Sealed with a Hug

This doesn't really need a pattern but I felt like writing up the recipe anyway.

With bulky yarn and suitable needles, cast on 5 stitches (or as many as needed to fit around your tube of lip balm) and knit in garter stitch for about 7 inches (or until it will fit, slightly stretched, lengthwise around your tube of lip balm). Cast off. Fold ends towards center and sew the sides together.
In one corner, pick up three stitches. Knit i-cord for 1 1/2 inches (or as long as necessary to make a loop). With keyring on i-cord, sew down the end to the cozy to make a loop.

Adapt as you like. Knit in stockinette or in sock yarn and with a lacy pattern. This cozy is smaller than a swatch, so go ahead, be daring!

Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks pattern

This is a scarf based on star stitch.
The name comes from a song by The Brunettes.

“Holding hands, feeding ducks
When I met you, that's what I wanted to do”

Yarn: Handpaintedyarn Colonia 140 or other thick-and-thin aran weight yarn, around 1.5 - 2 100-gram skeins.

Needle size: US 10.5 / 6.5 mm

Gauge: Doesn't really matter. Vary yarn and needle size to get the fabric you want. I recommend using bigger needles than you normally would for the yarn.

Abbreviations:
RS: right side
MS: make star--purl three stitches together but leave the stitches on the left needle. Wrap yarn around the working needle once, then purl the same 3 stitches together again.
P: purl
K: knit

Star stitch:
Multiple of 4 stitches + 1 (i.e. 17, 21, 25, 29...)
Row 1 (RS): Knit all stitches
Row 2: P1, (MS, P1) repeat to end
Row 3: Knit
Row 4: P3, MS, (P1, MS) repeat to last 3 stitches, P3
Repeat these 4 rows.

Additional notes:
Making the star is easier if you knit loosely and/or use a bigger needle size than usual.
When deciding how many stitches to cast on for the width you want, keep in mind that scarves tend to stretch lengthwise and thus become narrower when worn.
The edges of this stitch pattern will tend to curl.
This stitch is not reversible; there is a right side and wrong side.

Scarf Pattern:
Cast on 25 stitches (or other multiple of 4 stitches +1) and work in star stitch till desired length.
Long tail cast on counts as the first knit row (otherwise there is a purl ridge at the edge).
Bind off on RS. I like the sewn bind-off.

updated 11/21/2010