‘Round and ’round Widdershins

I had last night off, so I put in some real knitting time on my socks. (Don’t worry; I took breaks to keep from making my hands miserable… Time will tell if those breaks were frequent and long enough. And I’ll tell you, of course, in my next post.)

Here’s where they are now:

Flash-free and a little fuzzy, but pretty, no? Yes!

Right now, they measure 4.5″, which is about 1.5″ shy of the beginning of the heels. The pattern is written with a heelflap, but I’ll probably do short-row heels. I just like the look of them better. And I’ve already done that method a few times, so it’ll be more mindless than figuring out the heelflap thingy.

That’s all for now, kittens. Have a t’riffic Friday!

Sock time

Here’s a really fuzzy cellphone picture of the start of a pair of toe-up socks, my newest project. Can you guess which pattern?

Did you guess Widdershins? I’ll bet you did!

On my 45-minute break last night, I got through Judy’s Magic Cast-on and one increase round. Not much progress, but the beginning on these things is always the futziest and slowest part, right? Right.

I look forward to getting finished with the toe increases on my break tonight and then, who knows, maybe I’ll get into the actual patterning Wednesday morning after work. (I’m not holding my breath on that prediction, but it could happen. Theoretically. Right? Right. Ahem.)

The yarn is Panda Superwash by Crystal Palace Yarns. It’s bamboo, superwash wool and nylon. The colorway is called Stonewash. And I’m using a US size 00 circ.

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Still hoping for some feedback on the hat from my previous post. Lemme know what you think, ‘kay? ‘Kay.

 

Yes? No?

So I made the hat part of Kate Gilbert’s Peapod Baby Set, in the smallest size, and here’s how it came out:

I’m just not sure…

I’m calling it the Spring peapod hat, as it’s meant to accompany the Spring autumn leaves cardi and the Spring baby janes (my two immediately previous FOs).

It’s cute, but I’m not sure the leaf motif is distinct enough to look deliberate. And, no, I can’t block it out… it’s a soy blend. To make it easier to see, and with no baby at hand, I posed it on a rolled-up towel.

So I’m turning it over to the court of your opinion: give it as part of the set or find a different pattern? And if you vote for a different pattern, feel free to suggest one. But please make sure it has easily visible leaves and isn’t too lacy. Thank you for your input.

… next?

I’m thinking of making the hat from the Pea Pod set by Kate Gilbert to go along with the light-green sweater and booties I just made.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

As you wish, my lady

The lady being Valerie Johnson and the wish being that I make her Baby Janes pattern (free via this link) to make a pair of booties to match my just-completed Spring autumn leaves cardi.

Here’s a photo of the shoes:

Why, yes, I do stuff! Tissues are my friends.

As you guessed, they’re posed on the cardi itself.

I took a not-so-close-up shot, too, so you can see the set better. Check it out:

Pretty, yes? Why, thank you! I think so, too.

The pair took around 31 yards to knit and, luckily, I had two more of the same buttons I used on the cardi. The packet of heart-shaped buttons in assorted colors that included these has exactly 5 of each color included. Whew!

 

It’s infant-sized!

The size question has been answered once and for all. The spring autumn leaves toddler cardi I thought I was making is, in fact, sized for an infant… and a not-very-big one at that!

The length was, of course, up to me, as the cardi is knit from the top down and I could make it as long as I wanted and/or had yarn for… and I still have 3+ skeins of it left. No, the deciding factor was the circumference around the chest, under the arms. That measurement: 16 inches, so it definitely won’t fit a toddler… or even a larger baby.

I finished the knitting a couple of days ago and let it marinate, while I tried to figure out what buttons to use. Here are the final four possibilities, posed on the sweater, of course:

Buttons, buttons, everywhere.

Each of the buttons is 1/2″, I believe.

I ruled out the pearly ones pretty quickly, as they feel rather more “old lady” than “baby girl.” The hubs thought they were not quite right either, given the probable recipient’s fashion sense and lifestyle.

I almost used the round ones that match the cardi’s color so perfectly, but finally decided I wanted the buttons to “pop” and not blend, so they were out.

That left the metallic hearts and the darker green hearts. I went back and forth on it several times, unable to decide.

Which did I choose?

See for yourself:

Ta-da!

I still have half a skein of this yarn left from the two I allocated for this sweater, so I’ll probably make booties or a hat to accompany the cardi… once I find a pattern that would suit. Any ideas?

Still needs sleeves

The Autumn Leaves cardi, which I’m calling the Spring Autumn Leaves cardi, on account of it being knit in spring and in a lovely light green yarn, is nearing completion. Here’s a photo I took of it before this morning’s knitting session:

Sweet!

Since taking this photo, I added another 8 rows to the bottom and did the six rows of moss stitch that comprise the bottom border. All that remains is to knit the two (short) sleeves and add the buttons. After checking out a bunch of the FO shots of this project on Ravelry, I decided to put buttons only in the yoke section, rather than down the whole front.

I’m working a little OT later tonight and my usual shifts Monday and Tuesday nights, and the sweater is still a couple of knitting sessions away from complete, so it may be Wednesday before the KIP becomes an FO. As usual, I’ll let you know… and provide photographic evidence.

Hope your weekend was productively lazy… or lazily productive… whichever you needed most.

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A short review of the new Avengers movie: so much fun! And a hint: stay for the two (!) extra scenes at the end… one about midway through the credits and the other at the very end. You won’t be sorry.