FO: K2P2 hat

I knitted the EXACT SAME HAT as I made in 2012.
Same brand of yarn and same size needles; the only difference is the color of yarn.

This one is going to be an xmas present for my fiance's daughter.
As I'm sure you can tell, I STILL haven't perfected the pom-pom.

 Excuse the fact that I look INSANE in this picture.......

Hopefully the weird pom pom is outdone by the fact that it is a hat which is warm.
But we won't know til December 26th.

Archie's Second Sweater

My poor dog.

Doesn't it just look like he's saying "Mom please don't embarrass me like this!"
Lol

It's obviously not done, but hopefully will be soon. I will have to pick up the stitches at the top and knit some more ribbing because I want it to be more turtleneck-y, and then I will knit down for some sleeves to cover a bit of his tremendously long legs.

Pics of the Seamless Saddle Shoulder Sweater

Now that I've completed Randy's sweater, I am working on a sweater for the dog.
Archie's sweater is nearly done. I just have some seaming to do. You know how much everyone dislikes seaming!
Should have pics of the dog in his new sweater soon! His old one fits like a little tiny vest. Poor dog truly outgrew it.

Randy's Sweater

Once the body and sleeves were combined, this sweater began to fly along.

There it is. My very first saddle shoulder sweater. Ends woven in and armpits grafted. If only my model would wake up so he could try it on....

Close up of the shoulders from the front:

And the back:

I really think this design was too much work and I doubt I will make another saddle-shoulder sweater again any time soon. MAYBE with cables up the sleeves and shoulders, then I could see it being worth it. But plain? No point at all, and I'd be better off sticking to Raglan.
I can tell you one thing though, when I tried it on Randy earlier today it was very flattering on him, because of the shoulders being squared off. I really wish he would wake up!
My ravelry page is here.
Lots more progress pics. :)
Happy knitting! Time for me to knit a matching sweater for the dog, now. haha

Progress

With the second sleeve increases done, I am feeling a lot more confident and happy about this knit.

Here is the body measured up against one of Randy's fitting sweaters.

Unfortunately he wants this one next:

Just a quick update

There are some things my 10+ years of knitting has taught me about sweater knitting.
1) Dark yarn makes for a boring project
2) Plain stitches makes for a boring project
3) Negative ease means less knitting
4) The smaller the sweater, the faster your WIP turns into an FO (baby sweaters anyone?)
5) Thicker yarn = faster FO


So my 46" sweater on a size 4 needle with dark sport weight yarn, all in stockinette stitch....
Is going rather slowly.


Since my last update on August 14th, the sweater has only grown by about 8 inches.
Still, it is getting close to the body being "DONE," and there is nothing like the promise of sleeves to keep me going. Oh, sleeves, the fun of shaping, and the quickness with which they progress.

Then after the sleeves I have the saddle shoulders to look forward to. Something new, that I've never done before. New challenges!

And then after that I can rid my knitting life of this boring, dark, huge sweater and cast on something new. Something with thick yarn. Something small. Something exciting. Something bright.

Sweater Knitting

I have started my sweater over.
This time with 22 fewer stitches, and minus the seed stitch patterning on the front.
It will still be a saddle-shoulder design, because I have never done one and I wanted to try something new.
It sure is boring though, just knitting around.

I've finally made it to about the point where I cast off the first failed attempt.
Now, finally, progress is progress again.

What sweater?

When I took my knitting off its circular and it revealed to me that it had been hiding at least 7 extra inches of fabric in its folds, I panicked.

I went through the stages of grief, you know.

Denial: I knew my gauge had changed for at least 4 inches but kept going, assuring myself that "Randy has a larger tummy, he can use the wiggle room" even though I took my measurements with things like that in mind. I kept thinking, "It's not too big, it's fine!"

Anger: All that time and effort for what?! For nothing! Now I have to rip it out, and I bet Randy won't even care!

Bargaining: I bargained with the tape measure. I thought, "Maybe I can just keep going and then I can sew up the sides and just cut off the excess! People do that sometimes! Or maybe I can make larger meals and fatten Randy up by the time it's done it will fit him great!"

Depression: The loss of all that time (all that ribbing done on size four needles) and I can't even just rip back to the ribbing because I have to re-cast on with at least 22 stitches fewer... I held the lost sweater in my arms like it was a dead thing. Could this be part of the sweater curse? Was our relationship doomed to be as ill-fitting as this monstrosity?

Acceptance: I didn't want to stop knitting- I had grown to love the color and the simplicity of the stitch pattern. I switched to k2p2, the same stitch I had begun with. Knit until the ball was nearly gone, cast off, and accepted the truth: I had not knit a sweater at all, but a cowl.

What's great is that immediately after I finished binding off I sent this picture to Randy. His response, "What the f***! I was excited you were making me something!" So he DID care.

I have cast on again, of course. Back to the k2p2- I have a good feeling this time.

The trouble with gauge

The trouble with gauge is that over time it can change.
Over, say a span of 4 months or so.
What started out as a 46" sweater has recently turned into a 50" or more sweater.

So I'm knitting socks now.

Progress

The sweater I started back in March has been forgiven for its endless ribbing. I've been working dutifully on it each night, finding comfort in the plain stockinette portion and texture in the seed stitch front, all the while imagining the warmth it will provide one day when it is finally complete.

I've found that lately I don't get a great many opportunities to knit.
Working part time, going to school full time, taking care of my 4 year old, grocery shopping, housework, all these things continue to get in the way of it.
Quiet moments stolen to knit and read have become treasures.

What I love about knitting is that even if I can only pick it up and work 15 stitches, that is progress. One row is progress. Half of a row is progress. Two inches is progress. One stitch is progress. One stitch at a time, these balls of yarn are becoming something else.

Egg to Alligator FO

Made with Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton (and I do love this cotton even though I DON'T love Hobby Lobby)

From Susan B Anderson's Topsy Turvey Knits Book.

Happy little Alligator.

Egg to Alligator (Work in Progress)

Egg to Penguin Finished!

"Christmas Orders"

My son has kindly provided for me a list.
It is a list of things that I am supposed to make for his friends and family for Christmas.
Without further ado, The List Of Christmas Orders:

1. Egg to Penguin, for his cousin Camille
2. Flower Fairy in a Tulip, for cousin Zoe
3. Pigs in a Blanket for cousin Maliah
4. Bunny & Lamb for baby cousin Charlotte
5. The Fox & The Hen for cousin Vincent
6. Squirrel & Hedgehog for 15 year old cousin Nick
7. Top-Down Seamless Petticoat Dolls for 17 year old cousin Nina
8. Snowman & Tree for Aunt Angela 
9. Egg to Alligator for himself
10. Dog in the Doghouse for Archie, our DOG.
    
    
    
    

As you can see, he chose each of these presents from the same book, Susan B Anderson's Topsy-Turvy Inside-Out Knit Toys.
He thought of me too. I get the yarn bowl on the dedication page.



Honestly I think it's sweet that he picked out a present for all his cousins. So we shall see how many of them get completed before Christmas!

Hammerhead Shark, finished!

It took me about an hour to finish up the hammerhead, so in total he only took maybe 3.5 hours and he's very cute and full of personality for such a quick knit! I mean, same amount of time and I could have a boring hat.
The eyes were the most challenging part: the pattern suggested three rows of single crochet to "close" the eyes. I couldn't make that look good. Also, I'm not the best at embroidery so I just sewed buttons on.

I must admit, the mouth on this toy was impressively designed. It's actually a three needle bind off that creates a perfect hammerhead mouth, which you then outline with black embroidery thread. (Unless you're my son, in which case you pick pink)

The hammerhead's head was also clever, and ultimately I really enjoyed the pattern although it did have a few questionable sections. (Which, honestly, it's a free pattern so I don't expect it to be perfect, and I figured out the bits that didn't make sense.)

 A few knitters have mentioned that the shark isn't really... long enough? I did consider while knitting to lengthen the body before I got to the head shaping. That would have increased his anatomical correctness, but perhaps diminished his cute-ness. Besides, I thought at the time, then it would take longer to knit! All in all I'm quite happy with him- short, fat body and all! And my son is in love with him- named him the incredibly creative "Ham-hammerhead."

OH! And for those wondering what yarn I used: I have no idea. This ball of yarn literally came from nowhere- my son handed to me in a tangled mess that I'm pretty sure he found in a box of his toys. It's probably an acrylic blend, perhaps Wool-Ease, although I don't remember buying purple wool-ease... May be Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn, on second thought because I remember being gifted some of that and using part of the ball on a hat and then losing the rest.... Must be.

Hammerhead Shark

My son has taken a great interest in my knitting, now that he is four. Suddenly, he recognizes that all the cute toys that are in my knitting books are actually... possibilities. The yarn under the bed, all the colors and textures are all just toy waiting to happen. After I made him a manta ray for his birthday (did I ever show off the manta ray? It's crocheted.)

Anyway, after that, it's like he suddenly realized that mom can make ocean toys. He immediately requested a hammerhead shark. A quick ravelry search indicated that there are few knitted hammerhead sharks, fewer still that are free. I ended up going with this small, slightly fat hammerhead.

My son picked the yarn, a purple, and we sat down to watch Tarzan 2.

By the end of the movie I had something like a hammerhead shark!

I still have the fins, mouth, and eyes to do, but after the movie I had to go to work, leaving my son with my fiance who, alas, cannot knit. My son was very upset about this lack of knitting, and when I got home he immediately gave the project back to me demanding I complete it. "We have to finish it!" he always says, as if he has any part in making or assembling the thing!
It is now morning, and he is still asleep. I think I shall work on the fins, and try to surprise him with it when he awakens.
Happy knitting!

Christmas Knitting begins...

I have this sister. She has arthritis, and so every year I make her fingerless gloves for Christmas. Something to warm the joints in her wrists, and keep her hands from feeling the pain, yet still allows her to use her fingers to text, use the remote and take care of her kids. One year, I almost didn't make her any. I wasn't feeling the Christmas knitting spirit I guess. But although other presents were forgotten or never attempted, I did end up making her a pair of fingerless gloves. She opened them up on Christmas day and exclaimed, "I've been waiting for these!"
So, it has become somewhat of a tradition. She gets mittens, fingerless gloves, gloves or wrist-warmers. Other presents can slide, but not hers!
This particular pair was made with Cascade 128 Superwash, size 10 needles, and a touch of inspiration.
Do you ever find a pattern that just sings to you? And you click on it, and you gasp because it is way beyond your budget? And you have to sulkily find something else to knit? Audrey is a six dollar pattern. I know how much work it takes to write a pattern, believe me. Yet I cannot afford the six dollars right now. Looking at the picture revealed how simple the pattern was: three rectangles and some sewing. Why, the original pattern didn't even have a thumb gusset.
A little more searching revealed this Bulky Fingerless Gloves pattern, and I was ready to combine the best of both worlds.

I think they rock!
So simple to just add a bow on, and yet it one-ups them from function to fashion! My sister will definitely love them. My son wants me to add a button on, at the middle of each bow, but I'm not sure yet.
They only took maybe 4 hours, total. Fun and simple! If this is how my xmas knitting is going to go, bring it on!

The never-ending ribbing has ended!

I'm finally into the body of this sweater!
I don't know if you can see it from here, but the front of this sweater is going to be seed stitch while the back and sleeves are plain ol' stockinette. I'm planning on doing my first Saddle-Shoulder sweater, in the style of Adonis.

I know that Adonis isn't exactly seed stitch, but I think seed stitch will be easier to keep track of, and still a manly stitch pattern.

You have no idea how happy I am that I am finally into the actual body of this sweater. The next one I make is almost guaranteed to be bulky!!

Done already!

I guess one thing that's great about doubling your yarn is halving your time!

Materials:
Canon Baby Soft, held double
Size 10 needles 

Gauge:
12 st/4"
20 rn/4"

I have one more ball of this yarn, which is good because I don't really swatch for hats, and after knitting this hat I feel like I can make a better fitting one the next time around.

I really like the length of slouch though, in this hat. And you know what's cool?
It's technically reversible ;)

This yarn really literally jumped out at me. I was in line at Big Lots and somebody had chosen it and then decided at the last minute not to get it, so they just put it right there next to the register. Well I saw it, saw the color and just couldn't resist, especially since on 360 yard ball goes for $2.50! Even though it's a 100% acrylic it is really soft and nice to knit with. And since it is washable and dry-able this hat can make its way to any one of my friends or relatives during the holidays!

On the Needles....

Using some sport weight acrylic I found at big lots held double, I cast on for a hat last night.

Knit in very plain reverse stockinette, it should prove a fun little distraction from the ribbing for Randy's sweater that seems to NEVER END. I'm really really almost to the point where I can start the actual body of the sweater.....almost.

progress?

This piece of knitting does not look like as much time that has been put into it has actually been put into it.
Curses.