- April 04, 2024
- 7 Comments
This hat! This little project took barely two evenings to make and each stitch made me smile. The yarn, Barrett Wool Co. Home Worsted Weight, is 100% wool and lovely and soft with a great plumpy, cottony feel while knitting. I'm certain it will be next-to-skin soft as a kitten. The pattern is fun to make and completely adorable. It's perfect for scraps but I've always wanted to try this particular yarn and they had little kits on sale (as of this posting, they are still on sale). The kit has enough yarn to make two hats, probably three depending on the size you make and if you decide to add any of your stash. I added some orange and white from my stash to add some punch and bright contrast. This is going to be my new go-to baby hat pattern. It's a snap to make and the only fiddley part is the very end when you make the point and have just a few stitches on 4 needles. Torture for a few rounds but you soon get to the end and the funny i cord tip. A very nice knit! Please come on in for the links and for more pictures of my pretty flower garden.
- July 08, 2023
- 10 Comments
Today I have a little cardigan and hat to share, both free, that were made because I felt I needed to knit something that would move quickly from cast on to the cast off. Baby sweaters are perfect for that. I also had 3 skeins of soft yarn that needed using up. I've been so good about using my stash and that makes me so happy. You won't believe how well I've got my stash under control. I feel like I've accomplished so much and I'm pretty proud of my dedication to this years long project. I'm thinking of making a post sharing what I have left. It's still so much but I feel so in control and that's all I wanted. But that will be for another time, today it's all about this little sweater and hat. Please read on for links to the free patterns, pretty pictures of summer blooms and a fun craft for kids.
- June 29, 2023
- 11 Comments
This little cardi is sailing across the beautiful blue Pacific to a baby girl who lives Upcountry in Maui where it actually gets cold enough to wear a sweater. The ruched detail on the yoke is very simple to do, yet makes a big splash style-wise. And then the flower buttons, sigh, I had them in my stash and they are perfect. I'm so happy with it and wish I could be there when the gift is opened.
- October 06, 2022
- 8 Comments
When is the last time you have knitted a tiny baby sweater? It had been ages for me and I'd forgotten just how tiny they are and how fast they knit up! I kept measuring and rereading the directions, thinking, this can't be the time to bind off already? I just started it! And are humans ever this tiny? This is a 9-12 month size and I think it took two nights to complete.
Just when I thought I was done knitting baby sweaters I was invited to two baby showers! First up is a little boy who will be born in September. I knit a size 9-12 months and I think it will fit this winter and have some room to grow. I used Koigu Painter's Palette in three graduated colors and used exactly half of the yardage and have enough to make one more tiny sweater. The pattern is So Faded Pint Sized by Andrea Mowry. If you are new to fading then this pattern will be helpful. Also I like the way this pattern fits--it seems to have good proportions which is so important even with babies. The neckline has just enough space for a baby's large noggin without being sloppy. This is my pattern project page.
As for the quilt, years ago I worked at a fine linens shop. We sold bespoke bed, bath and kitchen linens with our cotton fabric sourced from Italy and our linen from Ireland. The samples were quite large and just gorgeous; many of them embroidered and appliquéd. Twice a year when certain fabrics were discontinued the owner handed the samples over to me, sometimes bags at a time! I also got chummy with one of the reps and she gave me more. I made dolly clothes, tea towels, and napkins galore, but then started cutting the fabric into 6" squares. After I had two full shoe boxes of squares I invited my girlfriends over to make baby quilts. At that time many of my friends were about to become first time grandmothers. We met once a week at my house, and over several months we made simple patch quilts, sewing them all by hand and hand quilting them. Every single quilt came out beautiful. You can read about it here. I made three crib sized quilts--a mostly yellow quilt, a mostly pink quilt, and this one, mostly blue. This is the last one I have and I'm so happy to be able to gift it to the sweetest and most excited and most beautiful new mama I know.
The gift box will have this quilt, the sweater, a pair of the cutest teeny weeny jeans, some bibs and towels that were on her registry, and a dozen gently used picture books that Carter has outgrown. I'm so excited and I think she'll love it!
When I cleaned out my sewing room a few years ago I really tried to be practical and donate half finished crafts and craft supplies that I had lost interest in. I had a large stack of quilting fabric and I didn't see myself ever making complicated quilts again, but maybe I'd made a simple patchwork quilt? I really had enjoyed making those simple quilts with my friends. It was clear I wasn't ready to say goodbye to quilting completely so I took all the fabric and cut them into squares and now I have one shoe box full--perhaps enough to make a full size quilt if I choose. Sometimes I think I will make a quilt and sometimes I think I will donate this box, but I don't have to decide yet. It's there if I want it and it takes up very little space. It's funny, but quilting was such a big part of my life until knitting took over 20 or so years ago. And when that knitting bug bit, I was a goner! I've got one little needlepoint Christmas ornament that year after year I just can't seem to finish. I love needlepoint, but with all my knitting I just never pick up anything else. How about you? Any crafts or textile arts that you've neglected because of knitting? I'l bet there's a lot of us out there!
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- August 12, 2022
- 11 Comments
We are blanket lovers around here. We've got throws in every room, on nearly every chair, certainly every car, and an especially cuddly one in the stroller. This blanket is my new favorite. What can be prettier than squishy garter stitch and lovely eyelets? It's just simply the best blankie ever. This perfectly easy pattern can be knit in any size, any gauge, and with any yarn, making it ideal as a scrappy project, just let your imagination and your stash be your guide.
Read through the quickie pattern first to understand the simple construction. If you are using scraps, you may want to weight it and divide your stash in half before you begin. The blanket is square, begins at one corner and is worked diagonally. Please note you'll need more yardage than you think as garter stitch is dense and gobbles up yarn. Maybe that's a good thing if you're trying to reduce your stash!
The pattern calls for a specific yarn and gauge, but the pattern will work for any yarn. While gauge does not matter, you'll want to choose needles that will create a fairly firm fabric with a compact gauge that is not too loose. Thinner yarn will require more stitches and rows, thicker yarn will require less. My 55” square blanket used 820 yards of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superchunky.
Diagonal Comfort Blanket is free from Lion Yarn.
Find it here on Ravelry, or here on the Lion Yarn site.
You can make a comment by clicking here or scrolling down.
- September 05, 2020
- 8 Comments
Hello! I'm floating on air today because I've just published the Gingersnap Cardigan for Bigger Kids. Finally. It's been years in the making and I worked so hard that I cannot help but heave a big sigh--equal parts relief and pride. Gingersnap for Bigger Kids is sized for 1 yr, 2 yr, 3/4 yr, 5/6 yr, and 7/8 yr, with a bonus 6 mos size. The sweater above is the size 3/4 (modeled pictures soon) and the sweater below is the size 2 with my grandson modeling it last year. It is knit in worsted weight yarn with a gauge of 20 sts and 25 rows for 4"/10cm in stockinette stitch. The pattern has been tech edited and tested. I knit my sweater with three colors of Rowan Pure Wool Worsted, but this is meant to be a real scrappy sweater and as long as you make gauge and use a soft, machine-washable yarn, you can be thrifty and raid your stash using 3, 4, 5 or more colors. The color possibilities are endless and I can’t wait to see what you come up with.
A little backstory: Pattern writing does not come easy to me. The original Gingersnap in one size (1 yr) was a struggle enough. After its publication 5 years ago, I've had hundreds of requests to add larger sizes. I really wanted to do that, but instead I stalled for a few years. And then I stalled for a few more years. In June I had a surgery that kept me off my feet for 6 weeks so I planned to use the down time to finally rewrite the pattern. To say that it was not an easy process for me would be a distortion of great magnitude. Just ask my patient test knitters. After six weeks of writing and revising with the help of a math minded friend, then testing and rewriting again, then sending to a tech editor, (yep, I did that part backwards, rookie mistake) I have come up with a pattern I'm very proud of.
If I'm making this little pattern sound like a big deal, then yes, it was a big deal for me and an uncomfortable stretch of my abilities. A very kind test knitter who knew about my anxiety, sent these words to me, "When we embark on any project as a newbie, there are always unforeseen obstacles. To be philosophical, it’s actually rather wonderful in its own way, albeit frustrating. The learning process is pure gold and something to be cherished. It teaches us patience, broadens our scope of understanding, humbles and yet still gratifies." This lifted my spirits tremendously and I knew I had to push on.
I'm happy and proud to send this pattern, my baby, out into the world. I hope you knit it and I hope you love the process. I hope your little one feels warm and cozy and gets loads of kisses and cuddles while wearing it. I hope (s)he outgrows it and passes it down again and again until it's raggedy and frayed and needs to go into the rag bin. The perfect ending to a well loved hand knit!
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- August 08, 2020
- 8 Comments
This lovely sweater is from Lisa Chemery of Frogginette, a talented designer specializing in children's designs. Carter's knitted fall wardrobe has quite of few of her designs in the mix and I was delighted to test knit this one. This sweater is a classic top-down seamless sweater with a feathery cable at the neck, split hem, and i-cord edging. It has a smartly tailored, detailed look that I love. The pattern is simple enough for an adventurous beginner, well written, and is available in sizes baby to 10 years. I'll most likely be knitting one a year for my grandson!
The yarn is a new-to-me Berroco Ultra Wool. I'm now a big fan and promptly bought some more to test knit Gingersnap in size 4. (Yes, can you believe I'm finally getting around to sizing that? Stay tuned!) The yarn handles beautifully and is very well priced. Carter loved it and said it was very soft and he's super picky about that. It was so soft he wouldn't take it off for his nap. It's a superwash and predictably came out stretchy after washing. Here's how I snapped it back into shape: Roll it between fluffy towels to remove excess water then pop it in a warm, not hot, dryer. Check it every 10 minutes or so and when it seems to be back to normal size and is still slightly damp, block to measurements and dry flat. Worked like a charm. I love littles in white and don't think I'll ever tire of white sweaters anyway. I guess it's not terribly practical but unless he's playing in the mud, who cares about a little dirt?
The plaid pants, FYI, are from Target last year. Gwen Stefani designed them for her label Harajuku Mini when she partnered with Target. They sold out online in minutes and I was lucky to snag a size 4. They are so dang cute. The boots are Stride Rite.
After naptime we played a little hide and seek. I see you!
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- July 22, 2020
- 2 Comments