Some Baby Items

Lots of people seem to be getting preggers these days, Katie included. So I’ve been doing some baby knitting.

First is a variation of my Tiny Tim sweater pattern:

This was actually a prototype that I made in Caron Country, which I didn’t like as well as the DiVe Zenith washable wool I used for Tiny Tim. The Caron is kind of splitty. Other differences: this version is knit in a k2, p1 rib, so it’s a little skinny, and it’s a cardigan instead of a pullover. But I think it turned out okay.

Second is this cardigan, also based on the proportions for Tiny Tim:

This one is knit with Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, which is actually quite nice for a craft store yarn. I think I’ll give this to my sister for her baby, but since she’s not finding out the sex of the baby, I’m going to wait to add buttons.

If it’s a girl:

Cute floral buttons. I might add a crocheted flower to the sweater, too.

If it’s a boy:

Boring plain buttons.

Can you tell that I’m rooting for a girl?

I also started these matching pants, which are from the Pimp My Longies pattern:

It’s been fun knitting these—I like how the waistband and gusset are constructed. But the Cotton-ease is a heavier weight than the pattern recommends, and even though I went down a size in the pattern (knitting the 6 mos size in the hopes they will be 12 mos), I think they will be too big. So I might try again using smaller needles to get closer to the recommended gauge.

Also, for some reason the stitches are kind of uneven on the longies, which usually isn’t a problem for me. I think going down a couple of needle sizes might help.

My plan is also to make some matching booties, which can be a challenge. I’m looking for a good pattern that does not have a seam on the bottom of the foot, so I think I’m going to try this toe-up bootie pattern next.

Just Wondering

This is cute, but has anyone tried actually swimming in such a thing?

I think I’d be scared… but I guess this is for decorative purposes (and for under C cups) only.

The Pitfalls of Designing

Katie and I were grading papers yesterday in Borders, surrounded by stacks of knitting magazines. We were both taking stock of our latest knitting exploits.

I recently finished a new summer cardigan, only to realize that it needed major pattern adjustments. When I think about it, I’ve wasted lots and lots of time knitting things that haven’t turned out, mostly because I insist on designing my own things and also like to wing it.

So I’ve resolved to actually knit some patterns for once. I think I’m going to start with Veronique and Fifi, both from French Girl. I bought French Girl Knits while at Borders yesterday, so I just need some yarn for Veronique and I’ll be ready to go. I’m using some Knit Picks Shine in a French blue for Fifi. I think it’s appropriate. I’m probably going to put sleeves on it,like this one by Dyann, because there’s really no point in wearing anything remotely wool-ish (even if it is cotton) in North Carolina in the summer.

I also stopped by MIchaels last night to get a few supplies (Fray Check, which they didn’t have?), and could not resist these:

I am not a scrapbooker, by any means. But look how cute!!!!

And, I also saw this little Paton’s pamphlet:

I might make the sweater on the cover. I didn’t know Paton’s was catching on to top-down sweater making, but I guess this is a good thing!

Wish me luck. I find it really really hard to follow directions, but I’m going to stick to it in the hopes of avoiding some frustration, at least for now.

I’m still going to work on the summer cardigan I’m designing (and a few baby projects, and a winter sweater), but I want to have some less risky projects to keep myself motivated.

Yeah, We're Busy

Here begins the standard idle-blog apologia.

Jordynn has the proofs for her book to review which is a complete pain and really makes you hate your own writing. We must understand that she doesn't want to write much here.

Katie has the revision of her diss to finish before baby AJP arrives, because if the book manuscript isn't finished before then, it may never be.

We are still knitting, we just don't want to write about it right now. But keep heart, dear readers, we'll be back.