three-year blankie

I call this the "three-year blankie." Not that it actually takes that long to crochet, but when you move twice in two years, the final move into a gianormous fixer-upper with a never ending to do list, and then have a new baby while wrangling three big ones, the crochet blanket tends to get put on the back burner. And then left there. For three years. But its done! (Nevermind that its only "done" because I turned it sideways and decided it should be smaller than I originally planned because I really want to get started on that granny square afghan instead!) I do love this little blankie though. I used the Granny Stripes pattern and some lovely discontinued cotton yarn from Knitpicks. 

My project page is here. 

I only got one picture of the blanket before I got entirely distracted with this cutie. 

LOVE these sleepy smiles!

oh ps- i failed.

is it too late to still be talking about christmas? because if i have to turn back time for a minute, i will. i totally failed on my christmas knitting goal, you guys. 3 knits for 3 kids totally didn't happen. i posted Mad's cape, which was totally done in time for her to wear to the nutcracker before christmas--yay! and i had already finished Milo's sweater, which was a seriously fun knit and i hope to do another one sometime soonish, but i completely failed at finishing a barley for Max. Woops! i finished it a couple weeks later for our first hike of the year, instead. and i'm pretty sure we lost it on the trail before any photos were taken. nice, right? next time i'll remember not to have him wear a fern-green hat when we go hiking through the forrest. here's some better photos of the two knits that didn't get lost though.

 i know i already posted about Mad's cape and the pattern details, but the yarn! it's called imagination, by knit picks and i had ordered it sometime early last year. if i'd have known they were discontinuing it, i would have ordered two skeins in every color. i LOVE it. i also used it many moons ago for Milo's newborn kick sack in a weird colorway, but i just love the fabric that it knits into. 

and this precious sweater is the Oh, handsome Winter-sweater by Anna and Heidi Pickles. love! it was such a fast and easy knit, and the results are just perfect. i used some amazing yarn that my mom had given me from her stash over a year ago, probably closer to two, and it was just perfect for this project. i'm pretty sure i have enough left over to knit up a matching one for baby no. 4!

this was the best i could do as far as a photo of him in it. strapped down and sleeping is the only way he'll hold still these days. two year old life is a busy life, you know. 

UPDATE: i'm excited to say Max's hat isn't lost after all, and here's the proof!

this pattern was fun. i just knit it in some wool of the andes (jalepeno) i had leftover from his striped vest, but i do wish i'd have had some more interesting yarn to knit it in. i love some of the examples on the pattern page that were knit in madelinetosh or malabrigo.

stripes!

Oh my, guys, pardon me while I just step right back in here like I haven't been neglecting the blogosphere for the last three months, but holy CHRISTMAS KNITTING! I'm actually about to finish project number two, which will make for 2 down and only 1 to go. Totally doable! But only because the last one will only be a hat for Max, since I already gave him this vest just last month.

I started this Tomten waaaaaay back when Maximus was just a year old, and was super inspired by a similar jacket knitted by SouleMama. Luckily, I didn't check my gauge and so even though I originally intended for it to fit an 18 month old Max, it ended up being about a size 5T, and fits an almost 5 year old Max! 

When I pulled it out of the bottom of my knitting bag in October Maximus immediately noticed it and asked if it was going to be for him. Then he would keep track of my progress on his "rainbow coat," commenting about it every time he saw me working on it. It was darling and gave me all the motivation I needed to finish it at the annual knitting retreat my mom, mother in law, and aunt go on in early November.

 It was so lovely, and the icing on the cake (besides the view) was that my madre knit in all my loose ends (of which there were a ton because of all those fat stripes).

The best part, though, after getting home and giving it to Max, was hearing him chose his words quite carefully. "Mommy, your knitting is very beautiful." He really said that. My heart swelled. 

"But sometimes I think I'm going to like something more than I really do." Annnnnd deflate. 

At least he let me down easy, right?

I'm still knitting! This is the most recent project off the needles. The pattern is Camilla Kid and the yarn is a discontinued Knit Picks yarn that I got from my mama a while back. I adore this sweater, and Mad loves it too. The pattern comes in a great range of sizes, and I'm thinking I might have to knit a baby one just for  the fun of it... is anyone having a girl anytime soon?! There is also an adult size pattern, which I might have to knit in this yarn. The rest of my notes can be found here. 

:)

twin hats

I FINALLY put the ties on these sweet hats I've been meaning to gift to a coworker for her sweet baby twinnies. Now that we're past the coldest part of winter, I'm finally ready to give them to her. I hope, hope, hope they will fit! The pattern is this one. I had already knit it once for Milo, but I finished it before Milo, when getting a chance to knit seemed to be a more common occurrence. Now it seems if the house is still, instead of knitting or reading, I just fall asleep!

You can probably tell I'm still instagramming it up on here. Luckily, I recently found my camera and am charging the battery as I type. Hopefully that means I'll start posting better photos again soon!
:)

manly knits.

Here is a fun set of knits that I made for a friend to give to her man. I just wanted to show you, in case you might be inspired to knit a quick(ish) gift for a special guy in your life. For the scarf I followed the simple instructions for a striped scarf found here, but obviously I didn't stripe the whole thing, based on the request for "just a few stripes". I'd love to try it again sometime though, using this yarn.

For the mitts, I used the Manly Mitts pattern I found on ravelry. Will definitely be making them again soon. I could tell Karl liked them when he modeled them for these photos. :)

quick knit!

Just a quick post today to say that I just can't get enough of these socks. I had already knit a pair this summer, but I'm thinking Little No. 3 might get yet a few more pairs in the weeks before he arrives. They knit up SO fast, they are perfect for a last minute gift (hence the title of the book they are from).

more details on my rav page.

:)

love in stitches.

It's so nice to know that while this sweet little babe in my belly has plenty of hand-me-downs coming his way, he'll have a few things that were made just for him. Ok, more than a few. Maybe his grandma and I have gotten a little carried away. That whole thing about babes being super easy to shop for? Well, the same applies to knitting. :)

All of the details of these projects can be found on my Ravelry page, with the exception of the ones that were knit by my mom. The orange vest in the top right corner is the Milo, the light-colored soaker lying next to it is the Curly Purly and is knit with Lion Brand Fisherman's wool, and lastly, the super sweet tiny yellow/orange hat and vest set in the center are the Baby Cable Singlet and the Swirl Hat.

No doubt, this baby is loved.

:)

longies for the babe.

I might post about something other than knitting soon. Maybe I'll even finish sewing these. But don't quote me on that! For now, I have to show you something that I am so happy to have finally finished. These little pants first started as a soaker WAY back when Maxi was still in diapers. And tiny. Then, when I realized I wouldn't finish it in time to fit Max, I frogged what I had started and began knitting Elizabeth Zimmerman's baby leggings pattern for my nephew born last summer. Unfortunately I ran out of yarn and didn't get around to ordering more until my nephew, Baby G, was too big for the pants. It was around the time I realized I no longer had a recipient for the pants that they made their way to the very bottom of my knitting basket and have lived there for nearly a year. A year! Needless to say, I'm pretty happy that these are finally finished. They will be going to Little No. 3.

You can see the details on my Ravelry page. 

:)

another baby knit!

I just can't stop knitting for this babe. Yesterday, while Mad was at ballet "camp" I finished this kick back / snuggle sack I have been working on. I'm super excited about it, and couldn't be more pleased with how the yarn looks. When I first got the yarn in the mail, I wasn't sure I'd like the color knitted up (it can be hard to tell on the computer screen!), luckily it pooled nicely and the colors are awesome. :) It's also softer than I thought it would be. Hopefully Baby likes it as much as I do.

The pattern is Kicking Bag for Babies and the yarn is Imagination Hand Painted Sock Yarn in Seven Dwarves from Knit Picks.

the perfect buttons!

It sure didn't take long for the perfect buttons for my baby sweater to materialize. When my mom saw the sweater, I told her I was thinking little wooden buttons were what I had to find, and about 30 minutes later she knocked on my door (we live next to each other) and held out six little buttons freshly cut from a twig she found near her chicken yard. Perfection, I tell ya! I am always amazed (still!) by my mother's creativity. By the next day or so she had the holes drilled and the buttons sanded smooth and polished. I LOVE the way they complete the sweater.

Thanks Mom!! :)

EZ is a genius.

Behold, the infamous Baby Surprise Jacket from Elizabeth Zimmerman. This is a project I have been wanting to do for quite awhile now, but hadn't been brave enough to try until quite recently. I'm so glad I did. If you're familiar with EZ, then you know many of her patterns are written more as a series of suggestions rather than clear cut instructions. But, as I found out, if you just trust what she writes without second guessing anything you don't understand, but knit on with faith (she is, afterall, a knitting goddess!), you will realize that the bath mat you thought you were holding about halfway into the project miraculously gains the potential to actually become a jacket.

And here it is:

This is what it looks like before seaming. See the resemblance it holds to a tiny bath mat?

And the seaming is a piece of cake. I used the original pattern from her book, The Opinionated Knitter, which only has instructions for one size. She does point out that by using a different gauge with the same number of stitches, you can alter the size. After first starting with fingering weight yarn on size 2 needles, I quickly realized it was going to be much smaller than I was aiming for (a definite newborn/preemie size), so instead I restarted holding the yarn double and jumping up to size 4 needles, ending up with something closer to a 3-6 month size.

The yarn I used was Knit Picks Imagination in the colorway Wild West. Love it!

And since I held the yarn double, I went through my two skeins before I finished the sweater. So I finished it off with some leftover City Tweed from the hat I made baby last week.

All that's left is to find the perfect buttons. 

:)

summer knitting!

I have a couple recently completed projects, as well as a few more in the works. These are all for my fall babe, and I'm loving the patterns! The first is the pattern Baby Socks, from the book More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. (I completely recommend this book, by the way. Full of great projects that aren't too time or yarn consuming (let's face it, sometimes its tough to knit on a budget). I want to knit each one. That doesn't happen for me with knitting books very often. My usual luck with books and cd's is that I buy one and only like the cover project/title track. But that is definitely NOT the case here!!)

I am completely in love with knitting these. They are done in slightly heavier yarn that what I normally think of when knitting socks, which means they call for a larger needle, which means a whole pair knits up in no time at all. I'm pretty sure I'll be making one in every size, in every color in my stash. After all, an October (or November) babe needs warm to have warm toes, right?

This hat is also a pattern from the same book, but I accidently made it less pointy. (Details here).

I was unsure whether or not to undo the top and fix it, so I tried it on this baby-head sized melon and am thinking I'll just leave it alone for now. Cute, right?

Lastly, I'm using some sock yarn from Knit Picks to knit a kicking sack. I can't wait to finish this project. The yarn, by the way, isn't supposed to be striped at all. It's a hand-painted yarn that I got on super sale. I wasn't crazy about the colors (which is sometimes hard to tell on the computer screen), but felt ok about it because it was SUCH a good deal. I am so happy that the colors ended up pooling the way they did. I love it!

So there you have it. The sunshine is good for my knitting. :)

baby knits!

Here are a couple of baby knits I've been working on for my little number 3. The wool soaker is the Milo soaker pattern from Vintage Baby Knits, and has been a work in progress for quite some time. Mostly because I saved it for a doctor's office knit, since the waiting room at my doc's office is a nice and quiet place to fit in a few stitches. I knit it in some Lion Brand Fisherman's wool (which I love!) that I had leftover from Maxi's sweater last Fall. 

I absolutely loved knitting this sweater. I used a Knit Picks cotton, just because it's what I had, and I think it turned out pretty cute. The pattern is Puerperium Cardigan, but I chose to knit it as a pullover since I didn't have enough matching buttons for the whole thing. It is so darling and I can't wait to try it on the babe this fall.

The sweater knit up so fast, it is perfect for a last minute baby gift, and it has instructions for short or long sleeves (I decided on an in-between) so it works for any time of year! I think I might knit up a spare to have on hand. :) I'm also tempted to knit a bunch of the soakers up, but I've never used wool soakers before and am not sure how these ones will fit. Anyone have experience with them or a favorite pattern to share?

And there you have it. Now maybe I can move on to finishing the baby quilt I've been working on since long before this babe was even on his way.

:)

on my needles

As always, I have more than one project going at once. Hopefully before the end of the summer, these will turn into a wool soaker, this wrap/cardigan, and more booties!!

 I have so. much. sewing I'd love to get done so I could start checking some items off my list, but how am I supposed to sit behind my sewing machine when it looks like this outside?! The sun is finally showing itself to us... and it's warm enough to enjoy it to boot!

This would have been a good idea if the frisbee wouldn't have
smacked her in the face shortly after this photo was taken. :(

I did, however, find time to knit while soaking up some rays.
This pair of booties will be going to my little number 3.

:)