if there’s one thing we know about bunnies…

…it’s that they like to multiply.

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hippity-hoppity.

Oh my goodness, you guys – I cannot. stand. the cute.My mom has been in the hospital for two weeks now, and her main nurse, Angie, is due to have a baby girl early next month. Angie has been so sweet and helpful to my mom, that we thought it would be a nice gesture to knit her a little baby hat as a thank you. Since this will be a spring baby, my mind immediately went to Susan B. Anderson’s Bunny Tail hat. A few hours is all it takes to knit this bundle of cuteness. I mean, just look at these precious little ears, with their tiny yarn bows:Irresistible. And the furry little tail:Adorable.  Here are the details if you’d like to make your own little Bunny Tail in time for Spring or Easter (and you know you want to…):

• Pattern: Bunny Tail Hat, by Susan B. Anderson
• Source:Itty-Bitty Hats
• Yarn: Berroco Comfort DK in Pretty Pink – 2705 (body) and Chalk -2700 (tail)
• Needles: Size US 7 16″ circs. and set of US 7 dpns.
• Size Made: newborn
• Ravelers: Click here for Project Page

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how do you like *them* apples?

Now that the new year is upon us, it’s back to healthy eating. My hubby likes to bring an apple to work with him in the morning, simply wrapped up in a paper towel*.  I thought he needed something a little nicer than a plain old paper towel, so I knit him an apple cozy!   I figured it would keep the apple better protected, in case he didn’t get to eat it right away.  Oddly, when I went to cast on, I discovered that I do not own a set of Size 5 dpns., so I made do with size 6 – the apple still fits perfectly. The pattern calls for a picot bind-off, which is a bit girly, so I switched it to a rib knit bind-off to keep it more masculine.  This was a fun little under-an-hour project, and it got a good laugh when I gave it to my hubby. Here are the details:

• Pattern: Pearapple Cozy by Susan B. Anderson {a free knitting pattern!}
• Yarn: Berroco Comfort DK in Dusk-2713, trace amount from stash
• Needles: Size US 6 dpns.
• Size made: One size
• Ravelers: Click here for project page

 Today I am looking forward to the 5-8″ of snow we are expecting…there is nothing better than being snowed in with some knitting! ~J

{*Apparently, the paper towel serves a purpose – to clean your hands and hold the core until he gets to work and can throw it away – so this morning, I tucked one neatly into the cozy for him to use…}

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knitalongs are detrimental to your to-do list…

On Tuesday, I decided to cast on my Raglan pullover for the Spud & Chloe knitalong, and let me tell you – this is going to be big trouble.  If you are going to start a knitalong, you should forget about everything else you need to do – laundry, cleaning, showering – because the only thing that will matter to you will be getting to the next step.

It is so insanely addicting that I even skipped lunch just so that I could keep knitting.  Part 1 is finished – since my neck measured 5″, I cast on the same number of stitches as Susan’s Grape Jelly pullover, and knit the raglan increases until the piece measured 3″ from the cast on edge before joining in the round.  I am quickly working my way through Part 2, which is to knit the sweater until it reaches 1″ below my underarm, after which, the sleeves will get separated from the body.  I am using one of my beloved LL Bean raglan pullovers as a guide…everything is matching up quite nicely.

I love that this sweater pattern is more of a recipe than an actual written pattern; since it’s knit top-down, I’ll be able to try it on as I knit and custom-fit it to my body using a little bit of math.  Susan clearly explains every step, so don’t let a little math scare you from joining.  Plus, there is a lot of support out there if you need help along the way!

Today, I refuse to pick up my needles until my to-do list is complete.  We’ll see how long that lasts… ~J

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free yarn!

At my favorite local yarn store, Stitches with Style, I earned a $20 yarn credit for finally filling up my frequent-buyer punch card.  That means free yarn! I went straight for the wool and picked up some skeins of Cascade 220 for a couple of projects in the queue.

This sooty gray is for the Spud & Chloe raglan sweater knit-along…the group is well underway, but surely, they won’t mind a latecomer?  I’ll probably start the project sometime next month, but in case you want to jump in now, the details of the knitalong are here.  It’s hosted by the awesome Susan B. Anderson, so you know everything is going to be well explained!

I also grabbed a skein of the 220 in Navy, because my sweet baby nephew needs a new winter hat for his meatball-sized head.  I’m thinking something with ear-flaps and a pom-pom, paired with some of the gray yarn above.

Of course, I didn’t get all of this yarn for free – but I did earn some punches on my new frequent buyer card!  Don’t you just love (almost) guilt-free additions to your stash?  … ~J

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weekend to-do list

1. Make a delicious brunch.  Doesn’t this Brioche French Toast looks scrumptious?

2. Browse the new fabric at Sew Mama Sew!

3. See what Garance is up to.  Then promptly clean out closet.

4. Catch up on Never Not Knitting podcasts.

5. Splurge on a glamorous new summer lipstick.  Wear it every single day to justify the cost.

6. Check out the new Spud & Chloe yarn colors.  Also:

7. Read about Susan’s Dream Catcher Baby Blanket.  Adorable and free!

8. Read the new online Lonny magazine.  Drink hot coffee. 

9. Plan a trip to the gorgeous new Purl Soho shop.  Leave wallet at home.

10.  Make a pot of Sunday Sauce.  Check out Ree’s yummy version.

~Have a great weekend!

{image from the lovely Sunday Suppers}

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for a spring baby…

Oh, the joys of Spring!  Babies, babies, and more babies to knit for.  Baby knits are the most satisfying types of knits – fast, cute and colorful.  This little hat is for another old high school friend of mine, Pete, and his wife Stephanie.  They are having a little girl in a few weeks, and I couldn’t resist whipping up this little confection of a hat for her.

The stem is knit as part of the hat, and the five petals were knit separately and then attached after.  I left the petals slightly loose, so that the ends could curl up a bit like  – just like real flowers.  There was quite a lot of weaving in to do, but the overall effect was totally worth it.

Don’t you just want to knit a whole bunch of these in different colors and sit them in a sunny window?  Adorable!  Here are the details:

• Pattern: Upside-Down Daisy by Susan B. Anderson
• Source: Itty Bitty Hats.  Buy it here!
• Yarn: Berroco Comfort in Raspberry Sorbet (9728), Buttercup (9712), Chalk (9700), and Seedling (9740)
• Needles: Size US 7 16″circular and US 7 dpns.
• Size Made: Newborn

Lately, my brain is bursting with so many creative ideas that I literally had to write them all down!  I have quite a few things to show you, including some super-soft washcloths, a luxurious silk shawl/scarf, a new fingerless glove pattern, a couple of knitting magazine reviews, oh, and Jaime made two new fantastic summer dresses for the girlies.  Can’t wait to show you!

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Cheeks McGee…

{oh. my.}

Readers, you should know that I have a serious cheek fetish.  Babies, toddlers, kids – if they come within 2 feet of me, they know that their cheeks will be pinched, kissed, squeezed or nuzzled.  My son uses his cheeks as currency – as in – “Hey Mom, if you let me play on the computer, I’ll let you kiss my cheeks 7 times.”  It works without fail.  In fact, I highly doubt he has any feeling left in his face.

{I cannot stand the cuteness.}

Susan over at the Spud & Chloe blog posted about this adorable little munchkie, who is modeling a new hat pattern by Brandy Fortune of Petite Purls.

{those cheeks are just asking for it...}

The pattern is called Serendipity, and is knit in Spud & Chloe Outer.  This one is definitely going into the queue.

Ravel this sweetness here, or on Brandy’s website, Pixie Purls.  Much to my dismay, the baby doesn’t seem to be included with the pattern.  ~Jenny

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winter white…

I have a serious Fetching addiction now.  One, they are pretty.   Two, they knit up quickly for that instant-gratification we crave as knitters.  And three, there are so many ways to vary the pattern for the recipient.  These creamy, cabled beauties are for our mom.  She is at home most of the time and needed something to warm up her chilly winter hands.  Instead of using wool, I chose a cotton-wool blend so that they would be more like a “hand sweater” rather than an outdoor glove.

{cozy!}

Of course, there were some modifications made.  I wanted to see what they would look like without the ribbing on the hand, so I left out the k4, p1 after the wrist cable repeats.  Without the ribbing, they are not as snug around the palm, but I love the plainness of the stockinette.  I also added an extra row of cabling around the knuckles for extra finger warmth.

Here are the details:

• Pattern: Fetching by Cheryl Niamath {free pattern!}
• Yarn: Cascade Sierra in Ivory
• Needles: Size US 6
• Size Made: CO 35 instead of 45 to accommodate small hands

Also, have you seen the Tiny November Knit-along that Susan is hosting over at Spud & Chloe?

{gobble, gobble!}

How cute is he?   Which reminds me – today I must finalize my Holiday Knitting List…can you believe that we are just a little over a month away from Christmas?

I hope you are enjoying this perfect knitting weather.  Have a great weekend! ~Jenny

 

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a year of knitting.

October marks my One Year Knitting Anniversary.

{2008-2009 projects}

According to Ravelry, I have knit a total of 38 projects since that very first cast-on.  It was Jaime who patiently taught me how to cast on and how to do the knit stitch.  It was last October, and our Mom in the hospital and was very, very sick; we were spending 8-10 hours a day just sitting in her room waiting for her to get better.   One morning Jaime showed up with some bright blue yarn and a pair of size 8 bamboo knitting needles.

{the crazy turquiose yarn}

She patiently showed me how to do a long-tail cast-on and the simple knit stitch.  She thought knitting would be a good way to pass the time, but it ended up being so much more than that.  Slowly, the conversations shifted from heart illnesses and transplants to dropped stitches and Mom’s stories about how she used to crochet growing up.  It was therapeutic and uplifting for all of us, I think, as we sat and giggled about the hideous blue monster growing on my needles…

By the time Mom was released, I had really gotten the hang of knitting and purling.  Jaime and I decided to visit a local yarn store called Stitches with Style.  When I walked in, I felt amazingly at home – there was so much yarn in so many different textures and colors – it was like being a kid in a candy store, a feeling I still get whenever I walk in there.

{my wonderful little yarn shop}

After walking around for at least an hour, touching the skeins and looking at the beautiful work displayed around the shop, I finally settled on some Lanaloft Wool in a reddish-pink colorway.   It was with this yarn that I knit my first real scarf.   While admiring my finished creation, I noticed that the first half of the scarf looked slightly different from the second half – I made the rookie mistake of not checking the dye lots.  I still buy my all of my yarn from that little shop.  They are always so helpful and nice and happily, they are just down the block!

{My first real project}

Since that first real scarf, there have been lots of other ‘firsts’ – the first baby hat:

{Sunshine Baby Hat}

The first lace and sweater:

{Shaped Lace Camisole}

The first cables:

{Eyeglass holder}

The first knitting in the round:

{Baby Beanie Hat}

What a joyous moment that was – no purling!  There was the first charity knitting, for Lucinda and her Cooper:

{A sweet little blue bird}

My first original pattern:

{Perla's Cloche}

It would be impossible to list all of them.  Each project has been a learning experience, and each mistake has been invaluable in helping me become a better knitter.

Knitting sometimes conjures up images of little old ladies sitting in rocking chairs, so I was completely surprised by the huge, amazingly talented community of young knitters that are out there.

{Clockwise from top left: Ysolda, Jared, Wenlan, Susan}

Ysolda Teague, Jared Flood, Susan Anderson, Wenlan Chia – they are all classic and edgy and vibrant, and continue to be a true source of inspiration.   There is never a day when I am not browsing the amazing knitting on Ravelry – the creativity that is out there is simply astounding.

I am so excited about this next year of knitting and for all of the new ‘firsts’ I’ll get to experience.   And I will forever be thankful to my sister for giving me this wonderful gift.

Have a great weekend! ~Jenny

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