A Sweet Little Knit :)

Just a quick post to say that our little one finally arrived on Monday, November 9th @ 3:34am. His name is Loxley and he was 9lbs 1oz. He is now 5 wks old and smiling at us all, melting our hearts! I haven't been knitting much and still have lots to share that I knit before he was born, so I will try to catch up over the next couple of weeks.

Butt Knits Traditional Wool Soaker - Test & Review

Ok, so this is a little late but I am still doing it :)

I met Amber on Ravelry and agreed to test knit one of her soaker patterns. What a lovely pattern it is!

Here are the stats:
Size 3 soaker pattern
Cascade 200 worsted weight yarn
4mm knitting needle (circular)
ribbed waist band with eyelets for a drawstring
ribbed leg bands

My Review: Very easy pattern to follow. No seaming! Yay! I love the different leg options and waist band options. As well, I was impressed with the clear instructions and photos of the trickier techniques. This pattern is well suited for a beginner as well as someone more advanced and into customizing. I will definitely knit more of these!

I made this for my 2 yr old who is very slim and petite. It is very roomy on her but no gaping at any spot. So, this would definitely work for a very chunky baby/toddler. The ribbed crotch is also a great addition as it creates a thicker wool layer in an area that is prone to more wetness. The overall aesthetics are really cute too :) Scarlett was able to wear this for the last half of the day, as I put it on for her nap and she is still in it; perfect :D Thanks Amber!

You can find this pattern on Ravelry and at Amber's Website, Butt Knits. She also has some other really adorable soaker patterns that are unique!! A++++++++++++

Corona

For India :) She saw this pattern early in the year and requested it. It is called Corona by Canary Knits . I used Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK in Soft Golden Yellow. This is one of my favorite yarns! It is incredibly soft and can be warm next to the skin.

I started back in February, I think, but when I picked it up again this past June, something in my gut told me that it would be too small. It starts with the bottom ribbing, so it naturally looks a lot smaller making it even harder to tell. Well, I ripped out about 5" of ribbing and started all over, one size up. Also, the yarn I used is a smaller gauge than the one in the pattern, which I had thought I had covered. I am so glad that I did this! The fit is perfect , with a touch of growing room or layering room and I know she will wear it alot. When I am not so large in the belly, I will make one for myself :)

Great pattern, well written, fun to knit! I could not figure out the cable pattern, so I did my own thing. In my defense, I am used to knitting in French and their charts and cable diagrams are very detailed. Also, the names are a little different and I think this may be where I have gotten mixed up....Next time, I will ask for help. Raveled Here!

I have been knitting for the baby too, but I will save those posts until the outfits are complete :) They are so much fun!

Has it really been 5 months !?!

Wow! I am amazed that I have not blogged for five whole months! Much is new and doe to morning/day/evening/midnight sickness, I lost the urge to knit. Very sad indeed! But, it is back :) I have even bought some new yarn which is inspirational.....I am just running out of time here! So, I will update on what I completed before I found out I was pregnant :)

I knit this for my neighbours daughters 1 year birthday in February. It is 100% cotton from Patons; BumbleBee. It is a now discontinued yarn, but I managed to but a bunch of different colors a few years ago. I used EZ's February Baby Sweater pattern, but did short sleeves and only three buttons. Raveled Here!

Another Baby Surprise Jacket :) These are so much fun to knit, I think I am seriously addicted to them! I knit this for a special friend who was expecting her 7th baby...He came in May! Is is nice and chubby and very yummy :D

The best part was using all different yarns that I had on hand. I used 20 different yarns from Elanns Sample Skeins subscription, plus may other balls of different brands. I also had saved these wooden ducky buttons for the perfect project and was so glad to have them on this sweater. I added a hood and did an asymmetrical front closure with loops for the buttons instead of holes. Raveled here!

Another sweater for Willow! This little girl loves anything that I knit for her and wears her knits ALL the time. She is so appreciative; how can I not knit for her? I found this Phildar pattern about 2004, but at that time, had no little girls to knit it for. I saved it and am glad I waited as I did quite a few mods. What fun would knitting be with out mods, right?

To begin, I used two different types of yarns, both the same weights, but when I started using them, found out that they really weren't the same weights. I used Elanns Peruvian Pure Alpaca Fina (100% Alpaca) and Elanns Peruvian Highland Sport (100% wool). I was going by color and immaturity in the art of knitting :) I ended up doubling the alpaca and this did the track. I was very thankful!

Mods: I knit this in the round, and added steeks at the front and for the armholes, which I later cut open to add the sleeves and the front button bands. I also did not add waist shaping and carried the pattern around the back instead of doing stripes as the pattern called for to match the sleeves. I knit this tube in one piece, right through to the collar! I also added a 3st i-cord around the collar a la EZ :) I used hand carved wooden buttons instead of a zipper. I really like nice buttons :) I also bought an extra color and managed to work it in. All Raveled here :)

Overall, this has been one of my favorite projects. I completed it in February and was the last project before my knitting hiatus. I am currently knitting Corona for India in Debbie Bliss Chashmerino dk. I should be done in a week or so. I have lots of soakers to knit for the new baby, too. I have knit a little merino wool hat and knit for the new baby that needs buttons and then I will have something new to blog about :)

Lots of new knits!

I am behind on posting here...lots of quick projects have kept me busy, so I will keep this short and sweet :)

A cute spring hat for Scarlett made with Bernats Soy Natural Blends yarn in the Sugar Cane colorway. This was left over from a sweater that I made for Willow a year ago. Pattern is Luvlyknit's Super Easy Cabled Baby Hat.

My February Knitters Almanac Project was a hat and baby cardigan set. I have made this for a friend, if she has a girl :) I used Elanns Superwash Bamboo in the Chocolate Truffle colorway; nice soft yarn that has the great antibacterial qualities of wool.

A really funny hat for Madelyn :D She loves fish (we call her the Fish Whisperer) and so this hat was perfect for her. It is from Knitty and is called Fish Hat; Dead or Alive? I used a whole bunch of may sample skeins from my Elann subscription :)

Lastly, I finished a sweater for myself, for the spring :) Actually, it is supposed to be a really cute little bolero, but those aren't really my thing, so I lengthened it, added waist shaping and lengthened the sleeves. I also did a couple of buttons instead of a ribbon at the neck. I used Uruguay Chunky in a sky blue that is SO incredibly soft. I love this yarn! It is from Little Knits :D The pattern is called Cloud Bolero by Ysolda Teague.

Hats, Mitts and Stockings :)

A few weeks ago, I knit some hats for my friends two sons. Now that she has them, I can post pictures :) They are both the Thorpe pattern, done in London Tweed. They are nice and soft :) Levi is modeling the blue hat.

For myself, I made the Unoriginal hat and Bellas mitts. I had to make some mods to the mitts so that they have flip tops. This makes it so much easier than taking off the whole mitt as they are so long. I added all the details on Ravelry. If you are a knitter reading this and are NOT on Ravelry, please go now and sign up. You will thank me :) Oh, and both hat and mitts are made using Araucania Magallanes in the Andean Sunset colorway :)

Last, but definitely not least, a friend of mine, girlymom, and I are working our way through the Knitters Almanac together. Along the way, we have done some other knit alongs. She is amazing with socks, so we have done a few pairs together. It is not my forte, so I need lots of advice and guidance and she is always there for me :) Last week, I finished my Lakeside socks. Well, they are stockings, really. I used Elanns Sock It To Me in the Rose Wine colorway. They fit amazingly well (I have been schooled well in this department!) and I love them! The lace was fun, but when I had finished, I noticed I had made a few mistakes in the smaller lace sections. I am not ripping it out now, that is for sure and I don't think it is too noticeable. Tomorrow, on the Knotions blog, you will see some pics of my socks :) I feel very honoured. I got this pattern from Knotions, btw...

A new goal of mine is to tag my posts properly and add links to all my patterns and yarns, so bear with me. My time is so limited and I would rather be knitting, but I know that I always find it helpful when searing other peoples blogs :)

Purpurravaara-huppari / Green Gable

Ok, so before everyone thinks that ALL I do is knit to the neglect of my family, I want to explain a few things. Here is how I manage to get so much knitting done...

~I spend anywhere from 0-4hrs throughout the day knitting. I knit while waiting i n the car for 20 minutes to pick up my son, after the kids are in bed, when the kids sleep for an hour in the afternoon. If my dh is driving, I knit. If I have to wait anywhere, I knit. It really adds up!

~I stay very organized. I have about 4 knitting bags. One or two with small projects like hats, mitts, etc.,. and then a couple for larger projects. I also keep my stash organized and my patterns organized by season and either child/baby or adult.

~I knit fast for a thrower :) I would love to learn to knit continentaly, but for now, until I have the patience, I am a fast English knitter. This means the yarn is in my left hand and I have to throw it around for each stitch.

~I make mods to almost all patterns to make them faster and easier with less finishing work at the end. I love knitting seamlessly! This can save a few hours in itself.

~I very rarely sew in the ends. I either, when working with wool, is spit splice or I knit the ends in. It is working so far!

~This is my main hobby and I only sew occasionally and haven't scrapbooked in years. I really need to catch up!

~I like to complete each project. I just don't have room to store unfinished projects :)

So, those are some of things I try to do to get the most out of my knitting experience :)

Now, for a new hoodie that I just finished. It took me ten days and is seamless, of course :) This was one of the first projects that I really wanted to make that I saw on Ravelry.It is by a Finnish designer and way back in July, the pattern was not available.....until Vogue Fall 2008! I used Elann's Peruvian Highland Chunky wool in the Grape Heather colorway. It is nice and soft, light, but extremely warm. The buttons are hibiscus flowers made out of steel, I think or some type of metal.

I also knit myself a quick hat; only 56 rows with bulky yarn. Easy quick and warm, now I need to make matching mitts :)