Little Acorn

knitknitknitknitknit

Fresh off the needles this morning is this "Kaia Babydoll" knit from the pattern at Crafty Wee Wifey.

It was an easy, quick and mindless knit, and I love the lack of seaming. It took exactly 2 balls of Baby Cashmerino, which is a satisfyingly soft and squishy yarn to work with. The lace part at the bottom got nixed after my first attempt ended with me having to frog back 3 rows. Lesson: lace and television don't mix. I think it's one of those patterns that I'll make again and again, but there are definitely changes I'd like to make. In all the pictures that accompany the pattern the neckline definitely rolls and I can't say I like that. Mine is rolling a bit too, but I'm hoping once it's blocked it will straighten out. Why am I so delusional about things like that? It's not like I didn't notice the roll...I just thought mine wouldn't do that, which is just plain denial of the facts. Next time I'll work a few more rows of garter stitch or maybe moss stitch (my all time favourite) which will hopefully stop the rolling. I think I'll also try it in a smaller gauge as the bottom is just too loosely knit and drapey for my taste. I'd also like to try it with the whole skirt portion in a lace pattern, but with the increases every 5 rows, this might prove too tricky for me. All in all I'm happy enough with it, and of course once our small person is wearing it, no one will notice if the neckline rolls or if I forgot one of the increases.
Next I'm looking for a pattern for a 3-6 month sized shrug/bolero/short fitted cardigan, hopefully in a really easy lace pattern. And while I'm wishing I'd like it to be knit top down, with no seams. Is that too much to wish for? Or it could be a crochet pattern, but then I'll have to learn how to crochet more than granny squares. In Vietnam the ceremony at the government office where Vietnam's Lam becomes our daughter forever is called the "Giving and Receiving Ceremony" and of course we want her to be dressed beautifully to start her new life with us. These are clothes we will keep forever and hopefully someday they will be special to her too, so it feels really important to us to choose just the right thing. In my fantasies she is in beautiful handmade clothing from top to bottom, but although I have a rich imagination, I DO know my limitations, and sewing fancy baby clothes isn't within my skill set. I wish it was possible and I feel a touch guilty about having store bought clothes for such a momentous occasion, but I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment if I try and make her a special occasion dress. We have bought her a really lovely little jumper dress and blouse, and because it will be winter and cold in Northern Vietnam she needs to have at least a sweater to go over it for the ceremony, and that I know I can manage. Now just to find the right pattern...

That baby sure has a lot of hats...

Can't...stop...knitting...baby hats...

The Gnome Hat

Thanks so much for all the gnome love! I too can't wait to see it on our small person! For those interested in the pattern, I've figured out that it's probably from this book - SimpleChic by Jil Eaton.

I used all my Nancy Drew skills to try and figure this out for you. I looked at the library's online catalogue and this cover really jumped out at me and I remembered that the book the pattern came from also had dog sweaters in it. Then I remembered I also had a photocopy of the Christmas tree hat that's on the cover so that was another clue. When I found the tree hat pattern it's in exactly the same format/font/style as the one called "Elf Hat" which is what I used (it just looks more gnome than elf to me), so I'm thinking it has to be from this book. I put a hold on the book at the library, so I should be able to check by the weekend to see that it's there for sure. For those who might want to knit one for your own small person (or yourself - the pattern has sizes for babies, toddlers, children and adults) I used Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick 'n Quick yarn and 8 mm/ US 11 needles. That's not what the pattern calls for, but it gave me the gauge I needed. I often like my knitting in a smaller gauge than called for as I prefer a nice firm fabric. Besides the needle size, the only modification I made was to make braided ties instead of the crocheted ties in the pattern. I just thought they would be chunkier and cuter. For a cable needle I improvised and used a matching sized dpn. If you  haven't cabled before this is a great project to give it a try! This hat was such a satisfying project I'd love to make some more, so I would definitely be open to a trade if you'd just like me to knit you one!

A Gnome Hat

In red, of course.  Okay, I am SERIOUSLY in love with everything about this hat.
I enjoyed every minute of the approximately 3 hours it took me to make, including the knitting, sewing up, fabricating that ludicrously large tassel and braiding the straps.
And cute? It squeezes my heart when I think about it - that's how cute it is. The giant cable. The floppy tail. That huge tassel. It all just works for me. I wish I could point you towards the pattern, but I photocopied the instructions out of a library book a few years ago and of course have no idea what the book was. If anyone knows, I'd love to find out and give credit where credit is due to the designer of this awesome hat.
 
Yes, I have been doing all sorts of other things besides knitting, but you wouldn't know it from my posts lately. I've even been working on a large sewing project that may or may not be my first patchwork quilt - hopefully I'll share news of my triumph with you soon.

Cable Baby Hat

 
A so-very-soft cable hat in Patons Bamboo Silk using the 10 cable baby hat pattern from Hey Julie.
My only modification was to make a longer folded brim. The cables make it a nice stretchy hat, so I think the folded brim makes for a hat that can be worn for longer. Nothing sillier on a baby than a too short hat perched on their wee noggin! I made a similar one in different colours as a gift last week (but I forgot to photograph it), but this one is for our very own small person, whoever he or she may be.

Green Vest

Ah, much better. 5 mm needles and worsted weight yarn knit up into a 4 to 6 month size baby vest. Once again I used this pattern - Pebble, from The Thrifty Knitter. Since I did both shoulders with the buttons it had no seaming, which you know I'm a fan of. Next time (oh yes, there will be a next time) I think I'll try the 3 needle bind-off instead of the seamed shoulder and maybe moss stitch instead of the garter and I may size it up (using the powers of mathematics and maybe even a gauge swatch) into something appropriate for the 6 to 12 month set. The brown vest was knit as written in the pattern with DK weight yarn and it ended up barely a newborn size for me, so I'm happy that the second attempt came out to a size that's going to be just right for the small person who should be 4 to 6 months old when we arrive in Vietnam to complete the adoption. The newel post does a decent job modeling the wee knitwear, but I just know this vest is going to be way cuter on a baby. I just love a sweater vest. Good looking AND practical. I wear them a lot in the cooler months. They keep me warm but keep my arms free for action. I think they look good on anyone - babies, children, women and especially men. I have yet to convince David that he would be ultra-sexy in a dork-tastic kind of way in a sweater vest.

Baby Hat #2

I can't say I'm loving how the striping turned out on this hat, but it was a nice small monotonous heat-wave-and-no-air-conditioning friendly knitting project for this week. It's sock yarn from my collection (no, I don't knit socks, but I do have a LOT of sock yarn - don't ask) and tiny needles. I just cast on 144 stitches (after measuring my gauge on my one and only handknit sock) and then I knit in the round until I though it was tall enough. I never did any decreases, just finished off the top with a 3-needle bind off and added some tassel-y thingamabobs on the corners and declared it a baby hat.

Brown

A brown vest with mismatched buttons, knit for the small person, but unfortunately too wee in the end. Oh well, it will either be a doll sweater or it will find a brand new baby that needs a toasty vest. It was supposed to be about a 4 to 6 month size, but it ended up measuring more in the newborn range. Yes, gauge issues and a lack of a swatch can definitely be blamed. I admit it - for small projects I almost never swatch. I work a couple of inches and then I measure and rip it out if I have to. This time I measured and I KNEW it was probably too small, but I kept knitting anyway. I was hoping for some sort of last minute miracle at the blocking stage, but it didn't happen. I used this pattern, and it turned out super cute and once again there was almost no seaming - just the one shoulder. That was enough though. I think my seamed shoulder is lumpier than it should be and I'm probably going to go for buttons on both shoulders for my next one to make it a zero-seaming pattern. Yes, I've already started another, with chunkier yarn and bigger needles. Once again, no swatch was made, so it will be a surprise what size it will end up. You would think I'd learn, wouldn't you?

Jailbird Sweater

Okay, some of you may say it looks like a zebra sweater to you, but I totally get a classic prison stripes vibe when I look at this black and white short sleeved baby sweater and hat I knit last week.
I suppose if the Small Person HAS to get a tattoo a classic "Mom" is the one I'd want him to get...

The pattern is the Little Coffee Bean Sweater and it was a JOY to knit from start to finish. A top down raglan with NO SEAMING. Oh how I hate seaming. Oh how all my seaming always looks lumpy and weird. We won't discuss the many couple of projects I've got tucked away, all knit but languishing in a box because I just can't face the sewing up. Top down seamless raglan anything is a friend to me. This is now my go-to pattern for baby cardigans.
Ahhhh, I just love stripes. These ones are just two colours and only two rows each so the yarn is just carried up the side, which means it also doesn't have a million ends to weave in. I'm kinda in love with the jailbird sweater. Thanks to Elizabeth at the Brown Stitch for the free pattern! I'm also really grooving on her Concetta Cardigan and might need to take a break from knitting tiny things, buy the pattern and make something Lisa-sized.

Baby Hat #1

Baby hats are undoubtedly my favourite knitting projects. This is the first of many I'm planning to complete before the small person comes home. Wee ones can't have too many hats, can they? They're a great project for me because they're super quick and satisfying and when they're done? Nothing cuter. I'm definitely an instant gratification knitter, so stuff for a small person is just perfect for me. I have a theory that all babies should wear goofy hats. Then everyone that baby meets won't be able to stop themselves from grinning and baby will get the impression that the world is a joyful and fundamentally good place. I believe that about the world, so I think it's an important lesson. Does anyone remember the turkey viking hat by Chile con Yarne? Oh how I wish I'd printed that pattern before it left the web. David has some Norwegian ancestry so a Viking hat would be very, very cool. Of course we suspect that David's family would have been in the "burned and pillaged" demographic, but still... Other hats I have plans for? Mohawk hat. Squid hat. Hats depicting various produce. Yoda hat. Kitty hat. Totoro hat. Can you think of any other must knits? For the cupcake hat I looked at this pattern but I just went ahead and winged it and this was probably a mistake. I don't think the top is plump  enough and when I had finished my row of icing blobs I had half as many stitches as I expected, so I had to do some quick thinking and cast on a bunch of stitches on the next row. Not too bad all in all though. Modeling the cupcake hat is our newel post -until the small person comes home this will have to do. Luckily it has a diameter about the same as a 6 month old baby noggin, so it works out.

Sick, but productive

Yes, I'm still sick. Really sick. So sick that even though David had planned an entire weekend of birthday fun and a special evening on Monday (my actual birthday) I couldn't enjoy any of it. That led to me feeling sick AND sorry for myself. The worst part is that I'm not sleeping more than a couple of hours a night so I'm a total mess each and every day. Today I might be feeling a bit better, but it's hard to tell since I'm so tired. If I can just get a decent  sleep then I think things will really look up. It's been 7 days now. At 10 I guess I'll go see the doctor if things haven't improved. I'm continuing to be productive though. I'm one of those people that always needs to have busy hands so I've been crocheting granny squares for the past few days. Granny squares have always been one of my favourite craft projects because they're just so repetitive and soothing. Sewing all those ends in is less fun, but once you find your rhythm it can be pretty trance-inducing as well.
 

Lost Long Weekend

It was the Victoria Day long weekend here. Most of our friends and neighbours celebrated by getting outside to play, having barbecues, enjoying the parade, soaking up the sun and other generally pleasant pastimes. How did David and I spend our weekend and every day since? Taking turns being sick. REALLY SICK. Not swine flu sick, but still SICK. I won't go into details - they're too horrible. David started it all by coming home with a sore throat on Friday and I took good care of him through the weekend, until on Tuesday when I succumbed. For a couple of hours I insisted that I was only really thirsty and that I didn't have a sore throat, but by dinner time on Tuesday I admitted I was sick and I've been getting sicker ever since. Hopefully today is my worst day and by tomorrow I'll be feeling a little better. The one good thing about being stuck inside on the sofa watching movies for days on end is that there is a lot of time for knitting. I could only work on a super mindless project so I made this wee kimono-style sweater. The pattern is here on the lion brand website - you might need to sign up to see it, I'm not sure. I modified it so that the edges wouldn't roll, but other than that kept the pattern as written. Super easy and a very satisfying quick knit with yarn like rope and super huge needles. Endless stockinette was just what my jelly-like brain craved. I think it turned out pretty cute.  

The Ankle Cozies

Oh alright, they're legwarmers. Glorious, wonderful legwarmers! I've been converted. I finished knitting these awhile back but the sun has refused to shine since then so David wasn't able to snap a picture for me until this weekend. How many people can say, when asked what they did on Sunday, "We did a legwarmer photo shoot "? David took his job as photographer very seriously and I have pictures of me wearing my legwarmers skipping on rock walls, standing in tall grass, sitting on the back stairs and lounging on a bench, among others. In the end I thought a simple picture of me standing on a chair in the kitchen really shows off my toasty legs best.

The specs:
Yarn: Fleece Artist Woolie Silk 3 ply, 125 grams from an 180 gram hank (enough left for some baby legwarmers maybe?)
The pattern: My own, based on measuring my legs and hoping my gauge would be close to what was on the ball band. I could come up with a pattern if anyone is interested. I'm already thinking about another pair. Maybe with cables this time, even though I hate knitting cables.
The method: Knit in the round on two  4 mm circular needles. I want to use this technique for all my knitting. I love not having to wrestle with double pointed needles or sew up seams.

And the answer is...

Cricket was right, but they are so so much cuter than the ones in this picture and they are absolutely NOT legwarmers. Calf cozies? Footless socks? Leg tubes? Something else, something fashionable and totally 2009, but they're certainly not legwarmers, which I have sworn again and again that I would never wear, never mind knit. I was around in the '80s and old enough to know what's what. I remember legwarmers and yes, I'll even admit to owning and proudly wearing a pair. At the time they were totally awesome and I must say my choice of all wool beige and pink fair isle was so much cooler than all the girls who were warming their legs with squeaky polyester neon. I remember I paid 16 dollars of my own 1982 money for those legwarmers, which was a fortune, but I loved them just that much. No modeled pictures of my new footless socks, but soon, I promise. Trying to take pictures of your own toasty calves is nearly impossible, will possibly lead to me injuring myself and it's bad for my ego as I have to wrestle with the thought that it might NOT be camera distortion and my legs might actually be that ginormous. I'll have to get David to take some pictures soon though, because my new accessory is seriously cute. And yes, the bottom of my legs DO get cold and they DO appreciate something to keep them warm, thank you very much.

Speaking of Cricket - did you see the Totoro jumper she made? So very awesome and I want one in my size!

And to those who guessed cat sweater: Oh yeah, I've thought about it...

What's Lisa Knitting?

Any guesses?

Hint: It's something I said I would NEVER knit.