Tuesday, October 19, 2010

FO: Allure

Holy moly, knitters, I finished this lovely knit back in APRIL and am now just getting around to taking photos.  Oops.  Well, Allure sat in my dresser all summer and now that it's finally cool enough to wear it, I thought it time to blog it.
Pattern:  Allure, by Kim Hargreaves [Ravelry Link]
Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze, color Bebe (#586), 4.25 skeins 
I love this sweater.  Ever since I learned how to knit, I wanted to make a soft, lofty, pretty, lacey, mohair-y sweater.  I tried working with Kidsilk Haze back in 2006 but failed miserably.  I wasn't until I learned how to "read" my knitting that I was able to tackle this project (and churning out some other lace projects helped, too).
Playing ring-around-the-rosie
I didn't make any modifications to the sweater, except that I knit a size in between the given XS/S and S/M.  This was easy to do, just followed stitch counts in between the two sizes and shaping instructions for the smaller size.  I did have to work the cowl neck end twice - casting off VERY loosely should be emphasized more as my head didn't fit through the first time.

Meanwhile, more babies are appearing.  Good friends recently welcomed little Sophia Rose, so I got down to business.
Pattern:  Little coffee bean cardigan, made with longer sleeves.  [Ravelry Link]
Yarn: About 1 skein each of stash yarn(!): Rowan handknit cotton for the 2 pinks and Berroco Touche for the purple.  Perfectly matching buttons found at Joann's.
 Hooray for fall knits!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Fall Sweater Fest

It's been chilly here in the mid-Atlantic recently which means cozy weekend mornings with my fall knitting and pumpkin spice coffee creamer added to my morning cup.  Love it. 

No baby knits here today, folks.  I've been downright selfish with my knitting choices as of late.  I've cast on for three new sweaters and purchased the pattern and yarn for a fourth.  Wanna see?

This is the Venezia sweater, knit in two colors, which has been done often by other Ravelers.  I'm using Valley Yarns Huntington in grey and cream.  I had a hard time finding the right yarn for this project.  I wanted something that would be soft next to my skin and I think the Huntington is going to provide that.  It's a splitty yarn but I am using Knitpicks' yarn thimble (that little purple thingie in the picture) which helps with that and also evened out my tension tremendously.
Next up is the Delancey Cardigan.  I'm being totally unoriginal here and knitting it in colors similar to the model.  I'm using another Valley Yarns: Northfield.  It's a blend of merino, alpaca and silk.  It works up very nicely and I hope the silk helps with the drape of this unusually constructed garment.  It's been a lot of fun to knit and I can't wait to see how the rest of the shaping works.
The third project to show you is the February Fitted Pullover.  I ended up casting on for this on a whim since I had stash yarn that worked perfectly.  I'm using Rowan Cashsoft DK.  I ended up making some modifications and I'm not sure that they have worked, and the sweater GREW a lot in blocking so I am a little unmotivated to finish this one, but we'll see.

So that's where I'm at.  We also squeezed in one last week of summer at Virginia Beach where the weather was great and the beach was not crowded.
Hooray for the beach!!

Monday, August 23, 2010

One


I can't believe a whole year has gone by already. How fun it has been.

More baby knits to share. This is the last of them for a little while. I've actually cast on for two new fall sweaters for me, bought the yarn and pattern for another one and ordered yarn and the pattern for a fourth. Excessive? Probably, but these are all great sweaters and I'm excited to have such a burst of mojo back.
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Pattern: Jasper Diamond Hoodie, from Vintage Baby Knits [Ravelry Link]
Yarn: 3 plus a little of a 4th skein of Knitpicks Simply Cotton Organic Sport
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I love, Love, LOVE this sweater. The pattern is fabulous and I made not one modification. The fit is perfect for 12-18 months and the short rows on the hoodie make that adorable little 'elf' look.
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I also love this yarn. For the price, you cannot beat it. The quality is great and it was wonderful to knit with. I have yet to wash it, but I expect it to wear well. Definitely the BEST baby knit I have made for Ellie to date in terms of cuteness, wear-ability and longevity of use!

I also recently knit up a little sweater for someone at work who is expecting a baby boy in September.
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model: Ellie B.
Pattern: Baby Sophisticate [Ravelry Link]
Yarn: I was hoping this would be more of a stash buster, but I really just have lots of odd skeins of yarn around, so I ended up purchasing a skein of Vanna's Choice (the lighter green) and using leftover Knitpicks Swish (yellow) and Valley Yarns Superwash (dark green). For the price, I really like the quality and handling of Vanna's yarn. I ended up using every last yard of it, too!
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I cast on 38 stitches since many Ravelers noted that it was sized kind of small. Now, I'm a little concerned that it's too wide and the sleeves are too short, but bigger is always better for baby knits, right?! The recipient is a short gal, so maybe she'll have a baby with short arms? Yes?

Hope everyone is enjoying the last weeks of summer. Can we have some fall weather, please? I can't wait to show you all what I've been working on.

PS. A new comment system has been activated on my blog and I don't know how to respond to you all by email, so I apologize that I have not answered you. Please know that I appreciate every note you drop! I hope to figure it out soon. Has anyone else who used to have Haloscan for comments figured this out?

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

The heat is on

Happy summer, everyone. It's pretty much hot everywhere, no? After many years of knitting adorable little summery knits, and after subsequent years of said knits sitting in my closet because the humidity is unbearable or it's just too warm for a short sleeve sweater in a worsted gauge, I have hung up the towel on summer knitting. Fortunately, with the wee one crawling (and now standing, cruising, but not walking independently yet) and many peers with wee ones on the way, summer time leaves plenty of time for small knits.

A dear friend, mom to a 12 and 6 year old boy decided to go for a third baby at the age of 40. After a miscarriage, she became pregnant with twins. Certain of her fate as a mom to 4 boys, she decided to let the twins' sex be a surprise. The whole pregnancy she said they were boys, prepared herself for boys . . . you get where this is going? She then delivered two adorable little girls and I squealed with excitement to knit them something cute.

I wanted something practical for summer but something that would also potentially go into the autumn.
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Pattern: Confection Baby Shrugs [Ravelry Link]
Yarn: Stash busting of leftovers/frogged yarn

This pattern knit up very quickly. Ellie was about 9 months when these photos were taken, so I am confident that the twins will get some wear out of them through the fall months, too.

I also spent the late spring knitting up a little bolero for Ellie.
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Pattern: Debbie Bliss Bow-Tied Bolero, free [Ravelry Link]
Yarn: Valley Yarns Longmeadow, about 3 skeins

This yarn is a winner for kid knits. It's machine washable, soft and holds up very nicely. A great pick for the price and color selection.

I also started what was supposed to be Ellie's summer jacket but will likely be her fall jacket, the Jasper Diamond Hoodie from Vintage Baby Knits. This book was at my local library and has many cute patterns, and I love the vintage style to them.

And, rounding up the little knits - I just started this cardigan today. It's for a friend at work who is expecting a little boy in September. It's the Baby Sophisticate pattern. I'm using up stash yarn by making it striped. I like the Charlie Brown feel to it.


I've also purchased a pattern and new yarn (!!) for my annual get-me-in-the-mood-for-fall sweater. Previous fall sweaters for which I purchased yarn in the summer include the September Sweater, Ribbon Trim Cardigan and Juno. All winners, and all were worn this past winter. What are you excited about knitting this fall, or are you just enjoying the summer? Hope everyone is staying cool!!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Knit in Action

Howdy!

I owe a much better post than this, but wanted to share a few recent photos. Ellie is now 8 1/2 months old and she enjoyed her first Easter.

Check out the Leafy Lacy Cardi in action.


We also went on a trip to Charleston and Savannah. Our little Yosemite Sam really enjoyed the baby swings!

On the crafting front, Allure has been finished for a long while now, and I've knit up a few little baby items. I'll show you those and thoughts on summer knitting very soon. Promise!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

FO: Starlight, Starbright

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable holiday season. Ellie enjoyed her first Christmas as much as she enjoys everything else right now. It was fun getting her dressed up and telling her Santa was coming (even though she was more excited to see her cereal spoon on Christmas morning). Anywho, I've finished Starlight, Starbright and couldn't be happier with how it turned out.
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Pattern: Starlight, Starbright test-knit for Kirsten Jensen, Raveled Here. Pattern to be released very soon!
Yarn: Knitpicks Palette in Mai Tai Heather, Sky and Green Tea Heather. 1 skein each. Buttons found where else? Joanns.
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This is a really delightful little pattern. At a gauge of 8 sts to 1", it's not a quick knit, but seeing the finished product, I would choose to knit one of these instead of 3 or 4 quick-o baby knits. I had some serious knitting-brain-farts when starting this, but if you're familiar with Norwegian style knitting, it will be a piece o' cake.
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I made a few mods to the pattern, but the main one was knitting the sleeves in the round with steek stitches and then separating them after securing the steeks. Why haven't I thought of this before? I avoid DPNs at. all. costs. I don't even know why I own them, except for the occasional i-cord, I suppose.
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I know it's mid-January and all, but I didn't get a chance to show you all lady Eleanor's Christmas stocking I churned out the week before Christmas. I couldn't let my first born have no stocking hanging on the fireplace on Christmas Eve, even if she didn't notice. Besides, my outdoor lights are still up (yup, we're those people).

For deets, follow the link above. I made up my own chart for the snowflake and snowman to fit the number of stitches I needed for the repeats.

I'm ready for a break from fair-isle now. I'm getting back to Allure, which I started way back in July. My goal is to finish by Super Bowl (in which I hope, but don't expect, to see my Ravens). Hope you're all staying warm and toasty during this dead-of-winter period with your yarn and needles!