Bound Off: Sprig

Have you checked your calendar recently?

No?

Then I have the sad duty to inform you that, somehow, tomorrow is the last day of June.

2014 is half over!

And what do I have to show for Year of the Pullover so far?

Well, I'm proud to say that I've finally finished a pullover!

Pattern: Sprig, by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting, from Botanical Knits 2
Size: 36.75
Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh DK in Isadora, 4 skeins
Mods: none
Ravelry link

What a beautiful, beautiful sweater. The construction of this pullover is so inventive, you just have to go with it. Starting the asymmetrical neckline seems utterly bizarre when you cast on, but it all works out in the end.

Most of the sweater is stockinette, with some waist shaping, so it's great for car knitting or when you need something mindless and soothing to focus on.

Knitting on the collar and sleeve cuffs is the fun part, and it goes quickly too!

As usual, I loved working with Madelinetosh yarn; it's soft but sturdy, and colors are just gorgeous. This dusty rose is going to look so good with a pair of well-loved jeans and brown riding boots.

Assuming I ever fit into any of those things again.

If you've been paying attention, you'll know that I'm not modeling this sweater because I'm currently nearly 8 months pregnant; the dress form is optimistically set to my pre-baby measurements.

I followed the instructions for the 36.75" bust; the actual measurement is closer to 35". I can't remember if I did a gauge swatch, so we'll assume I didn't.

Just a little more motivation to lose that baby weight.

I opted for the button loop closure for the sleeves, and now I need to find, either in my stash or on Etsy, two perfect buttons.

(I guess technically the sweater isn't done without buttons, but far too much is at stake in the button decision-making process to rush it!)

I'm thrilled with the sweater, and can't wait to cast on my next project from Botanical Knits 2--my hard copy of the book arrived just last week (there's just something about having a paper copy, isn't there?) and I've been leafing through it excitedly.

But first, I've got a lot more pullovers to finish. Only 6 months of Year of the Pullover to go!

Wittle Wednesdays: Kelbourne Woolens Baby Collection

It is Wednesday, right?

Sometimes I'm not even sure anymore.

I know it's April.

Or, I'm pretty sure.

Wittle Wednesday this week is dedicated to a knit I finished a while back, but didn't have a baby to use to showcase. I decided to go ahead and post it, because I wanted to talk about Kelbourne Woolens Baby Collection too.

This sweater was originally started for JJ, and then by the time it was done, it was too small. So it will be going into storage for baby #2.

(Did I mentioned that baby #2 is a boy? It's a boy! Another boy!)

The pattern is Beatrix, and can be found in Kelbourne Woolens Baby Collection, a delightful  set of practical and timeless baby knits, all featuring the beautiful Fibre Company yarns.

This pattern calls for Acadia. I happened to have a little, so I used it for the contrast color, and used up some Knit Picks City Tweed DK for the main color.

I knit the 6-12 month size, and I think 12 months would probably be pushing it. Based on just this sweater, I would guess the patterns might run a bit small, but you can remedy that by actually measuring your baby, and not just winging it. 

The entire piece is knit in garter stitch, so it's full of squishy goodness, and the body is knit in one piece, with mitered shaping on the front.

 It has just one button, so I picked a decorative one I had in my collection.

I love the grown up-looking collar on this piece, and can't wait to see it on a squishy baby this fall!

Photo courtesy of Kelbourne Woolens

This is the first piece I knit from the KW Baby Collection, but won't be the last. There are some great patterns in here. Like Collette:

 Photo courtesy of Kelbourne Woolens

Pretty girlie, but in the right colors and sans the hearts, I think it will work for a boy.

And Nellie is the cutest little unisex jumper:

Photo courtesy of Kelbourne Woolens

 Many of these patterns are fairly simple and straightforward, which is the beauty of it all: as a new or expecting mom, you often don't have the energy or brain power for something complicated. At your best, you might be able to work simple patterns like these out on your own. But on 3 hours' sleep, you just want someone to tell you what to do.

My only concern with this collection is that, while the Fibre Company's yarns are absolutely beautiful, many of them are delicate and perhaps not baby/kid friendly. So I would suggest taking that into consideration when deciding whether to knit your projects in the recommended yarns (perhaps for special occasion pieces?) or to opt for heartier yarns.

If you enjoy baby knits, I highly recommend this 13 pattern collection. You can buy the ebook through Ravelry for $15, or grab a print copy on Amazon for $13 + shipping.

Mommy and Me: A Story in Sweaters

You might remember, I finished JJ's Coolbreeze Cardigan back in December, and then my sweater had to undergo surgery before I could wear it.

And then, for whatever reason, I procrastinated about putting the buttons on.

Well, first I couldn't find the buttons. But then once I found them, I still took my good old time putting them on the sweater.

I don't know.  I guess I wasn't in a rush given that, after all the work to make the coordinating sweaters, I knew mine wouldn't fit. Because: pregnancy.

Interesting thing about subsequent pregnancies--the body remembers. It's like, "Oh, hey, I just did this. May as well get on with the task of expanding to epic proportions immediately."

But I did finally decide to just sew the buttons on and finish the project once and for all.

 

And, of course, it doesn't exactly fit.  But it looks kind of ok as an open front cardigan for the time being. I think I can keep using it until Spring arrives--if it ever does (I'm looking at you, snow forecast for Tuesday!).

So of course, buttons accomplished, I needed to FINALLY get the mommy/baby matchy match sweater photos I wanted.

  

JJ was less than amused, probably because his sweater barely fits him anymore.  Also, you'd think the photographer (AKA: CP) might mention that my hand is blocking most of JJ's sweater. But no.

 There's a smile. And now his sweater can be washed and put back in the closet for baby #2.

Shortly after taking these photos, I drove myself out to the Homespun Yarn Party, but that was a complete bust. After driving around for 15 minutes looking for parking until I found someone leaving to stalk (and I don't mean to get a parking space close to the entrance--I mean to get any parking space at all), I made my way inside to find an ENORMOUS line. I estimated at least a 45 minute wait to get in--and that was just to enter the room, not to buy any actual yarn. I stuck around for a few minutes to see how fast it was moving--and it wasn't. So that was it for me--I drove the 40 minutes back home, completely wasting most of my Sunday afternoon. Boo.

Delayed Bind Off: Pembroke Vest

Sifting through my posts, I realized I never told you guy about this little gem.

Since I didn't finish our matching sweaters in time for our family photos, I decided to have JJ wear another handknit, which was primarily intended for Christmas Eve mass.

Of course, now it's been so long since I knit it, I'm not sure what I have to say.

 
Pattern: Pembroke Vest by Kirsten Kapur
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Tonal in Pearlescent, about 250 yards 
Size: 12 months
Mods: none, but I have a "shoulda, coulda, woulda."

This is a free pattern (yay!) and was fairly straightforward--knit flat in 2 pieces, lots of cabling, buttons at the shoulder to get it over giant baby heads. My "shoulda coulda woulda" is that both front and back are cabled--and who looks at the back? No one, that's who. If I knit this again, I would make the back plain. It would make this a much faster project.

Otherwise, smooth sailing, and a great baby project.

These photos, meanwhile, were taken by Ashley Dougherty, a local photographer who did an amazing job. And by happy coincidence (no, really!), we're featured in her latest blog post, so you can stop by and see a few different photos, should you be so inclined.

Wittle Saturday Wednesday Bound Off Sampler . . . Post

The speed at which the days slip away from me is astounding. I intended to come here and post this on Wittle Wednesday, yet here it is Saturday, and I'm just now sitting down at the computer. But, since I have no Saturday Sampler post prepared, I guess I can just go ahead with JJ's sweater.

My little booger angel turned 10 months old on Monday! So incredible to be closing in on a year already.

He's crawling, chasing the cats, pulling to a stand on anything stable (and not-so-stable), cruising, walking with his walker and determined to crack his head open the instant I turn my back.

To celebrate, I made him wear his finished Coolbreeze cardigan--with sleeves of equal length!--and pose with Christmas lights, which he did not appreciate at all.

Oh well. Just the start of a never-ending parade of things to be done to make mommy happy.

For JJ's sweater, I used a brick red for the main color, and started the chevron pattern with the lightest color and worked back to dark brown. I should've also used the lightest color on the sleeve ribbing, but I wasn't sure I would have enough to finish my cardigan, so I opted for brown.

(And since I still have 4 inches of sleeve to add to my cardi, this was probably a wise choice.)

This was a very straightforward pattern, though as I recall, I thought something was a little off on the final yoke decrease round, it didn't quite seem to fit the established pattern, but I figured it out quickly. The colorwork section is easy to memorize, and though there are LOTS of ends to weave in, it's easy to wind them through and around the slipped stitch strands on the wrong side.

Is this safe? I'm calling child services!

I knit the 12 month size, and barring any major growth spurts (knock on wood), it should last through the winter. Now, in the midst of all the Christmas knitting, I must fix my own cardigan so we can get at least ONE measly photo of us in our coordinating sweaters.

Yippie!

Wittle Wednesdays: Gavyn Pullover

I finished this sweater up a couple months ago, and JJ has finally grown into it! He wore it on a cool day last week (actually, it was so chilly, he should probably also be wearing a jacket!), so I snapped a few photos so I could show it off.

Pattern: Gavyn, by Amanda Blackford
Yarn: Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Worsted in the Rock Creek Park colorway
Needles: ??
Rav link

There a few big pluses for this sweater--it knits up quickly in worsted weight, and the combination of knit and purl boxes is quite stretchy, so it should fit for a while. Through the winter, hopefully.

Unfortunately I can't recommend the sweater without noting that the pattern was a bit troublesome. There were some errors and confusing patches that I was ultimately able to work through--since it's a fairly straightforward construction--but it wasn't as clear as a knitter would expect.

Still, it's a free pattern, and a cute sweater, so if you're up to a little fussing and head-scratching, you can make it work.

This was my first time working with Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Worsted (though I'm dying to get my hands on some Lincoln Park), even though she's a local dyer. I think I'll be using it again! The yarn is sturdy, but still fairly soft (not as soft as, say, Malabrigo, but I have a feeling it will hold up 10 times better). And I love the large skeins--400 yards. I even have enough left over for a matching baby hat.

If I could just find the time to knit it!

Bound Off: Twigs and Willows Cardigan

I spent a lot of time waiting to post this project, my completed Twigs and Willows cardigan, because I wanted to

a) find the right buttons

and

b) finish losing 15 pounds.

I finally came to terms with the fact that those 15 pounds weren't going anywhere fast, so I sewed the buttons on and thought skinny thoughts for the photos.

Pattern: Twigs and Willows, by Alana Dakos, from Botanical Knits
Size: 38
Yarn: Quince and Co. Owl , a 50/50 wool/alpaca blend, in Chamomile, 8 skeins
Needles: US 5 and7
Mods: none

This is the sweater I bought Botanical Knits for. I love everything about it: the slightly puffed sleeves, the drapey waist, the decorative yoke, and the rustic yarn. I even loved the color, as evidenced by my decision to use a very similar shade in my own sweater.

The sweater is designed to be worn with a few inches of positive ease--I don't so much have those few extra inches now, but it still looks ok, and will hopefully look even better as my new "stop eating things" plan takes hold.

And while I love the look of the yarn used in Alana's sample, I did not enjoy my previous experience working with Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, as I found it too weak, so I chose something a bit different and sturdier: Quince and Co. Owl. It's a 50/50 wool/alpaca blend with a slightly heathered look, and much softer to the touch than Shelter. I loved working with it for this project, and hope to use it again in the future.

And you're also getting a look at my new hair. As a child, my hair was white blond, but as the years passed, it slowly grew darker and darker--until I had JJ, at which point it just turned brown. Some people seemed to think this was intentional, as I've received a number of compliments on my "ombre" hair, but it actually wasn't--it was annoying. I tried dyeing it myself--twice since JJ was born--and absolutely NOTHING happened. So I finally broke down and had a professional do it.
Sort of.
I went to a Paul Mitchell school nearby, where my haircut and color cost a total of $45. That's a STEAL. On the downside, it took nearly FOUR hours. So much for my day off. But now my hair is blond both top and bottom, and I'm quite pleased with it. It took 2 and a half bowls of color--after she chopped half my hair off--so I guess that's why my at-home dyeing efforts didn't pan out--apparently I have a lot of hair.

(It's not at all reddish, as it appears in these photos, CP is just a lousy photographer. I need to get him trained.)

Bound Off: Oak Trail Hat

Things I can't be bothered to remember when shooting FO photos: lipstick and not having wet hair.

Oh well.

When I got my ebook copy of Botanical Knits, I wanted to cast on pretty much everything immediately, and this hat in particular caught my eye. You can see it's not your typical beanie or beret, and I wanted to see how it was constructed.

Similar to my Hugs and Smooches hat, this one starts with a long strip knit lengthwise, and then stitches are picked up for the hat body. The way Alana constructs the rounded edge and cable is pretty ingenious, and fun to knit.

Pattern: Oak Trail, by Alana Dakos, from Botanical Knits
Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Mo, a single ply, 70/30 wool/mohair blend; approx 150 yds
Needles: Size 7
Mods: zip
Raveled

I knit this with some leftover Madelinetosh from a sweater project that is currently in limbo--slightly too small, could possibly be salvaged with blocking, needs buttons.Tosh Mo is supposedly a DK weight, but I found it much closer to worsted. While I'm not usually a mohair fan, I love the soft halo it gives this hat, and this silvery green color is amazing.

The hat itself fits perfectly, and, if I do say so myself, is quite flattering. It will be in heavy rotation this fall and winter, I'm sure.

Speed Knitting: Arroyo Shawl Bound Off

As usual, I got in a little over my head with knitting last month.

I signed up for a swap a few months ago, and things were moving along swimmingly, until I realized I hadn't knit anything for the required handmade element.

This was about a week and a half ago.

Or, approximately 8 days before the package had to be mailed.

Oops.

So I quickly reviewed all my notes and discovered that my spoilee liked shawls.

And somehow I got it in my head that I should knit her one.

In a week.

Fortunately, I found a pattern that fit the bill.

This is the Arroyo shawl, by Sarah H. Wolf, which is knit in worsted weight yarn, and consists mostly of garter stitch short rows.

I dug some yarn out of my stash that I had actually dyed myself and couldn't decide what to do with. I overdyed some Knit Pick Swish Tonal in Pearlescent, and it's just slightly too variegated for a sweater, but I thought it would work well with the fairly simple lace pattern on the edge of this shawl.

I had quite a lot of fun working on this project--the garter stitch was squishy and enjoyable, with the short rows to keep you on your toes.

I generally still find short rows to be rather magical.

It made it into the mail on time (well, 1 day late, due to the self-service machine at the local post office being non-functional), and I'll find out soon if my spoilee likes it. Fingers crossed!

Bound Off: Wee Austin Hoodie

Why are you always sticking that thing in my face?

It's true, I finally finished knitting something! It only took me 3 months for this little bitty sweater. At this rate,  I should finish an adult cardigan sometime next century.

Hold my head up like this? Are you sure?

Pattern: Wee Austin Hoodie, by Connie Chang Chinchio
Size: 6 months
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll in Rainforest Heather, 2 skeins, ~450 yards
Needles: sizes 4 and 5
Mods: none

I started this in January, back when I was still expecting a 9 pound baby, thinking I would finish it in February (ha!) and it would fit him more or less right away--I didn't bother with a gauge swatch, I know I'm a tight knitter, and figured it would come out a bit smaller than 6 months.

Of course, I instead had a 6 pound baby, who is now nearing 13 pounds, and while fortunately the sweater does more or less fit him, it's nearly May, and summer is right around the corner.

At least I got some cute photos.

OK, got it!

The sweater is knit in one piece until you divide for left front, right front and back, as well as the hood. It's fairly simple, mostly stockinette with a band of woven-look stitches across the chest.

I've never done a hooded sweater before, so I was intrigued by the construction. The hood is knit up from held stitches from the front, then a central stitch is bound off to create 2 sides, which are grafted together.

I found the buttons in my stash, an old Etsy purchase. I think they were the only 6 matching buttons I had, and fortunately they work perfectly.

I love my sweater!

Bound Off: Super Secret FO Edition

It's no secret that JJ has put a rather large dent in my knitting time, but I must confess, the other knitting time suck has been a design I've been working on.

Last year, when I was still pregnant but in denial about the end result of pregnancy being a real live baby that eats all your free time, I submitted a design proposal for an upcoming pattern collection. The response I got wasn't quite what I was expecting--it turned out my design didn't work for that particular collection, but they wanted to include it in a different upcoming collection!

I said "Woohoo!" and got to work.

On Thursday, I sent the finished pattern off. The collection won't be published until October--which sounds like a million years away, but will almost certainly be here before I know it. Until then, the design is a secret, so I can only offer these wee peeks:

This is my first real garment, with sizes and everything. The sample currently resides on my dress form, Amelia, where it's waiting patiently for me to lose the rest of my pregnancy weight so it fits (I say, as I gobble down a Cadbury Creme Egg).

My pattern will be given to test knitters and tech editors, so there's still work to be done, but for now, I can put it out of mind, and with no other deadlines rapidly approaching, can devote more of my meager knitting time to personal projects. I've cast on my Coolbreeze cardigan, and am working on a few pair of socks/booties for JJ, as well as a sweater that I really ought to finish so he can wear it at least once before the weather warms up.

Last week I also caught wind of Quince and Co.'s new yarn, Owl, a rustic-looking wool/alpaca blend, and thought it looked perfect for a Twigs and Willows cardigan, so I ordered a bunch in a gorgeous, earthy yellow shade. Of course, I still have to wind it, so I won't be doing anything with it anytime soon.

Bound Off: Heartbreaker Hat

Again, I have knit something in red yarn, and again, I can't manage to photograph it well.

Red, you are my enemy!

It was hardly my fault, though, as obviously the Peruanito needs a hat to match his Valentine's Day/Coming Home sweater. I had plenty of Tosh Sport leftover from his Little Oak cardigan, but after a thorough Ravelry search, could find no newborn-sized hats I liked.

I blame the pregnancy hormones.

Empty handed, I decided to just make one up.

This is a pretty accurate representation of the color! Don't mind the shadows.

The lovely thing about newborn-sized hats is that they are very, very tiny, and even winging it, this took just a couple of days to come together.

The brim features a seed stitch border and  XOXO cables, perfect for Valentine's Day. 

The rest of the hat is a simple plain stockinette, with easy crown shaping.

And still more yarn remains, so I've started a pair of matching Moc-A-Soc booties for the Peruanito as well. I knit a pair of these waaaaaaay back in 2010, and still can't get over how adorable they are. I finished the bootie portion of the 1st one yesterday, so now I need to pick out some scrap fingering weight for the cuff.

Baby is due in 2 weeks!

Bound Off: Rocky Coast Cardigan

It's done!

And, more importantly, it fits!

Well, sort of.

Pattern: Rocky Coast Cardigan, by Hannah Fettig, from Coastal Knits
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Tonal in Pearlescent, 4 skeins (880 yards)
Size: 40" (designed to be worn with 4-6" positive ease)
Needles: 10.5
Mods: sleeves--details to follow
On Ravlery

It's not a perfect fit because, let's face it: I'm 8 months pregnant. Almost nothing I own fits quite right, even maternity clothes. Even with weight gain in the recommended range, I'm just starting to be . . . puffy.

Don't even get me started on shoes.

Nevertheless, I hope (wish, pray, plead) that it will be a near-perfect fit after baby is born, and the baby weight starts to disappear.

 

(See a mis-crossed cable? Don't tell me!)

The cabling here might look intimidating, but it's actually a great pattern to memorize and work without a cable needle. You only work the cable crosses on 2 rows of the 8-row repeat and they're quite simple.

The yarn seemed slightly rough while working, but softened up with blocking, and is very comfortable to wear. I adore the subtle color changes, drifting from white to gray to soft brown and back. I think it works quite well with this pattern, though some of the other tonal colorways might be too variegated.


But the most important thing to consider here is the sleeves.

They caused a great deal of heartache, but after all my efforts at reworking them, they fit. They're snug, but they fit.

Notes on Modifying the Rocky Coast Sleeves:

A number of knitters have noted problems with the sleeve fit, specifically that the yoke and upper arms are too tight. 

I believe one major reason for this is that the sleeves are knit in the round, whereas the rest of the sweater is knit flat, so there's a potential for a major gauge change--this wasn't even a blip on my radar until after I'd finished the sweater the first time and realized it didn't fit.

Hannah has provided instructions for expanding the yoke and upper arms, which I strongly encourage you to take a look at if you haven't already completed the sweater. Your best bet is really to fix this problem before you even have it.

If, however, you have completed the sweater, you can't do anything to modify the yoke without frogging nearly the entire thing.

The very idea makes me want to cry giant, Euclan-scented tears.

If the yoke of your sweater more-or-less fits, and your primary concern is the sleeves, however, you can rip those out and try to enlarge them. 

Here's what I did (for the 40" size):

• Picked up 10 sts at the underarm, instead of 6 (for a total of 48 arm sts, rather than 44).
• Worked twice as many rounds as indicated before beginning the decreases.
• Worked 1 fewer decrease rounds than indicated (I believe the pattern calls for 6 dec rnds total, so I worked 5).

This left me with 38 sts before working the cuff--as the cuff is worked in k2p2 rib, I eliminated 2 sts on the very last pattern round before starting the ribbing.

(You might also try going up a needle size or two for the sleeves, but personally, I would find knitting in the round on size 13 needles nearly impossible.)


I foresee this sweater being in regular rotation in my wardrobe, as long as the weather stays cool!

On WIPing in the New Year

(I just tried to blog from my iPad, and it totally didn't work. Given that Apple and Google hate each other, I don't know why I thought it would.)

Dad's Christmas socks: blocking!

They're, uh, a bit big.

But the important thing is, they're finished.

And with that, my Christmas knitting is done.

Well, sorta.

I did start those mittens for CP, and they're not done, but, you know, I live with him. He can get his mittens whenever.

While it's tempting to cast on something new after weeks of furious Christmas knitting, I've decided instead to WIP in the New Year. December 25 - January 1, I'll be working on finishing up some WIPs, specifically 2 pair of languishing socks, my Dahlia Cardigan, and my Rocky Coast Cardigan, which still needs new sleeves. Plus, sock darning! Updates to follow.

Won't you join me to WIP in the New Year?


To all those who celebrate, a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you have a wonderful holiday, and stockings full of yarn.