A Return to Knitting

Hello again!  I know it's dusty and gathering cobwebs around here and no one has been posting, but I have... *gasp*... a little knitting to share.  Now that the baby has a pretty set bed time and it's a relatively early one, I sometimes get a little time to myself before I collapse into bed, too.  In the past few weeks I've even used a little of that time to pick up some knitting again.

Because my little niece was born when our little one was only a few months old I hadn't had the chance to knit for her yet, so I decided to make her a sweet little girly hat for a baptism gift.  I wasn't sure her parents would use it right away, but I thought I'd keep it white anyway.  And since I have a history of knitting things that weren't forgiving enough for larger baby heads, I decided to try to make it fit our little one's noggin so that Miss K could grow into it and maybe even use it through next winter.

It did end up a bit larger than I expected, but fits a little loosely on our little one already:

And although the pattern called for a rolled edge, I was going for something a little frillier, so I started with a picot edge instead.

The picot edge makes the bottom flip outward a bit, but I'm still happy with it.  It was a fun little project and it was really nice to be able to whip up a quick little handmade item for a gift again.

Pattern: Simple newborn hat with a touch of lace by Ginny Sheller
Yarn:  Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light - Winter White
Needles: US 4 - 3.5 mm
Completed: April 7, 2012
Mods: Cast on 99 stitches (for 2 more pattern repeats) to size up from newborn and worked a picot edge instead of letting the stockinette roll.

I'm still slowly whittling away at the Tin Man socks that got dropped at the beginning of the second sock, too, but this little hat was much cuter to share.  Now we'll see if I can keep up with a bit of knitting here and there enough to have something more to share before another 10 months pass me by!

Minor Knitting

I haven't been knitting much lately.   I just sort of lost the will.  I tried to make myself go back to a few lingering projects and finish them up, but it quickly became apparent that I just avoided knitting altogether in that case.  I've also knit a lot of adult socks, so I became a bit burned out on those, too.  But I obviously still had a lot of yarn waiting to be used.

So I was looking for a small, quick project to try to get some knitting going.  I picked up a One-Skein Wonders book (Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders: 101 Patterns That Go Way Beyond Socks!) for less than half price late last year, so I started there and ended up with these:

A cute little baby hat and matching socks.

Supposedly sized for a newborn, but they all seem quite stretchy such that they might fit a baby a bit larger, too.

Pattern: Shibui Baby hat and Socks by Helen Bingham
Yarn:  Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight - Bait-A
Needles: US 3 - 3.25 mm for the hat, US 1 - 2.25 mm for the socks
Completed: February 26, 2011
Mods: None intentional, although I think I added one extra row to the heel that certainly wasn't necessary.

Oddly enough, there's nothing about the knitting process that's really bothering me at the moment, I just have a hard time getting started and I don't pick it up as often.  That really hasn't happened to me much since I started knitting, so I'm not sure how long knitting malaise typically lasts.   Maybe there are other small, quick projects in my future.

Something to Give

I am a selfish knitter in that I still knit a lot of things for myself.  I know what I like, I can try things on as I go, and I know which mistakes will bother me and which aren't worth worrying about, which means it's usually pretty easy for me to knit for me.

I do really enjoy knitting for other people, too, but it's more of a gamble.  Other people won't always tell me if they don't really like something or if it doesn't quite fit and maybe don't understand that I'd rather try to fix it for them or replace it than see a hand knit item go unused.  Some people are more matchy or finicky dressers than I am, too.

So when Halos of Hope put out a request for hat donations for chemo patients in advance of Stitches Midwest 2010 on the Ravelry boards, it sounded like a great opportunity to knit something fun and bright that someone somewhere would like (and presumably choose for themselves from a stash of donated hats).

I decided to try out some cheerfully bright sock yarn that I bought at Stitches Midwest 2009.

The happiness of the Ixia colorway

What, this hat?

Cuteness!

Many thanks to her daddy for sending cute pictures of her modeling her new hat!

Short-lived Mystery Project

Last week I had a mystery project in progress, but since it only took a couple of nights of knitting to complete, it didn't really stay a mystery for long.

Pattern: Ruffled Baby Hat by Russell Lehrer
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Baby Bunny - Goldie with Redrail trim
Needles: US 7 - 4.5 mm, US 9 - 5.5 mm, US 10 - 6.0 mm
Completed: July 29, 2010

Sariebeth's husband mentioned that their little one needed a hat that was cooler for summer and knit of something other than wool.  I happened to have some appropriate yarn in my stash and a quick Ravelry search turned up the pattern, so I was off and knitting.  

This particular yarn is so amazingly soft that I didn’t bother trying to block it and I hoped it wouldn't make the hat too floppy to be useful.  I've had issues with guessing at baby head sizes in the past, so I was also hoping it would actually fit.  I'm told that it did fit her and that they thought it was adorable.  Yay!

Although I nicknamed it Sunshine Hat in Ravelry, it's rained every day since I gave it to them, so maybe it should be named Rain Dancer Hat instead!  (Our area really needed rain, though, so definitely no complaints from me.)

And now I'm back to trying to wrap up some larger projects.  Hopefully I'll have more to share about at least one of those soon, too.

Alaskan Cousteau

I already mentioned that I did very little knitting while on vacation, but I did start this hat while in our Seattle hotel and knit a row here and there while on the cruise itself.

Pattern: Jacques Cousteau Hat by Lalla Pohjanpalo
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted - Buscando Azul
Needles: US 6 - 4.0 mm KnitPicks Harmony Circular
Completed:  June 8, 2010

I figured there should be a hat to match His Christmas Scarf and with one skein left in the same color I had more than enough yarn.

It's a very simple pattern, but I like the way the decreases curve at the top.  In fact, it's one of the first patterns that I added to my favorites shortly after joining Ravelry.  The original pattern was longer and intended to fold up over the ears, but I gave my husband the choice and he thought he'd like to try one that just snugged over without folding, so I kept it shorter (and fortunately guessed well enough on the approximate height of the decrease section!).

I think this is also one of the projects that makes me realize I might be a little burned out on sock knitting.  I still have socks on the needles and I'm still working on keeping up with the incoming sock kits, but I've been drawn to scarves and sweaters and hats and other things lately.  I think the weather is mostly to blame -- it's officially sandal season and I hate wearing socks when it's this warm.  Maybe it's just not as compelling to knit socks that I don't even want to try on right now.

Ravelympics Finish

I did finish my second and final project for the Ravelympics and earned two more medals:

• Hat Halfpipe: All things hats and heads
• Nordic Colorwork Combined: Colorwork, intarsia, fair isle

Pattern: Beaumont Tam
Yarn: Classic Elite Yarns Fresco - Regatta and Oatmeal
Needles: US 4 / 3.5 mm and US 7 / 4.5 mm circular needles (32")
Completed:  February 26, 2010

Really not the best example of colorwork, but wearable enough for me.  I don't think my tension was horrible and my floats didn't seem too tight, but the looser stitches on such large needles did make every little variation stand out.

I blocked it over a plate as recommended, but it looks like I should let it relax a bit before I wear it - or make my peace with the mushroom head look!

Of course it's pretty rare that I wear hats anyway, but apparently it doesn't make the patterns any less appealing. I enjoyed the fair isle challenge and the practice that comes with knitting with different yarn in each hand.  But, now I'm ready to slow things down a bit.  There really is a different feel to knitting on a deadline and I'm looking forward to going back to the slow pace of switching projects occasionally to suit my mood and attention span of the moment.

Olympic Knitting - Tam

So this is my second Ravelympics project:

But this is a photo from several days ago, so I'm actually much further along now.  Last night I started the first of the decrease rounds, so I should be able to finish it in time for the closing ceremonies.

Despite going quickly enough, this project isn't without its challenges.  I haven't done a lot of colorwork yet and my previous successful project was with much heavier yarn that likely hid any tension problems better.  I don't think my tension is horribly off, but this is a strange hat that calls for colorwork with sport weight yarn on US size 7 needles - for yarn that normally recommends US size 5.  Since I'm a somewhat tight knitter I was hoping my gauge would be tighter, if anything, and in any case I don't have US 5 or 6 needle tips for my circulars (something that is in the process of being remedied with a KnitPicks order!). 

The stitches do look a bit loose, but after dragging my feet for a bit and trying to decide what to do I decided to follow the pattern and hope for the best.  Jared Flood is an accomplished designer and I'm going to trust that he had a plan.  Maybe between the yarn floats in the back and the halo the yarn develops this will work out.  It's good practice either way, but I do hope it works out to be wearable and not an embarrassing example of novice colorwork.  Perhaps a nice soak and some careful blocking will help pretty it up a bit, too.

Knit Gifts for Baby X

I've knit a lot of baby items for a certain special nephew, some of which kept me occupied in an attempt to finish them in time for Christmas.  Even though I got them done in time, I didn't quite think how close Christmas was to a baby shower for Sariebeth's baby.  The shower wasn't planned yet, but the due date wasn't too far off so I knew it was coming.  So, as soon as I wrapped up some other Christmas gifts I cast on for a sweater set for little Baby X.

Now Sariebeth and her husband agreed early on that they didn't want to find out the sex of the baby.  And although some of our friends have given them a hard time about it, I'm totally cool with it. (Having attended the shower I'm even more on board with the not finding out part - they got such adorable little baby clothes with happy yellow duckies and giraffes instead of a million shades of pink or blue!)

My only concern was whether the colors for my project would be gender-neutral enough.  I'm not very picky about that sort of thing, but some people certainly are.  When I asked my husband if he thought the picture of the pattern looked too boyish, he said he thought it was girly instead.  (So far, I think he thinks all knit items for babies are inherently girly!)  I figured the conflicting opinions were probably a sign that it was neutral enough.

So I dedicated almost every spare knitting moment to the little baby set and when the date for the baby shower was set I was already well through the sweater and confident I could finish the entire set on time.  Fortunately I wasn't procrastinating, because I still have a difficult time finding the right number of stitches to pick up for the button bands and seaming the little booties took many, many tries before I decided it was the best I could do, even if it wasn't very good.  Considering the set was made for a 6 - 12 month baby, I'm assuming the soles of the booties won't be taking a lot of abuse anyway.  And in the end the finished set had the adorable factor I was going for.

Pattern: Little Bubbles Baby Set
Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Sport
Needles: US 2 / 2.75 mm - 24" nickel circular
Completed: January 28, 2010

The gift was very well received and Sariebeth's husband mentioned that it looked store-bought - and that he meant that in a very positive way (which I would have assumed anyway).  And although I had a terrible time making things that my nephew can actually wear, I'm hopeful that this set is flexible enough to fit little Baby X at some point, whether it's in the 6-12 months range or not!  Maybe we can even get a picture or two for a blog update in the future.

 Why yes, those are wine bottles in the background behind the Mom-to-be.  What, doesn't everyone surround their pregnant friends with copious amounts of wine from time to time, especially for baby showers?

Socks and Hats and Things

Holiday craziness is coming and when I have long stretches away from work I also tend to spend much less time near a computer. So, before I get caught up in other things for a bit, here's a quick update on some recent knitting progress.

It was stupidly challenging for as simple as something like a hat is supposed to be, but fortunately I finished it with plenty of time to spare:Pattern: Ardelle hat
Yarn: Rowan Purelife British Sheep Breeds - BFL
Needles: US 9 / 5.5 mm bamboo
Completed: December 10, 2009

This hat is a Christmas gift, but even on the completely random chance that the family somehow stumbles onto this blog they won't know who it's for since we're doing a Secret Santa exchange. The Purelife yarn is really lovely to work with and thankfully handled all of the abuse of being knit, ripped out, and reknit remarkably well.


I also finished my Angee socks in plenty of time for the Cookie A Knit-Along, but I didn't get good pictures of them as a pair, so the best information about them is still in the previous post. I am wearing them today, though, so they're officially in the rotation!


And finally, I've started my latest socks from the Woolgirl Oz club, the Cowardly Lions:
The yarn is really soft and I love the color variations that are blending so nicely together and not pooling at all! It's been a long time since I've worked on a sock with so much stockinette and it feels so soft and squooshy that I'm loving it.


Of course I've been working on and finishing a few other gifts, but I'm keeping them secret for now just in case. It's only a few days until Christmas and I'd hate to risk ruining the surprise now.

And just in case I fall apart on posting and don't get back here until the new year, here's wishing everyone very Happy Holidays and a lot of fun, relaxing time with family and friends!

Knitting on Holiday Time

With extra time off around the Thanksgiving holiday and some serious laziness around the house, I wrapped up some knitting, including a complete project redo.

Once upon a time, in a place called Schaumburg, two of us visited a yarn gathering known as Stitches Midwest, but one little Sariebeth had to stay home. We missed her, though, so I endeavored to make her a pink cabled hat while we were away to give her when we returned. After all, Sariebeth loves all things pink! So I followed the hat pattern and even finished with some yarn to spare, but discovered that although it was marked as an adult pattern, it barely fit my head. It could be squashed on, but barely reached the top of my ears. I hoped that maybe I just had an unusually large head since I didn't have time to re-knit the hat before seeing Sariebeth. Unfortunately, my head wasn't so unusually large and the hat barely fit on her head either. So it became one of those gifts where "it's the thought that counts", but it bothered me that I made such a useless gift.

So, when the weather started to turn cold and I was still thinking about the sadly undersized hat, I asked Sariebeth's husband to bring me the hat so that I could fix it. He knew where to find it and returned it to me, and I set to work frogging it back to a couple of balls of yarn. I started over from scratch and added another repeat of stitches to the cast on (and fixed some of the mistakes I accidentally added in the first attempt when converting the pattern from flat to knit in the round). Then, to make it lengthy enough to cover the ears, I added a full pattern repeat before decreasing at the top. This time I had just a tiny ball of yarn left instead of half a skein and it fit my head like a proper hat should!

And so I re-gifted the pink cabled hat to Sariebeth this weekend and all is again right in the knitting world. The End.

Oh, and I finished my first pair of anklets this past week, too. While still in progress they even traveled to the Thanksgiving dinner festivities for both sides of the family, but I spent more time cooking than knitting.
Yep, I'm still knitting.