... And One To Grow On.

So, as promised, I immediately went to work on a 6-month size of "Blu" because I simply could not believe that an actual human being could fit into the newborn size. This is most likely due to my own lack of experience with newborns. There were other reasons too: (a) I'm compulsive; (b) I had so much fun the first time around I wanted to have another go at it; (c) I am a perfectionist wannabe and thought I could do better the second time around; and (d) did I mention I'm compulsive?

I did make a few modifications that I would recommend. I cast off the top edges instead of keeping the stitches live because it was much less of a hassle during the pre-shrinking phase (and I don't think it made the elastic casing too inflexible). I also followed beppesgirl's lead and cast off three stitches at each edge of the elastic casing to enable the placement of a button on the inside for use with a special type of elastic with buttonholes every inch. This way the elastic can be lengthened or shortened depending upon the baby's girth.

So, that's it. I'm closing the chapter on the Baby Blues ... until the next time I hear that someone's expecting that is.

On to other knitting news. I found this nifty expanding file folder thingy today at an office supply chain store for $10.99. I have been keeping my circular needles in a bag which is a very inefficient way to manage them.

Now, I have a separate pocket for each size and can easily put my hands on the needles I need. I know there is no such thing as a knitting emergency, but should one ever arise I will be prepared to rapidly equip myself with the proper knitting tool.

Did I mention that I am somewhat compulsive?

I Got the Baby Blues!

These may be the smallest jeans ever! I knit the newborn size and I'm thinking these will fit Baby S. for about 5 minutes. The pincushion was placed in the photo to indicate the size of the FO. Are newborn babies really this tiny?

The button is wooden and is painted with an orange slice design. The embroidery was done with Rowan handknit cotton in "canteloupe." The jeans themselves were knit with Rowan demin and pre-shrunk in the washer in hot (!) water and thrown in the dryer before sewing up. (I know!)

The label was made with faux leather in butterscotch purchased online from Leisure Arts. (I can't take credit for thinking this up, I took my inspiration from "beppesgirl" on Ravelry.)

The entire project was completed within a weekend -- a first for me! And I also had time to do 5 loads of laundry, play a game of tennis, read a book and watch two movies. So I'd say all in all this is about an 8-hour project.

Specs:

Design: BLU by Cristina Bernard Shiffman and Kay Gardiner

Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines

Yarn: Rowan Denim in Nashville and Tennessee
Rowan Handknit Cotton in shade 337

Size: 0-3 months

Mods: None to speak of -- substituted faux leather tag for felt tag

Problems: The crotch is a little wonky due to an irregular cast off on my part.

While I have some momentum with this I plan to start the 6-12 month old size right away so the little guy can wear them for a little while.

More Perlemor ...

I was having so much fun with this pattern, I just kept on knitting and came up with a romper and a matching bonnet to complete the set.

The bonnet has a pinwheel design at the back of the head that is both elegant and whimsical at the same time. I didn't have a baby on which to model it so it's hard to see in the photo, but trust me - it's very cute. (Please excuse the water stain on the top of my bureau.)

The romper fastens with pewter heart buttons to match the sweater.

Et voila, the whole layette is ready to be shipped to the expectant parents. (Oops, except for the booties which haven't yet been made.)

Projects: Past, Present, and Future

Past: Perlemor in Red and White

Here she is! I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this sweet little sweater and in the process came to appreciate the genius of the design team at Dale of Norway. Or, maybe it's just the genius of the Norwegians - especially when it comes to knitting. At any rate, the pattern was extremely well-written and all the pieces came together into a satisfying whole.




One of the design features I liked a lot was the knit1, purl1 rows that separated the neckline from the body. It makes a nice flexible collar area. I also liked the fact that most of the neck stitches were kept live and knit after picking up stitches at the front edges of the collar.



Finally, the "private side" of this little sweater is nearly as neat and tidy as the "public side." I like that a lot. It's much more satisfying than having lots of ends and ugly pick-ups and decrease stitches, etc. to hide on the inside.

Design: Perlemor, Baby Knits from Dale of Norway,
"Soft Treasures for Little Ones"
Yarn: Dalegarn Baby Ull in cherry red (4227) and cream (0020)
March 22 - April 13, 2009

Present: Marion Foale's Neat Knit cardigan - THE SLEEVES

Why, oh why do sleeves seem to be so interminable to knit? Why do I resent knitting them so much? Why are they less pleasurable to knit than the body? These are the questions that plague me as I work my way stitch by stitch up the sleeves. Perhaps I should do as the French do and make the sleeves first. Somehow my excitement about a new project never allows me to do this.



And, speaking of a new project ...

Future: Veronika Avery's Military Cardigan

I've chosen the yarn (Khroma WW in plum) and I've been swatching. I haven't gotten gauge yet, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to knit this up on US7's. Sevens! Hoorah!

My assistant agrees that this will be a nice change from US1's and zeros!

I'm Knitting as Fast as I can ...

... and it doesn't seem to be fast enough. It is difficult for me to match the pace of my knitting (slow) with the rate of my interest in starting new projects (rapid). This discrepancy is further aggravated by my propensity to choose projects that require tiny needle sizes (US0, US1,US2). I just like the look of finished knitted fabric with fine stitches. This means that while other knitters are knocking out finished objects in just a couple of weeks, I'm plugging along for months. So, although I know pictures of works in progress tend to be boring, here is my version of Marion Foale's "Neat Knit" as she currently stands.



There have been some minor tragedies associated with this project which will be blogged all in good time.



And, here are the sleeves. Sleeves are particularly difficult to tackle when one is ready to follow the siren's call of the next anticipated project, but I am determined to knit away on them until they are done.



And lastly, here is the body of Perlemor 1. This is an incredibly fun knit. I absolutely love the houndstooth check pattern.

A Poem for Baby S or Baby J

The Poetry in Stitches baby sweater for one of the two anticipated grandchildren has been completed. It was a labor intensive project but seems to have been worth the effort.

The sleeves are done in "elm stitch" which is a pretty stitch but very, very slow. The front side is simply knit, but on the back side one has to do a yarn over, purl two stitches and then pull the yarn over. It's a lot of stopping and starting, but adds a lacey look to the sweater.

The motifs are done in double-stitching which is a lot of fun. However, I was surprised to find that the spots on which the sweater is embroidered become hard and inflexible, altering the pliability of the knitted fabric. I guess I should have anticipated that this would be the case, but I didn't. I don't think it will make that much difference in comfort for an outer garment.

On the back is this cute little butterfly.

Specs:

Pattern: Baby layette from Poetry in Stitches, p. 22-23, by Solveig Hisdal.

Yarn: Dalegarn Baby Ull, 100% wool, machine washable, approx. 3 balls (165 meters each) using doubled yarn throughout.

Modifications: took artistic license with the embroidery, changed the placement and did not include the tulip or cherries in an attempt to make it suitable for a girl or boy.

If I ever knit this again, which I tend to think I won't, I wouldn't use doubled yarn as it seems too heavy (or maybe it was just the yarn I chose) for US1 needles.

Now onto an easy, colorful baby blanket on US6's as a hiatus from little tiny needles.

A Blank Slate ...

This is about being a blank slate in several different ways. The first way is that I'm about to become a grandparent ... well, sort of. I am only 48 (about to be 49), which seems pretty young for a first-time grandmother doesn't it? But, the back story is that I will actually be a step-grandmother or, as I think I might prefer, a "bonus grandmother." My DH is 12 years older than I am and his two children, a son and a daughter, were away at college by the time we met and later married. So, I've never actually parented his kids, we rarely see them, and now both of them are married and expecting their own babies in July. So, I'm a blank slate about how to be a grandmother especially when there are already two biological grandmothers and another "bonus grandmother" in the family.

So I turned to what I know: knitting!

And then I turned to my all-time favorite knitting book: Poetry in Stitches by Solveig Hisdal and decided to start by making the baby layette she designed.

Et voila, here is the second blank slate:

The third blank slate is that we won't know if one of the babies will be a boy or a girl. So I modified Solveig Hisdal's embroidery design in an attempt to make the sweater more gender-neutral. Alas, I fear it tends toward the masculine at this point, although with a butterfly on the back and picot edging and textured sleeves, it may yet suit either a boy or a girl.

I do love the sweet motifs taken from a 17th century Norwegian brocade bed tapestry.

More photos to follow as the work progresses.