Wishful Knitting

Did I really never publish this? What a blast from the past. All I remember is that the hat fit The Fonz the best :) I guess it's along the line of the pussycat hat!

This is my favorite picture for the moment. Since there are 2 little gals in my life, there are frequently 2 very similar knitted items : ) I am so happy that she wound up choosing her own colors. Originally my little Z-bomb wanted the same color scheme as her sister. I was not intrigued by the idea of knitting 2 nearly identical sweaters, but I would have done so if needed, of course. I think the swinging point came when I told her the name of the purplish colorway- yep, it's called Fairy Tale. She loves it and so do I. Specs: Pattern: Drive-Thru by Wendy Bernard Yarn: Knitpicks: Wool of the Andes Size: 6 Mods: Made the sleeve circumference larger

These first pictures were right when the sweater was finished. As you can see, she is thrilled with it and for that I am happy. Otherwise, this sweater is not my favorite. For whatever reason, the sleeves (the first time I finished the sweater) were too tight. I think fellow knitters had mentioned this on Ravelry, and although I had her try them on a couple of times, they were too small. After I knitted the yoke done is when I decided the sleeves were not going to work. At this point some of my kind and loving friends and family tried to convince me to weave in the ends and give it to my second daughter, then re-knit another for my oldest. But, well, the colors were those chosen by H and Z had picked out her own, and well, I just couldn't! So, I frogged and re-knit. Then I didn't like the yoke, which I changed around a few times and I still don't necessarily love it. I think the colors don't have enough contrast-but she LOVES it, and for that I am happy! I picked up too...

This year the holday knitting was nothing but fun. I have read in the blog-o-sphere about many bloggers getting overwhelmed trying to make gifites. I have done that before, but not this year! I was so excited about making these for the girls (and nephew), I knit them up super fast. In my enthusiasm, I bought 10 balls of yarn- a green, red, white and metallic blend- a little tacky, abut a lot festive! Normally, the colors would have conjured up holiday thoughts, but I couldn't stop thinking that the colors were the same for the Italian flag! I also think the Italians would love the flashy metallic bits! However, after the knitting got under way, it was pretty boring! Worse yet, the girls weren't super-thrilled with their new hats! I think they would have liked the striping called for in the original pattern- oh well, there's always next year. I was able to sweet talk them into donning their elf hats a few times........ Overall, it was a nice holiday project. Next ti...

I made this little sack for my new nephew...of course I haven't posted in a while and now he's 2 years old. Just kidding, it hasn't been THAT long, but he is 2 months old : ) I hope this fit him at some point, though not anymore! While I was making it, I was thinking how small it seemed, but I sized it up against a little 5 week old and it seemed like it would be alright. I don't know for sure. Specifics: Yarn: Berroco Comfort DK Color: green Washing: machine wash and dry until nearly dry Pattern: Mrs. Brak's Drawstring Bottom Baby Kimono with Raglan Shaping by Georgia Porter Mods: I made a crochet chain to tie it....and a matching little hat Buttons: from a crazy little italian shop! There's an Italian woman at the library who directed me to a button/fabric store. There were dozens and dozens of boxes stacked up to the ceiling. Each box had a dozen or so little buttons stuck on the front of the lid. The idea was to point to a box that might have someth...

This pattern is very sweet- I love the way the wings button. We recently went to the zoo and saw a live bat exhibit in part of the Rainforest. Usually, my little Z is easily intimidated by all things she deems spooky- she uses her own scale of creep-factor and it's hard to predict what she will deem unacceptable. Interestingly, she was really intrigued by the nocturnal antics of these creatures! She now professes a LOVE for bats! I always forget, when making these toys, that the knitting portion is faster than the assembling portion. I am not a huge fan of the assembly, but it’s always worth it. I have several requests for more of these fellows. I remain unimpressed by this yarn- Vanna's Choice- I should have made it with Cascade 220 as called for in the pattern. The Vanna's Choice was splitty and hard on my hands.

Hat number two- for daughter number two! Just about the same as the other one, except I made the decreases more severe to have a flatter top : ) She appears to love it!

This kid is a riot- she picked out these colors herself! I am thrilled about making knitterly items to keep them warm...more to come. Pattern: Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky Needles: Size 10, 3.5 sts/inch- nice and tight for warmth Mods: Changed the crown decreases to be more gradual, added afterthought garter stitch edging and decreased a few stitches so it would hug her head more

There was some concern these mittens would be thumb less, but alas, all digits are covered. I made these with a very utilitarian objective- to help keep the girls warm when we get back to Ohio. Soon, these little projects became a calming outlet for my nervous energy about the trip in general. What I discovered is that they are FUN to make! I was surprised by my tender feelings when my children donned their new little mittens. I really felt warm and fuzzy inside- it seemed, through my craft, I was able to somehow hold their hands from a distance...... The knitty gritty: Yarn: - Knitpicks Swish Worsted in sunshine and Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in mulled wine Pattern: Knitters Handy Book of Patterns by Ann Budd - When I purchased this book years ago, (actually I think my mom bought it for me when I lived in Washington, perhaps California?) I had no idea what a treasure it is until this project. First you start with the yarn and then you can find a pattern. This book does all the wor...

This picture was taken just before packing this blanket up for its journey to Ohio. I made this for my friend's son's first birthday. Clearly they are fans of The OSU. I put the camera there to give an idea about the finished size...I think it was about 3.5 feet square. This was taken hanging over the edge of a twin size bed. Although the pattern is for a baby blanket, I usually make the blanket bigger- more of a toddler-size blanket. Here's a pic of the little fellow I made to go in the pocket. I just couldn't bring myself to create a Brutus Buckeye . A little lamb will have to do. Z gives him a christening kiss (even though it looks like she's trying to eat him) for the journey. I just really love this pattern- this is my third version. The pattern is the Bear Necessities Blanket from Vogue Baby Blankets . Instead of changing colors every row- I make the rows thicker- weaving in all the ends IS a bear! This time I made the pocket bigger. I used Encore Worst...

Blossom by Knitting@Knoon is done- it's a wonderful knit! The pattern is interesting, but not overly complicated. This is the first time I used Cascade 220- I had no idea what I was missing! It feels very soft and has a nice drape. I adore this sweater and my daughter likes it too. I might try to make one for myself : ) I love the picot edging and the bell sleeves. And this is what it would look like if you made one for a pirate.