mommysew

Christmas Knits

Well, I didn't make it, of course. I did wrap up hubby's sweater (I had all the pieces done) and told him that some assembly was required for it. I'm almost done seaming it now - hopefully will finish tonight. I also wrapped his two single socks that were finished and I'm hoping to finish the second socks this week. 

I did finish The Bug's outfit - weeks before Christmas, thankfully.

Pattern: #32 from Katia Bebe No 10

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool

Needles: Sz 8 Clover Bamboo

Dates: ?

Mods: Added buttonhole on straps, eliminated bias tape at bottom and fake pockets

Thoughts: Very cute!

Pattern: #31 from Katia Bebe No 10

Yarn: Filtes King Colors Baby 2 skeins

Needles: 3 mm Addi Turbos

Dates: ?

Mods: none

Thoughts: Looks teeny, but fit her fine. Very soft yarn, quick and easy knit

Pattern: Reindeer Booties from Family Circle Easy Knitting Holiday 2004

Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly - .25 skeins

Needles: US 4 Susan Bates

Mods: no nostrils

Thoughts: Cute! Though I forgot to put them on her Christmas day. Gah.

 
Pattern: Snowman Hat from Itty Bitty Hats by Susan B. Anderson

Yarn: Berroco Comfort DK (white and orange), Lion Brand Microspun (black and red)

Needles: US 7 Clover Bamboo

Dates: ?

Mods: Duplicate stitched on the eyes

Thoughts: Cute! Little tight around the noggin due to the hem. 

There are more gift knits to share coming up soon!

Lots 'o knits

I'm sick of feeling like I have 10 tons of unblogged FOs to show you, and I miss blogging in "real time" so I'm going to play super catch up. Hold on....

Leftovers Hat

Pattern: Simple Baby Cap #2 from Itty Bitty Hats

Yarn: Sublime Organic Cotton

Needles US 7

Mods: Made it shorter (5") before crown decreases as all of bambino's hats are too tall and fall down in her eyes, which makes her scream.

Thoughts: Love it. Super soft, fits great, cute!
Pattern: Upside Down Daisy Hat from Itty Bitty Hats

Yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton

Needles US 7

Mods: none

Thoughts: This is the largest size (for a shop sample) and I think the petals would look better if they were bigger. 

Pattern: Bessie from Pick Up Sticks

Yarn: Lamb's Pride (white), Paton's Classic Merino (black)

Needles: US 10.5

Mods: none

Thoughts: This is super cute, and knit up super fast, even with the intarsia and the seaming. I knit it in two nights watching the Olympics back in August. Love it. 

Pattern: Jive Turkey Baby Hat

Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly DK (brown), Berroco Comfort DK (white)

Needles: US 7

Mods: Knit with dk weight to size it down for bambino

Thoughts: Very Cute! Everyone loved it, so it was worth the knitting for something she barely wore. 

Pattern: Baby Kimono from Summer 2005 Interweave (the very first knitting magazine I ever bought!)

Yarn: Mirasol Yarns Samp'a 3.1 skeins

Needles: US 5

Mods: none

Thoughts: Love this. This is the knit bambino is wearing most these days. Goes with everything, fits great, love the sheepy ribbon. Apologies for the tiny picture again. Will be knitting this again for future babies. Garter stitch, yum.....

There are a few more FOs to catch up on, and then actual knitting content, that I'm knitting right now! Shocking!

The Trouble with Finishing

I sat and had a finishing marathon this weekend - and it was worth it, as you'll see, but it also has a downside - stay tuned.



Pattern: Pinwheel Baby Blanket
Yarn: Cotton Ease - old colors
Needles: Sz 8 Clover bamboo DPNs and Circulars
Dates: Late June-July 18
Mods: none
Thoughts: I really hate this pattern at the beginning (it's so fiddly having those few stitches on the big DPNs), but I really enjoy it by the end. I wish I had made this a bit bigger, but I needed to finish it, as it is a gift. I predict there will be more of these in the future.


Pattern: Duck Hood from Debbie Bliss' Kid's Knits for Heads, Hands and Toes
Yarn: Berocco Comfort DK
Needles: Sz 7 and 3
Dates: um, June something to July 20
Mods: no foam in the beak
Thoughts: So cute! This is part of the bean's Halloween costume, per her dad's request. I'm working on the booties to go with (the ones from 50 Baby Bootees to Knit), and then we have to find her a yellow "outfit" to wear with.



Pattern: Ladybird Hat from the same book as the duck hat
Yarn: Wool Gotto
Needles: Sz 7 and 3
Dates: June something to July 20
Mods: none
Thoughts: Much cuter on a baby than shown here - the antennae don't stand up as well as I would like, but they are still cute. I may tack down the tops of them to keep them standing up.


Pattern: Olive You hat from Itty-Bitty Hats
Yarn: Sublime Merino, Tahki Cotton Classic and scraps of Rowan Cotton Glace
Needles: Sz 7 Addi's
Dates: June/May to July 20
Mods: I duplicate stitched on the pimentos, and didn't add them to the back.
Thoughts: Very cute! This is a gift (to go with the blanket), and I think the mom will love it. I love it!

There are several other finished knits, but I need to stretch the blog fodder for as long as possible!

The bad thing about all this finishing? Everything else that needs to be finished isn't so close to being finished as to finish in a day or so. So it may be a while before I have any more finished knits. However, if I stretch out the ones that are already finished, y'all may never notice! :)

I don't understand why my computer insists on turning some of the pictures. When I try to manually turn them back, it turns them again, and when I undo my manual turning, it has them turned. Argh! And it seems to pick and choose the ones it wants to turn, as all of these were taken "right side up." Grrr.

I can still finish things!

Proof that I don't only start projects, and that I am still knitting, contrary to what the contents of the recent blog entries would have you believe - finished knits!!

Some of these have been finished for a bit, but they were gifts, so they had to wait to have their turn in the spotlight.


Pattern: Reverse-Bloom Washcloth from Weekend Knitting
Yarn: Baby Bee Pitter Patter (Hobby Lobby brand) - barely a skotch of it
Needles: Sz 6 Circular and DPNs
Dates: Um, early May until early May?
For: Mom
Mods: none
Thoughts - goes surprisingly quickly, especially after you get into the rhythm of the petals. That said, I chose not to make another for my MIL for her gift. But I do need to use up the TONS of this yarn I have (OK, I think I only have five skeins, but since this project didn't even put a dent in one skein, I'll be knitting lots of washcloths).



Pattern: Feather and Fan Bonnet from Larissa at stitch marker
Yarn: Cantina cotton, 1/2 ball
Needles: Sz 6 Circular
Dates: sometime in April -May
For: two summer babies
Mods: none
Thoughts: I like this so much I made it twice! We have two friends having baby girls this summer, and I didn't want to suffocate them with wool gifts. I remembered I had this odd-ball of yarn in the stash (purchased a few years ago to get me up to Little Knits $25 minimum purchase). Cotton is good for those summer babies, and I thought the colors would look summery as well. Delightfully, I had enough yarn to make 2 bonnets, and bust a ball of the stash! Woo Hoo!



Pattern: Cherry-O! from Itty Bitty Hats
Yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton
Needles: Sz 7 Addi Turbo
Dates: April-May
For: Shop sample
Mods: none
Thoughts: When I make this again (and I probably will, as the baby will need one), I'll go down a needle size for the cheeries, as you can see the stuffing coming through. I also really didn't like the cotton/addi combination - it hurt my hands and this took longer than it should have as a result.


I've got one TWO! more FO(s) up my sleeve, but they deserve their own posts. I'm hoping to get a lot of knitting done on our extra day off Monday. 10 more days of school! Now if my principal would just make up her mind about whether I'm teaching summer school or not (kind of crunch time here!) and what grade I'm teaching next year, that'd be great.

FO Retrospective

OK, I suppose only one of these is really a retrospective, since I finished the other two this week, but at any rate, there is proof that I've been finishing things - and best of all, these were all gifts!



Pattern: Shrug This from One Skein Wonders
Yarn: Elann Highland Wool Chunky - about 3 skeins
Needles: Sz US 10 Clover Bamboo Circular
Dates: February 2008-March 1, 2008
Mods: Did more increases than the pattern called for, thus adding width and length. From Ravelry I learned that it ran quite a bit small, so I measured as I went and tried to make it fit my SIL's approximate measurements.
Thoughts: Quick, easy, but frustrating that the pattern really doesn't turn out a wearable size unless you modify it. I hope it fit my SIL - it was her birthday gift, but I haven't heard yet if it was a success.



Pattern: Simple Baby Cap #2 from Itty Bitty Hats
Yarn: Berroco Comfort DK (yellow) and worsted (purple)
Needles: Sz 7 Addi Turbo 16" Circular and Clover bamboo DPNs
Dates: Monday April 7-Thursday April 10.
Mods: I added the yellow brim as this is a gift for an LSU lovin' family.
Thoughts: Simple, easy baby hat. Made a lot of progress at knitting Thursday night. Maybe I should knit a baby hat every Thursday night!


Pattern: Flore from Knitwhits
Yarn: Berroco Comfort DK in green, lt. blue, lt. purple, pink and yellow - tiny bits of each
Needles: Sz 6 Addi Turbos and Sz 6 Boye 16" Circulars (clover bamboo DPNs for the top)
Dates: March 2008-April 6, 2008
Mods: none, other than changing the colors from the pattern suggestions
Thoughts: I was really nervous that this would be so fiddly that I wouldn't want to work on it. However, it went fairly quickly, and even the tacking down of each individual petal didn't take too long. It is super cute, and I would make it again.

I have been working on some other projects and maybe starting some new ones. More on them later this week (I hope). Oh, and the tree? Still hanging on the power line. C'mon power company!

Cute Baby Hats

Pattern: Inca Snowflake Hat from Itty Bitty Hats
Yarn: Um, not sure. The white is Debbie Bliss Wool Cotton
Needles: Sz 7 Clover circulars and DPNs
Mods: yarn sub, not as many snowflakes
Thoughts: very cute - a bit fiddly with the finishing, but cute.

So, late posting tonight due to all the busyness. So no movies, but a few patterns. Tonight it's all about the toys. Kate is awfully cute, Hedgehogs are a great use for fun fur, and dinosaurs are sure to please many kiddos.

No noticable sleeve difference tonight - trying not to panic.

Do not adjust your screen

These are real finished knits you are about to see.


Pattern: Bottle Cozy from Yarns Ewenique
Yarn:Cascade Fixation
Needles: sz 6 Chiagoo DPNs
Mods: none
Dates: September-October 2007
Thoughts: One more for the gift pile.



Pattern: Sophie from Magknits
Yarn: Paton's Classic Wool
Needles: Sz 10.5 Clover bamboo circular and DPNs
Mods: none
Dates: September-October 2007
Thoughts: Another gift compleated



Pattern: Little Pumpkin from Itty Bitty Hats (one of my most favorite books ever)
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease in discontinued Orangeade and Rowan Calmer for the stem and leaf
Needles: Sz 7 Clover bamboo circular and DPNs
Mods: none
Dates: October 2007
Thoughts: Super cute!

Quick knits

I did manage to finish a few tiny things in July, in addition to the sweater that shall not be named (which I plan to try blocking this week - thanks for all the advice!).




Pattern: Calorimetry
Yarn: Alpaca with a Twist Landscapes - one skein.
Needles: Sz 8 Clover bamboo
Dates: one day at the end of July
For: Shop sample
Mods: I cast on 98 stitches and only worked 12 repeats of row 5.


Thoughts: The yarn is very nice and soft. The pattern again, is simple and wonderful.




Pattern: Saartje's Booties
Yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton (leftovers from the Petal bib and the ballband dishcloth)
Needles: Sz 6 Clover bamboo
Dates: mid July-late July, but mostly all in one day.
For: Shop sample
Mods: I used a slightly heavier yarn to upsize the pattern, as I had read that it ran small.
Thoughts: So cute! Great for babies, super quick and stylish.


There is also a nearly finished Sophie bag around here, and some other projects nearing completion. I'm hoping that August will be the month of the finished sweater, but I'll have to stop working on socks for that to happen.

Oh, I nearly forgot. I used up 9 skeins of yarn this month and purchased 8. Finally a month on top (barely)! Fingers crossed that I get lucky again!

Tomorrrow - the first leg of my team's Dish Rag Tag is complete!

And the babies keep on coming

More babies (this time by two friends, Katy and Katie!) are en route (one may be here already), so more baby hats had to be knit



Pattern: Simple Baby Cap 2 from Itty Bitty Hats (this has become my go-to baby hat pattern - it's quick, it's easy, what more could you want?)
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Wool Cotton
Needles: Sz US 6 Circular and DPNs
Dates: late April to early May
Mods: none
Thoughts: What more is there to say? I'm particularly proud of my stash busting efforts - the second hat contains the leftovers from the first hat and from a hat I knit a few months back - woo hoo!


Otis is becoming very brave (although he is avoiding the back door - no more tree climbs for him!), and really wants to play with Cocoa. She, however, wants nothing to do with him, and hisses whenever he comes near. The dogs are really interested in chasing him, but he's avoiding the room whenever they are in it.

Hats and dresses and onesies, oh my!

We've survived the first major round of gift giving this year.
My sisters-in-law have back to back birthdays, and both are runners, so I though a Calorimetry would make a good gift - keep their ears warm, but not as much stuff on your head as a hat.



Pattern: Calorimetry from Knitty
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran - just over 1/2 a skein of each color).
Needles: Sz US 7 Clover Bamboo Circulars
Dates: Both started and finished February 24-25
Mods: For the purple one I cast on 90 stitches, and it was close to being too tight on me. For the green one I cast on 98, and it seemed the perfect size. I also did 12 repeats of the short rows instead of the 16 called for in the pattern.
Thoughts: Again, a favorite pattern in the rotation. A great gift - cute and warm and quick!


We had already gifted the blue baby hat (from a few posts back), but the pink one was gifted today. Also gifted (to a different mama) were these cuties:


Pattern: Strawberry Hat from Ann Norling
Yarn: Takhi somethingorother for the red (cotton/acrylic) and Red Heart Sport for the green bits.
Needles: Sz US 7 Boye Metal needles, 16" circular
Dates: sometime in the last 1/2 of February
Mods: I duplicate stitched on the "seeds"
Thoughts: very cute, though something about this yarn makes it not very "rolly" - the brim doesn't roll as much as I would like.


Pattern: Anouk from Knitty
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Candy Blue (I think) and Banana
Needles: Sz US 7 Susan Bates Circulars
Dates: late January to March 3
Mods: I left off the pockets
Thoughts: again, very cute! Hubbo helped choose the buttons (JCA from JoAnn's), and I think they work very well with the colors. The mama and papa loved it, so a success all around! I do think I'll try a different dress pattern next time - there are so many out there!


We (hubbo and I) also whipped up these cute onesies for part of the gift - mama is a school librarian, so we choose some of our favorite book characters. Olivia and Eloise sadly didn't survive the transfer process.

Now I've got to finish up hubbo's pirate hat before we leave for Colorado in a few days!