Walter

We met under unfortunate circumstances, my uncle-in-law's funeral (this little boy's grandpa), but I got to take a quick snap of 2 week old Walter in his "Puerperium Cardigan" at a pizza joint the night before. I'm glad the cutie has a bit of filling out to do, which means that it should fit perfectly this Fall.

What's even better was that I was told that he HATES to be cold. Even in the summer. A knitter's delight to hear after knitting him up a sweater...

Writing.

This afternoon, I've taken every spare second that I could get my hands on while my parents and husband were playing with the boys to write three full pages to the "Hooded Honeycomb Jacket." Although I only have size 12 month down to the part where I haven't finished completing (the actual sleeves), the bones are there and I am joyous at the fact that my notes, that were spread about the house like the seven wonders of the world, were each located and reassembled so I could write this pattern up. I'm going in overly ambitious with the intention to write 5 sizes: 3mo., 6mo., 12mo., 24mo.(2T), and 3T.

I am going by the standard waist/hip fitting measurements for babies & toddlers, which tell me that my  20 month old boys, who are preemie, are really around a size 12 month body. The thought that my kids are that behind in bulk is kind of scary. They are healthy though. Skinny, but healthy.

It's going to be a slow, but exciting process for this whole ebook thing. I'm still in brain-storming & designing mode for other tid-bits for babies & toddlers that are quickie knits, like: mittens, socks, hats, etc. I'll let you know when I figure out what exactly will be in this book.

Lost & Found WIP

I've been using a different camera out of convenience for so long that I didn't realize, until I uploaded a few recent photos, that this cardigan was still on the camera's memory disk. These were edited already and destroyed along with everything on my laptop before I could post them. So here is the (WIP) hooded "Honeycomb Cardigan" for a toddler that I designed a while back (and hibernated) after working half of the hood. {"Startitis" at it's finest.} Well, I shouldn't say that. The reason why I stopped working with a vigor is because I started catching on that the colorway was too feminine for my two boys. There goes my whole anti-procrastination thing for this Fall. I thought it would be more "Rainbow-y." You know how those hidden colors in the ball have a way of luring & playing you for a fool. I had no idea it would stripe evenly, and my lack-there-of instincts thought that the purple and pink would be more minute and scarce. Maybe it's the hidden woe in me that I probably will never mother a daughter. :((  Oh well. It's still good for design.

Even though there are cables everywhere, the technique is cable-less. I was going to do a tutorial on that to compliment the pattern. I guess If I ever want to compile this theoretical "baby & toddler" ebook one day, I'll finish her up.

In the meantime, I do have an actual sweater clicking about the needles right now that does have purple in it, but you'll see why it's "okay." 

The photos are actually a little more "earthy" in real life, and not quite as vibrant.

FO: Ribbed Toddler Socks

The ribbed toddler socks have been completed. The second pair was sitting in a basket for a while, knit up to the gusset before I stopped.

This was intended to be the first a few sets of "toddler socks" that I hoped would one day be an e-book of toddler knits. This was going to be the easiest (well, besides pure stockinette stitch). 

Pattern: Toddler Knits: 2 year old Socks (KUAS)
Yarn: fingering weight yarn from an unknown brand of hand-dyed yarn.
Needles: size US2 dpns, set of 5.

Hey, Mom! Look at my neat kicks.

 My little models remind me of the Olsen twins when they were young toddler actresses. Except, mine are fraternal. While one was camera-shy or misbehaved, the other got the spot in the camera light.

Hey, you're taking photos of me!! let me take these off for 'ya so you can get a good shot! 

 Don't you wish you were that flexible still?














Because my twins are a few months away from being two, I made sure the socks are a bit larger, so they don't outgrow them for a while. By the time they need them, they should fit perfectly.

 

Free-form pattern: Elaine

Pattern: "Elaine" (the Stitch Novice original)
Start date: 7/9/12
Completion: 7/9/12
Yardage: 3/4 yd

Read more of my adventures of this quickie tank at the Stitch Novice blog!

Happy Independence Day!

A Happy Fourth of July to you all! Wishing us all the joys of freedom in this great country!


This is an oldie, but in the spirit of the day, here is the "Let Freedom Ring Hanging Towel" pattern from 2009. Happy knitting & celebrating.

DIY: Bead & Wire Toy Tutorial

Hey knitters,
Here's a fun & quick DIY product for those of you who are more adventurous when it comes to knitting baby/toddler toys. If you're sick of knitting clothing and stuffies, try this out.

Bead & Wire Toy Tutorial:

Note: this project isn't rocket science...the wire gauge, wood size, beads, etc. are all relative to what yarn thickness you use, and how durable you want to make this toy. Mine isn't too extremely durable, it was more a trial version, so keep that in mind when picking out your materials...you'll probably want thicker wire, bigger beads, etc.

Materials:

 -leftover sock yarn (fingering weight), 20 yds or less for each wire puzzle. The more colors, the more stimulating.
-Wire: the thicker, the better. Just make sure you can bend it. You can find it in the beading section of a craft store.
- Beads. Make sure it is a lot bigger than the wire. It should slide easily around the i-cord that you knit around the wire. (The bigger the better.) The amount is based on how many puzzles you do, and how many you want per puzzle. I did about 4 each.
-Wood base: this depends on how big you want your toy. Just make sure it's not too flimbsy. You'll want the base to be at least 1 inch thick.
-Power drill: I used a 1/4'' drill-bit for my medium-thick wire. The bit you need depends on the size of the wire.
-Ducktape
-2 Dpns: size 4's seems to work out well.
-Darning needle.

Directions:

1. Cut the wire the size you would like the "puzzle" (each i-cord activity) size to be, adding about 6-8 inches extra for "binding off and threading through the wood holes" allowance. If you want, you don't really have to cut the wire yet, but it makes for a more difficult knitting experience.

2. Cast on 3-4 stitches (depending on how thick your wire is. I casted on 3, but my wire wasn't too incredibly thick) and knit an i-cord around the wire for your desired length. Make sure you leave a tail of a few inches on each end of the wire. If you've never done this, you can watch THIS tutorial on knitted earphones (essentially the same thing as wire), or google tutorials on i-cords if you haven't done that either!

3. Once you're done, BO and secure the wire in the bind-off edge. i just wrapped the wire through that last stitch a couple of times. Weave your dangling threads through the i-cord.

-OPTIONAL: you can stain the wood something darker if you want...but I didn't because who knows if my toddlers find that wood tasty!

4. Figure out what shape you want your puzzles to be, and draw dots on your wooden board to mark where you will drill.

5. Drill holes. 

6. Thread your beads onto the i-cords.

7. Do the bulk of your puzzle-shaping now, or forever hold your peace.

8. Thread the wire through the holes, and bend the wire so it's laying flush against the base of the wood.

9. Duck tape the entire bottom of the toy a few times so that everything is secure. Smooth it out so that the little ones don't pick at it.

10. Finish shaping the puzzles if they were bend out of shape in the process of doing #9.

Enjoy! Let me know if you end of making it. I'd love to see photos.

 P.S- I finished another dress! Check out my latest Dress on my sewing blog. Another success!