I couldn’t help myself….here is PB in her finished Leksak.
The sweater is capital P perfect and she’s adorable in it. And at this rate….who knows how long it will fit!
Happy Knitting!!
Baby In A Leksak
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Tag Archives: sweater
FO Friday: Leksak
As promised yesterday my Leksak is blocked and all ready for Fall in Kansas.
Pattern: Leksak by Yarn-Madness
Yarn: Berroco Comfort DK in Menthe and Primary Blue. I used 233 yards of the Menthe and 85 yards of the Primary Blue. So all in all that’s about 94 grams of yarn.
Needles: US 4 (the pattern calls for 6s and I oopsed) My gauge ended up being 5.5 stitches and 8 rows to 1 inch.
Size: 12 months
Sorry no finished photos with PB. She is in the middle of a developmental leap and just kind of a crabby mess after we get home from work. Her little brain is really growing up a storm. But bottom line is that I loved this pattern and will most likely re-knit this again as PB gets bigger.
Happy Knitting!!
A Block Away
My Leksak is completely knitted and awaiting a good blocking!
I slept on my wonky button band issue and decided I couldn’t live with it. And I had the yarn to reknit the bands, so why not? So I pulled back the band and re-knit them being careful to count my stitches on each side. And they were equal. Well…..I think I picked up too many stitches on each side. So they now match…but they are kinda huge. But I’m definitely rolling with this one. I’m not doing that a third time! It’s good enough for and it’s good enough for PB, lol.
As you can also see, I made the sleeves match. I started my round at the back of the sleeves so the job is only visible from the back. I kinda dig it. This baby is now soaking gently and I hope to have it dry for FO photos tomorrow!!
Happy Knitting!
Wonky Button Bands
My Leksak now has finished button bands. Are they still button bands when there are no buttons? Nevertheless, I had a great time working on this. But I do admit to plowing through them at a pretty good clip after the kids’ bedtimes. And that may have triggered a bit of wonkiness in the bands.
I for SURE did not county my stitches as I was picking up each side. Even though the pattern told me to, I thought “it will be fine”. And you know what? It’s okay but not great. I can totally tell one side has a few more stitches than the other. I kinda stretched the bands for this photo so it’s not as noticeable. I get so little knitting time these days I can’t really face ripping it out and re-doing it right now. I think I’m going to finish the sleeves and block it before I decide. I mean acrylic really isn’t known for “blocking out” problems. I just need time to think on it before I decide.
As for the sleeves, I have one done! And I made a happy accident. Instead of starting my round at the underarm when I picked up the live I managed to get distracted by Netflix and start at the back of the arm.
You know what? I kind of like it. I didn’t take the time to remember/look up/actually do any jogless stripe technique. So now the jog is at the back of the sweater where on a baby you won’t actually see it as much. (Honestly, jogs never really bothered me all that much.) This placement kind of made sense in my brain and I think I will repeat it on the second sleeve!
Happy Knitting!!
Leksak Stripes Complete
My Leksak has a completed body!
I very pleased with the way the striping worked up in this sweater. Next up is a unique button band that involves not breaking the yarn from the garter hem. I’m intrigued! And now that I have completed the body work I am a lot more confident that I won’t end up playing yarn chicken. This Berroco Comfort is 50/50 Nylon and Acrylic but it actually has a nice hand to it. I’ll see how it wears but I might consider this for future kids knits….
Happy Knitting!!
Cast On: Leksak
I had finished PB’s Second Sporty Cardigan and I couldn’t stand the thought of not knitting cute baby girl sweaters. So I did some Ravelry searching and stash diving to find a good match.
I found Leksak by Yarn-Madness. It’s a top down raglan style tunic (or pullover if you prefer) made for DK yarn. It has an interesting button band construction I found intriguing and I had two colors of Berroco Comfort DK languishing in my stash. Comfort DK is a 50/50 acrylic and nylon blend so very washable and very durable. And I like the idea of a tunic for my sweet PB. And I am for SURE making the open front construction versus the pullover closed construction. (P.S. Leksak is Swedish for “toy” and I am of Swedish decent so I that kinda hooked me as well.)
The colors are a minty green and bright blue I originally got for making hats. While not a a pairing I would normally make I think they actually work well now that I can see them knit up together. I will be playing a small bit of yarn chicken on this project but I think with some strategic order of operations and yarn management I can make it work.
Happy Knitting!!
Wishful Knitting: Sweaters for Jellybean
I wrote last week about dreaming of sweaters for PB. She is cute and tiny and has zero opinion about what I put on her. So it’s awesome to make fast projects that I think are cute and have someone wear them without complaint. But my mom guilt got the better of me…Jellybean hasn’t gotten a new garment in awhile. He really liked the Storytime Scholar I made him last year. Not that he has noticed that he hasn’t gotten a new sweater. But I decided I need to dream about a sweater for him as well. My current options are:
- Good Grief by Susie White. I won this sweater pattern in the 2018 PALKAL and it’s an adorable worsted weight pullover. The downside is that PB is at the top end of this patterns sizing.
- Elwood by Jenny Wiebe. This is a nice striped old man style sweater and I think PB would really dig it.
- Big Thom Jenny Wiebe. This is a nice mix of pullover with a nice button detail to allow for ginormous boy noggin.
What I learned from this Ravelry dive is that I may love everything Jenny Wiebe designs for boys and Jellybean may end up with a sweater collection….
Happy Knitting!!
FO Friday: PB’s Sporty Cardigan #2
Well, ladies and gentlemen….PB has a new sweater! The Second Sporty Cardigan is finished, washed, blocked, buttons added and ends trimmed off. Now I just need cute baby photos to put the icing on the cake.
I went with the round two tone buttons. As you can see I really worked a lot of buttons into this sweater. And the top two turned out really close together. But I kind of like it. Now I can fasten the top two buttons and let the rest of the sweater hang open to show a cute onesie underneath.
Note: Blocking didn’t completely correct my buttons bands but it greatly improved them. I’m marking this a win and moving on.
Pattern: Sporty Cardigan for Boys and Girls by Cecilie Clark
Yarn: Frabjous Fibers Messenger Kit and Knit Picks Comfy Sport. I used roughly 266 yards or 89 grams of yarn to make a 12 month sized sweater. This included every last drop of Frabjous Fibers so no pesky leftovers hanging out in my stash!
Needles: US 4s (I forgot to switch to 6s for the body so I just kinda rolled with it. My gauge is just a little tighter and my sweater a smidgen smaller than I wanted but it’s still lovely)
Mods: See above or check out my Rav notes.
Happy Knitting!!
Choosing Buttons
I raided (with permission) my mom’s button stash in my sewing room for buttons for PB’s second sporty cardigan.
I came out with two nice grey/black neutral options. My mom suggested putting them in the button holes to really get a feel for what they would look like. She’s pretty smart you know. The ones on the left have a nice two toned look that I dig. But the ones on the right have a little bit of smoothness and sheen. I’m letting myself sleep on it but I’m kinda leaning towards the ones on the left.
What do you think?
Wishful Knitting: More Baby Girl Sweaters
I am sooooo close to finishing PB’s second Sporty cardigan that I’m already dreaming of my next cast on. I seem to be really energized knitting for cute baby girl clothes. I pulled up my stash on Ravelry and perused what I have. I know that it will have to be sport or DK weight. Those kinds of projects work up quickly but also make a nice light fabric. And because babies are messy and get changed a lot…the sweater needs to be easy on and off, not to mention easy cleaning. I created a Ravelry search and came up with the following options
- Leksak by Yarn Madness. This is a tunic with long sleeves and a nice open front. And the neckline doesn’t look horrible for big headed babies.
- POP! baby cardigan by Rachel Atkinson. This is a garter yoked cardigan similar to my Gidday Baby but without eyelets and in more comprehensive sizing.
- Little Renee by Tiaga Hilliard Designs. This is a top down caridgen with a lace panel on the back. It’s a little adventurous for my knitting time and brain power but it’s drop dead gorgeous!
I think I may stash dive and pull out yarn and let the colors speak to me and tell me what pattern to pick next!!
Happy Knitting!!
My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures 