purlsandmurmers

A Birthday Sweater

This is the project I was primarily working  on during our trip too and from Knoxville, but not while we actually were in Knoxville, for obvious reasons.  Owen's first birthday is slightly less than a month away and I decided that he needs a new birthday sweater.  It might actually be a little large on him.  Different designers and different pattern companies seem to have different interpretations of what "1 year" means as a size for children's clothes,  but it will fit him soon enough.

I actually began this last fall, shortly after his birth, but grew frustrated as it became evident that Owen was not really going to wear the baby sweaters I had already knitted although perhaps there is still hope as the sweater his parents liked best was a bit big and is only now the right size for Owen to wear.

So I had only knit about an inch or two of one piece of this sweater before I abandoned it.  This summer I reconsidered my selfish motives and decided to knit it anyway.  The pattern is from Mission Falls, as is the yarn.  I don't really know which book -- I was working from a coffee stained photocopy and leftover yarn, from another sweater or two I knit years ago when some friends were having babies and grandbabies. 

I've already been told that little boys don't wear purple and I should have chosen different colors.  It doesn't scream "little girl" to me, it doesn't strike me as being particularly for any gender, but this whole gender-specific color thing is a little beyond me anyway.  It looks like a box of crayons to me but I am really no expert on children's clothes.  Although Owen is starting to form opinions on many things, I don't think the colors of his sweaters is one of them, so I'll just hope for the best.

Project Update

"Heart-breakingly beautiful baby sweater"?  Oh yeah.

I sewed this up and sewed on the ribbons on the plane Monday morning but had to wait until I was in San Franciso for sunshine and a photograph.

I enjoyed the first day of sewing camp; but this is not really a time for knitting.  Sewing and eating tend to be my San Francisco focuses and so I am warning you not to expect a lot of progress here; besides, Mermaid, the only project I brought with me, is not a speedy girl.

Otto will now be thought of in my mind as the "Tabasco sweater".  I mean that in a nice way; a sweater filled with happy memories. I have written before about how a sweater sometimes takes on an association with a place or event at or during which it was knitted.  Tabasco was ill and we had to say goodbye to her on Friday. During the first few weeks when we learned she had pancreatic cancer she decided that Otto which was on the blocking board, and remained there at her request, was the perfect place to spend the days sleeping.  As usual mom's projects were always the best place to be. Even though it has been a couple of weeks she slept on Otto, it has taken me a little time to prepare myself for finishing this particular project.  I realize now that I couldn't put the sweater together until I knew that Tabasco wouldn't be sleeping on it anymore, even though she left the sweater as the cancer got worse.  The sweater and I both needed to wait for the time for closure.     Spending time with Tabasco was a higher priority than knitting and she did not think she needed to share my lap with other activities.  For once, I agreed with her. 

Perhaps when I return from camp, and after our trip to see the impending new grand baby, I will feel like putting Otto together.

Blue Baby Kimono

The time of quick and easy sweaters is here. 

The UFO's remain in their state of promises unfulfilled.

I started another baby sweater, this one the kimono from Mason Dixon Knitting using Tahki's cotton classic in this wonderful shade of blue:

Luckily for me the Cotton Classic came out the same gauge as the pattern using size 4 needles.  No math and no thought involved. 

I really do have to find time and inclination to get the other sweaters put together, and to get Mermaid started.  The list goes on, but life has a way of working everything out and I am sure I will get myself straightened out too.  But first I need to sneak off for some more mindless knitting.

A simple square

After all those fabulous temptations I am sure you are wondering what entrancing project I am working on now.  I'm not.

I haven't sewn anything together.  Otto is stacked nicely awaiting seaming.  Rogue is still in the same queue. 

In need of a quick, simple, mindless project that required no advance planning, I grabbed a skein of Mission Falls 1824 cotton that had been sitting around and took a quick look at Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick and Kristen Nicholas.  I knew there was a simple washcloth project in there, and since 1824 cotton can go in the washer and dryer and softens up so nicely with time, I thought this might be an interesting project.

In a couple of days worth of stolen moments, the washcloth is done:

looking a little worse for having been scrunched, folded, and crammed in corners all weekend, but nice anyway.   Here is a detail of the edging:

It is not the most inspiring thing I have ever knit at a Bard Music Festival, but then Liszt has not proven to be the most inspiring subject either.  We'll call it a wash.

Which reminds me, what am I going to take to knit on tomorrow??

Absence from Blogging

I am still here, but it has been a hectic week and when I have not been crazy, I have crawled into a hole to chill out.  Not to worry.

The visit to Knoxville was wonderful.  Sweetie Pie was completed on the flights south and presented to the parents to be:

not particularly neatly placed, prior to be folded and put away, but visible none the less.

And although it is true that I cannot say I have been working all the time since my return, work has been very busy and tiring.  I took Wednesday as a personal day and went into NYC to meet my friend for lunch and had a lovely time, returning home just in time to get to the town hall for a planning board meeting, where they did indeed approve my variance application.  The next step is a building permit and we can begin the deck reconstruction.  Hoorah! Hoorah! Happy dance with a glass of wine at home late Wednesday night!!

Thursday was again hectic and by the time I was leaving the office, at about 7 PM I might add, I was tired and frustrated and just wanted some time to curl up alone with a good book.  I didn't even want to sew or knit, just veg out a bit in silence.  I knew no one would be home before 10:30 or so as I was expected in knitting group/class, and I shamelessly cut group  and went home and curled up on one end of the sofa. 

Oh happy girl!

I have made progress on Otto as well; the back is done, the front is progressing well.  I made more progress on the train on Wednesday than in the air on Monday, perhaps watching the Hudson go by is conducive to knitting than clouds. 

I shall return again to more regular posts, once the barbarians have been beaten back and the perimeter is once again clear.

Button back

Despite my determination to finish Sweetie Pie before getting to Miriam's tomorrow, I have not worked on it, except to sew on the button, since I finished the back. 

The onset of hot weather following weeks of rain have led to an excess of gardening and this has resulted in a flare up of the arthritis in my hands.  Truthfully however, I have just been in a slump and haven't felt like knitting.  If I were determined, sore thumbs and finger joints would not stop me, they have not managed to do so in the past.

I am not worried however.  Forced knitting time in airports and on airplanes will come to my aide.  It is fairly certain that I will be finished, or very close to finished by the time I see Miriam tomorrow afternoon.   I will try to remember to pack the camera (do it now Mardel) so that I can take a finished photo. 

I am not taking my computer on this trip so I will be out of contact until Tuesday, or maybe Monday night, depending on how tired I am and what awaits on my return.

Sweetie Pie at Rest

The body of Sweetie Pie is done and is on the blocking board.  I don't know what I was doing Thursday night, I remember fretting that it was taking for...e...ver to get the proper length on the right back.  I knew the yarn blocked longer.  I had to reknit the right back as it somehow ended up MUCH too long.

Then I questioned whether I should block first, before knitting the sleeves, or do the sleeves and then block.  The sleeves are picked up from the body and knitted down to the cuff.  In the end, I decided I better block first due to the length before/after blocking issue, to make sure I got it right.  So Sweetie Pie is wet and on the blocking board.  When she dries I will pick up the sleeves and probably block the whole thing again before seaming.  Sounds excessive doesn't it?

Oops! not pinned yet.

Fits and Starts

Major knitting progress was made on Thursday at the Thursday night knitting group/class at Yarn Central.  Oh how I love this group, and how much fun I have.  The knitting is just an added benefit.

Knitting progress so far on Sweetie Pie:

I would be making wonderful time except that yesterday's progress was virtually non-existent, or so little as to be shameful really:

And oh how I struggled to knit those paltry rows!  I was tired, so tired.  But why?  Was it battling WalMart, the best source still for basic inexepnsive tees?  Was it Target?  Was it a day spent going from mall to mall, store to store, doing all those little errands that have to be done but get put off ad infinitum because they are just so tedious? Oh who knows?  Truthfully, who cares?

I managed to drag my arms into knitting position.  I managed to sit upright in the chair.  I cast on and knit a row.  Oh P*!*.  (actually "piddledy poop", a phrase I once exclaimed at the other knitting group, the Tuesday one, the one that has been kind of spent of late.  The phrase I will now never live down, might as well make it public.) Not that I don't curse mind you, but not necessarily in public, depending on who the public is at the moment, and what is going on.  Truth be told there have been times I could make a sailor blush, but I prefer not to be so predictable most of the time. and not that many sailors have been that privy to my private domain.

But, back to knitting, or unknitting as the case may be.  I cast on with long tail cast on.  I knit one row.  I remembered that I had used long-tail cast on in 2x2 rib for the other two pieces.  It. Must. Be. The. Same.  Luckily I only had two rows of 14 stitches to rip out, almost did me in, it did.  Had I mentioned that I was tired?  I had to look at my hands -- how do I begin this?  Time for bed.  A few (successful) rows later I was done in.

Hopefully more progress later.

Otto Languishes

It all began yesterday when we decided that we should go down to see Miriam ASAP, while our building permit is still being held up by zoning issues.  As a result we are now flying to Knoxville on Friday June 16 for a long weekend, where, among other things we will look for fabric for crib bumpers and paint colors for the nursery, as well as untold other cleaning up and making-room tasks.

I instantly decided that I must have another baby sweater to present upon my arrival, and so Otto was cast aside, and Sweetie Pie begun.  The front is done:

I have been knitting with single-minded devotion.  In fact G had to roust me out of my knitting reverie to find some dinner this evening, and as soon as I could reasonably leave the table I was back in my chair needles in hand.  Not being a particularly fast knitter I felt that I must knit whenever possible.

First Baby Sweater Done

I finally assembled the baby sweater knitted from Katia's Jamaica yarn.  It turned out really well:

Yarn:  Katia Jamaica Color # 4010
Pattern:  Moss Stitch Sweater from Debbie Bliss Noro Collection 2
Knitted on size 5 needles, with size 3 for ribbing.

I basically picked this pattern because it was the shape and pattern I wanted.  I imagined a moss stitch sweater the moment I saw the yarn.  I have no idea about baby sweater sizing so I needed to find a baby sweater to get the size right.  Then I just had to knit the gauge swatch, plug in the dimensions and knit accordingly. 

Now, I have ideas for several more sweaters so I had better get knitting.