Gifts For Others

A few years ago I made a quick little headband for an old high school friend.  The next year, she asked me to make her 2 for Christmas presents.  Then I noticed that I still see her wearing that original headband on her facebook page whenever the weather feels a little brisk.  Last week, she asked me to make 2 more for Christmas this year. 

These are my favorite gifts to make.  The kind I know will be worn and I know are loved and wanted.  The pattern is free from Knitty and can be found here.  I used Patons Soy Wool Stripes and it really worked well.  I hope their intended wearers like them as much as I do.

I also finished the red and white scarf I started a couple of weeks ago.  It's ridiculously long and thick and easy to care for.  It never got as annoying as I thought it would, except for the tassles on the end but those are always a bit on the finicky side.

A little Dinosaur came to visit me on Thanksgiving and even though it was intended for Christmas, I couldn't resist giving him the Dinosaur Hood.  His old dinosaur hat was very well loved and too stretched out to fit properly any more.  

He wore this for about an hour in my warm apartment and I couldn't get him to stand still for a picture.  When it was time to leave, both hats were left out and he chose this one to wear home.  Coming from a very particular 4 year old, I don't think a greater compliment exists.

Next up for him is a matching pair of mittens.

Mad Hatter

I've been on a hat jag.  A pretty serious one at that.  In my defense, they're fast and seasonally appropriate considering it's snowing as I write this.  I'm saying they're fast so as to justify that the plethora of pending baby blankets did not get pushed back at all and will still be finished on time.  Have  I mentioned that I may be delusional?

I've finished the Dinosaur Hood for a very special little dinosaur.  Modeled here on my much older dinosaur, I hope it fits the wee one for whom it was intended.  And I will never again doubt the necessity of a box full of buttons older than I am.  I managed to find a tiny little purple button.  Perfect. 

This Dinosaur's daddy also has a penchant for hats.  Unfortunately, none of his include spikes or scales of any kind.  The most I could do was change the color and the stripes.  

This one is Knit Picks Cadena in "Caspian" and "Admiral."  It is a blend of Peruvian Highland Wool and Superfine Alpaca, leaving it warm but still on the thin side.  

Next up we have another alpaca/wool blend.  This one is Reynolds Andean Alpaca Regal.  It's been discontinued for a while, and I have no idea what these colors are other than "black" and "sort of purplish."  This one is much more alpaca than wool.  It's a bit on the thick side and has a halo to it.

Lastly we have an all alpaca number.  This one is Misti Alpaca in "Natural Brown" and "Mustang."  It's thick, incredibly lightweight, and equally warm and cozy.  It also has the honor of sporting the most halo.

Considering none of these are machine washable or dryable, I'm considering taking bets on how long they manage to stay this size.  Any guesses?

It is Thanksgiving Eve.  On this day, I am thankful for the recipients of these hats, and the little boy modeling one.  I am thankful they wear my knits proudly and lovingly, rendering my desire to cloak them solely in woolies nearly impossible to resist.

I am thankful that this week alone I received 3 requests for knitted goodies from friends and family, in addition to 2 separate requests from others for help understanding how to make goodies for their own loved ones.  I am more than happy to oblige, and lucky to have you all in my life.

Bits and Pieces

I was taking stock of my Works In Progress bin and I decided that even though it's November I still have plenty of time for Christmas knitting and added a few more projects to the queue.  

First up, we have a scarf for the son of a coworker.  I used Knit Picks Brava in bulky so it moves along a little faster.  This scarf was requested to be a minimum of 8' long, preferably 10'.  I'm enjoying the mindless garter stitch for now.  Ask me if that's changed around the 5' mark.

Next up we have a Dinosaur Hood for a lovely 4-year-old who is, in fact, a dinosaur himself.  Made with Knit PIcks Swish in "Bordeaux" and "Gulfstream" I'm hoping it will be durable and comfortable for his delicate little head.

I made this much in just an afternoon and ran out of yarn.  I clearly read the pattern, noticed how much blue I would need, and promptly ordered less than I would need to finish it.  It seems the 110 yards I ordered is less than the 180 yards I actually need.  Who knew?

And now, in his blog debut, I present Eli Waites Kulik.  This would be the Canadian baby from a prior post.  Here he is looking snuggly and perfect in his swaddle blanket.  It seems it's doing its job quite well.

I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Eli in person, but I hope to do so in the very near future.  In the meantime, I'm trusting his mommy and daddy to keep the woolly pictures coming.

Stay cozy, little one.  It supposed to snow tonight.  Just a dusting, but the first snowfall always strikes a cord in knitters.  There are loved ones to keep warm.

Christmas in October

I think this might be unprecedented.  It's October 29th.  Not even Halloween.  My washcloth Christmas plan is done.  That's right, DONE.  That's approximately 20 washcloths all worked up and the ends woven in.

While in Rhinebeck, I stopped into a little homemade soap booth along the way.  I knew I needed soaps, and I knew I wanted them homemade, but I really wanted them to come from a local vendor.  Not that Rhinebeck is incredibly far, but it's not exactly local.

I decided that local wasn't the most important part.  That it was better to support any small, local vendor.  Afterall, this vendor was local to somewhere as opposed to being big-box.  I chose a variety of colors and scents and the names were simply charming.

I figured the variety would match the rainbow of washcloths perfectly and the price was just right.  As I  grabbed all the soaps I thought I would need, I happened to actually read the business cards I grabbed to include with the gifts.  As it turns out, this local soap vendor is, in fact, local to ME. 

Simpler Thyme is located in Branchville, NJ.  All of her soaps are handcrafted, cold processed, and made with olive oil, coconut and palm oils, water, and lye.  The scents come from various essential oils, herbs, spices, and grains.  And have I mentioned how lovely they are?

Storage Solutions

I have a lot of yarn.  It's hidden in every room of my tiny little apartment.  There's some in my crock pot because I rarely use it and it's mostly just a covered storage bowl under my sink.  Most of my yarn is in my bedroom.  I have a huge closet and exactly half of it contains almost all of my stash.  

I knew I needed to improve my yarn storage, and the impending trip to Rhinebeck seemed like the best time so I don't have to leave the yarn on the table while Jack tries to do his homework like I did last year.  I decided to take all my yarn out of my closet to really see what I was dealing with.  I wanted to sort, organize, take an inventory, and know exactly what I wanted to purchase next weekend.

This is what all of my yarn in my bedroom looks like.

Admittedly, it was more than I thought.

I anticipated needing a better storage solution and I happen to know someone very skilled in woodwork who offered to make me a shelving unit to combat my ever growing stash.

See that?  That's 56 cozy little cubbies for my yarn.  I was able to donate almost 2 garbage bags to charity causes and this is the yarn that I know I will eventually knit through.  The best of the best, if you will.  Now everything is organized and sorted and neat and it makes my OCD jump with joy.  

And now I have 9 single cubbies and 1 double cubby to fill with Rhinebeck yarn.

For anyone doing the math, I know there are 10 empty single spaces.  See that little guy down there on the left?  Third up from the bottom?  He might already be full...

Pending

I've entered the world of baby blanket making.  I adore making blankets for the tiny humans.  I try to make something that will end up as an heirloom.  Something that they will love at 3 and 33.  Something that will look just as fitting on a crib in a nursery as it will on a couch in their adult living room.  

The thing with blankets is they take a lot of time, which makes for long periods of nothing to post to the blog.  I'm trying to post often so it becomes a habit, and to stick to that I've decided to post the blanket as a work-in-progress.

I have no idea if the pending mommy reads this, but I'm willing to take my chances.  This blanket is quite lovely, and I can't wait to see what it looks like as a finished product.

In other news, Nickel is seen here sporting the hat portion of his football bunting.  His Mommy thinks he looks like a convict.  She's not completely wrong.  But he's a damn cute convict.

Birthday Socks

Birthday socks are my favorite socks to make.  Especially this time of year.  Giving warm birthday socks in the dead of summer seems off, but making them now seems just right.

These little numbers were knit with this yarn.  They are a virgin wool/polyamide blend which means they are superwash.

I tend to try to veer away from colorful variegated yarns because they are almost impossible to match, but I really like this yarn.  It's thick and warm and the perfect amount of soft for surfing on hard wood floors.  Exactly what a now-34-year-old man would look for in a sock.

I Have A Plan

This weekend marks the start of my favorite time of year.  I love autumn.  The leaves, the jeans and sweaters, the way the air smells.  The pumpkin pies and apple crumbs and knowing I won't be donning a bathing suit anytime soon and can fully enjoy those desserts.

This is also when I start to slowly become a one-woman Christmas Present Sweat Shop.  Too many people to knit for, and not enough time to do it.  I suppose that's a wonderful way to be burdened, though.  To have too many people in my life deserving of woollies. 

This year I have a plan... 

...and that plan is washcloths.  They are small, fly off the needles, and can be made with virtually any stitch pattern.  

I used Sugar 'n Cream.  It's cheap, 100% USA grown cotton, and machine washable and dryable.

They'll be boxed with candles and soaps.  And if I'm able to, I'll do some detective work and coordinate them to each bathroom.

For now, I'm riding my delusional high horse thinking I have a good, strong hold on Christmas this year.  You'd think I'd know better.

Ready For Autumn

As I'm sure I've mentioned, Jack loves socks.  I don't think I've mentioned that he also loves orange, but his Christmas Sweater 2010 may have alluded to that.  Whenever I go to my Local Yarn Store, I try to leave with something intend for Jack.  It helps assuage the guilt of spending my yarn budget so freely.

When I saw this, I couldn't resist.

They are my classic sock recipe.  No frills or modifications.

Heritage Paints by Cascade in "Citrus Mix."

Canadian Bacon

I come from a very large family.  The cousins (my generation of them, at least) are all 9 months apart and alternate male/female.  This makes figuring out our ages and knowing our order incredibly simple.  My cousin Nick is exactly 1 week shy of being exactly 9 months older than I am.  He is my favorite male cousin and I love him dearly.  

He is quirky, wildly intelligent, and covered in tattoos.  All things I adore in other humans.  The fact that we're related is just an added bonus.

Nick and his charming wife Teresa will be welcoming a little boy into the world this fall.  He will be a partially Canadian baby, and those winters can be brutal.  I cannot think of a more perfect reason for warm woollies.

When we were kids, I remember watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 on Comedy Central and laughing at how clever the robots were.  I somehow stumbled upon this pattern and couldn't resist.  It's newborn sized, made with 100% Superwash Merino Knit Picks Swish DK in "Coal" and "White", and prompted Nick to ask if it came in "grown up." 

Babies should be swaddled in warmth and love every minute of their lives.  And this Baby Snuggle Wrap is just perfect.  I modified it a bit by removing the icord and pompom.  Made with Misti Alpaca Chunky, it's soft and lightweight and quite personally I'd like this in "grown up" for myself.

I mentioned that Nick has several tattoos, and a generous portion of these are Tim Burton pieces.  There is nothing more perfect in all of Knitshire than a Jack Skellington doll for the baby.  Made with leftover MST3K yarn and polyester stuffing.  I'm mildly concerned that Nick will keep this for himself, as dolls don't have sizes.

I've recently discovered that I have the ability to knit magic.  This crazy little thing is the Star Illusion Blanket.  I used Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in the colors specified in the pattern.  It worked up much easier than the pattern would lead you to believe, but I despise seams and this blanket is ripe with them.  The finished project makes it well worth it in the end.

This is the birds-eye view of the blanket.  It looks like something guaranteed to induce a migraine...

...but this is the eye-level view.  This is what the baby sees during tummy time.  This is the sky brought to his level, and I hope he's as fascinated by it as I am.

x 2

Twins are all the amazing joys of babies times two.  Smiles x 2, and belly laughs x 2, and of course there are messes x 2.  

My boss is blessed with twin grandsons and therefore by association I am blessed with twin knitting requests.

These birthday sweaters are the same as Jack's Christmas Sweater 2010 with a splash of color to brighten them up.  I modified the pattern slightly to allow for the surprising circumference of a child's head.  Always remember to leave a neck opening the size of the Grand Canyon, and then make it just a hair bigger.  

For these I used Knit Picks Shine Worsted in "Macaw" and "Sailor."  This is a Pima Cotton and Modal Natural Beech Wood Fiber blend making it machine washable and dryable, which is incredibly important for regular use by 1 year old boys.

Christmas Sweaters were then requested, which means the Birthday Sweaters went off without a hitch. This pattern is the Snowflake Pullover and it was absolutely perfect for little Christmas toddlers.  I chose Classic Elite Ariosa in "Cloud" and "Lipstick."  It's 100% extrafine merino, meaning hand wash only which admittedly isn't ideal for baby things.  I couldn't resist how cozy and snuggly this yarn was and I decided that since they're holiday sweaters and babies are never the same size for more than one holiday, the washing requirements seemed less important. 

Of course, the boys are allergic to merino.

One Must Accessorize

Accessories are fun to play with, and I love this little neck warmer.  I used some local alpaca from a farm in my town, and as far as I know she doesn't have a name for her yarn yet.  Or at least Google doesn't know what it is...

Even dogs need to accessorize every now and again.  This wonderful little piece is the Classic Aran from Dog Gone Cute, and it really is.  It was incredibly fast to knit up, and several of my four-legged friends have received one for those blustery fall days.

This is a super warm winter hat I dreamed up.  The false brim is one of my favorite hat styles as it gives it a bit of definition without the bulk of a fold over brim.  I used Lopi for this hat, and I know it can be a bit itchy at times, but it is my go-to yarn for most fair aisle patterns.  It seems so perfectly suited for playing on an Icelandic countryside.

Moving on to this little number.  I have always been fascinated by beading.  It's such a pretty addition to certain pieces and it's not at all as finicky as I had imagined.  I'm not usually a pink kinda gal, but the purple mixed in on this ivory background was exactly what I was looking for.  This is also some alpaca from the neighborhood farm.

Whether it's a hat, pretty little neck warmer, or something for a furry friend, accessories are always fun to make and I love that people often forget all of the things yarn can do.

First Impressions

I've already mentioned that the tiny humans are my favorite to knit for.  Every baby should have a hand knit blanket.  Mommies spend so much energy growing the wee ones, giving them something soft and warm made with love is the least we can do.

This Aran Blanket is a combination of my own design and made with something from Knit Picks that I can't remember right now.  Baby Megan, aka The Meggie Monster, is the cousin of Ava and AJ from this post.  This family produces children in rapid succession, but they're always kind enough not to be pregnant at the same time.  This blanket brought me closer to the edge than anything else I've ever made.  It left me crying on the floor in a pile of cashmere mumbling nonsense about my failed ability to count.  In the end, it was all worth it.  Maybe.  Well not really, but the blanket is quite divine...

Ava recently had a little brother, Gunnar.  Although I didn't know his name when I started making this, I had decided that he needed a strong, manly stitch to welcome him into the world.  This is the Dragon Skin blanket, and it's perfectly suited for his strong, manly name.

Ava, AJ, Meggie, and Gunnar recently had another cousin, Nicholas, who I've decided will only be known as Nickel.  Nickel's mommy is my dearest friend in the world, and her journey into motherhood was not an easy one.  I made this blanket near the start of that journey because even when she was too tired to keep hoping, I knew she'd get her wish.  Made with a wonderful Rowan that has since been discontinued, this was my first real attempt at Entrelac and I adore it.  I adore it so much, in fact, that it's the background for all of my marketing.  It's bright and happy and intriguing.  As is Nickel.

Also made with something from Knit Picks, this is a simple basket weave stitch with a garter edge.  I've never met the baby this was made for so I don't have much of a back story, just that there was a tiny human about to be born and he needed something to cuddle up in.

Also done in Entrelac and with Knit Picks, this little blanket has the title of belonging to the only baby ever to be born before his blanket was ready.  Of course, he was early and also attended his own baby shower, but that's no excuse.  I made him a Love Bunny with the leftover yarn to make up for not having a blanket to come home in.  Sorry, Matthias!

Knit with Loin Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton in "Macadamia", this little blanket is my own design.  The yarn is super soft and gets softer with every washing, but it sheds and sticks to my hands and gets in my eyes and generally makes me want to die.  And since I had to graph the pattern from scratch, there was a considerable amount of starting over.  It also involved a considerable amount of counting and I believe I've mentioned how I often forget how to count.  I think Baby Logan got (gets) enough wear out of it though, and that is really the only thing that matters.

The Tree of Life is a wonderful little story, and this pattern represents it perfectly.  It was a joy to make.  Baby Addison was a winter baby and that brand needs a blanket even more.  It's delicate and just the right amount of frilly for the little princess she's turning out to be.

All of these tiny humans are growing into full sized adults at a rate that leaves my head spinning.  I'm grateful to have been a part of welcoming them into our world.

You Have Feet In Your Shoes...

...and those feet need socks.  I almost always revert back to my standard sock recipe.  It's comfortable, familiar, memorized years ago, and I can do it in my sleep.  But there are so very many interesting and delicate and trendy and unique patterns that I know I'm deeply limiting myself in the sock department.  

Sometimes there are birthday socks,

and sometimes there are socks just for me, 

and sometimes there are Christmas socks, 

and matching socks, 

and socks for moms and dads, 

and sometimes socks just because.

Whatever the reason, socks are one of the best things to make for people.  They are warm and fit just right and the feet in our shoes should always be well taken care of.