Knitting Round-Up

I decided that I want to write more about knitting on my blog. I spend so much of my free time knitting these days, and there's not much that makes me happier than sinking my hands into a fresh skein of soft, creamy Malabrigo yarn. So to get the ball (of yarn) rolling, I thought I'd share some snapshots of my knitting for the past few months. Find me on Ravelry at knittinglindsay.

 

 

 "BFF Cowl"
Pattern: BFF Cowl
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted; Colorway: fuscia
This cowl is such a clever idea. You knit two pieces, your friend knits two pieces, you each swap one and then you have a cool two-toned, two-patterned friendship cowl! I knit both pink pieces (the seedpod pattern) and Veronica knit the cream sections (the cocoon pattern). Veronica is just about to head back to the States after spending the last year in Israel. Check out her awesome blog, Life by the Skein.

 

 

"Indiana Fog Mitts"
Pattern: Vancouver Fog Mitts
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted; Colorway: pagoda
I made these fingerless mitts for my Grandma's birthday earlier this month. I love how the yarn has bright pink patches interspersed with the red, and I think it was a fantastic choice for the pattern. The cables really pop!

 

 

"Owlies"
Pattern: Horatio and Oren
Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss Fingering; colorway: hawk and cream
My best friend Katie likes owls, so I thought these would make a fun birthday gift for her. The front is cute enough by itself, but who could resist the adorable owl backside?

 

 

Annis Shawl
Pattern: Annis
Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow; Colorway: forest heather
I started this lightweight shawl last summer, intending to give it to one of my good friends (whose favorite color is green) as a goodbye gift when we left Hawaii. But after a few rows of the lace pattern, I decided it was too girly and started a different project for her. I got sidetracked with a zillion other knitting projects (mostly baby-related), traveling the islands, and -- of course -- moving, and I didn't pick it back up again until we were sitting in base lodging n Ohio, waiting to move into our house. This is the first project I've ever made with lace-weight yarn and -- ugh -- I hated it! The finished product looks pretty cool, though, and I'm sure I'll get some wear out of it this fall and winter.

 

Baby Hats... two of many
I'm 27. It seems that this is the baby-making age, because pretty much everyone I know has had a baby in the past year and a half. That has meant lots and lots of baby knitting projects for me. At first I made complicated hats and booties and blankets, but then I realized that those were mostly being used as props in baby photo shoots and then never worn again (you don't really need a hat for your baby in Hawaii), so I created a quick and easy baby hat pattern that looks simple and cute in pictures.

A quick run-down:

With size 7 DPNs, cast on 60 if you think you friend will have a normal-size baby, 64 if you think she'll pop out a big-headed babe. Knit in the round until the hat measures 4 inches long, then start decreasing evenly. (i.e. if you cast on 64, K6, K2tog, repeat; knit next row; K5, K2tog, repeat). Decrease until you have three stitches left (your last decrease will be uneven) and then work an i-cord for 2 or 3 inches. Tie it in a knot, and voila!

 

"Cincinnati Bengal Cub Hat"
My best friend Katie asked me to knit a Bengals-themed hat for her cousin's baby shower. I used the same basic pattern as above, but decreased more slowly and then not at all for several inches to create a "tail" (she wanted an elf hat look). I added a tassel to the end (it came out pretty good for my first-ever tassel attempt!) and it's perfect for the predestined Bengals-fan baby!

 

 

"Bear Cub Hat"
Pattern: Bear and Panda Hat and Mitts
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
This is an example of the kinds of baby knits I used to make. Unfortunately, this hat -- which does look rather adorable on baby Spencer in professional pictures -- was my least favorite knit ever. I found the pattern to be poorly written and the construction of the hat to be confusing.

 

 

 

"Birdies for Baby" mobile
Pattern: Flock
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Sometimes, though, I still do go out of my way to make cool baby gifts for my closest friends. My good friend Peggy (who so kindly watched our furry baby, Conan, while we took all our goodbye-Hawaii travels last winter) had a baby girl this spring. I loved this bird mobile as soon as I happened across a picture and knew I had to make it. The birds were easier to knit than you'd think, though I did a horrible job of seaming on the wings. (Seaming is not my thing... that's why I've held off on making a sweater for so long!) The original pattern is more of a traditional mobile shape made with wooden dowels, but I decided to be whimsical and hang my birdies from a stick.