Fair Isle Hats for the Hoot Kids

I love love love Fair Isle knitting.  I enjoy the process and the end result.  I love watching the pattern develop as I knit.  I started with this pattern but then had to shorten it a great deal.  My gauge was apparently too long.  Lil' Hoot already loves hers.  I'm hopeful this one will fit My Boy well from the start.  I hope to make it a tradition to knit them both hats each year, or at least each year until they get "too cool" for it.

Ear Flap Hat for My Boy

I made this same Ear Flap Hat for Lil' Hoot.  It fit her very well and was perfect for the whole winter.  I fear that this one will be too large for My Boy but only time will tell.  I started a crochet edge for it several times but it seemed to make the hat stretch even larger so I gave up (for now at least).

Stranded Cowl

Part of the Making for Me week I did back in August.  I know that with the new baby coming I will be wearing him in front of me much of the time and I remember my neck always being chilly when I did so with Grace.  Scarves never worked well so I thought a cowl would be the perfect solution.  This great yarn (a wonderful gift) was calling to me from my stash.  I started off with this pattern but then changed it to knit in the round. I just like the look better for this yarn.

Blanket for my Boy

I started a knitted blanket for Grace but no matter what I didn't like it. I thought I'd never actually knit a blanket, but this one really spoke to me. It's the Shawl pattern from Special Knits by Debbie Bliss.  I read a lot of comments that it was too boring but I found it perfect.  During the first trimester I was too tired at night to do much other than knit and watch TV so the easy repetition was about all I could handle.  It took me forever to figure out the edging but I absolutely love it. 

Robin Hood Jacket

About a year ago I cast on the Robin Hood Jacket from Zoe Mellor's Adorable Knits for Tots.  I knit this pattern a few years ago for a friend's new baby and really enjoyed it.  I always knew I wanted one for Lil' Hoot but thought I'd make it in a larger toddler size so (hopefully) she can wear it longer.

What I didn't like about the pattern is that all the pieces are knit separately and then seamed together.  I thought I'd just go ahead and knit the fronts along with the back and leave arm holes when I got to that point.  Good idea, in theory.  It turns out I didn't leave a big enough space for the arm holes, so when I realized I couldn't fix it, I did what every frustrated knitter does...I shoved it in the closet for awhile until finally ripping it all out to start over.  By that time it was well into fall and there was no way I was going to get it finished.

So this Spring when the first trimester exhaustion peaked and all I could do at night was sit and watch tv, I cast on for a new RHJ in a much larger size.  I decided, in my tired state, I should follow the pattern to the letter.  It worked out much better...except...despite being on gauge and knitting a larger size, the sleeves seem to be a bit tight, somewhat remarkable considering my skinny child.  Blocking works wonders though and her sweater is all set for fall...almost...

As you can see, it still needs buttons.  It's not for lack of trying though, I just haven't found the right buttons yet.  I hereby publicly declare to find them, buy them and get them sewn on before fall (if it ever comes).

Robin Hood Jacket

While on our mini-vacation to visit friends and family in Iowa I made sure we stopped at my favorite local yarn shop (LYS), Crazy Girl Yarn Shop in Coralville, IA. I am late to start Lil Hoot's fall/spring sweater so I wanted to take advantage of our drive time to start knitting. A couple years back I knitted the Robin Hood Jacket (from Adorable Knits for Tots by Zoe Mellor) for a friend's baby and knew that I wanted that sweater for my own kiddo, so that's what I'm working on now.

I chose Cascade Superwash 220 rather than the cotton yarn I used previously. I wanted something with more structure to it, the cotton knit up quite limp, but I still wanted it to be washable and, of course, soft. After wearing a sweater of my own knit from the Superwash, I decided it was the right yarn for this project. So far, I'm really digging the color and the yarn. Based on my last knit of this sweater as well as some swatching, I found that I had to go way down on the needle size or I end up with a rather large sweater. I also chose not to knit each piece separately, and I'm contemplating knitting the sleeves in the round too. There was just way too much seaming in the original pattern.

I'm about 2/3 of the way done...or so I choose to believe.

Don't look too closely or you will notice some mistakes within the cables. When last I knit this pattern I kept meticulous notes...not this time. For one thing, it's impossible to keep a paper and pencil at the ready for marking without Lil Hoot stealing it. For another, it's impossible to just keep the pattern out without her stealing it. So I memorized the pattern as best I could and just took off knitting. It felt good to click the needles again, there's something so soothing for me in the repetition of the stitches.

Lil Hoot's Boheme Sweater

I just finished up this sweater - Boheme. I used the 6 month size pattern but my gauge is tighter than hers so it's smaller than intended, which works well for me since Lil Hoot is on the tiny side. I followed the pattern word for word until the bind off. I didn't want to do a picot edge so I searched the internet for a crochet scallop and did that instead. I had the the dragonfly buttons in my stash and had been dying to find something for them!

Knitted Stuff - Booties

It seems this blog fell silent just as I started it. Partly because the house "stuff" took over my attention for about a month and partly because I had only gender-specific projects going. I will post the gender-specific projects as they get worn or as I think of it after baby Hoot arrives. In the meantime, most of my at-home hours are spent putting together a pregnancy journal. I don't feel that scrapbook pages share well via pictures (seriously, pictures of pictures?) but I'll sneak a few pictures in here once it's compiled.

As for gender neutral knitting, there's a reason you all aren't seeing much knitting or even much mention of knitting. I seem to have lost my knitting mojo during this pregnancy - something I certainly didn't expect. I have started probably a dozen projects, only to rip them out. In fact, the two pairs of booties shown here were ripped out before I finally got to the end result. There has been some conjecture over why this is the case, but I mostly chalk it up to my sudden indecisive nature and a change in my knitting guage that is throwing me out of whack. Regardless...here, finally, are two complete pairs of booties.





Pattern - Grandma's Favorite Baby Booties
*available at Crazy Girl Yarn Shop











Pattern - Cuff Booties
Simply Baby by Debbie Bliss
*if you live in Iowa City, the book is available at the library