Friday, April 18, 2008

This is the baby sweater I mentioned finishing back in January. Tyson, the second cousin it was destined for was born in the middle of February at the hospital in town and I got to visit with him, his parents and grandparents when he was just two days old. Ashlee and Dan liked the present so much that they put Tyson in it right away even though the sweater is at least a six month size.

Tyson wearing the sweater as a blanket


Sweater laid flat


Close up of the navy buttons

Posted At: 8:42 am by Lizz - Comments [0]

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

I finished my first pair of socks from the yarn that I got for my birthday last year. I decided to start with the gorgeous blue and green Fleece Artist yarn. I ended up using my regular Wendy's toe-up pattern and 60 stitches around in plain stockinette. My first attempt (or first few attempts) were to try the Azure socks but the pattern was lost in the colours so I changed to a plain sock. For the first time I used a picot hem instead of ribbing at the top of the sock and I'm really happy with how it turned out, it's definitely a technique that I will be using again. The Fleece Artist yarn is just as beautiful knit up as it was in the skein and it's sproinginess (what, it's totally a word) made it great to knit.

Posted At: 9:13 am by Lizz - Comments [1]

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Last fall I bought ONline Linie 149 Rush to make a scarf with to match my winter jacket. When the Yarn Harlot published the Unoriginal Hat pattern I decided that a hat and scarf would be better. I started with the hat and finished it within 24 hours of starting on a hockey road trip. Next I worked on the scarf, which took longer because I needed to pause to buy more yarn, using the larger of the hat cables in the middle and the smaller cable on each edge. The hat could be a tiny bit longer, but it keeps my head and the tips of my ears warm. The set got some wear during the few days of snow in February and worked perfectly. Mom liked how my hat turned out so much that she got the same yarn in a different colourway and made one for herself.

Posted At: 9:17 am by Lizz - Comments [2]

Thursday, March 13, 2008

I made myself another pair of slippers, using a different pattern to give myself a break from my standard "Grandma's Slipper" pattern. I found the Ridiculously Easy Mary Jane Slippers on Ravelry and I finished them in one day while laying sick on the couch. They're basically a rectangle with shaping at the end. The two strands of Red Heart I used ended up with a bigger gauge so I cast on less stitches than called for and I left off the strap (so I can take them on and off more easily). The slippers are okay but they've stretched out quite a bit and no longer like to stay on my feet.

Posted At: 12:47 pm by Lizz - Comments [0]

Friday, January 25, 2008

I ended the year with very few projects on the needles, only three and I've finished two of them since then. I started a baby sweater using actual baby yarn, Peter Pan 4 ply in off-white with primary coloured flecks to be precise. Originally I was going to use this Drops side to side garter stitch jacket but it wasn't working as well as I had hoped and I realized that I could use the yarn I bought for it to make two different baby sweaters. So I started again using the same pattern as I did for a previous baby sweater but changed the moss stitch bands to garter stitch and put them in different locations. The knitting went pretty quickly and I finished it up a couple of weeks ago. It's currently being washed, so I'll take some photos when that's finished. I still need to add buttons but I've decided to do that after I decide which baby I'm giving it to so I can use gender specific buttons. There's going to be quite a few baby sweaters on the needles this year since I have a couple cousins and a few friends with babies on the way.

I managed to finish the knitting on the bell ornaments for my friends before the new year but I didn't get them sewed together. I also didn't take photos since I took plenty of the ones that I made for my co-workers and they look the same but the yarn is different. These ornaments were well received so more will probably end up being made next year for different people, and perhaps for myself too. I have this idea of having a lot of knit Christmas ornaments and decorations for a tree (I currently don't have room for a tree so it'll be something I get in the future). Currently I'm thinking a knit garland (sort of like I saw in a display window at the Gap this year) and probably a matching tree skirt as well as knit ornaments.

The final project that was on the needles at the end of last year is likely to be in progress for a long time. I'm calling it the Lobby Blanket as I'm using Kay's Lobby Dishcloth pattern from Mason Dixon Knitting. I'm using Bernat Satin and fairly large needles so that it'll have a nice drape. At this point I have one square completed and one over half way done. I'm not sure how many I'm going to need. This is definitely not a deadline project.

Posted At: 9:56 am by Lizz - Comments [0]