Fancie Pants Knits

FO: September

2009-12-12T16:36:00.006-05:00

Finally! Today was a great day, if a little cold, to take some photos of my finished September sweater. I started this project back in, uh, September, and finished it shortly after returning to work at the beginning of November. I'll remember it as my maternity leave sweater.

Pattern: September [Raveled Here], loosely based off the pattern notes from eyeloveit. I used her general construction and cable charts for the sleeves and yoke of this sweater. For the body section I selected two cable charts out of Cables & Arans to repeat around.

Yarn: Ah, there's always a yarn saga, isn't there? 15 balls of Jaeger Extrafine Merino DK in Cream. I had purchased a bag of 10 balls from Cucumberpatch last year on clearance for like $40. That's 1370 yards, which I thought would be plenty for this project. Once I had gone through half of it and hadn't even finished the top section, I knew I was in trouble. There were a few Ravelers who had some of the yarn stashed in the same dyelot, but none were up for trade and all had intentions to use it for a project. On a whim, I emailed Cucumberpatch to see if they happened to have any left. As luck would have it, they did, so I ordered 5 more balls. While working the rest of the sweater, I decided to use up of all the yarn.

How the sweater is constructed: The top section is cast on at one sleeve, worked up to the armpit, then stitches are cast on at the bust, worked across and back down the other sleeve. Then, stitches are picked up under the bust and the rest of the sweater is knit down to the hem. The only seaming were the sleeves and the short section at the sides. I decided to knit until I had 3 balls of yarn left and then cast off at the bottom. I then picked up stitches for the button bands and collar and knit each piece with 1 ball of yarn. This way, I had no leftovers.

I also opted for snaps since I didn't know as I was knitting it how many buttons I wanted to put on it. There was quite a bit of math involved in this one, and I will post the details on Ravelry for those interested.

I really love how this turned out. It's a versatile color and quite cozy. The yarn has a slight stretch to it, but I plan to hand wash it and see if I can give it a quick spin in the dryer on low heat to restore its shape over time. But right now, it's great. And, it was a new construction for me, which is always fun.

Now I'm trying to make progress on Starlight, Starbright. I've finished the body and started the sleeves. I secured my steeks with a sewing machine and cut. So far, so good. I am a little nervous about my steeks coming apart, but I'm probably needlessly worrying.

Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season!

A Fair Isle Fall

2009-11-29T10:29:00.006-05:00

Hope everyone is having a the kind of Sunday-after-Thanksgiving (for US readers) or last Sunday in November (for all readers) you'd like to enjoy. This past weekend has been full of family, friends and food. And of course, the knitting.

I finished Ellie's first winter hat. This is a fantastic stash-user, even scrap-user, easy and fun.

Pattern: Giacomo's Hat by the purlbee. [Web Link] [Raveled Here]

Yarn: Main color: Joann Tesoro leftover from Ellie's Seamless Kimono; Flower: Joann Tesoro in Lilac; Background: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Cloud; Pink detail: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease. For all of these yarns, I used very small amounts, and the slightly differing weights still resulted in a nice fair isle look.

All of my knitting attention is now being paid to finishing my test-knit for Kirsten's Starlight, Starbright pattern in Knitpicks Palette. I had several ditzy moments in the beginning and learned about Norwegian knitting before I got the pattern to work correctly for me, but now it's smooth sailing. I've never done steeks before, either, so this pattern is a real learning experience for me.

My September sweater is not only finished, but I've even worn it several times. I am hoping to get Bill and the camera outside today for some photos. Darn these shorter days! Hope you all have a great week, with lots of leftover turkey sandwiches.

FO: Seamless Kimono and Flower Clip

2009-11-03T12:19:00.004-05:00

I went back to work yesterday, so maternity leave is officially over. But, I'm only back at reduced hours, so I still have some quality time with little E a few days a week. Knitting has been moving along at a nice pace. Here's a little faux-wrap sweater that fits now and hopefully will get us through winter:

Pattern: Seamless Kimono Sweater [Raveled Here]
Yarn: Joann Sensations Tesoro, 2.5 skeins
This yarn was a clearance buy for $2.37/skein a few years ago. After blocking with a little Woolite, it softened very nicely. I used some leftover yellow Knitpicks Swish for the i-cord and flowers.

I cast on fewer stitches since my gauge was larger than the pattern and adjusted the raglan shaping accordingly. I also used a lace edging instead of garter stitch, just in case it wasn't girly enough.

I also made this little pacifier clip for the car seat, and it only took about a day. Not too much sewing on this one.

Pattern: Flower Clip, in Itty Bitty Nursery [Raveled Here]
Yarn: All leftovers of Rowan Handknit Cotton in Sugar for the petals and Valley Yarns Longmeadow in Lettuce and Mango for the edging and stem.

My September sweater is nearly finished - I just need to knit the button bands and get some buttons. I'm really excited about this one, folks! And, I've been asked to test knit one of Skandi's soon to be released patterns, Starlight, Starbright. I am using some stash yarn for this and will post some deets on it next time. It's an adorable little fair-isle baby sweater great for a boy or girl.

FO Parade!

2009-10-14T17:29:00.014-04:00

I promised I have been knitting during my maternity leave and am finally delivering the proof. Let's not waste time; here are the goods. First up:

Pattern: Cloud Bolero by Ysolda, [Raveled Here]
Yarn: Tahki Cotton Classic in color 3214, 5 skeins

Mods: Cast on 74 sts and worked raglan increases for the medium size. Made the sleeves longer and body longer. Added a garter stitch button band as I went along. I like how this came out. Perfect for these cooler days. The big buttons (found at Joann's) cause the button bands to gape a little in the front, but it adds interest, I guess. Overall, a success!

Next up:

Pattern: Baby Sweater on Two Needles, [Raveled Here]
Yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton, 2 1/2 skeins

I've made this pattern twice before, once with the same exact yarn. You can't go wrong with this tried and true pattern. It's a little big on Ellie now but she'll grow into it quickly, I'm sure.

Pattern: Berry Baby Hat, [Raveled Here]
Yarn: Di Ve Zenith, less than a skein of orange and green.

I made this an October-themed hat for Halloween. Totally cute! I only wish the change over to the green "stem" was further down closer to the ears. It's a pretty skimpy looking stem, in my opinion.

Pattern: Pea Pod Baby Sweater, [Raveled Here]
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Merino DK in teal
You've seen this one before, but now that it has buttons, it's WAY cuter. It's too big on Ellie for a modeled shot right now.

Lastly, I had to show you all this.

This is a sweater, hat and booties knit by my grandmother for my mother. So that makes it over 60 years old. The gauge on this is ridiculously small - about 9 sts to 1 inch. My mom found a box of these vintage hand knits and I plan to share more of them with you as I go through them and as Miss E fits into them.

September sweater progress

2009-09-28T11:00:00.004-04:00

Thank you all for the wonderful comments about my daughter! I can't believe 6 weeks have gone by and that I only have 5 weeks of maternity leave left. Where does the time go? Well, despite my absence from blogging, I have been finding more time to knit than I thought I would. Here's some proof:

This is the September sweater by eyeloveit. There isn't a formal pattern for this project, but instead guidelines for its construction and the cable patterns. It's worked from one wrist to the other, increasing and decreasing stitches along the way to create the yoke. It's required some math to figure out my gauge and whatnot, but it was actually pretty easy. I'm working on the right sleeve now. Once the top part is done, I'll pick up stitches around the bust and work straight down to the bottom. Then buttonbands and a collar are worked last. I've never constructed a sweater like this before and am enjoying something different. I'm using Jaeger Extrafine Merino DK, which is now discontinued, and it's a lovely, soft yarn. I can't wait until this one is finished!

I've also been queing up LOTS of baby girl patterns. I've started a February Baby Sweater, which is almost complete, and plan to make a matching hat. And, I've got two FO's done and waiting for pictures, so stay tuned for those next! In the meantime, here's some cuteness to keep you entertained.

It's a girl!!

2009-08-17T14:24:00.004-04:00

After an amazingly (but frighteningly!) quick 8 1/2 hours of labor, including a middle of the night race to the hospital, Baby E was born on Friday, August 14th at 11:57 am. She weighed 7 lbs 1 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long.

We are all home now and adjusting to our new lives. The first (OK, well maybe not the first) step is to figure out how to nurse and knit at the same time. Now I can get to all of the girly projects I had queued up!!

Thanks to all for your words of encouragement before her arrival and tricks to induce labor. Not sure what worked (I had my mom's homemade Polish Golumpki the night before) but she's here now :-)

FO: Trellis

2009-08-04T12:16:00.007-04:00

One week to go! Well, at least until my due date, but who knows when baby will really come out. In the meantime, I've been crafting.

Pattern: Trellis, Knitty Spring 2005
Yarn: Di Ve Zenith in dark brown, 2.5 balls from stash

Mods: I knit this pretty much according to the instructions. Back and fronts were knit separately, and then I joined the shoulders using a 3-needle bind off. Then, instead of knitting the sleeves separately, I picked up stitches evenly across the armhole opening and worked the sleeve from the top down. The cable pattern looks the same upside down as right side up, so this worked well. For baby knits, I will probably use this technique again. I did have to sew the side and sleeve seams. For the collar, I used short rows instead, which didn't produce the rolled collar that I hoped it would - I should have done more short rows - but it turned out just fine. I think baby might outgrow this before he/she gets to wear it anyway!

Last week on Etsy I saw some really cute wipes cases that had been covered and embellished with fabrics. I was tempted to buy a couple to match my Amy Butler Diaper Bag and Birdie Sling, but I decided to try to make them myself with my leftover fabric.

I picked up pink and blue plastic wipes case from Babies R Us for $2.49 a piece and cut out some leftover batting and fabric pieces to size (photos above are the top, and photo below is the bottom), plus a little extra to wrap around. I then picked up some trim on clearance from Joann's for $0.99/yard. I bought 2 yards for each case.

I pulled out the hot glue gun and attached the batting to the top and bottom, then cut it even with the edges. Then I glued the fabric to one side and pulled tight and glued to the other side. The short sides were glued similarly, and the corners were wrapped like you were wrapping a gift box. No need to worry about frayed edges - that's what the trim is for. Then I glued the trim all the way around to hide the edges and give it the finished look. Not bad for about $5 in supplies each and 30 minutes of sitting on the couch with a glue gun! These would be a fun addition to any baby shower gift.

Now that I'm 39 weeks, I'm ready for baby to come out. Anyone have suggestions for getting labor going? I haven't tried anything yet . . .

Baby Countdown: 2 weeks!

2009-07-28T14:41:00.010-04:00

My due date is 2 weeks from today, and I've told the baby that whenever he/she is ready, so am I! But while we wait, I am crafting as much as I can. I've been making progress a long-sleeved version of the Cloud Bolero.

I'm using some stashed Tahki Cotton Classic. I've run out of yarn on the sleeves, so thanks to the miracle of Ravelry, I was able to find someone (thanks Moirae) with another skein in the same color and dyelot. I now should have enough to finish with elbow or 3/4 length sleeves. Phew!

I also bought some Kidsilk Haze from Joan on Ravelry and have started a pattern I've had queued for a while: Allure. This is a pattern in Kim Hargreaves' book Amber. There are some really lovely patterns in the book, so for me it was worth the money. I've just started it, but it's moving pretty quickly on size 6 needles, and the lace pattern is easy to memorize.

My co-workers threw a shower for me at work last week. There are 2 gals in the office whom I taught to knit a few years ago. In addition to them, there are 3 other gals who either knit or crochet. Well, the 5 of them got together and surprised me with this:

That's me on the left, if you couldn't tell!

3 of the 5 gals who put this together for me (if you click on the photo, you can really see the details and stitch patterns)

I was so touched that they would take the time to do this. They each knit or crocheted 4 squares and then got together to sew them. One of them took the blanket and crocheted the border and added the fringe.

Another co-worker made me this adorable fleece blanket. I've seen this no-sew pattern before, but never tried it. It's two large pieces of fleece layered on top of each other with little cuts made all the way around the edges, and then the pieces are tied together. It is so soft!

But, my friends, the craftiness of my co-workers didn't stop there. Another group of gals pitched in a bought the supplies for 2 of them to make this amazing diaper cake.
It was full of diapers, onesies, bodysuits, receiving blankets, a teething ring, pacifiers, bottles, a stuffed monkey (who's wearing a little pair of shoes) and two rubber duckies. It was such a great gift and something I would definitely try to put together for another friend as a shower gift.

The Interweave Fall Preview is up! I know it's still July, but is anyone else thinking of fall projects to start?

Baby countdown: 5 weeks to go!

2009-07-06T20:07:00.008-04:00

With just 5 weeks left until baby's expected arrival, I am trying to keep my crafting goals realistic. I started Trellis on July 4 in some stashed di Ve Zenith in a chocolate brown. The last gender-neutral project! I've finished the back already, so this looks to be a quick little project. I've knit one before and the cable pattern is coming back to me.

We also (nearly) finished up the nursery this weekend! Here are some photos:

Wall colors are Crystal Aqua and Betsy's Linen, both by Valspar. We put up the chair rail ourselves, which was easier than I expected. Crib ordered online at Amazon (which always seems to win the online-price wars), chair we've had for several years, nightstand was painted and refinished - it was part of my mother's childhood bedroom set. Dinosaur prints were a find at Home Goods for $14.99 a piece!

Changing area: dresser from Ikea, outfitted with removable changing pad. Prints are by Yuko Lau, found unexpectedly at Target.

One of the wall shelves we put up: Peter Rabbit was a gift from a good friend, and the little antique plate was a shower gift from another good friend. Now, all we need is the baby!

Little Baby Knits!

2009-06-19T14:14:00.006-04:00

I've finished up two sweaters for baby (who is due to arrive in about 8 weeks!).

Pattern: Sheep Yoke Baby Cardigan [Ravelry]
Yarn: I used up stash yarn: Debbie Bliss Wool/Cotton (2 skeins), di Ve Zenith in St. David's Blue (< 1 ball), Valley Yarns Superwash in Green #600 (< 1 ball).

This little sweater came out very nice, though I probably would have gotten better results if I had used yarns in the same gauge. The Superwash is a little heavier than the Wool/Cotton, so the yoke section seems to gather a bit, but once there's baby spit up on it, it won't matter anyway!

Pattern: Debbie Bliss Duffle Coat [Ravelry]
Yarn: Valley Yarns Williamstown, 4.5 skeins

I made several mods to this sweater: Used seed stitch instead of garter, kept stitches for the back and fronts on holders instead of binding off, used these stitches to knit the hood. It came out pretty nice, though it looks a little big, but we'll see how it turns out once baby is here (and bigger) to model it.

At this point, I'm a little tired of the gender-neutral knits. I'm still happy that we don't know if I've got a boy or girl swimming around in my belly, but I think I'll be more motivated to do kid knits once I can pick something really girly or really boyish.

With that, I decided to start something for moi! I've seen some really nice finished Liesls around lately and decided to pull out the Cloud Bolero pattern I made last summer and do a longer-sleeved version.

I'm using some stashed Tahki Cotton Classic and am putting buttons all the way down.

My friend Jen (who taught me how to knit) gave me these little guys as a gift. They are crocheted and boy are they cute! I love the look of the little hand-made toys.

And, lastly, I thought I would share some nice fall sweaters I saw in the recent WEBS catalog. I've never knit their patterns, so I can't say how well they are written, but for $1.99 each, that's a pretty good deal. I loved the Buttoned Raglan and the Lace Coat.

Birdie Sling! 30 Weeks!

2009-06-03T15:50:00.004-04:00

I finished the Amy Butler Birdie Sling!

I used prints from Amy's Midwest Modern line: Fuschia Fresh Poppies, Fuschia Martini and Ivory Floating Buds. A lot of people who have made this bag have commented on how large it is. I was afraid I was going to get something like a weekend travel bag, but this bag is perfect for work. It does hold my laptop - but makes it pretty heavy - so I usually just put my usual stuff (wallet, phone, keys, lunch, 2 pouches with computer accessories and pens/make-up, etc). The inside pockets are great for keeping stuff organized.

I love the pleats!

The pattern was not difficult to make, compared to other bags I've made. I did make one small adjustment: I made the strap less wide. When cut as specified, the strap is pretty wide and didn't sit in the "nook" of my shoulder just so. Making it a little thinner overall made this better. I also used less interfacing on the strap but doubled up the interfacing on the exterior panels.

I needed something girly in the midst of all my baby-gender-neutral projects! The photos above also show a sneak peak at the nursery, which is completed except for accessories, curtains, etc.

Since last post's baby bump photo wasn't so great, I thought I'd share a better one. I've hit 30 weeks - just 10 to go! I am hoping for a less-humid-than-usual summer here in the mid-Atlantic :)

FO: Amy Butler Crib Quilt

2009-05-19T17:07:00.003-04:00

I finished the crib quilt (my first adventure in quilting!)

Pattern: Patchwork Crib Quilt from Amy Butler's Little Stitches
Fabric: Mostly prints from Amy's Midwest Modern line; some coordinating quilting fabrics from Joann's for the back, binding and yellow print in the quilt pattern.

I'm really happy with how this turned out. I definitely learned a lot while working on this. Little things like: beware of bunching on the underside while quilting, be careful when machine stitching the edging on the binding, stitching in the ditch doesn't really mean *in* the seam, but really right next to it, etc.

On the nursery front, we've selected our colors and hope to get to painting this weekend (don't worry, I won't actually be painting or in the room while it's wet and smelly). Upcoming sewing projects include curtains (once I select fabric), 2 maternity skirts, a nursing cover and the Amy Butler Birdie Sling.

I've been really bad about taking photos of my growing belly, but at 28 weeks, we finally managed to snap a few. I plan to make the photo-taking a weekly event, so stay tuned for more photos as I get bigger and bigger!

FO: Amy Butler Everything Bag & Elijah

2009-04-21T13:02:00.007-04:00

Hello! I know my blogging is spacing further apart, but I am crafting. Here's proof:

Pattern: Amy Butler Everything Bag from Little Stitches
Fabric: Morning Glory from her Lotus Line
I also made the changing pad from Little Stitches to go with the bag. I think I plan on using this as a diaper bag, though it doesn't have any waterproof linings. I guess that's what zip locks are for?

All in all, this pattern wasn't too bad. The cutting and interfacing attachment took the longest. The actual sewing part was (partly) a breeze. I had a tricky time attaching the lining bottom to the divider panel, and I re-did the top stitching a few times, but all in all, it was worth taking my time on this one. I'd say I spent 15 hours or so putting this together.
Mods: I made the straps a little longer and spaced them further apart than the pattern says. I tried it on a few times while pinned to make sure it sat over my shoulder the way I wanted. Also, there is a HUGE error in the interfacing instructions. I contacted someone at Amy Butler and they confirmed the error and said they would send me two free patterns for pointing it out. Whoo hoo! (Well, I should say that was over a month ago and I still don't have my free patterns . . . )

Here's a full view of the changing pad.

I also finished Elijah, my first baby knit.

I didn't love knitting with the double pointed needles, but the construction of this little guy was so brilliant. I feel like all knitted toys should be made this way!

I've also almost finished my version of the Pea Pod Baby Sweater. The pattern is no longer available online, so I used a free top-down sweater generator (there are several available on Ravelry) to make the basic shape and pulled out my copy of Rusted Root for the lace pattern (I think they're the same, or they at least look it!). I used some old Debbie Bliss Merino DK in a color that I hope suits either a boy or girl - we don't know what we're having. I think I'll pick out buttons after the little one arrives in August.

Other plans now include finishing Lush & Lacy and starting a few other baby items. I've also started a crib quilt, which I hope to get assembled soon so we can use it to help pick out a paint color for the nursery. I'm at 24 weeks now - only 16 to go!

Coming Clean

2009-03-10T12:28:00.009-04:00

Some of you may have noticed my diminished productivity over the past few months. No big winter sweaters or other knitting projects. I'm finally coming clean! I actually started a new WIP back in November and it got the best of me for a while.

This is from early February at 13 weeks. I am now almost 18 weeks and due in August! Bill and I are thrilled. It's been a great journey so far. From December through most of January, I barely knit a stitch. I was unmotivated and just exhausted most nights after work. My energy has been back for about a month and I've been working on some new things.

With the spring weather teases, I've put all winter projects into hibernation and started my likely last me-sized sweater for a while: Lush & Lacy. I loved how Veronique's version looked on her adorable preggo body and thought it would be a great little sweater for spring around here. I am using some Ella Rae Silkience from my stash.

I've finished the back and done a few inches of the left front. My goal is to finish this by Easter.

I've also started my first baby project: Elijah. I got the yarn for this pattern a long time ago, knowing that I would knit one for someone's baby eventually. I'm using Di Ve Zenith, which is a soft, washable yarn.

Elijah still needs another arm, leg and a pair of ears, but he's pretty cute already!

I've also started some baby-related sewing projects. Springtime always gets me into sewing mode with all the fresh, happy fabrics. I bought a copy of Amy Butler's Little Stitches and have decided to make two projects to start.

The "Everything Bag", which I plan to use as a diaper bag/carryall. I'm using her Morning Glory print from the Lotus line for the exterior.

Here's my progress so far. I've completed one inside lining piece and attached it to the inside divider.

The other project I plan to make is this little crib quilt. I have a mix of Amy Butler prints and a few prints from Joann's. We don't plan on finding out the baby's sex, but these colors are my inspiration for the nursery (I've read babies sleep better in blue or green rooms). Happy almost-Springtime!

Charity Knitting

2009-02-19T10:06:00.006-05:00

Thanks for all the nice comments about the Ribbon Trim Cardigan and the welcome back wishes. It's nice to be blogging regularly again!

I realized in the 5 or 6 years that I have been knitting that I have never knit anything for charity. When a co-worker asked me to knit some stuff for her to sell to raise money for her breast cancer walk in May, I thought it would be a good time to make something for a good cause. So far I have completed two cute little projects.

Pattern: I didn't follow a specific pattern, but it is loosely based on the schematic and decrease instructions from Kim's Hats in Last Minute Knitted Gifts.
Yarn: Leftovers (whoo hoo) of Knit Picks Swish Worsted.

Pattern: iPod cozy [Ravelry Link] [Web Link]
Yarn: Leftovers (whoo hoo again!) of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Fern and Winter Night.
Mods: None - I used size 10 needles and knit this as written. Tossed in with Bill's laundry and it felted very nicely. It fits an iPhone perfectly to size.

What else is in the WIP pile? I started Wicked recently but have not worked on it much. I also started Henley Perfected and am of couse following Jatta's modifications and making it into a cardigan. I am about 2/3 of the way through the back. My only gripe so far is that the folded hem is really curling a lot. Hope blocking solves this.

That's all I've got for now, but I hope to finish up some more litle projects in the WIP pile soon.

I'm still here!

2009-02-02T12:11:00.006-05:00

Hello out there! Apologies for my recent disappearance. The holidays were busy, I was sick and then the January workload set in. Anywho, you're all here for knitting, right?

Before the holidays, I finished up a pair of mittens for my friend Jen.

Pattern: Druid Mittens, Vogue Knitting Fall 2008
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine, less than 1 skein

Here was Jen's reaction when she opened her gift.

I think she liked them! She's a knitter, too, and appreciated the work (and love) that went into making them.

I also knit up some Baltimore Ravens hats for my brother and my dad. I didn't really follow a pattern; I just measured their heads and used that and my gauge to figure out how many stitches to cast on. I found cool iron-on patches on eBay and just pressed them on the finished hats. I used about 1 1/2 balls of Valley Yarns Superwash in black for each hat.

And, last but not least, I finally finished my Ribbon Trim Cardigan.

Pattern: Ribbon Trim Cardigan, for Blue Sky Alpacas.
Yarn: Blue Sky Melange, in Relish. About 13 1/2 skeins.

The actual knitting part of this was finished in early December, but I had a hard time picking out a ribbon that I liked. I ended up going with a pattern called Flora Earth by Patty Young. I then matched it up with a lace ribbon from Joann's for the edging. The sewing on of the ribbon was tedious, but worth the effort. With all the cold temps we've had this winter, getting outside on a sunny day has been a challenge, too!

I really love this sweater. It's really cozy, and the alpaca is stretchy for comfort, but retains its shape. I would definitely use this yarn again. Besides the ribbon, the snap band was time consuming and tricky, but I am really happy with how that came out, too.

I have started some new projects, and will get some photos and share those with all of you soon. A lot of spring patterns are out, which is giving me major spring fever. I don't know about you, but I'm hoping the Ol' Groundhog got it wrong today!

Holiday knitting!

2008-12-16T11:38:00.006-05:00

Thanks for all of your wonderful comments on Gavyn. I hope that it works out for anyone who knits it!

It's December, 9 days until Christmas, in fact, and my holiday gift knitting is about 60% done. But, before December even got here, I finished my Christmas stockings for me and Bill.

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes and Bare Worsted. Colors: Fern, Evergreen, Winter Night. I bought 2 skeins of each Wool of the Andes and ended up using about 1 1/2 of each for the two stockings. I also used some leftover Classic AL in Aged Wine.

Pattern: Cascade Christmas Stocking [Ravelry] [Web Link]

Mods: I ended up knitting the heel with the decreases every round instead of every other round. Otherwise, it was too big and floppy. I also went back at the end, snipped a stitch and ripped out the top. I decided that knitting our names into the top would make the nicest looking finished result. I searched on Ravelry for a free letter chart and found this. I modified it a little to accommodate the size of my stockings, and I think it turned out great, if I do say so! I also did a ribbed edge at the top instead of a rolled one.

I also have done a little Christmas shopping for, eh, . . . myself. The latest issue of Interweave Knits featured a page on some lovely knitting accessories. I bought these:

4" x 4" and 1" x 1" gauge squares by KaratStix. They arrived in a lovely package and are just darling. They definitely beat my crappy tape measure I've been using!

Knit Klips [Website] With all the sweaters I knit and sew together, I thought these would be a great. I've already used them to seam together my Ribbon Trim Cardigan, and I didn't have to rip out the seam because of mismatched edges.

Hope you all are having a stress-free December. I got my Christmas cards done, and holiday baking is next. Anyone have a good recipe for oatmeal cookies? Happy Holidays!

Should I Elizabeth Zimmermann it?

2006-12-08T14:17:00.000-05:00

I've been reading Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Without Tears in which she provides a recipe for creating seamless sweaters in the round. It really is so brilliant and so simple (I think). The basic premise is that you figure out what size around you want the sweater to be (bust size, basically) and then figure out based on gauge how many stitches you need to get that size. Then, everything else, like the number of stitches for sleeves and number of stitches for the neck, is just a percentage of this. I've been very intrigued with trying this out for several reasons:

1. By-night, I am a knitter, but by-day I am in a quantitative arena (I'm a biostatistician), so I like that knitting involves some math every now and then (sorry, yes I am dorky).
2. My husband likes Beau in Rowan Vintage Style, but the pattern booklet is like $25 and I don't love enough of the other patterns to justify the purchase. This will be tricky to do in a seamless way, though, because of the collar and the squares in the yoke.
3. I saw this on kpixie.com:

It's a Karabella Aurora pattern and costs $5. I am tempted to buy it, but I feel like it's a great candidate for the Elizabeth Zimmermann seamless yoke approach. It would be easy to replicate the shape, but I can't tell what the exact ribbing and cablings are.

But, I do already have a sketch out for my knock off of Bea that is a top-down seamless approach. I wrote it before I read Knitting Without Tears, so I need to check that my percentages are correct! Maybe I'll just wait and try that one first. I can spare $5. In the meantime, I'll start sketching out Beau . . . anyone have ideas for how to incorporate the collar into a top-down approach?

Starting off slow

2006-12-12T11:37:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the advice on the whole top-down-seamless-EZ-can-I-knit-a-collar-on debacle. I've decided to start off with an easy seamless project before delving into a complicated one. Since I've never knit my husband a sweater (or anything for that matter), I don't think it would be fair to have his first knitted object from me be a complete experiment and possibly a disaster. So, I am going to use the real pattern for Beau and save the experimentation and/or disaster for myself.

Starting off slowly, I am using some GGH Savanna to knit the Yarn Girls' Cables in Chamonix.

The pattern calls for picking up 64 stitches around the neck line for the turtleneck, so I cast on that many onto a circular needle. I used a provisional cast on so I can knit the turtleneck last with some short row shaping. The pattern says that before armhole shaping, the sleeves end up with 48 stitches each and the front and back with 64 each, which yields 224 stitches all around (before yoke shaping). Subtracting out the 64 stitches I already cast on leaves 160, which is how many I would have to increase to get from the neck down to the yoke. So, I split up my 64 stitches into 24 each for the front and back and 8 for each sleeve. I incorporated the cable pattern and am now just increasing every other round until I get to my 224 stitches. We'll see how it goes! If I am able to get a decent looking sweater, I might tackle the Karabella one. But I am prepared to buy the pattern too!

In other news, I ordered some Jaggerspun Zephyr to knit either the Simple Knitted Bodice or Sahara or something from Stefanie's book Fitted Knits (which is on my Christmas list, even though it doesn't come out til spring). I also asked for 1 skein of Tilli Tomas disco lights from Santa to match the wool/silk I bought in Elderberry:

I've noticed that I have color phases with my knitting. Over the summer and into fall, it was a pink phase with 2 pink tank tops (Prosperous Plum and Eyelet V-Neck) and Arisaig. Now, I'm in a purply phase with Forecast, the Cables in Chamonix and this purple stuff in Zephyr. Hmm, I'm thinking green or blue next . . .

It's hard to feel Christmas-y when

2006-12-18T15:32:00.000-05:00

It's 74 freaking degrees when the normal temperature is in the high 40s. I baked some snowmen and Christmas tree cookies over the weekend while it was 65 degrees in the hopes of feeling more Christmas-y. I'm listening to Christmas music at work. I wrapped presents and put them under the tree.

But,

All I want for Chistmas is a cold front....

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . .

2006-12-21T09:57:00.000-05:00

Yay! A semi-cold front came through earlier in the week, and although it's not cold enough for snow, at least I'm not feeling like it's September around here anymore. The colder weather brought enough of a Christmas-y feel that I knocked out the very last hat for Christmas. Here's one I finished about 10 days ago and already gifted to its recipient:

Penultimate hat: Fun little J. Crew inspired hat with a single cable.

And the very last hat is also a first. It's for my hubby and is the very first thing I have ever knit for him. When I was wrapping up the Redskins' hats I made for my nephews, he grabbed the little one and tried to put it on. I knew he really wanted it, so I am trying to be a good wife for Christmas and have knitted it up while he's been out of the house, so he doesn't know it's done (let's hope he hasn't started reading the ol' blog!)

Last hat: Redskins for the Redskins fanatic. Too bad they are having a sucky season, but the Ravens aren't!

(Hehehehe, we have a little rivalry between me/my Dad/my brother and my hubby/my BIL. I am a born and raised Baltimore girl. Hence, I am a Ravens fan. My hubby was born and raised in Western Maryland where they get Washington DC channels, so they grew up watching the Redskins. And my dad and brother can real SOBs about it!)

With the Christmas knitting DONE, I have gotten back to a little knitting for moi. Well, at least for now. My mom's birthday is January 17 and I am going to attempt to knit her a sweater, though it surely won't be done in time. The yarn is still on its way from UPS. But, Forecast is moving along just swimmingly:

The oh-so fab bathroom, contorted arm shot.

It's hard to see the details since the yarn is so dark, but all I've got left is one sleeve and one side of the button band. And the buttons to sew on. And boy does this baby need a serious blocking. I'm thinking this might be the last FO of 2006. Or, the first FO of 2007. Either way, yay for a FO!

Block-a-thon

2006-12-29T17:46:00.000-05:00

I decided to take the week between Christmas and New Years off from work this year. I've never done it before, and it's been a great week so far. I had some back-burnered projects that I wanted to finish, like some scrapbooking and a few home improvement things, but so far all I've done is slept in, knit, shopped and ate (not in that order, necessarily).

Wednesday I had what I'd like to call a block-a-thon. I finished knitting Forecast and she was ready for a good blocking. I've never worked with a yarn this squishy before, nor one that bled so much! I ended up not working on it if I knew I would be leaving the house later because the yarn left my hands purple and it took work to get it off.

So in the kitchen sink she went:

I added some vinegar in hopes of setting the dye. The water didn't turn too purple, just a little, and since I didn't want it to smell, I rinsed it out and re-dunked it with some Woolite.

LOOK OUT!

The suds made it bleed. big. time. Without agitating, I pressed the suds through and rinsed again. Then, I rinsed it with more vinegar again. So it wouldn't smell (again), I rinsed it with a little fabric softener.

That makes 4 rinsings total.

And, here she lies:

Just need to add buttons and sew in a few loose ends. Phew!!

A Happy 2007

2007-01-03T12:19:00.000-05:00

Happy new year to all! Hope everyone had a fun time ringing in 2007.

Oscar partied his tail off.

Looking back, 2006 was a great knitting year for me. I had learned how to knit back in 2002, but it wasn't until I discovered all your knitting blogs out there that I really got motivated to take my hobby seriously. Thank you to each of you bloggers out there for being a source of inspiration, approval and help in my knitting journey!

Besides starting this blog in 2006, with the title Fancie Pants inspired by my college roommate who nicknamed me this when I painted clouds on my bedroom ceiling (she now calls me Fance for short), I did manage to knit a good collection of goodies, with some of them never even being photographed, as the blog didn't really get going until summer.

14 hats
1 long sleeve sweater
1 short sleeve sweater
4 sleeveless tops
1 shrug
1 one skein wonder
3 baby sweaters
1 camera case

As you can see, there are zero socks and zero mittens on this list. My knitting resolutions for 2007 include:

1) Give double pointed needles a fair chance. They aren't so bad....right? Maybe I'll make a pair of Fetching and see for sure.

2) Knit something with intarsia

3) Then step it up a notch and knit something in fair isle

4) Instead of being on a yarn diet, allow myself to buy and stash yarn. I am generally a stash-phobic, so this is a good one for me.

*******************************************************

With 2007 now underway, I have two new WIPs to share. The first is a v-neck cabled sweater (free pattern from straw) for my mom. It's knit with Valley Yarns Superwash (gotta love WEBS). Trouble is, this is for her birthday, which is, uh, January 17. Yeah. Two weeks away. Will it get finished???

Part of the reason my mom's gift may not get finished is my absolute infatuation with this:

Not sure how it happened, but I managed to perfectly match up some Jaggerspun with some Tilli Tomas color-wise to make Sahara by ordering over the internet. They are pretty much exactly the same. I was hoping for a general color coordination, but this was a Christmas wish come true. Ok, I'm being dramatic, but I'm excited! This pattern is way fun to knit and I am SO excited to see how it looks when the disco lights are added at the edges.

Hope this year is prosperous and happy for all you bloggers knitwise, and in life generally!

Forecast Finished

2007-01-08T11:09:00.000-05:00

May I present the first FO of the new year: Forecast!

Toby gives a high five - good job, Mom!

Pattern: Stef Japel's Forecast from knitty

Yarn: Cascade 220 Tweed in Dark Purple (color 610, I think). A little less than 4 skeins.

Modifications: The popular ones from the KAL. 3 stitch bobbles instead of 5, starting the ribbing at the elbow and just under the bust. Made it a little longer overall and calculated for a 34" size, between the 32" and 36". And I only added 9 buttons instead of 10, only because there were only 9 buttons left at the store when I bought them.

Verdict: I really like this one, even more than Arisaig. I feel like it's a flattering fit and texturally interesting. The yarn is soft, and I feel like this is one I can wear with jeans or nicer pants, too. The only thing I didn't like was the yarn bleeding on my hands while knitting it and that it's started to pill on me already under the arms and sides :(

What I learned: I had never made bobbles before. They were fun.

Would I knit this again? I'm not one for re-using a pattern when there are so many fabulous ones I haven't done yet, but I would certainly consider this as a gift for someone.

Fickle Pants

2007-01-20T18:05:00.000-05:00

Some of you may remember a cable v-neck sweater I had started for my mother in the hopes of finishing for her birthday, which was this past Wednesday. Well, shortly after I posted my pictures of the finished Forecast, I continued knitting feverishly on her sweater. I went over to see my mom one night and happened to have the sweater in my bag (since I was knitting it any chance I could get). She saw it, and the conversation went something like this:

Mom: "Oh, that's a thicker sweater than I thought it would be."
Me: "Well, it's an aran weight, so it's not going to be real light, like a lace-weight."
Mom: "Oh, ok."

Three hours later, after I went home:
Phone rings.
Mom: "I was thinking, I really think that sweater's going to be too heavy for me. I think I'm going to get hot in it. Can you make some lighter, like one with holes or something?"

So here's what's left of my mom's sweater:

I returned the unused balls. I figured I could use these for a baby knit or a hat or something.

This led me to thinking. I change my mind a lot, too. Could it be genetic? Or is it some socially learned behavior? Either way, I often think I should rename this blog to Fickle Pants Knits. I did a little re-organizing of my WIP and to-knit list and realized that I don't really love a lot of the patterns I thought I loved a few months ago. I was changing my mind, like my mother.

Every time I picked up my Grannie Smith Cardigan, it would take me like an hour to do 2 rows with the Kidsilk Haze. I think the diamond lace pattern just stumps me. This is the progress I had made on it over 6 months:

The pattern shown is from Luxury Knits by Amanda Griffiths and is what I hope to turn my Kidsilk Haze into. The sweater looks WAY over-sized, but I plan to shrink it down a lot. The lace pattern looks easier and is memorizable, and it calls for two strands of KSH, which should be easier to work with.

And here's what left of the Grannie Smith:

More fickleness: I got some lovely Cascade 220 to make the Bell Sleeve Jacket from the VK Holiday Issue. But now I am being fickle and thinking I want to make the Cabled Cardigan from the Fall Issue instead:

But, just to prove I must have some of my dad's steadfastness in me, I am making great progress on Sahara. Here's a peek:

The Disco Lights are fab! More details later.

PS. My mom picked a lace pattern from Luxury Knits too, to be done in elann's Baby Silk. We'll see.