A baby sweater and another pop up box card

Knitting baby or toddler items is such fun. They are cute and quick to complete. A friend is expecting her first granddaughter soon. I sent her daughter (already a mommy to two adorable boys) this sweater in a color that is similar to the deep pink they chose to use with white in the baby's room. I am sorry that the only photo I have is the one they took when they first opened it in their car on the way home from the post office. I know I took photos before I sent the sweater, but I can't locate them this morning.

Here are photos from the pattern magazine, the Spring 2014 issue of Creative Knitting:

          

I used Sirdar Baby Bamboo, a yarn that is 80% bamboo, 20% wool. The only thing I did differently was using a single button at the neck. The button I used had a daisy like flower in nearly the exact shade as the yarn. 

I'm still having fun making gift box cards. This is the card that accompanied the sweater.

A few of the stickers, such as the stork, were a bit heavy for a thin strip of cardstock to support them and have them stand up straight. I sandwiched an unused twist tie between two strips of paper and that worked beautifully! This is a fun way to use up odd stickers and embellishments.

The first card that I made in this fashion is here. The instructions and cutting dimensions from Split Coast Stampers are here. There are other variations online with slightly different dimensions. Search for Pop Up Card Boxes or similar phrases.

I may be late to the party among those who enjoy Sizzix brand Susan's Garden floral dies, but I think I'm going to be hooked. I bought one die set recently, unaware that a specific tool kit is a good idea for shaping the petals after they've been cut. Undaunted, I cut out petals from yellow card stock, used a stylus-like tool with a blunt end and a chop stick to shape them and this was my first attempt at a rose:

More petals could have/should have been used, but perhaps this is the last rose of summer....in March! With all the snow, ice and bitter temps (a wind chill of -22 degrees  this morning!)  any rose is a pleasure to see.

Stay warm. Stay happy. Keep crafting!

Knitted Bunnies

Between Pinterest and Ravelry, I didn't stand a chance. Little bunnies kept jumping out and me, crying "Knit me! Knit me!" The pattern, available through Ravelry and here at Little Cotton Rabbits, was fairly quick to knit. I am tempted to say it was definitely quick to knit but I am writing this over a month later and the holidays (shouldn't that be holly "daze"?) might have skewed my perception of time.

Oooh! A bunny butt!

Here she is with her toy bear out of her Christmas stocking.

Why did I make her gray? Perhaps she is an old bunny like me with graying hare....er...hair.  Truthfully, I knew I wanted her dress to be red and white and wanted contrast in her body coloring.

The pattern parts are all knit flat, sewn and stuffed. I often knit in the round but on small projects, knitting flat can be easier. The body of the rabbit, including her striped legs and shoes is made with SMC Select merino cotton yarn. Her dress and the Christmas stocking are made from Rowan's Sienna cotton yarn. The bear was made from leftover self striping sock yarn. 

The rabbit pattern comes with one dress pattern. The additional pattern for seasonal dresses is based on the original dress with graphs for the various designs. I think the dress will fit stuffed bears that I have out all year long. I didn't think to try this dress on one of them before sending this off as a gift. If the dress pattern fits, my bears are going to be very well dressed all year long!

The Christmas stocking went together so well, I made twelve more of them, ten shown here.

If you're looking for projects to use up small quantities of yarn, if you need a snug-able toy, or if you just have a thing for bunnies, hop on over to Ravelry or to the link above and get the pattern for the girl rabbit, the boy rabbit, or maybe you prefer a hedgehog or fox.  This link will take to you free patterns on the website if you'd like to get a feel for her directions before making a purchase.

Ruby Bear

Need a quick, simple to knit bear pattern? Here is Ruby Bear by Premier yarns. I used James C. Brett Chunky Marble, available colors shown here. I believe I used MC28 but I no longer have the label.

 

I would make this bear again, but rather than using a needle size to obtain the suggested gauge, I would knit it on smaller needles to make a denser fabric so that the batting isn't visible through the knitting. 

 

Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry...er....knitting bones!

The Prince of Sweetness, aka my grandson, is going to be Batman for Halloween so this sweater has nothing to do with that specific evening. I hope he will enjoy it while playing outside regardless of the date.

The pattern was once a free download from Bernat but doesn't appear to be available now. If you are interested in it, please contact me (leave a comment) and I will get back to you if you provide an email address.

The sweater pattern is for sizes 2, 4, 6 or 8.  I used inexpensive acrylic yarn as I don't intend for this to be an heirloom garment. My grandson is warm much of the time anyway (unlike me!) so I don't know how much wear this will get before he outgrows it.

Clara dress

The card that I posted yesterday accompanied this dress as a gift to our godson and his wife who are expecting their first child soon.

And the back, closed with one pearl button

 

These photos show the dress immediately after weaving in loose ends and adding the button. I didn't think to photograph again before packaging it for gift giving.

 

The dress pattern is called Clara dress and is only available from the designer as a kit. Here is that link.  Many of us in a knitting group have made it from other yarns purchased locally that do not require hand washing or are more hypoallergenic than alpaca yarn.

 

The yarn I used is Pediboo by Frog Tree. It is 80% washable Merino, 20% bamboo. This is a sock weight yarn. The color number is 1123. I will definitely make this again, and I am not one who often wants to knit the same item with the same type of yarn. Pediboo is great to work with and I love the way the yarn looks and feels.

Architectural Vest

I made a vest for my dear daughter-in-law. The name of the pattern is Architectural Vest, designed by Lisa Hoffman and available at the Tahki Stacy Charles website on in the pattern book Intermix by Thaki Yarns.

This is the vest as shown in the pattern

The yarn is Cotton Classic Lite, a 100% cotton yarn by Tahki.

These two photos were rushed and not taken in good light conditions, but they show the front and back of the finished vest.

 This photo was taken in natural daylight and shows the color more accurately.

The pattern was not difficult and my only complaint was the size of the printed chart in the pattern book. Knitters younger than I am in my knitting group also thought the chart was minuscule and difficult to read. Normally I would have scanned it, enlarged and printed it here at home, but my printer/scanner and computer had a spat and weren't communicating. Ok, that isn't exactly true...I had a new router from Uverse and didn't know how to readdress the printer until a few hours after making my own charts using Excel spreadsheets. A blog buddy asked why I didn't go to an office supply store and have the charts copied there. I don't know if reason number one was that I was tackling this at odd hours while still in my nightgown or if reason number two was more accurate, that being that I just plain didn't think of going there. I knew from past experience that FedEx/Kinko's sometimes gives you grief over copying printed material even if it is only for personal use.

Cabled cushion

Cute cabled cushion? Perfectly purled pillow? Addicted to alliteration?

Don't mind me. I've had too much sugar, not enough sleep and am trying to make sense out of the senseless bombings at the Boston Marathon. I'm not going to write about that, other than to encourage people to remember there is always more good in the world than bad. Mr Roger's quote is a good thing to keep in mind as we ease our way through this.



 

As I wish everyone peace and comfort today, I will be gracious and offer you a pillow for your weary heads.
But not this pillow.
It is fresh off my knitting needles and I don't want your cooties on it.

The pattern is simply called Cushion and is available here at no charge. I used Louisa Harding's Aimee yarn, a 90% cotton, 10% cashmere blend.

The pattern called for a 16" pillow but I used a 14" because I had it on hand. I think it could have easily been blocked to fit a larger pillow but I am happy with it as is.



Piccadilly scarf

Last Friday I traveled to Mary Maxim's with more of a need to get out and about than a need for anything within the store. That didn't stop me from spending though. I did my bit to stimulate the economy. You are all very welcome for my contribution. 

One of the items I shopped for was a particular brand of yarn which I did purchase but haven't played with yet. There were numerous items not on my list that came home with me, but none as surprising as this:



This isn't yarn, nor is it ribbon. It is a 100% polyester fabric strip with evenly spaced holes along one side that can be used in knitting or crochet. If I hadn't seen a sample scarf in the store, I may not have even noticed these odd bundles among the traditional yarn skeins.

 

This was done in one evening. The technique is the same as working with what is generically called "ruffle" yarn, but it does even faster because the yarn requires a little manipulation of the fibers (spreading them open) to see where you will insert the needle or hook.

 

The color choices are limited to five, and while this look won't appeal to everyone, I have worn it out to two different locations and been stopped, complimented and questioned about it. An internet search for this product may show you a little girl's done with this and a traditional yarn on the Ravelry site.



The pattern is available as a free download, sized for 0-3 months, 3-6; 6-9; and 9-12 months. The design in this fabric is a different pattern and is marketed as Covent Garden. Both fabrics are by Estelle, called Frill Seeker Fantasy Fabrics.

 

 

Knitted pillow in the works

Knit, knit, knit,...oops...rip, rip, rip.

Such is the life of a knitter who sometimes talks too much or pays too much attention to TV while knitting.

I am currently working on a knitted pillow, the free pattern is available here from Sarah Gasson at Knitables. The pattern is not difficult but you need to keep track of your rows. I did that.  Unfortunately, at one point I didn't pay attention to row 5 having a different cable than row row 13. Patterns rows 3-18 repeat throughout the pillow, a 16 row repeat. I was 12 rows past my mistake in the middle of the pillow when I saw what I had done wrong. Undoing knitting is humbling.

Here is the front, or maybe the back since they are the same.

The yarn is Aimee by Laura Harding. It is 90% cotton, 10% cashmere.

The red pillow in this photo is close to the size of the pillow form I will use. The length of the knitted pillow will only be stretched a little, the width will block to the correct width and the pattern will appear a little flatter.

I will start the back tonight. Don't hold your breath waiting for a finished pillow. I have spring fever despite the 20-something degree temperature and have been flitting from project to project.

Anyone with excessively warm weather right now is encouraged to send it north. Sometimes there is a spike in population 9 months after very cold weather.  By mid march that is no longer the case. Crabby, housebound people are less likely to canoodle and more likely to kabong.

Don't remember what or who kabong is? Here is Quick Draw McGraw's alter-ego, El-Kabong.

 

If Mother Nature doesn't adjust the thermostat here in Michigan soon, I am getting a guitar with her name on it, right after I knit a cute cape and mask.

 



Jane Austen Knits hat pattern

Once upon a time I bought every new knitting magazine I could find. Knitting became more popular again (yes!!) and new magazines appeared. I became selective in magazine purchases when the number of magazines outgrew their designated space in my craft room. I'm better about tearing out patterns that I might use one day and putting them into binders, but they still accumulate and guilt nags me when I look at new issues in the store.

Jane Austen Knits magazine debuted in 2011. The patterns that I have glanced at in various issues have been pretty, but not my personal style. Sometimes a photograph doesn't do justice to a project though, and a hat called a Modified Mobcap from the Summer 2012 issue was an example of a photo I saw and dismissed.

Enter the knitting group at my local yarn store. One woman made the cap. Ooooh, that was nice. Then another woman made it. And made it again and again. I was hooked. I needed to make one too. I had Misti Alpaca Tonos Worsted yarn, color TW11 (Shanghai Wedding) that wanted to become a hat so I obliged. A mere two night's of TV watching while knitting produced this:

(Don't you love my patient model?)

The color is actually redder than it appears in these photos. I'm having trouble photographing red indoors lately, probably due to gloomy days. With a flash, the red shows up orange. Oh well.

This isn't the most flattering style for me to wear, but if it is cold enough for me to wear a hat, I'm most likely not in the mood to care about appearances. I'd rather be warm than utterly adorable. I'm ok with merely adorable.

I know that I will use this pattern again. The pattern in the band is a variation on the linen stitch. After that comes an increase row, a few rows of plain knitting, and then the decreases begin and the cap speeds toward finishing. This pattern is going to make great gifts!

Holy cow, this cowl is huge!

I recently participated in a mystery knit along. All I knew before beginning was the weight and amount of yarn I would need; needle sizes; and that the finished project would be a cowl. Directions are given in installments in a mystery knit along.

A cowl can be loose and drapey or more close fitting to the neck. Usually gauge is important, but when making something that doesn't require an exact fit, such as a scarf, the pattern may not give a gauge. I am a very relaxed knitter who knits loosely. I usually have to go down a size in needles to achieve the correct gauge when one is given. Not knowing what the finished project was going to look like, I followed directions as given.

The cowl was knit on circular needles with the size changing along with the pattern stitches. The cowl began and ended with a linen stitch. The second and fourth of five sections was done in herringbone, and the middle was plain stockinette. When these were complete, the short ends of the cowl had stitches picked up and knitted in ribbing, one end with button holes, the other to have five buttons sewn on.

Sounds good, right? But alas, it looks lousy on me. First photo is the cowl, flat and buttoned as intended.

Taking photos of myself wearing this, I wasn't able to get one worn buttoned that way without it being all bunched.  In the next photo, I have it open and flat. That doesn't work either.

The last two photos work in theory, either partially buttoned or buttoned askew with button #1 in button hole #5, but I don't care for either. Partially buttoned might work if the opening around my neck wasn't so enormous.

I like the yarn used, Marble Chunky by James C. Brett. It works up nicely in a very simple scarf that I haven't photographed yet. I will spend TV time ripping this out.

Tomorrow I will show you a knit project that did turn out well, proof that nothing everything this month has been a downer.

To leave this entry on a positive note, I am positive this cartoon does not represent yours truly. If my husband says otherwise, please know he has been known to exaggerate.

Socks, Boxy Cosmetic bags and maybe a Shaving Kit

Two long time friends and I go out to dinner or lunch once per month to keep in touch with each other's lives. One's name begins with a T, one with an L and mine begins with a C, so our group is TLC. Usually at Christmas, we include a play, concert, or special destination to our dinner date. This year was only dinner, but a marvelous dinner it was. We exchange gifts after our meal. This year, I made each of them socks and presented them inside a "boxy cosmetic bag" that was also handmade.

I prefer to knit socks on two circular needles, from the toe up. My favorite basic sock pattern is from Wendy Johnson's book, Socks From the Toe Up (shown here on Amazon). The green socks above used Berroco Sox Metallic 1364, a color called Kiwi.

These socks were knit using Ty-Dy Sock yarn, color #1520 called Arizona, from Knit One Crochet Too. I did a little lace work in three columns on this pair from the toe up into the ribbing. I didn't think to try to photograph that before packaging the socks, but that accounts for the difference in appearance.

I saw this on Pinterest and used Made by Marzipan for my directions. Many tutorials and videos are available if you search for "boxy cosmetic bags". This fully lined bag was easy to assemble with the only hand sewing being closing up a few inches of the lining that had been left open for turning the project right side out.

When they were finished, I excitedly showed my husband who looked at them and cautiously asked whey I was making shaving kits. I had to laugh...yes, they do like shaving kits and would make a great gift for men in a suitable fabric. Using vinyl for the lining would make them even more like a traditional kit.

Mohair scarf

A while back, I posted a sneak preview of a scarf called the December Scarf from Sheera, available here on Ravelry.

I used Kidsilk Haze yarn from Rowan, color 00636 called Mist. It is a very pale grayish lavender. The color seems to read a little different depending on lighting and backdrop. Against white, it looks less blue than in the above photo.

Looking more gray here

From a distance, against this dark chair, it looks white.

The pattern was not difficult if you have a little lace experience and are comfortable knitting from a chart. Kidsilk Haze is 70% mohair, 30% silk. The openness of lace knitting made this project a little slippery on my Harmony needles. Stitches were accidentally pulled off the needles a few times, but no little ears were around to hear the words that escaped my mouth. I usually curse quietly anyway.

I used one skein of yarn which was 25 grams, approximately 229 yards, with a small amount left over. I might try this pattern again in a completely different yarn. The drawback might be that the wrong side of the scarf will noticeably be the wrong side when a different yarn is used.

Christmas Knitting

Now that it is past Christmas and secret projects have been revealed, please check this "I Made This" post for the socks and bags I made for Christmas.

Unrelated to this and without a clever segue, I am enjoying Trisha Yearwood's Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen which was a gift to me this year.

I made two appetizers from this book that were well received at a party last night. I've been in a rut and trying to shake free of it, something that makes hubby very happy. My mom was a cookbook junkie and I guess I am too. Whatever it takes for inspiration, right?

Have a delicious day!