Pretty In Pink

I made this hat for my adorable little niece, Ashlyn. She has such a sweet, easy-going personality. She's already nine-months-old and I just got to meet her for the first time during our trip to Colorado this month. Boy do I miss her, and all of our family there!

Brilliant Lacy Cardi

Pattern: Combo of several patterns and my own improvising
Yarn: Patons Brilliant, White Twinkle
Needles: US #7

I have tried and tried to get good pictures of this sweater. After a few attempts I settled on using these, which I don't think quite do the sweater justice.

I wanted a lacy sweater with a bit of silver. I found Paton's Brilliant yarn in White Twinkle, which was just the color I had in mind. However, it's pesky chain construction keeps it off my list of favorite yarns.

I started off by choosing a lace pattern in one of my stitch dictionaries. Then, I combined a few elements of a few sweater patterns I liked. I'm happy with the way it turned out. In fact, I'm planning to make another version in black with about three inches less ribbing on the bottom.

Savoring Summer

Summer is in full swing in Minnesota. After a long, cold winter I'm savoring every minute. I'm enjoying the lush green landscape, the vibrant flowers and the serene lakes and ponds.

In addition to enjoying the weather here, we just returned from a great, albeit busy, vacation to see family in Colorado. The two family reunions we attended gave us a welcome chance to catch up and introduce everyone to our newest little guy. We also managed to get a respite from the activity in our favorite mountain town - Breckenridge.

We try to make it to Breckenridge every summer. We love the town not only for its abundant beauty, but also for all of the fun activities available to our family.

Little Man Getting Big

I couldn't resist sharing this picture of my littlest man. This is his 4-month picture. He's getting so big! They grow too fast! His big brothers are pretty proud of him. They love making him smile and entertaining him with their antics.

Wallis Cardi

Pattern: Wallis Cardigan by Melissa Wehrle, Interweave Knits Summer 2008
Yarn: Rowan RYC Cashsoft DK, coral
Needles: US 4 and 6

This pattern comes together pretty well. This cardi has just enough feminine details without being too fussy. I like how the pleats on the shoulders and sleeves are done. The finishing on this piece isn’t bad. The biggest problem I had was getting the hooks and eyes to look OK. I ended up using 8 and spacing them just less than 1 inch apart.

If I were to make this again I’d make a few changes. I’m pear shaped. The top is fine, and would probably be too big if I went up a size, but the bottom could be bigger. I’d make a size larger for the bottom and transition to the smaller size for the top. I did block the lower portion to the size larger, but that just helped a little.

There are a few errors in the pattern. Row 43 should be knit the same as for the right front. Otherwise, you’ll get what kind of looks like a twisted stitch.

Also, on the sleeves if you start with a RS knit row you won’t end up the RS for the des row. I’m not sure what the designer intended. Probably knit 4 rows instead of the 3. Or, just start with a WS purl row and knit 3 rows.

On the “Shape cap” portion, after you BO stitches on next two rows it says to work 1 WS row even. Typically, you’d start your BO on a RS row, which means you be working 1 RS row even (as opposed to a WS row as printed) and then start your dec 1 st each end of needle on a WS row.

Spring might be here to stay

Here, in Minnesota's Twin Cities, spring has been about a month late. Tulips are just now popping open, tree leaves are finally unfolding, ducklings are making a first appearance on our lake ... AND the weather forecast shows 70s for a week out - Woo Hoo!

Yesterday evening I hosted my knitting group. I always look forward to our evenings together. We have a great group of incredibly creative, talented, and wonderful women! I think if you asked my knitting group they'd all agree that another highlight of our evenings together are the yummy desserts that are served. These women are all wonderful cooks too!

For our treat last night, I took advantage of the bounty of my rhubarb plants (always the first thing in my garden to pop up through the snow and herald in spring). I made Rhubarb Slush Punch and Rhubarb Crisp - YUM! Try the recipes for yourself. Even if you think you don't like rhubarb, I bet you'll like these tasty recipes.

Rhubarb Slush Punch
2.5 to 3 cups rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup apple juice
6 ounces frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 liters lemon-lime soda

In a saucepan, combine rhubarb, water and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes, or until rhubarb is tender. Cool for about 30 minutes.

In a food processor or blender, puree mixture, half at a time. Stir in apple juice and lemonade. Pour into a freezer container. Cover and freeze until firm.

Let stand and room temperature for 45 minutes before serving. For individual servings, scoop 1/3 cup into a glass and fill with soda. To serve a group, place all of the mixture in a large pitcher or punch bowl; add soda and stir. Serve immediately.

Rhubarb Butter Crisp
3 to 4 cups rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar
1.5 cups plus 3 Tbsp Flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup butter, melted

Directions: Spread rhubarb evenly in 9x13 pan. Sprinkle granulated sugar and 3 TBS flour on top.

In a bowl, mix together oatmeal, brown sugar, remaining flour, and butter. Crumble evenly over rhubarb. Bake 350 for 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Vintage Bubble Bag

Pattern: Vintage Bubble Bag by Eva Wiechmann, Pursenalities
Yarn: 2 skeins Cascade 220 and 2 skeins Noro Kureyon

I recently finished this felted purse for a friend of mine who gave it to her mother-in-law for Mother's Day. Instead of attaching the handles to the bag prior to felting, I chose to add knotted handles post felting. Julie had the purse lined at our LYS. The lining really made the purse. I also created a coordinating clutch with needled-felted flower embellishment.

Julie's mother-in-law had been wanting a felted purse for some time. She was thrilled when she received her gift from Julie. And she, sweet southern lady that she is, called to thank me for making it. Both Julie and her mother-in-law were so appreciative that it made making the pieces that much more fun.

Baby Bobbi Bear

Pattern: Blue Sky Alpaca's Baby Bobbi Bear by Bobbi Intveld
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Encore, Taupe, 1 skein
Needles: US 8

The construction of this little guy is pretty cool. There's very minimal seaming. The only seaming is on the crotch, a duplicate stitch around the neck and sewing the ears on. You've gotta love that!

Definitely check out the errata on the Blue Sky Alpaca Web site before diving in. It clarifies the knitting process.

I still have about 1/4 of my skein of yarn left over. I used US 8 needles instead of US 9 because I wanted a slightly smaller bear. However, my bear is still a good 14-inches tall. The stitches for the arm are picked up and knit in the round on double-pointed-needles. Although I re-knit the arms more than once, I didn't like the gaps that were created on the first row of picked-up stitches. To remedy the gap, I also used the duplicate stitch around the base of each arm. This tightened the stitches, eliminating the gap, and also gave the arms a little more definition.

This is going to make a really cute baby gift! Both my older boys want me to make them one too!

Sylph Cardi is Finished!

Pattern: Slyph Cardigan by Robin Melanson, Interweave Knits Spring 2008
Yarn: Valley Yarns Deerfield, Mauve - 9 skeins
Needles: US 6 & 7

I just LOVE how this cute, flirty cardi turned out! For all of the detail in the pattern it really came together well, even the striping that I moaned about early on. It's such a feminine sweater. And the yarn, the glorious yarn! It's so soft! I would use this yarn that's exclusively sold by WEBS (my favorite online yarn store) again in a heartbeat!

I felt that for the amount of detail in the pattern it was very well written. There were a few minor errors in the pattern that I detailed in an earlier post. I think there's also an error in the purl eyelet row of the bottom ruffle, but I'm not positive. I was working on that so late that I'm not sure if I was reading it wrong or if there is really an error. At any rate that was easy to fix too.

I made the 36-inch size. Normally I'd make the smaller size, but I still have some baby weight to lose. It fits perfectly now with about zero ease. When I do lose the weight, or stop nursing it may not fit as well. In hindsight, I probably should have made the smaller size and stretched it to size during blocking if needed. If it comes to it I guess I'll just stuff my bra! LOL

Speaking of blocking, it is a must with this pattern! It really brings out the striping. I generally block by pinning my pieces then spritzing with water. However, for the ruffle Robin suggested steaming. With my iron on the steam setting, I turned the ruffles right side down and held the iron about 1/4 to 1/2 inch above the piece. I couldn't believe how quickly the curling was gone and how nice the ruffle looked in no time at all! I also steam blocked the neck edging because mine curled back a little. I think I'm going to steam block the sleeve/shoulder seams too. I think they'll lay a little better that way.

I'm very happy with this cardi! I would definitely recommend this pattern for the experienced knitter!

This Can't Be Spring!

This is the view out my window today. Dreary. Snowy. Cold. Not what you typically picture when spring arrives! On the bright side, it's still sweater-wearing and making season!

It's been so crazy at my house lately I haven't had a chance to post. I've been making some progress on my Sylph cardigan by Robin Melanson from the Spring Interweave Knits Mag. I have the back and both sleeves done.

I'm a big fan of the yarn the pattern calls for - Valley Yarns Deerfield. It's 80% alpaca (my favorite fiber) and 20% silk. It's so soft and fluffy, and it has a beautiful sheen too. I can definitely see myself using this yarn again!

The pattern itself has been pretty fun and it's been going fast when I do have a chance to knit. I was pulling my hair out at the beginning with the twisted stitch striping, It's difficult to see unless you have good lighting. Hopefully I'll have this piece done by the time spring finally does arrive in Minnesota! By the looks of it today I may still have some time!

Family

My day-to-day job is taking care of my three sweet boys. But thank goodness for knitting! These days it's my favorite creative outlet and my chance to escape from the craziness (and some days I need to escape more than others).

The older two are such great buds! They play so well together and have so much fun. I hope they keep that close friendship throughout their lives.

Stardust

Pattern: Stardust by Turit Wilroy from Knitty.com

Yarn: Stardust (how fitting) Gemini

Needles: US #7

This was such a fun knit! I had originally knit another sweater using this yarn. I didn't like how the sweater turned out and when I ran across this patten I knew I had another use for the yarn. I just love this new sweater! It fits perfectly! Although, the yarn is a little scratchy. If I make this again (an I just might) I'll use a mohair or alpaca yarn.

I've got to thank my Mom for ripping apart the original sweater so I could knit this one up. She didn't think I'd have time to do it myself - how sweet is that?! Thanks a million Mom!

Three-Button Cardi

Pattern: Three-Button Cardigan

Yarn: Crystal Palace Yarns Deco-Ribbon, 9 skeins

Needles: US #11

This was one of those times I bought the yarn before I knew what I was going to make with it - it was just such a good deal and I like the color (I think my husband had heard that excuse a few times before LOL).

There were 9 skeins left when I bought the yarn and I used ALL of the 9 skeins. I went up a size needle from what the pattern calls for to get the gauge, but the sweater is still a tad on the small side for me. I'm hoping the weight of the sweater will stretch with wear.

Baby Alpaca Grande Vest

Pattern: Baby Alpaca Grande Vest by Plymouth Design Studio
Yarn: Alpaca with a Twist, Asti (50% Alpaca/ 50% Pima Cotton)

I wear this piece a lot! I even wore it when I was pregnant. It knits up super quick. It's one-size-fits-all and it's definitely easy enough for a beginner to knit. I've had several friends knit this and they've all turned out great.

Stars and Hearts Blanket

Pattern: Adorable Knits for Tots
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Orangeade

I love the picture of my two older boys modeling this blanket for me!

I've always wanted to make this blanket. I decided with the birth of my third boy I'd better get to it before he got too big. My Mom gave me the yarn awhile ago. I used some of the yarn for another project so I knew I wouldn't have enough to make the blanket as large as called for in the pattern. I shortened it in length by two panels, but wouldn't you know it I still ran out of yarn four rows from being finished! The yarn had been discontinued a few years back, but I got extremely lucky and won a bid for a few skeins on Ebay. I got lucky again and the yarn matches even though it's from a different dye lot. I'd better buy a lottery ticket before my luck runs out!

Apricot Jacket

Pattern: Apricot Jacket # 25 by Rebecca
Yarn: Brown Sheep Company Cotton Fleece in New Age Teal
Needles: US #7

I highly recommend reading the advice of other knitters who have completed this sweater before diving in. The pattern is very vague and confusing. I knit the the sleeves first to get the hang of the pattern (fewer tears when having to redo). I also knit the two front panels at the same time to make sure the pieces matched up exactly. The final product is so worth the effort - this is my favorite sweater!

Ruffled Surplice

Pattern: Ruffled Surplice by Mari Lynn Patrick,Interweave Knits Spring 2007
Yarn: Crystal Palace Shimmer in Celery

When I wore this for the first time I had someone ask where I bought this sweater! This is a really cute sweater and a quick and easy knit. I like the yarn I substituted for the pattern. It's similar in shade to the pattern, but the fiber has a subtle sparkle.

Lace and Bobble Jacket

Pattern: Lace and Bobble Jacket, Wish You Were Here by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: Crystal Palace Shimmer in Soft Red

I thought the directions for the ribbing around the corners was vague. My sleeves ended up a little longer than I expected, but I always seem to have problems with sleeves from Debbie Bliss patterns.

Adrienne Vittadini Nicole

Pattern: Nicole Lace Yoked Top by Adrienne Vittadini Vol. 27
Yarn: Adrienne Vittadini Nicole in Tiger Lily

The fine, cord-like Nicole yarn was fun to knit. The top fits perfectly without any mods to the pattern.

Girls Tulip Cardi

Completed: Fall 2006

I found this adorable pattern in my Mom's stash of old baby patterns. It's a quick knit and I just love the result.

Boys Button Flap Cardi

Pattern: Sirdar 1562

Yarn: Tiny Tots DK

Completed: January 2007

I saw this pattern in an ad a few years ago and I knew I had to add it to my pattern collection. I'm picky about the patterns I choose for boys. I'm not a big fan of baby blue sweaters for boys. I also want patterns that are masculine and yarn that's not itchy ... and easily washable!

This sweater was knit in the 0 to 3-month size, but it ran a lot bigger. It probably ended up being more in the range of 3 to 6 months, or even larger. I really like the Sirdar kids patterns because many of them are sized zero to 5 years. I bought enough yarn to make this for my boys in this camel color and a tweedy moss color too.