Tag Archives: baby

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10 months!

This post is a few days late. We were out of town visiting my parents, and since I drag along at least 2 extra kid-related bags and accessories, I didn’t take my computer to finish this. Her official 10 month birthday was May 31st, which is also the same day as my parent’s 33rd anniversary.

These are some of my favorite shots from this month. The following pics are all from my phone, so the quality isn’t as good as I’d like, but life happens when it happens. There isn’t always time to pull out the big camera.

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It feels like it flew by in a second. Zooey is 10 months old. I’m more and more amazed by her every day. Lately she’s learning to wave, which melts my heart. She waves at a lot of inanimate objects, like trees, when we’re walking, but she’s also catching on that you wave at people and she does it occasionally.

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She’s getting her top two front teeth, but she’s very reluctant to let me look at them. She’s happiest when we help her walk around the room. She can crawl up the stairs on the porch (with us keeping our hands near her at all times).

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I’m sad that her super chubby baby cheeks are going away. She’s looking more like a kiddo and less like a baby every day, but at the same time, it’s really exciting when she learns to do more things and beams with pride.

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She seems to be a thoughtful little human that we adore down to the last bit. I’m immensely grateful to have this little person in my life.

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Slow going mojo

It’s been a slow week in knitting for me. I got a new phone and there’s a bit of a learning curve since I’m switching from iPhone to an Android–iPhone 4 to Nexus 4. I love it, but I realize it’s been occupying my hands during a lot of the time knitting usually does in the evenings.

So, there is not much to report. My Goodale is progressing. I’m now about 5 inches below the armpits. I’ve got some socks that are moving at a glacial pace. I’m rotating between three different WIPs, so they’re all just meandering along. I’ve also been working on this:

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It’s a 24 month size of the Ruffaluffagus. It is a surprise for a birthday coming soon. I’m using some Dream in Color Starry in Flamingo Pie. Isn’t that a crazy awesome color name? I wanted to see what Ruffaluffagus looked like in a multi-color yarn, and I’d also love to have a more exact idea of the yardage for another size. I love it when people put the exact amounts of the yarn they used on projects, so I know if my stash yarn might work out, even when it’s a little less than recommended.

Seymour seal of approval

Seymour seal of approval

For Ruffaluffagus, the 3, 6, and 12 month sizes all use one ball of the sample yarn, but the larger sizes would need at least 2 if you’re using Luna Grey Fiber Arts Astro. If I put up the exact yardage for the 24 month size, it will make it easier to choose from your stash if you have fingering weight skeins with more generous yardage.

Starry has 450 yards. For the 12 month size I ended up using 326.8 of the 380 yards in the ball of Astro. I’m pretty confident that I will easily make the 24 month size out of one skein. I suggested on Ravelry that if you have almost enough yarn, but are worried about running out, doing an alternate color on the inside of the hem and on the ruffles might be really cute.

Now, I’d like to make these fingers fly a little faster so I can make some progress. Happy knitting!

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Ruffaluffagus

ruffle tunic-6Oh hai. Did you want more pictures of a baby in a sweater? This is the little number I whipped up out of the Luna Grey Fiber Arts Astro. I looooove the subtle color changes and the tunic turned out almost exactly as planned.
ruffle tunic-11It’s got super girly ruffles and puffy sleeves. I never felt like making stuff this girly until I had a wee one to dress. Then it seemed even more fun.
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It’s more of a tunic than a dress length. I made the 12 month size, and that comes with about an inch and a half of positive ease, so this should transition well into fall and maybe winter.
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The pattern is almost ready! I just need to insert pictures and make a few more edits. I plan on releasing it within the next two weeks.
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I wasn’t sure what to call it. I keep calling it Ruffaluffagus in my head, so maybe that should just be it’s name. I was trying to think of something elegant, but it’s for a baby, so a fun name seems to suit it.

It will be available in 3m, 6m, 12m, 18m, 24m, and 4 yr sizes. ruffle tunic-15

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Ah, family.

This is a picture heavy post. You have been warned. I can’t help myself though. I had a fantastic Mother’s Day with Matt and Zooey in the morning, taking pictures of them in their matching sweaters. Later we had a fantastic afternoon “brunch”, because afternoon is the only time all of the babies are not napping at the same time.

Neighborly-Dapper-3I absolutely love how Matt and Zooey’s sweaters have turned out.

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Neighborly-Dapper-4I may have to re-block Z’s sweater, or take out the bottom and add to it a bit. The width is great, but I think it would be better with one more stripe repeat at the bottom. She’ll be taller next fall when she’s likely to wear this the most.

Neighborly-Dapper-9I still need to get some pictures of just Matt in his sweater, to capture all of the essential details for the pattern, but you can see lots of it right now. I’m also debating redoing his collar to make it wider. The Cascade 220 Pyrite Heather color looks great on both of them. I hope it looks as good on me. Zooey is in a Neighborly pullover, and Matt is in a sweater of my own design, in case you haven’t been following the matching family sweater journey.

I feel so grateful to have such a wonderful family, and great friends that feel like more family. My first Mother’s Day was amazing. The afternoon went a little like this:

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I hope everyone had as wonderful a day as I did.

 

 

 

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A lonely sweater

I’m really anthropomorphizing the heck out of yarn and sweaters these days. Do you think our knitted wool is lonely when we’re not wearing it? This sweater might just eagerly be awaiting some baby limbs and torso to wrap itself around. Who knows. Here are some still life shots of her new Neighborly.

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I’m too excited to  wait until Z is over her cold to post the finished object. I plan on photographing her and Matt at the same time, since they will be wearing their matching family sweaters out of the Cascade 220 Pyrite Heather.

neighborlyI picked the button up at my LYS. It’s a Dill brand button. I used this kind on my Larch Cardigan also. I really like them.

neighborly-3I knitted a contrasting color for the hem, just because I like the look of it. Knitted hems are so satisfying. I even like the rhythm of sewing them down. Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone that I like finishing sometimes.

The inside of the sleeves has a little contrast too. This might end up making the sleeve too thick when she wears it. If that’s the case, I might undo it later, but for now I really like it. The cream color is some stashed Creative Focus Worsted, back when it was made by Nashua, not Rowan.

neighborly-2For now this lonely little sweater can just wait in the closet and anticipate all the future joy and play that its occupant will enjoy.

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Another embryonic sweater

Inspired by a comment from Ledra on my last post, I’m inclined to think of this yarn as an “embryonic sweater” rather than just a hank of yarn.

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This is some Luna Grey Fiber Arts fingering weight yarn that I received last week for pattern support. This color is so lovely in person. It’s a smoky blue-grey bit of gorgeousness called Harbor. It’s her Astro sock yarn, which is 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon. I think it will be perfect for a baby garment: durable enough for play and machine washing, but soft enough to please the wearer too.

I really want to try the Aquila yarn as well. It has merino, cashmere, and nylon. Mmmmm. I think Jackie and I have similar color tastes, because I want every single color. I also got a cute little hemp project bag. Even though I have at least 6 small project bags, it seems that they’re all missing when I try to leave the house, so I’m grateful to have another one.

Well, this embryonic sweater will become a baby dress/tunic. I could wax poetic about the virtues of baby dresses because they eventually become tunics, but I think I’ve done that already several times on this blog, and if you knit for little girl babies, you probably already know this. I plan on writing up the pattern, and right now the picture in my head is too adorable for words, so you’ll just have to be in suspense for a little bit. I hope it turns out the way I plan.

I have been meaning to get some photos of the three sweaters I finished last week (two for Z, one for Matt). I re-blocked Matt’s sweater to lengthen it a bit, because it somehow lost an inch or so after I seamed it and he wore it for a few hours. It’s a mystery. I think re-blocking has solved it (I hope) because the length was originally there… Z has had a nasty cold for a week, so I’m less inclined to try for a photo shoot since she’s sniffly. She’s still in good spirits, but she hates when we wipe her nose, so I’ll just wait a bit. The pictures are coming. The cuteness will not be stopped.

*updated to add color name above

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It’s the little things.

I’ve really enjoyed this super-quick little baby vest/tunic. Worsted weight baby stuff goes so quickly! This only took me about 2.5 days with a little ripping and revising at the very beginning.

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I went down 3 needles sizes and I think the fit will work just fine. The pattern is only written for a 3-5 yr old, but I think this could work easily from about 15 months-2 years with the size adjustment. I could have stretched it more with blocking, easily, but it is a nice 21″ chest circumference right now, and I imagine that will fit pretty well in the fall. The length will work as a tunic or vest.

This is my second of the matching family sweaters in Cascade 220 Pyrite Heather that I have planned.

I modified the pattern slightly. Aside from going down three needle sizes to a US 5, I also made the stripes like this version, flipped the button to the other side of the neck so I could leave the neatest edge of the stockinette up (in my case the edge that starts with knitting) and I’ve added some short row sleeves instead of the ribbed ones.

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The white portion of the sleeves will be turned inside the sleeve and sewn down, making little hemmed sleeves to complement the hem on the bottom of the tunic. I made the hem on the bottom in green on the inside, just for the heck of it.

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This might be my favorite baby sweater yet, in terms of the finished item. I can’t wait to see it on her! I’m loooooooving the speed of baby knits, and they’re a great way to use some stash yarn too. Now, it’s time for some end weaving and sweater seaming.

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Hello, Neighbor

Matt’s sleeves are finished and the sweater has been blocked. It’s now waiting in a nice little stack. While it was drying yesterday, I knew I had to cast something else on, because the two pairs of stockinette socks I have going might have bored me to death otherwise.

ImageAs I’ve mentioned before, I plan to turn the 17 balls of Pyrite Heather Cascade 220 I bought deeply discounted into matching family sweaters. I don’t care about us all wearing the same pattern. I just want us to have the same color. I thought about making an Antler Cardigan for Zooey, but since this is such an adult color already, I thought she should have something a little more playful. I decided to make a Neighborly.

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The sweater is suited for worsted weight, but it only comes in one size (3-5 yrs). The pattern calls for an 8, so I went down to a 5 to make the entire thing smaller without having to alter the numbers. It’s coming along nicely. My button band is on the wrong side because I chose to leave the neater looking edge at the top.

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I was especially inspired by this example on Ravelry. I’m replicating how she did the stripes, with some leftover Creative Focus Worsted in a cream color. I thought that might make the sweater seem more feminine and fun, despite the army-greenish color. I might also add some little cap sleeves instead of the ribbing around the arm called for in the pattern.

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Before blocking, the chest is about 20 inches around. This yarn blocks very nicely, so it will probably easily block to an inch or an inch and a half larger. I’m happy to be making another vest/tunic item for Z. She gets the most use out of this little dress/tunic  that I knitted before she was born because it’s good for layering and in-between weather. I think this Neighborly pullover will work well through fall and winter.

I’m not sick of the color yet…When this wee sweater is finished I’ll seam some sweater pieces and pick up the shawl collar. I’m planning on a Kenzo for myself in the same color, but I don’t know that I will cast that on right away. I might need to inject some other colors into my knitting repertoire for a bit.

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March of the elephants

I love these little elephants, or Ellybobs, as they are called in the pattern. It’s nice to have some contrast color making an entrance because I was getting a little bored with just the dark Velvet Olive Jitterbug. The Shibui Sock elephants make a nice little pop of color.

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According to the label, the color number for the Shibui Sock is 5677, but I can’t find this color number associated with any of their current colors. It looks nearly identical to the Wasabi colorway (7495). I’m guessing the color I have was discontinued. I purchased it back in 2007 at ImagiKnit in San Francisco.

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After re-learning how to weave the floats and getting comfortable with the tension, the Ellybobs have gone pretty smoothly. I’ve made little arrows on the charts to help me remember which direction I’m going for each row. Anything that takes some of the thinking out of the chart is fine by me. Fair Isle is so fun when you get going.

This is my first time doing Fair Isle on a knit and a purl side. I’ve only done it in the round prior to this. It’s not so bad on the purl rows. It’s definitely slower, as purling is for me, and I have to pay more attention to my tension. That has been my primary concern, but I think weaving the floats in helps me pay attention to this. If you want to know more about weaving in floats when working Fair Isle patterns, I put together a little tutorial to help. I first learned about weaving floats from this post, but that post only addressed Fair Isle when knitting. For the Ellybob Cardigan you need to weave floats on both the knit and purl side.

Back to the knitting!