Sunflowers for Evelyn

 If you are a knitter and only have boys, you tend to envy all those cute girly baby things you want to make. However, my best friend Sheila has a daughter who I always claimed as mine. I told Sophie that she was really my daughter but I let Sheila raise her.  Now Sophie is having her own baby. Baby Evelyn Sheila is due the first part of November so I finally get to make some cute and adorable things for her. I am going to mail them this week so she will have them in time for a baby shower.

I love sunflowers so I had to incorporate that into the sweater for her. I think I did a total of three other sunflowers before I made on I like. Anyway, here is the sweater for my make-believe granddaughter.

 

The free pattern is the Play Date Cardie by Red Heart at http://www.yarnspirations.com/red-heart-play-date-cardi/RHK0229-021502M.html.

There are lots of sunflowers on Ravelry, but the one I used does not appear to be in print anymore. I modified it anyway and made the petals longer. The buttons I got from a YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHkGNAQ_Hr0. 

That Darn Cat! Blocking with a cat in the house

I guess it's my own fault, but I am so mad at my cat!

I rumbled around in my craft room to look for some needles that I really, really wanted to use and found this sweater nearly done. So in my scattered brain, I decided it was time to finish this sweater instead of starting the next one.  The good news is that these were the needles I was looking for, so I would be killing two birds with one needles -- or rather two needles with one sweater.

It only took one evening to finish the knitting on the sweater.  I usually print out the pattern that I am using to include with the knitting as well as note in my knitting journal all the details (i.e., needle size, yarn, pattern). Therefore it was easy to pick where I left off. It is not unusual for me to work on several projects at once. I guess I am easily distracted by pretty yarns and colors.

So last night, I laid the sweater out with the plans prior to blocking. I spent a good hour on my knees (not easy at my age) soaking, pinning, and shaping, and I am very pleased with the outcome. Why didn't I finish this sweater last fall when I did most of the knitting?  I left it laid out and went to bed.

So this morning, I got up to get ready for work. I should have known better than to leave the sweater laid out so nicely. In the night, my psychotic little black cat decided it needed the usual amount of cat hair deposited on it.  Now, I can live with that. Most of my clothes (my bedding, my carpet, my towels, my dishes) have cat hair on it. But I guess this sweater needed some Neko's extra attention. He had thrown up on it.  Now in the middle of the sweater is a large brown pile of half-digested cat food. (No, I did not take a picture of that so you can stop looking for it.)

He actually seemed rather proud of himself too.

Bet you didn't know a cat
could laugh.

At Least One Cat Liked my Sweater

If you remember, I made an adorable sweater in blue and orange for my kitty Neko to celebrate the Super Bowl.  For some reason, Neko just didn't like it. I took a couple of pictures before he got too nasty, and never managed to get a picture or two with his hood up. Maybe a sweater is just too warm for a long-haired cat.

So I gave the sweater to Leo, my lion. Leo is must happier with the sweater than Neko. If you look closely, there is a gleam in his eyes. He doesn't even seem to mind if the hood is up or down. And keep in mind, Leo has a full mane as well.

It just seems to me that if Leo is okay with the Bronco sweater, Neko should be happy as well. After all, wouldn't Leo be more of a Detroit Lion fan instead?

Oh well, back to the needles.

Neko in da 'Hood

I had several friends on Facebook ask me to get some pictures of Neko in his sweater with the hood up, so while Ken held him, I took some pictures.  As you can see, he is not happy. He will probably never be a Bronco fan now.

Neko and the Denver Broncos. Orange is the new black

"Someone needs to take her knitting needles away!" Neko

I love football. I have been a pro football fan my entire life since my dad cheers for the Vikings. And of course, living in Colorado in a southern suburb of Denver, I am a big Bronco fan.

And this year (in case you didn't know), the Denver Broncos are in the Super Bowl for the 7th time (have won twice, and hopefully once more this year). I believe I have watched every Super Bowl game since the 1970's and unknown other games throughout the years, and have knitted my way through most of them.

"I am so humiliated."

So this year, I decided Neko needed a Super Bowl sweater in Bronco orange and blue. I used this pattern from Kristin Roach (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cat-hoodie) as a model. I knew I didn't need to make it very sturdy because there is no way my mean little cat will be happy with anything I make!

So here he is modeling his sweater. I just don't understand why he doesn't like it. It is made with love and warm in mind. And it has a hood! I also told him that orange is the new black. He is not amused.

"There will be blood." Neko

"Take it off or I am going to become a Seahawks fan.
Hawks are tastier than horses anyway." Neko

"Maybe if I slink away, the sweater won't go with me."

The February Sweater is Done!

Yes, it's done, but with temperatures in the 90's, I will not be able to wear it for a few months. I wish I could have made it about six inches longer because the sweater ends right in the middle of my hips -- not exactly the best place to end.  Once I finished the casting off, I had about four yards of red yarn left. 

Although it looks okay on me, I have to admit that if I tried this sweater on in a store, I probably would not have bought it. It is a little too bulky for an already bulky figure. But I love the color and I look good in red. 

I was ready to start on a project with some of the yarn I purchased at the Wool Festival, but as I was looking for some needles in my craft room, I ran across a sweater I started a couple of years ago. I was overcome with the desire to finish it. It is already about 75% done, so it would be a short term project. I am working on it, even though I still won't be able to wear it until the fall. I think I will put a hood on it too because I have plenty of yarn.

Back to the needles.

My Next Project - The February Sweater

February Lady Sweater

I know it is called the February Lady Sweater and it is May, but I am still having a wonderful time knitting it. I like built-in raglan sleeves because I never seem to get set-in sleeves quite right. They fit okay, but I can tell them are not exact. I also love doing lace

If you are on Ravelry, you are familiar with this sweater. It has been one of the most popular projects on the site. It is kind to all body shapes which is critical to me and all ages (since I just turned 60), and it has been on my bucket list for years. Be sure to check out the pattern yourself. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/february-lady-sweater

The yarn has a story of its own. I purchased it at the Estes Park Wool Festival but I don't remember which year. It has been at least a couple of years because I know I didn't buy it last year. I figured I better knit it up since the Wool Festival is in two weeks and I will have to buy some more yarn. It's 100% merino wool in bright red and I think the reason it took me so long to pull the yarn out of my stash is because one of my sons told me the color reminded him of Elmo. For a long time, Elmo was all I saw when I looked at it. But it's okay now. I'm over it. Besides, I like Elmo -- I just don't want to look like him.

Almost Done with my Carmel Jacket

This working for a living sure cuts into not only my knitting time, but my blogging time as well! But ...

Ta-Da! All the knitting is done so now it is just the finishings. I blocked it and loved how it came out. It is light, but still had some body. It will be perfect for both warm and cold weather depending on the skirt I wear underneath. I still have to sew up under the sleeves, weave in the ends, make button loops, and add the buttons. I am thinking that the buttons I bought will be too heavy for this material. I need to go to the store and see what else I can find. I'll post a picture when I am completely done, but don't expect me to model it. I avoid pictures of myself as much as possible.

While I was blocking it, Neko decided to make it into a temporary bed. I wouldn't mind that so much, because all my clothes are covered with black cat hair, but it's when he thinks he can sharpen his nails on the sweater that he gets into trouble. The thing about Neko's hair is that it comes out gray instead of black. Could his blackness just be an illusion?

Meanwhile, I am onto the next knitting project.  Back to the needles ...

Baby Sweater in Blue and Orange

My friend Tara's baby is due next month. This is her first and she is so excited. Since they are big Denver Bronco fans, I had to make a sweater in the traditional orange and blue, but the colors are actually pastel orange and blue.

The sweater turned out really cute but the hat was a disaster. I tried to adapt a pattern for worsted wool to a baby yarn and it got weird and floppy -- and not in a cute way. So I will have to use another pattern. Tara's baby shower was yesterday, so she already has the sweater. I'll get the hat to her before her little boy comes in June.

Back to the needles.

Carmel Jacket - progress

Carmel Jacket by Caron
(Pattern link at bottom
of post)

I am working on this jacket and am really loving how it is turning out. However, I changed the pattern. One of these days, I will actually follow the patterns word for word. I have this wonderful yarn from MadelineTosh in a luscious dark blue. Since it is a lace yarn, I altered the pattern to add more stitches and I also used a large needle so it would be lighter. I am never cold, so the light yarn and construction should be perfect for me.

http://www.naturallycaron.com/projects/carmel/carmel.pdf

I just joined the sleeves to the body of the sweater, so I am at the underarms. Now that I am a couple of days from finished it, I am fired up to proceed!

The body of the sweater is done.
Just about to add the sleeves.
The color is much darker than this picture.

This color is closer to true.

Back to the needles, blazing away!

Sweater Update

I haven't had a lot of time to knit lately because of my work -- which I love, so I am not complaining. But I was hoping to have more of my sweater done by now.

Anyway, this is the bottom part of my sweater so far. I am trying to decide if I really want to stop when I have finished the front, or continue on to also do the back. There are pros and cons to the one piece knitting approach.

Pro:
I don't like sewing seams, and continuing around prevents that.
Con:
It is summer and who wants a big long piece of knitting on your lap?
Pro:
I can just keep knitting and knitting without have to bind off and cast on again.
Con:
The pattern actually calls for a front and back and the designer probably know what she was doing.
Pro:
I have already altered the pattern by adding the short rows, so it won't look too much like the pattern anyway.
Cons:
The idea of seeing the final piece as a long, long piece, knowing that is me slayed out in a straight line is truly a frightening thought.

I don't have to decide tonight, so I will just get back to knitting. This will give me the opportunity to come up with more pros and cons.

Back to the needles.

Winding Up and Swatching

The color of this yarn is truly wonderful. I can't tell if it is lavender or light blue, but what I like about it is that it almost matches my eye color. That's me peeking through the skein. You have no idea how hard it is to hold the yarn and take a picture at the same time. Being of Swedish heritage, it is no surprise that my eyes are blue and my hair used to be blonde. Apparently, the hair in my Swedish family gets darker as we get older, but I have no problem fixing that. Besides, this color will really show the little black hairs that Neko plans to put on it.

So here is the pattern. It is called the V-neck Pullover from KnitSimple's Knits Plus. Yes, I am a plus woman. I've learned to live with it. I used to be hot, but now, that just comes in flashes. One of these days, I will make peace with my figure and have a better body image. But for now, I will use yards and yards of yarn to cover up.

So the bottom part of this sweater is knitted vertically in a rib of 10 x 1, if that can be called a rib at all. Then the bodice is done by picking up stitches along the edge in garter stitch. Although I am going to show you by progress, copyright rules won't allow me to tell you all the details and numbers. However, I can tell you some of the modifications that I am making. I am making a bit longer than the picture shows so I can cover the biggest part of my bottom. And since I am being honest, I will probably need a little more room there, so I am going to add a short row on the side of the rib to give me a little more room. Besides, this cotton/rayon mix has no give or elasticity at all, so I will have to built in my own ease and depend on the yarn.

So I threaded up my swift to wind this wonderful yarn into a ball, or rather a 'cake.' I love my spinner, but I have a feeling this cake will collapse as I work with it. I have three skeins of this cotton/rayon mix, but I am only going to wind one ball at a time.

Zoom Zoom

And a super big cake of yarn

I always make fun of my husband's tools, calling them his 'toys' but I have to admit that we knitters also have our fun little tools -- or toys -- as well. These skeins contain about 700 yards, so it wound this into a cake all the way to the maximum. I thought about dividing it, but I find joining cotton in a garment is difficult so I wanted to work with the larger skeins. Seconds later, the entire skein is done.

So I pulled out my needles to do a swatch. I plan to do an entire rant about swatching at another time, but here is the swatch that I completed for this yarn. The good news is that my swatch matched exactly the gauge listed in the pattern, so my calculations are easy to do. Like I said before, I want the sweater to be longer which I figured to be about 5 inches longer. Since the body of the sweater is done vertically, I had to cast on those 5 inches now. So I cast on my stitches and began my knitting. Unfortunately, I got word from my work of another project they needed done immediately, so I will have to work on this later. I work at home, so I don't have far to commute. I love the work, but it certainly does get in the way of my knitting.

Oh well, back to the needles -- or rather back to work.

Starting my sweater

I am starting today. I have a pattern and am about wind the first skein.  Yes, I am about to do a swatch, and rework the pattern to my size. I am going to track the progress on my sweater through this blog, so check back often to see how it is going.

I work on several projects at once, but I hope to work on this a little every day.