KnittingNatty

Blue

Blue for sky

and blue for mood. My mum left after her visit this morning. The older I get the harder it seems to say good bye. Also the harder it is to see her aging, little by little.

There has been knitting, though, hurrah!

Starfish from "Toys to Knit" by Tracy Chapman. Its a hit with the kids - pity it is going in the mail to Baby D on Monday!

I finally got back to Michele in "Hot Knits" by Melissa Leapman. I've had the yarn for almost a year, shame on me! And I'm starting with the sleeve to see how much yarn I have. A common theme with me - worrying about having enough yarn, it seems! My dear friend Bron sent me this yarn, and I am really really pleased with how the colours are knitting up together!

The next photo is crap for colour representation, but shows the stitch definition a little better:

I started a sock for the Hubster

and bought beads for the Secret of the Stole KAL
colour choice inspired by the charcoal cotton leftovers to the  left. Again, the colour representation is not the best, and my apologies.

Apologies also for the lack of words. Moping is pretty well the order of the day today.
But better luck tomorrow!

Project monogamy

This is what can be done when I stick to a simple and repeditive knit without straying onto other Projects (Please excuse the ends - will be woven in sometime before sending!)

The blankie was claimed by DD as soon as it was off the needles:

She loves da knittin':

and getting organised to inspect...

...dirt.

(as you do when you are 2).

Details: I ordered only 2 balls of Cotton Ease in each colour, orange, green and cream. I knit 8 rows of each colour until the cream colour ran out. I think switched to the next colour change, green, and did an ordinary cast off.

I'll post some better pictures once the ends are woven in and I give the whole she-bang a press with the iron.

Pattern specs to follow.

Inspired

So here is the G-O:

Inspiration was found here. No need to buy a pattern for this!

I am pretty picky with baby blankies that I like to knit. They must

• be symmetrical from the centre out
• not be hole-y for little fingers to poke through and get stuck
• be modern looking
• not scream baby-boy or baby-girl
• be attractive
• be simple if possible (especially if I ma the one making up the pattern as I go!)

In the end, I sought the advice of the good folk at Chatters, and proceeded as follows
CO8 sts (Emily Ockner's technique)  [it was a revelation when I plled the cast on end tight - wow - no gaps!]

I then inc'd twice into every second st for the first round;* K one round; purl into the first st and then Ktbl into the same st, K to second last st, inc into the second last st as follows: K into front loop, Ktbl. The last st of each needle is Ktbl. Proceed for 8 rows.

Then change to colour 2 and purl all sts. I wanted the  incs on each side of the work to  mirror each other, so with the  purl section, I purled through the back of the loop f the first st, then drew the RHS needle into the front loop, crossing in front of the work as I did so, and then purled through the front loop. This creates the same "bar" across the front of the work as the K section increases did.

I gave EZ's backwards loop inc a lot of consideration, but then decided to "do my own thing". And I an liking the results. Do you agree?

The baby this blankie is intended for is getting older every day, so I'm considering project monogamy, not been very good in that way since blogging began, but there is always a first time...

FO: Baby J's jumper

Here 'tis, Baby J's Jumper:

Pattern: Bouton d'Or - "Theme Peuplier" #35 - Pull. Size 2.
Yarn: MC - 6 balls Patons Jet col 101(wool/ alpaca blend) and CC - 1 ball Paton's Inca col 7014 (wool/ alpaca/ acrylic blend)
Notes: I added a split at the centre back to allow for little heads to get in and out easily.

I did the ribbed bands to match the cuffs and bottom band. I will add press studs and a wooden toggle button. When it is done up, the neckband will sit properly.

I added an extra repeat to the sleeves, as Master J (who is about the same age as our DD) appears to have long arms and has 6 months growing to do before he will wear this jumper.

I hope his Mum likes it!
 

My kingdom for a sleeve

A sleeve, a sleeve; my kingdom for a sleeve!

Oh well, its just as well, I seem to have a sleeve after all!

One down, one to go!

This is next, for Baby J's big Sister, I:

Hopefully, I can cast this on over the weekend!

Knitting boot camp

I have been cranky with my knitting since having to frog almost the whole back of the Lace Panel jumper. I have been feeling overwhelmed with the amount of knitting I have to do, and I lost the flow of knitting for a couple of days, but thankfully, it's back now :)

And reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire cover to cover since Sunday had nothing to do with it. ;)

I have finished the front of Baby J's jumper, and seamed the front and back together. The neck shaping is quite shallow, so I am glad that i have made an allowance for the head at the back, 'cause kids' heads are always bigger than you think. And there is nothing like trying to reason with a little one "to just squeeze it over your head, and it will look lovely cause its a handknit" etc. (I referenced this site, and also the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Rules for the head measurements.)

This pattern reminds me why I love knitting so much. You see a picture, blindly follow a chart or two and hey presto - it starts to resemble the picture before your very eyes.

See?

Well, it still looks a little like a chain mail outfit, but soon it will have sleeves and a rolled collar! I'm thinking Paddington Bear toggle buttons for this one...

What will be next? Yep, I'm already thinking about it... What I need is a knitting boot camp to whip me into shape before Xmas... And no more Harry Potter until the 26th December!

Backing up

Here is the back of Baby J's jumper, rolling right along

And, an artsy- fartsy shot, just because I can:

The colour of the yarn is a bit in between these two pics.

And the back of the Lace Panel Jumper

I was zipping along quite well this morning, thinking about casting off the back, when I reached for the 7th ball for the back. Suddenly, I thought, hmmm, that's 14 for the front and back, and I only have 17... I'm not going to get 2 long sleeves out of three balls... lets just check our measurements...ooops! Its too wide!

Time to frog, folks! Sigh. Pass the coffee. Time to back up.

Boy's jumper.

I have cast on a size 2 jumper for a little boy called J. I am using Patons Jet in dark grey, and some Patons Inca for  variety.

So far, so good. The pattern is fully charted, which makes for easy pattern  interpretation, and once again the magnetic holder has come into its own, reminding me that I have a measly 24 rows to go of chart1 of Icarus and then I will be done with Chart 1 for all time.  I really need to get a rotation going, and follow Robbyn's good advice. But I digress.

I have also casat on the Lace Panel Jumper/ Sweater. I'm loving knitting with this yarn, and have to limit myself to one ball a day. Or two ;). I am just under the armsythes at the moment.

Thanks all for the compliments on the ladder stitch cardi. I'll try and get some more flattering pics taken over the weekend.

The camera is not playing nice, so a photo will have to wait for now.

Oh, I missed out on the job. But the application stays on file for 12 months, so we'll have to see what happens there. Its not "holding your breath" territory.

I don't have time to dwell really. I have about 20 million stitches to put in between now and a month's time...

From the knitting vault

When my sister was expecting her children, I discovered I liked knitting baby things. Oh, the warm fuzzies I felt at the thought of a new baby coocooned in a handknitted garment! I still believe that (apart from a mother's and a father's love and good sustenance) there is little that can beat a handknitted blanket for warmth or special snuggly toy for distraction and comfort.

As is the way of these things, I started off by knitting quite a few things for my sister's first baby, but I knitted fewer and fewer garments as the babies kept arriving with stunning regularity. You see, I had become vaguely uneasy at the reception my handknits received...

My sister recently returned some of the handknits all of which have now been outgrown. I cannot say if they were all well loved, (some had not been worn) but I know at least one was well loved indeed.

My Mum's visit has now ended, but whilst she was here, she mended some of these handknits.

These will be passed on to a dear friend who knits and can therefore appreciate them :), or at least knows how to  wash them:

These will be altered for Caitlyn (steeks are called for and there is no surplus yarn, unless I frog the matching hat)

This is one she can wear right now- it's a brilliant emerald colour in real life

See?

That's a bit of fruit stick stuck to the bottom of her shoe. And yes, she ate it. All of it. I don't think she will suffer any ill effects. She has tried many and varied things to eat in her short one and a half years on this planet so far, including soap (didn't spit it out); candle wax (same); and her own, well, you get the idea (she didn't go back for seconds).

Two things about the next photograph: 1. Yes, there were over 300 sts in the ruffled bottom rows, thanks for  asking! 2. I've always loved buttons - these were just the cat's meow...

nyuk nyuk

This one will be kept for when she grows a little. I think its a size 2.

The buttons are little flowers with yellow centres.

They didn't photograph well. I used to put this label inside all the baby knits.

I also knitted a white one in the same pattern except it was smaller, which got felted beyond recognition. It did not get returned to me. There were others. Who knows what their collective fates were?

At least wool is 100 percent biodegradeable!

Bring on the Baby

'Cause finally, I'm ready!

Without further ado, the baby blankie in all its glory!

Would you like to see the personalities of each of the four squares?

Here's a closeup of the edging:

I am so pleased with how this project turned out, I cannot tell you. I envisioned from the outset that it would look beautiful but words fail me to describe it once it was all put together, pressed again, and laid out on the floor to look at. Using different colours creates a "sampler quilt" feel to the blankie that compliments the way that stitch patterns are used in the squares. Using mattress stitch to sew up the half stitch selvedge also adds to this harmoniously.

Looking back now that the blankie is finished, I remember how elated I felt hearing the news that the best man from our wedding and his lovely wife were going to have a baby. I reflected on the utmost value that my husband has always placed on his friendship with "our best man" (they have been friends since they were only a couple of years older than our DS). I resolved to create a blankie to give as a gift from our little family to their fledgling one that would embody the lasting gift of love over time and distance, as only a handknit can. I agonised over colours; yardage and possible yarn subs midships; how to piece the squares together; how to edge it. There were many quandries I faced with this project. The stakes were high.

Before I get too sentimental (Too late you say? Never mind!) I should add that the kids had a great time taking off with the squares around the house; standing on them; playing with them; getting food on them - but let's face it - it's a good introduction for the blankie's future life, so I let them have at it.

Specs:

Pattern: Blanket (imaginative title *snark*), pattern #13 by Kim Hargreaves from Rowan magazine #33; modified to 4 x 4 squares for a baby blanket measuring 95cm x 95 cm (37 inches x 37 inches) including edging.

Yarn:
A third of a ball of All Seasons Cotton (1 beige square); ex Smooch, stashbuster
A third of a ball of Cotton Ease (2 squares in pale blue); ex Bob, stashbuster
4 balls purchased from the Knitting Loft in Mid blue (3 squares); hot pink (2 squares); bright red (none used in the end - will be dishcloths) and Sugarplum (3 squares - I stole some from this ball to make a Panta)
4 more balls in Sugarplum, kindly gifted to me by Sharnette. Sharnette sent me the yarn for nothing, a present, plus she also sent it airmail. I want to say a huge thank you to you, Sharnette and Bless You - this blanket would have ended up being about 9 and a half dishcloths otherwise! (I knitted 5 additional squares from Sharnette's sugarplum CE and all the edging.)

I have a good third of the balls in pink and mid blue left, and about 1 and a half balls of the sugarplum over; plus all of the red, montioned above. These will be face washers or dishcloths come Christmas time. I used a good half a ball for the edging. To do this project again in one colour, I would allow 7 balls of CE. If you want to change the colours, then I would allow more yarn for piecing your pattern.

Needles: 4.5 mm addi bamboo circular 80 cms. I was supposed to change down to a 4.00 mm needle for the edging, but stuck with the 4.5 mm.

A good steam iron, lots of steam and a thick cotton tea towel were also essential.

Notes: See previous 2 posts as well re finishing information. The squares were knit up as a diamond shape really from one stitch up to 44 or so, and then decreased back down to 3 for casting off.

I am no perfectionist, but this pattern has lots of room for the perfectionist that wants to take over my brain sometimes. You could fiddle for hours lining up the squares and blocking and reblocking them for a perfect fit. The way the squares start off in the centre of the leaf pattern means that the cast on is very loopy, and this makes it difficult to seam up neatly perfectly. Also the fact that it is not a lined blanket always presents some perfectionistic finishing issue for me.

This is a beautifully constructed pattern, if a bit fiddly. I love the "yrn" increases which give a lovely half stitch selvedge for seaming, although the decreases on the other side of the square were not as easy, and you had to stick to the half st seam, or have edges that were out a little.

I think there is a lot of scope with this project to weave a little ribbon through the eyelets in the main pattern, and through the edging eyelets if you were so inclined. Also, a button, or some kind of notion cover for the centre of the leaf patterns may hide a seam intersection which is difficult to get right.

This blankie satisfied my quest for knitted construction challenges which is an ongoing theme in the projects I choose to make.

A final big thanks to Sharnette who came to my rescue with lots more Cotton Ease in sugarplum, without whom this blankie would have not been possible in its present form.