Phew! I completed some more projects...

I've had a couple projects on my list of "to-do" for awhile. One of them being a cover for the infant car seat. A lot of people recommend having a light blanket that you throw over the car seat so that you can shade the baby in the sun or put over them when you're in the store to prevent strangers from touching your baby (Really?!?! That happens!?!? Hands off!) I've seen some sold in the store and coughed at the price. Baby items can be so expensive!
So with 1 1/4 yards of fabric (times two for a front and back) and a little bit of sewing time I made a cover for less than $6! I didn't follow a tutorial - the shape is so basic that it's pretty intuitive. I just made sure that I used an extremely lightweight fabric so that it was breathable and cool.

Some other projects that I knocked off my list were some burps clothes using the freebie pattern I have listed here. I used up scraps from other baby items I used by piecing the top and using terry cloth for the underside.

I also made a couple of knit soakers that are newborn sized. Most of my soakers were knit for about a 6-12 month old. So using the pattern from "Vintage Baby Knits" (pattern = Milo Soakers) and a pattern from Just Jussi blog (posted for free) I knit 2 soakers (and I even lanolized them already!!)
"Just Jussi" has the best pattern because it is super thick and absorbent through the crotch and is shaped in the butt. I like to knit the pattern in the round to avoid seaming. When I get to the crotch section I start knitting back and forth and continue knitting until I'm done with the short-row butt shaping. Then I seam them back to the section worked in the round with seamless kitchener stitch. I also cast on the leg ribbing and work on dpns. This way there's no seaming... yay!
The "Milo Soakers" were knit a little different from the pattern as well. I've knitted the Milo Soakers before and was unhappy with how it's written. First off, the pattern makes HUGE soakers with no shape. Talk about a huge booty! So I decided to make these changes:
1. Knit them in the round!!
2. Knit the ribbing in twisted rib on one size smaller needles (I used U.S. 2 needles)
3. Knit the body of the soakers in stockinette stitch NOT garter stitch (I really thought the soakers looked even more bulky in garter stitch and they look smoother and nicer in stockinette. Also by knitting in the round you avoid any purling...)
4. When you get to the crotch section (ribbing) work back and forth on both sides. Instead of knitting a 7" crotch - knit each side back and forth in ribbing for 3.5". Join the crotch at the middle with a 3 needle bind off.
5. Add leg ribbings for an even better fit (knit in the round with dpns)
This way they fit better and are seam free!! Yeah!

These are both knit in Knit Pick's Bare yarn (Just Jussi's are knit with a strand of aqua Shepherd's Wool in the crotch). I knit both pairs using size U.S. 3 needles. So it's a thick knit and smaller. They turned out exactly how I wanted them!!

Diamond Baby Sweater Finished

I bought the knitting book "Vintage Baby Knits" awhile back on a whim when I was at JoAnn's Fabric Store. I had a 50% off coupon and thought a lot of the patterns looked really cute.
Since bringing the book home I've knit many of the patterns. Since these are vintage patterns - I think Kristin Rengren did a nice job updating the patterns for modern yarn and sensibilities. However, I still think that some of the fit is off. A lot of the patterns are a little large for the size listed (most notably the Milo Soakers, which I've knit several of - another post to follow soon on those).Here is a quick sweater that I knit from the book. I changed up the pattern in the diamond section a little bit to make it a little more boyish. I also knit in a LOT tighter of a gauge and went up a size just so it would be a lot thicker. The yarn is black Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (3 skeins) and I ran out of yarn on the sleeves so I was only able to make it short sleeves... oh well...

DIY Boppy Cover

I received a "bare naked" Boppy as a shower gift with the intention of making a personalized cover. Every Tuesday my mother and I get together for a weekly lunch and we do something (ranges from a movie, pedicure, or a crafting project). My favorite is when we create something together. This week I had the Boppy Cover in mind. I googled Boppy Cover Tutorial and couldn't really find anything specific. So my mom and I made our own pattern - it took a couple hours (and still needs a little tweeking) but I think it turned out great! The most important part of the cover that is missing in most tutorials is a gusset in the cover. If you strictly trace around the pillow and make it like that it will be too small or really gathered and puckered. We put a gusset in the middle of the "horse shoe" and we put a zipper on the back. After we do a little more tweaking, I believe we'll start making and selling these (sorry, I'm not posting the pattern on here for free...)
Take a look at the basic cover - it's chenille on the back and cotton on the front. Next time I'm adding some piping and perhaps making a pieced front to match his quilt or room...

Freebie: Dotted Baby Hat

Here's a quick freebie for those of you looking for an easy, but adorable baby hat to make in an evening or two.

It has a rolled brim and dotted with purled stitches for a little dimension and finished with a knotted top.Size - Newborn
Yarn - Gedifra Mayra Yarn (shown in color "cement")
Needles - U.S. 7 needles of choice for knitting in the round (I use small circulars) and a set of U.S. 7 DPNs for decreasing at top of hat.

Directions:

Body of Hat:
CO 66 stitches. Place marker to denote beginning of round.
Rounds 1 -8: Knit in stockinette stitch (every row knit).
Round 9: K3, *P1, K5, repeat from * until last 3 stitches, P1, K2.
Round 10: Knit across
Round 11: P1, *K5, P1, repeat from * until last 5 stitches, K5.
Round 12: Knit across.
Repeat rounds 9-12 until hat measures four inches from cast on edge.

Decreasing Crown of Hat:
Round 1: (K9, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 2: (K8, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 3: Knit across
Round 4: (K7, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 4: (K6, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 5: Knit across
Round 6: (K5, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 7: Knit across
Round 8: (K4, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 9: Knit across
Round 10: (K3, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 11: (K2, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 12: (K1, K2tog) repeat until end of round
Round 13: (K2tog) repeat until end of round (6 stitches remain)

I-Cord for top of hat:
Place 6 remaining stitches on one dpn. Knit 6 stitches for an I-cord (*Knit a row. Slide row to other end of needle. Do not turn the work. Repeat from * for two and a half (2.5) inches.
Cast off 6 stitches. Weave in ends. Tie I-cord in knot at top of hat.You're done! Congrats! Now place the hat on a cute, little baby...

Another Pair of Greemy Baby Booties

I haven't knit any "Greemy Baby Booties" (pattern available for free from the wonderful Chopped Tomatoes blog) since finding out I am pregnant. When I was at the knit store the other day I picked up some wonderful yarn that screamed "BABY BOOTIES!" The pattern I turn to? Greemy Baby Booties! They are fabulous to knit - easy to make in a couple hours and turn out so cute!

I casted these booties on with size U.S. 2 needles and knit them with JoJoLand's Melody Superwash sock yarn. This made tiny newborn booties. They are super stretchy and I'm sure will fit great at birth.
Go over and take a look at Chopped Tomatoes Blog and make a pair today! They are great for charity knitters (hospitals are always looking for baby socks and booties for their baby patients since hats are always the "go-to" item...)

Baby Shower Gift

My mother and I have been invited to my friend's baby shower this weekend. My friend is expecting TWIN GIRLS in the beginning of October! I'm so excited for her and can't wait to celebrate this weekend...
For a present we decided to team up and knit a little package for her precious bundles. My mom visited Nina's knit shop when she was in Chicago a couple months ago and bought some beautiful light pink (color "Shell") Organic Worsted Cotton by Blue Sky Alpacas. She worked hard on a gorgeous baby blanket using the pattern "Eyelet Baby Blanket" by designer Leslie Scanlon (available by Blue Sky Alpacas). This pattern calls for 7 skeins of yarn and U.S. 10 needles so it's a pretty quick knit for a blanket. I can tell it's a great pattern for the fact that my mom has knit 3 blankets (one for me, one for my friend, and one for charity!)
To go with the blanket she also bought some coordinating yarn by Blue Sky Alpacas called "Suri Merino" (in color "dawn"). It's a luscious yarn with great loft and is SUPER soft. It's definitely worth the price tag (all of Blue Sky Alpacas yarn is worth the pricey price tag in my opinion...) With a single skein of the Suri Merino I knit up 2 baby hats from the book "One Skein" by Leigh Radford and had enough left over to make at least one more.
I hope my friend enjoys her gift. It was knitted with love - and sure does look and feel heavenly. I might go out and buy some of the Suri Merino to make a baby hat for my little man. It's that wonderful (even though it has to be hand washed!)

Quick Baby Knit

We're really doing our best trying to get our house sold. So for the past couple months we have been packing boxes for the move to try to empty our house out. This means that my yarn stash has found a new home in temporary storage (boo hoo!) But while packing my yarn I went through it and put it into three piles:
1. Keep and pack away
2. Make something quick with it (usually single skeins that were asking to be kept but were single skeins)
3. Donation (which I just shipped a big package out to the some people on Ravelry)

After going through my yarn I was stuck with a little pile of yarn that I loved but couldn't justify packing. So I quickly knit up some fun baby knits (hats, socks, mitts, etc.) The one project I've been meaning to try is the flower bib from "One Skein" by Leigh Radford. So using a little yellow cotton skein I knit the bib in an evening. It's a fun little project (even though I really had to pay attention to remember to knit the wraps back into the bib since there are a LOT of short rows).

Here it is:

Sleep Sack

It's so hard to decide what type/size of baby clothes to buy. You always hear, "babies don't wear newborn sized clothes. They wear 0-3 months for only a couple weeks." So I never know what to buy, especially since I don't know when the little man will arrive. But I decided that you can't really go wrong with sleep sacks. But while looking at sleep sacks I realized that either the quality really lacked or they were crazy expensive. My solution? Make my own!I searched Etsy for a sleep sack pattern and came across one. I won't list the pattern because frankly it was a bear to work with and had a lot of problems - and I don't want to publicly insult the pattern maker. But after receiving the pattern I met with my mom for the afternoon and we worked on the sack. It was the perfect afternoon project. We picked out some polka dot fabric for the outside and blue stripe for the inside. After cutting out the pieces and reading the directions like 32 times (I'm not exaggerating. She read them, I read them, we read them together, we read them aloud, we read them silently, etc.) we just decided to wing it. A sleep sack is a pretty straight forward pattern (even more bewildering how the pattern managed to be so insanely complicated and backwards!!)After a couple hours we ended up with an adorable sleep sack for Little Man. Hopefully he enjoys it!!

Lots of wool baby knits

I bought this knitting book a couple years ago because I couldn't resist the cute knitted bear outfit on the front. Well I finally got around to knitting some items from this great book. I first started with the elastic waist pants - I wanted to make some wool soakers and thought that pattern was perfect to knit up with some wool. They were quick to knit and turned out great. I still need to insert the elastic though...

After I was finished with the pants I had TONS of the aqua wool skein left. So I knit up the vest located in the book. I actually made a ton of changes to the pattern (knitted it in the round, omitted the buttons up the side, and only made it button on one sleeve). I wanted the vest to be as seamless as possible. I still need to add the buttons to the left shoulder...
After all this knitting was said and done, I still had some navy yarn and aqua yarn left over (I started with one 100G skein of each). So I knit up the hat in the book as well. It turned out so cute! All I have left is the tiniest bit of aqua left. I might knit it up into a little ball and felt it for a toy (either for the baby or for the dogs).
So that was a little knitting I've done in the last month. I still have TONS of projects to post to the blog. Currently I'm working on a sweater out of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino for this winter for the baby. The pattern I'm using is out of Vintage Baby Knits. We'll see when that makes it to the blog (only the arms need to be knitted). I also have a couple of baby shower gifts that I need to finish for my friend who is expecting twin girls this September/October. All this knitting!

Cloth Diapering

I apologize if baby posts take over this blog for a little while. But I'm getting so excited now that I'm almost 6 months pregnant!
My nausea has finally subsided and I'm able to function. Good thing because I started a new job a couple weeks ago! So I'm a busy lady lately. But I had managed to fit in a project or two in my spare time. The biggest project on the horizon is that I need to start sewing up some cloth diapers. We're planning on cloth diapering and I went and registered for them last weekend and was astounded at the price. $16-20 per diaper is so expensive! But I figured that I could try my hand at making some myself. I still plan on buying most of my cloth diapers (they will last longer and will be made of better materials) but I think I could also try to make a few. Here's my attempt this past weekend.
The first diaper is using a left over tank top of mine for the knit fabric outside and it's got a flannel lining. It's a soft pink and really beautiful. The next diaper is a blue knit fabric and lined with diaper cloth for the lining. I actually think the diaper cloth lining works better. Both have soaker pads made out of flannel and diaper cloth. I'll see how they fit once the baby comes. I purposely posted a blue and pink diaper because I didn't want anyone to know if this baby is going to be a boy or girl. I also figured that the color really doesn't matter since they will need a diaper cover anyway -- so truthfully they'll be covered up.
bAnyone out there sew their own cloth diapers? Any patterns you recommend? I used the pattern by Celtic Cloths available free online. I also tried the pattern by Little Comet Tails but I wasn't as successful at that one. I also didn't make the diapers "All in One" with a waterproof P.U.L. outer since P.U.L. is quite expensive and I don't know if these will even fit!

Mr. Monkey Man

It was a HUGE surprise to hear that one of my best friends is expecting a little boy in July! I couldn't believe that we're both expecting at the same time. Too bad she lives across the country...

But the invitation to her baby shower ended up in the U.S. Post Office Abyss - so I only had about a week's worth of notice to get her a baby shower gift. Hmmm... my brain was spinning! I met my friend in nursing school and we formed a knit group with some other friends. We gathered once a week and knit and drank. It was always such a relaxing evening filled with lots of laughs. Remembering those good 'ol days I knew that even though I had such short notice I HAD to make her something knitted.
I started looking through some of my knitting books and ran across a pattern called "Monkey" in Reynolds Kids. It was the perfect pattern since this baby will be a July baby in Arizona. I couldn't knit a sweater for a sweltering hot Arizona baby! So I purchased my yarn (a cotton/wool blend yarn) and started knitting. It took about 40 hours of knitting to make this monkey from start to finish but it turned out so cute that I had a hard time giving it away!
But I know Mr. Monkey Man will have a wonderful home with Jenny, Kevin and their bouncing baby boy in July! Congrats, Jenny!!!

Free Online Pattern: Baby Booties

It's been awhile since I've posted a free online pattern. While looking at a couple blogs it was recommended to check out a pattern for baby booties by the blog Pickin' and Throwin'. So I headed over there and was surprised to see a pattern for some baby booties that are totally seamless. They are knitted on dpns and the bottom of the sole is finished with a 3-needle bind off. So when you're finished all you need to do is sew in your 2 yarn tails. Not too shabby!

So here are the details:
Pattern: Baby Booties
Designer: Pickin' and Throwin'
Yarn: Recommends dk or sport weight
Needles: Recommends U.S. 5 dpns
Notes: I made 3 pairs of these. The first pair I knit with Cashcotton dk yarn. The pattern does not list gauge - but I know that I'm a loose knitter and a lot of the comments mentioned that the booties turned out huge - so I used U.S. 3 needles. Boy am I glad I blindly made this choice - the booties still turned out pretty large! And I wasn't really a fan of how the Cashcotton yarn turned out. Since it's mainly a cotton yarn, the booties kind of lack shape.
So the second time around I picked some Reynolds Soft Sea Wool which is fingering weight yarn. I also chose to go down another size in needles to U.S. 2 dpns. This was the magical combination - small needles and a springy yarn. I also chose to knit the cuff in 1x1 rib instead of the 2x2 rib. I think it looks cuter that way.And then I knit this a third time (can you tell I enjoy this pattern?) This time I used Lorna's Laces Swirl DK and used U.S. 1 needles for a tight gauge. These turned out to be my absolute favorite combination. Thick, plush, and soft... yum!
Other than the modifications in needle size and 1x1 rib, I knit the pattern as written (I still need to add the tie for the booties through the eyelet round). It's a fabulous pattern. I memorized the whole pattern after the first booty was knit and there are no typos. So it's going to be a great project that will be easy to transport to doctor appointments, etc.
So head on over to Pickin' and Throwin' and check out the pattern. It's a great gift and a pair only takes about 6 hours. Have fun!

I Could Tease My Mom All Day!

(A random picture I took recently)

Hi Mom (I know you're reading this)! I'm sure you're sitting there now just beet red in the face because I'm being so stubborn. But I promise you, the news will be worth the wait...

To All Readers - I'm sure you're confused what I'm talking about. But yesterday Sam and I went to the OB office for a check-up (I wish I would have been warned about how long you can wait to be seen by the doctor!! It seems like 2 hours is the norm and I think that's just ridiculous!). After talking with the doctor and getting some useful information on my nausea she grabbed the doppler to listen for baby's heartbeat. She couldn't find it after some long searching. So she grabbed an ultrasound machine out of the hallway and placed the probe on my belly. Immediately our little bean starting doing the jig! Little Bean was sucking it's thumb and even waiving at us! Too cute and so exciting to see. I couldn't help myself, I asked the doctor if she could give us a gender determination. You see - we're excited to know what this bean is! I have to know if I should be knitting pink or blue!

After searching the ultrasound for a minute she was able to get the aptly named "toilet shot" for a gender prediction and gave us her *guess*. I say "guess" because she doesn't want to be held responsible for being wrong. But she was pretty sure and said that they can confirm at a high powered ultrasound in 2 1/2 weeks (our ultrasound was an oldie: Sam laughed when it popped up on the screen "Copyright: 1998").

So we celebrated the big news and are so excited to know if we will be having a little daughter or a little son. But I haven't popped the news to my parents yet and my mom is less than happy! But I'm kind of enjoying this little secret that Sam and I have. So you'll have to wait just a little longer mom!!

In craft news, there are a couple items that I have on my list of "To-Do's". Here are links to projects that I will be getting started on ASAP:

1. Sleep Sack Pattern by Twice As Nice Boutique. I just bought this pattern and can't wait to receive it in the mail. It will be a lot of fun to sew!!
2. Berroco Booklet #292 Patterns called "DK Baby". I want to buy this pattern book because there are a lot of cute patterns. Anyone ever made anything from this?
3. The 90 minute shirt by MADE. This is an awesome blog that I read regularly. This method for making a shirt is so cute!
4. Wee Weka Cloth Diapers. I've made tons of cloth diapers for baby gifts and now I'll need to start making some for myself. Let the sewing begin!

Free Online Pattern: Garder Yoke Cardi

So I started up knitting today for the first time in a couple months. I had a project sitting on my knitting pile screaming to be finished - all it had left to be completed was an arm! So I picked up and dove in and in less than an hour it was finished. And I have to say it turned out beautiful and really soft!
Pattern: Garder Yoke Baby Cardi by Jennifer Hoel (available free online)
Yarn: Calls for 3 skeins of Knit Picks Andean Treasure. I used 2 skeins of Sublime Yarn's Soya Cotton DK in Navy.
Needles: Calls for U.S. 4, I used U.S. 3 needles.
Details: This was a great pattern! Easy to follow and turned out so freakin' cute! I made the arm length shorter because I only had 2 skeins of yarn on hand and because the baby is due in July so long sleeves aren't necessary. Luckily I made that choice because when I casted off the sweater I had a whole 6 inches of yarn left! I was sweating towards the end and was so relieved when my last stitch was casted off.
It was wonderful to be knitting again. Hopefully I'll get rid of this nausea soon so that I have the energy to sit down and knit more often. Sam and I are excited to find out the gender of this baby in the coming month. So I'm sure my knitting will be revamped once we know if we can knit pink items or blue items.
So if you're looking for an easy pattern that turns out super cute and knits up quickly, this pattern is for you. Thanks Jennifer Hoel for taking the time to write up this pattern!!

Zig Zag Lace Vest

I just finished blocking a beautiful "Eyelet Vest" by Debbie Bliss. I knitted this pattern for the first time a couple weeks ago (see here) in some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. I just received some beautiful Lorna's Laces Swirl Dk yarn in the mail from Jimmy Bean's Wool. The color "Bittersweet" was so enticing that I couldn't help casting on another vest.This time I decided to knit the bottom of the vest in the pattern "Lacey Zigzag" (pg 220) from the book "Lace & Eyelets, 250 Stitches to Knit". The stockinette stitch was boring to knit and I thought a patterned bottom would give a little more zip. It sure did! It turned out great!I still knitted the piece in the round to avoid seaming and casted off the shoulder using 3 needle bind-off. I also picked up the stitches for the arm and neck in the round. This way when I was finished there was absolutely NO seaming. Aahhh...I finished the sweater with a little bee button I had in my stash. All in all, this was a great pattern and I will have to sit on my hands to avoid knitting another one! I think this will be my standby baby shower gift.Thanks Debbie Bliss!

Eyelet Vest and New Yarn!

I just weaved in the last of the ends on a project that I've been slowly working on for the last month. While Sam and I were traveling to Illinois last month I looked for a knitting project to bring along for the car ride. I looked through my patterns and found a little gem I've been meaning to knit for a year - the "Eyelet Vest" by Debbie Bliss from the book "Special Knits: 22 Gorgeous Handknits for Babies and Toddlers".This is one darling vest. It calls for Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (which I had on hand from an after season sale) and U.S. 2 needles. I've been putting off knitting it because it is knit on such small needles and because it has 6 inches of straight knitting. Talk about small, boring work! But it was these characteristics which made it perfect for the car. Since I can knit stockinette stitch in the round without looking down at my knitting, I knew I could keep my fingers busy without getting car sick and 6 inches of stockinette stitch on 160 or so stitches would be several hours of knitting.
So I casted on the back and the front simultaneously (I HATE seaming and it seemed pointless to knit them separately) and worked the piece in the round (including the neck and arm holes). I finished almost all of the stockinette knitting during our trip. When I got home the piece fell in to a pile of things to finish soon. So 2 days ago I picked up the vest and started working on it again. What a fun little project! The directions are correct but at times are not written very clear-cut so you have to really think about what you're doing (meaning I had to rip out a couple rows and re-do the decreases since I wasn't thinking). But after you understand what she's getting at, the piece flies off your needles!After I was done I wasn't too happy with the rolled edge design at the bottom of the vest. Everything else is so tailored and detailed and the rolled edge just seamed too messy. So I picked up the stitches at the bottom and knit 4 rows in garter stitch. Had I looked at Ravelry and seen all the finished projects I would have seen that this was a change many knitters made (and I could have avoided needing to pick up stitches!)But it's in the details that make it just gorgeous. The eyelet holes around the vest call for a beautiful thin ribbon and I had a perfect ribbon on hand. My mother always surprises me by picking up beautiful, thin, hand-dyed, silk ribbons for me at various art shows/stores. A silk ribbon dyed in shades of rose, light pink and deep pink looked beautiful woven through the eyelets. I finished the little vest with a tiny mother of pearl finished button.This turned out so cute that I'm keeping it for myself. This is an heirloom and pictures just don't do it justice!!
I really recommend this pattern!!
After I took pictures of this project I went and got my mail out of my mailbox and was surprised by a package from Jimmy Beans Wool. I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again, this is the best yarn store to order online from! They are located in Reno, NV but somehow they get your yarn out to you in days!The yarn I ordered was some Lorna's Laces Swirl Dk Yarn which is on sale for 50% off (get it while they still have some)!!! Normally $13/skein and I got it for $6.50! Can't get any better than that!! I ordered 2 skeins of three different colorways and they are so much prettier in person than on the computer and are so soft! The colorways are Aslan (natural colors), Tickled Pink (pinks), and Bittersweet (pinks and oranges). Now what shall I do with them??