fooled

the kiddos wore their owlets to church, and naturally they needed a bath.  i threw them in the wash (in a lingerie bag), washed cold and this is what happened to petunia's:

felted!  and i used superwash yarn!!


at first i blamed myself for putting the sweaters in the bag together.  but freddie's didn't felt; in fact, i think it grew a little bit!

i blocked petunia's sweater to see if i could pull it back to shape, but no dice.  this baby is felted and shrunk.  i used KP swish superwash for both sweaters becos i don't have the time to hand wash kiddos' woolens, and loathe to use baby melting acrylic.

the same thing happened to freddie's denim blue cardi.  both the cardi and owlet were "heather" yarns and both shrank in the wash.  damn.

i guess the next time i'll have to skip the heathers and go for the full colors.  and if another sweater felts with KP swish, i'll have to find another yarn.  or switch to acrylic *shudders*

hoots - freddie's sweater

i finally finished freddie's owlet

knit with KP swish in copper, it's a pleasant warm orangey brown, perfect for freddie's brown curls and stone brown eyes.


there's a reason why one should knit one project at a time.  i started this back in the fall, finished the body up to the cables and was working the sleeves using the magic loop method.  i don't know why i slogged on those ruddy sleeves.  when i picked the sweater up last week, i couldn't remember what size i was knitting it.  i remembered i was knitting a size up from petunia's (becos hers was on the smaller side) and when i counted stitches i couldn't figure if i was knitting a child's 1 or 2.


i got it sussed out, but not without doing some frogging (becos apparently i can't read and follow directions, story of my life!) but i got everything straightened out.  the cables were actually the easy part of this project!  plus i got the short rows (for the back of the neck) in the correct place, unlike how i knit them for petunia's (short rows on the side, not the back - i guess i thought petunia would be like a hunchback!)


i am very pleased with freddie's sweater!  the sleeves are too snug (what's up with that?!  i followed the pattern to the letter!) but it fits nicely!  now if freddie would just wear it!

i'm not sure if it's my monkey brain/project ADD or my constitution, but dear bob, i hate knitting projects in duplicate.  i cranked on petunia's sweater and then stalled on freddie's.  he'll get a couple of weeks' wear with it but it feels too late.  and it's going to get worse - the kiddos are going to only grow more = bigger garments!  i consider myself more a process than product knitter, but apparently that doesn't extend to making two of the same project!

i **heart** this pattern.  i see me knitting it again next year!

hoots in action!  here's freddie's hoots:

petunia's hoots still fits, although it is short:

owlet quandary

so i knit petunia a sweater.  owlet seems to be a bit short and snug (and this is the toddler size 2-4!)  i know yarn makes a difference and i got gauge but i'm just not happy.








(my apologies for the crappy pics - the first two were taking at night in a hurry, and the third was taken with the door open in morning light.  none are correct in color).

i was afraid i'd run out of yarn but i had one whole skein and quite a bit of a second left over.  i think becos i'm knitting with worsted instead of bulky i'll be okay (and i can always order a fifth).



i considered blocking the sweater but i don't think i'm going to get enough length or width.  i'm seriously considering frogging the whole thing and knitting the next size up.  i cranked on this one for a couple of days - it really is a quick knit - and it wouldn't take long to knit it over.  i really planned on petunia wearing this for more than one season.  am i crazy?

i also started knitting freddie's owlet, this one in copper:

i cast on with stitches for the next size.  i'm nearly finished with the waist ribbing and then i'll start the body.  so far i'm happy with it.

that's it.  i'm frogging petunia's and starting over.  what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger!

bigger boy blue

freddie bean's sweater is finished!



here's my rav linky.  pattern is the maui hooded baby jacket.  6 skeins of knit picks swish worsted in delft heather, knit on size 7 needles.  this sweater is constructed from the top down, and the hood is knit separately then crocheted (slipped stitched) on.  i modified the pattern by knitting 7 ridges instead of 8, and attaching a zipper instead of knitting button holes.  i enjoyed this pattern and think it will become one of my "go-to" toddler sweater patterns.

i ordered 6 skeins of yarn thinking i'd have plenty left over.  i was left with this:



close call.

freddie will not wear the sweater.  he walks over to it then runs away when i ask him to put it on.  figures.

petunia grudgingly put the sweater on for pictures.  then she wouldn't stand still for them:



this is the truer blue of the sweater:



this sweater is now ready for fair exhibition!  wish me luck!

bigger boy blue

almost there...

petunia's bellflower sweater

petunia's sweater is finished!



bellflower baby hoodie knit with knit picks swish worsted on size 6 and 8 needles.  my rav page has more details.

still under construction, before the hoodie...


i have mixed feelings about this pattern.  it's a bottom up knit, which i didn't mind, but i really didn't like the construction under the arms.  let me explain this better:  the sleeves are knitted first, then you knit the body of the sweater from the bottom up, attach the sleeves and continue to knit/slowly decrease to shape the shoulders and neckline.  when i attached the sleeves, the working yarn "stretched" and caused holes.  i tried really hard to close up the holes when i stitched up the bottom of the sleeve to the body, but (IMHO) i think my stitching was a bit sloppy.  i wasn't the only one who complained about the construction.  i probably should have read the comments before embarking on this project.  oh well.  i do like the finished product. it's cheerful.



i tried to get a good picture of tunie wearing the sweater but she wouldn't stop moving!  she wore it for about 5 minutes before pulling it off.  i think she is accustomed to her back zipped sweater that a button front sweater is alien to her.



another note - it fits her NOW.  and i blocked the dickens out of it (and i wasn't supposed to).  here's hoping she can wear it in the fall - and maybe during a chilly day this summer.

sigh.  i made a sweater - that counts for something, right?

here's the back:



i have no idear why i didn't do close ups of the buttons.  they were plain white buttons that i found in my new button jar.



i will knit a sweater for freddie, but the yarn i want (swish in delft heather) is on back order until mid summer.  

2 sleeves and a quarter of the body

the hot pink isn't quite that hot - brightness courtesy of HD.

nice mindless knitting - until i get to the sleeves and shoulders...

excuse me, but would this be too goth?

i saw this cute hooded cardigan in a recent issue of love of knitting.  my track history of knitting sweaters isn't the greatest - i start out big but they wind up collecting dust in the bottom of my knitting basket.  the only one i've completed was the backward zippered hoodie i made for my cousin's baby.  but i saw this sweater, and thought wouldn't that look cute on petunia?  she's outgrowing the backwards zip hoodie, and i thought the pattern was simple enough for even sweater phobic me.

there's nothing really special about bellflower baby hoodie (rav linky) - in fact, when i looked at the FOs in the ravelry gallery, a couple knitters complained about the construction of the sweater and many modified the pattern to fit their needs.  i guess that's the beauty of any pattern - making it work for you.   

the pattern calls for lion brand natures choice organic cotton.  as i'm currently "dieting" i stash dived for 500 yards of something similar.  the majority of my stash is made up of small samples of yarns (it's rare that i have anything over 200 yards in worsted/aran unless i purchased several skeins for a particular project), but i did find mushishi (rav linky) hiding in a picnic basket.  it's only 491 yards, but as the sweater is worked sleeves first/ bottom up, i could work as much as i could, and if i found myself running short, i could bag the hood and modify the collar.  

my other quandary is this.  i love the color of this yarn - a dark green/grey with white marls.  it's a wool/silk blend and feels lovely.  i'm not sure if i want to use it on a sweater that petunia will literally beat on.  washing it will be a PITA (especially when i'm constantly throwing their backward zips in the wash every other day).  the color would be pretty on her - she has red hair and porcelain skin - but i think it's a bit too heavy for her.  almost too goth.  

so i hopped in the car and drove to michael's to check out the yarn.  i did like the pistachio color but they only had 3 skeins.  they had a pretty blue but 5 skeins would cost $40.  i know it's organic cotton but, $40 FOR LION BRAND YARN?  i'd rather spend the money on a yarn that i really like, in a color i like, in a fiber i like to work with (i'm not a big cotton knitter unless it's cotton/wool blend, or i'm knitting a dishrag).

i sighed, drove home, and promptly ordered some swish superwash in lotus.  i love the feel, it's great to work with, i can throw it in the wash with little thought, and coral pink will look really cute on petunia.

i also bought some nickel tips, extra cables, and The Big Book of Knitted Monsters.  you know, to pad the bill.  ;)

here's my question for the week...when you find a pattern you like, do you use the yarn suggested or modify it to work with a favorite yarn or stash you have on hand?

there's always something new to learn

i recently celebrated my fifth anniversary of knitting.  even tho i've been knitting for a while, i'm always looking for a new skill to learn.  last year i conquered a few knitting fears:  lace shawls, mittens and a sweater.

i knitted two shawls last year:  multnomah (aka it takes balls to be a butterfly):







and faraway, so close:




i started my third shawl, clara.  clara is currently in the testing stages - she was designed by a member of HAPL in memory of her daughter.  proceeds from the sale of clara will be donated to the march of dimes.  clara is the first shawl i'm knitting that uses a chart.  i've gotten a lot of encouragement from other knitters to try charts.




i'm still working on the garter portion of the shawl - i've been busy cranking on my log cabin baby blanket and march socks - but i'm okay with that.  clara's still has a few bugs, so i'm banking on by the time i'm ready for the charts, the bugs will be ironed out.

clara is also my first dip into the testing pool.  well, others are deeper in the pool than i am.  but it's still pretty exciting!



last year i also knitted mittens.  for a long time, i was afraid to knit mittens becos the thumb gusset intimidated me.  i got over that fear pretty quickly and for a while i cranked out the mitties.  this pair kicked off my new obsession:




my mmmmalabrigo mitties:




the kick ass red mitties that went to the boy's teacher:




my kick ass red mitties:




this mitten got frogged:



in a few days you'll find out why this mitten got frogged!


lastly, i got over my sweater fear and knitted a baby sweater for my cousin:




not only did i knit a sweater, but also sewed a zipper into it.  w00t!  i want to knit two more sweaters for the kiddos, becos they are quickly outgrowing the ones they have now.  where to find the time to do it...


there's still a lot for me to learn.  in a few months the KDO catalog will be out and i'll pick classes for new skills to learn (rumor has it there will be a drop spindle class - that's probably my biggest goal of all, to learn to spin...)


no matter how long a knitter knits, there's always something new to learn...

what to do with an unworn sweater

i was up in the attic getting boxes and wrap for xmas presents when i decided to look for a sweater i hadn't worn for a while.  when i found it, i came across 2 other sweaters.

this sweater is cotton.  i got it 11 years ago in provincetown, massachusetts.  i was thinking of it becos i thought i could recycle the yarn.  when i tore out the bottom hem and looked at the side seams, it looked like it was cut from one piece of machine knitting.  that means that if i try to unravel it, it will shred to pieces.



i was thinking of unraveling the yarn to this sweater to reuse.  when i saw how it was knit, i reconsidered:

see all that detailing?  i can't recycle that.  btw, the body of the sweater is seed stitch.  i got this sweater at shafer's in millville, probably 10 years ago.  it was really expensive. i got it on sale.  even tho i didn't like fuchsia, i loved how it was knit.

my first thought was i could felt the sweater and cut a bag or mittens or hat from it.  but with the detailing, i don't know how they would look felted (i never felted cables or seed stitch).    i thought of cutting the sleeves off and making a big bag out of it, but that bag would be really long.  i thought of cutting the detailing of the collar from the body of the sweater, knitting a border and wearing it like a shawl.  so many possibilities!

and this is the sweater i dug up to begin with:

plain black machine knit, embroidered by hand.  thought it would look cute with my new pants.

what would you do with these sweaters?