Let's be "Dudes"!

When Keegs dresses the same as someone, he says they're dressed like "dudes"...somehow it means matching, I guess. I needed a sweater pattern that would match Spencer for Keegan's sweater. I went with a funnel-neck sweater with roll sleeves and roll bottom. Again, I bought the Rowan Big Wool, in the same color, and I think it turned out well. I did a size 4 for Keegs, and it's a pretty good fit, except for the top of the neck. I guess when they say "Bind off all stitches loosely", they mean it! LOL Well, I learned from that one. But once it's on, it looks really nice. I did have some extra yarn, and I used that to make a matching smaller hat for Spencer. It's so cute, but could have been a little bit longer, I think. So now they're sweater AND hat dudes. :)

My first Sweater

I found the Yarn Girls. I splurged and picked up The Yarn Girls' Guide to Kid Knits, and it is amazing. I love the way they write and explain everything in detail. I decided to try a sweater, but I was pretty intimidated. I chose one that would knit up quickly, so I wouldn't lose hope and give up.
I made the "Lickety-Split Knit" sweater--a pull-over in simple st.st. It has roll sleeves, bottom, and a roll-neck. I used Rowan Big Wool in a nice dark blue, and went for size 2, so it would fit through the spring, and maybe next fall, too. Wow. I can't believe how well it came out. I started just after Christmas (maybe the 27th?) and I finished New Year's Eve. I think I worked on it for only 4 or 5 days! Spencer got to wear it to a New Year's Eve party and show it off. Don't you know we got a huge snag in it as soon as we took him out of his carseat? But it's o.k. now. I just can't get over how easy the Yarn Girls directions were to follow. I am in love with the book. I want to make a sweater to match for Keegs, but the sizes only go up to 3 years. He would need a 4 yr. Maybe I will have to get the next book!

Oh, and I made a hat for Keegan out of the left over yarn--so cute!

No pic yet, but I will take one of it on Spencer and add it later...

Now for the mittens

I tried to do the cuffs on mittens (which are k2, p2 in size US 5, think) in the boa yarn, to tie in the scarf. And I did the hand of the mittens in the "sugar" yarn on size US 7, like the pattern says. I think I used a free pattern I got online, the same one I used for Keegan's lost mittens. They came out very cute, huh? They tied everything together, and I was so happy.

Of course, this was before I really understood about gauge swatches, and I think I did one for the cotton yarn, and it was good, but I didn't check the boa fuzzy yarn. Mistake. The cuff was a bit loose, but I figured it would be o.k. It has since gotten more and more loose, and they don't even really stay on by themselves. Irene has to tuck them into her coat sleeves so they will stay on her hands! Kind of funny, actually. The hand part came out well, and they are cute. A friend of hers from school ripped the mittens off the i-cord I made so many times that I just gave up, so now she's in charge of not losing them. I won't keep re-attaching them. It's annoying. And, sadly, the cotton is just not warm enough for these New England winters. And it's not water-resistent either. So now Irene wears her fleece mittens from last year instead. Oh well, what can you do? Live and learn, I guess. Next time I'll either double the yarn or knit it tighter or use wool, I don't know. I'm sad that they're not warm enough. They're just so cute, and I worked hard on them. :(

Time for some fun...Winter 2006-07

Here we go...time for some winter knitting. (Keep in mind this is a while ago...maybe October or November '06?) I need to find mittens and hat to go with Irene's coat. The colors are tough to match, and now she has this multicolored scarf, so how do I match it? Yup, better make something to match! :)

I found a pattern in a booklet of kid's hats, and it was pretty simple. I wanted orange with the boa trim, but couldn't figure out a pattern to incorporate both. Oh, well, I went with the orange, and it was cute. Maybe size US 8 needles? Double-pointed, and knit in the round. It's just Stockinette stitch (all knit, b/c in the round), and it reduces down at the top to a 4 stitch I-cord, with a tassle at the top. I tried a boa tassle, but it just looked weird. So I ended up with only the orange. The yarn was a cinch to work with (cotton yarn called "Sugar" or something), but it isn't very warm, so I guess I learned from that one. Irene started to ask for her regular hat (bought from a store, with fleece lining) on colder days, and by now--Feb.--she only wears that one. But it's a super-cute hat that's holding its' shape well, and I think it looks great. Many compliments on it, too. I'll post the pattern when I have the book handy.

I Was on a Roll...

This is a little embarrassing. Here's where I decided that since everyone else had a scarf, I should make one for Brian, too. Black seemed like the obvious choice for his, too. Of course, I thought mine was too feminine for him, so I'd have to find a new yarn. I picked out a very soft and fluffy-looking boucle (new to knitting, so not sure how boucle would knit up). I started the project, very pregnant, thinking that worst-case scenario, I could bring it to the hospital and knit it while I wait for the baby, right? LOL! Well, it didn't happen. I was about half-way done when I went into labor and didn't bring it along. It wasn't finished, and it became the bane of my existence...I just felt terrible that it wasn't complete, but really didn't want to work on it, especially with a new baby.

--So there it sat.
The weather got warmer, and it seemed silly to finish a scarf, so I thought, "oh, when it gets cold again..."
--It still sat.
Finally, it got colder, and I was thinking about trying to knit again...
I decided that if I was ever going to start another project, I had to finish this scarf first.
--Still it sat.
Then, finally, one day--I picked it up and said, "Why not?". And I finished it quickly. And then I got to start something else. The scarf turned out well, but the boucle was not what I expected. It was so fluffy and soft and "girly". Ugh. It would never do. But Brian said he liked it, he said it wasn't too girly, he said he'd be nice and warm in it. (What a saint!) So he did wear it. It still bugs me. And not only is the boucle feminine, it is so easily pulled. Not snags, but just lots of loose strands of fiber, if you know what I mean. Some day I'll find something else to make to replace it...

Can I handle Mittens?

So next, I decided to try my hand at a pair of mittens. Terrifying thought...

I found a basic pattern, which I think had to be sewn together, but I can't remember. I made them in the blue to match the first scarf. Couple of little mistakes reading the pattern, but I got them done. I repeated the mistake on the second mitten, to make sure they matched and was SO proud of myself. I even did an I-cord to connect them, so they wouldn't be lost. (For a kiddo, remember?) Well, the first time we wore them out, for some reason, the coats, hats, etc. were taken off and put into the shopping cart at Target. And when we left, I guess I put some items on the kids and put others in the bags, to free up my hands. I didn't see the mittens when we got home, but figured they were in the bags. And I didn't look in the bags for a couple of days (why, I have NO idea.) so I didn't realize that they weren't in there. :( I guess they were left at the store or dropped in the parking lot or something. I can't tell you how sad I was. They never did show up, and it still bugs me a little bit. The precious blue mittens were only worn for one day. So, here you see only the scarf. Keep in mind that these scarves are all at least a year old, and have been worn and washed a bunch. So if they're a little raggedy, that's why.

Scarves--The Start of it All

So last winter, while I was pregnant, I decided to learn to knit. I started simply, with a few scarves. I think I started with a blue one with different colored flecks, all done in Garter stitch. Very easy, and fast as it was kiddo sized. Then I did the orange scarf you see here. Same basic pattern idea, done on maybe a size US 8 needle. I used Bernat Mills Boa yarn in "Tweety Bird" or something. Very shiny and cute, but I wasn't sure quite how warm it would be. Next I moved on to one for myself, in black to match my winter parka and my black dress coat. I teamed up a chenille with what I think was a black Boa yarn as well. I went narrower, for my personal comfort. It's very warm, with both yarns worked together. I love them, and was very pleased with my first attempts. :)