Monday, March 30, 2009

Babies, Babies, Babies


For a person with no babies of my own, I have been knitting a lot of baby items! I have two different baby showers that are quickly approaching, so I have been trying to make several items for each. This is the project for my best friend's baby, Isabella. Lena, my friend, is not a knitter, but she understands and appreciates the time and love that pours into knitting and crochet as they are created.



The pattern that I am using is called Soft Ripples Layette. It is found in the Leisure Arts book "Now You're Knitting". The pattern is credited to Designs by Jeannine. It is the first time I have done a feather and fans design, and I find that the number of yarn-overs make it slower to knit. It is like the amount of "give" in the stitch makes me have to re-learn the task of maintaining tension. I've done enough lace that I wouldn't have thought that this would be a problem, but it seems very different from any other pattern. Maybe it is the yarn...? I'm using Panda Silk DK. I really like the feel of it. I'll be using it again sometime. It does separate easily because it doesn't have much of a twist, but I think it is worth working with it.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Long time...Lots of knits

I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth! Maybe the edge of sanity... Actually, I have been VERY busy. Not all of it has been terribly successful knitting, but it has certainly been plentiful. The last two days, I have been knitting, frogging, knitting, frogging....

I bought some Ultramerino 4 wool by Artyarns because it is beautiful!

I am determined to make some knee socks that look as beautiful as the skein of yarn looks, but it has taken a lot of playing. First, I thought I could find a lace pattern that did it justice. Apparently not. It ended up looking like mud when all of the colors combined. Then I made an attempt at a plain stockinette stitch.


It still didn't show off the colors. Now I am doing the same stockinette trial with two skeins. I'm switching skeins every two rows so that I get wider stripes. I think it is working well. I will know better by tonight's prime-time work session. (That's when I sit for two or three hours, usually the TV or a DVD playing, and just knit calmly.)

In other news, Dexter broke his dewclaw nail yesterday. Oh, the drama! The crying! The panic! And Dexter was upset, too. Actually, I handled it well. I knit him a bandage sock (kind of like a cast sock, but more like a leg warmer) that keeps him from pulling at the bandage. I'll have to take a picture of it for the next post.

So how is the knitting coming? Nicely, nicely. Thanks