If you're a slow knitter, like me, you may want to begin on a cold-weather item right now, while it's still summer. Yes. It's good to be realistic.

There are many things that tickle me about these squirrel-and-robot mittens that Beth on Six Orange Carrots knit. Each mitten announces in no uncertain terms the year of its creation. Seeing 2010 knitted like this, I imagine someone in the future, looking at these gloves and imagining what 2010 was. I like it when - occasionally - the date is tastefully incorporated into a craft.

UPDATE: Beth wrote to me with the pattern that she used (with slight modifications). It's by Adrian at Hello Yarn.

These knitted ankle bells that Kate from mini-eco made for her little boys would be perfect to wear to a summer music festival or dance party. And I love the word she uses to describe the feeling she had upon completion: chuffed. When I lived with a girl from England, she would throw "chuffed" into the verbal mix from time to time. That word has a really appealing, Roald Dahl-esque flavor to it.

chuffed = quite pleased

More:

• How-To: Crock Pot Yarn Dyeing

Sara at Penelope Teapot shares her pattern for this cute sailor scarf.

Anna of Mochimochi Land has released her new Tiny Things Collection 3 Patterns ($5) which includes a gnome, frog, pancakes and trash can. Don't let this large photo fool ya. Each of these little toys are small and knit on size 1 US needles. So cute!

I can't believe it was this close! Between CRAFT, my blog and Flickr, the sleeve preferences have been neck and neck (arm and arm?) all week! For a couple days, flutter edged ahead, but as of Tuesday morning, when I'd finished everything but the last sleeve, caps were ahead by one vote. I went with the consensus.

I love cap sleeves in theory, but normally feel my arms are too plump for them, especially if they're fitted. But these caps are looser than usual, and I think I can just pull them off. Plus, it's motivation to keep up with my arm weights, right?

(If you're interested in my dress, check back on Monday for an easy how-to! It's made from two standard pillow cases.)

People seem to have very strong feelings about both sleeves, although I liked them equally well and am already contemplating making one more so I can have a flutter sleeve, too. I I've found this yarn surprisingly easy on the hands--my hands usually get a little crampy with the vegetable fibers, but I think the loose easy gauge really makes a difference.

I have three skeins of Louet MerLin (60% linen, 40% merino) in pewter (grayish brown) in my stash, and I'm thinking of trying the original collar and a flutter sleeve. It's kind of a stiff yarn that blooms a little with washing, so I may wash the skeins first so they'll be nicer to knit and truer to gauge right off the bat.

I'm kind of stunned how completely different this garment is from the original, when the instructions are essentially the same. I've always loved top-down raglans for their flexibility, but the math of the puff sleeve ads a whole extra dimension of possibilities!

This pattern was definitely one of my favorites and certainly not my last That Girl! sweater. Besides the MerLin flutter-sleeve, I'm also picturing the original design in a lightweight merino or alpaca/silk blend with a matching shell as part of a sweet early winter sweater set. Maybe with a little crocheted flower off center, for a bit of an Emma Pillsbury vibe?

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If you loved the crochet Despicable Me Minion pattern we posted yesterday, but were wishing for a knit version, you are in luck! Kat of Kat's Knits shares her pattern for a cute little minion you can whip up with your knitting needles. Thanks, Susi!

Related:
Crochet Despicable Me Minion Pattern

Nikol here. I'm almost finished, but I still haven't committed to a sleeve. I knit one of each and I'm parading around in the mirror trying to decide. Help me pick?

That's the cap on the left and the flutter on the right. The wee sleeve variations eat very little yarn, so I'm making the torso longer, which I think suits the plainer version. In fact, you can get this length of the collarless, mini-sleeve variation out of a mere 4 balls of yarn.

I also have a great tip for people knitting the original, collared version. I'm a loose knitter, especially in seed stitch, and I noticed my collar was starting to stretch over time. Here's a very quick way to stabilize the collar, and it has the added bonus of defining the fold.

It's fastest in crochet, but you can produce the exact same effect by knitting.

Start the wrong side facing and your collar on top, look for the first row of stockinette after the seed collar. It will be the first row that's composed completely of purl stitches. You'll loosely work a stabilizing row through those purl bumps.

You'll need an H/8 crochert hook or US 8 knitting needle. You need to use a needle one size up and work loosely so your collar will be stable without pulling in.

To crochet, working one stitch through each purl bump, work one row of slip stitch.

To knit, pick up and immediately bind off one stitch through each purl bum across the row.

Voila!

Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
(Right click to save the PDF to your desktop. Having problems? See directions on downloading PDFs.)

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Our friend Zontee Hou of Lion Brand Yarn will be running three fun KAL projects on Knitting Daily TV. Zontee will be knitting the Fallen Leaves Scarf, the Little Lamb Sock Critter, and the Tabard Vest shown below.

Nikol here. I'm down to the torso. I still have another ball to knit on the torso before I have to commit to a sleeve, but I have no idea which way I want to go.

Tip: If you haven't picked out a button yet, you can use a mini pinback button as a placeholder so you can still try on you WIP. I'm using a My Paper Crane sad toast pinback button.

I've been using the waste yarn holding the sleeve stitches to manipulate the shape of the sleeves and play with different options. I think both the cap sleeve and the flutter sleeve look really good with the collarless version.

We got a great question about larger sizing on the flickr group from 2girlsnaboy. I thought other people might be interested, so I'm including the question and my answer, plus some extra info on sizing in the other direction.

Q: I am not quite a medium anymore (!), but a large. I am wondering if anyone has made this in a size a bit bigger than provided in the pattern, and if so, the suggested increases?

A: It's knit to size, so you'll make the changes automatically. The wide neckline (~21 inches) is suitable for a wide range of sizes, and you'll just keep going with the raglan increases until the sweater reaches below your armpits. If you're bigger, this will be farther along, which will result in more increases overall, and thus more stitches overall.

If you want to add a bit of extra ease beyond that, you can also cast on more stitches over the armpits--this will give you some more fabric in the body and more fabric in the arms. 5 extra stitches will give you a little over an inch of extra fabric.

For a L, I'd stick with the pattern as written.

For an XL or 2XL, if you want the neckline to be a bit wider from the start, you can cast on an extra stitches from the beginning, then divide them among the sections. For 2 extra inches, figure about 10 extra stitches. I'd put an extra stitch on each sleeve, 2 on each front panel, and 4 in the back. For 4 extra inches, add an extra 20 st and put 4 on each front panel, 2 on each sleeve, and 8 in the back.

On the other hand, if you wish to make a smaller model, cut back on your intital CO stitches, and everything will fall into place. Top-down raglans are conveniently auto-sizing, so as long as you start with the neckline you want and divvy up the stiches with the same percentages, you'll be able to generate any size you want.

For a very small frame or a child's size, you'd cast on fewer stitches. Use the larger sizes as a guideline, but work backwards. So for 2 fewer inches of neckline, subtract 10 extra stitches. When you place the markers, take an extra stitch off each sleeve, 2 off each front panel, and 4 off the back, and CO 4 stitches over the armpits instead of 6.

For 4 fewer inches of collar, drop an extra 20 st and take 4 off each front panel, 2 off each sleeve, and 8 off the back. You'll also want to start the puffs 1/2 inch sooner, and CO either 2 or 4 stitches over the armpits instead of the regular 6.

Whether you're going up or down in sizes, you can check our size before you get going. After working a couple rows of collar, drape it around your neck to approximate the jacket's neckline. If the size looks good, proceed.

Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes
(Right click to save the PDF to your desktop. Having problems? See directions on downloading PDFs.)

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I'm currently working on the collar of my That Girl! Summer Jacket which I am making in the neutral beige linen color. Ever since Nikol posted up her KAL variations, I'm now fancying the option of a mini tie for the sleeves. I haven't decided yet but am glad I can decide once I get to the sleeve area. If you are interested in knitting along with us, please join our That Girl! Summer Jacket KAL Flickr Group.

Illustration: Lion Brand Yarn

The first stitch of the project is a slip stitch purlwise. Generally, if it isn't noted in a pattern it should be assumed to be done purlwise so that the selvedge edge of the project will look neat. To do this, simple insert your right knitting needle into the left needle as if you are going to purl the first stitch. Instead of purling, simply transfer over that single stitch to your right needle.
For more directions, see the slip stitch page in Lion Brand Yarn's Library of Knitting and Crochet.

In knitting this project, I've been using my Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needles. I reviewed these in the first issue of CRAFT: 01, and they've been a knitting essential ever since. It has saved me from buying new needles each time I start a knitting project. The cool thing about these needles is that I'll be able to extend the circular area of the needle as I knit. Since I'm starting out with just the collar right now, to keep things from tangling up, I'm using a smaller length of cord. To add on more lenth, I simply take off one end of needles, add an extender piece and add on another length of cord to extend it. I don't need to take my project off the needles!

I'm looking forward to lots more knitting this weekend. Enjoy!

Check out loolabub's progress on her sweater! I love the mauve color she chose.

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