February's Sweater

... February's Baby Sweater, to be exact.

It has taken me a month to complete, but on the very last day of February this lovely little sweater will be finished and sent off to a baby girl, recently welcomed into her family.  The pattern is from The Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman and it was my first sweater!

Forgive the lack of buttons.  I have only about 3 choices at the house, none of which are quite right, so I'll have to buy some and sew them on en route.  The pattern itself, once I understood what dear Elizabeth was saying, was easy enough.  I followed many others' leads on Ravelry who suggested knitting the sleeves in the round so as to avoid any seaming.  While I do hate seaming, I think that next time I might choose that over the several problems I ran into working in the round.  More on that in my ravelry notes.

 

The yarn is a wool/acrylic blend.  When on a budget and knitting for a baby, it seems like a better choice.  Hopefully the wool will make it warm and the acrylic will make it durable {soft} and machine washable - only I cringe at what EZ would say! 

The weather here seems to be getting warmer sooner than usual but not so warm that babies don't need to be cozy.  I think the pattern on the sweater also lends itself nicely to early spring weather as well.  Hopefully this little girl (or more likely her parents) agrees.

a few little things

Little knitted items for a soon-to-be-here little person.

Grady's co-worker is preparing to welcome a little girl into the world and we're doing our part to make sure this baby looks cute and stays warm.

These are Baby Janes.  Aren't they just so cute?!  The pattern is free on Ravelry, the yarn is Bernat Cottontots (not wool, I know ... but it's very soft and was already in my stash).  The cutest ladybug buttons are from my new favorite yarn store, Loopy Yarns.

This sweet little cap is supposed to have a ribbon running through the bottom edge.  Once I find a craft store, I'll be purchasing something red and possibly polka-dotted to match the ladybug buttons.  I made a few changes to this pattern (also free on Ravelry), which you can read more about in my notes.

These are the first items I've made for a baby and I must say it might become an addiction - they're just so little and cute when finished and they give you near-instant gratification because you can make so much in just a few hours.  Good thing I know another baby or two in the world who I'm sure would love to have a little knitted gift!

the Christmas Knitting post

I was holding off on this post for a little while because I failed to get pictures of the final pieces actually being worn by many of the recipients.  My hope was that my siblings would rally to my blogging cause and take the pictures I needed but that didn't happen.  So, we will have to make due with the pictures that I do have!

My ambitious goal this Christmas was to knit one item for each of my siblings - have I mentioned that there are 5 of them?  I picked out the yarns and mostly decided on patterns {or at least general ideas} back in early October and then began work.  I am happy to report that I completed all projects plus one and a half {although one was still being finished Christmas morning!}.  The extra "one" was for my mom and the "and a half" was the hat I started for my dad and then ran out of yarn.

Special thanks to my grandma who taught me how to knit.  I saved wrapping these gifts until the very last minute so that I could show them to her Christmas Eve.

Calvin's Hat: Family Ribbed Hats by Joelle Hoverson

Kelsey's Fingerless Gloves:

Golden Eyelet Cable Mitts by Cathleen Campbell

A Scarf for Jon: simple seed stitch

For Jess, a cowl: Greyhaven by Robin Ulrich

Christian's Fingerless Gloves (I have no completed picture!):
modified  Treads, a tipless gloves pattern by Victoria Anne Baker

Last-minute hat for Mom (I made it in about 2.5 hours in the car to this Christmas gathering):
The Sweetie Pie Hat from the purl bee

I enjoyed the knitting on all of these projects although some were certainly harder than others (not a sign of who I love more!).  To find the patterns or to see my pattern notes, you can find me on Ravelry.  phew! 

Now to decide what I will knit for me ... suggestions?

{this moment}

Random power outage calls for some knitting by candle light

 

A Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember ~ SouleMama.

a headband for me

There's been a significant amount of knitting happening around these parts in the past few weeks.  Of course it's all very top secret and I can't share hardly a single bit of it with you at this moment.  But!  I finished a project today with some yarn to spare and, weary of knitting for others, knit this quick little headband for myself.

I couldn't find a pattern for my thick yarn, but the concept is simple enough.  Cast on a few stitches and work in rib pattern then increase every right side row until it's the size you want, knit until it's the length you want, then decrease.  I was worried about running out of yarn but as it turns out, I actually made it slightly too big!  Not to worry though, it will still keep my ears warm without messing up my hair.

This last picture makes me feel like a teenager ... taking pictures of myself.  I hope it actually looks cute on my head, but at some point in the middle of the winter I'm sure I won't care because attempting to keep my body above the freezing point will be my single-minded preoccupation.  And at least I made no waste of that yarn and rewarded myself with this very fast (less than 1 hour) little project.

Bring it on, winter.
  ... ah ... I mean ...

warmth for the cold

Good morning!  Today in my part of the world it is rather deary outside - gray and raining - which makes it the perfect day for knitting and wearing wool socks, in my opinion.  Perhaps a good book should also be included (though dinner preparations may say otherwise).  Days like today remind me that winter really is on its way.  Soon it will be snow and not rain that's falling outside. 

Although all of my family does not live near me, they {almost} all live where winters are blustery and snow piles high, so I decided to pile my knitting stash high in order to equip them for the season.  {If you are an immediate family member reading this blog, you should take this to mean that I'm knitting you something for Christmas - sorry to partially ruin the surprise} 

All 100% wool, all very very soft and, as it happens, all are made by Cascade Yarns.  I guess I just love their colors or texture or price - something.  Almost all of my knitting so far has been with Cascade yarn.  Now to turn all of these woolen balls into something wearable!  Follow me on Ravelry if you'd like to know more.  Otherwise, you'll have to wait until after Christmas!

on the book stack

Once again I have maxed out my library card with 5 books.  Actually, Canning and Preserving didn't come in until after I had checked out my 5 so I had to make the difficult choice of which one to return in exchange for it.  So then, let's start with -

Canning and Preserving with Ashley English.  I've heard so much about this book for quite a while now; I follow her blog and I did what I could to finally track down this copy of her book on canning.  It is quite a pretty book.  Most of the pages are taken up with explaining exactly how to can in a thorough, step-by-step way.  Of all of the reading I have done on canning, I'd say that this book has the best total-beginner friendly introduction to the whole process.  That said, I'd already gathered all of this information from reading so many other sources.  Her recipes are mostly the standard ones that you'd want to know at the beginning and then she has a few with a more creative flare.  If you have never canned before and want great instructions (with pictures!), this is the book for you.

While I'm at it, I'll let you know about the other preserving book I have at the moment - Well-Preserved by Eugenia Bone.  In contrast to Ashely's book, this one is mostly recipes and all of them are on the more unusual side.  This book also includes recipes that incorporate the preserves into a meal.  My husband and I were salivating just looking at the pictures.  Not only that, Eugenia provides recipes that would be difficult to find elsewhere such as how to can tuna, process marinated baby artichokes and cure bacon in your apartment (I'm so going to try this).  She also knows how to put the beginning canner at ease.  The book starts by addressing my greatest fears about canning.  She writes, "I think the reason more people don't can is ultimately that they're scare of botulism poisoning.  Understandable.  But if you educate yourself on the simple science underlying safe canning, it will put those fears in perspective and open the door to really cool cooking experiences."  She goes on to explain that science and then at the beginning of every recipe (all of which she has carefully tested), she explains why it is "safe" to process it the way that she calls for.  Very reassuring; I'm inspired!

The Vouge Knitting book is an encyclopedia of stitches to help me come up with my own designs.  Once you know how to construct a certain garment, you can make it your own by playing with different stitch patterns, which I plan on doing just as soon as I learn how to construct more types of garments.  In the mean time, I'll stick to embellishing socks, mittens, fingerless gloves, and scarfs.  Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson is to help me with my long Christmas list!  I like her other book, More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, so I'm hopeful to find a few things that work in this one too.  We'll see!

I haven't read Slow Food yet, but the foreward is by Alice Waters so I anticipate good things.  I follow Slow Food USA on facebook and use their Chicago-specific website for some resources.  I'm all for the mission of Slow Food, so I'm excited to see what this book has to say.

plans for today ...

... out of doors today seems not so pleasant.

... this spot on the couch might be just right for accomplishing the day - add slippers and tea.

... finally got my hands on Ashley English's book!  I haven't even opened it yet, but I'm thrilled with anticipation.   Reading these preserving books at the end of fall might have been a bad idea, though, because it tempts me to just go to the grocery store and buy out of season just so I can try the recipes!  We'll see ...

... Christmas presents!!  Half-way done with present number one (out of ... sigh, 10?)  After this, I'm turning to Last-Minute Knitted Gifts.  If you'd like to know what it is that I'm knitting, you can check my projects page on Ravelry.

... there may need to be some baking today to warm up the house.

... packing for a good friend's wedding this weekend!!!

... dinner plans?  hmmn.  I'll think while I'm knitting.

the (living) rooms

In this home, our living has happened in almost every room except the living room.  Above all, our dinning room is the place where we have put in the most time.

Our most recent configuration of the dinning room (excluding the arranging we just did yesterday in order to paint the walls back to frightful off-white) was a bit different than is pictured here, but this was our dinning room all the same.  And here I still sit, at the table with my computer and favorite coffee mug.  This is the place where so much of our home life has happened.

This is the place where I get work done (the kind of work I get paid for, the farmers market stuff).  This is the place where I communicate with the outside world via internet.  This is the place where Grady and I sit before and after meals and talk, sometimes while he plays the guitar or piano.  It's the place where we sit and sing together.  It's where we sort mail and write checks.  This is where we connect to each other and God before we go out into the world and it is where we come back to at the end of the day.

 

In our dinning room I also have my little corner.  My chair is up next to the windows, where I hope to catch the afternoon sun, and right next to the radiator, where I hope to glean some warmth (which is always less than I'd like).  Sometimes I work in this corner, but mostly I sit and read or knit or enjoy a cup of tea or some combination of all of these.  I keep a little stool with a stack of books just next to me on one side and my basket of needles and yarn on the other.  My two favorite plants live in the corner with me: thyme and rosemary.  This is the place where I remember to breathe.

Our bedroom is our second living room.  Since we didn't like the feel of our real living room, we decided to watch movies, sit and talk, and sometimes even eat dinner in here.  It's the only room in our house that is small and has a door (aside from the bathroom of course!).  This is a very important feature when it's 102 degrees in your apartment and you have one small air conditioner ... or when it's 60 degrees in your apartment and you have one small space heater.  We painted the most mellow color in this room, a light yellow, which makes it feel sunny even when it's not.  For a sun lover such as myself, this is a welcoming place.

When I think of our first home, I'm sure our bright orange dinning room will appear first in my mind's eye (and perhaps my future self will laugh at my bold color choice).  This is the place where we settled into our life together.

Socks For Grady

I started these socks quite a while ago, back when it was still cold in the spring.  The hot summer months are just not so conducive to knitting, even small projects, so these were accomplished in fits and starts.  In the past few weeks, the weather has taken a turn for the cooler and I have more happily taken up my knitting needles.  The need to cast-on for Christmas presents is also pressing a bit, seeing as I have a large family and clearly am not the most diligent of knitters.

This is only the second pair of socks that I have ever made.  The first were for myself and a bit of a trial run.  These, I made without any real pattern and was quite pleased with myself for doing so.  I followed the basic instructions in Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Without Tears, which is by far the most inspiring book on knitting that I have ever read.  For one, her book is a pleasure to read (and she's written others that are equally wonderful) in that you get her wit and life story along with no-nonsense instructions on how to knit without paying much attention to many rules (except for gauge!  you must gauge!).  After making one pair of socks by following line-by-line instructions, I decided to give her more free-form knitting a try.

Basic socks are great, but they can get a tiny bit boring after a while, which is why I added the cable running down the side.  The calculations for how many stitches I needed to fit Grady's foot at the gauge I was knitting and including a rib pattern caused me some trouble, but I have gotten over my fear of ripping out stitches (also thanks to EZ) and all ended well.  For any knitters who would like more details, they can be found on my Ravelry page.

It may not be here yet, but I know the Chicago winter is coming.  But this year when it comes, Grady and I will both have a thick, warm pair of wool socks to help us make it through perhaps just a little bit warmer than last year.