babyknits

A Little Knitting and Some Cheesemaking

2008-08-14T09:46:00.008-04:00

A few weeks ago I had one of those mother-daughter moments that every knitter waits for. I was asked to pass on what knowledge I have of knitting. So, I taught my mom how to knit. She actually already knew how to do the knit stitch, I just taught her how to purl and armed her with the Mason Dixon book. My step-father is in a Celtic band, so she has a lot of good opportunities to knit.

While mom was visiting us, she spent a lot of time reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. One section of the book that we were both intrigued by was where Barbara recounts her attempts to make cheese at home. She recommends the mozzarella kit produced by New England Cheesemaking Supply Company. Since dairy seems to comprise practically half of our grocery bill every week and can go even higher if we try to buy organic, I thought it would be fun to give it a go.

Started with:Boiling the milk:

Seperating the curds and whey (which I honestly found a bit challenging):

Weirdly shaped cheese with extra curds outside the bowl that got lost along the way:

So, technically, it's supposed to take about half an hour, but my first attempt took closer to an hour and a half. Of course, I was taking care of two kiddos at the same time, so still not too bad.

For dinner, we had the cheese with homegrown basil, homemade focaccia bread, and tomatoes (man, I wish I was more like Emms, growing tomatoes at home!). As Little Girl would say, it was "Yuuummmmy!"

Just for Him

2008-07-12T11:25:00.005-04:00

Finally, a finished knit (Ravelry details here) that is solely for Baby Boy. There is no way that Big Sister can claim this one even if she's just "sharing."

I fell in love with this sweater as soon as Anny completed that first beautiful cream version... and the pattern is exactly the kind of pattern that works well for a knitting mom. That cable that provides fun knitting... it's a 16 row repeat, so you're not going to memorize it (unless you knit a few of these... which I might!), but there's also plenty of stockinette, so there's no reason not to work on it even when little ones are awake. Plus, since she added the matching hat to the pattern, it satisfied my irrational love of matchy matchy kids clothing. (I have no idea why it is that I'm so enamored with matching kids clothing, but anytime there's a matching hat/accessory/whatever I can't help myself.... thankfully, this does not play out in any way with adult clothing.)
As an aside, there is actually a good chance that Big Sister will think that this sweater was hers at some time. Right now, we're dressing Baby Boy in a lot of her hand-me-downs, as she had a ton of yellow, green, and white onesies. So, anytime I dress him, she says, "I used to wear that... when I was a baby." Of course, he also has his own boy-specific clothing, but to her everything he has was once hers.

Sharing

2008-06-24T10:50:00.006-04:00

So far, I've only managed to finish two knits for Baby Boy and they're both toys, Otto and Elefante. Nice in theory, but since he isn't quite old enough to play with them, his older sister has pretty much claimed them as her own. She says that he's just sharing them with her, but since he didn't really have much say in the matter, I wonder about how this will play out when he gets older.

The Spice Rack and the Green Grocer

2008-06-24T10:24:00.003-04:00

My newest obsessions.

Obsession #1: My collection of spices now numbers around 45 because I finally found an easy way to get them on the cheap. Monterey Bay Spice Company. They have a minimum order amount and shipping can be high. I've resolved those issues by becoming a mini-spice distributor among my friends and family. Plus, they also carry teas including my new favorite, Rooibus (so nice to have another decaf option!)

Obsession #2: the Green Grocer. This one's for those in the Metro area. They deliver fresh produce to you once a week. You can opt for an organic box or not, either way they try to get as much locally as possible. The best part, though, is the quality. Seriously tasty. Oh, and the fact that they bring it to you... very handy for a mom with a newborn!

Sleep Deprivation Knitting

2008-06-23T09:50:00.003-04:00

Two months of being a mother of two. Never more than about two or three hours of consecutive sleep. A two year old who used to be so well behaved and who has now taken to running away in public (oh, and as a result after a couple major scares and our first spanking I had to buy a kid harness.... now I'm that mom with her kid on a leash... something pre-parenthood that I would have definitely looked down on!).

That's a formula for an exhausted mommy who was itching to knit something, but not really thinking through what the finished object would look like. Sigh. Well, at least it's functional!

Two weeks later...

2008-05-13T09:28:00.002-04:00

and we're still adjusting.

2008-04-25T11:44:00.004-04:00

Still no baby, but Otto is done (Rav link)! There were several evenings when I was working on him and I was in false labor. I kind of liked the idea of working on him while actually in labor. It makes a sweet story anyway to say that I was knitting something for my Baby Boy when he was on his way... so, I think I'll start a second Otto and see if I can get it done before he arrives.

2008-04-21T10:54:00.002-04:00

I'm now only one week away from my due date! Throughout my pregnancy so far, I've found that I've been much less aware of being pregnant than I was the first time around. Sometimes I even forgot entirely about being pregnant. With the due date so close now that has all changed.

I can't stop thinking about my Baby Boy on the way. Every time I do even the most mundane chores, I think of him. When I do the laundry, I wonder if this will be the last time I do laundry for just the three of us. When I go to bed, I wonder if this will be the last night I sleep without a newborn beside me. When I start a knitting project, I wonder if I will be able to complete it before Baby Boy arrives.

So, the race is on. Who will get here first? Otto (Rav link) or Baby Boy?

Family "Heirlooms" and That Darn Sewing Bug

2008-04-18T09:57:00.007-04:00

In my family growing up, we were raised not to throw anything away that could be useful in the future. My grandmother would cut the front off of cards so that they could be used again. My father held onto clothing that didn't fit him for at least twenty years after it had gone out of use. Generally speaking, I try not to go to the extremes that they did. I have to admit, that I do that card thing, but I do cull out clothing. The hard part, though, is going through the things that have been passed down by these and other family members. I mean, it's been around for thirty years now, how can I presume to be the one to get rid of it? (Although, I did heartlessly sell my grandmother's collectible Shirley Temple doll.) Okay, enough rambling.

The whole family not getting rid of things was one factor that led to the making of this adorable dress. I used this tutoria l from craftster on how to convert a button down shirt into a toddler dress (mentioned by both Claudine and Meg on their blogs) and one of my dad's old shirts (this particular one, incidentally, did get some use past that time thirty some odd years ago... I used to wear it all the time in high school). Also, Hannah's recent post on not wasting was a great reminder of this shirt and all the other random pieces of old clothing that I've been holding onto so that I could use the fabric for something else.

Of course, now I'm remembering all the other cute sewing endeavors that I want to make too... like the cloth shoes that Stephanie made...

I guess I needed a reason to post...

2008-04-11T16:07:00.007-04:00

and the demise of Magknits was it! I'm sure that everyone has heard by now that Magknits is officially closed. The weird thing for me was that I just happened to check out the Magknits page for the April patterns within hours of it all being taken down. So sad! Anyway, I've made the two patterns I had in Magknits available on Ravelry as free downloads. Halweh from October 2006 and Cloverly from June 2007 are both there safe and sound. It was funny the other day when I was reworking them as pdfs, Little Girl looked at the computer when I had Halweh up and said, "Who is that cute baby?!" It's so funny that she doesn't recognize herself as a baby nor does she think of herself that way anymore!

Anyway, I have been doing some knitting and recently finished one of my most favorite knits of all time (although, I could be biased as it's really one of the only ones that fits me right now). The photos came out really dark, but prove that I can get it on! It's Joie de Vivre (Rav link with details and such) by the super-talented (and chic) Veronique. I will admit that I purchased Sensual Knits just for this pattern and even though it turned out that there are plenty of other beautiful designs in it, it would have been completely worth buying even if there weren't... that's how much I love this sweater!

The color in this one is better, although it's still a bit off. At least the design comes through a little better.

So, as far as the pregnancy goes, I'm now less than three weeks from my due date... which really means that I could meet this Baby Boy any day now or in five weeks! I'm really hoping for the any day now mostly. Especially since I finally got my act together and pulled out all the baby stuff. I really didn't remember that I had so much squirreled away! It's really nice not having to make any huge purchases this time around. I did want to invest in some new cloth diapers, though, since the first time I went with the economical choice of prefolds with prorap covers. After some researching, I decided that bumGenius was the way to go and just today I received my order of 12. They look very promising, but obviously the proof will be in the pooping!

Free Just for You

2008-01-30T20:16:00.000-05:00

I decided to take advantage of one of the new features on Ravelry, and make the pattern for Sweetheart Cardigan (sized from 12-24 months to 4T) available as a free pdf download (click here or on the sidebar). It's so cool that they will host your pdfs for you. Enjoy!

My Sweetheart

2008-01-25T09:20:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things about being pregnant this time around is having two family members to share the experience with. Little Girl is really too funny about the whole thing. She regularly wants to feel my belly to find out if the New Baby is kicking. "Feel him?" she asks with her arms reaching for me. She also talks about wanting to see him. Mostly, "Want to see him," "want to play beach ball with him," and "want to share with him." Sometimes, "he need to grow up!" I don't know how things will be after he's born, but for now she seems excited about his impending arrival and we talk a lot about how she will help her mama when he's here.

I feel like I should be doing a lot of knitting for the New Baby, but so far, I'm not for two reasons. First, he'll be born in the spring, so it's hard to figure what kind of knits would be appropriate for a newborn in the summer. Second, who knows how fast he'll grow, so I'm not sure about what size to knit winter items in.

In the meantime, I'm doing a little knitting for Little Girl. I made this cardigan (I'm calling it the Sweetheart Cardigan because she is my sweetheart and also the eyelets are little hearts) with the upcoming transitional weather in mind. More info on Ravelry (really, who wants to type that stuff up more than once?).

Like old friends

2007-12-16T09:51:00.000-05:00

You know how there are certain people in your life that you are really close to, but you don't actually talk to very often. Then, when you talk to or see them, you stumble for a moment. You know that you have a million things to talk about.... a million things have happened since you last spoke, yet for some reason you can't think of what to say or where to start. Well, it's been almost three months since my last posting and this blog is beginning to feel like that kind of friend. There has been knitting, there are finished works, and lots going on here on the home front, but I almost don't know where to start.

On knitting:

So, for the knitting, I'll start with a small project that was completed in November and has already seen a lot of use. Of course, it's the insanely popular Koolhaas pattern.

Pattern: Koolhaas (from Holiday IK 2007)
Yarn: DB Baby cashmerino, 1 ball brown and just a bit of pink
Adjustments: I adjusted the pattern by changing the gauge, so that I could provide Little Girl with her winter hat. The yarn is DB Baby Cashmerino and I had to use US 4s to get it to the right gauge, although I will quickly mention that if you would like to try this adjustment for your favorite toddler, I had really loose gauge and Little Girl's head is a bit on the small side, so you might wind up with a baby sized hat.

Oh, and the big plus besides it looking on adorable on her is that it actually matches two of her three winter coats. She's already received a ton of compliments on it and I have to admit that I'm not sad she has learned to say, "Mommy made it." Of course, that has elicited the dreaded "you should make those for money" conversation a few times, but that's okay. Oh, and I almost forgot... I got the yarn on sale, so the total cost for the hat was under $5, which makes it not only cuter than anything I've seen at all the kids stores, but also cheaper (not counting labor).

On the pregnancy:

I'm now just past 20 weeks, so I'm more than halfway done. This pregnancy is by far the hardest thing I've done in my life. The first three months, I was truly brutally sick all day every day and since then I've still had a few spells that were really rough. Some of the sadder phrases picked up by Little Girl include, "Mommy so sick," "Mommy need a vitamin," (vitamin being her word for all medication), and "Mommy throw up." She's also become much better about entertaining herself, though, so it's not all bad.

Now, that that's out of the way, the happy news is that we've had the sonogram and we now know that we're expecting boy! I guess I'm going to have to go through all my baby knitting books and familiarize myself with the cute little boy knits out there!

There's been much more going on, but I'll have to save it for another day.

Quick installment of knitting, baby

2007-09-27T12:05:00.000-04:00

So, last I blogged, I proclaimed that the blogging slump was over. That was more than a month ago. Well, about two seconds after I posted, I found out that I was pregnant with baby #2! Then, morning sickness set in with a vengeance. For me, it lasts all day every day. I hate to complain about it because I am ecstatic to be pregnant, but it is so insanely difficult. Especially this time because I still have to take care of Baby Girl too (I really need to think of a new moniker for her). Anyway, as a result, I haven't done any knitting in about the past month or so (sniff sniff).

I'm not sure how frequently I'll be able to post, but I have to admit that I miss blogging and reading blogs so much! I'm going to try to keep it up, but we'll see. I'm at 9 weeks right now (and we got to see the New One today for the first time!), so I'm guessing that I have anywhere from 3 to 5 more sick weeks left.

Okay, I'm losing steam here, but I have to show off at least one old knitting project that was completed pre-pregnancy. It's Juno from Rowan 40. I'm really happy with how it come out. I modified the neckline a la Coloursknits. The collar was kinda tricky to get attached properly and it rolls a bit. Oh, and I'm so pleased that almost all the knits I've done for myself are cardigans... that means I'll be able to wear them at least for a little while into the pregnancy!

Dude, where's my blog?

2007-08-17T16:30:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that it's been so long since I posted. No good reason either. Huh.

Anyway, for as long as my Baby Girl has been alive, she's been a momma's girl. Big time. It only made sense that she was that way. I stay at home with her and all. Recently, though, that's begun to change.

Not so long ago, when I would try to sleep in on Saturdays, Baby Girl wouldn't let me. She would play with her dad for a little while, but would soon enough come looking for me. As of a few weeks ago, though, she has developed a new routine. She wakes up, I go get her and bring her to my bed to snuggle (the Husband is already up... he's an early riser... as opposed to me... I swear it takes a good hour for me to wake up), then she asks, "Where's Dada?"

"On the couch," I reply.

She exclaims, "Dada time!" and leaves me to sleep. Of course, I'm a more than a little relieved that I'm allowed a day to sleep in, but at the same time it's definitely bittersweet.

Then, last weekend, things changed even more in the Husband's favor. I fear my Baby Girl is turning into a true Daddy's girl... she has now found a love that she can only share with him. Football. I'm trying to look at the bright side. Watching games with her present could actually make the sport entertaining for me as well. I do love the way she screams at the players to "throw it" -- the ball -- and laughs when they "falled down!" Plus, it could provide some hardcore knitting time, right?

Anyway, sometime last month or so, I finished this lovely baby sweater.

Pattern: EZ's Surplice Baby Jacket from Vogue Knitting, Spring/Summer 2007

Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton -- 2 balls of the lavender and the leftovers (if you can call them that!) from a sweater I haven't finished yet.

Comments: I made it with my step-brother's new daughter in mind, but now I'm rethinking it. I used Rowan Wool Cotton, which is handwash only. I don't suppose anyone has had any experience washing this yarn in a machine? If I decide not to send it off, it will work out nicely because it will fit Baby Girl. For buttons, I attached two sets of two buttons (to be like the ones you get with French cuff shirts). It seems like I saw this on someone else's blog, but I can't remember whose.

The nice thing about not blogging for two months? You have tons of FOs to show off! What's coming soon? A finished Juno, a pair of Charades, and okay, maybe not tons of FOs, but a couple is still pretty good.

I'm not a Shawl Person

2007-06-15T14:09:00.000-04:00

Really, I'm not. I've never once worn one. I love the way they look, but until a couple weeks ago, I truly thought that there was no way I would make one for myself.

Of course, I was tempted once before. When I was knitting Birch. I had intended (and eventually did) to give Birch to my grandmother who taught me to knit. A couple times, though, as I was knitting I thought, "Well, maybe I should keep it for myself. I didn't tell her or anyone else that I was going to gift it, so what's the harm?" In the end, though, it turned out that I'm allergic to mohair, which occurred to me as a possibility while I was knitting and became undeniable during the blocking. So, I just pretended that nothing had happened. I'm not a shawl person.

Then came Victorian Lace Today... and all the beautiful scarves and shawls other people were making. Well, I thought, I can't justify buying the book, but it wouldn't hurt to just borrow it from the library. So, I did. I flipped through the pages and although many of the pieces are spectacular, I was only tempted by one.

Two weeks later, I now have myself a finished Curved Shawl, worked in silk, so I can't possibly find a reason to give it away. I still don't really consider myself a shawl person... and I think it's pretty unlikely that I'll wear my new shawl like this, ---->

<---- but this is a definite possibility.

Pattern: A Curved Shawl with Diamond Edging from Victorian Lace Today.

Yarn: Alchemy Silk Purse in Teal Tide. About 2.5 skeins.

Adjustments: The patterned called for:

US 3 needles
Super fine weight yarn
42 4-row repeats

I did:

US 7 needles
Fine weight yarn
25 4-row repeats

Their final measurements: 21"x62"

My final measurements: 20"x60"

Comments: This was really the perfect project. Fun to knit and a happy outcome too! I loved stretching it out as I went to see those cute circles!

In other knitty bloggy news, the publication of my last pattern in Knitty also helped me to reconnect with an old friend. Hannah and I hadn't talked to each other since college, but when she saw my pattern, she recognized me! What's weird is that neither one of us knitted in college. Small world!

More Knitting for the Baby

2007-06-11T14:00:00.001-04:00

Well, I was going to post today about my just finished Curved Shawl (aka A Curved Shawl with Diamond Edging from Victorian Lace Today), but something else came up... my second Knitty-published pattern went live!

Anyway, grow with me is definitely one of my favorite things that I've ever made for Baby Girl. It's already become a staple in her wardrobe and been through the washer and dryer quite a few times. It's nice to have something handmade that I can put on her and not worry too much about stains and such. Plus, she's clearly adorable in it.

Baby Girl, You are Famous

2007-06-01T18:05:00.000-04:00

I know it's kind of a silly pattern, but if there's one thing I've learned since becoming a parent, it's that I'm willing to do any number of silly things to amuse my daughter.

7 things and an almost sweater

2007-05-30T14:06:00.000-04:00

A while back, Anna over at the Yarn Mansion tagged me for the 7 random things meme, so here goes:

1. I have a minor phobia of making (and to a certain extent answering) phone calls.

2. When I was a kid, this fear was so intense that I would pay my brother to make phone calls for me (this quickly ended when his voice changed).

3. To combat this fear, I worked three summers during college answering phones at a hotel reservations call center.

4. When I worked at the call center, I would talk so fast that people often wouldn't understand what I was saying. My callers would regularly call me "Violet." For the longest time, I couldn't figure out why. Then, I realized that the dialogue I was required to follow had me say, "My name is Laura. What city and state...." If you say "Laura. What," fast enough, it sounds like "Violet."

5. I'm from the South, but I usually don't have a Southern accent.

6. My Southern accent can come out in certain situations, but I can't do it at will. Sometimes I try, but it never works.

7. I've never gotten a speeding ticket or even been pulled over. I don't drive slow. I just always make sure there's someone else going faster than me. (Mom, I know you read this, I really don't drive too fast, I promise.)

I'm pretty sure that I'm the last person in blogland to do this one, so I'll skip the tagging.

Now, back to the knitting. Look! An almost finished sweater! This is #13 from Phildar Printemps 2007.

Sometimes I feel like I'm not supposed to like garter stitch, but the truth is that I do like it. A lot. Not just because it's super-easy either! It can be hard to find the right pattern for it, though. Baby patterns (like the surprise jacket) are obvious choices. Grown-up patterns w/ garter stitch are a little harder to pull off. Sarah's Rorschach definitely works.... and I think this cardigan pulls it off too.

Here's the detail on this sweater that I think makes the garter stitch work:

Those ribbed thingies were knit separately for both the front and the back. I'm not so sure that I executed them beautifully, but I like the effect anyway. On the downside, they did bring the total number of pieces to be seemed to nine (would have be twelve if I hadn't picked up the button and neck bands!). Now I just need to do the pockets and epaulets. Of course, I'm in no hurry to get those done since it's now super hot summer weather...

I knew there was a reason I learned to crochet...

2007-05-17T14:06:00.000-04:00

I'm still slowly working on my argyles, but last night I needed a break Especially from Drunken Argyle. Long rows. Size 2 needles. Black yarn. Yeah, I definitely needed a break.

A while back, the lovely Aimee sent me Phildar's Layette No 465 and some Lion bars (oh my gosh, have you ever had a Lion bar? they are only the best candy bars of all time. it's like they took a kit kat and said, 'you know what? we could do so much more with this. caramel, rice crispies, more chocolate.... now that's a candy bar!') in an exchange. I still haven't gotten to knitting anything from it, but there was also a picture of a crochet headband. I don't read French crochet patterns and it looked simple enough, so I just winged it.

I think they came out pretty cute. Definitely a fun way to use up leftovers. So far, I've made about half a dozen. I think they'll be fun gifts for people who would appreciate a handmade gift, but wouldn't appropriately appreciate the amount of time that goes into knitting a sweater (even a baby size sweater... you know people like this too, right?).

Should you be inclined to make one (or a few) yourself, here's the flower pattern I did (beware, i don't remember the last time i looked at a crochet pattern, so i hope i'm using the appropriate abbreviations and lingo):

Ch 7.
Join with a sl st to the first st in your chain, to form a ring.
(Ch 2, dc, tr, dc, sl st) repeat 5 times around.
Weave in one end and use the other to create a bar across the center of the flower to loop the chain tie through.

Perspective

2007-05-15T13:59:00.000-04:00

When I was a kid, my dad used to take my brother and me on long hikes through the woods and cow fields near our home. We called it the Cow Hike. What was strange about the Cow Hike was that every single time we went, we would somehow get separated from my father. What was even stranger, though, was that we would often see him behind trees and such. We would call out to him, but somehow he never would hear us. So, we would be forced to find our way home on our own.

When I was a teenager, I was thinking back on the Cow Hike and it hit me. My dad was testing us. He was hiding on purpose to see if we could find our way home without him. I asked him about it, and he confirmed my suspicions. I was so shocked. It seemed so sadistic.

Now, though, when I think about what he did and those long hikes, I find myself laughing and even to a certain extent grateful. The Cow Hike was a great bonding experience for my brother and me. Plus, we really learned our way around those woods and fields.

When I was a kid I used to do a fair amount of knitting. Mostly stuffed animals for friends' kids. The first big project that I made to keep for myself was this afghan. It's all acrylic. Probably mostly Red Heart. Every skein was purchased from W@l-Mart. When, I was working on it, I was so pleased with myself. It was so much fun picking out different patterns and colors for every square.

When I got back into knitting a couple years ago, I looked at this afghan... and I was kind of horrified. The finishing was so bad. There were so many mistakes. It's acrylic....

Now, though, I'm happy again with this afghan. I realize that I learned a lot from making it. Plus, it's completely functional and machine washable.

So, anyway. Thank you to everyone who responded to my post on my mother in law. Your kind words really meant a lot. Oh, and the yarn will soon be in a new home with Sue in Australia!

Now, on to current projects. For some reason, I've got argyle vests on the brain. I'm working on Drunken Argyle for the Husband. Except I plan on making the front and the back the same (obviously like the back pattern). And for Baby Girl, the Argyle Vest from Debbie Bliss' Special Knits.

2007-05-09T14:17:00.000-04:00

A few months back, I noticed that this beautiful bamboo yarn was on sale at pureknits. I had no idea what I would use it for, but I'm a huge sucker for a sale, so I bought one skein anyway.

When I was trying to decide what the beautiful bamboo yarn wanted to be, I took a look again at the yarn's description and this line stuck out to me: "its sheen reminds us of silk." Silk.... huh, they make most ties out of silk, don't they? Before I knew it I cast on and plowed through a moss stitch tie for the husband. I was so pleased with myself. And why wouldn't I be... first of all, moss stitch is a huge pain. Second, I hate rows with a small number of stitches... and this thing clearly had miles of those rows. Third, despite my loathing of those two aspects, I was loving knitting this tie because of the yarn and because of the beautiful result.

I added a single crochet border and happily presented it to the Husband, insisting that he try it on immediately. Well, when he tied it on, it stretched by nearly two feet. Oops. Ha ha. Okay. No problem. I took out the border and then ripped back to an appropriate length.

Unfortunately, it's still not working, though, because it turns out that the bamboo is just too limp to function properly as a tie. Which really makes me wonder about some of the patterns I've seen that require bamboo yarn.... like camisoles and socks. Would that really work?

Anyway, I really want to find a way to save this tie. The best idea I can come up with is backing it with fabric to make it sturdier... any other ideas?

.... and a blog contest

2007-05-08T14:40:00.000-04:00

A few years ago, the Husband and I spent a year living in France. We were recent college graduates and so so foolish... foolish because we chose to go abroad even though we knew that my mother-in-law had breast cancer. I don't think we ever thought about what we were doing as selfish... and we certainly had no way to know what would happen... but this time of year (near the anniversary of her death and Mother's Day) always makes me remorseful. Two weeks before our stay in France was to end, we got the call that she had passed away. The Husband never got to say goodbye. His mother was truly one of the most giving people I've ever known. She not only never asked us to stay, but even encouraged us to go abroad that year. She truly cared more about her sons and their happiness than herself.

In her honor, the Husband, Baby Girl and I will be running (the Husband)/walking (BG & I) in the Komen National Race for the Cure. If you are so inclined, please sponsor me.

Okay, I also wanted to hold my first blog contest in her honor. You do not have to donate to the Race for the Cure. You just have to leave me a comment on this blog entry. I'll give you until Mother's Day - May 13th at 8 pm EST. The prize? One skein of Henry's Attic Andromeda Silk & Merino (50/50 wool silk) dyed by Theresa at LTK. (I used this yarn to knit My So-Called Scarf.)

Knitting content soon...

Family Heirlooms and Such

2007-05-01T14:03:00.000-04:00

This past weekend our little family went to visit our kin in Tennessee (what Southern accent? no, not me). As is often the case when I visit my mother, she took the opportunity to unload a car's worth of stuff on me (totally justified, since it was my stuff anyway). Along with the college books and old shoes I also brought home something a little more exciting. In this bag lies the oldest ufo (unfinished object) to reside in the babyknits household.

It's a bag of 23.5 squares that were knit by my great grandmother and were intended to be a bedspread at some point. She also included the instructions for the squares, so theoretically, I could finish off this bedspread myself. Except that she was knitting them on US 00's (my mom asked, "Are those needles or pick-up sticks?"). Each square measures about 4 inches square, but there's a lot of variability in the size (gauge issues, maybe?) and there are some very visible stains on some of the squares.

So, the big question is what to do with them. I figure the best option would be to finish off the 24th square and put together what I've got for a pillow. But, is it wrong to use them? I mean they really are heirlooms at this point. But, what is knitting for, if not to be used? I really don't know what's best.

Anyway, my favorite part about this ufo of old is how she stopped. Not only did she stop knitting mid-square, she stopped mid-row. For some reason, I find this highly amusing.

I hope you all have some good advise. Oh, I should also mention that I never met this great-grandmother, as she passed away before I was born. The bedspread-to-be was passed down to my grandmother who is now past the knitting point in her life. Somehow, they ended up with my mother even though she doesn't knit, so now it's up to me and Baby Girl. We won't let you down, great-grandma!

As far as my own knitting goes, I just finished something a little less heirloom-ish. It's a washcloth for Carrie's contest. It's my own little solution to the who's doing the dishes question.

At our house, we used to always come up with little games to figure out who was going to do the dishes (pinball on the computer, trashcan basketball, that sort of thing). Of course now I'm staying at home with Baby Girl, so I'm doing them most of the time, but still I like the idea of his and hers dishcloths with the "His" and "Hers" done in shadow knitting, so you would just pick up a dishcloth and then read it to see who would be doing the washing. Uh, I only have "His" done so far, though. Maybe I should just make two of them, so it would never be her turn.

Spring Cleaning

2007-04-18T14:21:00.000-04:00

I live a relatively messy lifestyle. I admit it. I clean (maybe not as often as I should), but I never have been so good at the organizational stuff. So, I've decided that this Spring is the time to change that. It's slow going, but I'm trying to do a little household project every other day or so and still keep up with all the necessary cleaning. The disorganization had gotten to the point that a common conversation between me and the Husband went something like this:

"Hey, do you know where super important tax document A is?"

"Well, I put it on the dresser. It was on the left side on top of Baby Talk magazine and under Time magazine."

"Yeah, I see the magazines, but super important tax document A isn't here!"

"Sorry, I guess it's lost, then."

Yeah. So, besides all the really boring filing, I've also done some (very) small projects that were fun. Here are a couple of my favorites:

I saw these embroidery hoops used as wall decor first on the Purl Bee page a while back and then a couple times in blogland. The fabric is from a dress that Baby Girl had last year. The dress was one of my favorites, but it got a stain on the front that I couldn't remove. I have this idea in the back of my mind that one day in the super distant future, I will sew a quilt out of all Baby Girl's old clothes, so I've been hoarding them all stains or no. It's nice to put one of my favorites to work in the time being.

And the other one is a small basket I put right next to the sink. I go through about a zillion washrags and dishtowels a day and it's a huge pain to have to pull more out of the linen closet every time I need a new one. Of course, once I put them all right in plain view, I realized that my one tired MDK warshrag was lonely, so I did a couple more. MDK warshrag number one is happy to have the company.... almost happy enough to forgive me for that bleach incident a couple months ago.

Saffy and other nice things

2007-04-10T21:24:00.000-04:00

Wow. It's been a long while since I posted. No reason. Just out of the habit. Fortunately, I have been knitting, though.

I finally finished Saffy. Since I started it in November of last year, that's a pretty big accomplishment. Although, I have to admit that I like to have long term projects on the needles. What's weird is that I was working on this sweater when we were transitioning Baby Girl from co-sleeping to sleeping in the crib and now I hardly remember the times when she slept with us.

Pattern: Saffy from Rowan Denim People

Yarn: Elann Den-M-Nit in Ecru

Comments: I love this sweater so much. I was inspired by Diana's Saffy forever ago and I'm so happy to have one of my own. Definitely very wearable. LOVE the machine washable.

Anyway, as it turns out, I'm not the only one who likes this sweater. So does Baby Girl. Her expressing a like of some items of clothing is fairly new and oh so cute. When she likes something, she touches and says, "Niiiiice." Among the other items of clothing she likes are a t-shirt with sparkly butterflies and a grey hoodie. She clearly has good taste.

Baby's Got Socks

2007-03-23T13:49:00.000-04:00

In my last post, I shared a story about Baby Girl. I have to be honest. Over the past couple weeks that's been a stock story for me. You know... one that you share with everyone that you know. Even to the point that I had to start asking, "Have I told you this already?" Anyway, the general response was laughter and encouragement.

BUT, from the knitting community, I received one extra piece of feedback. More than one person mentioned that they hoped it wasn't a handknit sock that Baby Girl threw in the toilet. "Oh no! Thank goodness it wasn't!" I replied. What I didn't share, though, was that....sigh... it couldn't have been a handknit sock because Baby Girl didn't have any! You noticed the past tense there, didn't you?

Pattern: Baby's Bootikin from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush

Yarn: Koigu KPPPM (color 411) and Lang Jawol (color 0033).

PAUSE for a second here. I just checked Knit Happens' online store to figure out which color I used for the Koigu and they are having an incredible online sale. I had to make myself a little order before I could continue!

Comments: These may be baby socks, but they're worked on 00 needles (aka the smallest needles I've ever used) and over 60 sts. So, they weren't exactly a super quick knit even though they are baby sized.

As soon as I finished the first one, I had Baby Girl try it on and since it fit so perfectly, I had to cast on for the second one immediately. Second Sock Syndrome was not even an option. I'm not sure that she'll get a ton of wear out of them since the seasons are changing and she's growing, but I love them anyway and I'm so happy it was brought to my attention that she needed them! (They won't even be going near the bathroom, though!)

Pot-ty!

2007-03-16T11:59:00.000-04:00

For the past few weeks, we've been slowly working on the potty issue. I hesitate to use the word "training," because I think that's more for older kids and done in a much quicker fashion. I won't bore you with all the details because it's long and boring and boring. But, I will share one of the fun stories.

The other day, Baby Girl asked for the first time to go to the potty... by saying "Potty."

"You want to go to the potty?!" I exclaimed more than asked.

"Kay." She replied.

I ran her to the bathroom. As soon as she was on the toilet, she did her thing. The necessary celebration ensued... lots of clapping and such. I decided to give her a minute to finish in case all my cheering had interrupted her. I took my eyes off her (I'm sure that everyone knows this is where the fun part of any parenting story starts). When I turned back to her, she had taken off her sock and used it to wipe herself and, of course, thrown the sock in the potty.

Sigh. Well, it's still progress. She knows when to go to the potty and that she should wipe herself.

Oh, and I finished this scarf. My So-Called Scarf. Using one skein of Henry's Attic Andromeda Silk & Merino, which I ordered eons ago from Theresa at LTK.

The yarn has been in my stash forever. I ordered it because it was pretty and on sale, but I didn't know what I wanted to do with it. Finally, about a week or so ago I decided that this would be the perfect pattern for it... and it definitely works except that I forgot that I had ordered two skeins of the stuff, so now I still have another one leftover.

Cleaning house

2007-03-07T11:42:00.000-05:00

Today I'm expecting company. My step-mother, sister and her two little ones are coming for a visit. So, I should be cleaning. But, as I often do, I've found myself stuck on a small insignificant project instead of the home as a whole. I don't feel like doing the laundry or dusting, but what I will spend huge amounts of time doing is trying to remove the rust from this lamp the Husband and I purchased eons ago in Morocco. Unfortunately, all my hard work has had little effect. So, I'm hoping someone who reads here will have some advice. I have no idea what the metal is (it is silver in color). I've tried Brasso and didn't get very far with it. Anyone? Advice? I would really love to have this thing cleaned up.

Baby Meathead

2007-03-02T11:16:00.000-05:00

Awww. A baby meathead. Baby hats are cute, but baby versions of adult hats are even cuter. It's like the hat had a baby.

Pattern: Larissa's Meathead pattern. This pattern is soon to be published, but Larissa is offering it for sale one last time before publication with a chunk of the proceeds going towards a friend of hers who recently lost her husband. Definitely a good cause and a good hat. Can't go wrong. Buy one yourself here. Oh, and be sure to check out the super cute Flickr group for ideas on embellishment.

Yarn: DB Cashmerino Aran. Held double using US 10 needles.

Adjustments: I just changed the size of the hat by adjusting the yarn and needle sizes so that the gauge would be 12 sts over 4" instead of the 8 sts over 4" as written in the pattern.

Comments: This hat was knit for a baby boy who is due tomorrow. I really wanted to do something exciting for the embellishment, but I couldn't come up with anything that wasn't too feminine. So, I decided that I would adorn it with the flag of Tatarstan, since that's where the baby's parents are from. Haven't heard of Tatarstan? Well, you're not alone. Even the spell check on the computer doesn't recognize it. Anyway, I'm not sure if the flag was a stroke of genius or just a dumb idea (I think I'd feel pretty silly putting a hat with a US flag on Baby Girl), but either way it's there now and I'm not changing it.

You Might Be a Bad Parent If....

2007-02-26T10:56:00.000-05:00

If the only time you take pictures of your child is when you're forcing her to model handknits for your blog.

Pattern: The Wonderful Wallaby (Flickr group here).

Yarn: Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool kool-aid dyed with one pack of Pink Lemonade. One skein was more than enough for the 2 year old size.

Adjustments: I did the pocket in reverse stockinette.

Comments: Love this pattern. It's so simple, so effective, so easily modified, and it has a hood. Hoods are fantastic in kidswear. When going out the door, it's really nice to have one less thing to put on Baby Girl (no hat to worry about). Thankfully, I got the wallaby done while there's still some Winter left. I think I'll do another one in cotton for the summer. With short sleeves. And maybe cables like Brooke's.

<---- Shameless attempt to duplicate Julie's pretty photos.

My incredibly uneven kool-aid dying. ---->

Phildar et Moi

2007-02-22T09:17:00.000-05:00

Pattern: The Phildar Swing Jacket, aka Veste Pattern #16 from Automne 06/07 Tendances (by the way, is this really accurate - autumn ends before 2007 begins, right?).

Yarn: Peruvian Highland Wool from elann in Oatmeal Heather (13 skeins for the smallest size).

Adjustments: After I finished knitting and sewing everything together minus the pockets, I let this sweater sit around for a good week or two. Then, I finally realized that I was never going to want to knit pockets, but I did want to wear this sweater. So, I hit JoAnn again (which is, fortunately, close to my home) and picked up some cheapo remnants of a soft brown fabric whose composition is unknown (this may have been a gamble, but I figure I'll be hand washing the sweater anyway, so it should be okay).

Comments: First, I would like to thank the Academy... I mean... Vanessa for the KAL that pushed me to get moving on this super lovely sweater. Also, I would like to thank all the other ladies over at the KAL who provided invaluable information on such exciting issues as yarn subbing and bias binding and such.

It was just too much fun knitting this sweater. In part because of the sweater itself and in part because of all the weird memories that it brought back for me. I lived in France at two different points in my life. At neither time was I knitting, but somehow just the feel of the magazine took me back. The use of English reminded me of all the ads that would come in the mail for Carrefour (kinda like a French Wal-Mart). It's weird how just seeing the French language in print unlocked a ton of memories that I didn't realize I still had. As I was knitting I could almost hear the accordian player who lived next door to us in Dijon. He would play on the street for money, so he was practicing a lot at home.

Anyway, I would definitely highly recommend this pattern. Even with shipping the prices for Phildar magazines are really reasonable.

Cooking

2007-02-19T11:19:00.000-05:00

Right now I've got two things cooking.

<-- A crockpot full of potato soup.

And a sweater. -->

I don't know about you, but I love the smell of yarn cooking. I think I spent more time this morning sniffing the sweater pot than the soup one.

The sweater is a Wonderful Wallaby for Baby Girl. I knit it using Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool, which by the way, is an incredible deal. I got mine at A.C. Moore using one of those 50% off coupons I get every week in the mail. One skein was more than enough to finish this incredibly cute sweater (it's even cute lumped up there in the pot, don't ya think?). She wore it a couple days and now it's being dyed with one pack of Pink Lemonade Kool-Aid.

They Just Don't Understand

2007-02-12T11:11:00.000-05:00

The non-knitters, that is. They live in our homes. They've seen the stash. They've been to the LYS. Many of them have even been to a wool festival or two, and yet somehow it's like we don't even speak the same language sometimes.

Case in Point #1: The other night, I picked up Saffy for the first time in forever. I'm working on the first sleeve. The Husband asks, "When are you going to be done with that?"

I reply, "Oh my gosh, I don't know. I'm done with the back and the two fronts, but I still have to do both sleeves. Plus, the neck and button bands. The sleeves are always the slowest part. You've lost the momentum that you had when you were knitting the other parts. Plus, I think there's some sort of mental trick going on where you think that sleeves should be quick to knit, but they really aren't... " long pause as I realize his eyes have completely glazed over.

Him, "No, I meant how much longer will you be knitting... I want you to turn the light off so that I can go to sleep."

Case in Point #2:

Normally, the Husband is the one to bring in the mail. The other day he was home for a good hour when I asked him if there was anything interesting in the mail. "Uh, well, there was something from Phildar."

Me, "And you're telling me this now?!"

I think it should be obvious that when mail comes that is in any way related to knitting, the knitter should be notified immediately upon arrival. Especially if it's coming all the way from another country. Right?

I got buttons

2007-02-05T10:57:00.000-05:00

Well, I decided to give Joann one last go. On Saturday, I made what I had decided would be my final trip for buttons. It was all or nothing. If they didn't have what I was looking for, I was going to order online. So, I went, fulling expecting to be let down again. I turned the display thing (which, by the way, was way hard to turn... it seems like all their turny display things are that way) and there they were. The weird thing was that there weren't just two, but like five or six available... which was weird because before the lady who worked there had told me that they only have stocks of up to three button cards at a time. I'd like to think that my constant complaining about this policy is what prompted the change.

She's still missing pockets, but here she is... the Phildar Swing Jacket:

Unfortunately, it's now too cold to wear outside. So, for now, I'm just wearing it inside at home all the time and then carefully taking it off when I have to change a diaper or serve a toddler meal (we've now entered the stage when Baby Girl only wants to feed herself even with the utensils... let's just say that it's a messy process). Anyway, I plan to do a full post on this project once I actually put in the pockets.

On the home front, sometime a couple weeks ago, the Husband and I decided that it would be fun to expose Baby Girl to "Bye Bye Bye" by N Sync since that is one of her favorite vocabulary words. And it was fun the first 10 or so times that we all watched the video together on Youtube. Baby Girl quickly picked up on the most obvious lyrics. She danced. She laughed. She did the marionette thing like the hands in the background. Now, though, I think we're approaching ~ the 100th viewing. What's weird is that even though I never went out of my way to listen to the boy bands back in the day, I've somehow unlocked a section of my brain where they all exist. I've now got boy band songs stuck in my head all the time. "Tearin' up my heart", "It's gonna be me", and a million others whose titles I don't even know. Anyway, here's her fav version of "Bye bye bye." It's from the AMAs goodness only knows how long ago.

In the Meantime

2007-01-31T16:00:00.000-05:00

Still no buttons. I feel like I'm living the same day over and over again a la Groundhog Day. Every morning I wake up with a certain level of excitement... with the anticipation that today might be the day that I finish my Swing Jacket. I do my errands early in the day and swing by Joann first thing. I go to the button section. I try to just find the buttons I need without looking at what the exact model is. Then, when I don't find them, I pull out the tag from the one button I have and actually look in the right spot, every time to find that the slot is empty. Last, I peruse all the other buttons just in case someone might have misplaced MY buttons. Sigh. I guess it might be smarter to just call Joann, but somehow that seems less exciting. Less of a challenge.

In the meantime, I'm working on a couple other smaller projects. I finished up another pair of baby mittens a la Lisa. This pair was done with the Koigu leftovers from my Anemoi Mittens. One of the moms in Baby Girl's playgroup had seen her pair and was so taken with them, I had to make a pair for her daughter as well.

Who needs buttons anyway?

2007-01-30T15:12:00.000-05:00

The Phildar Swing Jacket is sooo close to being done. And it's been that way for over a week. Last week I purchased the bias binding tape and the one button that Joann had in in the only style that I liked. For a while I was torn if I'd made the right selections, but I ultimately decided that I liked the lavender binding. As I'm sure you can tell, I still need two more buttons, but they've been out of stock for a week. Plus, they told me that they don't really know when they're going to get a new shipment in. So, now I have a beautiful jacket that I'm dying to wear, but that only has one button. Okay, technically, it's missing the pockets too, but I'm totally willing to wear it without those. I don't know why, but I don't feel like starting or working on anything else big until I get this finished. I'll post better pictures when I really am finished. As a side note: I had no idea that my bathroom mirror was that dirty.

Oh, and I have to send a huge thank you to my sp9 pal, Karen. She spoiled me so bad. That's the last package I received from her last week. She even included a book for Baby Girl. Too sweet. She also sent some Knitpicks dpns, which I forgot to photograph because they were immediately put into use. And more candy. Yeah, that got eaten pretty quickly.

Evidence of Knitting

2007-01-17T11:12:00.000-05:00

I haven't been so good about the blogging lately. I have been doing at least some knitting, though. AND I have the proof. From the night stand:

The Husband actually asked the other day, "Is there a reason that you don't throw these away?"

Me: "No, why?"

Husband: "Because they're all over the house!"

I didn't even notice. A lot of the time I will have the finishing a ball of yarn as a goal for the end of the day, so I guess maybe I'm so tired that I don't bother to throw away the ball band. It could also have to do with the fact that even when I clean my home, I don't really clear out my knitting. You know, the needles and yarn belong on the back of the couch. And that color card needs to be on the coffee table. And I must have at least three knitting books/magazines out at all times.

So, I'm still working on the Phildar Swing Jacket. I've finished the back, two fronts, and am now working on sleeve one. I originally thought that I would lengthen the sleeves, but I think I've decided that it will be okay to wear long sleeves under it. Any thoughts?

Oooh, here's another one. Spotted on the back of the couch:

I really hope I'm not the only one who does this!

6 Weird Things

2007-01-10T11:05:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that it's been so long since I've posted. Life has been so busy lately. Nothing super interesting. Just traveling to visit family and such.

I've been doing a little knitting here and there. Most notably, I've finally found a way to knit in the car. I just have to plan ahead and have a project that I can do without looking down at all. If I look down, I get immediately carsick.

Anyway, Veronique said that we could consider ourselves tagged for the 6 weird things meme, so here goes:

Although many mothers suffer from what is commonly known as "Mommy Brain," I suffer from "Mommy Nose." What is "Mommy Nose"? Well, it has to do with thinking you smell baby poo all the time. It can actually be a powerful tool. I swear, I can smell a dirty diaper from 20 feet away. It can also lead to paranoia, though. I have found that a lot of things smell like baby poo. Most recently, I couldn't stop sniffing a bag of yarn that I got from Elann. It aired out nicely, but when I first opened it, I went after Baby Girl, thinking that she had filled her diaper.
I really have a hard time with those security things that you have to fill out to post comments on some peoples blogs. You know, those things with the grainy background and the letters. I often get them wrong at least once.
I first met my husband in junior high school. We had lockers next to each other. At the time, though, I really disliked him (he was the A student/teacher's pet), so pretty much every day I would turn his lock around. He never had a clue that it was me.
When I was in 4th grade I went to a summer art class. There I met a boy named DS who taught me how to draw a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. I later learned that the Husband had made up that way to draw a TMNT and taught DS.
I'm obsessed with numbers. When I see a string of numbers I have a hard time keeping myself from finding an equation within them. Like the time. Right now it's 11:42. I like to think of that as 1+1=4/2.
I almost always wear tennis shoes. Even if I'm wearing a skirt or a dress. I know that it looks bad, but I don't care.

That was pretty fun! If you're interested in coming up with 6 things about yourself, consider this your tagging.

Anyway, here's the back and one front of the Phildar Swing Jacket:

I'm using elann's Highland Wool as was suggested by Jenna over on the Phildar Swing Jacket KAL page. So far, I love it. Here's a close up:

I haven't decided what I'm going to do about the pockets or lining on this one. I still have plenty of time to decide, though, as I still have two sleeves and a front to go.

I love these mittens so much I can't even stand it

2006-12-22T12:08:00.000-05:00

Is one mitten bigger than the other? Yes.

Is there a difference in gauge between the two yarns used? Yes.

Is the cuff just a little too tight on both mittens (but more so on one than the other)? Yes.

Do I care? No.

Pattern: Anemoi Mittens.

Yarn: Koigu Kpppm 816 and Henry's Attic Kona Superwash.

Comments: I am absolutely 100% smitten with these mittens. I truly think that they are two of the most beautiful things that I have ever knitted. I love the variegation of the Koigu against the creamy Henry's Attic.

Plus, besides loving the finished outcome, I also completely loved the process too! Reading the chart for the front panels really took me back to my counted cross stitch days. I love the complexity of the colorwork because it's the kind of complexity that allows for knitting while caring for a baby (which is what I was doing).

I was definitely totally addicted to these as I was knitting them as evidenced by the facts that:

I had a dream that Baby Girl had also learned to knit stranded work.
I now have all our Baby Einstein videos memorized.
I saw past the stand-up portion of "The Late Show," on more than one night (okay, I didn't make it to the guest portion, but still that's way late for me these days).

Unfortunately, the pictures don't even do them justice. I probably should have waited until a sunnier day to do the photos, but my excitement wouldn't allow for that.

Mitten #1

2006-12-20T09:09:00.000-05:00

Anemoi Mitten #1 - still blocking. Couldn't wait to take photo.

Eunny, I love you

2006-12-18T08:58:00.000-05:00

Well, my very first stranded project is done. It was definitely a learning experience. Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the result. The section that shows my lack of stranding skills the most is on the cuff of the first glove, so since I'll be wearing these with jackets and such, that section won't even show. I know that I probably should have ripped it, but since they're far from perfect I have even more of an excuse to keep them for myself.

Pattern: Endpaper Mitts

Yarn: Opal Sock Yarn Uni in 1267 (from my tea pal, Meg) and Cherry Tree Hill in Bark (leftover from the Brother Socks).

Adjustments: Well, nothing intentional. I didn't get the Italian tubular cast on. Also, I didn't have the pattern with me when I was finishing up the second mitt, so I forgot to do the set up rows before casting off. This could easily be fixed, but I'm not going to fix it.

Comments: I am in love with these mitts and absolutely in love with stranded knitting.

Usually when I'm bad at something I pretend like I don't like to do it so that I have a reason for not being good at it. For example, I'm not a very good cook. I really do enjoy cooking, but I'm always setting the timer wrong or mis-measuring ingredients or something. So, I tell people that I'm a bad cook. You know, so they don't get their expectations up. I'm also completely uncoordinated. I absolutely stink at all sports. I was always the last kid picked for any activity in gym class. I would always say that I disliked sports, but the truth is that I really do enjoy them.

BUT, I can't even pretend that I don't like stranded knitting. I love it that much. Even though I know that I'm not so good at it right now, I can't hide my adoration for this new type of knitting. So, even though there are some gifty-things that I'm supposed to be knitting, I immediately cast on for my next project, the Anemoi Mittens. I'm using Koigu Kpppm and Henry's Attic Kona Superwash. Unfortunately, I think that these two yarns might not be close enough as far as weight. I'm going to go a little further, though, before I make any decisions.

Don't have your gift knitting done?

2006-12-12T12:10:00.000-05:00

Are you sick and tired of all your gift knitting? Is there a good chance that you won't even get all of it done? Well, don't worry! I'm here to help! I have the solution for you, plus it will also benefit someone else (plus the giftee). Really, can you beat a win, win, win situation?

"What's the solution?" you ask.

Women for Women International. This incredible charity provides women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency, thereby promoting viable civil societies.

How does knitting come in? Well, Women for Women also offers a Bazaar where they sell items made by these women survivors. Scroll down a little and you'll notice there are a number of hand-knit items including my favorite, the wool slippers. I mean look at those... for $25, they look like a steal to me!

Please do check them out!

I Want to be Stranded

2006-12-12T12:01:00.000-05:00

What are your projects for this knitalong?

Well, like so many others, first off, I'm going to attempt Eunny's Endpaper Mitts, then the plan is to do Eunny's Anemoi Mittens. The mitts will be for me and the mittens will be for my grandmother (assuming that my ability has improved such that they don't totally suck).

Is this your first colorwork project? If it isn't, what was your first, and has it survived the test of time?

I would absolutely consider this my first colorwork project. I actually started the Endpaper Mitts yesterday and it's a good thing that I'll keeping these for myself as my stitches are horribly uneven (I refuse to frog).

Necessity

2006-12-11T15:33:00.000-05:00

The other day when I was taking Baby Girl out on one of our many mini-outings, I realized that there are things that I actually need that I can knit. It was a really bizarre revelation as I spend so much time knitting things that I want, but I don't really need. And yet, I don't have any gloves or mittens. Baby Girl only had one pair of mittens. This was clearly a situation that I had to remedy as quickly as possible.

So, yesterday I knit up a quick pair of gloves for Baby Girl using the pattern (second post on the page) detailed by Lisa. Unfortunately, though, I don't have a nifty i-icord maker thingy. I had to make mine the old fashioned way. I used stash yarn. I think it's Henry's Attic Superwash Sport. It was hand-dyed by someone else. I think Theresa at LTK, but it's been around for a while, so I'm not really sure.

Anyway, at first I wasn't too crazy about the color. Definitely not girly. And since I'm that mom who doesn't always dress her girl in girly colors (does she really have to wear pink 100% of the time?), I'm afraid that this little touch will only add to the number of times that people ask if she's a girl. BUT, then when I took her out for some in-use photos, she promptly took the mittens off (it was over 60 degrees out) and started swinging them around. Then, she took off her coat and threw it along with the mittens into the dirt. That top photo was taken after all this happened. Can't tell, can you? Maybe not such a bad color choice after all.

Is it a pattern or an excuse to email cool designers?

2006-12-08T16:11:00.000-05:00

The Winter Knitty is up and so is my pattern, the book of Knitty!

This pattern was so much fun. Mostly because between the knitting and the writing I got to email the designers of all the patterns featured in "The Book of Knitty." AND they wrote me back. Woo hoo. Seriously, it was too much fun. Every time I'd get an email back that whole day I'd be like "Hey Husband, can you believe I just got an email from ____?!"

And he was like, "Who's _____?"

It was great.

Anyway, it really is a fun pattern and I hope all you Knitty fans with little ones in your life enjoy it!

Under the Sea Jumper

2006-12-07T13:28:00.000-05:00

I love the amount of cuteness that you can get away with when you're knitting for little girls. The flowers, the prints, the animals... you know, the super-cute. This jumper definitely falls in that category. It can be worn easily on its own or over a t-shirt or even a turtleneck, making it season-less (a big plus when knitting for someone who grows inches overnight).

Sizes

6-12 months (12-18 months, 18-24 months, 2T, 3T, 4T, 5T)

Finished Chest Across

20”(21”,22”,23”,24”,25”,26”)

Materials

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (55% wool, 33% microfiber, 12% cashmere; 137 yards [125 meters] per 50g):

MC: 3(3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4) skeins color #203 Teal
CC1: 1(1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1) skein color #104 Orange
CC2: 1(1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2)skeins color #03 Mint
CC3: 1(1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1) skein color #204 Light Blue

Needles:

1 set US 4 straight needles, or size needed to obtain gauge
1 US 3 circular needle

Gauge

24 sts and 32 rows = 4" (10cm) in stockinette on US 4 needles, or size needed to obtain gauge.

Possible Yarn Substitution:

Debbie Bliss Cathay and Knitpicks Shine come to mind.... let me know if you know of any others!

2.75MB PDF file to be sent via email upon receiving payment.

$5.50

The Memories We Stitch

2006-12-04T10:55:00.000-05:00

One of the strangest things, in my opinion, about being a knitter is the way we incorporate so many memories into whatever we're working on. I know that this has been discussed by many other knitbloggers, but my two most recent projects really brought this to the forefront of my mind.

First, Saffy. Over the past couple of weeks I've been breaking Baby Girl of all her co-sleeping ways. This probably should have been done a long time ago, but as with so many other things, although the long-term good was obvious, it was impossible to overlook the short-term difficulty. So, I put it off for way too long. Finally, a couple weeks ago, I decided that I'd had enough. She wasn't sleeping well and neither were we. One day I just ended it. From that day forward, she has slept exclusively in her crib. The first few days were torture. She screamed at least an hour before she would go to sleep and tried as hard as she could to get out of the crib. She was so persistent that she would actually fall asleep standing up. Of course, I needed something that I could work on to keep myself sane during these long crying spells. Saffy was the perfect company. Complicated enough to keep my attention and keep me from crying as well, but also simple enough that I didn't have to think too hard. I know I'll always think of poor Baby Girl asleep standing up whenever I wear Saffy (not that I'm even close to done with it, but you know, in the future).

Second, writing up the pattern for the Fishy Jumper, now named "Under the Sea Jumper" (thanks to everyone for the help choosing a name and special thanks to Elinor, who was the first to suggest the one I chose). This past week Baby Girl has been sick for the first time with a stomach bug. It's been so hard on her and by extension, me. I had no idea that it took such a toll on parents whenever their children were sick. I actually called my own mother to thank her for taking care of me all those times when I was sick. So, between the million dirty diapers a day, the forced consumption of Pedialyte, the sleepless nights, and the general anxiety, I was able to take advantage of the one semi-benefit of a sick baby - longer naps.

Do you have any knitted items that will always bring back specific memories?

What's in a name?

2006-11-28T14:54:00.000-05:00

Okay, I've posted about this jumper a million times and I keep recycling the same old photo. I apologize for that. Now, I need help coming up with a name for its pattern. I've been calling it the "fishy jumper," but I don't think that's a great title. The Husband came up with: "Something's Fishy" and "Nuclear fission." I don't think those will work. Any ideas?

It's like having deja vu all over again.

2006-11-27T15:37:00.000-05:00

Do you ever find yourself making the same mistakes over and over again? I don't know if I'm a slow learner, lazy, suffering from mommy brain, or all of the above. In any case, lately I have most definitely not been learning from my mistakes.

Case in Point #1: The Too Big Sweater

A big part of the reason that I bought Tricotez Calin was for the cover sweater. In particular, I love the large garter section on the sleeves. It just has that simple, cute, je ne sais quoi, thing going for it.

Actually, this sweater almost wasn't made at all because when I looked at the directions, I only saw the top part, la brassiere, which is sized up to 6 months. Then, after complimenting Aimee on hers and bemoaning the sizes being too small, she politely informed me that the second option (visible right under la brassiere), le pull, was sized 12/18 months (aka the perfect Winter size for Baby Girl).

This habit of not looking carefully enough at the directions would come back to haunt me later when I realized (way too late) that proportionally speaking, the garter section on the 12/18 month size is much smaller than on the other sizes.

Oh, and also, I ignored gauge.

So, the mistakes in this sweater were: not looking at the pattern closely enough, ignoring gauge, and not looking at the pattern closely enough.

Case in Point #2: The Baby Toys

I don't put away the baby toys at night. Or at least, I don't put them all away all of the time. It's usually more like I put some of them away sometimes.

This one, though, is the one I know I have to watch out for. That's because this puzzle has a light-detecting sensor. Every time your little one gets the right animal in the right place, you get to hear said animal's noise. Or, if you don't put all the pieces away, leaving the board uncovered, once you turn out the lights at night, you will hear a cacophony of farm animals. Worse, if you did that and then forgot, went to bed, and woke up thirsty in the middle of the night, you will turn the lights on and think you were in the middle of a barn instead of the living room.

Case in Point #3: The Sweater with the Million Stitch Cast On

Right after I finished the Too Big Sweater, I cast on for a sweater for myself. I'd been going back and forth for a long time about which sweater I wanted to knit from Rowan Denim People. I love Bestitched's Saffy, but I also love Jen's Bomber. I was conflicted for a long time.

So, since they have the same gauge, I went ahead and swatched a while back and determined my needle size for the pattern (US 5). Since I was a little disappointed with the Too Big Sweater and I had already determined that I was on gauge, I went ahead and starting casting on for Saffy w/out looking at the pattern. I cast on about 75 sts on my US 5 straight needles, then looked at the pattern. It said to "Cast on 337 sts". I had my doubts about fitting that many stitches onto straight needles, but I kept right on casting and smashing those stitches together until I had the right number. Then, I looked at the pattern again. "Cast on 337 sts using US 3 needles." Woops.

You'd think I'd have learned my lesson about not reading the pattern from the Too Big Sweater. I mean, there wasn't even anything on my needles between this two. Oh well. I decided to leave it as is.

Oh, and making a late entry... Case in Point #4: Trusting blogger.

Why do batteries play such an important role in my life?

2006-11-24T13:03:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, despite the lack of posting, there has not been a lack of activity on this side of the computer. There has been, however, a lack of batteries. The digital camera has been out of commission for over a week (it died shortly after uploading the Baby Girl: Year One photos). Of course, as soon as it died, I had a million things that I wanted to take pictures of.

The first option I entertained was taking out the batteries of something else. The obvious targets were Baby Girl's toys. This was a failed effort. First because, like the Peek-a-Blocks: Sort & Roll School Bus, many of her toys run on D batteries. Second, the rest, like the Discovery Steering Wheel apparently are currently running on these "green" AA batteries that aren't compatible with my camera.

Then, I ordered a ton of cheapo batteries from Amazon. Got them in the mail and they're not compatible w/ my camera either!

So, today I finally decided to walk to the nearest Best Buy and buy some. Great decision, right? Battery shopping with Baby Girl on Black Friday. We nearly got run over in the parking lot about five times and then it took forever to get anywhere in the store w/ the stroller (most of the time I find that walking with a stroller gives you a certain amount of respect from other people... they are more likely to slow down when you're crossing the road... they move to the side when you're in a cramped aisle... apparently, though, all that civility goes out the door when you're competing with door-buster prices). BUT, we got it done... and now I have pictures again!

Before I get back in to my regular posting, though, I have to thank my Secret Pal for an incredibly lovely package. I love all of it. The Austermann yarn I fell in love with as soon as I saw it. Of course, I love everything else too. I've been wanting the Knitter's Almanac for a while, so that I can knit the Baby's Sweater for Baby Girl (is it a bad idea to knit a baby sweater in white?). The Toblerone was eaten almost immediately (and then the empty boxes sat on the counter for a few days because I had to get a picture... the Husband kept asking, "is there a reason these are still on the counter?") The keychain is so cute! And look at the card! She either made it or adapted it to include the sheep - either way, she's clearly very clever. Thank you so much Secret Pal!

Baby Girl: Year One

2006-11-15T13:43:00.000-05:00

One of the first things that I made for you after you were born was Anouk. I knew that I had to get something done for you in time for the December holidays because that was when we were taking you to meet most of your relatives for the first time (even a baby has to make a good first impression). Of course, all involved were excited to see that not only were you an adorable 2-month old, but that you also had an incredible sense of style. Thanks to the versatility of Anouk, you will be wearing it this Winter season as well (although, we'll have to come up with something else for visiting the relatives).

Next, I had to come up with something that you could wear to add some warmth, but not too much. You made a little bit of a late delivery and were always a little on the small side. So, we ended up having a ton of short-sleeves tops that fit you perfectly... in the middle of winter. It was clear that what you needed was a Baby Bolero. When I first saw this pattern in Debbie Bliss' Special Knits I thought it was kind of silly for a baby, but you probably ended up wearing it more than anything else that I've made you so far.

Another dress from Debbie Bliss... this one with a note on the bottom... you know just to make it clear to any doubters that Mommy loves Baby Girl.

Two sweet tops because you wouldn't stop pulling on the ribbon on the first one.

Finally, the Fishy Jumper. Okay, it's a little silly, but you look so cute in it. It's so funny to think about how much time I spent figuring out just how I wanted those bubbles... especially since I made it for a girl who seems to love nothing more than pulling her dress up.

There have been a few more odds and ends (hats and soakers and such) along the way, but these are the things I'll remember you in the most. I can't wait to get some things done for your second year of life!

Love,
Mama

A Year in Handknits

2006-11-10T11:38:00.000-05:00

Dear Baby Girl,

I can't believe how quickly the first year of your life went by. Is it really possible that you are already a year old? I know your birthday was last month, but as I am slow about sorting through all your clothes, it did not occur to me until recently that I need to keep at least a partial record of what I made for you.

It was when I was pregnant with you that I rediscovered knitting. So, in the years to come when you wonder why there's yarn and needles all over the house, I'll remind you that you're the reason. I knew how to knit before you were on the way, but I wasn't a "knitter."

It all started because I wanted to use cloth diapers. After much research, I decided that I should knit some wool soakers for you. I bought some wool yarn from eBay and a pattern from Little Turtle Knits. I started with the Ribby Wrap. I think I must have knit about half a dozen of those. Unfortunately, I don't have them all anymore, so you'll just have to trust me. All I have left is this one. Having finished those with relative ease, I set out to make your more soakers, but in a different style. Next up were the Picky Pants (also from LTK). I made you three pairs of these (two shown). This left me feeling fairly confident, so I decided to try something a little more challenging. Next up was the Flirty Skirt from LTK. It may not look so complicated in the photo, but under that skirt is a built-in soaker. Plus, I had to kitchner for the first time.

At this point, I realized that I had about a ton of wool soakers. Plus, I wasn't really confident that I would actually be able to pull off the whole cloth diapering thing. So, I decided sweaters would be the next logical thing to knit. The Easy Peasy Cardigan was the obvious choice since I was a little hooked on the Little Turtle Knits. All three that I made for you are pictured here. I also made a couple pairs of Oh'Alls, but they are currently missing.

So, all of these items were completed well before you were born. It turned out that I didn't actually use the wool soakers. I did cloth diaper you, but Proraps plastic covers were much more convenient. The pants and skirt got a fair amount of use (particularly the pants). The cardigans were definitely used the most.

Okay, I'm not going to finish this before naptime is over, so very quickly, the following are the last things that I made before you were born. After I finished up the cardigans, I decided it was time to branch away from LTK. I went to a local bookstore and found a Debbie Bliss Book. I ended up ordering a few of her baby books online that night. The sweater, shoes, and dress were done in my last month of pregnancy when I was on bedrest. You never wore the sweater because I was too scared of you when you were a newborn.

Knits actually made during your first year of life next time.

Love,
Mama

2006-11-08T16:46:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was spent largely on the road for our little family. We got news on Sat. that one of my husband's aunts passed away. So, we packed up ourselves and Baby Girl early Sunday morning to head to our hometown. His aunt is the second relative to pass away this season. She was taken away by cancer, so her death did not come as a total surprise. The part that's the hardest... that we knew that she was sick. She was sick for years, but we rarely visited or called or even emailed. The same is true for the other family member who died recently (my great aunt). She was in the nursing home in poor condition for years. I didn't call. I didn't write. I pray that I can take this as a wake-up call. Don't forget family. Don't wait until it's too late. It takes so little effort to make a phone call... to write a letter, but it can mean so much.

Unfortunately, I have no knitting news to report. I wanted to knit in the car and even packed up something to work on, but I didn't even pick it up.

Fall = the season of Phildar

2006-11-01T10:52:00.000-05:00

This season looks like it's going to be full of a lot of Phildar knitting for me. First up, I just finished a baby sweater for my sister-in-law's new nephew. He was due to arrive around the time of Thanksgiving, but he decided to show up early... six weeks early! She had asked me to knit a sweater and hat for him a while back, but I kept thinking that I had until Thanksgiving to get anything done. Surprise! I didn't even have a pattern picked out when he made his arrival. Fortunately, though, I did have my newest knitting magazine, Tricotez Calin. This is my first time knitting from a French knitting pattern, so I think it was probably smart to start with something small. I'm not entirely convinced that I even followed the pattern exactly. I think it must say somewhere in there something about slipping the first stitch on the button side of each front. Anyway, it doesn't really matter because I'm happy with the finished product.

Pattern: No 4 La Veste from Tricotez Calin (Phildar Automne-Hiver 2006/07)

Yarn: Knitpicks Swish Superwash 4 balls of Dark Navy and 1 ball of Dublin for the smallest, 3 month size.

Adjustments: Well, the pattern calls for 7mm needles and has you hold the yarn double throughout. Okay, so I used US10.5 needles, but I really think there's a typo in the gauge they give you. I mean, is it possible to be using such huge needles and have a gauge of 23 sts x 17 rows = 10 cm square?! I really don't think so. I'm thinking they meant 13 sts x 17 rows. So, I pretty much ignored the gauge. Also, I completely left off the fake pockets.

Besides that, I also made two other major adjustments. First, the pattern has you knit the collar separately, then sew it on. I didn't do that. I picked up stitches, which I think worked fine, but when you look at the photo of their sweater compared to mine, the collar is definitely different. I'm not sure if my mistake was in the picking up stitches or not. Second, I added a crochet border to the whole thing and added a monogram. I felt a little weird added the crochet border since I've been reading EZ's thoughts on such things, but in this case it definitely needed it, plus I didn't have enough yarn to do a hat in navy.

So, I guess overall my first Phildar knit was not a total success, but definitely not a failure either. I'm extremely pleased with the finished product and that's most important. Next up, the cover sweater from Tricotez Calin for Baby Girl. Then, hopefully, I'll have enough Phildar practice under my belt to do this.

Yay for Super-Quick Baby FOs!

2006-10-28T22:54:00.000-04:00

Besides all the obvious great reasons to have children, one definite plus is that you have at your disposal the perfect person to knit things for. Of course, I say this as a relatively new mom. I just have the one baby, Baby Girl. BUT, I must attest that so far, I've found that she is absolutely my favorite knittee. She looks great in everything I make her. No matter how hideous it turns out. She is still relatively small, so nothing takes terribly long to make. She's growing, so I always have a reason to knit another everything for her. I could go on and on.

Here's the latest quick Baby Girl FO. It's a beret of my own design, although the Husband says that it doesn't poof out enough to be a beret, so he calls it a berette. Either way, I'm really pleased with it. I added the eyelet row with the intention of adding a bow later, but I think I like it as is.

The specs:

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (one ball - not sure exactly what color)

Pattern: My own, rough pattern as follows (this is sized for a 14" baby head):

Gauge: 24 sts and 32 rows = 4" (10cm) in stockinette

Materials: US4 16" circular needle, set of 4 US4 dpns

Using circular needle, CO 84 sts. Join for knitting in the round, being careful not to twist stitches and place a marker to mark the beginning of your rounds.

Knit 5 rounds in 2x2 ribbing (aka - *K2, P2* around).
(Optional Eyelet Round) Next Round: *K2, Yrn, P2tog* around.
Knit 5 more rounds in 2x2 ribbing.
Next Round: *K2, M1* around. (126 sts)
Knit 11 rounds.
Next round: *K9, M1* around. (140 sts)
Knit 6 rounds.
Next round: *K3, K2tog* around. (112 sts)
Knit 5 rounds.
Next round: *K2, K2tog* around. (84 sts)
Knit 5 rounds.
Next round: *K1, K2tog* around. (56 sts)
Knit 5 rounds.
Next round: *k2tog* around. (28 sts)
Knit 5 rounds.
Next round: *K2tog* around. (14 sts)
Break off yarn and thread through remaining sts.

Is it the man or is it the sweater?

2006-10-23T22:26:00.000-04:00

The first-ever husband sweater is done! I actually finished knitting it up last week, but didn't get around to buying the buttons for it until today. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anywhere better to buy buttons than Jo-Ann, and the pickings were a little on the slim side (or maybe I just was being picky).

I don't even remember the last time I last went shopping for buttons. This is because I inherited a huge button stash from my grandmother. So, I usually like to put all those buttons into (and sometimes back into) good use. I had planned on at least looking through the old button stash for Morris' finishing touches, but it turns out that the drawer on my nightstand where said buttons reside is jammed. Crazy jammed... it seems that something in there has lodged itself in such a way that it is no longer humanly possible to open the drawer. My husband, brother, and I have tried everything to get it open, but it's stuck. We even tried to take off the back portion entirely, but apparently the nails were just reinforcement for the glue. Ugh!

Anyway, eventually, I gave up and went to Jo-Ann and took what I think to be the best they had to offer.

Here are the specs:

Pattern: Morris from Rowan 34.

Yarn: KnitPicks Sierra in Coal. 11 skeins with none leftover for Mens' size medium.

Adjustments: Obviously, subbed in a different yarn. Also had to go down two needle sizes.

Comments: There were several times when I was knitting this that I thought that I hated it. I'm thinking heavy wool sweater + summer knitting was not a good combo. Toward the end though, I could see that it was going to work out, so I got a little excited and sped up. Then, of course, I slowed a bit on the finishing. Does anyone like doing button-bands and collars? Not me! Why does such a small amount of knitting take so long? I'm really bad at picking up and knitting stitches... I guess that's a big part of it.

So far, I'm happy with the yarn subbing, but when I originally bought the yarn, I thought that it would be dark grey. I'm happy that it turned out to be black, but uh, it really looks grey in that Knitpicks photo. I guess that means I'm going to have to be a little more diligent about buying color cards!

Anyway, the Husband loves it almost as much as I do. He had the day off today and wore it and plans on wearing it to work tomorrow too. That's love. Or laziness. I'll assume it's love.

Oh, and it turns out that the male-cardigan is in fashion. See this NY Times article.

Bonus closeups of the cabledy goodness:

I've got mail.

2006-10-13T12:56:00.000-04:00

I'm absolutely obsessed with getting mail. I always have been. When I was a kid, I had several pen pals (mostly just cousins) to whom I would write on almost a daily basis. I love opening packages and letters. I love stamps. I love the walk out to the mailbox (especially on a brisk autumn day). I love all of it. SO, yesterday was a great day for two mail-related reasons. First, my package from my tea swap pal, Meg, arrived. Second, my magazine order from Phildar came as well.

As it turns out, Meg is the sweetest swap pal ever. She really knew how to build the anticipation too... first, she sent me a postcard. Then, she left me comments on my blog. Then, yesterday the package came along with the most thoughtful note. Anway, what do we have? First of all, Opal yarn (which I've never tried before). Teas: Assorted Tazo and Stash Chamomile. Treats: Animal Cookies (which my daughter tried for the first time and loved!), Pepperidge Farm Chessmen, and Anna's Ginger Thins (love those!). PLUS, a scone cutter w/ recipe, recipe cards, and a pattern for a hooded sweater. Meg, thank you so much for making my first swap such a great experience! Also I have some dietary restrictions that Meg was so nice to watch out for!

And the magazines! I actually have spent a year of my life in France (one four month period in Strasbourg and eight months a couple years later in Dijon). Unfortunately, at neither time was I an active knitter. I'm really regretting that now that I see what beautiful patterns Phildar has to offer. I probably won't get around to knitting of them for a while because I already have yarn for other projects and it'll take me a while to figure out what kind of yarn subbing to do for these (I was looking online last night and it took me forever to remember that the needle sizes were different... I kept thinking, "that gauge is really weird for that needle size"... ha!) For now, I'll just be content to look at the pretty patterns and plan.

I dream of yarn

2006-10-12T11:15:00.000-04:00

I'm still trucking along on Morris. Thanks to a suggestion from Veronique, I decided to go ahead and seam together the back, one front, and one sleeve. I usually don't do any blocking until all seams are finished, but this time I thought that it would be best to go ahead and block what I have so I can see if I have a good fit (especially since the back and sleeves are all 3x3 ribbing... preblocking it looked like the sweater was for me and not my husband - yikes!). So, yesterday, I did just that. I also finished knitting the second front and started the second sleeve.

Then, last night as I was going to sleep, I was thinking about my knitting. Thinking about Morris. And I started to smell wool. Wow, I thought, memory is such an incredible thing. Just by thinking about knitting, my brain is able to make me think that I can actually smell the fiber I was working with. Incredible. Then, I opened my eyes and saw the socks that I had washed with Morris (gotta multi-task) and left hanging on the headboard to dry.

New/old projects

2006-10-10T12:36:00.000-04:00

So, I was so excited about finally finishing the brother socks, I decided to pick up another ufo. This one is Morris from Rowan 34. I started this I think in the late spring and then sometime in the early summer I decided it was insane to be knitting a huge wool man-sweater in the middle of the summer. Well, it's fall now and I'm thinking the Husband might not mind having a cozy sweater for the coming months (this will be the first sweater I've ever made for him).

It took a little effort, but I found everything I'd done so far and (literally) dusted it all off last week.

As of our last meeting, Morris had a back and half a front. A sleeve was quickly knitted up. Then, yesterday the second front was started. That was when I remembered the second reason that I put Morris away... the combination of heavy yarn, large needles (US 10), and all those cables are killer on the knuckles. I think by the time I hit the fourth cable chunk I was stopping after every row to pop them. My knuckles are itching to be popped again just thinking about it. Oh, and I think because of the black yarn, I've not been successful at cabling w/out the cable needle. I just can see those stitches well enough.

The good news is, I don't think I'm going to lose steam again. I don't have anything else on the needles that's calling my name, so I should definitely be able to get this done quickly. (Of course, now that I've said that, it won't happen.)

Secret Pal 9 Questionnaire

2006-10-07T16:39:00.000-04:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I love Rowan yarns , but I don't really have a favorite. I'm not a huge fan of acrylic.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

One of these.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I learned to knit when I was about five from my grandmother. I think I'm an intermediate.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)

Vanilla.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Unfortunately, yes. Toblerone.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

Nothing else currently.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I don't listen to much music (besides kid music and lullabies) these days.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

Blues and greens are my favorite colors. I like pretty much any dark tone, though.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

Husband, one baby girl. No pets (too allergic!).

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

I don't really wear hats, but the rest I do.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Sweaters, socks, baby items.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Morris from Rowan 34.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Yes!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

It all depends on the project.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Yes to the winder and no to the swift.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

So old I can't remember what it was supposed to be.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Just yarn.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

No - well, maybe Socks that Rock yarn; subscribed to Rowan and IK.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Yes, but none come to mind.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Yes; US size 7.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

Sept. 4th

Baby Girl has good taste

2006-10-07T11:57:00.000-04:00

In addition to her love of yarn, Baby Girl also has a love of knitting books. This morning during breakfast, she was more interested in Knitting Vintage Socks than her cheerios. I can't blame her. I usually like to flip through knitting books during breakfast too.

Brother Socks

2006-10-05T10:39:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Gentleman’s Sock with Lozenge Pattern from Nancy Bush’s Knitting Vintage Socks.

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill in Bark from Knit Happens.

Adjustments: None.

Comments: Is it just me, or do manly socks and sweaters take WAY longer to knit? I know they're bigger, so that accounts for some of the extra time... BUT the extra time is not at all proportional to the extra size. This is really hard to admit ... I think maybe I'm just slower when I'm knitting for someone else. When I'm knitting for myself I get really excited during the process and really want to wear said item. When I'm working on my own pattern I get excited and really want see it to completion. When I'm working on something for someone else, I usually don't get that same sense of excitement. I think I'm afraid that whoever I'm giving said knitting item to will not love it as much as I do. So, somewhere around the halfway mark, I stall... and stall... and stall. Oh well, these are done and ready to go to the bro in time for his bday next week. Since he lives in my area now (he moved this summer to my neck of the woods and is now my only family member w/in a 4 hour drive) I can monitor him and make sure that he loves them too.

Completed: 10/4/2006

Oh, and about this yarn... I'm in love with it. Really. It's a lot like Koigu, but it runs in a few solid colors. I've actually worked 1 and a half of another pair of this same pair of these socks in Knitpicks Essential. I don't know if you can tell the difference in these crappy photos, but it's substantial.

What can I say, I'm a follower...

2006-10-04T22:51:00.000-04:00

Well, it's still a work in progress, but Veronique's post made me want to change my blog too. I didn't bother trying to learn about what I was doing before I did it. I'm more of a trial and error kinda gal. So far, I like the change...

Deadlines

2006-10-02T11:03:00.000-04:00

I am so bad about deadlines. I think that I've actually gotten worse about them in my post-college life. Although, now that I think back on it, I was pretty bad about them then also. I was always starting my papers at the last minute and then having to either stay up til four or wake up at four in the morning to finish them (but either way, it seems like four in the morning was part of the equation to get things done). The worst part, though, has always been that I try to be strict with myself and impose rules that ideally would make it easier for me to accomplish my goals. For example, if I had a paper due a week away, I would not allow myself to go out with my friends for that whole week. The idea being that that way I would have to work on said paper. However, that was rarely what actually happened. Instead, I would just find something else to do in my room (read, watch tv, work on other homework, clean, anything but what I was supposed to be doing).

Sadly, I seem to be the same way about knitting. This past week I was trying to get a submission in to Knitty (October 1st deadline). So, I told myself that I couldn't use up free time blogging. Instead, I wound up just knitting on other projects anyway. Oh well, I got the submission in on time.

Now, I just have to concentrate on my other knitting deadlines. First of all, I have to finish these socks for my brother by October 10th (his birthday*). They're Gentleman’s Sock with Lozenge Pattern from Nancy Bush’s Knitting Vintage Socks. I'm using Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in Bark. I actually had originally meant to do a pair of Argyle socks for the bro and these were meant to be holiday socks for my Dad, but since the holiday season is further away, I think I'd better switch them around. Plus, I finished that first sock like four months ago. I just can't count on myself to get a quick start on any second sock of a pair.... Eight days to finish just the foot. Seems like a reasonable goal. As long as I can keep myself away from other projects!

*cute story - When my brother was little, anytime you asked him when his birthday was, he would respond, "October the 10th of July." I think he got his birthday confused with the 4th of July.

Magknits/Halweh is up!

2006-10-01T11:23:00.000-04:00

The October issue of Magknits is up! And, my pattern, Halweh was published! Yay! I loved working up this pattern so much, I really hope other people do too! If you haven't, check it out!

Rosy

2006-09-19T11:10:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Rosy from Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora.

Yarn: 10 balls of Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora from eBay. That's right... only 10. The pattern calls for 12 for the smallest size, but I only bought 10 AND as it turns out, that's all that I needed! I really thought that I was going to get burned on this one. I usually don't make a habit of purchasing less yarn than a pattern suggests, but this was a special circumstance. I bought the yarn forever ago from eBay and as it happens, I was purchasing the seller's last ten skeins. ($30 for all ten!) So, I thought about going ahead and purchasing another two from someone else, but I decided to wait until I used up what I had purchased already. As it turns out, 10 was more than enough. I just barely hit that tenth ball and definitely have enough leftover to make a baby hat or something. I'm so thrilled. This never happens to me. Usually, I buy the amount the pattern suggests and still run out.

Adjustments: Since this sweater has no finishing, I decided to slip the first stitch of every row along the base and neckline to give the sweater a cleaner edge. I don't think it really makes much of a difference since the edges curl, but I wanted to anyway for my own peace of mind.

Comments: Sometimes I really find stockinette to be a complete bore. But other times, it's like an old friend. In this case, it was like an old friend. I was working on this during a short period of time when I was completely overwhelmed by other things going on in my life. So, having something simple to work on was like having a friend to fall back on. The kind of friend who keeps you company, but doesn't require that you be "on." You don't have to think or try to be entertaining. You just enjoy each others' company.

Second reason I enjoyed knitting this sweater - no finishing. Just seam it up and you're done. No button band. No neck band. Nothing.

Recipient: Me.

Yarn is NOT yarn.

2006-09-16T12:37:00.000-04:00

Recently I've taught a few friends how to knit. I'm not a great teacher, but I figure that as long as I can show them how to knit and purl, they're well on their way. I don't know about other people, but when I teach someone how to knit, I really try to downplay what an expensive hobby it is. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I'm pretty thrifty for the most part. I'm one of those people who responds to a clothing compliment with the price of said item.... i.e. -

Friend says, "I love that shirt you're wearing."

I respond, "I got it for $10 from J. Crew! Plus these pants were only $15, which means my entire outfit only costs like $25!"

Hmmm... I just realized that might be a kind of annoying thing to do. Anyway, it's really ironic that I'm willing to pay more for the yarn for a sweater than I would actually pay for a finished sweater.

So, back to my story. I had taught a friend to knit. She was really into it. Fun times. Then, I was talking to her about her progress (she was working on the Harlot poncho pattern - a perfect beginner's pattern, in my opinion). She was telling me about how she went to buy the yarn for it, but she was in a hurry, so she just grabbed something because... and these are her words...

"Yarn is yarn."

Ahhh! No, no, no. Yarn is not yarn. I mean, every yarn has it's purpose. I have used the cheap stuff to make a couple afghans and other sundry low-maintenance stuff myself. But, to equate them all... put them all on the same level? The horror. I'm afraid I may have failed my friend. I mean I taught her to knit and purl, but I didn't teach her anything about the love of a good yarn. And what's knitting without the love of a good yarn?

Anyway, I do have a fo in the blocking stages. It's Rosy from Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora. For some reason it's taking forever to dry. Maybe because of the super dreary weather.

Baby Seizures

2006-09-14T10:49:00.000-04:00

I didn't think that I was going to post about this, but it occurred to me that it's possible that someone might read this and be able to benefit from our experiences. (Not that I get a lot of readers, but anyway.)

Two weeks ago, in a twenty-four hour period, Baby Girl had two seizures. Apparently, seizures in babies can be quite common. Sometimes babies her age (6-12 months old) have seizures for no apparent reason and then never have them again. This is comforting to know after the fact, but during the seizure itself, I was almost paralyzed with fear. So, if your baby has a seizure, this is what you should know:

Lay your baby on her side on the floor where she has space to seize.
Do not put anything in her mouth... this is an old wives tale.
If at any time during the seizure she has difficulty breathing or her heartbeat becomes irregular, call 911.
Time the seizure... if it lasts longer than 5 minutes, call 911. (Technically, they consider any seizure under 20 minutes to be a short seizure, but you want to have enough time to get her to the hospital.)
Try to get a video recording of the seizure. This part is really hard, but it can be invaluable. Describing an incident to a doctor can be very difficult and you want to make sure that they don't just blow you off since you're an upset parent.
Of course, notify your child's doctor after the seizure.
It's not uncommon for children to go into a deep sleep after they seize.

You know your child best. When the EMTs arrived after my daughter's first seizure, they told me that it was probably just a choking incident since she was nursing just prior. I wanted to believe them, but I know my child. She's gotten choked up before when she was nursing and that wasn't how she behaved.

For now, we have appointments for an EEG and with a children's neurologist for next month. God willing, these events will not repeat themselves.

Back to knitting content soon...

Take care of your babies!

Fishies!

2006-08-29T12:07:00.001-04:00

Over the weekend I managed to finish Baby Girl's Fishy Jumper. I'm so excited about how it came out! Somehow I got lucky and it fits her perfectly. What with her growing and my spotty record when it comes to finishing things in a timely manner, this is truly a rare treat. I'm still not sure if I like the way the embroidered bubbles look, but I guess I could always go back and change them. Okay, that's not really going to happen.

Pattern: My own.

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino from Knit Happens. Two balls Teal, one coral, one seafoam, and one light blue.

Comments: This was a lot of fun to work up. It took a while because I kept changing my mind about how I wanted various aspects. Bubbles as intarsia or embroidered on? Waves at the top or throughout the body of the dress? Of course, I knew I didn't want the waves throughout and intarsia bubbles, but all other combos were tried out. Gotta love lifelines.

Recipient: Baby Girl... she is definitely my favorite person to knit for.

Swim fishies! Swim!

2006-08-26T16:39:00.000-04:00

Finished the knitting of the fishy jumper. I even managed to get it on Baby Girl for a test-fitting without her tearing at all of the ends that have yet to be woven in. It looks like it will work perfectly. There's enough room that a onesie will fit nicely underneath and still some growing room too.

So, now it's blocking. Getting close... so close.

Currently working on.... fishies

2006-08-23T11:26:00.000-04:00

Here's a preview of my latest/most exciting project. It's a jumper that I'm designing for Baby Girl. So far, I've finished the knitting of the back and this much of the front:

I'm still working on how I'm going to do the embroidered bubbles. I keep changing my mind. I'm also still not sure about the color of the bodice section. Maybe a darker green would be better? I love the color I used, but it seems a little pale juxtaposed with the teal and orange.

The fishies are the fun/exciting/difficult part of the pattern. I don't know if you can tell, but they face different ways on front and back, so that they'll line up when you fold the jumper. I *think* I'm also going to try to write up this pattern... we'll see.

Upgrade

2006-08-22T11:36:00.000-04:00

Have you seen those commercials where they upgrade a room, a hairstyle, and then tampons? Not a fan of the commercial, but anyway, when I finished my new washrag, I was reminded of it. See -- there's the old-crochet-been-bleached-way-too-many-times washrag. And the new one! Definitely an upgrade.

Pattern: Ballband dishcloth from Mason Dixon Knitting.

Yarn: Sugar 'n Cream from A.C. Moore -- it was on sale for $.99 a skein!

Adjustments: I cut down the number of repeats because it was getting a little too large for my dishwashing needs - see old dishrag. I also added a crochet border to the sides.

Comments: Why all the fuss about a dishrag? Well, I love the idea of adding handknits to our everyday lives. It's fun to have that "I made this feeling" even when, or maybe especially when I'm doing something as mundane as the dishes. Anyway, it's a fun a quick project - I definitely see more in my future!

Recipient: Me and my dishes.

Baby Girl says: It's also great for peek - a - boo!

Birch Alert

2006-08-21T10:55:00.000-04:00

For a long time now, Birch has been one of my back-burner projects. With the first ball of Kidsilk Haze, it was my "wait until Baby Girl has gone to bed project". Then, when I finished that first ball of yarn, I just let it sit around for a while. After about a month, I picked it up again and it was my "naptime project." About the time I hit that third and last ball of KSH, it became my "all-the-time-can't-get enough-of-it project," -- meaning I would knit a few stitches and then have to put it down to keep Baby Girl away from the VCR/stash/everything else. How long ago did I start Birch? Hmmm, well, I remember that Veronique started hers a couple days after I started mine. So, I guess that it was just before April 11th. That means it took me just over four months. Well, I was working on other things, so I'm okay with that. Here are the specs:

Pattern: Birch from Rowan 34.

Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Pearl. Just under three balls.

Adjustments: None.

Comments: I loved this project so much. It was my first time working with KSH and my first lace project. I definitely think it was a great intro to both. I really liked working from the large section and shrinking down those rows 'til the end.

Recipient: I haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning towards my Grandma - the one who taught me how to knit.

Washing Birch:

Blocking Birch on the bed:

All finished Birch:

Fetching

2006-08-16T11:18:00.000-04:00

I'm just starting to think about knitting gifts for the holidays. It's so hard to find that perfect pattern for each recipient. There are definitely a few contenders in the summer Knitty. I think Fetching would work for a few people. Here's my first pair.

Pattern: Fetching.

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in shade 202 (Duck Egg Blue). 1 skein + about a yard from the stash.

Adjustments: None.

Comments: I really like the way that they came out. They were very quick to knit and the pattern was easy to understand. I used leftover yarn from the stash. I don't know why, but I hated that I didn't make them with just one skein. It didn't really matter because my stash consisted of two skeins, plus about 5 yards to begin with. So, I still have enough for a second pair.

Completed: a few days ago.

Miscalculation

2006-08-16T11:03:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I'm not the best about thinking before I act. Especially when it comes to knitting. I just want to go go go. That's what happened with this sweater. I wanted something easy and fast. So, I thought a chunky turtleneck with US 13s would be the answer. It came out perfectly. Except that for some reason I didn't use my own measurements when I was scribbling down my plan for the pattern. Of course, somehow I didn't notice this mistake until I'd seamed the front and back pieces together.

On a related note, a couple weeks ago the Husband, Baby Girl and I were invited to a co-worker's home for dessert. It was overall a very nice time. Their family unit matches ours quite nicely (we both have one daughter). Anyway, as I was holding Baby Girl, I started to seat myself on their sofa.... but I completely misjudged where the sofa ended and wound up falling onto the floor. Thankfully, Baby Girl wasn't hurt, but I still have two bruised on my spine (and maybe one on my ego).

I guess I feel the same way about that fall as I do about my mis-sized sweater. It's embarrassing, but I'll recover. It may take a couple weeks before we can revisit either the friends or the sweater, though.

Finally back!

2006-08-09T10:30:00.000-04:00

Wow! It's really hard to keep up with the knitting and blogging during these summer months. Just me? Okay, I'll blame my newbie status.

I have been doing some knitting, though. I joined the little bits kal as an excuse to knit more for Baby Girl. I've actually knit a lot of things for her, so this time my personal challenge was to come up with my own design. I think it came out well for a first design. My idea was a simple a-line top with a super frilly collar. To give myself more incentive not to just hide all of the flaws, I submitted the pattern to Magknits. I won't know for sure until it goes live, but it looks like it will be published in the Oct. issue! Woo hoo!

So, all I can do is give a preview. I'm so nervous/excited about this whole process. I wonder if anyone else will like it....

2006-06-16T11:20:00.000-04:00

I love my Jaywalkers.

Okay. These are another old project, but they haven't been seen here. Plus, Grumperina is hosting a Jaywalker contest. That makes this the perfect time to add them to the blog. So, here they are:

Pattern: Jaywalker
Yarn: Knitpicks Color Your Own kool-aid dyed by me
Adjustments: None.
Comments: Love the pattern just like everyone else. The stripes lined up nicely, didn't they? My only complaint is with myself. For some reason the tension on one sock is a little too tight. I don't know why that is. Maybe I was feeling a little stressed when I was working on it? Oh well. I love them too much to care.
Completed: ?

2006-06-13T11:55:00.000-04:00

The yarn always wins.

2006-06-12T11:24:00.001-04:00

The Perfect Storm

First, I saw this post on the Yarn Harlot's blog. I loved the idea of the watermelon hat, but the warm DC weather made it a poor gift choice for anyone I know having a baby in this area. Then, came the email from a friend of my husband in Australia. He and his wife just had a baby -- and you know what season it is in Australia! Winter! A quick look in the stash revealed some kool-aid dyed wool in just the right colors. That's right -- it's a watermelon hat knit with kool-aid dyed wool. Don't you love it?! Sigh. If only one of the flavors used to dye the wool had been watermelon.

2006-06-07T10:47:00.000-04:00

New FO, Old FO

First, the new fo:

Pattern: Yarrow Ribbed Sock from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks.

Yarn: Koigu KPPPM 524 from Knit Happens.

Adjustments: None.

Comments: I love a good simple project that I can pick up and work on a little at a time. With Baby Girl around, it's important to have at least one of these types of projects in the works at all times.

Completed: 6/6/2006

On the feet pic:

So, I finished these yesterday while Baby Girl was taking her afternoon nap beside me. I was stuck! I didn't want to risk waking her up by moving her, but I didn't have another project in the works near me. What's a mommy to do? So, I cast on using the only yarn I had close to me, Knitpicks Sock Garden:

I don't know what it is, but this morning when I looked at it again, I realized that I really hate it. I don't know if it's the yarn or the pattern. Either way, this project is going nowhere. Better start a new one. Oh well.

Old fo:

Pattern: Picot Dress from Debbie Bliss' Special Knits.

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino from Knit Happens.

Adjustments: I was inspired by Kate Gilbert's Fair Isle Sweater for Tadpole, but since I'm far less talented, I just took a pattern I had at hand and added an intarsia note to Baby Girl. It reads: "mommy loves [baby girl] loves." I had to change the pattern so that the note would work, so I knitted it on the round. I also omitted the pocket.

Comments: I made this in the next size up so that I wouldn't have to worry about trying to finish before Baby Girl was too big. Now it's finished and she still doesn't fit in it. :( I guess I can wait a couple months.

2006-05-26T13:56:00.000-04:00

Which is the more appealing toy?

Baby Einstein rattle or Cherry Tree Hill Brown Sock yarn?

Baby Girl says:

2006-05-26T10:53:00.000-04:00

I've wanted to document my knitting for some time now. I guess the only way to start is to just jump in.

I learned how to knit when I was six years old from my grandmother. She was a very prolific knitter of stuffed animals. She didn't use patterns for the most part. She would just knit. My brother and I each had a duck that she made for us. When she passed along her knitting supplies to me I learned part of her secret - she had a whole menagerie of those toys that came with happy meals.

So, most of my first knits were stuffed animals. I think my very first fo was actually a knitted rat made of purple variegated yarn. I really wish that I still had it. It was so ugly. I loved it.

I think that I made a few more stuffed animals from ages 6-13. I seem to remember a bear and maybe a cat too. Not too many fos, but I enjoyed it anyway.

Then, in high school I started knitting again - more seriously this time. I made a couple sweaters and a blanket. Here's a picture of my very first sweater with one of my newer knits:

I can't remember if I meant it to be for myself or if it was always meant for grandma, but it went to grandma either way. Grandmas are the best recipients of handknits. Ten years later and she's still wearing it.

The second person in the photo brings me to why I recently started knitting again. Baby girl!