4.29.2007

warm baby legs

On my supposed knitting hiatus I also made these adorable little leg warmers. Big Sister just started dance classes, so I made them for her, but she prefers her pink leggings to dance in. Baby gets to wear the hand knit goodies instead. I made the pattern up myself.

JaggerSpun Zephyr DK 50% merino wool / 50% silk, color Elderberry
Size US 8 long circular needle (knit in the round using magic loop method)

Loosely cast on 32 stitches.
Join and knit 8 rounds of k2 p2 ribbing.
Switch to stocking stitch and knit 40 rounds.
k2 p2 ribbing for 8 rounds.
Cast off loosely.
Weave in tails.

Final measurements - 7.5 inches long, 6 inches around unstretched
Fits up to an 8 inch calf.

They fit both my almost 4-year-old and my 17-month-old, both of whom are quite slender and petitie.

And that's it. Pretty complicated, eh?

back on the horse (or rabbit)

My back pain seems to have disappeared, not because I stopped knitting. Because I actually didn't. Couldn't do it. Must knit. So it must have been something else.

Whatever. I finished my first ever knitted toy! It's supposed to be a rabbit, but I think it looks more like a rat. Big Sister thought it was a pig. Oh well. It's still kinda cute I guess.


4.20.2007

ouchies

So I have to take a break from knitting for a bit. Hopefully just a few days. My neck and upper back have been killing me recently, and I think my nightly knitting might be the culprit. It must be the new project I started or something. I'm working on this bunny for Narie as a prize for winning our Easter Egg Hunt. I first started knitting it on size 5 needles, but with the Fleece Artist Kasula I used, it was too loose and stuffing would have shown through. So I ripped it out and knit again on size 3. Just stocking stitch, so I'm not sure why it would tense me up so much and cause so much pain. Maybe it's not the knitting... But knitting certainly isn't helping.

I don't know what I'll do with myself. My nightly ritual, after getting the girls to bed, is to sit in front of the TV and knit, for 2-3 hours. I can't JUST watch TV. That would be being unproductive. Maybe I'll exercise. HA.

4.08.2007

easter bolero

Finished just in time! My mother bought me a dress for Easter last week, and seeing as it's a sleeveless dress, and having it still be absolutely FREEZING here despite the supposed arrival of spring, I decided I needed a little shrug type thing to wear with it to keep my shoulders warm. At the store the dress was shown on a hanger with a cute little white capped sleeve shrug type thing, so I searched online for something similar. The closest I could find was the Cloud Bolero. Looked cute enough, so I wound by hand a skein of Gaia, undyed organic 100% merino wool. This is the first time I've knit with it, and it is so so so soft. I love it. I took a big risk, especially considering my recent knitting issues, and started right in without knitting a gauge swatch. The pattern calls for chunky weight, I guessed the Gaia was worsted. I used size 11 needles. Luck was on my side, I knit a size small exactly to specifications, and it fits perfectly. I finished it last night. I was planning on wet blocking it, but didn't think it would dry in time, so this is it, fresh off the needles.



4.04.2007

knitting out of my slump

In an effort to get out of this knitting slump I've been in I started and completed some easy projects, putting aside the problem Angel Top. First I decided to knit a spiral scarf. I've never made one before, but it sounded easy enough. Just cast on a lot of stitches (however long you want the scarf, since it's knit lengthwise), double the stitch count every other row, and cast off. I cast on 110 stitches with my Fleece Artist Country Mohair (100% mohair, heavy worsted weight, colourway Jester) on size 10.5 needles. As I said before it seemed too dense, so after the second time I increased (with 440 stitches on the needles) I switched to size 13 needles. Not sure if it was necessary. As I knit along, it seemed like this project would be another victim of my knitting slump. But I soldiered on, figuring it would all come together on cast off. And that seems to be what happened. After casting off 880 stitches it looks pretty cute.


Next I knit an old standby, something I knew I couldn't mess up, another curly purly soaker. Size medium, knit with 100purewool 100% merino worsted. Very soft yarn, great for soakers, longies, and most likely felting (though I haven't felted with it yet). Knit on size 8 needles for the main portion (sizes 3 and 5 for the waistband, 5 for the leg hole ribbing). This one is for a friend, but I just realized I need to knit a new one for Baby, as she's just about outgrown the one I knit for her, whoa! A year ago! She's a wee little thing for her age, but it's still surprising that she fits a soaker at 16 months old that she wore at 4 months old.