Knitting and Crochet – Six Feet Crazy

I made a sweater!

I have been knitting since my mother-in-law taught me how almost 15 years ago. I love all the different stitches that you can do. I had always wanted to make a sweater but the idea of making one was, well let’s say I didn’t want to screw it up, and I wasn’t confident enough in my skills to not screw it up. I had looked at various patterns to find the no-fail-anyone-can-do-it-yes-even-you patterns and just never made the leap. Then, Purl Soho had a knit-along for their Lightweight Raglan Pullover Sweater and I thought, well if they’re doing a knit-along it’s sure to be no-fail!

Lightweight Raglan Pullover by Purl Soho

My sweater even (mostly) turned out exactly the way it was suppose to! So, kudos to them for creating a pattern that even a Nervous Nelly like me could knit up! I’m pretty sure the only mistake I made was that I missed a decrease in the yoke, so the neck is a little wider than it’s supposed to be. With the off the shoulder tops being trendy for the time being, I’m okay with it, though.

I used Juniper Moon’s Moonshine yarn in Twilight to make this sweater. It’s incredibly soft, holds its shape with a little bit of drape, and is just all around beautiful. I made this sweater for my oldest daughter. I also bought enough skeins in their color Dew to make myself a sweater. Have I completed that sweater? No, not yet, but, I’m so close to being done!

After making the first sweater I knew I was going to make another sweater, but not yet because good grief knitting those sleeves is enough to make you dizzy! I’ve never been a huge fan of knitting on double pointed needles. I usually get just a little extra smidgeon of space in between each of these needles no mater how tight I make the stitches. Using the magic loop is definitely magical, but not for sleeves that are miles long! So I knew I wanted to make something flat before I made the next sweater.

Waiting was definitely worth the wait! I saw this beautiful Slavyanka Sweater created by the ever talented Lyudmila Aksenik. I had most of a skein left from making the purple sweater, and I knew this was the sweater I had to make. The pattern is super easy to follow, complete with various manipulations if you so desire. So with the confidence I had gained from making the first sweater, I set about making this sweater.

It has taken me significantly longer to make this second sweater, and I’m okay with that. I’ve been using it as my swimming sweater. Let me explain – I’ve only been working on the sweater while I’m at a swim practice or competition. Needless to say this sweater has been all over Colorado! Because I’ve been consistently working on it (we have a swimming something almost every day) I am super close to being done. Taking it to a swim meet really helps the progress. I have about 80 more rows of the last sleeve to go. It might be the middle of summer when I finish it, but by golly I’m going to wear it!

It has been really interesting to make these sweaters. It was extremely tempting to give up on the sleeves and just make them short sleeve sweaters, but I also knew I would always associate the sleeves with quitting, and I hate quitting. Now that I can’t go back and make the sleeves shorter, I’m super tempted to make yet another sweater with shorter sleeves. We have nice spring and fall seasons here, and wearing a short sleeve sweater is pretty normal. And I have plenty of yarn in my stash to make another sweater. So many ideas!

February Knitting

I was given some more (!) yarn from a friend who had signed up for a knitting club, but decided she didn’t like some of the patterns. Yay for me! One of these patterns was for a stuffed bunny. I had never made a stuffed animal before, but was willing to give it a shot, especially since my youngest’s teacher just had her baby.

Using Mary Maxim Baby Blankie yarn, you have enough yarn to make two of these adorable stuffed bunnies. The kit came with enough stuffing for the first bunny. Luckily I had enough stuffing from making letter pillows for my kiddos to stuff a second bunny. I wasn’t planning on making a second bunny, but when the kids remembered a good friend’s baby was turning one, they insisted we make the second one for her.

This was a really fun knit and I look forward to making another couple. I hope these bunnies are loved as much as I loved making them!

I’m still working on my Celtic cabled scarf. Because I’m making this scarf from my stash, I’m hoping that I have enough yarn leftover to make a matching hat, or even better, hat and gloves! We shall see. Here is my progress:

January Knitting

I have been knitting for years. My mother-in-law taught me and I’ve been going strong ever since. I love the different things I can do, and between knitting and crocheting I am pretty confident I could make anything I put my mind to. In the last two years I was given two large stashes from a friend, and my great-grandmother. I made a promise this year that I would go through my now gigantic stash before I would buy any more yarn. It’s worked…mostly. I did buy some yarn to make my sister a scarf, but it was only two skeins. With three kiddos I have a lot of “down” time while I sit at various practices, so I was able to do quite a bit of yarning in January.

Here are the things I made in January to get through my stash:

Crocheted blankets for identical twin girls

The first project I made in January were blankets for a friend’s identical twin girls. I crocheted these blankets using the Purl Soho Crochet Four Points Baby Blanket pattern. However, instead of making 4 corners I only made two per blanket and sewed them together along the diagonal. I used the remaining yarn from one blanket to sew together the other blanket. This helped with the idea that although they were different, they were still a part of each other.

A poncho – color change every two rows knit in stockinette.

The next project I made was a poncho for my nephew. This is stockinette stitch, with a color change every two rows. Instead of making two rectangles and sewing them together, I made one really long rectangle, and then sewed end to the side to make the wrap. The reason I didn’t make two pieces to sew together was because I didn’t think I had enough red to finish the project. It still worked for what I wanted, but I think next time I will make the two pieces like you’re “suppose to.”

My next project I used up some yarn I had given my oldest as a project to work on while she recovered from having her tonsils removed. Needless to say she got about 20 rows into her scarf before finding something else to work on. I tore out what she had done (with her permission, of course), and got started on my first real cable project. The yarn is one skein of Caron Cake Bumbleberry

I had done cables once before but it was one big cable, and I wasn’t very impressed with it. I knew I needed to practice cables to do a Celtic cabled scarf I’d been eyeing some yarn for, so this was my chance. I was inspired by Hana Paimen’s Cable Braids Headband since there wasn’t an edge, which is what I haven’t liked in other cabled patterns.

When I bought the Caron Cake yarn for the cowl, I found a bunch of Caron X Pantone kits on clearance, and decided hats would be fun to make for all the kids. After making this first one, I will not be making hats for all the kids, but I will probably make a multi-skein something or the other in the months to come. But this one did go to my niece, and it matches her personality really well. This pattern is called Sunset Hat by Emily Dormier. I added the pompom from the leftover yarn I had from making the hat. It was a fun pattern to follow and I will make the hat again, just with different yarn.

We get more than a few super chilly days here in CO and my oldest was concerned that the gentleman holding the door open for the kids coming into the school needed a scarf, or something to keep him warm. This was a very fast project – it took two days from start to finish. I used unlabeled yarn but followed the Seaman’s Cowl pattern published in the Seaman’s Church Institute’s Christmas at Sea Program.

I got one more project cast on in January, but am still working on finishing it. Here is a sneak peak at what’s on my needles:

Beginnings of Baby Blanket #3

I am back to knitting Baby Blanket #3 now, albeit slightly distracted by reading. I have begun the self-doubt phase of the project by wondering whether I should really make all 6 squares out of two colors (light blue and dark blue) or make the squares out of all the colors, but then one color needs to be doubled. Decisions, decisions. This is why you should just stick with the pattern, except I’m too hard headed to do that. Smarter not harder doesn’t seem to apply to me and directions – whether it be cooking or arts and crafts.

There are 8 patterns of squares, so I will probably stick with making each pattern with 2 colors. But then I need to decided which 2 color schemes to duplicate. Ugh! I drive myself crazy trying to figure this crap out!

Light Blue/Dark Blue
Light Blue/Light Brown
Light Blue/Dark Brown
Dark Blue/Light Brown
Dark Blue/Dark Brown
Light Brown/Dark Brown

I have made the first 3 squares of the Garter Stitch Waves in my light blue color. I need to make them in the dark blue (or brown, or light brown, or hey let’s throw a purple in there somewhere… head, meet desk).

First of the garter stitch waves pattern

I also decided to add a set of squares to use up the variegated yarn I had purchased to go with the blue yarns. The blanket I was originally going to make was a mile-a-minute blanket, which uses variegated yarn in the middle, and then two separate colors for the border and connecting stitches. Not wanting to hold the yarn for another blanket, I looked up variegated yarn patterns. I discovered mind-blowing Entrelac patterns. I was stunned at the beautiful patterns, all using variegated yarn. I have to say, we are one creative society! I picked up this dishcloth pattern on Ravelry, written by Criminy Jickets, and immediately decided they needed to be included in the blanket as well.

This pattern is definitely worth the extra brain capacity it took to make it. Because of this pattern I have learned how to add a stitch by knitting in front and back of a single stitch, learned how to knit backwards, learned how/where to pick up stitches along the side of a piece, and became more comfortable with ripping out stitches. I’ve always been afraid of ripping out stitches for fear that a stitch would slip and I would wind up losing it in the pattern. Still a little afraid of that, actually. It is so much easier to do with crocheted work, in my opinion. But with this piece it was easier to find the stitches after tearing little bits out.

So far I have 3 garteralc swatches and 3 wave swatches. Next post will hopefully have the color dilemma solved, and a few more swatches made. Oh, and the next book I’m going to read is Moby Dick. What are you creating or reading?

Knit Along

I finished my middle kiddo’s baby blanket this weekend. I would normally add the word “finally” in that sentence, but a good friend of mine once told me that you complete it when you complete it. When you add the word “finally” you aren’t noticing the accomplishment. You’re putting the emphasis on time you weren’t completing the project, instead of the joy of accomplishment. And what joy there is in this accomplishment. Seeing the joy in her eyes as she picked out the trim, and then watched it come to life has been heartwarming. Now that it is finished, she is delighted to use it in all the wonderful ways a 7 year old can possibly use a blanket.

Now that it is finished, Baby Blanket #3 is ready to begin. I’ve always wanted to do a sampler type afghan, but never wanted to start until all the baby blankets were finished. Then, ding! The epiphany I had was to make Baby Blanket #3 be a sampler square afghan. Why I didn’t think of that sooner, I’m just going to blame it on mom brain and be happy that I did come up with it.

After searching for which patterns I wanted I came across Martin Storey’s Mystery Afghan Knit-a-long. I already have yarn (not the yarn he uses, of course, that would be too easy), and the patterns he uses are not so difficult as to be daunting, and not too boring either.

Week 1 is Garter Stitch Waves. You can find the pattern here. I’m using Red Heart Yarn because it’s what I had already bought. I’m using two blues, two browns, and a variegated yarn. He doesn’t use variegated yarn in any of his squares, so I’m not really sure how I’m going to add that in, but I’m sure I will figure it out. As I finish each week I’ll post pictures and comments here. If you’re joining me, I’d love to see your work in the comments! Happy knitting!