Baaaaaabies!

Okay so first of all, whoa! Really? My last post was February 28? I know this semester was crazy, but jeez. Secondly, I finished something!

I made a Baby Surprise Jacket (my third!) for my friend Ang's new baby Irie Rose. The thing about a BSJ is that you need two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport (in this case, colorway "Bittersweet"), and you end up with a ton leftover. What to do?

Make booties! These are Saartje's Booties (rav link), which I've also made before, but come on! Look at them! So cute.
I've been dying to use this colorway ever since the first time I saw it, but could never find a way to use it. Irie's parents though are the perfect people for this bright, cheerful hue. And I loved knitting with it!
After I finally sewed on the final button, I tried my hand at crochet and yeah... still terrible. I have a friend who crochets so I'm hoping she can help me out some. This same friend I "taught" to knit, taught in quotations because it felt more like reminding a master of something they once did. I'm sure she's going to be a good teacher. WAY better than the crappy books/online tutorials I've tried. I don't know why I just can't get the hang of crochet, but even my little braid of single crochet (?) never looks right. Sigh. A the end of the program, please let me have a completed short story collection worthy of publication and the gift of crochet. I just want a gd blanket. Is that so much to ask?!
In other bloggy news, I've started a new blog for my writing endeavors. I'm hoping it'll help me land freelancing jobs. Turns out, I really like writing columns and book reviews! Check it out here!

Sometimes You Make Your Own Sun

I love this colorway! I've been waiting for a reason to use it and finally have the perfect excuse. I mean, a color this bright is made for babies!

Funny story: Last week I met with a friend to teach her how to knit. I was working away on my BSJ, constantly referring back to the pattern and worrying I was missing something. I was confused when I first pulled out the pattern and didn't see any notes (I always mark up my patterns), and as I worried over missing something I couldn't remember having so much trouble the first two times I knit it. Then it hit me in a flash of memory, my spreadsheet! Ah, sweet spreadsheet. Ever since I remembered that, this project has been chugging along.

I've been keeping up with picture taking. This one is my favorite of the week. It was taken on Charles Street. The window is street level and looks into a kitchen. I love walking by and seeing the chefs at work, but I'm usually too shy to take a photo because they're there. On this day, I must have come in the short period between lunch and dinner because they had this beautiful display, but the kitchen was empty.

Out with the Old, in with the New!

I finished the baby sweater the other day, just in time for the end of the Quick-Fix Knitalong. I can't believe that April is already over! If you missed the knitalong, you can find all of us over at the Quick-Fix Flickr group. Join in and post all of your quick projects! It's an awesome place for inspiration, too.

Speaking of knitalongs, you may have noticed my fancy new button for the Fitted Knits Along. Seeing as I'm making the Puff Sleeve Feminine Cardigan right now, it seemed like fun to join in with everyone else. I actually watched the knitalong for a little while before I decided to join, and seeing all of the fabulous completed projects over there is making me look through the book in a different light. I now plan to make a couple of sweater in there that I hadn't really considered.

Moving on to pictures! Like I said, I finished the baby sweater the other day and blocked it yesterday (hand wash, machine dry). I went to Jo-Ann Fabric for buttons, and was beginning to despair on ever finding cute, appropriately sized bunny buttons when I found these!

Exactly the kind of buttons I was looking for! I love that these have an old-fashioned charm, much like the sweater. I planned to make matching booties, but as it happens, I used most of the Breeze on the sweater. I was surprised that I used so much, as I used less than two balls of this same yarn on a tank top for myself last summer.



I will so definitely be making this sweet little thing again! I love the clever construction of this sweater. I love the lace pattern. I love the vintage look. The only thing I wish I had done differently is knit a selvedge on the sleeves. Other than that, perfect. The pattern is from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac, which I recommend even as general reading.

Since I finished the baby sweater, I felt it was time to start the Puff Sleeve Cardigan with a clear conscience. Because I am such a good, welll-behaved knitter, I went ahead and swatched. And swatched. And swatched.



As I suspected, my gauge with US6 needles was way off. I was getting fewer than five stitches per inch, and I needed 5.5 stitches per inch. In the middle there, I tried US5 needles, and did a larger swatch because I thought I would get gauge. Nope. Five stitches per inch. I grumbled and complained and found my US4 needles. I only did a few rows with those before realizing that I did not like knitting dk weight yarn on US4 needles, nor did I like the resulting fabric. The nail in the coffin was discovering that I was stuck on 5 stitches per inch. I had to make a choice. I could either use this yarn for something else and choose new yarn for the cardigan, or I could try something new and modify the pattern for my gauge. I chose option two.



I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. What if my math is wrong? What if I read the pattern wrong and I'm basing all of my math on the wrong measurements? I'm consoled by the fact that it's a top down sweater, so I don't have to finish it before realizing I've made an error, and the fact that the yarn I'm using is heaven to knit. I'm using Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed in Granary. Wish me luck!

I haven't done much knitting today. Actually, I've yet to do any. I finally got the gumption to haul out my sewing machine and sew up a skirt I've had cut out for weeks.



I got this far and directions said to let the skirt hang overnight. Who am I to argue? It's a perfect excuse to get back to that cardigan!

Sweet Baby Knits

I finished sleeve number two on the Two Needle Baby Sweater (a.k.a: February Baby Sweater) by Elizabeth Zimmermann. I had the tiniest of hiccups when I started the body, but trusted the directions, and things are going swimmingly.

Oh, what am I thinking? That photo won't do! You can't see the aching cuteness of the sleeves!




There, that's better. I had a slight reservation about doing this sweater in cotton, but the pattern is showing up well, and this sweater should be perfect for spring and summer. I like this yarn (Sirdar Breeze), which is a cotton/acrylic blend. The blend is about the same as Cotton-Ease, but the Breeze is more tightly twisted. As with any cotton, it's a little hard on my hands, but not as bad as, say, Sugar 'n' Cream or its brethren.

As for the pattern, per usual, EZ uses clever construction in her quest against seams. This pattern is fun! The lace pattern is so easy to memorize, and the quick changes from yoke to sleeves to body keep things interesting. One thing I wish I had done, which EZ directs you to do in the Baby Surprise Jacket, is make buttonholes on both sides of the front. She says to do this with the BSJ so you can put buttons on the correct side when you learn the sex of the baby, but it has the added bonus of making it incredibly easy to match the buttons to the buttonholes. Speaking of buttons, I want to find something beyond cute for this sweater, possibly incorporating bunnies or flowers. Come to think of it, I did once see some very cute white buttons with characters from Peter Rabbit painted on them. I wonder where I saw them.





I anticipate finishing this project soon, which means that I won't be completing my goal of four quick projects in April, but also means that I'll be able to start Rusted Root!

All About Brown

I didn't really think about it when I placed the order, but when I opened my packet from WEBS, my newest obsession became apparent.

I think I'm developing a thing for brown. In my stash, I have a bag of Debbie Bliss Wool Cotton in deep brown, some cascade 220 in brown, and a whole cube of the brown spectrum. I need to start knitting some brown stuff! In a break from tradition, I not only bought this yarn with specific projects in mind, but I plan to make them soon, meaning there will be less chance that I'll change my mind and the yarn will languish. The tweed yarn is for the Puff-Sleeve Feminine Cardigan from Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel, and the 220 Superwash is for a vest from the same book. The more I see finished objects from that book, the more I like all of the patterns, even the ones I thought I would never, ever make. I think the Puff Sleeve cardigan will be interesting in the tweed, since it's such a rustic looking yarn (the colorway is called Granary for heaven's sake), and the pattern is so overtly feminine. I can't wait! I'm trying to stay on task though and at least finish the February baby sweater before I start swatching.




I'm working on sleeve one right now. This is a fun project, but I'm always taken by surprise when I knit with cotton, how little I can knit before I have to take a break. I have a feeling that I won't be meeting my Quick-Fix goal of four projects in April (though hey, kinda... I finished CWT), but I'm okay with that. I still plan to make Rusted Root next. I will probably work on it at the same time as I do the Puff Sleeve Cardigan. I picked through my yarn basket yesterday, and discovered that I had balled up some sock yarn, too, so I'll need to find some patterns for those! I'm pretty sure I'm going to do Roza's Socks by Grumperina with some powder blue Lorna's Laces (fitting, since I won the yarn in a Jaywalker contest), but I'm not sure what to do with the STR yet.

In other news, my boyfriend went to California and brought back Victorian Lace Today! I have one word: WOW! Being a lace novice, I am a little intimidated by some of the projects, but adore 95% of the stuff in there. Will I make it all? Probably not, but it sure is nice to look at! I plan to start with one of the scarves and then move on to a shawl.

CWT, you PYT

For some reason, whenever I think of CWT, the song PYT starts playing inside my head. Fortunately, I really like that song, because I think this sweater will be in heavy rotation.

When we last left the sweater, I was working on the ruffle. I finished the ruffle somewhere around the 16th (I know this because of when I took the following picture), and was astonished enough by the ends hanging out that I was moved to take a picture.

Thankfully, I had already woven in the ends of the top portion. Otherwise, I may still be glaring hatefully at the sweater, rather than wearing it.

I spent the next day on all of the finishing while watching BTVS. Finishing tasks included attaching the top portion with gathers, basting the cinched waist to make sure I could get it over my head (I could), and staring disconsolately into the mirror at my ruffle which had become a tutu. Believing in the magic of blocking, I finished it anyway, and was rewarded!



I'm glad I added some length to the ruffle, though I only added about an inch or so. I also decreased the number of stitches for the ruffle by... one repeat? Two? I need to keep notes. I did a wet block, and am surprised to report that wet cashmere is just as stinky as wet wool. I guess I thought maybe it would be odorless, or carry the gentle scent of a rolling spring meadow, freshly mown. I laid the wet sweater out on a towel overnight, and moved the mostly dry sweater in the morning to a drying rack to finish the job. I didn't actually sew the side of the corset waist and ruffle until after blocking, because I wasn't sure if I would want to add a few more inches to the ruffle.


The tank top I'm wearing underneath it is bunching around my middle in this picture, but I'm so pleased at how well the ruffle lays. I kept petting myself all day, this sweater is so soft! I didn't think it would be possible, but it got even softer after a wash! I don't remember how much yarn I used, but I want to say it was almost 8 balls. I have some left over, and also a few balls of black, and I can't wait to find a project for it! To recap, I used Laines du Nord Royal Cashmere and US10 needles. The center portion was done on US6 needles, which made a very firm fabric. The pattern is from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2006, and the original pattern was done in cotton. I might consider making another one of these in cotton, but I rarely knit the same thing twice (and if I do, I probably knit it three or four times!).

I started the February baby sweater from EZ's Knitter's Almanac, and have just reached the fun part! Reading the breezy directions have me feeling that maybe another spreadsheet is in order, but I'll try it without first.

Baby Surprise Jacket Spreadsheet

I've had a few people ask me about my spreadsheet for the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann. Since the spreadsheet is basically the pattern, I can't share it, but I can give some tips on how to create your own! It's incredibly simple, but so helpful.

Make a spreadsheet with three columns. Column one is simply the row number (I made row #1 the cast on), row two keeps track of how many stitches you should have on the needle at the beginning of the row, and column three is where you put what you should be doing during the row.

For instance, one row says:
73/147/bo 5 start of row, inc 4

On that particular row, you need to do two things at once; you need to bind off stitches, and also follow an in-progress increasing pattern.

I recommend creating the spreadsheet before you even cast on. This will allow you to read through the entire pattern and give you an idea of what you'll be doing, so you can keep your spreadsheet pithy (as EZ would say). Once I had the sheet finished, I didn't even need the pattern again until it came time to fold the sweater.

This sweater is well worth the extra effort. I've yet to see one that wasn't utterly adorable. Good luck!

...and for my next trick....

The mystery project is complete! I received an email the other day that made the completion of this project necessary. Don't babies know they're supposed to wait for their sweaters to be completed?

That's right! I made Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket! I just love this little thing. Once I finished the rectangle, I amused myself for at least thirty minutes, folding and refolding it into a tiny sweater. I gave the rectangle to my boyfriend and challenged him to make a sweater. He got it dissapointingly quickly. Maybe I shouldn't have told him it was meant to be a sweater. This pattern, I think, is a testament to the genius of Elizabeth Zimmerman, and has shown me the way. I've got to buy all of her books right now. I've been seeing a lot of another cardigan of hers, most recently on Tipper's blog, that is so sweet. I just wish someone I know would have a girl.

This pattern was one of the more challenging I have completed, mostly because the "pattern" is more of a guideline. I'm sure someone with more knitting experience than I would have an easier time with it, but I had to make a spreadsheet to keep track (on the advice of Ellen). Once I had the spreadsheet, the project was a breeze. I used about 1.25 skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Flames, and US5 needles. I mattress stitched the seams together, as I was at a loss how to invisibly seam multi-directional garter stitch. This was my most successful go at mattress stitch, and I have officially added it to my seaming repertoire. I casted on for some wee booties last night to match the sweater. No further information on mitten #2, it is still in yarn form.

As an aside: on my monitor at home, these pictures look good, but when I look at pictures at work (on my break, sheesh!), I notice they look darker. How do they look to you?

Do men wear knee-highs?

Well, I was concerned about having enough yarn for these socks, but I oughtn't have worried. If I knit any more on these socks (excluding a 1x1 ribbed cuff), they will be knee-highs. Now, I know I've seen guys wearing kilts who wear knee-highs, but I've never seen my boyfriend wear them (neither a kilt nor knee-highs). It's been a little disconcerting at times knitting these, I keep feeling like I should be decreasing for the toe! I think my best bet will be to cast on for the second sock immediately upon finishing this one. Otherwise, I'm afraid they won't be done for Christmas! One thing I love about these socks, is that one repeat of the pattern is just about one inch. Not only does that make it easy to measure for the foot and leg, but it also makes me feel like I'm getting a lot done when I'm only doing one repeat a night. I love that!

Work continues on the mystery project. I put it aside for the most part to concentrate on finishing sock #1, but have managed to get a little more done. I might take the teensiest break in between socks one and two to get halfway through this project.

Now, a PSA. I know that for many people, myself included, the holiday seasons leads to thoughts of giving to charity and sharing personal good fortune with others who are not so fortunate. If you are in that mindset, please visit Tammy's blog. She's running a contest for The Dulaan project. The Dulaan Project asks knitters to put their skills to use making warm clothing for the needy children of Mongolia. Even if you can only manage one hat amidst all of the holiday rush, you can know that your hat helps one person be a little less cold.

Speaking of the holidays, I'm not sure if I'll be able to post in the coming week. If I don't, to all of my compatriots, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I can't think of a title today.

I realized the other day that I'd forgotten to show off my single completed Hedera. Last weekend, I finally decided to pick it up and make the toe already. It feels very comfortable on, and looks pretty (I'm glad I decided to do a few extra repeats on the leg, though), but I'm still in no rush to make the second sock. I like Knitpicks Gloss very much, and I can't wait until they introduce more colors. I'd love to have some in a brighter blue, a true red, a leaf green and maybe even some pastels. Heck, even plain white and black would do. This yarn would make wonderful, practical booties and baby hats, but I like to use more fun colors for babies.

Works continues on the toe-up socks. I finished the heel this morning, and felt a thrill when I realized I had a foot! The realization that I now have to make an entire leg in 2x2 rib let me down somewhat, but it's really not so bad. At least it's fairly mindless. The only problem with the sock project was the color of the yarn. We were having gray skies around here all last week, and coming home to gray project was sapping my strength.

So, I found the best antidote my stash had to offer, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in Flames. I'm not going to reveal what this project is yet, just because it looks like it will be interesting to reveal at the end. Let me say, though. This project is not exactly mindless. I had to create a spreadsheet to keep track of it, and almost cried when my computer had a tantrum and shut itself off, erasing my (foolishly unsaved) work. I guess I know what I'll be doing tonight!

In non-knitting news, I whole heatedly recommend this recipe. It's a pork tenderloin with pomegranate sauce, and it is unbelievably delicious. I have to note my surprise that every recipe from Gourmet magazine each month is available for free on the Epicurious site. Why the hell have I been buying the magazine?