Yaya Knits

Whew! The 3-year-old is napping and the newborn is asleep in the carrier on my chest. A few minutes of free time, yahoo! I quickly wanted to post a couple of gratuitous baby photos, but also share some lovely knits that my Mom made for Henry. As you know, Yaya is super productive when it comes to knitting and sewing. Not only did she make Ben 3 awesome sweaters for the winter, when she arrived in Seattle a few days before Henry's birth, she had knitted 2 adorable little cardigans to welcome him.

They're both still a tiny bit big but that's okay, winter hasn't officially started yet!

Here's the first one, a lovely grey. That's Henry at 9 days old.



And here's the second one, a sweet blue-green. Do you recognize the pants? I love dressing Henry in Silas' clothes, it makes me think of you guys through the day! This is Henry at 18 days old.



It's crazy to see how much he's grown already! I can't wait for him to start smiling, these newborn photos are a bit too serious.

I believe the pattern for at least one of these cardigans is from Debbie Bliss's Baby Knits for Beginners. Here's a photo from the book. Maybe Yaya can chime in in the comments and correct me if I'm wrong.


I have a project of my own that I recently made from that book that I will try and post soon. I am itching to start a new knitting project but am short on time and energy these days. All right, I'm off to try and finish Henry's stocking before my 2 little dudes wake up. 3-2-1 GO!

Jenny, Henry is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen!  He's just perfect.  The sweater you knit for Silas last year still fits, and I love it so much.  I'll be sure to post a picture soon!  These two sweaters are definitely going in the "to do" file.

Knitted Baby Blanket

Just before Henry was born, I was able to finish the knitted baby blanket on which I had frantically been working. I think I might have finished knitting it just on, or even after my due date! Fortunately, the little dude was 6 days "late" and I was also able to add the border before he arrived.


I washed the blanket before adding the border. Since I used cotton yarn, washing the blanket shrunk the size quite a bit, but it also made the stitches thicker and more even, giving the blanket a thick and luxurious feel. The final size was about 22 x 24 inches.



You may remember I was debating what kind of fabric to use for the border. I visited my local fabric store and fell in love with this cream and brown print from the Meadowsweet collection by Sandi Henderson for Michael Miller. The cream color matched the yarn of the blanket exactly.


I had JUST enough with 1/2 yard, should have probably bought a tiny bit more. I cut the fabric in 6.25 inch strips and assembled them with diagonal seams so that I ended up with one long strip. I folded and pressed it in half length-wise.


I then pinned the raw edge along the blanket and sewed the border onto the blanket with the sewing machine. I used the Juicy Bits tutorial to figure out the corners.


When the border was attached all around the blanket, I folded the border over and pressed it. (Sorry for the terrible picture here, this was taken after the sun went down...)


I then stitched the flip side of the border over the seam by hand. I didn't want to deal with the sewing machine not catching both layers and having to undo my stitches multiple times, especially with the tricky corners. Stitching by hand took a bit longer but it was a much more peaceful process. My blind stitches are not exactly "blind", but close enough. I also blind-stitched the mitered corners "closed".



After washing it again, the borders are a bit wavy, but whatever. I am really happy with the result. It is such a cozy, warm blanket and I've already gotten several compliments on it, including from the nurse at the clinic when we got Henry ready to go home! He wasn't too happy about being strapped into the carseat, but at least he was warm!




It turned out great! I love the fabric. It goes great with the natural colored yarn. When I am off my "supply fast" I am going to KnitPicks to buy some of that yarn! I have to say that I am a little sad reading this post, knowing that Henry is going to be a lot bigger by the time I get to see him in person! He is so, so, so sweet!

.........................................................

Also, don't forget our giveaway! Magpie Patterns is offering one winner a $20 gift certificate to their shop. Contest ends Friday, December 10th! Go HERE to read the giveaway guidelines and to enter!

Frantic Knitting

Here's another project I've been working on while awaiting baby's arrival. Since I'm almost 40 weeks pregnant, everything is done at a bit of a frantic pace lately and centering around this pending event... It's a bit stressful and exciting all at the same time! I've been wanting to finish this knit blanket (yes, another blanket with which to cozy up this winter!) before he arrives and I'm cutting it very close.


I am making the Garter Stitch Blanket from Special Knits by Debbie Bliss again. I really loved that project and it is a wonderful mindless TV-watching knitting project. Perfect for end of pregnancy! I've been taking it with me everywhere lately and hope to have the knitting part done within the next day or two. Fingers crossed!


I'm using an organic cotton yarn: Marshmallow by Knit Picks, in worsted weight. It takes exactly 3 skeins to make this blanket. It's the same yarn I had used for Silas' grandpa sweater, I had used Ginger for that. It's so lovely to knit with and I'm so happy about using organic fibers for something with which we will snuggle our baby boy.


So, I'm close to done but I'm stuck on the binding. I'd like to use an interesting fabric again, instead of the satin ribbon used in the pattern. But what fabric to use??! I thought about maybe ordering some organic fabric from the Happy Nursery line (I like the Leaves in Sky print), but I can't find it anywhere local and time is an issue with shipping.

Here are a few prints that I thought could be potential. But eh, I don't know. I only have enough of the Riley Blake vines and I feel like that is too girly. The other two prints feel too modern or grown-up.


I am envisioning something a bit more "earthy" and whimsical, involving some of that cream color to tie it all together. I am heading to the fabric store tomorrow and hope to find something suitable so I can finish this project. Wish me luck!

What type of fabric do you think would work for the binding? Do you have specific prints in mind? (Readers, please chime in too!)

Jenny, I don't think the vine fabric is too girly at all! I wish I had time to send you a few fabrics that might work from my stash, but it would take too long to get there. Let us know what you end up with! (And, KnitPicks is so awesome, their prices are incredible!)

I Need a Pep Talk

So, I finished all the pieces for my blue cardigan. Just in time for fall and winter.


But, the worst part of the process is ahead: assembly. Ugh, I am not looking forward to it at all. I have to block and flatten these pieces, then sew them all together (fitting in the sleeves, I've never done that before!), finish the collar and add buttons.

Blah.


There are so many other things I'd rather be working on. But I really should finish this guy before it gets cold. It would be a shame for it to spend a year in confinement before next winter rolls around... Right?

Knitting Needle Case

I'm pulling this one from the crafty archives. This is a gift I made for a dear friend last Christmas! I've been meaning to post about it... ever since. Since I am juggling a lot of stuff this week and don't have any current project to post, I thought this would be perfect timing!


Shortly before the winter last year, my friend had mentioned she was thinking of picking up knitting again, after letting it go for a couple of years. She mentioned wanting to learn how to make hats among other things. While brainstorming gift ideas, I thought of knitting-related items of course, and focused in on my beloved knitting needle case. This is a gift I received years ago, by Lantern Moon Handcrafted. I love it so much and have never seen one like it by other manufacturers. Since I wanted to make something by hand, I decided to reproduce this case for her.



I love the 2 combination of pocket sizes for needles -- both long ones and circular ones -- and the fact that it has a zippered pouch -- so handy for stitch markers, tapestry needles, stitch holders, measuring tape, etc.


I don't have any "in process" photos, and I have to admit it was a bit of an ambitious project. The middle portion especially, with all the small pockets, created so many layers that my sewing machine had a hard time getting through it. Here are a few photos of the finished product so you can get an idea of how I made it.








I messed up in two places. First, one of the ties was supposed to be sewn from the middle of a panel, instead of the edge. I fixed it up by folding the tie back and sewing it down where it was supposed to start from. Not ideal, but it worked out. Second, not being very practiced with zippers, I didn't finish the fabric edge on the inside of the pocket. I should have put a zig-zag stitch on there, or even better, hemmed it. Oh well.




All in all, I think it turned out pretty well, and I just love that old Amy Butler fabric I was able to use for the outside. I gave this knitting needle case to my friend with those double-sided needles you see in the pics, a skein of fancy yarn, and a favorite knitting book including a hat pattern!


I would love to give this type of gift again to a beginner knitter: something handmade and the materials to hand-make something themselves. If you want to make a knitting needle case, there are TONS of patterns available in craft books and online. If you're looking for a special gift for a knitter and don't want to spend the time making a case yourself, I highly recommend those Lantern Moon knitting needle cases.

Speaking of Christmas, have you begun knocking things off the To-ho-ho-ho-Do list?...

WIP: Getting Ready for the Winter...

Show and Tell: Debbie Bliss

Sitting on my dining room table right now is a pile of library books I just got last week, including Martha's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric (fab!), Denyse Schmidt's Quilts (super fab!) and, more on point, a couple of books by Debbie Bliss. She is a big name in the yarn and knitting world, but I only recently discovered her and wanted to share that here.

That little grandpa sweater I made for Silas last year? The pattern came from Debbie Bliss' Special Knits for Babies, a gorgeous book. (And let me just say her pictures look much nicer than mine, ahem.)





I had talked about that same book in my post about baby blankets a couple of months ago. As you can probably tell, I became enamored with Debbie Bliss' designs when looking for baby projects. She has created so many patterns for baby clothes and accessories, and for the most part, they are a lovely mix of classic and contemporary, with clean lines and straightforward patterns (totally my style!). Here are a couple of things I am determined to make sometime soon.



When digging around for more Debbie Bliss patterns, I found out she has published countless books, including some with patterns for adults, older children and the home. She has a line of yarn in gorgeous colors and a variety of luxurious and eco fibers. And she also is the editor of Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine (for Vogue Knitting) which is a steal per issue considering the number of patterns provided inside. When venturing away from baby stuff, her style is still clean and classic yet fresh. I also love the way the designs are styled in the photos that accompany the patterns, much more fashionable than the average knitting publication.




I have a cardigan to finish for myself at the moment. It's been a painfully slow, months-long process even though it's a simple project, I think it's because it's for *me*. Why is it that I'm so less driven to finish something for myself?? After that, I have countless projects in mind to cast onto the knitting needles. But, the patterns from Debbie Bliss' books keep beckoning me... Might have to make another baby sweater sooner than later. What knitting projects are you working on these days?

Oh, I wish I had a picture of Silas in that sweet cardigan! It's already put up for the summer but it will fit him later this year, too. I have checked out her books from the library multiple times, mostly the baby one but I've looked at the others too. I've made the baby booties for a few friends, and my sister made the heart sweater for Silas as well (just a note, the neck hole doesn't seem to be very stretchy on that one, might be an error in the pattern?)

I am mostly a Fall and Winter knitter, but I do always have something on the needles. Right now it's a sweater for Ian, knit in one piece and sewn up the sides. I think it would have been a little big for him this year anyway, or at least I'm telling myself that! I think knitting is such a slow process that it's easy to get sidetracked and set things aside, especially if it's for yourself!