Friday Favorites 1/7: Favorites From Childhood

As a child, we grow attached to certain items, and when those items are lost, misplaced, forgotten or left behind, the world stops revolving.  We are at a loss and nothing else matters except to get "it" back.  I was no exception to this rule.  I definitely had a favorite childhood item.  


There were a few things that I was pretty attached to, but there was only one thing I couldn't stand not having. So I thought today I'd keep Friday Favorites pretty simple - my favorite childhood item, and X's favorite toy (I'm sure he'll have many as he's not quite yet 2, but so far, this one is it.) 

Bunny

Introducing Bunny.  Original name, I know.  What can I say? I was very little when I received this toy.  If you talk to my mom, she'll tell you at one point I had several Bunnies.  The most I remember having is three.  And if you were to ask me where they all went, I would swear I remember losing one in Heidi's closet and one under a couch.  I doubt that's actually where I lost them, but that's what I remember.  Mom will also tell you that when I had lost all 3 Bunnies she wasn't going to get me another - she had decided I was okay without one.  I apparently took matters into my own hands.  

As the story's been told (many, many times!), I was having a not-so-great day and while walking through a toy store, pushing me in a stroller, we went past some shelves with boxes of Bunnies arranged on them.  Mom says that before she could hardly blink an eye, I had pulled one off the shelf, ripped open the package, started rubbing the satin edge and had fallen asleep.  So much for no more Bunnies.  That satin edge was one of my favorite things about him.  (Yes, of course Bunny is a boy.) 

He was also a puppet - you could fit your hand in his head and flop his ears around.  We did that a lot too.  Bunny is now located in my top night stand drawer, keeping me company.  I probably slept with him all the way through college.  X even has his own Bunny now - made by Mom.  :)  She's so crafty!  

I don't know what the original toy was called or if you can even get them anymore.  I've seen loves of "lovies" that are animals attached to tiny blankets, but nothing as spectacular as my buddy, Bunny. 

Puppy

Okay, this time you can blame the name on the adults.  X didn't name this toy.  But it didn't seem quite right to assign a name to this pup.  There's nothing spectacular about this stuffed animal.  It happens to be a black lab puppy that X insisted he look at while we were strolling through Hobby Lobby one day.  I had made a trip to the craft store to find something, and knew, as usual, it would take me a little while.  Many times I pick out something for X to look at and keep him occupied so he doesn't get antsy in the cart.  This day, he chose Puppy.  We were planning on putting him back on the shelf before we left, but X had a very tight grip.  And he was only three or four dollars so he came home with us. 

For awhile, Puppy lived with all the other stuffed animals - in their toy box.  X would take him out and play with him a bit, but always leave him in the living room.  Then, after knowing what it was like to sleep with Teddy (pictured below),  he started bringing Puppy to bed.  And he's done so every night since then.  

They run around the house together, they take naps together, they've even taken a few trips together.  Looks like they'll be friends for a very long time!

So, dear readers, what was your favorite childhood toy? Do you still keep them close to your heart? 

WIP Wednesday 1/5

For many people, a new year brings new resolutions, a fresh start to the year.  I'm not typically one to make New Year's Resolutions, mostly because I forget about them about a minute after I make them.  And not because I don't feel they are important, but because it's always seemed to be more of a holiday tradition to set them and then break them instead of taking them seriously.  But if I call them "goals" for the year, that's a whole different ballgame.  

I have several goals I'd like to achieve in the next year.  Some of them are very personal, and some are not. Today I am sharing a big one, and hopefully one that won't take me too long to reach!

I'd like to start out the new year with a fresh, clean start to my knitting.  On Ravelry in the Itty Bitties forum, we're talking about how many FOs we have to show for the year.  I was astounded that I have completed 64 projects.  Crazy, I know!  Some have completed less and some more, but we all agree that the specific number isn't so important.  It's more amazing that there is just all that crafty talent floating around the world!  But, along with counting up all my FOs for the year, I had to acknowledge all the UFOs (UnFinished Objects) and WIPs I still had on the needles.  

Again, some people have more, some have less.  I have 8 projects on the needles.  This number is high for me.  I used to complete a project before starting a new one, but now I've fallen off that wagon and jumped on another - Startitis, I think it's called. :)  

So my goal is to finish up all these WIPs and UFOs before I cast on for a new project.  I want to feel refreshed in my knitting and I think this is the way to do it!!  So far, I've done pretty well - partly because so many of these things were gifts. 

Which brings me to the real point of WIP Wednesday - letting you glimpse into my world and see what I'm working on.  

I had hoped to have more to share with you today, but as it turns out, I finished a project last night, which I can't complain about, so that leaves me with only a few things to share. 

I've been diligently working on my mom's Christmas present - Brea Bag.  I'm knitting this out of Shelter in Almanac.  It's turning out lovely.  It's actually a rather quick knit, but because of the constant decreases, it requires more than mindless knitting.  This bag is going to turn out great. 

I've got one half of the bag done, and started the front half.  Once that's finished, I'll knit the gusset and sew all the pieces together.  Then Mom & I will line it. 

 Do you see all that texture-y goodness?!

My other must-knit project at the moment are J's winter gloves.  He asked for them awhile ago, and told me he didn't expect to get them for Christmas.  He's patient, which is good because they got set aside while I worked on other things.  As soon as the above bag is complete, that's next on the list.  I've decided that I need to rip back on what I've got so far by about 10 rows.  I think if I do this, I can make the necessary changes and avoid having to frog the entire glove at a later date!

Remember yesterday when I mentioned A's Windschief wasn't the original hat I had picked for him?  Well, I'm about 80% done with his other hat, Morgan.  I haven't thought about it much since Christmas, but it remains on the list to be completed. 

So, what's on your needles?

Christmas Knitting: A's Windchief

On with the Christmas knitting!  Today we'll take a look at what my brother was gifted to warm his head in these cold, Iowa winters!

Last year, like C, A got a hat.  Actually, all the men in my family got hats from me.  And they were all the same pattern, the Modern Rib Hat by Susan B. Anderson.  Is it a good hat?  Yes.  Have all the men worn their hats like good knitted gift recipients?  Yes!  Is it time for a new pattern?  YES!

When I first started knitting, there was a lot that I didn't know.  The main thing being how many free patterns there were out there - not to mention the ones you could buy.  But I was naive and had no idea.  So I knit the same pattern four times.  This year A "needed" a new hat.  I started out with another pattern, but as I was scurrying to finish it on the eve of Christmas Eve (the day we exchange gifts), I realized that I would not have the time necessary to properly finish the intended hat.  So at 1:30am I cast on for Stephen West's Windschief.  I made pretty good progress, too.  And then about 4:30am I ran out of steam.  It was time for bed.  I decided it would be gifted as it was, and finished after the holidays. 

That night A opened his gift and was...shall we say...a little confused?  But he played along and we joked that the gift this year was teaching him to knit so he could finish his own hat. :)  

Now fast forward a couple days, I secured the yarn tail and was ready to give it to my brother.  He lives out of town so the hat is now happily living at his place, but I haven't yet had the pleasure of seeing it on his head.  He's been ordered to bring it home with him next time so I can take some photos of him IN the hat! :)  

(Top picture more true to color.)

So on to how I feel about this pattern!  It's simple and unique, but masculine at the same time, which is important.  I really enjoy the twisted ribbing around the brim, and then the detailing that continues all the way to the top of the hat.  The slight curve of the ribbing is also fun.  The only modifications I made here were simple.  Instead of knitting 5.5" from the cast-on edge, I knit 6" to make sure it would cover A's ears.  This is a medium, and probably the size I'd like if I were to make it for my own head.  There is a bit of bunching at the crown and I think it's because of the extra length that's added.  

The yarn used is Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light in Blueberry Mix.  I thought this would go nicely with his coat, which is navy.  When I received the yarn in the mail, I was surprised to see the strands of pinkish-purple spun in.  But A's manly enough he can pull that off. :)  Because the Berroco was sport weight, I chose to hold the yarn double, which probably makes it just a little more dense than it normally would be.  Nice and warm, I say. 

 (I just like these 2 pictures because the stockinette stitch looks so neat & orderly!)

I had trouble getting photo of the true color of the yarn.  Inside, in my light box, it's too dark and muted.  Outside, the white of the snow washes it out.  It really is a beautiful color.  

So how many of you find yourself making small modifications to patterns?  Whether it be lengthening a hat, or casting on extra stitches, more and more I find I don't simply knit straight from the pattern. :) 

Stop in tomorrow for WIP Wednesday! :) 

Snapdragons

You've heard me make mention Ysolda Teague in the past.  You've also heard me specifically mention the Snapdragon Flip-Top mittens.  This holiday season I had the opportunity to knit a pair.

My friend's mom approached me a while back asking if I could make a pair of flip-tops/convertible knits for L.  The requirements were brown yarn and finger holes (as opposed to just fingerless mittens) under the flip-top.  Let me tell you have few patterns there are out there for a good flip-top pattern.  Let alone one with fingers!

After talking with her mom, we decided on a pattern called London Eye Glittens.  In theory, these would meet the needs of L perfectly.  In practice?  Not so much.  The pattern was too small for comfort.  Knowing L has similar hands to myself, I knew there was no way she'd find these comfortable.  I could hardly get my hands in them and I only had 1 mitten half-way done!  Oh no!!  This means picking a new pattern.  I was disappointed this pattern didn't work because I really liked it.  I still have hopes that I can modify the pattern a bit to accommodate larger hands.  I might make myself a pair at that point.

Anyway, back to the story.  This meant choosing a new pattern.  Something stylish but not overdone.  Something with fingers....fingers, fingers....nope, I didn't like any of the patterns with fingers.  This meant modifying any other pattern I chose.  So I decided the the Snapdragon Flip-Tops were the way to go.  I'd wanted to knit these for some time now, and this was a great opportunity.  I got to work straight away.

The cuff is really what took the longest on these.  Because of the all the cables and the design they create, you are constantly picking up and putting down your cable needle.  This, for me, is not conducive to quick knitting.  I didn't mind, though, knowing that the cables would be so neat when finished.

Once I had the cables done and had moved on to the rest of the glove, they were a piece of cake - straight stockinette.  Perfect for wanting to finish a project up quickly. Until I got to the fingers... I've never made gloves or fingerless gloves for that matter.  I figured it couldn't be too difficult and there should be notes on another project or a glove pattern I could use to modify the pattern to suit my needs.  I ended up using lemoncake's notes on making these gloves instead of flip-tops.  And instead of finishing off the fingers, I just knit to the knuckles and bound off loosely.  

After finishing the fingers and adding the flip-tops, they seemed a bit uncomfortable, like all my fingers were fighting for space.  This was resolved after a semi-heavy blocking.  To block, I traced my hands on heavy interfacing and then cut them out.  I made sure that my fingers were spread out enough to loosen up the finger holes.  For the flip-tops, I traced my fingers close to one another (as though inside a mitten) and used the cut outs in the flip-top.  This worked just as I hoped it would!  My only tip here would be to make sure the wrist/arm is long enough.  In my versions, I had to pin the cuff because the blockers weren't long enough.

The cabling straightened out beautifully and the stitches all lined up just right.  They were comfy and warm, in my own opinion.  I hope L liked them!!  I modified the length of the flip-top to accommodate for long fingers, which made them too long for a button on the cuff.  I could have sewn on a button, but the flip-top wouldn't have laid as straight and pretty as without the buttons.  I also lengthened the thumbs.  I have long thumbs and hate when gloves/mittens are too short.

Overall, I really liked this pattern.  I knit this pair with Cascade 220 Superwash in Walnut Heather.   There were a few times were I felt as though I was muddling through the pattern - specifically when attaching and then knitting the flip-top.  There is a small diagram in the pattern, but no specifics as to placement.  I sort of winged it.  Next time, I would also cast on additional stitches for the flip-top to make them easier to use.

Friday Favorites 12/31: Favorite Finished Objects

It's the end of the year.  Literally.  December 31st, as we all know, marks the last day of 2010.  So to celebrate the past year, as well as look forward into the new year, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite finished objects.  This wasn't easy.  I love all my knits for different reasons.  Usually I feature 3-4 of my favorite things each week, but this time I felt the need to make the list a little longer. :) Also, I'm counting November & December 2009 as well, since it's only a couple months and that's when I started.

We'll start with the oldest, and work up to the newest.

Sisters

by Susan B. Anderson

This was one of my very first knits.  Last year I knit everyone something for Christmas.  They didn't all receive their gifts on Christmas, but they received them during the holiday season. None of them knew I had taught myself how to knit, so it was a surprise when they opened their gifts and saw what was inside each package. :)   This little gem was a gift to my sister.  We had our moments as kids, but we've grown really close as we've gotten older and I love that I can call her my best friend. The "blue" sister represents me, with straight blonde hair (who loves blue) and the "pink" sister represents C, who has curly blonde hair and loves pink.

Chocolate Bunny

by Eva McDonald

This chocolatey goodness was a gift for my swap partner, Tonia, for the Itty Bitty Easter Swap.  Chocolate is always a yummy treat, but sometimes too tempting.  With this sweet toy you get the best of both worlds.  I love the way the designer created this pattern to be so identical to the real chocolate bunnies.  I tried my best to mimic the ones bought in stores, right down to the yellow bow and blue candy eyes. I don't know what it is about this toy, but I love it so!

Gerald the Giraffe

by Susan B. Anderson

Okay, Susan doesn't call him Gerald, but in our house, we do.  This was the reason for buying Itty Bitty Toys to begin with.  He's knit from the wonderful Spud & Chloe Sweater in Splash and Lake.  He's such a fun toy for kids and adults.  I was so excited when Susan asked to feature his picture on Spud Says (Spud & Chloe blog), he told me he feels like a star!  He's even inspired others to knit their own blue giraffes. :)  I'm so very, very fond of this guy.

Haruni 

by Emily Ross

This is such a popular shawl, with 2999 projects on Ravelry, it's no surprise it falls under my favorites.  I made this shawl for my mom as a birthday present.  Part of the reason I love it so much is that I proved to myself that I could do it.  Lace isn't an easy thing, at least for a beginning lace knitter.  And after several bumps, there is this wonderful blue knit to show for it.  And even better, Mom loves it and wears it, which is all the thanks I need for making it!!

Baby Sack & Honeycomb Stroller Blanket

by Georgia Porter and by Terry Kimbrough, Susan Leitzsch, and Lucie Sinkler

I'm lumping these two together because I gave them as a set.  My friend was expecting a little boy and I was so excited to knit for him.  But I didn't want to do traditional pastel baby colors.  So after talking to a few people, I settled on green, blue & brown.  The colors play so nicely with one another, and I think they're bold and boyish.  I'd love to make another babysack, and my friend gave me some great insight into how it fits her little boy.

Bella Mitts

by Carine Ancel

This pattern is the Phenomenon pattern, modeled after Bella's mitts in the first Twilight movie.  I made a pair for my friend, which I blogged about HERE, as part of a trade. 

I also made my sister a pair for Christmas.  I'd like to make myself a pair when I get the chance.  Hopefully that's before winter is over!! I've found these gloves to be super warm, cozy, and dense.  Just what is needed to fight off that cold weather.

So as you can see, each of these finished objects holds a special place in my heart.  I'm sure there will be many in the future that I love just as much.  It was fun to look back through the past 14 months and see how much my knitting has grown and how much I've accomplished.  I highly recommend it! :)  I also have to mention that I've made some great friends on Ravelry over the past year, it's been really nice to have people to share stories and FOs and ask for help from all the wonderful ladies!

Stop by in the new year for more Friday Favorites!  Happy New Year's Eve everyone!

Christmas Knitting: C's Bella Mitts

Wow, it has been a whirlwind of activity around here lately.  The build up to, and the subsequent winding down of Christmas has kept us moving over the past 4-5 days.  I scrambled to finish my Christmas knitting, but just didn't have the time or energy to get it all complete.  Luckily, I have a very understanding family who took it all in stride.

I am pleased that I got 3 projects fully started and completed before Christmas was here, in just 1 month or so.  (I had 2 partial hats and one yet-to-be-cast-on bag on Christmas Eve.  One hat is now complete.)

Today I'll share with you a favorite pattern of mine, Phenomenon.  Those of you in Ravelryland know what this pattern is and how popular it has become.  Others of you may recognize it from this post when I talked about making them for a friend of mine as a trade for my business logo.  It's a relatively quick pattern.  If I could just sit and knit all day I could whip these puppies out in just a day or two.  But life doesn't move that way, does it?

This pair was destined for my sister's hands.  She's a lover of pink, and I'm a lover of blue.  It's been that way for a long, long time.  And yes, I know this color is not pink, but it's lovely, and right up her alley.  I think she likes them.  (At least I'll pretend she does, especially since she's already worn them outside the house!)

They are made from Brooklyn Tweed's (otherwise known as Jared Flood) Shelter in colorway Thistle.  This is a beautiful yarn that begs for texture.  No plain ol' stockinette stitch here, folks.  The cabling turn out beautifully, especially after a nice, gentle blocking.

I couldn't decide if the yarn would be appropriate as a bulky yarn so I held it double.  In the end, they were very tight and uncomfortable on my hands until the aforementioned blocking, which stretched them just enough to kind-of accommodate my excessively long fingers and large palms, and definitely roomy enough for my sister's hands.  As I'm sure I've mentioned before, if ever I were to make these for myself, I'd add an extra cable repeat for the added comfort, as well as extra length to the thumb.

I really enjoyed working with Shelter as it had interesting flecks of color spread throughout the yarn.  Each stitch brought new dimension to the project.  Because it is a true wool, it was a bit rough on my hands when I would sit and knit for long periods of time.  I have sensitive skin, and the yarn running along my left forefinger often ended the night a little red.  I've read some suggestions of washing the yarn before knitting to help it soften.  I don't think I'd ever do that, but I did notice the mittens softened and plumped nicely after the blocking.

C was kind enough to model these on Christmas day.  On my parents deck, with a brilliant snowy backdrop, the colors stood out beautifully.  If only I could hire hands to always model my knitwear for hands!  I guess I'll have to keep on asking my sister (when she's home) and mom when needed.  They're good sports about it.

Overall, this was a successful gifting and I foresee these mittens getting a lot of use! :) Hooray!!  I am really looking forward to when I knit my mom's Christmas gift from Shelter in Almanac!