I finally finished something(s)!

Remember when I moved about 6 weeks ago and I was like, "I'm going to be so productive and so crafty and make so many things in my new place!" Well...better late than never. I finally managed to finish two projects that were languishing half-done in the pre- and post-move weeks: the Baby Sophisticate sweater, and this mitered square baby blanket. I wanted to hide all the little woven-in ends on the back of the blanket, so I lined it with some scraps of chambray I pieced together, and then I tied it in a few places with contrasting yarn to keep the backing from bagging out too much. I'd have done a few things differently with the blanket, but at this point I'm just so glad it's done that I'll take it as it is. The sweater, I'm very happy with. It was a really easy pattern and it's so darn cute.

With those projects finished, I was able to tackle the first thing on my long list of other projects: a slipcover for our white Ikea loveseat. The fabric is actually a few curtains from Target that I bought on clearance; it's a cotton-linen blend and was really easy to work with. It's the first major sewing project I've ever done, and I'm pretty happy with the result. I have plans to make two others in different colors, and should have enough fabric left over for pillow covers too. By finishing this project my to-make list has actually grown: in the process of all that sewing & pinning I realized I *really* need a good pincushion, and I also noticed my sewing machine is getting rather dusty, so I'll want to make a cover for it sooner rather than later.

Hopefully now that I've broken out of my creative rut I'll manage to retain some momentum. The next big priority on my list is an afghan I want to give as a gift for an August wedding...it's about half done already, but even with air conditioning the idea of knitting a queen-size blanket in a heat wave makes me squirm. Time to put my head down & power through!

Hellooo?

It's been crickets and tumbleweeds around here for months...I guess Rita and I have both been having kind of a weird year. I just completely stopped crafting at all for a long while, but I picked it back up again this month and finally have a little something to post about. On the left is a pom-pom wreath I made after seeing a few different versions on the Internet. It was lots of fun to make and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I'm thinking about making really simple pom-pom ornaments for next year. On the upper right is a baby sweater made from a Knit Picks kit; other than spacing the buttons a bit weirdly I'm happy with it. I actually started it way back in the summer; more than anything I'm just glad to be done with it! And on the lower right is a hat made from a WWII pattern; not much to say about that one. Here's hoping I can keep it up in the new year...

More baby things

Well, just one more thing, I guess. I've decided that the best way to use up some of my stash yarn is to knit baby sweaters. I have so many kinds of yarn that I only have one or two skeins of and that is not enough for much of anything. I knit up this sweater (in action on its new owner). It's Hoodie #60554A (it's like a prison number --maybe I've been watching too much of The Wire lately...) from Lion Brand. I used some of my scrap Patons wool. It took about a week to knit, although the striping was very annoying. I had a lot of loose ends to weave in before I decided to just carry the yarn. It was a quick, fun pattern to knit though.

Another one bites the dust

One more Christmas gift is finished! This is a Debbie Bliss pattern I found through Ravelry - the Ribbed Baby Jacket. The ribbed placket is supposed to be wider but I ran out of yarn; also there's supposed to be a button but I think it's fine without it. I had this crazy yarn to use up; I just started with one colorway, knit until it ran out, then added the other one and knit until that ran out. I love how wild it turned out, and the sister whose daughter it's for tends to like funky stuff for her kids, so I'm hoping it will be a hit.

Remember the Olympics?

Well, I do because it was the last time I had time to knit or do anything crafty. It's been a very fast but uncreative month. I haven't even posted what I was able to knit during the Olympics, so I'm taking a break from reading The Name of the Rose (only 100 pages to go before Friday!), and posting what I made.

It's the Sheep Yoke Baby Cardigan for a well deserving little boy in my world. I had a lot of Cascade 220 scrap yarn. It knit super fast. I've never duplicate stitched before so that was kind of messy, but it didn't turn out too bad. I made it in the 9-12 month size so it'll be chilly by the time he's ready to wear it.

Hopefully, I'll have some time in the near future to knit again. I miss it. Plus, I have to make my cat's Halloween costume!

What I'm up to

Here's the Baby Surprise Jacket, finally all done. There's not much I can say about this amazing pattern that hasn't already been said - it was fun to knit, and a blast to see it come together in the end. I was pleased to find these little purple buttons in my stash, which I think go very well with the pretty yarn.












Above left are the Cage Comforters I'm making out of recycled clothing. They are close to done; I'll post in more detail when they are. On the right are some little dog toys I made for a friend's dogs, using the scraps from the cage comforters. I saw something like them online somewhere, but couldn't remember where, so I just improvised these.

Too hot to knit

...but I've managed to make a little progress in spite of the ungodly heat. There was a slight change of plans in the BSJ; I decided I didn't like the scratchiness or color pooling of the original yarn, so I switched to this stuff (Gedifra something-or-other) which is not only softer and beautifully stripey, but it's machine washable as well, which I know the baby's mom will appreciate. And on the right, the brown vest continues. I'm almost done with the body of the Tree of Life afghan - I hope to have a ta-da photo of that by August!

Christmas in July

I've started on the Christmas gifts! From left to right: Baby Surprise Jacket; button-up wool vest; fabric for animal cushions (my charity project). I went over my Christmas list and came up with a few good, do-able (I hope!) gift goals. From the looks of it right now, I probably won't have to buy any new yarn to complete my planned holiday gifts!

The sweater that will end this long, long winter

I have knit the sweater that will end winter!

I knit this sweater for a one month old baby, and I made it a little bigger so he could wear it around 6 months. Well, it wasn't until I was finishing the seams that I stopped and though, "hmm, he'll be 6 months in July!". I didn't really think through the whole sweater situation. He is growing like a weed though so I reconsidered things, and in light of the never-ending winter, thought he might be able to wear it yet this winter/spring.

However, because I really want him to wear it, it makes perfect sense that winter will stop this very week! Temps are supposed get higher than the teens!


Here are the details on the sweater:

Yarn: The main color is Nashua Creative Focus Superwash. The trim is some scrap Cascade 220 I had. I once again broke my rule about buying more yarn than needed, and would have run out before finishing the trim so I improvised and I think it works. It beats having most of a another skein of yarn I don't want. It's not a Christmas sweater; it's a tomato sweater --whatever that means! :O)

Pattern: The Oz Vest from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding.

It was very nice to knit and finish a project so quickly!

Baby gear

Well, I think I already broke one of my New Year's resolutions by not posting all week. I guess crafting takes time. I have been busy crafting fun baby items lately. My pending auntiness didn't really kick in until a month ago, but now I just want to make baby things all time. My first project was a little hooded wrap. I knit this with Bernat organic cotton. Organic cotton is hard to come buy if you're not willing to order online, so I question how organic it really is. Hmm. I really liked how the little wrap knit up though.
Second, since the baby is going to be born in winter, I thought a little sweater and hat set was necessary. I used patterns from One Skein for both the hat and sweater. I thought I was getting the hang of seams, but this sweater was crap to sew up. I loved the yarn though. It's Classic Elite Yarns Lush, 50/50 wool/angora. It's super soft.
Finally, I made some baby bibs. I wasn't too sure if new babies use bibs but I've been assured that they do. They're so little that a little bit of fabric goes a long way. I really like the kitty/cat fabric. The more I look at fabric, the more I'm tempted to buy the super expensive stuff online. There are so many irresistible fabrics out there. I used the pattern from Chickpea Sewing Studio. They sewed up really fast, and they're so cute....

Babies are cute.

Little sweater

It's the February Baby Sweater by the wonderful Elizabeth Zimmermann, knit in the yarn from a ripped-out old sweater of mine. I really enjoyed knitting this for a brand new baby, although she probably won't be big enough for it for a couple of months.


And these are my two-at-a-time socks! After the first couple of rows, it became easy to handle the two needles and manipulate the turns. It's so exciting to think that I'll get to avoid the notorious Second Sock Syndrome and have a complete pair when it's all over. The only downside is that the multiple components don't lend themselves well to subway knitting, which is how I've been trying to make a dent in my holiday knitting goal.

Finished Projects

I thought I'd post what I've been working on lately. It's been a while! First, I finished the baby crew sweater that I started a couple weeks ago. It turned out really cute. I wish I knew a baby to model it!

Second, a couple of weeks ago I went to Old Navy and found a really horrific jumper (for only $6) made out of the exact color green corduroy that I've been scouring Joanne Fabrics for. So, I bought an XXL and used it to make a skirt. I wish I would have taken a picture of the jumper. It could have been a really cute above the knee jumper, but it flared out so much that it looked like a mumu.

Anyway, here is the jumper transformed into a basic A-line skirt. I thought I'd be cool and model it (I'm not sure if I'm pulling off the boots though...) I used another skirt of mine that I really like as the basic template and I added a cute fabric to the yoke on the inside (because I'm all about cute details...I'm a sucker for things that other people won't see...)

That's it for finished projects but I'm working on some other things (and getting great ideas for Christmas presents...) so hopefully I'll have a new post soon.

A wee update

Circumstances have conspired to keep me away from knitting lately, which is very bad considering how many holiday gift projects I've set out to make. The brown sock has been made twice now, and has turned out way to big both times, so in a fit of frustration I bought the book Knitting Circles Around Socks, plus two circular needles in a smaller size, in the hopes that not only will I end up with a normal-sized sock but maybe save a little time by doing the two at once.

While I waited for the book to arrive I needed a portable project to work on during my lunch breaks, so I started my first Elizabeth Zimmermann project, the February Baby Sweater:


The yarn is reused from the sweater I ripped apart a few months ago. I think it's a perfect baby color, plus it's machine washable. This pattern is going incredibly fast, and is terribly cute. If I have time (hah) I want to make the baby leggings from the same book in the same yarn...but I might have to settle for just booties or a bonnet.

I actually do have a few more projects underway, but since those are destined to be gifts for people who may read this, they'll have to remain secret for now. :-)

Photo Frenzy!

I have my camera back! I thought I'd update my knitting progress.

First, I finished my Stag Bag:
The liner isn't quite right...Tippi's how-to was really helpful. I think I need to reinforce my strap. I wanted an over-the-shoulder I knit two i-cords but they stretch and really pull on the bag so I might add a fabric underside to the straps. I haven't had time yet for that. The bag is usable (and being used). I have to admit to being a bit wary about my talents and desire for the bag, but it's so great. I'm so glad to have tried this bag.

I also made another bag this week:
I didn't quite have the right colors to make the Candy Corn Bag. My bag also really belled out when I felted it. I used Patons wool. I've felted with this before, but it really acted funny this time. The different colors seemed to felt at different times. I think the original is much cuter, but this was just a quick little project. Halloween is so close and I want to be able to use it this year.

Finally, I started another baby sweater:
It's the Jo-Jo Basic Crew Sweater from Louisa Harding's Natural Knits for Babies and Moms. I'm using Lion Brand Wool-ease worsted weight yarn, so it's not so natural, but I am trying to work through my stash still. There's a lot of cute ideas in this book.

It's done!

I finally finished the Stag Bag! Overall, I'm happy with it. I found a great lightweight cotton canvas to line it with - the dots match the dark yarn perfectly! I made it a tote rather than a shoulder bag, although the handles are big enough to fit over my shoulder, but not too long so the bag hits the ground when carried as a tote.

So, how did I line it? Well, since my sewing skills have deteriorated significantly since 7th grade Home Ec, I just winged it, taking some guidance from Grumperina's post on how she lined her knitted tote (check out the awesome ribbon handle tabs!). I made an inside-out bag just smaller than the Stag Bag (18 x 17 inches!) and sewed a couple of pockets onto it, then slid strips of plastic canvas into the top to give it more strength. I lined the handles with strips of fabric and hand-sewed it all together.

With the dense knitted fabric, the canvas lining, and the plastic reinforcements, it's a really sturdy bag and I hope it gets a lot of use this winter. This project was a real challenge for me, and totally worth it. AND! I have a whole extra skein of the beige Lamb's Pride left over! I can't decide whether to make a hat or mitts...




And here's the finished Eyelet Yoke Sweater from Lion Brand; the dye lot change isn't even noticeable!

Eyelet yoke sweater

Here is the second holiday project I've got underway - it's the Eyelet Yoke Sweater from Lion Brand. The pattern calls for Cotton Ease but I'm using up some Patons Shetland Chunky that I had in my stash. The only modification I've made to the pattern is to add the white dots in the body of the sweater. I'm really happy with how it's turning our so far. On the Stag Bag front, I'm still looking for the perfect lining fabric...

For the little ones

I had a lot of Cotton-Ease left over from Snakey, so I crocheted a granny square baby blanket for a coworker who is pregnant. I have become very fond of the new Cotton-Ease; it's really soft and comes in great colors, and it's machine washable.










And this is a toddler jacket from a free Berocco pattern. I used some of the Wool-Ease I'd originally intended for the Pink Sweater That Never Was. This was a really easy pattern and I think it turned out well, I just hope it fits well. I'm still debating whether to add some kind of fastener, like a frog clasp or something.













So...this means that my project bag is empty! I'm going shopping for the Stag Bag yarn on Wednesday (yarn store is closed on Tuesdays - wtf?) and I can't wait to start on it. I'm also planning a Christmas gift knitting program, hopefully to be revealed soon.

More miscellany

Wow, Rita's sewing really puts mine to shame, but here it is anyway - my first baby steps toward both learning to sew and beginning a wardrobe recycling regimen with the bags of reject clothes on the floor of my closet. These tote bags made from tank tops are going to get stuffed into my regular everyday handbag so they'll be handy for library books & small grocery store trips.



Here's a little sweater, from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies by Erika Knight, for my niece-to-be. It's super-tiny! It's made with Cotton-Ease, which I really enjoyed knitting with.




Back in December I made a bunch of small felted bowls to give as gifts, but I made more sets than I gave away so I finally put the rest to use by nesting them tightly, stuffing the smallest ones & inverting them, then sewing them all together to make pincushions. And in keeping with my original intentions, I gave them to two coworkers who like to craft.

New %*&@! Baby Sweater

Despite my lack of posts, I have been knitting away. About a month ago I decided I wanted to knit something quit and easy(!) and decided to try a baby sweater from Stitch and Bitch Nation by Debbie Stoller. I thought I'd knit the Baby's First Tattoo sweater but I didn't like the patterns they offered so I made my own. A) I need to buy some graph paper and B) I need to knit the pattern before I knit it in a sweater from now on.

So here is the finished project:

I jumped right into the project and soon discovered that this raglan cardigan was knit in several pieces (two front pieces, back piece, two sleeves) --what a nightmare! I didn't think I minded piecing things together before but this pattern taught me a lesson. I also didn't really know how to do intarsia so one mushroom was a poorly made fair-isle. I wrapped the other mushroom nicely though so I can say I did learn something from this project. I'm not completely happy with the final pattern...the mushroom stem looks a bit wonky, but it's not like I have to wear it.

There was a nightmare amount of weaving though:


I think this summer I might stick to socks and sewing. I'm off to sew some canvas grocery bags! Hopefully I can post the results before the weekend disappears.