New Beginning?

So, I think this was my New Year's resolution for last year as well, but I'm vowing to keep up with this blog this year. I had a crazy idea to work through all my stash before venturing out and buying more yarn last year. That really sapped my energy to knit but I've lifted my yarn buying ban and have started knitting again (I did manage to use up a fair amount of my stash in the process, so I'm calling Success! on one of my resolutions!)
So, to begin this year, here's a little something I've been wanting to knit for years and finally did for my nephew's 3rd birthday (he's going to love me, the boring aunt who gives him sweaters every year!) It's the Leif's Twisted Tree Pullover. I love that she was inspired by the Yggdrasil tree- I'm a sucker for incorporating Norse mythology in anything I knit (see Example A).
I bought a bunch of Malabrigo yarn on sale and it was great choice for this sweater. It's so soft and I love the green.



Twisted Tree pattern close-up:



I made the 4/5 size so of course it's way too big and my nephew will eventually fit it sometime around July and outgrow it sometime around September! I hope not because it's so much fun and very satisfying to knit things for him and I'd like him to wear the stuff a little too.

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.

Leg Warmers

I had a special request for leg warmers for a potty-training toddler who likes to wear dresses but whose mom hated the hassle of dealing with tights at potty time. I forgot to photograph the first pair I made; they were made with crazy bright yarn and were just 2x2 ribs tubes. For these, I used Berroco Comfort Yarn, which is very soft & machine washable, and made it up as I went along. I started at the bottom with 40 stitches, then gradually increased to 48. I used my forearm as a rough approximation of a toddler's leg. I didn't make them a perfect match because the request stated explicitly that the leg warmers should be "funky," and this was the only way I knew to make pastels funky.