Yarn Along

Climbing back on Ginny's Yarn Along wagon this week with a picture of two things I work on in little bits.

The knitting is a hat for the Lil One. If you think you recognize the yarn from an earlier post, you're right. I'm using the yarn left over from the pair of socks I just made for myself. At first I thought I'd make some little toddler socks, but then I realized that we have many more socks than cute warm hats, and there was a lot of yarn left over. I'm using the Yarn Harlot's steps for a basic hat.

This is my diaper bag project. It lives in its own little pocket in the diaper bag and I work on it whenever we're out and about and my hands are free for a few moments.

The book is a collection put together by Harold Bloom called Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of All Ages, which seemed like something I should read in preparation for picking out books for the Lil One. It's divided into seasons, and I'm currently in Autumn. Spring seemed much darker somehow.

This is the book I read while brushing my teeth. I don't know how much I've learned in the first year of being a parent, but I have learned this: If I don't work books into distinct little corners of down time in my life, I won't get anything read. So I read a little snippet of this book every time I brush my teeth. Just like diaper bag or purse knitting projects, little snippets add up.

Blanket Update

I've been working on the birthday blanket for Nephew O nearly every day for a while now. I've finished all 42 of the squares and have started putting the side borders on them (the ones on the left in the picture have their edging already, those in the drawer don't yet). I've been doing really well so far with staying on schedule with this project. I'm actually several days ahead right now.

I don't have a lot more to say about this project, really. It's the third time through a pattern that is pretty full of repetition all by itself. I enjoy it well enough, but don't have a lot new to say.

2011 Washcloths - September Edition

Presenting the September Washcloth. This was actually done well BEFORE the last minute! I've had a pretty strict knitting schedule this month, so I can stay on track with a few big projects that have specific deadlines. On September 18th I got a bit ahead of schedule and had my needles free for a bit, so I jumped on the opportunity to make this month's washcloth.

The pattern is from the "365 Knitting Stitches A Year Perpetual Calendar," which I got for my birthday this year. The stitch for September 18th is Seed Stitch Checks, so I used that pattern and more of the ball of Buttercream Sugar 'n Cream cotton that I used for August's washcloth. I think I may get three complete washcloths out of this one skein.

Sorry for the less-than-great picture. When I was trying to take pictures --

someone had other ideas.

Yarn Along

Last Monday at Knit Night I started a dress for my Lil One. I've knit this pattern three times before for nieces, but that was two years ago. It's the Cotton Candy Dress (Ravelry link) designed by Celeste Pinheiro, and is in the book Knitting for Babies and Kids, edited by Jeanne Stauffer. This is still one of my favorite books for knits-for-kids. This time I'm making the 18-month size and once again using Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Cotton (100% Mercerized Cotton). I think the bright blue will go well with the Lil One's eyes. Last time I couldn't make the sleeves work, and I haven't decided yet if I will try them again. If I do, I think I'll just pick up around the the armhole and work them top-down in the round.

The book I'm reading right now is Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer. It's all about his year training to compete in memory championships and all the things he learned along the way about how our memories and minds work. This is one of those books I heard about on the radio and had to go borrow from the library right away. It's a very interesting book. In fact, while I've been writing this post, my husband has started reading it; I'm not sure I'm going to get it back to read tonight.

I'm playing along with Ginny's Yarn Along again this week.

Baby Surprise

I said last week that I thought I was all caught up on recently finished projects, but there is one more to share.

This was my first time knitting Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket. I got her Knitting Workshop book with a birthday present gift certificate at Nautical Yarn. This is a great little store, and it's the LYS where we go on summer vacation. It's a great book, and this is a very clever bit of knitting. I neglected to take a picture of the piece before I seamed it. I'll have to remember to do that next time, because there will definitely be a next time.

I made the sweater with Reynolds Wash Day Wool in brown and periwinkle (extra ball from my Lil One's sweater) and some dark blue and bright blue Dalegarn Baby Ull from the stash . The darker blue is the same I used for one of the little hats back in April. I made up the stripes as I went along. I think they turned out well, but now with more knowledge of how the knitting actually relates to the finished project I'll be able to place stripes a bit better. Also, I'm going to try to find a way to stripe it so there will be fewer ends to weave in!

I made this for our newest nephew, HH. Like the jacket, he is surprising. First because when he arrived in April it was three months early and second because the ultrasound had said that we were going to get a niece. I made him a couple of hats earlier this year. He hasn't had an easy time, but he is home now and doing well. I finished this in time for the baby shower in early August. It was a new experience to attend a baby shower where we knew specifics about what the baby likes and dislikes.

Now I think I'm all caught up on finished objects. No, wait, I finished something else just today!

Yarn Along

Back to participating in Ginny's Yarn Along this week.

"What to Expect the First Year" is another of the books I've been reading bit by bit over the last year. Not my favorite baby info book, but very helpful. I didn't really read "What to Expect When You're Expecting" very much, but I did read this one thoroughly.

These socks have been my traveling socks since January, and I just finished them on Labor Day weekend. They've ridden around with me, mostly in the diaper bag, growing by a round here, an inch there. Now, with hardly any concentrated effort, I have a new pair of socks for me! The pattern is the Universal Toe-Up Sock Formula by Amy Swenson from the Summer 2006 edition of Knitty. I did a 2x2 ribbing for the entire leg, switching to a 1x1 ribbing for a one-inch cuff. I believe I have enough left to make a hat for my Lil One.

I think now I'm all caught up on finished objects. Good thing I cast on something new at Knit Night this week!

2011 Washcloths - August Edition

Knitted in the second-to-last week of August (so early!) was a washcloth in Bee Stitch, a simple pattern using "knit one below." This pattern is the first one in a Leisure Arts booklet called "Kitchen Bright Dishcloths." This pattern plays nicely with variegated yarn, where most of the ten patterns in this booklet are better done with solids. The yarn used was Sugar n' Cream in the Buttercream colorway.

This month I joined the NFL Football Knitting sub-group of the Knitters' Brewing Company Ravelry group. The price of admission for that is one dishcloth -- I'll need to send a cloth to the person who wins week 7. I'm not sure yet if I'll make a special washcloth for that, or use one of the ones I've already made this year. I recently started listening to their Yarn on Tap podcast, and joined on a whim at the last minute. Hopefully this way I'll have some more people to talk with about football, since no one in my immediate family is remotely interested.