Some Gift Knits

Greaseball wasn't too irritated with me. This picture is taken post sweater fiasco: I wanted to try a dog sweater I'm knitting up on him to see if it would fit. He's not a dog, but he walks on 4 paws, so I wanted to see if the front leg spacing (front paw spacing? arm spacing?) was correct. Ooooh boy. He did not like that at all, and this is the cat who can sport a pimp hat and a beret. His points of contention were that he's much more plump than my brother's dog and he has almost no neck, so this meant that the sweater was too constricting around his shoulders.

Onto some of the gift knits from last Christmas. A friend of mine has twin daughters, and I've been meaning to knit them hats. I told him this after he gave me a present, but I hope he knows that I was sincere and not just doing the "oh crap, now what do I do?" reflexive present maneuver. Their colors are totally girly, pink and lavender, so I was forced to visit my LYS. Such torture! The hat was made with Karabella Yarns Merino Superwash, and it is perfectly soft for little girls' heads. The initials on their hats were a compromise because my friend had asked that I embroider the girls' names onto the hats, but when he spelled the names out for me and they were over 10 letters apiece, I made a mental note to only use their first initial. I'm a little suspicious that he also wanted their names on their hats so he doesn't get them mixed up, but he wouldn't confess to that once I pointed it out. The pattern was just something I made up: a seed stitch brim and a stockinette cap. I added some contrasting crocheted flowers to the side so they wouldn't look so boring.

I also crocheted this hypnotic tawashi for another friend. It turned out super cute, as do most things that come from Japanese craft books. Which makes me ponder what is it about Japanese things that make me and other women I know go gaga? Age-wise, I should be over my Hello Kitty and Company phase, but since I'm not, I don't even go into Sanrio stores for fear of leaving with some cutesy chachki that I'll end up giving to my friend's daughters.

Baby Cabled Baby Slouch

The Tilden Park Scarf is an easy ruffled and ruched infinity scarf that adds a feminine touch to any outfit.

My fertile friends are starting round 2 of baby season, and that means more hand knits for all! Baby season is coinciding with a time that baby cables are etching themselves into my brain, resulting in this Baby Cabled Baby Slouch. Why are baby cables on my brain? Well, because you don't need a cable needle for them since these cables are really cheap impostors, resulting in a quick, portable knitting project!



As you can see, Mr. Ball gets to do the honors of mimicking a baby between the ages of 3 to 6 months.

Don't forget to check out my other free patterns listed on the sidebar!

Materials
• 140 yards (less than1 ball) Rowan Calmer
• 1 US size 5 16 inch circular needles OR needle size needed to achieve gauge.
• 1 US size 7 16 inch circular needles OR needle size needed to achieve gauge.
• 1 US size 7 circular needles, any length, OR needle size needed to achieve gauge (US size 7 DPNs may also be used instead of 2 circular needles)
• 1 stitch marker
• Row counter
• Tapestry needle

Special Skills Needed
• Knitting in the round

Gauge
• 4.5 stitches = 1 inch on US size 7 needles in stockinette stitch

Finished Measurements
Finished hat circumference is 16 inches. Supposedly, this fits a 3-6 month old baby. Mr. Ball has a 16" head circumference, for reference.

Abbreviations
[ ] repeat instructions between brackets
co cast on
k knit
kbl knit stitch through the back loop
k2tog knit two stitches together
k2togtbl knit 2 stitches together through their back loops
MIP make one purl-wise
p purl
p2tog purl two stitches together
rt right twist. Knit two stitches together, but do not remove the two old stitches from the left needle. Insert right needle knit-wise into the first stitch again on left needle, knit it, and now slide old stitches from the left needle. Is this confusing? If so, there are numerous "right twist" videos on YouTube that are fantastic.
sts stitch(es)

Directions
CO 72 sts onto the smaller 16 inch circular needle. Join to knit in the round, placing a marker at this point so you know where your round begins.

[k2, p2] to end for 5 rounds.

Increase Rounds
Round 1: Using larger 16 inch circular needle, [k2, p1, M1P, p1] to end.
Round 2: [k2, p3] to end.
Round 3: [k2, p1, M1P, p2] to end.
Round 4: [k2, p4] to end.
Round 5: [k2, p1, M1P, p3] to end.
Round 6: [k2, p5] to end. (126 sts)

Baby Cable Pattern
Round 1: [rt, p2, kbl, p2] to end.
Rounds 2-4: [k2, p2, kbl, p2] to end.
Repeat Baby Cable Pattern until the hat measures 5.5 inches, starting your measurement from the cast on edge, ending on round 2.

Decrease Rounds
Note that decrease round starts on round 3 of the Baby Cable Pattern.
Round 1: [k2togtbl, p2, kbl, p2] to end.
Round 2: [kbl, p2] to end.
Round 3: [kbl, p2tog, kbl, p2] to end.
Round 4: [kbl, p1, kbl, p2] to end.
Round 5: [kbl, p1, kbl, p2tog] to end
Round 6: [kbl, p1] to end.
Round 7: [kbl, p2tog, p1] to end.
Round 8: [kbl, p2] to end. (54 sts)
Round 9: [kbl, p2tog] to end.
Round 10: [kbl, p1] to end. (36 sts)

Repeat rounds 9 and 10 2 more times. (16 sts)
[k2tog] to end. (8 sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail.

Finishing
Using the tapestry needle, thread the yarn tail through the 8 remaining sts. Pull closed. Weave in ends.

If you happen to knit this up for a trendy baby, please send me a picture of your finished object! I'd love to see how your slouch turned out!

http://spindlesandspices.blogspot.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Ribbed Baby Jacket

Baby garments are a great way to experiment, because they are bite-sized projects that do not take months of knitting. (I did take months to finish this, but I put it down!) This was my first attempt at a garment with sleeves, and even though I doubt I'd knit an adult garment with sleeves like this, it was fun nonetheless to knit it in one piece, fold it in half, and voila! A sweater!

OK, in reality, it was not so "voila!" I had to learn how to seam on two finished edges together. Learning and applying the mattress stitch for the body of the jacket was a snap, and the result was satisfying because it truly is an invisible seam. I had more trouble with the sleeve seams. My first attempt, whip stitching it together, was embarrassingly ugly. Like, I couldn't give it away for free ugly. Thank goodness for Stitch 'N Bitch by Debbie Stoller! I used the fake grafting method, and once again this sweater was presentable.

Most of this sweater was knit in December 2008 when I had 28 hours of sitting in a car. Knitting was my salvation, because there is no way the "before knitting" version of myself could have ever sat still for that long. I also knit a good portion of this in the evening while at my in-laws' place. Yes, I did have to put up with some subtle comments about how the boy and I are not doing a good job of producing spawn, since itty bitty baby garments seem to draw baby longing out from hiding, but I'm good at ignoring that kind of talk.

I knit the jacket in mercerized cotton since this baby is Texan and I cannot imagine knitting a wool sweater for a Texan kidlet, especially if said kidlet is due to arrive in the summer.

The boy used Pinky, his sewing machine, to make the button hole. He also stitched the button in place.


To wrap up the gift, the boy sewed a burp cloth that we used as wrapping paper. We finished off the package with a bit of twine.

Overall, I'm happy with this jacket. Even with the right seam, the sleeves were a little bumpy due to the way this is constructed, and that is my main complaint.

The Dirty Details
Pattern: Ribbed Baby Jacket by Debbie Bliss
Size: 3-6 months
Yarn: Elann Sonata, colorway 7350 Nouget
Needles: Addi Turbo US size 7

Baby Hat Madness

I had recently knit a bunch of baby hats for my cousin's twins. The twins, affectionately and appropriately called the Mini JJs, requested hats with ear flaps since these little LA babies needed to be bundled up for their new digs in St. Louis.

The payoff for baby hats is huge! I get pictures like this:

and this:


Their mom added the ties to the ends of the hats since it turns out that babies don't like to keep hats on their heads. I suppose Greaseball is much more patient in this respect. Next time I make a baby hat, I will make sure to add ties!

The bunny ear hat also got a fitting home with Little RoRo. Ack! He's so cute!

Now, the boy has requested an aviator style cap just like the ones I've given to three babies. Unfortunately, his head is not so small (although, babies heads, I was surprised to learn, are really not super small), so it might be awhile.

Stripey Baby Beret Pattern

The Tilden Park Scarf is an easy ruffled and ruched infinity scarf that adds a feminine touch to any outfit.

It's baby season! Well, at least it is for one more of my friends, Nanda, who is expecting the last of this year's bumper crop of babies. I think there were at least 5 kiddos born within the last 6 months amongst my fertile friends!
Since Nanda is a knitter, and more specifically a knitter with very discriminating taste in yarn, I wanted to make her a worthy hat. This is a variation on my pattern Le Mieux, made a little bigger so it can fit babies from 3 to 6 months.

I used Aurora 8, a favorite yarn of mine because of its squishy softness, but any worsted weight yarn will do.

Don't forget to check out my other free patterns listed on the sidebar!


Materials
• 40 yards of Karabella Aurora 8 in green (color 63)
• 40 yards of Karabella Aurora 8 in blue (color 43)
• 1 US size 5 16 inch circular needles OR needle size needed to achieve gauge.
• 1 US size 7 16 inch circular needles OR needle size needed to achieve gauge.
• 1 US size 7 circular needles, any length, OR needle size needed to achieve gauge
(US size 7 DPNs may also be used instead of 2 circular needles)
• 6 stitch markers
• Row counter
• Tapestry needle

Special Skills Needed
• Knitting in the round

Gauge
• 4.5 stitches = 1 inch on US size 7 needles in stockinette stitch

Finished Measurements
Finished hat circumference is 16 inches. This fits a 3-6 month old baby.

Abbreviations
[ ] repeat instructions between brackets
cc contrasting color
co cast on
k knit
k2tog knit two stitches together
ktbl knit through the back loop
mc main color
MIL make one left
MIR make one right
p purl
pm place marker
ssk slip one stitch knitwise, slip next stitch knitwise, then knit stitches together
sts stitch(es)

Directions
CO 72 sts onto the smaller 16 inch circular needle in mc (blue yarn). Join to knit in the round, placing a marker at this point so you know where your round begins.

[ktbl, p1] to end for 5 rounds.

Next round: Switch to larger 16 inch circular needle. k12, pm, k12, pm, k12, pm, k12, pm, k12, pm, k12, pm

Increasing Stripe Rounds: [k1, MIL, k until 1 sts remains before marker, M1R, k1, slip marker] to end. k next round. Alternate Increasing Stripe Rounds between the mc (blue) and the cc (green). For the first round, use the cc (green yarn). Carry the unused yarn up the back of your work.

Repeat the Increasing Stripe Rounds until there are 24 sts between each set of markers (144 sts total). Your last round should be with the mc.

Decreasing Stripe Rounds: [ssk, k until marker, slip marker] to end. Repeat round once more, then switch colors. For the first round, use the cc.

Repeat Decreasing Stripe Rounds until only 6 sts remain, switching half of the stitches to the second set of circular needles when the hat circumference is too small to be worked only using the 16 inch circular needles.

Nubbin Rounds: k1 round, removing markers as you go. Repeat this round 2 more times. k2tog 3 times. 3 sts remain. Cut yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail.

Finishing
Using the tapestry needle, thread the yarn tail through the 3 remaining sts. Pull closed. Weave in ends.

Here goes my usual plea: if you knit this, I'd love to hear from you and see your finished objects!


http://spindlesandspices.blogspot.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

It's baby season...

And that means only one thing around here: baby hats! My cousin had twins a couple of months ago and their "We're finally out!" party is coming up. I found just the perfect patterns for the twinsies, and voilà! Two days later, I had a pair of hats for a pair of babies.

The first hat is from the tomato baby beanie from Knitchicks. It's a great free pattern that can be adapted for all different sorts of fruits and vegetables. I decided to do an eggplant spin on this hat, using Tahki Cotton Classic yarn.


The second cute hat has an Easter theme, something that should hopefully motivate me to get my butt to the post office to send these off soon. It's from my favorite baby hat book: Itty-Bitty Hats by Susan B. Anderson. The pattern is Bunny Tails and I knit it using Blue Sky Cotton. This cotton yarn knits like a cloud, but boy does it pill. This hat turned out a wee bit large despite my gauge swatching, but not so large that the kid will be 12 before he fits it. (The ears on this hat are really the same size - this picture just makes them look wonky.)


Since these kids are twins, one boy and one girl, I'm debating making them another fruit cap. Perhaps a red one so they look like a tiny tomato and a tiny eggplant. I can save the bunny hat for another baby boy who will probably fit it. Decisions, decisions...

You can find more details on my hats on my Ravelry project page. Are you not on Ravelry yet? Well, what are you waiting for?!?

My dogs were quite the reluctant models today. Perhaps they feel that they are above modeling baby hats. Well, they're wrong. So long as I have to feed them, walk them, and pick up their poop, they are not above modeling baby gear.

Vespa couldn't be more bored with the camera. "Been there. Done that!"

Mingus was in pure denial that he has been reduced to modeling a hat with bunny ears on it. He wouldn't keep his head straight, so I just plunked the hat on the side of his head. He's practicing his "I don't give a crap" look.


Gee, life is so hard when someone feeds you, picks up your poop, and lets you sleep all day.

Remember the case of the missing needles? Since then, I decided that all the straight needles had to be in the same place. My solution is this:

It makes a lovely center piece.

Hm, what else? Oh, I've been tagged for a meme by Kathleen and A Bag of Olives. She also gave me a smacky "Mwah!" award. How sweet!


So, here are the rules for this meme:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I don't follow rules well, and I'm going to ignore rules 3 and 4. If you'd like to participate, tag! You're it!

2. I am under 5 feet tall.

3. I spent 3 weeks bicycling through central China with the boy.

4. I'm an indoor rock climbing junkie. Seriously.

5. I still keep in touch with my pen pal from the 4th grade. She's in Indiana and she has 3 kids now.

6. Originally, I wanted to name Greaseball "Graphite". It didn't stick.

7. I played the viola for 10 years.