Baby Surprise Jacket

Pattern:  Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ)

Yarn:  TLC Supersoft (but not sure as I lost the ball band

Needles:  Size 6

Skill Level:  Advanced Beginner

Ravelry BSJ Info that is invaluable

(Scroll down for more informative links.)

I have missed you, my loyal blogging friends.  You fed my knitting ego with your comments and I really appreciated it.  However, I needed a break for awhile and I am now back by popular demand to stay with my goal of at least one post per week.

I just finished teaching the BSJ class.  The BSJ, by Elizabeth Zimmermann a/k/a knitting guru, is a piece of knitted origami.  It can be a little confusing for a new knitter as the knitter is not aware if they are knitting a sleeve, a front or a back, etc. 

I've been teaching knitting for several years and this was probably the most challenging class I've taught for a variety of reasons.  It sold out so "the pie" was divided in many more sections.  The knitted piece looks like this just before folding so you can understand a student's apprehension.

Some of the skills learned in this class were different methods of increasing and decreasing and the finished appearance of each,    M1 (make one) versus K1FB (knit one in front and back) which creates increased and K2 tog (knit 2 together) versus sl1kpsso (slip 1, knit 1 and passover the slip stitch).

We planned on how to have the "applied I-cord bind-off" to start and end at the center back neck when the remaining live stitches begin at the top right, down and around the sweater and up the left side.  We didn't want the seam to be in the front, top-most corner which was likely going to happen without some modifications. 

Notice the special finish.  It's like graduating from grade school to high school (i.e. bind off to I-cord bind off).  A little more time-consuming, it is definitely worth the effort.

This YouTube link demonstrates beautifully how to turn the corner with a knitted I-cord bind-off.

Here is the link to the  "BSJ Spreadsheet" that I found extremely helpful and complimented the actual pattern very well.  Thank you to the creator.

 I added my personalized label to the lower inside front of the sweater so that it would not "scratch or itch" baby's neck. 

 (Note to self:  trim those threads...don't you hate it when you notice these things after you've taken the picture.)

Pattern can be found in the above and below-pictured books.  

Sweater is now folded and tucked away for a future, special baby!

I'm excited that I've been invited to teach at a weekend yoga/knitting retreat this September.  It is still in the planning stages so I'll provide you with more information in the near future.  However, I'll tease you with the fact that at this Vermont location there are beautiful small log cabins with 1-2 bedrooms, fireplaces, fantastic views and more.  A maximum of 20 registrants will be accepted.

Happy Knitting!

Baby "J" Multi-Directional Cardigan #420

Pattern:  Baby "J" Multi-Directional Cardigan #420
Needles:  Size 6
Yarn:  Plymouth Dream Baby DK

This little baby sweater, in a beautiful raspberry colorway, was on display at my LYS.  Looking at the pattern, I never would have purchased it because it just did not do this sweater justice.  Very poor photography. 

It is also known as the "Compass" sweater as you eventually knit in every direction.  The neck band is knitted first, then the fronts (south). The back is knitted north on the imaginary compass, the right front is knitted to the west and the left is knitted to the east.

I love garter stitch and this multi-directional knitting keeps the interest alive.

 

The Back!

The cuff!

I love the cuff as baby's mom won't have to struggle to get those little, delicious fingers through the sleeve.  It also allows for baby's growth!

The sweater is aqua with flecks of blue and yellow.  The vote by my co-workers was that it was "girly" so I purchased girly buttons.  I really wanted the sweater to be unisex and would have purchased different buttons.

I still need to knit the hat and booties but that is not on my schedule till after the 1st of the year.

The "Dark and Stormy" sweater is almost finished.  Fronts, back and sleeves look great with the front band and collar awaiting me.  It has become to heavy to lug to work to knit on my lunch hour or carry in the car.

I have exciting news to share with you as soon as I finalize things.  It's been one of my goals for some time and I am very pleased.  Just a little "teaser"!!!

This time change kills me.  My body does not like the adjustments that are needed.  I have been staying out as late as I can after work to enjoy the natural daylight.  Already, I miss knitting by the lake so it will be a long winter till I can do that again perhaps come May.

Happy Knitting!

The Sweater Curse

No, no.....this is not a handknit.  It's a sweater repair job I have inherited.

You've heard of the "sweater curse".  You've heard of the book ..."Never Knit Your Man A Sweater*".....*till you have the ring!  Read on!!!

My co-worker's son's girlfriend gifted him this sweater!  They broke up  (i.e. the sweater curse) and now the brother loves the sweater. 

 It's a Dale of Norway sweater.  They usually sell for around $300.

I believe it may be a "second" because the tag is snipped.  Still pricey, however.

Notice the row of knitting just below the "Dale" tag.  It's what needs repairing.

Here's the inside of the sweater....unraveling in all it's glory.  When I asked my co-worker if she was hand-washing or dry-cleaning this sweater as it would make a difference on what I used for yarn for the repair job, her response was, "Oh, use anything you want, any color you want!".  Well, that won't work with my signature on this repair job.  I have a reputation to uphold in the knitting world.  It will look nice.

Have you experienced the curse?

On another note....I saw snow on the mountaintop when I left work today.  I'm getting those scarves and mittens ready.

Happy Knitting!

Helena

Pattern: Helena (Free on Knitty.com)
Yarn: Bernat Baby Sport
Needles: Size 2 & 6 Just a sneak peak at what I have been working on. I started this sweater last Saturday evening, worked on it during Superbowl and a couple more hours since. It's a quick knit and difficult to put down. It has not yet been blocked.

What's nice about this pattern is that it is knit from the neck down on circulars and the sleeves are on dps so there are no seams to weave. The bottom edge is picot, hard to see in the photo as the hem hasn't been turned yet.

Stitches need to be picked up along the front edges and neck which is not my favorite thing to do.

I have no clue who this sweater is going to be gifted to. I wish I could show you a pic of a baby, newly born with the scent of heaven still in the air, wearing the sweater. Can't you just feel the softness of the baby nuzzled in your arms!!!

Here's a closer look at the pattern.

I purchased a barrel of yarn (350 gr.) at JoAnn's and with my 50% off coupon it cost me $4. There's enough yarn to knit quite a few baby sweaters. The yarn is not splitting, is not pilling and in general I am quite happy with it.

Instead of working on this sweater, I should have been working on the mitten for my class this Thursday, but I do work well under pressure.

I also have another sweater for Jakob that still needs 1/2 sleeve and assembly and then that's done. I'm 3/4 done on a cowl for a co-worker but have become bored with it.

Happy Knitting!

Garter Stitch Matinee Jacket

Pattern: Garter Stitch Matinee Jacket By Debbie Bliss
Shown: Size 3 mos.
Yarn: Bernat Satin Sport
Needles: Size 4

The pattern in the book shows this cute little baby wearing this sweater. Most of us usually like a garter knit project as it usually is mindless knitting. Trust me when I say this was the project from hell. Had I not told the recipient I was going to knit this sweater, I would have abandoned it. Perhaps if the baby were here already to try on the sweater, I might warm up this little sweater. After all, who doesn't like to nuzzle up to a newborn baby who still has the scent from heaven.

It was difficult to find the correct weight yarn in the color that I wanted in washable yarn. Originally, I wanted it to be a cream color as we don't know the sex of the baby that my co-worker is expecting in late March/early April.

The Bernat Satin Sport looked lovely as a skein. However, it snagged and split very easily, pilled, etc. The join on the cables of my knitting needles compounded the problem. I ended up purchasing more needles but the store did not have the correct length and the cable coil kept getting in the way (sigh).

I was going to knit a matching hat and booties, but gave up that idea. I'm not into torturing myself.

I'm almost embarrassed to give this sweater as a gift. It definitely is not my best work. There are different methods I would use for joining in the future were I to knit this again.

I knitted an I-cord instead of thread a ribbon as a tie because I felt it would look more unisex.

It's an absolutely gorgeous day in Vermont with a fresh snowfall of about six inches with the sun glistening on the accumulation. I plan on going out later to take pictures.

Happy Knitting!

Rosette Baby Sweater

Pattern: Valley Yarns #200 April to December
Yarn: Southwick Valley Yarns - 52% Pima Cotton - 48% Bamboo (DK weight)
(5 skeins)

I’m delighted with this sweater. It was an easy knit and the yarn was yummy. This project brought me much joy and I felt a touch of melancholy seeing it come to an end. That is probably the reason (at least one of them) as to why it was so very near completion, yet sat in my knitting basket with an occasional loving glance from me while I was cheating and knitting my next project. The sweater is smaller and daintier than how it appears in the pictures. It is a size 3 months.

The cost of the sweater set was a little $$$ but it was worth it. With a 25% discount on the yarn, buttons and rosettes, the final tally was $30. Non-knitters, when receiving such a gift, are not aware of the cost of quality yarn, never mind the labor.

I have a thing for buttons. I will search high and low for just the right ones. When working on crafts we sometimes revert back to childlike habits. My mother had this long, rectangular, beige-colored button box. As a little girl I spent hours stringing like buttons together so that she would know quickly what she had in case the need arose. I enjoyed the rustling sound of the buttons in the box as I searched as if I were putting a puzzle together. Of course, I never ever saw my mother even thread a needle though she had a sewing machine, etc.

For the baby sweater, I wanted the simplest of buttons so as to not detract from the beauty of the sweater and rosettes, themselves.

I added my label for a special touch!

And, of course, you remember the bonnet from a previous post.

A little close up for you!

On another note, I have finished Kim’s socks, and though I gave her a sneak preview of the two pairs I knitted in exchange for the beautiful quilted wall hanging she made me, she has not yet seen the completed brown pair. They were shipped today and once she has received them, I will post pictures. I'm a couple of projects behind in my posting.

Happy Knitting!