Marie Casting On

Oh my, this really had to be shared! Last night while trying to begin Thorpe, Marie kept asking me how to knit so that she could "make clothes" for Tasha from Backyardigans (a character from an animated kids show on Nick Jr. and Noggin, if you don't have kids ;-)). I had brought my tray of knitting needles into the living room when beginning Thorpe, and she had picked out my purple plastic Crystal Palace DAISY US 13 straights. So, I got her some old Wool-Ease Thick & Quick and showed her the backward loop CO. I thought, OK, maybe she'll just pretend to knit from there... Today, she asks me to "make a pretzel" (aka slipknot) so that she can cast on again! Anyway, here she is casting on. She'll be four in 2 months. So cute! Well, I'm biased :-)

Thorpe and Tressel Vest

Yay, FOs to show! The vest I've nicknamed Tressel Vest because, minus the Nike swoosh, it reminds me of the gray sweater vest that the Ohio State football coach wears. Ian hasn't worn it yet, so I haven't snapped any pics of him in it. In the meantime, here's a shot with a white shirt underneath. There wasn't a pattern. I just winged it. I CO 110 sts and went from there. The edgings are all tubular 1x1 rib, and the point of the V is a double decrease (sl2 k-wise, k1, p2sso).

I cast on for Thorpe last night and finished it today. I really like how it turned out! It's really cute on Ian and fits him well. Here are project details:

Pattern: Thorpe
Yarn: Knit Picks Shamrock (Hennessey), 1 skein; Knit Picks WOTA (Coal), for crochet edging and ties
Needles: US 8 DPNs; US 8 16" and 29" circulars
Size: 17" toddler (his head is 19")
Mods: worsted weight yarn instead of bulky; Magic CO; increased up to 72 sts and followed size med instructions from there; made a 3-ply braids from the 6 strands, and made the ties shorter

Starting Ian's Hat With Magic Cast-On

Using Judy Becker's Magic Cast-On** and her specific directions for starting a small circle, I cast on for Thorpe. This was cool to do because it creates no hole or loose stitches as can some other CO methods. Yay! Be sure NOT to ignore her directions for an even-number CO versus an odd-number (ask me why) -- it makes a difference. Basically, I did the regular Magic CO followed by a round of knitting double stranded with the tail. For the next round (the 1st increase round), knit each individual strand of the double loops rather than the typical increase method. For example, I CO 4 sts and knit all 4 sts double-stranded. When I did the next round, I got my stitch total up to 8 by knitting each individual strand. Next, I followed the pattern and did kfb into each stitch and ended up with 16 sts. **Note: I followed Cat Bordhi's video on YouTube which differs in that none of the CO stitches are twisted, so you have one less thing to worry about.

I'm on the twisted ribbing of my toe-up Monkeys. So... almost done! I plan on using a bind off that repeatedly uses a decrease -- there are a few variations, but the same basic idea.

Don't I Look Comfortable?

Clapotis Revisited

I can't say enough about the new fabric shaver I got from Knit Picks. Not so much for the shaver itself, but for what it does. Two years ago, I made Clapotis by Kate Gilbert. But, I never wore it outside my home. Why? You'd especially be asking why when I tell you how much I paid for the yarn. Well... I used a three-ply kettle-dyed thick-thin merino: Rio de la Plata in a melange of three colorways. Beautiful, except that my Clapotis unblocked turned out bulky, heavy, fuzzy, and wouldn't lie flat. Well, like I said, it's been two years. Since my new fabric shaver worked so well on my CPH and Alison's Scarf, I thought why not try it out on Clapotis? Night and day is the difference!

Next, I decided to wet block it by soaking it in a sample of Soak. It gets even BETTER. I discovered recently that my washer has a drain/spin mode. Woohoo! I put that sucker in the washer after soaking, straight from the bucket without even squeezing out any water. Voila, Clapotis revisited and reborn. Check out the pics. The first two pics are of the unblocked Clapotis and the yarn I used. there is also a picture of the blocked Clapotis with a matching unblocked Clapotis hat so that you can compare blocked vs. unblocked.

The post following this one will be pics only of Ian wearing his new pants (Itchy Fingers Longies).

CPH and Some More Toddler Pants

Included here are pictures of my Central Park Hoodie and Itchy Fingers Longies. I thought I'd also add some additional pics of the zipper installation on my CPH. What do you think? The pointy hood is interesting, but everything else turned out alright. I can't believe this is the first cardigan I've made for myself after four years of knitting! All the cardigans I have made were for my kids. I've only made pullovers for myself.

For CPH, I used Knit Picks WOTA in forest heather. I added bust short rows, I-cord edging, a zipper closure, short row shoulders with 3-needle BO, and tubular CO for the ribbing. Oh, and I added length and grafted the top of the hood. Since finishing this hoodie I've soaked it and, after some wear, shaved it. It's my go-to sweater at the moment. Love it!

The pants/longies are my 2nd from the Itchy Finger Longies pattern. These are easy to knit up. I'm targeting my stash acrylic yarn since Ian can always use an extra pair of pants. Next up in the near future are some Wool-Ease pants in various colors... I used TLC Essentials in Meadow with Lionbrand Vanna's Choice in Taupe.

The zipper instructions on Chic Knits site were very handy. I'd recommend them for sure! This was my second zipper installation, but my first nice-looking one. The I-cord gets a bit flattened by the backstitching, but I don't think that really matters much.

Wow, two blog posts in one night! I haven't done that in a while. I feel so caught up :-)

Odds and Ends

The day after I last blogged, Ian decided to walk! He was 13 months and 1 day old. He has a pretty wide stance, so it's really fun to watch him. He still does what I would call the Russian crawl half the time. He crawls by sitting up with his right leg jutted out which he uses to power himself forward. Hilarious!

For Halloween, Marie went as Ariel and Ian went as a lion (in the stroller, of course). We actually made it around the entire block this year (Last year, Marie got scared after the first two houses...). We still have a nice big pumpkin that never got carved. We're still going to do it since Marie isn't old enough to be disappointed by the fact that we didn't carve it before Halloween!

I almost got back with the program last week: I went running. Sometimes, not often, I get cabin fever along with a feeling of desperately needing to decompress away from those around me. Some days I'll go to the bookstore. Some days I'll go to a coffee shop. Some days I feel like running, even when I'm not even doing it regularly. It felt good, that's for sure. Now I just need to go again and often. I have a friend that has three kids, her latest born in May. She just ran a half marathon. Like me, she had trouble losing baby weight the second time around. She said that running for 60 minutes rather than 30 really helped shrink her waist.

Knitting news? Oh yeah, that's right. This is a knitting blog, isn't it? Well, I finished Central Park Hoodie and another pair of longies. I'll do a separate post with pics for those. Right now I'm finishing up a one skein gray toddler vest for Ian. I haven't gotten much further on my other WIPS (Tangled Yoke Cardigan, My So-Called Scarf, Los Manos Locos socks, and my strawberry latte socks). I keep finding pants and other things to knit for the kids!

Speaking of projects for the kids, I just got some Knit Picks Shamrock in Hennessy and some black WOTA to make Ian a hat and mittens. I also bought EZ's Knitting Workshop, primarily to make either the hybrid or shirt-yoke sweater for Jared. I've been reading through it and am really enjoying it!

One more piece of knitting news. I bought a battery-powered fabric shaver from Knit Picks. The first item I used it on was my bulky alpaca Alison's Scarf by Annie Modesitt. What a difference that made in eliminating the fuzz! It looks brand new. Just tonight, I used the shaver on my CPH for the first time. It took FOREVER, but the end result is nice. Hopefully, I won't have to shave it as much after this. The only gripe I have about the shaver is the battery life (I'm already on my second set.) and the numerous times it stops working and requires you to remove the blade and dump the shavings.

Finishing CPH; Beginning TYC

I see the finishing line! Last night after knit night, I came home and got as far as sewing in half the zipper for my Central Park Hoodie. I just need to backstitch the other zipper half and decide whether or not I want to knit some facings to cover the zipper tape. After that, I have the sleeves to sew in followed by a nice softening soak.

Since I'm getting so close to finishing my hoodie, I decided to change things up, like I always do, and CO for Tangled Yoke Cardigan (TYC). I love the excitement of beginning one project while finishing another! Both the CPH and TYC are made from stiffer and scratchier wool (Peruvian Highland wool) than I'm used to. But, I think I'm beginning to not mind it so much. WOTA and Telemark might not be the softest wool, but it's nice to knit with something that feels substantial for a change. Telemark is especially dense.

The Ravelry button is from Knitters Connection 2008 back in June. I thought I'd add it here since I just added it to my profile pics on Ravelry. It was so nice to see Casey, Jess, and Mary-Heather in person! It was their first Ravelry presentation, and they were admittedly nervous, but felt at home when they saw how excited and welcoming the crowd was in Columbus for them. So cool!!!!!!

CPH Update

OK, before I dive into the knitting news, let me show some kid pics. My youngest had his first birthday about a month ago! Check out how he's holding his cupcake. In the other pic, my daughter is playing with her new V-tech laptop. It's the best $14 I've spent lately. She loves it. I can't believe all the stuff on it!

I'm almost done with Central Park Hoodie. 'Bought the zipper last night and read up on how to sew it in by hand using these instructions. I might do an I-cord edge to help hide the zipper. That would take forever, but it would look nice. After installing the zipper, I'll do some type of facing or possibly whipstitch or blanket stitch on the zipper tape. I've been looking at store-bought clothes to see how the facings and zipper tape are treated to get ideas...

Grafting the CPH hood wasn't too hard because 1) I didn't have a difficult stitch pattern (the graft came between cable crossings, so I only had to deal with the purl stitches on either side of the cable panel); and 2) I used the waste yarn method that makes grafting a no-brainer (learned this in a finishing techniques book). Even though I didn't have to think about it when grafting by using the waste yarn method, here's an awesome link that shows closeup how to graft stockinette, reverse stockinette, and garter stitch. Though she doesn't mention grafting seed stitch, you'll be confident enough to try it after reading her educational blog post.

Here are some pics I took while grafting the hood of CPH:

I used a contrasting blue cotton waste yarn to continue the stitch pattern for 4 rows. In one picture I tried to show how I was following the path of the contrast yarn, but it's not that clear of a shot. The bottom two pics are the finished graft. The closeup is supposed to show how the two ends meeting are a half stitch off. In looking at the final pic, I think the graft looks just as good as a 3-needle BO, but without the seamline and added bulk.

Speaking of educational blogs, I found a link to one on Ravelry that shows exactly how to do short row sleeve caps (top down sleeves). Instead of the usual, "oh, I just picked up stitches around the armhole and did short rows from there" explanation that goes no further, this blogger goes into full detail on how she did her Gatsby Girl Pullover sleeves. Love it!

Another helpful blog post I found was this one on traveling jogless garter stitch ITR. I came across this person's post when checking out Thorpe (here's the non-Ravelry link). I've been wanting to make Thorpe (an earflap hat) for my son since it's gotten cold here. I might make one for my daughter, too!

Well, the kiddos are pulling me off the computer -- gotta go!

ETA: I need to figure out why my pics aren't aligned the way they look before publishing my posts. They always turn out wonky! :-/

Kanoko Pants and Tank Top

Since beginning my newest projects, I realized that I hadn't posted pics of two recent FOs: Kanoko Pants and a DROPS tank top (see my Ravelry projects for pattern specifics, if interested). Let's begin with the tank... I really enjoyed knitting with the yarn I used (Knit Picks Comfy, a cotton/acrylic blend) and I was pleased with how it turned out. But, I am NOT happy with how it wears! Unfortunately, due to the weight of the yarn combined with the style of tank, it sags big time. Both the garter stitch on the top half and the long, loose flowing bottom half stretch considerably. I have always preferred mercerized cotton for my summer cotton projects, but now I know that I should ALWAYS use mercerized cotton on next-to-the-skin, borderline-revealing summer tops. I could see using it for a more modest top, just not tank tops or low-cut tops. I might frog this because I don't plan on wearing it :-(

Now, the Kanoko Pants turned out GREAT, as you can see in the pics :-) I made the 9-18 month size, which would've turned out too small for my big boy if I hadn't made some mods. I added 2 sets of short rows to the butt (could've added a few more!), added about 4 inches to the legs, and left the waistband unfolded to add length to the rise. My previous experience with Cotton-Ease was not positive. But, I broke down and decided to use it for these pants, and I'm happy with the yarn this time 'round. The color is really pretty, no?

BTW: Oh, yes... I've decided that I will be frogging Blaze unless I can find a way to re-do the entire yoke. Even though I'm ten pounds heavier than when I made it, it's still too big. I'm also trying to decide if I should frog my Rio de la Plata Clapotis. The yarn wasn't even close to being right for Clapotis. Problem is though, the yarn slightly felted while knitting and therefore made the ladders a little tricky to drop. Frogging this project might cause the average knitter a migraine, so I'm not sure if I want to go through with it. I'm only considering it because the yarn is beautiful and I paid a lot for it (which is rare for me).

Non-knitting news? Hmm, I'm a little apprehensive of tomorrow night's OSU vs. USC game. I hope my Buckeyes look better than last week! I went to last week's game against OU, and it was scary to watch.

Oh gosh, I don't think I've mentioned that my 3.5-year-old fell down the playground stairs back in August and had to have 10 stitches (plus 2 inside ones) near her hairline on her forehead. She did amazingly well and didn't cry or move when the EMTs or the hospital personnel worked on her. The aftermath requires her wearing suncreen during the day and vitamin E oil at night for the next two years. I have a feeling that this isn't going to be the only injury for her since she plays full throttle. It's funny, she plays like a boy but loves every bit of princess stuff, too!

Currents WIPs

Here are my three current WIPs: My So Called Scarf (Classic Elite Miracle), Central Park Hoodie (Knit Picks WOTA), and Los Monos Locos - The Crazy Monkeys (Kraemer Saucon Sock).

I've had the Miracle yarn for two years and have cast on numerous scarves that just didn't work. Finally, I decided to choose a pattern with more structure -- that's been working!

The CPH is exciting for me because I've never made a hoodie cardigan for myself. I plan to wear it outdoors when taking the kids to the park and such. I'm hoping that the Kookaburra I recently bought softens this up a tad!

And finally... my toe-up monkeys, an adapted pattern I found on Ravelry. A lot of firsts here: first toe-up socks, first magic loop socks (I've done sleeves w/ML, but those are easy), first two-at-a-time socks, and first time using Judy Becker's Magic Cast-On (Cat Bordhi style: Cat wraps the same direction for both needles on her You Tube video -- looked different than the original, but I could be wrong.).