Click for Babies

This post is going to be short and sweet as I don't have a lot of time to write at the moment.  For any of you who watch Katie (jetgirl1313) from Knittin' On the Fly, you know that she collects hats for the charity, Click for Babies.  The idea is to knit purple hats and donate them so they can be distributed in hospitals for all the new babies that arrive.  The charity and hats are meant to bring awareness to The Period of Purple Crying.  Essentially this all relates to infant crying and the risks Shaken Baby Syndrome.   Babies born in the month of November each receive a purple hat.  Click for Babies is specific to certain states, but I know that when my daughter was born in November, in Iowa (even though we aren't a Click for Babies state), she received a purple crocheted hat, along with a bunch of information about the Period of Purple Crying.

So Katie hosted Click for Babies and received an amazing number of hats that she donated in Maine.  Last year I didn't get the chance to knit a hat, but this year, I did!

I used the Otis Baby Hat pattern, which has 3 cables evenly distributed around the hat, which come together at the top in a really neat way.  The hats had to be at least 50% purple, which wasn't a problem for me since I had a couple different options to choose from.  I'd won a giveaway awhile back and received some Universal Yarn Bella DK in a light lavender purple, so that's what I used.  The hat turned out very soft and sweet.

I booked it to the post office (I finished the hat just days before the deadline) and rushed it out to Maine, along with some sheepy stitch markers for the giveaway Katie was hosting in conjunction with the charity drive.

I'd really like to knit this hat again as the cables really add some visual interest.  I'm really impressed with the way the cables were brought together at the top without interrupting the pattern.  Very slick.

Okay - time to fly!  Lots to do today!!

Cabled Strap Covers

With about 6 WIPs this month, and 7 FOs I haven't yet shared with you, it's easy to see that I've been knitting.  Am I committed?...Just a titch, but never fear...sometimes that's when my best work appears! :) (It's mostly all self-imposed anyway.)

My WIPs includ 3 shawls, 1 cowl, a hat and 1 pair of mitts.  Also on that list are a few swap items.  My knitting itinerary through October is chok full. :)

Today I'm sharing something that was quick and gratifying and just what I needed at the time.

I knit Lovebug a set of Cabled Strap Covers, by Melissa Schaschwary, for her carseat.  The poor dear had red marks from her straps all the time.  She's already constantly miserable in her seat and I though this would grant her a bit more comfort.

The patterns calls for bulky weight, which I don't really keep much of in the stash.  So instead I doubled up on Caron Simply Soft Brites in the Watermelon colorway.  Knit on US 10.5/6.5mm needles, these took just a matter of hours.

The cables are sweet and are surprisingly crisp in this hot pink yarn.  Don't stare for too long, you may burn your eyes!  My camera had a really hard time capturing this color.

The pattern uses bobbles and buttonholes to attach the covers to the straps but I've found this ineffective.  There is a certain amount of wiggling and fussing we go through before Little Miss is secured.  And it's inevitable that each time she's strapped in, I'm reattaching the covers.  This gets old, fast. So I will be searching for some larger, flat buttons that can withstand the push and pull and friction the straps get, while still laying flat against Lovebug's shoulders.

This problem isn't really surprising and I almost didn't knit the bobbles, thinking I"d just have to replace them later.  Save yourself some time if you plan on making these...you'll want the buttons!  (or snaps or velcro, or whatever!)  Aside from that, the pattern was wonderfully written.  Clear and concise, and a really smart solution to a problem that obviously is not unique to our household.

I've even been scheming on how I could make other covers with different patterns.  I just need to get out my stitch dictionaries and do a little math. :)

Practice!

At the end of July, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games will commence.   Ravelers all over the world mark the occasion by participating in fiber-related events on Ravelry.   A long while back I blogged about this vest I made for Squishy (HERE and HERE and HERE).  I am, again, choosing to participate in what is now called the Ravellenic Games.

I don’t know how much time I’ll actually have to committing to projects, but I feel like it’d be good to try and accomplish something.  Overall, knitters and crocheters are encouraged to work on things that challenge them in some way.  Perhaps by tidying up that large WIPs (Works In Progress) pile, or to knit something new and different, try a new technique…it can really be anything you want.  You aren’t allowed to cast on (or touch a WIP once games are announced) until Opening Ceremonies.  You must finish your project by Closing Ceremonies (sorta).  A badge is awarded to those who finish and so on and so forth.

There’s really more to it than that, but it involves more explanation that I really have the brain power to write down at the moment. 

Last time, I was a new knitter.  I challenged myself to finishing a baby vest in that two-week time period and I almost didn’t make it.   This year, my challenge to myself is to knit something stranded, fingerless mitts of some kind, actually.  I’ve not done much colorwork other than stripes because it’s intimidating and I always worry that my floats will be horrible (I’ll explain in a minute).  So what a great challenge to knit myself something stranded and get over that fear?

When knitting with two or more colors of yarn in the same row/round, you are carrying yarn across the back of your work.  The unused yarn creates a “float.”  Look at the “wrong side” of a sweater you own that has several colors.  It should look something like this:

(photo by littleyellowcat.com)

Those lengths of yarn are the floats.  And if they’re too tight, your work puckers.  If they’re too loose, you can see through the knitted fabric.  There’s a learning curve to doing this successfully and getting a nicely finished object.

I didn’t want to dive into a pair of mitts that might take me a bit of work, only to have it come out looking bad.  So I chose to “practice.” 

Enter Mini Motif Baby Mittens, stage left. 

These are a small project that could easily have been frogged and restarted if they weren’t turning out right.  Can you see the picture here?  They are penguins.  :)

These are for Lovebug this coming winter.  Little thumbless mitts to warm her hands.  Great practice for floats and twisting my yarn to prevent wee fingers from getting snagged.  They’re not perfect, but I feel better having knit these instead of jumping right in to my mitts. 

A little bit of soak, then blocking and these really shaped up nicely.

The yarn was NaturallyCaron.com Country in Black and some of my own hand-dyed yarn in the color I call Snowcone.

And hopefully, with a bit more practice, I can figure out a more even tension when working on stranded projects, for an even better result.  It's one of those things that just takes practice.  There's a learning curve and if you dont' just keep trying, you'll never get there!

So bring on the Ravellenic Games! :) 

Cold Feet

A friend of mine on Ravelry asked our group if we would help her.  This is what she wrote:

            “I belong to a Blue Star Mothers group (military mom’s support group) and we have the honor of co-sponsoring an Operation Shower baby shower in early July.  The goal is to show support for military moms-to-be or new mothers by showering them with gifts.  Especially since many of these moms are going through their pregnancy without the support of their husbands due to deployment or job assignment.  The event is rather a big deal with many big name sponsors involved, such as the PGA.  We are all excited and consider ourselves lucky that we can be involved and show our support to these new moms.  After all, our group is mom centered."

Pat asked for baby booties and socks in red, white and blue or any combination thereof to be gifted to 35-40 mothers.  As always, our group responded with a resounding YES! 

Here is a photo of all the completed booties lined up with one another.   They are all so stinkin’ cute!

(Photo by Pat (aka Plynn))

I made two pairs of baby socks using a favorite pattern of mine, Baby Mitten Socks.  Before Lovebug was born, I had knit her a pair of these with some leftover fingering weight yarn, with the hopes of her wearing them as a newborn.  They were one of the only pairs of socks I could keep on her tiny feet! 

I knit one pair of socks with Tanis Fiber Arts in Peacock as per the pattern. They’re tiny, but should fit newborns or smaller babies. 

But, after knitting this pair, I realized the Peacock color was more teal than blue, so I knew I needed another pair.  Pat still kindly accepted the first pair, and reassured me they were “blue enough.” :)

The second pair I made using Knit Picks Simply Cotton Sport in Wave Heather and Prussian Heather.  The heals and toes are contrasting to the rest of the sock.  Because this was sport weight yarn, the socks are larger, perhaps 6-12 month size?  It’s better to be too big than too small, right?  Again, I followed the pattern as directed, just with a heavier weight yarn.

I’m still new to knitting socks, even baby socks and don’t completely understand the construction.  I know there is a cuff and leg, a heel, the foot and the toe, but there are so many different ways to work the heel, you can do toe-up, top-down, two-at-a-time, etc. etc.  It’s a bit overwhelming and I get nervous with the idea of changing the cast on number because I don’t yet know how to accurately divide for the heel (which is the most complicated part of the sock). 

These socks were a snap to knit up and only took me a few hours.  And I was happy to be able to contribute something to Operation Shower.  

Spice Girls II Mystery KAL

I’ve never before truly participated in a KAL (Knit-A-Long).  I’ve only ever knit something after the fact, then gone back to the KAL thread to find helpful information in regards to the pattern or questions I may have.  And although there have been several KALs on the Itty Bitty forums, I don’t think I’ve ever done them at the same time. 

But this time was different.  Elena Nodel has some awesome children’s patterns out there.  A friend of mine has done test knitting for her in the past, and her patterns are just so pretty.  So when I heard that Elena was hosting a Mystery KAL, I couldn’t pass it up. 

A mystery KAL is when a designer has a pattern and welcomes others to join her in a knit-a-long, but the mystery part is that only part of the pattern is released at a time.  So this means you’re knitting from a new pattern and will have to trust completely that you’ll like the end result.  Usually, every week or two a new “clue” is released.  As the knitter, you’re supposed to knit to the end of the clue and stop, waiting anxiously for the next clue to be released.  It’s actually a great way to get a lot of projects for a new design.  Sometimes the pattern is tested ahead of time, and other times, not.

This pattern is called My Honey and it’s from Elena’s Spice Girls II Collection.  It’s a little sweater with just a little bit of lace on the yoke.  Simple and sweet.

I can’t say I was particularly fond of the lace portion.  The stitches seems clumsy and it took me several tries to get the first clue right.  But that may have just been me.  I think the design is really pretty – but I wouldn’t want to knit a ton of it! 

I chose to knit the 6 month size using NaturallyCaron.com Spa in Stormy Blue.  This is an acrylic/bamboo blend, which I thought would be nice for Spring.  As it turns out, my gauge was a bit on the small side and as it turns out, the sweater a bit small for Lovebug.  I kept comparing it to her while knitting, hoping I was just not looking at it right, but there you have it.  “Make time to save time: check your gauge!”  Whoops!

But never fear! I have a friend who had her first baby in February.   And although a bit big now, will fit her nicely very soon.  I added the little elephant buttons because I thought they were fun and whimsical.  And perhaps a little bit girly. J 

I chose short sleeves instead of the long ones.  Elena’s long sleeve design is very “fairy tale” to me, and I think it is really sweet for little girls…but considering I wanted this for the warmer weather accompanied by a cool breeze, the long sleeves seemed too much.  There is also a bow embellishment and I toyed with the idea of adding this…but honestly, once I bound off the second sleeve, I was ready for something new.

I’m terribly pleased with the response I got from my friend when she unwrapped the sweater.  I hope she gets a lot of use out of it.  And the yarn is machine wash/dry, perfect for a new mum.  No blocking required!  I’d really like to make another for Lovebug – perhaps the 1 year size, with the long sleeves since it will be Fall. 

As far as my first Mystery KAL, I would say it was successful.  I got a cute sweater/baby gift, the newly released pattern for free, and a chance to knit something from a new-to-me designer. That’s win-win-win in my book!  I’d consider trying another mystery knit in the future. 

Just Because I Can

 (Uptown Babe hat I designed awhile back.)

(And if I share one, I must share a picture of the other! :) )

Yoked Cardigan

I’ve talked before about listening to what yarn wants to become.  More times than not, I find a pattern I want to knit, and then hunt down the yarn to knit it with.  More recently, I’ve been using stash whenever possible to fulfill the yarn requirements, although that’s not always the case. 

But sometimes, when you receive lovely yarn, it speaks to you and there’s nothing you can do but give in.  I received some beautiful HandPaintedYarn from a friend during the E is for Elephant Swap.   I got 2 skeins in a reddish pink color and another in a deep blue-green.   It’s probably of no surprise that the blue-green skein was my favorite. 

I had big plans for this yarn.  I had been scouring cowl patterns for awhile now, having decided that this soft, squishy yarn would be best served around my neck.  I had even settled on a pattern.  I almost cast on when I stopped.  Yes, this yarn would be lovely wrapped around my neck, keeping me warm.  But it wasn’t really satisfied with that.  And then I realized why.

Those lovely deep shades of blue and green would be so striking when wrapping around my little girl's arms and shoulders.  I could even picture just the right pattern.  Lovebug has beautiful blue eyes, just like her brother.  I doubt they’ll change in color.  Squishy’s didn’t.  This would make them POP.

And once I made this decision, I was happy.  It all felt right.  The pattern is Yoked Cardigan by Hannah Fettig (she’s got some great designs).  While reading some other knitter’s notes, I agreed with one who said she doesn’t think of this as a yoked cardigan, but rather a ribbed cardigan.  And that’s what it is.  Hannah has you slowly increase the purls between the knits the further down you get in the sweater.

Simple, top down construction, this is sized from baby to adult.  The 4 x 1 ribbing is flattering, and especially cute on a baby!  I knit the 17” bust.  The next size up was a 21” bust, which I felt was just a bit too big – I wanted Lovebug to wear it now.  Knit in a heavy worsted yarn on US 8s, this took no more than 2 or 3 days, tops.  If I were to knit it as a gift, I would use the 2^nd bust measurement just to make sure it fit the baby I was gifting it to.

I did add a few mods to the pattern.  Instead of a garter button band, I followed the example of another knitter and did 1 x 1 ribbing, picking up 40 stitches on each side of the front. 

I wasn’t sure if I had enough yarn, so I kept the sleeves a bit short. I followed the pattern to a point, then went my own direction.  After picking up the arm stitches, I knit 10 inches in the 4 x 1 rib pattern.  Then I purled 1 row.  Then 5 rows of 1 x 1 ribbing.  Finally, binding off in pattern.  This draws in the bottom of the sleeves nicely and keeps the edges from rolling.  I wish I had the forethought to add ribbing to the bottom of the cardigan.  It’s a sweet cardigan without it, but I feel as though it would have been more congruent with the overall look of the sweater.

And what’s better than finding perfect buttons to finish it off!  I added some buttons I’ve had in the stash for awhile.   They made me think of Paul Revere for some reason – with a man riding a horse.  Not girly, or masculine.  They stand out nicely against the dark background. 

So get yourself some yarn and knit your own Yoked Cardigan for a little one you know. You won’t be disappointed!

Christmas Booties

After shopping for Christmas clothes for the kids, I had this brilliant idea that I would knit Lovebug a pair of booties to match her Christmas dress (not the Little Sister’s Dress I knit, she wore that on Christmas Day – although I did have that in mind when picking the pattern.)  She’d be wearing tights and would need something to keep her tootsies warm.

I picked out the pattern a couple days before Christmas Eve Day (needed them for the Candlelight Service) and got to work.  They worked up very quickly, each being completed in a matter of hours.  And they were soo cute!.....

…..I have come to learn that my daughter has very long, narrow feet that don’t really fill booties out very well.  My button/strap placement was not the best and unfortunately they just kept falling off her feet.  They have since been fixed and stay on her feet much better, but she wasn’t really able to wear them for Christmas. 

The pattern is Rosy Baby Booties by Julia Noskova (you can find my version on my project page).  This woman has loads of bootie patterns that I’m dying to try.  I would knit them all.  Anyway – I love her patterns and I loved this pattern.  I think normally, these booties would fit baby feet really well.  And the size I chose was 0-6 months, so she’ll be able to wear them for a little while.  I’ve not knit many booties and I was a bit worried that they wouldn’t turn out.  But they did!  And they looked just like the designer’s pictures. (That’s the best, when that happens.)

About the pattern – instructions were very easy to follow.  I never felt confused about where the pattern was headed.  It was clearly written, a beginner could easily make these.  I wish there were 0-3 and 3-6 month sizing instead of 0-6 months.  I probably could have figured out the mods myself but didn’t have time since Christmas was so close.  For the patterns that are more like boots and less like shoes, I don’t think it’s as big of an issue.

I used Ella Rae Milky Soft in Red (dk weight) and Knit Picks Comfy Sport (sport weight obviously) in Whisker as called for in the pattern.  The gray strap and edging was to match Lovebug’s Christmas dress.  The booties are knit flat and then seamed together.  Although I really dislike seaming, I found this pretty easy and my seaming was decent enough. 

I already have a couple other patterns picked out to try next.  Baby feet grow so fast and instead of spending a lot of money on shoes bought in stores, I figured a couple hours and some stash yarn every now and then was a lot cheaper!

Candy Cane

Some friends of ours shared the news last spring that they were expecting their first baby in November.  Mr. Man has known the husband for many, many years and we were so excited to hear about their growing family!  It was especially neat she was due the same month as me!  Although we don’t live anywhere near one another, it was fun to hear little tidbits here and there about how the pregnancy was going, and so forth.  We even got a chance to visit when they were in Iowa this summer.

In planning all that I wanted to knit for Lovebug, I also knew I needed to make something for their little baby.  Originally, I had intended to knit the Lil’ Pumpkin hat by Susan B. Anderson because she was due in November and what’s better than a pumpkin?  But, I didn’t have a chance to even cast on for the hat before their baby arrived. 

They chose to wait until the birth to find out sex, so all the knits I had been looking at needed to be a bit unisex.  Again, the pumpkin hat fit that description, but by the time I HAD time, pumpkins were a bit out of season (or would be very shortly). 

I pulled out Susan’s trusty Itty Bitty Hats and went to it.  Of course, going into the Christmas season it only seemed right to send a Candy Cane hat.  (You saw one version I sent with the Advent Swap package to Nina and her daughter.)  The book calls for red and white, but I also added green. 

I really love the three colors together. Festive, but not overwhelming as some hats can sometimes be. And it’s not too Christmas so it can be worn throughout the winter.  (I don’t mind the idea of a Christmas hat worn after Christmas, but when knitting for other people, I take these factors into consideration.) 

I was so happy to receive a text message from J after she and K received the package (I sent a couple other goodies as well…) saying how much they loved the hat.  She even included a picture of their baby girl wearing the hat!  If that’s not a great thank-you, I don’t know what is. It’s so nice to know these things are appreciated. 

(Lovebug modeled the hat for me before we mailed it off!)

And imagine our surprise when a couple weeks later we received a Christmas card from them – that adorable little girl wearing her hat!  Mr. Man and I both agreed it was so neat that out of all the things they could have chosen for a Christmas card picture, the hat we sent made the cut! (I would share the card with you, but I didn’t ask for their permission to share a photo online of their daughter.) 

So if you’re looking for a hat that’s guaranteed to be a hit, I’d recommend this one.  It doesn’t have to be holiday colors.  You could make it any color you wanted, I promise the baby will still look cute! 

Playing Catch Up

You all have to know that swap knitting is not all that I was doing while on maternity leave.  (I’m going to take a moment and just say how much I could have used a couple more weeks at home before returning to work…)  There were things knit for my family as well.

Today I share with you Little Sister’s Dress by Tora Froseth Design.  My friend Lyndsey knit this awhile back, although she didn’t make it a dress, she left it at a tunic.  Just another reason to give this pattern 2 thumbs up.   

I wanted a knit dress for Lovebug during the holidays.  We have several Christmases to attend and I wanted her to be festive.  She has had very few dresses in her wardrobe at the time, so I chose this pattern. 

I chose it because it was a top-down construction that didn’t require cutting the yarn and rejoining on the opposite shoulder to finish the look.  I had several patterns picked out at different times that were a little fancier, but each time I looked into the pattern, I found that it wasn’t knit in the round.  This was a problem because I had a very specific yarn in mind.  I knit this with Premier Yarns Serenity Garden in Hibiscus.  It took two skeins for this size.  (At least I think only 2 – I bought 3 skeins and can only find 1 in my stash so I must have used 2…)  This is a self-striping yarn.  While I can appreciate variegated or striping yarns, it doesn’t work well for patterns that divide and knit the shoulders separately because it breaks up the color pattern and isn’t symmetrical. Yes, this is an issue for me.  There must be symmetry (at least in color if not in the pattern). 

So, again, I say, this pattern was terrific for that.  Serenity Garden is a microfiber which is a type of acrylic.  I’m not a huge fan of acrylic, but this yarn is so soft and squishy and I didn’t find it the least bit squeaky.  One of the best features of the yarn is that it didn’t require blocking.  When looking up microfiber on Google, I found some information saying it’s designed to not need blocking.  (Now, I know some of you will say –but you can’t block acrylic!! To that I say, yes, you can.  In a couple different ways.  And I had planned on blocking this dress until I saw it finished.  The information proved true – no blocking needed and it STILL looked straight and even and lovely.)

Knit in the 3 month size, this pattern went along very quickly.  Only a few days and it was finished. (It helps that I was knitting it for a bitty baby!)  I learned a new cast on called the Old Norwegian Cast On (also known as the elastic long tail cast on).  I don’t remember at the moment how to do it, but it’s always good to have tried something once – the more you use something, the easier it gets.

Lovebug was just under 2 months at Christmas and it was obvious (at least to me) that the dress was a little big.  The armholes, especially were large.  I think they would be large on a 3 month old who’s a little more rotund than Lovebug even.  The good thing about this is that as she gets older, she can continue to wear the dress and eventually it will become a tunic that she can wear with leggings or over a little pair of jeans, depending on the fit.  I love the idea that she can wear it for so long.  We knitters, crocheters, sewers, etc. put so much effort into the things we make, it’s nice to know they’ll be of use for a long time. 

I have to mention that I had something very specific in mind when I went searching for buttons.  A little back story – when I was little I had a red dress with teddy bears and hearts on it.  Although I don’t exactly remember what it looked like, I remember really liking the dress.  And it had a little white apron (is that called a frock?) that went over top.  The little bears were holding hearts and just something about it made me love it so much.  This dress, although wildly different than my dress, reminded me of that dress. No buttons would work unless they were similar to what was on MY dress.

So when I found these little teddy bear buttons and had flashbacks to my childhood, I knew they were perfect for the job.  They’re not Christmas-y or even winter-y, which allows this piece of clothing to be worn year round without looking out of place. 

I highly recommend this pattern for knitters with little girls in their lives.  You’ll love the end result and how effortless it was to get there.

My only regret is that I bound off too loose.  I wanted to ensure the hem on the dress wasn’t too tight, especially as Lovebug grew.  I achieved that, but in my opinion, the bottom looks less finished than I would like.