FO Post: A Pumpkin and an Eggplant Walk Into a Bar, and ...

OK, well actually that's all - no punch line, I'm afraid.  But the concept amused me.

I mentioned that over the weekend I had knit a couple of baby hats.  This gave me a feeling of accomplishment, because TWO things!  Small things, yes, but still, there are two.

 Said eggplant

Said pumpkin

Project:  Hats for October Twins Who Ended Up Being Born in July
Pattern(s):  Patrick's Pumpkin, by Lee Ann Bonson; and, Kid's Fruit Cap, by Ann Norling
Yarn:  Encore Colorspun Worsted, in green, purple, and orange colorways (I used stash leftovers, and don't have the ball bands)
Needles:  Size 6 and 8US
Modifications:  For the pumpkin hat, you make the crown of leaves separately and then join it to the brim of the hat - I left the crown as a strip, because I find it easier to attach that way.
Notes:  I made the smallest size of each pattern - they will likely swim in them this year, since they are so tiny, but maybe by next year they can wear them.  Both of these are go-to patterns for me for baby gifts, as they are quick and I almost always have some Encore in the stash. 

I'm going to mail them once I know the babies are out of the hospital.  I feel pretty certain they will be well-received.  And since they are machine washable and dryable, they don't create unnecessary work for new parents who already have their hands full.

FO: The NGN Sweater

We are in the home stretch before the arrival of my New Great Nephew (NGN), and I am actually ready in advance!  He is due April 17, though my niece told my sister that she thinks he'll be here sooner.  In any event, I will be sending off his gift later this week.  

Project:  NGN Sweater (New Great Nephew Sweater) (link is to Ravelry project page)

Pattern:  Garter Yoke Baby Cardigan, by Jennifer Hoel (free on Ravelry)

Yarn:  Plymouth Yarn DK Merino Superwash, colorway 1132 Green Lake

Needles:  US size 4

Modifications:  I don't know that these are modifications necessarily, rather than mistakes in the pattern.  Anyway, the pattern says to pick up 38 stitches under each arm, and I found that to be impossible.  The upper part of the arms that were on stitch holders had 38 stitches, but I could not figure out any way to make room for 38 stitches on the underarm, so I picked up 19 under each one, and that seemed to work just fine.  The other thing was that when you got to the end of the arms, the pattern said "Row 1: K 38 sts.  Row 2:  P 38 sts."  That would have meant you only did a portion of the stitches, when I am 99.99% sure that the pattern meant to K and P all the stitches you had on the needles!

Notes/comments:  This pattern was so much fun to knit, and really very simple.  Except for the two instances mentioned above, it was easy to understand and the instructions made sense.  I wanted to choose a color of yarn that was not strictly "little boy" color, and I thought the color was not just gender-neutral, but good for springtime.  Usually Plymouth yarns are lovely but this one was pretty splitty, and that was annoying until I got used to it.  

The buttons (shown in a close-up above, complete with Jack hair!), were another story.  Again, I didn't want buttons that screamed "little boy" but I was also not willing to devote a quest to finding ones that were the Most Perfect Buttons in the World.  I was happy with these little Volkswagen Beetle buttons in red.  They made a nice contrast, and were kind of an homage to my sister and brother-in-law (NGN's grandparents), who had a VW bug for years before they had children.

Anyway, once the knitting was finished, I gave it a wash on the delicate cycle, 10 minutes in the delicate air dry cycle, and then blocked it to dry the rest of the way, because I wanted it to look as nice as possible since it's a gift.  Plus, this also served to get rid of all of Jack's fur that had worked its way into the project as it was being knit.  I can recommend this pattern to anyone who has a knit-worthy baby on the way.

I love, love, love, the result, and cannot wait to meet the wearer!  

Now, back to my other projects ... :-)

And Here Is Some Knitting

As I mentioned in a previous post, even if I couldn't really enjoy reading while I have been recovering from surgery, at one point I was able to knit basic things.  One of my goals while I was going to be home from work was to knit a little sweater for an upcoming great-niece.  My niece and her husband who live in San Francisco are having a baby girl, due on September 19.  I am not all that sure that they will be thrilled with hand knit items, as they didn't seem thrilled the year I knit everyone socks and sent them for Christmas (well, maybe they loved them, but I never heard one way or another), but since I have knit things for the other great-nieces and nephews, I was going to knit something for this baby.

Normally, I would wait until the baby was actually here, and I was certain the package had been received, but since I know that my niece doesn't read much at all, much less read my blog, I decided to go ahead and share now.

So here you go.

Project:  Arielle's First Sweater
Pattern:  Yoked Cardigan by Hannah Fettig (Ravelry link)
Yarn:  Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton, colorway 627 Flamingo
Needles:  Size 8US
Modifications:  None
Comments:  This is a very fun pattern to knit.  Though basic, you do have to pay attention.  There is a lot of purling, so if you are one of those people who will do anything to avoid having to purl, this may not be the pattern for you.  For whatever reason, as I was knitting it, I decided it needed to have navy blue buttons.  The ones I ended up finding are not a dark navy blue, but they are a darker-than-baby-blue, and I like the way they look.  This is the first Hannah Fettig pattern I've knit, and it's really well-written.

The little sweater is on its way to California as I am writing this, where hopefully it will be put on the kid at least once for a photo!  :-)

And Now For Some Knitting!

Before I go any further, thanks very much to all of you for your kind comments and concern about my fall.  It's still a mystery what happened, though I am still of the belief that I tripped, fell, and knocked myself out.  In any case, I'm feeling better a little bit each day, and have gone from really swollen and purple to slightly swollen with more of a yellow tinge. :-)  I got the stitches on my upper lip taken out, and head back to work this coming Monday.  The dentist even put a temporary fix on my tooth!  So, I'm getting there.

*****

As promised above though, I have a knitting project to show you.  This is one I am really pleased with, and that was fun to knit.

On May 10, we added another great-niece to my family when my niece Julie and her husband Keith became parents to baby Penn.  You may recall from a previous post or two, that I had been wanting to make the Baby Tea Leaves sweater for her.  Well, I got that really well underway when I realized that I wasn't gonna have enough yarn to finish it!  (Sometimes I wonder about myself.   But that's a post for another day.)  But thanks to Ravelry, I could search for projects based on the amount of yarn I had, and found one that I thought was worth a try.  And before I knew it, I had a sweet little baby sweater for a sweet little baby.

I just love the way it turned out!  If you are looking for a baby knit that has some interest but is not overly involved to knit, this is it.

Details:

Project:  Penn's First Sweater
Pattern:  Liliana, by Irishgirlieknits
Size:  3 months (smallest)
Yarn:  Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport Solid, in the Lace Kelly colorway (I used most of one skein)
Needles:  Size 5 US
Modifications:  None
Comments:  I got this yarn as part of a Soakbox package, and had every intention of using it for myself.  But when I decided to make a sweater for my new great-niece, I wanted to use stash yarn if at all possible.  I decided since I'd had this for a while already and had not used it, I'd go ahead and use it for this project.  I'm so glad I did, because not only is it a beautiful color, and lovely yarn to work with, but it's a little different for a baby.

The pattern is really well-written, and once you get going on the lace part, it's very easy to memorize and finish.  If you want a quick and lovely project for a small amount of yarn, I recommend this one!

Not only did I have yarn I liked for the sweater, but I found the perfect button for it:

I truly love this little birdie button!  The little bit of blue in the middle matched the yarn perfectly, and it added a perfect touch of whimsy to the whole thing.

The package including the sweater was sent, and was a big hit.  My niece said that the sweater fit now, but also had plenty of room to grow.  And since they would be leaving their apartment in Brooklyn to go to Los Angeles during June and July for her work, she said it would be especially useful.

Here is a picture of Penn wearing her sweater.  (She looks rather shocked about the whole thing, don't you think? Please note that the color in the picture above is closer to the actual color of the finished item ... but that one doesn't have a baby wearing it!)

We are looking forward to meeting her in person once they get back from California.  In the meantime, I'm glad that a little bit of us is already part of her life.

*****

Have a lovely weekend!

13 Things in 2013

Well, if there are any things I really wanted/needed to do before the end of the year, I'd better get moving!  To be honest, I can't think of anything that falls into this category (other than paying some bills this evening), but it is still almost the end of the year.

A lot of people do end-of-the-year posts about their most popular posts, their accomplishments, or even the worst about the year that is nearly at an end.  I have been giving it some thought, and decided I was going to list 13 Things in 2013, so here you go.

1.  In August, The Tim's oldest sister died unexpectedly.  It was sad, not just because of what it was, but because of how it happened.  And in the end, it seemed that after her husband died last year, she gave up on everything, and kinda died of a broken heart.  They were both sweet people, and were my favorites in his family.  I can only hope now that they are together and in peace.

2.  Shingles.  Enough said about that.

3.  I started going to a new internist this past summer, and so far it has been a real improvement.  My old doctor was someone I'd gone to for years, and though he was very nice, and very responsive, the past couple of times I'd had respiratory issues, I really feel that his hesitancy to give me strong drugs led to having pneumonia twice in two years.  I had a really bad cold a few weeks ago, which was taking the route that had led to pneumonia before, and the new doctor really decided to kick it at the beginning.  It cleared up and even my cough didn't last as long!

4.  I failed to complete two reading challenges I'd signed up to do.  But on the other hand, I read two more books than the goal I had set for myself on Goodreads!

5.  My knitting output was pitiful, but fortunately, I was pleased with what I did complete.

6.  My niece Julie and her husband Keith, who live in Brooklyn, are expecting a baby girl in May, so another great-niece will join the family!

7.  It snowed a couple of times this fall, and even though we didn't have a white Christmas, it was a cold and sunny Christmas day, which meant it felt the way it should, and that we could have a fire in our fireplace.

8.  I didn't manage to clean out/clear out as much stuff around here.  But on the plus side, I have been managing to slowly take the clothes that don't fit me any more but are still in decent shape, and donate them.  I hope they have made someone happy.

9.  Early in the year, I had the chance to meet a friend that I "met" on Facebook through two other real-life friends who knew her.  She was as much fun in person as she is online.  And it was a kick to be around a stranger that I felt like I already knew.

10.  Even though I wasn't as active and didn't exercise as much as I had planned to, I did manage to keep my weight about the same.

11.  In October, The Tim and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary, which counts for saving power if nothing else.

12.  Over the summer, I went with a group of friends to Stitch 'n Pitch.  Cole Hamels pitched, the Phillies won (a real treat this past season!), and it was one of the most fun times ever.

13.  We didn't have the chance for a big vacation, but we had a great trip to Rehoboth Beach in September, staying with my niece Amanda and her husband Pat, who have a house there that is shared in his family.  It was a wonderful weekend.  Dug went with us, and I think he had the best time of all.

So overall, except for the true sadness of losing Sheila, it was a year of more good than bad.  Death is a huge "bad" of course, but the important thing is for the rest of us to go on living our lives since we are still here.  We are all relatively healthy, pretty content, and ready for 2014.

Here's hoping it will be a good year for all of us who have made it through 2013!

After the Fact Baby Sweater

Back towards the end of February, The Tim forwarded me an e-mail from one of his brothers, announcing that there was a new family member.  The Tim's oldest niece Laura, and her husband Lee, had a baby girl on February 8, and named her Fiona.  There were a couple of pictures from the hospital, and of course she looked red and scrunchy, with dark hair.

This was a complete surprise to us.  The Tim's family is not known for being particularly close, even though some of them don't live that far from us, and thinking of it, I guess we should be glad we found out as soon as we did - by comparison, his brother-in-law who was the best man in our wedding, died in January, and no one bothered to tell us until March ...

But I digress.  We had a new great-niece, and I wanted to knit something for her.  Since I had had so much luck with my great-nephew Parker's Owls Vest (Ravelry link), I wanted to try another project other than a hat.  A few of my friends had knit the Garter Yoke Baby Cardi, by Jennifer Hoel, with varying types of yarns and modifications, so I thought I'd give that a try.

I poked around the stash, since I'm trying not to buy yarn until I've used some that I already have, and found a skein that I thought would do the trick.  So I sat down to get started, and once I could finally actually start casting on the correct number of stitches and getting started without messing up, I was on my way.  And I was very pleased with the result:

Then I was able to find some really adorable wooden buttons, with  a teddy bear carved into them.  (There are no pictures, since I couldn't get any that showed the detail, you'll just have to take my word for it.)

I think it's so cute!  I sent it in the mail, and about two weeks later got a lovely note from our niece thanking us.  She said she thought it was beautiful and admired my handiwork, but never mentioned trying it on the baby - which makes me think it was too small.  But, them's the breaks when people find out after the fact that a baby is on the way, right???

The color was hard to really capture with my limited photography skills, but it is really more of a pinky-lavender, with the occasional dot of blue, which I thought was nice for a baby without being a) too babyish, and b) too girly.  Though I'd originally bought the yarn for socks, I thought it made a lovely little sweater.

The details:

Project:  Fiona's Sweater

Pattern:  Garter Yoke Baby Cardi, by Jennifer Hoel

Size:  newborn - 3 months

Yarn:  Dream in Color Smooshy, colorway Wisterious

Needles:  size 4US

Modifications:  none

Comments:  This was a very straightforward pattern, and fairly easy to knit.  The resulting sweater is really cute, and I think it's one of those that could be made to be adaptable to any yarn, or design (one friend I know made the yoke stripes, which looked fantastic), or personalized for just about any baby.  The Smooshy yarn is superwash, so it is also nice when you don't know how likely the person is to handwash anything - and I'm doubting that many new parents want to spend time handwashing baby clothes.

I would recommend this pattern to any more-than-beginning knitter, since it is easily completed, and can be made in nearly any weight of yarn.

Most amazingly for me, this is the third FO I have for 2013 - which, considering that in 2012 I knitted 6 things and made a quilt, is already putting me on track to do better than that!  

A Gift, a Date, and a Rant

A Gift

Once upon a time, there was a knitter whose niece had a little baby boy, born on Cinco de Mayo.  The knitter wanted to knit something for her new great-nephew, but a couple of things held her back: 1) the baby lived in San Francisco, so really heavy duty items like sweaters were not totally necessary, and 2) this niece did not say "thank you," "drop dead," or even "UGLY" when she was sent a pair of hand knit socks for Christmas a few years ago.  However, the knitter had always made something for any new babies in the family, ever since she had learned to knit.  So she thought about making one thing, then something else, another thing, a failed project.  Finally she just gave up.

But as Christmastime arrived, and she wasn't knitting any other gifts, she started to rethink the whole thing.  She found a pattern that she liked, and could use some yarn that she already had, and figured, what the heck, one more try couldn't hurt, right?

A week later, she had finished the knitting, and it was actually pretty CUTE!  Sure, she had to fiddle a little bit with the pattern, which was challenging for her, but her  calculations worked (a Christmas miracle in and of itself), and that was encouraging as well.  Hopefully, the gift will fit the recipient.  And maybe she'll never know, and maybe the parents will hate it.  But the knitter decided that she wouldn't care what happened once the gift was given, because then it was all out of her hands.

And so, I give you the finished item:

and a closeup of the owls that go across the front:

Details:

Project: Owls for Parker

Pattern:  Owl Baby Vest by Jodi Haraldson (a freebie on Ravelry!)

Yarn:  Berrocco Vintage Colors, colorway 5220 (1 skein and a teeny bit of another)

Needles:  US4, US5, US6

Modifications:  When I was starting the rows above the owls that turn into the sleeves, I noticed that the owl on the left (as you are looking at it) would be under the left arm, when following the pattern as written.  It looked weird, so I ripped it out and redid it, after fooling with some numbers.  (These details will appear soon on my Ravelry project page for this item.)  I was pleased and surprised when it worked, and the finished piece looked so cute!

Other comments:  I can recommend this pattern.  It's easy, quick, and the result is just adorable!

****************

A Date

Today is 12-12-12!  How cool is that?  Did you know it is the last symmetrical date we will see in our lifetimes?  I hope you will do/did something special or treated yourself to mark the day.  Being "numerically aware" (as my niece referred to me), I couldn't let the day pass without noting it!

****************

A Rant

If you have read this blog for more than three seconds at any given time, you know that I love holidays in general, and Christmastime in particular.  And this year, more than others, I'm really tired of the Scrooges who are everywhere: in person, in print, on Facebook and Twitter.  

The latest is the discussion of Christmas carols.  Granted, I have ones that drive me nuts, or that I think are wrong (i.e., "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer," "Dominic the Donkey), but I ignore them when I can, and sigh loudly when I can't.  And a lot of people don't like any Christmas song that isn't a hymn, which I can understand, but find to be personally limiting.

However, I MUST take exception with two discussions that I have come across recently that in my opinion are completely ridiculous.  Apparently, for years, we've all been listening to the song "Baby, It's Cold Outside," and not realizing that it is all about date rape.  And, the song, "Santa Baby"?  Well, that's about prostitution.  

REALLY?  Give me a break, people!  Why can't they just be amusing or silly holiday songs?  Every single thing in the world does not lead to some morally questionable result.  At least not in my world.  I just feel like these people need a sense of humor, you know?

In the meantime, there are now only THIRTEEN DAYS left until Christmas Day, and I sincerely hope that you will do everything within your power to enjoy them, and the rest of Christmastime that follows.  

And now?  I'm finally signing off ... :-)

So Let's See ...

Well, last week was a really busy one, but in a good way.  I love Thanksgiving, so getting ready for it was just fine with me, even if there was a lot of running around involved.  We ate too much, relaxed, and then ate more.  It was nice and chilly, but also sunny, so it felt like it was actually November.  As of today, all of the leftovers are gone, and I took down our Thanksgiving decorations today and put them away for next year.  Another successful holiday, which leads into Christmastime, so it's win-win as far as I'm concerned.

I have still not been able to get a decent picture of The Tim's Turn a Square hat that I knit him for his birthday, but he has been getting a lot of wear out of it.  Hopefully I can get a picture this weekend, outside.  By the time I get home from work in the evenings, it's already dark, and my indoor pictures of it have been crappy to say the least.  Of course, he then gave me his original Turn a Square and asked if I could fix it - it's about 30% unraveled, mostly because he pulls it on with a ginormous tug when he wears it.  I asked him why he didn't give it to me sooner, and he said, "Well, I figured it wasn't that bad."  I'll see if I have some yarn that will work with it - I know I don't have any more of the original yarn.  I guess it just proves that he really likes the hat!

The only real surprise last week was the day before Thanksgiving, when I went to brush my teeth before leaving for work, and found out that our bathroom sink was clogged.  Of course it would happen the day before a holiday, right?

Fortunately, the clog was easily removed and I wasn't late for work ...

I also realized that I had a picture I'd meant to share with you at Halloween time, and kept forgetting.  My niece in San Francisco sent me this picture of Parker in his Halloween costume:

This picture just cracks me up!  I especially like his fake tattoo on his arm.  I showed it to a couple of people I work with, and my boss actually printed out her own copy and framed it, because she said she wanted something to make her happy every time she saw it.  Apparently, Parker loves to get his picture taken, and when he sees a camera, starts to smile.  But this particular picture just really gets me every time I see it ...

Until next time, I hope any clogged sinks you may have are as easy to fix as mine was, and that you have something to make you smile and laugh every day.  Happy last week of November!

The Story of a Pumpkin Hat

If you have been a reader of my blog for a while, you probably remember my dilemma over what/if to knit something for my newest great-nephew.  His parents are not ones to care about handmade things, so the pressure was only my pressure on myself.  But you see, up to this point, I've made all of my great- nieces and nephews hats when they were born.

Also, they live in San Francisco, so he didn't really need something warm.  At first, I was going to make him an elephant pillow from some fabric I had.  Then I decided that no, I'd knit him a toy.  I thought I would knit Elefante, by Susan B. Anderson.  Checked the pattern, decided that a) it was kinda fiddly, and b) it had some crochet, which I do not know how to do.  Moved on to a Baby Bobbi Bear, and got it all knitted.  Then I went to stuff it, and instead of looking like a cute teddy, it looked like a mangled teddy who was put back together by a blind person.  By this time, it was fall.  Parker was born in May.

So, I had a brilliant idea - I'd knit him a pumpkin hat!  YES!  The pattern is one I've done several times, and I knew it was doable in a short amount of time.  Away I went, knitting it up quite quickly.  I figured I'd be able to mail it on Saturday (yesterday).  Then my sister sent me this picture.

Sigh.  Let's face it, a baby doesn't need two pumpkin hats.  So, new plan.  The nearly completed pumpkin hat that I was making, would be for Doughboy's newest little brother, Paul.  Since I was using Encore, it would be nice and warm for his little baby head in Colorado, where they now live.  And Parker ... well ... I think I will make him the elephant pillow (sewing) that I had originally thought about making.  But, since we are going away at the end of the week, I probably won't even start it until we get back.  Such is life.

On the plus side, it meant that now I had a baby gift done!  This yarn

had become this hat

and it did get sent out to its recipient yesterday.   So all's well that ends well, I guess.  But I am wondering if just buying Parker a gift would have made more sense ... 

Details:

Pattern:  Patrick's Pumpkin Hat (I made the largest size, so it can be used for a couple of years)

Yarn:  Encore Worsted - pattern used roughly .08 ounces of the green yarn, and about a third of a ball of the orange

Needles:  Sizes, 5, 6, and 8US

Modifications:  None, except for the recipient!

Comments:  This is one of my favorite baby hat patterns, and it really is not that difficult.  I managed to make this one in four evenings of watching TV after dinner, and for me, that's pretty amazing.

******

As I mentioned, we are going away later this week, so we'll see how much of anything else I can accomplish ... that's it for now!

Aaargghh!

Sigh.

Remember how I wanted to knit something for my new great-nephew Parker, who was born in May and lives in San Francisco?  Because his parents - wonderful people that they are - do not really appreciate knitted things, I didn't want to go out of my way to create an "heirloom."  So I decided to make a toy.  First, I decided to make Susan B. Anderson's Elefante.  Got all ready to do that, and decided it was too fiddly, and since it involved crochet at the end, and I don't know how to crochet, that was problematic.

But then I remembered - I had this pattern!  Perfect, right?  Well, I grabbed some yarn that would work well for it, and took off.  Then, there was an interruption when my osteoarthritis flared up in my right hand and it was hard for me to knit.  But, then I picked it up again.  Turned out, it was slightly fiddly, but I got it all knit.  Over the weekend, I went to stuff it.  Uh oh.

It looked, in a word, craptastic.  As in, awful.  I had followed the pattern as written, but had somehow managed to get the arms to be too big, and not level with each other, and the legs looked bizarre, as they were long and skinny!  Instead of a cute little teddy bear, it looked like a teddy bear that had been in a terrible accident, and re-created from found random teddy parts.

Aaargghh!!!  I decided to cut my losses, and unraveled it, hoping that someday the yarn can be something else.  And, well, back to the drawing board.

At the moment, I think that I will be knitting two pumpkin hats - one for a new baby (Doughboy's new baby brother), and one for Parker (oh I might as well make three, and send one to James, the "big brother" to the new baby ...).  I've made quite a few pumpkin hats, and they have always turned out.  Let's hope that record stays intact.

If for some reason it doesn't ... it might be time for a store-bought gift and a nice card.

I'll keep you posted ... :-)

There Has Been Knitting ...

Just not really the kind I could share with you.  A friend recently asked me to do a test knit for her, and I thought I'd give it a try.  The pattern wasn't difficult, but the yarn had "issues," including that I didn't have enough to finish the sample!  But the ending result was pretty, and squooshy, and I'm anxious to see the finished item (and maybe even knit it for myself!).  That's really all I can tell you right now, but here are a couple of pictures of the first panel:

It's hard to see, but the yarn on the left side is a very dark blue, almost navy.  The finished panels are really so nice-looking, even if I do say so myself!

Now that I've finished my part of that, it's beyond time to get back to my own knitting.  I have way to many things underway, so I should really try to finish something.  And now I have another baby gift to knit, which is a good thing, I think.  Remember Doughboy's family, Ben, Halden, and little James?  Well, James became a big brother yesterday, when Paul joined the family!  I so wish I could see them all in person, but from all reports everyone is doing just fine, and at least right now, James thinks the new baby is quite exciting.  At the moment, I'm not sure what I'll make, but probably a hat of some kind, I think.  Maybe a pumpkin?

In other news, this past Friday night was Members' Night at work, which made for a long day.  We all had the option of coming in later, but I wanted to work the longer day so I could have some comp time.  Yesterday I was exhausted, and today I'm still tired and also feel like I'm coming down with something.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel back to normal, and the feeling sick was just a result of being overtired.

And that's the news of the day around here.  The lovely weather we have been having has been so nice, I hope it will stick around and we'll have a good fall season.  Spring and summer were just way too hot for me!

Have a good week.