Pattern: AntiFreeze by Jenna Adorno
Yarn: Cascade 220, i skein
Needles: sz 5 and sz6
Mods: I chose to rib around the face s it could be easily pulled down under the nose

Pattern: my own. cast on 80 and go go go in 2×2 rib.
Yarn: one 50g ball of something black with no label. It had some cashmere in it, but wasn’t Debbie Bliss. Sorry!
Needles: sz 6

Distraction helps…

After much insistence on a red SQUARE button, a round one was procured without a problem. It’s all about timing.

The sweater grew in length after blocking and fit a little looser than before I soaked it. I was happier with the previous fit, but now it will fit for longer! You can see the details here or on Ravelry…

Say good-bye to Maia for a while… she is hating the camera at the moment.

awkward angle, but best photo of the hat

Pattern: Nottingham by Melissa Mall
Yarn: Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran
Needles: size 8 Lantern Moon and Addi Turbo. Addis blow the Lantern Moon away on this yarn.
Rad Rav Link: greatwhitewong

The yarn is all Rowanspun 4-ply (discontinued), with the exception of the pink, which is Elsabeth Lavold’s Silky Wool. I used size 6 needles throughout. The pattern? It’s an Elizabeth Zimmerman EPS (easy percentage system) sweater. My qualms with this are few, really only that the neck is too small. I’ll be ripping it back next fall and putting some sort of button at the back. The fair Isle pattern is the basic example from Knitting Workshop. It was easy enough, but I messed up one row. Please see my Ravelry for details!

Working fair isle on this larger project was a bit less frustrating for me than attempting in on dpns for mittens. I just am not a dpn gal. I am still working on how to hold the yarn properly. I used both of my hands for this project, but would like to get down to just one.

If I look tired to you it’s because I AM. My New Year’s resolution is to get my eyebrows waxed.

I had two false starts with this sweater and wound up knitting the entire body twice. It wasn’t until I was done with the second knitting that I realized I had made a major boo boo in the stitch pattern for the side panels (I knit reverse st st instead of garter). No way was I going back. Now, I like it better this way! it gives the sweater an eensy bit of negative ease.

Full details can be found on Ravelry, but the main details are that I used Rowan’s Scottish Tweed Aran on size 9 needles. The kitchener under the arms looks great and I used the ends of that yarn to tighten up the pit holes.

Considering my original deadline, without any screw ups, was January 2009, I am really happy it’s complete before the year is out. Jason is very happy with the sweater and I think it looks great on him. I highly recommend this pattern for a man in your life.

PS-don’t even think about skipping the short rows. This is where the magic of the fit lies!

I completed the second Boheme for Maia about a week ago.
Pattern: Boheme by Allegra Wermuth
Yarn: Lamb’s Pride Worsted in Raspberry (2)
Needles: size 7… i think.
Mods: I increased the largest size by 4 stitches and went on my merry way, skipping the lace pattern cuz I am not in good head space for lace these days.
Results?: Great! A little big, which is perfect. I think it will last for a couple of years. Maia LOVES it. I am so so lucky to have a kid who truly appreciates the things I make for her. She even pretends to knit me hats in the car. Because mine always seem to blow away. Oh yea, I got the cute triangle turquoise buttons while visiting the Gleek out in Bay Ridge. The shop had a HUGE selection of buttons, ribbons and other notions. Not to mention fabric and patterns.

I also knit some socks for Cassie–that was a bust.

Pattern: socks with short-row heel (my first, with help). I cast on 36 stitches and did a 3×1 rib.
Yarn: Koigu KPM in a purpley colorway (p324)
Needles: sz 1 magic loop
Results?: note to self–no need to rib the whole thing for a baby. The socks look great, but they are too tight. They’ll be gifted to a skinnier baby sometime this week.

Bonus photos

I’m using a US2 (magic loop) and Araucania Ranco Solid in a gray colorway. I agonized over which two skeins to purchase since they all appeared wildly different, even among dye lots. Hopefully the two socks won’t be too “off”!

Two versions of Saartje bootees in various stages of finishing:

What I am calling a Moonshin scarf. What’s a Moonshin? Well, my mom was a puppeteer when we were little and the Moonshins were a cast of characters that lived on the moon. The colors just reminded me of the sets and puppets in the workshop. In a related story, I once brought four larger than life dinosaurs out to a local bar in my college town. Quite the scene. The scarf pattern is really Flutter Scarf by Miriam Felton (Ravelry link). The yarn is Blue Heron worsted in an unknown colorway.

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Last but not least, a budding sisterly relationship in progress…

Details can be found here on Ravelry. Mod: I did a little seed stitch border to prevent rolling around the bottom at at the cuffs.

Pattern: Ribbed Baby Jacket by Debbie Bliss
Size:b0-3 months
Needle: US 7 / 4.5 mm and US 8 / 5.0 mm
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, 1 skeins in Lime

This pattern is now available for FREE here.