Sue's Christmas Mitten

This is a Norwegian snowflake design on a child's mitten knit in the round using stranded knitting.  

I have to say I am pleased with the way this turned out.  Overall, I would change only 2 things.  This was my first attempt at stranded knitting and it worked out fine for something that was only intended for display, not wear.  However, if I were to do this again, I would concentrate on keeping my strands loose.  The part of the mitten with the snowflake on it is definitely tighter than the rest of it, and would not be comfortable to wear.  I would also make a shorter cuff on the mitten.  I think the long cuff that the pattern called for is very practical on a mitten to be worn, but it didn't really look right for display until I rolled it.

Details:

Pattern:   
1.  Snowflake motif adapted from Donna Druchunas pattern for Norwegian headbands (free download from the craftzine.com podcast website).

2.  Mitten from "the knitter's handy book of Patterns" by Ann Budd.  How much do I love this book?!?  All you need to do is make a swatch of any yarn, measure it, and the book will provide you with a pattern for socks, gloves, hats, mittens, scarves, vests, and sweaters.  Genius!

I thought the 6-8 year old child size would be good for an ornament - small enough that it didn't look like a grown-up's lost mitten, but large enough not to disappear on a tree.  It was also important to choose a pattern with enough stitches across the hand to accomodate the snowflake on both sides.  Using my test swatch to estimate size, the 6-8 yr old was the best fit.

Yarn:  Zitron Polo (60% Cotton, 40% Acrylic), from my stash.  

Color:  A variegated blue (420) and a pure white

Needles: Size 2 DPNs (it looked much better this way than with the recommended size 5s)

Extras:  Ribbon for hanging loop, goodies to stuff in the top (who says stockings should have all the fun?)

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Spirit Trail Socklets

I was paging through my patterns trying to decide what project to start next when I came across the instructions for knitting a picot edge in the knitter's handy book of patterns.  I love the way picot edges look and for some reason always assumed that it was difficult to knit.  Once I read the instructions and saw how easy it would be, I decided to try it out.  I thought that I might have enough of my Spirit Trail sock yarn left to make a pair of socks for my 3 year old niece, and so I did (barely).  Hope they fit!

Details:

Pattern:  Sock from Ann Budd's the knitter's handy book of Patterns

Size:  Child 2-4 year

Gauge:  knit at 6 sts per inch

Needles:  size 1 dpns inside of picot edge; size 2 dpns rest of sock

Yarn:  Spirit Trail Fiberworks Superwash Merino Sock Yarn

Color:  (TR-06-05-03) hand dyed blues, violets and teal variegated

Yardage:  probably about 50 yards each - just a guess

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Spirit Trail Socks

After a somewhat frustrating experience making my first pair of socks, it took me a while to get back in the mood for another pair.  I did have some pretty yarn from the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival that was starting to whisper to me.  So I  started fresh.  I began with a swatch and Ann Budd's the knitter's handy book of Patterns.  Her instructions for a basic sock are based on the gauge of the sock yarn and the wearer's foot circumference and length.  My feet are a little wider and a little shorter than average.  My actual measurements translated to the large women's basic pattern with a shorter length - easy to set up.

I decided to use the double rib leg variation because its greater stretch seemed like it would be forgiving if I got the gauge wrong.  I also felt that the simple rib pattern would show off the variegated colors without competing with them too much.  

Overall, I am pleased with the results.  They are very wearable socks and look nice on.  I made some mistakes which were minor enough to leave in (a few twisted stitches, a couple of stitches picked up in the wrong place).  So I'll wear them and I'm sure no one will notice the flaws, but I wouldn't give them as gifts.  

I will definitely work off this pattern again.  It's pretty cool to have garments that are custom fit to my own proportions.  

The next time, I intend to make the following improvements:

- Modify the pattern to have a slightly blunter toe and slightly longer foot to compensate.  Perhaps a 6 3/4" foot and 12 or 16 stitches at the end instead of 8.

- If making a ribbed leg, step down the needle size by 1 compared to the gauge swatch.  The wider circumference for the foot means the leg is wider also.  My leg needs a more average circumference.  

- When I picked up stitches for the foot, I did not pick up and knit along sides as instructed, but just picked up stitches (oops).  It turned out fine, but I'll try to do it correctly next time.

- I think I would like a little more length on the leg, maybe an extra inch.


Details:

Pattern:  Sock from Ann Budd's the knitter's handy book of Patterns

Size:  based on 8 1/2 in foot circumference  (women's large), but length of 6 1/2 to beginning of toe (women's small)

Gauge:  knit at 6 sts per inch

Needles:  size 3 dpns top 3 inches of leg; size 2 dpns rest of sock

Yarn:  Spirit Trail Fiberworks Superwash Merino Sock Yarn

Color:  (TR-06-05-03) hand dyed blues, violets and teal variegated

Yardage:  200 yards per sock, some left over

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Boy or Girl? Cardigan

I have two sisters-in-law that are expecting babies this spring.  When I found out, I couldn't wait to start knitting!  The only problem was that I didn't know what the sex of the little ones were.  I had some nice pale brown DK weight yarn that would be great for either.  

After having some problems in the past with overly small head holes on pull-over style sweaters, I resolved to only make baby things with adjustable closures - cardigans or button-shouldered pull-overs.  Don't want baby's head to pop off!

I debated the pattern for a few days.  The one I really wanted to make was a cardigan with lovely lace panels in the sleeves and front sides.  I was assured from many sources, however, that this was not something people would want to dress a boy in.  So I went with a plain crew-neck cardigan that would be good for either a boy or girl.

And, as if by magic, right after I finished the last seam, we got a call that baby #1 will be a girl.  Still don't know about number two yet, but I think I will dust off that lace panel pattern after all.  As for the sweater, it might go to baby #2, or it might just wait around for the next boy to come along.  It's pretty cute and would go with just about anything.

I was a little surprised how large the cardigan was when completed.  I would guess it would fit about a 6-9 month old baby, maybe even a 1 year old.  I was actually trying for a newborn size.  My gauge matched the pattern's, the smallest size was billed as "preemie," so naturally the next size up would fit an average 0-3 month old baby.  Right?  Hmm....

Details:

Pattern:  Peter Gregory 7156, Round Neck Cardigan

Size:  To fit chest size 16 ins

Yarn:  Plymouth Encore D.K.  75% Acrylic 25% Wool

Quantity:  2 50g balls (almost exactly)

Color:  240 (lot 31331)  "Natural" (kind of an oatmeal heather)  

Needles:  Size 3 and Size 6 Addi Turbo circulars

Care:  Machine wash and dry 80%F

Extras:  7 x 1/2" beige plastic buttons

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Tangerine Baby Set

Pattern:  Sirdar 1501 DK Jacket, Blanket, and Hat

Yarn:  Sirdar Tango DK, 3 50g balls

Color:  SH165 Lot 084

Needles:  Addi turbo circulars size 6 and 3

5 1/2" buttons from my stash

Notes:  This sweater and hat are a baby shower gift.  The pattern was fairly simple and easy to use.  It was really fun using the cheerful orange yarn.  In order to sew seams with it, you need to separate the nubbly strand from the straight ones.  The nubbly part will catch.

Last of the Dishcloths

I finally used up my dishcloth yarn!  I tried out five different patterns from the  Dishcloth Boutique web site.  I continued to use the size 6 circulars, although I think the difference is marginal.  (Click on the photos for large versions showing pattern detail).

The Details:

	Pattern:  Flying Geese Dishcloth Needles:  Size 6 circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru Notes:  This is a really good pattern.  It is the same on the back as on the front.  It shrinks fairly evenly.  Since there is no lace to catch on things, it will probably last a long time.
	Pattern:  Lacey Squares Dishcloth Needles:  Size 6 Circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru Notes:  This one looks like it had shrinkage problems, but it actually is a few rows short because I ran out of yarn.  It shrinks evenly and is really pretty.  I would definitely do this one again - just with 6 rows of squares instead of 5.
	Pattern:  Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth Needles:  Size 6 Circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru Notes: This may be the perfect dishcloth.  It's so easy that you can do it with your eyes closed (or glued to the TV).  It utilizes the very practical garter stitch and beautifies it by adding a simple lace edge.  It's also very easy to scale and shrinks evenly.
	Pattern:  Ostrich Plume Dish Cloth Needles:  Size 6 Circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru Notes: This one turned out way better than I thought it would.  Although the pattern was rated "Easy," I found it rather slow-going.  My main difficulty was gathering four stitches together for the K4Tog stitch.  Other than that, it was indeed simple.  I had always wondered how afghans with this sort of pattern were constructed.  I can definitely see doing this again with a softer yarn, perhaps as a baby blanket.
	Pattern:  Shipshape Needles: Size 6 Circulars Book:  Leisure Arts Color-Splash Dishcloths Yarn: Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru Notes:  I have to admit that I was kind of disappointed with this one.  I like the garter stitch patterns in general, since they seem to make good scrubbers.  I was hoping that the pattern would beautify this rather plain cloth.  However, when I ran it through the washer and dryer, the lace became smaller, obscuring the pattern.  It will be fine to use, but I won't make it again.

More Dishcloths

The dishcloth pile is getting pretty high!  Last week, I completed seven more.  I used up the last of the white with some two-color experiments as well as one full size and one half-size cloth.  I had a lot of fun exploring the Dishcloth Boutique web site, which has lots of free patterns for knit and crochet.  I continued to have difficulty with shrinkage in some of the patterns, but also found a few that worked out very well.  Also, I started using smaller needles to see what effect that would have.  The weave might be a little tighter, but it's not very noticable.  (Click on the photos for large versions showing pattern detail).

The Details:

	Pattern:  Wheatfields Needles:  Size 6 circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru Notes:  This is my favorite of this batch.  It shrinks evenly and looks great from either side.  In fact, I can't really tell if the photo is from the front or back.  It was a fairly easy pattern, but you have to pay a little attention to what you are doing to get it to turn out right.
	Pattern:  Textured Slip-Stitch Dishcloth Needles:  Size 6 Circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream Ecru and White Notes:  Another bad shrinkage pattern!  These were both square before washing!  Of course, after washing, it's pretty easy to see that you just need to add about 3 more rows of "bricks" to make a square cloth.  I like the way these look.  Time will tell if the slip stitch will hold up to use cleaning dishes.
	Pattern:  Nina's Seed Stitch Surprise Needles:  Size 6 Circulars Yarn:  Sugar 'N' Cream White Notes:  I'm still working on how to get this one to turn out like it is supposed to.  It has pretty severe shrinkage problems (vertically).  The surprise is the optical illusion that the pattern creates.  It is actually just a checkerboard of seed stitch blocks alternated with stockinette (therefore easy to knit).  When finished, the pattern looks more lacey, sort of like snowflakes.  I made two of these, one  regular size and one half-size.
	Pattern:  No Holes Dishcloth(pdf) Needles: Size 6 Circulars Yarn: Sugar 'N' Cream White and Ecru Notes:  These are really, really simple to make.  I caught myself knitting along without looking while watching TV when I made them.  I basically was looking for something easy that I could do with two colors and this fit the bill.  They are really springy and nubbly too, so they will make very useful dishcloths.

Five New Dishcloths

I'm still working through the urge for instant gratification in craft projects, so I recently finished several new cotton dishcloths.  These are all we use in our kitchen anymore.  Since we don't have a dishwasher on the boat, they are wearing out a little faster than they used to.  When I saw a clearance sale at Michaels on 400g skeins of Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn for $2 each, I snapped up two - one in white, one in natural.  So far, I have completed five in white with quite a bit still left over.  You can't really tell what you are going to get until the cloth has been washed in hot water and dried in the dryer.  I found that some of the patterns I tried that looked great before washing looked misshapen after.  All of the pictures are after drying.

The Details:
	Pattern:  "Spot Free" Book:  Leisure Arts Color-Splash Dishcloths Needles:  Size 8 Straights Notes:  This one will probably end up being the most useful cloth, if not the most decorative.  It has lots of ridges that work well as dish scrubbies.  I put it as number three for shrinkage.  It improved upon shrinking, tightening up very evenly.  The only problem is that the corners have a tendency to turn up.  I would definitely make this one again.
	Pattern:  Weavings Book:  American School of Needlework Knit Dishcloth Sampler Needles:  Size 8 Straights Notes:  This one really changed after it was washed.  The center cabling tightened up and is still fairly symmetrical.  However, the non-cable background and edges did not shrink as much.  As a result, the edges do not lay flat and are kind of rumpled-looking.  I still like it, but I think I will leave cables for sweaters in the future.
	Pattern:  Stripes Book:  American School of Needlework Knit Dishcloth Sampler Needles:  Size 8 Straights Notes:  This was another one that changed a lot when it went through the washer.  It went from a square to a fairly wide rectangle.  It's okay, but I probably will not make it again.
	Pattern:  Basketweave Book:  American School of Needlework Knit Dishcloth Sampler Needles:  Size 8 Straights Notes:  This looked fairly ordinary after knitting, but looked the nicest after washing.  It lays perfectly flat and did not deform at all after drying.  It may only be a mediocre performer as a dishcloth, since there are very few scrubby ridges.  I would definitely make it again, though.
	Pattern:  Knitted Sailboat Cloth Needles:  Size 8 Straights Modifications:  I added 3 knit rows to both the top and bottom of the cloth.  I also added 3 knits to each edge.  I wanted the garter stitch border to be consistent with the other ones I just made. Notes:  The pattern calls for size 7 needles (which I seem to have misplaced).  I think that with a tighter stitch, the sailboat motif would be a little clearer.  Of the five dishcloths, this one came in second for even shrinkage.

Angora Headband

Cute.  Easy.  Warm.  Comfortable.  What's not to love?

Details:

Needles: Size 5 Bamboo DPNs

Pattern:  Nakiska from knitty.com, Size Adult S/M

Yarn:  Kathie's leftover 2-ply pink angora from the 2006 MD Sheep and Wool Festival.  We weighed both the yarn and Kathie's completed headband to determine that there was enough.   

Goofs:  One of the cables went over instead of under.  The result is that instead of a braid, that cable is a twist.  I kind of liked it, so I left it in.  If nothing else, Kathie and I will be able to tell them apart!

Puffle Coat for Baby Gabriel C.

I finally completed the simple coat for a friend's newborn.  It's a good thing I made it large enough for a 12 month old.  He's 10 months now! 

Here are the specs:

Yarn:  Filatura di Crosa Baby Bon Bon
Color:  14, Lot 10  (blue/orange/red/yellow multi)
Needles:  Size 10 straights

1 Button from my stash
Yellow cotton yarn for piecing

Pattern:  Free pattern for Bon Bon Coat and Hat from the Takhi Stacey Charles website

This was very, very simple to make.  The bon bon puffs are kind of weird to work with.  After a while, I clued in to the idea that the fabric looks better if you pull all of the puffs through to the front as you get to them.  As a result, the front and sleeves of the jacket are quite a bit pufflier than the back.  I think that's okay, since people generally are more interested in the baby's front.  :-)

Also, I did not crochet the edges.  They seemed nice and didn't roll in, so I left them as is.  I did crochet a small loop for the button though.

The picture is from the Stacy Charles website.  I will post a picture of the jacket being modeled by baby Gabriel if I get one.

--Cindy