My "Have to Do" List

Do you ever feel pressured by the knitting you want/have to do? This happened to me during the Olympics when I set a goal for my Knitting Olympic project. Once the Olympics started my priorities changed. (See my last post.) So, I sat down and made a list of MUST do projects-it totaled 12. That doesn't count a shawl already started and a KAL starting soon. So, here is my progress:

 

Finished. Mimi's Rosa Rugosa is a test knit for Kimberly Gintar (Kimberlolly on Ravelry). I took this on even though I knew I had too much to do. My husband tells me I do it to myself when I voice how overwhelmed I feel.

These are socks for my daughter in law's birthday. She bought the yarn when we were at Arnhild's Knitting Camp in February so I decided I'd knit them for her birthday. They are done except for the toe decreases I think. I want her to try them on before I finish. We'll see her Saturday so hopefully they'll be finished then. This is the first time I tried Cat Bordhi's Sweet Tomato Heel but haven't decided how I like it.

The rest of the projects are for classes I'll be teaching at Amazing Threads.

 

Finished. Opal Sock Bunny. This was fun as the instructions were good and it is completely seamless, but it took forever with sock yarn on size 1 needles.

In progress. #5 Lace Poncho on the cover of Fall 2012 Vogue Knitting. I should have looked at this pattern before I said I would do it. It is knit in the round with patterning on all rows which actually isn't bad because all rows are knit, but it increases to about 1000 sts. I'm a little over 500 stitches here.

This is for a class I'm teaching at North Country Fiber Fair in Watertown, SD in September. The pattern is Haruni. I've asked myself many times why I'm knitting with this iridescent color yarn, but just keep going and haven't ripped and started over. (It is newly acquired stash yarn as I don't like the pattern that came with it in the club I got it from.)Probably because I don't have time to spare. Two more repeats of 16 rows before I do the beautiful border.

Katarina is knit to the armholes, but haven't started the sleeves yet.

The rest don't even have yarn for yet.Progress?

I'm Still Buying Yarn and Knitting

There is not much to show for finished projects, but these booties are done.

The pattern is Churchmouse Stay On Booties and I hated it. Who would knit booties back and forth and put seams across the bottom and up the back. Plus, the bottom is so narrow, when a baby puts them on, the pretty garter ridge will now show as the foot will fill it in.

The yarn is Claudia Hand Painted fingering and is wonderful to knit with.

Needles: Size 1 1/2 or 2.5 mm

It looks like I didn't post finished pictures of Through The Loops Mystery Shawl. I was not real excited about the pattern, but loved the yarn.

The pattern was a mystery shawl so a clue was given each week for 5 weeks and is still unnamed. The reason I wasn't happy with the pattern as it was a pretty plain pattern and the increases along the center of each wedge is not real neat.

The yarn is All for Love of Yarn, another local yarn dyer. I can now say that as she moved closer to us and has attended the NW Burbs Knitting Group. The yarn content is baby camel and silk. I'm still thinking of frogging the shawl and using the yarn for something else.

Another shawl is now blocking and is just beautiful, but pictures have to wait for the 2nd test knit I've done this summer for  Aino Haikala from Finland. The patterns will probably be published this fall so you have to wait.

A yarn shopping trip turned out to be a rude awakening for my husband. Usually when I go to a yarn shop he'll just stay outside and walk around, but yesterday was just too hot, so he was present when the yarn was rung up and I paid. Since I used a Groupon, when we got outside he asked if what I paid was before the Groupon was applied. When I replied, "No" he said he hadn't realized how expensive yarn was. I could just see the dollar signs adding up as he thought about my yarn cave which is overflowing into the library. But here is the results of the visit to Stephen Be's.

This is the reason my spree cost so much, but it is so wonderful. It is All For Love of Yarn, Sumptuously Lace, 70 Baby Alpaca, 20 Silk, 10 Cashmere. Wish you could fondle it.

One of the podcasts I listen to mentioned this yarn, but I don't remember which one. Knit Circus? The label doesn't give any information as to where it comes from except it does mention La Jolla. This      is 100% superwash merino in a beautiful Kelly green.

  And of course I had to get some MadelineTosh sock.

My grand daughter saw my yarn cave yesterday and gave me quite a scolding. "Grandma, you have enough yarn. You don't need to buy any more." "Yes, but I have been using some of it." "Not as fast as you are buying it." She learned to knit yesterday and did go home with some yarn from the stash. She also brought up the end of life decision I should make about where the yarn goes when I die. I don't think I told her that I'm going to Stitches Market in August and I'm sure I won't come home empty handed.

Celia's Blankie

Along with the release of this new Cottage Creation pattern comes the sad news that this is the last published pattern Carol Anderson is doing. I guess I don't blame her as she wants to have time to do knitting of other people's patterns. She will continue with her pattern orders and maybe do some individual patterns in a different format.

This blankie is based on the late Pat Penney's design, Rambling Rose. The fun of this pattern is the number of choices; weight of yarn (can use fingering, sport or worsted weight), gauge, size of squares, number of squares, and edging.

Mine used 5 skeins of Encore  Colorspun Worsted weight and size 8 needle. I cast on 48 stitches for my squares and used an applied I-cord for the edging. It was fun to knit and fun to watch the color progression.

Maile Sweater

I thought this was the cutest baby sweater. The bottom yellow one is done as the pattern is written, except I exchanged the raglan decreases-SSK for K2tog and K2tog for SSK. The other 2 added the pattern to the sleeves and I did all the increases after the garter stitch cuff rather than tapering the sleeves. To make it easier to join the sleeves to the body I put 4 underarm stitches of both the body and sleeves on yarn and grafted together when finishing.

Maile is a fragrant vine endemic to Hawaii, and it is traditionally used as a kind of very special lei. The lei is traditionally worn open, draped over the shoulders, and the leaf pattern in this sweater echoes that.

Pattern: Maile Sweater from www.whattoknitwhen.com

Yarn: (Green Sweater) Milk by laines du nord-63% Merino extrafine unshrinkable, 30% Milk Fiber, 7% Cashmere.

(Yellow Sweaters) Dream in Color Smooshy. Almost got both sweaters out of 1 skein. I did make the body of the all yellow one a little longer as my gauge was off.

Needles: US #4

Rylea is One!

My Great Grand Daughter, Rylea, was one year old August 4. Because her mother reads my blog-can you believe that?-and wants to be surprised when she receives gifts, I haven't posted several finished things. Now I can. She received all knitted things from me this year. Next year she'll be old enough to want toys.

This is Bernat Baby Jacquards Ruffle Hat, a free pattern on the yarn label of Bernat web site. I've been going crazy with this pattern and this yarn!

Yarn: Bernat Baby Jacquards Floral

Needles: US 6

I did change the pattern to be knit in the round and also added about an inch of ribbing above the ruffle. (I did not add to the length.)

Party Time Jumper by Doreen Marquart, Small Fry Knits, a small division of Needles 'n Pins Yarn Shoppe in Delavan, WI.

Yarn: Claudia Hand Painted Fingering Weight

Needless: Size 2

Clara pattern by Karin Vestergaard Mathiesen, purchased at my LYS.

Yarn: Dale Baby Uhl

Needles 3mm

Thanks to Thora Lee at Amazing Threads, we changed the decrease at the top of the triangles and up the skirt from a Sl 1, K1, PSSO to a double decrease, Sl 2 tog as if to knit, K1, P2SSo.

My Grand Daughter, Kristin, with her daughter, Rylea on her first birthday.
Grand Mothers can have fun. This is my daughter, Gloria, mother of Kristin, grand mother of Rylea modeling Rylea's hat.

It is cuter on Rylea!

Lillie's Little Sweater

Such a cute baby sweater and fun and easy to knit. The hood is knit first, stitches picked up and the body and sleeves made in one piece from the neck down. The only finishing is a little hole under the arms, tails to be sewn in and button sewn on. The hood can be made in garter stitch-like mine-or stockinette stitch.

Pattern: Cottage Creations Lillie's Little Sweater

Size: I made 12 month size, but pattern is from American Girl, Preemie, 0-3 months, 6, 12, 24, 36 months.
Yarn: Rowan Cotton.

Needles: Size 7.

I love the hood. For just a hat, the hood could be made, bound off, and ties applied.

Finished Knitting

With a Twist Socks
Pattern: With a Twist from Knitters Brewing Company
Yarn: A Touch of Vermont from Yarn4Socks
Needles: Size 1 1/2 Double points
I changed the heel to use Gerdene Strong's heel.
Pattern: Shibui Onesie (This is the second one I've made. I love this pattern. This one is for Amazing Threads.)
Yarn: Shibui Sock Yarn
Needles: Size 3

I'm a Great Grandma!

Rylea Lea McDole arrived August 4 and 4:39 AM weighing in at 7 lbs 1 oz and measuring 19 3/4 inches.

Here she is-minutes old- with her daddy. She is so alert and looks at whoever is talking to her. I stood behind Arron and talked to her and she looked towards me. Alas, a few hours after her birth she was transferred to Level II newborn nursery as her respirations slowed down and she started to turn blue. They also wanted to follow up on her abdomen as it appeared distended and ripply. The x-rays showed air in the intestines so that is not a problem. The breathing issue is still unsolved, so when all else fails, she's on antibiotics assuming it's an infection. But this grandma's arms are aching to hold her! Kristin (her mommy) will probably go home tomorrow-Thursday- but doesn't know if Rylea will be going with her.

So, now that the surprise element is over, here are the last projects for Rylea.

Pattern: Shibui Onesie
Yarn: Shibui Sock Yarn
Needles Sizes 3 and 1
This was fun to knit and everyone who sees it loves it. I can't wait to see it on her.
Pattern: Diamonds for Rhiammon by Fiber Trends
Yarn: Dale Baby Uhl
Needles: ? I can't remember-will follow up on that.

Treasures from Storage

Today's page on Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Never Not Knitting daily calendar is kind of fitting for this post. "When you depart this Earth for the big yarn shop in the sky, you will leave behind all of the things you knit. Think about that. Generations of your family and friends will hold, use, and show these items, and every single time they do, a small part of who you were and what you did while you were here will rush up and be made real again. You aren't just knitting. You're creating a legacy. It just looks like a hat."

Before the shower for my grand daughter, my son and daughter in law went into their storage and pulled out several of the things I had made for their children. They wrapped them up and gave them to Kristin for her shower. Many of the things I do not remember patterns or yarns, so will mention those I do know and if I think of others or find patterns, I will edit this post to add the information. Sorry, Blogger again rotated several of the pictures. If someone knows how to straighten them out, let me know!

Pattern: Cottage Creation's Toddler's Norski Sweater & Cap.
Yarn: Dale Baby Uhl

Pattern: Cottage Creation's Babies and Bears.





Yarn: Lorna's Lace

Rylea's Shower

The shower for my expected great grand daughter, Rylea, was held last week. What fun!!! My daughter made this "cake" from diapers, washcloths, leggings, and anything else you can imagine.

And, of course, I had been knitting!

This is Arabesque from the pattern book, Baby 'V', by Cabin Fever. The sweater was a fun knit with short row shaping for the neck and a mock cable, easy to remember pattern, if you can count rows!
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn, Dream Baby
Needles: Sizes US 3 and 5

One of my grand daughter's favorite books as a child was Is There An Elephant in the Kitchen? so I had to make Elephante by Susan B. Anderson; besides it was so cute. (Available on her blog, http://SusanBAnderson.blogspot.com.) I dug around in the basement and found the actual book we read to Kristin over and over again. It used to be pink, but it was in the back seat of my car for some time and faded to this funny orange color. She loved it!
Yarn: Ella Rae Baby Cotton. I used only 4 colors rather than the 6 in the pattern.
Needles: Size 4 US

For some reason I felt like knitting bibs and washcloths. The one above is Puddles by Elaine Fitzgerald found on her blog, Down Cloverlaine. http://DownCloverlaine.blogspot.com. The one below is another duck pattern I found somewhere free on the net-sorry, I lost the pattern.The yarn for that one is KnitPicks Cotlin.

The bib below is from Comfort Gifts for family & community by Carol Anderson of Cottage Creations. The yarn is Sugar and Cream.

I've misplaced the pattern for the sheep washcloth, also, but again it was a free pattern from the web.(Sorry, I don't know how to turn the pictures when Blogger rotates them.)

This is Stork from Leisure Arts book, Baby Washcloths to Knit.

This is Baby Feet Cloth by Rhonda K. White available at www.knittinknonsense.com/babyfeet.

The other washcloths and bibs will be posted when the patterns have been published. I've been test knitting patterns for Elaine Fitzpatrick, Down Cloverlaine.