There.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.  To say I’ve been doing some baby knitting lately would be an understatement.  When my beloved sister who taught me how to knit told me she was expecting a baby girl – we set into motion a plan to outfit this baby in all things adorable and knitted.  She’s been collecting baby pattern books for years, but when she decided to bring a rambunctious yarn-eating puppy into her life, I was appointed Head Baby Knitter.  I’ve been stockpiling said baby knits in order to showcase them in the best possible way – on an adorable baby.  Thus begins the first of many blog posts centered on my beautiful niece,  Allison May.  She was all of 48 hours old for her first photo shoot.

Coming home from the hospital is like starting your first day of Junior High, it is ALL about the outfit.

The coming home dress should of course be precious, but let’s face it: she’s going to wear it once.  There’s always the possibility it will be handed down to future relatives, but it seems silly to spend a fortune on fancy yarns and overly delicate patterns.  And because Allison was due to be born during one of the worst heat waves the Midwest has ever seen, cotton seemed the most reasonable yarn choice. This whole ensemble was made with just one skein of Lion Brand Cotton Ease.

Here are the patterns:

Hat: the aptly named Quick and Easy Baby Hat by Emma Walker.  I cheated and knit it on straight needles because I so dislike double points.  It’s designed with eyelet holes for a ribbon to be threaded around the brim, but the ribbon kept the brim from stretching so it was promptly discarded. Also, I added one extra row of garter stitch ribbing.  Not on purpose, just because my brain stopped working and I forgot how to translate a knit-in-the round pattern to straight needles.

The dress: a custom variation of the Baby Ribbon Dress by Tami Olsen made to match the Quick and Easy hat. I made it quite a bit shorter due to the heat wave, and used the border from the hat as the detail for the bottom hem and bodice of the dress.  This was a nice easy pattern to adapt and it happened to fit perfectly.

The booties: Quite possibly the most brilliant bootie pattern ever written.  The Chaussons Mignons, which translates “cute slippers”.  These are absurdly easy to make and quick enough that you won’t even care if they don’t fit (which these didn’t).  My sister and I are both petite but apparently this little lady inherited her feet from her 6’2″ father.  Thankfully she was kind enough to let us snap a few pictures of them before she kicked them off.  Garter stitch, simple shape and clever construction, what’s not to love?  I’m planning to make a big stockpile of these slippers using all my leftover yarn scraps to have for last minute baby gifts.

The nurse who escorted her out of the hospital was overheard commenting “That is the cutest going home outfit we’ve ever seen here“.

Mission accomplished.

That’s right. Christmas is over, the tree is composting in the yard, and all of the stress of last minute gift knitting has passed. Your friends and family are out there proudly wearing your thoughtful handi-knits.

Well, it’s a new year, and it’s national knit for yourself month. So take a long look at your to-do list and resolve to make something beautiful for yourself.  Need a little inspiration?  Here’s my latest selfish project:

This unique one sleeved stole (because every girl needs a good stole) is by Wendy Easton. I put in several good weeks of pretty repetitive kntting, but I think it really paid off in the end.

This pattern called for a fingering yarn, but I honestly couldn’t bear the thought of casting on 38o  stitches onto size 5 needles.  I used Lion Brand Amazing yarn and size 10.5 needles to make it go a little quicker.  The soft wool blend makes it nice and warm, and the subtle self striping kept this basic garter stitch interesting.

It’s definitely a conversation piece and I learned a new technique, the thumb trick.  It’s a way to hold stitches in the middle of a flat piece of knitting that can be opened up and worked on later.

My other selfish resolutions?

Lacy Baktus by Terhi Montonen – I already have some pretty sock yarn that I scrapped from an earlier project.  We’ll see if I have any better luck with this pattern.

Loope by Berroco.  I’m a sucker for tunics and scarves so this pattern had my name all over it. It’s so Mary Tyler Moore don’t you think?

And last but not least, Rosa’s Caponcho by Emma Fassio.  Sure, ponchos come in and out of fashion every other day, but I think this simple bulky knit will have some sticking power.  Plus, it should be a pretty quick knit, so I won’t have too much time invested.

So, Happy New Year and best of luck in all your selfish endeavors.  You deserve it.

You may remember this supposedly chic little hat I knit last summer.  The pattern was lovely, the yarn was luxurious, but the color was….questionable. (I suppose there’s a reason the sunshine yellow color was on clearance).

The question was posed ‘To frog or not to frog’, and the verdict was frog. A wise choice indeed.  Now, I’ve never been afraid to rip out a project and start over, but I wanted to wait and find the perfect pattern to get me inspired.   So, without further adieu, I present:

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The Bella Lana reversible cable scarf by Cornelia Griffin.  A simple ribbed cable that reverses so it’s beautiful any way you wear it. It was a pretty quick knit that turned out beautifully – a gift for a dear friend with a sunny personality.

Lesson learned: It’s not where you start out that’s important – it’s where you end up. Jeeze, I must have gotten that from a poster in my junior high band room. It’s time to wrap this post up.  But while we’re still on cheesy slogans,  If at first you don’t succeed – try, try again.

In honor of Labor Day I’m celebrating all the things I’ve crossed off my queue this summer.  My favorite website Ravelry lets you keep a to-do list of all the projects you want to make.  I have a bad habit of adding anything that sounds interesting and at the beginning of the summer I had well over 80 projects lined up.  Thanks to some editing and a little summer knitting, I’m proud to announce I’m now down to 71. Hey, progress is progress right? Here’s how I got there.

The Spring Beret by Natalie Lawson.  Yarn: Paton’s Angora Bamboo

There’s a reason this is the most popular beret on Ravelry.  It knits up quickly and looks great.  I think the angora  yarn was the key to this beret’s success. It’s a bit finer than most worsted yarns and the slight sheen gives it a polished look.

Make it again?  Definitely.  Several friend have already asked about it; I’m thinking this would make a great Christmas gift.

Toast by Leslie Friend. Yarn: Debbie Bliss’s Donegal Tweed. 

This yarn and pattern was the perfect excuse to buy my first pair of double pointed needles and try some fingerless gloves.  The verdict?  Love the gloves, hated the DPNs.  I’ve used them on dozens of projects now and I still can’t get them quite figured out.  I keep getting the dreaded ‘ladder effect’.

Make em again?  Probably so, I’m not about to let those double pointed needles get the best of me.

The Montana Scarf by Craig Rosenfeld. Yarn: Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool

Made for my surprisingly picky husband.  This variation on a 3×3 rib is the perfect scarf for the ruggedly handsome man in your life.  I think the brown tweed yarn looks great with this basic stitch pattern. 

Make it again?  Already did.  I really like this pattern and a good men’s scarf pattern is hard to come by.  This will be my go-to for years to come.

The Bring it On Blanket by Pickles.  Yarn: Debbie Bliss Eco Cotton.

A great lacy pattern that’s easy to pick up and set down.  The real art to it is picking your colors and choosing the thickness of the stripes. 

Make it again?  Soon.  I already have plans to start a little boy version in oranges and blues for a friend’s upcoming baby.  I’m sure that won’t be the last time I make this lacy little blanket.

Triangel by Caroline Lang. Yarn:  Berocco Ultra Fine Alpaca yarn. 

A nice ‘architectural’ knit. This geometric lace pattern that takes a bit of work to memorize,  but is well worth it in the end.  It took a full week of vacation, knitting all day to finish it, but I think the versatile shape and color  will mean I get a lot of wear out of it this fall. 

Make it again?  Probably not. It’s a lovely knit but it was probably a bit too time consuming to make as a gift.  But, if I ever did – I’d use this yarn again in a heart beat.

So long summer and welcome back fall.  Bring on the cool weather, I’m starting to look silly wearing knits when it’s 95 degrees out there.

This beautiful girl was born to one of my dearest friends just a few weeks ago.  Stella’s arrival is a very big deal, so I picked a special yarn and set to work making her a baby blanket. 

This is another great pattern from pickles, called the Bring it On Baby Blanket.  A very simple wavy lace pattern is perfectly suited to beginners. It’s an easy repetitive knit you can pick up and set down easily. This project lived on my coffee table so I could work on it any time I had a few minutes free. 

Stella’s blanket was made with my new favorite yarn – Debbie Bliss Eco Aran.  It’s 100% organic cotton and it’s fair trade, meaning no eco-guilt (though I’m probably the only one who experiences that). 

This yarn is soft and squishy and feels great to knit with.  Plus, it comes in a huge variety of colors.  Call it sympathy cravings, but the soft pastel colors in this baby blanket made me crave ice cream the whole time I was knitting it.

I should have just enough of the green and white left to make a striped baby hat, but plan to use this yarn for more baby projects in the future.  This is not a paid endorsement, but if Debbie wants to send me some complimentary skeins, she should feel free to do so. 

Welcome to the world baby Stella, and remember: you’re never to old to enjoy a good blankie.

So, the big show is tomorrow -  and unlike most of my big projects in college, I’m not even planning an all nighter!   I’m certain I’ve completed more projects in the last month than in my entire knitting career.  Not sure if it will be sad to see these things go, but I took plenty of photos to remember them by just in case. Here’s what you haven’t seen yet. . .

A few more knits for the little ones.  Basic hats and some not so basic sweaters.

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A silvery clutch and a split personality pouch.  Your basic gray and cream with some ribbon yo-yos to dress it up a little.  And speaking of dressing up,  here’s how my foray into felting turned out.

I couldn’t help myself.  After you make that many little yellow balls they all start to look like Pac-Man.   If nothing else, it makes me smile.

I promise a post on these soon, they’re knit right into the chain.  Surprisingly easy and fun to make.  If I end up selling them both I’m going to have to make one for me later.

Well that’s it – see you at the show!

Well, the show is less than a week away.  So, here’s a sneak peek of what I’ve been up to for the last month.  A lot of these are new patterns and I need to get them written out so I can share them, but as you can imagine, I’ve been a little preoccupied lately.

Who’s got the button?  A new felted purse design with more reclaimed thrift store handles.  Just big enough for the necessities, it will keep you from developing what I call the ‘grandma purse’ syndrome.

The mustard seed.  A simple seed stitch cowl with a match ribbon cinch.  So easy and so elegant.  My friends will probably all get one for Christmas.

The micro scarf 2.0.  I wear mine all the time so I made a few with stripes out of wool.  A must have for your next Dr. Seuss book club meeting.

Silk Bandana Scarves.  I knit the second one with size 13 needles for a tighter gauge and smaller size.  I love how the variety of the recycled silk makes each one look different.

The garter snake purse.  Another new design for me.  It’s super simple garter stitch construction and easy to line.  Just add bamboo handles and it’s ready to hit the town.

The beach bum bag.  This is sort of a variation of the weekender in recycled cotton with bamboo handles.  Very eco chic.

Green for your green.  Another adaptation of an earlier pattern.  This is the racing stripe wallet all dressed up with a wood button and metal snaps.

The fall shrug.  It’s got to be my roots at Oklahoma State, but I can’t resist a good orange every once in a while.  And, I think everyone looks good in a shrug.

And finally, one of my favorite designs. A bit painstaking to make, but I’m pretty proud of them.  The cowboy boot-ies.  A pattern inspired by the fact that everyone I know is having a baby.  And, every baby needs something great to wear with a jean skirt.  It’s easy to get carried away making these.  I’ll have about 10 pairs done by the show including a red pair and white ones with fringe.

More pictures to come soon.  5 days and counting!

My adorable nephew Braeden celebrated his first birthday last month.  And we all know it’s just not a party without a party hat.  This little jester hat is a variation of a pattern from the ‘Baby Beanies’ book. However, Braeden lives in Florida where a wool hat doesn’t make much sense. So, this hat was knit with Lily Sugar and Cream cotton.

One look at those big blue eyes and you can see why I chose this color palette.  I also like that the navy blue and the stripes make it a little preppy.  At less than a skein each this was an inexpensive hat to knit,  but it’s cute enough that Braeden can go ahead and let all of his friends think he paid $30 for it at Baby Gap.

We should all have such handsome men in our lives to knit for.  Here’s to another great year, Braeden.

First of all, I would like to thank my friend Abby for having the cutest baby in the world, and for taking these photos of her in her slanket.   I’d also like to thank Grace for inspiring me to learn how to knit for myself.  This was the first pattern I ever finished on my own and although it could never be as cute as Grace, it came out pretty well.

The real pattern name is the ‘Hooded Carrying Bag’ by Debbie Bliss http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hooded-carrying-bag

but we named it ‘the slanket’ after Tina Fey’s version in our favorite TV show, 30 Rock.

Here is baby Grace in all her snuggly glory:

This was a good pattern for relative beginners.  Just lots of garter stitch (which I happen to love the look of), a little shaping, learning to pick up stitches for the hood and plenty of seaming.  The only real trick was getting the zipper sewn in.  Just a  note:  this pattern runs big!  I made the newborn size and Grace didn’t fit into it until she was almost 5 months!

The yarn I used was Serenity Chunky by Deborah Norville and it worked perfectly with this pattern.  A great little baby shower gift for a great little girl.  Thanks again Grace.

“You’ve got hot needles!”  was my grandmother’s response when we showed her these photos.   There’s something so satisfying about seeing all of your work in one neat little pile.  So here’s my answer to “what have you been up to lately?”