Baby Mario: Warren's First Cosplay

For Warren's first anime convention, we dressed him up as Mario. I knit the hat using this pattern generator.


There was much squee-ing. Much, much, much...


And just when we thought it couldn't get any cuter, this happened:


Cuteness overload.

**Also, the 3rd episode of Revenge of the Knits is available through itunes and the Revenge of the Knits website. Episode 4 is coming soon!

FO: Kick in the Ribs Shoaker

I finished this:

• Pattern: Spare Ribs Shoaker

• Yarn: Malabrigo worsted (DROOL...I only want to knit a million more things with this yarn...too bad it's so expensive).

• Verdict: Very cute soaker. I knit it on size 6 needles so it might be a bit dense. Perhaps I will try again on 7's because 8's were way to loosey-goosey for my tastes.

I'm hard at work on two sweater wips and a baktus scarf. This baby is due in about 34 days and I really need to get this stash down. Some people feel the need to clean the house when nesting. Not me. No, no. Not me. Cleaning is the last thing I want to do at the moment...even though it really does need to happen...I'll somehow convince my loving and supportive husband do that for me. :) So, sweaters shall be my focus until baby comes (with the obvious exception of the irresistible baby knit here and there)!

Here's one of them:

• Pattern: Lush and Lacey Cardigan

• Yarn: Rowan Kid Classic

• Progress report: I am nearly finished with the back! Problem is, I have a wicked cold/sore throat and this is mohair. I sat down with this today and felt like my throat was getting worse and worse the longer I worked on it. I blame the mohair. I can't think of any other explanation. I guess I'll have to focus on the other sweater until my throat recovers. :(
  

Well, that's all she wrote for today's post. Cheers.

Falling behind, catching up

So, I have not updated the blog in a while. I have been avoiding it. It isn't that I don't have anything to share. It's more that I just didn't want to sit still for long enough to write about it all. :) I have been knitting. A lot. An awful lot. I have much to show you.But before the knitting, I will show my latest weaving project (albeit, a few weeks old now).




The yarn is Elsebeth Lavold Silky wool in various colors. Stash yarn, all. Weaving really uses it up. I have a few other things planned for other pesky yarns in the stash that just can't seem to find appropriate projects. :) Yay!

As for knitting. Where did we leave off? I'm just going to plow through and not give much detail here, because there is a lot of stuff!
First, this is a gift that I pulled together for my BFF who is due only a few weeks after me!:



Patterns here and here. I fully intend to make matching ones for our little guy. Squee.

Here is another super easy crocheted soaker:


It's not as cute as some of the others I've made, but it will fit for a long time and that is possibly more important. :) Pattern here.

I was commissioned by a friend to knit a yellow vest for one of her ACEN cosplays this year. I worked my bum off and managed to finish with time to spare! The convention is May 14th-16th.



The actual color is more yellow in person. It looks really light in the photo. It fit her. Success. I will post pics of her wearing it with the rest of the costume (which I didn't make, for the record) after this weekend. :)

Finally, I just finished this vest over the weekend. It is from a Japanese pattern from this book. It was comically small before blocking, but now it fits just right! This was another stash buster project. I've gotta get through it before the baby gets here!




I'm starting to feel very cluttered and panicked over the state of the condo. I don't feel like any room in the entire place is up to my standards at the moment. We need more bookcases, and storage. I need to go through every cabinet in the kitchen and re-organize it all. I need to fill up a few boxes for the Salvation Army...trouble is, I don't know what to fill them with! All I know is that there is way too much going on in this tiny space and I am SICK TO DEATH OF IT ALL! I know that this is all a part of nesting and completely normal, but I'm definitely working myself up over it. I just feel like I don't even know where to start.

Otherwise, this being pregnant thing is a good experience (can that go on my resume someday?). I've not had many issues or discomfort...just a bit of acid reflux/heartburn and sore and swollen legs. I don't sleep as well either, but I think that's just nature's way of preparing me for the sleepless nights to come. Thanks a lot. I really like making my husband do things for me...like the laundry and sweeping. :) We thought we had decided on a name a long time ago, but now we are changing our mind and haven't made the final decision yet. For certain, his middle name will be Uel after my great-grandfather.

The baby's room is slowly coming together. Pics when it is more presentable. We have a crib and a glider/ottoman (thanks to the in-laws). It's looking cute (but cluttered) so far. Oh clutter. Hopefully our trip to IKEA tonight will help with that a little.

OK, that's enough of an update for now, I think.

On Weaving

I love it. Setting up the loom is a lot of work...but I love it. :)

I finished my first weaving project. It's a scarf for Maxim.

• Specs: 10 dent heddle, simple weave. 58 ends. What other info do people give in weaving projects? I'm new to this and don't understand it all yet!!!!


• Warp: Silky Wool

• Weft: Creatively Dyed Steele in Topdog colorway
  

• Recipient: Max, my love. :)
  

I also finished that soaker from my last entry:

• Pattern: Adirondack Soaker

• Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted...Hand dyed by me!

• Modifications: None

• Verdict: Cute and easy! I'm definitely going to make another one because I really only used half a ball to do this one. You can never have too many soakers!
  

AND that obnoxious potholder:

• Pattern: Your Nana's Potholders. That's not a Ravelry link, so anyone should be able to click to see it! :)

• Yarn: Sugar 'n Cream (stash yarn!)
  

• Verdict: Love!

Well, that's all for now. More to come soonish. :)

FO's and WIP's (Image HEAVY)

First up, I finished my Slouchy Entrelac Tam:



Apologies for the nightgown and scummy mirror.

• Pattern: Slouchy Entrelac Tam by Linsay Ingram

• Yarn: Noro Silk Garden (2 balls)

• Modifications: Pom pom! I did one extra round of 8 stitch squares to use up more yarn and add more floppiness. I blocked it on a dinner plate.

• Verdict: Love it! I've worn it a million times (well, not really)

• Link to my Ravelry entry for this project here.

Second in line, my Moderne Jacket is finished! And I didn't run out of yarn! Phew!

• Pattern: Moderne Jacket--free pattern from Lion Brand

• Yarn: This was a stash extravaganza! Cascade 220 Heathers and random Japanese stash yarn (cashmere content)

• Modifications: I fudged a few of the numbers in an attempt to get between two sizes. It didn't really work, lol. No buttons or buttonholes.
  

• Verdict: I didn't do a great job seaming because I'm not quite sure where to pick up stitches with crochet. Also, the seams might be a bit tight in some places. Again, I'm not super experienced with crochet...yet. I think it looks quite adorable without buttons as an open "jacket" thing. My favorite thing about making this was how much yarn it ate up! I only have one ball left of the Cascade 220 and just a scrap length of the blue Japanese yarn! Woot!

• Link to my Ravelry entry for this project here.

First up in the WIP's department:

We have a nearly finished soaker! All I need to do is figure out how many stitches to pick up around the legholes and do some ribbing. The pattern doesn't specify how many, all it says is pick them up "evenly."

Let's just say, I've already tried that once or twice. I'll figure it out eventually.

• Pattern: Adirondack Soaker

• Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted...Hand dyed by me!

• Modifications thus far: None

• Verdict thus far: Cute and easy!

And finally, yet another WIP:

• Pattern: Your Nana's Potholders. That's not a Ravelry link, so anyone should be able to click to see it! :)

• Yarn: Sugar 'n Cream (stash yarn!)
  

• Verdict thus far: Oh, so very kitschy! Love it!
  

You might have noticed that I am all about the crochet lately. I'm sure it's only because it eats up tons of yarn and is fast, fast, FAST! I'm still predominantly a knitter, but I am loving the change and challenge (and it's good for the brain!). :)

Slow and steady...

...wins the race.


That's what I have to keep telling myself with my Blomsterknopper cardigan. At this point in the game, I have five decreases completed on the body of the garment, with 12 more to go. This thing is killing me, but I know that it will be more fun to work on once I get a few more decreases under my belt (because there will be fewer stitches!). Right now, one row takes me approximately one million years.

I really want this sweater finished before baby Armen (aka "womb monster") arrives in June because it is a major project (not to mention, the yarn takes up a lot of precious closet space). I should really adopt a regimen of complete project monogamy, but that hasn't really been happening.

Article 1: Slouchy Entrelac Tam (pattern by Verbena Knits)


I have had this yarn in my stash waiting for this project for a few months now. It's Noro Silk Garden (which is in my list of favorite yarns that I rarely have an opportunity to use). I'm loving it so far and it has been working up really quickly!

Article 2: Baby Romper


I couldn't resist casting on for this one. It's in Crystal Palace Maizy, which is made of corn fiber! It's really nice to work with, kind of silky but softer than silk. I love it! I can't wait to put a human in it. :)

Article 3: Moderne Jacket


I'm crocheting this out of leftover (purple Cascade 220) and stash yarn (a cashmere blend I bought while I was still in Japan a million years ago). I will probably run out before it's finished. If I do, I'm not sure what I'll do to rectify the situation. The Cascade will be easy to find (I know finding the same dyelot would be nearly impossible, though). The other yarn is the tricky bit. I guess I will just have to find a yarn that is nearly the same color and weight. Since the yarns are held doubled, dyelots might not be that big a deal. Still, I can worry about that if I need to. I might end up having plenty of both. We shall see. This garment takes no time at all on a size N hook! Big crochet is definitely the way to go!

Other than those three new projects, I'm still working on that baby sack I was supposed to finish during the Ravelympics (but didn't). I don't pick it up too often.

I've also been weaving. I'm not sure if I mentioned this on the blog, but my amazing husband bought me a 24" Kromski Harp for Valentine's Day. :) Weaving is a slow process for me, but I'm definitely getting the hang of it.

Turtle Butt

• Pattern: Turtle Butt Soaker by Melanie Hoffman

• Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in Turquoise and Orange

• Recipient: Armen Uel (aka, "Womb Monster.")

• Verdict: Adorable, as expected. I think with this pattern it is nearly impossible for it not to be cute. I'm only making this one in the newborn size because it was a lot of work for something that will only last a few weeks. Also, I won't make any more in this yarn. It's just a little bit too fuzzy for my liking. I have a ton left over, and I'm thinking of making a striped sweater or something with it.

So, you might have noticed above that the Womb Monster now has a name. That is because we had another ultrasound about a week ago and found out "it" is a "he," with 80-90% certainty. He wiggled around too much and when he was sitting still, it was an awkward position. So, we are just going with "It's a Boy!!!!" and leaving it at that. :)

Snug (and Ravelympics Day 15)

I finished that cute baby sweater.



Squee.

• Pattern: Snug by Hinke
• Yarn: Cascade Eco + (half a ball, if that)
• Modifications: I believe I made the sleeves a bit longer than suggested. This is because they can be rolled up and maybe this thing will get more wear that way!
  
• Verdict: So very cute! Because it is garter stitch, it is super stretchy. That's a good thing for baby clothes! My only complaint is that I bound off perhaps a little too tightly on the front button bands, so there isn't as much give there as I would like. Still, I think it will be ok.
  

The fuscia pullover is coming along, but not without rage.


Yes, it looks pretty on the dressform (you can't see how it sags in the back, but I knew it was going to be a looser fitting sweater than I'm used to and it doesn't bother me).

Ok, now let's rant. This pattern is easy. Because it is is easy, it shouldn't be "wrong." It is wrong. The pattern is wrong. If you do what the pattern tells you to do for the smallest size, you will have a wacky number of stitches and not at all the number of stitches they tell you to have (not even close!). I discovered this after finishing the bust section and had to frog back and fudge the directions to make it work.

All was supposed to be well after that, right? Wrong. I finished the first sleeve, all my stitch counts were spot on. On the last row, they have you slip the first 9 stitches and double crochet 31 stitches to create a gap for the underarm...much the same as was done on the body. The only problem here is that it creates quite a larger gap than that created on the body. My stitch counts are right, so I'm leaving it, but I'm a bit worried that I'll be having some difficulty when it comes time to connect those underarm seams. I'll have to seam 10 stitches to nearly 20 stitches, which might make things bulky. Bulky underarms don't make me feel "Ladylike," they make me feel sweaty and gross.

A resounding "ugh" of disapproval. Maybe this underarm worry is all premature. We will see how it turns out. If I can keep up this pace, I might actually get it done by Sunday and "win" a "medal" for this in the Ravelympics. We shall see.

We shall see.

Ravelympics 2010: A progress report (Day 3)

If you want to learn about the Knitting Olympics, The Yarn Harlot describes it on her blog.

I am totally all-in on this thing. Just to let everyone know my plans:

1. Finish Maxim's argyle vest (shown in previous post)--This is considered Olympic knitting for me because I am steeking for the first time...which is kind of a big deal. Knit in Cascade 220.
2. Cast on and finish Snug, by Hinke for the Unborn Womb Monster--in Cascade Eco +, which is so far a wonderful yarn to work with!!!! The pattern is great as well, with an interesting construction and ridiculous cute factor.
3. Cast on and finish the Ladylike Pullover (crochet pattern! first link to Lion, second to Ravelry)--This one was not part of my original plan, but I saw it and instantly fell in love. I'll be using the new Stitch Nation yarn Full O' Sheep (in a splendidly obnoxious fuchsia!). I might be crazy taking this on in what is now less than a 17-day period, but I am FEARLESS!!!!
4. Cast and and finish a sleeping sack for the Unborn Womb Monster--in a hand dyed (by me) non-superwash fingering weight wool.

When I'm finished with the vest, I will post the pictures that I took during the process...for posterity (and gloating purposes!). I used a really awesome tutorial from Eunny Jang's long abandoned blog. She really did a great job with her photos and explanations. I would recommend that tutorial to anyone who wants to try their hand at steeks (and I might just be addicted to them now).

That's all for now, I must get back to the Olympic knitting.

Oh, and if anyone knows how an American can get their hands on the 2010 Olympic gear for Russia and Armenia (both made by Bosco...I think). DO LET ME KNOW!

Soaker #2

Earlier this week, I finished another soaker:



Pattern: same as in last post, Wool Diaper Cover by Ottobre Design.

Recipient: Unborn Womb Monster

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky Handdyed in Cherry Cordial colorway

Size: Newborn, but knit on bigger needles this time. It's slightly larger than the last one.

Verdict: LOVE! SQUEE! GULP! CUTE!

I've also been up to no good making some fleece soakers in a newborn size and have dastardly plans to make them in a few bigger sizes as well. I'll post them once they are finished. I might even decide to sew a few diapers, because I found an awesome free pattern online that looks really easy! :)

Today, I have my 20 week OB appt. We aren't having an ultrasound or anything exciting like that...something that I've heard is standard (so, of course I go to the office that DOESN'T do it as a standard). Grrr. I think we have decided that we want to know the gender (despite having said this entire time that we wanted it to be a surprise). SURPRISE, we don't want a surprise anymore!

Here's what I look like now:


20 weeks means that we are halfway there. Hopefully everything will be fine at today's appt. :)

Another Cute Thing

I knit this soaker for the unborn womb monster:


Pattern: Wool Diaper Cover, free pdf on Ravelry

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Bulky. I will not use this yarn again for soakers because I later learned that superwash is not a good choice as it doesn't wick as well. The yarn was really nice to work with though, and I can see myself using it in the future for other items.

This thing took me no time to make. I've already started another one, in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky Hand-dyed! I'm also working on this soaker (Ravelry link) in Lamb's Pride Worsted. Let me tell you. Soakers are quickly becoming one of my favorite things to knit. It's almost impossible for them not to look cute!

I've also been chugging along on Max's argyle vest:



I only have 1.5 more repeats to go until the armhole decreases! My plan is to have the knitting completed for this vest by the start of the Ravelympics on February 12th so that I can do all of the finishing (which will include steeking for the first time in my life!) as a personal challenge during the events!

Wish me luck!

Bunny Baby Hat

I immediately fell in love with this pattern the instant I saw it!


I'm not sure about the size of it, it's definitely more of a winter hat than a summer hat. Oh well, if it doesn't fit, it's no less adorable.

Pattern: Blue Rabbit Hat
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Sport
Verdict: I love it. I did make a mistake, though. I accidentally added an extra bunny somehow. That bunny is conjoined to another bunny. Because I think it's kind of funny, I just left it alone. That can be the back of the hat.


I've been hard at work knitting soakers (I'm planning to sew a bunch of them too) and Maxim's nerdy argyle vest. I think the next post will likely be a WIP post because I don't have much that is nearing the finish line. Maybe doing an update on WIPs will help to encourage me?

If it does, it does. If it doesn't, it doesn't.

For he who loves buildings and scaffolding

Well, it has been a long time since this happened. I have an FO. It is a hat for my wonderful husband, who deserves all the hats in the world that are awesome (and some of the ugly ones too, as long as he likes them).



The pattern is Lillehammer and is meant to be like a snowflake. To me, it looks like the skeleton of a building. Considering that my husband is sort of obsessed with skyscrapers and architecture, it seemed like a perfect fit! I used Knit Picks Merino Style and it was a really nice yarn to work with.

Oh yeah, I also made a pair of these for the unborn womb monster:



Saartje's Booties are basically the cutest booties ever. I want to cry from the cuteness. I used leftover handdyed (by me!) sock yarn. I used the modified version of the pattern found here. I think they are quite sharp in a gender neutral kind of way, which is what I believe I am striving for in choosing my pre-natal baby knits. :D I just can't get enough of the buttons I found for them, little yellow duckies! Could anything be cuter?

Up next, a third (that's right, a third!) FO!!