Little one (part two)

I spend a lot of time waiting for my kids. The pickup loop at school, martial arts class, baseball, basketball, practice, games. Waiting for my kids seems to be where I get a LOT of my knitting time in. My son just completed his fall baseball season. I had been mostly knitting my Creature Comforts cardi, and the garter stitch kimono. A friend of mine has a 7 month old beautiful baby girl. Her husband is from Scotland, and about 8 years ago, on a trip there, she bought yarn and a pattern for a sweet little sweater for her babies (present and future). But then she never found the time to re-learn how to knit, and the yarn has just been waiting to become a sweater. She gave the pattern and yarn to me, and I am really enjoying knitting them up. 

Its a cute little "Irish" looking cabled sweater with a moss stitch motif on the body, arms and hood. I thought the moss stitch was going to be the end of me, but after a couple of tries I managed to establish it well enough to make it work. Its a quick little knit, I've  been at it about 8 days and hope to finish this week. I have made a few mistakes though! I was trying to modify it to knit in the round, thinking it would make my life easier, and mean fewer seams to bother the baby. I got to almost the 11 3/4 inch mark, where I was going to need to split the neck, and realized I'd forgotten something essential. Armholes!  Rather than rip it back, I'm just adding some length to the sweater, and I think its going to be fine.

The yarn is just a simple acrylic, but it should wear well for a baby, and its soft as can be. I am knitting it in a 1-2 year size in the hopes it will get her through winter, spring, and maybe next fall. I'm hoping to get a picture of the baby in it when its all finished!

Little one (part one)

Someone I love is expecting a baby! Its a secret, but I'm honestly not sure anyone reads this, so I figure the news is safe here. They don't know yet if this new addition is a boy or girl. I decided to knit up a sweater for Christmas. I wanted the colors to be neutral, but fun, and I found this yarn


It's Claudia Hand painted fingering in the colorway Purple Earth. I love it!

I'm knitting up Joji Locatelli's Garter stictch baby kimono. 

I love the simplicity of the pattern, even if it did come back to bite me. Somehow I got it into my head that I was supposed to knit 20 cm of garter stitch. I got to 20cm, pleased as can be, and realized that I was actually only supposed to knit 12 cm. SIGH. Good thing I love to knit ha ha haha. I've started the front decreases and should be done any time now, and this can go into my growing pile of hand made gifts.

Success

One of my goals when I started blogging this year was to eventually work up the nerve to try designing a pattern. I have a picture in my head of a gorgeous sweater that will entail charts, and grading, and lots of math, and scares me a little every time I start to think about it. But back in July, a dear friend of mine got some truly terrible news about her health. She was understandably anxious at the prospect of losing her hair, and I decided to knit her a hat. I wanted it to be unique, and decided it was the perfect thing to try my hand at designing. I used Knit Picks Organic cotton, which I thought would be the perfect, soft yarn to use.

I knit it up in a day, and then set about writing up the pattern. I tried to think of all the things that are important to me in a pattern, and the exercise of sitting down and putting it all on paper was very fun. It reminded me a little of a writing exercise we did in the fourth grade, where we had to write the instructions, step  by step, to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If we skipped a step (say, pick up the jar of peanut butter, or take off the lid), Mr. Muffs, my fourth grade teacher would try in vain to make a sandwich using our less than complete directions, hilarity would ensue.

I spent quite a bit of time trying to make sure the pattern was "perfect" and then one day I decided to get up the nerve, and publish it on Ravelry and Craftsy

I have to say that my my estimation, the whole thing was a SMASHING success.

#1 -- I started with yarn, and ended up with a hat, that looked pretty much exactly like the picture in my head

#2 -- Its as soft as I thought it would be

#3 -- My friend loves it. She wears it all the time, and I know it gives her comfort on a lot of levels

#4 -- I feel like I have crossed something off my knitting bucket list, and I'm proud of the result.

#5 -- I liked it enough I do think I'll do it again (and the scary sweater seems less so )

#6 --The bonus. 78 people have downloaded the pattern from Craftsy, and 131 have downloaded it from Ravelry! I couldn't be more tickled about that. Every time I get a note from Craftsy that someone else downloaded it, I smile from ear to ear.

Jenica

The bright side of not blogging for a long time is that I have plenty of progress and finished projects to share. Among my favorites is my Jenica hoodie. 

I finished it right after Labor Day weekend. I took Labor Day to rest and unwind. I did a juice cleanse, and I spent a lot of time knitting and doing other quiet, crafty things (AND I wrote out my Christmas cards! Take THAT holiday stress!)

 

I really love this sweater. Honestly, I love everything about it. The yarn is Madelinetosh Chunky, in the Weathervane colorway, and I adore it. I have the same color in my stash in a Tosh Mo Light that is destined to become an Austin hoodie. I love the fit of this sweater. It hangs nice and long like a coat, and its WARM. Like, wore it in 40 degree temps at my son's baseball game yesterday warm.

I really love the way the pockets were constructed on this sweater, with the cable detail

This yarn was one of my first forays into luxury yarn, and it was worth. every. penny.

Catching up

I've been upset with myself for not blogging in weeks and weeks, but there have been good reasons, too many, and too personal to number. So instead I'm going to focus on the good news. I've been doing LOTS of knitting. I have also been doing a lot of thinking about my reasons for deciding to blog at all. My goal was really to focus on my knitting, and improve my skills by trying new yarns, and new techniques, and to do my best to really do things right, by swatching, and blocking, and not powering on even when I know a mistake is going to drive me crazy. And so far, I think it's working! With each finished project I feel like my skills as a knitter are growing. My repertoire of techniques that no longer intimidate me is growing!

My most recently acquired skill is that I am now, officially, a continental knitter! I have tried, in vain, for several years to master this, and have never had any luck. One night, I sat down with my Boxy, determined to try again

I thought surely all that stockinette would work in my favor, and it did! Purling took some patience, but I finally got the hang of that too! I have to say, I really do think its making a huge difference in my speed. I thought it might also make a difference in my gauge, because I tend to be a pretty loose knitter, and typically don't even swatch with anything bigger that two needles sizes under what a pattern calls for. I'm hoping that practice will help with that as well.

Quiet

We've had family visiting for weeks now. Not all have been staying with us, but since the 4th of July we've had one reason or another to visit my parents in Estes Park every single weekend. There are much worse problems to have!

We're headed up there again tomorrow, but today, I'm relishing some much needed quiet. No baseball, no family commitments. Just me and the cats for another few hours. I was planning to spend the whole day at home, but last night I saw a tweet from Fancy Tiger Crafts that all their madelinetosh yarns were 15% off, and into the car I went! I feel like I showed tremendous restraint, and only came home with this

(Tosh Merino Light in Torchere)

and this

(Tosh Merino Light in Maple Leaf)

Both are destined to become socks from Knit Sock Love, once Clandestine and Wedge are finished.

I also got the buttons for my Jenica, which is coming along great now that its my main project once again. I completed the body and started a sleeve last night. I really love it! The pockets were a lot of fun, although I have to admit not trusting the instructions the first time through, and having to re-knit the row where they attach to the sweater.. but alls well that ends well

I should have a fair amount of knitting time this week, as we're in an almost normal routine, so I'm hoping to finish this beauty soon.

I also ordered a skein of Spud and Chloe Sweater in the Lake colorway. My husband and I are celebrating our 2nd anniversary this month, and the traditional gift is cotton. The yarn is a blend, but I think it will be a great hat, so that is what he is getting. I hope it will arrive by next weekend so I can knit it up. I think the pattern I am going to use is the "Hat Fit for a Boyfriend"

Color Devotion

I have a little writing desk that sits next to my bed. Usually, that is where any work in progress knitting that isn't in my purse sits. Today, I noticed something. Sitting on that desk are my Jenica
which is Madelinetosh Chunky in Windowpane

A  cabled cowl I've been playing around with in Knit Picks Biggo in Calypso Heather
(Picture courtesy of Knit Picks)

and the yarn I picked out for my Pointelle socks, which  is Knit Picks Stroll Sock in  Blue Topaz
(Picture courtesy of Knit Picks)

Add to that the blue that is one of the main colors in my Clandestine Socks, and there is definitely a pattern forming!

In fact, even the next color in the gradient of my Chroma on the Wedge socks is a lovely teal. Time to spend some time with my Boxy, and get away from all this BLUE!

Sock Progress

I've been knitting away at my Clandestine Socks. I just started the foot, and I'm really enjoying the pattern, but it requires a level of focus I can't always devote these days.

So I went stash diving, and also looking for a simpler sock pattern, and I cast on Wedge which is also from Knit. Sock. Love.

The yarn is Knit Picks chroma fingering that I got on super sale at Christmas time. It's a little fuzzy, but I like the feel of it, and they will match my February Lady, when that pattern every makes its way back to the top of my list. I've done 3 of 4 repeats for the leg, and looking forward to seeing how the short row heel comes together.

Socks

I find myself wanting to knit lots of socks lately. I am making great progress on the Clandestine I started last week, but it really really requires me to focus, and focused knitting time can be hard to come by. I've been fighting the urge to order some luxury sock yarn, but my resolve is waning! My oldest wants a pair of bright green socks, and I have a $5 credit at Eat.Sleep.Knit but I am determined to use some stash first. Yesterday it was BLAZING hot here, and  I had to have my son to baseball an hour and a half before his game started. I retreated to the car to listen to the Knitmore Girls from the comfort of my air conditioned car, and I cast on a Wedge sock from Knit. Sock. Love. I think its a great pattern, and its one of the reasons I bought the ebook, so I was exctied to get started. Plus, its simple enough (no charts) to work on without having to devote a ton of focus to it. I had some Knit Picks Chroma Fingering that I bought on clearance around Christmas time. It matches the yarn I am using for my (currently hibernating) February Lady .

So far I have worked the cuff plus one full repeat of the pattern, plus the increase round again. Its quick knitting, and I like the short row shaping a lot, reminds me of how much fun I had with my Opposite Pole.

The next thing I'm going to cast on is Pointelle. I've got some great bright teal yarn that I think will be perfect, although that will be another one that really requires focus and chart reading, so I'm on the lookout for another "easy" sock, maybe Monkey.

Contrast

I finished my mom's Lemongrass this weekend. It's blocked, the lovely buttons are in place, and I got some great pictures

I'm beyond excited to give it to her... and I only have to wait until next Saturday to do it! The yarn was a dream to work with, and its going to be hard to give it away! I think I'll have to find a project for myself that uses Twist, especially now that I know my LYS carries it!

I'm still working away at my Boxy, although I don't have much new to show in terms of pictures. It's really great mindless knitting, and I do feel like I'm making progress on the miles of stockinette.

I'm planning to pull out my Jenica this week as well. It's been hibernating in favor of the other two sweaters, but I have it sitting next to my bed and the color is just calling to me, every single day.

The other thing I've been dying to do is get back to some sock knitting. I bought Knit.Sock.Love a while back, and cast on two socks, but then set them aside. I pulled out Clandestine the other day, couldn't figure out where I had left off, so I frogged it and started anew. I really like it. The pattern is a nice challenge, but very fun, and I'm sure these will be a go to pair of socks.

I do think they would have been better in a  solid color, as I think I lose some of the pattern with the color changes. The next two socks I have lined up will both be solids. I also have to say, after knitting with madelinetosh and malabrigo on my more recent projects, the KnitPicks yarn is a big change. Frankly, I'm all for affordable knitting, and I have other socks in this yarn that I wear constantly, so I know I will love these... but the contrast in terms of how it feels in my hands is pretty dramatic. Might be time for a luxury sock yarn purchase in my future! First I have to map out all the yarn in my stash to more patterns in the book!

Hope

A dear friend got bad news about her health recently. It came from the clear blue sky, and it is scary and serious. I've been trying to help in any way I can, but since I can't actually cure her disease, I'm left feeling at a real loss to contribute much more than friendship, companionship and conversation. She starts treatments next week, and has been told she will lose her hair, so on Wednesday, I sat down in the morning and knit her a hat, start to finish. Its a design of my own creation, which makes me exceedingly proud.

It starts with a cabled band

Then stitches are picked up along the top edge to make the crown, and the bottom edge for a ribbed band. Its cozy, and it's soft. I knit it from Knit Picks Organic Cotton, since it will be directly in contact with her skin. I do think it would be great in wool, just not for this recipient.

Wednesday I had some much needed time to myself, as my boys were busy with Grandma for most of the day, and I really enjoyed the process, start to finish, of designing and knitting this for my friend. I also worked on documenting the pattern, and was really happy with the result. I am still fiddling with it a bit, but my goal is to publish the pattern, which has been a goal of mine for a long time.

My hope, more than anything, is that the love comes through in the knitting, and gives my friend some comfort in the difficult days to come.

Magnolia Society

THIS just arrived in the mail (80/10/10 MCN Worsted, colorway WinterWheat) ..

Knitting in public!

Between raising two boys by myself and a demanding job, I have to take my knitting where I can get it, so it's always knit in public week for me! But this week it's official. I've made some pretty good progress on the lemongrass for my mom. The malabrigo twist is delicious and I was stalking some for myself today. This sweater is going to be painful to give away!

This week I managed to knit at martial arts class

At baseball (no pictures but I knit my Boxy because my parents came to watch the game)

At the dealership while waiting for my oil change

And now my lemongrass and I are sitting by the pool while my youngest takes an after camp swim and my oldest is at baseball practice. 

 Later there should be some good old fashioned knitting at home with a nice big glass of wine. 

Summer

The kids have  been on summer break for a week now. Last week I took the week off from work to settle them into their new routine of camps and swimming and the sitter. It's always wonderful to have that time to focus on nothing but them, and we had a ton of fun. Lots of swimming, trips to two museums, but also, plenty of down time to just hang out and enjoy each other.

That has meant not a ton of knitting, but for all the best reasons. I'm still working on my Boxy, didn't finish it for Mad May, but it makes great baseball game knitting, assuming its not raining, or sweltering hot ... I've got a little more than 8 inches done, and I absolutely adore the yarn and the way that the color looks. This is DEFINITELY going to be a go to sweater this fall / winter

The other thing I'm focused on is the Lemongrass I'm knitting for my mom's birthday. I knit myself a Lemongrass in January, and I love the pattern. Its also a very quick knit. My mom's 60th is at the end of July, so I should have plenty of time. I'm knitting it out of Malabrigo Twist. This is my first time knitting with this yarn and I adore it. It's so soft, it's going to be the coziest sweater in the world

Unwind

Its been a rough month or so. Lots of drama at work (finally resolved this week) has had me anxious to the point of ill, and now I feel like I just need to catch back up on my life. I've started by trying to get a lot of sleep this week, and that seems to be helping. I've got the next week off to get the boys settled into their summer break routine, and I hope to do a lot of knitting, and reading, and thinking. I always have big goals like that when we get a break, but I know that there will also be a lot of running around with them, and swimming, and playing and those will rejuvenate me too.

I'm casting on my second Lemongrass today, in Malabrigo Twist in Damask.

Its so soft and springy and I think its going to be a joy to knit. I loved knitting the first one, and I'm excited to make this for my mom. I hope she loves it. She's turning 60, and not pleased about the birthday.

In the meantime, I'm researching yoga / meditation retreats and juice cleanses, in the hopes of getting my groove back. I feel like I need to just hit the reset button in a lot of areas, and  find a little peace.

Change

Work has been keeping me too busy to post, and at times, too busy to knit these past weeks. Now I'm hearing that major changes may be coming my way, and they may not be in my favor. So, I'm hoping to recommit to things that make me happy, and knitting is high on that list. I've been primarily focused on my "Mad May" project, which is a Boxy in Madelinetosh Feather in Coquette. I love the yarn so much, and I'm really excited about the sweater. Its a 390 stich cast on, which I managed to twist TWICE, but this third time seems to be the charm, and I've got about 4 inches completed. I'm not sure I'll finish it in May, but all the stockinette does make it great take along knitting, which is ideal since we're right in the middle of baseball season

Hibernating

8 years ago last month, my sweet niece Amelia was born. I knit a little sweater, I think planning for her first birthday. I finished the knitting and about half of the finishing. I can't for the life of me remember why I didn't finish the whole thing. And, I haven't had the right little girl to gift it to.. until now. My son's 4th grade teacher is expecting her first baby over the summer, and we threw her a surprise shower today. I pulled this out of storage, finished the seaming, added the ribbon, and voila! Hand knit baby gift (full disclosure, some of the seaming is done with a slightly different blue yarn but if you won't tell I won't either)

Break

Today marks the first full day of Spring Break around here. Yesterday my boys had a half day, and today the are home with me. I always feel like Spring Break comes at just the right moment. Just when school, and activities, and work all start to pile up and risk tipping over, we get a little time to pause and just enjoy each other. The last two years we have traveled over their break and this year I'm looking forward to a good old fashioned "staycation". Tonight I'm kicking things off with a girls night out at Whimsy with my mom, my sister in law and her mom. Art is good for the soul, and I'm sure it will be a great night!

I should have time to knit through the weekend, especially when the boys are at their dads (although some of that time will be spent figuring out where the heck I put the plastic eggs two easters ago... hmm)

We're heading to the mountains for a couple of days and if my husband is willing to do some of the driving, I should be able to get to some knitting in the car. Then, we're just home for a bunch of days in a row. I'm working two mornings, and taking the rest of the time off. My main focus this week is my Jenica. I've got most of the yoke done and its a really fun, really fast knit so far.

Proof

My attempts at getting pictures of myself in the Opposite Pole last night were pretty laughable... I got some great over the shoulder pictures of my bathroom door, but not much else. So, until my husband is home to man the camera, I'll have to make do with this one

I did manage to get a decent picture of the front of the Eadon that I cast on

And last but far from least is my Jenica. Here are some swatch pictures. I have been "petting" my swatch all day long today

I managed to finish the 7.5 inch section of the veritcal braid, plus 3 cable repeats of the Right Yoke. I love it, and its a very fun knit so far!

The bottom picture is much more true to the color, but I love how the top picture shows how much variation there is in this yarn.

Success!

The Opposite Pole is ready to be worn tomorrow, the front of the Eadon is ready for knitting at all the places I have to wait for the boys this week and the Jenica is started (and lovely!)

Progress

Today was the snow day that never quite materialized a couple of weeks ago. We really need the moisture and I really needed the restful day. Last night I finished and bound off the back of my Eadon and cast on the right side. I did one repeat of the cable pattern and since its so easy to memorize, it has re established itself as my purse knitting. I'm really pleased with how much I got done.
On my Opposite Pole, I finished one sleeve and cast on the other. I had finished the sleeve cap plus about 4 inches when I realized it was upside down. Bad idea to pick up stitches on a symmetrical piece after midnight!!
I frogged it and started over and have passed the point where I was so I'm feeling good about finishing it this weekend

I spent some time organizing my stash this morning and all that lovely yarn I've bought in the past month or two is calling to me!


The cat enabled at least an extra hour of knitting by setting up camp on my lap

Best Laid Plans

After a truly crazy week at work I have a little time to myself in the immediate future. Tonight I've got nothing but wine, yarn and the DVR on my agenda. Tomorrow, it looks like snow (please!) which means no 2 hour round trip to the first 4th grade baseball game of the season. So I'm hoping to accomplish alot!

First -- only one and a half sleeves to go on my Opposite Pole. I'm completely infatuated with it and cant' wait to wear it, so hopefully I'll finish tonight.

Second -- I'm rows away from the end of the back on my Eadon. I want to finish that piece and cast on one of the fronts so I can establish the cables, and it can go back to being my purse knitting. I was nearly caught without something to knit at book club the other night!

Third -- All that lovely madelinetosh yarn is calling to me. I think for now the winner is the chunky, which is destined to become a Jenica.

Wish me luck!

Then this happened

Love. Madelinetosh Feather in Coquette.

It's all I can do to keep myself from casting on right now. Showing great restraint because I really do want to finish Opposite Pole this week, and I'm finally working some shaping on the back of my Eadon. Look at this color though! Hard to resist...