Skully

The human skull, one symbol, so many meanings: 

• Death, life, life after death
• Rebirth or change
• Vanity
• Good luck, bad luck or no luck
• Poison
• Fear or caution in the presence of danger
• Bravery or courage in the face of death
• Nonconformity or rebelliousness
• Decoration or fashion statement
• Monster High Skullette

Skully is a little loom-knitted embellishment that you may decorate in any way you choose. Hauntingly adorable!! You can make them in any color and decorate them with buttons, embroidery, sequins or ribbon. These make great embellishments for hats, scarves, book bags or headbands. Sew pins on the backs and give them as Halloween or Day of the Dead gifts to friends and family.

The Skully pattern is available on Ravelry for a mere $1.25. Although this is a small applique (2-3”), the pattern is six pages long. Small items require specific techniques, especially on knitting looms, in order to create a clean finished look. This pattern includes the following:

12-peg Skully (right) & 20-peg Skully (left)

• Two versions of the pattern: one for the CinDWood 12-peg 1/2” round loom and one for the CinDWood 20-peg 3/8” round loom, which also works with the 3/8” KB SockLoom2 set at 20-pegs. The photo on the right shows both versions of the pattern using the same yarn with the accompanying looms on which they were made.
• Technical specs (skill level, size, gauge based on WPI, materials & notes
• Photos of finished items using various types of yarn & finishing techniques
• Techniques for the following: Single Drawstring Cast On; Closing the gap on the CO at end/beginning of rows; transitioning bind off edge from flat to round; Double Flat Knit BO; Single BO; Double Drawstring CO;and using WPI (wraps per inch).
• General embroidery information is given which includes a simple diagram.

Here are some examples of Skully make on the 12-peg 1/2" gauge CinDWood Round Loom:

These are made on the 20-peg 3/8" looms. The one with the pink bow (top left) was made on the KB SockLoom2 set at 20-pegs and the others were made on the CinDWood Round Loom:. 

Hope you and Skully have a Happy Day of the Dead!

You can purchase the Skully pattern on Ravelry

NOTE: Currently, there is NO video tutorial.    However, that could change at any moment.

Loom Stitches: Ridge Eyelet Lace

Ridge Eyelet Lace Stitch for the Knitting Loom

Translating stitch patterns from needle knitting to loom knitting is one of my hobbies, so I thought I would occasionally share one here in an effort to breathe a little life into this sleeping blog. Today's stitch pattern is the Ridge Eyelet Lace Stitch. This is a very easy stitch, even for beginning loom knitters, and it a great stitch to use for any project where you want a "touch of lace". An overview of the stitch is shown in the thumbnail below and detailed afterward. A larger version of the thumbnail photo is available in PDF format here: Ridge Eyelet Lace Stitch for the Loom.

The instructions above are self-explanatory, but I know some of us need more than just basic information so hopefully, the following explanation will help.

Ridge Eyelet Lace Stitch for the Loom

For this explanation, we will be using a 5/8" gauge 12-peg round loom and one strand of Red Heart Super Saver 

• Cast On: Cast On all 12 pegs using one strand of yarn and your favorite cast on method.
  For a quick neat cast on edge, I use my version of the Twisted-Loop Cast On, where the working yarn is placed in front of the peg and e-wrapped from front-back-front; then finish by knitting the bottom e-wrap strand over the top. This is what the Twisted-Loop CO needle version looks like.
  
• Row 1 (for working in rounds): Continue on from peg-12 to peg-1 and knit all pegs using the regular or u-wrap knit stitch.
  Row 1: (for working a flat panel): Turn in the opposite direction and knit from peg-12 back to peg-1 using the regular or u-wrap knit stitch.
  
• Row 2 (for working in rounds): Continue on from peg-12 to peg-1 and purl all pegs.
  Row 2: (for working a flat panel): Turn in the opposite direction and purl from peg-12 back to peg-1.
  
  
• Row 3: Repeat Row 1.
  
• Row 4 (for working in rounds): You will omit the instructions represented on the chart above in yellow and work only the repeating pattern, *yo, k2tog; repeat from * to the end of the row. To begin this row you will move the stitch from peg-1 and all odd numbered pegs to peg-2 or all even numbered pegs, This will leave peg-1 and all odd numbered pegs empty and all even numbered pegs with two stitches. Bring the working yarn over the empty odd numbered pegs for the yarn over and knit the two stitches together on the even numbered pegs. (Note: When working the yarn over, you may use either an e-wrap for a more open lace stitch, or just bring the strand of yarn over the peg without wrapping for a tighter stitch.)
  Row 4 (for working a flat panel): You will need to include the instructions represented on the chart above in yellow, which forms the edge stitches for the flat panel as follows: K1, *yo, k2tog; repeat from * up to the last peg; k1 (the last peg). Pegs 2-11 will be worked using the yo, k2tog repeats. Notice that with the addition of the edge stitches for a panel, the yarn overs are worked on the even numbered pegs and the k2tog's are worked on the odd numbered pegs. Otherwise, the stitches are worked the same for both the rounds and flat panels.
  
• Repeat the above 4 rows to your desired length.

Hope you have fun making projects with this easy lace pattern!

Artsy Eclipse Photos 2017

Today's solar eclipse found my husband and I sitting on the patio of Jason's Deli in Kennesaw, GA. We didn't have the best location to view the eclipse, but I snapped photos of this once in a lifetime event with my iPhone anyway. The pictures were rather unspectacular; however, after playing with the photo editor on my laptop things improved. The photo above was my favorite. It doesn't look like a typical photo of an eclipse but has more of an artistic quality that I love. The one below is my other favorite.