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August 30, 2004
Baby wrap sweaters for Ginger and Sydney
Posted by shannon at 3:53 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 29, 2004
Not Empty Handed
As I promised in my last entry, I made it to Knit New York on Saturday morning. I know it's not a popular opinion, but I was a little disappointed. The space was beautiful and I enjoyed a tasty bagel, but the yarn just didn't do it for me. Perhaps it had something to do with the abundance of wool and the 100% humidity, but I ended up only buying a single pattern pamphlet.
I fared better at Downtown Yarns, and enjoyed it much more. They were very nice and had a wonderful selection. Even still, I left only with 2 skeins of Cascade 220 -- hardly the yarn purchasing extravaganza I had planned.
But don't worry, I didn't leave New York empty handed.
Posted by shannon at 11:00 PM | Comments (3) | For related posts: Knit Gringa, Knit!
August 28, 2004
Mom's Waikiki Tank (a.k.a. Summer in the City Tank)
Posted by shannon at 3:20 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 27, 2004
Posted by shannon at 3:15 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 26, 2004
Poncho Pop Quiz
I love to knit for knitting's sake, but sometimes I wish there were more designs that were, well, normal. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for pushing style limits. But I frequently wish there were more patterns available in that gray area between the grandma sweater and haute couture.
It is precisely that sentiment that makes me so happy about the current poncho craze. Ponchos strike the balance perfectly -- a manageable project that's actually wearable. I get promotional e-mails from the Gap, and a few weeks back I got one trumpeting the the glory of all things poncho. All hail the great poncho!
I never thought I'd have the phrase "a touch of bling" on my knitting blog.A few weeks back, Jason's sister Rachel -- who's expecting -- asked me if I could make her a maternity poncho. We've be e-mailing back and forth about it, and we're still trying to decide on a pattern. This is where I'm asking for help from you, my fair readers!
1. Rachel is, um, not tall. Any opinions on which of these two styles would better suit a petite pregnant lady?
2. Both of the ponchos above are "maternity" ponchos, but from what I can tell they are just BIG ponchos. Rachel recently bought a non-maternity poncho, and she isn't crazy about it. She says it's just "too much fabric", and makes her feel "like a whale". Any ideas on how to get around that? If I do something like the poncho on the left, I was thinking I could do some short rows on the lower front piece to build in some ease without enlarging the garment overall.
I hope we can answer these two questions, because Rachel's a perfect candidate for the maternity poncho. She's due in January, so a poncho might come in handy if her belly gets too unwieldy for a winter coat. She's a very hip Manhattanite, and according to Alison's comment on this entry, ponchos are the in thing in the Big Apple.
Oh! Speaking of the Big Apple, that's where we're headed this weekend. Come hell, high water, or an influx of Republicans, I. am. going. to. Knit New York.
Posted by shannon at 11:24 PM | Comments (5) | For related posts: Miscellaneous Small Projects
Log Cabin Blanket in Mission Falls 1812 Cotton
Posted by shannon at 3:09 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 25, 2004
Bulky Baby Bibby in Artful Yarn's Dance
Posted by shannon at 3:05 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 24, 2004
Henry's fuzzy hat
Posted by shannon at 3:02 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
Tied Up in Knots
I was (rightly) admonished by Alison on Sunday while at Knitsmiths for not posting, since I am still knitting fairly regularly. It seems that it takes only the littlest thing to knock me off of my blogging game -- recently, it's been the Olympics that have been distracting me.
I feel like I've been knitting for baby boys at a disproportionate rate, so I was happy to hear that the next baby I'd be knitting for (a niece for Jason!) is a girl. Knitting for baby girls is my Holy Grail of knitting -- fast, adorable, and likely to be well-received. It didn't take me long to find a pattern (Sirdar 1559, can you believe how cute that baby is?!), and I was off and knitting.
Everything on this sweater went fast until I added the buttons. No matter how or where I sewed them on, they pulled and puckered the fabric. I studied the pattern picture intently, and after trying all possible combinations have come to the conclusion that they must have stapled the sweater together and hot glue-gunned the buttons on afterwards. 'Cause there ain't no way those buttons are really buttoned like that.
So, what to do? The answer came to me shortly -- hadn't Alison had a similar problem with a baby wrap sweater? Why yes, she did! I adopted her I-cord tie solution and it worked like a charm.
Next stop: matching booties!
Posted by shannon at 12:00 PM | Comments (4) | For related posts: Baby Wrap Sweater
August 23, 2004
Lili (Newborn Cap, with pattern)
Posted by shannon at 2:59 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 22, 2004
Roll-Brim Hat for V. in Merino Aran
Posted by shannon at 2:54 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 21, 2004
Baby Hat in Rowan's DK Handknit
Posted by shannon at 2:52 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 20, 2004
Strike Vest for Dad (picture here)
Posted by shannon at 2:49 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 19, 2004
Posted by shannon at 2:45 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 18, 2004
Posted by shannon at 2:43 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 17, 2004
Cherry Mango for Mom
Posted by shannon at 2:41 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 16, 2004
Ear-warmer and Calmer Cap for Jillay
Posted by shannon at 2:35 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 15, 2004
Screaming Pink Sweater for the Cutest Baby Ever
Posted by shannon at 2:24 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 14, 2004
Blueberry Cap for Henry
Posted by shannon at 2:07 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 13, 2004
Lovely, lovely Francine Hasta luego, Francine... hello, Lindsay! (progress pics here) I eventually tried one more tank pattern (Tina) with this yarn before giving up and using it for a poncho. I don't love the poncho, but it's better than any of the other things I tried with this yarn!
Posted by shannon at 2:13 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 12, 2004
Mango in black Wellness (El Mango Negro!)
Posted by shannon at 2:16 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
Another ChicKami (Patons Grace, Azure) for my mom!
Posted by shannon at 2:10 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 11, 2004
Henry's Baby Blocks (in Tahki Cotton Classic)
Posted by shannon at 2:03 PM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 10, 2004
ChicKami, Rowan's Cotton Glace in Bud. Pattern by Bonne Marie and participating in Alison's knit-along.
Posted by shannon at 12:48 AM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 9, 2004
The resurrected Waikiki Tank (a.k.a. Summer in the City Tank)
Posted by shannon at 12:46 AM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 8, 2004
Three baby blankets based on this pattern for R.'s shower
Posted by shannon at 12:44 AM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 7, 2004
Blanket for Dana's baby
Posted by shannon at 12:42 AM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 6, 2004
Cabled sweater for me!
Posted by shannon at 12:40 AM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 5, 2004
Posted by shannon at 12:39 AM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 4, 2004
Just Like Algebra!
When I started the eighth grade, the first thing we did in math class was go over basic algebra, which we had learned at the end of the previous year. One of the other kids in my class had a visible "a-ha!" moment, and said that he finally understood algebra even though he had tried really hard the year before.
Understanding algebra, our teacher explained, requires that a switch be thrown in your brain that allows you understand it. Unfortunately you can't control the switch yourself -- so there's no guarantee that you'll "get" algebra the first time it's presented to you. He said that every year, in the first week of math class, he had an eighth grader whose "Algebra switch" had been thrown over the summer.
Same goes for knitting booties, I guess! When I first got the Knitting for Babies book, one of the first things that I tried was the "Stay-On Baby Bootie". It was a total disaster. Then, a few weeks ago, I tried again. This time it was smooth sailing. I used Wool Cotton and two No. 3 circs for most of the rounds, though I did need dpns for the instep. These are for a co-worker who's been especially helpful to me while working on an intense and frustrating project. His wife's expected their third child, a boy, any second now.
Posted by shannon at 4:04 PM | Comments (3) | For related posts: Miscellaneous Small Projects
Posted by shannon at 12:37 AM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 3, 2004
Posted by shannon at 12:35 AM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 2, 2004
Scarf for Jason's brother and Redskins hat for Jason's brother-in-law (with matching baby hat)
Posted by shannon at 12:32 AM | For related posts: Finished Projects
August 1, 2004
Posted by shannon at 12:30 AM | For related posts: Finished Projects