Baby boat-neck and matching hat

A colleague is due to have a baby and I wanted to make a little something for her soon-to-arrive bundle of joy. Imagine my surprise last Friday when I learned that her last day in the office was today, Monday. That I only had the weekend to whip something together.
(Sometimes I could kick myself -- it's not like there isn't plenty of advance notice with these things).

After work I swung by the house to grab a pile of baby pattern books and headed to the yarn store. I needed to choose something that would be quick i.e. simple, with a thicker yarn and larger needles. And something that would work for either a little boy or girl as the parents have decided to wait and see. It was the boat-neck sweater in Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits for Beginners that jumped out at me -- the pattern calls for an aran weight yarn so it is sure to be a quick knit, and suitable for either a boy or a girl.

I circled the store searching for the yarn I'd use and couldn't help being drawn to Kollage yarns' Corntastic. Although it is more of a sport weight, it comes in such lovely colours. And I've used it for a couple of other baby projects that have been well received. I decided to go for it again.


To add a little visual interest I opted to add stripes to the sweater and selected a couple of colours to put out to group vote -- the pearl, amethyst and sunstone combo won out. I think these colours are a little whimsical. And gender-neutral.


A couple of basic calculations later I started the pattern using the sportweight yarn and smaller needles. Even in the skinnier yarn this one is a pretty quick knit. To add a finishing touch I created a duplicate stitch heart in the bottom right hand corner of the front of the sweater. I like small details that set something apart, and this is a super simple technique.


Since I had yarn left, and some time before the weekend was over, I thought it would be nice to add a coordinating hat. This time with polka dots instead of stripes to play up the fun factor. I used the Simple Hat pattern (from the same DB book) as my guide, and adapted as follows:

• Knit 5 rows for the roll brim
• Divide the stitches on the needle into 4 equal sections
• Sketch out a polka dot pattern that can be centered in each of these 4 sections (I decided to create 2 different size of polka dot)

• Work 1 row, adding the large polka dot in sections 1 and 3
• On the 2nd row, start adding the smaller polka dot to sections 2 and 4
• Continue following the polka dot sketches until the 1st round of polka dots is complete
• Knit 7 rows
• Add a second round of polka dots (this time the larger dots go in section 2 and 4, and the smaller in 1 and 3)
• Finish hat per instructions in the pattern

You'd laugh if you saw the inside of this hat -- I use my very own special brand of fair-arsia, or inter-isle, to add them in as I knitted along. (The polka dots are interarsia, but the white carries behind them like fairisle!)


Despite my less than perfect approach to adding the dots, I think the outcome is pretty cute. The recipient was over the moon too!

Hourglass (NaKniSweMoDo09 - Feb)

Hourglass is finished, and I couldn't be happier:

• Pattern: Hourglass Sweater (from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson)
• Size: 37in chest
• Needles: US Size 8, or 5mm
• Yarn: Plain and Fancy
• Modifications: I added a contrast band for the hem, sleeves and neck using some Colinette sock yarn in a bright turquoise. I also added a 5 extra rows (with the alternate row decreases) to the neck after seeing that other folks were getting a flashdance-esque neck on the sweater when following the pattern. Mine still has a wide open neck - I like it that way - it's just not falling off the shoulders (or needing matching leotard and legwarmers!)

I'm probably one of the last few knitters in blogland to make one of these. And I'm soo glad I finally got around to it. I think it's a really wearable sweater, and see there could be more in my future. Despite the errata issues (check them out online before you embark on the pattern) it was a pretty straightforward knit - perfect for tv viewing, or when you want to 'switch off'. And reknitting the yoke didn't take that long - I've been full of a cold so it was a good way to keep occupied this weekend (while watching all those romance movies on tv!)


And one last thing -- I love the Plain and Fancy yarn. It is extremely soft and the colours vibrant. I picked it up at the Estes Park yarn fest last year. I'll certainly be making a visit and replenishing my stash this coming year with a new colourway. If you aren't into the variegated look and would prefer an overdyed feel, my friend Terrie made a gorgeous version in a pink colourway.

Oh yes, and as the title mentions - this is my sweater for the NaKniSweMoDo09 - February. I'm loving this knitalong. A great nudge for me to finish up some of the many sweaters I have in my queue, or various stages of completion.

Hope you all had a good valentines weekend,
Sam

Spot the Difference

I've been working on my hourglass sweater for February's NaKniSweMoDo. Whipped out the sleeves last weekend, and started work on the yoke this week. That's right the end was in sight.

But hang on a second, the instructions for the decrease rows on the yoke seemed a little funky. Should I really do an SSK, K1 and K2tog after every marker? No, no, I should follow the pattern. I've learned the 'I'm not smarter than the pattern' lesson the hard way. These people are professionals - the shaping will be just fine. Stick with it, you'll see.

Hmmmmm:

Stick with it. Ha! I should have trusted my instincts. The shaping is not fine. Although the front left quite correctly points in, towards the neck, the right hand side has some flaws -- it points straight up towards the collar bone. Pout.

I tried the sweater on and gave my husband and the in-laws a modelling show to see if they'd notice, 'cos you know there are some little errors that one could perhaps pull off as a design feature. "Oh yeah, it's meant to look like that - a little bit of unique detailing". Umm yeah, there's unique detailing and then there's plain old weird. You know this falls in the latter category. No-one in this house was falling for 'design feature'.

After pouting some more, I decided I'd Google errata for the pattern. Yep seems that the instructions for the yoke shaping, in the first edition of the book, contain a few errors. So, lesson learned -- I should check for errata before I get stuck into a pattern.

...hi ho, hi ho, it's off to riiiiiiiiiiip I go.........

Mummy's little helper?

I mentioned in my last post that I've been clearing out the clutter and getting organized around the house. Seems I have a little helper...


You see I came home the other night to find a pile of my yarn on my computer seat.

Panic not. It's some leftovers that I'd been using when a pattern calls for waste yarn. I'm wondering in which 'safe place' I must have tucked it away, because it wasn't in my cubbies. But my little helper located it and left it on the computer seat for me! (As you've probably gathered, I spend quite a bit of time on the computer). This cracks me up. All I can think is that it was either a truly bizarre coincidence, or that she realized I was tidying up my yarn and that this also needed to be put in it's correct place. Too funny!

Why am I convinced that it's Bella and not Buster? Well, Bella will take it upon herself to move things around the house - for example if I go out for a while she'll drag her blanket downstairs to the window by the front door so that she can wait for me there. And well Buster doesn't do such things. He likes his humans to do it for him!

Simple squares

This year I've made a promise to myself to get organized and take control of the clutter. I decided I may as well start with something fun -- organizing the yarn stash! I was inspired Stacey's reorg by colour scheme and thought I'd flat out copy that approach! ;)


The square cubbies were kindly donated by Nachaele when she left Colorado for Wisconsin last year, as was some of the yarn. (I believe you can pick these cubbies up at Target). Thank you Nachaele, I do love these yarn cubbies.

As I was tidying through the cubbies I came across a bunch of cotton odds and ends that I wanted to put to good use. I've seen a couple of cute Granny squares on Ravelry and decided this would be perfect. I'm not overly familiar with crochet, and so using Erica Knight's Simple Crochet as my guide I tried my hand at a couple of squares this week. They each have their flaws but I love them! And with practice they can only improve, right.



The other project that was unearthed was my Colorado blanket (or rather a mound of yarn to make a blanket!). You see beyond the shopping part of this jaunt, there really wasn't much progress in the knitting department! The biggest stumbling block I'm having is to figure out how to substitute my colours for those in the original pattern. I just need to sit down with a piece of paper and some felt tip pens and map it out, I think.


But in the mean time I started with a couple of neutral squares. Neutral they are, boring they are not with their silk and sequinned bling! Maybe I need to rename this the Diva blanket?

Back to knitting

To the detriment of my knitting, I've been thorughly engrossed in reading 'A thousand splendid suns'. What a great book! If you liked 'Kite Runner' then I recommend that you pick this up. It is set in war-torn Afghanistan and touches on some of the same themes of friendship and family, this time between women.

Incidentally, I'd been using a little Christmas tag as my bookmark. This tag is near and dear to me because it was written by my adorable nephew. I was there as he was writing, and it's supposed to read:

To Sam
The Coolest
One in a million.
Love
Chaz

Turns out there wasn't space to add all the zeros for a million. So I ended up being 1 in 10,000. This cracks me up and melts my heart all in one go.


With the book completed I am back into knitting again. I've been working on Noro Wildfell jacket/cardigan which I think is going to be one cuddly cardi when it's done.

This is a stashbuster cardigan -- I had 2 different colourways of this yarn in my stash cubbies, and since Wildfell requires quite a significant amount of yarn, I needed both colourways to make it work. I think the colours are close enough that I'll be able to pull it off. The primary difference is that one has an lime green running through it, and the other a peppermint type of colour.


I'm planning on this being one of my NaKniSweMoDo sweaters. I'm not convinced that it will be February's though -- there's quite some knitting to do. Although today is the perfect day for it -- there'll be much knitting as I watch the superbowl this afternoon. Happy Superbowl Sunday to you all!

When I'm not knitting

I love to make things. I've always loved it - my parents and grandparents kept us entertained with crafty projects when we were kids. So it's probably no surprise that when I'm not knitting in my spare time that I'll often be doing something crafty.

Most recently I've been drawn to needlework. There's something soo consuming about needlepoint - I 'switch off' and time flies. I picked up my mermaid needlepoint this week, out of which I'll be making some fun summer sandals. I'm really drawn to the bright colours and wonder if subconsciously I'm dreaming of summer and warmer weather. It is sooo very cold here at the moment.


I've also started stamping and paper crafts again. On my work trip last week I learned that a colleague's wife runs Stampin' Up workshops. And they live down the street from me - bonus! I joined one of the groups earlier this week and we made the most adorable box and filled it with chocolates that are wrapped to match. I'm thinking a version of these might make cute valentine gifts.


The other thing that's keeping me occupied is reading. I received the most wonderful stack of books this year for Christmas. The first I dived into is 'A thousand splendid suns'. I'm thoroughly engrossed and can barely put it down. I'll get up a little earlier than normal to sneak in a few pages, a few more on my lunch break, and again just before bed.

Yes, I'm a crazy (double-chinned) dog lady!

Of course all this reading is eating into craft time! But I'll have this book polished off soon. I'm thinking at that point I should probably return to working on my February NaKniSweMoDo sweater.

More purple ruffles

After making the 'Just enough ruffles' scarf for my Mum out of sock yarn, I decided I needed one for myself. I had one skein of some beautiful Mama Blue Troika sock yarn on hand, in the Urchin colourway, and wanted to see if I could make the scarf with just the one skein.

Last time I doubled the amount of stitches than the original pattern called for, to compensate for the skinnier sock yarn I used. Since I'd used about 1.5 skeins of sock yarn for that version, I was convinced that if I cast on just 50% more this time, that I'd be able to pull off the pattern with just the one skein. Alas no.

I toyed with pulling back and knitting fewer short rows than the pattern called for. And then thought better of it. My Mum's scarf looks so nice with the contrasting edging that I figured I'd do the same with mine.

I found some lovely grey mohair in my stash and knit with 2 strands of it for the last few rows of the ruffle edge, and to cast off. To balance out the grey ruffle edge, I added a couple of single crochet rows of the grey mohair to the cast on edge. Although I would have liked to have made this just out of the purple, I think the grey works well. An added bonus - it goes well with my new grey winter coat.

I think this is the most wonderful pattern -- a quick easy knit that results in a unique looking scarf that isn't too fussy. I see more versions on the horizon... and maybe I'll figure out that magic recipe for making it out of just one skein of sock yarn!

Sisterly Sweater Swap

This year my sister made me Rowan Anise out of Rowan Little Big Wool (colour Sugar Spun), and gifted it to me just before I left the UK. I love, love, love it! Thanks Jac -- you are awesome! :)

I'd seen the pattern some time ago and fell in love with it and when my sis started making it I teased her to see if it was a gift for me. I'm not sure if it was originally intended for me, or not, but I certainly lucked out when she presented it to me this week.


Knowing that she was working on this, I thought it would be nice to make something for her also. And I certainly had a massive pile of yarn after the visit to Texere yarns. She mentioned she liked the Rowan Caraway pattern and some of the yarn I purchased - an Alpaca Mohair blend. Since the yarn knits up as bulky, I figured it might work well and was really happy with the light airy fabric it produced. I pulled an all-nighter on this bad girl to make sure I could leave it behind for her (it's just missing ribbon ties at the front).


The quality of the photos is due to the fact that we they were snapped just minutes before we ran out the door to the airport (you can imagine how popular that made 'wait, wait, I HAVE to get a shot of this sweater before I leave!'). Anyhoo it is done and I'm calling this the 'booby prize' -- I think I did much better out of the sisterly sweater swap. I'll be interested to see what she thinks (and hope that she'll be willing to send me better modelled shots... hint, hint Jac ;o)


Oh yes, and this is my Januray sweater for the NaKniSweMoDo (complete a sweater every month in 2009). Extra big needles for this project means that I got a good start off the blocks on this one!

UK Knitting Delights

I've been back in the UK, with family, over Christmas and the New Year and it's been great! There are a few knitting related highlights I wanted to share with you here on my (mainly) knitblog.

First was meeting the lovely, and talented, knitbloggers from Joli House - Amanda and Lily.
Amanda, and her daughter, Lily live in the same area of the UK as my family and so it was nice to be able to meet up in person at a local cafe. I love the Joli house blog -- Amanda takes some of the most wonderful photos of her gorgeous knitting projects and Lily is a wonderfully talented knitter at such a young age. It was super nice to meet them both.

Second was a trip to Texere yarns - a yarn shop and warehouse in nearby Bradford. What an amazing place!
We arrived and were guided to the shop section which had a lot to offer. We were also offered mince pies and hot drinks. Yum! But it was when we walked into the warehouse that we really got giddy! The place is huge. And full of a wonderful selection of yarns -- British wool, Scottish wool, cotton, silk, mohair, etc etc... all at a really attractive price. Don't even get me started on the bargain section upstairs where yarn was 1p per 1g. Can you imagine? Needless to say I came away with quite the stash. Let's hope it all fits in my suitcase!

And finally there is the knitting content on some of the commercials (quite surprising as knitting isn't as big here in the UK as it is in the US). One was the Shreddies ads (breakfast cereal). I read a couple of reviews that people just didn't like these ads. I thought they were cute.

Knitting Nanas


Nanas Return


The other that does seem to be popular is for PG Tips (tea bags) and features a knitted monkey (not unlike the sock monkey that you'd see in the US). Another cute ad, IMO.



And lastly I'll leave you with this one -- a take on the Queen's Christmas message.



And on that note I'd like to 'shave a stoat' to you all in 2009!

Double the Ruffles

I finished the Just Enough Ruffles scarf to go with the purple and brown gloves that I'd given Mum for Christmas.


The original pattern (Just Enough Ruffles by Laura Chau) calls for a thicker yarn than the Sundara sock yarn I'd selected to go with the gloves, so I made a couple of modifications to the original pattern:

• Used a 4mm needle (as that what is recommended for the chosen sock yarn)
• Cast on twice as many stitches as the original pattern calls for
• I did 20 wraps in the curve
• I knit a couple of extra rows for the ruffle

I also used 2 colours in the scarf - a dark espresso brown Koigu sock yarn for the first and last few rows, and then the Sundara poppy for the bulk of the scarf. I wasn't sure about using 2 colours at first, but I think it turned out really nice in the end - an extra little detail.

I love the outcome and am going to make one for myself in some mama blue yarn that I've brought with me. Since the above version used more than 1 skein of the Sundara sock yarn, I probably won't cast on as many stitches -- probably increase by only 50% this next time. The scarf is plenty long so this should do the trick.

I love the pattern and think the end result is adorable.

Silky Lace Ribbon Scarf

A little late for Christmas, but finished nonetheless:

(Do you like my handsome model?)

The pattern is Veronik Avery's Lace Ribbon Scarf available, for free, on Knitty.com. I used Handmaiden fine yarn 'Silken' - 2 skeins - in this lovely bright berry red colour.


The pattern is a simple knit that is easy to memorize. Be warned though -- the recommended length for the scarf is a whopping 80 inches! Mine is just a touch shorter than this as I stopped when I was out of yarn from the 2 skeins.

I'm thrilled with the end result. As is my Mum who received the belated gift.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!
Sam

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Can you believe that Christmas is just around the corner? I can barely contain myself! Especially given that I'll be heading back to see my family and friends in the UK.


A couple of friends had a Christmassy swap recently, and I came away with the most amazing haul of goodies from Kristina. She is a sweetheart! Thank you Kristina :)

Goodies include:
- Scout's swag in De Young colourway
- A fabulous project bag from Etsy shop 3am enchantments. Isn't it gorgeous.
- A Starbucks knitty mug (oh yeah, my collection is beginning to grow) and some yummy Aveda comforting tea.


I've been plugging away on more slippers... ever popular. So that's 3 more pairs that will be travelling back home with me.


And I tried my hand at making some Fimo stitch markers. I love the Zecca style goodies and that's what inspired me. These were fun to make and surprisingly simple.


Hmm let's see what else... I've been doing some other gift knitting which isn't quite finished yet. Speaking of which, if you need a quick gift idea, check out the front of the Sundance catalog -- isn't that a cute little hat/scarf set for a bottle of wine. (And don't get me started on the sweater -- I'm dying to try and mimic this using the anthropologie-inspired capelet as a starting point).


Ok, must focus and get back to the gift knitting!
Stay warm,
Sam

Brown paper packages...

Yesterday evening there was the most wonderful surprise waiting for me in the mailbox -- a parcel of goodies from the UK!

Amanda, of Joli House (go check out her blog -- it's choc full of great projects and beautiful pictures) had sent me a lovely gift package:

• Posh yarn - a silk merino lace weight yarn with a whopping 1200 yards. Isn't it a great colour! And the yarn is soo very soft. I'm thinking I'd like to make a top - maybe spook, or grannie smith, or marianne, or...

• A great knit mug. Funnily enough, I'd just acquired a similar mug from Starbucks (I'm sure you've seen them around blogland already, right?) and had told Joe that I was going to acquire a whole set. Seems Amanda read my mind and is helping me on my way :)


• And check out the festive shopping tote. Love it!

• But most of all, I really like the adorable card -- a picture of Amanda's daughter Lily (who, by the way, is an amazing knitter - her fab projects are also showcased on the Joli house blog). I see a future Kim Hargreaves in the making ;o)

I love receiving gift packages in the mail... it truly is one of my favourite things. Thank you Amanda, this is a really sweet and thoughtful gift :)

Handknit Holidays

Thanksgiving weekend has been a lot of fun so far. For me, it really kicks off the holiday season. And in that spirit, I've been Christmas shopping, crafting, gift wrapping, stamping etc etc... And I love it!

First up, a little baby santa hat to go with a Dr Seuss onesie that I found. How cute is that!

The pattern is Kathy Pasusta's Santa hat from 'Handknit Holidays'. I think this pattern is a lot of fun, and most of my family have a version of this hat. I love the book too; there are soo very many things that I'd like to make.

On the topic of gift knitting, I'm looking for advice:

I found these great gloves, and would like to make a scarf or shawl to go with them. It doesn't have to match per se... just complement.


I looked through my stash (I love purple, and just knew there would be something that worked) and sure enough one of my highly coveted Sundara sock yarns would complement the gloves beautifully. But what to make? I only have 350 yards of the purple. And I also have some espresso brown Koigu, if needed, to add to the project.

One thought is the stained glass scarf (ravelry link), also from Holiday Knits, and maybe modifying to add a few cables? Too boring?

Or maybe something like 'through the loops' version of the silk kerchief?

Or what about a ruffle scarf of some description? (Ravelry links). Hmm I'm thinking I like this best...

What are your thoughts? Suggestions are welcomed :)

Knitted mug cosies

...just what every home needs!


The pattern is 'Mug and French Press Jackets' by MK Carroll. I think they are adorable - perfect for that person on your gift list that seems to have everything.

And if you are looking for some last-minute knitted gifts, this could be just the ticket -- they only took a day to whip together. This pair will be going out to a sister-in-law with a selection of yummy teas.

One note: the jackets need to fit pretty tightly in order to stay on the mug. So I'd recommend a gauge check, or tailoring the pattern sizing to the desired mug. (At first, mine were a little 'baggy' and when I lifted the mug, the little jacket slipped off! To fix this, I did some very slight felting in order to shrink it just a touch. That did the trick.)

I'm now tempted to make one up for myself too. It would certainly get some interesting looks in the office, don't you think? ;)

Back to prettier things

Whew! Now that Rowan Major is out of the way, I can back to my prettier knitting projects:

1. Rowan Geno

I've finished the bulk of the knitting on this one. Just need to find some quiet time to sew together and knit the button band. I have high hopes for this FO...

2. Araucania Hexagons

I keep adding to this in my few spare moments. It won't be done for Christmas. But I think the recipient will love it regardless of when they receive it.

3. Red silk ribbon scarf

Continues to grow. I really ought to focus on this one as I would like to give it away for Christmas. (No picture update as it really is just more of the same).

4. Mug cosy

Have you seen these mug cosies? I love them! I'm making a couple to go with some mugs and tea caddy for a Christmas gift.

5. Hourglass

Still plugging along on this -- I'm on the sleeves so these are my portable knit right now (nice size project to tuck into my bag, and good mindless knitting).

And that's it for the time being. I hope I have another FO to share soon...

Rowan Major

Here's another FO for Joe that I've been calling his ugly sweater:


The yarn is Rowan Spray, and this particular colourway had been sprayed with an acid/lime green. Pretty harsh on the eyeballs isn't it (at least with the first handwash some of the colour leaked off and the end result is much mellower... but still a little zany!).


The pattern is Rowan Major from the booklet 'The Next Big Thing'. I made a few modifications - no epaulettes, no pocket covers, and I knit it all on a US 15 needle (instead of the recommended US 17 for the bulk of the sweater).

This was far from an enjoyable project - first of all I had the longest circular needle ever (from an afghan I had previously made) and so I'd end up wrapping the lengthy cord under my leg, or round the back of my neck to try and prevent myself from getting all tangled up in it! Quite the sight. And then the pockets were a bit of a pain to do as they start right at the bottom edge of the sweater and you have to figure out how to join them into the cast-on edge correctly. Yep, just glad this one is done.


But here's the deal - Joe loves it! So all's well that ends well.
I just need to find some big buttons to officially finish it up and then he can make good use of it when walking the dogs (now that the weather looks like it is going to turn chillier again).