Baby Blue for Henry (& Gretta!)

I had quite a bit of yarn left, so I made a hat to match the sweater.

I used the knitter's handy book of Patterns by Ann Budd to give me some direction for a hat size, but it was too big on the first try and so Henry's mother also gets a hat.

After finishing both hats, I think I know where I went wrong. I knit the sweater on a size 10. I don't have a short (or set of dps) in a size 10, so I bumped up to a 10.5 for the hat, but I cast on for the hat as if I was still using the 10.

Today's special reminder: GAUGE IS IMPORTANT.

Black Linen/Cotton Sweater

{Original post of this mostly finished sweater was April 2009}

Instead of a crochet neck band, I improvised a pick up bind off edge.

I couldn't make the single crochet look good at all, so I wore it a few times without a finished neck. (no one noticed but me.)

The black yarn doesn't show the stitches very well, but you can see the smoothness of the bind off stitches along the front neck edge.

Pick up a stitch by inserting the needle into the neck edge and creating a knit stitch. Pick up a second stitch, then pass the first stitch over the second as in a standard bind off. Repeat.

The neck now has a more finished edge and is not quite as stretchy. Pretty slick!

[Tahki Yarns Spring/Summer Collection 2004, Tahki Yarns Willow, 12 skeins]

Five Hour Baby Sweater

(five hours - ha!)

Five Hour Baby Sweater from yarntootin

It was a good pattern, top down and quick to knit. I used 2 skeins of Cascade 220 Superwash in Skyline Blue (color 884) on a size 10. I purchased the yarn at Crazy Girl Yarn Shop in Iowa City; they had a nice looking sample done that caught my eye.

I am just not that quick (and I never sit still for a whole five hours at one time to see if I am!) I started the sweater in May 2010, as a 'hope' sweater for my sister. I got scared in June and set it aside. In August, when she announced she was pregnant, I got it back out, but didn't restart until November after the baby was born!

One modification I would like to incorporate -- buttonholes. If and when I make it again, I have a note to add some buttonholes.

I used an afterthought buttonhole from a sweater pattern I made a few years ago. I have never seen instructions for this type of buttonhole anywhere else, and I think it is pretty useful.

Afterthought Buttonholes (Peerie Brocade, Charlie Hada)

With WS facing, insert crochet hook into the strand between sts 2 & 3 (worsted/bulky yarns) [fig.3].
Pull strand until loop is about ½" [fig.4]. Then catch the strand above (marked by arrow) and pull it through loop on hook. Lengthen this second loop and tack it down with a piece of yarn.
Return to the hole you have made and repeat the process in a downward direction.

Try Again

There are two important elements to a blog:
• regular posts
• good material

I have had neither of late.

This is my try, try again.


What is this mess? A pile of UFOs (UnFinished Objects). And shortly after I took the picture, I found another lurking in a closet.

There are two baby sweaters in these bags with the knitting already done. One needs buttons and afterthought button holes, and the other needs the sleeves to be attached and buttons added.

They are the simplest finishes, so I will try to tackle them first. I also have an EZ surprise sweater in a pre-teen size and color, a cardigan for myself, an earband (it doesn't need much either), a scarf I started and ripped out, a lace shawl that has been started and ripped out, and a pair of socks.

Pictures and links to some free patterns to follow!

Finished Objects!

I felted and gave the Kaleidoscope Tote away without taking a picture, but it's done!

I have finished pics of 2 projects:

Poncho (for me)-- Yarn (llama & mohair) from Blackberry Hills in St. Croix Wisconsin; free pattern from Lion Brand that I modified to be top down. This is my second or third time with this pattern: first time as written, with Sandra from Shaeffer Yarns; this time modified again to size 17 needles. (I think it was made with a forgotten yarn in the middle, but that may have been another pattern I converted to top-down) Either way that's getting my money's worth out of a free pattern!

Also in the free pattern mode, the Clapotis Shawl from knitty.com. I made mine from Ty-Dy Socks with a size 7, and plan to give it to my sister for her birthday. (not the one that got the kaleidoscope tote, but the other one). It still needs some blocking, but I have a couple of months before her b-day.

Kaleidoscope Tote

I really have a love of the felted bag. This is a kit from 3 Kittens. It is made with malabrigo -- a great, really soft wool that I can't wait to use again. However, I ran into a little trouble because I didn't check my gauge.


When I ran short of one of the pinks (Cactus Flower), I checked my gauge and found I was knitting a little loose. (3 Kittens graciously gave me some extra to complete the front & back.) Then when I worked the base (Christmas Green) I was short again, so I changed from 20 stitches to 18 and knit a little tighter. Now of course I have about 3 yds extra of that green.

The final picture shows how things looked when I finally started putting the parts together. One more change I made from the original pattern: when joining the pieces with the Three Needle Bind Off, I held the parts with right sides together to get a nice ridge that will mimic the I-cord finish for the top.

UFO Weekend 3?

These titles are NOT very creative.

The black sweater is together!!!!!!!! Now it needs a single crochet neck band, ends sewn in, and buttons attached. I need to practice my crochet a bit (I've done very little) and shop for some buttons.

The little sunlight we got today is gone and I really needed it for this sweater. It feels really nice when its on, so it may have been worth the heartache.

During the week I have been working on a pair of socks (about 1 row per night) with 2 socks on 2 circs. There is a little more fiddling than when I work with double points, but the joy in not finishing one and having to turn around and do a second is immense.

The first sweater I made, I was advised to work both sleeves at the same time, and I always try to work this way with pieces that are supposed to match. I will work a front (or two fronts in the case of a cardigan) and the back at the same time. This keeps them the same length and with any shaping I am more likely to keep things matching. Of course when you change your mind about a part of the pattern, it creates more work. (Case in point, the pink shell I am going to work on as soon as this post is done.)

Fantasy Naturale Bag -- picture I promised. -->

I will continue cheering and dancing for a time -- the black sweater is together.