Another Finished Object — Bulky Mittens for Sweet Baboo

This picture didn’t turn out very well but I will use it for now and replace it later. These mittens are a very dark navy blue and I knitted them very tightly in GGH Aspen yarn. It is 50% Merino wool and 50% Acrylic, 57 meters in 50 grams. I used just over two balls of this yarn. They are extremely heavy and bulky, which is what he wanted. My only complaint with this yarn was that it turned my fingers blue — honest!! My wooden needles too!! I should probably set the color or his hands will looks like a Smurf’s if they get wet. He seems very happy with them and when Daddy’s happy, everybody’s happy.

This free pattern was very easy to follow even for a novice knitter like me. That’s probably why it’s called Easy Mittens Pattern — by Claudia Krisniski. If you would like a copy of the pattern, click here. This is another pattern that will be one that I use over and over. Don’t mess with a good thing, right?

Finished Object — My “Just Winged It” Knitting Bag

This was great yarn to felt, once I got a handle on what I was doing. I used Donegal Tweed Homespun 100% Pure New Wool. I just loved the hand in this yarn, plus I had to frog it a few times and it held up very well. I used 2 ends — started with a crocheted oval about 5″ at it’s widest by 10″ in length, then knitted up from the stitches on the outside of the oval. Started increasing here and there until I got the shape that I wanted. I ended up with about 110 stitches in circumference, but not sure what I started with.

The I-cord was a 6 stitch with one end of the yarn. I think it was about 5 feet long when I finished. To attach the cord, I used a DPN to make 4 holes in the bag about 1 1/2″ from the edge and about 3″ in from the sides, then threaded the cord through it and tied. Not real fancy but it gets the job done. I didn’t attach the cord until it and the bag were done being felted.

I was a little hesitant about the felting, having felted one other item and it came out pint sized due to my overzealousness. I erred on the side of caution this time, and finally got the effect that I wanted after felting it 4 times. This yarn can really take some abuse in the washer!!

This picture looks like there is a skew in the yarn from this angle, but it must be my camera.

Behold the GrandDolly’s Roll Brim Hat!!

Either I’m getting better or the patterns are getting easier. (She bows in appreciation of the applause) This adorable little hat took me just about 5 hours to make, including frogging the last 1 1/2″ of the hat twice and changing the top to an i-cord (which was also my first attempt at this technique) instead of a topknot. One more hat to go for Darling Daughter and I can kiss this yarn goodbye!!! Come to think of it, maybe that’s why I was able to finish this hat so quickly!! As lovely as it is, I am getting tired of looking it and can’t wait to move on to something else — perhaps a nice pair of socks for me and I still have a scarf that I started awhile back that I haven’t made a lot of headway on……..

The pattern for the hat came from a pattern generator at a site called The Diet Diary/Knitting Fiend — both names are mentioned in the url — but at any rate, click here to visit this generator and a host of others that she has on her site. Lots of great stuff to read and get lost in. For me and my way of knitting, the instructions through the generator are more clear and easier to follow. I kind of went my own way on the top and I think it came out pretty well.

My pattern for Izaak’s little socks

Cast on 36 with Size 4 circs
Knit 1 Purl 1 for 15 rounds (about 1 1/2″)

Heel flap
18 stitches

1. Slip 1 Knit 1 Repeat across
2. Slip 1 Purl across
Repeat above 2 rounds 7 times (about 1 1/2″)
End after knit row

Heel turn

1. Slip 1, purl 10, p2tog, p1 turn (4 sts left)
2. Slip 1, knit 5, ssk, k1, turn (4 sts left)
3. Slip 1, purl 6, p2tog, p1 turn (2 sts left)
4. Slip 1, knit 7, ssk, k1 turn (2 sts left)
Repeat until there are 12 sts total left on needle

Gusset
Pick up 8 stitches down heel flap, place a marker, work 18 stitches, place a marker, pick up 8 stitches up heel flap. Move 6 stitches from heel to second needle. 46 stitches total

Gusset decrease

1. Knit 11, k2tog, k1 (marker), knit to next marker, k1, ssk, k11 — 44 sts
2. This round and all even numbered rounds, knit even
3. Knit 9, k2tog,k1 (marker here) knit to next marker, k1, ssk, k9 — 42 sts**
4. Knit 7, k2tog, k1 (marker here) knit to next marker, k1, ssk, k7 — 40 sts
Continue until there are 36 stitches total, 18 on each needle

Foot
Continue knitting until foot measures 3.75″ from the point where you picked up the stitches on the heel.

Toe
1) Knit 6, k2tog, k2, ssk, k6 on each needle
2) Knit even
3) Knit 5, k2 tog, k2, ssk, k5 on each needle
4) Knit even
Continue decreasing every other row until there are 6 stitches left. Kitchener off

Another finished object — New York Hat

Sweet Baboo’s job keeps him out in the nasty winter weather much more than I would like (snow plowing!! Blech!!) so I searched the internet until I found this pattern on this fabulous blog, I Live on a Farm. (There is also a pattern for the matching scarf along with lots of other great goodies.) The hat that she knitted used called Suri Merino Luxury Indecita Blend from Plymouth Yarn Co. It is 55% Suri Alpaca and 45% Extrafine Merino Wool in color number 402, which is a charcoal grey color. A very nice yarn to be sure, but I kept going back to another yarn by Berroco in 100% Extra Fine Merino. I would just go into my LYS and stand there and fondle stroke admire the hand on that yarn. This blue color just blew me away. It was also my first solo with circular needles. A girl could go broke easily just buying needles!! Just when I thought that I had found the DPN’s that I positively loved (KA bamboo) I find myself falling in love all over again with Prym circulars. Dear, oh dear, what’s a girl to do?

(Note to self: Remember to save what I’m writing if I decide that I need to go look at something else or I will risk wiping out the end of my article!! ARGH!!)

Back to my story. The pattern is easy enough that even a novice like me can follow it and not screw it up too badly, although I did have to wing it once I got to the crown. My fingers were just too stiff to be able to manipulate the stitches down to the 7 that the pattern called for. I decided that if it looked too wretched that I would (gasp!! say it isn’t so!!!) sew a pompom or button on the top to cover it. I’m not sure how Sweet Baboo would feel about that but I guess I won’t need to worry because the top came out well enough. Because the author of I Live on a Farm made this for her son, the very last part of the pattern says “Hug the completed hat to your cheek and bless it with Motherly Love while thinking of the dear head the hat will keep warm. Well, that’s what I did anyway.” Okay, so it was Significant Otherly Love but I thought the sentiment was so sweet. Here’s a picture of the dear head and his new hat keeping him warm.

Sock Update 9/16/07

I actually finished Sweet Baboo’s socks a few days ago but was delinquent in posting the pics. I’m very pleased with how they turned out. I had hoped that I would be able to match the yarn again like I did with Darling Daughter’s socks, but it wasn’t to be. I think that the yarn that I used with DD’s socks was a painted yarn rather than a spun yarn like SB’s socks. At any rate, SB is very happy with his sockies and by God they fit this time!!!

I used Universal Yarn Classic Worsted Tapestry yarn in a Denim colorway. It’s hard to tell from the picture but I actually ran out of yarn on the right toe and had to add some from the blue that I was using for his watch cap. I think I made the leg a little too long (that’s what I get for knitting and watching TV) and that’s why I ran short. I hope the socks wear well — he will no doubt be using them this winter when the floors start to get chilly.