F.O.: Alfie

I usually knit my son something for his birthday every year. This year, I figured with two babies on the way I would just focus on knitting baby things. I think my son felt a little left out on the knitted goodies. My husband told me that my son asked him if I was secretly knitting something for his birthday when he wasn't home - I wasn't. I quickly changed my course. I couldn't let him down or leave him out especially when he was looking forward to getting something special from me. I had been wanting to knit him a shawl collared sweater and found a great pattern for his size.

Pattern: Alfie from the Sublime booklet 613 Children's DK
Yarn: St-Denis Nordique in Navy
Needles: sizes US 3 and US 6

This sweater was a quick, easy knit - except for the garter stitch section in the middle. It was a bit tricky sewing that in and needed to keep re-sewing it until I got it right. For some reason it wouldn't match up and the pieces were off by an inch until I fiddled around with it and finally got everything to come together. It fits my son very nicely. The yarn is a very nice wool and is very warm.

My son turned 5 in the beginning of October (I can't believe it!!!) and he loved it that I knit something for him. I am so glad he is so appreciative of my knitting. Most of the time he is a rough, tough boy, who likes to smash his toys and cars and jump around and make lots of noise but he does have that sensitive side. His next request is that I knit him a sweater with a zipper on it. I told him that I think I could manage it.

Heaven in a Blanket

Taking care of newborn twins is not hard. In fact, my boys are model citizens - they are completely sweet and not fussy at all. I got very lucky. Taking care of newborn twins is, however, very time consuming. It really requires a lot of patience and nothing gets done quickly. I finally have a few minutes to sneak this blog post in and I am just a little bit tired so this is going to be a quick one.

I finished the second baby blanket just in time for the twins to be born. I was working on it right up until I went to the hospital.

Pattern: Heavenly Baby Blanket by Joyce Nordstrom
Yarn: Quince and Co. Chickadee in Chanterelle
Needles: size US 5

This blanket was knit for Hayden (Baby B). I really loved the combination of the cables and the lace on this one and because this did have lace panels I chose a boyish color in my go-to yarn: Quince and Co. Chickadee (which is the same yarn I knit the other baby blanket out of.) This pattern was easy to memorize and fun to knit and I completely love the end result. I think Hayden does too!

Early Arrival

The twins are here! They were born last Sunday, October 9th and they are healthy and peaceful and my heart is two times bigger now and filled with so much love. Let me introduce you to them:

On the left is Baby B: Hayden James born at 11:29 am 5 lbs. 12 oz.
On the right is Baby A: Nolan Alexander born at 11:27 am 6 lbs. 6 oz.

They were born a month early but had no worries. They are completely perfect. I developed preeclampsia and had to go into the hospital and it was decided that they needed to be born.

Here are some sweet pics of them with their older brother:


I had been knitting away before they were born and managed to get quite a few things done. I 'm hoping I will have a few moments to get to post them soon!

F.O.: Sweetheart Socks

I am finally getting around to blogging about these lovely socks - they were finished in March! But better late than never!

Pattern: Sweetheart Socks by Chrissy Gardiner
Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Fortissima Socka in Red
Needles: size US 1

I started these in January of 2010 and put them down for a long while, then decided to pick them up and work on them again in the beginning of the year. They took a really long time to do, not only because of the tiny needles and yarn but because of the intricate cabling. But they were well worth the effort. I really love the end result.


I want to give a shout out to my sister who modeled these for me. At this point, my feet and ankles are more than a little bit swollen. Thankfully they won't be this way when the cold weather comes around and I can actually get to wear them. I am so looking forward to that!

A New Venture

I haven't just been knitting away on blankets here. I am excited to tell you that I have also been doing some sample knitting for Brooklyn Tweed! I received a message on my Ravelry account a little while ago from Brooklyn Tweed, complimenting my knitting and asking me if I would like to knit up some samples for some upcoming fall designs. I was completely stunned - and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. It has been a fun break from the stuff I have been working on - and I love getting those skeins of Shelter in the mail! And I am loving the designs I have been knitting up. I think you will too.

One Down...

Well, it has been Boringsville here on my blog. I apologize but that is what happens when you are knitting blankets. We found out that the twins are both boys (OMG!!!! I am going to have 3 boys!!!!) and I decided to start by knitting them blankets. I have one done - Yay!

Pattern: Cable Blanket by Debbie Bliss from her book Simply Baby
Yarn: Quince & Co. Chickadee in the color Glacier
Needles: size US 3 for the border and size US 6 for the main part

Now, I have been down this road before, and I know from experience that a blanket will be the most used item that you can knit for a baby. So even though they take a little while to knit up and it gets kinda boring once you hit the middle, it is well worth it. I knit my son little sweaters when he was born - they were worn maybe twice before he grew out of them and the spit-up that got on them - Yuck! But he still uses his blankets and he is almost 5 years old. Since I need to knit 2 of everything now, I am making blankets a priority!

I enjoyed knitting this blanket. The pattern was very easy to memorize and it went pretty quickly. I love how the cables are two different types of stitches intertwined and the size is perfect. I love the yarn also. I have gushed about this yarn before when I used it to knit my Norie hat and I just had to use it again. I absolutely love the color - just lovely! And it is pretty soft for a 100% wool. I am currently waiting for some yarn to be shipped to me to start knitting a second blanket (!!!) - it won't be this same pattern - I need a little variety to tell these 2 boys apart!

F.O.: Sail Away Blanket

Back in March, I was lamenting on one of my blog posts how the baby blanket I knit for my son when he was born didn't turn out so great. Let's face it, it was pretty bad. I never used it once and never put any pictures of it on Ravelry. I had just started knitting at that point and knew nothing about yarn, gauge, etc. It was a plain garter stitch blanket made out of a very cheap acrylic yarn and knit with needles 2 sizes too small - it could pretty much stand up straight by itself. My son still uses his blankets from when he was a baby so I thought I would knit him a better blanket - toddler size now. We both sat down and looked at the blankets on Ravelry and chose a blanket together. He was pretty happy.

Pattern: Come Sail Away Baby Blanket by Suzanne Veta
Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Worsted in Planetarium
Needles: size US 7
Mods: I knit an extra repeat of the sailboat pattern lengthwise to make it toddler size.

I have a love/hate relationship with this blanket. First, I love it because it is for my son, who really loves it. It also goes well with his nautical room, which is a big reason why we chose this pattern. When I first started knitting this, I didn't know I was pregnant yet - and I was feeling just fine. I was getting a lot done and then the morning sickness and nausea set in really badly. I would try to pick this up and knit on it here and there but it would just make me sicker. Pretty soon just the mere sight of it would have me running to the bathroom - so I put it away and put down my knitting. Lately, I have been feeling much better so I picked it up again and just tried to finish it as quickly as possible because I feel like it had been lingering for quite a while.

In the end, I like how this turned out. The yarn is so soft and is perfect for my son to snuggle under. I am really glad I got the chance to knit this for him because he really does use his blankets a lot and I wanted him to have one hand knit by me.

Two Special W.I.P.'s

Hello there! I know that I have been absent from this blog for a long time - but I do have a good reason!

Andrew and I are very excited to announce that we are expecting again! Oh - and here's the kicker - it is TWINS! I am still trying to get used that idea. It was a total shocker when we found out and I think I passed out for a few seconds at the doctors office. I am about 17 weeks along now and they are due in early November. Needless to say, I haven't gotten much knitting done lately - I have been extremely nauseous for the entire first trimester. In the very few moments when I was feeling halfway decent, I tried to pick up my needles but the motion of knitting made me sick all over again. I have been starting to feel much better lately - which is good because now I have double the knitting to do!!! I am so very excited about my two special W.I.P.'s!!

New Spring

The weather has started to warm up a little bit around here and I am very happy about that. I know that as a knitter, I should like the winter and cold, snowy weather - but I just don't. Give me a warm sunny day and put me on the beach and I am truly a happy camper. Needless to say, I am looking forward to spring and I have more than a few knitting projects lined up which i am very excited about..

I recently purchased this book:

This is Kim Hargreaves book from last spring and I absolutely LOVE it. I am not lying when I tell you that I want to knit every single thing in it. And I have already started on this:

This is the beginnings of Starr. A lovely cable and lace hat pattern. I have been on quite a hat kick lately. I know.

I have also purchased some lovely blue silk yarn for a little shrug, which I cannot wait to cast on for.


.....and I have more yarn on the way. I will have to keep you posted!

FO: Norie

After my last hat mishap (the cabled one that turned out too small), I still needed a new hat. I decided to knit Norie, a very slouchy hat pattern - but very pretty with cat's paw lace panels.

Pattern: Norie by Gudrun Johnston
Yarn: Quince & Co. Chickadee in the colorway Frank's Plum
Needles: size US 5
Mods: I only knit 3 repeats of the lace panels instead of 4. It turned out slouchy enough for me at this length.

I really like the way this turned out - I think it is really cute. I absolutely love the yarn and I have been looking for an excuse to try out Quince & Co. It was a dream to knit with, the color is so vibrant and saturated and for a yarn that is 100% wool it is so soft. The price is amazing as well. I think that this is going to become my go-to yarn. I really enjoyed knitting this hat.

FO: Cabled Cardigan

I have been wanting to knit this sweater since I bought the Fall 2006 issue of Vogue Knitting. I was a newbie knitter and at that point, I pretty much knew how to knit and how to purl and I had never even attempted something as big as a sweater. I was 8 months pregnant and I was knitting away on a garter stitch baby blanket (which turned out really terrible - I feel so bad for my little boy). Cue to 5 years later - I finally did it!

Pattern: #19 Cabled Cardigan by Margaret O'Leary from the Fall 2006 issue of Vogue Knitting
Yarn: Berroco Peruvia in Gris Claro
Needles: size US 8 and 10
Mods: added 3 inches to the length and added an extra buttonhole

I absolutely love the way this turned out. It fits really well. It is so wearable and so warm. It was a relatively quick knit because of the chunky yarn. I finished the back, fronts, and sleeves pretty quickly and sewed them all together and the collar/button bands were knit on last. I figured that they would go quickly as well (its only the collar, right?) but they took forever and they also took up 2 skeins of yarn! Isn't that always the way things work out? The only thing that I don't love about this sweater is that the button bands are double thickness of chunky yarn and then doubled again when buttoned and I think that it makes me look like I had a double cheeseburger for lunch.

The yarn is wonderful. It is 100% wool and I can officially say that this is the warmest sweater that I own. It blocked out beautifully and has worn pretty well so far with very minimal pilling. I would definitely use this yarn again. I am so glad that I waited to knit this sweater because it turned out just perfectly.

Big UGH! Hat

Although this blog has been silent, I have been knitting away. I finished a sweater (Yay!) that I need to take pictures of and I am trying to finish up a pair of socks that I started a year ago (Yikes!). I also decided that I was deficient in the hat department and decided to knit up a hat that I have had in my queue for a long time and have had the yarn in my stash.

Pattern: Cabled Watchcap by Karen Kendrick-Hands
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky in White
Needles: size US 7 and 8

This hat turned out to be a big UGH! It turned out really small and it just looks ridiculous on me. I knew that it was looking too small when I cast on so I ripped out and added 15 more stitches and knit one more pattern repeat lengthwise than the pattern called for and it still turned out too small! In this age of slouchy hats and big berets I cannot put this thing on my head. I am going to donate this to a hat charity for kids. At least the yarn is nice and soft for a little head.

FO: Aran Scarf

I present to you the one and only gift that I knit this past Christmas. It was knit for my husband upon his request for a scarf.

Pattern: Cashmere Aran Scarf from Simple 1-2-3 Knitting
Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Soot
Needles: size US 7

I. Love. This. Scarf. I would steal it from my husband except for the fact that he is always wearing it. I first saw this blogged on Brooklyn Tweed and I fell in love with it so when my husband asked for a scarf for Christmas this had to be it. I am extremely proud of myself for managing to keep it a total secret until it was opened on Christmas morning - something that is very hard to do when you are knitting something for the person you live with. I only worked on it when he wasn't home and when I blocked it I slid it all the way under the middle of our bed - after clearing out all of the dust bunnies, of course. It was a total surprise.

I really enjoyed knitting with Shelter. It was unlike any yarn that I have knit with before. It was very sheepy - maybe like a handspun. It even smelled like a sheep. And I really like the flecks in it. It blocked out beautifully and it keeps its shape really well after wear. I definitely want to knit with it again. One thing that did bother me a little bit was that because it is a minimally processed wool, I had to keep pulling little bits of straw, hay, etc. out of it while I was knitting.

I am really happy that my husband loves this scarf. He wears it every day. It turned out perfectly.

FO: Marled Hat, Scarf, and Mitten Set

Ever since last year I have been wanting to knit a hat, scarf and mitten set for my son. As a knitter, I find that there are patterns for each separately but never as a collection and I wanted his things to match. So I decided to keep it simple and take basic patterns and knit them all in the same yarns. Back in October I took him to the yarn store so that he could pick out some yarn with me and we both decided on a very cool marled yarn with a bright orange as a contrast color. (Yes - he's pretty good about that as a 4 year old for about 2 minutes and then he likes to get into things like buttons and baskets of yarn balls and I am running around the yarn store after him and telling him not to touch anything while still trying to look at yarn for myself.)

Pattern: Watch Cap by Melinda Goodfellow of Yankee Knitter Designs

Pattern: 2 x 2 Rib Scarf by Me (no pattern needed)

Pattern: Mittens by Melinda Goodfellow of Yankee Knitter Designs - I customized this pattern by adding the stripes!
Notice how there is only one mitten - I did knit two of them. A couple of days after I finished these , my son lost both of them on the street outside of our apartment. I was pretty upset about this as you can imagine. A few days later I happened to find one of them on the sidewalk and I searched up and down the block for the other one without any luck. I still need to knit him another mitten - good thing I have extra yarn! I have been looking for those little clips that will attach the mittens to his coat but I cannot find them anywhere!

The yarn used for this set is Cascade 220 Wool in the colors Charcoal Twist and Tangerine Heather and all were knit on size US 7 needles. I love how these turned out. This is a nice, basic set that I think he can get at least a few years of wear before he grows out of them.

Happy Happy!

First off, Happy New Year to all and here's to looking to the bright horizon of 2011. I have been unplugged for the month of December (by choice), only popping into blogs here and there, but I have some serious catching up to do. Ever since having my son 4 years ago I try to make Christmastime special for him. I feel that there is so much to do at this time of year so I put aside any unnecessary distractions and focus on spending time with my family and include my son in any traditional holiday activities. I really think it is important for him to grow up appreciating the meaning and traditions behind the holiday and not just thinking about the material aspects of getting presents. We did have a good Christmas here and I am so excited to share a couple of presents that my husband gave to me.

I have been knitting for 5 years now and I have never invested in a swift and ball winder, preferring to spend any extra money on yarn, and complaining any time I had to roll up a ball of yarn by hand. I think my husband had heard me complain one too many times and got me these for Christmas:


And these make pretty little yarn cakes like this in 2 minutes flat:

Very happy indeed!