Mia's Mittens

These were a quick and easy knits.  I used the basic mitten pattern from Ann Budd's wonderful book, A Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns.  I added an i-cord to prevent the mittens from getting separated.  This was a great way to use up some of my cascade 220, and they should be warm this winter as they are 100% wool.  The best part is that she is actually willing to wear them!

A First Hat for Winter

It's finally finished!  This hat has been a labor of love, and a long process as I did everything from dyeing the yarn myself.  It is all worth it as she now has a very warm hat that she will actually wear.  It is also a bit big, so hopefully it will last for at least one more winter season.  Now we will be able to build snowmen outside when the winter comes!

Fast Favorite Vest

Amazingly enough, I was able to finish this for my hubby's birthday.  This is the "fast favorite vest," from Men in Knits.  This was a fast and easy knit, and I found the pattern to be well written and straight forward.  I used Wool of the Andes in Chocolate by Knit Picks.  The yarn is very soft, and also very warm, so hopefully it will help to keep Mike warm during the winter months.

Amelia's Yoked Sweater

I finally finished Amelia's sweater last night.  I've had a few setbacks with this one, but more from my own carelessness than any true failings of the pattern.  This is the seamless yoked sweater from Ann Budd's, The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns.  On my first go at the sleeves, I did them one at a time on double points and was very dissatisfied to find ladders up and and the length of the arms.  So, I ripped them out and decided to do them simultaneously using the magic loop.  I was pleased that this seemed to solve the ladder issue.

If I could start over, I would also not bind off under the arms for the sleeves, but would have put those stitches on a holder so I could have grafted them in.  It would have made for a much more invisible and less bulky seam.  

Lastly, I finished the neck as per the pattern directions, only to find that the opening was too small for Amelia's head.  I'm not sure how this happened since I got gauge the whole way through.  I threaded some waste yarn at the top of the yoke, and cut off the ill-fitting neck and knit it again, decreasing only about half of the recommended stitches.  Success!  I am very pleased with the colors, and I think this will make a wonderfully warm and cozy sweater this winter when it gets chilly.  I'm thinking of those days when it hits 30 below with the wind chill!

Fall Harvest

Penelope's hat is ready, just waiting for Penelope!  I think the most clever aspect of the construction of this hat is the way the stem is knit up out of the remaining live hat stitches.  So much easier than sewing on the stem.  This was a very quick and fun knit.  Can't wait to make more little hats from the book, Itty Bitty Hats.

2 Hour Hat

This is the best birthday pattern ever.  Two hours from start to finish and I have a beautiful birthday gift to pass on to my brother-in-law.  I wish I could take credit for crafting this pattern, but it was kindly posted by Sabrina Thompson on her blog, My Knitting Basket.  You can find the specific pattern here.  Thanks for sharing Sabrina.

Finished Oberstdorf

I finally finished this hat for my brother's birthday. The original pattern calls for tassels, but I can't imagine my very masculine brother wearing anything so juvenile. In fact, I am sure he would recoil in horror from a tasseled hat. This was a Dale of Norway pattern, but I substituted the yarn for Elann Highland Sport. I was very curious how this would come out, and I must say I am very pleased with the results. I would probably feel comfortable substituting this in a sweater now as well. Who knows, someday I might actually make the matching sweater as this was a beautiful pattern.

Penelope's Butterfly

Penelope's sweater is finished!  I'm very pleased with how this turned out.  I took my time with the seaming, and I think it paid off.  I added a few personal touches this time.  I took the fair isle border from, "A Shetland Pattern Book," and the frilly border from, "Knitting on the Edge," by Nicky Epstein.  I also love the buttons.  I was able to find them at my LYS.  I can't wait to try this on my new little one!

A Finished Sweater

I finally finished Lolly's sweater, which she has been patiently waiting for.  I am very pleased with the finished results, and hope she will be as well.  I will say, this is going to be very warm to wear this winter.  I was sweating at times when I was knitting in August having this on my lap.  Susan Adkins, the owner of Susan's Yarn Garden and the pattern designer, has outdone herself with this pattern.  This was a super fun knit!

At Least I Learned Something (Sigh)

So, I had such hopes for my first seamless sweater. I dutifully followed all the instructions in "The Sweater Workshop," fully expecting that what would be the result would be the most beautiful baby sweater ever. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens in knitting, it was not to be.

I didn't take the time to consider the difference in proportions between a sweet little infant head and its adult counterpart. By the time I did realize that this might cause some problems, I was already deep into the raglan shaping. In frustration, I just decreased rapidly to leave enough stitches for the crew neck and get rid of the sleeve stitches. The finished results are not perfectly pleasing, unless Penelope will be playing football shortly after emerging from the womb. Despite these manipulations, I am seriously worried that the neck opening is too small. I haven't yet made up my mind what I'm going to do about it. I might take the time to try and rescue this sweater, or then again, I might just chalk it up to experience and move on.

Disappointment aside, I was very impressed by this book, and I am not in any way blaming Jacqueline Fee for my ineptitude. I am still planning on trying this method again, but I will be sure to take into account any special considerations for the intended recipient in the future.

At least someone appreciated this sweater! My toddler immediately snatched the sweater and yelled "mine!" when I tried to take it away. She loves putting it on her baby doll. I find this ironic as I have always thought the knitting of clothes for dolls to be somewhat silly. Funny how knitting humbles you isn't it?

Butterfly Madness and Dyeing Fun

I feel as though I have accomplished a lot in the last week. Another birthday gift is finished, and I'm very pleased with the results. It is the Butterfly Hat designed by Sofiya Cremin. I found the pattern on Ravelry, where one can find many wonderful things related to knitting, but you can also find the pattern here. I used Patons Soy Wool Stripes in Natural Navy. I love this colorway, and I hope that my sister-in-law does too.

I have also wanted to try my hand at dyeing for a while. I am making Amelia a little five colored hat from the Sandnes Luer Tema 01 Barn/Voksne Booklet. This has the cutest hats ever in it! Here is a picture of the pattern I chose.


I decided to use Knitpicks DK Swish Superwash in Bare and dye my own colors using the Jacquard Acid Dyes. I had a lot of fun turning this:

into this!

I think I am going to switch the blue and yellow colors on the hat, just because I happen to like blue better than yellow. Hopefully it will still be cute. My next project goals are to hurry up and finish Penelope's sweater and her Pumpkin Hat, both of which should be fast.

The Faux is Finished

Is there anything nicer than a finished project that resembles the picture that inspired you in the first place?

Here is a shot of the original mitts from Dakota Dreams. For the pattern, click here. The purple fingers are actually a pair of regular gloves. Honestly, I can't imagine wearing these over other gloves because they are very warm because of the stranding!

I am very pleased with how these have turned out, and I can only hope that the recipient feels the same way. If I could knit these again, I would have gone up one needle size and been more diligent in working to keep my strands loose. However, since this was my first stranded project I am giving myself a break. This project has taught me that Elizabeth Zimmerman was right when she taught that looser really is better. Once again, I can only be in awe of the knitting intellect of Zimmerman. Was there anything that woman didn't know about knitting?

Lighten Up

For once, I averted a knitting disaster by being honest with myself. As I was looking at the start of my Faux Fair Isle Mitts, I had to admit that perhaps the chocolate Cascade 220 was not the right yarn to highlight the stitch detail of this project. So, I switched to a cream and already think it is an improvement. I will, of course, have to find another project for the chocolate yarn, but I am already planning a sweater for Penelope that should make great use of it!

What's on the needles?

This is my new knitting diary. It is supposed to be a place for me to celebrate my successes, but also learn from my failures. Hopefully it will also encourage me to actually finish more of the projects I start!

Currently, I am working on several projects which I need to get wrapped up in the near future.

This is the start of the Companion Mitts designed by Kathleen Taylor of Dakota Dreams . I am making these for my sister-in-law for her birthday, so I've got to get them finished before October.

This is a version of the Basic sweater from Jacqueline Fee's book, the Sweater Workshop for Amelia. I need to get this done before it gets cold.

Here is another Basic sweater for Penelope, our expected baby. I'd like her to be able to wear it home from the hospital in November after she arrives.

This is a sweater for my Mother-in-Law. It is a design by Susan Adkins, the owner of Susan's Yarn Garden. The design is called Grandma Jones Lacey Top-Down Sweater. This has been a blast to knit so far. I've just got to get the miles of stockinette done and the sleeves before it gets chilly.

Last but not least, this is the first of a pair of Girlfriend's Best Anklets, by KnitPicks. These are for my Stepmother, just because! Hopefully someday I'll get all of this stuff actually finished.