I finished up the granny cowl and I thought my new yarn might motivate me to finish up one more project. It’s crazy, right? I mean how long can I resist the new yarn?
This is Boheme #3. It’s been on hold since before the holidays. Gotta get it done. I do have pics of Boheme #2. I’ll try to post them soon. (Boheme #1 is here.)
I’m excited to finally post pics of this baby sweater. It was a fun little knit, even though I had to rip back a few times in the beginning because of missed buttonholes. (I must be out of practice knitting and watching tv.)
The only thing I changed about the pattern was the picot bind off. I chose a picot hem instead, which lies flatter and feels more finished to me.
My friend Lisa introduced me to Boheme and has knitted up quite a few of them. It really is the perfect three-season sweater: over long sleeves in the Fall, a turtleneck in the Winter and a tank top in the Spring. I’ll definitely be making another one. I’ve see a few feather and fan versions that are really cute.
What’s your favorite baby sweater pattern? Knit or crochet. Share in the comments!
pattern notes: You can find the pattern on Ravelry here. I used some Patons Rio from my stash. I love this yarn and wish it hadn’t been discontinued. I only have two skeins left.
In my creative space today, I’m getting in the rhythm of seaming square after square (after square…). I know I could have crocheted these together as I went along, but I want that nice patchwork-y square look. Plus, it’s always nice to play around with color combinations before putting them together.
What’s in your creative space today? Kirsty is up to something with coffee. I hope it turns out better than my coffee project. Don’t forget to check out all of the lovely spaces while you are there.
In my creative space today is a crazy idea. I’m thinking of making a baby sweater for a shower on Saturday. Yes, this Saturday. (I told you it was crazy.)
It also looks incredibly small. So small, in fact, that I dug out one of my daughter’s infant sweaters for comparison. You know what? It is the right size, and my daughter really was that tiny. Oh, my!
pattern: Every Day is a New Sweater Day from Yarny Days. If you are new to her blog, take a moment and look around. Her work is beautiful!
This week in my creative space I’m unraveling a sweater. I wasn’t planning to buy anymore sweaters. I don’t need anymore yarn. But I saw these little sparkles and all I could think of was a patchwork baby blanket.
I love the primary colors. New parents are always swimming in pastels. Bright colors are a nice change, don’t you think? Plus, take another look at those sparkles!
I’m planning to crochet solid color squares, so this will be the perfect vacation project. (Yes, I’m planning ahead for vacation projects.) I’ll seam them up when they are all finished. It would be easier to join them as I go, but I need a portable project for the plane, the beach, sitting in traffic, etc.
I’m getting pretty good at this unraveling thing. I hardly had any waste yarn — just a bunch of pesky knots at the end of each color change. And even they didn’t go to waste. My daughter took the pile of ends and put them in a bowl for her stuffed dog. He had ramen yarn noodles for lunch.
Make sure to visit more creative spaces over at Kirsty’s blog.
I delivered the Chromium Star baby blanket tonight. I am in love and it was hard parting with it. The pic is before I put it in the wash. It looks even more beautiful once blocked. Would it be weird to make one for myself? I think just a little bit.
I think I can officially say that crochet is faster than knit for me. I finished this in 10 days without really trying too hard. I’m getting ready to start another little blanket, also from a sweater. I’ll have some before pics soon!
recycled: This blanket used to be a sweater. I happened to know the knitter, so I can tell you that the yarn is Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. It washes (gentle cycle in cold) and dries (on low) beautifully.
Don’t forget to visit Kirsty’s blog to see what all the crafty peeps have going on in their spaces.
It occurred to me last night after I posted the pic of my swatch that a before shot would have been nice. How else would you be able to tell that the stitch definition had been lost?
I crocheted another one last night and remembered to take a “before” shot this time. The second swatch was washed in cold. It also felted. Except that it didn’t shrink. Before and after are the same size and shape. Maybe “felted” is the wrong term.
It’s like the yarn is blooming. It’s incredibly soft. I’m starting to think I might even like it. I’m going to wash it again — maybe a few times — to see how it holds up. What’s more important to a newborn: soft and cuddly or nice stitch definition? I’m thinking soft and cuddly.
I usually don’t swatch. When I do, it’s never the 4×4 inch square I’m supposed to make. Mine are small. Calling them 2×2 inches is generous. Usually gauge doesn’t matter for a lot of the items I make.
Last week I made a swatch, not to check gauge, but to check the yarn label’s claim: machine washable and dryable. 100% virgin wool. Keyword that was missing: superwash. I put the swatch in with some linens on the warm setting. It didn’t felt that much, but a lot of the stitch definition has disappeared. I’m going to try another swatch washed in cold. After that, I’ll be stash diving for some cotton.
vintage yarn: I am in love with the color blue of this yarn. I read somewhere that a lot of wool used to contain recycled bits, so that’s why so many of the vintage yarns say 100% “virgin” wool. I can’t help but giggle when I read it. Apparently I have the sense of humor of a twelve-year-old.
When my daughter was born, we received a sweet elephant Baby Gund blanket as a gift. It’s super soft and cuddly. It’s also pretty small.
The other day I asked her what she wanted to do with it. She definitely wasn’t ready to part with it, so I suggested making it into something else. Something else that might get used, like a pillow.
She loved the idea! Especially when I told her she could help. If you have one of these and are looking to turn it into something for a big girl or boy, it’s easy.
Step 1
Using a seam ripper, open up about 2-3 inches of stitches on the side.
Step 2
Stuff it with polyfil, starting with the legs first and working your way toward the middle. This is a great step for your child to help. My daughter LOVED doing the stuffing.
Step 3
Close up the side with a blind stitch.
reshape: I love it when my daughter gets excited about working on a project with me. She adores the pillow and is proud to say she helped out. I think we just added a few more years to Ellie’s life with us.
I spent more time thinking about this project than actually sewing it. I guess I was being extra careful with it because of all of the handwork. It’s not like I could go out and buy new fabric if I messed something up.
Here were my concerns:
Here were my solutions:
I learned a lot putting this project together. I’m glad I took the time to think things through. I’m also happy that I had my serger to make things easier!
