Mitts & a Rant

Here’s another pair of New Moon-Inspired fingerless gloves, finished last month.  This post almost got lost in the shuffle, but that does not indicate a lack of enthusiasm over the mitts themselves.  They were quick to knit and have been put to good use, living in the pockets of my winter coat.  The struggle was simply over getting photos taken, a problem that was solved just today as I ran outside to snap a couple shots with record speed.  It’s cold out there!

• Pattern: New Moon Inspired Alice Cullen Fingerless Mittens (Ravelled here)
• Yarn: Cascade 220 Paints/Hand dyed in color 9849
• Needles:  US 8/ 5 mm double points
• Mods: I knit a plain round or two after making the thumb hole and before starting the ribbing.

This is such a quick and simple pattern; I would highly recommend it as a stashbusting, brain-mellowing project.  The only hitch is that this formerly free pattern has been retracted and is no longer available for download.  This was brought to my attention when a reader emailed me asking where I found the pattern as she couldn’t locate it online.  I looked it up on Ravelry to see if it was from an outside website, only to find this message:

“Sorry, but this pattern has been removed because it is under contract to be published in Vampire Knits fall 2010.” –Ravelry pattern page here

Huh?

Forgive me for a moment while I rant.

I enjoyed this pattern, but it’s certainly not something so clever and groundbreaking that a person couldn’t figure out how to do it from the photo.  To remove a free pattern from circulation and hold it back for publication at a (much) later date seems a little silly.  Especially since the pattern has already been made hundreds of times by Ravellers.  Why not keep the pattern for free since it’s so out there already?

In the scheme of things, this isn’t a very important or big deal, it just rubs me the wrong way.  Anyway…

I really liked this yarn!  The colors have a slightly faded out quality, blending nicely one into the other.  These mitts have already become a staple in my winter wardrobe as the wool seems soft yet hard-wearing.  They take such a scant amount of yarn to make that I’m sure there’s plenty left over to make a matching hat.

 

Surprise Knits

Our trusty mail carrier, Mark, has worn a path to the front door the past couple of weeks, delivering delightful gifts for Peaceful Baby.  Among them have been some generous handmade surprises.

From Knitting Siamese: read her original post here.

From Princess Pea: tiny shoes & bonnet

From a family friend: crochet alphabet blanket.  Just look at all those bobbles!

I’ve also seen a hint that PB has another beautiful blanket on the way from WifeMomKnitter, which you can preview here.

You all are some fun, talented, and giving friends. Thank you so much!

 

Rose Verde

There has been knitting going on around here, in small amounts here and there.  I have to admit, I’m a bit surprised I’ve been able to get any in at all. My hands are very full, but there is some down time while PB sleeps, or someone else is entertaining her.  I’ve also mastered knitting, computing, and moving around while she’s in a sling, which is very nice indeed.

In the last week of my pregnancy, I went on a cast-on spree.  I started some fingerless mitts, a beret, a baby hat.  You’ve seen the hat, and I just realized I haven’t taken photos of the mitts, but I can show you the beret:

Knitting this felt somewhat like a race against time.  I wanted to finish it before the baby came, or at least get through the meatier bits of the pattern. Fortunately, I was able to finish the cable charts before going into labor, which meant I only had the band to finish up later.

• Pattern: Rose Red by Ysolda Teague (Ravelled here)
• Yarn: Misti Alpaca Worsted Solids in C815, about 165 yards
• Needles:  US 6/4 mm  and US 4/3.5 mm
• Mods:  I wanted a more snug looking band, so I knit pattern as written thru row 64. Then I switched to smaller needles and did the following: row 65: k2, p1, p2tog* ; row 66: k2, p2* ; continued in k2 p2 ribbing for one inch, then bound off with larger needles.

Once again, I am pleased and impressed with Ysolda’s impeccible design.  This looked very complicated to me in the beginning, but she walks you through every step in the pattern, offering up both charts and written instructions.  The lace inside the cables was highly entertaining, and I loved working toward the next change to see how it would all come together.  It is also knit from the top down, which is quickly becoming my favorite way to knit a hat; not only does the pattern slowly reveal itself from a new perspective, it allowed me to customize the band at the last minute.

This yarn was also a delight to work with.  The alpaca is light as air, softly haloed, and the color…  Well, the color is a saturated grassy green, with a hint of gold spun in for depth.  While it did like to split on the needles every once in a while, it was great to work with over all.  It knits up into a light yet very warm and effective fabric.  I originally bought 2 skeins of this yarn, so now I feel challenged to use the other skein to make something warm and matchy to go with the hat.  Snapdragon or Veyla mitts, perhaps?

 

Baby Knits in Action

The baby knits have already been put to good use around here.

PB wore Aviatrix home from the hospital.  It was the perfect size to cover tiny ears, and really stayed put.

After she decided to reject our attempts at swaddling, I pulled out the kicking sack.  While I was knitting this, more than one person seemed to humor me, not really getting its practical application.  But let me tell you, the merino keeps those legs warm while allowing baby to curl up or kick out all she wants.  She’s been sleeping in it at night ever since!

As it turns out, PB takes after me and was born with long feet (as long as my index finger, in fact!).  I thought I had better try to put Saartje’s Bootees on her while they had the best chance of fitting.  They are just right, and will probably be too small by next week.  Still, they were a fun knit and will be nice to save.

I have to admit, there was a little voice telling me that maybe I shouldn’t be putting a newborn in all this wool.  But my inner knitter prevailed, and we are covering her in the stuff until/unless there’s a problem.  So far so good!

And on a practical note: I have a new blog, Peaceful Mom, that will be devoted to my new life as a stay at home mom.  That way, this space stays true to its original purpose of being a chronicle of my knitting adventures.  So if you want to see more baby and less knitting, head on over here.  Peace!

 

It’s a Girl!

Peaceful Baby is here!

 

Tubey, Tasseled

• Pattern: Tubey by Woolly Wormhead from Wee Woolly Toppers (Ravelled here)
• Yarn: Jamie Harmon Merino/Angora 2 ply, about 115 yards
• Needles: US size 7/4.5 mm
• Mods: Cast on with a contrast color.  I turned the hat inside out to do a 3-needle bind off.  When I turned it back, there was a cleave where the fabric pulled in and down.  I decided to use it inside out because the corners were more perky.  Added tassels!

This was another fast and super cute knit hat from the WWT collection.  These patterns are well written and ever so slightly different as to stand out among the crowd of too-cute baby knits.  This particular pattern was perfectly easy to knit while chatting at knitting group or watching a movie, and showcased the yarn very well.  I was really hoping the color changes in this hand-dyed yarn would work out to blend with the stripes of reverse stockinette, and they ended up playing very nicely together.  This project totally makes me want to knit with more hand-dyed and hand-spun yarn.  It was such a treat!

And because I can’t resist putting something extra on the top of a baby hat, I added the tassels.  If you need a refresher on how to make a secure tassel (as I did), pull out your copy of Stitch ‘n Bitch or check out this tutorial.

Happy weekend knitting!

 

Gratitude

Okay, enough whining around here.

There is plenty to be grateful for these days.

My mom is here for the rest of the month, to help take care of her baby while I takes care of my new baby.

I have an awesome partner who holds me when I cry about my lobster claw hands, and who teased me about looking like an anaconda that swallowed a beach ball when I came downstairs this morning and proudly exclaimed “Look!  I can zip up my robe!”

Cats who like to snuggle up on my lap or under the covers during an afternoon nap.

Afternoon naps.  Ahhh, already looking forward to mine today.

A good friend who invited me out to drink hot chocolate, talk girl talk, and knit on a weeknight.

Being able to knit again!

Having hope and looking forward to the future as a mother.

My warm, cozy house filled with yarn and food and books and people I love.

What are you grateful for today?

 

Kickstart Cardi

You know that feeling when you spend the whole day excited that it’s Friday, making plans for how you will spend your weekend, only to find out at some point that it’s really only Thursday?

Or what if you were a little kid and you thought surely that family vacation to Disneyworld was happening this week, only to discover that it’s next month?  How long is a month when you’re 7?  It might as well be years.

That is sort of how I’m feeling today.  My due date was 4 days ago.  And if one more well-intentioned person tells me that babies come when they’re good and ready, to enjoy this quiet time together, or how they were 3 weeks late with their first baby, I’m going to lose it.  Ditto for the “have you tried eating ____? I had that the night before I went into labor and it did the trick!”  If I went into labor right now, I would have to say it was the leftover macaroni and cheese I had for lunch that did the trick, and that can’t possibly be true.  Right?

In any case, I started a baby sweater last weekend to help take the edge off all this waiting and anticipation business.  It certainly worked, as long as I was knitting.  It’s amazing how zoned out you can get when focusing on that simple task of looping yarn over needles.

• Pattern: Super-Natural Stripes by fawn pea (Ravelled here)
• Yarn: Bernat Cotton Tots (cream) one skein, Jamie’s Rainbow Yarn from Rhinebeck, 40 yards?
• Needles: US 7/4.5 mm and US 5/3.75 mm and maybe some size 6s as well
• Mods: There were several.  The major two are that I only used two colors and made the sweater with short sleeves.  This wasn’t the plan, but as I was running low on the cream-colored yarn Sweetie suggested I just make the sleeves short.  Perfect solution, especially since this is a (mostly) cotton sweater.  I also added another color repeat at the cuffs of the sleeves and the hem of the sweater to use up more of the gorgeous angora/merino hand spun yarn. Then I bound off the button band with the larger needles; am sort of wishing I would have used the larger needles on the whole band as it pulls up a little bit.

I know what you’re thinking: she mixed a wool blend with cotton?!  Craft store cotton?  But something about these 2 yarns together with the pattern just worked.  All three are slightly rustic and imperfect, and I am really pleased with the finished effect.

Now I’m working on using up the rest of that fun pink and green yarn to make Tubey from Wooly Wormhead.  Any other suggestions for quick knits to help pass the time?

 

Around the House

It’s the last day of 2009.  It’s snowing outside, and inside all is quiet.  I’m feeling a bit contempative, but not all that interested in playing back the year or the decade for you here.  And I’ve given up making resolutions for the most part, so there will not be those sorts of lists.

Instead, as I putter around the house today thinking, knitting, snacking, looking out the window at the snow, I have been taking pictures.  Pictures of what things are really like around my home today.  Nothing fancy, just capturing a moment.  Would you like to play?  I’ll show you mine if you show me yours…just copy the list, take a stroll through your house one day, and post on your blog.  Because we all like to see how other people live, right?!

Here are the categories for the Around the House meme:

• In the kitchen
• On the nightstand
• In your work/craft space
• Out the window
• What the pets or children are up to
• On your feet
• Knitting or knitwear in action

Happy New Year!

 

Fuzzy Feet

Christmas Eve I woke up with the inspiration to get started on a pair of booties for Peaceful Baby.  The entire time I’ve been pregnant I have wanted to knit some booties out of a turquoise Angora yarn from the stash.  For some reason I hadn’t gotten around to it yet, and in my desire to have this baby immediately, I actually thought “Maybe s/he is waiting until I knit those booties to be born.”  I thought the same thing about several other insignificant daily “signs”, but so far no baby.

Anyway, back to the booties.  My hands don’t hurt as much in the evenings as they do in the morning (something about fluid accumulating in the joints while lying down), so I have been able to get in a little knitting the past few days.  I knit the first one on Christmas Eve, then forced myself to wait until the next day to finish up the second one.

• Pattern: Saartje’s Bootees, free pattern here (Ravelled here)
• Yarn: Annie Blatt Angora Super, color 741, about 35 yards
• Needles: US size 4/3.5 mm
• Mods: I inadvertently skipped knitting a few plain rows before casting off for the straps.  I didn’t notice this until knitting the second one, and decided it wasn’t noticeable.  Baby feet are small!

This is another fast a fun pattern.  I had made a pair once before with leftover sock yarn, and was pleased with how it knit up in the decidedly more fuzzy Angora.  The flying fuzz gave my nose a tickle though, so I’m hoping it’s not a problem for baby.  Does anyone know if the shed factor goes down after blocking?  For some reason I’m afraid to get them wet, like it will ruin the halo effect and just make the booties look matted.  I know that’s probably not the case, and as Sweetie kindly pointed out, Angora rabbits do get wet in the rain… and then the yarn gets wet when it is dyed…