Tooth Fairy pillow for Maxwell

Although I am not looking forward to the loss of deciduous teeth among my own small fries, I am super excited that our little nephew Max has started the process!

Of course, where there's an event, there's a fun little knit to go with it!



I've promised another one for H-bomb- the only way she would let this one go.



The coffee cup is in the picture to show the size, although it does look good : )

I think the pillow even arrived to be of service : )

Specifics:

Pattern: free download from Knitpicks
Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted
Needles: size 6
Gauge: 18 sts/4 inches

It was a very easy pattern- it would have been nice to have the closure of the pillow at the bottom instead of the top so the crown would be smoother, but I didn't feel like thinking about it all that much.

Happy birthday, hot legs......

A little flashback to the 80's for my little sister's birthday : )



This was a fun, straightforward project I worked on during the drive to France. (Fret not, camper, My Man was doing the driving: ) I admit I ripped them out quite a bit in the beginning (nothing new for me). At first they seemed too small, then, it was something else that bothered me, but when I was done messing around, they knitted up just fine. It makes me want a pair......oy!

Details:
Yarn: Patons Classic wool- self-striping, love that!
Pattern: Cast on 60, work in 2x2 rib for 20 rows, then change to stockinette until desired length. Finish with 20 rows of 2x2 rib at the other end!
Gauge: 20 sts/4 inches
Needles: Size 6- magic loop method used.

Nannio's Mitts

In this picture, my daughter looks different to me. Sometimes, I think certain photos seem to flash forward to a glimpse of the future of a child. She looks older than her 5.84 years! I love that expression : )


So, Nannio made a scarf and I made the matching mitts. I didn't like this yarn much, either. It's got too many sparkly bits in it. But the mitts are cute. I'd like to make some more of theses....





Here's them on my second daughter...


And of course, here's what they look like on the puggy : ) Sorry, you know I can't resist!


Specifics:
Yarn: Bulky Italian yarn
Gauge: 6 sts/2"
Needles: size 11
Pattern: Cast on 20 sts and work in the round in k1p1 rubbing for 17 rows. Change to stockinette stitch and work 12 rows in the round. Work back and forth for 6 rows to allow for a thumb opening. Rejoin to work in the round for 5 more rows- bind off. Weave in loose ends.

These work up very fast, as you might imagine. Hopefully they will help Nannio beat the chill this fall.

Anastasia's Shawl....

I knit this shawl for my big sister. Although it didn't take long to knit, it has taken me a long time to finish it up. Seems I have several projects that are near completion - over 90% done, yet they remain 10% undone.



I have really changed to a process-type knitter and not a project oriented knitter, but STILL!

The yarn was not my favorite. My knitterly friends seem to think the finished product looks nice, but it's hard for me to see past the yarn. As usual, I am not a fan of novelty yarn.




Specs:
Yarn: Karabella Gossamer, black
Pattern: Karabella KK230
Yarn used: 3 skeins, 220 yards EACH
Gauge: 14-16 sts/4 inches
Needles: size 10

Mods: Cast on 30 rather than 16 and then I just kept knitting and increasing until it was the length I wanted from neck to elbow. The final measurements are:

neck to elbow-19"
neck down back- 25"
length across at widest point-46"

I knit this with smaller needles than called for, so it has a tighter feel and should be warmer. At the recommended gauge, the stitches seemed too big to me- it had too many "holes." So, I used 3 skeins rather than 2. Even with the extra skein, I had to make the ruffle smaller so I didn't run out of yarn.


It's a very simple pattern and a ruffle is always nice.

Look for this in the mail soon....sis!

Catching up...with baby steps

I made this little sack for my new nephew...of course I haven't posted in a while and now he's 2 years old. Just kidding, it hasn't been THAT long, but he is 2 months old : )


I hope this fit him at some point, though not anymore! While I was making it, I was thinking how small it seemed, but I sized it up against a little 5 week old and it seemed like it would be alright. I don't know for sure.

Specifics:

Yarn: Berroco Comfort DK
Color: green
Washing: machine wash and dry until nearly dry
Pattern: Mrs. Brak's Drawstring Bottom Baby Kimono with Raglan Shaping by Georgia Porter
Mods: I made a crochet chain to tie it....and a matching little hat
Buttons: from a crazy little italian shop!

There's an Italian woman at the library who directed me to a button/fabric store. There were dozens and dozens of boxes stacked up to the ceiling. Each box had a dozen or so little buttons stuck on the front of the lid. The idea was to point to a box that might have something of interest and then the sales lady would get it down and help you. I found the buttons straight away and I love them. Of course, I forgot to sew on the spare : (

Overall the pattern was seriously CUTE! I would definitely be interested in more sizing information next time.

I decided not to place a scarey-looking dolly in it for picture purposes, you can thank me later : )

Inspired by the Cleveland Zoo's Rainforest

This pattern is very sweet- I love the way the wings button. We recently went to the zoo and saw a live bat exhibit in part of the Rainforest. Usually, my little Z is easily intimidated by all things she deems spooky- she uses her own scale of creep-factor and it's hard to predict what she will deem unacceptable. Interestingly, she was really intrigued by the nocturnal antics of these creatures! She now professes a LOVE for bats!

I always forget, when making these toys, that the knitting portion is faster than the assembling portion. I am not a huge fan of the assembly, but it’s always worth it. I have several requests for more of these fellows.

I remain unimpressed by this yarn- Vanna's Choice- I should have made it with Cascade 220 as called for in the pattern. The Vanna's Choice was splitty and hard on my hands.

Just Enough Ruffles.....

(photo by H-bomb)


I have stated on numerous occasions that I wanted something made with Aurora 8 around my neck. This lovely yarn is the yarn that gave me gauge fits when I knit "Hourglass." But, with a scarf, there is no gauge with which to have an issue : ) I do love gauge-less projects, you know.

So, this scarf is Just Enough Ruffles. It was a quick, fun knit. It's a great intro to short rows. The only aspect I DON'T like about the scarf is where it rolls. Despite several rows of garter stitch at the beginning, it rolls. I tried to block it to stop the rolling and it didn't really help. I think I can just let it go, we'll see.

Surprisingly, the Aurora 8 for this scarf doesn't seem as soft as the same yarn knit up in my sweater. My friend Buffy and I spent lots of time debating whether it has a little itch or not. I guess if you can't tell very easily, the itch factor is pretty negligible...but I am always searching for no-itch natural fibers. All in all, I like it.

(photo by Z-bomb)