More boy stuff

Still researching what makes a baby sweater suitable for a boy baby. Babies of either gender are sweet and cute. Do we treat boy babies differently from girl babies? I've never seen even the most rugged of men, slug a baby on the shoulder, and ask, "How's it goin', buddy?".   However, there does seem to be some unwritten rule about how boy babies ought to reflect their 'boy-ness' in their dress.

Blue is the quintessential colour for boys, right?  Turquoise is a member of the blue family, specifically blue-green. Therefore, this is a boy colour, right? Let's push the envelope and add an appliqué patch for decoration. Are cats OK? Lions are pretty man-ly. Is this happy cat face OK?

I'm still not sure I have a handle on all this. What I do know is that it's fun to knit these little sweaters. I've donated this one to the online auction that the Lyndhurst Feral Cat Project is running right now on Facebook. Proceeds from the auction are going to the Gananoque & District Humane Society who help us so much with our cats. In fact, without the G&DHS, we wouldn't be able to do what we do.

If you're in need of a baby sweater for a boy, size 6 to 9 months, made of washable wool/nylon (or over a 100 other items on offer), please check out the auction page. https://www.facebook.com/LFCPAuction2017   Bidding ends Sunday night, March 5, at 9 pm sharp.

Changing gears

Happy Groundhog Day!

I don't think there's any chance the poor little groundhog will see his shadow here in the Kingdom. It's a snow day here! A good time to recycle a drawing I did a couple of years ago. Just because I can. After all, who makes the rules around here? :)

Snowed in!

And, here's the Little Red Riding Hood baby sweater all finished. The front bands did spro-i-n-g back a bit, but not enough to worry about. I added 3 buttons with loops just as the designer did. The absolute perfect buttons were just sitting in my stash. They've been there for years waiting for their moment.

I used Patons Canadiana. I tried to interest Cassie in modeling it, but she said she was busy. Diva!

Grey Sweater, Blue Bunnies

It's done. I'm in love. Here it is.

Kate was right. The hair conditioner worked its magic, and the sock yarn that was a little bit scratchy is now lovely and soft. Baby soft.

And thanks to Monique (my polymer clay guru), there are now buttons. Monique is very patient and generously answers my newbie questions. She says next time, I can buff my buttons with an electric toothbrush. I can hardly wait to try that!

Size 6 to 9 months. Buttons are 5/8 inch in diameter.

Blue bunnies begun

Baby Grey

Baby Grey, all blocked, waiting for embroidery. Bunnies, anyone?


While we're waiting, I'm going to share what I learned. If you remember, the first top-down baby sweater (Little Birdies) had an edging added. The button bands and the neckline edge and the waist edging were all added last in one continuous circular process. This time, I wanted a more close-fitting neckline, and more of a ribbed looked at the waist. Therefore, I started with the neck ribbing, worked down to the waist ribbing, added the sleeves, and finished them with ribbing. The very last thing to add were the button bands. Only then, did I realize I'd started out the neckline ribbing with the exactly wrong stitch. I had a 50/50 chance of being right. And I was still wrong. I began the ribbing (right side row) with the knit stitch and ended that row with the knit stitch. When I went to add the button bands, those knit stitches got eaten, and I'm left with this weird-looking business. See for yourself:

Another lesson learned. (Why are there are so many of them??!) I will make one more sweater (in pink! of course!) and get this ribbing business figured out for good.

And, for those with extra keen eyesight ..... Yes. I did put buttonholes on both button bands. I intend to sew the buttons over the buttonholes on one side, and then the recipient still has the option to move the buttons to the other band if desired. I'm pretty sure that was originally the great knitter,  Elizabeth Zimmerman's idea. I'm really not that clever.

Shades of Grey

... but probably fewer than 50. :)

Full sun photography. Sorry.

I liked the top down construction of Wee Chickadee. Seems to me to be a good starting point for more exploration. I'm a little concerned about the fibre content required for baby things, but I like the small size. I like the softness of real wool, even though I understand that most people won't appreciate having to take special care with laundering wool. I don't much like acrylic though. That leaves superwash wool which can be a little less soft. However, that's the compromise.

For this sweater, I'm using Manos Artesanas, Camino Color which is a sock yarn made in Peru. It's 74% superwash merino wool and 25% nylon (for durability), and most importantly, it was in my stash waiting for its day in the sun. The label says it can be machine washed (gently) and left to dry flat. It's a lovely mix of dove greys.

Instead of the knitted on edging, I'm going a more traditional route with ribbing at the neck and hem and cuffs. I'm planning to embroider around the neckline. I was thinking bunnies....but maybe geese?  And, of course, I'll need buttons!!

Second Sleeve

In keeping with my plan to show more 'in progress' shots, here's Little Birdies as I get close to finishing the second sleeve. I'm very anxious to see what magic the blocking will provide. I'm hoping I can block it to have more shoulder shape 'cuz I don't think any creature slopes that much....except I suppose the hind end of a German Shepherd, but that's not who I see wearing this sweater.

Little Birdies

So, I've finally figured out that if I wait until I have a finished object to show, we're going to go a long time between posts. Here's what's on my needles right now.

Doesn't look like much, does it? It's actually a pretty faithful reproduction of Wee Chickadee by Ysolda Teague. I want to use this design as a blueprint to make little sweaters with different stranded motifs on the yoke and in different weights of wool. For me, the quickest way to that end, is to really understand the construction, and the easiest way for me to do that is to knit Ysolda Teague's sweater as she intended. It's like going to school to learn the basics. After you graduate, you have the background to spread your wings.

This version is knit in fingering weight yarn. The heathered green is Louet Gems Fingering Weight in a colourway called Baby Willow. The other yarns are all superwash sock yarns chosen so the finished sweater will be easily laundered. 3.25 mm needles. I'm making the size to fit 6 - 9 months.

Duetta's done!

Is it just us? We get an amazing idea and we think we'll just make it happen and then we realize what everyone else has already figured out ... Good Stuff Takes Time. It's always such a surprise to us!

paper pieced chevron yoke on the left, appliquéd hearts on the right

However today we're pleased to announce that the pattern for Duetta, that super sweet baby sweater that we talked about before, is finally ready. We knitted and quilted it. Three times. :) And wrote up the pattern. And then we had our trusty pattern testers knit and quilt it. Thank you to Kate and Annette and Maria!!! And then we tweaked the pattern. And then we knitted and quilted it in a larger size. And then we sent that off to see how it fit. And it was just about perfect!! And then we had the pattern proofread. Thank you to Stephanie! (How many patterns get proofread by someone with degrees in journalism AND education??) Thank you also to Stephanie for the gorgeous baby photography.

So, today, we are confident the pattern's finally ready. We listed it for sale at Craftsy. $5.00 for a .PDF that you can download immediately ... even if it's in the middle of the night and you just have to knit/quilt!!  Here's the link: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/knitting/Clothing/Duetta/13336

9-12 months size  with short sleeves - acrylic yarn - crazy quilted yoke

The pattern now has 3 sizes - 9-12 months, 2 years and 3 years and offers short or long-sleeve variations. It includes full-size templates for the quilted yoke and instructions for making that yoke in appliqué or by paper piecing. A fat quarter and some scraps will be plenty of fabric. 100gr of fingering weight yarn will make the 9-12 month size OR the 2 year size. 100 gr. of DK weight yarn will make the 3 year size.

slightly fuzzy photo of busy 3-year-old! (3/4 length sleeves) - our own simple yoke

It's a small project which goes quickly and makes a great gift.

Today, we're linking up with the Needle and Thread Network for the WIP feature although this is technically not in progress any longer. It's done!! :) Why not click on over and see what other Canadian needleworkers are up to. Every week, we have more and more participants.