Friday, February 27, 2009

What Do You Mean, I Had 9 Months?



A friend is expecting a baby. At the end of March. ::eep::

She and her husband have chosen to be surprised, which, while quaint (It was The way Things Were Done when I was having my babies, but does anybody still do that?) presents a problem to folks who want to Make Them Something (that would be me).


I made a little yellow cotton sweater months ago, but somehow, it seems just too plain at this point and the shower is this coming Friday. A week. ::eep::

So I cast on again, this time in green (Fibranatura Baby Merino, if anyone is keeping score), a sweater from Knitter's Winter 1996 issue. I modified the pattern (act scocked!) by eliminating the gull wing everywhere but on the front (no holes in the sleeves to trap tiny fingers).



And because I tend to like less traditional colors for babies myself, I cast on this sweater with some well-aged Sock It To Me! sock yarn (same stuff I used for booties--scroll down a bit).

What! You don't read Portuguese? Translation (sort of) here.

If you love this concept, and use the translated pattern, there may be a couple of minor errors in the stitch counts.

Please, just trust your gut and ignore the "(8 sts)" and "(42 sts)" and you'll be just fine.

Note: there may be more, but you can see that this is as far as I have gotten.






And on a weaving note, I have rewarped. This time, I'm going to give "plaid" my best shot.

I'm using Patons Classic Wool in navy, burgundy, and hunter, all well-aged in the stash.

So what am I waiting for (besides wanting to finish 2 sweaters by Friday)? Shorter stick shuttles!

They are backordered.

::sigh::

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// posted by Ann @ 2/27/2009 10:13:00 PM 3 comments

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Bet Ya Can't Make Just One!

These little booties are like potato chips--or peanuts. One is not enough.

Leftover sock yarns, sans labels. Pattern from The Opinionated Knitter.




And my most recent weave is cut from the loom, tied, and waiting for "wet finishing" (the weave equivalent of blocking).

I am documenting my selvedges here, because I hope expect that they will improve over time.

These are more than a little wonky.

The warp on this one is Patons Kroy sock yarn in a brick red. I used a full skein (262 yards) and had considerable expected and necessary waste.

The weft is a little more than 2 balls (about 300 yards total) of Jaeger Roma (from Smiley's--don't bother, it's all gone) which is a blend of Viscose, nylon, and angora. It's soft and sproingy on the ball, kind of slippery on the shuttle.




I wove a pattern into each end (about 5" in) so that when I discovered that my finished scarf was longer than anticipated, there was no going back and shortening. The intended victim recipient will need to wrap it around the neck or wear it looped. Or risk becoming the next Isadora Duncan.

The pattern was made with a pick-up stick.




This photo is close to the actual color. Finished scarf is about 7' long including fringe.

I will be rewarping to start another, using different yarn and a slightly different technique.

I think I am ready to acquire more tools. I am looking at a second heddle and possibly a thin boat shuttle.

Stay tuned.

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// posted by Ann @ 2/21/2009 08:30:00 AM 0 comments

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Just a Little Something

to welcome a coworker's baby girl to the world.



These are Saartje's booties in the "larger" size, knit in sock wool (Kroy 4-ply, I think) that was in my oddments bin. Way less than an ounce. Twelve grams total, including the buttons.

The buttons were also stash. Cost of project: $0. Value of the smiles: priceless.

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// posted by Ann @ 2/19/2009 07:51:00 PM 2 comments

Monday, February 16, 2009

So Much Yarn; So Little Time


It seems that I am not the only fiber enthusiast in this family

The Tiny Prince was visiting over the weekend and on Saturday, he discovered Mammo's Yarn Junk.

I keep a bag of leftover odds and ends specifically for making oddball afghans (for charity and for fun). They are soft, and mostly acrylic, so I figured he couldn't hurt them and vice versa, so what the heck.

Did you know that you can do all sorts of things with balls of yarn? Besides that!

We had fun slam dunking and looking at colors.

There was no selecting of new projects for the moment.





Mama says that the Tiny Prince has way more clothes than even royalty should have. ::sigh::

The alphabet sweater went home with him, but Daniel Brown Bear stayed here, at least for the time being. If there's one thing the Tiny Prince has more of than clothes, it's toys!

But that won't keep the wooly stuff off Mammo's needles.

It's time to start thinking about Fair Entries!

By the time summer is over, the Tiny Prince will be needing some new threads! That boy is growing like a weed. He's 15 months old today. That's 1 1/4 for those of you doing the math.






It doesn't look like so much when it's in the big basket, does it?

Later: Weaving, reverse engineering, and other fun stuff that I can't do when such sweetness is vying for attention.

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// posted by Ann @ 2/16/2009 12:36:00 PM 2 comments

Thursday, February 12, 2009

New Threads For an Old Friend



My intention was to make a sweater for Daniel Brown Bear from the stripey yarn that I used for the Tiny Prince's last sweater. It became painfully clear about halfway through the yoke that there Wasn't Enough Yarn. So I sighed deeply, frogged it, and started over with the Alphabet Sweater leftovers.

It's an okay sweater, but I might still duplicate stitch a big D (for Daniel) on the belly.

I've been cleaning like a madwoman(at least the worst spots) because the Tiny Prince is coming for the weeknd (okay, he's bringing his parents).

I can hardly wait!

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// posted by Ann @ 2/12/2009 05:41:00 AM 3 comments

Monday, February 09, 2009

A, B, C, D


E, F, G
etc.
Finished this puppy last night. It's 24" around and slightly longer than the pattern calls for because the Tiny Prince is a tall, skinny boy.
I'd like him to be able to wear this for a little while.

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// posted by Ann @ 2/09/2009 05:49:00 PM 4 comments

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Everything Old Is New Again

Start with an idea/pattern (Rialey's Sweater from Cottage Creations). Think on it for a while. Decide that the companion yarns in stash to the one you want to use (Plymouth Encore Colorspun Worsted in shades of green) won't work. Except maybe the off white which goes with everything. (Right? Right!)

But the pattern (it has a cute stranded band around the middle) calls for several (up to 4) colors to do it up right. So back to the drawing board.


Dig around in the cedar chest for a bit, looking at old sweaters (many the worse for wear, but some still good for inspiration).

Come up with this one that should fit the Tiny Prince (he already has most of his daddy's Sweaters That I Knit that are in appropriate sizes).

But wait! This is not a Daddy Sweater, but rather, a Cool Uncle Sweater, and even though there's no one to pass it along to (yet), it's not really mine to pass along.


So print off some graph paper. Copy the alphabet (coincidentally, the stitch count is almost identical). And then, turn it on its head.

The original sweater was knit bottom up in pieces. The new sweater is knit top down in one piece.



And here's the first sleeve.

Second sleeve is nearing completion. I will begin the Mindless Knitting Of the Body in a few minutes.

Depending on how big this comes out, it might be given immediately (something green for St. Patrick's Day) or I might hold onto it, enter it in the fair, and give it to the Tiny Prince for his birthday.

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// posted by Ann @ 2/08/2009 07:13:00 AM 4 comments

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Drive By Giving


Someone at the bakery is expecting a baby.

We don't know her very well, but we like her (she's always pleasant when we see her and she knows the stuff we like and is quick with conversation), so I decided to Pull an Alison as it has come to be known in knitting/blogging circles (though truth be told, I have been doing this a good long time).

This will be my first non-charity "Stranger Gift" in a while, though.

I just hope she's working today!

Particulars: Pattern is on p. 103 of The Opinionated Knitter, and is EZ's response to requests for booties to match the Baby Surprise Sweater. The yarn is Red Heart Soft Baby in the Laddie colorway. (I got it at Smiley's.) I suspect I'll be making a lot of these sweet little feet warmers!

I have a new Prince Skin on the needles, but there's not so much to see just yet.

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// posted by Ann @ 2/07/2009 07:52:00 AM 2 comments

Friday, February 06, 2009

Book's Away!

The randon number generator has spoken and The Book is on its way to Yvonne.

Thanks to everyone who played this round. Hop on over to Purling Goldens and stay in the game.

Real knitting stuff later this weekend--I promise!
// posted by Ann @ 2/06/2009 07:39:00 PM 0 comments

Monday, February 02, 2009

Giving Stuff Away!



Monika offered this book on her blog a couple weeks ago, and I won the draw to get it next! It arrived just as we were walkin' out the door, so (now that we are back--did you miss me?) I am just getting around to offering it to the Sheepshots reader base.

It's a good book. It's thought-provoking. And it can be yours! To read, not to keep.

If you'd like a chance to read it, please leave a comment. I'll draw a name over the weekend and keep it moving!

I will warn you, it's not a pattern book, per se, though there are patterns in it. I will be making Oatlion!





And the Tiny Prince got a late Christmas from his own Uncle Cool. It's not a telephone! It's a hammer. For playing with a Noisy Toy.

And he got a new sweater from Mammo who was less than thrilled with the way it turned out. Love the yarn (Adriafil Knit Kol), love the pattern (Cottage Creations Knitted Tunic). Really, really dislike the color! I picked this colorway for its Lack of Pink. What's up with that, anyway?

The yarn is supposed to be a "self-patterning" (as in, like the sock stuff) DK weight. Yeh, well.

But his Momma likes it, and it fits (for now). He wore it to his daddy's graduation (which is why we were on the road).





Feetz, Don't Desert me!

Barbara D. sent me this picture of tiny Feetz Heeters that she will be mailing to Cheyenne River.

If you'd like to see your creations here, send me a picture. If you have a blog and would like the traffic, send me a link.

abmcmanusATverizonDOTnet

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// posted by Ann @ 2/02/2009 05:46:00 PM 13 comments

Poetry for St. Brigid

The Crocodile

How doth the little crocodile
Improve his shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!

How cheerfully he seems to grin,
How neatly spreads his claws,
And welcomes little fishes in,
With gently smiling jaws!

Lewis Carroll

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// posted by Ann @ 2/02/2009 05:08:00 AM 1 comments

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