My SIL rocks!

Just got some amazing photos of the projects I had neglected to document in the last post!!!

Here are the "mario mushrooms" I knit for my nephews (who are obsessed with all things mario):


Pattern: Super Mario Mushroom Knitted Toy
Yarn: Misc acrylic/wool blends

Next we have the hat/glove set I made for my SIL:


Pattern: To Norway With Love (hat)
Yarn: Ella Rae classic heathers (worsted)

I had some trouble with this hat. The first time I knitted it, my floats were too tight (even with trying to keep them loose) and I couldn't even get it over my head. *sigh* I cast it on again, only this time adding an extra couple hearts to the pattern repeat (some other Rav knitter had posted about doing this in their project page too - I'd recommend browsing people's notes if you want to knit this hat). I think it would have been fine just adding one heart, but it makes for a comfortable fit on your head (not too tight). As far as the length I also skipped knitting the last row of hearts because I thought it looked odd with all that length. It's still a little "slouchy" (not formed to the head like a beanie).


Pattern: Mobile Mittens (using color pattern from the To Norway With Love mittens)
Yarn: Ella Rae classic heathers (worsted)

I didn't knit the glove pattern that matched the hat because I wanted something where you could still use your fingers. I know I hardly ever wear gloves because I want to be able to answer my phone, or in my SIL's case, use her camera on a photoshoot! I hope she enjoys them.

Christmas Catch-up!

OK let's see what I've been doing these past few weeks!

I finished that monkey and gave it and the bear to my friend's little boys... they seemed to like them! Yay :)


I knit a hat and gloves for my SIL and some plush "Mario bros" mushrooms for my nephews, but pics will have to wait because I'm dumb and didn't take any before I gifted them! Luckily my SIL is an amazing photographer and has agreed to get pics to send to me. Yay!

My husband's friend has emailed me a link to a "beard hat" website, where they were selling knitted hat/beard things... for a primo price! He said if anyone could knit him one it would be me :) Well unbeknownst to him, his wife also emailed me and asked if I could knit it for him for christmas and she would pay me. I'm always up for a commission! It was a fun pattern, although the hat definitely needed the extra repeat in the length (and probably could have used an additional one for large man heads). I like it though!


Pattern: Lumberjack
Yarn: Patons wool or some other 100% wool yarn.

For a close friend of Greg's family (who is basically like our Aunt now), I knit some basic worsted weight house socks/boot socks. I think she liked them!


Pattern: Basic sock formula from Cynthia
Yarn: Patons wool

Finally I crammed in one silly little project for my dear husband. He's an architect so I thought this may appeal to him... it's just a fun little toy, plus I hadn't yet knitted anything from this book! (Knitting Mochimochi) I adapted it to be smaller, knitting only 4 buildings and making the "base" of it smaller. I also tethered some of the buildings together/to the base to keep them more upright... they tended to want to lean in random directions. That's probably due to my unskilled sewing job though!


Pattern: Shyscrapers
yarn: Misc worsted wool or wool blends

Quick and easy

Whipped out a hat for my brother for a christmas present. I had made him this hat in grey for Christmas 2009... so I thought since he loved it so much I'd make a new one. It might be getting worn out too. It only took me a few days!

Pattern: Bulky Knitted Hat

Wild kingdom

I made a bear :-)


Pattern: Baby bear from Itty Bitty Toys
Yarn: Knitivity Merino Fingering, a gift from Cynthia (awhile ago!)

I decided not to embroider a nose or mouth on him since the coloring of the yarn made it look like he already has a blue nose. Plus my embroidery leaves a LOT to be desired (see: his weird eyes). The scarf is just 1x1 ribbing with some random green worsted yarn I had lying about!

I also am making a monkey!



Pattern: A New Sock Monkey from Itty Bitty Toys
Yarn: Unwind Yarn Company Superwash Merino Sock - this is the only yarn I've ever bought from etsy, I'm pretty sure! It's really nice to knit with.

He does have one leg right now, but needs another. And a face!

These will be going to 2 little boys that are friends with Norah. I hope they like them!!!!

Linky Tuesday

I'm totally copying Courtney on this, but I thought I'd do a post of pretty things I've found on Ravelry recently.

Mountain man bearded hat
Look for this soon as a WIP :-)

Vinculum cardigan
That is GORGEOUS!!! Might have to think about buying that next year to make for myself???

Woobie Zebra
Super cute for a baby gift!

Rachael Scarf
Chevron patterns are so "in" right now.

Open work Infinity Scarf
I bet that would knit up really quick!

Oslo Anorak
OMG That is friggen adorable! I wish the bigger sizes were free. Norah would be the cutest little elf baby!

Hope you are all having a nice week... we're all fighting colds in our house and it's been rainy and chilly out. Makes it nice to stay inside with hot chocolate and blankets though (and coffee lol).

Jewelry and Vikings

What do those things have in common? I knitted them!

1. Jewelry:
I was trying to think of something to make my mom for Christmas... something I haven't knitted her yet (see: 2 sweaters, scarves, gloves, slippers, dishcloths, felted bowl, etc etc). Mom always wears really nice jewelry that matches her outfit. I thought... maybe I could knit a necklace???


Pattern: Knit Your Pearls
Yarn: Wilkinson Fancy Yarn Lustre (gifted from a UK friend)


I still need to find a button or clasp to close it up, but I like it! I think having the shiny metallic yarn helps it feel more like jewelry.

2. Vikings
A friend and coworker of my husband is expecting his first child. He is a fan of Lord of the Rings and dwarves and such. I was trying to come up with a cute geeky baby gift to knit for them, and this is what I ended up with:


It's technically a viking hat, but I think its close enough to something dwarvish. The horns are kind of huge compared to the hat/baby head size, but I think it's going to be extra adorable that way!

Pattern: Viking hat, followed some mods for a newborn size and horn mods (see rav page)
Yarn: Various basic wools, I think mostly patons!

Coming soon: a bear!

P.S. Check out Courtney's blog... she did her "Ravelry links" post and included some of my favorites :)

Norah's sweater

Norah is a lucky girl... she has a very talented Auntie who knit her this AMAZING sweater!


And it fits like a dream. Thanks so much Auntie Mare!!!!!!!! xoxo


(yes she tried to eat everything on the ground lol)

Pants Saga

Weeeelllll I might have posted a bit too soon about being "done" with the baby pants yesterday. After binding them off and going about adding elastic and sewing down the waistband, I stepped back to admire my work


Hmmm, wait a minute.


Crap. One leg is like 1/2 inch wider than the other. I followed the pattern! Didn't I??? What the heck? Oooook fine. Rip out the large leg, reknit. kitchner the new "crotch" stitches. Add a button.




NOW I'm done. Jeez. Baby shower is tomorrow!!!!!!

Kanoko

This is an old picture already, considering I just bound these off and am sewing down the waistband! I cant decide if I should use elastic or make a drawstring per the pattern. I better decide in the next hour because all my baby shower gifts are getting a wash tonight in preparation for Saturday! Also: YES I MADE IT IN TIME!!!! :D

Round 2

After finishing up the baby legwarmers and hat for my hubby's pregnant cousin #1 (having a girl), I moved onto the second couple, who are having a boy! I thought this pattern would make him look like a cute little baby elf boy:


I am missing the button in the photo, but it's a cute little brown one!
Pattern: Vintage Pixie Cap from Vintage Knits for Modern Babies
I used worsted yarn so I only cast on 60 sts (trying to make a 0-3 month size)

And I whipped up some bootie/socks to match:


That is probably one of my fav baby sock patterns. (Link: Layette from Itty Bitty Nursery)
It's constructed just like a regular sock, but on worsted yarn and in the tiny baby size it goes SO fast! I knit the foot a little shorter than the pattern specifies (probably like 2.5 inches long instead of three before the toe).

Now for pregnant cousin #3.... I have cast on these pants: Kanoko Pants
We will see if I can get them done by Saturday! Go go go!

Knitting: a strenuous sport at times

Not this weekend but NEXT weekend I am attending a baby shower for THREE of Greg's cousins who are expecting. THREE! Yikes... let's just say it is full on baby knitting time!!!! Luckily Norah took a really long nap this afternoon and that combined with time in the evenings I whipped these out this week:


Baby legwarmers and a hat, my own design. 2x2 ribbing and then 2 rows of each color. Quick and hopefully cute! The hat came out a tad bigger than I planned, so I will call it a 6 month sized set.

Now... what's next!!!!

Twister

Sometimes, when I have to rip out some rows, I take my project completely off the needles, rip it out, and then carefully put all the stitches back on the needles.

Am I the only one who ALWAYS puts the stitches back on twisted???? It doesn't seem to matter how careful I think I am, because when I go to knit the stitches they are ALWAYS TWISTED. Sheesh!!! :-)

Recoup

After a rough week or so of knitting progress (See: ripping out EVERYTHING), I decided to take "time off" of my projects to knit something silly. Looking around, I noticed the antique doll cradle that my great-great grandfather made by hand for my great grandmother. It has been passed down through my mom to my daughter to play with. How cool is that? Also, why did I never get to play with it as a kid? MOM??? Ha! Well earlier today when I put Norah's cabbage patch doll in there, the doll's head went THUNK against the wood. I thought, "this thing needs a mattress!"... And so, I knit one:


I held some worsted white acrylic yarn I had lying around, held double on US10 needles. Knit for 5.5 inches, did a purl round, knit another 5.5 inches, and sewed up all sides. I was going to put some fiberfill inside, but that made it too pillowly. After sewing it up I realized it was a bit too small to fit in the space... so instead of screaming and throwing it across the room I did an applied i-cord. WHEW :)


Also, a week or two ago I whipped up this tiny little bib for Norah's dollies:


It's based on this garter stitch bib pattern (Rav link), but I just made it much smaller :) I think I CO 20sts, and cast off 10 for the strap part. Quick and fun. Norah tries to rip it off if I put it on her doll... oh well!


Sometimes the silly little projects are the best.

Ugh...

Just finished a project, but I pulled my floats too tight and it won't fit an adult.

FAIL.

Should I just quit knitting???? Good lord!

Finished photo

I realized I haven't gotten a nice "finished" photo of the green newborn sweater!


I really love it. I need to mail it off to its recipient!

In other news, that pretty teal yarn that I ripped out? Well let's just say I ripped it out, AGAIN. I finished the yoke of this sweater dress and it was huge, like 2T or so! Oopsies. Poor Norah, I am going to knit you a sweater for this winter if it kills me! :-)

Done but not done

Well that newborn sweater flew off the needles! I've even washed/blocked it twice, because the first time I didn't use wool wash and the yarn had a bit of a smell to it. The second time I used some lavender SOAK that I got from Cynthia. :-)


I still need to add the buttons, which is why this isn't "DONE" done.... and the reason that hasn't happened is because they sell buttons in packs of 5 (which I had one), and this sweater needs 7! Sheesh! I hope I can get to the store this weekend for some button shopping!

In other news, remember the cabled baby sweater I had started a couple weeks before Norah was born? (crazy me) Well I finally decided it wasn't worth the yarn to finish it (considering it would be too small for Norah) and also I just wasn't "feeling it" anymore. Soooo rip rip rip, and a soak:


And now I've cast on for a big girl sweater/dress for my big girl!

Pattern: Little sister's dress (rav link)

I'm knitting the 12 month size but using slightly larger yarn/needles... so we will see how this turns out!

Don't you love....

...baby knitting??? There was a wave of people having babies last year. I enjoyed knitting lots of little tiny things, especially for my OWN wee one! Luckily the wave seems to keep on going, because we recently found out some friends of ours are expecting their first little one next year. Even though they JUST told us, I couldn't help but cast something on.....


Pattern: Puerperium Cardigan (rav link)

I am already casting off the body! I love how quick newborn knits are! Plus this yarn is gorgeous. I think Jessica sent it to me for a gift (if my brain serves me correctly). Thanks Jess!

Basic toddler hat

A reader asked the particulars on the boys hats I finished the other day, so I thought I'd write down what I did. I'm sure there are a million patterns like this out there (it's pretty basic) but I know sometimes it's nice not to have to sort through them all!

(This pattern is the property of Lauren Estes and may not be reproduced except for personal use. Please do not otherwise print or distribute this pattern without Lauren Estes’ express written permission. Thanks!)

Yarn: Lion brand Wool Ease, or other worsted weight yarn (Patons would be fabulous). Can use one color or as many as you'd like!
Needles: US7 dpns or a long circular needle for magic loop.
Sizing: 12 months to 2 years, depending on head size. This fits my 11 month old surprisingly well, but her head is in the 98% range!

Pattern:

CO 64 sts.
If using dpns, divide evenly on needles. I used the magic loop technique on a long circular.

Join to begin working in the round and begin K2, P2 ribbing until piece measures one inch.
Switch to stockinette (knit every stitch). Here you can stripe your hat as you wish, using as many colors as you want. For my hats, I knit the following pattern using 2 colors:

Knit three rows with the main color - "MC" (the color you used for the ribbing)
Knit one row in a second color - "SC"
Knit one row MC
Knit 5 rows SC
Knit one row MC
Knit 1 row SC
Switch back to main color and knit every round until piece measures 6 inches from cast on edge.

Decreases:
*K2tog, K6* repeat till end of round.
K all stitches.
*K2tog, K5* repeat till end of round.
*K2tog, K4* repeat till end of round.
*K2tog, K3* repeat till end of round.
*K2tog, K2* repeat till end of round.
*K2tog, K1* repeat till end of round.
*K2tog* repeat till end of round.

Cut yarn and pull the tail tightly through the remaining stitches. Weave in all ends and block if desired.

What?!?

UMMM Did I totally forget to blog about my completed "Hey Teach" sweater?!? I was just going back through my posts and I believe I did!!! WHOOPS.

Soooo let's backtrack to the end of April when I finished it.... got all the pieces blocked and sewed it up.


And voila!


I think it turned out very well and I like my buttons that I found. Only problem is I should have knitted one size larger (it was gifted to my mom for her bday in June), but I chose my size based on the fact that I had limited yarn - I was trying to use up the excess yarn from my FLS. Oops. Mom said that she would try and block it out since it was "close". I think it looks cute with only the top 2 buttons done up anyway! Oh well, live and learn... don't try and stretch your leftover yarn to make a too small sweater!!!

Boy Hats!

After a week away from home (with almost NO knitting) I finally finished 2 simple hats to give to my cookie-baking friend:


I hope they fit her cute little guys... I made them the same size because I think I remember her posting that her younger son had a Norah-sized head. ;-) Now to get these mailed!

Preemie hats

One of my good friends just started a new job working in the NICU at one of our local hospitals. She knew I was a knitter, and I jumped on the chance and asked if they needed any knitted preemie hats/etc. She said YES and that the hats they did have were a bit "ugly" looking. I think I knew what she meant (pastel red heart yarn, anyone?) and immediately set out to whip up some cute more modern hats. Of course I asked my designated knitter Cynthia to join, and she even got one of HER friends to knit up some as well!!! I just delivered the first batch of about 8 hats (i think) to my nurse friend!!!! Of course I forgot to get pics. Jeez.

I am still making more though, so here are a few of my "round 2" batch of hats!

Attack of the flowers

Finished the commissioned hat by adding another flower!


And I finished some slippers for my MIL.... by adding a flower! lol

Almost done!

I have the pink hat done and a grey flower sewn on!


Last thing I need to do is make and add a smaller pink flower inside the grey one!

Swatchin'

I was asked by a college friend of mine if I could knit her a hat for her almost one-year-old niece! So far I've knit a couple swatches to help us decide on the style and colors. Here is what we decided on:


It's just a simple ribbed brim hat but with a 4x4 cable thrown in for interest! To top it off we are going to add a flower. Most likely this grey one I knit up:


Still thinking about a smaller pink flower in the middle or maybe a button? I will keep you posted on how it turns out!

Pear, done

Finished :) It's huge, but pretty!

Now... to work on some other things!

Pear

I'm whipping out a "Per Orla" dishcloth as a wedding gift for a friend... we are going to the ceremony on Sunday so I have a few days left, but I'm almost done! As with the original ballband dishcloth, this is HUGE. I'm thinking I will call it a trivet... or maybe a wall hanging. :-)

Lull

Sorry for the lack of exciting knitting content, but lately I've been in a bit of a knitting lull! I'm not sure if it is from the new lovely weather that makes me want to go outside, or from the extremely cute and ever-growing baby that I care for. :-) She isn't mobile yet, but I'm guessing in the next month or so I will be in trouble!!!

I have done some minor home decorating. I put some fabric in embroidery hoops (How easy is that? I never knew!). Some for our master bedroom, some for a hallway...



I have cast on and knitted the sole for a pair of slippers for my MIL! No rush on those as she won't need them till it's cold out again :) I'm doing the Mary Jane slippers that I had made a couple years ago for my mom.

One of my friends is having a wedding-ish party this weekend, and I'm just thinking about whipping something up for that... so we will see???

Dear knitting motivation, COME BACK!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

R.I.P....

No this is not a blog post about Bin Laden...

I have to say goodbye to my slippers that I just finished! It is time to RIP because after I washed them, they became wayyyy too big for womens feet! OOPS! My bad for using different weight yarn and needles.

OH well, I will rip and reknit and report back. I think i will try US5 needles and only make the foot 5 inches long. Stay tuned!