Baby Hat from One Skein

Pattern: Baby Hat from One Skein

Yarn: Pink acrylic from the stash

Needles: US 5

Gauge: 21st/4"

Date Completed: May 17, 2007

Comments: Cute, simple little baby hat. I like the pattern around the bottom edge, and it's encouraged me to go through some of my pattern stitch books to look for some other cute edgings for baby hats.

This hat is going to be donated to the Milford Hospital.

Basic Newborn Hat

Pattern: Basic hat - CO 65, worked in ribbing for 1", worked straight for about 3 more inches, decreased evenly (starting with every 8 stitches) every other row.

Yarn: Leftover Paton's SWS

Needles: US 7

Dates: May 7-8 2007

Comments: Still in love with this yarn. And the way the decreases are worked in pink on the top makes me think of a flower. This hat is also earmarked for charity.

Caps for Kids Swirled Ski Cap

Pattern: Caps for Kids Swirled Ski Cap from Knitting For Peace

Yarn: Wool-Ease from the stash

Needles: US 7 & 8

Dates: May 2007

Comments: A cool hat pattern, with some interesting variations possible (every section a different color, all in one color, etc.). I hated weaving in all the ends! It would have been better if I had figured out how to carry the non-used color up the side as I worked.

First time with a pom-pom maker, and I got a little carried away, so it came out a little big.

I used Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn cast off after I did the ribbing, and it came out a little loose, so next time I think I'd do a normal cast off.

I also would do it on smaller needles next time - I felt the fabric was a little loose.

Mason-Dixon Warshcloth

Pattern: Ball Band Warshcloth from Mason-Dixon knitting

Yarn: Peaches n Cream (cone of blue variegated I inherited from my mom)

Needles: US 7

Dates: March 2007

Comments: Not a bad pattern at all - I understand why so many people make these washcloths! It kept my interest without being too complicated, and was nice watching-Bunchkin knitting. The cloth tightened up nicely after it was knit. I'll admit I haven't actually used it on a dish yet, but I will, honest!

Owly Fingerless Mittens

Pattern: My own, but used Knitty's Fetching as a jumping-off point.

Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton - 1 skein

Needles: US 4

Date Completed: March 25, 2007

Comments: I made this fingerless mittens for my upstairs neighbor; she loves owls and the color orange. The yarn was leftover from a baby sweater I made for Bunchkin.

CO 56 stitches, rib pattern is k8, p2, k2, p2, doing the owl cable on the k8 portions. I used an afterthought thumb (no gusset) and the Elizabeth Zimmerman sewn bind-off.

These ended up taking a couple of weeks due to limited knitting time, but I'm very happy with how they turned out. And this yarn is really nice and soft. I can't wait to give to our neighbor!

Debbie Bliss Hooded Kaftan

Pattern: Hooded Kaftan by Debbie Bliss, size 6-12 months

Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton 4(?) skeins

Needles: US 3 and 5

Gauge: 22st/4"

Dates: ?? - March 9, 2007

Comments: I modified this pattern so most of it was knit in the round (I hate seams!). It got a little tricky when doing the final seaming, but I think it all went together correctly. I also decided to forgo the embroidery shown on the original.

This yarn was picked up on sale, and I loved it - very soft, not splitty, feels warm.

iPod Cozy

Pattern: My own

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette in Gray, random fun fur

Needles: US 2

Dates: February 2007

Comments: A cute little monster cozy I made for a neighbor's iPod Nano. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but there are two googly eyes, a button for closure/nose, and a felt fang. Cute and easy. Knit flat and then sewn up.

Bunny Hat from SnBN

Pattern: Bunny Hat from Stitch n Bitch Nation

Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly Baby Care; 60% acrylic, 40% cotton

Needles: US 5

Gauge: 22st/4"

Dates: February 2007

Comments: Part of my stash-busting, this was yarn leftover from ponchos I made for my cousins. Plus, I wanted a hat with earflaps for the Bunchkin.

Knitty's Halfdome

Pattern: Knitty's Halfdome

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in silver and black (1 skein each)

Needles: US 5

Gauge:

Dates: February 2007

Comments: Very soft yarn, very easy pattern. I didn't get gauge, so I just made a size smaller than called for in the pattern and it came out perfectly. Hubby loves it: it keeps his head warm and folds up nice and small to fit in his pocket when he isn't wearing it. As I recall, this only took a couple of days to knit.

Little Sam's Socks

Pattern: Basic toe-up socks, CO 80 stitches, 15 ankle rows, 40 heel/toe stitches, 20 stitches between yarn overs. L = 8.5", C = 9"

Yarn: Knit Picks Essential Tweed in color Inca Gold, 2 skeins

Needles: US 0

Gauge: 9st/inch

Dates: October 7 2006 - February 2, 2007

Comments: I'm incredibly impressed with how soft this yarn is. DH liked it so much he'd like a pair of his own. I think if I do that, however, I'll order three skeins, because he'd like them a little taller, and I was getting worried about running out of yarn at the end.

For the first time I used the Elizabeth Zimmerman sewn cast off, and I loved it - it was perfect!

Baby Snowflake Hat

Pattern: Hat shape from The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd, snowflake chart from Knitting Over the Edge by Nicky Epstein

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft, one skein each Berry Blue 9609, Light Country Blue 9709

Needles: US 5

Dates: October 6 - 7, 2006 Comments: A quick little two-day baby hat. I mostly made this to practice my fair isle before tackling the baby's Christmas stocking. I'm quite pleased with how it looks, and how the color work came out. Can't wait to see the baby in it!

Jaywalker Socks

Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina from MagKnits

Yarn: Koigu Premium Merino, semi-solidin color 1014, 2 skeins

Needles: US 0

Dates: August 24 - October 6, 2006

Comments: I love the way these socks look. The Koigu is beautiful, and the pattern really brings out the subtle striping of it. These are not loose socks, and take a bit to get on, but they feel very nice once they're on.

It was my first time knitting with such tiny needles, but I love the tight feel of the fabric it created. It took me a bit to get used to them, and the double decrease in this pattern was a nightmare the first few rows that I had to do it. But in the end, I'm very happy with these.

These are for my mom for Christmas.

Here and There Cables

Pattern: Here and There Cables from Scarf Style by Pam Allen

Yarn: Knit Picks Andean Silk in color Olive - 6.5 balls

Needles: US 7

Dates: August 18 - October 5, 2006

Comments: This was the scarf that never ended (or at least it felt like it). Because of the cables it took a million stitches to get the right width, and a million rows to make it just a tiny bit longer. Oi! But in the end it was worth it. It came out gorgeous and soft and I think my father-in-law is really going to like it.


This was my first time working with Andean Silk, and I really liked it. I had originally started this scarf in Knit Picks Shamrock, and that was just horrible - very stiff and scratchy and uck! But the Andean Silk was soft and silky and drapes beautifully. And it's especially soft after adding a tiny bit of conditioner to the rinse cycle when I washed it.


But mostly I'm just glad to have this over with so I can move on with my life (or rather, my other Christmas projects)!

Backyard Leaves

Pattern: Backyard Leaves from Scarf Style by Pam Allen

Yarn: Malabrigo Kettle Dyed Pure Merino Wool in color "Pink Frost"

Finished: October 5, 2006

Comments: This scarf took me forever, but only because I kept putting off the finishing. I seem to recall it took about a week to do the actual knitting, then I put off blocking it for months. I was afraid it would turn out looking like crap, and I was very attached to this yarn and this pattern. I finally blocked it a few weeks ago (and it came out looking great! phew!) and then put off the seaming (it's knit in two pieces and then sewn together at the neck) because I knew it was going to be ugly. Finally sat down to do that today. And while the seam's not as pretty as I would like, I think the finished product is fantastic! Here's hoping my mother-in-law agrees at Christmastime...

Baby Genius Burp Cloth

Pattern: Baby Genius Burp Cloth from Mason Dixon Knitting

Yarn: Sugar 'n Cream in color "Playtime"

Needles: US 6

Gauge:

Dates: September 26 - 29, 2006

Comments: Nice, easy pattern - great TV knitting. Cotton yarn isn't the softest thing ever to knit with, but I'm hoping this will soften up in the wash. And I love the colors of this yarn and the way they pooled. It just makes me smile :)

Baby Pixie Hat in Hunter's Orange

Pattern: Pixie Hat from Knitting For Two by Erika Knight

Yarn: Caron Wintuk in Orange (leftover from Grandpa's hats)

Needles: US 6

Gauge:

Dates: September 29, 2006

Comments: I dislike knitting with this yarn, but I had it laying around and I figured that Jon's daughter needed a hunting hat. I like the way this pattern turned out, but I was unpleasantly surprised when I realized it used knit three together for its decreases. What a pain! Next time I use this pattern (which I probably will - it's a cute baby hat with earflaps) I'll probably try matched k2tog/ssk decreases, just to make it easier on my hands!

Notes after gifting the hat: hmmm... apparently this hat is just the teensy, tiniest bit too tall. She looks either like a chinese emperor or a redneck pope. But since she's a baby, she's allowed to look ridiculous - it's cute! Her mom loved the hat, and is now out looking for a cameo onsie to go with it.

Fingerless Skull Mittens

Pattern: Custom Fit Fingerless Mittens, skull chart

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette

Needles: US 2 (for body), US 1 (for ribbing), US 3 (for casting on and binding off)

Gauge: 8 st/inch

Dates: September 19, 2006

Comments: I knit the mittens first, then used duplicate stitch to make the skulls. I'm pleased with how they turned out, but holy cow the duplicate stitching took forever!!

I was pleasantly surprised with how nicely this yarn knit up - much softer than I expected.

These mittens are a Christmas present for my brother.

Baby Pixie Hat

Pattern: Baby Pixie Hat

Yarn: Patons SWS in Natural Pink

Needles: US 6

Dates: September 25, 2006

Comments: I knit this up in one evening after Erin's baby, Aurora, was born; the hospital hat she was given was simply not good enough.

I'm in love with this yarn: the way it feels, the way it stripes, the colors it comes in...

The only thing I would change if I were to make this again is to maybe cast on an additional four stitches to make it just a wee bit bigger.

Kitty Pi

Pattern: Kitty Pi, by Wendy Johnson

Yarn: Leftover Lanb's Pride Bulky, leftover Lopi Reynolds, leftover Cascade 220 (held double)

Needles: US 10.5

Dates: August 23 - 24, 2006

Comments: This project was a stashbuster for me. The Lamb's Pride (the bright blue and green) was from two sets of 1-hour baby booties I made, the Lopi (center circle and the grey) was from two previous kitty beds, and the Cascade (binding off on half) was from some Fuzzy Feet. It was great to get all those bulky yarns out of my stash!

I really do need to get some larger DPNs, though.

Pre Felting:

I think this will be a present for Sophie and Tuxie (my mom's cats), although Remby seems to have claimed it as her own...

Baby Yoda Sweater

Pattern: Baby Yoda Sweater

Yarn: Mission Falls 1824 Cotton (100% Cotton)
Color 406 (a very grape-y purple)

Needles: US 6 (US 7 for all binding off)

Dates: August 16 - August 18, 2006

Comments: I've had this pattern bookmarked for a while as something I'd like to make. Then as I was perusing my old bookmarks a few days ago, I realized I just so happen to have exactly the right amount of exactly the right yarn, hiding away in my stash (my MIL gave me some months and months ago). And as I have a friend who is expecting a baby girl in just 6 weeks... Well, I just had to make it, now didn't I?

I like the way this sweater turned out, and I like that (because of the way it wraps and ties) it should fit the baby for quite some time (the pattern says 0-6 months).

I didn't like this yarn. I didn't like how textured it was ("nubbly" is the technical term, I believe). If I'm going through the trouble of knitting rows and rows of stockinette stitch, I like being able to see rows and rows of neat, even stitches. But because of the texture of this yarn, that just didn't happen. (An attempt to show the texture is in the picture at right). (I made sure to keep very careful track of my rows and stitches, because counting rows on the finished fabric was just about impossible.) That, and I just don't particularly like working with cotton (hard on the hands).

Add to this my extreme dislike of seaming, and I don't think I'll be making this sweater again like this. Perhaps in a different yarn, and with some mods to ensure less seaming (raglan sleeves?). Because I do like the finished product. Here's hoping my friend (and her baby) do, too.