let there be knitting

Recently, MadMad published a post on her blog in which she admitted to sometimes possibly not being a perfect knitter. Now, I'm not one to judge, but honestly, I can't figure out where she's coming from. Take my knitting, for instance. Early on in this pregnancy, I took a hiatus from all things woolen, as I was too tired to even contemplate picking up the needles. More recently, though, I've had a bit more energy and have of course devoted that to housework. No, I'm just kidding. I devoted the extra energy to knitting, of course! Care to see what I've been up to?

First, I made the Baby Cargo Pants from Knitty, and while I did not take the time to check my gauge, I think they came out okay (if a little smaller than I would have liked, but that's my own fault for tempting the knitting goddess, right?).

(I apologize for the darkness of all the pictures in this post. I really have to start taking my knitting pics during the day.)

Project Specs-
Pattern: Baby Cargo Pants from Knitty
Yarn: Di.Ve' Zenith (an incredibly soft, squishy merino that I absolutely love and which happens to be on sale at Webs right now!
Started: June 3, 2008
Finished: June 18, 2008
Comments: The pattern calls for cargo pockets to be added, but I decided to wait until the baby's born. If it's a boy, I'll add pockets, if it's a girl, I'll probably embroider little flowers or something. Also, the original pattern calls for elastic to be added to the waistband, but I used ribbon instead.
I love this pattern because it's the first time I got to make a hem. If you haven't tried this, I highly recommend it. It is way cool.
Next up, a winter bunting-thingey for the new baby. I knew going in to this that there were quite a few problems with this pattern, including some with gauge, so I actually knit a gauge swatch, followed the errata listed on Ravelry and proceeded to knit. I even knit both legs at once, because surely the knitting goddess, who smiled favorably upon my last project even though I so blatantly disregarded any notion of gauge, would be benevolent once more, since I had actually knit a gauge swatch this time.

Of course, you know what happened.

I got almost halfway done with the front when I finally faced the fact that the dern thing was a bit too small. Just a little, mind you, as this picture shows.
'Cause newborns generally have 4 1/2 inch legs, right?

Yep, that one got frogged. I swear I'll try again, though. I mean, the kid has to wear something in the cold. Plus I really like the yarn, the legendary Cascade 220 (which I bought at Webs during their awesome, spectacular spring sale, the same day I saw the Yarn Harlot and got to meet a bunch of bloggy friends in person).

While I gathered my courage to figure out what the hell went wrong with the baby bunting (I mean I had a gauge swatch, people!) I decided to start Magic Baby's winter jacket, since he so rudely outgrew the last one I made for him.

I'm using Cascade Ecological Wool and Zoe Mellor's Robin Hood pattern. The yarn (which I also purchased on that wonderful trip to Webs) is much softer than I originally thought, which is good. It was also a really great price (ah, Webs, how I love thee) and since it's 100% wool, should definitely be warm enough for the boy. The pattern itself is all cabley (interesting without being too confusing for a pregnant woman to follow) and I really really like it. (My original plan was to knit myself a Central Park Hoodie so we'd sort of match but not too much- that would be creepy. I think I'll wait 'til next year, though, as I am roughly the size of a small country at the moment and refuse to knit anything for myself using my current proportions.)

The back knit up nicely.

As did the front left panel, and most of the front right (which is where I am at the mo').

I am now at the point where I'm almost out of yarn. See, when I originally bought it at Webs, I got enough to make the jacket if I used one strand of the yarn at a time, but when I knit the gauge swatch (there I go again, being all proper in my knitting) I found out that I actually had to use two strands held together. Now, most of you in a similar circumstance may have come to the conclusion that you needed to order more yarn before you were this far into the project, but I was in denial for a bit. Now, though, I'm almost done with the right front side and have maybe half a ball left. I'm guessing that's not enough to make two sleeves and a hood, so I'm going to go ahead and order that extra yarn now. Yep, I'm nothing if not proactive.

While I'm waiting for the order to come in, let me clue you in on some "design elements" I inadvertently added to the pattern.

Notice anything?

See how the left-side button band is ribbed and the right is moss stitch? Well in the original pattern, they were supposed to match. Where's the fun in that, though? Instead, I figured I'd misread the pattern entirely get a little funky with it and hope to god the ribbing doesn't stretch too much because there's no way I'm dropping and reknitting all those stitches.

Also, I decided that instead of casting off the shoulders and sewing them together later, I'd just use the three-needle bind off. I'm really proud of how that worked.

Did you know you're supposed to work the three-needle bind off on the wrong side of the knitting? Yeah, that'll need to be fixed, although it did make a very straight line of stitches.

In conclusion, I'd like to tell my dear friend MadMad that she should hang in there with her knitting and not consider herself a failure just because she made one sweater that looks like a cat hacked furballs all over it. I mean, with enough time and patience, she too could be knitting up such wonders as The Baby Bunting of Tom Thumb and The Mismatched Winter Jacket With The Painfully Obvious Seam. I'm living proof that any knitter can be a good knitter. All it takes is a little practice.

Seriously, are those for the same kid?!

knitting (and family) update

Thanks a ton for all the good wishes you've all sent! Magic Baby is doing fine; he figured out how to climb on the couch with the cast today, he has decided it's cool to drive his Hot Wheels cars on the cast, and he told me the day after he got said cast that he likes the noise it makes when he hits it against the wall.

So, um, things are pretty much back to normal here. Except that Hubby and are have become slightly paranoid. Before this, it never bothered either of us that Magic Baby had a tendency to fall a lot, but now every time he stumbles our hearts are in our throats. I think this is why I've been so tired all week. The constant worry is getting to me, and I've tried to let some of it go, but it's really hard to do that with the lovely cast as a constant reminder. Also, I haven't really left Magic Baby alone at all. Not that I would leave him for long periods of time or anything (although there was that one time I did the marketing while he played in the kitchen. He was fine, though- and let me tell you that kid makes a mean souffle if you give him time). But before I at least felt comfortable using the bathroom or checking my blog while he was occupied in the living room. Now I'm convinced that the second I turn my back he's going to catapult himself off the furniture again. (My question is: Am I too paranoid now, or was I too lax then?) What this means is I've put him in his crib every time I've had too pee. Also, in case you haven't noticed, I've let my blogging slip. Every night I promised myself I'd get to the comments you all so nicely posted, and then every night Magic Baby would fight about falling asleep, and I'd pass out right after he did- around 10 or so. Basically, this is my long-winded way of apologizing for neglecting you all, again. I really appreciate all the great stuff you've said, though, and I'm going to try really hard to respond more quickly this time. As long as Hubby's home. Or the boy's in that bubble I ordered for him.

And now, on to happy things!

Before the whole broken arm fiasco, I was actually pretty productive in my knitting. Want to see?

Pattern - Liam Sweater by Just Jussi

Yarn - Lily Sugar'n Cream Cotton Solid in green (about 3 skeins)

Needles - US 6

Size made - 2 Toddler

Started - February 10th-ish, 2008

Finished (and by finished I mean still needs buttons and eyes for the sheep) - March 7th, 2008

Made for - the Testing Pool Group on Ravelry

I love this pattern. It was really easy, but if you're not a fan of garter stitch consider yourself warned: There's a ton of it here, but as the finished project is so darn cute, it's totally worth it! And it has sheep!

Cute (not-yet-sewn-on) buttons, no?

Those sheep are kind of creepy without their eyes, aren't they?

Pattern - Felted Guitar Strap

Yarn - Paton's Merino in black and red (about 1/2 - 3/4 skein each)
Needles - US 13
Size made - fwicked long
Started - February 22, 2008
Finished - February 25, 2008
Made for - Magic Baby

This was the first time I ever knit on a bias, and it was pretty cool. This pattern was also ridiculously easy and fast to knit, which may be why it ended up being much longer than it needs to. I would recommend actually having the guitar in hand before knitting this, as it is supposed to attach to the instrument by knobby things Magic Baby's guitar does not actually have. This means I have to figure out how to attach it. Then again, as Magic Baby is one-handed at the moment, he's not exactly going to be playing concerts anytime soon.

Pre-felting

Knitting on a bias = cool diagonals

Post-felting and still ridiculously long

Pattern - Pirate Sweater by Zoe Mellor

Yarn - Baruffa Merinos Sei in black (about 4 skeins), Baruffa Merinos Sei in white (about 2 1/2 skeins), Filatura Di Crosa Zara in red (about 2 1/2 skeins)
Needles - US 7
Size made - 8 Child
Started - January 2008
Finished - (and by finished I mean still needs to be put together) March 6, 2008
Made for - Big Sister

I've also done some knitting since 'the incident' because while it's true you can't wrap kids in wool to protect them from getting hurt, you sure can wrap their hurts in wool to show your love.

Pattern - K2P2 Rib Cast Warmer (made up as I went along; stripes added as I got bored)

Yarn - Baruffa Merinos Sei in black, Filatura Di Crosa Zara in red (leftover from Pirate Sweater)Needles - US 7
Started - March 3, 2008
Finished - March 5, 2008
Made for - Magic Baby

I treated this with Lanolin to make it water-resistant (like they do with cloth diaper covers). I hope it works, but at least it will keep the cast clean, remind Magic Baby that I love him and look cute.

Okay. That's it for actual knitting, but in all the recent madness (illness, vacation, injury), I forgot to mention something cool. The new Yarnival came out a few weeks ago and my sock post was in it! Yay! I'm so excited! (And thanks for suggesting I submit it, MadMad!)

*Sigh* I think that's everything. I know this is a really long post, but that's what I get for neglecting my blogging duties for so long. I promise I'll try to be better from now on. Really. (Hey, did anyone catch that I said "duties"?)

knitting update

Since I finished Magic Baby's Little Star Sweater on Christmas Eve, I have felt guilty that I haven't made a sweater for Big Sister yet. (She wants me to make her the Pirate Sweater by Zoe Mellor.) And because of the nagging guilt (which was present the entire time I worked on my Toe-Up Hederas... although I knit those anyway), I have been reluctant to cast on anything else. Like that Swingy Tank I'm going to make out of the yummy CashSilk I bought at Webs. (That one's for me.) And the Central Park Hoodie I'm going to knit out of the Nature Wool I bought at Webs. (That one is also for me.) Yeah, those projects were far too guilt-inducing to even be contemplated in the past month, and all because I needed to get my arse to a lys and buy some nice red merino. Now, usually, my arse would have had no problem getting to a lys, but I promised to go on a yarn diet at the beginning of the year and had already broken that resolution. With a trip to Webs. (The second in two weeks, during which I purchased an entire sweaters-worth of yarn. For, um, me.) Needless to say, I was a bit hesitant about entering another yarn store where I would probably be overcome by fumes yet again and lose complete track of my spending. And then my husband did something amazing. He volunteered to take me to a yarn store. You know, just to look. (Clearly, the man has never been yarn shopping.) And so we went this weekend to Fresh Purls in Providence (which is, coincidentally right down the street from my favorite vegetarian restaurant, Garden Grille) and I got some red merino. When I got home (and during a certain football game), I started on the back of the sweater.

At first, I wasn't sure about the red. I was trying to find a bright red and the only thing Fresh Purls had in the right weight was more of a wine-red, but now that I've seen it with the black, I like it a lot. Unfortunately, the back of the sweater is just plain stockinette stitch. 120 rows of plain stockinette stitch. And I was getting bored (after the game, of course). So, I took a break and checked out Ravelry, where I stumbled upon a group called The Testing Pool. The way this group works is, people who have designed their own patterns post messages on the group, asking if anyone wants to try out a new pattern they've made, and any Raveler can agree to try it. While you knit the pattern, you make notes on any discrepancies or errors you find and you let the designer know. (You also take lots of pictures, but as this has become a natural step in the knitting progress for those of us with blogs, it's not really a big deal to me. ) Out of sheer desperation at knitting 9600 stitches in stockinette, I joined the group and volunteered to try out two projects. One is this really cute baby sweater (called Liam) which I haven't started yet but plan to in the next few days. The other is this

It's a teeny-tiny Mushroom from the Mario video games and it is super cute. It's also really small, which you might be able to tell from the picture. (Especially if I tell you I don't have ginormous hands. Which is true, even though the picture seems to show otherwise.) It's knit on size 0 needles with fingering-ish weight yarn (I don't know what kind of yarn it is. The pattern designer sent it to me.) and I'm having a lot of fun knitting it. I've decided I like the Testing Pool group for a few reasons. First, I think it's cool to try out patterns for other people. They're trying to market the patterns somehow, and they need someone to make sure the pattern actually works and I feel somehow useful being that person. Second, I get to pick which patterns I want to knit, so I can just choose to knit ones I like and would probably knit up anyway (like the Liam sweater) or ones that are quick (like the Mario Mushroom). That way, I get to knit what I want while at the same time helping someone else. It's a win-win situation! The only problem I've encountered is what to do with a pattern I like and agree to knit but have no one to give it to (like the Liam sweater which won't be big enough for Magic Baby). I could hold on to it and wait until someone I know has a use for it, or I could donate it. I haven't decided, but I guess that's okay since I haven't started yet, either! Oh and there's also the guilt issue again. I would feel terrible if I finished a sweater for a nonexistent baby before I made one for my own daughter. I'm hoping that once I finish the back part of the Pirate Sweater, I'll be less bored by the project, because the skull chart should be fun (right?). And if I'm not bored, I'm more inclined to work on it so I should have it finished in no time. Plus the Liam sweater is row upon row of garter stitch, which is even more boring than stockinette, so the Pirate sweater will be positively thrilling by comparison! At least, that's what I'm hoping. (I'm also hoping that a fabulous pattern, like oh maybe the Central Park Hoodie doesn't try to lure me away from the Knitting That Needs To Be Done with its promise of cables and other knitting joys.) I'll let you know how my delusions (and self-restraint) hold out.

my weekend

Anyone reading this who actually knows my grandmother probably thinks she is a kind, sweet woman. I'm here to tell you different: She is an enabler. An enabler of the worst kind. I know this seems harsh, but let's look at the facts, shall we?
As reported on this blog, I went to Webs last week. My grandmother (a knitter) knew this and urged me to call her when I got home. Being the wonderful granddaughter I am, I did just that. I shared with her the wondrous experience we'd had at the Yarn Bonanza That Is Webs. I told her everything I'd bought, and I shared with her that, per my usual m.o., I'd spent way more money than I had intended.
Then, on Friday night, do you know what she did? She called me and invited me to go with her to Webs the next day. And she did so, knowing full well it was the last day of their Fantastic Sale. My response? Considering I knew I was already over my yarn budget for the month? And taking in the fact that Jen and I swore to go on yarn diets the minute we returned from Webs last weekend? What did I tell Grandma? Come on, this is Webs, people. Of course I told her I would go, but I promised myself I would only buy a little more CashSilk. Just a skein or two, to make sure I had enough for the Swingy Tank I want to make with it. Plus, I reasoned with myself, Grandma had never been to Webs before and she would need someone to "show her the ropes" (or "the yarn" as the case may be). (Forget for a moment that last week was my first trips to Webs, and I went without a Webs Expert and I did just fine. I'll admit I was grasping at straws for a reason to go, but really I was trying to rationalize my second trip to the Knitting Mecca in less than two weeks. Cut me some slack.)
So, yeah, Grandma, her friend and I got to Webs, whereupon it is revealed to me that Grandma's friend (a life-long knitter) has Never. Made. Herself. A. Sweater. Never. I quickly set about rectifying this, plying her with the nicest, softest wool I could find, convincing her she could do it and making sure she had enough yarn for the pattern she chose. While she was deciding on a color, I went to look for the CashSilk. Webs, it turns out, didn't have any left in the color I had already bought, which was fine (really, I probably already had enough at home. I was only buying more to be on the safe side). I decided, in light that discovery, that I could allow myself to buy a small amount of another yarn. Enough to make a hat, or maybe some Fetchings, but no more. I was disciplining myself. Of course I could walk out of Webs with only a skein or two. Knitting doesn't control me that much.

At this point, I lost complete track of what happened. I do vaguely recall debating between some Araucania Nature Wool at $4.99 for 240 yards and Elsebeth Lavold Classic AL at $3.49 for 109 yards. I remember leaning towards the Nature Wool, because while it was not quite as soft as the other (which is a wool/ alpaca blend), it was definitely the more economical of the two. I also sort of remember my Grandmother pushing the alpaca on me (See? I told you she's an enabler). The next time I was fully conscious was when I was leaving the store. With enough of this

to make myself a Central Park Hoodie. What can I say? I am a weak, weak woman and the combination of being at Webs and having a willing Yarn Pusher at my disposal was just too much. I succumbed to all that is Woolen. But at least I'll get a hoodie out of the deal!!

I feel, in the interest of full disclosure, that I should report that people in the area of the cash register at the time I was allegedly making my purchase have said that I, upon learning the Nature Wool was $3.49 a hank, not the original $4.99 I thought, immediately bought two more hanks of it. All I can say is I have 7 hanks of it all together. I have no idea if the reports of me "eagerly rushing back to the warehouse" and "running through the store squealing while triumphantly holding two hanks of wool above my head and humming the 'Chariots of Fire' theme" are true.
Also, to be completely honest... when I got in the car and came to my senses, I realized (somehow) two skeins of that CashSilk I had originally gone in for had made its way into my bag. And it was the right color. And the right dye lot. I have absolutely no clue what it was doing there, but I thought it best to bring it home and show it some love. Gracious of me, I know.

Anyway, there you have the reasoning behind my allegations regarding my grandmother. Clearly, all my yarn buying was her fault. I have no responibility in the matter whatsoever.

The rest of my day went like this: After Webs, Hubby and I met some friends at a local gaming store so he could buy some Dungeons and Dragons stuff. This means two things. First, I immediately felt less guilty about bringing home more yarn, as it is common knowledge that Hubby has way more for D&D than I do for knitting. Second, having gone to both the Knitting Capital of The World and The Biggest Gaming Store in The State of Massachusetts in the same day, I am officially the biggest geek ever, which I kind of already knew. Still, it's good to have confirmation of these things.

And now, I would like to take this opportunity to express my eternal gratitude to my husband for taking care of Magic Baby twice so I could go to Webs. It was fabulous of him. He says he doesn't mind and he'd do it again in a heartbeat. He's so sweet like that! Btw, did anyone else hear a rumor that Webs has another sale around April...

knitted goodness given

Now that the holidays are over, I can share with the world all the knitted mystery gifts I made! First up: knithulhu for Hubby, which Magic Baby adores. I'd like to point out this is the kid who is afraid of every doll and stuffed animal he's ever encountered. Except this green, tentacled thing. Personally, I think it's because he knows good knitting when he sees it. (It's made from an online pattern with Patons Merino Wool.)

Next up, a Blue Hills hat, also for Hubby, which he requested and will wear for work (he does construction). (The pattern is from knitty and the yarn is Knitpicks Wool of the Andes hand-dyed black/grey variegated.)

I also made three (yes, three) of brooklyntweed's Hemlock Ring blankets. Two (one for my mom and the other for one of my grandmothers) are hand-dyed Wool of the Andes from Knitpicks. The third (which I actually knit first) is a wonderfully soft angora/wool blend. I bought a ton of this yarn when a lys was closing a few months ago, and my original intention was to knit all three blankets with it. Then I started knitting and remembered I'm allergic to rabbits. Yeah, so that's why the other two were made with a different yarn. That's also why the angora one, while very soft, is also very very small. (As in, when I blocked it, it fit on a towel.) I got to a point where I just could not knit with it anymore. I tried wearing a mask and everything. I've heard of people who are allergic to wool using rubber gloves when they knit, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that. Thus, the grandmother who received the angora foot warmer/decorative couch thingey (as I called it) also got some scratch lottery tickets. (She is not allergic to rabbits, by the way.) Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the (tiny) angora Hemlock Ring, but here are some pics of the Wool of the Andes ones.

For my dad, I made a felted book cover from an original pattern. I have to actually sew it into a cover still, but for that I need his book, so here's a shot of it blocked but not yet covering a book. (This was made with Paton's Merino wool, too. The picture is a hawk. Don't ask. It's a Dungeons & Dragons thing, and trust me, you don't want to know.)

Also finished in time for Christmas was Magic Baby's Little Star Sweater by Zoe Mellor from the book Adorable Knits for Tots: 25 Stylish Designs for Babies and Toddlers. (The yarn is Lion Brand's Cotton-Ease.) I cut it close on this one, but it was done in time and he looked really cute in it. See?

I really like her patterns. In fact, one of the next things I'll be knitting is a version of her Pirate Sweater modified to fit my seven-year-old. I bought the yarn for it at Webs this week... but for details of that trip, you'll have to wait until my next post!

Lastly, I'd like to share my Mini Weasley Sweater Ornaments from Alison Hansel's book Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter. I made one for each of my kids, and on Christmas Eve, I hung them on their stockings. Big Sister came downstairs Christmas morning, saw the ornaments, turned to me and yelled, "Look what Santa made us! SANTA KNITS!!" Who knew the guy had so much free time?

(Although you can't really tell from the pictures, both are the same maroon and gold colors any true Gryffindor would wear.)

Knitting-related goodies were not only given, but also received. I promise to give more information on that (as well as what I bought at Webs) the next time I post. Until then, Happy New Year!

i did it!

Thirty posts in thirty days. Not bad for a beginner! Yay, NaBloPoMo!

In the knitting department, I have some FOs to report. My three Wine Cozies are pretty much done. (Finally.)

(They're three different colors, cream, red and cranberry. Not that you can tell that from the pictures. Sorry.)

I'm going to duplicate stitch the recipients' initials on the front, but I don't want to post pictures of that in case they read my blog. In other knitting-related news, Jen and I went dye-happy again today.

That's eight skeins of wool drying in my kitchen. I hope to knit them up into two Hemlock Rings, which I'm giving as Christmas gifts. Earlier today I was rechecking my list of holiday gifts left to knit, and I realized it might all actually be doable this year. Really, other than the two Hemlock Rings (which admittedly are pretty substantial), I've only got a few minor projects. Not that I should say anything, lest I anger the knitting goddess, but I think I'm doing all right this year. Of course, there are still 25 days left 'til Christmas. This means there's plenty of time to knit, yes... but there's also plenty of time for things to go wrong. Only time will tell I guess; I'll keep you posted!

my first dye job

I have officially taken my knitting obsession to a whole new level. Tonight, after Magic Baby was asleep, I headed over to Jen's house for a yarn dyeing party! (Yeah, we're cool like that.) Here's how it went.
We started with Knit Picks Bare - Peruvian Highland Wool yarn.




Which we placed in a large pot of boiling water, vinegar and Jacquard Acid Dye.

After half an hour or so, we drained and spun the yarn.

Then we wrung it out and hung it to dry, and viola! What once was undyed yarn is now black. How cool is that?

We dyed some yarn orange, too, but we didn't take any pictures except this one:

Yeah, Jen might want to wear gloves next time... and you know there will be a next time, because as I said, we're cool like that.

wine bottle cozies

I've been following Knitty's Wine Bottle Cozy pattern diligently for what seems like six years now, and I still haven't finished. True, I'm knitting three of them at once (I know if I did them one at a time I'd never be able to bring myself to cast on the second, let alone the third), but they really seem to be taking an inordinate amount of time. We're talking hours and hours of stockinette. Yeah. I think what makes this even worse is that I thought I was done two days ago. The pattern says to do a 3X3 rib for 3 inches then (and I've cut and pasted this part) "Work in St st until work measures 8 inches" so I did. I then did the funky (read: pain in the arse) ridge row and all the decreases. Three times, because I'm knitting three cozies, remember? Then I looked at it. Really looked at it. And thought, "There is no way in hell this is going to fit a freakin' wine bottle." At this point (something like 2 a.m., because I was so close to finishing I couldn't sleep) I realized there is an error in the pattern. It should read "Work in St st for 8 inches." Because 8 inches total is way too small for a wine bottle, but 8 inches plus the three inches of ribbing? Perfect. Anyway, I had to frog all that hard work- all the way back to before the stupid ridge, and since then I have been wearing my little fingers out on stockinette. See?

At this point, I think I'm nearly done (hopefully for real this time), and I'm determined to finish the 8 inches before I go to sleep. No ridge row tonight, though. This pattern has already proven that I do idiotic things when I knit tired. I mean, really, I totally should have realized that 8 inches was ridiculously small for a wine bottle. It's all this Christmas knitting. It messes with my head.

craft fair report... sort of

Okay, I promised Jen she could tell the blogosphere all about the craft fair, and really I see no point in making you read the same account twice, so there's not much for me to post. I will tell you two things, however.


1. We kinneared this woman:

(May I also say she had matching fun fur boots. Does this give you any indication of the crowd? And, perhaps by extension, how we did?)

2. At the end of the show, there was leftover merchandise, which I raided.

Here I'd like to point out that had we actually sold the stuff I ended up swiping (the hat and wristicuff shown above, as well as a hank of hand-dyed superwash wool that mysteriously ended up in my knitting bag), we would have doubled our profits. Still, the craft fair gave us six hours of (virtually) uninterrupted knitting (in my case; knitting/spinning in Jen's case) time, and this close to Christmas, that is priceless.

less than three days

until Wicked Woollen makes its retail debut at the craft fair! Today was spent washing and blocking everything, and here's a shot of a bathtub o' knitted goodness to prove it.

My basement (the "Dungeon") is full of wool in varying degrees of wetness. (I'm also blocking Mystery Christmas Gift #1.) Let me tell you, my house smells like a barn. Is it wrong that I kind of like that?

What were the babies up to while Jen and I were being good little entrepreneurs? Oh, they found ways to amuse themselves. Some of the ways didn't even involve Magic Baby beating the crap out of Baby Sister. See?All in all, quite a productive day. Not in terms of housework, of course (although I did do a load of laundry... but really that was just because I wanted to felt the Mystery Gift and I needed to throw some jeans in with it), but what are you going to do? It's all about priorities. Clearly, mine are spot on.

baby jacket

Last night I helped my husband set up a blog for all his geeky Dungeons and Dragons friends, and as of right now he has 15 comments. On his first post. Clearly, there is no fairness in the blogging universe.

In retribution, I have decided to post about something nearly as dorky as D&D: knitting.

About a year ago, when I first learned to knit, I came across this really cute pattern in an old book from the '70s. I believe the book was Nursery Knits by Tessa Watts-Russell. (I'm not positive, but if anyone really wants to know, email me and I'll double-check at my library.) The pattern was for a baby jacket. Mind you at this point I had knit a total of two items; a scarf for my grandmother and an intarsia pillow for my mom. (Yeah, other than starting with a scarf, I didn't really follow the "new knitter" rules.) Clearly, I was ready to tackle all the complications of an entire jacket. So, armed with a copy of my pattern, I headed for Jo-Ann Fabrics (at the time, I didn't even know LYSs existed). First I noticed the pattern called for size 2 needles, so I bought a pair. Then I noticed how many balls of yarn it needed, and I bought that. (I decided on Paton's Merino, as wool is very warm and this was to be Magic Baby's Very Special Winter Jacket.) Notice if you will that I failed to mention the yarn actually called for by the pattern. This is because, in my naivety, I had no idea yarn even came in different weights, never mind that substituting yarn can lead to catastrophes. (As a more season knitter, I now realize "lightweight" yarn is not the same as "worsted" weight, but at that time that comparison would have sounded like "blah, blah, yarn, blah, blah".) I then proceeded to cast on the required 8,000,000 stitches of worsted-weight yarn onto size 2 needles and begin my project. Please note at this point that no mention is made of "gauge" or a "swatch." Here I cannot claim total innocence, for I knew these existed. I just failed to see how they applied to me.

Many of you are probably aghast at this point, certain this project was a complete disaster. How could it not be? I chose completely inappropriate yarn, I didn't swatch, I used teeny needles with worsted-weight yarn, and I didn't even alter the number of stitches to make up for any of this. The result, about a month (and much, much knitting) later surprised even me:

Please don't call DCYF, the bulb is not hot. Not that I would have let him touch it. That was all Hubby. Still, he didn't get hurt, and it's a pretty good picture. I think you really get a sense of the jacket as a whole, don't you. :)

Yes it's too big, but it's also still identifiable as a jacket. (And it's freakin' adorable, if I do say so myself.) Somehow, despite all of my mistakes, it came out pretty darned good, especially since this was, again, the third thing I had ever made. If I were to make it now, I would almost certainly have used a different yarn, or at least redone the pattern to accommodate the heavier weight, but I honestly don't think the finished project would have turned out any better. That's not to say my knitting hasn't improved, but I think some of the "mistakes" I made on the jacket actually caused it to be better than it would be with the alterations a more seasoned knitter would make. Mainly, the warmth. At first I was leery of sending my baby out in a New England winter wearing something I made as his first line of defense against the cold. Usually around here, kids are dressed like the little brother from A Christmas Story, and my son's only in a sweater? (I really hate when people call it that, btw. Just because it's knit does not mean it's automatically a sweater. Here's a clue: if it's snowing and he's wearing it with mittens and a scarf, it's a jacket, dammit.) I'll admit I was a little iffy on it, as was my (non-knitter) mom. Jen's mom made me feel much better when she said, "Worsted-weight wool on size 2s?! That's one warm coat!" I love her.

So, again this year, my Magic Baby can be seen around town in his Very Special Winter Jacket, still a little too big, and still often mistaken for a sweater. I know, though, that he is not only wrapped in very warm wool, but also that the wool, having been lovingly stitched by his mom, is something like a great big knitted hug, and if that's not the warmest thing in the world, I don't know what is.

it's beginning to look a lot like this won't get done in time

Well, I am temporarily "on a break" from craft fair knitting. I think I've made something like 6,284 cabled neckwarmers in the past few weeks; my hands simply refuse to knit another one. Instead I've started my Christmas knitting, which is good, since I had an anxiety attack when I realized just how many things I have to knit in the next month or so. Unfortunately, since the people I'm knitting for might actually read my blog, I can't be too detailed. I'll give some hints, though. (More than The Panopticon, too.)

Okay, the project I started last night is going to be felted. Um... that's pretty much all I can tell you, other than that since I have a fear of carrying my knitting along the back (I unfailingly screw up the tension), I used (many) separate balls to achieve the required two-color knitting. Of course I took pictures.

Yeah, I think I had eight separate balls attached at one point. (Oh,and can you see Hubby's leg in that bottom picture? This is what he was doing while I was diligently making Christmas presents.)

Playing Halo!

Surprisingly with all those balls, my yarn didn't really get tangled at all. I have no idea how I managed that; clearly I did something to please the knitting gods. Thankfully I'm past that part now and only have three separate color sections to work with. Phew.

I'm a tad nervous about the whole felting thing. I've only done it once before, with dreadful results although that was totally my fault for, you guessed it, not getting gauge. So it's understandable I'd be afraid this too will come out atrociously and I won't have time to fix it. Especially since Jen and I wrote the pattern ourselves. I'll post pictures and more details on Ravelry, since I know the gift's recipient is not a member, and I'll let the general blogging public know how this project goes in the future. Right now I have to put a hyper baby to bed. Note to self: Two cupcakes and many Rice Krispie treats at a friend's birthday party combined with a special Thanksgiving cupcake my mom bought him, surprisingly enough, leads to an overtired son who's still awake at quarter past nine. Go figure.