Lace Wedding Garter

My sister got married this past weekend (on Leap Day!) in Stowe, VT. I hope to have pictures from the wedding posted soon, but for now, I thought I'd share a pattern for one of the gifts I gave her. It is a heavily modified version of Diane Willett's Knitted Lace Wedding Garter. Basically, it is thinner and with room for only one ribbon. In addition, there are no lace yarn overs at the edges, just very simple increasing and decreasing. I also simplified the finishing process. Originally, I began Willett's pattern as written, and I struggled with it because of my lack of lace needles (read: pointy) in the correct size. In addition, I wanted something simpler because it was getting close to the wedding date.

Lace Wedding Garter

MATERIALS
Yarn: Gloriana Silk (12 strand) using 4 strands at a time
Needle: US 1
Notions: Thin ribbon, sewing thread & needle, small fabric flowers or ribbon, elastic (about 1/4" wide)
Abbreviations: Kf&b = Knit in front and back of the stitch
YO = yarn over
SSK = slip, slip, knit
K2tog = knit 2 sts together

LACE PATTERN
Row 1: K1, Kf&B, K2, Kf&b, K1 (8 sts)
Row 2: Purl across
Row 3: K4, YO, YO, K4 (10 sts)
Row 4: P4, K1, P1, P4
Row 5: K1, SSK, K4, K2tog, K1 (8 sts)
Row 6: Purl across
Row 7: K1, SSK, K2, K2tog, K1 (6 sts)
Row 8: Purl across

INSTRUCTIONS
CO 6 sts.
Repeat 8 lace rows to desired length (approx. circumference of thigh).
BO loosely.

FINISHING
Weave in ends.
Wash and pin out to block.
Sew ends together on WS.
Weave ribbon through eyelets. Sew ribbon together on WS.
Cut elastic to approx. 3/4 length of garter. Weave elastic through eyelets behind ribbon. Sew together on WS.
Sew bow or flowers to front of garter to cover any visible seams.

Life is Changing

A lot has happened since my last post. Much of my life is drastically different. I've decided not to go too much into that here and now, but eventually I will probably elaborate. Generally though, I am far less stressed, and even somewhat content.

Knitting is still a big part of my life. It seems to play a large part in making new friends and learning new things. I took a class at Stix N Stitches not too long ago, which was the first formal knitting class I've ever taken. I already had a good grasp on the techniques taught, but I knew there was a faster way to do things, and I think I took some useful tips away from the class. Part of the reason for taking it was the social aspect - a bunch of my friends were also taking it. The class was on stranded colorwork, and I made these to hats:

The Loopy Ewe Swap that I participated in was completed recently. I sent my partner, Heather, a bunch of goodies, including the Teosinte Socks from KnitSpot that I knit:

My other partner, Sarah (the one that was knitting for me), completely spoiled me. This is a picture of almost everything she sent me:

The package included some chocolate and a lollipop, a Loopy Ewe bag and tape measure, some stitch markers, two note cards (one blank and one that she very thoughtfully explained everything she sent), some of her own handspun yarn (I was so touched by this), an adorable mug cozy with a hummingbird pin on it, and last but definitely not least, socks knit from Cookie A's Mingus pattern in Numma Numma yarn! She even sent me the leftover yarn for mending. The only thing missing from the picture is Cookie A's German Stocking pattern that she included:

Here's some close-ups of the other goodies:

Aren't they beautiful? Sarah was very good to me. She put all this together, all while working on a couple other swaps (I found out from her blog) and with kids! How does she find the time? Thanks Sarah!