Tag - Knitting

Here’s the baby booties I was knitting that caused people to start planning baby showers for me.

Aren’t they the cutest things you’ve ever seen? Go on, admit it. This set is going to the grandson of a good friend from Korea. Let me just tell you that I’m not old enough to have friends with grandchildren. My friend Tammy (not to be confused with the Tami that lives down the street from me) just happened to start having children early in her marriage and she just married off her oldest daughter last June. Now her daughter is having a baby. Her daughter Lindsay was my chauffeur for a week when we all lived in Korea and Philip was off playing war games and I had failed to pass the written driving test for my military license. It was Philip’s fault, of course, because he gave me the wrong book to study. (In all fairness, this was the book that was given to him).

So Philip was gone and I was unable to legally drive and of course, this was vacation bible school week, so I was supposed to be driving back and forth to the chapel everyday. Lindsay was very sweet to drive me where I needed to go and didn’t even giggle when I failed the test.

Of course, I got 100% when I retook it.

ANYway – Lindsay is married and expecting a baby, so duck feet booties are in order.

(The pattern for these can be found in 50 Baby Bootees to Knit. I did them in Rowan Cotton Glace in some shade of yellow.)

If you’re not a knitter/crocheter feel free to skip this post.  I’ll come up with something more interesting tomorrow.  For the knitters out there – I finally got my invitation to Ravelery!  Woohoo!  I’m having way too much fun adding stuff and poking around the place.  How come nobody told me about this earlier?

I wasn’t supposed to be buying anymore yarn, let alone more patterns. But since I was left alone in a yarn shop for about 45 minutes, well, it couldn’t be helped. Actually, I did go with the intention of buying yarn for Bip’s next sweater. It started out to be Boo’s first sweater, back in our Korea days. I chose a pattern and purchased the stated yarn online. It arrived and I started knitting. I showed Boo my progress and he announced that he didn’t like the yarn because it was too scratchy and he wasn’t too thrilled with the look of the actual sweater either. Fortunately (for him) I hadn’t gotten very far.

So 4 1/2 years and two children later, I am adept enough at knitting to be able to switch from the listed yarn to one more suitable and a fast enough knitter (though still pretty slow, I think) to knit sweaters for children. I’m attempting the same sweater, this time for Bip, but with a softer yarn.

Here’s what I’m making. It’s a Debbie Bliss pattern from her How To Knit book. I’m using her cashmerino yarn. Yum!

This was all I was going to buy! It took me long enough to pick out, what with the store not having enough of some colors, then me picking out substitutes in the wrong weight and piles of yarn falling on my head. And somehow these beautiful sock yarns found their way into my hands. I’m not sure how since the sock yarns were in a completely different room. But they are so pretty, I just had to have them.

Don’t they look like ice cream? Double yum!

So I was paying for my yarn when Shanti showed up, claiming an accident between a car (not hers) and a grocery truck on the 14th St Bridge. We went to lunch and returned and really, my credit card should not have needed to leave my wallet again.

We were telling our story of the Lunch That Never Was to the enthralled politely listening customers and staff of the yarn store, when a sweater caught my eye. Not just any sweater, but a child’s sweater without buttons. This is significant because Pumpkin Girl refuses to wear buttons. Not as a closure, not as an embellishment. Just won’t wear them. She’ll tolerate a lightweight summer sweater to guard against the air conditioning in church, but that’s it. And when I say “tolerate”, I do mean barely. So finding this sweater on display just sent my plans into a tail spin. Forget the 2 huge knitting projects I’m already working on, the dishcloth I owe a friend and Bip’s sweater that I just bought yarn for. No – I must make this sweater. Here it is:

Pattern book in hand (another Debbie Bliss, this time The Cashmere Collection), I went in pursuit of more yarn. I picked this one, baby cashmerino in primrose.

Pumpkin Girl has given me her approval on both the pattern and the yarn color. The best part was when, at church that evening, I put my arm around her and noticed how cold she was. I whispered to her, “Your arm is cold.” She nodded. Then I said, “I should make you a sweater, ” and she giggled.

It’s important to treat your children well. They’ll be choosing your nursing home some day.

… to me!  Ho ho ho, look what arrived yesterday:

For the non-knitters out there, it’s an umbrella swift and a ball winder.  I’ve wanted one for a while, but couldn’t really justify spending the money when 2 ladder back chairs and my own hands will accomplish the same thing.  However, having this pile waiting to be turned into usable balls of yarn:

I decided I needed the swift and winder. It’s an early Christmas present, since they are kind of expensive.  Almost as expensive as the yarn waiting to be wound.  Ahem.  (I will not create a stash of yarn, I will not create a stash of yarn, I will not…stop laughing, Shanti!)

After dealing with cryptic Japanese instructions like “Thrust the yarn guide in over a boss posititioned at the reverse side of the base until clicking” and no instructions for the swift, I got it all set up.

So instead of spending 30-45 minutes winding one hank of yarn (and that’s IF I don’t tangle it,which has only happened once) it only takes 10 minutes to turn one of these pretties

into this:

And that’s including the time spent figuring out what to do. Let’s just say I love it.  Thanks, Philip!

By the way, Someone is getting a Christmas present  made from that yummy newly wound ball of yarn.  (It’s Lorna’s Laces Lion and Lamb and worth a small fortune every penny. ) I can’t tell you more than that.  But for more inspiration on handmade gifts, Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight is hosting The Loveliness of Handmade Gifts on November 8th.  It’s not too late to submit pictures or a post to this fair.

I’m a knitting roll! I started this pumpkin hat for Bip yesterday and finished it up this afternoon. Very quick and easy. I used this free pumpkin hat pattern , but I added one extra set of knit 7, purl 1 to accommodate Bip’s big punkin head.

Bip really likes his hat and especially enjoyed putting it on during church today and grinning at the people behind him.  All  from the front row, of course.

I finally finished this sweater vest for Boo.  He picked out the color himself, it’s more of a maroon than a red.  I think he may have a  genetic predisposition towards USC.  It’s a pretty simple and therefore kind of boring pattern, which is why it’s taken me something like 9 months to make it.  I think I shaped the back of the next incorrectly, but it got hidden in the seam.  Have I mentioned that I really hate picking up stitches around a collar?  Almost as much as I hate casting off in pattern. But it’s done and it’s cute and both Boo and I are pretty happy with the results.

It’s made from Rowan Wool Cotton and it’s soft and yummy.  My next project will be a hat for Bip.  I’m hoping to take only a couple of weeks at the most on that one.

Several months ago, I reported on the knitting disasters that I had snatched from the jaws of victory. Nearly completed, these projects sat in a basket over the summer, while I denied their existence and pretended that they weren’t really bugging me. Based on past experience, these projects would have remained in permanent time out, never to be seen again. But these were for my children, who have the annoying habit of outgrowing their clothes. Either I finished their sweaters this Fall or they would never wear them. So I got crack-a-lackin’ and behold – finished projects!

First, I give you Pumpkin Girl’s “pom pom”:

When I first finished it, it was barely big enough to fit her. My long time crafting buddy reassured me that a good soaking and careful blocking would teach that poncho who’s boss. She was right. The yarn is a very soft, very blockable merino and was happy to become the correct size. I’m happy to report that Pumpkin Girl should get at least 2 year’s wear out of it.

And now, Bip’s sweater.

Before it was all made up, there was a bit of concern as to whether or not it would fit his pudgy self. With the edges rolling up all over the place, it did look a bit small. However, now that he’s worn it, it looks like he’ll be able to wear it at least until Spring, possibly even next Fall, too.

This sweater almost didn’t happen. It was almost all done and I was weaving in and clipping loose yarn ends. I clipped a little too close and the next thing I knew, a hole was growing right in the center of the sweater front. I almost cried. I managed to stick the now live stitches on a holder to prevent further damage. Believe it or not, I completely mended the hole and properly weaved (wove? woved?) in and secured the ends, without a trace of the hole! Even from the back, you have to look really hard to find the mending. Note to self: start a new ball of yarn at the end of the row, like every good knitting book says so you can tie it off with a big ol’ honkin’ square knot (gasp!) which you can then hide in the seam.

I finished Pumpkin Girl’s poncho, sort of.   I happily finished the body and started the hood.  I grafted the hood together with the Kitchener stitch which is way harder than it looks!  I pulled that thing out 3 times because I kept losing my place and had no clue how to figure out where I was.  I finally resorted to counting out loud, "Purl, purl, off, knit, knit off, purl, purl, DON’T TALK TO ME!, off, knit…"  It was worth it though, because it looks beautiful!  I kept turning it over and over, marveling at how the seam just disappears.  Then I worked on the fringe.  The whole time I was working on the hood, I kept looking at the bottom edge that was curling up.  I figured the weight of the fringe would pull it straight.  Well, no.  Hmm.  Maybe blocking it would could it from curling.  Anyway, I tried it on Pumpkin Girl.  The darn thing is too small! In the immortal words of Charlie Brown: ARGH! It barely fits her right now and I made it for next fall.  She wears a size 5, so I made a size 6-8, hoping to get a year or two of wear out of it.  I checked my gauge and I’m right on, if not a little bit bigger.  I am positive I made the correct size.    So there I was, with the disaster of a poncho, looking closely at the picture on the pattern for any signs of the end curling when I noticed something.  The last four rounds were supposed to be knit in garter stitch, which is simply knitting every row.  Unless you are knitting in the round, which I was, in which case you knit one row, then purl the next.  This would have prevented the curling.  Or maybe it’s the other way around.  Either way, I did the wrong one.  Now I’ve got to pull out the fringe, pull out the offending rows and reknit them.  Which brings us to the next problem.  I had bought an extra skein of yarn, but I now  had barely enough to allow for the new rows, let alone the casing for the hood and the drawstring.  The only mercy was that I had not yet trimmed the fringe which will make it easier to pull out and reattach. 

My friend and knitting guru recommended giving the poncho a time out and letting it think about the errors of its ways.  She was also pretty sure I could block it out to a better size.  So into the yarn basket it went until I was ready to deal with it.

And on to Bip’s sweater.  You may recall that I just need to do the sleeves.  I found a quiet moment to get the ribbing done ("knit, knit, purl, purl, knit, knit, purl, DON’T TALK TO ME!) and then blissfully began knitting up the length of the sleeve, increasing every third row, just like the instructions said.  The sleeve was getting pretty long and I was only about half way to the amount of stitches I needed on the needle.  Hmmm.  I checked the instructions again.  And I quote, "increase one stitch at EACH end of every third row."  That would be twice as many increases as I was making.  Out came the sleeve, right down to the ribbing.

You know the saying, "Measure twice, cut once"?  Well, my lesson here was read twice, knit once. 

I figured I better move on to something where I was less likely to get hurt.

Washcloths!  That I could do!  And rather successfully, I might add!  I have decided I love washcloths.  You can use inexpensive cotton yarn, there are a ton of free patterns to be found on the internet and they are quick and easy.  See:

The blue one is for Boo, the purple one is Pumpkin Girl’s.  They are thrilled with them!  They think I’m a genius.

Flush from my victory with the washcloths I set my sights on socks.  I’ve always wanted to make socks.  And look, I did it!

Yes, it’s a funny shape, but it’s the practice sock from the book Sensational Knitted Socks. I’ve heard that socks are actually pretty easy, and they are, even if they often involve that pesky Kitchener stitch. 

And perhaps even more exciting, I found another skein of the poncho yarn at the bottom of the basket!  I will have more than enough for what I need.

Now I have moved on to a very easy baby blanket.  I think I can handle that.

With Bip in bed (and asleep!) by 9:00 last night, I got in some good knitting time.  When Phil isn’t here, I rummage around our video cabinet for a good movie I haven’t seen in awhile and pop it in.  Last night I found "Amadeus."  I had forgotten how much I love this movie!  I don’t even know when the last time I saw it was.  (Boy, that was all sorts of bad grammar.) Anyway, I watched it until 11:00 when my eyes got too tired and I thought I heard the baby squawking.  While I watched I worked on a poncho for Pumpkin Girl from a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern.  She calls ponchos "pom poms" and pom poms "poom pooms."  I have no idea why.  She helped me pick out the yarn at our local yarn store‘s 2nd birthday party.  She sat at the back table eating this gi-normous sugar cookie while I explored all the worsted weight yarns.  She didn’t like the yarn I had picked out for said pom pom (errrr!) and this time I wasn’t taking any chances.  I walked around the bins holding up skeins for her to judge.  "This one?  This one?  How about this one?"  She shook her head sweetly no each time, looking up at me with her big eyes from behind her cookie.  Finally we found one.  Just to make sure, I continued through the yarn, this time having her compare colors.  "Which do you like better?  This one or this one?"  Finally she selected something very nice, but not in a color I would have expected.  I thought she’d go for the pinks and purples, but she chose a green/blue/purple combo.  I didn’t even look at the price, bought 6 skeins and headed back to car where the boys were waiting.

So now I’m working on the "pom pom."  It’s done on circular needles, around and around and around.  You make 4 increases every other row, just to keep you on your toes.  So as a beginner knitter, I have gained the useful skill of being able to identify an increase stitch in my knitting.  This is useful because I can never remember if I’m on an increase row or not as I pick up my knitting each day.

I also broke my cardinal rule of never having more than one fiber arts project going at once.  I just got so tired of working on Bip’ sweater.  All that I have left to do are the sleeves, but I have to start each one in 2×2 ribbing and I always lose count and have to rip it all out and start again.  What I need to do is find some quiet, uninterrupted time (does that even exist?) to start both sleeves past the ribbing and then slip one onto a stitch holder to wait.  Then I can continue the mindless stockinette stitch for the remainder of the sleeve without worrying about needing to drop everything, except stitches, LOL, to attend to somebody else’s minor emergencies.

So being bored with the sweater, I started a crochet project.  Actually, that one was time sensitive and I finished it up quickly.  That’s a story for another time.  Embiggened (it’s a word!) by my success with the crochet project, I started another one.  This one is almost done but I had to put it away because the recipient was visiting us last week.  I can’t mention it any further because this person reads my blog.  I’ll reveal it in pictures after Christmas.

Christmas Present Crochet Project carefully out of sight for the week, but my hands being empty as the baby was fought over by two sets of grandparents and a great-grandmother, I started work on Pumpkin Girl’s pom pom.  I want to keep working on it for a while since I just got started.  I’m sure I’ll get bored with it soon enough, knitting, knitting, knitting, around and around and around.  Then I’ll go back to the crochet thing, finish it up and then tackle those sleeves.

Still waiting in the wings are a baby hat and blanket for a stamping friend who has been waiting forever to adopt a baby.  I should probably start those and get the great cosmic wheels turning in her favor.  (OK, I’m not really superstitious of course.) I would also like to knit a sweater for Boo. And hats for everyone.  And learn to make socks and…

But for tonight, it’s the rest of "Amadeus" and more work on Pumpkin Girl’s pom pom.