FO: Debbie Bliss Classic Cardigan

I'm so glad so many of you liked the biscotti recipe! Oh yeah and from reading some of the comments from my last post, I think I ought to clarify that I'm up at 4:40 a.m. to shuffle along at a 10:00/mile pace, not to sprint at a 6:00/mile pace. I'm not a good runner, I'm just becoming an early one!


Pattern: Classic Cardigan from The Baby Knits Book by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Berry
Needles: US 7
Modifications: Because Debbie Bliss' baby patterns are notoriously boxy, I made the 12-18 mos size but used the 18-24 mos sizing for length. A few months back, many of you commented that you thought that a long, skinny baby would likely grow into a long, skinny toddler so I decided that it would be best to plan on that for next winter's crop of Beatrix sweaters.

Beatrix clearly has some growing to do before this will fit! This project has been about two-thirds finished for months now and since I didn't have much knitting time this week, I decided to take up finishing it here and there. A simple, shapeless stockinette baby sweater is hardly good blog fodder but at least it's out of my WIP pile.

This sweater pattern is an old standby for me but it is painful to knit. Every time I make it, I remember halfway through that I should have used raglan shaping and knit it all at once to save myself the seaming. I don't particularly care for how bulky DB's sleeves/shoulders are but I'm too lazy to do much math for something as simple as a baby sweater so I'll live with the bulk. The buttons on this sweater are a bit of a disappointment too. While I love these shell buttons up close, I think they tend to fluoresce a bit from a distance so if I could do this again, I would likely choose different buttons.


What do you do when your mom makes you wear a sweater that's too big for you?

You eat it, of course...

FO: Flore Hat in Knit Picks Shine Sport

A baby hat in four days, can you believe it? That's like taking a week to knit a bootie! This is one serious hat! Unfortunately, while I was quite sure that B's head was 17", she has apparently grown a bit since that measurement so that hat is too small. No matter, it will go to a baby due in late summer. Nevertheless, Beatrix will be your model because she's all I have on hand. :-)

Pattern: Flore by Knitwhits
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport, remnants from other projects (colors: Violet, Orchid, Blush, Apricot and Grass, I believe)
Needles: US 4
Modifications: Since the suggested yarn was Tahki Cotton Classic which is a bit heavier than Shine Sport, I swatched, made some calculations and cast on 90 instead of 114 sts.


First of all, let me just say how much I love the finished product - it's unbearably cute, cleverly designed and interesting to knit. Baby Kaya has a great one too in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino too. The construction is well thought out and the petals are joined by a k2tog row, which cuts way down on the seaming. With those qualification, I must say that only a really, really, really special baby will receive one of these hats from me because both the knitting and finishing were, as Theresa suggested yesterday, "fiddly". That's nothing against the pattern authors at Knitwhits, it's just the nature of the beast. I can't think of any pattern modifications that would make this less painful to knit, but be forewarned that this is certainly a slogalong project.

To begin with, the pattern calls for two 16" circular needles and a set of DPNs. That's fine if you happen to own all of those needles in the appropriate size but I didn't and there's no way that I would ever buy so many duplicate needles for a baby hat (maybe for a sweater but certainly not for a baby hat). Thus, I was forced to fudge it a bit. I knit each new petal on DPNs and put the lower parts of the hat on a 32" US 0 circular. Why? Because that's all I had - it essentially functioned as a stitch holder, although I admit I spent a lot of time transferring pieces from one needle to another, something that might not have happened if I had not been too cheap to buy more needles. If you decide to make this hat, I guarantee that it will be easier if you follow instructions and use all of the suggested needles.


The finishing seemed to take forever, although my patience for end weaving and the like is minimal. Each layer had six tips to tack down so that the petal would lie flat. Six tack downs multiplied by five... that's a real drag, if you ask me.

So there you have it: an absolutely adorable hat can be yours with a little crankiness and a lot of finishing! Take it for what it's worth!

A Quick Break from Socks: Flore

When I saw Sophia's Flore hat, I remembered how had intended to make one for Beatrix so I quickly download the pattern, collected some Shine Sport remnants, did some math and cast on. I needed a bit of a reprieve from sock knitting and baby hats are fast knits, right? Well, it turns out that this particular hat is not such a quick knit, although it does beat socks. It's like knitting four baby hats in one. (duh)
I'll have a couple comments about the actual pattern when I blog about the FO later this week.

Until then, I'll be enjoying the nice weather (guilt-free) with Aaron and Beatrix. There must be something about the end of the semester and bike rides...

Why a Cute Ribbon Tie Isn't Such a Great Idea for a Baby Sweater

Do you think it would look strange if I turned the tie around to the back of the tank? *sigh*

Flying Under the Blogdar: Finished Baby Cardigan

I forgot to post about this over the weekend but I just finished a project that flew under the blogdar this month. The pattern is hardly interesting but the result is a very functional baby sweater. Beatrix models it for you, although it's still too big for her!


Pattern: Baby Cardigan from Baby Knits Book by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted in dark brown
Needles: US 7

I've made so many of these for friends and family. The sweater is cute but the knitting is quite unremarkable with lots of stockinette framed in 2x2 rib. *snore*

Since I will have little knitting to post about this week, stay tuned for a destashing blog contest tomorrow!

Debbie Bliss Baby Kaftan

Well, it seems that many of you think that I am asking a bit much on the superwash socks. Maybe I am. It's not too big of a problem, since Aaron says the fuzz makes them softer. However, he also says that it makes them more like store-bought wool socks. *cringe* What a muggle.

Since I'm procrastinating taking a break from studying, I thought I'd post some FO photos from a sweater I recently discovered in the baby knits pile. I made this sweater about two years ago, certainly with no intention of having a baby who would wear it. I knit it simply because I wanted to learn to embroider. The embroidery project was a failure (at least, on my part) so Aaron figured out how to embroider and he did it for me. I was so impressed. So was his grandmother, who reminded him that his grandfather, who learned to knit for soldiers in World War I, knit blankets for all of his grandkids (at a gauge of 10 sts/in too). There's certainly lots of needlework skill in his family! In any case, here is your ever willing model showing off her new (albeit a bit big) sweater:




Pattern: Baby Kaftan from Baby Knits Book by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport

Mindless Stockinette Knitting

Sorry, folks! This is all I have for you this week. No yarn reviews, no pretty socks, just plain stockinette knitting and lots of it!

I received a few skeins of the new Cotton-Ease and decided to test it out. I think it's the same as the old stuff but it seems like it's spun a bit more loosely. I intend to pull out some stash Cotton-Ease for comparison.

I appreciate all of your comments about future baby sweater sizing for said bean pole. All of this stockinette is for a couple of long, skinny sweaters for next winter. Christine pointed out that sweaters stretch horizontally but not vertically so it wouldn't hurt to add length.

Lastly, I ought to announce that I won! I won! I've never won anything before so I'm pretty excited about winning Pepperknit's blogiversary contest!

Wear Test: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease

Oh Cotton-Ease, how sad I was to see your misguided manufacturer chose to discontinue you - such a wonderful cotton - only to promote its excess of crappy yarns. We knitters pleaded with said manufacturer to bring you back and voila! You've returned in better, less eye-searing colors.

Nothing beats Cotton-Ease for hard-wearing children's knits. Cascade 220 is great for outerwear but Cotton-Ease needs no qualifiers: it is the perfect choice anytime. It feels like cotton, washes like acrylic sans pills, softens like denim and offers a stunningly low cost per yard. I'm tempted to buy a few cases of this yarn before Lion Brand realizes that it actually makes a good product and decides to triple the price.

These were two hastily knit sweaters from my last fortnight of pregnancy (ah, nesting...) They have both seen quite a bit of wear and look just as good as the day they were finished.


Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease
Pattern: Debbie Bliss Special Knits
Needles: US 7

Pattern: My Seed Stitch Baby Hoodie
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease
Needles: US 7

My Skinny Babe

Why baby sweaters are all too short and too wide for baby in question:


At 6 mos, my little bean pole checks in at a mere 13.5 lbs. I think average is about 17.5 lbs! This is a hard baby to knit for, especially since most of my baby patterns are boxy Debbie Bliss numbers. The question is, should I assume that she will continue to be this shape? I want to knit her some sweaters for next winter. Should I alter the patterns to account for the lack of baby chub and make them a bit more narrow in the chest? What do you knitters think?

Knitting Funk

Thanks for all of your comments and encouragement on the mittens. I'm behind on my work this week so I haven't responded to anyone and I apologize.

I did finish my mitts at Knit Lawrence, although since I forgot the pattern book and decided to wing the thumb, the mittens don't match. Many thanks to blogless Camille and Jennifer, who encouraged me to knit the thumb sans pattern. I won't lose sleep over the lack of mitten symmetry because I made them for myself. Furthermore, one mitt is a little bigger than the other and I recently noticed a significant color chart mistake on the back of one hand so they're far from perfect. I still like the colors. We knitters are the only people that would notice the mistakes.



I also put the finishing touches (i.e. the button and ribbon) on this little tank top I made earlier this year for Beatrix. I hope she'll be able to wear it this summer. She's so skinny that a lot of clothes don't fit right. Her winter sweaters have about 5" of ease. I couldn't decide which picture to post (partly, I think, because I like the tank so much) so have several.





Pattern: Eyelet Top from Debbie Bliss' Special Knits
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport in Orchid
Needles: US 4

I think what I like most about this little top is that it's the kind of sweater that I would covet for myself. Don't worry - I will never make matching mama-baby sweaters, although I won't rule out socks. Doesn't it creep you out to receive a Christmas card from the family of 10 all wearing the same outfit?

I've been finishing little knitting projects lately because I have a lot of real world work to do these days. I have some big projects to finish for my master's degree before graduation in May. I haven't talked much about what I do on my blog, but I'd like to get a PhD or MD once I have my master's and work in infectious diseases or epidemiology. Since I never took any science in college, I've been taking chemistry, physics and biology classes alongside my grad classes to meet the PhD and medical school entrance requirements. Just this week, I met with an advisor who told me I should apply this summer, when I had assumed that I'd have to wait a year until I finished my science coursework. Suddenly, I have a huge amount of STUFF to do in the next six months. It is so very intimidating. I think I'll take the MCAT this summer. *GULP* I wish I could knit while studying.

Wear Test: Garnstudio Karisma

While I've been quite fond of Cascade 220 and Knit Picks Shine Sport in terms of how they've held up to frequent washings, Garnstudio Karisma leaves much to be desired. Frankly, I've found little to like about this superwash yarn. Care instructions are machine wash cold and dry flat. I've only washed this sweater a handful of times and this is what it looks like today:


Very fuzzy with lots of pilling. I was so disappointed because this was one of my favorite baby sweaters. I'll have to make another one for next winter in a more durable yarn.

Next up: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease (and it's back too!)

Wear Test: Knit Picks Shine Sport

Those of you who read my blog while I was nesting in the last weeks of my pregnancy this summer heard a lot of gushing about Knit Picks Shine:

"It's so soft!"

"So easy to work with!"

"Produces such nice stitch definition."

"Amazingly enough, for a cotton yarn, it doesn't suck!"

The latter, in my opinion, was the highest praise. I always be a woolaholic. I know I'm in good company, right?

So how did Shine stand up to six glorious months of baby wear? Not too bad, all things considered (which means, "Not too bad given it's so cheap.")

Here is a striped baby tank top. Proportionally speaking, it seems wider now than it did when I made it. Granted, I have a skinny kid so everything looks wide on her. It's possible that it shrunk up a little - I can't say for certain. This tank hasn't seen as much wear as the next sweater so it's still in pretty good shape.

Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport
Pattern: Baby Tank from Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits Book
Needles: US 4

Now this argyle sweater has seen a lot of wear. And machine washing and drying, as the label professes is possible. Yes, I threw it in the washer in spite of the delicate shell buttons. They haven't broken yet... The sweater looks great from a distance. Even in this photo you can't see the problem.

A fine halo :Yarn: Knit Picks Shine
Pattern: Argyle Cardigan in Debbie Bliss' Special Knits
Needles: US 4

I imagine that's the 50% modal giving off the fuzz but what do I know? It just doesn't look quite as crisp as it did six months ago. Is this a bit picky? Perhaps, but if I spend hours knitting it, I don't want the sweater to go all Holy on me in six months. This won't keep me from buying more Shine because you all know I'm cheap; however, I won't gush as much about it in the future. I promise!

Finally, I have another picture of the red Cascade 220 sweater, this time with cute accompanying hat.


More tomorrow with some SP goodies and more!

Another Cascade 220 Sweater

After many attempts, I finally got a representative photo of the other sweater I told you about on Friday. Man, is red hard to capture!!! I think it's worse than navy blue. The shell buttons are actually light green but you can't really tell from this picture.

Pattern: Seed Stitch & Cable Jacket from Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits Book
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: US 7

I thought I was done with my post about the green hoodie but today, my little monkey girl fell dead asleep and Aaron and I couldn't pass up the photo opportunity. This kid doesn't sleep often, you know! So here are some more pictures for you.


A couple of you asked for the pattern and I promise that I'll put it up sometime this spring. Right now, it consists of illegible scribbles on graph paper with coffee stains. Nice, eh? Besides, I only wrote it for 3 and 6 months and I'd like to size it up for 9 and 12 months too. With school in full swing, it might take me a while. Fortunately, Zarah has agreed to be a test knitter for me! Anyone else interested? Hopefully, by the time I get the pattern up, you'll be able to see several versions of it.

Now for some secret baby knitting. You won't likely see this finished product for a while since it's my side project (how many of those is one allowed anyhow?) but it's a baby sweater for a newly pregnant friend. With booties to match. I love booties. This kind actually stays on the kid's feet too!!!

The yarn is nothing to write home about. It's Plymouth Encore Worsted. I'm pretty sure the recipient won't be up for wool care. What can I say? Not everyone will enjoy the woolen baby sweater, right?

Wear Test: Cascade 220

It's time to revisit those baby knits to see how well the yarns I chose have stood the test of time (and baby)! I thought I'd start this series of blog posts with a real winner: Cascade 220. Now, I know some of you wince at the thought of baby garments made from feltable wool (and indeed, Cascade 220 is a champion felter). Frankly, so do I. Heavy sweaters and jackets are the exception, however, as they don't need to be washed every time they're worn. I could not resist the yarn/pattern combination with this garment so I just hoped I'd have time to do the washing. In fact, now I do a wool wash about every two to three weeks.


Pattern: Double-Breasted Hooded Jacket, Phildar inspiration, my own creation.
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: US 7
Finished: July 2006

The jacket has held up remarkably well and looks as good today as when it came off my needles. Most notably, there is no fuzz. You know what I'm talking about. Even when you wash your woolens with extreme caution, over time they develop a slight halo of fuzz. Not this yarn. As you can see, the stitch definition remains quite crisp. While the color of the jacket is different in each photo, both are accurate reflections of the jacket's true color. This is another thing I like so much about this particular yarn - light (and likely the seed stitch texture) dramatically change the jacket's appearance.

I'm very pleased with the results, especially since Beatrix wears this all the time. Let me assure you that this jacket has seen its fair share of drool and spit up too! Furthermore, layered over another sweater, this jacket keeps Beatrix warmer outside than any other hand-knit or store-bought garment. For this reason, I've made several of these for other friends with babies.

You might recall another baby sweater out of Cascade 220. It's such a rich red that I've had difficulty photographing it. If I have time this weekend, you might get to see it - it's in the same great shape as the green one. So baby knitters: go get yourselves some Cascade 220!