Pat-a-Cake

Today I wound six lovely skeins of beautiful creamy white yarn into six little cakes.  Six yarn cakes.  And soon to be knit into a baby blanket for my 5th grandbaby.

I can hardly wait to get started on the blanket, but first I must finish a few works in progress:

This colorful baby sweater now just needs a few buttons and a blocking to call it finished.

 Pattern:  Paxton Baby Jacket

Yarn:  Knitcol by Adriafil, merino, dk weight

And this green sweater, a cardigan for me, may never be complete at the pace I'm knitting.  Lace weight yarn and miles of stockinette stitch--what was I thinking?!
 

 Pattern:  Rocio

Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow, merino, lace 

Lastly, the ever ongoing socks.  In my opinion, a knitter must always have at least one pair of socks in progress.  :)
 

Pattern:  Charade

Yarn: Bare Sheep Yarn Company (Etsy)

As evidenced by all the knitting posts, it's obvious that I'm not sewing.  I just need to figure out how to make time for both knitting and sewing!  I do have a pattern for a messenger bag that I'm super excited to sew.   

Ruth  

{ Babies }

I think I've been making these baby blankets for hundreds of years, and yet I don't get tired of them.  New moms always seem to appreciate them, too.  

This particular set of a receiving blanket and matching burp cloth was made for a reader's new granddaughter.  The tiny rosebud fabric is such a classic print, and I just love working with it.

Crocheting the edging is not difficult.  Tutorials abound on the internet including mine here from 2007.  

The stitch I used for this edging is as follows:

Rnd 1:  Single crochet round blanket. Slip stitch to connect the last stitch to the first stitch.
Rnd 2:  *Single crochet in next stitch.  5 double crochet in next stitch.  Single crochet in next stitch.*  Repeat around the edge of the blanket. Join and tie off.

The pea green baby set is also finished!  I just love the little booties...so fun to knit.  

The patterns:
Sweater: Paxton Jacket
Booties: Seamless Top-Down Booties
Hat:  Easy Peasy Hat

Baby Hats

Sweet little baby hats sewn on a whim--a quick and fun project that got me into my neglected sewing room. But still, I have no motivation for sewing.

So, it's back to the knitting needles. (I started a pair of booties to match the finished baby cardigan which is waiting for its buttons).

If you have any extra sewing mojo, send some my way! :)

Make Mine Strawberry (Cardigan)

Emily's sweater was finished several weeks ago, and I finally sewed on the buttons this week.  The cooler weather was just what I needed to motivate me to finish this project.

Yes, this princess of mine still loves kittens.  :)

 

The Pattern:  Make Mine Strawberry
The Yarn:  Liberty Wool by Classic Elite Yarn
Modifications:  I shortened the length.  And I'm glad I did.  However, my sweater came out wider than I like....perhaps it's because I used a thicker yarn (even though I did get gauge!) or because I knit too loosely.   Overall, I'm happy, happy, happy with this sweater; I will definitely make it again.
 

Acer Cardigan, All Buttoned Up

The buttons are on my Acer Cardigan!!!!  

I finished knitting the sweater over a month ago but finally sewed on the buttons yesterday--just in time to enter it in the county fair.  :)

This was my second adult size sweater to knit, and it was certainly a challenge.  I experienced a few "firsts" with this sweater:  my first time to knit cables and the first time to set in sweaters in a knitted garment.  

The challenge of this sweater was a good one, and I am more than happy with the results.  I'm delighted!

Ravelry Notes

 

Look at those cables down the back!

More than likely I will not wear the cardigan fully buttoned up, but here's what it looks like.

 love, love, love

Yarn Stashing

A few posts back I said I don't have a yarn stash, and I had no plans to start a yarn stash.  I confess, my resolve has failed....  Let me introduce you to my new yarn:

 

 Knit Picks Shadow

100% Merino Wool

Lace Weight

Color: Forest Green Heather

Intended Project:  Rocio Cardigan

 Lost City Knits

100% Merino Wool

Fingering Weight

Color: Pageantry Purple

Intended Project: Lafitte Shawl

Plymouth Yarn, Dreambaby

Acrylic Microfiber/Nylon (so soft, too!)

DK Weight

Color: 143 Green

Intended Project:

Paxton Baby Jacket 

(NEW GRANDBABY!!!)

 

Tofutsies (toe-foot-sies)

Superwash wool, soy, cotton, chitin (shrimp/crab shells)

Fingering Weight

Color: 856 TOEquoise

Intended Project:  Socks (someday)

   Bare Sheep Yarn

Superwash Merino

Fingering Weight

Color: Pond Love

Intended Project: Socks (soon)

As you can probably guess, I have been knitting this summer and not sewing.  Now that our home school is starting back up,my knitting time will be lessened: I'm sure this yarn will keep me occupied for some time. 

Ruth

Process or Product?

I certainly enjoy the process of knitting.  The process of the knitting itself, the relaxation, the peace, the enjoyment that comes from just sitting and knitting, contemplating, meditating, thinking.  

So when I saw a mistake in this girl's cardigan, way back in the process, I only freaked out just a little.  Just a little.  Sigh.  If you look closely, you will notice that the third row grouping of "lace" bobble-dealies is shorter than in the other rows. I totally skipped a few rows which made that pattern group shorter than the other rows. 

If you know me, you know I'm a bit of a perfectionist.  And it's that quality in me that makes me care also about the finished product.  I almost left the sweater alone, almost decided to ignore the glaring mistake, almost continued on.  But I didn't.  I frogged out the entire sweater as shown in the picture above, and I started over.  And in the process I decided to knit the sweater one size smaller.  

And you know, I like the second sweater so much better.  So is it the process or the product that matters most?  For me, I think it's both.  

Pictures soon.

Ruth

Pattern: Make Mine Strawberry

from Through the Back Loops