This is the first vest I knitted following a pattern provided by Debbie Stroller. Debbie is known for many popular knitting books and her website has lots of cute patterns. Check it out here!

Once you get the pattern going, the cables and balls are actually fun to knit.  I didn’t use Debbie’s yarn, but substituted with Lion Brand wool-ease.

It only took 2.5 balls of yarn and a few weeks to knit.  I ended up tweaking this pattern a bit.   As for the pattern inside the diamond cable, it was not done with seed stitch but instead has ribbing. And for the stitching the shoulder, I used Kitchener Stitch because it comes out looking seamless.

I am thinking of making another one in navy or cream color.  And also try knitting the vest in the round so there is less to weave or sew together.

The vest is a size medium and fits me just right.I was hoping this vest would be wearable in the spring, but so far it’s been too warm. Guess it will come in handy for next autumn and winter.

Photo of “Study Hall Vest” by Stitch Nation designed by Vladimira Cmorej for Debbie Stroller.

Today I picked up a new knitting book, ““. There were lots of nice sweater patterns that I’d love to work on someday. Exactly when I will knit them, I don’t know.

The thought of accumulating more knitting books made me wonder if this book will just end up collecting dust on my shelf.

So why do I keep buying more knitting books? Just like some ladies I know, they can never have enough shoes or purses. I guess for me, there can never be too much yarn or knitting books!

So here’s a few more knitting books I like to add to my wishlist:

: Making 20 Figures with Wool Roving and a Barbed Needle

“Anyone can make cute and cuddly creatures from a handful of fluff and a barbed needle! There are only a few books written on the subject and most of those focus on ‘flat’ needle felting on a surface. This book is about sculptural needle felting—creating 3-D animals and figures using the felting needle to sculpt wool.”

The mama & baby penguins are too cute! I’m not exactly sure what to do with little wooly animals… maybe Christmas ornaments?

: An Introduction to Revolutionary Knitting with 28 Modern Projects by Daniel Yuhas

“In Knitting from the Center Out, Daniel Yuhas teaches knitters the fascinating technique of starting a project with just a few stitches and knitting outward, in revolutions (or circles).

Throughout the book are enlightening explanations of the underlying math and the architecture of the flat and dimensional shapes.”

This new way of knitting sounds really interesting. I am a fan of circular knitting and would love to try something like knitting from the center out.

When it comes to knitting, I think Daniel Yuhas said it best, “It’s amazing how two sticks, two stitches, and some twisted string can be combined in so many innovative ways to make so many beautiful things.”

All photos from Amazon.com

I knitted this cute little clutch with cotton yarn in Sienna. The free pattern is from Classic Elite Yarn. They call it “Sundance make up bag” design by Joelle Meier Roux.

It’s a really easy and quick knit with various texture and details. Using about 1 ball of yarn. It’s a great pattern for advance beginning knitter who want something a bit more challenging.

I have a few balls of this yarn I could use next time. It’s made of cotton and silk. But it might be just too soft. Shibui silk might actually be a better yarn to use. Even linen or hemp blend yarn would work well too.

My latest handmade soap just off the curing rack is “Bergamot goat milk soap” which also includes Seabuckthorn oil and Himalayan salt. I especially like to use this as facial cleansing soap.

Bergamot is definitely one of my favorite scents. Bergamot is usually added to Earl Grey tea and gives it a natural citrus flavor & scent. I also like that the scent is very uplifting without being too overpowering.

The salt is what gives it the white speckles. The salt blended in well as it’s not at all scratchy on the skin.

The goat milk also makes it a very creamy and moisturizing bar of soap. So a perfect bar for winter dry skin. And I had to add Seabuckthorn oil, as it’s one of the best natural oils for skincare.

Ingredients: all veggie oil, including Seabuckthorn oil, goat milk, distilled water, lye, bergamont essential oil, Himalayan salt.

Note: This bar of soap didn’t come out perfectly on the sides… but it’s a larger bar than I normally make. It still makes a nice bar of soap.

With the cooler temperatures and wet weather these past few days, it was perfect time to knit again. And to start off the knitting season, I’ve made this Trinity Infinity Scarf.

This pattern is called Trinity stitch, aka Raspberry or Blackberry stitch. When I first learned to knit, I found this pattern to be very daunting. But now I can say it’s become a new favorite stitch of mine. But all the “knitting into the same stitch” can really cramp your style. So I knitted this pretty loose.

I haven’t found my model dress form… so here’s my attempt at it.

Begin by casting on 200 stitches. Knitting in the round, circular needles size 8. Machine washable Lion Brand wool-ease yarn in a golden hue of autumn.

Trinity stitch calls for multiples of 4 and 4 row. Knit or purl first row, connect the ends. I knitted mine. Then start pattern:

Row 1: *P3tog, (k1,p1,k1) into the same stitch. Repeat *
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: *(k1,p1,k1) into the same stitch, P3tog. Repeat *
Row 4: Purl

Knit to your desired width and bind-off. The Infinity Trinity scarf can also be folded to form a warm cozy cowl.

Am working on this special project using the same pattern. I think it reminds me of snow or even popcorn!

I’ve just added this new knitting book to my craft library. Knit Local: Celebrating America’s Homegrown Yarns by Tanis Gray.

The book has lots of interesting profiles of local and small yarn companies from across the United States. My favorite is the story of “Juniper Moon Yarns“.

There are lots of nice patterns included. I’m thinking this falling leaves interlocking cowl would be great for autumn.

Because the book is promoting eco-friendly yarns and supporting local business, I was surprised to see the book was published in China. Why can’t Sixth & Spring find a local publisher? Or better yet provide us with a digital copy? I would have love to add this e-book to my Nook.

Another e-book I’ve put on my Amazon wishlist is “Circular Knitting Workshop” by Margaret Radcliffe. Kudos to Storey Publishing for making it available to ebook readers.

Side note: Backdrop is of the WIP of a shawl… it was suppose to be a sample but it turned out to look pretty nice. So that’s become my summer knitting project. Oh, I also had coffee in the mug, but it was so good that by the time I took this photo the mug was empty!

I just love the pattern for the Beaufort Hat. The pattern can be found at Angela Hahn’s knitting blog, Knititude. She writes, “waves are topped with whitecaps, and foam begins to spray from their peaks. (For those landlocked, small trees sway!)”

This is my Beaufort inspired finished product. After I finished knitting this I thought the pattern looked a lot like leaves on a vine, but growing diagonally.

It’s a simple neck warmer and makes a great spring or summer accessory. It can even double as a head scarf.

Yarn: Lion Brand’s Cotton Ease Yarn in terracotta.

Knitting needles: Takumi 16″ circular needles size 7.

The pattern is simple to follow. I’ve never tried a 3 x 3 ribbing before and it looks really neat. Instead of finishing it off as a hat, I ended up knitting until I ran out of yarn. Actually it was left over yarn from another project.

Thanks Angela for sharing the free pattern!

Note: To bind/cast off a stretchy rib stitch I used a similar .

I haven’t made much jeweleries lately until I saw these pretty bracelets from Lee’s Design. They have inspired me to make a bracelet too.

The best things about making jewelries (or soap) is that they are truly unique. Handmade gifts always feel more genuine than something found at the mall.

And if you can’t make it yourself, you can always support local artisan that do excellent and beautiful work.

This bracelet is held together with steel wire and clasp. There’s also some fresh water pearls, random small gem stones and glass beads. I think I bought most of them from The Bead Shop many years ago.

Sometimes I still find myself admiring pretty gemstones and taking them home with me. Now they are just sitting there waiting for an inspiration.

The only thing about spring that makes knitting hard is that it’s much nicer to be outside enjoying the sunshine.

This is one of my first attempt at knitting something for my wardrobe.  It’s not perfect, but it’s just warm enough for spring days and nights.

It’s made with a wool and bamboo blend yarn. I knitted the two pieces separately and then sew the seams together along the sides and shoulder.

Learning lessons: Next time around I will use smaller needles and maybe use seed stitches for the ribbing and collar.

I’ve also just finished making a cardigan and that took me forever! Making adult sweaters take way too long.

Maybe I’m one of those folks that like smaller projects for variations. But meeting new knitting challenges can be fun too. As there is still more to learn and grow.

I am currently working on a toddler’s cardigan knitted in one piece from the top down. Hence no need to sew the seams. It’s a quicker knit and uses much less yarn.

I am attempting to model part of this spring vest here. One of these days I’ll have to get me a dress form.

Some crafty finds from the thrift store all for $5. Lucky me!

Super soft cashmere yarns. In case anyone should wonder, no - it does not smell weird. Just nice clean yarn. I am going to knit fingerless gloves with them.

A vintage knitting pattern booklet for ski sweaters and hats using worsted weight yarn. The one on the right (Fair Isle) is actually very fashionable.