Knitting In The North

FO: Thorpe

My, how things can change overnight!  Just yesterday I was bemoaning the grey-ness out there, and today we're blanketed in white.  The first snowfall is always exciting around here, making me want to break out the Christmas music and build a snowman and go tobogganing and decorate and make gifts and bake good things.  Since I've got a sick babe at the moment, I've had to content myself with Christmas music and baking cookies, and planning to knit this for Brian (in green, to look like Link's). 

 

I did drag Liam out for a few quick minutes, for his first look at the snow.  What a puzzled little face!  He's so serious, when processing something new - he just stood there, taking it all in.  Which made me want to kiss his face right off.  (I'll ask him now, if he needs me to kiss his face off, and he'll shake his head.  No thanks, Mommy.  It makes it even sweeter when he offers me a kiss, all on his own.)  Anyway, it was the perfect opportunity to try out his new hat (you know - the one that fits!).

 

Particulars:

Yarn - Paton's Classic Wool for the body, with leftovers of Knitpick's Comfy Bulky for the trim

Needles - 5mm

Notes/Modifications - I held the Classic Wool doubled, which gave me just about spot on gauge.  It was a little stiff feeling while knitting, but softened up nicely for wearing.  The finished hat has a fairly thick finished fabric, perfect for snowy days, and it holds it's shape nicely, without feeling stiff.  This hat is fast becoming my standby winter hat pattern - once I get past the fiddly beginning, it's smooth sailing, and I am always thrilled at how smoothly the crocheted edging goes on, and how well it finishes the hat off.

 

 

FO: Earflap Hat

 

 

 

With snow about to fly (there were flurries in the air this morning!  Flurries!  Isn't it still September?), it's time to get these kiddies ready for the cold.  Gwenyth is slightly put out with me this year because her winter coat is blue (what an ridiculous mother I am, when Gwenyth is clearly a girl, and practically a princess, no less); I've attempted to redeem myself with a pink & purple hat.  She seems happy, although she doesn't have to wear the blue coat yet - we shall see how it goes.

 

Particulars:

Pattern - Ear Flap Hat (scroll down for pattern)

Yarn - Debbie Bliss SoHo, 2 balls

Needles - 5.5mm

Size - 2-4 years

Notes/Modifications - I jiggled the numbers a bit, to make this a bit bigger than the 2-4yr size, but a bit smaller than the 6-8yr size.  Seeing how it fits, I probably could have gotten away with knitting the larger size, but keeping the length for the smaller size.  I have knit the Thorpe hat before, and I think I like that pattern better than this one - the earflaps on Thorpe are less pointy, and joining them to the hat was simpler.  I also added a single row of crochet around the whole edge of this, a la Thorpe, which seemed to neaten up the edges, and soften the pointiness of the earflaps.  Still, I'd call it a successful Finished Object; this is a pink & purple wool hat, after all, and that's nothing to sneeze at (unless you're allergic to wool, that is).

FO: Log Cabin Washcloths

  

I really hate having leftover yarn at the end of a project.  In a perfect world, I would buy exactly enough yarn, and the pattern would use every last scrap out, without any fear of running out at the end.  Since this world is amazingly far from perfect, I had a whole bunch of leftover yarn when I finished the Little Bubbles Baby Set.  Fortunately, this great washcloth pattern came along from The Purl Bee. 

 

Particulars:

Yarn - Leftovers of Knitpicks Comfy Sport, in Marlin, Sea Foam, Ivory & Jalapeno

Pattern - Log Cabin Washcloths

Needles - 3.25mm straight needles

Notes & Modifications - Because of the change in gauge for this project, the cloth as written came out a bit small.  I got around this by adding a fourth strip of log cabins, but you could also knit each stripe for a few more garter ridges.  This was an awesome mindless, take anywhere project.  The design is sweet & vintagey, but so simple to follow.  Plus, garter stitch can be so soothing, anyway.  These washcloths had me just a bit obsessed, until I ran out of yarn on the third one.  I'm already thinking what a great gift these kind of cloths would make - with some homemade soap, perhaps?

 

 

   

FO: Baby Sophisticate

  

My handsome boy is fast becoming a toddler, causing my heart to break in the sweetest possible way.  Every day, it seems that he's learned something new, or become more confident with one of his little tricks!  For a big boy like this, a big boy autumn sweater was definitely in order.

Particulars:

Pattern - Baby Sophisticate, by Linden Heflin

Yarn - Knitpicks Comfy Bulky, Planetarium, 3 balls

Needles - 5.5mm Denise Interchangeables

Notes & Modifications - I started knitting the 6-12 months size, but quickly realized that even with the change in gauge, I needed a bigger sweater.  I added about 4 extra increase rows before dividing off the sleeves, and I'm quite happy with it.  Liam is a little squirt, though, so for your average 1 year old, I would certainly plan to increase even more.  I made the body & sleeves proportionately longer, and still didn't run out of yarn (hooray!).    

I'm just as pleased with this yarn after a second full project with it - it is soft & squishy, and it really doesn't hurt to have something machine washable for this grubby little boy.  The buttons were a result of the Great Button Sort here last month - we have no proper fabric store in our community, and buttons always cause me a bit of trouble.  What a relief to find five buttons in the correct size, biding their time for the right project.

All in all, I'd say this pattern is a winner - do give it a try if you need a cozy warm layer for a little one in your life.

 

 

FO: Little Bubbles Baby Set

I've been thinking for the past little while that I should really change the name of this blog - although we do lots of fun (and hopefully, interesting) stuff, there hasn't been a whole lot of knitting going on lately!  Today, though, you get the real deal.

As soon as I saw this pattern in the Knitpicks catalogue, I knew I had to try it.  Someone from Stuart's work was expecting, so I had the perfect opportunity to try it out.  What a fun knit!  This is most likely something I will knit again, especially for another little boy - there seems to be a dearth of good baby boy patterns out there.

 

Particulars:

Pattern - Little Bubbles Baby Set,  Knitpicks

Yarn - Knitpicks Comfy Sport, 1 ball each of Ivory, Planetarium, Sea Foam, Marlin & Jalapeno

Needles - 3.25mm

Size - 0-6 months

Notes - I made no modifications here, just followed along blindly.  This was packaged as a kit, so I didn't get to pick out the colours myself, and I'll admit I really don't like the sea foam in there.  It's okay, I guess, and polling knitting friends (and random strangers) tells me that no one else sees this problem, but it still bothers me a bit. 

There was enough going on with the pattern to keep me entertained at all times, what with the easy top-down action, the bubble stitch, and the one-row stripes.  I did check out this tutorial for the bubble stitch to smooth my way, and found it very helpful. 

I was pretty skeptical of the yarn at first (it's a 75/25 cotton/acrylic blend), but was pleasantly surprised.  The initial feel is super soft, and the yarn lived through a bit of ripping and re-knitting without falling apart into a pilly mess.  (I liked this yarn so much, I ordered more to knit Liam's fall sweater!)  The hat is very sweet, but left me wishing I had taken the time to learn how to knit jogless stripes - definitely a technique I need to pick up before I do this one again. 

The baby this is intended for made a surprise arrival (two weeks early) on Saturday, which left me grateful I had actually done the knitting in July.  I did need to quickly sew on buttons, but it's all good.  And there's nothing like a 5 1/2lb (but healthy & happy) baby to make you glad you knit sweet little things!

FO: Reclamation

It. Is. Finished.  And, it's the right size.  And... she likes it!  She really, really likes it!  Success all round, I'd say. 

Just in time, too, as we're off to Vancouver to pick up Stuart's "surprise" birthday present, and have a mini-holiday while we're there.  I'm taking along some really cool baby knitting, which I'll show you next week when we get back.  Or maybe I should take socks.  Or perhaps I should start Sabine...

Particulars:

Pattern - Reclamation, by Stefanie Japel

Yarn - Knitpicks Shine Worsted in Reef, 3 balls

Needles - 5.5mm Denise Interchangeables

Notes - There are really no great modifications to be made to this sweet little pattern.  It's easy, rhythmic, and looks wonderful finished.  I used almost all of the three balls I had left (you know what happened to the other ball!), and it came out a generous size.  It fits me nicely as a scarf, and drapes beautifully around Katie's slender neck.  She even wore it to school, the ultimate wardrobe test for a tween.

 

FO: Ishbel

Finally, finally, I can show you the super secret gift I knit for my mother!  I was given this beautiful skein of yarn, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was meant for her.  The colourway is, rather uninspiringly - I think, called Lavendar.  Really, it's a luscious royal purple in some lights, soft lilac at certain times, and a deep delphinium blue/purple in others.  The yarn is wool/silk/synthetic, with a strand of sterling silver spun in, and it's incredible.  At night, the silver glistens, and the yarn glows.

Particulars:

Pattern - Ishbel, by Ysolda Teague

Yarn -  Woolbearers Kraemer Sterling Sock Yarn, Lavendar, 1 skein

Needles - 4.5mm

Notes - I knit the smaller size, and had more than enough yarn at the end of it.  The pattern was very easy to follow, and I have at least one or two more of these in the planning stages.  I would also love to knit a larger version one day, if I can overcome my fear of laceweight yarn.  Personally, I quite enjoy these smaller shawls - they are just right for wearing around the neck as a scarf, but work magnificently as a shawl when needed. 

My mother seemed to really like it - there's always that tiny inner fear when you knit something, especially something that you are particularly proud of, that the recipient will not see the beauty that you see.  Mum, though, has always been a Noticer of Beauty - she taught me as a child to look, to watch, to see with open eyes, and it is one gift I sincerely desire to pass on to my own children.  I hope this little shawl will be a small expression of that to her.

FO: Earth Day Socks

It was about a year ago when Brian first asked me for a pair of green socks.  A simple enough request, but made just a week or so before Liam's arrival, it got lost in the shuffle.  In this rush of spring energy I've been feeling, I remembered what Brian would like, and got out some yarn. 

He'd been telling me all about Earth Day, and we realized that this yarn looked kind of like the earth, with it's blue and green, and pretty springish, too.  It was a good choice, and Brian is very happy to have had the light of my creative resources turned on him for a little while.  I need to do more of this kind of thing for him - I think of all the kids, he is the most appreciative of my handmade gifts.

Particulars:

Pattern -  A Good Plain Sock, by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, from Knitting Rules

Yarn - Patons Kroy Socks Stripes, Greens, 1 ball

Needles - 2.5mm DPNs (my favourite, 5" long wooden ones)

Notes - Nothing too exciting here, I knit these socks on 48 stitches (which just barely fit Mr. Brian-who-Won't-Stop-Growing).  In the past, when picking up stitches at the gusset, I've tended to only pick up one strand of yarn, which always left a funny line right there.  This time, after making sure I slipped the first stitch of every row on the gusset, I picked up right through both strands of the slipped stitch, which made a nicer looking heel flap line.  Maybe something you've always known, but it was a lightbulb moment for me!

For good measure, one more shot of the handsome guy...

FO: Couvercle

I love hats, and have been told many times that I am "a hat person", (whatever that means).  Even though I know they flatter me, I still tend not to wear them very often, probably for the same reason I don't often wear jewellery, even when I have a piece I love.  I just don't think of it, and don't bother with the extras.  Who knows, maybe this is the finished knit that will change that?

Particulars:

Pattern - Couvercle, by Kira Dulaney

Yarn - Araucania Nature Cotton, 1 skein, green

Needles - 5.5mm

Size - Adult Small

Notes - I added a bit of length to this hat, knitting a few extra rounds in the straight section, before beginning the decreases.  Although I didn't add extra length to the brim, I wish that I had knit it just one row longer; I don't think it has the same brim-feel as in the pattern's pictures.  I was very worried that this would be far too small for me, but it grew a lot during blocking, which was a relief. 

 

Sadly, I'm the first to admit that although I love the hat, it looks better on Katie than me.  She just has that cool factor, that je ne sais quoi...  (Plus, she's beautiful, so how can stuff not look wonderful on her?)  It's still my hat, but I have a feeling it will turn into a joint custody kind of thing in time.  And I don't mind - too much.

FO: Peacock Sweater

It's only taken a year and a half, but I FINALLY finished this little sweater for Gwenyth!  Just in time, it looks like, too!  I was lulled into thinking I had lots of time, forgetting that even when it doesn't look like it, those darn kids keep growing.  Gwenyth, of all the children, has had the hardest time adjusting to the idea of me working, and accepting the changes in our daily and weekly schedule.  I've been trying to focus on her a tiny bit extra, just to let her know I still love her and all that.  Funny girl, though - spending the time with her getting her dressed and taking these pictures was, I think, more meaningful to Gwen than the actual sweater.  I guess I know what her love language is!

Particulars:

Pattern - Peacock, by Holli Yeoh

Yarn - Opal sock yarn, 100g ball (I'm sorry, the ball band is long gone, so I can't tell you the colourway) and 2 balls of Phildar Preface

Needles - 2.75mm & 3mm straights

Size - 4T

Buttons - 6 shiny navy blue plastic buttons

Notes & Modifications - I picked this pattern because I had this random ball of sock yarn lying around.  It was sent to me in a sock club package, and couldn't imagine knitting it into socks, but liked the colours and wanted to do something with it.  This colourway just screams "Gwenyth" to me, and when I happened across the Peacock pattern in a LYS in Jasper I knew it would be a perfect match.  Because I had so much of the patterned yarn, and wanted as much bright colour for Gwen as possible, I knit quite a bit more of the fronts in the patterned yarn than the solid.  I took it as far as the armhole decreases, knowing that the change in width would change the striping action, and not wanting to get into that.  I really like the change, and I'm glad I made it. 

I also significantly decreased the length of the body - the pattern called for it to be about 6" longer, and not only did I not have enough yarn for that, but I didn't like the idea of this cardigan hitting upper to mid-thigh on Gwenyth.  The finished length, after blocking, is about 7" to the armholes, and 14" from the shoulder seam.  This makes a waist length cardi for Gwen, great with "regular clothes", and even sweeter over a dress.

While I love this on Miss Gwen, and am sooo very happy that I finished it after all this time, I don't think I would rush to knit this one again.  Knitting a sweater out of sock yarn is simply too long a process for this FO-gratification-lover, and I found the finishing quite fiddly.  Because of the scalloping of the lace pattern, sewing the shoulder seams and inserting the sleeves was a bit of a nuisance.  I had to sew in a straight line, ignoring the points formed by the fabric, which doesn't sound very complicated, but was not at all pleasant for me.  Still, it's a very sweet pattern, and a really great use of sock yarn that you know you don't want to knit socks out of!