Tag: Knitting

Last fall, I completed knitting a blanket for baby Veda – a blanket that she received earlier this year when my mother delivered it to India.  Her mother reports that Veda likes the blanket, and I hope it is keeping her both stylish and at the perfect temperature! 

Veda's blanket was my first opportunity to try the Lion Brand cotton bamboo that I ordered earlier last year.  The yarn is really a cotton keeper – not too rough like 100% cotton yarns, and very soft and bouncy.  An added bonus is also that it is machine wash and dry!

For this blanket, I turned to my favorite blanket knitting book – the Leisure Arts Our Best Baby Afghans book that I must have purchased 10 years ago (eek!)?  I chose the Pure White Pleaser pattern because it seemed like a delicate, lace pattern that would still be easy to care for with a washing machine.  

I was really pleased with how the blanket turned out – great bright color and a solid pattern as well.  I can certainly see myself using this pattern again!

Blanket for Baby Veda

Pattern:  Modified via casting on 135 stitches (instead of 171)

Yarn:  Lion Brand LB Collection Cotton Bamboo in 174 Snapdragon, 2.1 skeins

Needles:  US 6 circular

Measurements:  27 inches wide by 25.25 inches tall after blocking

I recently had the opportunity to not only knit, but also design, a wonderful blanket for baby Sonali.  Baby Sonali lives in the Bay Area, so I decided to use a light cotton-bamboo blend yarn I had ordered in bulk from the Lion Brand catalog last summer.  

To design the blanket itself, I pulled out my handy 365 Knitting Stitches a Year calendar book and was quickly overwhelmed by all of the patterns.  I decided to narrow down the options by focusing on lacy repeats that wouldn't add too much bulk to what I hoped would be a lightweight blanket.  I ended up settling on two different repeats and ultimately had Andy select both the winning repeat (Staggered Fern Lace Pattern/Nov. 28 on the calendar) and the winning yarn color (Green – Snapdragon).  

I then had to figure out how to break up the lace repeats so that the blanket would look complete, and not just some discordant pattern repeats thrown together.  This task ended up taking up the most time of the entire design process, and somehow I still got by this step without making test swatches.  I decided to try a 5-stitch – k2tog, yo, k1, yo, sl1, k1, psso – repeat between the lace panels, based on this pattern from my go-to blanket book, the Leisure Arts Our Best Knit Baby Afghans.  

So now with my yarn, gauge and designing processes over, I got to knitting.  My devised pattern was fairly easy to get into, and I noticed results pretty quickly after getting started.  I decided to complete the top edging after about 22 inches of the blanket was completed, and after blocking, ended up with a slight rectangular blanket.  

True to my design inspiration, the blanket was light and somewhat fluffy, and I think the pattern/color combination worked out really well with a green leafy blanket, similar to baby Asha's blanket.  I hope baby Sonali is enjoying it!

Blanket for Baby Sonali

Pattern:  Cast on 107 stitches.  Full pattern below.  20-stitch lace repeat with 5-stitch lace dividers and 6 garter end stitches on each side.

Yarn:  Lion Brand LB Collection Cotton Bamboo, 1.6 skeins in Snapdragon

Needles:  One US 6 circular

Measurements:  21 3/4 inches wide by 23 inches tall, post-blocking

Full Pattern:

Rows 1 – 6:  Knit across.

Row 7:  K6 (P2, K9, YO, K1, YO, K3, sl1, K2tog, psso, P2, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, sl1, K1, psso) three times, P2, K9, YO, K1, YO, K3, sl1, K2tog, psso, P2, K6.

Rows 8 and all even rows:  Purl across.

Row 9: K6, (P2, K10, YO, K1, YO, sl1, K2tog, psso, P2, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, sl1, K1, psso) three times, P2, K10, YO, K1, YO, sl1, K2tog, psso, P2, K6

Row 11: K6, (P2, K3tog, K4, YO, K1, YO, K3, (YO, K1) twice, sl1, K2tog, psso, P2, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, sl1, K1, psso) three times, P2, K3tog, K4, YO, K1, YO, K3, (YO, K1) twice, sl1, K2tog, psso, P2, K6

Row 13: K6, (P2, K3tog, K3, YO, K1, YO, K9, P2, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, sl1, K1, psso) three times, P2, K3tog, K3, YO, K1, YO, K9, P2, K6

Row 15: K6, (P2, K3tog, K2, YO, K1, YO, K10, P2, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, sl1, K1, psso) three times, P2, K3tog, K2, YO, K1, YO, K10, P2, K6

Row 17: K6, (P2, K3tog, (K1, YO) twice, K3, YO, K1, YO, K4, sl1, K2tog, psso, P2, K2tog, YO, K1, YO, sl1, K1, psso) three times, P2, K3tog, (K1, YO) twice, K3, YO, K1, YO, K4, sl1, K2tog, psso, P2, K6

Row 18:  Purl

Repeat Rows 7 – 18 until desired length reached, and then finish with 6 rows of garter stitch (knitting across).

I recently completed my first handknit sweater for Andy.  While I was very proud of this accomplishment, particularly because it was my first adult sweater knit in 12 years, I quickly realized while sewing the seams that I had made a major error while completing it.  

In another sign that I maybe have more yarn stashed in my apartment than is healthy, I had inadvertantly used two different types of yarns while knitting this sweater.  The two yarns have a very similar medium gray color, though notably are different weights – one is worsted and the other sport weight.  They are also both Knit Picks Wool of the Andes brand, so I didn't notice the difference in the labels while grabbing the skeins from their plastic bags on my yarn shelf.  

The result was the sweater is that you'll notice some striping through the sweater that shows where the yarn substitutions occured.  While not fatal to the sweater's wearability, it's still a pretty embarrassing oversight that is hard to cover up.  At the same time though, I am not included to rip the sweater and redo the flawed parts, so it is what it is.  

Otherwise, the Jared Flood pattern was very easy to follow and I didn't really make any major modifications to the pattern.  The next time I make Andy a sweater though, I will try to pay closer attention to the measurements, particularly for the sleeves, because for Andy to comfortably wear this sweater, he has to roll up the sleeves, which I don't know is specific to this pattern or other men's sweaters as well.  The full sweater details follow the picture of Andy wearing his new sweater.

Andy's First Handknit Sweater

Pattern:  Brownstone by Jared Flood.  Size S.

Yarn:  Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (5.5. skeins) in Pumice Heather, and Wool of the Andes Sport (3 skeins) in Bramble Heather.  

Needles:  US7 throughout, knit pattern in the round on two circular needles.

Measurements:  Post-blocking measurements of 37.5 bust circumference, 25 inches from top to bottom, 13.5 inches from the bottom of the sweater to the start of the neck shaping, and 18 inches for the sleeves from the underarm to the hand opening.  

It's raining babies!  And for knitting purposes, thankfully a lot of babies I know are being born in cold weather states 🙂

The latest blanket I made was for baby Rishi, an adorable little person who arrived last November.  I decided to make him a blanket out of some bright, bouncy stash yarn I had on hand.  Because I decided to use a worsted weight wool yarn, I found a somewhat lacy pattern so that the blanket wouldn't be too warm.

The project turned out really well, and it generally was a great distraction from a major project I took on in February.  If I ever repeat a baby blanket pattern again, this one may be it because of the simple, lovely pattern.  Full project details follow the picture of the completed blanket below.

Rishi's Baby Blanket

Pattern:  Treasured Heirloom Baby Blanket by Lion Brand

Yarn:  Patons Classic Wool Worsted in color 1005, approx. 2.4 skeins

Needles:  U.S. 8 circular

Measurements:  28 inches by 28 inches, though the edges were not perfectly square/aligned

Notes:  I followed a few modifications suggested by commenters on the Lion Brand site and Ravelry.  I slipped the first stitch knitwise on all rows.  On the increase panels, I modified row three to become "k1, yo, k1 *k2, yo, k2tog* k3.  On the middle combined increase/decrease panel, I modified row seven to become k1, yo, k3tog, k2 *k2, yo, k2tog* k4.  On the decrease panels, I modified row three to become k2tog, yo, k2tog *k2, yo, k2tog* k3.  The result did seem to be a relatively even, square piece.

Over the summer, I completed a wonderful new summer knit top for me, thereby perhaps firming up the trend of actually completing summer knits during summer?  Let's hope that this trend carries over into next year, and that I will actually finish my lightweight, raw silk sweater that I started knitting 10 years ago!

This summer, I chose the Cap Sleeve Lattice Top pattern from Purl Soho.  It was a wonderful pattern, though it took a few tries to get the sizing right.  I ended up significantly reducing the number of cast-on stitches for the smallest size and redoing the back after almost completing it.  I also reduced the lattice top so that that mesh-like portion wouldn't sink too low and increased the straight knitting to make up the difference.  The lattice portion is offset, but that doesn't seem noticeable when the top is worn.  Full details follow the picture below.

Cap Sleeve Lattice Top for Me

Pattern:  Cap Sleeve Lattice Top by Purl Soho, scaled down to 88 cast-on stitches for both the front and back, and cast off 36 stitches for the neck for a smaller neckline.

Yarn:  Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima, 1.9 skeins in colorway 3729 and 0.7 skeins in colorway 3719

Needles:  US4 throughout the pattern

Measurements:  Pre-blocking measurements of a 30-inch bust circumference, 13 1/2-inch long main body, 4 1/2-inch long lattice portion, and 9-inch wide neck opening.  Post-blocking measurements of 29-inch circumference, 14-inch long stockinette portion, 5 1/2-inch long lattice stitch portion, and 8 1/4-inch neck opening.  

I recently had the honor of completing a baby blanket for baby Giselle, a beautiful, not-so-newborn at this stage, who was born over the summer.  Prior to Giselle's birth, I had been thinking about her blanket for months – baby G has very stylish parents, so I felt there truly was a premium on me getting this blanket done right!  With the input of friends, I settled on the Harvest Moon pattern by Aimee Alexander and a neutral, mid-weight yarn.  I decided on a neutral, off-white color so that the blanket could be an accessory not only in Giselle's nursery, but also when she is on the go.  Full project details follow the image of Giselle loving her blanket!

Blanket for Baby Giselle

Pattern:  Harvest Moon by Aimee Alexander, Stroller Size

Yarn:  Spud and Chloe Sweater in the Ice Cream (7500) color

Needles:  US7

Measurements:  Pre-blocking measurements of 27 inches wide by 31 1/2 inches long, and post-blocking measurements of 26 inches wide by 31 inches long.

Although I am not generally a shawl-wearer, I immediately knew when I saw the Budding Apple pattern in a recent Twist Collective issue that I had to make the shawl for myself.  The pattern was just so simple, light and really seemed to convey an easy spring/summer feel.  After I cast on the shawl (during exam studying period no less), I ended up completing the project very quickly despite the exam-related time constraints.  I just really couldn't get enough of this pattern, even if the yarn wasn't the most pleasant to work with (little coarse, though definitely a lovely color).  The final, post-blocking result has definitely lived up to expectations as well, though because the summer has been so hot, I have not yet been able to wear the shawl yet!  In addition, I think I would like to wear this shawl with a shawl pin, which I still need to find.  Project details follow the picture below.

Budding Apple Shawl for Me

Pattern:  Budding Apple by Anne Hanson, size mini.

Yarn:  Brooks Farm Solo Silk, one skein

Needles:  US 4 throughout (by accident, meant to do border in US 6!)

Measurements:  Pre-blocking measurements of 17 inches long at center, 33 inches wide at top/widest point, and 24 inch diagonal sides.  Post-blocking measurements of 19 1/4 inches long at center, 42 inches wide at top/widest point, and 29 1/2 inch diagonal sides.

I recently completed my last year of law school, and with it, I think have ended (for now) my years of auctioning off made-to-order knit projects to benefit public interest legal work.  My final project was relatively straightforward – a rust-colored hat.  I selected several patterns and shared them with the auction winner, Dan, and he picked the ultimate winner – the "Man Hat" pattern by Haven Leavitt.  The final project was fairly easy to knit up with bulky yarn, and it turned out really well.  In fact, this pattern may actually become my new standard hat gift!

"Man Hat"

Pattern:  "Man Hat" by Haven Leavitt (yes, I can't actually get myself to type "man hat" without the quotes because of the silly name!).  I modified the pattern to fit Dan's head measurement, so cast on 72 stitches.

Yarn:  Lamb's Pride Bulky in Color M67 (Rust)

Needles:  US 9

Measurements:  Pre-blocking measurements of 9 inches tall (2 inches of shaping and 7 inches straight) and 22 1/2 inches around.  Post-blocking measurements of 9 inches tall and 24 inches around.