Mad Caterpillar

I finally finished my son's fingerless mitts out of the handspun alpaca from this entry. They were actually a very quick knit -- probably two hours total from start to finish. But I finished one and neglected to finish the other until just recently. I guess there isn't much motivation when it's warm outside, but I know he'll be grateful for these come late fall. I had knit him some mittens last year, and he loved to wear them when his hands got cold but he didn't like not having his fingers free to pick up things or to clamber around on playground equipment. I think he'll like these much better.

I figured I'd include the pattern here in case anyone is interested in making child-sized fingerless mitts for their kiddos. So here goes:

SIZE: These children's fingerless mitts are quite stretchy and should fit most children between the ages of 5 and 9.

YARN:: The example shown uses 75 yards of handspun alpaca at 9 wraps per inch (wpi). Commercial yarn substitutes could be any aran weight yarn, such as Mission Falls 1824 Superwash or Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran.

GAUGE: 4.5 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch

NEEDLES: Size 6 DPNs or whatever size is needed to get gauge. (This pattern can be knit using two circular needles, however specific instructions are given only for DPNs.)

ABBREVIATIONS:

PM - Place Marker
SM - Slip Marker
M1R - Increase 1 by slipping needle into the bar between two stitches from back to front.
Knit into the front of the resulting stitch.
M1L - Increase 1 by slipping needle into the bar between two stitches from front to back.
Knit into the back of the resulting stitch.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1: Cast on 28 stitches. Divide stitches onto 4 DPN’s so that Needles 1, 2, and 3 all have 8 stitches, and Needle 4 has 4 stitches. This negates the need for a stitch marker to mark the beginning of a row. Every time the needle with four stitches is knit, a row is completed.

2: Join stitches for knitting in the round, taking care not to twist the stitches. Knit it K2, P2 ribbing for 2.75”.

3: Knit 1 row plain.

4: K7, PM, M1L, K2, M1R, PM, knit to end of row.

5: K 2 rows.

6: K7, SM, M1L, K4, M1R, SM, knit to end of row.

7: K 2 rows.

8: K7, SM, M1L, K6, M1R, SM, knit to end of row.

9: K2 rows

10: K7, SM, M1L, K8, M1R, SM, knit to end of row.

11: K7, remove marker, place 10 stitches between markers on yarn scrap or stitch holder, cast on 2 stitches over the gap, remove second marker, K to end of row.

12: K2 P2 ribbing for four more rows.

13: Loosely bind off in pattern.

THUMB:

Place 10 stitches on holder onto three DPNs as follows: 4 stitches on Needle 1, 4 stitches on Needle 2, and 2 stiches on Needle 3. Pick up two stitches from the top of the hole for the thumb and place these on the end of Needle 3. Join in round and knit K2, P2 rib for two rows. Bind off loosely in pattern. Weave in ends, and make second mitt same as the first. Find some little hands that need warming up.

Posted by Danielle at 01:19 PM | | Comments (0)

This was made with this handspun yarn. White Berrocco Plush was used as trim. The pattern is my own and needs a little tweaking where the hat decreases, but I'm pleased with how this turned out. I love the view from the top:

The handspun yarn made a squishy-soft fabric, and the Berrocco Plush is aptly named. So this should be super comfy and warm for the little person it's intended for. I have enough left to make one in a smaller newborn size, too. My cousin is having a baby girl this September; this hat is for her 2 year old daughter, and now the two girls can have matching hats for the winter.

Posted by Danielle at 06:03 PM | | Comments (0)

Click for side view.

I finally finished this pair of socks that I've been working on since last summer. They were my "waiting for my son socks" that I'd work on while waiting to pick him up at his school or from the bus stop. The pattern was just a generic sock pattern that I've memorized and can do without thinking. 64 stitches around, picot cuff, heel flap with gusset, and short row toe (a la "Simple Socks" by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts).

The yarn is a cotton/wool/nylon blend by Meilenweit -- I think it was called "Cotton Fun" but I lost the label so I don't have the exact details or color number. They are super comfy, and wash up just right. They are the first pair of cotton-blend socks I've knit for myself (other cotton pairs have been given as gifts) and I think I'm going to have to make a few more pairs like this for me!

Posted by Danielle at 06:33 AM | | Comments (0)

Pattern: Knitted Lace Wedding Garter by Diane Willett
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Lace, color RJ-2004 (red).

My future sister-in-law’s wedding shower was a couple weekends ago, and she seemed very tickled with her red garter, which was made by request to coordinate with the trim on her dress.

The alpaca laceweight was a lot less stretchy than the merino/silk blend that I’ve used for this pattern in the past. It made the resulting garter a little less wide (as knitted) which I liked, but the smaller size paired with the fuzziness of the alpaca made for some serious difficulties when threading the elastic and ribbon through the center eyelets. I was scared stiff that all of the pulling and tugging would have caused the yarn around the eyelets to snap at some point, but fortunately that particular disaster didn’t happen.

The wedding is this weekend. I don't know if she plans to throw it, but I'm hoping if she does that the man that catches it will be willing to give it back to her as a keepsake. Assuming that she wants to keep it, of course...

Posted by Danielle at 10:09 PM | | Comments (0)

I do so love knitting for babies. Here's a wee ensemble that I finished back in February and sent to some good friends for their new baby girl:

Cardigan Pattern: "Plain Jane" by Minnowknits

Hat Pattern: "Candy Cane Hat" by Penney Kolb from Holiday Handknits

Yarn: Schoeller+Stahl Portofino, colors 4774 and 4708

Buttons: LYS

I knit this in the 1-year size (to hopefully fit her in the fall) and needed two balls of each color to finish both the cardigan and the hat.

Most of my baby knits also go out with this CD, which I cannot say enough good things about. Fun, soothing music that parents enjoy listening to as much as children do.

Posted by Danielle at 10:28 PM | | Comments (0)

My first finished object of 2006! Here are the details:

Pattern: Minnowknits Orangini

Yarn: Blue Sky Organic Cotton, colors 80 and 83.

Buttons: Purchased from my LYS.

I cast on the number of stitches specified for the smallest size using size 5 bamboo needles. My gauge was a little off (the pattern is written for Manos Cotton Stria) but it worked out well because the resulting width of each piece measured out to the next size up. So I just knit the length of the pieces to match that specified for the larger size. I used one skein of each color and had enough left to make matching bootees using the "chunky ankle-strap shoes" pattern from Zoe Mellor's 50 Baby Bootees to Knit.

I chose this sleeveless pattern because the recipient will live in Los Angeles, and I figured a warmer wool or cotton sweater with sleeves probably wouldn't get much use. This is a fun, quick pattern to knit and the jumper is quite versatile – it can be worn alone over a diaper, or layered over a t-shirt and leggings for those air-conditioned spaces. I'm really happy with how this one turned out. I don’t normally enjoy knitting with cotton, but this yarn was actually quite nice to work with. The Blue Sky cotton is sooooo soft, and I loved the fact that it was organic and a natural undyed color.

The baby this was knit for has not actually been born yet, but she's due any day now. I'm so excited for the parents, this will be their first baby and they are in for a great adventure! The ensemble above will ship as soon as the wee one arrives, along with this CD, which I love.

Posted by Danielle at 07:48 PM | | Comments (1)