Prayer Shawl

Church has a knitting group! Now I should have know this, but some how I did not. I found out about the group but accident. Bizy-girl (aka Bean, aka Curly) wore a hand knit dress to church a few weeks ago. It's knit up in a dark blue, all cotton yarn. Very cute orange flower buttons finish off the faux wrap style of the top. She looked adorable! My sister in-law knit it for Biz's first birthday. SIL is a fantastic knitter who turns out fabulous project after project. I'm a little envious of this, as I barely have time to finish a cup of coffee, let alone a project. Between choosing colleges with Soccer Chica, keeping a 2nd grade boy out of trouble, and changing a 15 month old baby (really the biggest challenge of them all) I can't seen to remember to breath. It' a good thing that breathing is not optional.

Well, while one of the church ladies was admiring the dress, she asked me if I knit it. For a split second I wanted to say "Why yes, yes, I did." Then I remembered where I was and I didn't want to hurt SIL feelings. Would she ever know? No. But I would know. And it would be wrong. Not to mention the ramifications of fibbing in church. Drat those morals.

Anyhow, she commenced to invite me to the prayer shawl group! I was so excited that I just had to go out an purchase new supplies to knit my very own prayer shawl. So I bought a pattern by Kristin Ohmadal for a scalloped lace edged shawl and some alpaca sock yarn by Classic Elite Yarns in a nice green. I really wanted a soft gray, but could find anything in my price rangethat I was in love with. Now I purchased it all at Your Local Yarn Shop here in Battle Creek. Did I ever mentioned that this shop is within walking distance of my home and work? How dangerous is that?! The gal who helped me was sweet and knew that I was struggling with my choices. She definitely had patience.

I am a little over half way done with the knitting. At this point it looks like I have knit a large, moldy dish cloth. But I know that the shawl will block out lovely, so I am not discouraged.

Here's What I Got

Obviously by the amount of posting I have been doing, my life is busy. So let's cut to the chase and show you my current WIP's.

First, I am working on a pair of pedicure socks for a very good friend's birthday. Well, her birthday was a few weeks ago and I only have one done. Guess we will move this one to the Christmas present column for her. These socks were first knit up as a pair of Roza Socks by Grumperina, but I really thought the colors got muddy. So after a soothing rip out session, they have become pedicure socks. I did not look for a pattern, but just made it up as I went. Some after thought research showed me that I was not the first to knit a sock like this. There are several lovely pedicure sock patterns out there.

Next, I have begun the Barn Raising Quilt by Shelley Mackie and Larissa Brown. I cast on for this in July and figure I'll be done some time in the next 10 years. My plan is to use all my old sock yarn scraps. Which I have almost blown through. See my predicament? I will need to knit new socks before I can knit the square. But this is an EASY pattern to memorize, so I can use it as my travel knitting. Plus ski season is coming and I will have lots of time to knit while watching the little one run around the lodge.

There are more, and I will try to update in the next few weeks with those projects. Missed you all!

Bow Tied

The ever elusive finished knit decided to show its self today. Though is has been complete for sometime, being shy, it only shows itself on cooler summer days/nights. The bow tied bolero was first seen in this area here. So as you can see by the date on the post, it hides from public view on purpose.

Want to know about this quiet knit? Well, it is a Debbie Bliss pattern, knit with Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton. The color just pops against the white linen dress that Bean has on. I started this on June 9, 2008 and finished on September 12, 2008. Again, the reminder that this knit is very shy. You can also find details on ravelry.

Unfortunately, I do not have a photos yet of the front, but it turned out well. If you follow my blog, you know that I am very careful not to publish the faces of our kids. There are several fabulous photos of the front, but all have the sweet Bean's face in them. yes I could crop them out, but I would also crop out part of the sweater. Babies just don't want to hold still. There is a very great appreciation for the professional photographers of babies in our household. How do they do it? Once we snap a decent photo, I will amend this post, OK?

Another note, because the ties were so long (next time I would make them shorter), they are wrapped around Bean and tied in the back. Since she is crawling and can not be bothered by things hanging down, this was the best solution.

blast from my past

I found this vest in a pile of clothes a friend gave to me when Biz was born. It looked familiar. Where did I recognize this top from? Think, Trixie, think . . . then it hit me.

I knit that damn thing!

At first I was a little irked that a gift was "re-gifted" back to me. But then it occurred to me that because this was one of my first knits, no photos were ever taken. All I had to document this fun garment was a notebook page with the details. So, let's begin, shall we.

We are all aware that I lean (understatement) toward Debbie Bliss patterns. I am not sure if it is the pattern itself or the styling/photos in the books that reel me in. either way, I have knit a few here, and here, and here, and . . . you get the picture.

This pattern is titled Eyelet Vest and is on page 8 of Special Knits by Debbie Bliss. I knit this in record time, only five days from start to finish. That includes shopping for ribbon and buttons.

Can I mention, extremely off topic by the way, that it is almost 60 degrees outside! The sun is shinning, the birds are singing and I can hear the hum of a boat motor on the lake. Biz is napping on a blanket next to the slider, which is open slightly to let in a fresh breeze. If I take a deep breath, I can almost smell summer.

Back to the matter at hand. I used Plymouth Yarns Dreambaby DK in a soft green. It knit well, from what I can remember. The yarn also seems to have stood the test of time and baby wear, as there is no pilling and any stains wash right out. Feeling smooth and soft is also another positive for this yarn. I ask myself why I haven't knit with this yarn again. There is no excuse, except maybe that I like natural fibers better than microfiber. Only taking two balls of yarn was very easy on the pocket book! Back in 2006 I wasn't as worried about these things as I am now.

A word about the notions on this vest. The pattern calls for a small button at the back of the neck (thank heavens, because Biz's big noggin definitely would not fit through without it). I chose a small shell button with browns and greens. It compliments that piece nicely. After several attempts to photograph the button I gave up. Biz was not cooperative at all. The ribbon is run-of-the-mill ribbon from the local craft shop in an ivory color. I do not know the brand.

Blocking the vest after each wash is a must. Notice the fabric roll at the bottom. No matter what I do, at the end of the day it is rolling.

So this was my trip down knitting memory lane. It is very nice to see where I started my knitting era and how I have changed since then. Re-gifting back to me in this case was good. Note to self: I think I'll hold on to this vest for when Biz has a baby. Then it's not re-gifting . . . it's passing along heirlooms!

New Look

What do you think?

Better Photo

Here is a better photo of tulle-ing around.



If you want all the juicy details, they can be fournd here.

Tulle - ing Around

Here is a cute little hat I knit for Bean. What a fun project. It has all the ingredients to make for a quick, adorable project.

Obviously, Bean wouldn't hold still to get a clear, crisp photo. So we take what we can get.

Details incase you want to make one too. The pattern is from Susan B. Anderson's Itty-Bitty Hats, called Simple Baby Cap 1. I followed the directions to add the tulle, though next time I will shorten the tulle length's from 20 inches to 10 or 15 inches. I used Debbie Bliss' Baby Cashmerino in lavender. Can you believe I found tulle that matches perfectly?!