FO: Nephew #5 Puerperium

Project: Nephew #5's Puerperium Cardigan

Pattern: Puerperium Cardigan

Yarn: Berocco Vintage DK

Needles: Size 8

For: Another nephew, this one due in May!

 

Cast On to Cast Off: 8 days, mostly because I was also trying to finish up another knit, so I spent two or three evenings on that one.

Notes: This was a super easy knit (as in I could read/talk/look at pinterest while knitting) and I love a project like that in between lace and socks.

I especially love the detail of the buttons down the left side of the body, and that was what I was drawn to when I picked this project. I know this is a pretty well-loved project according to the Ravelry project list (almost 1000 projects on Ravelry)  and there's a good reason why- simplicity, practicality ('cuz who wants to cram a sweater over a baby's head and make you worry that you're going to break their little neck?) and a lot of room to try cool things if you want to. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee knit a cool striped one, and there are more interesting stripes on this project page.

My only modification was that I chose to do short sleeves since this is for a spring baby but didn't jump straight to the garter section. When I picked up the stitches on the sleeves I knit 5 rows, purled 1 row, knit 1 row and then cast off.


Things I Learned: Nothing new this time around, but that was just what I needed.

Overall: Good project, quick knit, and I think this may go in the rotation of great baby gift knits.

FO: Stripey Socks

Project: Stripey Socks

Pattern: Socks are basically formed in the same way, but I referred to the Sock Recipe from Knitting Rules.

Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks in Blue Striped Ragg shade. It took me a little bit to hunt it down since I lost the ball band pretty much the second I started knitting the socks. Someday when I'm a super-organized knitter and take care to keep track of that sort of thing this part won't be so difficult.

Needles: Size 1's, bamboo this time because it's what I had on hand. I have a shocking number of metal DPNs but not a single set of size 1's. Must rectify that soon.

For: Myself in an effort to find that perfect fit.

Notes: These cuff-down socks came together in 1 month of scattered knitting time, and seeing as how I didn't even finish a second pair in the whole year of 2011 I'd say I'm off to a much better start this year. I have to say too that the stripes made the knitting seem to go faster. I could easily look down at the color repeat and say "only 4 stripes to go before I start the heel flap" or whatever, and that made it seem that much faster.


They did turn out to be fraternal twins instead of identicals. I think if I would have been patient enough to give 1 or 2 row rounds before starting the heel flap they would have turned out exactly right, but I also didn't care quite enough to back up when I realized what had happened.

Things I Learned: I did a better job of picking up stitches along the heel flap this time, and overall I'm much happier with the fit on these socks than with the mint socks I knit in January. a smaller needle size and a the helpful little bits I learned about fit in Knitting Rules really helped this pair of socks to become the socks I wanted.

Overall: Another good knit. I was happy with my progress with them despite the limited knitting time, and I was able to make progress in my sock understanding.

Now I have an important decision ahead of me:

Do I continue with vanilla socks a little while longer,

or do I dive into a sock with a little more to it?

Yarn Along

{Yarning Along with Ginny again this week}

Now that we're really moved in and baby is getting closer and closer to showing up I've been casting on a ton. I ordered a bunch of yarn for her just before the stash busting challenge was announced, but because of packing and all that much of it has been boxed up. I'm trying to get a move on a few projects I've really wanted to make for her.

This is where I've been hanging out in any spare time- at the kitchen table with the current knit, and laptop up while I work on finalizing school plans that my husband can manage while I'm resting up post-baby and generally getting things ready for these last few weeks before she comes and the several weeks after. Plans make me feel like I can actually relax so it's worth making up a few copies of our usual grocery list, setting up meal plans for the weeks after she's born, and having a list of "stuff" for the boys to do if they need to be busy for a little bit.


The knit is the very beginning of the Hemlock Ring Blanket, knit out of (what else) Berocco Vintage. I've long loved this baby blanket and was determined to make it for my next child. I've actually never knit a baby blanket (or any kind of blanket for that matter) so I might be getting myself in trouble. But being my usual "what's the worse that can happen with yarn and needles" self I jumped in last night and we'll see how this goes. So far it doesn't seem any harder than any lace I've knit before, and with worsted weight yarn it's easy to catch anything that drops.


Any blanket knitting advice for me? I'm ready to get in some serious rows before she comes and I'm dedicating a couple of hours each night to this blanket.

Yarn Along

{Yarning Along with Ginny again this week}

I started this little February Sweater for Baby Girl right after Valentine's Day, sized it up a bit and got right to knitting... then realized as my yarn cake got smaller and smaller much faster than expected that I hadn't bought the second skein needed to accomodate the sizing up.

Chalking that up to pregnancy brain.

 

I finally got back to the LYS for a second skein and got back to work on it. Another 5ish inches in the lace pattern I think before the garter edging. This little cardi is my absolute favorite knit to gift little girls so I absolutely had to make one for Baby Girl. The lace is super easy to memorize, and now that I'm on my fourth knit through it I practically have the pattern memorized in entirety.

 

I also have to say that I may have developed a Berocco Vintage problem. I picked up this lovely purple last December and when I went in the other day to grab a second skein of the purple I walked out with four more skeins of Vintage worsted and one of Vintage DK. It's just so lovely to knit with! And it's all going toward baby things so that makes it acceptable, right?

 

As far as reading I'm mostly reading school-related books right now- reminding myself about the Kindergarten thing since Ezra will officially start school with us this year and making plans for second grade with Ender. I know it's early for most folks to be planning and buying for school, but I'm trying to get everything organized before baby gets here, starting with the lists for what we want to accomplish next year and from there deciding on curriculum. More on that soon, since I can't seem to stop chatting about our school plans while I'm in the midst of planning them.

In Need of Entertainment?

 

What do you do when you have two little boys that are

oh so tired

of helping their poor mother unpack box after box?

Put them to work with the swift and ball winder.

 

Suddenly work doesn't feel so much like work.

{Yarn is:}

Kollage sock-a-licious in Grape

Berroco Vintage in yellow for baby's Puerperium Cardigan.

Yarn Along

{Yarning Along with Ginny again this week}

 

All the back pain I was having last week resulted in a diagnosis of "too much stress" followed by a strict order to get myself some relaxation. Of course, we're getting ready to close on both of the houses in just a few days, then there is the studio recital about 3 weeks from now followed shortly by my husband switching to a new work shift, and... oh yes- the regular every day facts that we have work and school and have to make sure people have clean clothes to wear and decent food to eat....

Who has stress?

Certainly not me.

Little did I know that my husband had planned an amazing surprise Valentine's Day/Anniversary weekend  that included a little bit of shopping for the baby and a LOT of relaxing (including a prenatal massage for me) long before the week of crazy back pain. I rested, read and knit (and bought anniversary yarn) the whole weekend, and my back is much better for it. The rule of the weekend was no talk of work or house stuff, and it was GLORIOUS.

I finished Legend amidst all the relaxing and moved on to Crossed by Ally Condie. I read the first book in this series last year, and this one has been on my request list at the library ever since it was announced.

Still working on my socks, but I'm decreasing to the toe- hoping to finish it up tonight, then on to blocking and wearing.

And I cheated and cast on another baby sweater for Baby Girl before finishing that sleeve on the pink cardigan. I know, I know-- but the yarn is Berocco Vintage and it was BEGGING to be cast on- if you had seen the looks it was giving me from the pile of baby yarn you'd understand. It's another February Sweater, but a little bigger than the pink one.

P.S. There is more Vintage staring at me, this time in yellow.

Finishing

We're packing for real now that the move is getting truly close and I worked last night on packing up my backup stash.

Yeah, you read that right.

Backup stash.

When we picked up and moved within two days in the fall I quickly set myself up with possibilities- three projects that were on the needles but "resting", 2 different lace weights, about 5 fingering weight choices- two sweaters worth of worsted weight yarn... plus all my needles so that I could do whatever I wanted. Plus I acquired baby project yarn once I found out we were having a girl since most of my yarn runs to the red/green/blue range for my boys.

It's quite hefty for not being my main stash, especially with me being the project knitter that I am. I just don't buy yarn if I'm not sure how I'm going to use it, and all of this yarn has a purpose... but the other yarn... the REAL stash is hanging out in the back of my mind, mocking me.

I packed it up in a tote, ready to go when we move, but easy to break into should I run into an urgent knitting need. I'm choosing to see this as an opportunity- an opportunity to get moving on a few projects that have been resting for longer than they should, some for good reasons, others... not so much. I want to get to work on my knitting goals and on all that stash busting/UFO finishing we're doing this year.

Like this cute little thing...

I began knitting it for my niece in April of 2010, for her birthday in September. And then I realized that my guessed-at gauge for a one-year-old was totally not working out and I abandoned it and re-knit the pattern with different yarn so that she still got that lovely sweater.

All that little pink cardi needs is a sleeve and then our sweet baby girl will have her first cardi. Maybe it's a great thing that I abandoned it to re-knit for my niece?

There's an almost done vest that I really love, and a grey pullover that is half a sleeve shy of completion, a few baby hats that just need a little bit of seaming, buttons for a cardigan, a little bit of weaving in ends on this and that.

I have 8 (EIGHT!) projects with needles actually in the project, and at least 4 that just need a bit of finishing. Think that will keep me busy until we move next month? (Besides all the packing, of course!)

FO: Mint Socks

Project: Mint Socks (aka the 2012 Socks)

Pattern: Silver's Sock Class

Yarn: Knitpicks palette

Needles: size 2 DPNs

For: myself (because I knit selfishly in January and February after the Christmas making)

Notes: I cast these on just after the new year, and was determined to finish, because, well, I felt defeated by socks last year and I didn't want to miss my sock goal for a second year in a row. So I spent one whole day on the first sock and then found little bits of time here and there for the second (since whole days of knitting just don't happen that often). I grafted the toe of the second sock last Saturday for a total of 11 days on this knit.


The cuff is a little baggy for my personal taste (and if I would have swatched to check out the fabric type I was getting I would have seen that that would be a problem with this particular yarn on this particular needle size but I'm a notorious non-swatcher on stuff like this), and on the next sock I'm taking time to be sure that the gusset shaping turns out a little more narrow for the foot by decreasing a little more or starting with 60 stitches instead of 64.


I'd guess having around 25 hours in this pair (within an hour or two either way) but I did a lot of "knit for 20 minutes in the car" type knitting on the cuff and gusset so it's hard to really calculate((and I'm just not the kind of knitter to keep track of that sort of thing). It's been about a year since I knit a sock so while I'm familiar with the construction I did have to stop and think and calculate a little bit as I went.


Things I learned: I should have used a smaller needle for these. They turned out fine for size, but this particular yarn would have probably done best with a 0 for a denser fabric (and I know this is not the best yarn for socks, but I'm okay if they don't last that long). You'd think I'd know to swatch by now, but... not so much. Does it help if I promise to swatch for the next pair?


I really tried to figure out why it is that I've stalled out on socks before, and I couldn't really pinpoint that particular problem. Maybe I'm just not ready to knit fancier socks yet and need to spend some hours knitting a few pairs of vanilla ones so that I get to that "plain socks are boring; I need something more interesting than this" place that I've gotten to with other project types.


Overall: Good knit! I think I learned enough about what I want from the sock shaping to get my desired fit on the next pair.

Yarn Along

{Yarning Along with Ginny…}

Last Friday night we were worn out.

Three weeks of packing plus work plus Christmas will do that to you.

We all needed a break from everything going on so my husband made the executive decision to keep us all home last Saturday with our only plans being meals. Brian watched the game and he totally handled the laundry, the boys spent most of the afternoon outside, we watched a movie and played some games... and I spent the day knitting. I promise that I did feed everyone at mostly appropriate times (and made a new favorite for dinner) and a few of those knitting hours were spent outside in a chair so that I could knit while supervising children, but I'm serious about the all day knit-fest.

That mini knitting retreat was the best remedy to if-I-have-to-pack-another-box-I’ll-scream-itis ever.

By 10 p.m. I was grafting the toe of the sock that only been a 4-inch cuff at 8 a.m. that morning. I might actually reach my tiny little sock knitting goal this year! And the bonus is that this was stash yarn, which totally counts for the stash challenge.

How has your knitting year started off?