Cecilia Knits

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 03:34:00 +0000

The year is off to a good start. Christmas was great - so much fun with all the family.

I finished a few projects toward the end of 2008. I actually got 3 very nice FO's out of one (very large) skein of Interlacements Rick Rack II which I picked up at the 2006 TKGA show in Oakland. What a great deal that yarn turned out to be. The colors are just beautiful and it was lovely to knit with.

The reason I bought the yarn in the first place was that I feel in love with the sample feather & fan shawl on display. Just gorgeous. So I knitted up one of those:

Then, there was still plenty of yarn left so I knitted up a Montego Bay scarf. And, since there was STILL lots left, I knitted up a second. What a lovely, simple pattern. It is perfect for showing off the colors of this yarn.

And now for a gratuitous baby shot. Henry loves to have his back massaged. (Who doesn't for that matter?!) So here he is enjoying a New Years back massage:

Happy Holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:33:00 +0000

Peace and Joy to you and yours!

Holiday Elf Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:16:00 +0000

How about some holiday cuteness?

Candy cane hat from Itty Bitty Hats.

I love my boy!

Mmm...Turkey...

Twice in One Month?!

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:29:00 +0000

So it's still November and I'm posting again! Yay me!

And I've actually been doing some knitting, with some actual FO's to show for it. I knitted up two February Baby Sweaters for a friend who is expecting twin girls in the next month or two.

Details on Ravelry.

Also, I am so NOT a photographer. Such a crappy photo that is. Not really the actual color of the sweaters at all. But you get the general idea.

I liked this pattern quite a lot once I finally figured it out. But that took me a bit of figurin', which means that the first sweater (the purple one) has some mistakes which did not reappear in the second sweater. They match pretty well, aside from a few mistakes, and I accidentally did the buttonholes on different sides for each sweater. Oops! Lame, I know. Still, I'm quite pleased with the overall result. It's a sweet pattern and the yarn is a lovely soft superwash wool, Fibranatura Baby Merino which I got on some excellent clearance at Webs. And there's enough leftover to make two more baby sweaters...or something of that sort.

Now onto more important photos. And, although I am obviously terribly biased, I think there's really no denying that this is one very beautiful baby:

He's almost 4 months old already, and is growing so fast. My little angel boy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:13:00 +0000

Wow, how quickly the time goes with a baby at home! I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since my last post. Yikes. So all is well with Baby Henry. He's a sweetie and I am so in love with him. He's learning all kinds of great things - such as how to suck his thumb, to reach and grab toys, to talk in his most excellent baby language, etc. We do struggle with some things, such as daytime naps, feeding, and some body stiffness. He's getting physical therapy and occupational therapy to help with those and I expect that before long he'll have it all figured out.

As for knitting, just a teensy bit of that going on. I'm amazed at how little free time I seem to have these days for knitting. But I do have a few pics to show:

These are some basic 3x1 ribbed socks I made for my husband. I lost the yarn label and I cannot remember what it was, but I'm pretty pleased with them. I was looking for a Trekking-like yarn and this seems like a pretty good substitute.

And here's Henry in his awesome wool diaper soaker. Obviously it's a titch big for him, but he'll grow into it. I find that I don't use these as often as I thought I would. The velcro closure diaper covers are just so much more convenient (and more waterproof).

I'm currently working on a February Baby Sweater by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I'm hoping to make two of these for some friends who are expecting twin girls in December or January.

And here's my two favorite guys!

My Favorite Baby Products

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:35:00 +0000

So we've had our boy home with us now for 4 weeks. He's doing great. We're doing great, still figuring out all the things you have to learn with a new baby - like how to get enough sleep, how to get stuff done, etc. There are so many fantastic inventions that make life easier with baby. Here are a few of my favorites...

Henry loves his rainforest bouncer...sometimes I think he loves it more than me. When he's crying inconsolably, the thing that will surely settle him down is setting him in his bouncy chair and turning on the vibrator and the little waterfall thing and the forest sounds.

Henry's sleep savior is the Miracle Blanket, a brilliant little baby straight-jacket. Henry loves this thing and he can really only get a decent night's sleep when he's swaddled up tight in his miracle blanket. I know babies can be swaddled in regular receiving blankets too, but this thing is virtually impossible to break out of, so he just relaxes and doesn't even try to free his arms. Brilliant! And then there's the Moby Wrap, a super comfy baby carrier. It's really just a very long (like 15 feet or so) piece of fabric that wraps around to create interesting ways to carry baby. Henry loves it because it's soft and stretchy and holds him close to me.

Another great invention that has turned out to be surprisingly useful for us is this Homedics Sound Spa...when we're putting Henry down to sleep we turn on the ocean sounds and set the timer for 15 minutes so we all fall asleep to the sound of ocean waves. It's super soothing for all of us. It makes other sounds too, like a heartbeat, or lullabies...but we like the ocean sound best, and I think it must be a little like the sounds of being in the womb.

And as for books...The Happiest Baby on the Block has been a great source of helpful info on calming and soothing an upsest baby.

So there's my list of just a few of the fantastic baby products that have really helped us.

Not much knitting going on here. A teensy bit of sock knitting now and again, so someday I will finish the pair of socks I've been working on for the last 2 months. Here's one last picture of Henry in his Baby Kimono sweater...

Baby's Home . . . Finally!

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:26:00 +0000

Here's baby Henry!

Poor little Henry got off to a very rough start in life. He was born by emergency c-section early Wednesday morning, July 30th after some oxygen deprivation issues during labor. He had some seizures hours later and was sent to the Intensive Care Nursery at UCSF where they took amazing care of him for 2 weeks. He was very very sick but has made an amazing recovery and we are so happy to finally have our boy home with us.

Here is a picture of me holding him for the first time, when he was 4 days old. How happy I was to finally have him in my arms!

And here's a couple more of his sweet face..

Baby Kimono

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:47:00 +0000

I finished the baby kimono sweater, and I love it. It was such a fast and easy project and it's sooooo adorable. Mine came out smaller than the pattern called for - it's probably about a 0-3 month size, but that's perfect, since most of the sweaters I've made are a little bigger, so it'll be good to have something the munchkin can wear when he's just a new babe.

Pattern: Baby Sachiko Kimono Sweater by Erika Flory
Yarn: TLC Cotton Plus light blue and sage
Needles: US7
Size: Small (about 3 month)

I made a little coordinating hat in the sage color, but it seems a little silly to me so I didn't picturize it. But even silly hats can look pretty sweet on a baby, so we'll try it out and see how it works. This may even be his going home from the hospital outfit if it's a cool day, and if it fits.

So no baby yet, but I do feel like it's going to be soon (but maybe every first time mom feels that way). My due date is still 10 days away, but my body is feeling quite ready. I had my last day of work on Thursday, so this is my first week off and I'm loving that. We did some serious hill walking over the weekend - the first time I've attempted that walk in months. It felt like such an accomplishment. Today I'll probably stick with swimming, just to give my achey body a break.

Hopefully any day now our little guy will join us in the big wide world!

Countdown

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:43:00 +0000

Just 2 1/2 weeks now til my due date! Exciting! I'm really beginning to feel ready, but not too impatient yet. I would like to get through at least one more week before baby comes. My brother and his wife are coming to town (from Venezuela) on Thursday, and we're having a family barbeque on Friday, so I'm hoping baby will hold off til after that to make his appearance. But I'll be thrilled, whenever he comes! Just 4 more days of work til I begin my leave (until January). Hurray!

I finished my Bird's Nest Shawl. It took almost two months, but I loved working on it. The yarn is so beautiful and soft, and the pattern is just lovely - not too complex, not too boring.

The shawl came out quite large (80" x 21"). It's surprisingly warm too.

Pattern: Bird's Nest Shawl by Cheryl Oberle from Folk Shawls (Ravelry Link)
Yarn: Indiecita Baby Alpaca from Peru (5.5 balls)
Needles: US6 and US5

When I finished the shawl I decided I should put some more energy into knitting baby stuff, which is so much faster. Love that instant gratification.

Pattern: Wool Diaper Soakers (Ravelry Link)
Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes
Needles: US7
Size: 0-6 month

And my current project is a baby kimono sweater. Ohmygoodness this thing is so tiny and adorable. It works up pretty quick too. Pictures of that soon I hope.

The Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:16:00 +0000

Yesterday hubby and I decided it was time for a trip to the San Francisco zoo. We wanted to take some cool animal pics for the baby's room, and to scope out the place for future trips with the little one. Plus, it just sounded like a fun idea. And it was!

Hubby took lots of excellent pics...

They have an awesome new grizzly bear exhibit, which lets you get pretty up close and personal with these beautiful creatures.

And these prairie dogs just cracked me up.

Here I am, with baby inside, on his first trip to the zoo.

I'm still plugging away at my Birds Nest Shawl, and I am still loving it. It's taking me forever, but I'm fine with that. I'm almost 2/3 done, so hopefully soon I'll be able to wrap it up and move on to some fast and rewarding baby knits. Meanwhile, I really do love working with this very soft yarn and this lovely, but fairly simple pattern.

Happy Fathers Day to everyone, including my honey, who is a truly remarkable dad!

Some Pregnancy Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:46:00 +0000

I don't have much knitting to share. I'm working on a Bird's Nest Shawl from Folk Shawls, by Cheryl Oberle. I love love love this pattern. I'm about 1/3 of the way through it, and it's moving slow for me, but I really enjoy working on it.

In other news, the pregnancy is progressing very well. I'm 32 weeks now - just 8 weeks (give or take) to go. Very exciting. My amazing friends hosted a wonderful baby shower for us a few weeks ago and it was so much fun.

We got loads of wonderful baby gifts -lots of precious onesies, toys, books, etc. And a great jogging stroller for walks around our very hilly neighborhood. Here's a picture of the coolest hand-crafted gift ever- a fabulous quilt made by my friend Donna with adorable sock monkey fabric. I made sock monkeys for her boys years ago and she made this wonderful quilt for me. How sweet is that! And look how big it is....big enough for our boy to use for many years. I'm sure this quilt will get a lot of love for many years.

And here's a current picture of my big ol' pregnant belly. Funny thing is that people tell me that I don't look very big for being so far along. To me this just seems ridiculous. I am in fact, feeling plenty huge, but whatever. I find it a little surprising whenever someone comments on my size anyway, especially random strangers. I mean, people don't do that to non-pregnant women, right?

So we're feeling pretty ready for our little one, though he's still got to cook for at least another month. We've got most of the supplies and equipment we need; we're pretty much done with our childbirth classes; and now we just chill for the next month or two and we'll be good to go. Very exciting.

Back With a Couple Knits

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Thu, 15 May 2008 23:33:00 +0000

I know it's been a long time since I've posted, but I'm here again. Been doing some knitting, not lightning fast or anything, but I have finished a couple things. Finished the Lacy Hug Me Tight from Knit 2 Together. Not sure I totally dig it though. I mean it'd probably be cute if I were skinnier and a lot less pregnant, but for now, not so much. But maybe someday it'll work for me.

Also, I whipped up some sweet diaper soakers. Love them. Such a fast and easy pattern, and if they actually work as effective cloth diaper covers I'll be stoked, because they are way cheaper and more fun than buying diaper covers. I've read that you should lanolize the wool to make it waterproof. (Anyone know anything about this?) So I'll give that a shot. And I'll definitely be knitting up more of these cuties.

I started the Bird's Nest Shawl, from Cheryl Oberle's Folks Shawls. I'm using some beautiful baby alpaca that my brother and sister-in-law brought me from Peru. It's soft and luscious. The shawl is knit lengthwise, so the rows are very long - 346 stitches and therefore move a little bit slowly. So I'm still working on the garter stitch edge, but so far I'm enjoying it.

I'm enjoying a couple days in Monterey, where it is unusually hot - over 90 degrees! But beautiful. Who could complain about a day in Monterey?! Walking along the coast in Pacific Grove we stumbled across a beach with a bunch of mama and baby harbor seals. Many of the babies were nursing. How sweet is that?

My pregnancy is progressing nicely - I'm bigger every day, which still shocks me when I see myself in the mirror. But I'm feeling good and everything seems fine, so hurray. And in 10 weeks or so, our new baby will be giving up the comfort of his watery cushy home for the real world. I am so looking forward to that moment!

Baby Daisy Hat

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:01:00 +0000

I'm still plugging away on my Lacy Hug Me Tight from Knit 2 Together. It's a lot of 2x2 ribbing, so it's a little tedious, but I'll get there. I'm a little discouraged because I'm going to run out of yarn - I'll need 2 more balls I think and I'm not sure where I'll get it. But I'll keep working away at it.

Meanwhile, for a little instant gratification I knit up an Upside Down Daisy Hat from Itty Bitty Hats. So fast and so cute.

Pattern: Upside Down Daisy Hat from Itty Bitty Hats
Yarn: TLC Cotton Plus, medium Rose
Needles: US7
Size: 0-6 month

It's for my husband's cousin's new baby (due next week). They have another daughter who is around 3, so I think I'll make a matching big sister hat. I'm so pleased with this little project.

In baby news... the little guy's very active these days, which is so fun. Lots of kicking going on. I'm feeling good and enjoying this stage of the pregnancy very much. We are gradually putting the baby's room together. We assembled the crib and I dyed some curtains the other day, and that worked out nicely. There's still lots to be done, but it feels good to make a little progress.

Have a great week!

My New Best Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:53:00 +0000

So, about a month ago I started with the pregnancy aches and pains. But it was mostly caused by sleeping as far as I could tell. So I ordered myself this awesome (both in size and comfort) pregnancy pillow. And I tell you what, this thing is my new favorite thing. Soooo comfortable. Like sleeping on a cozy cloud. Now I'm a happy pregnant lady!

And in knitting news...I knit up this precious elephant. Sooooo cute. And fast and easy. The only challenging part for me was the ears, which are crocheted. And since I don't know how to crochet, that took a little figuring. But I figured it out and I think they came out okay. And really I love this little guy.

Pattern: Elefante by Susan B. Anderson (ravelry link)
Yarn: Cheap Blue Acrylic
Needles: US 4 double points

Li'l sweaters

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:21:00 +0000

I found this sweet little baby cardigan pattern and I liked it so much I had to make a second one. The first one is for our new baby boy, the second will be a girl baby gift.

Pattern: Knitting Pure and Simple, Easy Baby Cardigan
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino - Rich Red (about 300 yards)
Needles: US7
Size: 6 month

Pattern: Knitting Pure and Simple, Easy Baby Cardigan
Yarn: Moda Dea Dream - rasberry (about 300 yards)
Needles: US7
Size: 6 month

Cute cute cute. This is a great, easy baby sweater pattern. I'm going to make some booties now to go with the pink one. And if the booties work out, maybe more of them for other baby gifts.

And speaking of baby, all is well with the pregnancy so far. I'm at 20 weeks now, halfway there! My belly is getting big and the baby is strong. We had our 18 week ultrasound and everything looks healthy. We're beginning to collect some baby gear (crib, bassinet, carseat), and are getting more and more excited about our new little one, set to arrive at the end of July.

Hemlock Ring at last

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:29:00 +0000

I have been working on the Hemlock Ring blanket since December. For some reason I really struggled with completing this project. I grew bored with it at times, and it just seemed to move so slowly. Then, when I was finally approaching the end, and was feeling motivated to wrap it up, I couldn't get over how long the bind off row took me. 3 days! Blocking was another challenge too! I struggled to make it as symetrical as I could, but it is far from perfect. And still, I love it. It's a very pretty, very soft lap blanket.

Pattern: Hemlock Ring Blanket
Yarn: Cascade Eco-Wool, color #8063 (about 1.75 skeins)
Needles: US10.5
Modifications: I knit to row 60 of Brooklyn Tweed's chart (106 rows altogether), then did the bind off row. It measures about 54" across.

And, since it's been so long since I've posted, I never did post about my birthday. I turned 40 on February 19th. We celebrated with a trip to Santa Cruz and Monterey, which was wonderful as always. One of the highlights was our trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is just so spectacular. So here are some beautiful jellies from their incredible jelly exhibit:

Aren't they beautiful!

Baby Knits

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 17:55:00 +0000

All I want to knit these days is baby stuff. I'm working on a cute and simple hooded cardigan for my little one.

And I whipped up a little hat to go with the baby baseball tee, which I'll be shipping off to a friend who is due next month.

And the baby socks of course, they just keep coming. I've done at least 5 pairs now. The blue ones are for a friend with a new baby boy, and the green ones are for my babe, to match his mama's Embossed Leaf Socks.

I'm just giddy with excitement over all the baby knits. And the actual baby too of course! We're finally sharing the news with friends, coworkers, etc. and it's so fun to witness their surprised reactions. We're heading to Santa Cruz /Monterey/Pacific Grove next weekend to celebrate my 40th birthday (the 19th). I'm so looking forward to a fun coastal getaway, and a gathering with our Santa Cruz friends, and visiting my favorite Pacific Grove yarn shop.

Really Big News

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:14:00 +0000

We're having a baby! I have been wanting to say that for ages, and now I'm almost afraid to say it. But I am sooooooo excited about it, though still struggling to believe it's for real at times. I am a bit of a late bloomer, what the doctor's like to call "Advanced Maternal Age". I'll be 40 in a couple weeks. 40! And yes, this is my first. I have two adult stepdaughters who are fabulous. But I am so thrilled to be growing a baby from scratch. It took us two rounds of IVF and a lot of emotional ups and downs to get to this point. I am 14 weeks 1 day today, due July 31. We did a CVS to check for chromosomal abnormalities, which we passed; a HUGE relief! One of the side benefits is that we got to learn early on (like at 12 weeks) the sex of the baby. And....it's a boy! I'm having a baby boy! Woohooo! Perfect. The whole thing still seems like such a huge miracle to me. A big ol' scientific miracle of course. But magical and amazing nonetheless.

So of course I've been working on baby knits, mostly tiny socks Also some gifts for a couple friends who are soon having, or recently had babies, also boys. I love love love the baby knits. Fast, easy, and way cuter than grownup stuff. If anyone has good baby boy knit ideas, send them along because I'm looking for suggestions. I'd like to start on some baby sweaters very soon.

That's my news. No pics today. Have an amazing weekend!

Returning to Blogland

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:03:00 +0000

Once again, I'm back after another extended absence. All is well, and I'm happy to be blogging again. I see that it's been almost a month since I've blogged, and it was a fairly eventful month indeed. Let's start with our New Years gathering at Lake Tahoe. It was sooooo beautiful. Snowy and sunny and gorgeous. Perfect really. My brothers and sister-in-law skied. Hubby & I hiked in the snow. And we took Mom up the gondola to the top of Heavenly. So beautiful! Lots of handknits were worn:

That's me in my center square hat and mom in her sunflower tam.

And this last weekend I had a wonderful get-together with my high school girl friends. We gathered at the coast and had a great time catching up, walking the beach, yarn shopping, and knitting!

(And some crochet too!)

And yes, I have been knitting too, though at a much slower pace for some reason. I've been plugging away at the Hemlock Ring Blanket. I just finished the first skein of yarn in fact, so it's time to wind the second. I WILL finish this thing...eventually.

Also, baby socks. This is about my favorite thing to knit these days. They are so fast and cuuuute. (It's the Better Than Booties Baby Socks from IK.)

I am about ready to expand my baby knitting to slightly more elaborate items...hats, sweaters, etc. I have a couple friends with new or expecting baby boys, so I gotta get busy with that soon.

Anyway, all is well. I'm happy to be back. I'll do my best to post a tad more often in the near future.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 01:10:00 +0000

And Merry Christmas too, to those of you who are so inclined. I, once again, apologize for my blog flakiness. I'll make up for it soon, I promise. Big stuff going on. Bit stuff. More on that later.

Christmas was great. We had a super fun time with my husband's (large) family. Lots of music, games, gifts, food, etc. They do a super fun white elephant gift exchange that is just soooo amusing. We played some Cranium - what a fun game! And we sang lots of silly carols, led by some outstanding musicians (my husband, his sister, and her friend). And the food.... to die for, of course. And best part, we scored the ham bone (with plenty of meat still on it), with which my hubby made the BEST split pea soup. Which is tonight's dinner (once again). Love the split pea soup.

That all took place the weekend before Christmas. On actual Christmas we had a small brunch gathering at our house which was also just lovely. I made this insanely unhealthy egg bake thing which was such a hit my mom made me promise to make it again this weekend.

And the fun continues. This evening my brother and his wife arrive from Venezuela. And on Sunday we're all heading up to Tahoe for a few days of New Years fun. I'm not a skier, but my two brothers are (or used to be back in the day), so that should be fun for them. And I'm looking forward to some relaxing by the fire surrounded by snowy beauty. Maybe a little hiking too.

My dvd tips for the week are: Once. Loved it. That's all I can say. Loved it. And the Namesake. I read the book, but also loved the movie, as did my husband. So that's my tip for the week. Oh how I miss the Daily Show, and the Colbert Report. Wish those writers and producers would settle their differences so I can be entertained and informed once again.

And that's my update. Sorry, not much knitting to share. I started the Hemlock Ring Blanket, but am kinda struggling with the pattern. Once I get the chart figured out I think I'll be good to go. Guess I should join the yahoo group to see what kind of tips I can find.

Here's my one knits in action picture - my husband's nephew wearing his Utopia hat. He liked it and wore it all evening.

Long time no blog

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 22:02:00 +0000

I see that it's been nearly a month since I've blogged. That's bad. I didn't realize I've been gone so long. I did do a fair bit of knitting in that time, small stuff - holiday gifts mostly.

Pattern: Sophie from Magknits
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino - Royal Purple and Dark Gray
Needles: US 10 1/2
This was a quick and easy knit. It really felted up small, but it's still a pretty cute little bag. I made the straps quite a bit longer than the pattern called for, and added a loop closure and a button.

Pattern: Utopia Cabled Hat from Smariek Knits
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino - Dark Gray
Needles: US7 for ribbing, US8 for the rest
I loved this pattern. So cute and easy. I liked it so much I cast on immediately for another in purple.

Also, I finished another Wisp. It's pretty much identical to the first one I made so I won't bother with pictures.

Sorry to be gone so long. I'm hoping to get back on the blog train more regularly soon, if not right away. Hope everyone's holidays are happy so far!

Earflappiness

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 04:33:00 +0000

There is something about an earflap hat that just seems fun and joyful. I see that they are also quite practical, but mostly they just scream out playfulness to me. I learned so much doing this hat - it was my second ever fairisle project and a wee bit more complicated than my first - the Center Square Hat. But still, pretty simple, and this hat knit up quickly as well. Only thing is, it came out a little too big, even for hubby's man-sized head. So, I decided to give it a little felting - ran it through the washing machine, inside a pillowcase on a short cycle on hot water. Still too big. So I stuck it in the dryer with a damp towel. That did the trick. It came out nicely sized and I really like what the felting did to tighten up the stitches and create a little fuzziness. Plus it'll be super water-proof now. So I guess it's about time for us to take a trip to the snow!

Here it is before felting:

And after:

Now isn't that fun?!

Pattern: Ryan's Hat from Interweave Knits (Winter '05 - staff project)
Yarn: Valley Yarns - Berkshire in Coffee Bean, Stone Blue and Mistletoe
Needles: US 9
Modifications: None, aside from the felting at the end to shrink it a bit. I'm not super thrilled with my color choices - the green and blue are a little too similar so the pattern doesn't stand out as much as I'd like. But overall I'm pleased with how it came out.

Finished A Wisp

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 22:40:00 +0000

I finished a Wisp, from Knitty.com. This was such a quick and fun little lace project. I happened to have a bunch of brushed alpaca laceweight in my stash - not as fuzzy as the Kidsilk Haze (which I haven't yet had the pleasure to work with), but it has a nice, soft halo about it. And I think it worked nicely. It knit up in a couple of days and will make a nice, lightweight (but warm) scarf for a holiday gift. I think I may make more of these!

Pattern: Wisp from Knitty.com
Yarn: brushed alpaca laceweight (a gift from a friend who purchased it in Argentina) - I used maybe 300-400 yardsNeedles:
US 9Finished Size: 60" x 13"
Modifications: I skipped the eyelets along the size, since I wasn't planning to add buttons anyway, and that was just one more thing to keep track of. I used a larger needle size and it blocked out to be larger than the pattern intended, which was fine with me since it will be used as a scarf.

Also, my yarn arrived from Webs today - it's Valley Yarns Berkshire and it's for Pete's Ryan's Hat. The brown is a little darker than I pictured, but I still think the colors will go together nicely to make a lovely hat for my hubby.

Have a great weekend!

Target Practice

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:24:00 +0000

Recently my husband asked me to knit him an Andean-style earflap hat. Now, since he's never really asked me to knit him anything before, there's really no way I could refuse. I gave him some patterns to look at, and he liked Ryan's hat from Interweave. Only trouble is, I have never done fairisle, or stranded knitting. So I had some learning to do. And I thought maybe I should learn on something other than his hat, get a litle practice first. So I looked around for the easiest fairisle project I could find, and I came up with Center Square from Knitty.com. This turned out to be an awesome first fairisle project! Super fast and easy - it knit up in less than one day. And it really helped me build my confidence about stranded knitting. I ordered some yarn for the earflap hat and now I can hardly wait for it to arrive so I can get started.

Pattern: Center Square from Knitty.com
Yarn: Paton's Classic Wool Merino in red & white
Needles: US 9 (the biggest knitpicks options tips I have. I have since ordered 11's as called for in the pattern)
Obviously, I did not mean for my hat to look like a Target ad, but it totally cracks me up that it does. It just happened to be the colors I had available. I will definitely make this hat again in more carefully selected colors.

Now I'm inspired to try other fairisle projects too. Like maybe the We Call Them Pirates hat. I'm not into pirates myself, and it seems like that particular trend must be fading, but maybe my 11 year old nephew might like it.

While I wait for my yarn and needles to arrive, I decided to start on another holiday gift - Wisp from Knitty.com. This is such a great, fast and easy lace scarf/wrap. I started yesterday and it's now about half done. I'm using some lavender alpaca laceweight yarn that my friend Katy gave me. It's got a little fuzz to it, so it works nicely with this pattern, though I bet it would be even more beautiful with some actual Kidsilk Haze.

So that's all I've got for now. I just downloaded an audiobook from Audible.com to keep me company while I knit. It's called "The Short and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao", and so far I love it.

Parsnips are our friends

noreply@blogger.com (Cecilia) — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 21:22:00 +0000

The Parsnip-Apple Cupcakes were surprisingly delicious. If you ever find yourself with some parsnips you don't know what to do with, I can recommend this recipe.

I finished my Shedir last week, but only just had some pictures taken.

The top of the hat is especially lovely. When I wear it out in public I will be sure to keep my head down so people can admire the top of my hat.

Pattern: Shedir, from Knitty.com
Yarn: Rowan Calmer, 1 ball (with almost none leftover)
Needles: US3
Modifications: I elminated one of the cable pattern repeats. Otherwise I would have run out of yarn.

Next up...my husband wants me to make this hat. I, however, have never knit any fairisle before. For some reason this technique has always intimidated me. So, while I'm waiting for his yarn to arrive, I decided I should try a simpler fairisle hat, for practice. So I cast on for the Center Square hat from Knitty.com. Turns out the fairisle thing is not too hard at all. And this hat is awesome. It knits up very fast on two strands of worsted weight wool. It will make a thick, warm hat too. I think I'll be done in no time at all.