FO: Welcome to the Flock

 

It has been a little quiet over here. I'm working diligently on two projects but also doing a fair amount of sewing. However, I did manage to finish baby sweater and it's ADORABLE.

 

See? The perfect little sweater to knit when Winter is desperately trying to become Spring. It reminds me of verdant fields and little lambs. 

Pattern: Welcome to the Flock by Julia Farwell-Clay

Yarn: Vesper Sock Yarn in Ivy League (green) and scraps of white and brown for the sheep

Needles: US #3 (3.25 mm) & US #5 (3.75mm) Hiya Hiya Sharp Interchangeables

Mods: I used larger needles than the pattern called for since my gauge was too small using the needles listed in the pattern. The pattern calls for a sport weight yarn knit at a dk gauge but I used a heavy sock yarn that knit up beautifully on size five needles. Fair warning, there are two rows of colorwork where you are knitting three colors in the same row which makes keeping even tension difficult. So worth it.

FO: Sproutlette Dress

Sorry the blog has been a little light on knitting content lately. I'm spending most of my time in the evenings studying for a teaching credential test, a linguistics exam, and working on homework assignments. Some of the time I can read and knit at the same time, but when it comes down to geometry or writing papers I have to set down the needles and pull out my pen or pencil.

 

A co-worker of mine is having a little girl really soon so I wanted to give her something extra special.

 

The keyhole neck in the back still needs a button.
 

Pattern: Sproutlette Dress by Tanis Lavalee
Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in Land of Sweets (Dec. 2012 Club Color)
Needles: US #3 Addi Turbo
Mods: None. Inspiration to cast this on came directly from seeing this example. There's something about seeing somebody else knit an item from my queue that makes me want to cast on right away. I'm thinking a matching pair of Saartje booties are in order.
 

FO: Lovebug Booties

Pattern: Lovebug Booties by Carrie Bostick Hoge

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in light blue and green

Needles: US #4 (3.5 mm) Addi Turbo Lace 

Mods: None! The pattern for the booties is practically seamless and knits up very quickly in an evening. I improvised the hat with the same colors as the booties for a matched set. The full set came out of partial skeins of Baby Cashmerino that I've been hoarding in a ziploc for times like these - emergency baby shower gift! The booties weigh 21 grams and the hat weighs 30 grams if you're keen to knit some up for a baby in your life. 

The Hat: 

Using a US #4 16 inch circular (or dpns) cat on 88 stitches with MC. Join in the round without twisting your stitches and place a marker. Knit 1x1 ribbing for 8 rows, or one inch. Join the CC and knit two rounds, switch to MC and knit two rounds. Continue in stripe sequence until piece measures 4 1/2 inches or preferred depth. Knit 9, k2tog* all the way round (80 stitches) . Knit one row. Knit 8, k2tog* all the way round (72 stitches). Knit one row. Repeat in this manner, working one less knit stitch every decrease round and knitting one plain round between decrease rounds. Switch to DPNs as needed. You should have 8 stitches when all of your decrease rounds have been completed. Break yarn, thread through remaining stitches and pull tight to close the top. Weave in your ends and block. Voila! Hat!

FO: Baby Sophisticate

Part two of the baby shower gift - the Baby Sophisticate.

Pattern: Baby Sophisticate by Linden Down

Yarn: Cascade 128 Superwash Chunky #900 Charcoal

Needles: US #10 1/2 Addi Turbo

Mods: I followed another Raveler's mods which you can find here. I knit the 6 to 12 month size and with the larger yarn this came out to be quite a nice little cardi-jacket. The buttons are plastic made to look like leather and are washable.

 

WIP: Tiny Rocky Coast

Tiny Rocky Coast Cardigan

yarma
Originally uploaded by ErinBirnel

There are a lot of people in my life who are expecting babies this Spring. While baby things are thankfully quite tiny and make quick knits the sheer number in my list is a little overwhelming. I cast on this little cardigan over the weekend. Tiny Rocky Coast cardigan by Hannah Fettig from the Coastal Kids Collection. It's knit in a very nice fingering weight - Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere in the color 'Ponder Dusk'. I'm knitting the 12 month size to try and use as much yarn as possible.

Bevy of Baby Sweaters

I don't know what the heck is going on with Seattle's water supply lately but it seems that everyone is having babies. There are three ladies that I work with who are due in May or June and a fourth just announced her Fall due date. I also have a classmate who's sister is having her first child anytime now and she very nicely asked if I would be able to knit a baby sweater if she paid for the supplies. Here goes.

 Sweater #1: Henry's Sweater by Jenna Swanson. US #5 & US #7 needles. Spud & Chloe Sweater in Grass, Ice Cream, Lake, and Splash. I knit the smallest size with less than one skein of the main color and scraps of the other colors. After binding off the neckline I decided it was too small and unpicked it, ripped it back to 40 sts, and did the JSSBO with the yarnovers backward. The pattern neglects to say to do the yarnovers backward and if you do them the normal way it just makes the stitches look funky and loose.

 Sweater #2: Baby Kina by Muriela. US #6 needles. Hill Country Yarns Instant Gratification Sock (I believe they are now defunct) in Lavender. I knit the 6 month size and due to my own dang fault had to rip back the increase rows several times. I still neglected to put in a third buttonhole but I think it's pretty cute. A major plus is that this yarn sat and sat and sat in my stash until I found this project. I still have enough to knit a baby hat and maybe some booties.

Sweater #3: Little Coffee Bean Cardigan by Elizabeth Smith: US #6 & US #8 needles. Spud & Chloe Sweater in Lake and Ice Cream. I'm pretty sure I knit the 6 month size on this one. The bulk of this was knit at my knitting group's annual retreat in Port Townsend. I cast on Saturday afternoon and had only the button bands to finish by the time we hit the ferry on the way back to Seattle Sunday afternoon. I had to use a leftover ball of the navy to finish up the last couple of rows on the button band or else I could have squeezed the sweater out of one skein of each color. 

So there you have it. Babies. Lots and lots of babies. This doesn't include the baby blanket I knit (and already gifted) to one of my co-workers. And I'll stick with bottled beverages or things that have been heated just to be sure - I'm leaving that water alone.

Super Crazy Busy Time

Hello! Please pardon the lack of posting - it is indeed super crazy busy time. Summer is ending and school is starting and I've got a to-do list about as long as I am tall. That's pretty long, people. Besides working a ton I've been trying to get all of my school things in order. Registration. Books. Parking permits. Bus passes. You know, stuff. It feels as if every time one thing gets marked off the list about three things get added and I'm having a hard time adjusting to the inability to GET THINGS DONE and having them stay that way. Down, things, down. Good things. Treat for you.

One thing I have gotten done is the baby sweater for my friend, Rebecca, who is having a little girl. I know she likes girly things but also has a taste for the modern so I thought the Playful Stripes Cardigan would be perfect. It's girly but not froufrou and it gave me a chance to bust out my leftover balls of Baby Cashmerino.

Cuteness for Boys

Knitting patterns for baby girls abound. There's a whole lot of lace and smocking and tiny mary janes out there to knit but what does a person do when confronted with knitting for baby boys? Research. Ravelry has made it pretty easy to advanced search for just about anything but I went to my queue to search and found the perfect thing. There aren't any baby boys coming into my corner of the world but I felt like knitting something decidedly boyish and found that perfect balance between pattern and (stash)yarn.

Pattern: Candy Cardigan from Pickles
Yarn: Dale of Norway Baby Ull in nondescript beige & Sundara Sock Yarn in Bronzed Sienna
Needles: US #5 & US #6 Addi Turbo
Mods: I knit the body on the smaller needle since the slip stitch pattern of the yoke pulls in a bit. I added stripes of the contrast color to the edgings for a bit more color and bound off on a smaller needle to help the garter stitch edges from flaring out.

E is for Emergency

This week marked our first run to Urgent Care regarding the Little One. After a day in which she was cantankerous and refused to nap I had a lay-down when the Man came home from work. 15 minutes later there was a muffled, "I need help!" I sprung out of bed to see Little One bleeding from her head (quite profusely) and the Man with a soaked paper towel. I grabbed a clean towel from the cupboard pinned her down and we stopped the bleeding. Apparently she had somehow wrangled the food processor blade* out of the kitchen cabinet and fallen on it leaving a one inch gash in the center of her forehead near the hairline. I called the nurse hotline and was told to bring Little One over just in case stitches were needed. Somehow these things always happen during rush hour so we finally finally arrived at urgent care, got admitted, and a couple hours and a popsicle later the Little One had her wound cleaned and glued back together. On the whole scale of first-time emergency visits this one is not too bad.

*All bladey-type kitchen implements are now far removed from little hands. All I can think of is that after we moved we forgot to baby-proof a couple of cabinets in our haste to unpack.

Louise Cardigan

I recently finished the Louise Cardigan from Vintage Baby Knits for a sometimes Purlygirl who is due...today! Wow! That went by quickly! It's a sweet little sweater and it was fun to knit.

Pattern: Louise Cardigan from Vintage Baby Knits
Yarn: Color Baby (Australian Merino is so soft!)
Needles: #3 Addi Turbo
Mods: None!
This sweater is knit bottom up and in the round. I had no problems except for trying to start the sleeves on my bamboo needles which totally hated the slip stitch pattern. I recommend something pointy and sharp like Addi Turbos for maneuvering those tiny little stitches.

Anouk

I finally picked up some buttons to finish my latest project for the Little One. This yarn was acquired at the Fiber Gallery Anniversary Sale last year and I really enjoyed working with it. The sale is happening again this weekend.

Specs:
Pattern: Anouk by Kate Gilbert
Yarn: GGH Samoa
Needle: US #6 Harmony Circular
Mods: I knit this pattern as written including working the pockets in intarsia. It's a bit long on the Little One but it may last to next summer this way. This is a great cotton blend yarn and just needs a little steam blocking to even out.

Good On Me

Sometimes, after days and days of feeling like I'm fighting a losing war with the toddler living in my house I score a big huge point. We get along fine and have a good time in general but after wiping up a drink spill (or some other unknown liquid) for the millionth time that day or a very long refusal to nap until exhaustion breaks both of us a break is needed. Enter swim class. I signed the Little One up for swim class which means I get to swim too. We had our first class yesterday afternoon and after 5 minutes of clutching my chest trying to figure out what was going on I got a very smiley, happy, splashy baby for the next 30 minutes. First time in the pool and she's already getting the hang of kicking underwater and floating on her back with her head resting on my shoulder. We both had a great time and it made for a very sleepy and easily to put to nap little girl. Plus there's nothing cuter than little kids in swim trunks or bathing suits splashing happily away. I'm already revved up to sign up for Summer session when the schedule comes out. Woot! Score one for mom!

February Baby Sweater

My first ever February Baby Sweater! Hooray! I love this pattern and can't believe that I haven't knit it before. This puppy flew off my needles in a record three days. Don't let the Little One's sad face fool you. She loves this sweater and dragged it around the house with her until I put it on. The picture was taken very very shortly before a nap.

Pattern: February Baby Sweater by Elizabeth Zimmermann from The Knitter's Almanac
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in Blue Lagoon (approx 1.1 skeins)
Needles: Size 7 & 8 Harmony Circs
Mods: I used heavier yarn to upsize the sweater to fit Little One. I used #7 needles for the garter yoke and #8 needles for the lace since garter stretches a bit. There are 3 buttonholes added at the yoke instead of all down the front of the sweater. The body is knit to 10 inches before adding the garter at the bottom but I kept the sleeves 4-ish inches long before adding the garter so they're a little bit cropped.

Happy Birthday!!!

Today is the Little One's birthday. She's now officially 1! I can't believe how quickly the year has flown. We had an afternoon birthday party with family and cupcakes. I knit her a dress and it fits like a dream. (Dale of Norway book #208 in Dale of Norway Baby Ull, size 0 & size 1 needles) Her favorite gift is a xylophone which she banged away on for the majority of the party. Or chewed on the mallets. She's also entranced by the little accordion and her new set of wheels (Skuut). We had so many well wishes from so many people, thank you so much!!! I can't imagine a better little person to spend my time with and I'm excited to see what happens in the next year! Happy Birthday, Boo!!

Back on Track

I'm back on track on the pearl shrug. I actually have the body and the trim done and should finish up the sleeves tonight. A little seaming and some quiet time and I might be able to finish this evening. I just have to say those knit 1 yo 4 times are a pain.

Today has been rough. The Little One is changing her nap times and/or not napping at all (or briefly) and driving me bonkers. Her first group play with other kids went well except for the one kid who was either trying to kiss her or bite her cheek off. I'm not quite sure. It was fun to see her interact with other kids although I could use a nap right about now.

Doh!!!

Last night when I got home from knitting I picked up the Pearl Shrug that I'm working on for the Little One. I decided to double check my stitch count and lo and behold I was off. Way off. I had double the number of stitches I should have had on the needles. I went back and re-read the directions. Yeah. I thought I needed to cable cast on 136 stitches instead of 72. The 136 was the total stitch count for picking up and doing the cable cast on. So I had a good 50+ stitches extra after doing a bunch of broken rib and decreases. Doh! So I spent a few minutes frogging back the portion I had going and then the portion I had finished and got back to where I was yesterday morning. A whole day of knitting gone in about 5 minutes. Blech. The upside is that since the armhole sections are supposed to be much smaller they won't take as much time to knit...again. Maybe I shouldn't stay up until midnight to get one more row done (by which I mean a whole section) because I miss important little things like how many stitches to cast on. I hope that this evening I can finish up the first armhole.

Audrey's Twist

Some mid-week cuteness for you. I finished my first project for Single Skein September that the ladies over on Stash & Burn run every year. I bought the kit at Sock Summit. The yarn is Hazel Knits in Lipstick 1984 and the pattern is Twist Hat by Melissa Goodale. I used #2 & #3 dpns. This is a new favorite baby pattern. I love the traveling stitches and that it takes less (!!!) than 100 yards of fingering weight yarn. Yeah, the kit comes with 100 yards and I had a good size ball left over from that. I think it'll be perfect for all of those big honking balls left from my Smooshy. I think Audrey likes it too, she didn't even rip it off of her head right away. Score!

Ishbel

I don't want this to be an album of finished projects but I've been doing a lot of knitting lately with very few pitfalls. I think that has to do with about a billion other people knitting a pattern before I get to it so all bugs have been worked out of the pattern. This is Ishbel by Ysolda in Malabrigo. Seems like I've been knitting a ton of stuff with it lately but I've really just got a few skeins in stash that lend themselves well to little lacy things. I've got one skein left and I'm debating whether or not that will be a little shawl or some actual socks. I've also got two (#9 & #10) sweaters on the needles at varying degrees of completion. I switch back and forth on them since #9 is in black and hard to see in dim light and #10 is on big needles and has a tendency to hurt my hands after cabling all of the cabley bits. That leaves 2 more in my NaKniSweMoDo challenge with a few months left for completion. My last two planned sweaters are on little needles so I may need the full time to finish up but I'm about 99% sure I can do it. Go me. Nothing very exciting is happening until the end of September when I'm off to visit my brother and his family in Kansas for a little family reunion.

Baby Update: The Little One has her first two teeth in and they're very cute. She's also started crawling on all fours instead of her soldier crawl. I believe this is in preparation for standing on her own since she has also been kneeling a lot. We are definitely not ready for more mobility, especially the cat who already fears for her life.

Time Flies

I feel weird about posting pictures or anything of my little one on my blog but she is so darn cute lately that I can't help myself. She was four months last week and is growing like a weed. Rolling over is her new favorite past time beside vocalizing to her heart's content.

Just Back

Just got in from California and I have to say that my little one is a rockstar of the jet set. No crying, minimal fussing, smiled at the seat neighbors, and napped half the flight - each way. I couldn't ask for more except maybe my return flight to not be delayed because sitting at the airport for an extra hour or more is extra fun. Yeah. The weather was mostly gorgeous the family and friends were super-excited to see babycakes and actually wanted to babysit for hours on end which left me time to get a pedicure, a manicure, see a movie, eat way more ice cream than is good for a body, and knit. It was awesome! I can't wait to go again.