FO: Spring Hoodie

I have been finished with the hoodie sweater I had been knitting for my son for a few days now but it has been so dreary outside - definitely not weather to be taking pictures of a little spring sweater in. We were so happy that the sun finally came out for us today!

Pattern: Design D Plain Sweater with Hood from Sirdar booklet 318 Lazy Days and Holidays
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in colors in Putty and Navy
Needles: size US 3, 5, and 6

I made quite a few mods to this sweater because the original design was very plain. I wanted to make this a little more sporty - give it a little something. To start with, I added an inch and a half to the length but shortened the sleeves by an inch. I added 1x1 ribbing to the hem and cuffs. The original design had rolled edges but 1x1 ribbing for the trim on the hood. I wanted all of the trim to match. I also added a pouch pocket and trimmed that with the 1x1 rib. I lined the pocket with the blue yarn. I added the blue varsity stripes on the left sleeve and I also lined the hood in blue. I knit the hood lining separately on a size smaller needle. To attach it, I picked up the stitches for the trim on the hood through both thicknesses of the hood and then tacked the bottom edge of the lining to the inside.

I feel like I have been working on this sweater for so long that I was really getting tired of it. But as soon as I finished, I loved the way it turned out. The biggest reward though, is that my son really loves it. He is a great little dude! He was so excited to put it on and was super patient being my model while I snapped his picture.

Almost There

Well, it is almost spring (yay!) and I am almost finished with my son's sweater. I am this close to finishing and I ran out of yarn. Don't you just hate when that happens? The yarn store that I bought the yarn from is also out. So now I am on the hunt.

I'm not really sure why, but I feel like it takes me longer to knit a little sweater for my son than it takes me to knit one for myself. Why is that? Maybe its the extra amount of love and attention I put into it. I would like to think that but I think I'm just slow.

RL 2010 Olympic Ski Cap

I am finished with my 2010 Olympic Ski Cap! And here it is:

Pattern: Olympic Reindeer Hat by Helena Bristow (originally Ralph Lauren)
Yarn: RYC Cashsoft 4 Ply in Navy, White, and Red
Needles: size US 2 and 3

I modified this hat from the original pattern written up by Helena Bristow because after viewing quite a few of these on Ravelry, it looked like it was turning out too large and too wide. So here are some of the changes I made: I used fingering weight yarn instead of worsted weight and used size 3 needles (size 2 for the inside of the brim). I also increased the number of stitches I cast on from 110 to 130 and I added another tree motif. I also made the trees bigger so that they were more like the original Ralph Lauren hat. I cut out a lot of the white rows above and below the moose. I also knit the moose and trees in intarsia (in the round) and stranded the rest. I found a great tutorial here on how to knit intarsia in the round and then I used this source for the top decreases. They were both very helpful. And after all that.... it fits perfectly!

I love the way this hat turned out! I think it is so cute..... and it matches my vintage Ralph Lauren duffle coat! Bonus!

Inspirational Stitches

Last week I caught that terrible 24-hour stomach bug that has been going around. While recovering in bed, I streamed Valentino: The Last Emperor on Netflix, about the fashion designer, Valentino. It was inspirational, no matter what kind of stitches you make. Just to watch those seamstresses hand stitch every little sequin and ruffle and get every detail just perfect.

It also made me think of the time we were in Rome and went to the Valentino retrospective at the Ara Pacis, which is featured in the film.

This is one of my favorite pictures from that visit. My husband took this of me and my son as I was descending the steps. I can't tell you how unglamorous I felt wearing jeans and a plain white shirt and carrying a barefoot 11 month old and being surrounded by all of those gorgeous couture gowns. Quite a contrast.

Going Crazy

Am I completely crazy? Judging by this photo, I am:

My theory has always been that you should do things right or not at all. Ralph Lauren's description of this hat is "intarsia knit" so it is intarsia I am knitting - instead of stranding. Why would I want all of those pesky navy blue strands poking out of my white stitches? OK - I admit, I had my doubts when I first started attaching all of these bobbins of yarn to my hat, but it is actually turning out alright. Crossing fingers.

Showing Some Team Spirit

I am not a Knitting Olympian. There is just no way. I knit for leisure, not for sport, but I found the perfect way to show my team colors through knitting. Anyone who knows me, knows that I looooove Ralph Lauren. I have gushed over the US Olympic Teams' outfits in China and now in Vancouver. It was actually my husband's idea that I knit the Moose Ski Cap that the US Olympians wore during the opening ceremonies. Lo and behold, someone has already come up with the pattern.

A quick trip to the yarn shop and I am ready to go. I am going to try out a few modifications - like intarsia knitting in the round, and I have chosen a sport weight yarn as opposed to the worsted that is called for in the pattern so I need to work out a little math.

We have had our own mini Olympics going on around here (which is why I haven't gotten much knitting done in the past week). My son started pre-school back in the fall and this week is his winter break. My nieces are also on break so they have come to stay with us for the week. Yesterday, we finally got a significant amount of snow so the four of us spent the better part of the afternoon sledding. So much fun! Today I took them to a local ski area and we went tubing. We had a total blast!

I have been impatiently waiting until my son was old enough to get him on a snowboard, so we might try that later on this week. I think the girls might want to squeeze in a little ice skating as well. The Olympic activities continue! Go Team USA!

Better Late Than Never

This post was intended for Valentine's Day. Time got away from me just a little. I started these sweetheart socks back in the beginning of January hoping to be finished by V-Day.

Yeeeeah - Not Happening. Lovely, intricate pattern - just not easy to memorize. I have to keep looking at the charts on every round. Not to mention they are knit on toothpick size needles. Ravelers have commented that they take a long time to complete. They were not joking. But I will keep on keepin' on. I manage to knit a round here and there.

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