Has it really been 5 months !?!

Wow! I am amazed that I have not blogged for five whole months! Much is new and doe to morning/day/evening/midnight sickness, I lost the urge to knit. Very sad indeed! But, it is back :) I have even bought some new yarn which is inspirational.....I am just running out of time here! So, I will update on what I completed before I found out I was pregnant :)

I knit this for my neighbours daughters 1 year birthday in February. It is 100% cotton from Patons; BumbleBee. It is a now discontinued yarn, but I managed to but a bunch of different colors a few years ago. I used EZ's February Baby Sweater pattern, but did short sleeves and only three buttons. Raveled Here!

Another Baby Surprise Jacket :) These are so much fun to knit, I think I am seriously addicted to them! I knit this for a special friend who was expecting her 7th baby...He came in May! Is is nice and chubby and very yummy :D

The best part was using all different yarns that I had on hand. I used 20 different yarns from Elanns Sample Skeins subscription, plus may other balls of different brands. I also had saved these wooden ducky buttons for the perfect project and was so glad to have them on this sweater. I added a hood and did an asymmetrical front closure with loops for the buttons instead of holes. Raveled here!

Another sweater for Willow! This little girl loves anything that I knit for her and wears her knits ALL the time. She is so appreciative; how can I not knit for her? I found this Phildar pattern about 2004, but at that time, had no little girls to knit it for. I saved it and am glad I waited as I did quite a few mods. What fun would knitting be with out mods, right?

To begin, I used two different types of yarns, both the same weights, but when I started using them, found out that they really weren't the same weights. I used Elanns Peruvian Pure Alpaca Fina (100% Alpaca) and Elanns Peruvian Highland Sport (100% wool). I was going by color and immaturity in the art of knitting :) I ended up doubling the alpaca and this did the track. I was very thankful!

Mods: I knit this in the round, and added steeks at the front and for the armholes, which I later cut open to add the sleeves and the front button bands. I also did not add waist shaping and carried the pattern around the back instead of doing stripes as the pattern called for to match the sleeves. I knit this tube in one piece, right through to the collar! I also added a 3st i-cord around the collar a la EZ :) I used hand carved wooden buttons instead of a zipper. I really like nice buttons :) I also bought an extra color and managed to work it in. All Raveled here :)

Overall, this has been one of my favorite projects. I completed it in February and was the last project before my knitting hiatus. I am currently knitting Corona for India in Debbie Bliss Chashmerino dk. I should be done in a week or so. I have lots of soakers to knit for the new baby, too. I have knit a little merino wool hat and knit for the new baby that needs buttons and then I will have something new to blog about :)

Seamless Viney Leaf

The first time I saw this pattern, I knew that I would knit it. But, I waited many months before starting as tons of reverse stocking stitch and then stitching in those sleeves would not be fun. So, I thought alot about what I wanted to do. I started about a month and a half ago and finished a week ago. I love it! I knit the whole thing in the round, then the sleeves and attached at the armpits. I knit both sleeves and body together, decreasing where needed to give the illusion of a set-in sleeve. It worked! No seaming!!! Yay! The pattern is from Phildar #460 and the yarn is Elann's Superwash Bamboo in Claret. The yarn was discounted as the dyes weren't even so it has a hand dyed look to it, which I like. I do wear a tnk top underneath and it is mildly itchy to my arms, but not bad. I do have a fairly high tolerance for wool though. I did lengthen the hem to 5cm instead of 1.5cm. I think I could have gone a bit longer there. All in all, an easy knit, nice viney leaf to add some interest and break up all that purling and a great fit. I am wearing it today as a matter of fact!

 

I started a new sweater for The Man and it is coming along, but a little slow as I haven't had much knitting time lately. It is a really soft wool from Needful Yarns, London Tweed in the Cherry colorway. I told him this was my last try to knit him such a sweater and if it
was still too itchy then that is it! lol!

I have also knit two more Thorpe hats for my friend Tara's two boys, but will save the pics until she has them :D

Finally, the Sweater!

Here is the sweater that I made for The Man. Unfortunately, it is too itchy for him as he is ultra sensitive to wool. As I was finishing it up, I wondered if that would be the case, so I put my dad's wool aside and decided that if it was too itchy, my dad would score this sweater and I would knit another for The Man out of the softer wool. So, that is what ended up happening. The sweater is a Phildar pattern from a few years ago in one of their Irlandais Issues, knit up in 100% wool Elle Merino Tweed from Little Knits. I chose the natural oatmeal color as I thought it would suit The Man, but it actually looks better on my dad. My dad loves this sweater and wore it all weekend while he was here. It will keep him nice and toasty :D Oh, I should mention a few neat things about this sweater; I knit this entirely in the round and seamlessly. I did weave some stitches together under the arms where the sleeves joined the body, but that was it! It was a great challenge and I really learned alot. The saddle shoulders were fun too!

Willows matching mittens!

Thorpe

One thing I love about the Internet are all the free patterns! You can look up just about anything and find a free pattern for it. Willow needed a new hat and mitts so I decided to try out Thorpe. I used Araucania Magallanes (100% wool) doubled, and for the trim, Debbie Bliss Super Chunky Cashmerino, which was left over from another sweater. Not too sure yet what I will do about mitts, but I will work on those today if I get some free time. I really like how this hat turned out and will definitely make more!

I also finished The Man's sweater yesterday and it is still blocking so I will share a photo of the Celtic cable down the front. Tomorrow or the following day, it will be ready for him to try on :)

A Pretty Sweater for Willow :)

A few years ago, I sold out-of-print magazines on eBay. There were a few issues that I came across that I loved and kept. One of them, Phildar #381, has many gorgeous toddler knits. My favorite sweater would have to wait, as at the time, I didn't have a small enough daughter for it :) Now, I have two little daughters, so I figured it was time to get this done before they are too big! I made some modifications to make it quicker,



 such as, knitting in the round and then joining the sleeves to the body and working on a circular needle to do the raglan decreases. No seaming! I also added an i-cord bind off the the sleeve hems and the bottom band as stocking stitch left alone is notorious for curling, even after blocking. I used worsted weight instead or dk weight yarn as well. Over all, I am happy with how this turned out, love the colors and the wool (Elann Peruvian Highland Wool). The only dissatisfaction that I have is the once the bottom bands were sewn on, they do not have the same amount of stretch as the part they are sewn to, so they look a bit wonky. We'll see how it wears!

On my needles now, is a Phildar cabled sweater for The Man and the beginnings of a red sweater for my dad, using Elizabeth Zimmermans Wishbone Pattern. I also need to make a hat and mitts for Willow as she has outgrown hers. Hopefully I will have something else to show this week :)

Many photos ..... Few Words

I haven't had much time to update my blog with my finished projects. I have just been way too busy! I did manage to get a whole blog post almost complete when my computer shut down. I didn't have the heart to re-write everything so have waited a bit...Here goes; photos on top, info below each one :)

"Little Miss Muffet" by : Zephyr Style
Made for Willow in 100% cotton, this pattern runs small so it will end up for Scarlett sooner rather than later. Very pretty!

Octobers Knitters Almanac Project - Open Collared Pullover for Sage.
100% merino wool, so it is extremely soft and he can wear it next to his very sensitive skin. This was a lot of fun to knit and I learned a lot of new techniques. In the beginning, I didn't even want to knit this pullover, but now i am happy that I did!

Novembers Knitters Almanac Project - Moccasin Socks.
Ironically, I broke my baby toe so had plenty of time to get these socks done! I should have made them tighter but they do fit well. I love the colors too :)

Matching Hat for Sages Tweed Sweater. Nice and soft, ribbed hat with a diamond cable pattern added. He wears this all the time; even to bed!

Leg Warmers and a matching Ballet Wrap for Mady
This is the same type of yarn that I used for Sages pullover so it is nice and soft. I have added a free leg warmer pattern to my Ravelry page and will add the wrap once I have finished writing it up.

A chunky cabled pullover with drop stitch and dropped stitch sleeves. Unfortunately, the sleeves are way too long; still! I have taken them out and adjusted them three times now and will have to do it yet again. The problem? The pattern schematics don't allow for the growth that takes place once you drop the sleeve sts. Doesn't matter too much with the main body as the cables tend to help hold the shape. I love the sweater, love the soft Debbie Bliss Cashmerino yarn, but am not loving the sleeves. Showed it anyways because we all have projects we need to fix :)

A sweater for Sage :)

My goal is to knit each of my children a sweater for this winter. So far, Willow and Scarlett have a few each, Levi and Sage are taken care of too! Just the three older girls and one for The Man left....This is a Phildar pattern that Sage chose and he loves dark colors, so I had some Katia Scotch Tweed in my stash that worked perfectly! It is 65%silk, 25%wool and the rest is some type of man made fibre that I can't recall off the top of my head. It is so nice and soft and he will be able to wear it next to his sensitive skin :) He is such a little model, we told him he should model underwear!

Another project that I completed about a day before I started this blog, was a felted bag for India. It is a pattern called "Two Measures of Joy"...appropriate since it contains the first two bars of "Ode to Joy" ....always one of my favorites! I also lined the bag with fabric chosen by India and the whole thing came together beautifully! She loves it and uses it all the time :)

I have a few other projects on the go that I will finish up and share....these are my knitting projects, but I have completed quite a few sewing projects lately as my goal is o have my sewing desk cleared up before the New Year :)

Destinees First Sweater

Back in March, I got my two older girls started on a knitting project each. Destinee chose a striped garter stitch wool sweater for Scarlett for this Fall. She gt the front and back done as well as a third of a sleeve and then put it away to work on other things. So, we dug it out and finished it this past weekend. Scarlett wore it today and it is so squishy and cozy! She has room to grow in it and it keeps her warm too :)

Otherwise, not much new to share. Oh, I finished my first sock today which I had put away as it was so fiddly and I wasn't enjoying it. But, it is too big for my little feet! It does fit India, so they will be hers :) I will try another pattern and maybe go down a needle size and shorten the sole on the next pattern. However, I just don't think knitting socks are my thing...