Broken Rib pattern for Bangle #3. I definitely like it as it is the second time I have used it. The first time was in my first Cuzco scarf, which I dubbed the Cozy Bathrobe Scarf because this yarn is very soft, however you never would have guessed since since the stitch pattern doesn't show through well on the fluffy Cuzco yarn. Really! If you look at this bangle and then look at the scarf, you'd say, "No way, those two can't be the same stitch pattern!"

My personal notes on how I made this bangle:

Elann Luxury Merino Superwash, Capri Blue
4.0 mm (US6)
Charcoal Grey Metallic bangle.
Circumference = ~11.25 inches (29 cm)
Width (all around) = 3 inches (7.5 cm)

Cast on 56 stitches, join in round.
Round 1 & 2: Knit
Round 3 & 4: * K2, P2 *
Repeat rounds 1 to 4 for 26 rounds total.

ETA: This bangle went to Bets.

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How many stitches to cast on?

If you're wondering how I arrived at the number of stitches to cast on for my bangles, it is a factor of trial & error and rough guesstimates.

I'll use Bangle #3 as an example. Here are some known facts:

Bangle circumference is 11.25 inches.
Yarn ball band gauge is 21-22 sts = 4 inches.

Knowing these two facts and assuming I'll be knitting close to ball band gauge, I do the following calculation to figure out how many multiples of 4 inches there are in the circumference of my bangle (11.25"):

11.25" divided by 4" = 2.8125 inches

Now I take the result (2.8125") and multiply that by the ball band number of stitches per 4" (which is 21 to 22 sts):

2.8125 x 21 = 59 stitches

Since my stitch pattern is a multiple of 4, I need to cast on a number that is divisible by 4. Some possible options include:

60 stitches (4 x 15 = 60)
56 stitches (4 x 14 = 56)

I decided to go with the smaller number because I didn't want my knitting to be too large and have my bangle resembling a Shar Pei after seaming.

I don't know how other people determine their number to cast on. Please let me know if you know an easier method.

The calculation is much easier if I were knitting a long skinny strip of knitting instead of knitting in the round. Since it is 3 inches around, all I would need to do is take the ballband sts per 4 inches", divide by 4 to get the sts per 1 inch, and then multiply by 3 to get a balpark value of how many stitches I should cast on.


To be continued... Click here for Part 2.

Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2009. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.

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HUGe revealed

Elann HUGe Swap 2008

Related posts:
04Feb2009 post - 13 Photos - Elann HUGe 2008 Swap - swatch bangles - part 3
27Jan2009 post - 8 Photos - Elann HUGe 2008 Swap - swatch bangles - part 2
17Jan2009 post - 14 Photos - Elann HUGe 2008 Swap - swatch bangles - part 1

Youpi! Gloria has received her package which means we can all talk openly about our boxes. It's like Christmas all over again. :-D

Here is what's hiding underneath all that tissue paper... (please excuse all of the Legos, etc. The house is just a very large toy chest for Missy) I could smell something fragrant coming from box. Hmm... what could it be?

Let's take a close-up tour...

Yes, some things shifted in transit, there's a better pic further down.

Everything was wrapped up so nicely, I really had to work up to opening them. I eventually did, so here's an even closer look ... :-)

Tape measure from Cate.



Remember when I mentioned a scent wafting out from the box? The verdant sachet is the culprit. Mmmm, smells wonderful. It's lavender from Marta's own garden! And there's a soft wash cloth too!

This snowman is from Bets. This made me smile and laugh. I hope she shares how she made this.

This photo is from Bri.

Pins from Kelly.

These three are from Theresa. Notice what that bracelet is made of! Yes, a knitting needle! Color on the 3rd photo is way off, it is a purple color that complements the other one.

Gift tags & shea butter body cream.



Earrings and bracelet from Lisa.

Cup cozies from Gloria.

Thank you for all the wonderful gifts! I know the idea of the swap was to have a lot of little handmade things to be able to use for gifting. Well, I don't know if I can part with any of this stuff. Is it OK to keep them all for myself???

How the swap works: 10 people in a group, each making 10 items. In return, we receive 1 of each item the other people in the group made. This is why we have 10 unique items in our box. I will show you the 10 items I made for this swap next time...

Copyright © Smariek Knits 2005-2009. All full copyright rights are reserved by Smariek Knits.