Flippy the Wonder Squirrel

Soft Baby Shoes

2007-09-29T20:42:00.000-04:00

I've been wanting to make a few pairs of baby shoes for my Dd. There are lots of patterns for soft baby shoes and I used this pattern. They are so much easier than I thought to make and they turned out so cute that I'm sure there will be more.

The first pair I made from a little linen dress that a friend had handed down to me that had several stains on it. The flowers around the bottom of the dress worked out perfectly for the top of the shoes and I made the soles from the bottom edge of the dress . Here's what left of it.

For the second pair I pulled out some leather scraps that I'd gotten from here for for a couple of dollars and a dress that I got at a church rummage sale for a quarter. I love this material and I was super careful with what was left. I should have enough to make a little matching dress. This was my first time sewing leather and it sewed so much smoother than I would of thought that it would have.

I followed the pattern exactly except I sewed the fabric inside sole on after I had the rest of it put together.

Rosebud

2007-09-23T21:04:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is my first day back at work after being off on maternity leave for the last 16 weeks. My DD will be going to my mom's as I go back to work part time. This morning, I decided that she needed a hat for her first day big day at Grandma's and she'll be wearing this new little one tomorrow.

Pattern: Itty-Bitty Hats, Susan B. Anderson- Rosebud
Yarn: Leftover yarns from the Tulip sweater and Cascade Yarns, Cotton Rich-color 8176
Needles: Size 7 and 5 DPNs
Size: 0-6 mo.
Notes: I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. It took the entire skien of Cascade for the hat. I started off weaving the ends in on the flowers, but it didn't take long to realize that it would take forever to weave them all in so I knotted them and cut them short. This little hat only cost me $2.50 for the skien of Cascade that I got out of the sale bin.

Saartje's Bootees

2007-09-12T15:01:00.000-04:00

Oh, I am so love with these little booties. I couldn't believe how quickly they knit up and how adorable they look. They are even cuter in person than in the photos.

Pattern: Saartje's bootees
Yarn: Lorna's Laces, Shepherd Sport, Color 45ns, Cranberry
Needles: Size 1 Clover Takumi
Notes: This pattern is such a keeper. I see myself knitting these for baby showers since they are absolutely adorable and don't take a great deal of time. How cute would a set of 5 in different colors be? Thanks to my mom for finding me a matching button from her button box so I didn't have to make a visit to the fabric store.

Christine's Baby Booties

2007-09-12T14:36:00.000-04:00

These cute little booties are the best. I put them on my DD in the morning and they were still there safe and sound at the end of the day. It sure beats the little socks that I'm constantly putting back on her feet.

Pattern: Christine's Baby Booties
Yarn: Charming, Elegant Yarns, color 02- I love this yarn and I still have a lot left for some other little knitting goodies.
Needles: Size 1-Lantern Moon- Sox Stix in ebony
Notes: I love them. The i-cord was a bit tedious but they are adorable and they certainly do stay on her little feeties.

Tulips a Colorful Cardiagan for Baby

2007-09-08T16:34:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Tulips a Colorful Cardigan for Baby by Lindsay Pekny
Yarn: Dream in Color-VM 110, VM 120, VM 130, VM 140, VM 150 VM 160, VM 170, and VM 180
Needles: Addi 7 and 5 and DPN 7 Crystal Place and 5 Boyd
Notes:I purchased the kit at my LYS after seeing one there knit up and falling in love with the color variations. Just due to the cost, would have never bought all the colors individually, but in a kit it was much more affordable. I knit up a swatch to gauge with size 7s but I did not wash and block it. Maybe this was a mistake considering it seems to have grown a great deal when I washed an blocked the finished sweater. I liked the pattern a lot and it was a breeze to knit up. The construction was very similar to the baby tunic that I previously knit for my niece.
New Skill: I learned how to apply and I-cord with this sweater and although it took me a bit because it seemed a little fiddly at first, I'm now in love with this finished look and will definitely use it again. I especially like that when you roll up the sleeves it looks finished on the underside as well.

Pink for a little girl...

2007-08-18T17:11:00.000-04:00

I finished these several months ago, before my DD was born, but hadn't done the finishing work on them, so I pulled them out today and put on the buttons and the ribbons and now they are ready to go. They are still too big for her, but it won't be long and she'll be ready for them.

Pattern: Knitting for Two, Lacy Bonnet
Yarn: Debbie Bliss, Baby Cashmarino
Needles: 3 and 5 Addis

I knit this and the booties that follow out of one skien of yarn. I love the little star on the back of this. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to use it on the top of a baby hat. Until then I have my eyes on the baby shedir. I even have a skien of Rowan Calmer in my stash that I got on sale thinking I'd make another regular Shedir as a gift.

Pattern: Knitting for Two, Dainty Booties
Yarn: Debbie Bliss, Baby Cashmarino
Needles: 5 Addi

These turned out so cute the first time that I thought I'd make another pair for my little girl.

Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono

2007-08-18T17:04:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono, Mason Dixon Knitting
Needle: Size 8, Addi
Yarn: TLC Cotton Plus

I was inspired to knit this little sweater after seeing the rainbow of them here. It's just what my dd needs since it’s still a little cool in our home for her with the AC on and she has so many sleeveless summer outfits right now. Unfortunately, It turned out to be a 0-3 month size, so it’s still too big for her. It knit up really quick and the finishing seemed to be the most labor intensive part. For some reason, I can never seam garter stitch and make the seams disappear, but after redoing the seams on this several times, I think I got it figured out. Since it was a quick, fun little knit, I think that I might try making another one but change it so it will fit her now.

Dementor Costume

2007-08-18T16:41:00.000-04:00

For the release of the last Harry Potter book, the town I live in had a Harry Potter party. They decorated shops as different places in the book and had competitions and events related to the book. My husband wanted to dress up with our niece and nephew. Our niece won for the best Hermonie costume and our nephew was a young Harry Potter. DH decided that he wanted to be a dementor and found this pattern (#9887)that he thought would work perfectly. The best of two days later and over 9 ½ yards of material…

grocery tote and a wip

2007-08-11T19:51:00.001-04:00

I was browsing the web the one day and found this tutorial and decided that I just HAD to make this bag. I have to admit the fact that there was a perfect little bag that this bag could fit into that even attached to the handle so I don't loose it made it the perfect bag. I instantly thought of a small scrap of material that I just love that was left from another project. I used that for the main part of the bag, the blue striped for the gusset, and a chocolate brown for the inside.

I really like the size of the bag and the fact that it easily fits on my shoulder. The padded handles are nice, but I doubt that I’ll ever carry anything in it heavy enough that they are needed. In fact if I made another of these, I’d only use one layer instead of two for the handle, mainly so it would fold a little more compactly. I love the little carrying bag that it fits in, but I had the hardest time figuring out the directions. Of course, I thought about it forever and tried to visualize it, but it wasn’t until I finished it-slightly wrong I might add-that it was all clear.

When I found this tutorial I thought that I could sew it up in a couple of hours, but it took about twice that, of course the second time around it would go a lot smoother and would be a lot quicker of a project. I'm sure that I'll be making more of these in the future.

The Ripples in Time from Inspired Cable Knits is currently on my needles. It’s a little slow going since it is in such fine yarn. I like the way it is knitting up, but some how I got a little off track and the sleeves seem to be two different lengths. Now I need to decide which one is right and rip the other one back.

Finishing touches

2007-08-07T19:07:00.002-04:00

I finished this sweater a quite a while ago, but until last night it was missing it's buttons. Now it looks just right for my dd (other than she needs to grow a quite a bit before it will fit). The details of the sweater are here.

It's been a long, long time....

2007-08-05T20:38:00.000-04:00

I'm back! I know it has been a while, but I'm back on track in knitting and crafting...It’s been about 6 months since my last post. During that time, I had a little girl, 2 months premature. She's now 2 months old and doing really well.

I found this adorable wash cloth pattern on Knitty and decided in a second that I just HAD to make it. In fact, I started with big plans of how I’d make several, one for my DD and several for friends children but, then I made the first one. I love the finished item, but it was rough knitting on my hands with the cotton so it seems this lion will be a lonely one.

Pattern: Knitty, Grrr, by Alice Bell

Needles: Size 5, Bryson

Yarn: SRK CoolSpun Cotton- orange

Bootees and burp cloths

2007-02-18T19:21:00.000-05:00

Dainty Bootees
Pattern: Knitting for Two, Erika Knight
Yarn: Debbie Bliss, wool/cotton, light pink
Needle: Size 5
Notes: I knit these two pairs in a Sunday (they took about 4 1/2 hours a pair), they are both gifts for co-workers of my dh.

Burp Cloths
Pattern: My own, but it is based on some adorable burp clothes that I saw at a cute shop that sold all sorts of wonderfully cute baby things.
Material: white terry cloth and cotton striped print
Notes: I made these about 8"x12", a size that I thought would be a perfect size to get the job done. They were quick to make up and cost me about $1 each in materials. The shop that was selling them had $16 each on theirs.

Big and Little

2007-02-11T13:48:00.000-05:00

One of each... a 3-6 mo size and a 12-18 mo size.

Raglan Cardigan with Fully Fashioned Shaping

Pattern: Baby Knits for Beginners, Debbie Bliss
Size: 3-6 mo.
Needle: Size 6
Yarn: Well, after looking forever the ball band seems to be gone. It was 100% cotton and looks very similar to the Rowan All Seasons yarn, however it was less than half the price.
Notes: This was mostly knit in a 12 hour marathon in one day. It doesn't have buttons yet because it will depend on if it's a boy or a girl. If it's a girl I'm thinking flower buttons and if its a boy, well, do they have robot buttons? When I get a chance, I still need to block it.

Shall-Collared Jacket

Pattern: Baby Knits for Beginners by Debbie Bliss
Size: 12-18 mo.
Yarn: 5 2oz balls for Debbie Bliss merino aran in forest green
Needle: Size 8 Addi Turbos
Notes: This is the first boy knitted item that I fell in love with. I just though it looked so cute on the little model in the book. I'm glad that I made the 12-18 mo. size because I finished this with hardly any yarn left and the pattern called for 5 balls for the 18-24 mo. size too. This knit up pretty quick. I really liked the short row shaping on the collar. It needs buttons and a little blocking, so that is up next.

More Christmas Gifts...

2007-02-03T11:29:00.000-05:00

I started this off thinking this would be the last of the Christmas gifts, but there's just too much for today. More will be coming soon.

Pattern: Saturday Market Bag, Magknits, by Jodie Danenburg
Needles: Size 10 and 15 (I bought new circulars for this time around, the interchangeable Boyde are just too awkard for this for me)
Yarn: Elann, Sonata, Color 9776
Notes: Here is a second one, knit up quickly before the holidays for a gift. It seemed like this was a little faster and enjoyable to knit up with the lighter needles. I've got enough of the same yarn in a purple, brown, pink, and grey colorway so I'll probabily make one more of these, for myself before I call it good.

Warsh rags-

Pattern: Mason-Dixon Knitting
Needles: Size 6 Bryspun (I love these needles for knitting cotton)

Yarn: I think I might have finally burned myself out on this pattern, but I have to say it’s about time since I’ve cranked out over 20 of them. These were the last ones for a while. I paired these with kitchen soap from Body Works and they went out to a group of friends.

Amulet Pouches-

Pattern-Amulet Pouch- Magknits by Maggie Luongo
Yarn- random wool left overs in guyish colors
Needle-size 4 DPNLantern Moon, (the needles I wish I could knit everything with these)Notes- I started off knitting one of these for my DH for his dice for D&D and as soon as I got it finished he was wondering if I could knit them for the who group for Christmas. They knitted up pretty quick and were great TV knitting.

Fetching

This is also a second time that I knit this pattern. Both times they were for gifts, this time for my friend and coworker whose hands are always freezing at work. Everything was the same as before this time around except I went up a size to 7 for the needles so they would be a little bigger, and I bought 2 skeins of yarn this time, so I didn't have to go thought the fear and difficulties of running short on yarn like I did last time.

Sock Knitting Bags and Stitch Markers-

These two sets I made for two friends in my knitting group. I used the same pattern as before by Super Eggplant, but I lined them. I made the stitch markers like I have before. I like them best like this with the loop on the top made out of tiger tail it makes them a little stiffer and less likely to get tangled in the knitting.

Baby Tunic

2007-01-27T10:21:00.000-05:00

This is another Christmas gift that I made for my niece. I had no plans on really knitting it, but I came across a sample of it knitted up at my LYS and I fell in love with the simplicity of it. I'm usually don't like acrylic yarn, but the colors looked fun for my niece's darker completion and I figured there would be less chance of it being ruined during it being washed. I knit it in a whirlwind and had it all completed but the hood in the matter of a day and a half. Then it sat around for a few weeks before I finished it up prior to Christmas.

Pattern- Knitting Pure & Simple- Baby Tunic

Needles- Addi size 7 and 6

Yarn- Plymouth Encore Colorspun-Jewel -This is the true color of it- the other photos are really dark.

Notes: Although the 12 month size called for 425 yards, I used less than 400 yards (2 skeins). I also did not put the drawstring in the hood for safety reasons. I wasn't sure how I should do it since I didn't plan on putting in the drawstring, but I'm glad I knit it up as the pattern directed for the drawstring casing because it gave some structure the the edge of the hood.

Shifting Sands

2007-01-25T05:02:00.000-05:00

Here's more of my catching up. This was my favorite item I made for Christmas. Once I got the pattern down it was such a pleasure to knit and it really was beautiful to watch it grow in length. It was the perfect blend of beautiful yarn, great needles to knit it on, and a pattern that was easy to memorize, but not boring.

Dad’s scarf-

Pattern-Shifting Sands- Grumperina-

Yarn- Zarina-merino extrafine- in a steel grey color

Needle-Size 5 Bryspun Needles

Thoughts: I loved this pattern. I'd knit it up again in a second. If you have given half a thought to wanting to knit this I'd encourage you to take the plunge. It looks spectacular knit up, maybe even too spectacular because it hardly looks like it was hand knit.

KMKS Fun!

2007-01-23T18:52:00.000-05:00

Christina sent a wonderful Mitt Kit package filled with all sorts of super suprises!

She made me a beautiful and creative bag, a big felted mitten to hold all of the goodies. At first I thought that she might have gotten the idea off of me living in MI (since we are always doing the hand thing), but I soon realized that she lives within a half hour of me and that she had creatively based the mitten bag on the swap. The pattern she sent me for the Anemoi Mittens couldn't have been more perfect. I love Eunny's work and was drooling over this exact mitten pattern since she posted it. Chrisina could have not have found me a more perfect pattern in all the world. She also found me wonderful little goodies to enjoy, Burt's bees, a fun dinosaur measuring tape, yummy Godiva chocolate that is all but gone, a fun sheep pin, finishing needles, and two pairs of knitting needles. Christina, Thank you so much for such a wonderful swap!

Squishy Dolly and Catching Up

2007-01-21T18:41:00.000-05:00

I've been pondering what to make my niece for her first birthday. I was in the bookstore the other day looking for a new knitting book, when I came across a book that had a lot of cute baby items in it. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the book, but I made a quick sketch of this little doll, improvised, and sewed it up this morning. I think she turned out pretty cute. She's about 6 inches tall.

I've been horrible about blogging lately. It started off with not posting about the Christmas gifts I was making because I didn't want the recipients to see them before they received them, and then it turned into a bit (or lets be honest, a huge) slump. So, I've got a bunch of finished objects and a wonderful swap I received to post on that I'm going to try real hard at getting up this week.

Knit Mitt Kit Swap

2006-11-06T06:27:00.000-05:00

I recently entered the Knit Mitt Kit Swap on Swapbot. I'm really excited to participate in this swap. I had wanted to participate in the last one they held and missed the cut off date. Here's my questionnaire.

Are you allergic to any fibers? Nope
What are your favorite colors? Purple and earthy colors. Lately, I've also been on a red and orange kick.

Are you a new mitt knitter? How long have you been knitting mittens? I've made one pair of mittens and two pairs of fingerless mitts. The most recent pair I made were Fetching from Knitty. I made them for a swap, but I liked them so much I plan on making another pair for myself.

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? I like both. I probably knit more with solids.

What fibers do you prefer in mitten yarn? Natural fibers.

Where do you usually knit mittens? I knit at home, at work on my lunch hour, and anywhere else I get a chance.

How do you usually carry/store small projects? I made a small drawstring bag that I love using for small projects and socks. Before that I was using Ziplock bags- not so beautiful, but very convenient.

What are your favorite mitten patterns? I'm not sure if I have a favorite. I've recently broke into fair isle, and enjoyed that. I also enjoy cables. I'm sure my spoiler will come up with something great.

What are your favorite mitten knitting techniques? I'm not sure that I know any that are particular to mitten knitting. I recently tried out using a long circular for socks and I have to say that I'm a dpn girl.

What new techniques would you like to try? I'm always up for learning something new.

What are your favorite needles for knitting mittens? I have a pair of Lantern Mood DPNs that I just love.
What are some of your favorite yarns? Natural fibers

What yarn do you totally covet? I'm not sure, I'm always finding something new to fall in love with.

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? I like circs for most things, and dpn for socks or anything that is small enough to be knit in the round. I love my Addis and Lantern Moons for certain projects. For knitting socks, I usually use Brintney 5".

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? Not sure, something practical with a little fun I guess.
Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? I love good chocolate.

What is your favorite animal? I'm not sure that I have one, but I'm really fond of made up ones like Ice Bat from the Ugly Dolls.
Would you prefer super warm mittens or something more like fingerless mitts? Surprise me. I'd enjoy either.

If you were a color what color would you be? Purple

What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? Maybe, a big old weathered oak.

Do you have a wishlist? Nope

Hot Socks Swap

2006-10-28T15:24:00.000-04:00

My Hot Socks Swap arrived! Alice sent the most wonderful package and card. Thank you so much Alice! I LOVE the purple sock yarn. It is so pretty. I can't wait to find the perfect pattern for them. I also loved all the goodies that came with it in a cute tote. The candle smells so good, the lotion is great (I had to try it right away) and the hot chocolate is delicious (I had to try that too).

The yarn was hand dyed by Jeni. Purple is my favorite color and it is just beautiful. I can't wait to start on them, but I might need to wait until after Christmas because there are a quite a few projects I'm hoping to have finished before then.

The Central Park Hoodie is coming along. I took a break from it this week to work on some other things, but it's getting closer. I'm close to finished with the main body part. I have to rework the top of both front sides. I thought I made a mistake on one size and tore it back, only to realize the mistake was on the other side. Anyway I just took a break from it to move on to a sleeve because it was driving me a bit crazy. The sleeve is coming along and there isn't much more to go on this one.

My cat isn't the most playful. She rarely plays with my yarn, but as soon as I started trying to take photos of my sweater today she dove in and couldn't leave my pieces alone.

I just finished up the market bag. I had received this one in a swap a few months ago and got so many complements I thought I'd make up one myself. The strap looks short, but it'll really stretch as soon as I put things in it.

Pattern: Magnits, Saturday Market Bag
Yarn: Cascade, Sierra Quatro, Color # 91
Needles: Size 15 and 10, Boye Needle Master Interchangeable
Alterations: None
Thoughts: I really do like these bags, and I might even make more, but it's not the most enjoyable knitting for me. The big needles are awkward and it's just hard to handle.

Marching along...

2006-10-14T12:25:00.000-04:00

I've been working on my Central Park Hoodie for about a week now. It's going pretty well, and I'm about 11 inches into the back and two sides which I'm knitting as all one piece. I really thought I'd love having this all in one piece as it would circumvent the need for a bunch of seaming, but now I'm struggling with the weight and bulkiness of it. It seems that after I knit a few rows my wrists are tired from knitting.

Since I had some time to knit last night and my wrists were tired from the hoodie, I decided to start on another pair of Fetching. I knitted a pair of these before for a swap and I loved the way they turned out. I'm knitting this pair with Rowan Calmer, in a relaxing ice blue color, from my stash. They are so soft, I'm thinking that I might have to keep them for myself for typing in my cold office.

Lastly, Kat has received my swap package so I can post on it now. It was part of the Hot Socks Swap and I had so much fun putting it together for her. I made the sock knitting bag from a pattern from here. I knit the stitch marker bag, and put together the stitch markers. She seems to love it so, it was a success.

Central Park Hoodie

2006-10-07T20:26:00.000-04:00

About a week ago, I saw a photo of this sweater. I fell in love with it and was off to get the pattern the next day. It took me a week to figure out what yarn I wanted to knit it out of. I looked at this, this, this, and this, before deciding on Philosopher's Wool. I wasn't sure if I wanted a green or a purple, but after seeing this, I knew it had to be purple.

I'm going to knit the sides and the back as one piece like many other people on the Central Park Hoodie KAL. I also decided that I wanted to do a tubular cast on . I wanted to do a 2x2 rib but I couldn't find any tutorials, so I did a little experimenting until I figured it out. I'd like to say it was simple enough from there on out, but I had the 4 inches of ribbing done before I realized that I had cast on for the smallest size instead of the medium size. Then after frogging all of that, I started again, this time with 4 stitches too many because I'd forgotten to take them out for making it in one piece. Maybe third time is a charm, because it seems like I'm finally on the right track.

Embossed Leaves Socks

2006-10-05T06:55:00.000-04:00

On vacation in Vermont, my husband made a turn off of the way we were going and the next thing I knew we were here. I ended up with a Winter 2005 issue of IK and fell in love with the Embossed Leaves Socks. These were such a pleasure to knit up, and they are definitely my best pair of socks so far.

Embossed Leaves Socks
Pattern: designed by Mona Schmidt, Winter 2005 issue of IK
Dates: Began 9/23/06-Finished 9/30/06
Yarn: Louet Gems Merino-color Shamrock, 2 skeins
Needles: I started off wanting to try knitting with one long circular, on a 0 Addi turbo, but it was really slow going for me with constantly moving the stitches around, so I switched back to what I'm used too, Brittany 5" DPN size 1.
Details: Although the knitting with one long circular wasn't my thing, I did learn how to use the 1x1 rib cast-on which left a very neat edge to the top of the sock. However, I did notice that it is less stretchy than my usual long tail cast-on. I also worked on knitting tighter on my needles to make guage. It was hard on my hands in the beginning, but it got better as I got further along. After making a few pair of socks with both short row heels and heel flaps, the verdict is still out on which fits better, but I think I'm leaning towards the heel flaps.

Striped Socks

2006-10-03T06:17:00.000-04:00

I started these socks back in July when I was on vacation. I got busy with a few other projects and just picked them back up recently and finished them. They will be a gift.

Striped Socks
Pattern: No pattern. I used a 3x2 ribbing that I liked. I cast on 65 stitches, knit from the top down, with short row heels and toes.
Needles: Size 1, 5" DPN Brittany-I love these little guys, they don't get in the way when I'm knitting. I am on my second pair though because they are thin and I wasn't careful enough with the first pair and set them where they ended up with heavy stuff being layed on top of them and they broke.
Yarn: Regia Strato Color-I'm not sure on the color because I lost the ball band.

Stitch Markers

2006-10-02T21:01:00.001-04:00

I recently particpated in a stitch marker swap on swapbot. Melissa sent me some lovely stitch markers. I also recieved two sets of stitch markers from Angie (who appears blogless) I'm in love with the set that spells out KNIT. Unfortunately, even though I've torn my knitting area apart twice looking for them they are hiding out at the moment, so there is no photo of them.

I forgot to take photos of the markers I sent, but they were very similar to this set that I made myself at the same time.

Happy Husband

2006-09-19T13:01:00.000-04:00

Here it is! I'm pleased with the way it turned out, and so is my husband. This is the first thing that I've knit for him and it's long overdue since I've been knitting for a couple years. He's rough on clothes and watches how much time I spend knitting and when I offer to make him something he usually says he'd rather I didn't knit him things because he'd feel horrible when he ruined it. I know the colors are a little halloweenish, but he's a teacher and those are his school's colors.

Ufserud
Pattern: Bea Ellis Knitwear
Yarn: From the kit, Dalegrarn Heilo colors 0090 and 3418, and Mandarin Classic
Needles: Size 4 DPS, Lantern Mood- they are so wonderful to knit with
Alterations: I knit it all on size 4 needles on DPS, I tried starting it off on circulars but I have a hard time knitting with such short needles. The DPS worked fine. I just had to be careful when I set it down that the stitches didn't slip off the needles since the work stretched almost from point to point. I also took out one repeat since the hat looked like it was just going to drown him with all of the repeats in it.

Ufserud

2006-09-17T09:31:00.000-04:00

This hat is making for a fun adventure. Shortly after my last blog entry on it, I decided that it was just knit too loose and frogged the whole thing. After two more tries with the provisional cast on, I decided to scrape that idea for this hat, since it just wasn’t working for me. So, I started off as they suggested, knitting the 2 ½ inches of cotton and then changing to the wool. It’s really been going quite well. I’ve been enjoying getting into the pattern and only having to check the chart now and then to make sure I’m on track. Last night, I was almost finished, but when my dh tried on the hat was just too tall. So, I frogged back about 3 inches to get back to where I could take one pattern repeat out and here I am now.

Baby Outfit

2006-09-11T20:28:00.000-04:00

I just finished this up for my girlfriends baby shower yesterday. I’d made the same set for another girlfriend about 8 months ago, but this one was in a darker blue. My girl friend loved it and even called me again this morning to let me know how special it was to her.

Details-
Patterns: Simple Knits for Cherished Babies- Chunky Knit Cardigan, Baby’s Beanie Hat, and Classic Cashmere Bootees
Needles: Addis size 6, 7, and 3
Yarn: Cascade Yarns-Cotton Rich- Color 2625
Label: idea from Grumperina
Changes/Notes: I knit the cardigan and the hat exactly as written. I knit the booties on a size 3 to get the gauge since thinner yarn was called for.

Catching up

2006-09-10T12:05:00.000-04:00

A lot has been going on with my knitting, but I haven’t been blogging. I’ve gotten so far behind, that I keep putting off blogging because I have gotten so far behind, which only gets me more behind. So, today is my day to catch up.

My niece started reading the Harry Potter series this year and she has fallen in love with the characters. She requested a Gryffindor Scarf for her birthday (the one from the first few movies). I browsed the web and used this for a pattern idea. I truly struggled with finding yarn that would work. I didn’t want to use wool since I knew it would be too itchy for her by experience. She was the flower girl for our wedding and minutes before she was to walk down the isle, she had a small meltdown over the itchiness of her dress. So, I tried finding some soft acrylic, but I really had a difficult time finding the right colors. I finally settled on two different types of yarn that were slightly different causing a difference in the knitted work that I ended up deciding wasn’t too much to be concerned.

Yarn: Caron-Simply Soft- Autumn Red and Caron –Perfect Match-Sunflower
Needles: DPS Size 8
Details: I knit this with 50 stitches in the round, beginning with, and ending with, the autumn red. I added tassels also, beginning and ending with the autumn red.

I participated in the Make Me a Handmade Item on Swapbot. Connie had me as a partner and I received her wonderful Market Bag yesterday. I love it! It was perfect considering that I’ve had this on my list of things that I really want to knit. It went with me to the farmer’s market this morning and was perfect. Thanks you so much Connie!

I can’t seem to get past making the Warshrags from Mason Dixon Knitting. Maybe soon I’ll grow tired of them and move on to making something else from their book, but they are fun TV knitting. I’ve been making a few from the varigated cotton recently and I like them just as much as the bright colors.

About two months ago I started Lotus Blossom Tank from the IK Summer 2006 issue. It was a project that seemed to take me a long time to get started on, and then I took a break and it’s been sitting there abandoned. With how cool the weather is today it seems like maybe this is something to finish for next summer. I struggled most with what size to make, since I’m between sizes, but in reading through the Lotus KAL I decided to go with the smaller size. I do love the way South West Trading Company Bamboo is knitting up.

My latest project is the Ufserud hat by Bea Ellis Knitwear. I found a few similar ones that I admired like mellowtrouble and this KAL gallery. I couldn’t believe how fast this kit came. I think I ordered it on a Saturday and it was here by Wednesday. This is for my husband and he picked out the colors. It’s been a rough beginning….From reading through others experiences, I decided to do a provisional cast on, I started with this and after giving that a good try I was ready to give up. I now realize the problem that I was having was that the waste yarn was getting two twisted up with my knitting. I tore it all out and tried again with this suggestion and it seems to be working much better now.

Well, that is enough for now. I finished a baby set that I'll get to next time.

Just Squeaked By…

2006-08-12T08:15:00.000-04:00

I saw Fetching when Knitty came out this summer and they looked so cute and practical. They keep my office so cold in winter that my fingers freeze and don’t work well when I’m typing and these seem to be perfect for that sort of thing. These are a gift and I hope they are well loved. I used the yarn called for in the pattern, Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. I got the gauge with the size 6 needles, but I strongly suspect that I knit a little looser in the round than flat since I ran short on yarn (the pattern said that I’d have one yard left over). I couldn’t see buying a new skein, so I tore back one row from the top of both to have enough to finish the second thumb. There is nothing left, well, nothing except this

the tail from my cast on. I think they turned out great. They are super soft and cozy.

Vacation Knitting

2006-08-06T13:59:00.000-04:00

I’ve been on vacation, so I have some catching up to do.

My friend gave me Mason-Dixon Knitting for my birthday. It’s such a fun book! I’d looked through it and admired it long before I got it for my birthday. I especially liked the fun washcloths in it. I took it along to read on vacation and found some bright Sugar’n Cream along the way in York, Maine. I had a lot of fun making these as we drove. Now that I’m back home I’ve been enjoying using them in my kitchen, they are so bright and fun they make the cleaning a little bit more fun too.

The big project that I was working on the trip was a new pair of socks for an upcoming Christmas gift. I saw this ribbed pattern somewhere on the web and just knitted it up in these socks. They aren’t quite done yet, but they are knit top down with 72 stitches, short row heel and short row toes. The yarn is Regia strato

Along our adventures, we made it to several knitting shops including Webs where I got some great yarn for new projects. I got:

- 2 skeins of Regia in a purple color for Embossed Leaves Socks, Interweave Knits, Winter 2005

-5 skeins of Debbie Bliss Merino Aran in a deep forest green for Shawl-Collared Jacket, Baby Knits for Beginners

-6 skeins of Debbie Bliss Cotton DK in a brownish color for Raglan Cardigan with Fully Fashioned Shaping, also from Baby Knits for Beginners

Trellis, Oh Lovely Trellis...

2006-07-09T20:33:00.000-04:00

Pattern: Tre llis, size 12 mo., Knitty, by Britta Stolfus Rueschhoff.

Needles: Size 5 Bryspun needles. These needles were the best option. I started on Addi Turbos but they were just too slippery, the Byrspun needles were great to knit with for the cotton.

Yarn: Knit Picks, Shine Worsted, Cream, 6 skeins

Changes: I couldn’t figure out how to Kitchener Stitch the shoulder together without having a strip of stockinette stitches, so I bound them off and sewed them together.

Overall: I loved knitting this sweater. I think it is the best thing I’ve done so far. The pattern is interesting, keeps your attention, and is not too difficult. I got a chance to practice cabling without a cable needle more and I can’t image using a cable needle any longer. I really love the way it turned out and I’m really pleased with it overall. The worst part was the finishing. I don’t know why I hate finishing things so much. It’s like sewing, and I like to sew. Go figure.

The one thing I need to do yet is to make a label for it. I've used this tutorial, before and they turned out great. They really help make an item personalized.

Sock Knitting Bag

2006-07-03T21:23:00.000-04:00

A bit ago, I read about the Knit Sock Kit Swap and thought it was such a fun idea. Unfortunately, I missed the entrance date to participate. I keep checking out the site though, because there is a lot of interesting ideas and stuff there. I got to thinking that even though I’m not a part of the swap; I could make my own fun knit sock bag. Maybe it’s even better this way, because I’ll be sure to like my new sock knitting bag. So, I was off to Jo-Ann’s for fun material yesterday and today after about 3 hours, I have my new cheerful sock bag.

I didn’t use a pattern. I roughly based it on Trek Casts On dimensions. I’ve made bags like this before and I really like making them so that the inside material comes out over the top of the bag. I was going to make all the outside the same color, but then started playing around with it and liked it better with the bottoms of the inside and outside bag being reversed.

It Came!!!!

2006-06-28T20:31:00.000-04:00

Every day I’ve been checking the front door as I come home wondering if this could be the day that my magic yarn ball will arrive. Well, yesterday it was! I had a long day and my husband met up with me to help me set up for a presentation midday and he came bearing the awaited box. Of course, I had to tear it open to take a peek, and this is what I saw.

Then, I made myself wait until my presentations were over before I took it home, looked it over, and giddily unwound my yarn ball. What fun creative treasures!

There is a ball of green yarn- I love green, some beautiful multi-colored silk ribbon, needle point protectors, a small stitch holder, two really interesting buttons, some green wool roving, some silver string, and a piece of ribbon with printed inspiring words. I couldn’t have asked for more. Best of all I’ve been pondering what kinds of creative lovely things I could make. I had to do a little looking to figure out who exactly sent it (I had a name, but no website or email address), and after a little looking and googling, I’ve found her at Uncoordinations . Thank you so much!

More Crocheted Flowers

2006-06-25T12:20:00.000-04:00

I made a two more, one for me and one for my mom. She’ll enjoy wearing it to her garden club meetings. Each one gets a little quicker.

The trellis is pretty much finished. I need to put it together yet and pick up stitches for the collar. This is where I usually get, and then it sits stewing for a while until I get in the mood for seaming. Actually, a couple of days ago I was in the mood and I spent a couple of hours on it. The pattern has you kitchener the front sides to the back. Well, I did it three times but each time I didn’t like the way it looked. I’m not sure if there is a better way to do it, but I had stockinette stitches over the shoulder and I didn’t like how it broke the pattern of the cables. I finally decided to bind off the stitches and seam them and I didn’t check that I had the right side lined up to the back. Unfortunately, just as I thought I was done, I realized that I’d gotten them backwards. Needless to say I had to rip it all out. Maybe in a couple of days, I’ll be ready to give it another go.

Hedgie is done

2006-06-20T20:30:00.000-04:00

I finished knitting this guy a couple of months ago, but he has been laying here faceless and unstuffed for about just that long. Now that he is done I can’t stop looking at him and smiling.

Pattern: Fiber Trends, Huggable Hedgehogs

Yarn: Cascade 220 colors 8686 and 8012 and some fun fur that I can’t find the band for anymore.

Needles: Size 10 ½ and 11- I recently bought the Boye set. It was a great deal at Micheal’s with a 50% of coupon. Now I’ll have every size I could need.

Notes: This little guy was fun to knit up. The pattern was very specific and had lots of stitch counts to make sure I was on the right track. The back of Hedgie took more than twice as much yarn as the yardage called for. I’m not sure if the fun fur that I used was bulkier and just took more yarn or what exactly happened.

Crocheted Rose

2006-06-18T15:39:00.000-04:00

I saw these flowers on the front on knitsimple and they stuck in my head. Personally, I found it interesting that in a magazine for knitting that the cover photo is of crocheted flowers. I haven’t crocheted in a while so it took me a bit to get it right, but it turned out great. As best as I can figure out there is a small error in the pattern. The outer petal directions should read Row 1: Work 2 sc n 2^nd ch from hook and in the each ch to end-8 (10, 14). I also found that even the small flower takes 2 skeins of floss, not the one that they stated it did for the outside color. This rose is going to go on my magic yarn ball, so I’ll need to make a few more so that I can keep at least one for myself.

Small joys…that make me smile all day

2006-06-13T19:49:00.000-04:00

My husband and I have a fun game we’ve been playing for a while now. We love to eat at the French Laundry in Fenton, MI. It’s a fun, quaint, yummy sort of place with the best breakfasts we have ever had. Back in February, we discovered that a table we frequently sit at has a drawer in it. From there, our adventures began. We left a rhyming note to see if anyone else looks in the drawer and if they would respond by leaving their own note. Each time we have visited since, we’ve found the pile of notes getting bigger. Several times now, when we’ve been at our table, reading the latest notes a waitresses will stop by and comment on us finding the hidden notes. It always makes us smile, since we were the ones who started it. So, since the notes were piling up, I thought that a fun journal type book to organize them all would be a fun new addition to the drawer. If you ever make it to the French Laundry, make sure you sit at the table for two just beyond the glass doors and check out our drawer of sm all joys.

Stitch Markers

2006-06-12T21:29:00.000-04:00

I've been seeing all sorts of fun beaded stitch markers and decided that I need my own. I found small toggle clasps at Walmart that I used for the rings. (They were inexpensive, 16 for $1.88.) I started off wanting to put several beads on each one, but they ended up being too long and heavy. I decided that I liked them better, and that they just worked better for me with only one bead on them.

Trellis

2006-06-08T21:35:00.000-04:00

I decided on the cream color for the Trellis. So, far so good. I'm getting better at cabling without a cable needle and my cabling stitches are looking more even. I like the detailed pattern, but it seems like I make a mistake every time my mind wanders...there has been lots of fixing along the way and I'm getting better at just dropping the stitches and re-knitting them. So far, I have the back and part of one of the fronts done.

Big New Fun...

2006-06-01T22:39:00.000-04:00

It's my first swap...I've been wanting to participate in one, and this one looks like so much fun. Surprises as you knit along. It'll be so much fun to find lots of goodies to wind in that my match will find fun, not to mention the anticipation of the surprise that will appear in my mailbox.

More baby stuff...

2006-05-31T05:41:00.000-04:00

Until we get a digital camera, it's slow going for getting photos up. I just got some photos of this little guy in his outfit, so I figured I'd post this outfit that I knit in January of this year. The projects are from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies. I really like most of the projects in this book, and will definitely make more. As the book title says, they are simple knits, with clean lines and a classic look. I knitted them out of Rowan All Seasons Cotton, which I just loved knitting with. I struggled with the finishing, but now that I've finished a couple more things it has definitely become easier.

Shedir

2006-05-28T13:51:00.000-04:00

Oh, can I tell you how much I loved knitting this and love the way it looks, especially the star at the top. If you haven't seen the pattern yet, it's here. The yarn, Rowan Calmer, was super soft and just felt great to knit with. I loved the pattern. It was easy to follow and just made sense. I did decide to leave out one repeat to make it a little shorter for my small noggin. This was a great project for me because I learned how to do a tubular cast on and how to cable without a cable needle. Surprisingly they were not as difficult as I thought that they would be.

Now that I've got the cabling without a cable needle down, I think that trellis will be my next project. It looks like I could substitute this yarn from Knitpicks...now what color?

Dress with Eyelets

2006-05-14T21:10:00.000-04:00

Project: Dress with Eyelets, from Baby Knits for Beginners – Debbie Bliss

Yarn: Shine, Apple Green, KnitPicks

Needles: Addi 2 and 3

Completed: Feb 2006

This little dress was for my new niece. It was a pleasure to knit. The pattern was clear and the yarn was really soft and had great stitch definition. I love the little pink flower button that I found at my LYS to finish it off. I was able to see it on her for the first time today, and it looked so cute. It looks like it will even fit her for a while and can be more of a tunic as she gets a little bigger. Of course, the bow was the first thing to be untied. Next time, I'd put a couple of stitches in it to keep it from being untied.