Cute Color Block Poncho at Mar's Site

There's another fun pattern at Marzipan Knits:

http://marzipanknits.blogspot.com/2016/01/machine-knit-stripilicious-patchwork_31.html

Look at the heart pillow pattern - made into an ornament by Eli!

Eli commented that she was making ornaments out of the little Valentine's pillows for which I recently put up a video and pattern.  Aren't these cute?  She's hand knitting them as well as machine knitting them.

http://rettogvrangstrikk.blogspot.com/2016/02/strikk-et-hjerte-knitting-hearts.html

Darling Baby Set at Yarn Harlot

Yep, I do watch the Yarn Harlot blog.  I watch logs of HK blogs; don't often link to them, as they contain so much non-knitting material. 

This is a clever use of beads:

http://rettogvrangstrikk.blogspot.com/2016/02/babystrikk-pa-pinnene.html

Beads are easy to add on our knitting machines!  And easy to sew on later, too.

Darling Baby Pants at Eli's

Check out these cute cabled baby pants

http://rettogvrangstrikk.blogspot.com/2016/02/babystrikk-pa-pinnene.html

Inspiration at Rhythm of the Needles

More great looking Fair Isle!

http://www.rhythmoftheneedles.net/2016/02/fair-isle-friday-winter-snows-mittens.html

Note how good her tension is!  I often see hand knitted fair isle where the stitches are just TOO uneven for my liking.  Seems like it's great to have it look hand knitted, but not sloppy.

Inspiration at Rhythm of the Needles

Great lookin' Fair Isle (hand knit):

http://www.rhythmoftheneedles.net/2016/02/conquering-machu-picchu.html

New Video for February - Stuffed Valentine Hearts

Happy Valentine's Day!

So...I'm a week early.  Well, it's a week for you to knit one of these little pincushions, or pillows, or sachets, or whatever-you-can-think-of little stuffed hearts.  It only takes a dab of yarn, can be done on almost any machine, and is great short-rowing and Kitchener practice.

Here's one that I made with tightly-knit wool yarn on the standard gauge machine (the 100 stitch size), then filled loosely with rice for a heating pad.  I hope the picture of me putting my hand under it shows how it has a little weight and molds to your body.

 
And, here are some little ones that I made for pin cushions (filled with bits of waste yarn).  Now. I find that I've gotten quite happily used to having a pin cushion next to my machine with tapestry needles.  They're very handy.

Below is a brief chart (not really a written-out pattern with complete instructions - you'll need to watch the video - with some different sizes you can make.  I'm not going to give gauges and measurements, because you could do this with a bulky gauge, mid-gauge, or standard gauge and use various yarns.

Stuffed Heart Chart
Cast on with waste yarn
over ____ stitches	16	20	30	40	60	100
Chain to main yarn
Knit ___ rows plain	4	5	6	8	12	25
Short row decrease
to ____ stitches	2	2	2	2	2	2
Short row increase until
all stitches are back in work
Rows to knit plain	4	5	6	8	12	25
Put half of needles in hold
Short row down to
___ stitches	4	6	8	10	14	24
Increase until all
stitches are back in work
Do other side
Take off on waste yarn
Kitchener stitch