My Chocolate Gyllis

A few weeks ago I finished up a design (Color Crave) by Stephen West.  He has a unique style and his patterns are very interesting and fun to knit.  For his birthday he gave a 25% discount off of his patterns and I chose a couple more of his wraps to knit.  Let's just say that over the last several weeks my knitting had gotten somewhat 'boring and predictable.'  These wraps really have reinvigorated my knitting along with a new yarn discovery called Plucky.  I'm back to non-stop knitting with fewer distractions...other than looking at Ravelry for new yarn sale updates.

The first of these is called Gyllis.  Stephen calls it "an architectural lace scarf".  Cool construction...knit lengthwise.  I chose to use a worsted weight yarn rather than a lighter fingering weight.  It turned out rather well even if it is 'boring brown'...per my dear husband.  He said it was not as interesting as my first Stephen West wrap...good to know he's paying attention.

Details:
Pattern:  Gyllis by Stephen West; 

Yarn:  Dynasty by S. Charles Collezione;  Worsted/10 ply;  30% Silk, 70% Merino; 120 yards/50 grams.  I used 3 full balls and 27 grams of a 4th ball.  The color is a nice chocolate brown.

Gauge: 16 stitches/ 4 inches in garter stitch

 

Needles:  US 8 Addi Turbo, 32" inch circular

Modifications:  None.  I did not change a darn thing about the pattern.  I lightly blocked by using steam to smooth out the edges and open up the lace.  The size after blocking ~51 inches across the CO edge x 14 inches wide. 

Time for Some Darning

Uh Oh...

Today was sock inspection day...come on don't y'all do that?  After hand washing all my knitted socks I check them out for holes, thin areas, wear, etc before I put them back in the drawer.  Well to be honest I actually don't do it every time, but maybe I should start considering what I found today.  The count was 3 pairs needing some major attention.  Rather than toss my hand knit socks I'd much rather fix them since there is quite a bit of time (and money) spent knitting them.  My dear husband never fails to mention that he can get "a pair of socks for less than $5 at the store."  No hand knit socks for him!
 
One poor sock had already developed a nice sized hole (over 1 inch) in the heel area.  Question:  how does one put on a sock, wear it and not notice the hole until after it has been washed and dried?  The mate was hole free, but definitely thin in the same area.  The other 2 pairs I caught before the dreaded hole occurred...merely thin, critically thin. I had little on the agenda for the day so I decided to spend some time mending my socks. 

Feeling better...no hole!

Thankfully I still had remnants of each yarn I had used on each pair of socks.  Even had them separated out based on color so finding each one was a breeze.  The darning wasn't near as quick.  I took a new approach to my holey sock.  I recently discovered a different method...rather than the old fashioned method of weaving the yarns over the hole.   This new (to me) method was to knit an actual "patch" over the hole.  I started off by picking up stitches in an area that was still in good shape below the hole.  I then picked up a few stitches on each side up to the hole and started knitting and purling back and forth until each pickup side stitch had been worked.  Once this was done the hole was mostly covered and I grafted the remaining stitched into picked up stitches above the hole.  It looks so much better than the old method since the section is knitted rather than woven.



Inside the sock's heel

The idea is for the edges of the sock to felt together with the new portion of the heel.  You can see how much the interior of my sock has felted and the stitches are not clearly defined.  I left all the loose edges alone with the hope that these will felt together with wear over time.  I really love how this method looks when compared to the old way of darning.  Maybe it will last longer with the double thickness of yarn.


Check out the Knit Pick video on hole repair...part 1 and part 2.




Start of Swiss Darning...or duplicate stitch

The other two socks received the Swiss Darning method...or duplicate stitch.  Super simple as long as there were still stitches in place.  The really thin areas were a bit nerve wracking since I was afraid I'd break the threads.  Knit Picks also has another set of videos showing her method...part 1 and part 2.

The completed heel



Frogged and Reclaimed**

Almost completed front...

Over the weekend I finally made the decision to frog my Cable and Rib Top.   Before I could reclaim the yarn it needed a bath in wool wash.  Unfortunately that is where I ran into a snag...no wool wash.  My last bottle of Soak was all used up a few weeks ago.  I started looking for more which you think would be a simple process.  Nope.

I love Soak, but it is hard to come by unless you order online or happen to wander by a yarn shop. Over the last year or so I have been trying to use yarn from the stash (unless there is a Plucky Yarn Update) so a chance visit to one of the yarn shops wasn't too likely.  Desperate times call for desperate measures so I made a call to the Yarn Lounge to see if they had anything on hand.  Far less temptation to adding yarn on a whim...no reason to go if there wasn't any wool wash.  My lucky day both Soak and Eucalan in stock and all I needed to do was drive down to Carytown on a Saturday...find parking in the rain.  Yeah.

All done...kinks to be soaked away

It has been at least a year(?) since I walked in the door at the Yarn Lounge.  Melanie remembered me...amazingly enough.  She noticed my new Stephen West Wrap immediately.  It is hard to miss...the think is huge.  She pointed out the wool wash and I actually walked out with only 2 bottles of wool wash and NO yarn.  Although the Shepherd's Wool in Pumpkin came the closest to crawling into my bag.  If only there had been 7 skeins...

Once home the frog party started.  The yarn was re-skeined and had a nice long bath in Eucalan.  All in all I'm pretty pleased...'new' yarn without forking over more $$.  A good thing since I have a couple of Plucky packages arriving next week.  Shh....

A nice bath in Eucalan

**still no photos until a card reader can be found

UhOh...Officially Out of Works in Progresses

It is official...everything that I had on my needles has been completed.  Yeah, I do (or did depending on when this is read) have one other thing, but sadly it will be frogged and the yarn will be reclaimed.  The top in question had lost its appeal and after the husband dissed it I caved and plan to rip it out. He was right...it was not going to be worn and the yarn is too nice to waste.

I blocked my last item last night...without a soak in actual Soak since I seemed to have used the last of it.  Really should get an order in so I can wash my socks properly and give my other hand-knits a good bath.  For this one I spritzed a bit of water, used blocking wires and gave it a good tug to really open up the lace.  It turned out beautifully.  I was doing this as a gift, but if it hangs around too long it may find its way into my closet instead...oops, maybe I was too quick with a bit of Christmas knitting.

Details:

Pattern:  A Mystery Kerchief by Three Bags Fulled; 

Yarn: Starry by Dream in Color;  Fingering / 4 ply; 98% Merino, 2% Metallic in Vino Veritas (burgundy with silver threads); 450 yards / 113 grams.  I have 24 grams of yarn left over from this project.

Needles:  US 7, 32" circulars

Gauge:  None given in pattern

Modifications:  None.  I followed the pattern as written.  Since this one started out as a Mystery knit it was broken up into nice chunks of knitting.  It was possible for me to knit one clue an evening...well except for clue #5  'make a star' section.  My thumbs did not enjoy making stars after a day spent painting a bedroom. 

Star...lots of stars

The pattern's notes were excellent for those individuals who love a row by row stitch count.  She also added extra "warnings" along the way to point out possible pitfalls...forgetting an increase, etc.  Enjoyed this one immensely and cannot wait until it is properly gifted. 

Pictures once we have some decent sunshine...tomorrow maybe?  Done in bright sunshine, but the camera doesn't pick up the shimmer of the silver threads...a shame too.

Yep The Grandkitties get an Octopus

It appears that once again I'm knitting for some kind of critter.  Remember the chicken sweater?  How about the guinea pig cardigan that the cat ended up wearing?  Well now the youngest son's kittens have a new toy octopus. 

He mentioned that Hex and Alpha love playing with tassels.  So far he has lost his tassel from his college graduation...shredded into oblivion.  Then they turned their attention to the cords for the blinds until he tied them up out of the way.  I decided that maybe a knitted and felted toy would be a fun addition to the toy pile and could save further destruction.  Maybe. 

I have a rather large amount (no laughing) of bits and pieces of scrap wool.  Perfect for knitting and felting.  I picked out a few colors and started knitting an octopus...8 legs seemed like enough 'tassels' to keep them out of trouble for a day or two.  Fun and quick to knit.  As an added bonus I added a small amount of catnip once it was dry.  Wonder if it will drive them crazy before it drives my youngest over the edge?

Details:
Pattern:  Socktopus by Laura Edwards

Yarns:  Pattons Classic Wool;  Worsted / 10 ply;  100% Wool,  I used small bits and pieces of browns, cream, gold and orange.

Gauge:  not important

Needle:  US 6, 3-4 DPN

Modifications:  The legs were knitted longer so there would still be a good length after felting.  I used cotton yarn rather than polyfill to stuff the body.  That should provide HOURS of fun if the kitties tear into the body.  If they like to spread toilet paper around the apartment yarn will be a big hit.  A bit of catnip was also added after it dried to really drive them nuts.

Hello...Finally A Finished Item

It has been quite some time since I actually completed a knitted item.  No idea why, but I've been knitting just nothing seems to get finished.  I started a tank top while we travelled over the summer.  It is sooooo close to getting done...need to add a bit of length to the straps and bind off.  My dear husband mentioned that he's not a fan and now I'm leaning towards repurposing the yarn for something else.  I even have one sock done waiting on the second one...still waiting because I hated the pattern so much I needed a break before starting the second sock.  Really should get that one underway too.

Anyway a few weeks back I noticed that a Mystery Shawl KAL was starting up for one of Stephen Wests new designs.  I signed up and dove into the stash to pull out some yarn.  Three skeins by three different manufactures...stash busting at its finest.  I ended up using 2 solid color yarns and one variegated for the project although after I got into the project I considered switching out the variegated for a solid.  I resisted and the colors grew on me as I knit this rather large wrap. 

Clue 1 done...as long as the table

Lots of garter stitch later and less than a month I have a finished shawl.  Perfect.  As most people know Stephen's designs are a tad bit different...some are just plain strange and others are deceptively simple.  Color craving is a 'plain garter' stitch wrap that let's just say turned out HUGE.  This is my first Westknit's design and I really did enjoy the process.  He has outstanding directions and adds video to show new techniques.  Although nothing was truly new for me I did learn a new way of knitting the wraps in short rows in order to close up the hole created.  Super simple.

Clue 2

Clue 3

I actually find garter stitch relaxing and this pattern had enough going on that it kept my attention.  For the bind off I decided to skip my favorite I-cord for the fancy picot edging which was a first for me.  Surprisingly relaxing rather than monotonous as I expected.  After a hit of steam the wrap grew a bit more, the garter ridges smoothed out and the picot edges laid out flat.  I am very pleased with how the wrap turned out.

Details: 

Pattern:  Mystery Shawl KAL Color Crave by Stephen West 


Yarn:  Color A- tosh sock by Madelinetosh  in Thunderstorm; superwash merino wool, fingering weight, 395 yards, used all but 20 grams.  Color B- Merino 2/6 by Fleece Artist in Gray; 100% merino, fingering weight, 355 yards/115 grams, used all but 30 grams.  Color C-  Adorn Sock

by Three Irish Girls in Fathertime;  80% merino, 20% nylon, fingering weight, 430 yards/100 grams, used all by 45 grams.

 

Needle:  US 6, 60" circulars.  As the number of stitches increased I would add another circular just to be able to spread out the stitches.   

Gauge:  20 sts x 48 rows...although it really doesn't matter

Modifications:  None

Loved knitting this one.  It seems I have my mojo back and once again have cast on another project while I waited for the release of the last clue for this one.  This will certainly not be my last Westknit project. 

Fall Acer*

*This was written way back in December 2012...so I'm a wee bit off in the posting mainly because I never liked any of the pictures of this cardigan.  Today I tried again, then decided that these were just going to have to do.

It was so nice to knit something other than a sock.  Don't get me wrong I really enjoy knitting socks, but lately it has gotten a bit stale.  It could be the feeling I MUST get the monthly sock done before the stroke of midnight...or it could just be that I craved bigger needles and some yummy yarn. 

The yarn I used traveled across the country with us this summer and never saw the 'light of day' due to my inability to knit after dark.  I had such great expectations that I would actually knit two pairs of socks and still have time to start a fall sweater.  It did not happen. It was weird not to knit daily, but after a full day in the great outdoors the thought of knitting by flashlight wasn't too appealing.

A few weeks back I decided to finally start a new cardigan.  One in particular with cables and a bit of lace really caught my attention...Acer Cardigan.  Interesting pattern that was easily memorized and required very little seaming.  Although I do enjoy putting pieces together this pattern seemed to suit the yarn so well.

It was my first time knitting with this yarn and I really loved how it felt in my hands.  It is a 100% superwash merino in a DK weight that really feels soft and squishy against the skin.  The cables really do pop against the lace which looks terrific.  Wonderful yarn...no splitting and no knots.  Three Irish Girls does a fantastic job dying their yarns to order.  I cannot wait until my next order shows up...

Details:
Pattern:  Acer Cardigan by Amy Christoffers; 

Yarn:  Springvale DK by Three Irish Girls;  DK / 8 ply;  100% Merino;  270 yards; colorway is driftwood; 2 double skeins that each weighed in at 9 1/4 oz/ 262 grams or a total of 18 1/2 oz/ 524 grams.  I ended up with 4 oz/114 grams leftover.

Needles:  US 6, Addi clicks

Gauge:  20 stitches by 28 rows in 4" in stockinette stitch

Modifications:  I mainly stuck with the pattern as written.  I did not change anything other than to slip the first stitch of each row while knitting the body.  It made it super easy to pickup stitches for the button bands.  While I was knitting I decided to add an extra button hole to the band.  The pattern called for 6, but it struck me that the distance between each was too much and would risk the dreaded gapping.  I hate gapping which is why I have chosen zippers for my last two sweaters.

I was able to find proper buttons even though I had a hard time narrowing down my choices.  If there had been a button sale I would have bought them all.  I ended up using a set that matched the sweater.  I'm a bit conflicted since I liked the contrasting ones too...my dear husband did not like the contrast and changed my mind.

The one thing that was more fiddly than I expected was the set in sleeves.  I usually knit both sleeves flat and then seam them.  The pattern called for the sleeves to be knit in the round and then set the sleeve in place.  I  like the look of the set in sleeve, but it drove me nuts getting the seam to look nice.  I may re-evaluate it after it has dried from blocking.  I tried a shot of steam to smooth it out, but it still looks a little messy to me.  After it has dried I'll see if it bothers me enough to redo the seam.**

**Nope I still have the same sleeves.  The blocking helped smooth out the seam, but the sleeves feel tight when worn over long sleeves.  I do like wearing it with tanks and shorter sleeved tops...the lace isn't so great in winter anyway.

Bozeman Chullo

Yes, I did actually wear the Chullo

After finishing up my first pair of socks of 2013 I immediately cast on a new project...a hat.  I don't usually wear hats on a daily basis.  If the temperatures drop below 40 degrees I'll pull my Cassidy hat out as we head out for our morning walk.  It mostly covers my ears and it is not a beanie...dislike those types.  I also wear a Tilley to shade my face and neck when we hike, but I'm not usually a hat gal.  I know this, but for some reason I fell head over heels for this particular pattern.  May be the subject matter around the hat or the possibility of sub-zero temperatures while dog walking in Bozeman, MT after dark, but I could not get this hat out of my mind. 
I did not have anything appropriate in the stash...why does that always seem to happen?  The colors I chose match my purple ski coat.  The two skeins I ended up are somewhat an unusual color choice for me, but I wanted them to match the ski coat so the choices definitely were limited.  I loved the softness of the Madelinetosh...first time using this one.  Wonderfully soft against the skin...maybe I'll actually enjoying wearing it.


Details:
Pattern:  Cross-Country Chullo by Anne Featonby;

Yarn:  Tosh Merino Light by Madelinetosh; 100% superwash merino wool; fingering weight;  2 skeins of  420 yards/100 grams each;  colors- byzantine and sugarplum.  I still have 2 3/8 oz (66 grams) of sugarplum and 2 oz (58 grams) of byzantine.

Gauge:  32 stitches by 34 rows over 4 inches of stockinette stitch.  I was spot on row gauge for this one...for once.

Needles: 2 US 1.5 24" circular needles; 1 US 3 24" circular for I-cord.

Modifications:  Rather than using double point needles I chose to use 2 sets of circulars.  Way to many stitches to risk loosing them in the manipulation colorwork requires.  I followed the pattern until I reached chart E.  Since I was using circular needles I could try the hat on as I went to check the fit and make adjustments.  I started to get worried when it looked as if the hat was turning out way smaller than my big head.  My gauge was perfect so since the pattern did not list any measurements other than circumference I decided I'd add one pattern repeat...just in case.  I decreased back down once I started chart F and continued.  The fit was much better with the additional stitches so my anxiety lessened a good deal.

The only other change I made was the positioning of the ear flaps.  The designer had the ear flaps placed evenly...45 stitches per needle.  After looking over a few of the finished hats on Ravelry a good number talked about changing the placement of the flaps to further back.  It looked much nicer and covered the ears at a better angle.  I held 55 stitches for the front, started the first ear flap over the next 45 stitches, then held the next 35 stitches for the back and used the remaining 45 stitches for the second ear flap.  It looks more natural to me.  

I added tassels to the top and to the ends of the I-cord ties.  A quick shot of stream smoothed out the hat's stitches.  There are a couple of spots that I carried the yarn and snugged it up a bit tighter than I should have, but it isn't driving me batty enough to fix it.  I'm now ready for the winter escape to Bozeman...y'all better hope we get snow (and cold) or my hat won't make it out of my pocket.

Garden Pond

A few weeks back I started a small lace project.  I needed something that was easily done while sitting in a hospital waiting room.  In the queue for over a year was Garden Pond which as it turned out was the perfect project.  It was discovered at last year's Olde Liberty Fiber Faire in Wolle's booth.  I usually don't buy the particular  yarn called for in patterns.  Most of the time I'll find a pattern and look through the stash to see what yarns I have that will work with that particular pattern.  Sometimes the approach works out...sometime it does not.  In this case I bought the yarn and followed up with the pattern as soon as I saw the finished project in Wolle's booth.  I thought the sample color variegations were pretty cool.  I chose a different colorway , but this one worked just as well.  My husband even made positive comments on the finished wrap as it was blocking.  A winner!

The yarn is 100% cotton thread.  Not a fan of cotton yarns, but this one has a very interesting construction. It is made up of 6 strings which are not plied into what I'd call 'yarn' per see.  You knit along with all 6 strings dyed in the same shade of color.  At some point a small knot shows up where the color of one string changes...very little difference in shade is first noticed.  This shifting continues with each of the remaining strings until you've totally changed over to another color. Depending upon the size of the ball this will go through the process two times or more.  In my case it started out with six strings of a rich brown, adds a lighter taupe color until there are six strings of taupe, then switches to a sky blue until there are six strings of blue.  The effect is a gradual shift from brown to blue.  It makes me think of a garden in the spring...dirt to sky or maybe dirt to water would be a better description.  Whichever way you want to look at it the yarn was a perfect choice for a pattern called Garden Pond.

As a side note I did not cut the knot out of my knitting.  I was afraid things would fall apart as time goes on so I left the knot on the reverse side...pretty hard to spot once you're done.

The pattern was a just a small taste of lace...mostly stockinette with a band of lace to break up the boredom.  It was easily memorized and moved along pretty quickly.  The wrap is on the smallish size, but it used every last bit of this yarn.  In fact I ran a wee bit shy on the bind off and had to resort to a small substitution in order to finish.

Details
Pattern:  Garden Pond by Patricia Martin; 

Yarn:  Wolle's Yarn Creations Color Changing;100% cotton; Fingering; 100gram/480 yards; Colorway Blue Honey #4.

Needles:  Addi Lace; US 5; 48" circular

Gauge:  26 stitches x 26 rows

Size:  After blocking 42" x 19"...across the top at the longest point mine is a good bit larger than the pattern's schematic.

Modifications:  I decreased a few rows of stockinette in order to add another repeat of lace at the end.  The pattern called for just three repeats of the fern lace border and I wanted to do a bit more.  Although I did end up running out of yarn as I bound off...oops.  I ran out 18 inches from finishing the bind off.  What to do?  I ended up stash diving and substituted Rowan Calmer in a shade of blue that is so close that so far no one has noticed.  The gauge and ply are slightly off, but not enough for most people to notice...a knitter will notice a couple more errors.  Glaring ones. 

Yet one more 'mistake'...jeez

Can you spot the Rowan switch?

It is Montana Born...Twice

Time flies when your not looking...especially so when you are not updating the knitting blog in a timely fashion.  I do have a few posts that only need pictures taken of the finished item so they can be updated.  My latest and new favorite cardigan is Burrard.  I'm so happy with how this one turned out and was slightly disappointed thinking that I would have to wait until next Fall to wear it.  Happily our return to the East Coast coincided with a colder and wetter Spring than normal so it did get some wear.  I adore this cardigan and it will soon be making a return trip West. 

The cardigan was knit while we were spending part of our Winter in the area where the yarn originated.  How cool is that!  The yarn was made from Montana grown Cormo sheep.  It made its return journey with us back to Montana...actually it went last summer too, but never made it out of the car.  Sad, but true.  I cast on the first sleeve as we drove from east to west.  I decided to be radical and not knit a 'bonified' gauge swatch instead I used my sleeve as the swatch.  It worked so well that I may need to be radical all the time.  At least I didn't feel like I was 'wasting time' on the swatching. 

The yarn has been in the stash for quite sometime...waiting for that 'perfect pattern'.  I used the same yarn for my Cassidy in a grayish color and loved it so much that I immediately bought the remaining skeins in cream.  After wandering around Ravelry for a few days I discovered Burrard.  Only a few had been knit, but the cabled back was spectacular.  I'm such a sucker for anything cabled.  Since the Elsa Wool was just sitting there and we were heading to Montana it seemed to be a perfect combination. 

I usually don't get an awful lot of knitting done when we travel.  I end up taking far more than I can do...afraid I'll run out of something do.  It has happened every time we head out on our little adventures.  This time it was different...not camping and not driving all over creation.  We stayed put in one location and I actually knit every night.  Of course I still took more than I could knit, but only 2 other projects.  You know...just in case.

Details
Project:  Burrard by Glenna C. at Twist Collective Winter 2012;


Yarn:  Elsa Wool;  100% Montana grown Cormo wool; woolen spun; worsted; 237 yards per 4 ounces; in natural (aka white).  I had a total of 7 skeins, but used only 4...well 92 grams of ball 4.  The other great thing is each skein weighed slightly more than the 4 ounces listed so I have enough for a matching hat.

Gauge:  20 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches of stockinette stitch

Needles:  6 US Addi Clicks

Modifications:  To be honest I only changed the shoulder shaping.  I decided to rewrite it for 3 needle bind off...it just looks so much nicer in the finishing. I also added one extra button hole to the collar since I always seem to miss it.  The one thing I thought about changing was the collar.  The pictures looked really odd...way too small.  Once I started to knit it I liked the shape that was developing so I kept the original collar.  It stands up nicely and looks much better than when it is rolled down.  I like the overall look when the collar is up so I'm thinking this will be how I wear it in the future.

I chose buttons that contrasted rather than matched this particular cardigan.  I'm always undecided about which way to go...contrast or matchy.  Most of the time I end up with more of a match between the yarn and the button.  I decided that Burrard looked the nicest with the contrasting buttons.  They can always be changed, right?

Procastination?

Lately my knitting has 'suffered' a bit from a lack of interest or maybe a better explanation is a love/hate for the project I had been working on since...March!  Good grief!  When I looked up when I cast on I realized it was way back at the end of March.  I started it right before we left Bozeman.  It was going to be my car knitting for our drive back East.  Not long (2 hours) into our 3 day drive I knew I was going to hate the knitting of this particular pattern.  Although I love the overall effect of elongated stitches I don't enjoy the manipulation of the needles and yarn necessary to achieve the effect.  Especially using size 1 needles...it took me 3 months to get one sock completed and I have I yet to cast on for the second sock. 

This is the first time in my years of knitting that I have failed to start the second sock as soon as I finished the first one...a sign perhaps?

Out of Order...Baby Knitting

My Blog's knitting order is all messed up.  Usually I post in the order that I cast on and finish items.  Right at this moment I'm 3 or possibly 4 posts behind because I have not taken the proper pictures to go along with my posts.  Why?  The usual reasons...don't think about it when the light is good or I think about it and it decides to rain or is cloudy for DAYS.  As luck would have it I do have pictures of two of my latest finished items. I had to mail them off to the recipient so the need for finished pictures outweighed the weather.  My Fall Acer cardigan will have to wait on sunshine as will my churro and Montana cardigan...for shame. 

Anyway I started a baby project well after the baby arrived (5 months? Jeez).  In my defense I wasn't aware of the impending birth until a couple weeks before the arrival.  With Christmas and Dad's knee surgery all converging together baby knitting wasn't on the top of my list.  Then Bozeman got in the way and I knit myself a sweater while in Montana...the yarn came from Montana grown sheep after all.  Once that was done and we were back in Virginia I broke out the baby book to find a pattern.  I decided on the Cabled Tunic and added a pair of Leaf Laced Booties to go along with a bright set of leggings.  Let's hope for a good fit since I have no idea how big she's grown.

The nice thing about baby knitting is the quickness of the knitting...once you start the knitting.  These items would have been done in well under a week, but my knitting time has been interrupted by tired hands.  I have had to cut back on the knitting time to keep my thumb from doing it for me.  Anyway the Tunic was fun to knit and turned out so darn cute.  A bit fiddly when it came time to seaming the ruffles, but I did not want to knit this in the round. 

As for the booties all I can say is I wish the patterned leaf popped more on the toe.  It was lost a bit due to the softness of the yarn.  I wonder if I had dropped down a needle size things might have looked better.  These were soft and the strap through the top loop was simple once you started knitting.  I did misread the pattern (skipping past a whole paragraph) while knitting the left bootie, but easily turned it into the right side bootie so no time or effort was lost.  Overall I'm pleased this little package is done and on its way before the youngster starts school.



Details:
Pattern #1:  Cabled Tunic by Lee Gant from 60 Quick Baby Knits 

Yarns:  Sweet Delight Baby by Baby Bee; Sport / 5 ply; 60% Acrylic, 40% Nylon ; 377 yards / 115 grams in Grape Jelly (230 yards) and Berry (256 yards).

Needles:  US 4 and US 6, Addi Clicks

Gauge: 23 stitches by 29 rows over 4 inches of stockinette

Size:  12 month

Modifications:  As always I rewrote the shoulders for three needle bind off. 

I also should say something about the yarn.  The yarn snob in me really didn't want to use this yarn, but it was available and I wanted something washable since it is so much easier on the parents.  It didn't split and seems soft to the touch,  The cables looked nice.  I hope that over time the shape holds up well.  It isn't a cotton blend so maybe it will be fine and won't grow with the child.  I used 2 different colors...grape jelly for the body so the cables would pop and berry for the neck and arm trim, as well as the ruffles.

Details:
Pattern #2:  Leaf Laced Booties by Jacqueline van Dillen from 60 Quick Baby Knits
Yarns:   Sweet Delight Baby by Baby Bee; Sport / 5 ply; 60% Acrylic, 40% Nylon ; 377 yards / 115 grams in Grape Jelly.  I used only 71yards for these.

Needles:  US 4,  Addi Clicks and DPN's

Gauge:  22 stitches by 44 rows over 4 inches of stockinette

Size:  9 month

Modifications:  None

Hopefully the rest of my knitting will get posted soon...if the sun comes out so I can get decent pictures.  At the moment it seems unlikely to happen this week.  Since I only have a single pair of socks on the needles I need to choose my next project.  Thinking about lace...
 

 

As you can see Blogger is not playing well with my pictures...no idea what's up with these, but my Ravelry pictures for the Cabled Tunic and Booties are fine