Category Archives: Knitting

All my knitting adventures

FO Friday: PB’s Sporty Cardigan

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Hey look….it’s an adorable baby sweater! The Sporty Cardigan for PB is complete and even washed and blocked….

Pattern: Sporty Cardigan for Boys and Girls by Cecilie Clark

Yarn: Frabjous Fibers Messenger Kit in Color #13. I used 100 grams of the 170 gram set for a six month sized sweater.

Needles: US 4s and US 6s

Mods: Omitted the sleeve shaping for my hulk of a baby. Omitted the bottom button of the button band because Jellybean lost the fifth button before I could sew it on or take it away from him….

Seriously this chunk of a two month old is ALWAYS fussy when it’s overly air conditioned. Pop a sweater on her and shes happy as a clam. But don’t you dare put a hat on her! This six month sized sweater fits just about right for my two month old….insert insane laughter here…. I snapped a quick photo of her in it before I had the buttons sewn on, she didn’t seem to mind.

Happy Knitting!!

 

Wishful Knitting: Golden Skein Yarns

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Like any other knitter with a stash, I have some skeins that I would consider “golden skeins” or just too precious to use without just the perfectly suited pattern. For me this is definitely some Hedgehog Fibers Merino DK skeins I have tucked away.

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I have two skeins of Ink (blue) and one skein of Salty Tales (grey speckle). I purchased these wanting someday to make a nice big squishy DK weight shawl in two colors. But I keep having analysis paralysis when it comes to pairing them with the perfect pattern. So today for my “wishful knitting” post I’m going to audition a potential pattern.

I found the Touchstone by Laura Aylor on Ravelry. It’s a asymmetric triangle shaped shawl that uses about same amount of yardage I have on hand. It appears to be squishy garter stitch and lovely eyelets. That’s right up my baby hormone addled brain right now. And a DK weight shawl should work up waaaay faster than a fingering weight one. The pattern is written to use all one color but since I have two I think I would do the garter in the Salty Tales and the Eyelets in the Ink color. I’m not sure how that work work out as far as yarn management goes. But hey, this is wishful knitting and I can do what I want!

My inner mommy also thinks that I should consider making PB a sweater in this as it would go with her beautiful blue eyes…..but I’m not sure I’m ready to give PB Hedgehog yarn until I know how much she will chew on it and spit up on it. I may not be that selfless of a mom….

Happy Knitting!!

WIP Wednesday: Big Bang Socks

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I finished the first tube of the Big Bang Vanilla Socks!

This is a LONG tube and I still had yarn left. I safely tucked the cake away into the tube lest sticky Jellybean fingers latch onto it. For a minute I considered knitting them until I ran out of  yarn…but ain’t nobody in this house have the time to figure out calf shaping. Especially with my 20+ years of volleyball muscled calves. Maybe I’ll have enough yarn to make tube socks for PB?

In order to keep my bedside/in the dark knitting going I quickly cast on the toe of the second sock and re-stashed in my nightstand. I feel this project losing a bit of steam as I’ve been obsessed with PB’s Sporty Cardigan. But hey….what else are nice plain vanilla socks for anyway? Always there and ready to be picked up with no pattern to fuss about!

Happy Knitting!!

Wishful Knitting: Sock Blank Projects

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I have found myself with a surge of knitting mojo juxtaposed with my impending return to work. (With PB in tow I might add. She was approved for the infant at work program at my job.) This has left me with all kinds of project yearnings and no time really to properly sort them all out or work on them.

My recent mental obsession has revolved around sock blanks. I have three in my stash and yet never worked a project out of any of them. That’s just a crying shame. So I pulled the shiniest blank from my stash and lovingly admired it and started wishful knitting.

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This is a blank from Nicki’s Knots in Woodland Park, CO. This was vacation yarn acquired many moons ago. When I purchased it the yarn shop owner (and dyer) gave me a free pattern to go with this blank. I think it was a special one off pattern for a yarn crawl or something. It’s not on Ravelry but it is buried in my email somewhere. I really think my next shawl should be out of this blank. The question is do I work the pattern that was written with this yarn in mind or find a different one….so much wishful knitting…

An Almost Cardigan

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Well the weekend proved fruitful…sort of. PB received her 2 month vaccinations and required extra snuggles and a TON of nursing to get over the hump. But lots of snuggling meant some easy knitting on PB’s Sporty Cardigan over top of a sleeping baby.

I managed to finish the body, knit on the button bands and *almost* finish the first sleeve. I did have to take Jellybean to the craft store to track down some size 6 metal dpns. I had to settle for Micheals brand store needles. But they worked just fine. I was using my Knit Picks nickle plated interchangeables for the body anyway and I like to use the same needle material when possible to keep gauge consistent.

I’m really hoping to bang out both sleeves this week….fingers crossed! Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Easy Goes It

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My Easy Goes It shawl is blocked and end woven in. This baby is DONE!

Pattern: Easy Goes It by Finicky Creations

Yarn: Neighborhood Fiber Company Rustic Fingering in Easterwood color

Needles: US 7s

Mods: See Ravelry page

It’s a nice asymmetrical scarf type of shawl. And my pattern mods made it even longer. This should be super cozy this winter wrapped around my frozen neck. My needles did turn blue working on this project. But I never had dye on my fingers and I didn’t get any to let loose during soaking/blocking. Very curious but I’m glad it didn’t bleed.

This project is definitely a selfish keeper for my shawl drawer. I had toyed with giving it away to my sister but I couldn’t part with this beauty. Have you ever changed your mind like that?

Happy Knitting!!

Sporty Cardigan Update

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I may have an addiction. My Sporty Cardigan for PB is cruising right along.

I managed to work through the raglan increases, separate for the sleeves and work a good chunk of the body! It’s been a quick minute since I had to do so many purl back rows. So much of my last few projects have been garter or in the round that I haven’t had much occasion to do many purl rows!

I’m really hoping against all hopes that I can get this done before I go back to work or before she out grows it….which ever comes first, lol!

Happy Knitting!!

Easy Blocking

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I made it! My Easy Goes It shawl is blocking!

I chickened out at 7 grams left and bound off. You can see my pattern additions along the right side of the photo. I did 14 or so garter bumps then two a single repeat of eyelets before binding off. I am supremely happy. And I even busted out my blocking wires and gave this puppy a good stretch! My inside curve needs work as it has a few scalloping bits. But a mother of two young children can not afford to be too fussy.

I’m hoping to grab some FO photos tonight if this thing is dry! Yay for Kansas summer heat!

Happy Knitting!!

Cast On: PB’s Sporty Cardigan

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The time is drawing near that I have to return to work. My maternity leave has seemed to just fly right by! Well, I have prepped my office with all the items I think I will need. But there is one situation I need to address….my office is freezing and PB is terribly temperature sensitive.

Solution…..cast on a cardigan! I pulled a Frabjous Fibers Messenger Kit in the #13 colorway. I picked this sport weight kit on a deal at a LYS closing. I did some Ravelry sleuthing and found the Sporty Cardigan for Boys and Girls by Cecilie Clark. I wound the yarn and got to work. This yarn kit was perfect because it has two difference coordinating colors in the same base.

After some napping and knitting I am working on the garter stitch yoke. I’m working the 6 month size. But at the exponential rate at which PB is growing…I might need a bigger one. If I manage my yarn carefully (and maybe pull some different sport contrast from my stash)….I may be able to knit a second sweater in the 12 month size for when she grows out of this one. These colors are just going to look so cute on PB!!

Now, shhhhhh I have more knitting to squeeze in during nap!

Happy Knitting!!

Easy Goes It…Plus Some

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The middle of last week I reached the end of the pattern instructions for my Easy Goes It shawl. I still had a ton of yarn left as the put up on my skein was bigger than the pattern called for yarn. (And I was even using a size 7 US needle instead of the pattern recommended US 6 to make my gauge bigger.)  What is a knitter to do? I didn’t want to bind off and leave so much unused.

Well, I put on my big girl undies and decided to extend the pattern. I am going to work another garter section and weigh my yarn as I go. When I get down to a few grams left I think I will add a short eyelet section before binding off in the pattern recommended manner. I will save just a teeny bit of yarn for my scrap blanket but otherwise I plan to play yarn chicken as best I can. This singles yarn is too yummy to sit in my leftovers.

I’m a few garter bumps in and my yarn is shrinking. I think a good nap knitting session today and post-bedtime session tonight should see me to the rest of my yarn….fingers crossed.

Happy Knitting!!