More Cables

Because I had so much love for this pattern the first time around......

This version is for my other niece. I don't think I will have enough time to finish this one by Christmas. Today was my last day in Rome. Andy's parents have been in town to visit and we have literally covered every square inch of this city to make sure we haven't missed anything. Tomorrow we get on a plane and head for home. I am sad and happy at the same time. Needless to say, I haven't had much time to sit and knit.

I just had to stop by the yarn store today and pick up my last purchase of Italian yarn. Arrividerci Roma! I will miss you!

Finito!

I have finally finished the cable sweater. I feel like this sweater took me forever to knit. I mean, it has a lot of cables. I did take a few weeks off for travel and my dad came into town for a week where there was very little knitting going on. But I am completely proud of this sweater. It is the largest sweater I have knit so far and I really like the way it came out.




I really liked this pattern. It is Child's Nashawena by Penny Straker and I knit it in a child's size 10 for my niece Hailey. She has blonde hair and blue eyes so I think the color will be perfect for her. The yarn is Lion Brand Cotton in turquoise. (Bonus - I found it on sale for 97 cents a ball and it only took 5 balls for this sweater!) I used size 2 needles for the cuffs and collar and size 6 needles for the rest of the sweater. Love it!

Just one question: Can I put a "Made in Italy" label on this?

Home Soon

Our time in Rome is winding down. We have less than three weeks left here. I will be very sad to leave, but at the same time I am ready to go home. There really is no place like home. I have missed so many things about home while I was here - mostly food items. Believe me when I tell you that the selection is limited to Italian food here in Italy. That might sound OK to some of you, but I really miss having a diverse selection of food to eat. It is pretty much pasta, pasta, and more pasta. And knitters - yarn stores are few and far between. Knitting is not really as big here as it is in other countries. Knitting here is something the grandmothers do. In Rome, there are only two yarn stores that I know of. I have only been to one. Lana Della Vecchia:

It is a tiny little yarn store near the Campo De Fiori. Not like the stores back home. They do have a pretty good selection of Italian yarns, though, and among other things..... undergarments!

Yes - those are Playtex bras in the window. Very weird.

Cables!

Definite progress is being made on the sweater I am knitting for one of my neices for Christmas. This is in between visitors, traveling Italy and sightseeing (still!), and spending time with Oliver. He definitely keeps me busy these days!


So, not much more to do - a sleeve and a half, neck, and seams. Oh yeah - and another one of these sweaters for my other niece. Not much. I can do it. One month. Uh huh.

Yummy Italian Yarn

My husband's birthday was last week and he told me he was disappointed that I didn't knit anything for him. I was sort of surprised about this because he has never really expressed interest in me knitting something for him - not that he doesn't express interest in my knitting - I just didn't think he wanted something "home made". He is worse than me when it comes to designer shopping. Trust. Sooo, we were in Florence this past weekend and I found another great yarn store - Beatrice Galli Yarn Shop - and I picked up some yummy yarn to knit him a scarf. Its 100% Italian Merino Wool and it just so happens to match his new coat.

I saw this scarf in Furla and I am using it as inspiration.

I know that it is chunkier than the yarn I have but I like the simplicity of the two ribs on either side.

I was also thinking, since my husband is an architect, that this hat would be an appropriate knit to go along with his scarf. I also like it for myself, so I went to my LRYS (Local Roman Yarn Store), Lana Della Vecchia, near the Campo de Fiori and picked up some yarn for the both of us - the charcoal for my husband to match his scarf and the chocolate for myself.

My dad is coming over to visit next week and I already have him picking up a copy of the Interweave Knits Holiday Gift Issue so that I can have the pattern for this hat.

Sweater Vest

I have finally gotten around to taking pictures of the sweater vest and internet finally came to our apartment (how long have we been in Rome? Ya, it really took that long to get internet!) so without further waiting......


Pattern: Cable Tank Top by Debbie Bliss in Simply Baby
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK in Pale Blue


It was virtually impossible to get Oliver to sit still to take his picture while he modeled his little vest, so these are the best shots I could get.



And becuse I forgot to give credit where credit is due for the Teddy Bear on my last post:
Pattern: Teddy Bear by Debbie Bliss in Simply Baby
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK in Stone

Birthday FO's

I have been away for a long time - but I have still been knitting! Rome (and traveling Italy) has been keeping me very busy but I have definitely found the time to break out the needles and yarn and knit away - especially since there are no English speaking television shows to distract me at night.
My little babe's first birthday was great and I finished the teddy bear and the sweater vest with time to spare! He loved the teddy bear! It was the first present he opened and he gave me a big hug! I was so happy and I hope he keeps it for years to come.


We had a big party for Oliver's Birthday and he wore his new vest. He looked so cute - and he had a great time! I have no close-ups yet of the finished product but here is a picture of the litte man sporting it:

I have yet to take pictures of the details and better photos of Oliver wearing it - but they will come!

In Italian yarn news: I found the cutest yarn store when we were in Venice. It is called Lellabella and it carried beautiful yarns. I just had to pick up some even though I have no projects for these yet - but I'm sure I can find some. The first is a merino wool cashmere blend. It is a gorgeous cream color with flecks of tan running through it:


And the second is pure Italian cashmere. It is so soft I just had to have it despite the pricetag, which is why I didn't puchase too many balls. I'm thinking I can knit some beautiful gloves with this.

I have also started on one of the sweaters for my nieces for Christmas. I am hoping that I will be able to get two of these done before December 25th. I know it seems like it is a long way off and I have plenty of time but with everything going on here coming up in the next couple of months, my time is limited. I will have pictures of my progress on this sweater next time as well.
If anyone (I hope I still have readers here) wants to check out my other blog about our stay in Rome and our travels in Italy you can go to: saundersromanholiday.blogspot.com

Ciao, From Roma

We made it to Rome! The yarn stash made it to Rome! I have been a happy knitter. Rome is great. We have been spending a lot of our time sightseeing so far. And doing a little shopping. I haven't seen any yarn stores so far (it might be a good thing I brought all of those projects and yarn with me) but a lot of the shops are closed for the last half of the month of August for holiday, so we will have to see in September. I finished the back of Oliver's sweater vest and held it up to him - it looks like it is going to fit him a lot sooner than I thought. I need to finish this soon.

I just cast on for the teddy bear I am knitting for Oliver's first birthday. It is a very quick knit. I have finished the front of the body and now I am on to the back.

I did happen to pick up the Fall issue of Vogue Knitting before I left the States. There are some cute sweaters here and there. I didn't really care for the Top 10 Hits - all the sweaters seemed outdated. The articles seem pretty good. Haven't had time to get through the whole thing yet.

Packing and Choosing

We started packing everything up. We are moving out of our apartment and will be living in Rome until December. I will be living out of 2 suitcases for 5 months - and I am thinking one of those suitcases is going to be for shoes. I am not a light packer. This means I need to choose a select few knitting projects to bring with me. I think I have narrowed it down. Oliver's first birthday is in October and I thought this teddy bear would be cute and fast:

Also, the cable sweaters for my neices for Christmas. One in turquoise, one in purple. Very Ralph Lauren. I'm also pondering the idea of embroidering their initials on the chest.

I really need an adult project. I was thinking I would buy some sock yarn and knit some socks - that wouldn't take up too much room in the suitcase. I also came across this sweater in the Summer issue of Vogue Knitting that I am seriously taking into consideration:

As far as any actual knitting going on around here - it is unfortunately really, really slow what with all of the packing going on. I am still working on the cable vest for Oliver. I am still working on the back but I have made it to the armhole shaping. Yay! I chose this project because it has no sleeves - I thought "wow, I could knit this really fast." Uh huh. It's areally good thing I am knitting this in the 18-24 mo. size range. He is 9 months old.

Inching Along

First things first: Since I abandoned the idea of finishing a sweater for my neice for her birthday and moved the due date to Christmas, I revisited the cable sweater vest I had begun knitting for my son. It is slow going where knitting is concerned in the summer time. Oliver and I are quite busy every day taking walks, going here and there, visiting family, and he is so active it is impossible to knit in his presence. But I am persevering.


Next: The family is moving to Rome (yes, in Italy) for four months in the middle of August. My husband, Andrew, Is a Professor of Architecture and he is teaching the Fall semester there. How fun and exciting! I will be taking some knitting with me (of course!) and the sweaters for my neices are on the top of the list. I needed to make sure that the turquoise yarn I picked up will work so I knit up a gauge swatch - and it is perfect! Love it! Love the color too.


I won't be bringing too much with me though. Hmmmm..... Italy - isn't that where merino wool comes from?

Change of Plans

I started knitting the cable sweater for my neice and got this far:

and I absolutely hate this yarn. It isn't very nice to knit with and the look of the sweater really isn't what I want. I stopped knitting this and went on the hunt for another yarn and found this:

A very pretty turquoise cotton. I haven't tested it for gauge yet but I am hoping it works out. Needless to say, this sweater will not be done in time for my neice's birthday. I'm thinking I will buy some yarn in a different color and knit this sweater for both of my neices for Christmas. I hate tight deadlines anyway :-).

Happy Father's Day!
Yesterday was my husband's first Father's Day! We all went to pick strawberries and had a great time - especially Oliver - he ate more than he picked (which is to be expected at his young age).

Getting Gauge

The pattern for my neice's sweater arrived in the mail and I have been working on getting the correct gauge. I think I finally have it right! Time to cast on!

Baby Gifts

The trio of small baby knits which is a gift for my pregnant friend is done! They are so cute and I think they make the perfect present. I knit them all in white because she is not going to find out the sex of the baby beforehand.


Here is some information on each:

"Project 1"
Pattern: Sachet by Debbie Bliss from Baby Knits for Beginners
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cotton DK in white
Needles: US 6
I thought this would be cute for baby keepsakes or maybe adding a scent to keep baby's things smelling nice.



"Project 2"
Pattern: Two Needle Socks by Debbie Bliss from Baby Knits for Beginners
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in white
Needles: US 3
This is the first time I have ever knit a pair of socks. I was a little bit nervous at first but they were easy and so much fun to knit - I am hooked.

"Project 3"
Pattern: Simple Hat by Debbie Bliss from Baby Knits for Beginners
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cotton DK in white
Needles: US 6
I knit this hat for Oliver and he wore it all winter long and looked so cute. I just had to knit it again.

Took a Break

So.... I cast on "Project 3" of my baby knits and knit 2 rows when I just got really bored. So I put the knitting down. For 2 weeks. I didn't knit a stitch. I have been taking walks with my son everyday and have just been sitting back and enjoying spending time with him, watching him play and crawl around. It was a nice break but then I got that sudden urge to cast something on. I had some yarn in my stash saved aside for a sweater vest for Oliver, and although I said "no more baby knits!", I couldn't resist. I cast it on in the largest size of the pattern - just to be sure. I'm not so speedy these days.

This is the first time I have knit anything with cables. They are quite easy, a little time consuming, but they are fun. This gave me an idea: My neice's birthday is just around the corner and I know of this pattern for the cutest cable knit sweater. Perfect for my next project! So off to my LYS to find some yarn. I found this pretty pink cotton which I think she will love.

I ordered the pattern and should get here in a couple of days. I realized that I would need the needles I had already cast on "Project 3" with so yesterday I started a mad dash to complete that by the time the pattern arrives. I't coming along and I should be done with it today.

In my other spare time (like I have so much) I have started reading a book:

Kintting Under the Influence by Claire LaZebnik. I was strolling through Target and it happened to catch my eye. It looked like a cute read and the last time I read a book was...... ok, maybe I'll pick it up. It is a cute read but not what would usually be on my reading list. I was an English major in college so I usually read something a lot more "literary". Not much knitting going on in the story. The author throws it in here and there. Kind of like me lately.

Welcome Spring

Spring has finally sprung around here and Oliver and I have been taking full advantage of the warm sunny weather. We have been taking long afternoon walks just soaking up the sun and viewing all of the flowers in bloom and green buds and new grass everywhere. It is such a welcome change from just a few weeks ago when it was cold and snowing! We are really enjoying our lazy afternoons. They are, however, only partly lazy. Oliver has started crawling and as soon as he is out of the stroller he is off and I am running around chasing him to make sure he does not get into anything he shouldn't be getting into (which is almost everything, right?).

As far as the knitting goes, "project 1" is off the needles as well as "project 2". I finished "project 2" a couple of days ago and have taken a short break from knitting before I begin "project 3". Here is a little preview of "project 2":


I have been trying to decide on my next knitting endeavor and I really can't decide what I want to do. I think that is what is holding me up from starting my third and final project for my little baby knits. I do have yarn for another sweater for Oliver but I really want to knit something for myself. I think a little browsing at my LYS today will help me decide.

Something Easy

After the back-to-back sewing up of seams and sewing on of buttons of the two sweaters I just completed I was really ready to cast on something new and knit. I started "Project 1" of my little baby gifts I am knitting for my pregnant friend and it is very easy and very quick - which is just what I needed.

Here is a sneak peek:


Yup. It is just a straight up rectangle of stockinette stitch. But it will turn into something nice. I promise.