Is this thing on?

I wasn't sure Blogger would even let me back in after my egregious blog absence. It seems my last post was almost 4 months ago (I'm sneaking in 2 days shy of 4 months...). In the meantime...

I finished my pink scarf:

I sewed an elephant for Baby J:

New hat for Baby B (you can see he loved it):

And nearing the finish line on a sweater for him too:

Sweater for new Baby K:

And coasters:

Phew.

The truth is, though, I've been working on something else really big... a person (Two Potato, as C calls him)! That's right, we're having a kid at the beginning of May. While I was spared morning sickness and crippling fatigue, the bean sapped me of all creative energy and it only returned a few weeks ago. Now I'm playing catch-up.

Have happy holidays everyone! Hopefully it won't be another 4 months until you hear from me again!

Sleeve #2 and Trim

Let me tell you how fun it was to cast on 332 stitches for that border strip and then pray I didn't jam anything up in the stitch pattern.

Now for assembly!

Sleeve one...

And sleeve two halfway done!
Operation Finish Baby Sweater Before Tangled Yoke Yarn Turns Up is a go.

Hopping to

With the new fall knitting magazines out I'm feeling the need to gitty up on my current knitting projects. I really don't like having that many WIPs going at once, so I'm trying to knock a few off the list so I can start new ones in good faith.

For the fall knitting, I've decided to start with Eunny's Tangled Yoke Cardigan from the Fall 2007 Interweave Knits (for non-ravelrers). I am sure I will be in good company in knitting this, considering it's been queued on Ravelry 460 times and counting. I decided against starting with the Placed Cable Aran, which I also adore, because I think I'll get more wear out of the cardigan; I have little opportunity to wear big heavy wool sweaters in my life, it seems. My yarn order is placed, but the Felted Tweed is backordered for 3 weeks! Bother.

However, this is an excellent opportunity to set a deadline for finishing some lingering knits. I would most like to knock off the Dolly baby sweater I've been laboring on since March. There is no reason a baby sweater should take 6 months! It took me 5 months to knit the two front pieces and one week to knit the back, so that's an improvement. I'm also blocking them as I go because they knit up to shriveled stockinette bits of nothing and that's no fun.

I started sleeve #1 today. This pattern has repeatedly bugged me - I'd rather they take the extra space to write out the reverse shaping than telling me to figure it out myself. It's not rocket science, but it's annoying. Also, for the scalloped edge on the sleeve (which is adorable), I'm instructed to lift 8 stitches over the first stitch on the left needle. I started doing a whole operation with my crochet hook before I realized slipping them over one at a time was just as good, and a thousand times easier. At the end of the scalloping I had 49 stitches and they tell me I'm meant to have 50. For the life of me I have no idea where the missing stitch went - the row is not that long and I can see everything I did, and all of my numbers line up. An error in the pattern? I'd like to think so, but there is no errata to be found for Jaeger patterns anywhere on the Internets. I mean, are they really that good at writing patterns? Suspicious. At any rate, I fudged and carried on. I know the infant will not care, and if the second sleeve winds up the same then I'll be vindicated. Isn't the scalloping cool? I love it.

A Variety of Obsessions

I have two new obsessions:
1. Ravelry.
2. Flickr.

Let's start with Ravelry. Obviously I'm not the first to cry its praises but I LOVE this thing. If you're not already signed up, go get yourself on the waitlist. I have now spent hours uploading all sorts of things, browsing around, admiring other people's stuff and having endless fun. If you're on there, go find me ("onepotato") and let's be friends.

The new obsession with Ravelry then required me to bite the bullet and get a for-real Flickr account. I have actually been resisting this for a long time. I don't love dealing with Flickr and kind of sigh every time I click on a picture and it launches me over there. However, since uploading a ton of photos and beginning to organize them (they are still a shambles, but I'm getting there), I'm becoming a fan. So come be my friend there too!

Right, now back to the crafty stuff. One of my projects is top secret and I will show it next week. I have also been slaving away on my Frost & Flowers shawl. I still love it but fear this project is e-n-d-l-e-s-s. I am not even done with the second ball and have an entire skein left to go. I will persevere. My goal is to be done by Stitches East this fall.





I've also been working on this sweet little baby sweater from the Jaeger JB29 baby book. The yarn is Jaeger matchmaker merino 4-ply. It's a little rough for baby knits, in my opinion, but I think a bath in Eucalan will sort it out. It's slow going as well, though - size 3 needles like the lace. I'm not loving the pattern writing either, so this little item takes a lot of focus, which I don't have when rolling home from work. I fear the recipient will be 3 before I finish - I'm making a 12-18mo but she already looks too big and she's only been around for a couple months!

Top Secret White Thing - Revealed

Welcome Baby J!

Besides work, one of the things that has kept me so busy for the past few months is this until-recently secret gift for my friend C's new bundle of joy. My mom and I embarked on our second tag team baby blanket effort with a mountain of Rowan Wool Cotton* and miles of stockinette ahead of us. This is the Lace-Edged Cuddle Blanket from my beloved Simple Knits for Cherished Babies.

Mom and I split the work, each knitting 8 ten-inch squares. Although I knew the assembly would be beastly, knitting the squares individually made for a very portable baby blanket project - each square was the perfect size for subway knitting and I could finish one in a week's commuting time.

Next came the steam-blocking and sewing together, which took the better part of a weekend. They are arranged in a checkerboard of knit and purl sides and the seams are top-stitched so the blanket is totally reversible.

The job was not done though - there were still close to 150 inches of lace edging to be knit and sewn to the assembled blanket! The lace knitting was quick work but the seaming was tedious. I used these handy seaming pins for the first time, which were very useful.

I just love the finished product. It is so soft and quite elegant, if I do say so myself. I hope it is well used by Baby J! Her mom has already told me she has visions of draping it over J's bed at college. For the meantime, though, I think they're focusing on 3 hours of consecutive sleep.

---
* You might notice the choice of color is in direct response to a certain other psychedelic-colored blanket Mom and I knit last year.

Hats in action

Baby B got his new hat today. As soon as his mom opened the door I knew it would be too big... and it is. I knit the ear flaps upwards of the brim so he could turn that up and get a little more wear out of it. I think he likes it.

And Mama V graciously donned the Fishtrap hat for a little photo shoot in the West Village. Now if only it would get cold enough so I could wear the hat.

In other news, I've been taking advantage of my days off to hit some of the new and not-so-new yarn stores around the City. Last night it was Knitty City on the Upper West Side. I had heard good things about this place and they were true! Cute store, nice sales people and a broad selection of stuff. I browsed for a good long time and no one bugged me. I just had to take this home - Colinette Jitterbug in Velvet Leaf. The picture does not communicate the depth of color, despite my and my camera's best efforts - the name is about right. It's like the richest pine tree you ever saw. A velvet pine tree. What I will do with it is unknown. As I've mentioned, I'm not the biggest sock fan. It will have to be something though...

I am also up for a little stash-busting this week. First on the list is this little beastie that I got from School Products at Stitches East this year:

Delicious udon-noodle-fat cashmere. It will be a hat. (Note: I have not worn one hat yet this season but will now have knit two.)

And this is one of the gems of the collection. Hand-dyed cashmere sock yarn from Loop in London. First off, this place is good fun - go if you have the chance. It's adorable and well-stocked. This yarn is by Hip Knits. Since I have no great love for socks I knew this was destined for something else. I've decided on the Lace Cowl from The Purl Bee. I think it will go smashing with my new cream hat repertoire. PS: The yardage on this is insane! 500 meters! Hurray!

Tomorrow: Hopefully a finished apron.

Hats off to me

Baby ear flap hat: Check!
Pattern: Loosely based on the beanie in Simple Knits for Cherished Babies.
Yarn: Karabella Aurora 8 from School Products.
Modifications: Cast on more stitches due to different gauge. Tubular cast-on for brim. Added ear flaps inspired by "Kim's Hats" in Last Minute Knitted Gifts, also with some modifications (I did four rows decreasing at either end and then did decreases at each end of each row which created the cupped look). I also stitched his initial on the back, so he's easily identifiable in a crowd.

Baby B is going to try it on tomorrow so let's hope it works!

Fishtrap aran hat: Check !!!
Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmerman's Fishtrap Aran Swatchcap from Knitter's Almanac.
Yarn: Brooks' Farm Four Play, purchased at Rhinebeck.
Modifications: That would suggest there was an actual pattern to follow...

Yes, that's right - I finished the twisted stitch beast. I sat down and knit furiously right through Pride and Prejudice and now it's all over but the blocking (which is in progress). As I've complained, this was not my favorite thing to knit. There were so many stitches to move on every cabling row (i.e., every other row) that it made my hands hurt. Plus, I'm a girl who likes order and instruction in her knitting. I did not particularly enjoy winging the crown shaping, although it came out nicely enough. In the end, I am pleased with the hat and it looks great on my head, if I do say so myself (modeling pictures tomorrow when it's dry). Added bonus: I have at least half the ball of yarn left. It will not become another Fishtrap hat, sorry folks.

Also blocking: The Boy's Bubble Scarf
Pattern: Bubble Scarf from Scarf Style
Yarn: Silky Tweed by Elsebeth Lavold
Modifications: None!

I finished this scarf over a year ago. The Boy wore it almost every day, and it was in desperate need of a bath and a block. So here are some shots of it reblocking. I loved working on this - great pattern, great yarn and great finished product.

Mason Dixon Mitered Square Blanket

My mom and I wanted to make a joint project for my friend's new baby boy. My mom taught me to knit, and I've known this friend since we were 12, so the project was particularly meaningful. The mitered blanket from Mason Dixon seemed like the perfect candidate since we could work independently and assemble the whole thing later. After knitting countless squares we were both ready to shoot ourselves. Then... the assembly. After Mom threw in the towel on mattress stitch, I took over and sewed the thing together.In the end I think it came out alright. The one major disappointment was the colors. This was my first foray into Knitpicks (it's Shine) and the colors were wildly different than they appeared on screen. The overall effect is kind of your-best-friend's-basement-circa-1982. As one friend commented, it's a good thing the kid does not have a seizure disorder (for this reason and others, of course) because this could send him over the edge. Also, it weighs quite a bit, so he'll have to stay on top until he's strong enough to get out from underneath. Fortunately, the recipient didn't seem to mind.

Here he is a few months later in another gift of mine, a Trellis sweater in Knitpicks Main Line and a hat and mits out of Blue Sky Alpacas Cotton.