One for the Road

I knit or crochet or sew every single day, but I no longer feel drawn to blog about it, so I've decided to discontinue this blog. I'll leave it up in it's present form so people can access my patterns, links, or anything else that might be useful or interesting.

I've been hanging out on Ravelry quite a bit lately, and I plan to start cataloguing my projects there. Stop over and say "hi" if you're a fellow "Raveler" (and if you're not, you really should be--it's fantastic!)--I'm kelleyjogirl on Ravelry. I'm also still on Etsy.

So . . . one final project to share here: K's long-awaited "lovey."

Pattern: Easy Ripple Afghan

Yarn: Filatura Lanarota Circus, colorway #4 (85% cotton, 15% acrylic--very soft and drapey and wonderful, but a REAL PITB to work with because of how it's spun/plied)

Hook: size H

Thanks for reading!

Dishcloth Love!

I have a new favorite dishcloth pattern. It's quick and fun to work up, it lays flat, the edges are neatly finished, and it looks good on both sides. What's not to love?

Front:


Back:


Pattern: Double Bump Dishcloth
Yarn: Sugar and Cream, Summer Splash colorway
Needles: US size 7
Mods: none

It makes a lovely scarf too, so I'm using this pattern and my old stash of Red Heart Super Saver (left over from the kids' crocheted play food) for some charity scarves for the coming winter.

My Latest Frantic Mama

Pattern: Frantic Mama Soaker
Yarn: Malabrigo, Apple Green
Needles: size 3 and 6 16" circs for body; size 3 12" circs for leg cuffs
Mods: used changes for babies with chunky thighs

Happy 4th of July!

My latest dishcloth project. I love it! The pattern is available on the Monthly Dishcloths group. (It's the June KAL, if I remember correctly.)

I *have* been crafting . . . See!

Crocus

Here's a new dishcloth pattern for you. I've been sitting on this since spring. I meant to post about it as my Crocuses were in bloom, but . . . well, life happens, especially when you have small children. :-)

Materials

Worsted weight 100% cotton yarn, one 2 oz skein

US size 6 knitting needles

Finished size: approximately 8 ½ x 8 ½ inches

Stitches
K=knit
P=purl
YO=yarn over
P2tog=purl 2 stitches together
P3tog=purl 3 stitches together

Cast on 43.

Rows 1–6: Knit across.
Rows 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19: K3, P37, K3.
Row 8 (right side): K6, *YO, K2, P3tog, K2, YO, K1. Repeat from * to last 5 sts, K5.
Row 10: K6, *YO, K2, P3tog, K2, YO, K1. Repeat from * to last 5 sts, K5.
Row 12: K6, *YO, K2, P3tog, K2, YO, K1. Repeat from * to last 5 sts, K5.
Row 14: K5, P2tog, *K2, YO, K1, YO, K2, P3tog. Repeat from * to last 12 sts, K2, YO, K1, YO, K2, P2tog, K5.
Row 16: K5, P2tog, *K2, YO, K1, YO, K2, P3tog. Repeat from * to last 12 sts, K2, YO, K1, YO, K2, P2tog, K5.
Row 18: K5, P2tog, *K2, YO, K1, YO, K2, P3tog. Repeat from * to last 12 sts, K2, YO, K1, YO, K2, P2tog, K5.
Rows 20–55: Repeat rows 8–19 three more times
Rows 56–61: Knit across.

Bind off knitwise.

© 2009. This pattern is for noncommercial use only. Please do not sell the pattern or post the pattern on the Internet without prior written permission from the designer.

This has been test knit by me, but an error or two may linger. Please let me know if you run into any snags.

Enjoy!

A Grand Reopening at Dutch Baby Dudz

I will soon be reopening my Etsy shop. I have lots of new things in store. I'll be offering some new products along with the old favorites.

I'll continue to offer crocheted longies and shorties, and you will also be able to purchase the following new products:

knitted shorties and longies
knitted soakers
crocheted soakersPUL
cover and mini diaper sets (and covers and mini diapers sold separately
Fattycakes diapers and covers

I am working on becoming licensed to sell Hippy Hippy Snap diapers and covers as well.

Watch for me to reopen by June 1. Stop by and check out my new inventory!

I have also started a Yahoo Group where you can hear about all the goings-on at Dutch Baby Dudz. Be among the first to know about stockings, custom slots, sales, special promotions, and new products.

~Kelley
http://www.dutchbabydudz.etsy.com/

A Froggy Hippy Hippy Snap

A gift for an online friend who's expecting a baby girl:

The nitty gritty:

Hippy Hippy Snap pattern

flannel outer

killington flannel hidden (*love* this stuff!)

cotton velour inner

Aplix closures

lay-in contour soaker of terry topped with matching cotton velour (not pictured)

I hope she likes it!

My New Favorite Soaker

I have a new favorite soaker pattern--the Frantic Mama Soaker from Crazy Hat Lady. It's so easy to knit (gotta love pure mindless knitting for sleep deprived mommy brain), and it looks absolutely adorable on K.



(Pardon the "flashy" photos--I'm no photographer, and it's really hard to take a decent pic in winter in MI.)


Pattern: Frantic Mama Soaker (pdf)
Yarn: Wool of the Andes in Winter Night and Tomato (I think that's what the red was called--long since lost the ball band)
Needles: Knit Picks 16" circs, sizes 3 and 5 (plus a 24" circ in size 4 for the flat knit portion of the crotch--my gauge is looser knitting flat)
Mods: None

Balsam

Here's a new knit dishcloth pattern I've been working on. I call it Balsam because it reminds me of evergreen cones. One of my testers knit it in turqouise, and it looks like peacock feathers! Enjoy!

Materials:
Worsted weight 100% cotton yarn, approximately 2 oz.
US size 7 knitting needles

Finished size: approximately 9” x 9”

Stitches:
K=knit
P=purl
YO=yarn over
K2tog=knit 2 stitches together
PSSO=pass slipped stitch over

Cast on 39.

Rows 1–6: Knit across.
Rows 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21: K4, P31, K4.
Row 8 (right side): K5, *YO, K3, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K3, YO, K1. Repeat from * to last 4 sts. K4.
Row 10: K5, *YO, K3, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K3, YO, K1. Repeat from * to last 4 sts. K4.
Row 12: K5, *YO, K3, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K3, YO, K1. Repeat from * to last 4 sts. K4.
Row 14: K5, *YO, K3, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K3, YO, K1. Repeat from * to last 4 sts. K4.
Row 16: K4, K2tog, *K3, YO, K1, YO, K3, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO. Repeat from * to last 13 sts. K3, YO, K1, YO, K3, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K4.
Row 18: K4, K2tog, *K3, YO, K1, YO, K3, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO. Repeat from * to last 13 sts. K3, YO, K1, YO, K3, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K4.
Row 20: K4, K2tog, *K3, YO, K1, YO, K3, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO. Repeat from * to last 13 sts. K3, YO, K1, YO, K3, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K4.
Row 22: K4, K2tog, *K3, YO, K1, YO, K3, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO. Repeat from * to last 13 sts. K3, YO, K1, YO, K3, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K4.
Rows 23–38: Repeat rows 7–22
Rows 39–46: Repeat rows 7–14
Rows 47–52: Knit across.

Bind off knitwise.

© 2008. This pattern is for noncommercial use only. Please do not sell the pattern or post the pattern on the Internet. (You may link to this blog post.)

HUGE HOLIDAY SALE at Dutch Baby Dudz

Get your woolies now!

All Dutch Baby Dudz inventory will be 25 percent off through Christmas.

www.dutchbabydudz.etsy.com

Etsy Buy Handmade dutchbabydudz

I will be adding lots more inventory soon!

Throw-Back Wipes

I just had to share this fablous stack of retro cloth diaper wipes!

These are made from hand towels that my mom had in the master bathroom when I was a kid. I just love taking old, well-loved things and turning them into something new.

Whoops!

Earlier this summer, I had a little piece of denim left over from another project and decided to make T some shorts out of it. I very cleverly maneuvered the pieces to fit them onto the fabric and use up that itty bitty piece. But . . . I neglected to pay any attention to whether or not the right sides were facing up! LOL!

I let the pieces sit in my sewing basket until a couple nights ago, when I decided to say "heck with it" and sew them up and consider the mismatched pieces a "design element" instead of a flaw.





I *love* them! I wish I had sewn them up right away so T could wear them this summer. At least we usually have plenty of warm days in September.

Real Diaper Week

The Etsy Cloth Diapers street team is at it again! This time we are hosting Real Diaper Week, and our goal is to help bring real diapers to a baby's bottom near you! There will be introductory packages containing everything you need to get started using cloth. Already a cloth user? You'll find packages to boost your stash. Each participating shop has something different to offer, but some of the promotional listings include:

Multi-diaper packs at discounted prices
Easy to use diapers that are 'just like sposies'
Getting started packs
Variety packs
Cloth diapering travel packs with wetbags and wipes
Sew-Them-Yourself kits

Real Diaper week runs September 19-29 (yes, it's a long week--it includes both weekends!) and all the details about who is participating will be available on the team blog on September 18th. Come, visit, shop, tell your friends, and most of all, give your baby real diapers!

This promotion coincides with our new series of posts of information about cloth diapering. Many members of the team are writing the posts, and we hope that our combined knowledge and experience will be helpful for our readers. If there is a topic you would particularly like to see covered, please leave us a comment.

A Couple More Woolies for Little Peanut

I had juuuuust enough leftovers from my Purewool longies to knit a couple of size medium soakers. They should fit Little Peanut next summer (fingers crossed).



For some reason my camera really doesn't like this yarn--it's fairly true to life colorwise, but it looks so flashy . . .

Pattern: free Fern and Faerie soaker, size medium
Yarn: 100Purewool 3 ply in Festival colorway; this looks a bit better knit up, but I still don't really love it. *shrugs*
Needles: US size 3 and 5
Mods: knit the ribbing a bit shorter and the stockinette portion of the body a bit longer



Pattern: free Fern and Faerie soaker, size medium
Yarn: 100Purewool 3 ply in Warm Ice colorway
Needles: US size 3 and 5
Mods: knit the ribbing a bit shorter and the stockinette portion of the body a bit longer

A Passel of Woolies for our Little Peanut

I've been working away on some woolies for the new baby. Here's what I've got so far (none of these have been washed or blocked yet--I was too eager to share):

Pattern: Ladybugz Morning Glory Longies, size small

Yarn: 100Purewool 3 ply, Warm Ice colorway

Hook: G
Mods: Made straight leg instead of flared. Worked a few extra stitches at the crotch join to form a small gusset.

Pattern: Ladybugz Morning Glory Longies, size small
Yarn: 100Purewool 3 ply, Festival colorway (this colorway looked gorgeous on the hank, but it pooled really weird in crochet--very long color repeat); I'm not sure like this pair that much, but they'll be warm and soft and water resistant. :-)
Hook: G

Mods: Made straight leg instead of flared. Worked a few extra stitches at the crotch join to form a small gusset.

Pattern: Sheepy Sack (pdf)

Yarn: Patons merino, denim colorway

Needles: US size 3 and 6

Mods: none

Pattern: Sheepy Sack (pdf)
Yarn: 100Purewool 1 ply, Colibri II colorway
Needles: US size 3 and 6
Mods: none

Pattern: Punk Knitter's soaker, size small
Yarn: Fisherman's wool, Kool Aid dyed by me

Needles: US size 3 and 5
Mods: none

We're not finding out the sex again, since it was so much fun to be surprised the first time, so I'm sticking with yarns that I would happily put on either a boy or a girl. However . . . I have a funny feeling that this peanut may be a girl, so I think I might work up a few girly things too just in case. Lots more knitting and crocheting to do . . . And I need to buy more wool!

I also recently tried out a new pattern to make a soaker for T. I like it!

Pattern: Adirondack Babie soaker, size large

Yarn: Fisherman's wool
Hooks: E and F

Mods: None (but smaller hooks to get gauge)

Socks for Me!

You may remember me posting about these often quite some time ago. These are the very first socks I ever started knitting but the third pair I've finished. I put them down for a looooong time and knit a gift pair and a Sockapalooza pair in the interim. This week I got sick of looking at them sitting in my knitting basket and decided to finish them. I can't wear them until fall, but it's good to have them done anyway. Can't wait to wear them!

I think I did a pretty good job of matching up the stripes--until I got to the toe on the final sock. I ran out of yarn and had to join the little piece that I wound off searching for the right spot in the color repeat to start the second sock. So the second sock has a weird brown and blue toe:

I ended up having only five yards left! Look what a tiny ball five yards makes:

So if you have feet larger than about a women's size 8 or 8 1/2, you might want to steer clear of Magic Stripes.

Knitterly details:

Pattern: Silver's Sock Class--basic sock on four DPNs

Yarn: Lion Brand Magic Stripes, denim stripe

Needles: US size 1 DPNs
Mods: used size 1 needles instead of size 2s as called for in the tutorial (I did knit one sock on size 2s, and it turned out much to big for me.)

And since I have such a bingey personality, I couldn't resist casting on for a new sock. (It's a basic Silver's Sock Class sock in Magic Stripes again--I got two skeins at bargain basement price, so I may as well practice on it.) It feels really good to have a different project inhabiting my sock sack.

Jolly Green Giant

T's nighttime soakers from last summer are a tad short in the rise for his now truly gigantic overnight diapers. So . . . what's a mama to do but knit up some new nighttime woolies? (It seems huge after the newborn size stuff I've been working on. LOL.)

Pattern: Punk Knitters soaker

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Bulky, emerald

Needles: US size 5 and 7 (and 6 for the flat knit portion of the body, since my tension is looser for flat knitting than knitting in the round)

Mods: Bulky instead of worsted weight yarn (and needle sizes to work with yarn weight). (I knit a size down to get correct sizing for T with the bulky yarn.)

T is showing the very beginnings of interest in potty learning (yay!), so I'm hoping I won't need to knit all new woolies for him for next winter. Not that I don't love having stuff to knit, but some non-diapering stuff would be fun! *fingers crossed*

A Sneak Peek

Holy cow! It's knitting content!

This is my latest project. Can you guess what it is? (And don't you just love how the yarn is swirling?)

I'm also all done knitting, washing, and blocking T's BSJ. It just needs buttons and a photo shoot. More on that when I get back from vacay. :-)

Every Little Boys Needs a Star Wars Diaper

I think this is my favorite diaper I've ever sewn. I just like everything about it. :-)

It's a pocket fitted from the VB AIO pattern. The outer is flannel, and the inner is two layers of birdseye. Love the birdseye!



The front pocket is so easy to sew. I think I may add a little flap of some kind next time to encourage the insert to stay put:



And since my new sewing machine has an alphabet function, I stitched in a little something to help me remember this diaper is a size medium long:

Etsy Cloth Diaper Team Promotion!

Mark your calendars for our big Earth Day Promotion on APRIL 18! Full details will be posted on the Etsy Cloth Diaper Street Team blog very soon, but essentially each participating shop will have one promotional item (it will be marked clearly if you open the listing). The person who purchases that item will win a free gift with it--free gifts so far range from hand knit booties to bum balm to velour wipes to whole diapers! Every store is offering something different, so it's worth taking the time to look through them! A full list of participating stores will be posted on the blog along with a list of the free gifts. Please, spread the word!!

Just in Time for Summer

I finally finished the BBO mei tai I've had cut out forever. I love it! I put T in it and walked around the yard for a while, and it felt pretty good. Then I put it on again to show hubby when he got home, and it felt even better. I think I tied it just a bit diferently, and it felt more secure and the weight was distributed better.

Here it is in all it's rumpled glory (I couldn't get a decent shot of it all spread out, and this actually shows the fabric better.)

Just in time for summer trips to the zoo and hiking. Hope it works for hiking! We shall see . . .

More Sewing for T--Birthday Outfit

That's right--a birthday outfit! I can't believe my baby boy is two!



(Pardon the little stray thread on the front of the shirt--I just noticed it as I was posting.)

The shirt is from Kwik Sew's Sewing for Toddlers, and the pants are from Kwik Sew pattern no. 2858.

I still need to hem the bottom of the shirt (it's currently just serged with white thread ), but my regular sewing machine is out of commission, so I'll just have to wait until my new one arrives. (Oh yes, I'm getting a new sewing machine! I'm over the moon excited!)

I see lots more of these little t-shirts in our future--especially since knits come in 60" wide pieces.

Thanks for looking!

My First Kwik Sew

I got my Kwik Sew's Sewing for Toddlers in the mail yesterday, so I promptly traced the pattern for the T-shirt, hacked into my favorite old long-sleeve T-shirt that's too well-loved for me to wear any longer, and made this little number for T.



I messed up the neckline, but other than that I'm fairly happy. I even salvaged the wrist cuffs from the original T-shirt and cut the body pieces so that I kept the original cover-stitched hems (my regular sewing machine doesn't have stretch stitch and doesn't handle knits well at all.) I tried to do a neck band of self-fabric, but even with the addititonal length that they suggest for self-fabric neckbands, there was no way I could get it to stretch all the way around the neck hole. So I trimmed off the offending fabric and used some gray ribbing from my stash (not really a matching gray, but not too bad). So the neck is pretty saggy baggy. My next try will be better, I'm sure! Really, Kwik Sew must be pretty idiot proof. If I, with my newbie serger skills and a recycled T-shirt, can make something cute and wearable . . . ? I'm sold!

I just bought a bunch of cute interlock at Joann's to make him some more T-shirts for his birthday. I think I'll try the raglan pattern next.

Diaper Shower Goodies

I got to sew for another diaper shower for an online friend. Such fun! I love sewing diaps for other mamas. Here's what she'll be receiving:

Small/medium Ladybugz shorties in a soft acrylic (her little ones can't tolerate wool)



A small and a medium pocket fitted sewn from the VB AIO pattern and modified to make them snapping. Outer and inner flannel with a hidden layer of birdseye. Stuffed with trifolded inserts of terry and flannel:

Outers:


Inners:


And the whole kit and kaboodle ready for the mail:


I really like how the snaps turned out, especially the crossover settings. I'll have to make some like this for our stash now.

I hope she likes them!

Another Surprise

I'm doing another BSJ, this time for T. I adore this pattern. Such fun! Here are the fruits of two days of on and off knitting. I'm three ridges into the first set of increases:



The knitterly details:

Yarn: WOTA bulky in navy, emerald, and bare
Needles: US size 9 Knit Picks Options
Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket
Mods: crochet provisional cast on for sleeves so I can make them longer. I also added 9 stitches to each end of the cast on, since I'm not doing the increase above the cuff because of how I'm doing the sleeves.

This yarn and needle choice is rumored to yield a toddler size sweater. We shall see!

Lickety Split Crocheted Newborn Hats

Here's a super fast and fun crochet project for charity. I've made ten of these little hats in the last few days. This pic if of the first two.

Materials:
Worsted weight yarn, less than 1 oz.
Size H crochet hook

Gauge:
3 dc stitches per inch
2 rows of double crochet per inch
(However, gauge really isn’t terribly important for this project, as babies come in all sizes and grow very quickly.)

Ch 4, join with slip stitch to first ch to form a ring.

Row 1: Ch 3 (counts as first dc throughout), dc 11 in the ring, ss in top of beginning ch 3. (12 dc)
Row 2: Ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each st around, ss in top of beginning ch 3. (24 dc)
Row 3: Ch 3, dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, *dc in next 2 sts, 2dc in next st; repeat from * to end of round, ss in top of beginning ch 3. (32 dc)
Rows 4–9: Ch 3, dc in next st and in each st around.
Fasten off and weave in ends.

© 2008. Please don't sell these instructions or post them on the Internet. You may link to this blog post.

Next I plan to work up a version of this hat that uses baby yarn. Stay tuned!

Lickety Split Loom-Knit Newborn Hats

I've been doing some charity crafting again lately, and I thought I'd share my patterns for what I've been making. This almost doesn't qualify as a pattern it's so simple, but I do have a very specific way I like to make these little rolled-brim hats, so perhaps someone else would like to make them this way too. Enjoy!



Materials:
Small amount of worsted weight yarn
Small amount of sport weight or fingering weight yarn
24 peg Knifty Knitter round loom, or similar large gauge loom

This hat is worked using one strand of worsted weight and one strand of sport or fingering weight yarn held together.

Cast on using the crochet cast-on method (this creates a firm but stretchy edge that isn’t too loopy). I also really like the double e-wrap cast on for these hats.

E-wrap and knit off 19 rows.

To decrease for the top, move the loop on every other peg to the peg to the left. You should now have 12 pegs containing 2 loops alternating with 12 empty pegs.

E-wrap only the 12 pegs containing loops. Knit off (knit 2 over 1 so you end up with 1 loop on each of the 12 pegs).

Gather off and weave in loose ends.

© 2008. Please don't sell these instructions or post them on the Internet. You may link to this blog post.

Up next: crocheted newborn hats!

My First Dye Job

Here's my very first attempt at dying wool yarn. It's Fishermen's Wool dyed with Kool Aid. I think I used too little Kool Aid. This is 3 oz. of wool, and I used just one packet each of Berry Blue and Lemon Lime. It's actually a little brighter than how it shows up in the pic, but not a ton.



Meh. I think I can do better. It'll be fun to knit or crochet it up and see what it looks like though.

Playing Catch-Up--lots of pics

Pattern: Ladybugz longies, size large
Yarn: WOTA, Cherry Blossom and Blue Bonnet
Hook: G
Made for one of my Etsy customers


Pattern: my own sleepy sack pattern
Yarn: WOTA in Iron Ore (left); Lion Brand Fishermen's wool (right)
Hook: G
Made to stock at Hop Scotch


Pattern: Ladybugz longies, size extra large
Yarn: The Shearer's Yarn, dark maroon and sheeps' grey
Hook: H
Made to stock on Etsy


Pattern: Ladybugz longies, size medium
Yarn: The Shearer's Yarn, sheeps' grey
Hook: H
Made to stock on Etsy


Pattern: Rita's Rump Pocket
two layers of matching flannel, stuffer of terry cloth and matching flannel
Made as a shower gift for an online friend


Pattern: Rita's Rump Pocket
two layers of contrasting quilter's flannel
Made to stock at Hop Scotch


Pattern: Fattycakes, size medium
outer flannel, inner Alova suedecloth
side Aplix closure
Made for T's diaper stash


Pattern: my own, size small
Yarn: WOTA, not sure of the name of the purple colorway; cuffs and ribbing are done in Bare
Hook: F
Made as part of my pattern development process

Some Knits for Moi!

Pattern: just a simple mistake rib
Yarn: Purewool 1 Ply, colibri II colorway
Needles: size 8 bamboo straights for scarf, size 7 16" Knitpicks circs for the headband

I looove them. Super soft and comfy to wear.

Curly Purly Longies

After ages of sitting in my UFO pile, T's nighttime longies are finally finished. This is his final pair of woolies for this winter.

The lighting really stinks today, so the color looks all washed out. The second picture is a little more true to the color IRL.

Pattern: Curly Purly soaker, size large, morphed into longies
Yarn: Peace Fleece, Patience Blue
Needles: 16" circs in sizes 3, 5, 7

I am again just so enamored of the way PF blooms and softens after washing and lanolizing. I love this yarn!

Chemo Caps

I made some chemo caps for a dear friend who is battling breast cancer. They're all made from worsted weight acrylic, since she says she doesn't like wool.


Knit caps from this pattern. I substituted baby cable rib for regular rib in the brown cap. I love the way it turned out!


Loom knit caps using using the second largest Knifty Knitter loom. These aren't terribly stylish, but they're supposed to be especially comfortable for sleeping in for chemo patients with tender heads. I used Caron Simply Soft yarn. It's nice and silky.


Crocheted caps from this pattern.

I hope she likes them!

More Crochet Woolies

Somebody stop me! I can't seem to stop crocheting woolies! This pair is for T, and they will round out his daytime longies stash for this winter.




Pattern: Ladybugz Honeysuckle shorties
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino, denim and gray (not sure what gray colorway is called--the ballband was gone)
Hook: F
Gauge: 4spi
Mods: smaller gauge, wider crotch gusset, longies instead of shorties

I need to get making some more longies or my Etsy shop. I just got some great yarn from The Shearer's Yarn to make some longies for sale. Can't wait to dig into it!

Never fear, I have a long knitting to-do list now too, and I'm starting to get back into the swing of things:

1. Chemo caps for my dear friend who is fighting breast cancer
2. A shawl/wrap for said friend
3. DH's stocking cap and gaiter (belated Christmas present)
4. T's 2nd birthday sweater
5. (but they probably shouldn't be last in line . . .) T's nighttime longies, which I already have a good start on

So I hope to have some knitted FOs to share soon!

Crocheting Up a Storm!

Pattern: Ladybugz Honeysuckle shorties
Yarn: Wool of the Andes, violet and bare
Hook: F
Gauge: 4spi
Mods: smaller gauge, wider crotch gusset




Pattern: Ladybugz Honeysuckle shorties
Yarn: Wool of the Andes, blue ink
Hook: F
Gauge: 4spi
Mods: smaller gauge, wider crotch gusset, longies instead of shorties




Pattern: Ladybugz Honeysuckle shorties
Yarn: Wool of the Andes, asparagus and bare
Hook: F
Gauge: 4spi
Mods: smaller gauge, changed crotch gusset (shorter and wider), longies instead of shorties

Taking a Blog Break

I need to take a little break from posting to this blog. I'm still working on crafty stuff, but I'm not up to taking pics and composing posts at present (due to stuff going on IRL, much of it not so good). I'll be back as soon as I can though, so check back! :-)

Surprise!

I finished my first Baby Surprise Jacket. Fun, fun pattern, and really easy too. I was a little nervous about starting it, because I'd seen all kinds of cheat sheets and references to knitters using spread sheets to help them keep their place in EZ's instructions. Bah! Totally not necessary, IMO. It's pretty straightforward, really. My increases did travel a bit on one side at one point, but otherwise it was smooth sailing.

I used some scraps of baby acrylic I keep on hand for charity stuff. I plan to donate this to the local hospital. Now that I know I like the pattern, I'll have to find some scrumptious yarn to make one for T (and figure out how to size it for a toddler . . .).

And, of course, some pics:





And my latest WIP, a mistake rib scarf in 100Purewool:

Forward Motion!

I finished the black merino mittens! Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a picture of them before I gave them to my mom to give to her friend. Ah, well. Not much to see anyway. Just plain vanilla black mittens. That's one WIP checked off my list!

Here's what I'm currently working on:


A Baby Surprise Jacket (from EZ's Knitting Workshop). I'm just trying out the pattern, so I'm using some baby acrylic I have on hand for charity stuff. It'll probably go to the local hospital if it turns out cute. (So far so good.) I'm loving this pattern. It's really easy, and it's intriguing trying to figure out how the shaping will get you to a sweater in the end. EZ is just the most brilliant, clever knitter ever!


Crochet sampler baby afghan for friends who are expecting their second child. I have 4 squares to go, and then I have to decide on an edging.

On deck:

Refined Raglan from the Winter '06 IK. I think I'm going to try it in some Pistacchio Cotton Ease I have lying around(for me!)

A scarf for me from 100Purewool (stitch pattern yet to be decided)

Stocking cap and gaiter for DH for Christmas (probably EZ's Watch Cap, with the gaiter in the same stitch)

Play food and market bag for DS and niece and nephew for Christmas

I better get busy!

Red Scarf 2008

For the Red Scarf Project 2008.

Pattern: mistake rib over 35 stitches
Needles: US size 9
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft, autumn red (they wanted soft and washable, so there you go!)
Finished size: 5" x 60" (Actually, it's more like 59" long, since I developed a tangle--darn slippery yarn wouldn't stay skeined--and had to cut my working yarn. I measured, found that I was only an inch short of the requirement, and decided they probably wouldn't quibble over an inch. *grin*)

I do love the mistake rib. I think I need to make one of these for myself this fall. I have some 100Purewool merino coming. Wonder what that would look like in mistake rib . . .

My Sweater Dilemma, and Other Knitting Tidbits

Several months ago I bought eight skeins of Cotton Ease in the pistachio colorway, thinking I'd make myself a sweater out of it this fall. (I found an insanely good deal on this yarn online--pistachio normally isn't my thing.) I've been searching for appealing sweater patterns, and I keep coming back to the Dollar and a Half Cardigan in the Spring 2007 IK. I really, really like it. But I also really, really like how it looks in the dark brown (I think grey, navy, or any other dark color would be nice too). So would this sweater look totally wrong in pistachio (light pastelly green) cotton yarn?

I also like the look of the Green Tea Raglan from that same issue, but the thought of all that seed stitch doesn't really turn me on. I have some other yarn that I'm planning to use for an EZ raglan or yoke sweater, so I don't want to knit one of those with this pistachio yarn. Any other ideas?

I have been knitting (and crocheting) quite a bit recently, but I don't seem to be making much progress. Well, at least I'm not cranking out too many FOs. Here's what I've been working on:


plain vanilla mittens in black merino


lamb softie for my little T man (I plan to add facial features and a ribbon bow), acrylic scraps


mistake rib scarf for the Red Scarf Project, Caron Simply Soft autumn red

I'm still plugging along on my denim stripe socks (working on them quite infrequently, a few rows here and a few rows there)

I recently made some crocheted play food and sent it to a mama I know on Diaper Sewing Divas as a little surprise for her little guys. My pics are awful, so I won't bore you with them, but I made the food from the Dandelion Dreamers patterns. Very, very fun! I plan to make T and the like-aged nieces and nephews sets for Christmas. I hope to have some better pics to share once I finish the Christmas gifts.

A Bunch of Sewing!

Here's the result of a recent burst of diaper-sewing productivity:


Medium Mile Hight Monkeys fleece cover


Two medium Fattycakes pocket fitteds with side-closing Aplix


Medium Chloe Toes pocket fitted, turned and topstitched


Medium Chloe Toes pocket fitted, turned and topstitched


Rita's Rump Pocket one-size-fits-most flannel pocket fitted


Medium Fattycakes pocket fitted


Medium Chloe Toes fitted with Aplix, and an RRP

Hey, Look! I Finished Something!

Pattern: Susan B's Easy Ripple Afghan
Yarn: random scraps of ack-crylic
Hook: US size I
Finished size: 36" square

This is a large "snuggle" (blanket for a homeless animal) for the Snuggles Project. I plan to drop it off at a local no-kill animal rescue organization.

Aaaah . . . it feels good to actually finish something.

Time for a Roll Call

Not much knitting going on here . . . It's been a little knitting, a lot of frogging, and not much motivation to sit and work on much of anything. Blah.

On the needles:

These socks (yep, still)
Forest Canopy (I completed the set-up rows and then didn't feel like working on it anymore)
Plain vanilla mittens for a friend of my mother (frogged twice and currently stewing in my knitting box)

Pretty pathetic, eh?

On the bright side, I have completed quite a bit of crocheting for my Etsy shop and the Hop Scotch Store. I guess I'm just feeling the crochet right now.

A Seraphim Soaker

Pattern: Seraphim Soaker (size medium)
Yarn: Wool of the Andes, Wheat and Winter Night
Hook: US size F
Mods: extra row on the cuffs and decreased at the tops of leg openings on each row to make the cuffs fit more snugly

A Good Mail Day!

I got my Sockapalooza package in the mail today. Look what my pal made me!



And a closeup of the lovely yarn:



In addition to these wonderful socks, she sent some beaded stitch markers and some hand cream and foot care goodies. I'm a happy, happy girl. Thank you so much, Natalie. I love it all!

Dutch Baby Dudz Gallery

Tomorrow I will be bringing my first batch of wool soakers to the Hop Scotch Store, a children's shop that specializes in locally handcrafted items. The proprietor tells me that they are working on building up their base of cloth diaper customers and that the items they have in stock are selling very well. I'm so excited! Here are some of the items I'll be stocking at Hop Scotch. (Please pardon the poor lighting in some of the photos. I've noted where color is not accurate.)


(accurate color in last photo above)


(color is actually the same as the navy stripe in the red, navy, and white striped shorties below)


(accurate color in last photo above)

I'm also getting ready to launch my Etsy shop, Dutch Baby Dudz. I have lots more to do before that happens, since I've been focusing on getting items done for the Hopscotch Store. I'm shooting for early September for my first stocking on Etsy. I can't wait! You can check me out here!

This has been taking up nearly all my knitting/crocheting time lately (this and Sockapalooza), so knitting content on the blog has been pretty scarce. Thus, I thought it was high time to share what I've been up to. Wish me luck!

I'm Done!

My socks for my Sockapalooza 4 pal are done! Like 'em? They might be for you . . .

Pattern: Baby Cable Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks, over 80 stitches
Yarn: Knitpicks Dancing, Rumba
Needles: US size 0 DPNs
Gauge: 10 spi

Now I just need to wash them and decide on some cool goodies to send along with them.

Fattycakes and the End of the Wool Soaker Parade

My first Fattycakes diaper. (Can you tell this flannel print is my practice fabric? Not the most boyish print--ahem!--but it's covered up by a soaker, and it was cheap, cheap, cheap.)



Turned out cute, don't you think? I don't have a snap press, so I had to wing it with some snaps and a snap kit from Joann's. The snaps are pretty wonky and not placed quite right (too far in from the edges on the front), but it works. I may try front-closing Aplix next time. I just wanted to follow the pattern as closely as I could the first time around (though I did tack and encase the elastic instead of zig zagging it on, since my Lastin isn't here yet and all I have is polybraid, which doesn't work well with the zig zag on my sewing machine.)

And here's the final soaker for T's summer stash of woolies. Sorry about the crummy pics. Apparently, my camera doesn't like this color, or maybe the lighting is just bad today. The bottom photo shows the color better. (It's still not quite right though--it's a sage green. It looks exactly like the color of sage leaves to me IRL.)




Pattern: Fern and Faerie pattern #406
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino, sage
Needles: US sizes 3 and 5 and (and 4 for the flat knit portion of the body, since my tension is looser for flat knitting than knitting in the round)
Mods: started with fewer stitches for the waistband and then increased for the hips in the first row of stockinette.

I really like this pattern. The cool thing is that it includes instructions for both a soaker (flat or in the round) and longies (flat or in the round), and they're all customizable to the body measurements you need. You knit a gauge swatch, take a few measurements, plug the numbers into the formula, and voila! The perfect fit for your babe. Awesome!

Another Diap = Another Post!

I got my Chloe Toes diaper pattern in the mail this afternoon, and I just finished my first diap from it. Love this pattern! It was my first try at FOE (fold-over elastic), and I flubbed it up pretty badly. (It doesn't show in the pic, but trust me, it's not pretty!) Note to self: Buy 1" FOE. 5/8" is a PITB! Crummy binding job and all, I'm still really excited about how the diap turned out. I think I'm an FOE convert. And, of course, a pic:

No Pins!

I did a bit of sewing during T's nap today. I wanted to try a turned and topstitched fitted diaper. (I made two fitted cloth diaps a while back, but they're pitiful. I tried to just overcast the edge on my regular sewing machine to simulate a serged finish, and it looks pretty crummy. They're somewhat usable but ugly. You can see one of them here.)

I think this one turned out pretty nice. It's not perfect, but I like it.




I used the free Ottobre pattern online. I made the smaller size (which is supposed to fit newborn to six months) and turned and topstitched without adding a seam allowance. It turned out way big (which I had heard, so that's why I did the smaller size). It's more like a size large, which is perfect for T. Now I just have to try it on him and see if it's a good fit.

I used a single layer of flannel for the inner and a single layer of flannel for the outer, and I sewed in an interior soaker of microfiber terry and flannel. It's pretty thick and cushy, so I'm thinking I shouldn't have to boost it with a doubler. We'll see . . . I've never used microfiber before.

UPDATE: The legs are pretty gappy. If I make more of these, I'll be sure to add a seam allowance, at least around the legs. Otherwise, it fits pretty nicely.

A Punk Knitters Soaker

Yay! Some knitting content! It's another soaker for T.



Pattern: Punk Knitters soaker
Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Bulky, bare
Needles: US size 5 and 7 (and 6 for the flat knit portion of the body, since my tension is looser for flat knitting than knitting in the round)
Mods: bulky instead of worsted weight yarn (and needle sizes to work with yarn weight), picked up fewer stitches for the cuff (pattern says to pick up one stitch for each row of knitting, but I skipped a row every 6 stitches or so).

I'm hoping that this will be suitable for nighttime since I used bulky weight yarn. I loved working with the WOTA bulky. It's lofty and really quite soft. We'll see how it performs. I've been wanting to try this super basic pattern for a while just to see how it goes together. It is so easy to knit and went super fast (probably partly because I used bulky yarn). We'll see if I like the fit--it'll be interesting to see how the lack of shaping works out on a baby bum.

One more soaker to go, and T will have a very generous stash of woolies for summer. More FO pics coming soon!

Sockapalooza--Halfway Done!

I've already cast on for the second sock so I won't be tempted to put it off. That's one big sock with lots of itty bitty stitches (10 spi!). I'm happy with it. I hope my pal will be too!

EZ Shorties

I finished another pair of shorties for T Tuesday night while watching the Pistons (and dang it, they lost again!). I may have to forego knitting while watching tonight's game or I'll probably forget what I'm doing and have to frog it. Anyway . . . this brings the count to three new pairs of summer woolies.



Pattern: Baby Leggings from Knitter's Almanac (Gotta love EZ!)
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino in camel
Needles: US size 5 circs
Gauge: Between 5 and 5 1/5 stitches per inch
Unstretched measurements: 16" waist, 21" hip (widest part, at last increase), 20" rise. It fits my 14-month-old son perfectly (but with not a whole lot of room to grow, so it would probably fit a younger baby as well).
Mods: Increased the number of stitches set aside for the crotch to 14 front and back; 5 stitches just doesn't seem like enough for an active toddler. Also did just 7 rows of ribbing after dividing for the legs to make shorties instead of longies.

The rise is indeed long, as I've read elsewhere, but I decided to just knit the pattern as written (with the exception of the mods mentioned above) the first time just to see how it turns out. It's really not that long after blocking, and since I used merino, I know it'll shorten some with the felting from regular wear anyway, so I'll probably be thankful for the extra length down the road.

This was a fun and easy pattern, and it turned out really cute. So far I give it a thumbs up, but T hasn't worn it yet. I'm interested to see how it fits and behaves on a babe in action.

Next up: Ottobre in bulky wool (probably for overnight), perhaps a pair of Ladybugz shorties in merino (I had the sudden urge to try something crocheted and bought the pattern last night--we'll see how that goes), and maybe another pair of EZ shorties in merino if I like how this pair fits. I'd also love to do another Curly Purly soaker, and the Tickle Turdle Wrap caught my eye last night. So . . . I have some decisions to make.

Elvish Leaves Dishcloth

The lace pattern of this cloth makes me think of the leaves of Lorien from Lord of the Rings (I'll have to make some cloths in green!). I was tempted to call it the Leaves of Lorien Dishcloth, but the leaves of Lorien in the movies are a slightly different shape (they're lobed instead of ovate). I think this lace looks elvish nonetheless.



Materials
Worsted weight 100% cotton yarn, approximately 2 oz.
US size 7 knitting needles

Finished size: approximately 9" x 9"

Stitches
K=knit
P=purl
YO=yarn over
K2tog=knit 2 stitches together
PSSO=pass slipped stitch over

Cast on 39.

Rows 1–6: Knit across.
Rows 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27: K3, P33, K3.
Row 8: K5, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K3, K2tog, K1, * YO, K1, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K3, K2tog, K1. Repeat from * across to last 5 stitches. YO, K5.
Row 10: K6, * YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K1, K2tog, K1, YO, K3. Repeat from * across to last 3 stitches. K3.
Row 12: K7, YO, K1, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K1, * YO K5, YO, K1, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K1. Repeat from * across to last 7 stitches. YO, K7.
Row 14: K5, K2tog, K1, YO, K3, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, * K1, K2tog, K1, YO, K3, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO. Repeat from * across to last 5 stitches. K5.
Row 16: K4, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K2, YO, K3, YO, K2, * slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K2, YO, K3, YO, K2. Repeat from * across to last 6 stitches. K2tog, K4.
Row 18: K6, * K2tog, K1, YO, K1, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K3. Repeat from * across to last 3 stitches. K3.
Row 20: K5, K2tog, K1, YO, K3, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, * K1, K2tog, K1, YO, K3, YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO. Repeat from * across to last 5 stitches. K5.
Row 22: K4, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K1, YO, K5, YO, K1 * slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K1, YO, K5, YO, K1. Repeat from * across to last 6 stitches. K2tog, K4.
Row 24: K6, * YO, K1, slip 1, K1, PSSO, K1, K2tog, K1, YO, K3. Repeat from * across to last 3 stitches. K3.
Row 26: K6, *YO, K2, slip 1, K2tog, PSSO, K2, YO, K3. Repeat from * across to last 3 stitches. K3.
Rows 28–47: Repeat rows 8–27.
Rows 48–53: Repeat rows 8–13.
Rows 54–59: Knit across.

Bind off knitwise.

Admire your beautiful new dishcloth and get scrubbing!

© 2007. This pattern is for noncommercial use only. Please do not sell the pattern. Do not post the pattern on the Internet. (You may link to this blog post.)

This is my first attempt at creating a pattern. I hope you enjoy it! (And please let me know if you find any errors--I've knitted it three times as written, but you never know . . .)

EDITED 8/29/07 to correct typos in last 3 lines of pattern.

Shortypants--a bit more detail

At Erin's request, here are a couple of close-ups that show the gusset on the Curly Purly shorties. For some reason, the gusset on these shorties didn't turn out quite as neat as usual. They work fine, so I just try not to look at the gusset too closely. *grin*

Little Angel

I just finished my first project for PAKM. It's a wee burial wrap. I've heard that some people find it too difficult to make burial items for preemies, but for whatever reason, this is something I can do. I did get to me a little when I saw just how tiny the finished wrap is (see the bottom picture with my hand for scale). Once it's folded up it's about eight inches from top to bottom. I can't imagine a baby that tiny.

It's my first attempt, and it's far from perfect, but I hope it will be a blessing to someone who needs it.







Pattern: combo of knit and crochet angel wraps by Aunt B
Yarn: baby acrylic (sport weight) from my charity stash
Needles: US size 8 and crochet hook size G
Mods: knit the wrap and crocheted the head and wings

Ripple Mania

UPDATE: Photo of actual progress as of 5-19-07 (color is more accurate in the photo below)



I've officially jumped on the crochet bandwagon. I'm a joiner, what can I say? (There is some absolutely gorgeous crochet going on out there! Have you seen this and this and this?) Actually, I'm more experienced with crochet than with knitting, so it's kind of fun to get back into it (though I am most certainly a knitting addict now and would definitely call myself a knitter rather than a crocheter).

A while ago, someone gave me a stash of rather hideous acrylic to use for my charity crafting. I've decided to make it into a ripple blanket and donate it to The Snuggles Project. It will be 36" square when it's done--just right for the largest size snuggle (large doggy size, I think). I'm having fun with it, even if the colors are a little funky and some of the yarn is downright gross (man, acrylic was even worse a few decades than it is now--scratchy and plasticky and probably radioactive LOL).

It's gotten quite a bit bigger since I took this picture, but I'm too lazy right now to take a new one. Soon . . .

Dishcloths for Mom

Now that Mother's Day has come and gone, I can post the cloths I made for my mum and mum-in-law.


smariek's Vine Lace Cloth


Rhonda White's DW Cloth


Another DW Cloth


Rhonda White's Three Crosses Cloth

I think they liked them. But will they use them . . .? We'll find out!

Finally Some Finished Items to Share!

I finally have some finished objects that I can share. I've been knitting up a storm lately, but most of it has been for baby gifts or knitting exchanges, so I've been sitting on the pictures until the gifts were given and the exchanges were sent.



Pattern: Baby Bib O Love from Mason Dixon Knitting
Yarn: Sugar and Cream cotton, cream
Needles: US size 4 (two sizes down from pattern recommendation)
Modifications: knit one long strap that buttons at the front




Patterns: Easy Baby Cardigan (pdf) and North Country Cotton Baby Socks (pdf)
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Shadows, dark moss (it's actually a slightly darker green than the photos show--poor lighting for photography here lately). I'm not crazy about acrylic and usually avoid it, but I just loved this color! I think it will be great whether the baby is a boy or a girl.
Needles: US size 7 circs for the sweater; US size 3 DPNs for the socks
Mods: None for the socks. For the sweater, I knit buttonholes into the edging on the front and sewed on buttons instead of doing ties as the pattern instructs. I also used a provisional cast on for the top of the hood and came back and kitchener grafted the hood together instead of seaming the top. (I would knit both of these patterns again. Love 'em!)
Other comments: The socks seem to run very large. I knit the baby size on size 3 needles (two sizes smaller than recommended), and they still fit my 13-month old son. The sweater should fit around 6-9 months, just in time for cooler weather next fall/winter. Perhaps the baby will have large feet. :-) I figure that even if the socks don't fit at the same time as the sweater, they'll still be cute to wear with another outfit somewhere down the line.



Pattern: Tranquility spa set from Rhonda White's "Spa and Bath Sets to Knit"
Yarn: Sugar and Cream cotton, cream
Needles: US size 5 and 7
Mods: none



Pattern: my own (my first attempt at designing a dishcloth)
Yarn: Sugar and Cream cotton, cream
Needles: US Size 7
Mods: none (since I made up the pattern, I didn't need to modify :-)

Phew! That felt good.

Sockapalooza!

I've started on my Sockapalooza 4 socks. I thought my pal would enjoy some summer-weight socks in fun colors with just a bit of texture. I'm planning a cuff down sock (obviously) with a heel flap and a standard toe. I got the idea for the textured rib here (though I'm making up my own pattern rather than following her pattern, which is toe up with short row heel and toe). I'm using Knitpicks Dancing and US size 0 DPNs. This yarn is knitting up at between 9.5 and10 spi, so it's a good thing I'm getting a jump start. Lots of tiny stitches to knit between now and August!

One Down, One to Go

It fits! It fits!



And the top view . . .



And a closeup of the non-hideousness of the toe:



All I had to do to make it fit was frog my previous attempt and reknit it on size 1 DPNs instead of size 2s. (Yep, I ended up frogging the entire thing--and I'm glad I did.) I like the fabric the 1s make much better too. I'm very happy! Now it just needs a mate, but first I must get a good start on my Sockapalooza 4 socks.

Added 5/4/07:
A few more details on the sock, for those who may be wondering about fit: It's knit over 64 stitches at 8.5 stitches per inch (measured on stockinette), and it fits my size 8 foot, which has an 8.5 inch circumference.

Curly Purly

With warm weather coming, T needs some new soakers, since the soakers I knit him for last summer are now too small. Here's the first of (I hope) six:



Pattern: Curly Purly Soaker (Love it! Wish I hadn't waited till now to try it!)
Needles: US size 3, 5, and 7 circs and DPNs
Yarn: Peace Fleece, sheplova mushroom
Mods: Added one extra short row an inch below the pleated section.

A Group FO

The wool stitch sampler afghan I assembled for my favorite online charity knitting group is washed, blocked, and almost dry. I'm so happy with how it turned out. It should be ready to ship to Afghans for Afghans for their Mother's Day campaign by Monday. (Pardon the messy floor of my craft room.)



And another pic, just because I like the angle on this shot:



More details can be found here.

A Little Bit of Sewing

Last week I was itching to do a little (very little) bit of sewing, so I whipped up this sock sack using this tutorial. It's not perfect, but I love it anyway. There are definitely more of these in my future. (Do you recognize the sock--or I should say yarn from the former sock--that's currently inhabiting the sack?)

Cotton Baby Hats

I knit these a while ago, but since they were gifts I didn't want to post them in case the mommy to be reads my blog. She opened them at a baby shower on Saturday, so now I can finally share pics.

Pattern: Children's Cotton Hat from Last Minute Knitted Gifts

Yarn: Bernat Cotton Tots

Needles: US size 7 circs

Mods: none

I love 'em! They were a super fast knit, they turned out so sweet, and I love the Cotton Tots.

A Little HP Fun

I don't have any knitting to show you--still knitting on the interminable sock project and several gift knits--so in the meantime, here's a little Harry Potter fun. I'm so ready for Book 7!

You scored as Harry Potter. You are a very passionate and caring person when it comes to the wellness of your friends as well as others. You're very temperamental and sarcastic, and sometimes you'll flow a little bit over to the arrogant and obnoxious side when your temper gets the best of you. But you're bold and daring and will stand up for what you feel is right with bravery. Harry Potter 78% Hermione Granger 72% Severus Snape 66% Luna Lovegood 63% Ron Weasley 59% Sirius Black 59% Oliver Wood 59% Bellatrix Lestrange 59% Albus Dumbledore 56% Neville Longbottom 53% Remus Lupin 50% Draco Malfoy 38% Percy Weasley 38% Lord Voldemort 31% Harry Potter Character Combatibility Test created with QuizFarm.com

A Group WIP

I've been working on assembling a wool baby afghan for an online charity group I belong to. Each month the group focuses on a different charity or project. Our March project was afghan squares for various charities (Warm Up America, Project Linus, and Afghans for Afghans). I volunteered to assemble a blanket for Afghans for Afghans, and members from all over the U.S. and Canada knitted 9x9 squares and sent them to me.

I was planning on just mattress stitching the squares together, but I received such a wide variety of sizes, that I ended up needing to add a crochet border to equalize things a bit. I crocheted just one row of single crochet around the largest squares and up to four around the smallest squares. Actually, I'm really liking how the crochet borders look. Having borders of the same color on each square will help tie the squares together and give a nice consistent look. Now I just need to wait for the last two squares to arrive, attach the squares together, and add a border around the whole blanket. This should be ready to ship off to Afghans for Afghans just in time to be included in their Mother's Day Campaign shipment. I didn't know about their new campaign when we started this blanket, but it works out perfectly! I just love these kinds of projects. Call me sentimental, but it makes me so happy to think of all the different hands that put love into this blanket that will warm a baby half a world away.

My First Ever EZ Project

T's Birthday sweater is done. It fits him well. I didn't have to buy more yarn (I have about 8-10 yards left of each color). I am satisfied.

Here's the finished sweater in all it's washed and blocked, yet-to-be-worn glory (the color is washed out here--it's accurate in the last two photos):



I love how the stripes turned out:





The knitty gritty:

Pattern: the "recipe" for a seamless raglan from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting without Tears
Yarn: TLC Cotton Plus, one skein each red and navy
Needles: US size 5 and 7 Knitpicks Options
Size: 12 months with room to grow--24" chest, 9" sleeves (measured from the armpit), 8" body length (measured from the armpit)
Modifications: Changed a few things to make the percentage system work for a child--no shaping on the sleeves, a bit more than 50% of body stitches for the neck opening, long ribbed cuffs on the sleeves to allow for growth. I also didn't use EZ's neck shaping method. I just added three short rows to the back of the neck in my own manner.

This simple little sweater has such a sordid history. I had more false starts and frog and redo sessions than I care to rehash (I still am not sure why this project was such a problem for me), but I'm really happy with how it turned out. Mission accomplished!

A Little Instant Gratification

Long time no post! I've been knitting some little "this-n-thats." I knit some dishcloths for my sister at her request--a Grandmother's Favorite, a cloth of my own design using a basketweave stitch, and a Darrell Waltrip cloth:



I also knit some little coasters using a pared-down version of the Baby Genius Burp Cloth pattern from Mason Dixon Knitting. I love these! They're so simple and quick to make. Here are two of them (I actually made a couple in navy too, but they didn't photograph worth a darn--we've been having really crummy weather for shooting photos):



I have good news to report on the sweater front as well. T's birthday sweater is done! It's all washed and blocked and ready for him to wear to church this morning. It's a week late for his actual birthday, but it's still ready for Easter and for his one-year portrait. Yay! I'll post photos soon.

Checking In

I've been knitting away, and it's beginning to look like a sweater--finally!

I still have my doubts about how it will turn out. I'm still not sure the yarn will hold out, so I may have to make a last-minute Internet purchase to complete the project. Also, I'm not at all sure that I can graft these underarms neatly and make them look like anything that resembles decent:



I must have stretched things a lot when I joined the body and sleeves, because I've got some wonky, huge stitches on the ends of these underarm sections. I'm hoping that blocking will work miracles on the armpits (and make the decrease stitches look more even)!

We shall see . . .

Good News, Bad News

Good news: I finished my very first sock today!
Bad news: It doesn't fit me at all! It's quite a bit too wide and just a smidge too long. See how it bags around the ball of my foot and how the toe floats on the end of my foot? I have a long big toe that sticks out farther than my other toes, so I don't really like how this style of toe fits my foot. (Unfortunately, I know nothing about other toe styles either, so I have no idea what I would even try to get a better fit.)



A closeup of the hideousness of the toe (doesn't it look look a cobra getting ready to strike?):



Okay, so . . . time for another yucky knitting decision:

Option A: Frog the entire thing and reknit using size 1 needles (instead of size 2 as recommended in the tutorial).
Option B: Frog the toe and half a dozen or so rows of the foot and start the toe decreases sooner. I'm thinking this might stretch things just enough to get a snugger fit around the foot.

I honestly don't know what I want to do yet, but I'm sort of leaning toward option A. Any thoughts? Do you think option B might work?

Despite this unfortunate result, I really enjoyed knitting this sock. I can see how people get totally hooked on sock knitting. Right after I turned the heel, I bought enough yarn to make four more pairs of socks. I'm dreaming of all the different patterns I want to try. Now, if I can just get the size thing down . . .

Almost There . . .

Here's how I looked a year ago today. Only a few more days until T's first birthday!

(Wow, is our dining room in need of a facelift. I didn't really realize how sad it was until I saw this picture online. )

Which Jane Austen Heroine Am I?

I don't often post these little quizzes, but this one was just too fun! I love Jane Austen. Is it accurate? Maybe partly . . . You know how these quizzes are--on some questions, none of the answers really fit.

:: L I Z Z Y ::
You are Elizabeth Bennet of Pride & Prejudice! You are intelligent, witty, and tremendously attractive. You have a good head on your shoulders, and oftentimes find yourself the lone beacon of reason in a sea of silliness. You take great pleasure in many things. You are proficient in nearly all of them, though you will never own it. Lest you seem too perfect, you have a tendency toward prejudgement that serves you very ill indeed.

Take the Quiz here!

And Now for Something Completely Different

After the great sweater debacle, I needed to knit something mind-numblingly simple. Baby washcloths to the rescue! T is a super- messy eater, so we keep a little stack of cloths on the kitchen table. He needed a few more, so I whipped these up on Sunday.

Pattern: Grandmother's Favorite dishcloth (but increased to only 36 stitches before starting the decreases )
Needles: US size 9
Yarn: Bernat Cotton Tots
Finished dimensions: 7" x 7"; Cotton Tots is sort of finicky in the wash. It tends to shrink quite a bit if not handled delicately (per the manufacturer's washing instructions). However, I just throw these cloths in with a hot or warm load--whatever's convenient--and run them through the dryer with the rest of the laundry (they are only washcloths after all). After repeated laundering, they end up being more like 6" x 6", but they return to their original size after they get wet again. So it's all good!

Just a quick sweater update (I'm sure you're probably as sick of reading about this sweater as I am of writing about it): Yesterday morning I frogged the entire thing, sleeves and all, and started redoing it with ribbing instead of a rolled edge. I really wanted a rolled edge, but this yarn just won't behave itself. I haven't encountered such uncontrolled rolling with other yarns I've worked with--I wonder if it's the acrylic component of the TLC Cotton Plus that makes it roll so much. I hope to have good news and a lovely FO to post sometime in the next couple of weeks. (The "deadline" for this sweater is the end of March for T's first birthday.)

100 Things about Me

Just for fun, some random and unrelated tidbits, in no particular order:

1. I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that belief in him is the only way to eternal life.
2. I went to the same high school as my husband (at the same time as he was there), but we never met until years later.
3. I met my husband through an online dating site.
4. I am painfully shy.
5. I would rather knit than eat.
6. I love food.
7. I would rather knit than sleep.
8. I require a large amount of sleep to be at my best--9 or 10 hours per night is ideal.
9. I have a bachelor's degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Management.
10. I have a bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature.
11. I'm an editor.
12. I competed on the high school gymnastics team (I wasn't very good--I started my lessons very late, at around age 13).
13. I broke my back in a fall from the uneven parallel bars in the first gymnastics meet of my junior year.
14. I competed in all four events again my senior year.
15. My favorite story of all time is Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.
16. I am a Detroit Pistons fans.
17. It broke my heart when Ben Wallace jumped ship to Chicago. (He's my fave player!)
18. If I have another son, I want to name him Benjamin Wallace, but my husband won't let me. It's a nice name, right? . . . (I'm only half joking.)
19. I love to camp--rustic style, in a tent, with no electricity or modern bathroom facilities.
20. If I had pursued a career in wildlife biology, I probably would have become an ornithologist.
21. I'm fascinated by wolves. If I had pursued a career in wildlife biology and not become an ornithologist, I probably would have studied wolves in the wild.
22. The area surrounding Lake Placid, NY, is my favorite place in the world.
23. I want to visit Ireland.
24. Some of the scenery in Yellowstone National Park brought me to tears.
25. I've also been known to cry while watching the Olympics. (The Olympics just don't seem to be the same as they once were. Has the world changed, or have I?)
26. I'm a Republican.
27. I'm interested in alternative parenting practices.
28. I cloth diaper my son.
29. I enjoy diaper laundry. It's rewarding to fold a big pile of clean, fluffy, fresh-smelling diaps.
30. I think EC is a great idea.
31. I make baby food at home rather than buying Gerber.
32. I dislike having too much stuff.
33. I don't want to be rich, just comfortable.
34. M*A*S*H is my favorite TV show.
35. I dislike reality TV.
36. I love period movies (Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth, The Importance of Being Earnest, etc.).
37. Colin Firth is my favorite actor.
38. I think Kenneth Branagh is a Shakespeare genius.
39. I think Romeo and Juliet reads like a romantic comedy that's tinged with tragedy.
40. I was married the day after Valentine's Day, even though I think Valentine's Day is pretty silly and never celebrate it.
41. I live in an urban neighborhood.
42. My house needs a lot of TLC.
43. I don't enjoy home improvement.
44. I was spontaneously potty-trained at a year and a half old.
45. I won an essay contest (The Oldenburg) in college for a piece called "Metafiction and the Enigma of Narrative in The New York Trilogy."
46. I loved reading Canterbury Tales in the original Middle English. (Fun and not all that hard!)
47. I'm sort of a book snob (I chalk it up to my education: see #10), but I love the fantasy genre as well.
48. I'm currently reading A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.
49. I love the Harry Potter books.
50. I prefer to knit with natural fibers. Merino wool is my favorite.
51. I don't like to play any sports that involve a ball (or ball-like object) and more than one person on the court (or field or whatever the "arena" is for that sport) at a time.
52. I need lots of down time or I get cranky.
53. I like to cook.
54. French fries, ice cream, and donuts are some of my favorite foods, but I can't eat them (for health reasons).
55. I loathe exercise.
56. I've never been to a rock concert.
57. I eat gluten-free.
58. I like my steak medium rare toward rare.
59. I can't watch horror movies, or even trailers or TV commercials for horror movies.
60. I like stories that don't have happy endings.
61. I'm a cat person.
62. I didn't have my first kiss until I was nearly 18 years old, my first year of college.
63. I never went on a date until I was nearly 18 years old, my first year of college (see #4).
64. I am definitely not a prude.
65. If I have money to spend on myself, it usually goes toward yarn or knitting implements.
66. I would love to have a large family.
67. I hate to wear shoes.
68. If I could get away with living in my PJs, I would.
69. I never blow-dry or curl my hair.
70. I loved being pregnant.
71. I want to live debt-free. (Once the house is paid off, that wish will become reality.)
72. I have never dyed my hair, but I did get a perm in middle school--it was hideous.
73. I grind my teeth at night and have to wear a mouthpiece to prevent tooth damage.
74. I'm a homebody.
75. I love giving gifts as much as I love receiving them.
76. I'm mildly afraid of the dark.
77. I'm afraid of heights.
78. I'm very claustrophobic.
79. I hate spiders. Honestly, it makes my skin crawl just thinking about them. They seriously creep me out.
80. The only country I've visited outside the U.S. is Canada.
81. I love toast. Like, I really, really, really have a thing about toast. With jam. And real butter. (But I can't eat it anymore: see #57.)
82. Christmas is my favorite holiday.
83. It just doesn't feel like Christmas if there's no snow.
84. I love Beethoven. And John Denver. And Johnny Cash. And Green Day. And the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
85. I grew up next door to Anthony Kiedis's mother (she still lives in that house).
86. I don't like rap or contemporary country music (but "classic" country is great--Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, etc.).
87. I don't like the taste of beer.
88. I drink a glass of red wine every day.
89. Daffodils are my favorite flower.
90. Fall is my favorite season.
91. I was born in the fall.
92. I prefer to drive a car with a manual transmission.
93. I am of Dutch and German descent.
94. I've flown only once (from Michigan to Montana and back for my brother's wedding), and I loved it.
95. I'm a thrower. I recently taught myself to knit Continental as well, but I still usually knit English style. I just want to be able to do both, you know?
96. I love foreign films.
97. I think it's a shame that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon didn't win the best picture Oscar. (Gladiator is a wonderful film, no doubt, but Crouching Tiger is just exquisite in every way.)
98. I'm fascinated by Asian culture.
99. Amy Tan, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Tracy Chevalier are among my favorite authors.
100. I'm picky about the format of the DVDs I own--widescreen only, please!
101. Just kidding . . . I'm done!

If you've made it to the end of this exercise in self-absorption (or perhaps personal reflection is a nicer way to look at it), bravo!

Houston, We Have a Problem

It's still curling! I did a purl row six rows in, and now the whole blessed thing wants to flip up right above the purl row. I think this is worse than before. I need to go lie down.

How-To: Nicely Rounded Loomed Baby Hats

Several people have expressed interest--via comments, emails, and posts on my looming groups (here and here)--in how I made these little loomed baby hats with the rounded tops. It's no big secret. I got the tip about how to decrease for the top from a few different people on my looming groups. I didn't use a pattern, but (with a nod to those helpful loomers for sharing their shaping advice) I'll tell you what I did:

Knifty Knitter round blue loom (24 pegs)
One strand worsted weight yarn (white) and one strand sport weight yarn (baby colors)
One strand of worsted and one strand of sport are held together throughout

Do the crochet cast on.

E-wrap and knit 1 over 1 for about 6 inches, changing colors as you feel like it or as you run out of yarn.

On the row right before you're done, move the loop on every other peg to the peg adjacent to it, thus creating an empty peg. Wrap the loom as usual, knit over, making sure to knit over 2 over 1 on the pegs that have 3 loops on them. Remove the hat from the loom as usual using the gather method. Weave in ends.

This makes a pretty tiny hat. I think I need to pull out T's newborn hats again just to make sure these loomed ones aren't too little. I'm not sure if I've just forgotten how tiny newborns are or if these hats are truly tiny.

Tough Decisions

I've finished the body and sleeves on T's birthday sweater and am all ready to join the pieces and start knitting the yoke. But . . . (are you sitting down?) I've decided to rip back and reknit the body. I don't like how much the edge is curling. A fellow member of Zimmermania pointed out that you can do a single purl row a little ways up from the edge, and that will stop the roll. I tried that on the sleeves (see photo below--sorry it's a bit fuzzy), and I like the effect. I purled on the fifth row. I think on future projects, I'll put the purl row quite a bit further in, but the tiny roll doesn't bother me enough on this sweater to rip and reknit both the body and the sleeves.



Also, I've decided to keep on knitting without buying any more yarn unless I know I'm going to need it. I think that if I'm careful and place the stripes on the yoke strategically, I might be okay. Ripping and reknitting the body to reduce the roll will give me some extra yarn for the yoke too. (Fingers crossed.)

Now I just have to decide if I want to make this a yoke sweater or a raglan sweater. I'm thinking raglan would probably take less yarn. Yes? No? Anyone?

Doomed from the Start?

Have you ever had a project that you just can't seem to get off the ground? That's how T's birthday sweater is ending up. First, I cast on and then, about an inch later, I realized I had twisted the stitches when I joined in the round. Frog. Next, I was knitting away happily, untwisted, when I started to feel that perhaps I was knitting the wrong size. Yup, I measured some more of T's clothes that I like the fit of and discovered I was making the chest 2 inches too large. Apparently, the sweatshirt I measured the first time is average length but very wide. Frog. I adjusted my measurements, refigured my cast on stitches, and cast on again with the correct number. (I should mention here that I hate casting on. Even more so, I hate casting on large numbers of stitches--figuring out how long of a tail to leave for the long tail cast on, counting stitches, recounting and re-recounting to make sure I have the right number of stitches. Shoot me now!) I was feeling very good about this little sweater, when I realized--again an inch or two into it--that I had again twisted when joining in the round. (Mind you, I knit in the round all the time, and I never have trouble with twisting like this. ) Frog. That brings me to my latest (and hopefully, final) attempt. I'm about 6 inches in, we have no twisting, and the measurements are coming out perfectly. Woot! But . . . I probably don't have enough yarn to finish this sweater. For some reason, when I bought the yarn, I figured one 3 1/2 oz. skein of each color would be enough. (I'm going to arrange the colors something like this.) What on earth was I thinking? Now I have to order more yarn online (and pay more shipping), because I'm pretty sure none of the local craft stores carries this yarn. And of course I'll have to deal with mismatched dye lots. And how much more do I need? . . . I'm trying very hard to take a deep breath and remain calm.

No More Puckers

Thanks to some suggestions from the kind members of the loom knitting groups I've joined ('cause what fun is a new hobby without online buddies to chat about it with), I can now make loom-knit hats that are nicely shaped on top. Kinda cute, eh? These are going to the hospital along with the girly baby blanket. Okay, now it's really time for something other than hats--or at least a hat in a new stitch.

I've been knitting steadily along on my trusty needles too. I started T's birthday sweater, a seamless EZ pullover, and have about an inch of the body done. Nothing picture worthy yet--but soon!

Do I Really Need Another Hobby?

A while back, some members of a sock-knitting group I belong to were talking about knitting socks on looms. I peeked at some of their blogs and was pleasantly surprised at how nice some of the loom-knit socks looked. They were beautiful socks, and some of them were barely distinguishable from socks knit on needles. They were knit on very fine-gauge looms with sock yarn. Interesting! I thought loom knitting might be a fun diversion when I don't feel like "real" knitting. (It happens sometimes!) One of the women on the sock-knitting group suggested that anyone who's interested in trying looming get a Knifty Knitter set to try it out, because they're really cheap. So that's what I did (well, mine is Hobby Lobby's knockoff, but it's essentially the same thing). These looms "knit" at an insanely large gauge, which I'm not a fan of. If I decide to take up looming seriously, I'll probably spring for some nice fine-gauge looms. This definitely isn't a substitute for knitting, but it's fun nonetheless. I've always loved all things crafty.

Here's a little hat I made (both photos are the same hat--it's reversible). I don't like how the top of the hat puckers, but I've since learned about some techniques that should help minimize that.




I know only one basic stitch so far (sort of a twisted knit stitch), but I'm ready to try some new stitches. That should broaden my project possibilities. I'm eager to move on to something besides hats! So . . . what to loom next? Look at all the beautiful things Isela made with looms. Maybe someday . . .

Oh, and check out the looming article in the new Knitty! What great timing!

New Doodlepants for My Little Shortypants

Pattern: Aubrey Doodlepants
Yarn: Peace Fleece, Zarya Fog colorway (Love this yarn!)
Needles: US size 5 and 7 16" circs, US size 7 40" circ (magic loop on the legs)
Modifications: added an eyelet row to the ribbing for the drawstring; added a batch of graduated short rows right after the waistband (a la Elizabeth Zimmermann); added crotch gusset (increased from four stitches to 14 stitches)

I'm Doing a Happy Dance!

This yarn is aptly named--Knitpicks Dancing. This came in the mail on Friday. I ordered some of each color they had left, since it's being discontinued. I was just giddy when I saw the gorgeous colors. I called my husband over to share my excitement and pet my yarn and ooh and aah over the colors. Not suprisingly, he didn't share my enthusiasm. I can't wait to knit these up into socks. I'm already dreaming of what patterns to use with the different colorways.


Two Step


Hula


Rumba

I'm brand new to sock knitting. I know there are truly fabulous sock yarns out there--Lorna's Laces, Socks That Rock, Trekking, etc.--but I'll go for this cheap (but, I think, still pretty wonderful) stuff until I'm sure my skills warrant the deliciousness of the premium stuff.

Girl Power!

This little blankie will be donated to my local hospital. I hope it will make some little girl happy. It was so quick to make! I started it Friday afternoon and finished it late last night. It just needs a quick wash and bit of blocking. Gotta love crochet!--especially with worsted weight yarn and a large hook (size I). I may have to make this little blankie a companion to accompany it to the hospital. I really like the idea of graduated shades of the same color, and I'd like to see how it looks with a slightly different pattern and a different color.

UPDATE 3/16/07:

I've had so many people ask me what pattern I used for this little blanket that I decided I'd better post the information here. Thanks, everyone, for the compliments! I never expected such attention for this humble blankie.

It's from the Leisure Arts booklet "Blankets and Buddies" (LA2610). I bought that leaflet years ago, so I don't know if it's widely available anymore. If you can't find it in your local craft store, try here. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure it's in "Our Best Baby Afghans," which is still available (it's on amazon.com). The blanket appears on the cover. I changed the color sequences quite a bit for my blanket, but the original color arrangement is cute too.

Sock Dilemma

I haven't made that much progress on my sock since my last post, but I just couldn't stop myself from posting again. I love my sock. I can't wait until it's done (until both are done). I keep trying it on. I think I'm just about ready to start the toe. I'm debating if Iwant to start the toe now or knit another half inch or so. The tutorial says to knit to within 2 inches of the tip of your toe. I was planning on knitting until it measures 8 inches from the heel to my needles (my foot is ten inches heel to tip of big toe--but I have rather long big toes), and I'm not there yet. But then when I try it on, it seems like it's time to start the toe. Hmmm . . . the stretch factor. Plus, the sock is a tad on the large side. I don't want a saggy baggy sock that slips all over my foot and doesn't fit well in shoes. (Next pair I'm using size 1 DPNs instead of size 2s.) I've never done this before, so I don't know what to expect. So I'm waiting and debating. This may be my naptime project for today (T's naptime, not mine ).

Roll Call

T's longies. Not far to go now.


My first sock. I can't decide if this yarn is fun or ugly, but I'm having a blast knitting it!


The plans for T's new sweater. It will be an Elizabeth Zimmerman seamless pullover. I haven't decided yet if it will be yoke or raglan, but I've got a good amount of knitting to do before I need to make that decision. You can kind of see what I'm planning from my (very poorly rendered) pencil sketch. I'm no artist (Do you like the different length arms? LOL), but it helps me visualize where I'm going.

I've decided I need to finish these three projects before I start anything new. Think I can stick to that? I've already got a scarf idea that I'm eager to get started on. (I'm pretty unhappy with the scarf I made earlier this winter--see here and here--so I'd like to replace it with something better.) Plus, I have more sock yarn coming in the mail. Oh boy . . .

Finally an FO

I finished my Swiffer cover yesterday, and there was sufficient sun for taking pictures. I think the cover turned out pretty well. I used some old acrylic I had in my stash, thinking it might replicate the static action of the disposable Swiffer cloths better than cotton. I gave it a test drive, and it picks up dust and cat hair really well. It just pushed around the kitty litter that gets tracked all over the house. (I hate that, but I'm not about to give up my furry baby over it.) I have yet to find any dry mop that will pick up kitty litter, so I just push it into a pile and suck it up with the Dust Buster.

Now, with one project finished, I can cast on for something else. I think I'll start on T's birthday sweater today. I'm planning an EZ sweater like this one in navy blue and red. I'm hoping to have it done by his first birthday at the end of March so he can wear it for his one-year-old portrait.

Four Corners Dishcloth

Here's my finished Four Corners Dishcloth. It's based on a pattern by knitting guru extraordinaire Elizabeth Zimmermann. Abigail adapted it to a dishcloth pattern. (She's having a little contest--you can read about it here.) As you can see in the second picture, I cheated and did a regular cast on and then sewed my seam rather than doing the provisional cast on and then grafting the edges. Pure laziness on my part. I haven't learned the provisional cast on yet and didn't feel like trying it the day I knit this. Next time for sure! I'll be making more--it's a fun little pattern, and I just love the gently curved corners.

Knitting Weather

It looks like Old Man Winter decided to visit my neighborhood at last. These photos were taken around 11:30 a.m. today. It's been cold here the last week or so, but this is our first real snowfall of the year (darn global warming). I love weather like this as long as I don't have to be out in it. Now that I'm staying home with T, we can just look out the window and enjoy the scenery. Much better than trudging through the snow in my office attire at 7:30 in the morning, scraping snow--and more often than not, ice--off my windshield, and clearing snow from behind my tires, then repeating the whole process again at 4:30 when it's time to come home again.






This looks like knitting weather to me!

Jumping Right on This Bandwagon

After seeing Elaine's post on the Mason Dixon KAL this morning, I just had to make one of these coasters for myself. It's such a clever idea, and it turns out great! Very squishy and absorbent. Good timing too--one of our two remaining terra cotta coasters got broken on Sunday, so we really need some new coasters. As quickly as these babies knit up, I'll have a whole new set in no time.



Yarn: Sugar and Cream, Dark Pine (small amount of scrap yarn)
Needles: US size 5
Pattern: Modified Baby Genius Burp Cloth from Mason Dixon Knitting. Cast on 25 stitches and work the pattern until the coaster is square.
Finished size: Approx 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches
Time to complete: 45 minutes, with breaks to move along the laundry

Some Pics of FOs and WIPs

My Curly Purly scarf in action. Doesn't it look nice against my black wool pea coat? It's pretty, but the texture of the fuzzy acrylic doesn't feel that great against my skin. There may be another scarf in my immediate future, once I get through my current WIPs.


My current WIPs: socks for me and some Elizabeth Zimmermann longies for T


T's slippers. Yes, there are two of them again! Can you tell which one is new and which one has been worn constantly since October? I sure can!


Woozy Cloth. I love this cloth. It was really fun and quick to knit, and it turns out so fab and funky. Plus, it's on the small side, which I really like. I don't like huge dishcloths. They just take up too much yarn and are too bulky for me to handle.

Warm Little Tootsies, Take Two

Remember these? Recently, while getting groceries, I looked down and noticed that one of T's slippers was missing--bare little tootsie hanging down from the cart seat. I backtracked and looked, but I couldn't find the slipper. I checked the lost and found a couple days later, but they didn't have the slipper. So I have no choice but to make another slipper. Sigh. At least I still have some of the yarn left (not really what I wanted to use it for, but . . .). So that's my knitting mission for today; then I'm back to my regularly schedule projects.

Mason Dixon Baby Kimono

Yarn: Red Heart acrylic, light yellow
Pattern: Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono from Mason Dixon Knitting
Needles: US 6 Knitpicks Options, US 5 DPN for the I cord closure

This turned out pretty well considering I used acrylic rather than cotton. (I'm trying to use up my old acrylic on baby clothes and such.) It does seem a bit stiff, so I'm considering "killing" it to see if that improves the drape. This is a quick, fun pattern, and I think it turns out really cute!

Introducing My Bookmarks

Some of you have already noticed the long lists of links I posted yesterday. The bookmarks on my browser were getting really, really crowded and disorganized, so I decided to move them to my blog to make them easier for me to find--and to share them with you in the process. I've added a "My Bookmarks" section to the sidebar. The links in that section link back to the posts containing all the patterns, resources, etc. I'll keep adding to the lists, but we can always access them just by clicking on the links in the "My Bookmarks" area in my sidebar. I've still got lots more sorting and transferring (and inevitably more organizing into categories withing categories) to do, but I feel so much better already!

Links: Knitting Resources, Tutorials, Etc.

Celtic text generator--for chart knitting
Knitpro 2.0--for chart knitting
How to knit an I cord
Applied I cord
Stitch sampler
Knitting stitch patterns
Knit and spin links
Jogless Jog
Crab stitch edging tutorial
Cabling without a needle
Converting from one gauge to another
How much to chart for knitting?
How much would you charge me to make . . . ?
Tidying Up the Edges--Mason Dixon dishcloth
Cuff finishing technique (for longies)
Knitting tensions/gauge
Standard yarn weight system
Baby size chart
Practical tips on knitting for babies
No strings attached elastic waistband
Garterlac photo tutorial
How to convert a crochet pattern to a knitting pattern
How to knit with two circulars
Knitting 101 with Lisa and Danielle
Knitting resources
Knitting tips and techniques (a page of links)
Folded picot edge
Random stripe generator
Feather and fan stitch--how to vary length of repeats
Chart reading
Knitting chart maker

Tags for handknit gifts

Cast ons
Channel Island cast on
Another Channel Island cast on tutorial
Magic cast on

Cast off/Bind offs
Sewn cast off

Homemade knitting needles
Cheapstix
Handmade knitting needles and toppers
Circular needles
Make your own knitting needles

Koolaid dying
Knitty article
Bev's Country Cottage article
Knitapalooza article

Recycling yarn
Unraveling thrift store sweaters
Recycled yarn tutorial
Recycled Yarn Book

Seaming and grafting
mattress stitch--Knitty article
Horizontal seams
Kitchener stitch
Kitchener--Knitty article

Short rows
How can I avoid the hole?--short rows
Purl short row wrap tutorial
Japanese short rows
Unwrapped technique for short rows
Short row photo tutorial
Yarn over short rows

Socks
Socks 101
Toe-up sock
Toe-up sock toe tutorial
Casting on for two socks on one circular needle
Sock calculator
Basic sock chart
Magic cast on for toe-up socks
"Pretty way" of picking up stitches of sock heel
Sock Toe Chimney--grafting technique
Tiptop Toes toe-up tutorial (Knitty)
Making sock blockers from hangers
DIY plastic sock blockers
Sock toes for long big toes
Short row heel tutorial
toes and heels
Short row heel/toe tutorial (from The Blue Blog)

Links: Places to Buy Yarn Online

Blackberry Ridge Kaleidescope Yarns
Handpaintedyarn.com
Lambikins Hideaway
Rowan
Sundara
100Purewool
Artyarns
Caron International
Chez Casuelle
Elann
Full Belly Farm
Noble Knits (Galway wool by Plymouth)
Little Knits
Wooly Wonders by Nada
Knit Picks
Peace Fleece
The Sweet Sheep
Treliske Organic
Irish Baby Knits
The Naked Sheep
Yarn by the Bag
Yarnzilla
Pure Knits
Knitting Warehouse
Elmore-Pisgah (home of Peaches & Cream)
The Woolery
The Loopy Ewe
Mosaic Moon
Schoolhouse Press
NuMei (have cotton chenille)
Yarn Forward
Sheep Shed Studio (discounted Brown Sheep Co etc.)
Sarah's Yarns (Jaggerspun Superfine Merino)
Threadart (cheap Wooly Nylon)

Links: Items for the Home and Accessories (Free Patterns)

Dishcloths and other kitchen linens
Kitchen set from DROPS Design
Snowflake from Berroco
Candy Cane Pot Holder and Hot Pad (scroll down)
Biscuit blanket
Hand towel
Snow Bird dishcloth from Harvest Moon
Nubbins dishcloth
Basic modular dishcloth
Twin Leaf Lace cloth
Snowflake star (suitable for dishcloth with heavier yarn and larger needles)
Kitchen towel
Fountain Lace dishcloth
Intertwined dishcloth
Vine Lace cloth
Woozy cloth
Easygoing potholders
Back to School cloths from Knitty
4 Corners Dishcloth
Two-Way Dishcloth
Baby fern stitch dishcloth
Lacy mock cable cloth
Dishcloth directory at Knitting Pattern Central
dishcloths by Danielle Cote
Dishcloth boutique (lots of free patterns)
Smariek Knits (blog with beautiful free patterns)

Miscellany
Tissue cover
Korknisse ornaments
Buttonhole Bag from Mason Dixon
Harry Potter bookscarf
Doily coaster
Magic loop stocking
Knitting basket
Sophie felted bag
Tea panties
Swiffer cover
Ballband Swiffer cover

Afghans
Trees and leaves afghan
Circular mitered square blanket
Feather and fan throw

Pet Items
catnip mouse toy
Knittin' for Kittens
Knitting patterns for pets
Pet bed and blanket

Links: Grown-Up Knits (Free Patterns)

Hats
Brooke's Column of Leaves hat
Live Dangerously, Don't Swatch hat (scroll down; start with Nov 21 post and work back up toward top of page)
Jimmy's bulky beanie
Odessa hat
Caliometry from Knitty
Code 88 Hat (scroll down)
Basic earflap hat
Coronet from Knitty
Wedding ring ear warmer
Double knit cap
Circular Prime Rib in two colors
Circular Prime Rib
Feather and fan hat
Zebee

Scarves
Brooke's Column of Leaves scarf
Karaoke cable scarf
My So-Called Scarf
Dulaan scarf
Curly Purly scarf
Feather and fan scarf

Mittens and gloves
Urban Rustic Gloves from Knitty
Sideways mittens
Twin rib fingerless mittens/wrist warmers
Basic mitten recipe
Hogwarts house gloves
Gifted mittens and scarf
Basic fingerless mittens
Cable cuff mittens

Socks
Thick house socks
Two Needle Socks
Worsted weight socks
Sock calculator
Shetland Lace Rib Socks
Basketweave Ribbing Socks
More Fun Than Cables Socks
Basic sock chart
Cuff-down short-row-heel socks
Generic toe-up socks
Two needle socks (Seabury socks)
Cable socks
Pomatomus
HJS Studio generic sock pattern
Diamante from Knitty
Sox on 2 Stix from Knitty
Thuja from Knitty
Very detailed Toe-up sock pattern
Feather and fan socks
Tube socks
Simple Trekking Socks by Mim
Aurelia Socks
Snake River Socks
Perfect Knee Socks
Suzi's Basic Socks
Wyvern Socks

Slippers
Fjord felted slippers
Chenille slippers
Family of felted slippers
Fuzzy Feet from Knitty

Sweaters (long or short sleeve)
The Perfect Sweater from Mason Dixon
Tempting from Knitty
Top-Down Raglan Pullover Calculated by the Percentage Method
Circular shrug
Rosebud from Knitty
Lucie from Knitty
Picovoli
Raglan Cardigan from the Top Down

Shawls, shrugs, and other lacy garments
Convertible from Knitty
I Do from Knitty
Shimmer from Knitty
Shawl I must knit! (not a free pattern, but I don't want to lose this idea . . . )
Feather and Fan Shawl
list of rectangular shawl links
list of triangle shawl links
DROPS scarf in a wavy lace pattern
Luna Moth shawl

Miscellany
Peekaboob nursing tank top from Knitty

Links: Baby and Kid Knits (Free Patterns)

Lots of free patterns found here

Soakers
The Great Wool Soaker Parade
Updated Aubrey Doodlepants pattern
Curly Purly soaker
WW soaker calculator
Triangle soaker
Down Under diaper cover
Tiny Birds Organics soaker
Fern & Faerie free soakers
Mehndimama soaker
Tierra-Verde soaker
Warm Heart Woolies PlainWrap
Ottobre soaker
Jenny's soaker
Tiny Birds Organics longies
Punk Knitter's soaker
1932 Ribbed Soaker
Cargo from Knitty
Tickle Turdle wrap (crocheted)
Tabitha's Crochet Wrap Soaker (crocheted)
MiaLa 3 Outta 1 wool diaper covers (sewn, not knitted)
Bum Wrap butt sweater (sewn)
Frugal Baby bum sweater (sewn)
Sweater pants (sewn)
Butt sweater (sewn)

Wonderbag (wool wet bag for cloth diapers)

Booties
Sock style booties from Baby Center
Circular seamless baby booties
Cabled booties
Christine's booties
Infant felted mocs (crocheted)
Daisy stitch booties (crocheted)

Slippers
Family of felted slippers

Socks
Mini Basketweave Toddler Socks
"Baby Keep Your Socks On"
Great Baby Sock Pattern
Basic Opal baby sock (scroll down)
Opal kid's sock
Striped Rib Sox
Baby to Toddler Sized Socks
Ribbed Lace Toe-Up Baby Socks
Feather and fan socks
"Little 16" Newborn Socks

Sweaters
Bamboozle Bambino Sweater from Crystal Palace
Seamless neck-down cardigan
Baby cardigan
Pisolo cardigan (crossover front like Mason Dixon baby kimono)
Easy Baby Cardigan
Devan cardigan from Knitty
Lutzling sweater
Opal baby sweater
Oma sweater (not a free pattern, but I love this knit--find this knitting booklet)
Daisy cardigan
Tater's cotton cardi
Seamless raglan baby cardi
EZ Baby Surprise Jacket cheat sheet (not the actual pattern)
EZ Baby Surprise Jacket modification ideas (not the actual pattern)
Five-rectangle sweater
Baby cardigan
Made with Love sweater
Reid from Knitty
Weasley sweater
Mitered baby jacket
Bunny Hop Side Wrap
Lacy crochet top
Great BSJ ideas

Hats
Bunny Beanie from Baby Center
Cable and seed stitch hat
Pumpkin hat
Baby earflap hat
Tassel hat
Holly hat
Dulaan hat
Tiny tot helmet
Anna's angel hat
Baby hat with leaf edging
Heart lace beanie
Miss Dashwood from Knitty
Rose of Sharon hat
Maple Seed hat
Knut hat

Sets (include hats, booties, maybe sweaters)
Feather pattern hat and booties
Jimmy's baby bootie set
Jimmy's baby gift sweater set
dress, bonnet, and socks from DROPS Designs
Made with Love layette
Pea Pod Baby Set

Mittens and Gloves
No swatch mittens for kids
Thumbless baby mittens
Basic mitten recipe
Gifted mittens and scarf
Buggy mitts
Basic Top-Down Mittens
Basic Cuff-Up Mittens

Miscellany
Sleeping bag
Hooded bath towel/blanket
Footed leggings
Bunting bag from DROPS Designs
Anouk dress from Knitty
"Baby legs" photo tutorial (sewn, not knitted)
Pacifier holder (crocheted)

Toys
Pocket creatures from Knitty
Nautie creatures from Knitty
Fruit and veggie rattles
Kate the Cat from Knitty
Air Bear from Berroco
Sheldon the turtle from Knitty
Tucker the Monkey
Teddy Bear/Pussy Cat
Rainbow Babies (pdf)
Mother Bear Project bear

Blankets
Pinwheel baby blanket
Moss stitch diamonds blanket

National De-lurking Week

It's National De-lurking Week! I just read a post about comments on Abigail's blog, and it pretty much sums up how I feel about comments, so read here!

I have some WIPs going, but nothing really worth posting pics of yet. I decided that I'd like to try to find some ways to use up my stash of acrylic (from back in the day when a) I had no money and b) I hadn't yet become hooked on natural fibers). There are some patterns I'd really like to try, but I don't have the extra money at the moment to buy the yarn I'd really like to knit them up with, so I think I'll use my acrylic for some test pieces. They're mostly baby items, and I'm sure I know some moms who would appreciate the easy care of acrylic, so it's all good. I get some knitting time in, I get rid of my acrylic, and friends and family members get some handknits they won't be afraid to use (hopefully). On that list of test knits is the Mason Dixon baby kimono (already in progress in pastel yellow Red Heart acrylic) and the February baby sweater from EZ's Knitter's Almanac.

Loom Knitting Links

MoviesPatterns and Instructions
Loom Gauges and what yarns to use
Patterns and helps on looming
KK Demo
Loom Knit
Ann Bipes Loom Knitting
Bev's Country Cottage
Yarn Weight
Knifty Knitter instructions
Bind offs, basic stitches, etc.
Lucet cast on
mini movies
how to work a round loom

Pattern links:
http://www.spunkybluecatdesigns.com
http://www.loomknittingdesigns.com
http://www.loomknit.com/HatDesigns.html
http://decoraccentsinc.com/prayer_shawl_pattern.html
http://www.shawlministry.com/tipsheet.html
http://www.headhuggers.org/patterns/patterns.htm
http://homepage.mac.com/michiganloonyloomer/Personal37.html
http://purlsofhope.com/3.html
http://cputzier.tripod.com/index.html#
http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/how-to-loom-knit.html#patterns
http://amoonsinger.blogspot.com

Well, It's Done, Anyway

After much mind changing and frogging and sighing, I finally have a finished scarf. I must've started a new pattern and then decided I didn't like it, for whatever reason, and frogged it about half a dozen times. I think this yarn would've been pretty useless if I'd frogged one more time. It was starting to get really uneven and bumpy--so the scarf looks a little wonky in places too. The scarf is nice, but I'm not in love with it. It's pretty, it was easy, but most of all--it's done. I needed a scarf, since it's finally starting to get chilly here in Michigan. (It's about time!) There was a distinct nip in the air when I stepped onto the porch this morning to get the paper. I ended up doing the Curly Purly dropped YO scarf. I cast on 23 stitches and used size 10.5 needles.

I decided to keep the mistake rib ear warmer/headband I made back when I thought I'd have a mistake rib scarf to go with it. The headband and the scarf won't match, but hey, I like the headband, so I'll just deal with it. (Plus, I'll probably wear the headband only occasionally anyway).



In other knitting news, I'm trying to learn to knit continental. I've been a "thrower" ever since I learned to knit as a small child, but it seems, according to many of the people in the message boards I frequent, that continental is faster. After trying it, I think it also seems more efficient, with less wasted motion. I'm all for that! Sounds like continental makes colorwork easier too, so if I ever want to try colorwork--which I probably will someday--this will be a nice skill to have. I tried knitting continental every so often on the Curly Purly scarf, and I'm beginning to get comfortable manipulating the needles, but I'm still trying to figure out the best way to hold the yarn to keep the tension even. I have trouble with the yarn either being too loose or with it all of a sudden not flowing off my finger at all. I'll keep trying.

Back to my socks. Last night I also cast on a Mason Dixon baby kimono just for fun.

Three Steps Forward and Two Steps Back

Or, more accurately, "Three Steps forward and Three Steps Back." I started on this mistake rib scarf a few days ago. I'm loving this stitch. It looks great in this yarn. But I'm coming to the realization that I'm not going to have enough yarn to complete my scarf with this stitch. I think if I used a different stitch, I'd probably be okay, but the ribbing "pulls in," so I need more stitches to get a decent width. So . . . it's time for a trip to the "frog pond." But how to get a scarf out of this yarn? (It's Patons Diana, a fuzzy, faux-mohair type yarn, which is discontinued as far as I know.) I have about two skeins--it's been wound into balls, and I don't recall the original weight of the skeins, so I can't even say for sure how much I have unless I actually weigh it. (Hey! Duh! Weigh it! What a novel idea!) Some ideas:

1. Seed stitch (Might look nice but, oh, what a pain to knit!)
2. Leisel scarf (Would it be enough yarn? The pattern calls for one 3.5 oz skein, but it uses 35 stitches on size 8 needles, which is the same as I did for my mistake rib. Maybe the openwork uses much less yarn? )
3. Garter stitch (Booooring! But it might look pretty in this yarn, especially if I use big needles.)
4. Column of Leaves (Again, not sure if it would be enough yarn.)
5. Cameo faggot stitch scarf (Maybe my yarn isn't bulky enough? Maybe this wouldn't look that great with fuzzy yarn? . . .)

Other ideas, anyone?

Mid December KAL Dishcloth

Here's my completed dishcloth for the Monthly Dishcloths group. I think it turned out pretty. I used Bernat Handicrafter yarn and size 5 needles. The color in this picture is more accurate than in the December 18 photo. It's a pinkish peach/coral.

Christmas Tree Dishcloth

I finished my Christmas tree dishcloth for the KAL on my Two Projects group. One of the group members posted some suggestions for altering the original pattern, and I knit up this cloth using those alterations. I'm so glad I did--it came out great (personally, I like it better than the original). It was knit using size 7 needles and Sugar and Cream yarn in Dark Pine. (This cloth could use a little blocking to get the "branches" to sit nicely--I don't bother blocking dishcloths, since they're destined to get wet anyway--so it looks a little unsymmetrical in the pic, but it's really not.)

Dishcloth KAL Progress

I'm through Day 3 on my mid-December knitalong for the MonthyDishcloths group. Pretty, eh?

Finally, Decent Cold Weather Gear for T!

I've finally gotten around to making T a decent winter hat and mittens. The poor kid was really looking like a ragamuffin in his mismatched, ill-fitting hat and mittens. I got the inspiration for the mitts from Laura's post on this blog on December 11. The original "pattern"/recipe comes from Lisa's blog here (scroll down to November 19). I changed things up a bit and did a crochet/slip stitch chain instead of an I cord for the connector. The hat is from the Bernat pattern booklet called Baby Love. Both were knit in Patons Classic Merino, color Bright Red. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow to try them on T. Let's hope they fit! (Sorry for the dark picture. I didn't feel like waiting for sunlight to get this posted. Maybe I'll replace it with a nicer pic later. Or not . . . )

Swish with a Twist

I finished up a Swish with a Twist cloth last night for the current KAL with my Two Projects group. (I posted a picture in a separate post, since Blogger keeps doing weird things when I try to post pics and text all in one post . . . ) I think I like it. It was easy to work up once I figured out what I was doing. Personally, I thought the pattern was a bit confusing, but once I figured out what I needed to do (especially how to get the slipped stitches to sit on the right side instead of getting woven into my knitting), it was really simple. I like a slightly smaller dishcloth, so I altered the pattern just a bit, doing one less pattern repeat both horizontally and vertically.

Swish with a Twist Photo

I'm Back!

I'm back, and do I need a knitting fix! It felt so good to email the finished manuscript back to the publisher today and clear off my desktop that I wanted to clean house in the literal sense too. I did a major cleaning (i.e. moving furniture) of the living room and dining room. Now that the dust bunnies are no longer threatening to push us out of the house, I feel like I can settle into my little nest and knit away. So here's what I've been planning for the last month and a half, my knitting to-do list. Well, I've been doing lots of fiber-related dreaming, but here's what's on the immediate agenda:

1. Mitts for T.
2. Ear flap hat for T. (I'm still trying to decide on a good pattern. He tends to have lots of trouble with the hat slipping down over his eyes. I'm trying to find a pattern for a hat that sits high on the forehead but has flaps to keep the ears warm. Know of any good ones? He's 8 1/2 months old.)
3. Socks for me (my very first foray into the world of sock knitting) .
4. Various and sundry dishcloths. This is mostly what I've been working on lately. (Okay, so I didn't take a total knitting hiatus. A girl's gotta get in some knitting time, come on!) They're quick and easy and fun, so I plan to do some more while I'm working on other projects.
5. Some kind of scarf/hat/mittens set for myself.

A Knitting Hiatus

So here's a pic of my new project. Yup, not at all knitting related, I'm sorry to say. As you may know, I am a freelance book editor, and I've just contracted with a publisher to edit a novel. That, along with the normal duties of caring for my son, cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc., will leave very little time for knitting in the coming weeks, so I'm on sort of a knitting hiatus for now. I hope to sneak in a row here and there and maybe have some time to post to this blog, but I'm not counting on it. So . . . au revoir, gentle readers, until the manuscript is spit shined and sent back on its way!

Warm Little Tootsies

I had to knit T some warm, wooly slippers in a mad hurry last week Thursday night. We were packing for a weekend camping (cabin) trip, and I suddenly realized his snowsuit is the kind that doesn't have feet. It's pretty cold in Michigan these days, so if we wanted to do any hiking, some warm footwear was a must. So I stayed up until 1 a.m. making these. They fit just right, with plenty of room to grow. I love them!

Pattern: Garter Stitch Booties by Debbie Bliss
Needles: US size 2 straight needles
Yarn: Dawn (American Thread Co.) knitting worsted wool in Blue Wine Heather (love this color!)

Doodlepants Action Shot

Here's an updated picture of the Aubrey Doodlepants, lanolized and blocked and in action on my little man. They fit perfectly over a big bedtime diaper.

The Finish Line

My Doodlepants are finally done! Turned out pretty well, I think. (They're unblocked in this photo, so they still look kind of stiff and "bumpy." I'll try to post another pic after they dry--they're currently hanging out on the drying rack after a nice lanolin bath.)

Pattern: Aubrey Doodlepants
Needles: US size 5 and 7 circs (magic loop on 40" cable)
Yarn: Peace Fleece in Kamchatka Seamoss
Modifications: added crotch gusset; added ribbed cuffs to legs

My First Ever Homemade Diaper

I finally got up the gumption to try sewing a diaper. I think it turned out pretty well for a first try. I was pleasantly suprised at how simple it was too. I cut out a size medium pattern and added elastic and a soaker layer, then used a very wide zig zag in a very short stitch to finish the edges and attach the inner and outer layers. It's not as nice as a serged edge (I don't own a serger), but it's not bad, and I didn't want to fiddle with turning and topstitching until I knew if I liked the pattern, if it fit well, etc. Actually, it doesn't fit very well yet. It's too big. I think it'll be okay if I add a crossover tab on the front to make it a bit slimmer. It's a little gappy around the legs too, but I'll just live with that until he grows into it.

Things I'll change for next time:

(1) I'll add more layers or a more absorbent material for the soaker. I used 6 layers of recycled men's undershirt, but it doesn't seem quite thirsty enough.

(2) I'll use Aplix instead of locally store-bought velcro-type fastener. I didn't want to "waste" my Aplix if this attempt turned out to be a total bomb. It's not too bad, so I think I may take off the velcro and sew on my Aplix so the diaper is more usable. The velcro stuff doesn't grip together nearly as firmly as the Aplix.

All in all, I'm feeling pretty good about myself right now!

Choo Choo!

Okay, so I didn't make this, but it's so cute that I just had to post a pic. I got this fitted diaper off e-Bay. The woman I got it from made it for her little one, who decided to become potty trained before wearing it, so she sold it to me. Everybody wins! I've been thinking of trying my hand at sewing some diapers, and this little beauty may be the inspiration for me to stop thinking about it and actually try it.

A New Gadget

Check out my new toy! I had one of these when I was a little girl. My mom made it for me from a wooden spool (too bad thread doesn't come on wooden spools anymore!) with four nails driven into the top of it. I picked up this plastic cheapy at Michael's for around three dollars, and it works just fine. I thought it would be nice for making drawstrings. I get tired of crochet chains, and I don't have the patience to make I-cords. I just hate DPNs, and it seems like too few stitches to magic loop. So here's my solution!

Hurray for Cooler Weather!

I anticipation of the cooler temperatures to come, I whipped up this little scarf. Cute, eh? It was just the thing: It took about one 3.5 oz. skein of yarn (I used up some more of my stashed acrylic). It's long and thin and very wrappable. It's red, which will be perfect with my black pea coat. And I made it in a couple hours of evening TV watching. One evening: new scarf. What a deal! (Pardon the goofy second picture above. I had to hold the camera out to photograph myself--hence the gorilla-looking arms and weird pose!)

Taking a Break

I need a break from my Doodlepants. Being a consummate perfectionist, I just can't let an imperfection slide, and some of the details of these longies were driving me crazy. I'm so sick of frogging and redoing that I could scream. So . . . I'm putting them aside for a while and working on pieces I'm more comfortable with, patterns I've used before. Not that the Doodlepants are hard. I decided to add a crotch gusset by increasing on either side of the center four stitches front and back. It worked really well, actually, but I just didn't like how the increases and the join between the gusset and the leg looked. I was tempted to just frog the entire thing again and start all over (later--much later), but instead I frogged back past the increases and will pick it up from there once I can approach the project fresh again.

So I made a cute little crochet scarf. It took me only a few hours, and it turned out kind of cute. Now I'm working on a pair of Tiny Birds longies in some Wool Ease I have left in my stash. Not the most fabulous yarn, but all my wool is already designated for other projects.

Back At It Again

I'm back to my Doodlepants now. I successfully got past the short rows, and they look pretty good. I'm nearly done with the body. I decided to try to add a gusset (why can't I ever just follow the pattern?), and I screwed that up. So I ended up frogging again, but only a handful of rows this time. I know what I did wrong, so now I just have to redo and it's on to the legs! I'm getting somewhere . . .

So here's what they look like now. (Except that the color is way off in this picture. The lighting in the living room is really bad right now. I'm actually using a really yummy Peace Fleece color called Kamchatka Seamoss. I posted a pic earlier that shows the color better, even though it doesn't do justice to all the little subtleties. At first glance it looks just green, but if you look closer, it has a wonderful blue mixed in. Anyway, I digress! LOL.) I can't wait 'til they start looking like pants!

Some FOs

In between rounds of frogging and redoing Doodlepants, I've been working on a few little hats for charity, using up my stash of acrylic. (I don't remember what I bought these incredibly gaudy colors for, but there they are . . .).

Conquering Short Rows!

Wraps/unwraps at marker B. I'm really happy with these. They're nearly invisible.


Wraps/unwraps at marker A. For some reason, this side gave me much more trouble. I think maybe I was wrapping the wrong direction at first. The turning spot for the first short row is really bad, but I got progressively better as I moved up the swatch. The third one (very near the top) is nearly invisible.

The more I looked at the ugly gappy spots where I turned for my short rows in the Doodlepants, the more I hated them. I frogged back to the ribbing and redo the short rows, but I still hated them. I decided to frog the entire cotton-pickin' thing and start over after doing a swatch to practice short rows (above). I finally had some success by following the wrap instructions from a woman on wool_soaker_group and then unwrapping like this on the next row of knitting.

I think I've got it! If my babe stays sleeping for a bit longer, I'll cast on my Doodlepants yet again. Should be smooth sailing now that I've got short rows figured out. The only other think I haven't done before is the kitchener graft for the crotch, and that shouldn't involve frogging if I mess it up. At least I hope not! To be continued . . .

Progress!

As you can see, I got some work done on my Doodlepants today. I'm finished with the short rows, and they were much easier than I thought thanks to the fabulous step-by-step breakdown by a woman on wool_soaker_group. I may still frog them and redo them though. For some reason, on one side the turns are neat and tidy but on the other side they're sort of gappy. Yuck! I hate frogging knitted work and picking up stitches. I'm always afraid I'll drop stitches (it's happen too many times to count . . .), but I'm not sure I'm satisfied with my first attempt at short rows either.

Last Camping Trip of the Year

Just got back from our last camping trip of the year. We spent a long weekend with my parents at the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area on Lake Michigan. It was chilly and rainy the whole time--that's the chance you take camping in September, I guess. It was still nice to get away. At least we arranged to stay in the trailer with Mom and Dad instead of taking the tent! The baby did pretty well, considering the monotony of the rain, and the lack of mobility, being stuck inside the trailer a lot, etc. Poor little guy is teething and has an ear full of fluid (eustacian tubes are a bit flat, so they're not draining right yet). He seems a little more fussy than usual but not too much. What a sweetie! I'll post pictures soon. We just got everything put away, and I need to put up my feet for a bit. It'll be back to knitting tomorrow. I'm ready! :-)

The Great Doodlepants Knit Along Begins . . . Sort Of

After watching the mail for a few days, I received my first skeins of Peace Fleece today. I love it! I sat down and wound one of the hanks into a ball, and I could feel that it still has some lanolin in it. Until now, I've only used Patons Classic Merino (which I do really like, but it's nothing "special"), so this is a treat for me. I got Kamchatka Seamoss (above left) and Zarya Fog (above right). It doesn't show up very well in the photo, but both have really cool flecks and details of color. I plan to use the Kamchatka for Aubrey Doodlepants and the Zarya Fog for Cargo.

The Doodlepants knit along with my wool soaker group on Yahoo starts today, but I'll have to join in later. I knitted up my swatch, and I got only 4 stitches to the inch with the suggested needles instead of the 5 stitches the pattern calls for. So I need to go out and buy some smaller circular needles. Bummer! I was aching to get started.

Waiting . . .

I've been knitting up a storm lately, but mostly I'm just filling in knitting time until my Peace Fleece shipment arrives. I have some Wool Ease in my stash and thought I'd try making soakers out of it. They seem to work just fine, even though the yarn is only 10% wool. I still love wool for soakers, but these will be nice for backup soakers and for bumming around the house. The yarn is a weird color for a baby--black with colored flecks. I got an email notice that my Peace Fleece has been mailed, so I'm hoping it will arrive any day now. First item on my list: Aubrey Doodlepants. I've never tried short rows, kitchener stitch, or knitting on circs, so it should be interesting!

My Freecycle Find

I scored a wool sweater from my local freecycle group. Here are the soakers I made from it. Not bad for a first attempt, though I think I'll get better with practice. It's not as easy as it looks in the tutorials. Yes, those are flowers on the longies--I'll have to stash those away for someday in the future if I have a daughter. I won't be putting them on my little man!

My Most Recent Knit and Crochet Projects

These are my first wool soakers. They're made from Patons Classic Merino, which is available at my local Meijer. It's nice and soft, but after seeing some of the yummy colors available in other yarns, I'm looking forward to beefing up my stash with some more interesting yarns! I just ordered some Peace Fleece in Kamchatka Seamoss and Zarya Fog. Can't wait!

The Beginning . . .

It feels kind of weird putting myself out there for everyone to see, but here goes. I decided to start a blog as an outlet for my creative ideas. Instead of boring the pants off my friends and family with my endless whirr of ideas for knitting, crochet, and sewing projects, I can now post them in my blog.

My latest obsession is knitting wool diaper soakers for my five-month-old son (who is cloth-diapered). I've completed three so far, and I'm really impressed with how well they work. His diapers are often soaked, but the wool holds the wetness in. Who knew? Sometimes the old-fashioned way really is the best! But I'm now out of wool yarn, so I'm waiting for my birthday, hoping someone will give me some yarn so I can play again. (Yes, I have yarn on my wish list . . . ).

In the meantime, I'm trying to come up with ways to use up some of my stash of acrylic yarn. After all, I have to knit something! I thought it would be cool to do some things for charity. I found a charity called Project Snuggles, which provides handmade blankets (snuggles) to animal shelters. Very cool idea! I made one snuggle (a 14" x 14" square of garter stitch). Booooring! I think if I want to make any more snuggles, I'll use that plain old square to practice some new stitches. So I can hone my knitting skills and help a poor, scared, lonely, abandoned doggy or kitty feel a little more comfy and safe and warm at the same time! I also thought it might be fun to make some simple rectangle sweaters. I'm making one now out of really gaudy colors--sort of a color-block effect. Maybe I can find a children's charity that needs sweaters.

Anyway, welcome to my rambling journal--a chronicle of my attempts at handicraft. Now, I'm off to see if I can figure out how to post some pictures on here . . .