Well there are babies in my life now. Albeit they are other people’s babies, but babies I can knit for nonetheless. As we all know babies can pull off some of fashions silliest items a lot more smoothly than grown ups. As I was cruising Ravelry a couple of weeks ago I found this adorable pumpkin hat that I figured would be smashing on my niece for Halloween. In a fit of pouting aimed at my Master’s project I decided to cast on something quick and easy Tuesday night. It knit up amazingly quickly (go figure, eh?) and now I present you with adorably cute pumpkin headgear:
Pete modeling Sophia’s hat. It doesn’t quite fit him right. 
Hopefully it fits her better
Description: Pumpkin Headgear for Sophia
Pattern: Pumpkin Hat by Susan Esser
Yarn used: .43 skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky Colorway Burnt Orange (100% acrylic ) 100g / 164 yds
Care Instructions: Machine washable
Needle Size: US 10 (6mm)
Modifications: I knit on a US 10 just because the fabric looked better than on a US 9
Finished Size: about 17″
Date Started: 9/30/2008
Date Completed: 10/1/2008
Notes: If I were to make it again I think I would plan out the leaf layout better from the beginning but I swear once she puts it on she’ll be too damned cute for it to matter.
Sophia’s Hat - leaf detail
Sophia’s Hat - side view
Tags: FO, Knitting, Ravelry
I partook in the Ravelympics this year and my main project was this Celtic Cable Scarf. I was bound to finish it so that it would be done for Christmas. The scarf and I got off to a rocky start the first time I tried to knit it back in March of 2008. The Ravelmypics was just the kick in the pants I needed to get going on this scarf and get it done. I changed the needle size this time around and it stopped hurting my hands so much and the cables were a lot easier to execute. I am quite happy with the outcome and I am hoping the recipient is as well!
Description: Celtic Cable Scarf
Pattern: Celtic Cable Scarf by Vanessa Lewis
Yarn used: 2.52 skeins of Dark Horse Yarns Rhapsody 516.6 yds total. Colorway 54 Royal Blue (100% merino ) 100g / 205yds.
Care Instructions: Hand wash
Needle Size: US 8 (5.0mm) - I originally started this on a US 6 (4.0mm) as the pattern recommended but the cables were very much flattened out.
Modifications: No mods. Just knit it forever until it was long enough.
Finished Size: It is somewhere in the range of 73+ inches. I know that when I held it next to the boy last night it dropped down to the floor and folded a little. Still can’t find my tape measure…it’s neon green, have you seen it?
Date Started: 8/8/2008 cast on at 8am EST in accordance with the start of the Olympics
Date Completed: 8/19/2008 finished weaving in ends at approximately 23:45 EST
Notes: The cables worked out really well. I am hoping the recipient is a big fan!
Tags: FO, Knitting, Ravelympics
What’s this? An FO? Get ready, there will be a few of these coming up (and some backdated for the month of June).
Description: Socks for me
Pattern: Marigold Socks by Pamela Wynne
Yarn used: .62 skeins of Austermann Step Colorway 05 (Wool, Nylon) 100g / 460 yds This yarn is treated with Jojoba aloe. Should keep the socks soft through 40 washes.
Care Instructions: Machine Wash
Needle Size: US 1 (2.25mm)
Modifications: None.
Finished Size: Women’s Medium
Date Started: 7/5/2008
Date Completed: 8/5/2008
Notes: These socks were a test of faith that they wouldn’t look terrible once done. The toe started out seeming huge, but I knit away figuring if they were too big I could give them to someone. Then the first 3 inches just looked hideous to me but I figured I could give them to someone. Then there was a week with 3 knit nights, 10 hrs in the car and lots of free time on Saturday and Sunday. The socks quickly took shape and stopped being ugly and now, they are done!
Oh and I made these socks match, only had to cut the yarn one place in each sock to make the color repeats line up. Too cool.
It’s official, I do not like provisional cast on short row toes. I will stick with my crazy Cat Bordhi eastern style cast on for toe up socks, henceforth.
Pictures!
Cat Bordhi’s Magic Cast On - YouTube Video
Tags: FO, Knitting
Today is Suzanne17’s birthday. All of the Ravelry Helpers got together to make her a lovely patchwork blanket in her favorite spring colors. We will present it to her at some point today but seeing as she will be at the festival and with us all day, I am safe to post.
Here are my contributions:
This block was knit using the Eternal Flames stitch pattern from Stitchionary
This block was knit using the Eyelet Hearts stitch pattern from Stitchionary
The yarn used is Dark Horse Yarns Fantasy
Yarn weight: Aran / 10 ply (8 wpi)
Colorway: 30 (Magenta)
Needles: US 8 / 5.0 mm
Fibers: Nylon, Acrylic
Texture: Plied
Machine wash?: yes
Tags: FO, Knitting
It’s done and it has been delivered!
So last night ended up being very very interesting. My friend/SIL who has just moved back to Ohio (as in, she drove across the country last week, arrived Friday night and was expecting her delivery of furniture Monday) called to say the movers were coming earlier than expected. Long crazy story short, the movers arrived at her mom’s house around 930pm, overcharged her freight by 3000lbs and about $1500, wouldn’t release her goods, she finally wrote them and check (and will argue with the parent company later), they delivered her furniture and finished around 1am. At that point they had to go reweigh the truck again and she landed in bed sometime after 2am this morning.
I ended up picking up her friend from OSU’s campus and she crashed with me so that I could take her to the airport this morning. I live much closer to the airport and this allowed for everyone else to get a good night’s sleep. (I slept well myself, no complaints here.)
So today was the birthday party for her daughter Tai. Welcome home, eh? I finished sewing the buttons on this morning while the boy strategically placed his gift in the truck and tied it down. We then proceeded to drive 30mph the entire way to the party because any faster caused her present to collapse. The party was a lot of fun and the cake was yummy. The boy’s present was a big hit with all of the parents and the kids. For those of you who don’t know, without fail, a child always ends up playing with the box or crinkly wrapping instead of the gift that you have purchased for them. He decided to cut out the middle man and made her this house out of our washer box:
She really enjoyed her house, as did the other children there. As long as the cardboard holds up she should be able to play with this for a couple of years!
Now for my FO -
Description: Jacket for my niece Tai
Pattern: Jacket With Moss Stitch Bands by Debbie Bliss
Yarn used: 3+ skeins of Claudia Hand Painted fingering, Colorway Jill’s Pink (100% Merino) 50g / 175 yds
Care Instructions: Machine Wash delicate
Needle Size: US 6 (4.0mm)
Modifications: I ended up one button hole short. The boy is convinced that this is how the sweater should be anyway. So I left it.
Finished Size: 12-24 mos
Date Started: 1/31/2008
Date Completed: 3/27/2008
Notes: So I had lots of ends and I ran out of yarn at one point. This was a big lessons all around project. I would knit it again, probably in the right weight and make sure that I have enough yarn! Oh and I also saw the wonders of blocking. All my uneven stitches and the crimped yarn relaxed and looked great after I blocked the sweater!
Pictures!
Front of the sweater. Can you see where the button “might” be missing?
Back of the sweater
Grandma holding the sweater after it was opened.
Tags: FO, Knitting
