Baby Knitting and a Big Announcement!!

Hello All-

So early yesterday morning, my big brother and my wonderful sister-in-law had a baby!!!  I am so happy for them and our Christmas trip home to New England cannot come fast enough!!!

In several posts, I mentioned that I was knitting some goodies that I couldn't share just yet.  Well, now that the little guy has arrived, I can share what I made for them.

First up is this little number I made to honor my brother's obsession with the Red Sox.  I call is "Little Slugger", and I used the Presto Chango pattern and did a stockinette panel.  Then I used a chart and duplicate stitched the "B".  I tried doing colorwork, but it ended up pulling too tightly and looked awful. 

I also made a second panel in moss stitch for the off-season. 

To match the set, I made a plain baby hat with the same moss stitch edge.  I think it all came out quite well.

Next, I made this pullover that I call, Shades of Blue.  The yarn I used was Berroco Ultra Alpaca Tonal, and it knit like a dream!!!  I plan to use this same yarn for another project soon!!!



I thought this one was the cutest thing when I knit it up.  I have to see if I took any photos of it with the wooden buttons I put on it.  I have had the Cascade Yarns Lana D'oro Tweed in my stash for ages now and it has always screamed "Grandpa Sweater" to me.  So, that's what I made!!

These next two sweaters I made a while back and sent them to my brother when they first announced that they were expecting. 

I don't know why I love making mini versions of old man sweaters, but to me they are the cutest thing on baby boys!!

Finally, here's the project I am the most proud of.  Years ago I was given my Memere's prized sewing machine.  In an attempt to learn how to use it, I pieced together the top to a quilt, perfect for a baby boy.  I even had denim cut to size for the back.  The problem?  Once I got it pieced, I had no idea how to quilt it.  Fast forward to this summer.  My Mom visited us in Calgary, and I thought she might be able to show me how to finish the quilt so I could send it to my brother. 

We worked at it for a few days and sure enough, with my Mom's help, I learned how to tie and bind a quilt!!  This project means so much since there are three generations involved.  My brother and my Memere were always quite close, so I know that he appreciates the connection to her.

So there you have it.  A whole bunch of projects that were all made for Baby Tyler.  Welcome to the family little guy!!!

Happy Crafting!

Sharon

Sweater Needs a Home...

Morning!!

Well, another sweater is done!! I finished this little guy at about 1:30 AM...yup, you read that right...AM! I tried a new bind off method, and though it looks good, it took FOREVER!!! Oh well...

This pattern is Baby Sophisticate, and I made it in (I think) 0-3 month size...maybe a bit bigger. It took me about 2 days to start and finish...gotta love size 9 needles!!! I used some leftover Vanna's Choice yarn from my stash...just about 2 skeins of it.

I used a few new techniques on this pattern. The first was a backwards loop increase instead of the typical M1 or kfb. Also, this is my first seamless sweater! The only seams were to close up the tiny little holes that were left under the arms near where I used dpns to knit the sleeves. Not bad too shabby. Finally, the bind off method that I used was a sew-off binding. It uses a sewing needle to stitch the binding. When it is done, it resembles the look of a long-tail cast on...or so I have read!!! (I only know how to cast on one way)

so, all in all, my two biggest complaints about this sweater are...1) purling in the round on dpns! The edges of the sleeves are done in garter stitch, on dpns. I had never purled on dpns before, and I likely will never do it again! I just couldn't get my stitches tight enough, and I think they look a tad sloppy because of this. 2) The bind off took a long time to do. Had it been faster, I would surely consider this method more often. Perhaps if there weren't so many stitches, it wouldn't be so bad??

So, here's the problem...I have no baby to give this to. Who knew I would ever start a finished object stash?? Considering that I have always had issues with finishing things, this is quite a shock!! I had originally planned to give this to a childhood friend who is having a baby this spring, but she is due in May, and it will likely be too warm for this bad boy. (She's going to be getting a blanket instead...I still have to pick a pattern/start on it!) My friend Cara is coming over this afternoon with her little guy...I told her that if it fits Baby Jack, he can have it. Though I think he'd look super cute in it (he looks cute in everything!), he is a 3 month old chunker, and probably won't be able to squeeze all of his cuteness into it!!

Speaking of this afternoon, Cara and Tamara are coming over for some Girl Time this afternoon! Cara is going to put my ball winder to good use, and Tamara is going to get me going on my spinning wheel. That, along with some gushing over Baby Jack, should make for a fun afternoon!!!

Well, I'm off to glaze the Danish Puffs that I made for us to munch on...

Have a great Sunday!!!

Cheers!

Sharon