Shaker Stitch Baby Blanket

I was in my local yarn shop recently, Steven Be, and the utterly unforgettable and blindingly flamboyant Steven Be himself proclaimed to me that brioche is the stitch of 2015. I feel pretty trendy, since I started this blanket at least a year ago. On the other hand, it's technically not a brioche stitch. The pattern calls this stitch a shaker stitch. I can't be bothered to understand the difference. All I need to know is that I love this fluffy bouncy blanket!

I started the blanket without a recipient in mind, because I knew there would certainly be another baby in my life by the time I finished it. In the end, it felt a little wrong to give it to a baby when it wasn't knit with that baby in mind. Knitters know. There's a meditation or intention that goes into knitting something for a specific recipient. So I'm donating it to the church auction tonight. I hope it will be loved in its new home!

Grady's sweater vest modeled

Cuteness.

Savannah's sweater on the catwalk

Savannah's walking!  And her sweater finally fits!

DGK's vest

There's a new Declan in my life, and he deserves a vest equally as cute as my nephew Declan's vest!  For DGK, I found a cute pattern on Ravelry called "Benedick and Beatrice Vest".  I don't usually pay for patterns, but it's tough to find cute free patterns for boys' clothes. 

Since DGK was born in October, I am making this vest in a 12 month size to make sure he can wear it next fall.  I added a bit of length to the pattern, since I know my knitting is usually short and squat.  Rather than the recommended 1.5 inches of ribbing around the waist, I ribbed a full two inches.  Rather than starting the arm and neck holes at 5.5 inches, I knitted until the full piece measured seven inches from the cast on edge.  From that point on, I followed the pattern as written.  The one exception:  I used size 6 instead of size 7 double pointed needles on the neck and arm ribbing, because I had them handy.  I'm using Caron Simply Soft worsted weight in Soft Blue and Grey Heather.

Here's the project, nearly complete.

Baby Blanket or King-Sized Comforter?

Several months ago I started a baby blanket for my expecting cousing Angela.  I had a lot of baby yarns leftover from a project I hadn't finished years ago, and some plain white worsted weight Red Heart yarn that I got from Mollie when she was cleaning out her stash, so I decided to combine the two and make a simple striped garter stitch baby blanket.  I bought a set of size 13 circulars and set to work. 

 

My first cast on seemed a little too small after I had knitted a couple rows, so I tore it out and added more stitches.  Now is where the lesson begins.  The lesson is this:  Even if you are an experienced knitter (and dare I say talented), you can still make stupid mistakes.  I realized after five or ten rows that I had started a pretty wide blanket.  I figured I'd just keep going.  It seemed like too much work to rip it out again.  After a few more rows it was becoming more and more clear that I'd added WAY too many stitches, but by then it really did feel too late to start over.  So I kept knitting.

 

Eventually I had gone through all of the skeins of baby yarn I had in the house, and I had a very wide, stout rectangle.  I had to buy more yarn.  And more of the white Red Heart.  And I kept knitting.  For months.

 

In the end, I gave myself a bump on my right index finger that I can only guess is a ganglion cyst.  And I had a blanket that, if rotated 90 degrees, could be a bedspread.  I bound off and called it good.

 

 

I hope baby Jaxon likes it.  My baby seems to.

 

Savannah's Sweater, Modeled

How good a picture can you take of a one-month old? 

Baby Savannah's Sweater

I finally finished Baby Savannah's sweater. She's two weeks old, so I'm hoping I made it in time for the baptism!   Welcome to the world, Savannah Elizabeth, the eighth of my nieces and nephews!

Adrian's Argyle Sweater Vest Modeled

Here's the final product on Nephew Sweater Vest #2. I used the same pattern for Adrian as I did for Declan, Jane Tanner's Diamond Back Argyle Sweater Vest. This time I used the specifications for the size 2 width again and the size six length, like I did for Declan, but I added even more length. I went for 9.5 inches until I started to shape armholes, and for 16 inches before I bound off. I used the same Plymouth Encore yarn, but substituted a green for one of the blues.

Why is this thing so hot?



Adrian and his big brother Reagan got dressed up in their sweater vest best for some music education at Orchestra Hall!

Nephew Vest #2

I finally got started on the second argyle sweater vest for the other two-year old nephew. Then I got on a roll and knitted and knitted and knitted, while at the same time spending a weekend watching all of season one of Downton Abbey, my new favorite show. One Sunday night, I looked down and realized I had gone several inches past the point where I should have stopped and decreased for the arm and neck holes.

(insert choice swear words here)

The god of knitting has taught me nothing if not patience and humility. I knew the only answer was to learn some good backing-up technique (known in knitting circles as "frogging," because you "rip it, rip it"). I do this all the time when I get to the end of a row and realize I've messed something up. But I've never frogged on this scale before. I've never torn out inches of work before.



To make things worse, I had already worked in all the ends from all those colorful diamonds. I learned the first time I did this vest that you can save yourself a lot of crazy mess anxiety with all those strands hanging off the back if you stop periodically and work them in. This does not come in handy when you have to rip it out. Not only is it more work I did for naught, but it made the ripping out process all knotty. Not fun.

But I did it anyway. I got really good visual instructions from knitty.com. Basically you pick a row you want to go back to, and then insert a needle into the right leg of every knit stitch all the way across your piece. Then you just start pulling out everything above it.

Heather's Gap-tastic Cowl

My friend Heather commissioned this piece. I pulled a bunch of cowl patterns from Ravelry for her, and she chose Jen Geigley's Gap-tastic Cowl. It was a really easy, quick knit. 131 stitches cast onto size 13 circular needles, then seed stitched for 15 inches.


Heather chose the luxurious Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Citron.

Declan's Argyle Sweater Vest Modeled

Sweater vest #1 went to little Declan this weekend. He wears it well! I think I'll try to make Adrian's a little longer. And I'll use shades of green instead of blue. Can't wait to get started!

I can't even stand this photo with the Alfalfa hair!

Nephew Vest #1

Almost two years ago, in February and March 2010, two new nephews came into my life. I knitted three fourths of a sweater. It's time to get caught up on long overdue baby gifts. These two boys are getting argyle sweater vests this winter. The first one is now complete! I should probably still block it, but below are the progress photos through the end.

I used Plymouth Encore worsted weight yarn (25% wool, 75% acrylic). I followed Jane Tanner's Diamond Back Argyle Vest pattern from Ravelry. I followed the size two instructions in width, but the size six instructions in length, since my gauge is wide and the pattern photos looked a little short to begin with.

Amy's Cowl

Project number two of the chili cook-off gifts is now complete. I used Julia Allen's Candleflame Cowl pattern from Ravelry. For Amy's cowl, I used a worsted weight yarn and a size six 16-inch circular needle. It seemed too snug for my liking, so when I repeated the pattern for my mom, I used a size seven. It still seems a little too close to a neck brace. Probably okay for Amy's purposes (winter outdoor running), but not great for throwing on when the house is a little chilly.

Baby Shae's Sweater, Modeled

Shae's sweater made it safely to Buffalo. Feast your eyes on the cuteness!

Gloria's Mittens

I finished the first of the projects I promised as prizes for the chili and soup cook-off. Gloria was the first to donate, so she was the first to get a prize. She asked me for mittens for her two-year-old niece. Here they are!

It turns out, it's hard to find a good pattern for toddler mittens. I started out with this pattern from Ravelry. I ended up editing heavily for the size I wanted. Here's my edited version.

Gloria’s mittens

Size 4 dpns

Color A: DK weight
Color B: worsted weight

Cuff

Cast on 36 inches in Color A.
Work in k2p2 rib for 2 inches.

Shape Thumb Gusset

Round 1: In Color B, k1, p1, k3, p1, k to end of round.
Round 2: In Color A, k1, p1, k3, p1, k to end of round.
Round 3: In Color A, k1, p1, k3, p1, k to end of round.
Round 4: In Color A, k1, p1, kfb, k1, kfb, p1, k to end of round.
Round 5: In Color B, k1, p1, k5, p1, k to end of round.
Round 6: In Color B, k1, p1, k5, p1, k to end of round.
Round 7: In Color A, k1, p1, kfb, k3, kfb, p1, k to end of round.
Round 8: In Color A, k1, p1, k7, p1, k to end of round.
Round 9: In Color B, k1, p1, k7, p1, k to end of round.
Round 10: In Color B, k1, p1, kfb, k5, kfb, p1, k to end of round.
Round 11: In Color B, k1, p1, k9, p1, k to end of round.
Round 12: In Color A, k1, p1, k9, p1, k to end of round.

Save out stitches for thumb

Round 13: In Color B, k2, place next 9 sts on holder, cast on 3 sts, k to end of round.

Make the hand

In Color B, work in stockinette for 1 1/2 inches.

Shape the top of hand

Round 1: (skp, k4) Repeat 5 times (30 sts remaining)
Round 2 and 3: Knit even.
Round 4: (skp, k3) Repeat 5 times (24 sts remaining).
Round 5: Knit even.
Round 6: (skp, k2) Repeat 5 times (18 sts remaining).
Round 7: Knit even.
Round 8: (skp, k1) Repeat 5 times (12 sts remaining).
Round 9: (skp) Repeat 5 times (6 sts remaining).
Break yarn and thread through remaining 6 stitches.
Draw yarn up tightly and fasten off.

Making the thumb

Pick up the 9 sts on the holder, the three cast on stitches, and a stitch in between on each side.
Divide these 14 stitches evenly onto 3 needles.
Knit even for 8 rounds.

Shape Top of Thumb

Round 1: (k2tog) 7 times.
Round 2: Knit even.
Round 3: (k2tog) 3 times, k1.
Break off yarn and thread through the remaining stitches. Draw yarn up tightly and fasten off.

Amanda's Hurricane Hat

As I was blogging about Shae's sweater today, I came across a bunch of photos of projects I never got around to posting. Here's one I'm really proud of. I liked the Hurricane Hat I made for myself so much, I turned around and made one for Amanda, too. Like with mine, I used two strands of yarn, both to add a tweedy look and to add warmth. It doesn't stretch nearly as badly as the first hat I made for her. Here's a close-up. The tweedy look makes it hard to see the actual pattern detail, but it's called Hurricane Hat because there's a row of purls that swirls up to the top.

Baby Shae's Sweater

One of my many craft failures happened two years ago, when Baby Shae was born. You may remember I had been working diligently on "Mini Brynn's Sweater" before she arrived. Well, that girl grew quickly, and I was a slow crafter. Pretty soon she was too big for the sweater, and I quit at about 75% of the way through the project. Craft Fail. Now she's two, and I've finally gone back and made her a sweater.

This pattern is a much quicker knit. There's no lace, it's knit in all one piece from the top down, and there are no sleeves. Mollie bought the pattern, "In Threes" through Ravelry from Kelly Without A Net and lent it to me.

Since my gauge is always so wide, I used a size 7 circular needle (24 inch) rather than the recommended size 8/5mm needle. I followed the size 4T/5T pattern. The yarn is a Berroco Vintage blend (50% acrylic, 40% wool, 10% nylon) that claims to be machine washable. Care instructions: Machine wash inside out in cold water, gentle cycle. Lay flat to dry. I asked the folks at StevenBe for a machine washable yarn, but I didn't ask about the drying. I'm sure my sister's going to be really happy to hear that I gave her a sweater she can't throw in with the rest of the laundry.

Here's the preliminary product, before blocking. I made a mistake at one point. Apparently halfway across the back I reverted to stockinette, so my garter rows don't match up in the front. Embarrassing.

Here's the final product, after blocking and finishing.

I hope I'll get some pictures of the sweater being modeled soon!