Finished: Mary's Handspun Dress

Back when I was a wee inexperienced spinner (like 3 years ago), I bought my first nice fiber, some merino from Woolgatherings. I had no idea what the yarn would turn out like, so I was sucked in by the bright, saturated colors. The yarn turned out nicely, but man was it bright. I had no idea what to do with it, so I decided to have a girl baby so that I could knit something for her. That's why most people have children, right?

I searched and searched to find the perfect pattern, but quite serendipitously I saw that a designer on Ravelry was looking for test knitters for the very pattern I had in my head.

The pattern is called Eleni's Dress, and I made the 12-month size. I didn't include the button since it doesn't really serve a function, and I made the front of the dress the back because the garter stitch jogs a bit when knit in the round.

Overall the pattern was great; it was extremely simple and has a lot of potential for modification if you wanted to add stripes or a fair isle design. It also has a long life in baby wear because it becomes a vest or shirt the following winter.

And no, because it's 100% wool, it's not machine washable. But that's ok because now that I have a child, I have unlimited time for hand washing all of my knit garments.

Finished: Baby Tea Leaves

Over the years, I've seen the same pattern time and time again. The author of a blog I've been devotedly reading has a baby, and all of sudden posting grinds to a halt. I certainly don't blame them; but it did make me slightly terrified that having a baby would completely wipe out my knitting time and I would never have time to read another book.

Not true, my friends! I am pleasantly surprised at the time I still have for knitting and reading. I probably have plenty of sewing time as well, but I'm reluctant to go down into the craft bunker in the windowless basement after 8pm. I have been fairly productive and completed many projects, but the reason why blogging doesn't happen has to do with when this free time occurs. After Mary is in bed and the chores are done, it's usually 7:30 or 8:00, making the light conditions for photography less than desirable. Plus, 99% of the time, I'd rather do the thing rather than write about doing the thing, you know?

I'm currently working on Mary's winter wardrobe, because, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, babies grow really quickly. I made the Baby Tea Leaves sweater in size 12-18 months, in Malabrigo Arroyo. It used all but the tiniest bit of the skein, which was perfect. I really love this color, which of course I can't remember the name of. Malabrigo is my dream yarn in general, and I want all of it in all colors, forever and always.

Did you know there is an adult version of this pattern? Because I want it for myself now too.

I made one modification to the pattern, which was to add buttons all the way down the front (as written, there are only 2 buttons at the top.)

Did I mention the yarn? Just look at it! All of those subtle colors...

Full circle, the blog isn't going away. I don't have masses of readers to please (if you are reading this, you are probably related to me) and I make zero dollars from it. Postings might be few and far between, but I'm still out here, knitting, always knitting. And occasionally this baby wants me to pay attention to her:

On the Needles

During the last 5 months, instead of spending my internet time browsing new knitting patterns and online yarn shops, I've been googling things like "3 month old won't nap." Now that I've realized that everything parenting-related is completely made up and no one really knows what they're talking about, I've gone back to my old ways. My crafting time is now limited to after Mary's bedtime, which is frequently taken up by laundry or staring at the TV because I was up at 3am, but it does exist.

While a lot of knitters love starting new projects and having tons of things on the needles, that's just not my M.O. I don't like things being unfinished; this is probably why I'm the only person in the world who has a maximum of 27 emails in my work inbox at any given time. Here's what I'm currently working on.

Plain 'ol socks in Vesper Sock from Knitterly Things. The colorway is "Bride of Socktober Spooktacular". Maybe I'll get the second sock done in time for this Halloween? The bright colors are not what I usually knit, but there is a distinct lack of neon in my sock drawer.

This is will be a crocheted circular cowl, no pattern, it's just single crochet all the way around. I'm not sure if I'll keep going with it, but I do like the finished stitches. This handspun has already been knit into several different patterns and then un-knit, so I kind of just want to finish something and have it be done.

More socks, in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Select. I bought this yarn at Sheep and Wool several years ago, but have been looking for a good pattern that wouldn't be obliterated by the variegated yarn. The pattern is Blueberry Waffle Socks, and I really like the textured pattern. I'll probably knit this again if I have a multi-colored yarn.

Baby Tea Leaves, in Malabrigo Arroyo. Malabrigo is probably my favorite yarn ever: I like the semi-solid colors, it doesn't pool, and it's priced well. I'm knitting the 12-18 month size for Mary for next winter. 12 months, can you believe it? My mind doesn't really understand the concept of a baby who can walk.

More socks! I like knitting socks, OK? (To be specific, apparently I like knitting one sock of a pair.) The yarn is merino/nylon handspun. I started these forever ago but haven't worked on them in a long time because they require a chart. (Yikes, apparently I started these in February 2013. Obviously I am not enthusiastic about this project.)

Once I clear a few of these projects I have the inkling to knit a sweater. A real, adult-sized sweater. The last one I finished was in 2009, five years ago! I did have a Featherweight Cardigan on the needles, but I frogged that one because who knits a sweater out of laceweight? Crazy people, that's who.

Baby in Knits

The one advantage to having a winter baby is you get to dress her up in cute teeny tiny sweaters and hats. Here is Mary rocking her Golden Pear hat. It was too huge for her in the hospital, but now is nearly too small! Babies, man, with all of the growing all the time.

Her striped booties fit her for about .75 seconds. She actually only wore them twice, because baby pants and socks are some sort of aggravating invention by someone who's never had to keep socks on a baby. I'm convinced that their feet actively repel socks.

One of the great things about being a knitter is that I have a lot of knitterly friends. My knitting group got together and made Mary this blanket. Apparently some of these squares were knit right in front of me and I never noticed! I love all the different yarns and knowing that so many people contributed to it.

Another friend made her this beautiful sweater. The pattern is classic cashmere sweater, but she added the pattern on the front and a picot bind-off on the back, which really makes it extra adorable. The yarn is great too: it's Supersoft 4-ply by Pear Tree Yarn.

And finally, the Sunnyside cardigan I knit for her: looks like she's about to bust out of this one soon too! (If you're wondering why she's wearing socks in this picture, when I hate baby socks, it's because I dressed her up to go visiting and I didn't want all my friends to think that she wears pajamas all day. Because she totally does. No way am I taking off baby pants and wrestling them back on 10 times a day.)

 

More Baby Knits

For years I have been hoarding all of the leftover scraps from completed knitting projects, with no specific idea why. It turns out these leftovers are perfect for baby knits! All of the below were knitted with odds and ends, with the exception of the blue sweater.

Golden Pear hat, knit with Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage:

Saartje's Bootees, Wullenstudio sock yarn. I feel like everyone should knit these even if you don't have a baby to wear them because you will die of cuteness.

Sunnyside Cardigan in Knitpicks Stroll Handpainted:

These 2 items went off to outfit my impending niece or nephew (my sister is due 2 months after I am and doesn't know if she's having a boy or girl.) The hat is Welcome to the World Newborn Hat, and the socks are Cozy Little Toes. I was working on them while sitting in a lab having tests run, and someone asked me what I was making. When I held up the sock, the entire room responded in a chorus of "Awwww!", including grown men. Knitting is that powerful.

Knitting Tiny Things

I guess you could say I've always been knitting small things, with my convenient-for-knitting size 5 feet, but these things are really tiny!

Striped baby boots:

 

Oh! Baby booties:

Puerperium Cardigan: (Knit with String Theory Merino DK)

As I've been knitting these tiny things, they have seemed so small; how could a human actually fit into them?? I guess we'll find out in November, when our baby GIRL arrives!

 

Elephant & Stranded Socks

Well, obviously that 365 project did not go well. I got tired of it, which I should have predicted based on the number of things I am knitting at any given point.

In other news, I knit some socks! I'm gearing up for fair season once again and am getting my spreadsheet updated (doesn't everyone have a fair spreadsheet?) and knits all blocked and clean. First up are my Water For Elephants socks, which were part of a serious yarn saga. My size 5 feet have always made running out of yarn a non-issue, but in this case, I didn't buy enough to begin with. Luckily a nice lady from Ravelry offered to send me her leftovers, and I ended up with the EXACT amount of yarn I needed. Whew! Things got a little tense there for a while.

I think these are my favorite socks that I've ever knit. Even though they are stranded, they only took me the normal amount of time it usually takes me to knit a pair of socks.

The second pair I finished this year are called Show-Off Stranded socks. This is a really great pattern for variegated yarn, as it breaks up the pooling. The yarn is Done Roving Frolicking Feet, which is a long name for yarn. It was a souvenir from our trip to Maine last year.

Finished: Hermione's Everyday Socks

More socks! I feel like I keep knitting socks, but I don't actually gain any, because for every new pair an old pair gets discontinued. I do have small feet, but my old socks have shrunk so much they could fit toddlers' feet. These have been my traveling project for the last 6 months, and have been exciting places such as a National's baseball game, Nova Scotia, and the outlet mall.

Pattern: Hermione's Everyday Socks (free, and super-easy)
Needles: size 1 DPNs
Yarn: Paton's Kroy Socks FX from Joann's (I am an equal-opportunity yarn buyer)
Raveled!

It's only after looking at this picture that I'm realizing how different in color these socks are. Oh well, I doubt anyone will notice.

Help me out here. I've been in a reading slump since the beginning of the year. The problem is that I've read every book. Yep, all of them. Tell me what to read! Here are the books I've read 400 times each:

• Teenager living in a dystopian society gets thrown into a situation where she has to be plucky to survive
• Slightly abrasive-yet-loveable detective solves a murder
• Single woman living in the middle ages/colonial America/World War I breaks gender barriers
• Someone eats locally/hikes a trail/travels to exotic locations for a year
• Comedian/TV personality shares humorous anecdotes about their life

I'm generally not interested in vampires, werewolves, lands populated by creatures other than humans, and space, but hey, if an awesome book exists out there with those themes, recommend it. But for the love of God do not tell me to read Twilight.

One Hook

I've been on a bit of a crochet bender lately. Sometimes you just feel the need for speed, you know? It all started when my office installed this terrible blue lighting. It's supposed to be more like natural light, but really all it does it make it impossible to focus on a piece of paper and cause people to make comments about how it looks like a mental institution. So, I stood up on a chair and disconnected all the overhead lights, and brought in a bright green lamp I bought at Target. My desk started feeling like a living room, so then I needed to get rid of the black plastic industrial pen caddy thing. I raided the recycling bin and my yarn scrap bin (yes, I have a yarn scrap bin, don't you?), and a few nights later I had these:

I don't remember how or why I desperately needed to crochet some hearts, but it probably had something to do with Pinterest or Ravelry. I had the intention of doing a valentine-themed mantle decoration but then I remembered that I hate valentine-themed mantles.

Also the living room is no longer orange and red (post on that to come, sometime). I made the mirror above the fireplace, using this tutorial, in the basement last summer during an epic marathon of 48 Hours Mystery. I am now awesome at glue-gunning and identifying psychopaths/murderers.

Work on the summer garden blanket continues. I'm about 50% done. Unfortunately I'm off crochet at the moment due to an unexplained index finger illness. Good thing I have so many back-up hobbies!

Obligatory End-of-Year Post

Wow, I just blinked, and seemed to miss the appropriate window for posting end of year mosaics. I guess that's just too bad because here are 2 more for you to feast your eyes on. These are guaranteed to be the best you've seen!*

*This is a lie.

Looking back, I didn't finish too much knitting this year, possibly because I learned to spin about halfway through the year. It kind of doesn't matter though, because after 10 years of knitting, I don't need any more hats or gloves or socks. My favorite project was my Haruni shawl, mostly because it looks the most impressive and I'm totally going to kill the lace shawl category at the fair this summer. Oh yeah, this is a throwdown. Bring it, lace knitters. Bring it.

I finished 51 books (16, 218 pages; yes, I keep track of that) in 2011. My top 5, in random order, were Someone Knows My Name, Unbroken, Kindred, No Way Down, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I'm not setting a goal for 2012 because I will fully admit to choosing books with less than 200 pages towards the end just so I could exceed 50. And sometimes I just want to close my eyes on the bus instead of reading.

I've never been much of a resolution person, but I do have 2 goals for this year. One is to take my dumb cell phone with me when I go upstairs to the living room each night. Generally what happens is that I leave it in the kitchen, 2 floors below, then someone calls me, and then it beeps every 15 minutes. I'm totally cool with ignoring the beeping, but it seems to get on Jason's nerves (can't really blame him.)

The other is to establish a craft gifting stash. Knitting and sewing are hobbies, which means that I do them only because I like doing them. I also like making things for other people, but I hate the deadlines. I have deadlines at work, and imposed by outside forces such as the government (taxes, car registration, etc.), so I really don't want to connect them to my hobbies. Hopefully holiday and birthday presents will be made far in advance so that I don't hate December so much next year.

This is the last sentence where I say something positive like "Here's to a great 2012!" So pretend I said that.

Christmas Knitting Revealed

Now that my knitted presents have been received, and I have sufficiently detoxed from the winter holiday portion of the year, they can be revealed for all the world to see. A friend got this little flamingo, which was a fiddly as hell to make. At one point I had one stitch on each of three double pointed needles, and was trying to balance them in a little pyramid on my leg as I knit.

The little dude ended up pretty cute though, so it was worth it. The pattern is free, if you need a flamingo in your life.

This next sweater was made for another friend's baby, who was born only 4 days ago. The parents wanted to keep the gender a surprise, so I went with a neutral orange -- turns out the baby is a boy! The pattern is Baby Sophisticate, and it's also free. I did make a lot of modifications to the sweater due to using a different yarn, and in response to a lot of comments saying that the sweater turned out too long and skinny. Details are on my Ravelry page if you are interested in such things.

Finally I made Anchors Aweigh for my brother. I ended up making a ton of modifications to this pattern, and because I was the first person to post a finished project, I put extensive notes on my project page. I also added a windstop fleece lining, which isn't in the picture because my sewing machine decided to hate me, and I had to borrow my mom's on Christmas eve.

I am now basking in the possibilities of non-deadline knitting and spinning, and realizing that 14 pairs of knitted socks is really just not enough for one person to own.

Finished: Haruni Shawl

So I knit this shawl, and I wanted to take a picture of it so I can show you my skillz. First I took it outside, but this ended up as a lesson in perspective. I promise my hands are not the same size as my head in real life. (or maybe they are...)

Ok, but you can't really see the pattern. How about a real-life pose?

Hmm. Maybe I'll take it inside and lay it on a white comforter, so the pattern shows up more.

Blegch. It's all weird and dark. How about hanging it up on a shelf?

Ok, we're getting there. So close... ooh, the window!

Yay! You can see it now, right? Just combine all of these pictures in your head, and that's what it looks like.
(Pattern: Haruni. Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in Persia. Needles: size... 4... or 5? who knows, really) This is a contender for my favorite knit yet. Because I have so many uses for knitted lace, mostly.