Boot Camp Socks
Posted: February 1, 2012 Filed under: Knitting, Socks 3 Comments »I started this pair of socks in March 2010. Taking almost two years to complete a pair of socks is probably a record low for me. In fact, I forgot how to graft the toes and had to look it up!
This colorway isn’t one I would have purchased, but I think I swapped with someone because I like Claudia Hand Painted Sock Yarn more than whatever I was trading away. Nevertheless, the socks are cozy and I am always happy to add to my collection.
Yarn: Claudia Hand Painted Sock Yarn, Boot Camp, 2 skeins
Pattern: My generic 52 stitch top-down sock with 30-row slip stitch heel
Needles: US #2 / 32 inch for ribbing; US #1 / 32 inch for all other parts
Super Easy Baby Blanket
Posted: December 16, 2011 Filed under: Knitting 3 Comments »My kind and generous friend Mari gifted me with the Super Easy Baby Blanket kit from Purl. It was an absolutely lovely gift – the yarn is a luxurious and supersoft superwash merino, and the colors are my favorite. This garter stitch baby blanket was exactly the kind of knitting I needed this year. I started the blanket in February, and just finally finished it last week.
Thank you, Mari! I think Munchkin will love it.
Baby Sophisticate Sweater
Posted: December 3, 2010 Filed under: Knitting, Sprout, Sweaters 10 Comments »
I really enjoyed knitting this sweater for Sprout a few months ago. I finished it in a week, which is fast for me even for a small item like a baby knit. It was my first time using Mission Falls 1824 Wool and I loved it. It reminded me a bit of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, but sturdier. If you are looking for a quick, gender-neutral baby sweater pattern, I highly recommend this one!
Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Wool, 3 skeins, #003 Oyster
Pattern: Baby Sophisticate (newborn size)
Needles: US # 9 / 26″ (Magic Loop for sleeves)
Hats for Sprout
Posted: November 1, 2010 Filed under: Hats, Knitting, Sprout 10 Comments »After almost six years as a knitter, I am just finally venturing into the world of baby knitting. For a selfish reason.
26 weeks
Hubby and I are ecstatic about our baby girl Sprout!
I knit these hats for her awhile back. Orange is our favorite color.
Yarn: Handmaiden Casbah Sock in Pumpkin and Yarntini Self-Striping Sock in Pumpkin Spice
Pattern: Easy Peasy Newborn Sock Hat (Ravelry link)
Needles: US #2 / 32″ for magic loop
Tuesday Night Cowl
Posted: March 23, 2010 Filed under: Knitting, Scarves and Cowls 11 Comments »
Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted, Chocolate 36ns, 1 skein
Pattern: Tuesday Night Cowl (Ravelry link)
Size: Worsted weight version
Needles: US #8
Thoughts: This is a very straightforward pattern and I really like the look of the cables. I also learned how to do a provisional crochet cast on because of this project. I was surprised that I managed to finish the entire cowl with just one skein of Shepherd Worsted — it must be because I knit tight. I definitely recommend this pattern if you are looking for a cowl that looks a little more interesting than plain stockinette.
The Hoodless Central Park Hoodie
Posted: March 8, 2010 Filed under: Knitting, Sweaters 10 Comments »In March 2008, I completed my Central Park Hoodie. It took quite awhile — about six months — and the finishing was extremely daunting to me. Two years after completion, though, I would say that the effort definitely paid off. The CPH is one of my favorite sweaters. I love the color, it is super warm, and the wool feels comfortable against my skin.
There are two things I would change:
(1) The hood. I would wear the CPH more if it didn’t have a hood. I don’t use it at all, and it creates an uncomfortable lump when I wear a coat over it.
(2) The size. I knit the 36″, which is clearly too large. There is excess sweater flapping around in the back.
So I decided to another another CPH this year. Meet the smaller, hoodless version.
I was tempted to knit this sweater in gray or even another shade of brown because I tend to gravitate toward those colors. But I made myself branch out. Even when I finished the project, I was still second-guessing my color choice. I like grass green a lot; I just don’t wear much of it.
From beginning to end, this sweater took me seven weeks. Not a record by any stretch of the imagination, but very good for someone who usually drags these things out! What probably helped is that I didn’t have much of anything else on the needles so I tried to be monogamous. The seaming didn’t feel nearly as brutal this time around. It still took me a few hours, but it went smoothly.
Overall, I really like the style and fit of this hoodless version! We’ll see what I think after another couple of years.
Yarn: Cascade 220 in Color 9430 (Highland Green), a little over 4 skeins
Pattern: from Fall 2006 KnitScene
Size: 32″
Needles: US #7 and #9
Modifications:
: Lengthened the body by half an inch
: Followed normaknits’ guidelines (Rav link) for the hoodless version.
–After seaming the shoulders, use the smaller needles to pick up the same number of stitches you would have picked up for the hood. I picked up the stitches with the wrong side facing me so that the ridge would be on the inside of the sweater.
–The next row is *p2, k2, repeat from * to last two stitches, p2. Continue to knit the 2×2 ribbing as established until you reach the desired length of the collar. I knit for about 3.75″; I think 4″ would be even better. BO all stitches.
–With the right side facing you, pick up stitches for the button band starting from the bottom front and continuing all the way up through the end of the collar. I picked up 126 stitches on each side. I can’t remember now how I came up with that number, but it worked okay for me. You want to pick a number that is a multiple of 4 + 2 so that you can do the same 2×2 ribbing as for the collar. The next row is *p2, k2, repeat from * to last two stitches, p2. I knit the button bands until they reached 2″. BO all stitches. Repeat for second button band.
Stripey Socks
Posted: February 22, 2010 Filed under: Knitting, Socks 10 Comments »
Yarn: Yarntini Self-Striping Sock yarn, 1 skein
Pattern: My generic 56 stitch top-down sock with 30-row slip stitch heel
Needles: US #1 + #2 / 32 inch circular
Very Cabley Mittens
Posted: February 8, 2010 Filed under: Fingerless Mitts and Mitts, Knitting 4 Comments »Over the holidays, I was in the mood to knit a pair of mittens. I had purchased a Chevron Love Mitten Kit and was super excited about working on them! However, after ripping and re-starting a mitten four times, I gave up. As much as I love colorwork, it just isn’t my strength because of my weak Continental knitting. It messes up my gauge and looks sloppy, so I need to commit time to improving my skills before I try colorwork again. I ended up giving away the kit. I was disappointed, because I really like the mittens.
I searched on Ravelry for other mitten patterns, and came across the Very Cabley Mittens. They appeared simple, and I had enough leftover yarn from the Evangeline mitts. So I cast on and finished them about a week later.
Pattern: Very Cabley Mittens (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy, Grey Tabby, less than 1 skein
Needles: US #5 for cuff, US #6 for body
Mods: I went down a needle size for the cuff based on project notes I found on Rav. I did not check gauge, but I know I knit tightly. Normally, I have to go up one needle size to reach gauge. However, since I have small hands I stuck with the #6s suggested in the pattern. It worked out fine for me.
Star Crossed Slouchy Beret
Posted: January 27, 2010 Filed under: Hats, Knitting 5 Comments »I like the “friend activity” page on Ravelry because it exposes me to patterns that I might not otherwise see. That was where I came across the Star Crossed Slouchy Beret pattern.
This pattern only uses one skein of Malabrigo, which is a big plus.
Sadly, though, I don’t think this beret works well on me. It isn’t slouchy enough and generally looks too small. I should have done at least another half of the pattern repeat before the decreases. I’m still debating whether to frog it and re-knit it, or to donate the hat to charity.
Pattern: Star Crossed Slouchy Beret (Rav link)
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted, Polar Morn, less than 1 skein
Needles: US #9, #10, #11
Mods: I used US #9/16″ needles for the ribbing based on project notes I found Ravelry. I think this worked well. The US #11s/16″ were for the main body. For the decreases I used US#10 DPNs. I’m not sure why the pattern calls for 24″ needles — I tried them and didn’t like how the stitches were overly stretched out. The 16″ needles worked just fine.
Evangeline Fingerless Mitts
Posted: January 14, 2010 Filed under: Fingerless Mitts and Mitts, Knitting 7 Comments »
When I am at work, I park my car underground. This works out really great during the summer months when the temperatures are in the high 90s or 100s, but in the winter my car gets chilly. Since November, I’ve been telling myself that I need to knit up some fingerless mitts because my steering wheel is cold at the end of the day. I had a pair of Fetching mitts from 2006, but I only wore them for one season because the fit wasn’t right (too big) and the yarn (Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran) pilled like crazy. I can’t even remember what I did with them.
I saw the Evangeline pattern a long time ago and printed it. If my memory is correct, I believe it used to be a free pattern on MagKnits. Well, when I reorganized my craft room over the summer, I sorted through the many knitting patterns I printed over the years and tossed the ones I didn’t think I would use. Guess which pattern ended up in the recyle pile? Yup — Evangeline. So in order to knit these mitts, I actually paid for a pattern that I used to have for free. You can bet I was kicking myself for being overzealous in my cleaning!
But the pattern was worth it. I really like these mitts. They are easy to knit but not super boring. The fit is perfect, and I am hoping (fingers crossed) that the yarn will hold up well. This was my second time using Dream in Color Classy, and I liked it a lot better than I thought I would. I don’t particularly like the feel of DIC when I’m knitting with it — it seems kind of rough — but it was a good match for this pattern and the mitts don’t feel rough or itchy at all on my hands. Verdict: I would definitely knit this pattern again with the same yarn.
Pattern: Evangeline (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy, Grey Tabby, less than 1 skein
Needles: US #7 / 32″ for Magic Loop
