Last year, I had such a hard time getting even one (not so great) photo of a robin…
I ran all over the yard for hours, chasing after robins (who were hopping happily to and fro) trying to get at least one photo in which you could tell it was a robin and not some sort of speck. You would not believe how fast those little buggers are! Nor how skittish! In the end, the only way I was able to manage even one meager shot was by hiding behind one tree after another as I hopped after the crazy robin… It’s a really good thing I live out in the country and don’t have any neighbors to wonder about my sanity…
This year, I took a much more intelligent approach. Or maybe it was lazy? I simply sat. In one place. On the back deck. And I waited. For the Robin to hop close enough… and then… I took his picture! Not the best robin portrait ever, but definitely an improvement upon last year…!
The first Crocus in my flower beds, still closed yet from the night’s chilliness…
Later in the day, when it got a little warmer, it opened out all the way!
There are buds starting on trees, folks!
And Daffodils pushing up out of the ground!
And it was even warm enough for a lovely afternoon knit on the back deck…
Miss Fox now has a head, a body, and one little shoe-with-sock! Hopefully there will be time for more out door knitting tomorrow…!
I was so thrilled when my mother-in-law, Phyllis, asked for a handknit sweater for Christmas! The important thing to understand here is that I was longing to knit something for someone who would actually wear it. My dear husband, you see, refuses to wear anything I knit for him ever since the unfortunate incident of the black-hat-with-the-red-angora-lining. And who could really blame him?! But that’s another story for another time. He saves me time and trouble though, by telling me up front, not to knit him anything because he won’t wear it, so at least there’s that. This then, is why the excitement was impossible to contain when Phyllis asked for a sweater!
[Yes, I do realize that we are currently in the month of March, and that this fact makes my Christmas gift to Phyllis about three months late. Fortunately, Phyllis is a fabulously gracious person who didn’t at all mind opening a half-knitted sweater on Christmas, and who waited very patiently while I finished it. ❤️]
Since she was actually visiting at the time, we got online immediately and went virtual shopping to pick out the perfect yarn and pattern together! What a good time we had! It was even better than “normal” shopping because we didn’t get worn out and stressed from walking and driving from store to store and dealing with crowds and traffic. 😊
Phyllis settled on the Cable Down Raglan by Stefanie Japel. She wanted a turquoise color, and the sweater was to be warm, but not too warm in order to layer in Virginia’s mostly moderate winter weather. We decided to go with a cotton yarn, and settled on Knit Pick’s Shine Worsted in Aquamarine.
the yarn
Once the yarn arrived, I could hardly wait to cast on and start knitting! It was really hard to make myself knit gauge swatches, but I’m REALLY glad I did!
the beginning
When one is knitting a garment, especially for someone else, (especially if that someone else does not live in the same house or even what could be called reasonably close by) it is vital to:
1) Take said person’s measurements with care, ahead of time; paying close attention to his/her preferences regarding ease…
2) Note and plan ahead for any alterations in fit that will be preferred… (for example, my mother-in-law wanted the sleeves on her sweater to be full length rather than 3/4. This necessitated planning ahead by ordering more yarn.)
3) Find and maintain the proper gauge…
4) At least one or more fittings along the way to ensure the garment will be a success!
knitting the body
The Cable-Down Raglan, as the name suggests, is worked from the top down, circular fashion, raglan style, and all in one piece.
cables & raglan shaping
I love the cables. I really enjoyed knitting them, and I still enjoy looking at them! You can see the sleeve stitches on hold and the rest of the body in progress.
counting repeats
I put my Grellow & Gray Sirka Counter to excellent use on this project! Would have lost my head for sure without it! At one point I was using all three hands to track three different sets of repeats! What a lifesaver!
knitting nook
This was my first experience with knitting a raglan sweater, and also my first experience with knitting a sweater in the round – all in one piece!
Edit
cable detail
I really like the idea of knitting a garment in one piece. Of the entire ensemble flowing along smoothly in an orderly and aesthetically pleasing fashion. Of not having to go back and sew up seams afterward.
cabled waist ribbing
But I discovered, as I worked on the sleeves of the sweater, that it became very frustrating to deal with the bulk of the body of the sweater while knitting around and around each smaller sleeve. I had to adjust the entire body of the sweater in relation to the sleeve four times per round. It really slowed me down. In the future, I think I may try holding the body stitches and working the sleeves first since they are so much smaller and could be easily pinned in place to keep them out of the way while knitting the body.
weaving in the ends
There were a lot of ends to weave in, but that just goes with the territory! Aunt Peggy had made a gorgeous bracelet that went perfectly with the sweater!
finishing
As a final touch, I sewed in a special label…
a personal touch
Phyllis loves her sweater, and it makes me happy to see her so happy!
It all began with reindeer. My friend Claire Hudson (lovely lady with a fabulous blog, be sure to hop over and take a peek!) and reindeer!
Not long after Christmas, Claire and I were discussing what knitting projects we wanted to make next. (See comments on this post.) Of course, there was a long list… and on my list were several items bearing reindeer motifs! (I have no idea why I kept finding adorable reindeer patterns after Christmas, but whatever! Why not start planning the gift knitting for next Christmas early, I concluded when the trend continued.)
Among those items was a toy reindeer for a child. It was so adorable! I loved it! Wanted to make it for my baby niece, Vera (2 months old). But next Christmas is a really long way away… Claire loved it too! And THEN. She showed me the Little Cotton Rabbits pattern she had recently bought – it was for a toy bunny rabbit! It was beyond adorable! I admit, there were a few squeals of delight…
Even better was Claire’s idea! She proposed that we knit these bunnies together, as a sort of mini knit-a-long! What a fabulous idea! So here we are, both making bunnies for our respective nieces!
We began last Sunday – perfect timing for me as there was a big snow storm here in Virginia, resulting in perfect knitting weather! (Although, for the record, any weather is perfect knitting weather as far as I’m concerned!😉)
I’m using Cascade Yarns Cascade 220 in Grey for the bunny’s body; and Knit Picks Shine Sport in Black, Wallaby, Cosmopolitan, Blush, and Cream for the facial features and clothing…
Ball-winding and tea went together perfectly…
We completed our bunny heads last Sunday! Here is a peek at mine…
This week, we’re working on the bodies and the legs!
This is the body worked as far as the neck…
Here I’m almost finished the body, just a couple more rows on the cute, striped underpants…!
And here is the finished body, all seamed together!
I was really hoping for at least one good snow storm this winter, and here it is! ❄️⛄️❄️❄️❄️
Joe, on the other hand, claims to hate snow, rolls his eyes at my snow-induced glee, and checks every half hour to see if the snow has stopped so he can go out and start clearing it! I think maybe I shall attempt to bribe him into going on a snow-walk with me tomorrow! If he has fun (hope!) then maybe he’ll start to see that snow isn’t all bad… 😊
These cute little birds were all excited about something in our drive! They were so adorable!
By dusk, we concluded that we now have over 12″ of snow!❄️
A nice hot cup of tea and my knitting made for a very cozy afternoon!
Do do you like snow? What are your favorite ways to enjoy it?
I don’t know about you, but I can always find more projects that I want to knit much faster than I can actually knit them!
Here are a few recent finds that I’m adding to my queue…
The Undergrowth Hat by Mandy Powers. I just love the colorwork – and the colors used! Any contrasting colors would work great, but that teal is breathtaking! And the pattern is free!
The Glacier Gloves by Julia Mueller have such intricate cabling. I can’t wait to give them a try!
And The Gamayun Bird Shawl by Natalia Sha is truly spectacular! The feathers look so real! And I love the rainbow colors, they make me feel happy!
I have recently become obsessed with Reindeer!
Amelie-Claire’s Christmas Reindeer is beyond adorable! It’s based on the pattern for Murray The Reindeer by Dawn Toussaint. A “Murray” would make a great Christmas gift for my niece next year…
And I know several people on my Christmas 2015 Gifting List who will be getting this awesome Moose Fair Isle Hat; the pattern is by ResQCrafts! That’s right! It’s never too early to start planning for next year…
I’ve been doing alot of knitting for my little niece-to-be lately!
Just off my needles this morning is the Gulfoss Blanket by Karen S. Lauger.
I used Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash. It’s a lovely light worsted weight 100% wool that can be machine washed (on cold) and dried (on cool), so it’s perfect for baby items – warm, soft, and washable!
The color is called “Tangerine Heather,” and I love it! The brilliant orange makes me feel so happy!
You start with a nice textured seed stitch border that continues up the sides of the blanket.
There is also a very interesting horizontal stockinette stitch that functions as a second border before the cable stitch pattern starts.
The cables are really fun to knit! They are not too hard but definitely keep things interesting! They form a beautiful textured pattern on both sides of the blanket, making it reversible!
I found this post by Jaala Spiro extremely helpful because in it she teaches how to work cables without actually using a cable needle. Not having to use a cable needle is really nice because it allows you keep your rhythm flowing and unbroken.
I used them to mark each pattern repeat as I went so that it would be easy to count how many repeats I had done and how many I had left to go! This made keeping track of my progress really easy!
Now I’m off to weave in the ends and block the blanket!
What have you been working on lately? Feel free to share in the comments, we’d love to hear all about it! Have a lovely Labor Day weekend, Everyone!
There will be a lovely new little niece joining our family circle this winter! (Joe and I absolutely love being Uncle and Aunt!)
Of course, I am totally taking advantage of this opportunity to knit lots of fun baby things – starting with this adorable bonnet, socks, and mitts set from Homespun Handknit by Linda Ligon.
It’s called the Bouncing Baby Set, pattern by Jean Scorgie. Ravelry notes here.
Isn’t it absolutely adorable!! (It’s really hard not to squeal in my head when I write/think that… 🙂
I really love the yarn – it’s Tosh Merino Light, by Madelinetosh, which means it is a 100% superwash merino wool! This makes it super soft and warm as well as washable – perfect for baby things!
I also love how its a single ply – it knits up so soft and cushy in the garter stitch… and I LOVE the color – it’s a gorgeous variegated green called “Lowland,” and it’s hand-dyed!
So, I made the little bonnet first!
The construction is really interesting. You knit it flat, shaping it with increases and decreases just two stitches in from the edge.
Then you sew the back edges together and voila! Adorable baby bonnet!
I think it looks a bit like a tulip… So cute!
And the little baby knee socks are even cuter – if that’s at all possible!
You knit them flat using short rows to shape the foot, and then sew up the bottom of the foot and back of the leg!
I think it’s so clever how they curve over the little knee area to help them stay on…
And LOOK at these tiny baby mitts! No thumbs to worry about! And the cute little ties are adjustable and removable if need be…
These are so overwhelmingly adorable that I may have to get another skein of Tosh Merino Light in another gorgeous hand-dyed color and make a second set …
One thing’s for sure: Little niece will be braving the winter in the best cute and cuddly style!
What are some of your favorite baby knits? Do you have something fabulous on the needles for a special little someone in your life right now? We’d love to hear…
sarah inskeep designs 