2009 in review

I am a bit late on this one... but last night I was looking through my projects on Ravelry and trying to organize them a bit. It was fun to remember what had kept my hands and mind busy through the year. To reflect upon all that I had created.

6 miniature stockings
5 sweaters for me!
5 pieces of fruit :o)
2.5 pairs of socks
3 baby sweaters (two are not pictured)
2 baby hats, one pair of booties
1 adult hat
1 toddler hat

I hope that 2010 brings me as many successful projects!

I wanted to thank all of you who have reached out to me since reading my interview in Natural Stitches Newsletter. It was such a fun opportunity, and I appreciate the feedback!

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2010!

Fireside, Finished... almost

Hello, and a belated happy new year to you all! Due to some technical problems, paired with some lost of interest in my current project as well as distraction with loads of baking I have been neglecting my blog. However, I have a finished project. Almost.

It is my Fireside Cardi [Rav] which I have been working on since September!!! No wonder it was hard to finish. While it was a consuming project with all of the cables along the way slowing me down, I am so glad I kept on knitting. I love this sweater! It is warm, and cozy, and I think looks great on. Well take a look for yourself...

I knit the smallest size with some modifications. Like usual I added some obscene ammount of length to the arms and body of the sweater to fit my tall frame.

Across the back, I didn't merge the cables together as the pattern suggested for the smallest size. Instead I added some additional stitches and kept the two center cables 2 stitches apart before the increases started.

You may notice there are no photos of the sweater buttoned. Well, that brings me to the almost part of it being finished. I want some buttons, but decided to wait to put button holes in until after I was finished. I am leaning towards afterthought buttonholes of some kind, but have not ruled out an i-cord trim to also act as the buttonband. I also need to find buttons!

More holiday knits

While I hadn't planned on any Christmas knitting I managed to tackle a few other small items this past month. Just some scrap sock yarn and a basic pattern I followed for the first and tried to remember for the other five. They were fun, and easy, and most importantly- quick!
First, two for Eleni's daycare teachers. Along with a gift card and some home made caramel popcorn these helped dress up the package a bit.

And then I knit some for my family, my aunt, parents, and recently engaged cousin... oh and of course one for us as well!

Go Steelers! Those little socks may have brought us some luck. They brought home a win on Sunday when I gifted them to my family. And that is a size 10 needle running though the loops just to give an indication of scale.

My fireside cardi is still in progress. I kicked some butt on the remaining sleeve one afternoon with friends. But it has not grown as quickly since that day. I guess it helps to take it from its bag.

Fruity

Hello hello... long time and not much going on here. My Fireside Cardi has been trudging along and being the monogamist I am with regards to knitting there was little else to blog about. The cardi still is in need of a second sleeve, which has been started. And I even seamed some of it in my search for my knitting mojo which had been lost among the endless cables and miles of eco wool. So desperate times and all that call for desperate measures. With Christmas just around the corner I decided to ignore the 3 baby sweaters I should knit for a January 9th joint baby shower... and Christmas knit! Woo! Don't worry about the babies... they will get their sweaters, but I think they will have to be patient and wait until they are born.

This year for Christmas EJ will be receiving a kitchen set... and what budding foodie doesn't need hand knit fruit?!?! I have to say I had a lot of fun with the patterns along the way, and they were fast too!


All five were knit from odds and ends I had in my stash. Mostly worsted wools although the apple and banana are DK weight wool. The apple and pear were both knit in one evening. The banana took longer because that bad boy comes out if its peel. The lemon and lime were knit through another day. So basically all done over one weekend! I really hope EJ has fun with them, it has been hard for me to keep them a secret because we have been playing a lot of pretend games and having to get quite creative in our props.

Last night I knit more of that blasted sleeve too, so my mini-vacation from the Fireside seems to have worked. Maybe it will be done before winter is over. Did I mention I have 3 baby sweaters to knit?

Random Vacation summary

What a beautiful week to have spent home with my daughter. The weather is perfect for early November and we have done our best to take advantage of it while we had the chance. Not all of our activities were fun. A vet trip for Bella, nothing major... and grocery shopping were the low points. However the highlights dominated our week together.
Tuesday we decided to head to the nearest OldNavy to return a sweater I ordered and hated. EJ needed a white long sleeved shirt so we headed to the baby zone. $50 later we got home with some new clothes among them a three-pack of underwear. I figured we would need them soon enough. Little did I know the kid was more interested than I anticipated. Three days later, we are still accident prone but it is pretty exciting to see her learning and getting better. I wish I had started earlier in the week. I am still a bit nervous about returning to work on Monday.
Wednesday we had a playdate with our good friends. We have not played together since the Spring I believe. It had been entirely too long. Thursday went by rather quickly as my work BFF came over for some cooking fun. We made sauce and home made noodles. EJ helped-

(yes... i know... great outfit right? no pants and rain boots. That's my girl.)She loved to turn the crank on the pasta machine, but had a tendency to turn it the wrong way, or reverse directions mid way through. I think she needs more practice.
Today, Friday, still has a lot of potential. But I should mention when running to get my oil changed and to Target EJ was accident free. I picked up more underwear too. Can't get by on 3 pairs for very long. Perhaps Elmo and Dora can help motivate my girl away from the last few accidents?
Oh.... and most importantly. I made some major progress on the cabled sweater that will never end. Ok, so that is a little dramatic. It will be finished. It is just slow going considering the gauge. All of the twists and cables are time consuming.

I just need sleeves! You are looking at the two front pieces, and the back piece. I modified the back a bit for the size I was making but more details on that once it is finished!

Well, nap time is bound to be over soon. I have a little more me time left and should get my knit on. Hope you have been able to enjoy this beautiful day! Have a great weekend too!

Mission acomplished

I did it. With your help, I overcame my case of the crazies and just sat down and started to knit. With a plan of course.

Thank goodness for colored pencils in my desk at work. They are great for creative bursts between tasks. After reviewing my e-mails, comments, and other suggestions I went to work. Measuring Eleni's head when she seemed distracted enough not to notice. Guessing what my gauge was based on other projects with the same yarn (for shame! I know... I was really risking a mishap without swatching). And then some simple math and I was on my way.
Brown hat

check.
Red hem

check.
Fancy stripe

check.
Adorable model?

Check!

There isn't much negative ease in the hat. Maybe an inch max. I love how the red hem peeks out around her face a bit. I took notes while knitting, and plan on adding the pattern to my Ravelry downloads too. I just need to decided if I am going to try to write up a few different sizes before publishing. It also matches her coat so nicely. It was just too nice of a day to make her model that as well... another day perhaps!

Thanks for all of the support- I think it was key to such a successful project!!

Overthinking?

Hello strangers. Has it been a month already? Gosh. I guess I have been keeping busy. So much to talk about, so little time. I have a few posts swimming through my brain right now but first, the most pressing topic. Toddler hats.

So does anyone else do this? Decide to make something knit for a loved one and then obsess over choosing a pattern. I have the yarn and color decisions worked out. But the shape is what is killing me. And it is just a hat! So I come to you, my trusted knitting ad visors for some input.

First, the decisions I managed to sorta make on my own. I bought a coat, Old Navy, and am quite pleased with it!

The yarn colors have been decided as well- dark chocolate brown and a red that matches the coat as an accent. Both are a worsted weight wool, in my stash (score) leftover from other projects. The red is superwash, so felting is out. Oh, and I decided with the dark brown I would like a feminine hat in order to help elevate the "your son is so cute" comments this winter.

Right now there are 5 patterns, or ideas floating around my head.
1. Better Bucket Hat with a red i-cord band and perhaps a bow?
2. standard hat, with a folded under hem (to keep ears warm) and add an i-cord band, bow to frill it up a bit
Sorta like this, minus the roll brim and well... better

3. The republic hat?

4. A beret? With a red band, brown top. Are they cute without girly curls flowing from the back? Because our hair situation is still on the sparse side.
5. Fair isle. Like this- only chocolate, cream, red and pink?

[Rav it]December stripes

Is she too old for a bonnet?

I told you I needed help. Someone talk me down. I am obsessing, and I really should just be knitting. please don't let the adorable little boy in the last picture sway your judgment either. :o)