LittleJudy.com

Bernat First with Martha Stewart Poncho Pattern

Okay, everybody, get ready for the next phase of the Martha's poncho story. I predict that the next battle will be between the different yarn companies as they give the pattern away for free but written for their yarn.  I don't know about you, but most of the time I like to get the yarn brand that is called for in the pattern, just a personal preference.

Herrschners is now offering the free Bernat pattern for download, plus the exact amount of  Bernat yarn for the project (on sale for 25% off, just $59.97).  People who think "but you could buy a poncho at the store for less" don't really understand the crafter's mind. 

Yesterday I got an email from a reader who said that Lion Brand Yarn will be putting the pattern on their website next week.  Watch for every store and yarn company to have their version and push their yarn.

I can't tell if the Bernat pattern has the cowl neckline that was on Martha's but I figure I can always add that in, maybe even knit in the round.  I've just downloaded the pattern and am going to see if I have anything that matches Bernat Galaxy, otherwise I'll have to go out and buy some tomorrow if possible.

Link: Match "Martha's" Poncho Pack.

UPDATE: Click here for info on the Lion Brand poncho

Martha Stewart's Poncho: Crochet Hobbyists Go Nuts Looking for Pattern

Just as I thought...seems that every crochet enthusiast, including yours truly, is going nuts trying to figure out the pattern for the poncho Martha Stewart wore as she left prison recently. I found a
Martha Stewart's Poncho Discussion at DIY Network and was happy to see that everyone there has been frantically surfing for the pattern. If you happen to find it, please post a comment here!!!

UPDATE: Two poncho patterns are now available: One from Bernat and the other from Lion Brand.

Some More Poncho Patterns

I thought I'd whip up a list of free knitted poncho patterns that I've found on that 'Net. Seems I've been spending more time knitting than crocheting--I feel like I'm cheating on my crochet hooks!

Sometime this weekend I'll take a snap of the knitted stripped poncho that I just finished.

I'm now working on a scarf and what was supposed to be a sweater that I think will end up being a poncho.

By the way, when I made all those scarves in my scarf-mania phase I did have trouble here and there with some of the novelty yarns, but then in a magazine (Vogue Knitting, I think) I read a suggestion about using bamboo needles for slippery yarns...what an amazing difference! Highly recommended.

Beginner Knitted Poncho (uses circular needles)
http://www.modadea.com/patterns/LM0117.htm

Knitted poncho, knit from top down
circular needles
http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/projects/proj_kn_1099.html

50 Terrific Free Patterns for Ponchos, Capes, Capelets and Stoles
http://www.lionbrand.com/content-ponchoIndex.html

Turtleneck fringed poncho, knit from the neck down
http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/loretta_lynn/loretta_lynn.html

Very easy asymmetrical poncho
http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/assym_poncho/assym_poncho.html

A gazillion poncho patterns, many of them easy, from knitting.about.com
http://knitting.about.com/library/blponchopic.htm

KnittingHelp.com

I just found this great web site with free instructional videos! If you can't figure out a stitch in a knitting pattern or you want to learn Continental knitting (which is what I was looking for) this is the place.

Link: KnittingHelp.com :: Free online Knitting Videos! :: Knitting instruction from Cast-on to Bind-off, and everything in between.

Scarfmania!

I knitted a scarf for myself out of Lion Brand Fancy Fur recently which a couple of my co-workers admired. So I offered to make them scarves, too.  I'm even making two lightweight scarves for my co-workers in our LA office. 

I'm more advanced with crochet, but working with novelty yarns  is a great opportunity to improve my knitting skills.  Eventually I'll be fully bi-craftal!

From top to bottom the yarns used are: Lion Brand Incredible ribbon yarn, the second scarf is made out of Lion Brand mohair yarn which has a gorgeous hand. Then the three at the bottom are all made with Fancy Fur. I didn't really use much of a pattern...the ribbon yarn scaf is simply sixteen stitches across and knitted entirely in garter stitch with size 13 needles. The mohair scarf was made with 20 stitches across with K4, P4 ribbing using size 10.5 needles. The Fancy Fur scarves were made in a stockinette stitch with size 13 needles.

After I finish these scarves I'll be working on finishing my first knitted sweater. Stay tuned!

The polka dot blankie - finished!

This is the finished polka dot blanket!!! This is the first time I've assembled a blanket from squares and there were TONS of ends to weave in because of the contrasting color of the polka dots. The yarn is Lion Brand ('natch!) Homespun Baby which is simply delicious to work with.  The pattern is available on the Lion Brand website.

Work in Progress: Polka Dot Blankie

I wanted to do a really, really special blanket for my "daughter-in-law" Gabriela who is expecting her second child next month. I wanted to do a baby blanket made from granny squares but then I found this pattern on the Lion Brand website.

I've done three panels of the five panels so far. I've got one more panel like the one shown in the center here and then one more in a different color order. I'm trying to get it finished by the time my crochet meet-up group meets on Wednesday.

I'm stressing about weaving in the ends because there are a lot of ends and this yarn is very fuzzy. What I might do is assemble it and leave all the ends on the back of the work and then maybe put a lining on the back out of flannel.

Shawl for Mom

I wanted to make my mom a nice shawl that she could snuggle up in when she's enjoying a good book. I started out knitting the shawl using the pattern on the label, but I kept dropping stitches trying to do the lace pattern and got frustrated. At the rate I was going, I would have finished her shawl by June! So I just switched to the crochet pattern which worked up fairly quickly. Microspun worsted weight yarn is really soft and has a nice sheen to it plus it's machine washable since it's acrylic.

Next up: another baby afghan!!

Hippy Dippy Poncho

Okay, first of all that's my little munchkin, my niece Sofia, holding up the poncho I made for her mommy. It's a little big for her so she's kind of stretching out the top...trust me, it is in the proper poncho shape! What matters is that she does have a fabulous manicure and her mom really, really liked the poncho.

Man Crazy

You know how they say you shouldn't go grocery shopping on an empty stomach, because you'll go crazy and buy everything in sight? The same could be said for yarn shopping after you've taken a week or two off from crocheting.

I like to take a little break between projects to rest my hands. So, I took a week off after I finished the "weekend" afghan. Afterwards, instead of picking up a new project from the stash of yarn I already have, I risked everything and went to P&S Fabrics "just to get ideas."

My friend Denise does a ton of "just to get ideas" shopping. She's able to satisfy her urge to shop by simply looking. She'll go to Bed, Bath and Beyond and browse through the aisles without buying anything and then come back down to Century 21 and find the same already heavily discounted item (on sale yet). And sometimes she doesn't even buy that!

P&S is a yarn junkie's dream (or worst nightmare). Conveniently (diabolically?) located a few minutes away from me on Broadway and White Street, the store sells yarns, crochet and knitting tools, pattern books and notions. They also have a ton of fabrics for people that enjoy sewing. Most of the other yarn shops in the city sell yuppie yarn which can be very costly. Yes they are fabulous yarns, imported from Italy, spun from the wool of sheep that lie on satin day beds eating bon bons all day, bla bla bla. But give me a sack full of Lion Brand Jiffy yarn on sale for $1.99 a skein and I'm a happy camper.

So, there I was on Wednesday, after a week of not picking up a hook, right in the middle of the sale bins at P&S. I wanted to crochet a poncho for my niece, Leonor, but I couldn't decide what color to get and I couldn't reach her on the phone. A sane person would have looked around, "just to get ideas," and come back after she knew what color her niece wanted. My sanity may be in question, but there's no question that I am creative.

"Ombre!" I thought. "I'll pick one of those ombre yarns that's dyed in a bunch of different colors." Then it'll look all psychedelic which is appropriate since I'm making a hippie-dippie poncho from a vintage 70s pattern. I wondered about the origin of that word and giggled that it's so close to the word hombre which means "man" in Spanish. Here I am drooling over a bin of ombres in all different sizes and color combinations. What would Freud say? Am I making some kind of subconscious substitution that proves my lust for yarn is just…lust?

I wanted to do a neutral color for Leo's poncho, so I chose Bernat Satin "The Softest Touch" (shut up, Sigmund) in Dune. I also got Patons Grace in Lavender for a sweater I want to knit. I want to make a poncho pour moi also, so I got six skeins of Red Heart TLC "Ultra Suave" in Country Club. I wonder if they make it in "Ultra Rico Suave" too? Stop!

Final tally: 89$ for at least three projects worth of yarn which really isn't that bad. Satisfied, I strolled out of P&S with my sack full of yarn, fantasizing about the different projects I would make. I had my yarn buzz on and I was mucho very happy. As I sat there dreaming about the silky feel of a thread of Patons Grace between my fingers, I realized that this is a passion for which there is no substitute. After all, "Sometimes a ball of yarn, is just a ball of yarn."