New Little Skully Hat

I'm lucky enough to be welcoming lots of other people's babies (OPB) in the future, so I'll be knitting up quite a few little baby items as gifts. I used the Stitch N Bitch pattern for the umbilical cord hat for this one, and a chart from another Stitch N Bitch book for the little yellow skull. I've never knit in color (is that called intarsia??) before, so I had to watch a YouTube video to figure it out.

I love knitting for babies because it's usually so quick. I have such a short attention span! And, I think I also worry that I'll spend a bunch of time knitting a sweater only to have it turn out badly. I just don't have that time to waste, you know? I've got American Idol to watch, after all!

Got Sock Yarn? Make Doll Mittens!

I posted a while back that I'd be making some doll clothes for my nieces who are totally into their American Girl dolls. Well, let the fun begin. I'm using up sock yarn like a madwoman using this pattern for mittens. I've got tons of sock yarn to use up, so maybe next I'll move to the tiny socks. Wheee! Already crafting for Christmas. Maybe this means I'll actually finish what I hope to...?

Knit Tee Goodness

A sweater with short sleeves seems like an oxymoron, doesn't it? I mean, your body and shoulders are nice and snuggly, but what about your poor elbows? Your wrists? Well, I've discovered the joy of the knit t-shirt. And amazingly, discovered that I can complete a knitting project that takes more than one or two sittings. Eureka! I have an attention span, after all. My first sweater project was unfortunately completed before my friends from Yarnivores (my knitting gang) helped me figure out checking my gauge.

I knit this little wonder in anticipation of being without a massive 8-months-pregnant belly *someday* in the future. And whadda ya know, someday came! Of course the belly is not as flat as it was, say, 12 months ago, but it's darn fine to me. It's just one of those things moms deal with. Not that I've ever met a mom who isn't kind of bugged by it, but whatever. Babies are worth it.

After I spent agonizing months knitting this thing, wondering "Will I ever finish this?" I found another great short sleeve sweater that I want, the Leaf Tee Shirt (below). Go figure. Now I'll have not one but two short sleeve sweaters. Who knows, maybe I'll next knit myself a bikini, or some sunglasses. I'll have a whole summer wardrobe of knits. But really, I love the short sleeve sweater and I think it's perfect for Fall. I think you should knit one right away. Because they'd also be great for Spring, and someday maybe 9 months from now or so, Spring will come, too. Here are some other great options for the knit tee:

St. James Sweater (what I knit)
Leaf Tee Shirt
Embroidered Cap Sleeve Top
Drops Top
Wright Drape Top
Tempting
Wren
Siesta
Mangyle

American Girl

My grandma Betty got me into American Girl dolls. I was never a doll kind of girl, but she loved dolls and had one that looked like each of her daughters and granddaughters. My likeness is named Lindsey, the first ever American Girl doll of the year from 2001. My grandma passed away about five years ago and I keep little Lindsey at my house now. She's got curly brown hair just like me. I think American Girl originally started in Middleton, Wisconsin, which isn't far from where I grew up.

Now my little nieces love the dolls and they each have one. So my mom and I decided to treat them to a trip to the "big city" of Chicago to American Girl Place for a little shopping and tea. It was a blast. Of course the weather in the windy city was, well, windy, but other than that we had a great time.

My own little sweetie isn't quite big enough for dolls yet, but I was really tempted to get a little Bitty Twin for her. But, I think I got swept up in the moment so I just decided to try to be rational (does a three-month-old really need a doll?) and came home empty handed. Even though I wasn't a doll person as a kid, I couldn't help but be impressed by the quality, detail and historical accuracy of these doll's accessories and the stories they tell about their lives.

I really did get caught up in the excitement about these dolls, so I went searching for knitting patterns for making American Girl clothes and accessories. I found quite a few really cute ones. I mean, how long can it possibly take to knit mittens for someone who's only 18 inches tall? I figure I can crank a few of these out for Christmas no problem. And that's just my kind of project!

I'm listing links here to the patterns I thought were the nicest. This list ranges from outfits to hats to socks and mittens to underpants. Have fun!

Summer Fun Ensemble
Empire Waist Dress
Cardigan and Pullover Sweaters
Boxy Cardigan
Faux Fur Coat and Hat
Tiny Socks
Mary Jane shoes
Fancy Panties
Mittens

What's on the needles: Postpartum Sweater

It's hard to believe it, but in three weeks, we'll be welcoming a new baby into our house. One thing I'm really looking forward to is loosing all this baby weight! I know everyone says not to worry about how much weight you gain, but I'm not sure anyone truly follows that advice. I'm not really one to even worry about it, but damn I'm sick of these maternity clothes. And particularly because only about six things still fit me, I really want to be back in my old clothes.

And some new clothes! To celebrate my body being all mine again (soon), I am knitting my first sweater (well, that's a little fib but the first one didn't count, and it's no longer around). It's turning out really cute and aI can't wait to be able to put it on. It's cotton and short sleeve, so hopefully in September (I'm giving myself a couple of months) it'll be perfect weather to put it on.

I'm really excited that my new knitting friends helped me learn how to check my gauge properly and I'm also thankful for this relative quiet period that's given me the time to knit. It's the calm before the storm, when I know our lives will be turned upside down by sleepless nights and all kinds of craziness. When I'm done with the sweater and ready to show off a little, I'll post the completed photo! Until then, where's my ice cream??

May-ry Christmas

Not that I have ever had a ton of friends, but since moving I am pretty much in constant contact with my "Facebook friends" and that's about the extent of my social circle. It's hard to make friends when you're at work all day, every day. So I joined a local knitting group that calls itself the Yarnivores and I'm really enjoying my weekly trip to the local Starbucks to stitch and bitch, craft and chat, and well, basically get some social interaction with live people now and again.

The other great thing about it is that these women KNOW how to knit. They've given me tips, instructions, and loads of tutorials. And getting into the regular habit of knitting has been great. Two projects down since I starting going back in February or so. That's got to be a record for me! First was the little bellbottoms, now I've finished little wee one's Christmas stocking.

What's next on my horizon? I decided that mama needs a post-partum project for myself! It's going to be a cute cap-sleeve number and I bought this great yarn for it on Knitpicks.com. I can't wait to share the results. Unless they're embarrassing. Then I'll pretend I forgot all about it. What'choo got on the needles lately?

Hand Knit Bellbottoms for the Baby

We are super excited to be welcoming a new little girl to our house in a few months. But, I have to tell you, we are also all a little unsure of what to expect. Our world currently revolves around trains and trucks and a John Deere tractor. What will happen when adding another female to our equation? Dolls driving dump trucks? Playing T-Ball in dresses? Surely we'll figure out what little girls are made of soon enough, but right now it's a little hard to imagine. All I can think is pink, and dresses.

Which is why I surprised myself when I went to Loop, a local yarn shop, and choose this teal green color for the first knitting project for the new baby. Not PINK? The audacity. But it is so soft and lovely that I can't wait to see how it looks on the babe. For you knitters, it's the Debbie Bliss eco baby. I think it might be new? But anyway, it's great. The pattern I used is called Baby Bellbottoms and I got it free on ravelry. It was pretty simple to knit, actually, even though I was pretty intimidated at first.

Can't wait until I have a little lady to try them on! Next up, I'll be knitting her Christmas stocking! That, I assure you, will be pink.

Child's Placket Neck Sweater, DONE!

See this little guy? Isn't he cute. Well, when he was about this small I started knitting him the Child's Placket Neck Sweater. Cut to present time, when I have a super tall, ever-growing 2-and-a-half year old. Voila, sweater is complete and...


...doesn't it look great on him? It should fit him for approximately 27 seconds before he outgrows it. But at least he got one good wearing out of it!

I enjoyed knitting this sweater quite a bit. It was just challenging enough for me, without totally frustrating me. My only wish is that I could have been a little more expedient in my knitting of it! The hardest part of the whole thing was the placket. I found this reference to be invaluable. I love the yarn I used, too -- Cascade Yarns Cash Vero DK (merino, extra fine wool, microfiber acrylic, and cashmere) in color 020. I knit really tight, but the size 2 - 4, in my opinion, fits a 2-year-old, but probably not a 4-year-old.

Thanks to my friend Jen for going first -- she inspired me to give this pattern a try, and I'm glad I did!

Finally Finished with the Baby Blanket Project

Here I sit, wasting time blogging and reading blogs and lolly-gagging around the internet. You'd think I didn't have ANYTHING better to do. Oh, WAIT! I DON'T! That's right -- after four months (more?) of knitting almost every night, I finished my first charity knitting project. It's luckily large enough for a baby, and it's got no major flaws, so I think it's destined to be part of a bundles of love bundle! The feather and fan knitting pattern didn't turn out half bad with two colors. I actually kind of love how down the middle you can really see the curve of the pattern. The pattern was free if you'd like to try it.

Here's what was running through my mind as I knit this blanket over the last several months:
1. I have a really short attention span; why did I choose a blanket?
2. I am expecting my first nephew; should I be knitting for him?
3. I am totally going to run out of teal yarn (which happened)
4. I'd rather be sewing
5. I could get a lot more knitting done if there weren't so many White Russians to drink or bags of microwave popcorn to eat
6. I wonder what sort of baby will get this blanket...? A cute one? A happy one?
7. Am I done yet?

Well, I'm finally done, and I think Bundles of Love will be much better off if I knit some smaller items for them in the future. Otherwise, lots of babies will have cold nights from lack of blankets because of my slowness. Maybe tiny sweaters is more my speed.

In other news, we (like every hipster in town, apparently) hit the Craftstravaganza this weekend. It was nice to see some of the awesomest and most friendly people I know, and we were glad to pick up the next size bigger of our kiddos Charlie and Sarah gear. This time we let Wee Pumpkin pick his own and much to our surprise he chose "aar" (car) over lorry (truck).

Feather and Fan Progress

I have a notoriously short attention span when it comes to (well who am I kidding, everything) knitting projects. So why I decided it was a good idea to knit a blanket for charity, I'll never know. Maybe it was because that's what they said they needed most. Maybe I thought, hey, it's for a baby, and babies are small, right? They need small blankets, right? Wrong.

I already ran out of the yarn I planned to use so had to come up with a clever alternate color when I realized that buying more of the original teal would not pan out as it had been discontinued. In fact I got a computer virus trying to Google search to find more of it when I finally gave in and got the chocolate brown to finish the blanket. My thought is that it will be exactly half teal, half brown. Hey, it's gender-neutral! Bonus!

All frustration aside, I actually really love the pattern. I don't think it's turning out half bad. God bless Ravelry, right?? I can knit it in front of the TV, and I'm really looking forward to proudly handing it over to the ladies at Bundles of Love. I mean, last year I spent the whole year growing my hair out for a cause -- why not spend the whole year knitting for a cause? Lookout, next year it's going to be knitting a bus cozy for some sort of cause. That's at least a two-year project, right?

Anywho, next up in knitting I'm going to try to make the Purl Soho baby placket sweater for a certain wee one's cousin-to-be. I heard this pattern was a little wonky as first published; anyone know if this is the corrected one?

Feather and Fan Knitting for a Cause

I am finally doing it! I am finally crafting for a cause! I have this great blanket in the works that is coming along well, and the pink hat is up for sale in my Etsy shop (buyer gets to pick the charity of their choice for 100% of the cost). I'm feeling so productive! I hope I can finish up my blanket so I can start knitting something for wee ones soon-to-be boy cousin. Weeeeeeee! Maybe this year will be my year of knitting!

The blanket pattern is called Merino Stripes Feather and Fan. I'm not knitting it in a self-striping yarn. I'm just using some acrylic yarn I have around. Bundles of Love requires non-wool yarns, presumably so they may be washed easily. If I knit something for them again in the near future, I think it will be a sweater. I think it'd be much less time-consuming to finish. And, hey. I'm an instant gratification girl, but at least I know that about myself.

Got any good knitting projects going on? I'm addicted to Ravelry and cannot stop adding projects to my favorites!

Finishing up the Pixie Hat

I finished knitting the pixie hat -- tiny little yarn on tiny little needles so it took me LOTS of hours. All good times, though, spent in front of the television. And I still cant't decide if it's in fact pink, or not. Ho hum. Well, my kid does not need another winter hat, so I think I might either donate it or sell it and donate the money. As much as I'd love to slap some nipples on it (suggestion compliments of my favorite nipple-crafter, thanks!) I think it's got to go to some good cause. I gotta get my karma juiced up this year so my whole new life plan comes to fruition for me. That's how that stuff works, right??

Well, new life plan or not, lately I'm just feeling really darn lucky to have a job at all. And really lucky I have one that's good enough to support all three of us. Yikes, it's ugly out there. I'm taking the approach of not turning on the TV or opening the newspaper. I just don't want to know sometimes. I am "cautiously optimistic" which seems to be a phrase I hear quite a bit lately.

Anyway, I started knitting a new baby blanket for charity, which is really just my lame excuse for sitting and watching loads of bad TV. And drinking wine. No harm in that really, right??

Giving Him a Complex

Picture this. I'm sitting on my couch, night after night, for about 3 nights. I'm knitting and watching TV. The knitting project is going great. A pixie hat for my son. Then, my routine changes. I take the knitting out during a Saturday naptime. In the light of day, I realize something is wrong. The hat, which I thought was orange, is pink. Now, I am not that opposed to putting something pink on my son's head. Well, I guess I sort of am. But my husband really is. So this hat is almost done (and it took quite a while using this sock weight yarn) and I have no idea what I'm going to do with it. But damn it's looking cute, wouldn't you agree? I even thought about donating it to my newfound awesome local crafty charity, Bundles of Love, but they don't need any hats! Bah!

Suggestions?

If I had unlimited time in a day, I might try yarnbombing. I did a quick Google search for "Yarnbombing" and I got 139,000 results. I am imagining my cubicle getting yarnbombed as I speak, and it is a wonderful thought. Down with tan mystery fabric, up with yarn!

Banana Republic is For Suckers

I really never shop at Banana Republic. I do own a pair or two of pants from there, bought at the thrift store where I can say that they cost me an amount of money that was pretty reasonable to pay. It's not that I don't like the clothes they sell. They're okay. But geez. Expensive! Ridiculously so, in my humble opinion. I feel the same way (sort of) about Anthropologie. I like the clothes, but would never buy them at full price. Even the sale rack is too overpriced. What can I say, I'm a tightwad.

But, like I said, I do think the clothes they sell are okay. I've seen people around wearing this cute hat that apparently came from there. Much to my delight, the good folks at Ravelry had several knock-off options to choose from, so I knit myself one in about 3 hours with a couple of (SALE) yarn skeins I got at Michael's. It's Lion Wool-Ease Thick and Quick -- a super bulky yarn that makes knitting something like this both super fast and super warm! The final is a bit short for my liking, so I might have to knit another and give this one away to a friend with a short head. Know anyone?

I'm all rested up from my nice, long vacation. Tomorrow it's back to the grind. Yuck. I plan to make an awesome vegetarian lasagna with artichokes and spinach tonight. Good food always drowns my sorrows!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and a happy new year, too!

Sweater Knitting and Scone Baking

I have a tradition, two years in the making, to make (rather than buy) Little Pumpkin's Christmas and birthday gifts. The way Mr. Pumpkin and I see it, he gets spoiled enough by his grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins, that he doesn't need more from us.

Last Christmas I knit him his first stocking and this year I decided to knit him a sweater. I chose a free pattern for a ribbed baby jacket that I got online that originally appeared in Prima back in 2005. The pattern is also in the book Special Knits by Debbie Bliss. I only saw it pictured for girls, but I think my version in indigo (and I chose not to do wool so it would be washable) with a manly leather-covered vintage button turned out pretty good. It's kind of his "old man" sweater. Now, I'm going to wrap it up and he can open it on Christmas and act surprised.



In other news, baking-wise I think I may be back in action. I baked these scones this weekend from my Dorie Greenspan baking book and they are PHENOMENAL. I substituted whole milk for buttermilk, and they are still awesome. I could seriously sit down to a plate of them, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Three days later they are still tasty and delicious. Maybe cookies just aren't my thing right now. We'll see, though. I have a batch of Greenspan's Midnight Crackles chilling in my freezer. Here's hoping they're edible!

At work lately we've been doing a lot of recapping of 2008 accomplishments. I think I might have to recap my personal accomplishments this year, just to see if I've been more productive at work or at home. It's going to be a tight race between "refiled random papers in cubicle to appear more productive" and "taste tested many batches of cookies to determine missteps and correct errors." If I do the recap, I'll post it here.

WIP: Sweater for Pumpkin Jr.

A while ago my friend introduced me to Ravelry, the knitting and crochet site that so many get addicted to. Knitting is not my true love, and in fact I often find myself so frustrated by the "delayed gratification" of working on a project for more than a few nights. But, I knew I'd be stuck on a plane and in a hotel room, so I gave the site a try last week when I wanted to find a semi-quick project to take on my business trip. The site is cool, too because you can get pattern ratings and see how other people's projects are turning out.

I found this cute pattern for a ribbed sweater with a button that apparently was from Prima back in 2005. As you can see, I am NOT knitting it in lavender (collective sigh of relief) but in a really great indigo blue. So far, the pattern couldn't be easier. I did have to invest in a few different needles that I didn't have, but otherwise it will be pretty cheap. I chose some sort of acrylic so that I can wash it when it becomes schmeared with sweet potatoes. Yay!

Doesn't feel much like knitting weather here this week. Must be global warming. What's going on in your neck of the woods?

Poncho and Lefty

I just knit myself a poncho! It's a first for me. And, it's yellow, making it the third yellow thing I own. It's out of Holiday Knits, by Sara Lucas and Allison Isaacs. I wasn't sure if it was work appropriate, but upon some urging by a friend, I took a chance and it worked out great. Oddly, it spurred a conversation with a co-worker that led to the small world discovery that we both adore Crafty Planet, where I purchased the supplies for this poncho. Yay for small worlds!

Tomorrow is Easter, and we'll be snuggled up at home, listening to daddy spin tunes on Radio K. He likes to moonlight as a punk rock DJ, and I'm sure Baby Pumpkin and I can handle a few hours of rockin' out. We'll be baking some awesome Mocha Cheesecake Brownie Bars for when daddy gets home.

Anyway, back to the poncho. I really love this knitting book and the poncho was super easy and forgiving of my screw-ups. The pattern has this in a girl's size, too, so perhaps one of my nieces will wind up with the "daughter" version. Who knows. And more importantly, if I don't, what should I knit next?

And back to yellow. I'm still totally obsessed, and plan to continue adding yellow to my life. Am I the only one who has color obsessions? I think the last time I had one it was navy blue. Hm...

Knittin' Some Mittens

I'm not that great of a knitter, but every now and again I try something I've never done before and surprise myself at how well it turns out. I always thought of mittens as something that would be impossibly hard (how do they come out looking like a pair?!) or take an impossibly long time to do. I have been there, now, and I tell you it's not that bad! I think it took me an hour or two to make each one. No problem!

I should caveat that statement by revealing that my first pair of mittens were made for someone with very, very small hands. But, now that I know it's not like knitting an intestinal system or a knit motercycle, after all!

Now that I'm on a roll, I might try some of these fun looking mitten patterns:

Cuff up Mitten
Gifted Cashmere Mittens
Plaid Mittens
Classic Vintage Mittens
Open Palm "Driving Glove" Mittensor these with fingers and a button
Coolest Pirate Mittens on EarthMitts for my Babe
Jack & Jill Baby Mitts
Cuddly, Fast and Colorful Mittens
Window Pane Mitten

Man, there are a ton of patterns out there -- after mittens I suppose I'll have to try arm warmers!!

Christmas Stockings

I recently started knitting my baby a stocking for Christmas. I didn't have to look hard, I found an excellent pattern in Alison Isaacs book Holiday Knits. You can see my progress above. I knit after the baby eats as he dozes on my lap, and it works out pretty well. I am excited that this will be the only gift he gets from us for Christmas, as I know he will be completely and ridiculously spoiled by his other admirers.

I love having the stockings on our mantle at Christmas, and I always start getting excited for that season around this time of year when there's just the slightest hint of coolness in the air. The stockings I made for Mr. Pumpkin and I made out of a couple of old wool sweaters I got at the thrift store. I cut out the stocking shapes and sewed them together with contrasting yarn. Pretty simple, but cute. The baby's is going to be much cuter, though.

Anyway, if you're inspired to make a stocking or two, here are a bunch of cool patterns I found hunting around on the internet. There are about a million patterns out there, but I tried to keep the list to the ones I found the cutest. Enjoy!

Knit Stockings:
Striped Stocking
Boot Shaped Stocking
Knit Stocking with Baubles
Fisherman Stocking
1945 Stocking
Christmas Tree Sock Stocking
Felted Stocking
Mini Stocking
Berroco's "John", Felted Sean and Colleen Stockings

Crochet Stockings:
Basic Crochet Pattern
Granny Square Stocking
Hilarious Owl Wizard Stocking
John Deere Stocking

Sewn Stockings:
High-heeled Boot Stocking by flamgirlant on Craftster.
Melissa's DIY Felt Stocking
Quilted Stocking with Embroidered Names by folara on Craftster.
Necktie Stocking by gwensmom on Craftster.
Applique Stocking by Boffcat on Craftster.

Martha Stewart Stockings:
Sweater Stocking
Quilted stocking
Handkerchief stocking.

Stockings For the Furry Family Members:
Dog Paw Stocking