CeCe and Leaf Yoke Tank

I am so behind in posts, that I am just going to post pictures of the two sweaters that I've finished, CeCe by ChicKnits, and Leaf Yoke Tank from Knit.1 magazine, Spring/Summer 2009.

Leaf Yoke Tank was knit in Pegasus, a yarn I bought from Elann. It's okay, but it arrived darker than what it looked like in the picture. All in all, nice yarn, not something I would have picked had I seen it in person. I'm a little unhappy with the hem, it's folded over and sewn in place, kinda bulky around the hips and takes forever to dry. Tip: when the pattern tells you to mark the row where the hem will be attached, run a lifeline through those stitches so that they're easier to find when you're working on the wrong side.



CeCe will probably be worn to a frazzle, it's loose, comfy, and the yarn, I Love This Cotton from Hobby Lobby, is very soft and cuddly, although it does pill a bit.



I am now working on a tank/tunic/dress thing that I'm adapting, having trouble meeting both the stockinette gauge and the lace gauge with my chosen yarn. It's called #10 Lace Dress from Knit Simple magazine Spring/Summer 2010.

Henley Tank

In another fit of stash reduction (amazing how motivating cleaning out closets to renovate is), I made this Henley Tank (scroll halfway down) from Interweave Knits Summer 2009 completely out of leftovers from other projects.



The pink is Tahki Cotton Classic, white is Plymouth Jeannee, green is Knitpicks Shine and the blue is Omega Sinfonia! The waffle weave pattern was easy to memorize, and I like the placket construction.




The only changes I made were to lengthen it 1", increase armhole depth 1" to allow layering, and I used a crochet hook to continue the blue accent yarn around the top corners of the neckline because it bugged me leaving 1" of pink space.

Striped Diagonal Baby Blanket

Don't you hate it when the best-laid plains go awry? I needed a baby gift, had some nice cotton yarn in the stash, and, according to this pattern, I should have had enough to make it. Wrong. I only had half. So, I went stash diving and found two more colors to use and bought another skein of the white. The result is a little bi-polar, but I'm pretending it's some sort of post-modernistic expression. blah blah.

I'm a semi-finalist in the Michael's/Lion Brand Contest!

Just one problem: I don't have it anymore, I made this for my father, who passed away. I'll have to call my stepmom and see if she still has it!

UPDATE: Drove to Tulsa Saturday and got the blanket (and had a nice visit with D') and spent $70 to send it UPS insured to arrive by Thursday. Woo hoo!

UPDATE: Received blanket back in the mail from Lion Brand 7/12/2010 with no explanation as to who won the contest or how I placed. Really, really, weird.

Several FOs

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted in over a month! I have several finished objects to report. The one I am most proud of is Summerbelle, a pattern I have for sale on Ravelry and on my website.

I received a birth notice from a couple that we see only occasionally, but they are friends of family and we have helped them buy and sell their last two houses. I had completely forgotten that she was expecting. I searched and searched for something "girlie" to knit her, and couldn't find a pattern that matched what I envisioned. So, I made one. It took an Excel spreadsheet to calculate the decrease placements, so it was both an intellectual exercise and the chance to knit something pink and lacy, which doesn't happen often for a mother of two boys.



In between and among other projects, I knit another February sweater (aka Best Baby Sweater aka Sweater on Two Needles), this time in apple green Patons Silk Bamboo.
I make several modifications to mine:
1. Move buttonholes to 2 sts from edge (see my other version, “Baby Sweater on Two Needles”, to see why).
2. Used YO increases on first two increase rows to create eyelets: K4, K1, YO, K2, YO rep from * to * until 4 sts remain, K4.

3. Added matching eyelets on cuffs and hem: K 4 rows, eyelet row: K2, YO, K2tog, K1 rep from * to , end K3, K 3 rows, BO.
4. Lengthened sleeves: after the additional sts CO at underarm, work 9 pattern repeats then start cuffs.
Note: body length is usually 9 pattern repeats from underarm join.




Now, February Sweater needed a matching hat to complete the outfit. This time, instead of making my favorite Petal Hat, which I have rewritten for working in the round and make often for quick baby gifts for people I don't know as well, I decided that February Sweater needed a matching hat. So, I just took my Petal Hat pattern and substituted the February stitch pattern. Simple, right? Of course not. February Sweater is worked top down, Petal Hat worked bottom up. The pattern is just YOs and decreases, should be simple to reverse, right? Nope. No matter how I worked it, it did not match.
So, I designed another hat, top down, using the stitch pattern from February. The bindoff was a problem, I couldn't make it stretchy enough, then I remembered bookmarking Jeny's Suprisingly Stretchy Bindoff. Works wonderfully! I didn't want to worry about copyright infringement, so instead of publishing this hat pattern, I just posted the directions for the hat here and on Ravelry:



A Cap For February
(You have to own a copy of the February sweater pattern for the lace pattern.)

US #6 dpns or circs
US #4 dpns or circs

CO 3 sts. Join to knit in the round, Knit into the front and back (Kfb) of each stitch. 6sts.
Purl one round.
Kfb one round. 12 sts.
P one round.
(K1, YO) repeat inside brackets one round. 24 sts.
P one round.
Kfb one round. 48 sts.
P one round.
K3, YO, (K2, YO) repeat inside brackets to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1, YO. 70 sts. (make sure you have 70 stitches here, make any adjustments on last 3 sts of this round.)
Begin Row 1 of Gull Wing stitch pattern as described in the February Sweater Pattern.
Do 8 total repeats of the stitch pattern.
CHANGE TO SIZE US#4 NEEDLES.
Do 2 more repeats of the stitch pattern.
P one row.
K one row.
P one row.
(K1, YO, K2tog) one round, end K1.
P one row.
K one row.
P one row.
Bind off using Jeny's Suprisingly Stretchy Bindoff, modified by only using knit stitches (no purls).

Giraffe Jacket is languishing for want of a zipper, which isn't much fun to sew in. I started a baby blanket instead. My friends are reproducing at an alarming rate.

FO: Little Coffee Bean Cardigan

Well, in spite of the crazy spin that my life has taken recently, I've managed to finish a baby gift, the Little Coffee Bean Cardigan. It's a baby gift for a friend who just had her fourth boy (God help her). I used stash leftovers, Vanna's Choice in chocolate and linen. The buttons were even stash, found them in my mom's button jar. It was a quick and easy knit.
Made some modifications (of course):
1. Didn't do the eyelet increases at the raglan seams, just did regular paired increases for a boy's sweater.
2. Lengthened the sleeves to long sleeves: When sleeve measures 2-1/2” from armpit, dc one st each side of marker on every second round of the brown stripe until 24 stitches remain, continue until sleeve measures 6” from armpit.

I also used the jogless stripe method (which is why sleeve decreases must be on second round of color change, first round has the jog correction on the last stitch of the first round of the new color. There are several methods to do this, I wanted to hide the jog underneath the sleeve, so I knit the first round of the new color to the last stitch, then lifted the stitch below the last stitch onto the left needle and knit it together with the last stitch. It pulls the spiral up to look like the stripes are level.


Have decided that the debut of the Giraffe Jacket will have to wait until fall. I simply had zero time to work on it in the last month and everyone is now coming out with spring and summer patterns, so it will be ignored right now. The knitting is finished and it is washed and blocked. All it needs now are the zipper installed and the directions written up. Since this is Spring Break for my boys, I won't have the free time to do the write up until next week.

Now onto other knitting projects, I have on the needles the (Ravelry link) February Sweater or Best Baby Sweater or Sweater On Two Needles, whichever name you know. Have already knit this several times and it's a cute little girl gift for friends in Colorado expecting their first baby in May. Am using Patton's Silk Bamboo, it may be a little limp, but it will be soft for a baby.

The Whole World is Standing in Line to Stop My Knitting

Want me to do something for you? Get in freaking line!!!! I am positive that if I checked my horoscope, it would say, "no free time for you anytime soon, my dear." WTH?!

I am still managing to snatch 5 minutes here and there on my Giraffe Jacket, which would have been finished a month ago if my so-called life hadn't suddenly gone beserk. Drove to Fargo, ND for my son's hockey tournament for 5 days, and of course I'm thinking great chunks of knitting time in the car and at the hotel. Oh no, on the drive up the guys decided to wait and see the first period of the Canada hockey game, so we left after dark and the dome light "bugged the driver", and then when we got there the dry air freaked out my sinuses resulting in a constant splitting headache making it impossible to knit, then on drive home -- flu complete with alternating fever, chills, body aches, and complete fatigue. AAAAaaaah!

I am now well. But even if I do ignore chores or errands and sit down to knit, the Universe thinks, "Oh no, you don't!" and sends me an urgent phone call, sick child, broken household item, hockey practice, boy scout event, etc.

Calgon, take me away!!! (Two more travel hockey weekends and the season is done!!!!)