A New Sweater for the New Year

Happy New Year!

It was a quiet Christmas and New Year here ... since we got colds and were both sick! We did enjoy our big gathering Christmas Day and also a gathering the day after Christmas. Then the sickness came again - ugh! But now it is a new year and we seem to be well! Ray still has a cough but we hear that might hang on a while.

During the last couple of weeks, we didn't do much but every so often I did knit and I finished Ray's sweater! He wore it to church this morning. Not only does it fit, he likes it!

The color is correct in the photos but you can't see the small detail - there is a muted stripe across the chest, both front and back.

The pattern is # 991 Neck down Pullover for Men by Diane Soucy. That stripe detail is my addition to the pattern. I used Plymouth Yarn Galway Worsted (color 760) that I bought at Wall of Yarn in Freeport, Illinois.

A small shawl or is it a scarf?

Another knitting finish! 

We spent this past weekend (Friday and Saturday) at the State Volleyball Tournament in Bloomington, IL. In between games, I knitted! I had this shawl finished by Saturday noon so it's a good thing I carried my iPad because the games didn't end until well after 9 PM on Saturday night!

The pattern is Girl's Best Friend by Bronwyn Hahn. If I had knit this in a plain color, you would be able to see the wonderful diamond pattern. I did not use beads on the corners of the diamonds - you wouldn't be able to see them.

When I blocked this, I stretched it a lot just as the author of the pattern said to do!

The yarn I used was Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball. 

I can't wait to wear it - I'm thinking it will look great with a black shirt.

A couple of sweaters done!

I've been knitting but I haven't been showing anything I've done! So today, we took photos and I will share.

First is my Garter Stitch Hoodie. It is made from Rauma Finullgarn which is 100% wool from Norway. The color is Wheat Heather.

Guess I wasn't into smiling today!

This sweater is knit from top to bottom or sideways which was new to me. Then after it was finished and sewn together, it had to be felted (shrunk) a little bit. That was scary but it worked great!

I finished the sweater in mid-September and have worn it a number of times.

Next is my In Between The Rain sweater which is perfect to wear anytime! It is made from Kraemer Yarns Tatamy DK and is acrylic and cotton. The first picture is pretty close to the correct color. The spots must be from the flash of the camera - there are no spots on the sweater!

Hmmm, still not smiling!

The neck and the detail on the yoke are done in reverse garter stitch. The yoke detail and the fake side seams were not part of the pattern but I had seen them on someone's photo and decided I could do the same. It worked great!

Close up of yoke detail.

I just blocked this sweater and plan to wear it soon.

Turned out to be a corkscrew!

I've been busy....but I don't have much to show for it yet!

One thing I've just finished is a mystery KAL (Knit Along) with Michelle Hunter at KnitPurlHunter. We made a corkscrew hat! 

Since I didn't know what this would look like, I decided to make the infant size.  I'm hopeful it will fit Leo, our youngest grandson. Maybe he can wear it to his brothers' hockey games. Their colors are red and white.

Cool top!

I wanted a hockey puck for the button so I ordered some hockey buttons. All of the pucks had to be glued on so I went with the hockey player button.

Not too happy with my flap - this is flap #3. I know how to make it better next time!

I enjoy learning new things and this KAL was great. I learned:

• a new cast on - I just tried the German twisted cast-on, you could use any
• how to knit with two colors at once - holding one color in each hand
• a new way to make a nice buttonhole

The KAL was fun - I'm glad I did it and I have a cute little hat!

A summer sweater

I've been working on this sweater for a while. I bought the yarn in April before Ray's surgery so I'd have something to knit while he was in the hospital. Then after knitting a skein and a half, I decided the sweater was too big so I frogged the whole thing and started over! I've been working on it most days and have finally finished it.

Yay - it fits!

The yarn is Bamboo Pop - 50% cotton and 50% bamboo sports weight. A great weight for summer.

A Fun Knitted Vest

In the last few months, I've been doing more knitting than quilting. Knitting is very easy to transport and requires no preparation on my part. It's been my go to craft during Ray's surgery and doctor appointments. 

I just finished a vest - the pattern is India Sweater Vest, designed by Beth Q. Beck and published by Cardiff Bay Handknits. The yarn is Gina by Plymouth. Actually I finished it a while ago but just sewed the buttons on today.

This was my first time using self-striping yarn. Stripes don't match and my balanced Libra self will need to overcome a little discomfort!

A closeup of the front - interesting stitches and texture.

The back has a different texture.

A side seam - where the back meets the front.

Sorry the photos aren't the best - I just held my camera high above the counter and shot! Speaking of the counter, did you notice our brand new granite? The kitchen isn't quite finished but the counters are in and we have water again - yay!

A knitted shawl

I finished this shawl on the April 21 and just forgot to post! At 20" X 62", it's snuggly and warm. 

I used my own pattern and Kenzie yarn. I did an 18 stitch cable on both long sides of the shawl with 3 full rows of garter stitch on all four sides. The rest of the shawl, the center 54 stitches in each row, was also garter stitch. 

close up of one side

 I used the cable design from Knit Picks Cable Mug Cozy with slight modification.

close up of other side

The color is more like this - a little teal.

I think this shawl will spend a lot of time in the car - it feels wonderful when we are traveling.

A tiny vest

I finished this vest for a 14" doll a while back. I just sent it to our almost 10-year-old granddaughter. She turns 10 in 3 days. I really hope it fits one of her loved dolls!

It is really symmetrical - I just didn't get a great picture of the back.

I used the pattern Summer Vest for American Girl Dolls by Janet Longaphie. It's free on ravelry.com. I made a couple changes to the 'ribbing'.  The yarn is Ella Rae Classic Superwash from my stash.

Two finishes: a vest and a scarf

Last week I had two knitting finishes. The vest is a little heavier than I'd like but it is warm!

Guess the neckline was folded down a bit. 

I love the texture. This is a vertical picture of the vest - I did not turn the camera.

Neat buttons! You can see the edging to the right of the button. All of the details are here.

This infinity scarf uses self-striping yarn. It can be worn short like this.

Or long like this. All of the details are here.

Blue Blankie

Our newest grandson will arrive soon. When our first grandchild arrived almost ten years ago, I made her 3 quilts. I couldn't decide what to make so I made her a regular  quilt with a flannel back, a summer quilt with no batting, and a heavier quilt. Since then, each grandchild has received 3 quilts upon their birth. This baby boy is our 8th grandchild and most likely the last one but who knows?!?!!

Anyway, since I have been doing a lot of knitting, I decided he needed a very soft, light weight blanket too. The color is blue like this yarn. The photos of the blanket don't show the color very well.

The blanket is about 30" X 38".

  
It is reversible.

This is made from Rauma Babygarn, a washable 100% Norwegian wool. It should be a nice weight year round.

I knit most of this blanket on our winter trip to North Carolina in January. It was a great project to do while we were on the road.

More Snow and A New Lid

We are in Champaign, Illinois where Ray has a meeting twice a year. We came AFTER the storm that went through northern Illinois on Saturday night. More snow - ugh! Now we have a ANOTHER storm going through the same area! Thankfully we have reservations to stay here until tomorrow. So far today in Champaign, we've had heavy snow, sleet, ice, and now more snow.

This year I brought along knitting. I planned to do some shopping today - the important kind - fabric and yarn, but the weather intervened. Ray and I planned to shop when his meeting was over but it looks like we'll just kick back, watch more of the Olympics, and I'll knit.

I had some alpaca left from the vest I made last fall. On Friday, I decided that I should make Ray an alpaca hat.

I was knitting on the way to Champaign and Ray wanted to know if he'd be able to wear the hat home. The answer is yes! 

  
I finished it just a few minutes after Ray came in from his meeting. They ended a little early due to weather. Lots of people are trying to go home and a few, like us, are just staying here.

  

When we leave for home tomorrow, Ray has a super soft, warm new hat to wear. I have plenty of alpaca left - maybe I need a hat too!