A WIP and FO: I think I’m on a roll!

As expected, I’m making much better progress on this little sweater than it’s sister.

That probably has something to do with the fact that I’m hearing the tick of the clock roaring in my ear, and I’m getting increasingly motived by my ever growing pile of baby knits!

I finished this little sweater on saturday, and I’m in love! It’s made from Berroco Lustra, and while the picture doesn’t really do it justice, it has a gorgeous sheen. I haven’t put buttons on the side closure because I want to wait and give it a little more gender specificity. The most enchanting thing about this sweater is how LITTLE it is! I recently got some hand-me-down newborn girl clothes, and I knit the sweater to go with the smallest onesie in the bunch, since it’s quite likely I’ll have somewhat little babies.

I can’t wait to have a photo op with these little ones, I think only then will all this cute knitwear be brought to life in my photos.

 

 

Second Sweater Syndrome?

The interesting thing and probably the obvious thing about twins is that you need double of almost everything. It makes knitting interesting. You can’t just scrounge in your stash for one little baby sweater’s worth of yarn, you have to have enough for two! I’m shocked at how many baby sweaters I could make from my stash, yet not have enough to make a matching set. Not gonna lie, it’s been frustrating.

But the other thing that makes it interesting is that if you’re going to make a matching set of sweaters, hats, or anything else, is that when you reach the fun accomplishment of finishing, you have to go and cast the exact same project right back on again. The degree of  how thrilled I am with the result of the first item can have dramatic impacts on how easy it is to cast on the second. It’s basically the same thing as the second sock syndrome that is widely discussed in the knitting blogosphere.

Thankfully, this little Baby FO, was very motivating for me to cast on a second immediately.

I think I know one thing that sorta overcomes the monotany of knitting the exact same thing twice. Changing up the yarn. I had so much fun with this Garden Gate Felici, but I’m a little sick of that color repeat, so now I get to delve into the bright repeats of Groovy Felici.

I’m ashamed to say the first sweater took me a month to finish, but I can already tell the second is going to go faster.

I must say I’m thouroughly enjoying the self stripping yarn. I’ve always looked at it admiringly, yet never really having a good project for it. I really didn’t like the harsh color changes and the complete lack of control over when those color changes occurred. This slip stitch pattern does a gorgeous job of blending the color changes. It reminds me of the way you blend oil pastels together while messing around seeing how the colors play together.

With some of my other pairs of projects for these little ones, I’ve definitely had to push through that second sweater syndrome, but these little girl sweaters have been totally inspiring.

Simplicity

Like I said yesterday, I’m getting my baby knitting mojo on in a serious way. I’ve been pregnant for 7 months, and now, I’m finally giving these babies the knitterly attention they so deserve. I always work better under pressure, I guess this is no exception.

Wednesday night I was on my way to a meeting (yes, I was off my feet the whole time I was there, so no, I didn’t violate my bed rest mandate). And I realized I had nothing in progress to work on. So I grabbed some Berroco Lustra from the stash, and quickly sketched out a plan for a little raglan pullover in the car on the way over. I had had a little idea that had been marinating for a week or so, and this was just the time to give it a whirl.

By last night, this is what I had.

You know, I forgot how much I love simple raglan sweaters, especially for babies. I feel like you have the simplicity of structure similar to a shawl where you have a center spine and some edge stitches, and you work the stitch pattern between these boundaries. Raglan shaping also keeps your attention a lot like turning the heel of a sock. It just has a perfect little rhythm with the perfect amount of shaping to keep you from getting bored.

This little sweater is the essence of simplicity. It’s all garter stitch, with some ribbing down the “spines” separating the sleeve and body sections. Yet the rhythm of the pattern keeps my interest while relaxing my mind. It’s been a while since I’ve worked on a project that put my mind in the “knitting zen” mode. I seem to have a genius for over thinking everything I do these days, including knitting. Must be the hormones.

The Pile Grows!

I’m 31 weeks today. If they come the time most twins do, I’ll be holding two little babies in just around 4 weeks. I’ve spent some serious time over the last couple days in growing my little pile of baby knits. Today, I assembled the second of the two matching boy cardigans. It came out beautifully….

Now time for the shawl collar. But look how much yarn! Oh no!

It turns out this sweater came out a bit bigger than I wanted it to, so I think i’ll wait on buying (yet) more yarn, and finish a couple other things that are more likely to fit them on their way home from the hospital.

But the pile continues to grow! So fun to see this little stack of little bits of knitwear.

Introducing: Lager Socks

When I first started designing, I swore I’d never design socks. No particular reason, other than I felt like there were lots of other designers that were doing a phenomenal job in that section of the pattern industry, and I didn’t feel like I had anything interesting or exciting to add.

Well this winter found me with like two pair of hand knit socks and they didn’t even fit very well. I had a mountain of baby knitting to work on and I wanted these socks fast. You may also remember my eureka moment with the centered increase in December. That little discovery has oppened the door to a lot of creative stitch patterns that I was just aching to try. So inspiration met practicality and the result was these amazing socks, that were fun and interesting to knit, and were finished in two days.

If your interested in knitting them too, here are the details.

Sizes – Designed to fit a foot measuring 8.5” (21.5cm) around the ball. Size can be slightly adjusted by going up or down a needle size or two.

Required Materials:
• 1 skein of Plymouth Galway Worsted (100% Wool) – 210 yds. / 100g. Colorway: 722
• Size US 6/4.00mm circular needle(s) or DPNs depending on your preferred method of knitting socks.
• Stitch markers (A minimum of 1 is required as well as any others you prefer to keep track of the stitch pattern)
• Tapestry Needle

Gauge - 16 sts x 26 rows over 4” / 10cm in Stockinette stitch with #6 needles.
Skills Required:
• Knit and purl
• Increasing and Decreasing
• Kitchener Stitch
• Short rows

Lots of Knitting

So, I’ve now been given an official “take it easy” from the doctor, and I don’t have to be on complete bed rest, at least for now. Which has been a wonderful relief.

It was fun to have a few days where I didn’t have to do anything but knit. While I don’t feel like I’ve been overwhelmingly productive, the amount of FOs and new WIPs have been adding up.

The first thing I did when put on bed rest was cast on this little cutie…

As I’ve mentioned before, my goal is to knit 2 boy and 2 girl sweaters, hats and booties, so that I have a perfect little outfit to bring them home from the hospital in, no matter how they surprise us. For some reason the boy ideas have been flowing and I haven’t been able to come up with cute girl ideas, but finally this one came together. It’s a simple raglan construction with a slip stitch pattern knit up in Knit Picks Felici self striping yarn. Unfortunately this colorway is discontinued.

I also finally finished the last step on this little sleep sack for my niece… sewing on the snaps and buttons.

I’m thrilled with the finished product… it’s a bit longer than I was hoping, but I think it’ll fit her for a good long while.

It’s so fun seeing new projects start and old ones get finished and to their owners.

 

 

Knitting Basics: Intro and Info on Choosing Yarn

Intro

Over the last couple years as I’ve taken knitting more and more seriously, word seems to have gotten around that this is what I do and that I’m the person to ask when newer knitters of my acquaintance hit a wall in their own pursuit of the craft. I love getting these questions, often I don’t have all the answers, but I usually can get them going in the right direction.

As I was answering an email today, I realized that each of these questions could turn into marvelous little blog topics and that blogging gave me a unique opportunity to explore a topic with a bit of depth and then it would be out there and available for others with similar questions. Now, I don’t flatter myself that I’m the first blogger who has ever addressed these topics. But the internet is a big place, and having good info in multiple places means that a new knitter will be more likely to come across something helpful, weather it’s my blog or someone elses.

Choosing Yarn

So the question I wanted to address today was choosing yarn. The world is a very, very big place when it comes to yarn, and it’s only getting bigger. There are more yarn companies and indy dyers popping up all the time. It’s wonderful to have all these wonderful options, but for someone just getting started, it’s really overwhelming. It wasn’t that long ago that I was completely ignorant of yarn fiber content and how to choose the best yarns for each project I tackled. But I actually got up to speed pretty simply, because in spite of  the zillions of options, most options seem to be some variation of the same simple concepts. Here’s how to approach choosing yarn.

Phase 1: Consider

You’ll want to start by assessing your project, recipient, timing and the pattern you’re using.

1) Consider your project.

Most people, especially new knitters usually have a project in mind when they go to buy yarn. The kind of project you’re working on will dictate what the best yarn options will be. Is it a sweater? A scarf? A blanket? Socks? Mittens? For each of  these types of projects you’ll want to look for some specific features in your yarn.

• Blanket – The sky is the limit here, you can pretty much get away with using anything.
• Scarves – Most scarves are worn next to the skin, so you’ll want to choose something soft.
• Sweater or other top – you’ll want to figure out if this is something you’ll wear next to your skin or will be layered over another shirt. If it’ll be next you your skin, you’ll want it very soft, if you’re going to layer it, you don’t need the fiber to be quite as soft, although typically, the more fitted the the garment, the softer you’ll want your fiber. There are some great yarns out there that work wonderfully for some projects that would make very uncomfortable sweaters.
• Sock – These are interesting, while they are worn next to the skin, I have discovered that feet don’t seem to care quite as much about how soft the fiber around them is as your arms and neck seem to. You’re feet may be different.
• Mittens – Again, close to skin, so the same rules apply. However much like your feet, your hands seem to be little less picky.

2) Consider the final recipient of your project.

This is very, very important. Is it for yourself, someone you can trust to care for your hand knitwear with the utmost care? Is it for a baby and are you going to want to be able to throw it in the washing machine? Is it for a dear friend, who loves your knitting but may forget to wash it properly? These are very, important things to consider.

3) Consider how long you’d like this project to take. 

Do you have a year to finish it? Or does it need to be done for a baby shower in a couple weeks? Yarns come in different weights, or thicknesses, and the thicker the yarn, the faster it’ll go. I’ll touch on this a bit more ins step 5.

4) Consider the pattern.

Does the pattern call for a specific kind of yarn? Usually the designer intended the pattern for that specific yarn, and you’ll get the best results by just following what they say. However, there are some very good reasons for substituting yarns, but it should be done carefully. At minimum, you should try to get the same weight and fiber content that is called for. I will go over all that should be considered in yarn substitutions in another “Knitting Basics” blog post.

Phase 2: Determine

Now it’s time to make some decisions!

5) Determine Fiber Content.

Based on the decisions you’ve made in the previous steps you’ll have a list of criteria for the yarn you choose. So you walk into your local yarn store or start shopping online. The options are endless. So let me give you a little outline of the various features you’ll get from different yarns. Generally speaking the fiberworld is divided into three categories, plant fiber, animal fiber, and synthetic fiber. Each one has it’s pluses and minuses. I’ve put together a chart to give you a general idea of the difference between each of these fibers.

Merino Wool	Merino is sort of considered top of the food chain in the knitting world. It’s incredibly soft, fairly durable, and comparatively inexpensive when compared with your luxury animal fibers.
Peruvian Wool	This is your basic wool yarn. It’s a bit scratchy, so I wouldn’t make a cowl neck sweater out of it. But it felts beautifully, and if you want to make a cheaper blanket, it’s a great option.
Superwash Wool	Excellent for baby and kid knitting as well as socks as it’s essentially washable. This fiber goes through an extra treatment process that makes the yarn resistant to felting when washed.
Alpaca	This fiber comes from animals that look like mini llamas. It’s very soft, however the tougher guard hairs can get into the yarn and make it a little “pokey” on occasion. It’s also about 4 times as warm as wool is.
Silk	We all know what silk is. In the knitting world it is just as luxurious of a fiber. Often it’s combined with wool. And makes simply gorgeous final projects. One interesting note though is that silk is actually quite a bit warmer than wool, so it’s an excellent choice for hats and mittens to match your classiest coat.
Cotton	This is baby knitting favorite. Totally washable, usually quite soft, it can also be very hard wearing as well. It does tend to pill a bit.
Bamboo	Bamboo fiber is made from the pulp inside the bamboo plant. It is very soft and is often blended with other fibers to give it a beautiful sheen. Occasionally you’ll find a pure bamboo yarn.
Rayon/Modal	This is a fiber that’s manufactured celulose out of naturally occuring polymers. That’s all I know about it’s orgin. I do know it’s a wonderfully smooth fiber that adds a lot of luxurious sheen when blended with wool or cotton.
Nylon	A fiber that’s made from synthetic polymers. You will find nylon in most yarns designated as “sock yarn” as it gives the wools some extra durability.
Cheap Acrylic	Avoid. I’ve heard it described as knitting with plastic grocery bags, and I couldn’t agree more.
Quality Acrylic	Not all acrylic is created equal. Acrylic blends, especially ones manufactured by the higher quality brands can be quite nice to work with, and again acrylic is washable which is usually a bit win with people.

 

A more detailed PDF version of this chart can be downloaded here.

Take all this info with a grain of salt. There are huge variations between brands using the same fibers. It really is best to get your hands on the actual yarn and make an assessment for yourself. At the very least, I recommend reading the comments for a yarn you plan to buy on ravelry or some other favorite yarny site.

6) Determine Weight.

Usually a pattern will tell you what weight yarn you’ll need. Yarn weight terminology isn’t very intuitive at all. But here’s the rundown: Super Bulky and Bulky yarn is the thickest, then comes heavy worsted, and worsted, followed by double knitting, sport, fingering, then lace, in that order. Like I said earlier the thicker the yarn the faster it knits up. However, it’s also worth pointing out that some weights typically work well for certain types of projects.

• Lace – As you may have guessed, this weight yarn is usually used for lace work.
• Fingering – Typically used for socks
• Sport – This is sometimes called baby weight yarn, probably because this weight is often used for baby knitting.
• Double Knitting (DK) and Worsted  - These are your typical sweater weight yarns.
• Bulky – Lots of “quick knits” are designed with bulky for obvious reasons.

So there you go, you’ve got the basics of navigating your Local Yarn Store. I will say that the information in steps 5 and 6 is just to give you a frame of reference. Any yarn that you get your hands on and want to work with could work for whatever project your looking to start.

Have fun shopping!

And So My World Changes

So it feels like I get a week of knitting and then there’s a week or two whirlwind of other baby prep, then I get a week of knitting, and the cycle continues. While I haven’t been knitting a ton these last two weeks, I’ve been doing all sorts of other crafty baby prep. Curtains were made, little burp cloths were appliqued, and custom vinyl decals for the nursery have been designed.

But as of yesterday, knitting will be getting more attention, and when I say more attention, I mean A LOT of attention. Yesterday I was put on complete bedrest. I’m not in preterm labor or anything yet, but they were very concerned that I would be if I didn’t seriously take it easy. I must say, this was one of the moments when I was glad I was a knitter. Well, I was glad for a lot of things, but being a knitter was one of the top three. I didn’t say to myself in a panic… “what am I going to do on the couch all day?” Instead, I knew exactly what I was going to do with all that couch time. I finally could knit all the things I had been dying to dive into without feeling guilty about the rest of the house. Well, I still do feel guilty about the house, but it’s out of my control now.

I’m so thankful for good friends. My dear friend called me this morning as soon as she heard. She gave me some great perspective on how I should be using this time. I’m so glad I have people who are going to help me be really productive with this time and do things I couldn’t do if I was rushing around still getting ready for these babies, and won’t let me languish for the next two months in a pile of depressed misery.

So here are some of the things I’d like to do with my next couple months of time…

1. Refresh my walk with the Lord – I now have absolutely no excuse to not spend a good chunk of time in the Word, spend extended time praying for my children, and read good books every day. Even if I do that for 2 hours every single day, that still leaves hours and hours of time for knitting, novels, and TV.
2. Think through life. Tackle what it’s going to take to get little pockets of my home organized. Even if I can’t do it, that doesn’t mean I can’t figure out the best system for it that I can implement when I’m on my feet again.
3. Stay on top of the paperwork.
4. Read some classics – librivox.org may just keep me sane, while keeping my mind intellectually challenged and engaged.
5. Knit, Knit, Knit, Design, Design, Design, Publish, Publish, Publish – Need I say more?
6. Blog, Podcast, Tweet – All things I love doing, but never seem to have enough time to enjoy. I guess I do now!

Any of my readers ever been on bed rest? Any other suggestions about what I should do with my time?

“I Should…”

So, as I’ve re-engaged the blog/twitter-sphere post-holiday madness, I’ve noticed a flurry of New Years related posts and tweets regarding other knitters various resolutions. I’m really not much of a resolutions sort of person. I think any time is a good time to start something you should be doing, and that trying to stack a whole bunch of “I shoulds” at the beginning of the year just makes life overwhelming.

But it’s funny, there seems to be something about this time of year, when the idea of taking inventory and coming up with some new ideas is just contagious. Because I’ve been noticing a few very appropriate and not very burdonsome “I shoulds” collecting in the corners of my mind. Most of which I’ve already started acting on.

1) I’m in a blog-reading rut, I don’t think I’ve added any good blogs to my google reader in 2 years. The funny part is, pretty often, I scroll to my “favorite” blog section and get disappointed that my faves haven’t posted. There’s a pretty easy solution to that…add more to your favorites! For those who comment and leave a blog address, thank you! I’ll be spending a lot more time culling the blogosphere for some new reads and y’all are top of my list. If you read but don’t usually comment, would you mind “leaving your card”? I’d love to know what kinds of blogs my readers write and start keeping up with what you have to say this new year.

2) I have a love-hate relationship with Social networking. I love Facebook, and until recently could not “get” twitter, and ravelry is an interesting case for me too. I am a social person… I promise, but I have a very, very hard time engaging the virtual world, especially when it involves interacting with people I haven’t met. It seems there is a whole new set of social protocol that enables us to connect with and enjoy people we’ve never met but have tons of things in common with, and I just haven’t figured it out yet. Last week, I sat down and decided to give twitter a shot again, this time went really, really well! I actually connected with a couple people about improving my pattern schematics, found a couple new blogs, and favorited a few etsy shops with yummy, yummy yarn. So that leads me to my next “I should”. I should spend more time on twitter, I think it’ll keep me from being the excessively introverted knitter I seem to be turning into.

3) This one seems to be every bloggers resolution. I should post more. The thing is, this blog only becomes a burden when I don’t keep up with it. When more than a week goes by without a post, suddenly it’s a millstone around my neck and I’m grasping frantically at something, anything to write about. But when I post more, I feel like my inspiration for both knitting and writing gets a great little kick in the pants, and it’s quite thereputic.

4) If you listened to my podcast, this is a bit of a repeat. I’m going to say “yes” more often to a good idea, even if I have other things on the needles. I’m realizing how detrimental it is to squelch inspiration in the name of keeping to a schedule.

What are your knitterly “I shoulds” for 2012?

 

Podcast Episode 4 – Harnessing Inspiration without Getting Disorganized

The last 2-3 weeks have been amazingly inspirational and productive, and it’s helped me reach a number of conclusions about how we as knitters can really bog ourselves down with knitting goals that are meant to be fun and just end up stifling our creativity.