D standing still

Dwight informed me last night that I haven't blogged in a while. Well, I don't like blogging without pictures and I've been lazy in the picture taking department. I was determined to get pictures of D wearing his vest today. I got him dressed and took him outside. Brrrrr. It's cold and very cloudy out there. I took a few pictures and called it done. I have a few other things that needed their pictures taken. It was too windy to try to take a picture of a shawl outside. That will have to wait for a better weather day. *While typing this entry, I did make a mad dash outside for more pictures. This has turned into a huge finished knits entry.*

Back to the vest, this vest is made out of sKnitches syncopation yarn in the Candy color. I bought two skeins of it from Simply Sock Yarn and have a lot leftover. I wanted to make sure that I had enough to match the stripes. The leftovers will probably turn into a hat or wrist warmers for D. I used the Cabled Vest pattern from the Not Just Socks for Kids book. I did change it and left out the cables.

Details:
Vest for D
Pattern: Cabled Vest from Not Just Socks for Kids (size 4-6)
Yarn: sKnitches syncopation in Candy
Needles: size 2 (2.75mm) for bottom ribbing, size 3 (3.25mm) for body, size 1 (2.5mm) for neck and arm ribbing
Changes: left out the cables
Start: December 17, 2007
Finish: December 21, 2007

I have now made a few things from Not Just Socks for Kids and really like it. I've bought a few books on knits for kids, but this one is my favorite. I love the use of sock yarns and the simplicity of the designs to let the striping stand out. I like the use of fine yarns for kids' knits. Using sock yarns with wool and nylon make the knits warm and durable. The mittens that I've made look like they will last through this winter and the next. E's mittens were made using the X-ribbed pattern from this book, but I left out the cabling part on the cuff. Instead, I just did a 2x2 ribbed cuff. I also used a slightly thicker yarn with the small needles to make dense mittens. E has worn these out in the snow and says that her hands stay warm. This is coming from a girl that runs around when it's 65 degrees with out socks and says that her feet are still warm.

Getting D to stand still was one thing. Getting him to keep his hands still for a picture was near impossible. I got his hands to stay put, but his fingers kept wiggling. If you can see in the picture, the stripes do match on both hands. His are fingerless because he doesn't like wearing mittens that prevent him from holding things. He takes those off. With these, he's able to hold things, but he can tuck his fingers in there if they get cold. His were made from the same pattern as E's, but in a smaller size.

Details:
Mittens for E and fingerless mitts for D
Yarn: Knit Picks Parade in Crayon
Needle: size 0 (2mm) Knit Picks Classic Circular
Pattern: x-ribbed mittens from Not Just Socks for Kids (size 4-6 for E and size 2-4 for D)
Changes: left out the cable crossings and just did 2x2 ribbing for the cuff
Start: December 28, 2007
Finish: December 29, 2007

And now some knitting for me. This was my mindless knitting that I've been working on in the car. I've also worked on it this week because I've run out of other daytime projects (more on that below). This is LoveSticks yarn in the Caramel Apple color. While knitting this, I didn't think of caramel apples. I kept thinking of the Grinch and that's what I'm calling them. I used Cat Bordhi's method of wrapping for short rows. I'm not sure if I like it, but then again it's only the second time that I've done it that way. I does make a nice line, but it seems loose compared to the way I usually pick up my wraps on short rows.

Now that my mindless socks are done, I need another daytime project that I can work on. I've been thinking about using my Wollmeise yarn for some wrist warmers, but I haven't found a pattern that I like yet. I may just come up with one of my own.

Details:
Yarn: LoveSticks in Caramel Apple
Needle: size 0 Addi Turbo
Method: magic loop, two at once, toe up with Turkish cast-on, short row heel
Start: December 29, 2007
Finish: January 8, 2008

In other knitting news, the Honey Bee Stole is finished. Pictures of that to come when the weather cooperates.

I do have another project on the needles right now. It's a secret project for E's birthday and I can only work on it at night. That makes it slow going. I'm make a tiny topsy-turvy doll from Jean Greenhowe's Jemima Jane and Friends book. This is my first Jean Greenhowe project. I want to make more of the dolls, but with a few changes. On the next doll, I will make more of the parts in the round to eliminate (what I think of as) unnecessary seaming. On this first doll, I'm using various leftovers that I've dug out of my closet. I've found that I don't like knitting cotton blends such as Lionbrand's cotton ease at such a tight gauge. Caron's Simply soft yarn is soft compared to Red Heart, but Red Heart is less fuzzy looking. I hope to have a finished doll picture by the time I make another entry here.

Dancer's wrap complete, now it's shawl time

Doesn't she look thrilled? ;-) It was rather warm outside and I don't think the wool sweater was comfortable. E does like it and wants to wear it. She just needs to wait for actual fall weather to get here. I made the matching legwarmers that are also in the book Not Just For Socks for Kids. E likes them, but insists on pulling them up over her knees. I can see knee high socks in her future, if I only have the patience to knit socks that long. The Dancer's Wrap pattern was easy and a very quick knit. The yarn was scratchy, but does feel better after a Eucalan bath. E doesn't seem to think it's scratchy and she's been wearing the leg warmers before they got their bath.

Pardon the clashing colors. We just wanted to get pictures and didn't feel like dressing for a full on photo shoot. :-P At least we can see the leg warmers and sweater together. I'm thinking that leg warmers are the way to go for E. They will probably last far longer than socks would. If she had socks on in the picture, you would barely even tell that the leg warmers are separate. They're quite snug, since they're basically 2x2 ribbing in a tube with no shaping.

The sweater was made in the 6-8 size. E is around a 6 in store bought clothing, but I wanted the sweater to last this winter and next. She has the sleeves rolled up twice in these pictures.

Details:
Pattern: Dancer's Wrap
Size: 6-8
Needles: size 3 (3.25mm) Knit Picks Classic Circular for main portion, size 2 (2.75mm) Knit Picks Classic Circular for collar ribbing
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit Multiringel 5030 (2.1 balls of yarn)
Start: September 22, 2007
Finish: September 29, 2007

Pattern: Leg Warmers
size: big kid (that's what it says in the book)
Needles: size 2 (2.75mm) Knit Picks Classic Circular
Yarn: Lana Grossa Meilenweit Multiringel 5030 (maybe half of one ball)
Start: September 29, 2007
Finish: October 2, 2007

Now it is shawl time! I've been itching to knit some sort of lace all summer. The picture above is the first clue of the Secret of Chrysopolis. It's a mystery knit and mystery knit and most of the participants speak German. It is awkward being in a group that doesn't speak much English, but it is nice to see the world from the other side. I've lived in Germany before, so I know what it's like to be in a place where everyone doesn't speak my language. For this shawl, I just skim the postings and try to pick out a few words here and there. And if there are numbers, I try to decipher that post. So far, so good. The shawl is in charts and it looks like a beautiful design so far. The next clue just came out today. I've already printed it out and taped it together. Now, I just need to find time...

But there is also the Secret of the Stole. It's another mystery knit along. The first clue just came out today too. That one is also printed and taped together waiting for some free time. This one has a few beads in it and I always find those fun.

I'm still knitting socks.....Yes, it's true. You would think that I would be sick of socks by now, but I need to have a plain knitting project to work on during E's lessons. I've been working on little socks for D out of leftover yarns. He's thrilled. It's so cute seeing how much he likes the hand knit socks. They are so fast to knit and don't even take 50 gms of yarn.

Now, I get to knit a few minutes before we start the lessons of the day.

Yarn prize!

Thanks to everyone that posted about the 42 socks. I received my prize package in the mail yesterday. What a wonderful surprise to have it arrive so fast! Here is what was in it:

From the top and then left to right: Fleece Artist Sea Wool in Rainbow and Lime & Violet Kayley-Did, Perchance to Knit in Frozen Grapes, Tausendschoen in Schlangengift, and Woolbearers in Frosted Glass. There are still a few other things coming too. The links take you to the places that donated the yarn. I think that I might have found a few new places to shop. ;-) I have to say thank you to everyone that donated the yarn and to Jessica for arranging the Summer of Socks.

This is what I'm working on now. It's the Dancer's Wrap from Not Just Socks for Kids. The body of the wrap is knit in one piece. You start with the loooong garter stitch tie, increase for the left front, decrease for the armhole, increase for the back, ..., until you get to the other loooong section of garter stitch tie. The tie is cut off from the left side of the picture. I'm using Lana Grossa sock yarn. This yarn is not at all soft. I'm really hoping that it will soften up a bit when I wash it. Thankfully, this is a wrap and E will be wearing a layer underneath it. The colors are really off in this picture too. The red should be a bright candy type red and the darkest color is really a dark brown. There are a few other colors in there, but they're really subtle and you can barely see them. So far, I'm still enjoying this knit. It's not so bad knitting a sweater for E on size 3 needles.

I'm still working on the Star Flower chart. I thought that I would post the chart today, but I just checked it and it's missing something. Yikes! I can't have that.

I love seeing something like this out of our windows. We see deer a lot and then we see turkeys a lot--separately. It's rare that we see them this close together. (Keep in mind that these pictures were taken with a lot of zoom, through a screen, and through a double glass window.)

Cable-Down Raglan complete!!

I did try to get a picture of myself in the sweater, but it didn't work out and I didn't want to postpone writing about it. I wanted to get a few things down about this sweater before I forgot them. I like how this sweater turned out. It's not perfect, but it's really good. I made the sleeves longer. I shortened the body of the sweater when I realized how long it was going to be. If I had known that I was shortening it that much, I would have started the smaller cables sooner. Oh well.

Part of the problem was the yarn that I was using. I used Colourmart's oiled cashmere yarn. You must knit this yarn loosely and then wash it in hot soapy water. Because of that, I couldn't try on the sweater as I went. It did look huge before washing. It looks short in the picture, but sweater covers my tummy. My sweater ended up looser than the one pictured in the pattern, but I like it that way. I'm not one to wear clingy knits.

I would use this yarn again. It's a bit weird knitting it loose and then throwing the whole thing into a washing machine. I did try to hand wash the sweater first, but it wasn't enough. The sweater was still a bit rough feeling after the handwash. I don't think I got all of the oil out of it. I was brave after that and threw it in the wash with a few towels on warm wash/warm rinse. When it came out, it was very, very soft. I didn't try throwing it in the dryer. I laid it flat and it dried quickly. The color of the yarn is a very dark blue. The most accurate picture is the close-up detail shot of the cables.

Details:
Pattern:Cable-Down Raglan from Interweave Spring 07 issue
Yarn: Colourmart 4-ply cashmere (held double)
Needles: Size 6 Knitpicks Options
Start: March 26, 2007
Finished: April 4, 2007

Late snow

Snow? It was 84 degrees last Tuesday and now we're having days in the 30's again. I was ready for spring and then I remembered my allergies. Then the snow came and I thought I would get a break from my allergies, but they're still driving me crazy. I have it contained, but the allergy medicine makes me feel drowsy for about an hour and then cranky. Dwight wonders how that makes anything different. Funny--very funny.

There is a lot going on around here. We just got the samples for our floor. We have agreed(!!) on one of them, but Dwight wants to look around locally again. I can't wait to get started on that project. All of our little starters for our garden are sitting in the kitchen waiting for the weather to warm up again. I even brought in E's flower pots. All of those are now sprouting. I hope she gets some pretty flowers. I'm doing pretty good with the planting so far this year. I guess practice is good. So far, nothing has drowned from too much water or died from lack of water. ;-)

There has been a lot of knitting. I finished the Cable Down Raglan!! I took some in-the-mirror shots of it. I hope to get better shots when I wear it out on Sunday. I started and finished a little sweater vest for D. I used the cobalt blue bamboo yarn. There will be more details when I get a picture of D wearing it. And finally, I started another sock. This one is a pattern from More Sensational Knitted Socks. I liked the stranded knitting patterns in her other sock book and wanted to start one right away when I saw these in the new book. The yarn is Knitpicks Palette. It's not usually an ideal sock yarn, but I like it for stranded or fair isle patterns.

Knitting as a temporary allergy cure?

I don't know what it is, but it's probably something inside my head. Sometimes when I'm knitting, all of the sniffles and sneezes go away. Hmmm, that sounds like a good excuse to knit more. I have been knitting. I'm knitting away on the cable down raglan. I'm on the second sleeve and almost finished. Why are there no pictures, then? That's because it's ugly. Not the pattern or the yarn, but the combination of the two. This colourmart yarn is oiled and must be knit looser than normal. After knitting, it gets a nice bubble bath with hot soapy water. If I'm feeling really brave, it gets thrown into the dryer to fluff it up again. I doubt I will be that brave. We'll see if it's good enough for pictures after all of that. Right now, it's a blob looking thing that's loosely knit.

Of course, I'm thinking about what's next. I want to knit lace again. Sweaters are great, but I find lace so much more fun. I don't have anything planned yet, but I'm looking. I've seen a few patterns that caught my interest. I want to sew more. I need to tackle those purses and get that pattern straightened out. I want to make more dresses for E. I want to make something for D, but what? It's hard finding interesting things to sew for little boys. He definitely doesn't need a toy, but clothing patterns for boys are hard to find.

And then there's other stuff going on too. I spent a few hours yesterday scraping paint off of our back deck with a wire brush. I'm getting ready to paint it again. BUT, we have cold temperatures coming for the next few days and through the weekend. I guess painting is out for a while. At least the deck will be ready when it warms up again. I started some garden seeds indoors and they're doing pretty well considering it was me that planted them. I'm usually terrible at growing plants. Dwight and I just decided to tackle the kitchen floor. It's ugly, peeling, and needs to be replaced. I think we've decided to go with some kind of wood laminate flooring. I initially wanted tile, but Dwight thinks the wood will look better. We've been talking about it for years and at this point, I don't care what we use. It just needs to get done. So many projects to do....