FO Parade!

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

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!!

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

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!

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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

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!