The hardest part about this project was blocking the damn thing. It was as big as my bed and I didn't have the patience or pins to properly block the scalloped edging evenly. You really have to stretch it in certain parts to get the feather and fan sections to lie flat.
The Trellis sweater was my nephew's Christmas present - he got it early though, because I figured he'd get some more wear out of it now, that boy grows so fast! Did I mention he started walking at 8 months?! 
This is called the Happily Ever After dress in Chesley Flotten's Soft + Simple Knit for Little Ones. I used about 3 skeins of Sirdar Dreambaby in blue, and 1 skein in aqua on US5 circulars. At the start, the skirt feels like it's never going to end...just round after round of stockinette. When you finally get to the waistband, switching to seed stitch is such a relief! I like how it turned out - still too big for JJ, but she'll fit into it this fall and winter. She's got a lot of pink in her wardrobe, so it's nice to have something in a different colour.
This is the little green one from Courtney, although it appears to have rotated on her head...
The cuffed booties I knit for her were too loose, and the only way to keep them up was to unroll the cuff. Sort of a legwarmer-shoe-thing. This is the first piece of baby clothing I bought when I was pregnant - at the time I could hardly imagine what it would be like when she arrived, and here she is now...
Pattern: Woodland Shawl
If you've never knitted lace before, this is actually a good one to start with - you can easily use any weight yarn, needles, and adjust the width of the shawl to your liking. I think this would look really nice in a heavier yarn.
We got a ton of snow over the weekend and the roads are finally starting to clear up. Today we took Gatsby to the vet, and we're off to see a movie soon - Up in the Air. Tomorrow is the Lunar New Year, so happy new year to everyone!
Apparently it was one deceptively difficult, hellish knit that took at least 8 attempts and lots of ripping back, because the pattern was written in another language and didn't make any sense. And the final garment had to be heavily modified. Something like two other people on Ravelry had ever knit it. 
It's made with leftover Lion Brand Cotton Ease, knit on US6. I had just enough to make the ears, ties and tassles, and the face details are just white felt and black scrap yarn. The pattern is a free one by Hello Yarn and calls for DK weight, but it's not hard to sub in worsted weight. It's quite a clever little pattern...basically a toe-up sock using a figure 8 cast-on, and then you make a few decreases to shape the back of the bonnet. 
I think Totoro's nose should have been a little bigger, and I forgot he had whiskers...oh well. he's still pretty cute as he is. This staircase bannister is the best baby mannequin ever.
This one is based on the Gooseberry Hat pattern, except with some heavy mods because I only had 20g of this pretty yarn from Tasmania...I only included 6 sections instead of 8. I still had a few yards left at the end though, so I made a fat crochet flower to top it off. 
Leftovers hat using a generic baby hat pattern...this will match the Crossover Top also made with Jaeger Aqua. I cast on 80 stitches on US6, and just alternated stockinette and garter rows. When the hat reached about 5" in length, I decreased 8 stitches every round until 8 stitches remained, then pulled it shut. The bow thing is made of the last couple yards knit into I-cord.
Ok, I didn't make this one...Courtney made it. She is spoiling JJ already. Isn't it cute?! It's super soft. This one is coming with us to the hospital!
Bitty baby socks made from leftover Plymouth Happy Feet...
And some adorable rollerskates and stuffed bunny from two lovely ladies at my knitting group!
Not particularly chatty today...just got back from an all-day Lamaze birthing class and feeling a little pooped. We talked about labour and delivery for almost 8 hours! It was a good class though and we are feeling more prepared for the big day.
Knitting a DB pattern always makes me crazy, but the projects look so beautiful it's hard to resist. For some reason, they never seem to put any diagrams in the pattern to show you how the project is assembled. Considering everything is knit in itty bitty pieces that require outrageous amounts of seaming and weaving in ends, you'd think they'd make your life easier by giving you a schematic. Nope. You get weird, awkward directions on how to set in a sleeve, or attach a button loop, with instructions like "starting 4 rows up and 3 inches over from the first point of decreases in the left underarm, attach the band". That's not much of an exaggeration. Ugh!!
And there are booties to match! Too cute. Thanks Courtney!
This is a really quick knit because of the aran-weight yarn. Even though I used US6 needles (to get a denser fabric), I think I started around Christmas and finished in less than a week, which is probably my record for fastest knit in 2009!
The little hat is made from the Freshly Picked Baby Hat pattern also available on Ravelry...yes, I know it's not garter stitch to match, but whatever. What I didn't realize is that babies heads are shockingly large. Maybe that's why they're so cute. But man, their heads are BIG. I cast on 96 stitches for this on US4 dns, which is pretty huge! I just cast on 96 stitches on US6 for a hat for myself, as a comparison...
Waving her fist at us...stop scanning me!
This one is my favourite b/c you can see the profile so clearly...along with the spine and heart too. Cool, eh?
The Knitticrafty household is seeing some big changes this year. First a house...
...and now Gatsby is getting a sibling!
I've been sitting on our happy news for a while, and now seems as good a time as any to share it. We'll get to meet the wee one in February, and in the meantime I've got lots of little baby projects in mind to keep me busy. I figure that once baby arrives, my crafting life will be put on hold indefinitely. Must fit in as much as possible between now and then!
Today was a good finishing morning - I finally sewed in loose ends, kitchener-stitched toes together, and blocked. Here is my first FO for baby, the placket neck pullover from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I know, I've already made it four other times, but it's just so cute. And you can't beat the minimal seaming - it's all knit in the round! The yarn is Kraemer Tatamy Tweed DK, an acrylic cotton blend that should be easy to machine wash. It's made right here in Nazareth, PA too!
Yarn: Kraemer Tatamy Tweed DK in Birch
Yarn: 2 skeins of Plymouth Happy Feet (from Conversational Threads in Emmaus),
Seems I have been very eager about casting on for new knitting projects! I've been working away on all of them, but it's getting to that point where nothing seems to be getting closer to being done. Once again, I'm making the Pomatomus socks (my fourth pair), which I'm giving to my mom. I love how it looks in solid yarns! I honestly tried to pick a different pattern, but it just didn't look as good.
The pinwheel blanket is for one of many babies I know that are due early next year. The baby rush is still going strong!
I started the worsted-weight Amelia cardigan by Laura Chau, using Valley Yarns Northampton in Ocean Heather. It'll be fall before you know it, and I'm getting a start to my cooler-weather knitting. One skein has so far gotten me through 1.5 sleeves, which is good because I only have four more skeins left. I think I'll make it. 
I managed to throw two rice bowls in a row that looked decent, despite not having been near a wheel in a year! Those cylinders, I tell you...I think it was a plot to prevent us beginners from making too many pieces and crowding the kiln. 
I asked D's mum for a brown glaze with ash spots that I think will look really cool, here's hoping they turn out!
How on earth did it get to be July already?! I've really been slacking with my blogging (sorry!), but it really doesn't feel like that long between posts until I check the last date. When I started the blog, I wasn't sure how much I'd be actively posting, but 2008 was a pretty good blog year, and I credit that to being much busier (with work) and thus motivated to multitask and write about all the things going on. Crafting for me seems to be directly related to how busy I am - growing substantially the busier my schedule is. The other change this year, though, is that I've joined a knitting group and I think that has become my new outlet for showing my finished crafts. And once I've shown it there, or talked about it there, I guess I feel less like writing about it on my blog a second or third time...but since I know you are all dying to see new crafts, I suppose I can try a little harder. :)
My recent knitting includes this baby blanket for baby Sophie, who was born on June 30. It's the Big Bad Baby Blanket pattern from Stitch n Bitch, knit in Bernat 100% cotton yarn, the biggest skein I have ever seen, and get this, not a single knot or break in this yarn the whole way through! It's probably about 400-500 yards total, I'll have to check. 
Oh, and here are some pretty flowers from our garden! Unfortunately, Gatsby decided to eat have the bouquet and then promptly regurgitated it on the newly washed carpet. Dumb cat.
